The water ripples around me as I float in the underground cave pool, my tail coiled beneath me. It's been weeks since Deku freed me from that godforsaken facility, but I'm still adjusting to this new 'sanctuary'—a cage with better scenery. The stone walls glisten with moisture, and the distant drip of water echoes through the cavern.

I hear footsteps approaching before I see him. Deku appears at the top of the stairs, carrying a cooler that I know contains fresh fish—my favorite meal since escaping. His green hair is damp from the rain outside, and his lab coat is slung over one arm, revealing a plain white t-shirt that clings to his muscular torso.

He sets the cooler down and kneels at the edge of the pool, that familiar look of scientific fascination mixed with something else—something warmer—in his eyes. "How are you feeling today?" he asks, already reaching for the fish inside the cooler.

My tail flicks instinctively, sending a small wave splashing against the concrete edge where he sits. I've grown used to his presence, maybe even... comfortable with it. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten what humans did to me before he came along.

Deku smiles as he tosses a fish into the water, and I catch it mid-air, my sharp teeth piercing the scales. His gaze lingers on my mouth a moment too long, and I feel a strange warmth spreading through my lower body—a reaction I've been having more frequently around him lately.

The water ripples again, but this time it's not from my movement. Something is changing inside me, something I don't fully understand. And as Deku reaches a hand toward the surface of the water, his fingers nearly touching mine, I realize there's no going back.