Archive of Our Own

The newly patented Queen’s Mother was bobbing happily along, a wash with spray and fish guts. The new royal navel ship had only just been turned over to the pirates, and they were throwing their celebration wild. Captain Yagi Toshinori, with a happy smile oversaw. His first mate, Aizawa Shouta a scowling menace beside him.

“They did today, very little slopy work. Midoriya especially seemed to thrive.” The scowling man said, lightening slightly at the name of his very own problem (child). “Even when Bakugou was being a bastard, sometimes I want to throw that boy to Davy Jones and be done with it. What was he thinking, showing off. One of these days he’s going to get shot, and then get Midoriya shot. Which then would mean we would lose three of our fighters because we all know Todoroki would follow Midoriya.”

Scoffing the black haired man watched the two 20 year olds making out just beyond the light, with Todoroki joining in a few moments later, slotting behind Midoriya and nibbling at his jaw.

“Shouta, come on stop being a grump.” Hizashi, another one of Yagi’s original crew, said sliding up and onto Shouta lap. Playing softly with his hair, which the dark haired man tried desperatly to avoid leaning into. “The lads did good, and now they are celebrating! Hello Captain, may I steal your first mate.”

“No you may not. We are still talking.”

“Of course Yamada, please, you may be the only one of us who will draw a smile tonight. It is a celebration after all.” A stifling glare was shot in his direction as Yamada started tugging at Aizawa’s hand – even if he was not resisting, “we can finish in the morning Aizawa, go. I’ll make sure no one falls of the side again. But even then I think Denki is plenty occupied at the moment.”

With one last partiularly loud and long sigh – practically a firm and loud agreement from the old Navy seal – Aizawa trailed after Yamada, yapping along happily.

Trailing his own eyes way from the men, as well as the spot where his successor and his, friends, had been he alighted his search on the darkening horizon. The large mist rolling in from the darker and deeper parts of the sea.

A Siren mist, Toshinori must have been particularly unlucky if this was the first thing they ran across on their new ship. It would probably arrive some time in the next couple of days, dependent on the wind. So Toshinori let the crew celebrate.

Izuku could hear singing, it was low level and quiet, so he could forgive whoever was singing. He just hoped they would stop soon; it was rather distracting. Shuffling deeper into the warm bodies in front and behind him, he drowned it out with their heartbeats.

Kacchan, predictable, throws his arm over his waist and pulls him closer. Smushing his face into his curls in his sleep, Shouto follows quickly, seeking out body heat and any kind of touch he can get, his own arm tangling with Kacchan’s as it lay on his naked body.

The mist had hit the ship two days after the celebration had finished, so thick that you could barely see from one side of the ship to the other, let alone the ocean. Izuku could also see why it was called a Siren mist. There was a certain whispering whistle in the mist. Toshinori had told him it was just the prelude to the sirens and was made to make sailors tense enough to be easy to lure in.

The other way he could see it being called the Siren mist was the large rock formations that seemed to rise out of nowhere. They would only have a few moments warning, and it was from the prowess and experience from Jirou their wheel master and her small bits of searching magic that they were able to miss them completely.

The tales of tails slipping into the water as each rock was past also haunted the ship’s crew. And even if they were sailors, pirates, who each had claimed to have slept with a mermaid to every port man or women. They were not Mermaids in these waters.

Everyone stayed close to someone in the next couple of days. Izuku all but clinging to Katsuki and Shouto.

Then one night, in the dark, Izuku heard a clear note in the darkness of night. Just as he slipped into sleep, once again between his two lovers. It was a lovely note, clear and loud in the night. It echoed in his brain as he slept, creeping into his dreams.

Slipping into the cracks of his consciousness, slipping deep into his mind. A coldness wrapped around him during his song, the warmth of dreamless sleep replaced by the vigil of a cold night watch.

Waking in the morning confused, his lip red and bloody. Broken and bleeding. He must have bit it while dreaming. Looking down at his partners while they still slept, he cuddled into Katsuki’s back and went back to sleep.

The morning came with the sound of alarm, one of the deck hands had gone missing. He was out of his bunk, had been reported leaving his room in the dead of night for some fresh air and hadn’t come back. There was no sign of him anywhere on the ship, and even the night’s watch had no clue where he went.

Toshinori’s sour face told Izuku everything he needed to know, Sirens.

The sound of the song in his dreams haunted him.

Shaking him awake, Izuku sat next to the face down body of Shouto. Katsuki on Izuku’s other side already dressed. Grumbling the tall boy turned over in near wakefulness a weak pout on his face as he clawed his way into waking.

“Get up sleepyhead. Aizawa wants us on lookout.” Izuku said gently stroking his hair back from his face, the pout deepening when he pulled away.

“Get up you lazy bastard. Zuku, move, I’ll with this.” Katsuki said, moments before he threw Shouto over his shoulder. Said man startling awake, to the movement and the furious giggles coming from Izuku. “See, awake.”

“Katsuki, put me down right now.”

“No, I don’t think I will. This is your penance for not waking up when Deku told you too. Tough shit pretty boy, your my damsel in distress now. Come on Zu, lets go get some food. Maybe we can tie Shou up, making him a real damsel in distress.”

They sat in the inside mess hall, the mist was far too thick – and was thickening every day, with the rest of the crew that were their age.

“Ugh,” Kirishima spoke up once he came into the room, sitting next to Mina, looking at Shouto who had taken the opportunity to go back to sleep as he was tied and laid against the wall, “is Todoroki alright there. Looks a little tied up.”

“He was being a little bitch this morning, no more questions.” Katsuki responded with his regular grumpy tone.

Opening his mouth to respond, and to refute the little bitch comment, Aizawa came in a frantic look in his eye that tensed the spine of all the others in the room.

“Has anyone seen Shouji?”

“This is like Gallow’s day all over again.” Katsuki said impatiently, scoring the deck with Izuku and Shouto. “That was a fucking disaster.”

“No its not, Kacchan, this is so much fucking worse. That had a good ending, remember? You confessed to me under the stars that were also my freckles that were also edible.” Giggling Katsuki pushed him away hand over his face. Kacchan was blushing.

“I was drunk, and I am very gay. How could you bring this up!”

“What’s Gallow’s day?” Shouto asked quietly as the other two faced off. “Why was is a disaster but also good?”

“It was the day Toshinori became our captain.” Izuku began, before Katsuki’s large hand engulfed his mouth.

“It was the day he, Aizawa and Hizashi were meant to hang, they were in the cells and everything. But turns out, most of the crew here now were moles in the staff of the fort we were raised at and navy captain training school, and broke them out.” He scowled at the few members of the crew that they could see, Kirishima and Denki included – who were both watching tight lipped and narrow eyebrow over the side of the ship and talking quietly.

“Considering we were the only ones viable to complete the training and become captains of our own ships when we were older, they took us as well. As like a massive fuck you to the Navy or something – they never really explained it to us. Then Deku charmed the shit out of All Might and we shifted from ‘guests’ to crew. Then that old dog Aizawa broke our knuckles making us clean. Stupid bastard.”

“And I guess this stupid bastard wasn’t responsible for making you fearsome pirates either.” Aizawa drawled from the rails above them, dropping down into a crouch next to them as he jumped from above, Izuku could never be sure whether he was a cat or a man some days. “Katsuki, you would have lasted a year as a navy captain before you turned into a pirate yourself. Just look at me, I know I lasted 6 months and decided it wasn’t worth it.”

“If it makes anyone feel better I lasted a week.” Shouto said, “I think I would have turned quicker if it wasn’t a prisoner for 5 of those days. That really did turn the spite on for not being one. Even when seduced by bright green eyes I held on.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed, “then you were holding onto your dick for weeks after trying not to circum to his” and he theatrically made his way away from the others, nearly lost in the mist as Aizawa lost interest when the word dick came up, “seduction. You a weak man, Shouto. With a healthy craving. Why we work so well as a trio.”

“I did not circum to his seduction, I just accepted it. You on the other hand, you are the tag along no one wants. Anyway, I do agree, this does seem a lot worse than Gallow’s day. Two people are missing.” Shouto began again.

“Fair, but then again. In the perspective of the British, half an island fort is missing. So perspectives are everything.” Izuku turned around to continue with their search, just to see Katsuki completely go into the fog, “KACCHAN! Wait we have to stay together!” and he ran off after the blond, Shouto dutifully trailing after him.

It happened every three days. They would wake up with someone having gone missing. There would be no signs, there would be no sounds, they would only wake in the morning to find someone gone. The ship morale was lowering rapidly, especially since the mist had thickened so much that visibility had gone, with the wind as well.

They were as good as sitting ducks where they were right now, having to keep a closer eye on each other.

There had been another three people gone missing, and it was now harder to consider them anything but dead. Kirishima had disappeared last night. Izuku was winding up tighter than a clam, worrying and worrying. Alone in his bed contemplating how they had got into this situation.

That damn song, stuck in replay circling his mind. It was worse at night. It was always worse at night, and now he took opportunity to sleep in the day when the song was quieter. Distant. The light of the song casting its inhibition.

There was a quiet knock on the door, uncharacteristic of both Kacchan’s arrogance, and Shouto’s sense of space. Sticking his head in Izuku was surprised to see Aoyama come into the room, brandishing a board with something that looked like cheese on it.

It had blue mouldy bits, and Izuku wasn’t sure it was edible.

“Allo. How are you olding up?” Aoyama asked, his French twang – he was taken a few months ago from the hold of a French trading ship, and pirates were very fond of the term ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’. He wasn’t French, and the crew knew this, his accent would sometime disappear entirely, but he seemed enamoured with the culture and way of life so no one said anything. “Would you like some cheese. The mould is meant to be there, I can see you eyeing it up like a plague rat. See. Edible.”

Blushing Izuku scooted back on their bed, making more space for him to perch, shaking his head. “Nah I’m ok thanks. I don’t think it would agree with me currently. I am feeling extremely anxious and I feel if I eat anything I will throw up. And that damned singing has given me a migraine that I can never quite rid myself of.” At his sympathetic nod and wince Aoyama stood.

“I’ll leave you to your nap. Should I let Shouto or Katsuki know you aren’t feeling well? They could fetch you some kelp to chew, I heard that that helps with this. The French were so well equipt,” he paused for a moment, as of searching for the right words, eyes narrowing at Izuku suspiciously, “for the devils of the sea.”

His own eyes narrowing in disbelief Izuku shook his head. “No don’t bother them. Thank you for the advice. I really do want to go sleep now.”

“Izuku, try it. It will help, you will be no use if you are not coping well. It helps, I promise. Its what I use, and I know Kaminari and Denki do too. But don’t ask them about it, I know they get embarrassed, well I guess we have to use past tense for Kirishima now, don’t we.” With a final nod he scooted backwards out of the room.

Kacchan had always said he felt the willies around Aoyama, and Izuku could not help but agree.

The song had not left Izuku’s mind and played every night. Taunting him, dragging him to the edge of the ship before he realized where he was.

Dragging himself away from the rails Izuku sucked in a massive deep breath, trying desperately to calm his racing heart. An ache had settled there and it was all he could do to not curl over and sob. His head hurt so much, the singing was steadily getting louder and there was no sigh to the mist stopping.

The people were disappearing at an alarming rate, and Izuku felt so helpless.

In the distance he could hear a quiet argument, bent over the railing his head resting against the cool metal.

“he is on the cusp of changing, you really should talk to him! He won’t understand, and you know him better than I do. And I know he is going to go mad. He’ll distance himself to begin with and in his confusion probably kill himself! And we definatly cannot let that happen.” Aoyama’s voice shuddered through the mist, breaking the pain of the migrane as his listened in.

“It would be better if he didn’t know. Yagi doesn’t want him to know. It will only cause problems if he knew. I know you haven’t been here long, but on this ship we do things a certain way. He’ll find out when he needs to find out.” Denki’s voice – uncharacteristically angry – spoke up from the mist. They were getting closer to him the light of their torch was getting closer.

“But not know, how do you think he will feel if he finds out now. While we are in a Siren mist, with the crew disappearing. Fucks sake, Aoyama, you talk about him breaking – this would kill him! He would be so guilty.”

An almost silent swoosh of material was all the warning he got before a hand landed on his shoulder, shocking him into spinning around. Guilty at being caught eavesdropping. “Shit!” The conversation dropped off as Izuku made eye contact with Aizawa and Hizashi.

“Come on problem child, off to bed. Its dangerous being out alone in a Siren storm.” Aizawa said, his face tight. Harder than it normally would be.

“But there were-”

“Come on listener its not safe to be alone on deck at night, not with the disappearances. I know you aren’t on patrol tonight. Come one. We need everyone to be awake and alert.”

“But- I heard-”

“Izuku, there was no one there. Get to sleep.” Aizawa said with the finality of his station. Slumping down Izuku allowed himself to be dragged off to the room he and his boys had taken over. “I know you haven’t been sleeping well lately, if you need to talk problem child, I am here. Any problem, let me know.”

“Yeah, thank you Aizawa-Sensei. I’ll keep that in mind. It’s just the singing is getting so loud.” Without looking back at them Izuku slipped back into his room, completely missing the look that passed between the two men. Aizawa’s bright eyes reflecting his worry.

That night that song grew tumoltuous in his mind. It grew worse and worse until the night Hizashi had disappeared.

Flinging the doors open, despite the early hour Aizawa was a madman. Running around the deck like a banshee.

Yagi had to man-handle him into his office by breakfast. His frantic searching had woken everyone up and had put them on tense alertness. Hitoshi had silently followed them in, despite his looks ranging towards Aizawa more, Hizashi was his uncle.

Izuku was slumped on the stairs beside the door, when the window into the office thunked open, Hitoshi’s form slinking away. Standing, Izuku moved away, if he stayed he would hear the conversation, yet his curiosity pushed him to pause for just a second.

“- knows what they would do to him! If this is who we think it is, then he might as well be dead, Toshinori! There will be nothing I can do about it, nor you! You haven’t heard the stories about what he did to them, you haven’t seen it!”

Izuku identified Aizawa’s voice, hissing over the din of the ship. Hissing, animalistically – as if his mouth was full of sharp teeth. And what the hell were they talking about.

“I have to remind you, Aizawa, Nana was a mer. So I can say I do know what they are capable of. Very intimatly. Hizashi has done nothing to him, or his pod – they have no reason to kill him. They follow a very rigorous moral structre for creatures of the sea. Him and Kirishima will be fine, the only person on board they would kill would be me.”

At this point Izuku knew he had been eavesdropping for far too long, and slipped away. Contemplating the words. He missed the last bit of Toshinori’s speech.

“They would have killed me for what I did to All for One alone. But taking his pup? Rasing him on land without a proper connection to the sea. They would think I have corrupted their heir. That bloodline was sacred for a reason Aizawa. You Sphixes wouldn’t understand.”

That was far from the last missing, and that night the missing went up to every night. Aizawa quickly following his husband. Hitoshi the day afterwards, the same night as Denki. The shock of two people disappearing in the night, shocked people further to clinging harder to each other. Roving groups of people circled the deck, as the chores suddenly stopped once Aizawa had gone, and Yagi wasn’t partiularly bothered about them.

Giving all his energy to finding ways to get them out of there.

By the time they even realised it the ship’s crew shrunk to no less than 5 people. Captain Yagi, Izuku, Shouto, Katsuki, and Aoyama. They had no navigator, their chef had been taken the day before, their food source had spoiled as the mist had gotten into the barrels and had moulded the grains. There were no fish, they had swam from the predators in the waters.

There were some points were Izuku could see Shouto considering the horizon several times. Whenever it seemed like he had reached a conclusion the ship would shudder, moving to the side, revealing large jagged rocks. Shouto would back off, and brood. It was regular enough occurance that Izuku had to move him away from the railings whenever he saw him standing there. There was a determination in his gaze that caught an unease in Izuku’s mind.

The night Sato had gone the singing, had pettered out. So quiet in Izuku’s mind that he felt off without hearing it. There had been no other disappearances after that. They then had been given a reprieve, and for the three nights after Sato’s capture, no person had gone missing. They were left alone in the ever darkening mist, the perpetual shadow casting over the deck. Running them low on fuel as well, keeping only one light on where they sat on the deck.

What liberated pirates they were.

They were all the others had, the mist was as thick as it had ever been, and All Might had said that they were most likely sailing into the middle of the storm. Where the main group of the pod stayed, protected by the mist summoner. It was strange that a pod of this size and of this power had strayed so close to shore.

There must have been some kind of mirational cave system near by, if they were able to sustain a hunt this long.

A mist this large and thick, All Might had said solemnly, was indication of only one pod. Explainf to the four boys under his care that there was only one pod large enough, and ruthless enough, with the man power and magical ability to draw out the deaths of the crew like this.

“They were of the royal line. They ruled the sea, and some say they still do. From the frozen north, from the tropical centre, and down again to Davy Jones. The sea and ice dragons of the north and south are the protectors of the sea not under their control. They rule over the mer’s and they feast as they like.”

Scoffing Kacchan strode off imperiously, disbelieving even while in the middle of a Siren storm. Shouto was very quiet and looked very pale. Clamming up in a way Izuku had never seen since they had first met while he too stormed off, the other direction to Katsuki. Once again to peer over the side. In the darkness of the mist it almost looked like he was smoking from the mouth. The ship shuddered once again and he came back over to Izuku, tugging him along to go after Katsuki.

Walking over to the seating area that they had brought together with the few pillows and blankets they still had, Katsuki rolled over the barrel of Rum that Sato had been saving after they had liberated it from the Navy. They sat on the deck, finishing their fine ex-navy rum, reminiscing on their adventures. With the sad look of All Might watching over the four boys who had just reached their 20’s, they would never see anything larger.

The sirens were getting bolder now, and it was not uncommon now for them to see a tail sticking out of the water when visibility allowed it, taunting them. The low level humming of their song a constant irritation on the back of their mind, even if Izuku seemed to be the only one used to it. Increasing in volume at night, stretching their ability to resist the depth, and scaling their bodies towards exhaustion rather than vibrancy.

“Maybe if they took me then they would leave you boys’ alone. I have to assume it would be me that they were after, they would let you go.” All might spoke without a hint of sobriety, as the group once again poured themselves into their cups. “They would have to, I would take them all with me. The king feared me, they should too.”

“Shut up old man. We ain’t leaving you. No guarantee that we would be allowed to live either. Why would they have killed everyone else if they wanted just you. Don’t be fucking stupid, I ain’t a coward, neither is anyone else here.” Kacchan took a long gulp as the words set in, “not like we could man the ship to get anywhere with just us four alone anyway. We would die if you give yourself up or not.”

“I wouldn’t want to live for only a few days more knowing you had died for that Yagi.” Izuku said, resolve strengthening the determination in his eyes. His hands grasping Katsuki and Shouto on either side of him.

Shouto looked away, despondent and clearly upset. Izuku could still remember the whispered plea from the other night when he thought they were asleep. He wouldn’t speak now, Izuku knew.

“Please let me stay with them, I only just got them.”

“It will all be alright, you will get your wish.” Aoyama said, characteristically stoic, he stood over the others imperiously sober head tilted – as if he were listening. And if Izuku focused hard he too could heard orders of return in the wind.

“You’ll see, we” he said gesturing only to the boys sitting to his right, “will be fine. Only a day now. I must go, they call for me, I have guided you enough. I am sorry All Might, you were a great captain. I wish you luck in your journey to Davy Jones.” Stepping into the fog, they were too late at scrambling after him as he fell backwards over the side of the railing, body hitting the water with a stare that bore deep into Izuku’s eyes.

But as they gathered by the rails, All Might left on his own by the light, the yellow bioluminescent tail had breached the surface into a dive, caught there eyes, as well the the blond head that dipped under and away.

“Well fuck. Fuck him, fuck this. Fuck.” Kacchan said from behind him, face set into a deeper scowl than normal, slamming himself down by All Might whose face was in his hands. Downing the bottle on the table in front of him quickly.

Gently sitting beside him Izuku let himself sob at the betrayal, and the storm that they had only just breached.

There was silence on board for the next day. Each of the men doing their own thing, writing letters that no one would see. Practicing sword fighting though no blow would ring out again. Sitting and contemplating their life. They were restless, they could do nothing. Waiting on the whims of the creatures who they were now fairly certain were towing the boat along.

The wind was still gone, and yet they were still moving past jagged rock structures. Bashing into them, sending them across the deck as they marvelled at the lack of hole in the ship. Day by day Shouto looked like he was liable to just leap of the ship to never return, and Izuku was sure he had seen large dark wings unfurl in the mist before seeing Shouto.

Then as quickly as snuffing out a candle the mist cleared to a wide open space, a large circle of clear air.

There was a small island in the centre of the clearing, surrounded by deep deep water. With clear holes in the rocks where colourful things darted in and out of. Swimming up to the boat the four men surviving drew their cutlasses and their pistols and stood together in the centre.

“Young Todoroki I feel it would be safe for you to go now.” All Might said as the ship came to a sudden stop, the sound of splashing growing louder and louder, “Before it is too late.”

“I won’t leave without Katsuki and Izuku. And I can’t carry them high enough to escape the mist. Its illusionary.”

“What the fuck are you two jabbering on about, we are about to fight here!” Katsuki roared, the wood creaking. “I don’t like feeling confused bitches.”

“I’m a dragon Katsuki, Izuku and Toshinori are Siren’s and to my knowledge you are completely human, maybe with some sprite descent.”

“Shouto don’t joke around. Not right now.” Izuku said tightly, eyes jumping from one side of the ship to the other. Back to back with the others.

“He isn’t, I am truly sorry I lied my boy. But there was a reason why we were at that particular fort, and it wasn’t for Gallow’s day. It was you. We don’t have time, focus forward.”

As his order computed to the boys, teeth gritted. The ship shuddered suddenly, tipping to one side, as if filling with water. Losing their formation, they shuffled to the top. Completely disregarding human form Shouto leapt from the ship, large red wings on a snow white body engulfed the sun on top of them as he roared loudly.

Sliding backwards, Izuku could see the long green whips of kelp get thrown around him. The first one pinned one of his wings together, and he managed to dodge the other one, as he grasped both Izuku and Katsuki in his paws. With Katsuki already shooting off his flintlock at the approaching Sirens.

Then they stilled, and Izuku heard a large splash. Shouto was still roaring, and the pistol was still firing, and Izuku could see the blood start to foam in the water as All Might’s head disappeared under the waves. A large golden tail twinking under the sun before being pulled deeper into the dark, out of sight.

Then a mighty heave pulled Shouto off balance on the steadily sinking ship. Wrapped around Izuku and Katsuki they hit the water and Izuku saw his vision go spotty as his head wacked on one of Shouto’s spines.

When the water started to float around him, the limbs of the dragon disappearing, Izuku eyes shut.

Waking was something he had not expected to happen. Especially with the feeling of him floating. Fluttering his eyes open he was met with a sight that he wished he really didn’t see. A dark, underwater cavern, he was in. Lit up only by small creatures that lit up in the darkness.

There was no one else in the room, empty of all noise and substance. The only thing in there was where he had been laying on. He had been situated on a bed of reeds, several of which had been wrapped up tightly around his arms, tightly wrapped against arms and connecting to the pile on the floor. Tugging them upwards Izuku could tell there was a bit of give but not enough to walk to the floor.

Trying to stand, Izuku floated up with a delicate flick as he looked down at his legs, and the large white blanket that had been laid on top of them.

They were gone, sucking in a breath Izuku floated to the end of where the kelp ropes held him too, spinning around to keep an eye on where his legs had been replaced with a long white tail. Stretching far past where his legs had been. Scaled with undertones of green, striping down the two sides of his tail, and filling out into the large and flowing tail. It was beautiful, the two fins on the side of his new tail were similarly long and floaty.

The sight of beauty did not stop him trying to scream, trying to reach to where it meshed together under his white undershirt. The long kelp limiting his movements while he floated to the end of its length. The sharp shrill screech that left his mouth, which he could not feel were full of teeth – long sharp and spindly. He paused for a moment, drifting upright away from the floor as the sound echoed around him. Where had that come from?

He could feel his tail shifting in irritation, like he was shifling his feet, and his head ducked to have a look. The long spindly fins on the side of his tail fluttering as the water disturbed them.

Irritating the water in front of him as the ripples died down the door was thrown open, with a large siren with a tail almost identical to his own came in. He shot up once more, arms pulling at the end of the kelp rope. A noise not unlike a chirp was unwittingly released from his mouth, and his face scrunched in irritation at how cute the noise sounded. It was responded to by the one who had opened the doors. The large tail was completely white – however, matching the long hair on his head, and the crown of coral dancing within.

If Izuku had to guess this was All for One. The one that All Might had failed to kill, and the one who would have ordered his death.

As he got closer to Izuku, hands outstretched reaching up to cup his face the only thing Izuku could notice was the small fishes darting in and out of the small corals on his head. As they got closer to his face Izuku could feel a singularly powerful ache build around his jaw. And in a fit of what he could only call later, instinct, his teeth latched at a speed he was not yet accustomed to move, into the flesh of the white haired mans hands.

The splurting of blood in the water sunk into Izuku’s nose, the scent of fresh blood drawing a wildness from him that he had never felt before. Even when the air was heavy with blood, and gunpowder when he had never felt more alive, was nothing to this sweet nectar.

The siren hissed, tutting as his teeth grew tighter in the flesh. Izuku imagined this was even a smallest amount of revenge he could take on the king for killing All Might. Even with the secrets and lies, this was vindication. There were fingers digging into his jaw, but stubbonly he dug in deeper more spurts of blood as his bite adjusted.

Tutting again the king started to move. Using it to draw Izuku closer, pulling his arms behind him and to the very end of how far they could extend before a rumbling noise left his chest, his hand still digging into his jaw.

The sound rippled through the water, relaxing his jaws and his mind. Rumbling him into a sense of security. The song on the ship started softly to play – much more detailed and complex in its melody as the siren drifted forward and latched his arms around Izuku, one coming up to tease a hand through his hair.  

As the arms fully closed around him Izuku was snapped out of the daze he had be put in from the song, lashing out his tail beat against the larger one, before it was wrapped around and forced into stillness, tilting them back until Izuku was perpendicular to the ground, his arms roataing nearly out of his sockets as he eyes the shoulder in front of him. As he once again sunk his teeth into the man’s flesh his shoulder was meaty and thick.

“Izuku if you don’t let go I will have your boys killed and I will make it that you are the one doing it.”

It was a moment of shock at hearing such a clear voice underwater, and the advantage was for the siren, his hand twirling into his hair and yanking his slacked jaw back. Completely immobilised he could only stare into the blood red eyes of the man holding him. Closing his jaws quickly when the king unwrapped his arms from his chest, one hand wrapped in his hair, the other on his chin.

“There no too hard is it. Don’t worry about speaking so soon, you’ll learn to put the teeth away soon. I will forgive those times but if I hear about biting again I won’t be so leniant. Instinct is a powerful thing for the young. Now maybe you can tell me all about those years I’ve missed while you’ve been on land. But before all that , we can go a see your boys. I am sure you would actually like to see that they are alive. Considering what my pod have put you through, this is my show of respect – this should go both ways.”

Relaxing in the hold again, his tail was released which caused him to swish it from side to side in irritation. Allowing the white haired man to hold him tightly once again, the guards coming around him he could feel the kelp detach from the floor, before wrapping around his arms and tying them together.

They were slimy but strong, and no amount of tugging was loosening them.

Pulling away his hand dug into his hair and pulling it back again. His other hand coming up to his mouth again, giving him a hard look when he snapped his teeth at him, a rumbling growl preceeded his speech, speaking only when Izuku had averted his eyes. “Open,” he said, hand at his jaw, reluctantly opening his mouth his finger digging into the gums of his teeth.

There was a strange ache in his jaw before he felt his teeth go back into his gums. Sliding in with an ease that he would have to learn to replicate later. “There we go, temptation gone.”

With his arms tied behind his back, and with his new tail it was incredibly easy for him to pulled Izuku along his hand gripped on his upper arm, the guards behind them shadowing them in the deep.

They moved into a wider system of tunnels, a varitety of different colours of tails and skin tone and hair colour all around him. Bowing as they made their way past. The cavern system looked like a massive, sprawling castle. With doors along the corridors, and even a system of iron wraught cells. Passing one such cell system, a familiar head of blond hair was sitting in one of the cells. With a head of purple against the far wall.

“Hizashi? Hitoshi? Is that you?” Izuku asked, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder and barely making his way over, flapping his tail in frustration. “Thank god, what the fuck is happening.”

“Izuku? Izuku! Oh by the blessed tied, they were telling the truth. I’m sorry, I don’t know.” His head was poking out from the bars, his hands looking like they were barely restrained from reaching out to him. Hitoshi was hanging back from the bars, his face still lighting up. Izuku recognised the look. He was sure it was echoed on his own face. Their gaze, as one, kept on flickering to the large presence behind him. “I’ve seen Aoyama, but I know you had nothing to do with it. There were others on board who were part of the ocean but I haven’t seen them, do you know if they are ok?”

“Izuku, have you see Shouta. They told us he was alive but nothing else.”

“I havent seen him, sorry. You’re the first people I’ve seen that I know. I just woke up, I don’t know whats happening. God what the fuck is going on.”

Pushing closer to the bars, and just a second before he reached the cell he was tugged backwards gently from the fins. His lack of ability to move around in water with the tail causing him to float around wildly, until he was brought to the man’s chest again, tail once more immobilised by the others tail.

“We are leaving now, we have meetings to keep up. And I have to catch my heir up with the workings of the kingdom. He can visit later. He can’t be seen chatting to the rabble for too long.”

Once again grabbing his arm the king pulled him away. Izuku was frozen for a second before he started thrashing again in the grip. They had barely made it down the corridor, and Izuku was still being helplessly dragged along. Even beating his tail against the King’s own did nothing.

“Wait stop. You can’t just expect me to go with you without any answers! What the fuck do you mean I’m your heir! This doesn’t make any sense, I can’t just become a merman or what ever the fuck out of nowhere! I am a man!”

The man’s head tilted slightly as he paused and turned slowly. Hand gripping Izuku’s arm tightening as Izuku froze under the scrutinising gaze, his gaze looking past Izuku for a millisecond before he pounced, pinning him to the wall by his neck and squeezing. Even if it didn’t do anything – the gills on his ribs were open, the threat was there. Like the teeth he was now pointing in Izuku’s face the claws too were out.

“I can assure you that demanding this sort of information is going to get you nowhere. I am trying to be nice. I am trying to be considerate. But if you talk to me like that again, I will make sure your lovers die like Captain Toshinori. You are not a fucking Merman, Izuku – don’t slander our family like that again. You are of the purest oceanic blood. A siren. A royal siren, I will tell you about your mother and I at another time. I am still inclined to show you to your lovers, but if you disobey me again I won’t be so lenient.” The hand at this throat tightened, cutting off the air to the gills on his neck – while it didn’t limit any oxygen it certainly became a notch more uncomfortable, “do you understand.”

“Yes, I understand.” Izuku said shortly, he was somewhere he didn’t know the rules, with a being of greater power than him, who seemed to have his family trapped somewhere, not even considering the two barely a corridor away, heads watching them silently. Izuku continued with an icy, sarcastic tone, he may be a royal but he was also a pirate. “Show the way, your majesty.”

They were frozen for a few moments before the king nodded, pulling away and once again leading him with his arms. Away from the cells and into the main cavern.

They came into a open, bright, cave where the sun peaked down from a large hole in the roof. The shore of the cave opened into a large drop off just in the corner of the cave. Seemingly with no markings of tide lines where the lip of land met the ocean. A large thick chain connected to the side of the rock wall trailed out of the water, following it up Izuku saw a small Island in the middle of the cavern. Lit by the hole in the roof.

Popping their heads above the water, where Izuku felt that his lungs still worked independently to his gills, Izuku saw several silhouettes on the shore, watching the chain jingle as Shouto’s red and white hair came into view. Coiling his tail he made to jump forward in the water when the king once again held on tight, unravelling the bindings around his arms.

“Remember it’s your obedience that keeps them alive, I do not tolerate disobedience. I expect results.”

The king sunk down into the deepest parts of the oceanic cave before Izuku felt safe enough to make for the lip of stone. The splashing notifying the three people on the land. The land had a little trickle of fresh water coming off the side and into the sea, as well as a small amount of greenary.

Hauling himself up onto the rock, his legs splitting open into the freckled short limbs he was accustomed too as soon as he hit the air. He was engulfed in the strong arms of his two lovers. The chain attached to a cuff around Shouto’s ankle, whoes face was swollen and bruised. Before he was pushed away and Kacchan’s face was there, resting his forehead against Izuku’s own. A moment later followed by Shouto’s own.

With the strong hand of Aizawa resting on his head.

Despite what had happened he was glad they were still alive.