Thread by @ceramicspams

Thread!

Title: Call of the Sea
Something for #mermay! #BKDK

Trans!DK

Will tag triggers as they arrive.

Izuku had wanted to work at the Conservatory since he was a young child. His mother had taken him to see some of the Mers housed there and had inadvertently set him on a path of conservational science.

Finally getting the job meant that all of his hard work had paid off.

Now, he was part of a team of researchers, doctors, caretakers, and conservationists that were all dedicated to the Merfolk that populated the waters of the world.

The Yuuei Conservatory was one of the largest on the planet and the most prestigious.

Izuku had squeaked onto the staff roster, beating out a lot of people who were undoubtedly just as capable. Maybe it had been luck, but his accomplishments in academia and his miles long volunteer and intern resume definitely helped.

Now, his days were filled with working with the amazing, humanoid creatures that he'd dreamt about since he'd first seen one in person.

Most of it was simple. Checking water conditions, preparing meat, fish, and vegetables, coordinating tank rotations, researching enrichment.

The Conservatory was, at its heart, a rehabilitation center. Most of the time, Mer came in to be cared for until they could be returned to their original homes. Often, it was due to boating accidents, poaching, or environmental damage that had caused the Mer to flee.

They did have a few permanent charges though. Izuku spent a lot of time taking care of Sero and Shoto -- two Mer who had been part of the illegal pet trade. Both had been taken from their natural habitat young and reintroducing them had failed.

The bright side was that the two had bonded and even happily shared a tank despite being two different species. Izuku enjoyed seeing them everyday, and they seemed to enjoy his company as well.

Lately, though, Izuku had been on the hunt. Allegedly, a shark Mer had been spotted in the local bay, hanging around some of the rocky crags that jutted up where the seabed dropped off. Sightings were slim and spotty, so he'd been going there everyday to look.

Shark Mer weren't an uncommon sight -- the waters by the Conservatory were part of a few different pod's migration path -- but a lone one was unusual. Especially one that seemed to be sticking around.

Izuku had been slathering himself in sunscreen and riding his bike from his cozy little seaside home, spending the day at the beach with hopes of a sighting.

He was lucky today.

Izuku was picking his way along the tidepools, admiring the starfish and sea urchins that had gotten caught there, when he looked up and saw the most beautiful Mer he'd ever seen.

The Mer was lying face down on the warmed rocky shore, his arms tucked under his head, his powerful tail still in the tide. His skin was bronzed from the sun, and his blond hair was bleached by it, spiky and messy from the salt and sand.

His human half gracefully gave way to his tail, deep brown and tan scales tracing up his back and shoulders, some of them speckled with bright orange. He had wide spot patterns but a smooth, plain underbelly that was just barely visible thanks to the curve of his tail.

Izuku knew just by looking that he was far from home. That pattern suggested a murkier origin than the surrounding ocean, and his pale human colors suggested somewhere a bit colder.

Careful not to rouse him, Izuku removed his sketchbook from his bag and started drawing.

One of Izuku's best traits was his attention to detail, his ability to quickly observe and analyze. Once he'd spent a while honing his art skills, that had translated well into sketching Mer. He glanced up frequently as he put this one to paper.

His sketchbook was filled with sketches of previous charges, and now this one was on the newest page, sleeping peacefully in the sun -- Izuku carefully traced the handsome features of the stunning creature with the best of care.

He was nearly done when he glanced up and nearly started -- irritated crimson eyes stared back at him.

Izuku stayed still, not even moving his pencil, watching the Mer watch him.

After a moment, the Mer huffed and hauled himself up on his strong, muscular arms.

With a powerful thrash of his tail, the Mer spun and dragged himself back into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves with astonishing grace.

Izuku exhaled. All things considered, that had gone well. No aggression, no fear, just annoyance.

Izuku tucked his sketchbook away and returned to where he'd parked and locked his bike. At least he'd have something to show off and prove that the shark Mer was, indeed, real.

( * * * * )

"Oh, wow. He's beautiful," Ochako tilted Izuku's sketchbook back and forth as she admired the latest sketch, "Are you sure he was alone?"

"No one else sunbathing with him, but that doesn't mean there weren't more in the water," Izuku said with a shrug.

"Fair," Ochako handed him his book, "I'm glad you saw him though. I'll add him to the board so everyone is aware he's real. You tell the boss yet?"

"Not yet. He's been busy today. But I will."

"I'm sure he'll want you to keep going down there to check in."

"No complaints!" Izuku laughed, "Oh no, out on the beach with a Mer, how terrible!"

"Just don't get burned," Ochako elbowed him playfully, "Come on, help me feed the lovebirds, will you?"

Izuku agreed, assisting his friend and coworker in getting Sero and Shoto their evening meal. Sometimes it was chopped meats, but other times they were able to get safe, sterile live ones, which was why Ochako appreciated the extra hand.

Ochako enjoyed grabbing one or two of the live fish and chucking them into the tank, really letting the Mer engage with their predator drives to chase down their meals. It was great to watch them behave as they would had they not been snatched as pets.

"Hey, hey, when's the next scrubbing?" Sero popped his head up above the water, holding his half-mangled meal in his hands.

"Day after tomorrow," Ochako reminded him, "Why, is something bothering you?"

"No. I just want scrubbing."

"Greedy," Ochako flicked some water at him.

"Is it true, there's a shark out there?" Shoto's voice was quieter, inquisitive, a little garbled since he didn't come up from the water completely.

"Yeah, I saw him today!" Izuku gave the shy, bicolored Mer a wide smile, "I'll be looking out for him for a while."

"You think he'll need to come in?"

"I didn't get a good look, but he didn't seem injured or malnourished, so for right now it's just observation,"

Shoto seemed satisfied with the answers and sank back under. Sero snatched the bucket at their feet and dumped the fish.

Ochako let out a yell and fumbled to grab it, though it had already been emptied, "You sneaky little thief!"

Sero's laughter was just bubbles in the water.

( * * * * )

Izuku went out every day, even in the rain, to check if he could get a glimpse of the Mer. It took about a week before he managed it, once again finding the shark lounging near the tide pools. The warmer water must have been pleasant.

As last time, Izuku sat at a reasonable distance to sketch and take little notes. Coloration, approximate age and size, guesses at shark species, details that he hadn't managed to mark down before the Mer had woken last time.

"The hell are you doing."

Izuku jumped. He slowly looked up at the Mer who was scowling at him. He looked around himself as if there were other people around that the Mer could be talking to.

"You, idiot, I'm talking to /you/."

"I'm...uh...sketching you?" Izuku answered awkwardly.

The Mer's eyebrows furrowed, "Why?"

"To, uh, catalogue you, I guess? You're not from around here and it's my job to keep track of local Mer."

The Mer huffed and once again pushed himself up onto his arms, "...let me see."

Izuku hesitated before he slowly got to his feet, folded his sketchbook in half, and carefully edged in closer. Then he held up his book so that the Mer could look at the page.

The Mer stared, his brilliant eyes flicking over the sketch of himself. He tilted his head and squinted a little at some of the notes.

"Huh. So that's me?"

Izuku smiled weakly, "Yeah. That's you."

The Mer gave him an unamused look, "My back spots don't look like that."

Izuku felt like he'd been slapped. He flipped the book and stared at his rendition of the Mer, glancing up to compare, "Wha-...I-...yes they do, I just-...I've only ever seen you from one side so I thought you'd be symmetrical!"

The Mer lowered himself and flipped his tail.

Izuku got his first good look at the whole spread of the Mer's tail. The Mer was right. Izuku's assumption had been wrong. He wasn't symmetrical -- in fact, it looked more like his spot patterns bled across him, little explosions of orange and tan against the brown.

"Wow..." Izuku breathed, amazed, "...can I-...can I draw you the right way?"

"If you're going to do all that, you better get it right." The Mer propped himself on his side so that Izuku could see his whole pattern.

Izuku flipped the page and hurriedly started from scratch.

He was careful but quick. He scratched out the lines of the Mer's body and then started in on the pattern, dedicated to its perfection. It was beautiful, challenging to get right, but Izuku put his tongue between his teeth and ignored his hand cramps.

All the while, the Mer seemed to doze in the sun, allowing Izuku his time. Nearly half an hour later, Izuku finally brushed the eraser shavings from his paper and moved to show the Mer the updated version.

This time the Mer looked at the sketch with something nearer to fondness. He nodded, "Yeah, that's better. Much better."

Izuku couldn't help but to grin, hiding the flash of teeth behind the book. Then he looked at his work again. He paused.

"...can I have your name?"

"Why?"

"So I can write it here, on the page. And so that I have something to call you."

The Mer grunted and rolled his eyes, "...Katsuki."

"Katsuki..." Izuku carefully wrote the name next to the sketch. "It's good to meet you."

( * * * * * )

Katsuki quickly became part of Izuku's life. Izuku would do his work at the Conservatory and then bike down to the tide pools to spend time with him in the evenings. On his days off, he was at the tide pools.

He checked in on Katsuki after particularly bad thunderstorms. He bought a new sketchbook to fill with pictures of him. He did water tests to be certain that Katsuki was as safe as possible.

The shark Mer warmed up to him slowly. He was a little standoffish, a little aggressive at times, but for the most part it seemed like he wanted to be left alone. Though, Izuku's company was rarely rejected. If he wasn't in the mood, he'd just flop back into the water.

Most of the time, though, the two of them would talk. Izuku asked a lot of questions, and Katsuki answered a few. He didn't have a pod, nor was he interested. He didn't need help with relocation. He was getting enough food.

In return, Izuku told him whatever he wanted to know. About the Conservatory, about the things he'd seen and done with other Mer, about his life on the shore.

A lot of it was lost on Katsuki, sure, but that didn't mean the Mer wasn't interested. He seemed to like Izuku's rambling nature, if not just because it meant he didn't have to fill the space.

He was getting annoyed, though. Izuku was aware of how beautiful and physically impressive he was, but he hadn't seemed to notice his strength or understood much of what Katsuki was trying to tell him. The human seemed completely blind to all the signs.

So, he got more obvious.

He showed off his strength when he managed to convince Izuku to come swimming with him. He proved he was a good hunter by delivering plenty of fresh fish to the shore. He trilled and purred when complimented or touched.

Katsuki was annoyed that Izuku wasn't /getting it/ but truthfully...Izuku knew.

Izuku was very, very well aware of what was happening. He knew the courting behaviors of at least thirty species of Mer, and Katsuki's were pretty damn obvious.

He'd been trying to ignore it for weeks, even knowing that it was frustrating Katsuki. Izuku had no idea how to really address it. Especially since, after doing a lot of comparisons and research, it had been revealed that Katsuki was a rare, at risk species.

He wasn't endangered, but it wasn't far off. Thanks to fishing industries and pollution, much of Katsuki's kind had died out. The fact that he was alone may have hinted to something like that, and meant that it would be beneficial for him to find a mate and propagate.

But Mer were sentient and sapient. Protected by the law, even if just recently. It wasn't as though they could be forced to do any of that.

Regardless, accepting Katsuki's courtship felt like he was taking advantage of the Mer.

Yes, the Mer was gorgeous, powerful, and incredibly resourceful and -...a lot of other adjectives that had been scrubbed out of the margins of Izuku's sketchbook so that he could show it to his boss and coworkers.

That didn't mean they should court.

On top of that, surely Katsuki wouldn't be happy with someone who couldn't live in the ocean. And there was no way he'd thrive in a tank somewhere. It was just...There was no way it would have worked.

Even though a little part of Izuku wanted it.

So, much to his own chagrin, he pretended not to notice Katsuki's courting.

Until Katsuki made it so that he couldn't ignore it anymore.

( * * TBC * * )

Izuku wasn't expecting the grab so he didn't have the ability to avoid it. His knees scraped over the bare rock of the shore and the sea came up to hit him in the face. He spluttered as he was dragged under, the saltwater stinging at his eyes and nearly rushing into his lungs.

Katsuki's strong hands were on him, keeping him from sinking or getting pushed by the tide, but Izuku was coughing and gasping by the time the Mer pulled his head above the surface.

"Kacchan, what-" Izuku squinted unhappily through the seawater, "My clothes! My /phone/!"

"I wouldn't have to do this if you weren't so stupid," Katsuki snarled, giving Izuku a little shake but otherwise holding him steady, "You damn nerd!"

Izuku huffed at the insult, one that he'd picked up after Izuku had told him some people called him that.

"What are you doing?"

"What are /you/ doing? I've been trying to court you for weeks and you haven't responded!" Katsuki was right up in Izuku's face, making escape impossible, "What, am I not good enough for you or something? What the hell is it?!"

"Kacchan, please-" Izuku wasn't a weak swimmer but he wasn't a strong one either, and treading water in the ocean wasn't an easy task. Sensing his discomfort, Katsuki pulled him in even closer, taking over all of the effort needed to keep them both afloat.

The closer proximity didn't help. Izuku held on tight, feeling Katsuki's muscles shifting and tensing beneath his skin -- his core was astonishingly powerful, keeping them both upright with little trouble. His arms circled Izuku's waist, making him feel tiny.

"It's...It's not that I haven't noticed. I just. Kacchan, we can't mate," Izuku muttered his explanation into the sea, "You're a Mer, and I'm a human, and you should find someone of your own kind, and I can't live in the ocean and you can't live on land and-"

"Hah? You think I care about that shit?" Katsuki scoffed and shifted his hold to drag Izuku under the surface. He let him back up almost immediately but it left Izuku sputtering and spitting nonetheless. "Tell me straight! Do you actually not want me, or are you just being dumb?"

Izuku tried to avoid the Mer's gaze but eventually Katsuki just grabbed his face and made him look forward. His gaze was intense, his eyebrows furrowed down, his mouth set into a grim line.

Good gods, he was serious, Izuku realized. He was really, really serious.

"I-..It's against policy..." Izuku breathed, "We can't have intimate relationships with our charges-"

"I'm not your damn charge," Katsuki said, drawing Izuku in even closer.

Izuku stammered, looking for more excuses or reasons, but the Mer leaned to him and kissed him.

It was off center, a firm but careful press to the side of his mouth that was followed by a short pause. A check to make sure Izuku wasn't put off. The second kiss was just as firm, aimed properly, and made Izuku melt.

The Mer's lips weren't soft, not really, but they were plush and warm and damp from the sea. He tasted like salt in the most delicious way. Izuku exhaled softly when Katsuki pulled back.

"...are you sure, Kacchan?" He asked quietly.

Katsuki just kissed him again.

( * * * * )

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