Why Pirates Hate Water

22. Feelings

A/N- Voting for the next book is only open until the end of April, so go vote on my message board if you haven't already! Thanks, and enjoy!♡

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Katsuki wasn't allowed to work for the following two weeks as his shoulder healed, Izuku was pretty adamant about that. So, there Katsuki sat, outside Shoto's cell playing tic tac toe on spare parchment.

"How do you keep winning?" Shoto asked, slightly frustrated.

"I guess I'm just that good." Katsuki chuckled. Shoto smiled in amusement. He had let Katsuki win but would never tell him that.

"When are you guys going to let me out, I need fresh air." Shoto sighed, attempting to stretch out his legs and failing.

Katsuki huffed, annoyed at the question. "When we get to port. We already told you we were going to visit our families."

"What's your guys' families like?" Shoto asked, absent-mindedly playing with the cell bars.

"Um, well, Izuku never knew his dad and his mom died a few months before he set out to sea with his mentor, but she was an amazing woman." Katsuki sighed, looking off at the port window. "I never got along with my father. We just didn't connect, but the hag seems to think I'm a carbon copy of her but 'destined for greatness'." Katsuki air quoted.

"Yeah, I understand that. I think it's nice that you get to see them again, though. I'm curious to meet them as well." Shoto smiled, looking over at Katsuki. He just looked away, embarrassed at how honest Shoto could be.

"Inko would have loved you..." Katsuki sighed, leaning his head back against the wooden side of the ship.

"Inko?" Shoto asked patiently.

"Izuku's mom. She was so caring, and she loved him so much. That's why she hated me, I was so awful to him, and I just wanted him to have a real friend." Katsuki paused, his eyes watering. "I don't even know why I was rude to him. It was so stupid. I got in a fight with the hag because Inko had mentioned how I treated Izuku, and I got mad and defensive." Katsuki stopped again, but Shoto knew he had more to say.

"Go ahead, I'm here to listen."

"It was after Izuku left with Toshinori, and I stormed out, and we were both upset. She was practically my mother, too. That night, she died of a heart attack." Katsuki gulped in a breath, tears streaming down his face. "I haven't told him yet, and I don't know that I'll ever have the courage to."

Shoto didn't respond. Instead, he pulled himself closer to the bars and held Katsuki close to him, wiping his tears every now and then and rubbing circles into the backs of his hands. "Thank you for telling me." Shoto looked at him. "And I think that you need to hear this. It's not your fault."

"What're you-"

"It's not your fault."

"But I-"

"Katsuki, it's not your fault."

Katsuki looked at him for a moment before heaving out a deep sob, releasing all of the built-up feelings that were waiting to come to the surface. Shoto was a bit taken aback by all of this, Katsuki almost never showed weakness in any form. He didn't remember Katsuki ever being like this other than when he thought Izuku was dead. Then it hit him. They must be lovers and never told him.

Shoto felt three things in that moment of realization, hope, sadness, and jealousy. They had known each other their whole lives and even knew each other's parents. They were extremely flirty and had obvious favoritism for each other.

The truth was, they didn't know what they were. Izuku had spent a lot of time lately thinking about their confessions in the pit but never confronted Katsuki about it. They went back to their normal ways around each other, albeit it was slightly more distant. Katsuki had many things on his mind, but as always, the main one was Izuku. It was Inko, the kiss, Izuku's emerald eyes, and fluffy hair. It was his smile as he would gently take care of and wrap his arm.

The next was Shoto, Katsuki thought about how to feel after what he had done. Katsuki thought about how amazing he had been before that and how his heterochromic eyes would light up at new things. It was the way he was so eager to finally be himself and learn about the people around him that made Katsuki fall in love with him. But, he didn't know if he could trust him. When he was let out of the cell, would they feel as safe. Or was it really the best choice to release him and send him off to their loved ones.

Katsuki sat there for a while, leaning against the bars and crying while Shoto comforted him. He only realized how long it had been when he heard the familiar boots sounding from the floor above, followed by Izuku walking down the stairs.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Izuku quickly rushed over, sitting down next to Katsuki and cupping his face in his hands. Katsuki shook his head a bit and looked down. Izuku sighed, wiping away his tears with his thumb.

"I'm fine." Katsuki quickly announced, swatting away Izuku's hands and getting up and leaving.

Only three weeks until they would reach home, and yet it felt as if it was approaching too quickly for them to deal with the brewing storm.

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☆Hello Lovelies, thank you for reading another chapter! It's almost over, two chapters to go! I just want to remind you that the end of April is approaching, and voting for the next book is almost closed, so go vote if you haven't already! See you guys next week for the second to last chapter!♡☆