Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Shouto closes his laptop and stretches. Mermaids. He hadn’t even considered mermaids as an option. Since kappas have been a bust, maybe he should switch to another marine creature.

Eyeing the pile of cucumbers he still has, he wonders if mermaids might also snack on them.

His phone vibrates, and it makes him roll his eyes. It’s his father again, as Camie would say, ‘bet’ that he wants to know his grade on his latest microeconomics test.

He hates that his university has a public calendar for all the exams, and he hates even more how his father is constantly stalking it. The aim of the calendar is to help students who might have missed a class or misheard, not for his old man to harass him. Ugh. Then again, Shouto is a fool for thinking that choosing a university far, far away from home would solve his problem.

He thought that he could escape and be free.

He should have known better.

Grabbing three cucumbers and his credit card, he puts on his ‘adventure’ outfit and heads outside. His dorm neighbor doesn’t even bat an eye as he sees Shouto wearing rain boots even though it hasn’t rained in weeks and holding three cucumbers in his hands.

Everybody on campus is already too used to the pretty/handsome boy with dual hair and eyes. He’s mysterious, quiet, and a weirdo. Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

“Hey, Todoroki, another night out?”

“Yes.”

“How do you even sleep?”

Heading to the staircase, Shouto shrugs. “I’m kind of used to not doing it.”

“Right.”

On his way out, he meets another guy, who he thinks might have insomnia like him, or at least, Shouto always sees him around, no matter what hour of the night he returns from his hunts.

“Todoroki.”

“Shinsou.”

Shinsou eyes the cucumbers. “I thought you were over kappas?”

Shouto nods. “I am. There’s another creature that has caught my eye.”

“Cool.”

Shouto smiles. Shinsou isn’t into cryptids like he is, but they’ve talked about them, and he doesn’t seem as judgmental as other people.

“I might still leave a couple around, just in case, since I’m going near water. But this one is to see if it might also be a snack for mermaids.”

Shinsou nods and eyes the cucumbers, then meets his eyes. “So, mermaids, huh? I thought cryptids were more like unknown animals and shit like that.”

Shouto considers it. “Well, mermaids are creatures unknown by science, and humans have decided that their top is human-like and their bottom is fish-like. What if it’s the other way around? Would you then consider them animals?”

Shinsou seems to think about it. “Sick. So, you’re expecting to find a fish with an ass?”

He snorts at that. “Maybe.”

“I hope you find one with a nice one, then.”

Shouto smiles. “Mmmh, I highly doubt they do squats at the bottom of the sea, but we’ll see. I’ll report back to you about my findings.”

“I’ll be waiting then.”

With that, both men part from each other.

Shouto has never asked Shinsou what he does at night, and the other has never offered. Shinso did ask Shouto what he was doing when, three months ago, he caught Shouto leaving cucumbers around campus fountains, and prior to that, he saw him with a radiometer measuring everything and annotating it in several notebooks while nodding all serious. Shinsou confessed that even before that, he had seen Shouto coming and going from the woods with a UV lamp, growing curious about the rumors about him. That’s how Shouto found out people have actually noticed him, got curious, slightly scared, but finally deemed him ‘harmless but weird’. Now he understands why those psychology students chased him, asking him about his pathologies and if he’s ever felt some ‘homicidal tendencies’. Thank god, he didn’t answer truthfully as his father’s face crossed his mind.

Heading to the closest ATM machine which incidentally is inside the konbini, he greets a tired Aizawa and withdraws some money before handing it to him.

“What’s this? What are you purchasing today, more cucumbers?”

“No, no purchases. I need you to change it for coins.”

Aizawa stares at him. “We don’t have enough coins for ¥100,000.”

“Isn’t there like a coin for that value?”

“Yes, a commemorative one.”

“Where can I get it? Is it shiny?”

Aizawa looks done. “Not at my store, and I’m sure it is. It’s made of gold.”

“Oh.” Pulling his phone out, he googles it while Aizawa stares at nothing and blinks every thirty seconds like a clock. Like Shinsou, Shouto is pretty sure he’s an insomniac, but Aizawa at least tries to sleep. Shinsou seems allergic to it. “I see. It’s not for sale.”

“Yes,” Aizawa says. “I’m sure it’s not. I can give you some ¥500 coins. Those are… shiny. You could clean them with alcohol to make them shinier, if that’s what you are looking for.”

“Yes, please.”

Nodding, Aizawa gives him all the ¥500 coins the register has (47) and his change minus the cost of a bottle of metal polisher, which the man assures him will work even better than regular alcohol. He also gives him some napkins and a couple of empty coffee cups so he can clean the coins in the area designated for eating. With a bow, Shouto heads there and begins the process of cleaning the coins while Aizawa sleeps on his feet, or tries to.

He checks the Reddit post to see if someone has added anything, but nothing. He sees he’s got more karma for some old pictures of his kappa hunting—surely due to that mention by mysterymachiin—and a couple of comments asking him if he’s tried different varieties of cucumbers and other miscellaneous things.

He replies to the varieties one.

After that, he keeps polishing the coins until he deems them shiny enough.

Raising one, he calls for Aizawa’s attention.

“Do you think this is enough?”

“It certainly looks polished enough. Brand-new coined.”

“Thanks.”

Throwing away the empty cups, he bows his head to Aizawa once more and leaves the store, with his pockets full of lustrous coins and a half-empty bottle of metal polisher, before he heads to the woods nearby.

Knowing them like the back of his hand, as he has spent many, many hours here—not only hunting down creatures, but also stray cats—Shouto wastes no time in finding the little creek and placing a cucumber. Hiding behind some bushes, he thinks about the coastline. The woods border the ocean up north. He has explored that area, but what would be the best spot for a mermaid to hide?

The cucumber lies there, tempting, yet there’s no kappa in sight. Grabbing one of his cameras, he places it where he’s standing and decides to keep moving, as he has a vague memory of a cave being near the water. It could be a good starting point to hunt mermaids.

Reaching the cliff area, he kicks a little rock and watches it plummet into the crashing waves below.

“How do I get down there?”

Could he climb? Mmmh, too risky, and he’s pretty sure rain boots are not optimal for that task. He decides to throw a coin for now and see if something happens.

The coin catches the moonlight as it descends, and soon enough, Shouto loses sight of it as it sinks into the dark water. Nothing emerges, not even bubbles. Squinting, he tries to see if there’s some movement, but he can’t really see if there’s a shadow or not down there.

Results? Inconclusive.

Remaining coins? 46.

Walking along the edge of the cliff, he sees that there’s a little path, or well, something that could be called that. It’s less steep than other areas, he thinks he could descend it. He’ll worry about how to get back up later.

Heading there, he carefully descends, checking that indeed rubber boots are not ideal against moist, sharp rocks. He somehow makes it, only getting a couple of scratches on his hands and one on his knee since his ripped jeans aren’t the best for this situation either.

Zipping up his windbreaker as the area suddenly feels a little bit chillier than before, he tilts his body as much as he can as he observes the cave on his right. It’s still below the level where he is, but he thinks he could jump onto some rocky platforms the wall has and make it. Somehow. And with luck. Tons of luck.

As he leaps and lands on his target, he sourly thinks that at least his father’s physical conditioning serves for something.

Three leaps more and another bloody scratch on his hand that itches like hell, and he makes it. Looking back at the path he has just used makes him grimace. Maybe he’ll have to swim to get out of here. There’s no way he can climb back.

He throws two more coins and waits. Nothing.

Turning on the torchlight setting on his phone, he eyes the cave. It’s a natural formation on the rocks, he’s sure of it, and it directly connects with the ocean, as it’s half-submerged in the water. Looking around, he sees some evidence that when the tide is high, the water must actually reach his knee level. Interesting.

Walking further into the cave, he illuminates the water below, wondering how deep it must be.

He throws coins every three steps and waits. Nothing. He has 37 remaining ones. Maybe he should turn the light off? He does, and in the absolute darkness, he throws five more.

Yawning, he waits as he tries not to fall asleep, as the lull of the waves is mesmerizing, and inside this cave, it’s not so cold nor windy. It’s kind of cozy if he’s being honest.

Hearing no splash of water beyond the usual waves one, he throws three more coins, one after another, and waits after the last ploof.

Drumming his fingers on his knee, he considers it. Maybe it’s because it’s so dark too in here, if there’s no light, there’s no shine. Standing up, he undoes his path, using his fingers to guide him as they graze the cave wall and the moonlight to show him the way outside.

“Maybe I should do like an offering?”

Tilting his head, he grabs a bunch of coins and counts them. 29. Odd number. He decides to throw twenty, keep nine. Even numbers give him good vibes, and for sure, twenty coins have higher odds to catch the moonlight glimmer, shine, and attract something. Hopefully a mermaid, as that redditor suggested.

At first, nothing happens. While he’s contemplating whether he should throw more, a coin hits him in the head.

Shouto hears it clink as it falls and bounces on the rocky floor of the cave’s edges. He would consider that it has slipped from his hand if not for two things: first, it has impacted against his head; second, it’s wet, water-soaked wet.

He swiftly turns around and, shoving the remaining coins into one of his pockets, he falls to his knees and stares at the water. He’s sure the coin must have come from this direction. He’s sure of it.

Nothing moves. He can’t see a shadow. Turning on his torchlight, he tries to see something. Nothing.

Turning it off, he grabs a couple more coins and drops them while he waits with bated breath. This is so exciting. Never before has he gotten something.

He’s almost reaching for another couple of coins when he gets hit in his temple with another wet coin. This one hurts as it’s been thrown viciously. The coin bounces against him and falls back into the water with a little splash.

Not even one second later, the head of an angry man emerges from the water.

“WOULD YOU STOP LITTERING SHIT!?”

Shouto stares at him. He’s got ash-blond hair and intense, cat-like red eyes. He looks human enough, but he’s not. His ears are weird, pointy, fin-like, and their tips are black and orange. The man’s eyes are also surrounded by some kind of black paint, and his teeth are fang-like.

At Shouto’s silence, the man throws another coin that hits him straight in the center of his forehead. It hurts, but Shouto doesn’t care because he can’t stop looking at the hand that has thrown him the coin. It’s not human. Like the ears and the skin around the eyes, it’s colored black up to mid-forearm, and he’s pretty sure those aren’t nails, but claws.

“Your torso is human, so no ass. I see. Shinsou will be disappointed.”

The creature blinks at him with a blank face before it mumbles, “weirdass motherfucker,” and plops down in the water.

Shouto throws the remaining seven coins, almost as if they were bread for a pigeon, waiting for it to lure the mermaid back, but they don’t.

He grabs the one the mer hit him with first and hesitates. He doesn’t throw it, it’s the only evidence he has that this has happened. Gently, he pockets it back, and as he does so, his hand grazes one of his cameras. Oh, right, he should have recorded this.

“I’ll be back tomorrow!” he screams towards the water before he begins to climb back. He deems swimming is not optimal after all, as the water felt too cold. He’ll reconsider that option if he fails at climbing.

He’s halfway there when he swears he hears that same angry voice yell, “Don’t bother!”

He almost slips. He makes it with more cuts, a broken nail, jeans further torn, and he’s pretty sure a smashed camera, as he fell into his side and heard the crash.

Crawling to the edge of the cliff, he eyes the water and sees nothing.

He’ll return tomorrow with more coins.

Shouto returns, this time better prepared. He’s no longer wearing rain boots but mountain ones instead. Which is not a great idea, as his feet are not used to them, and it hurts like hell. He knew it was a possibility. The shop assistant warned him that blisters might happen unless he broke them first… which he totally hasn’t done.

He’s also using a rope, tied properly to a sturdy tree, and with proper knots he’s spent all evening practicing in his room, rather than finishing a stupid essay for his economics history class. Who cares about trade routes from three centuries ago when there’s a mermaid so close?

Pockets full of more shiny coins he’s gotten after exchanging bills in shops all across town and polishing between tying knots, he rappels the cliff wall.

He lands in the cave by miracle, as he’s still not used to climbing using a rope, but he makes it.

“I’m back!”

He waits for a bit to see if the mer is willingly going to appear, but it seems he’s not. Maybe he hasn’t heard him? Well, in that case, he’d better get his attention.

Throwing coin after coin, he offers 30 ¥500 coins. The mer doesn’t come, not even to yell at him or throw any of the coins back.

“Hello? Are you sleeping? Do mers sleep during nighttime?” That last question, he mumbles it for himself. He should have done more research, but he hasn’t.

He throws another 30 coins and deems it’s enough for today. He’s cold, and it’s been almost two hours.

Today, he has been throwing the coins one by one, waiting between each coin for a hot minute, plus all the time it took him to descend.

“I’ll come back tomorrow!”

He climbs back and does it slowly, giving the mer enough time to emerge and yell at him something, like yesterday.

No one yells anything.

He returns, this time with a hundred coins, a fluffy blanket with cats, and a thermo full of warm tea.

Between sips of tea, he throws the coins, waiting. At first, he does it in silence, but little by little, he finds himself talking to the ocean. It’s relaxing, therapeutic even.

“And then Camie said I should wear a paler base for make-up.”

Plop, another coin tossed.

“I don’t know, I understand that my skin is paler than usual, but my eye bags are not. Shouldn’t I use a darker tone to blend them? When you paint white over a bright color, it blends, right? Or at least, back when I painted, that’s what happened.”

Another coin.

“I’m also pretty sure my scar is impossible to blend with the same shade I use for my cheeks. Should I even bother? I mean, I used to wear my hair longer to hide my ugly scar, but by now, everybody knows I have it.”

Plop.

Plop.

“Ah. I think I get what Camie meant. Sorry, I’m kind of sleepy, so I should use more white to better cover the darker shade of my bags. Right. I owe her a matcha latte. By the way, I painted my nails black, see?”

He throws another coin and shows his hand to the water, waggling his fingers.

“I took inspiration from you. Camie thinks I might have hallucinated you, even if she won’t say it. She’s supportive of my… hobbies, I guess. When I described you, she said I should paint my nails to match your black ones, so I let her. I’m sure she was being a good friend, but she’s also wanted to paint my nails for a while.”

He tries to take a sip of tea and realizes there’s none left.

“Ah, guess I’ll have to do with the blanket. Do you like it? I love cats. Do you know what a cat is? They’re furballs, with claws and tiny fangs. Like yours. I love them, the cats I mean, and earning their trust is hard, but so rewarding. I guess kind of like you. If you think I’m going to give up, I won’t, just saying.”

Plop.

“I grew up with a man who is stubborn. I’m stubborn. We clashed, he beat me, I kept fighting, he kept beating his lessons into me. I hate him, and no lesson whatsoever has stuck with me. See? I won’t give up.”

Two coins.

“Oh. I didn’t mean to do that. Anyway, uh. Ah, I know, the Reddit guys. They’ve locked my thread. I guess I’ll have to open another one, but one of the mods contacted me and said I shouldn’t spam, or they might ban me for a little while. It seemed forced. They said some users have complained that I’m spamming bullshit to earn karma. I don’t see how, since my post has been downvoted and is now in negative numbers. All because I couldn’t show evidence, can you believe that? Anyway, I’ve never cared about numbers. I just—”

Another coin and a frown. Staring at the water, Shouto sighs.

“I guess I was simply happy to share something I like with others. I mean, not many people like cryptid mysteries, right? Most people always laugh and make fun of me for believing in aliens or conspiracy theories, but I just can’t ignore that the universe is too big and there’s no way we just know it all.”

Plop.

“I guess I shouldn’t post anything for a couple of days. Either way, when I posted my kappa huntings, this happened, too. I was banned for a week until they realized I wasn’t just posting ‘cucumber pictures’, but that I was doing actual research.”

Grabbing his phone, he opens his gallery, and in lieu of throwing more coins, he faces his phone to the water, showing his gallery with over fifty pictures of cucumbers placed near rivers, creeks, and even a couple of lakes.

“See? I didn’t spam. I showed the mods that I was posting like one out of four pictures from my hunts, and they allowed me to keep doing it. Now that I think about it, they made a similar comment to my university colleagues, that I was harmless. I wonder what that means. I mean, I don’t want to hurt anyone… I know what that is like. I don’t want to be like him. I refuse. Half of me might look like him, but I’m not.”

Three coins and a pout.

“Is that why you haven’t shown up? Are you afraid I’ll hurt you? I swear I won’t. If you ask me not to, I won’t upload the picture on Reddit. Just… Come say hi?”

He waits, not even daring to breathe, but there’s no change in the water. Slightly disappointed, he keeps throwing coins with a heavy sigh.

The next day, he decides to skip his classes. It’s not that it matters anyway. He’s always napping more than doing any actual note-taking. There’s no need, as every single teacher uploads the material online, plus he has a good memory, and contrary to popular belief, he may be naive in some aspects of life, but he’s not an idiot. He just likes to pretend. It’s easier.

He texts Camie.

Shouto smiles and caresses the cute faces Camie always sends him. He has no idea how she does them and at such speed, but he likes them. 

He appreciates Camie a lot. No one has him as she does, and she cares a lot. He told her about his father, and she listened and didn’t pity him. Instead, she supported his silent vengeance and ‘petty acts’. She enables him by giving him more ideas, supporting the crazy ones he might come up with, and comforting him whenever he needs it. He loves her for it. She’s the first friend he’s ever had, and he’s grateful for it.

Meeting on their usual spot, he wordlessly hands her a caramel macchiato. In exchange, she kisses his cheek with a loud smooch, grabs his arm, and begins to march towards the nearest shop. 

Getting comfortable on the changing room stool, he holds Camie’s drink and handbag with one hand, and with the other, he holds some of the clothes she’s going to try. On his lap lies the outfit she was wearing. He’s used to this, as they always do it, it’s routine by now.

Humming, he waits, eyes closed as she changes into a mini leather skirt and a crop top in pale pink.

“Done! Whatcha think, bestie? Yikes or lit?”

“Mmh, I think the colors look nice on you. Maybe the skirt will go well with those boots you bought a couple of months ago?”

Camie nods and jumps a little. “Facts! I was just thinking that. See? That’s why you’re my bestie. I was also thinking my pink platforms might go well, since, ya know, the top.” She points at it, her bracelets clinking, drawing Shouto’s attention for a second.

“But those platforms are a darker shade of pink, aren’t they?” He smiles with mischief. “You should look for ones that match this shade.”

Camie claps. “Yaaaas!” Smiling, she tilts her head and looks at him. “Are you sure your old man hasn’t done anything? I can smell the vindictive fumes coming outta your pretty head. Your vibes ain’t vibing, ya know?”

Seeing that she’s unzipping the skirt, he closes his eyes and shrugs. “He’s been calling, but as you know, I never pick it up. I also deleted the voicemails and marked the emails as spam. As you’d say, for my peace of mind. I only call once per month and only to make sure he doesn’t cut me out of the card.”

Clicking her nails, Camie hums. “Mmh, if you say so, bestie… So, spill the tea, how’s your hunt going?”

“Nothing. Apart from that first night, he hasn’t appeared.”

“Was he handsome?”

He considers it. “I guess. I only saw him for, like, five seconds. But I guess he was. I liked the eyes.”

“Oh-ho, was he hot?”

Shouto frowns. “I’m pretty sure the water was cold.”

Camie kicks him softly. “Don’t play dumb, bestie. Mers are like naked, right? Say, did you see his aaaaabssss?”

“No, I was more focused on his fangs, ears, and, you know, the claws. His skin was also tinted black in some parts. I wonder if it’s like scales or something.”

Opening his eyes, he sees she’s now trying on a blue dress, finishing it with a wide black belt that has some rhinestones.

“I like the belt. And the skirt’s cut. It’s nice.”

Camie taps her nails on her cleavage. “I like this. Look! It’s heart-shaped. So cuuuuute.”

He looks and sees it is. “How do they make those?” he asks with a hint of amazement as he tries to come up with an answer.

Camie blinks and makes an o with her glossy mouth. “I don’t know… why don’t you look it up?”

“I will, and then I’ll tell you.”

Smiling softly at him, Camie nods. “I’ll be waiting for your report, then. Who knows, maybe you’ll be smitten with sewing and end up making my clothes! Oh, that’d be so lit!”

“I never thought about it. I liked crocheting, maybe I could give it a try at sewing.”

“O-M-G! How could I forget those babes you gifted me? Actually, no, no, I haven’t. Open my bag, you’ll see!”

Balancing the coffee and the clothes, he does and smiles as he sees Camie has the small panda-shaped coin purse he made for her a couple of months ago. Waiting for kappa to appear and eat the cucumbers is kind of boring, so he decided to do other things while waiting. Crocheting was one. Pity now the sun sets so early, and he has no light to do it… Maybe he could give it a try in the cave while he waits for the mer? It’s not as if he has to care about not being spotted, as the mer already knows he’s there.

“You know, I could do it. Crocheting, I mean. Winter is coming, do you want a sweater or something? I could try doing those. I already know how to do socks and plushies, how difficult could it be to do something a tad bigger?”

Camie bounces. “Yes, a handmade sweater from my Sho-cat! I’d die for it, I’d cross an ocean for it!”

“No need for that?” Tilting his head, he wonders how one might cross an ocean for a piece of clothing… but it’s Camie, she might actually do it. “I’ll do it, it’s the least I can do for you.”

Camie side-hugs him. “Aww, don’t say that! You’re already buying me all this stuff.”

“But I’m not? My father is.”

Laughing, Camie begins to undo the belt. “Right, how could I forget?”

Closing his eyes again, Shouto waits. 

“Bestie, zip me up?”

“Sure. Uh, wait.”

Turning around, Camie sees the issue. “Oh, gimmie the coffee and my bag.”

He does, and places the clothes on the stool. Now free, he turns around and zips Camie up, mindful of her long hair. “There.” Eyeing her, he studies the whole dress, cleavage included this time. “That’s called a Queen Anne neckline, right? It suits you.”

Camie beams. “Yes! I knew you were listening to me.”

“Of course, I listen to you. Just like you do with me.”

Pulling him in a tight hug, Camie kisses both of his cheeks. “Bestie, I heart you.”

Smiling, Shouto repeats it back. It doesn’t come as naturally as when she says it, but the way Camie’s eyes gleam tells him that she gets it. 

Two outfits later, Shouto hands over the credit card without a second thought about the price. The shop assistant eyes him and then pretends to whisper to Camie, “You’re a lucky woman.”

“Oh, I know, but you’re also totes wrong. He’s just my bestie.”

Shouto nods at that and withdraws the card after the machine says card accepted. “Can you put it all in two bags? I don’t like to carry them when it’s all unbalanced.”

Clearing her throat, the shop clerk nods with a tight smile. She doesn’t look as confident as before. “Of course, sir.”

Leaving the store, Camie finishes her coffee and twirls around Shouto. “I think there’s a jewelry store like two streets over. Say, what do you have in mind?

“I don’t really care. I just need things that shine a lot.”

“Are you going to, like, give them to your mer?”

“Yes. Coins don’t seem to work, so I think I should try something a bit more.”

“Ugh.” Placing a hand over her chest, Camie sticks her tongue out. “It lowkey pains me that you’re going to pull a Rose on some beauties, but whatev. It’s your money, hon.”

“Pull a Rose?” He asks with a frown. That’s a new one. By now, he knows most of Camie’s slang.

“Yeah, Titanic’s Rose.”

Ah. They have seen that movie since Camie insisted it was a classic and that he should see it at least once in his life. He enjoyed it.

As they make their way to the jewelry store, he understands what Camie meant as he mentally reviews the whole movie. She must mean the ending scene. “Yes, exactly. I want a necklace like that. Diamonds shine, right?”

Not fazed by his sudden outburst, already used to Shouto needing some time to order his thoughts, Camie nods and snaps her fingers. “Yes, you know, shine bright like a diamond,” she finishes singing.

The clerk at the jewelry store almost cries tears of joy as they purchase several diamond necklaces. He receives a call from his father, and for a second, he worries his father is going to cut the card off, but no. As an extra thank you, he buys Camie a thin rose-gold bracelet with a star-shaped diamond. She insists he should get a matching one to twin with her, so he gets one in platinum, but his has a little sun in gold.

The clerk bows and almost demands them to “please return again, soon”, making Camie laugh.

“Sure, sure. He might do it, it’ll depend on whether his fish bites or nah.”

“Fish?” the man asks.

“Merman,” Shouto corrects.

They leave the man even more perplexed.

His father calls again.

Camie squeezes his arm. “Hey, Sho. I have an idea. Why don’t you tell your dad I’m your girl and you wanted to make up to me? That way, he won’t yell at you too much. He’s the kind of guy who buys expensive stuff to make up for his mistakes, right? He gives me those vibes.”

Shouto considers it. He remembers his father buying a lot of things for his mom back when she was still around. He always did it after he—

“Yes, he does.” His voice is so cold, Camie stops and rushes back to him, getting hold of his arm. “He bought my brother a car for missing his graduation a couple of years ago.”

Camie reads between lines, like she always does. Shouto has told her everything, including how the abuse started when he tried to step between his mom and the scumbag he has as a father.

When they reach campus, Camie insists on coming with him to ‘put him pretty for his fishy friend’.

“You can’t just go throwing diamonds at your mer and look like a hobo. You need to pass his vibe check.”

Knowing he can’t really escape, he simply says, “It’ll need to be something I can climb back and forth a cliff.”

Camie blinks and taps her nails over her chin. “Well, well, well, stylish but comfy, mmh I gotcha. This girlie loves a challenge, so no prob. Just sit there and look pretty.”

“Okay?”

Doing as she has told him, he pulls out his phone and decides that now it’s a good time to text his father, following her previous advice.

Shouto snots. His father’s fingers are too big for the screen of his phone, and he knows Enji must be raging right now.

Not caring about what else his father might say, he turns the phone off. Looking at Camie, he sees her mumbling as she pulls shirt after shirt from his closet. He has to bite his lip to not laugh. This surely is a study date… a study of Shouto’s closet.

After trying two outfits she has chosen for him, they go for the first one as he tells her how cold it is and how the second one feels too light, even if she claimed it to be more fab.

“Nah, nah, bestie, being sick ain’t worth it. Wear the turtleneck then, protect your throat. The jeans are nice… but those boots, ugh. So yikes.”

“And uncomfortable,” he adds.

“Say what? No, no, hold on, I’ve something for that!” Opening her bag, she pulls out a small plastic bag with some colorful protective pads along with a little green plastic case, which she hands to him. “There. Put these on your heels and these on your blisters. You’ll see, they’re the best. No cap.”

Taking both items, he sees the pads seem to have the shape of a foot heel, and the green case has some healing band-aids for blisters.

“Thank you, Camie. I didn’t know these things existed.”

“Yep. Every woman who loves high heels uses ‘em. It’s like womanhood 101 for looking like a snack with no pain.”

Since she stays for a bit longer, they ask for some sushi to be delivered as she fancies some after doomscrolling on her phone and getting some reels of it.

“All that fish talk and now these…”

Once they’ve eaten, he grabs a couple of cucumbers, a camera, the rope, some coins, and the jewelry before walking Camie to her dorm.

Camie hugs him and eyes the cucumbers. “I know those are for the kappa, buuuut can I’ve one?”

“Are you still hungry?” he asks as he hands her one.

“Nah, nah, it’s for my skin. These are coolio for skincare, ya know? I’ll show you.”

“Alright. As you know, I have a huge stock of those, so just tell me if you want more, and I’ll give them to you.”

Camie chuckles. “Bet. Damn, wish I had seen the face of the clerk when ya came and bought ‘em all.”

“Ah, no, Aizawa doesn’t care. He’s used to me by now.”

“Sho, babe, that’s… Anyway, as long as you don’t buy a ton of these and a pack of condoms and lube, guess you’re fine.”

“Why would I— Oh.”

Blushing a little, he averts his gaze while Camie laughs as she blows him a goodbye kiss and disappears inside her building.

Heading to the mer’s cave, he hesitates a little before he places the remaining cucumber on a rock near the creek like he always does. He can’t help but see the vegetable with… other eyes.

He speedwalks after placing it, heading to the cliff, cheeks warmed up.

Rappelling this time is a little bit easier since his feet feel okay and his hands are used to the motion. He’s also memorized which rocks are loose and should be avoided, and which ones are okay to use.

Landing in the cave’s entrance, he wastes no time before he begins to throw coins at the ocean and retells what he’s done today.

“And now the boots don’t hurt. Camie is a lifesaver that’s for sure… although I might not be able to see the cucumbers in the same light as I did up until now. I can’t help but wonder, all those cucumbers I left lying around, some disappeared, right? What if someone has…you know? Do mers do that? I mean, you have to, right? Otherwise, you’d have gone extinct.” He squirms a little as he realizes he has rambled in that direction. “Anyway, here I go, the real reason why I did all that shopping: the first necklace. I hope you like it.”

Pulling the diamond collar out of its case, he smiles as he sees that it does shine a lot.

He throws it, right where he last saw the mer and waits. A minute passes, and nothing. Shoulders sagging a little, he feels a little bit down before he decides that he won’t give up.

Pulling the other two cases, he opens and studies the two remaining necklaces. He likes the one with the ruby, as it reminds him of the mer’s eyes, so he throws it.

“Hope you like it!”

He’s going to throw the third one when an angry merman emerges, wielding the ruby necklace and screaming, “What did I fucking say?! STOP LITTERING IN MY HOUSE, YOU FUCKING FREAK!”

Shouto quickly pulls his camera and snaps a picture.

The mer freezes.

“What. You— YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T DO IT!”

That gets Shouto’s attention. “So you heard me!” Sitting on the edge of the rock, he smiles at the mer. “I promise I won’t post it. No one except me will see it. And Camie. Can I show it to her? She won’t tell a soul, I swear.”

The mer is fuming. “You, you— YOU DUMB FUCKER!”

He throws the necklace at Shouto, who catches it, and seeing that the mer is going to disappear, he quickly shouts, “Wait, no! This is for you, it’s a gift.”

“I WANT NOTHING FROM YOU! NO, WHAT I WANT IS FOR YOU TO FUCK OFF!”

“But I want to befriend you. I guess.”

“You guess?” the mer sneers.

Shouto nods. “Yes. I’m curious about you. Aren’t you curious about me?”

The mer shows his teeth and hisses. In a blink, he’s right by Shouto’s side. “The only thing I’m curious about you is how long it might take for you to drown.”

Shouto ignores the threat, not only because he can tell he doesn’t mean it—he knows firsthand how a real threat sounds like, and this isn’t it—but because the mer is right there and he can’t help but admire his features. The black colored skin around the mer’s eyes reminds him of the paint vikings branded, except that this isn’t paint, it’s just the coloration on the mer’s skin. As he sees it better, he realizes that it’s like on its ears, with a little hint of orange around the edges. It’s stunning.

“Are those scales?” he breathes as he leans closer to him. The mer’s eyes widen, and Shouto notices his pupils are really cat-like. “Whoa. You’re really handsome. I love your eyes.”

He doesn’t even notice he’s doing it until his hand grazes the mer’s skin. Both freeze. Shouto, with his fingertips caressing the mer’s cheek, and the mer on the water with his claws sinking into the rock, making a scratching-like noise.

That sound makes the mer snap, and once more, he’s gone in a blink, with Shouto being unable to do anything to stop him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow!” he promises.

Pocketing both necklaces, the one he hasn’t thrown and the one the mer gave back, Shouto climbs the rope with a big smile on his face.

As he reaches the top of the cliff, he remembers.

“I WON’T SHOW THE PICTURE TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN CAMIE!”

He waits for a second, but no one emerges from the water… yet he can’t help but notice a shadow quickly moving beneath the surface, right where he last saw the mer. It makes him smile.