#it's alright but mostly bare and i mean/meant to remove the sand to lay new soil etc etc

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Sea Legs

Ch. 4 - Surgery

Boku No Hero Academia / My Hero Academia Quirkless, Mermaid, Modern AU

Rating: Explicit | Excessive Fluff, Blood, Wounds, Nudity, Sex, Cursing and Vulgar Language

Genre: Romance / Humor / Angst

Main Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x Koge Naegi (oc)

A trip to her grandmothers beachfront home was something that Koge had done every year of her life. This time, an unlikely discovery would change her life forever. Who knew explaining how to be a human could be so hard.

Koge let out a large sigh, laying down the electric saw beside her once it was off. Sawing off the jagged end of the wood had been more nerve wracking than Koge had expected, as the vibrations were painful enough to make Bakugou hiss and squirm. Breathing heavily, Bakugou had a small hand towel between his teeth, having been using it to bite down on in the few seconds it took to get through the wood. “I-I’m sorry, Katsuki, I know it hurts.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, Koge began to carefully smooth out the wood with a piece of sandpaper, going as carefully and gently as she could. All Bakugou could do was breathe, digging his fingers into the sand as it took every ounce of self control to not move, to not slap her away to rid himself of the pain.

Still, it wasn’t quite as bad as Koge had expected up to this point. She assumed the pill was having some effect, as he had been nearly asleep right before she started. His limited reaction to her actions could really only mean a few things. Either she was doing something right, he had a high pain tolerance, he was just that good at controlling his responses, or the pill was working. She was too scared to ask him, not wanting to ruin what focus he may have, as she assumed he was preparing for the extraction.

“Okay…” Koge carefully poured fresh water over the wound entry and exit holes, doing her best to make sure that it was clear of any debris and as clean as she could get it. The wood end had been cut and sanded down to no less than an inch from his body, which was as close as she could get without cutting him with the saw. Clean bandages, towels and water were at the ready, so now all she had to do was yank it out, right? And then somehow stop the bleeding and get it packed and wrapped up before the wound gets dirty or he bleeds out. Easy. Simple.

It wasn’t. In fact, Koge could feel herself growing so anxious about it all that she almost couldn’t bare the thought of pulling it out. What if it was cutting off a major artery? What if it was trapped between bone and she couldn’t get it out? What if it ended up paralyzing him?

“Hey.”

Bakugou’s rough voice pulled Koge out of her stupor, looking down at him. He still had his head down, but he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t stop. Just rip it out, seriously, it doesn’t matter what happens, it has to come out.” Koge gripped onto the towel in her lap with trembling hands, taking in a few deep breaths as she stared at the sharp end of the harpoon. “I know…”

“You were so cocky this whole time about being able to do it, Utsuro. Get that attitude back. I liked it way better than this whole new nervous shit you got going on.”

“I thought you didn’t like me at all.”

“I don’t, but I could tolerate your attitude more than this timid bullshit. I’m telling you to just do it!”

Holding her breath, Koge looked back down at him, finding his encouragement oddly comforting. With a nod, she watched him place the small towel back between his teeth before he shoved his face into his arms, waiting for her to make a move. Prepping for blood, Koge placed one hand at the back of the harpoon, a towel between her hand and his body so she could put pressure on that side immediately. Gripping the sharp end of the harpoon with her free hand, she got the best hold on it that she could. “On three… One… Two… Three--” With a combination of pushing from the back and pulling from the front, Koge began the slow extraction of the object, which was met with strong resistance. This told her that it had to be through some type of bone or cartilage, which was both a good and bad thing. That meant that there shouldn’t be that much bleeding, but if it was through his spine, then the damage could be permanent.

Eventually, the wood slipped easily out of his body, blood immediately flowing out of the wound. Thankfully, it wasn’t as much as Koge had been anticipating, so she was easily able to maneuver the towels and hold them in place with hard pressure while she checked on his condition. “Katsuki, are you alright? I didn’t hear anything, did you pass out?”

Body trembling, Bakugou lifted his head, glaring back at her. “I told you… not to call me Katsuki… You idiot. Like hell I would pass out! I’ve had worse!” Although he kept up the tough demeanor, Koge could see his knuckles turning white as he gripped the small towel in his fist, bags becoming visible under his eyes and his entire body was trembling violently. It had hurt, badly, but he was too stubborn to dare show any weakness. In Koge’s eyes, it was both admirable and stupid. With a nod, she turned her gaze back to the towels, the blood soaking through and onto her hands. “Right. You’re right. You’re strong. Hold on just a bit longer, I have to pack the wound and wrap it up.”

“Damn right…. Just do it.” Bakugou’s head fell back onto his arms, once again leaving Koge to her work. Unlike the rest of this entire ordeal that went by painfully slow, Koge found the packing and wrapping process of the wound going by in a blur. Before she knew it, she was securing the bandage together with a safety pin, her work completed. “W-wow… I did it. I can’t believe I did it.”

Her words were met with silence, gaining her immediate attention and worry. “Katsuki?” Carefully scooting closer to his head, she was able to see that he had simply passed out, his breathing slow and steady. With trembling, blood stained fingers, Koge gently took the small towel from his mouth, which was released with ease. Not really minding that it was soaked with saliva, Koge poured some fresh water onto it, using it to wipe her hands as she stood on trembling legs. As she stood, observing the supposedly mythical creature that lay before her, there was one question that rested on her mind.

What now?

She had removed the harpoon, but that didn’t mean that he could just jump back into the ocean and swim away. He needed to recover, to regain his energy and work through any mental trauma this may have caused. He had smaller wounds all along his body that needed tending to, he couldn’t stay here in the blood soaked sand near the trees, he’d be pecked to death by birds or other animals that would find him to be an easy meal. Moving him to a better spot was priority, but where? A nearby cave, perhaps, where he could still have some access to the ocean water? That would be perfect!

Ah, but… where is one?

Finding such a thing would require a bit of scouring the beach, but the thought of leaving him was something she couldn’t quite agree with just yet. Once satisfied that her hands were as clean as they were going to get, she came to sit beside his torso, more bandages and ointment at the ready. His toned back was covered in scrape marks and cuts, as were his shoulders. As she gazed upon him, she felt a sudden wave of emotion hit her, nearly bringing tears to her eyes. 

Although she had been mostly nonchalant about it this whole time, the thought of being responsible for another person’s life, half fish or not, was truly taxing. The weight on her shoulders was nearly heavy enough to crush her, unable to imagine what would happen if he actually did die in her care. How would she be able to handle the guilt? She knew that it would eat away at her, since she had no one to confide in. They would all think she had gone mad, and by that time she very well could.

A sudden, strong grip on her upper arm pulled her from her racing thoughts, jumping slightly in shock as she turned her gaze to his face. Peering up at her, a hint of that smirk returned to his lips as his grip loosened a bit. “I should be the one looking terrified, uh… what was I calling you again?”

“Koge.”

“No, Utsuro. Though, right now you’re not so blank. Are you scared?”

“What if… you die? What do I do?”

Bakugou was silent for a moment, observing her closely behind hooded eyelids as he fought the exhaustion. “I’m not going to die. Now get that stupid look off your face and relax for a while. The superficial wounds can wait…”

“I can’t rest, I’m covered in blood and I have to look after you.”

“Go wash off, there’s a giant fucking ocean right there.”

“But I might attract sharks--” Koge couldn’t even finish before Bakugou was laughing, a hoarse snicker that instantly brought heat to Koge’s cheeks. “D-don’t laugh, I’m serious!”

“There aren’t any sharks here. I’ve been hunting this area for the past six years. You’re more likely to be pinched by a crab, you damn moron. Now fuck off, I’m going back to sleep…” With that, his grip loosened on her arm, falling back to the sand as he faded into unconsciousness. Taking in deep breath, Koge stood, finally taking a moment to look down at herself. Her work out clothing was soaked in blood and sweat, her skin sticky with the liquids and sand. She felt absolutely disgusting, and the thought of a shower was something that she very much favored. All she had was the ocean, however, so she subjected herself to a salty bath.

After checking to make sure he was sleeping soundly, Koge picked up her last clean towel and made her way down to the water's edge, which thankfully wasn’t all that far. When her bare feet met the water, a sigh escaped her lips at how cold and refreshing it was, and she found herself beginning to strip off her disgusting clothes without a second thought. It only dawned on her that perhaps she shouldn’t be stripping down to literally nothing within Bakugou’s view, but with a glance back at him over her shoulder, it was obvious that she was quite safe. He was out like a light, face hidden behind his arms and breathing steady.

Leaving her clothes and towel behind, Koge made her way into the gentle waves, plopping down to sit when the water reached her thighs. She couldn’t resist a sharp gasp as the water reached her bare chest, the cold a bit shocking against her hot skin. “Ah! Geez that’s cold. I don’t see how Katsuki’s kind can stand it.”

“We’re half fucking fish, that’s how.”

Bakugou’s voice startled Koge so much that she jumped violently, quickly wrapping her arms around her chest as she glared at him over her shoulder. “D-don’t look at me, I’m naked! What are you doing, faking being asleep?!”

“I heard you scream!”

“I didn’t scream, I just… I don’t know what I did! Did you see me?!”  

“Tch, humans and their clothes. No I didn’t see you, for fucks sake.” Bakugou turned his head away, falling silent. Face on fire, Koge watched him closely for a moment before she calmed down, turning her attention back to the clear blue water in front of her. What a turd… He has really good hearing, though, I didn’t even think I was that loud. As she sat there not moving an inch, she watched the water turn red around her, the blood that stained her skin slowly lifting with the gentle waves.

I… I hope I can save him…