(Y/n) woke up back in her hammock with furs tucked around her cosily. She could still hear Ashido stirring and see a dim light shining through the porthole of the cabin, indicating that the sun had only just risen.
Even though (Y/n) had only slept for a few hours, she felt well-rested and ready for the day; something she hadn't experienced since she was chased from Bleakbury.
Turning over, (Y/n) snuggled deeper under the furs, relishing in their warmth. Her thoughts drifted back to Bakugou, had he carried her back to bed last night? A pink blush dusted her cheeks and a soft smile graced her lips. The boy was slowly letting down his walls around her and it made her stomach tighten happily.
Ashido's feet plodded on the wooden boards and she began to get ready for the day. Her eyes trailed over to see (Y/n)'s (e/c) ones slightly open. "Mornin'! How'd you sleep?" She grinned at her as she put her captain's hat upon her head.
The (h/c) girl let out a moan as she stretched and peeled the fur off of her body, "Good, you?"
Ashido winked, "Like a log." Her pink arms stretched high above her and a yawn came out of her mouth, "We're going to be travelling into pirate territory later today so I'm going to be teaching you some basic sword skills just in case someone decides to attack us."
"Attack us?" (Y/n)'s eyes widened in worry.
Ashido waved her off, "There are only a few ships that would risk crossing us, two are ghost ships that people have only claimed to have seen, and the other is just cocky. But they're no match for my crew so we should be fine." The captain turned and picked up a cutlass from her collection of many, and tested the weight of it in one hand before holding the hilt out for (Y/n), "Ever used one of these before."
The girl took the sword in her own hands and shook her head, the only time she had ever held a sword was to cut Bakugou's stitches last night, and she for sure wasn't going to mention that; mostly out of fear of her own safety.
"I'll get Sero and Kaminari to show you the ropes later, but for now, breakfast." (Y/n) chuckled, wondering how hungry Kirishima must be after losing all of his dinner to the ocean yesterday. She dressed quickly and followed Ashido out the cabin, making sure to strap the cutlass to her waist.
Most of the crew were still asleep, but those who were awake were already busy doing their chores. When Ashido came into the light they lifted their heads and greeted her fondly, some with a wave and other with a simple nod of the head. As (Y/n) walked past however, they averted their gaze; though a few spared her hungry glances her way.
(Y/n) tugged on her sleeves as she followed Ashido like a lost puppy. The cook, a surprisingly young boy who was saved by Ashido's crew from the slave trade, was busy handing out plates of food to the grumpy men. He was the only one who gave (Y/n) a friendly grin as he handed her some food.
The waves were slightly rougher this morning, spraying salty water up the side of the ship as it sliced through them. (Y/n) swayed slightly, struggling to gain her footing as she walked up the steps towards the helm.
Unlike her, Ashido walked with ease, like she was one with the large vessel, and took over the helm from whoever was steering the ship. She nodded her head, motioning for the tired man to get some rest.
"So, you and Bakugou made up," Ashido smirked, leaning against the large wheel. (Y/n) shrugged and nodded,
"He apologised." She told the half-dragon girl.
Ashido raised a curious eyebrow, "Bakugou apologised? Ha, I'd love to see that! He's too stubborn for his own good."
(Y/n) chuckled, realising that Ashido didn't believe her, "I guess that makes two of us."
Out from the hatch, Kirishima came tumbling out. His face was pale and his eyes were dull and he shielded them from the sunlight shining on them. (Y/n)'s lips twitched into a toothy grin and she shouted down to him,
"Welcome to the land of the living!" He squinted from the noise and used one of his wings to shade his face while using his hands to cover his ears.
Kirishima responded with a high pitch grunt and made his way up towards (Y/n), "Morning." He slumped his body onto her, resting on her shoulder.
"How's the head?" She quieted her voice and ran a gentle hand through his red hair, causing him to let out a soft purr.
"Not as bad as I thought it would be, everything is just too bright." Kirishima whimpered and nuzzled her shoulder, "Ugh, this so isn't manly."
(Y/n) nodded, patting his head soothingly, "Do you want to lay down in my hammock for a bit?"
Kirishima shook his head, "I slept pretty well last night, Bakugou didn't wake me up at all. He was still asleep when I left."
"Here," (Y/n) held her plate out for him, "You should eat something after you lost your dinner last night."
The boy immediately perked up at the sight of food, eagerly taking the plate and wolfing it down. His eyes almost rolled back in bliss at the taste and he let out an open mouth groan, showing the half-chewed bits of fish and bread inside.
"Ew, close your mouth!" Ashido scolded, pushing his jaw away. The red-haired boy chuckled and purposefully moved his face back towards her, showing off the food in his mouth.
They tousled back and forth as Bakugou emerged from below deck. He looked around, eyes squinted sleepily before they landed on (Y/n). A gentle gust of wind blew his messy hair across his forehead.
(Y/n) noticed that he wasn't wearing his cape. When he stretched she took note of all the different scars and tattoos patterned across his upper body and arms. Despite being someone who acted so aggressive, Bakugou was certainly an attractive man. It made (Y/n) wonder if he had a lover at home. Most of the women back in Elmont would kill to be with a man who looked like him.
The oblivious girl only realised she was staring when the said boy gave her a smirk and a quick eyebrow raise. Instead of showing him how embarrassed she was, she responded with a challenging look of her own. Bakugou rolled his eyes back at her, walking to take his place at the front of the ship.
"Oh-ho-ho, I know that look." Ashido giggled, poking (Y/n) on her side as she held the wheel with her other hand.
"What look?" (Y/n) responded with a flustered look on her face. Kirishima paid little attention as he continued to chow down on his food.
Instead of just telling her, Ashido tapped the side of her nose with a grin playing on her lips. She watched as the blushing girl cleared her throat and straightened out her sleeves.
"How long until we reach this 'pirate territory'?"
"We should reach it about sunset. You'll know when we reach it." Her voice became lowered and serious, "At least it means we're getting closer to your destination."
The excitement began to bubble inside of (Y/n) at the anticipation of reaching this new land. After her conversation with Bakugou last nice, it made her thoughts drift to the endless possibilities of what it was like.
"Oi, dumbass, if you keep bouncing like that you'll break the damn ship." Bakugou stood near the top of the stairs, watching her with a blank look on his face.
"Shut up." (Y/n) muttered, walking over to him. She leaned her back against the wooden railing and stared down it him. For once it felt empowering to be slightly taller than Bakugou instead of him towering over her all the time, "You excited to be getting back home?"
Bakugou clicked his tongue, "Hardly. That old hag is going to give me a mouthful for running off again."
"What do you mean?" (Y/n) looked at him in confusion. He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing off to the side.
"I have a habit of leaving without warning. My mother gets super pissed."
"She's that scary?"
"Terrifying."
"I like his mother." Kirishima chipped into the conversation, speaking with his mouth full.
Bakugou gave him a look of disgust, "Shut it, Shitty Hair! No one asked you!" The dragon boy curled back into himself and continued to chew in silence. "Anyway," Bakugou turned back to (Y/n) his voice a whisper, "You sleep well?"
(Y/n) nodded, hiding a small smile. It made happy that he was concerned.
Bakugou clicked his tongue and looked away, "You better have. Do you know how hard it was to get you back in the cabin without waking up Raccoon Eyes? Not to mention how heavy you were." (Y/n) punched his shoulder lightly and sent a glare his way.
Bakugou returned her look, rubbing where she had punched as if she had actually hurt him.
"You guys having a party without me?" Another blonde boy came into view. Kaminari jumped on Bakugou's back causing him to grip the railing so he didn't fall down the steps.
Before Kaminari could get yelled at, Ashido waved her hand, "Hey, Kami! Can you and Sero teach (Y/n) some sword fighting later? I told her that you guys would help her out a little in case you-know-who decided he wants to 'prove himself' again."
Kaminari grinned eagerly, but was shoved off by an angry red-eyed prince, "The fuck didn't you ask me?!" He yelled arms stretched wide.
"Not to be rude Bakugou, you're a good fighter when it comes to brute strength, but when it comes to tactics, well..." Ashido trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Fuck you! I'm better than anyone here!"
"Come on bro," Kirishima tried reasoning with him, "You know not everyone has your strength, (Y/n) is better off learning their fighting style."
Bakugou's ruby eyes shot over to (Y/n). He glared for a moment before rolling his eyes and storming off, "I'm taking watch in the lookout, don't bother me!"
"I swear he's so stubborn sometimes!" Ashido pouted and placed a hand on her hip as she watched Bakugou swiftly climb the net leading up to the crow's nest.
"We better start training sooner rather than later." Kaminari slid next to (Y/n) and gave her a wink, "Don't worry I'll go easy on you." He then pushed himself off the railing and began to descend the stairs, skipping every other step.
The girl sighed, pulling the cutlass from her waist and gripping it nervously. Ashido put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, don't think so hard. Trust me, it'll be fun."
(Y/n) followed Kaminari to the middle of the ship where he pulled out a cutlass of his own. He pointed the sword at her and flicked it upwards, silently telling her to prepare to attack him. The girl swallowed, getting into a stance when Kaminari suddenly shot forward and knocked the cutlass out of her hand and pointing his weapon at her throat.
"I thought you were going to teach me how to fight." (Y/n) stared at him in horror, quickly picking up the cutlass from the floor.
Kaminari grinned mischievously, "What better way to learn than actually fighting?"
"At least give me a chance."
(Y/n) gripped the sword in both hands and held it in front of her. In a moments notice, the lightning mage attacked again, knocking her cutlass back down to the ground. Kaminari smirked and cockily twisted his sword in his hand while he stalked around her.
She didn't want to give him time to react. (Y/n) grabbed her cutlass and immediately swung it at Kaminari, but he pivoted out of the way, clashing his sword against hers and giving her a wink.
"You're a sneaky one, but you're going to have to try harder than that if you wanna beat me, babe."
Ashido watched with Kirishima from the helm, "You got this (Y/n)!" She called down, giving her fellow female encouragement.
(Y/n) took this boost of confidence and, holding the cutlass in one hand, pushed Kaminari off before backing away to assess the situation. The boy wasted no time in exploiting her hesitance and parried her sword. She tried to counter his flurry of attacks but ended up getting spun around as Kaminari pulled her back against him and pressed the blade to the side of her neck.
"I like this positio- Ow!" the heel of (Y/n)'s boot slammed down onto Kaminari's foot. He stumbled back in pain, giving (Y/n) just enough time to grab the cutlass from his hand and point it at him as he had done to her.
Kaminari smirked proudly, "Great start! However, you've forgotten one important thing," the boy tilted his head, letting his soft golden hair flop to the side as something sharp pressed against the small of (Y/n)'s back, "You left your blind spot open."
Sero stood behind her, grinning playfully as he pulled his sword away and rested it on his shoulder, "You're a skilled beginner, (Y/n)!" He praised her as she turned to face him.
Sweat was beading on her forehead and her breath was coming out in short pants, but she had a big smile on her face that spread from cheek-to-cheek.
The three of them spend most of the day duelling between each other, and (Y/n) was slowly beginning to pick up on the small thing that the two of them would do, like how Kaminari stepped with his left foot whenever he planned to fake a move or how Sero used the ropes around them to his advantage; swinging on them to surprise her with an attack from behind. If anything, it felt like less of a fight and more of an intimate dance that the three of them were performing together. Even a few of the crew had stopped to watch and cheered on (Y/n) whenever she successfully dodged or countered one of the two men's attacks.
The morning seemed to pass in a blur, and before (Y/n) knew it, the sun was already going down. She sat beside a barrel of rum, rubbing her thumb against the blisters that had formed on her dominant hand.
"Take it easy on me, my ass." She grumbled, leaning her head back against the barrel as she stared up at the two boys. They both stood there laughing at her, seemly unfazed by how long they had been training.
She wiped the sweat on her brow and stood back up. Her eyes wandered to the crow's nest where Bakugou had spent the entire day brooding.
"Do you mind if I go up there?" (Y/n) turned and asked Sero with pleading eyes, "I wanna make sure he's okay."
"No problem, just try not to fall off the rope," Sero told her, smiling at her.
"And don't blame us if Bakugou kills you." Kaminari chipped in jokingly.
(Y/n) bowed her head and skipped away, fumbling her up the net leading to the lookout. It was much more difficult to climb than she had imagined. Multiple times she had almost lost her footing and she wobbled the entire way up.
Unlike Bakugou, who had climbed to the top in just over a minute, it took (Y/n) at least ten. By the time she reached the top, she slumped her body over the edge; half leaning into the crow's nest and the other half of her body still dangling on the net.
Bakugou seemed startled at the sudden appearance of the panting girl and he stared at her with wide eyes. The shocked expression soon turned to confusion, and then amusement in a matter of seconds as he took in the position (Y/n) was in.
"Can you stop staring and help me up?" (Y/n) stretched her arms out towards him. Bakugou raised an eyebrow but made no move to help her. Instead, he crouched in front of her and flicked her forehead.
"I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed." He tried to hold back a grin as (Y/n) struggled to keep herself up.
"Well I'm here, so pull me up!" (Y/n) demanded, digging her fingers into the wooden planks. Bakugou rolled his eyes playfully. He leaned forwards and grabbed her hands, hoisting her upwards.
(Y/n) struggled to regain her footing, still holding onto Bakugou's hands for support. He shook his head as he quietly snickered down at her.
"What have you been doing up here all day?" (Y/n) mumbled as she looked around the mostly empty crow's nest, before turning back to Bakugou, noticing that his cheeks and shoulders had reddened from the sun blazing on them. She gingerly placed a finger against his skin, feeling that it was hot to the touch. And yet, Bakugou shivered slightly as if she were cold as ice.
"You need to get out of the sun before you burn to death."
The boy scoffed and grabbing her wrist, gently pulling her hand away, "I'm fine, dumbass." he moved to rest his arms on the barrier and stared out across the vast ocean. The sun was casting a shimmer across the rolling waves, causing it to glint like diamonds. In the distance, (Y/n) could make out two tiny islands, that were far too small for anything to live on, parallel to one another. The ship was headed directly in between them.
"Guess we're here." Bakugou turned to motion (Y/n) over with his head, "We should go down, they'll want us on the deck."
"In case someone decides to attack us?" Bakugou nodded, keeping his gaze on the sea. (Y/n) smiled playfully, "Maybe I'll get to use some of the sword fighting I've been doing today." A low, angry growl cut her off as Bakugou grumpily tossed his head to the side. The girl raised an eyebrow and moved next to him, "Is that why you've been up here all day?" She softened her tone as she spoke.
"I don't get why they have to teach you? I was perfectly capable of doing it!" He snapped out, though his anger didn't seem to be directed towards (Y/n). "I'm the best here! And I'm fucking great at strategy!"
(Y/n) realised Bakugou felt like his ego had been kicked and quickly tried to change the tone of the conversation before it got out of hand. "I don't think they meant it like that, more the fact that you have a different style of fighting, and a different set of skills that wouldn't work with me." She struggled to find the right words, "I'm mean, compared to you, I'm pretty weak. So... I guess they just thought... you know?..." She trailed off into silence, thinking that her words were probably just making him feel worse.
Bakugou glanced at her, taking in her structure, "You're right," He inhaled deeply, his faceless angry, "You are pretty pathetic looking when it comes to strength." (Y/n) whacked his forearm hard and glared at him.
"You don't have to be so damn rude about it!"
"See!" Bakugou huffed, unfazed by her attack, "You're as harmless as a bug!"
Not if I were to use magic, she thought. A sudden wave of unwanted emotions ran through her as she remembered all the pain her magic had brought in the past.
Bakugou noticed the frown on her face and suddenly felt guilty, "Hey, I'm just messing with you. Don't look so damn depressed."
The girl swallowed, repressing the memories to the darkest corner of her mind, and gave him a playful eye roll, "Ass." She muttered, sticking out her tongue.
He didn't reply, too busy staring at her pout to even comprehend what she had just called him. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he turned his head away, "You're such a dumbass."
Bakugou quickly made his way toward the opening and twisted his body over the edge and onto the rope, "Come on, let's go." He quickly stuttered out, before his face disappeared from (Y/n)'s view.
She stood there for a second, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips before she quickly followed down behind him.
The crew were even livelier than before, some even seemed on edge as the ship sailed between the two islands. As they drew closer to the shore, (Y/n) could see sinister decorations along the beaches.
Skulls on pikes. Human and animal skulls. They were covered in beads off all sorts of colours that were bound together and connecting all of the skulls to one another. And there weren't just a few, both islands were covered in them. It sent a cold chill down (Y/n) spine when she reached the deck. Even Bakugou seemed nervous, giving the islands a sideways glance as he tried his best to keep a stoic face.
(Y/n)'s hand hovered over the hilt of her newly acquired weapon, hoping it would ease the growing pit in her stomach. The boat rocked ominously as they passed through, the waves seeming to grow slightly rougher. The whole way they kept an equal distance between the islands, never straying too close to either of them.
Bakugou noticed (Y/n)'s unease and stood beside her, giving her a sense of comfort.
"Who would do that?" (Y/n) whispered out, staring at the effigies.
"Not who." Bakugou glared at the islands, battling his instinct to move any closer to the girl, "What?"
(Y/n) tilted her head to look up at him in confusion, waiting for him to continue.
"Sirens." He finally growled out. His red eyes shone in the evening sun and a shadow cast over his face.
"Sirens? Like mermaids?" She questioned as she recalled the stories her mother used to read to her when she was younger.
Bakugou scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "Hardly. Mermaids lure you in with their beauty, they're far more dangerous, sirens lure you with their voice. And trust me, sirens are so very far from beautiful." He gave her a one-sided smirk.
She smiled back gratefully at him before turning her gaze back to the islands. Something large moved in the trees and (Y/n) hand subconsciously moved to grip Bakugou's arm. He looked down at where she was touching him and then moved to follow her gaze.
"They won't attack us, as long as we go between the islands and we don't get too close." His voice was soft as he whispered in (Y/n)'s ear, coaxing her to look away.
Whatever was in the trees settled down on its perch and watched them sail by with its hawk-like eyes. The further they got from the islands, the less anxious (Y/n) felt and the hairs on her arms settled back down into place. Even the sea calmed down.
Her eyes travelled back one last time as the islands slowly began to became smaller and smaller, only to see the silhouette of a bird-like creature crouched at the edge of the beach.
Fear ran through her body as she got the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she came face-to-face with these sirens.
***
I just wanted to mention how grateful I am to everyone for all their lovely comments. I appreciate all of you guys so much and thank you for reading for my story <3
BlueHawk