Soooo I'm kinda back?
The past year I've been very much stressed and depressed (TM) going to PA school but these past few weeks I've been in rotations and some of it has been pretty fun so I think I've gotten to a headspace where I'm not as S&D enough that the good ol' writing wheels are turning again :)
If you don't know where this is referencing, it's my interpretation/taking heavy inspiration of the Wellerman song that got really popular on Tiktok a while ago and I thought it would be a fun little thing to do for Halloween, yknow pirate/sailor bnha au?
Enjoy lovelies~
Life on the high seas has its perks. The fresh smell of sea water, the welcoming chilled breeze of the ocean, the calm rocking that lulls you to sleep, all bound together with a simple, mundane life spent with a group of good friends.
"BLARGHHHHHHH"
"Damnit, Kaminari, what happened to you?"
The new honey-blond recruit's face is a lot paler than usual when he raises it above the bow rail, small bits of discolored acid stuck to the corner of his lip. "Bro," he moans sickly, "You know I get easily seasick..."
At least, those things were perks to some people.
"Hey, you signed up for this," his red-headed companion shrugs nonchalantly, handing him the rag hanging from the waistband of his loose-fitting red pants. The cloth would've fallen off his hips if it wasn't for the black belt so graciously given by his employer. The golen buckle matches the single golden hoop hanging off his earlobe. "You knew what you were getting yourself into."
Kaminari ignores the rag, his shaky arm reaching up to wipe his mouth with the hem of his white and yellow striped shirt. "I thought I coulda controlled it. I was doing well, I don't know what happened. Maybe I ate something."
Living on a ship with limited supplies and even more limited room to breathe has its drawbacks. Being restricted to rationing nonperishable foodstuff, most of which is some kind of canned or dried. There's not much in the way of privacy with sharing living quarters among the entire crew. Not to mention certain smells that become too overwhelming after a while, forcing you to stumble on deck for fresh air. Some would even argue that having nothing to stare at but the open sea can get boring. Or maddening. Or just plain sickening. But to each their own, I guess.
"Weren't you the one who was helping Mina cook dinner last night?" Sero chimes in, carrying a bucket of water and a mop towards the nauseous boy. "None of us got sick but you, dude."
"It all probably became a little too much for him." Midoriya stands up from sitting on a crate nearby. "Probably nervous about his first trip out to sea. It's been a little more than a week that we've been out here, it's understandable that Kaminari isn't used to this lifestyle yet. Try chewing some ginger, it should help a little!"
"Just ginger?" Sero chuckles. "I woulda thought you'd have some miracle drug for him, Doc."
The boy blushes sheepishly at the nickname. Being the most educated gains you some informal titles. "I do, but I think he should toughen up as much as he can first." It was the first time the new recruit's vomited the whole trip, even after all the nightly drinking. That means he's doing well.
Jirou slides down from the top deck to join the rest, shaking her head. "Captain Bakugo says we should turn back home, we've been at sea for too long without any luck and we need to restock." She eyes Denki, who's knees have buckled and is now leaning his back on the wall. "What's up with him?"
"Tossed his cookies overboard," Sero quips.
She clicks her tongue once in sympathy. "Poor kid."
"Come on, we'll bring home the biggest whale and we'll make a huge fortune!" Kirishima pounds his fists together in hype. "Bakugou knows what he's doing!"
"Ah yes, Captain Bakugou's biggest fanboy." Ashido shows up out of nowhere to slap Kirishima on the back.
Todoroki trails behind her with a tray, probably returning from checking over supplies. Him and Midoriya hold the next highest positions under Bakugou's company, handling the logistics and planning of the trip. They're welcome - but still slightly awkward - additions to the team of loud misfits.
"I brought drinks! Figured everyone's spirits needed lifting!" the pink-clad cook announces excitedly. She passes out wooden mugs full of beer mixed with whatever rainwater they managed to collect from the storm a few days ago. Kaminari declines with a pained groan.
Once everyone has their drinks, Ashido holds hers high. "Here's to the best crew! I wouldn't wanna ride out in the middle of nowhere with anyone else!"
"Here's to hoping Kaminari's stomach toughens up for the rest of the trip," Sero mockingly raises his mug to the newcomer, who's still gathering his bearings.
"Here's to hoping we bring another bounty on our way home!" Jirou toasts.
"I doubt we'll find anything soon," Todoroki mumbles to himself.
"Don't say that," Midoriya responds sheepishly.
"Here here!" the rest of the crew cheers.
CLINK
**
"What was that Todoroki said?!" Sero screams from the other side of the deck, steering the sails.
"He just had to jinx us!" Kaminari whines before cutting himself off to avoid seawater getting in his mouth. Jirou has to grab the back of his shirt to steady him, her other hand grasping the agonizingly taut rope.
"Where is she?!"
Bakugou finally steps out onto the deck above us. His red unofficial captain's jacket that's tied around his waist lashes in the wind, his arms folded across his chest and head held high in a powerful and stubborn posture.
"Captain! The whale thrashed its tail and crashed into the ship!" Midoriya reports with a salute from out deck. "We've captured her, but she's so stubborn we can't lead her back to shore!"
As the freckled boy gives his brief, Bakugo slides down from the upper deck and peers over the edge where Kaminari and Jirou are holding onto the weighted rope for dear life. "Stupid hair! Where're the harpoons, damnit!"
"Right here, Captain!" Kirishima kicks the door open, wielding a set of steel, dangerously spiked arrows.
"About freaking time!" the honey-blond boy adjusts his grip on the rope as it slips out of his hands, wincing against the nasty burn it's leaving on his bare palms. "Hurry up already!"
"Bakugou! You can't-" Midoriya starts to protest.
Todoroki appears and dares to whirl Bakugou around by the shoulder. "This is a bad idea. You know towing a deadweight whale is going to put more strain on the ship, not to mention it'll be stale by the time it reaches shore."
Bakugou growls, shoving the hand off him and glaring into Todoroki's singular eye that's uncovered by his eye patch. "Who's captain of this ship, Pretty Boy? Besides, I'm not gonna kill her, just wound her enough so she's not thrashing all over the place! Hand me one of those things!"
Kirishima throws one of the harpoons to the Captain, both of them eying over the bow.
"You're just going to anger it even more!" Todoroki screams.
"You gotta show'er who's boss!" Kirishima whoops excitedly.
"Aim for the flanks, don't get her tail," Bakugou guides, raising the weapon behind his shoulder as he readies his throw.
"Aye, sir!" Kirishima positions himself the same way, both of their eyes trained on the large creature.
The whale had sensed the impeding danger and sank under the sea to hide, shrieking as it descends into the watery depths.
"Fire!"
The harpoons fly with incredible speed, glinting under the clear sky like missiles towards their target. As they submerge under, another pained shriek tears through the blustering wind. Suddenly, the rope slips away from Kaminari and Jirou, Kirishima and Midoriya run to grab the section in front of them, the boat rocking side to side as the whale knocks into us as it thrashes.
"Hold on tight, extras!" Bakugou barks, "Don't let her get away! We're taking this whale home with us if it's the last thing we do!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Another fortune awaits us when we get her back home!"
"Yes, Captain!" everyone choruses again, a certain cabin boy a little more hysterical in the face of all the excitement.
Under the guidance of Bakugou, the whale eventually calms down enough to cruise through the sea. The crew ties ropes through the metal oar holes at the side to stabilize them enough to let go. Jirou and Sero make sure they're still on track to get home as the whale half-pulls the ship towards the shore.
Later under the clear starry night, the crew lights up the deck with torches and drunken songs and toasts of victory.
"Here's to more rum!" Ashido grins cheekily.
"More money!" Sero whoops.
"More tea..." Todoroki mumbles quietly to himself in the corner with Midoriya.
"I just wanna go home," Kaminari whines, drowning himself in more beer as the rest of the crew laughs at him and continues their song.
*~*
"As far as I've heard, the fight's still on/The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone/The Wellerman makes his regular call/To encourage the captain, crew and all," Eijirou sings, rhythmically banging on his chair arm.
The rest of his friends follow his lead in the chorus, tapping out the same beat, "Soon may the Wellerman come/To bring us sugar and tea and rum/One day, when the tonguing is done/We'll take our leave and go!"
Everyone ceases their percussion, the night now still. "Soon may the Wellerman come/To bring us sugar and tea and rum/One day, when the tonguing is done/We'll take our leave and go!"
Cheers and drunken whoops erupt from everyone's lips, glasses clinking from around the fire pit.
"That's a pretty catchy song, Kiri," Mina gulps her drinks down.
"Where'd you learn that from?" Kyouka continues tapping her finger lightly to the beat.
The sharp-toothed boy beams and shrugs. "My grandpa used to sing it all the time when I was younger, something about a sailor crew who used to hunt whales for a living. I think it's much better to sing with a bunch of drunken friends though."
"I 100% agree, bro!" Denki messily clinks his beer bottle with Hanta's.
Katsuki growls, "You guys just love every excuse to make noise, don't you?"
Izuku walks up to him with his signature shy smile. "Ah, they're just having fun, Kacchan."
"It was pretty cool how they all sang the chorus so well together," Shouto chimes in.
"We should sing it again!" Hanta shoots up and stomps the rhythm out again.
"I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!"
I hope you guys like this style, it's a different genre and rhythm than what I'm used to, so I really hope you liked it! Let me know how I did!
Hopefully it won't be too long before I write something else haha... Wish my writer's brain good luck!
~Tiny Senpai