Behind the Glass (Komahina AU)

Chapter Two: With or Without You

Junko cackled as she witnessed her crew bring up the merman onto the ship. He was squirming while yowling, baring his fangs. Nagito could only watch as they tied him onto a pole, avoiding his attacks. His scales were beginning to shatter, causing to bleed a little. His ears became rough that it caused him pain. He had a difficult time breathing as all six of his gills weren't working, making his lungs dry up. He could taste salt coming out of his mouth. Regardless, he kept his face stern amongst the staring faces.

The only one not looking at him like he was a fish out of water was Junko. She was enjoying every moment of his suffering.

"Aww, poor merman..." Junko teased. "Don't worry, my little plaything. We'll keep you safe...for now."

Hinata growled as her hand closer to his face, but she withdrew with a quick flick of her wrist. He could feel his eyes get heavy as his vision became blurry. The voices began to disappear the further he fell into unconsciousness.

Suddenly, he could feel something being poured over his head. His body began to feel more alive as his gills moved. He opened his eyes to see the white haired man pouring a bottle of water. His tail began to flap in happiness. He looked into his eyes with gratitude. He wanted to cry, but restrained. When the jug was empty, he whined in shock.

"Oh my GOD!" Junko screeched, making everyone jump. "This is SO boring! Why are you doing that?"

"Look, he is going to die before we get back to the island." Nagito hissed. He didn't want to scare Hinata further. Then, he spoke in a normal tone. "I need Mikan to examine him."

Those words got Hinata upset. He growled, baring his fangs and his gills near his face being wide open. Everyone screamed as he backed away further from the prisoner...except Junko. Seeing that devilish smirk and unamused posture of that woman made Hinata flinch. His gills closed up and his ears droop down. She looked at Nagito and gave him a quick nod.

Hinata switched his focus to the white haired man. Nagito approaches slowly, showing him his left hand as empty. Behind his back, he hid a chain with a lock. Hinata hissed as he got too close, once again baring his fangs. Nagito stopped dead as he did, but continued when it stopped. As the hiss got louder, Nagito was already close enough to whip the chain out and put into his mouth. Locking it, he backed away to immediately cut the ropes that held him.

Hinata fell down onto the ground with a thud. As a crew member began to tie his hands, Nagito noticed the pole was covered in blood and dead scales.

"Jesus..." He muttered, before addressing the crew member. "Come on, help me drag him under."

Nagito grabbed Hinata by the shoulders while the crew member lifted up the tail. Struggling, they carried him down to the cabins and threw them down onto the ground once more. Hinata flopped over onto his side to see a large glass box where Nagito had begun to pour water into it. Nagito saw the merman's eyes water as he began to crawl to the box.

"Oh no you don't." Junko said, pushing Hinata's head down with her boot. She turned her attention to Nagito. "What the hell is this? Are you going to make him our pet?"

"Stop it. He needs to stay alive, for God's sake!" Nagito yelled as he walked and got into her personal space.

"Heh. Here I thought you didn't believe in their kind." She teased.

Nagito looked down at Hinata, who was once again gasping. "No...but that didn't mean it wasn't true. If you want your pet to stay alive, you need an aquarium. Even you know that."

Junko smirked. "Too true." She snapped her fingers. "Boys! Assist Nagito fill up the box."

Soon, all the crew were carrying down buckets of water and pouring it into the box. Hinata felt his eyes get heavy again as he silently watch the box grew more and more with water.

"Don't think that our playtime is over." Junko whispered in his ear, making him shiver. "I am gonna torture you until you give me what I want...and what I want is your precious tears."
Then, he faded out of consciousness.
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After getting the unconscious merman into the aquarium and securing him, Nagito got Mikan to examine him.

"It is so odd...I never thought it was true." She said, gently touching the scales on his arm.

"Yeah, well. Don't get too attached." Nagito scoffed. "We'll be lucky if we keep him alive."

"Why did you do it anyway?"

"What?"

"Save him. You poured a jug of water on him...wait..."

"Don't." Nagito pointed a finger at her. "This has nothing to do with me. He is a living creature."

Mikan tilted her head in confusion. "You like him...I know that you like guys, but Nagito...you shouldn't be attached as well."

"I am not." He said, turning his back away from her. "Just finish up here. We don't need any more issues."

He climbed up to the main deck where Junko was waiting for him. She had her arms crossed and a disapproving look on her face.

"Took you long enough, plaything." She snapped. "Please tell me some good news."

"Why don't you talk to Mikan?" Nagito snipped back. "I don't have time to deal with you."

"Yes..." She said, patting his shoulder. "Despite our losses, we didn't leave empty handed. You deserve a good rest...Nagito..."

He pushed her hand away before returning to his room. He kicked his boots off before laying on the cot. All he could think about was the merman and how scared he could be, but remembered Mikan's words. Yes, he was attracted to men but had an unlucky streak.

'I cannot get attached...must distance myself...for the good of hope...'
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To be continued...

A/N: I would like to thank DragonEmpress987 for helping me with Hinata. Considering that he is a merman and I am dealing with sea creature behaviour, I would have definitely screwed up. 😥

LunaKirbee