Chapter Text
The tree just above the pond always shed its leaves near the end of Autumn. They drifted down, carried by the currents of the wind, before landing gently on the water’s surface. Mob liked to watch them as they touched, taking small pleasures in the short bell noise they made when they rippled through the water. They were a sweet reminder of the changing seasons. Sometimes, if he was at his loneliest, he would pull one underneath and hold it in his fingers. It was textureless and dissolved quickly. He always wondered what it would be like...what the leaves would sound like when they were dry. If he was certain that no one else was around, he would stick his head, right to his gills, above water and observe the surroundings. He noted the aubergine of the trees, and the dull faded grey of the cobblestones around the pond. His entire body was aching to step onto the cement...but something held him back every time.
Tome yanked the headphones from Kermitnaka's ears, sending a blast of techno soul into the atmosphere. "Honestly Takenaka," she snipped, "you'd do so much better if you payed more attention." She waved them in front of his eyes before setting them on his desk and pushing off. She gathered up her things from her desk and shook a finger at him. "Better hurry, the meeting starts in two minutes." He watched her go and rose to follow. He rested a hand on top of his books as Tome's thoughts, singular and strong, wafted through his mind. This one...this one has to count.
Kermitnaka followed slowly, each footstep labouring more than the last. If there was one thing he despised, it was hanging out with the so-called "Telepathy Club." He assumed that Tome could sense his discontent. He pulled the door open and entered the room to the same scene as always. The tall one and the spiky one had set up a full-scale Jenga game on top of the table. Tome was four books deep into extraterrestrial communication, her alien head bobbing up and down, struggling to understand. Inukawa, with the Shiba Inu head, was hyperfocused on his GameBoy. He would play for a moment with both hands and then stop to shove a handful of chips into his mouth. Their thoughts cascaded around him. ...always does this...don't understand the common language? What about...left left right right up down...
He shut the door behind him, which drew their attention. "Right on time, Takenaka," Inukawa said, not bothering to look up from his system. He smiled to his GameBoy. The other guys paused for only a moment before resuming their game. Tome had snuck up on him when he wasn't looking. Her tapping on his shoulder caused him to jump.
"I can't help but notice that you've become less and less active in the club." Her words rang with sincerity, but something felt off. Just say it already, she thought. You want to quit. I know you want to quit. We don't do anything and you're sick and tired of it.
"I've been...uh, busy. My mom-"
You can leave whenever you want. I won't stop you.
Left right left right up down B A start.
Soon enough this tower will be no more, haha!
"What happened?" Tome asked, setting her books aside.
Just Go leftuprightdownuprightjenga over! jengaover! LeaveleaveleaveleaveleaveupupupupupupupdownrightBABABAleftrightGETOUTi'mgonnawinstartABleftleftGOGOGOGOGOGGGGGGGGG
Kermitnaka slammed his hands onto the table, toppling the Jenga tower. Pieces of wood fell onto the floor, scattering in every direction. He put his hands to his ears and yelled, "I can't take this anymore! I just can't do this anymore!" He turned as quickly as he could, knocking his books off of the table, and slammed the door behind him. He could hear them calling after him, begging him to come back. He could hear it in their heads too. Kermitnaka took a deep breath between short quick breaths, and kept walking. The stuffy room, combined with a super-loud mind was causing the black tar feeling in his stomach to bubble and well up, sinking him into the ground. Each step he took was weighted down by lead shoes.
He found his way outside and began walking past the pond on his regular route home. "Jerks." He remarked, to no one. His eyes focused on the ground as each leaf fell under his shoes and crunched away. Normally he would have kept walking past the pond, but he wanted to take his time. He watched as the leaves rolled over the cushiony blue sky, waving and dancing onto the water. Kermitnaka took a deep breath and sat himself on a bench parallel to the pond.
Oh...someone's here...
Kermitnaka pulled his head up to look around him. There was no one else, just the rustling of leaves and the breeze skipping across cobblestone.
I guess it would be okay...
"Hello?" He asked, looking around him for any sign of life. He knelt onto the bench, looking past the tree towards the school. "It's alright, you can talk to me."
A blip from the water drew his attention. There, probably four feet out, was a fish head. It stuck out vertically upwards, and its gills were just barely covered by the waves. Kermitnaka and it's eyes locked for a fraction of a second, when the creature darted them away.
"Are you the one?" Kermitnaka was on his knees on the water’s edge, trying to lean out to get closer. He could feel the tendrils of seaweed wrapping around his fingers. “The one who’s…” He made a motion of tapping on his head.
Yes, the fish thought back, my name is Mob. Kermitnaka smiled and waved to him. "Hello, Mob. My name is..." He thought for a moment about what to say, realized the absurdity of giving a fish his given name, and settled on, "Takenaka."
Your aura is very different from mine, thought Mob.
"As is yours. It almost feels...milky. But also endless, like a void. You seem pretty strong for a fish."
Mob sunk slightly into the water, unable to meet Kermitnaka's eyes once again. I don't want this strength, Mob thought, it makes me do bad things. I can't control it.
"I don't understand," Kermitnaka replied, unable to respond further with Tome’s thoughts trickling in. He jolted when he heard the sounds of his ex-club members calling his name, and stood up. "I'm sorry Mob, I have to go." He turned in the direction of his house and took off running.
See you later, Takenaka.
As Kermitnaka ran, it began to sink in. An incredibly powerful talking fish whose name was Mob had asked to be his friend. Well, he hadn't asked, but rather Kermitnaka just made a direct assumption that that was what Mob was getting to. He tried to shrug it off. There was no way he would be able to be friends with a fish! But...even so...did he even have anyone else at this point?
"You've gotta be shitting me," Inukawa said, taking a long swig of juice, "We see you talking to a pond, and come to find out there's a magical fish boy in there?" He chuckled, squishing the now empty juice box in his fingers. No matter which way he tried to wrap his head around it, it just didn't make sense.
"Look, I don't get it either, but you have to believe me! I'm...sorry for how I acted, but I can't take it back. Please. You're the closest thing I have to a friend."
Inukawa snorted. "Oh so you don't even consider us friends? Well then forget about those Smash Brothers tournaments then!"
The voice at the front of the classroom tapped the chalkboard, reforming itself as Kermitnaka's teacher. "Could you two please keep it down?" They apologized incessantly and waited for their teacher to begin again. Kermitnaka tapped on Inukawa's shoulder, wanting to make sure he got one last word in.
"I'm going to go back tonight."
Inukawa gave him an incredulous look and turned back around.
Kermitnaka arrived at the pond right on the peak of evening, schoolbag recently recovered from the club room. He set it down on the bench and leaned over the water like before. "It's okay," he whispered to a lily pad, "we're alone."
Mob rose slowly, his eyes unblinking. Only his gills moved to the sound of him breathing.
I want to show you...
"They didn't believe me about you. I guess that's what I get for telling Inukawa first. The guy’s a total idiot."
You said you didn't understand...so I wanted to...
"I believe you though. I think you're amazing."
The water lit up all around them, flashing bright green, purple, and red. It bubbled and swelled, slowly lifting out above the ground. A soft humming sound rang through Kermitnaka's ears, and he understood. "This is..." Each particle of water formed itself as a droplet, each bigger than the last. Some droplets held fish, some held seaweed, others nothing at all. Kermitnaka, hesitantly, pushed a hand into one of the water bubbles. It pulled his hand in and enveloped it like a hug, warming his hand from every side. He pulled his hand free and blushed. How long had it been since someone had held his hand like that? And it wasn't even that, not really...it was water.
These are my powers, thought Mob, suddenly full of shame. This is what happens when I let them show.