Plus Ultra! [BNHA One-Shots]

Mesmerised [4/5]

CW: Blood & Injury, Canon-Typical Violence

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Chapter Summary:

The villains make the fatal mistake of messing with Izuku in his home territory.

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Izuku nursed his mug of warm tea. A towel hung over his shoulders to catch the worst of the water dripping from his soaked hair. It was going to puff up into a complete, tangled mess when it dried, but he didn't really mind. He experimentally flexed out his bandaged foot, feeling the wound pull nastily: the cut wasn't too deep, but was very inconvenient.

An abnormally small nautilus shell hung against his chest on a string, curled over his heart. It was mostly white, but irregular lines of a chestnut-brown colour scored horizontally along the curve. The ocean had urged him to take it as a gift, and he thoughtfully ran his fingers over it as he looked up.

His friends were settled around on the benches. A few of them were finishing up the last of their dinner. Yaoyorozu was looking queasy again and had been poking at her food for most of the meal, only managing a few mouthfuls. Neptune didn't have anything to combat seasickness, and since no-one knew Yaoyorozu got badly seasick, All Might hadn't thought to bring anything along on their trip. Izuku wished he could do more to help her, but it was wrong to ask the ocean for something so insignificant.

He raised his head from the steam of his tea, privately observing as All Might and Neptune conversed in soft tones where they leant over the side of the boat. Although he wasn't sure exactly how old his mentor was, Izuku knew that Neptune was around his mother's age, perhaps a few years older. It showed in the crows feet at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. Izuku wondered if they were becoming friends.

He hoped they were. All Might deserved more people who loved him for the real him.

The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. All of them had worn themselves out going swimming, especially Asui and Izuku. They hadn't bothered changing out of their swimsuits, too hungry to waste time. She was sitting next to him, occasionally jolting when her eyelids drooped. Yaoyorozu was next to her, glancing over whenever her friend moved, and eventually she sighed, putting her barely-touched plate aside. Iida sat opposite Izuku on the other bench, casting repeated, worried glances down at his bandaged foot. To his right was Todoroki, then Kacchan sitting slightly separate – even he was calmer than his usual fiery fury, peacefully hunching over his bowl and eating in silence.

"This is nice," Izuku murmured, taking a sip of tea.

"It's peaceful," Todoroki agreed.

The boat gave a violent lurch. Everyone silenced and tensed up, looking around at one another. There was a pause, and the hairs on the back of Izuku's neck stood on end as the ocean gave a warning song, but-

In a burst of sudden movement, the boat charged across the water, dislodging all the passengers. Asui gave a startled cry that was cut off as she slammed into the cockpit. Todoroki and Iida crashed into Izuku, sending all three of them flying back and hitting the cockpit wall next to their unconscious friend. Kacchan and Yaoyorozu clutched onto the benches, hiding between them. Plates, bowls, and mugs crashed into surfaces, shattering dangerously and flinging food and drink across deck, but it was quick to get washed away with surges of waves.

"Hold on!" Neptune yelled above the roar of water.

Izuku anxiously held onto his friends, staring around him with his mind whirling a mile a minute. The anchor was down, so they weren't moving naturally. Waves splashed up on either side of the boat as it tore through the sea. It dipped and tilted on every angle, water sloshing across the deck. All Might and Neptune hung onto the dock line looped around a cleat, keeping them in place throughout the turbulence. She was daring peeks over the side when the waves lowered.