Legends - Pirate AU [BNHA]

Chapter 9 - Bark

A/N whoop. This fic is gonna be quite a bit longer than Rules of the street so buckle up kids! 

It wasn't long before the laughter died down, and the only sound in the relatively small room was my breathing, still ragged and heavy.

I glanced to the floor, not liking the judgement I saw at eye level and winced.

Those scorch marks were not going away anytime soon.

As I was staring at the floorboards, blood dripped between my fingers, staining the already blackened wood a bright scarlet.

"So what the fuck was that?" Bakugou leaned against the wall, his scabbard bouncing against his leg ever so slightly.

"I-"

I what?

The blood, crusted and flowing, flaked off my hands as I wiped them along the rough fabric of my pants. Red bloomed against the light brown, staining the leather of my belt.

Truthfully, I had no idea. It'd only happened once before, and that was years and years ago.

But he didn't have to know that.

Lifting my chin, I met his gaze as boldly as I could.

"It won't happen again."

His eyes narrowed, forehead wrinkling as he scowled.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

I blinked.

It wasn't?

"I'm worried that you don't know what the fuck that was, and so you're not going to be able to tell us if it happens-"

"It won't happen again."

Normally, I used silence to my advantage, honing and sharpening it with a dead glare, or a dismissive movement.

But this was different.

It felt less like I was using the silence, and more like the silence was using me.

It squeezed around me, pushing and pulling in all the wrong places, until every thought, every emotion, every breath felt as sharp as the blade of the man in front of me.

I felt dangerous, but not in the way that a knife is dangerous to an unsuspecting victim.

No, I was dangerous like a barrel of gunpowder left unattended on the night of Fire Festival.

Volatile, unpredictable, and set with the shortest fuse.

Like someone could just look my way and I'd explode.

Bakugou took a step forward, and the wall moved with him. "Bullshit." He stomped forward, the gold-tipped laces of his boots clinking.

I ignored him.

What did he know? About me? About anything in my life?

He didn't stop, just powered through. "Bullshit. You expect me to-"

"No." Truthfully, I didn't expect him to trust me. I'd just hoped I wouldn't have to share these details.

"This has happened before. I know what causes it, and therefore it won't happen again."

Fully expecting to find resistance, I gave him a glare to rival one of his own.

He blinked. "Good."

The room was beginning to feel tense, so I looked for something to do. Immediately my eyes landed on the light blue sheen still covering most of the surroundings.

A majority of the ice had melted during my... outburst, but luckily the map and the pieces were still safely encased in cold crystal. However, that meant I would have to use Enji's gem to melt it.

Just great.

Gingerly, I placed my right hand above the remains of the table, and once again summoned the dull itch that was his magic.

Carefully, oh so carefully, I let the warmth slip out. It took all of my concentration to keep the magic at a trickle when all it wanted to do was crash out of my skin in a tidal wave.

But I wouldn't let that happen.

Not now, not ever.

His magic had spilt enough blood already.

Since I was being so cautious, it took several minutes to melt the ice, and even longer to carefully dry the edges of the aged parchment.

As I could focus on the world once more, I heard whispering.

Kirishima and Bakugou were in the doorway, the two men taking up most of the space, and from this angle, I could see more of the redhead's shirt (if you could call it that).

Someone had taken a sword to the middle section, leaving only the sleeves and back intact. It was strapped to his body with two belts, much like the man standing next to him, only they didn't cross over his chest, rather tucked under his armpits.

Bakugou nodded, before spotting the dry map, now resting in my hands.

His brow lowered dangerously, and before I knew it, he was right in front of me. With a growl, he snatched the map out of my hands.

"Careful. I wouldn't want you to tear it." He just flipped me off, before looking around the room.

He found what he was searching for, and dragged it to the middle of the room. The small table was nothing like the one we'd been using before, but it'd do for now.

"So, you fuckers figure it out?" Without missing a beat, Kirishima bounced to his captain's side, leaning over the table with a grin dominating his face.

"Yep! It took us ages-"

"Half the damn day-" Bakugou muttered, red eyes rolling.

"-but we think we know where it is." The smile faded, worry showing on the cheerful man's face.

Bakugou picked up on this immediately, piercing the other man with a glare.

"Spit it out."

Kirishima sighed, before leaning back against a wall.

"We think it's in the ghost sea. About a week towards the centre."

No one spoke for a while, and I was beginning to think Bakugou might blow something up. It seemed in character for him after all.

But he just sighed, a long, tired sigh, and put his head in his hands.

"Of fucking course it is."

He sighed again, his fingers running through his spikes.

Kirishima leant forward off the wall, seemingly conflicted. He paused, and then reached out, but before he could do anything, Bakugou stood up, signature scowl back in place.

"Kirishima, go and tell the crew to set a course for the Bortagea swamp."

The redhead and I both paused.

Personally, I had heard of the swamp before. Some sailors in the navy frequented the area, although the tales of haunted bogs and demons living in the ground were enough to deter anyone with a real sense of self-preservation.

But it was almost the exact opposite way we need to go. Why would they go there?

Kirishima's face scrunched in confusion. "The B swamp? What-" His eyes widened as an epiphany made itself known.

"The witch?"

Bakugou nodded, eyes gaining a little spark to them.

"The fucking witch."