The lost continent

Chapter 23

Bakugou wakes. For the umteenth time this week, he feels a quick confusion about the spaciousness and coolness of his bed.

There’s a knock on his door. He doesn’t answer, but Mina comes in anyways.

“Fuck off, I’m asleep.” Bakugou bites, turning away from the door..  “Since when do you fucking knock, anyways?”

“Captain I think you’ve made a huge fucking mistake.” she says. She’s said it a hundred times, but Bakugou can tell she’s close to exploding.

“Monoma can be replaced.”

“You goddamn know that’s not what I mean.” she has the audacity to walk on in and sit next to him. Bakugou sits up, if only to get his dick further away from her fury.

He scowls. “That fucking noble was a danger to us all. We couldn’t get any use out of him, so he had to go.”

Mina is shaking her head, and Bakugou can still see that her anger is barely contained.

“He wanted to leave anyways.” Bakugou says, looking away. It’s for the best , he thinks.

“Bullshit.” Mina says. She slams her hand down onto the bed, over and over- “Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! You fucking, Captain- No! Katsuki . What in the everliving hell are you doing?”

“I told you-”

“What are you so goddamn afraid of?” Mina shouts at him. “What is it? God, you’ve had one shitty fucking run of a life, and you went and made a mess of that beautiful boy and somehow, by some saintly fucking blessing, he fell for you - a shitty rude-ass pirate . And you fucking throw him away? Nuh-uh, Katsuki. What the fuck is wrong with you.”

Bakugou blinks, taken aback. He feels weight crush in on his chest and he opens his mouth to shout, to lie, to let the anger he so easily relies on spew from his lungs but instead, he he intakes a breath, holding it against a wavering sob. He shuts his eyes tight and breathes out sharp through his nose to compose himself.

“I don’t want him to get hurt.” Bakugou says. “I...I keep… fucking dreaming that I’m killing him, Mina. Like All Might and fucking Deku, and -”

"That’s not your fault.” Mina says.

“You say that , but I still fucking feel it, okay? I wasn’t fucking good enough! And now-”

“ Now !” Mina interrupts, still angry. “You expect me to believe you did that all for him? Since when have you ever been so charitable? You fucking kicked Kirishima, noble boy, flaming red hair, off of our ship to fend for his own in the middle of fucking nowhere. He’s too nice, he’s probably dead or worse at this point, and all because your selfish ass is afraid of getting hurt again. You’re not protecting Kirishima, you’re protecting yourself. It’s pathetic , Katsuki.”

Bakugou wants to yell at the truth of her words laying raw on his heart, but he can’t. Of course, yes, he was afraid of hurting Kirishima…

But he was afraid of failing most of all. Failing to protect, failing to… be enough.  All he can do for a momwnt is sit, numbed by the reality of his own cowardice.

Mina breathes in deep, and puts her rough hand over his. “Listen. I know… I know you’re afraid. That doesn’t mean you’re weak, just because you have emotion. Yes, it makes you vulnerable...but what makes someone strong and what makes someone brave is when they decide to love, in spite of it all. If you want to be better, if you want to be stronger, if you want to be a king , then you have to order me to turn this ship around and find him before he’s long gone.”

She’s right. She usually is, when it comes to Bakugou.

It feels like an eternity before Bakugou can move again to nod his head. When he does so, a sudden new panic sets in. “Will he-”