Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was the second time that week that Oikawa watched as a woman plunged her body into the deep ocean, giving up her life for the one she supposedly loved. That someone just happened to be Oikawa. But it was an unrequited love. They always were. Oikawa would meet a woman, but due to certain circumstances, he was never able to reciprocate their love. Due to their heartbreak, they would sacrifice all that they had because of this failed love.

Oikawa hated it.

He hated watching countless women and men committing suicide simply because he didn’t love them.

Because he couldn’t love them.

The main and most obvious problem was the fact that Oikawa has a fish tail instead of a set of legs.

Oikawa was a merman.

Somewhere along the merman lore, there was a story where people would fall in love at first sight when they met a mermaid. However, if their love was unrequited, it would break the human’s heart. Unable to live with the knowledge that they could not stay with their love, they would end their life.

Oikawa didn’t believe in the lore. That is, until it started happening to him.

At a young age, Oikawa would sometimes breach the surface of the ocean to feel the warmth of the sun’s rays of his skin. His excursions to the surface went by harmlessly for many years. However, the ocean soon became a commonplace for the humans. They would scavenge for food in the oceans depths. More and more people began filling the sandy shores.

Oikawa knew to stay away from the humans, but by chance, a young woman with short cropped hair and a wide set of hazel eyes appeared before him.

As the lore went, she fell in love with Oikawa.

At first Oikawa was pleased with his new human friend, but as time went on, she began to grow strange. She started demanding that Oikawa surface fully onto land so that they could live a new life all their own. She knew that Oikawa was a merman, but it didn’t stop her persistent requests.

So one day Oikawa told her he could no longer be with her.

That evening, he found her lifeless body floating off the sandy shores not too far from where they first met.

Oikawa tried to stay away from humans; however it was becoming increasingly difficult. More and more people where finding him and “falling in love”.

It wasn’t love.

It was a curse.

Each time, Oikawa watched as they gave their lives up. He couldn’t be with them, but he couldn’t save them either.

“Oikawa.” A deep voice rang out behind Oikawa as he pushed through the waters near his home.

Turning around, Oikawa was met by the stern face of Sawamura, the head of the mermaid colony that Oikawa belonged to.

“Yes?” Oikawa asked

“Stop going up to the surface.” Sawamura said with his voice filled with authority.

“Why?”

“You know why. Two people have died this week because of you.”

Oikawa flinched at the harshness of Sawamura’s words. He knew it was the truth, but he hated hearing it nonetheless.

“You know how much I like going up there.” Oikawa mutter uselessly. He knew that once Sawamura made up his mind, there would be no changing it.

Sawamura looked at Oikawa who held he’s head downward, watching the schools of fish swimming past him. He let out a heavy sigh, effectively gaining Oikawa’s attention.

“I know that. I’m not asking you to never surface, just to lay low and avoid people at all costs. If you can, find a new spot. One where it’d be impossible for humans to find you.”

“Okay. Thanks Sawamura.” Oikawa said with a bit more cheer as he swam off to find a new place to surface.

-

The ocean is truly an incredible place. Oikawa loved swimming through its seemingly endless waters, watching the schools of fish swimming in and out of coral, whales floating by moaning their deep songs, the dolphins leaping out of the waters and playing games with each other. Ocean life was beautiful.

But Oikawa couldn’t help but have a deep love for the surface.

He loved the smell of the air and the feel of the sun on his skin. He loved watching the trees swaying back in forth as a light breeze blew by. He even liked the distant sounds of life, the sounds of humans living their own lives.

He loved people.

But he couldn’t love them.

As Oikawa swims further and further down where the ocean meets the sandy shores of land, he becomes worried that he would not be able to find a new place where he can surface without fear of humans finding him.

That is until he found an alcove hidden between two towering cliffs. The land was much too rocky for humans to scale down it, and there was no sandy beach for people to relax on. Overall, the area was perfect. It would be pretty impractical to find a human in this spot.

Of course that would be too good to be true.

As Oikawa drew closer to the rocky shore, he noticed a short dock with a man sitting just at the edge of it.

Oikawa had always been a very silent swimmer, so when he heard the man call out to him, it startled him.

“Is someone there?” the man asked.

Oikawa sunk down into the water, not quiet below, but far enough so that it would be hard for anyone to spot him.

The man on the dock was looking around him, his eyes not really following the turn of his head. He had spiky black hair and a deep furrow between his brows. The man had a set of dark, yet clear brown eyes. His eyes where what kept Oikawa from fleeing all together.

The man’s eyes were open, yet it looked as if he wasn’t looking at anything. It was as if he couldn’t look at anything.

“I know someone’s there. I can hear you in the water.” The man said again sounding rather irritated.

Oikawa quirked his head as he watched the man in fascination. Noticing a small tree branch floating in the water beside him, he picked it up and waved it around his head.

He realized that the man didn’t notice Oikawa moving the branch around. Tossing the branch to the right of him, Oikawa watched as the man turned his head quickly to the sound of the branch plunging into the water.

That’s when Oikawa realized it. The man could not see.

If he can’t see me, he can’t fall in love with me.

With that thought in mind, Oikawa slowly swam closer to the man on the dock.

He turned his head, this time looking in the direction of Oikawa, yet not quiet at Oikawa.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“No one in particular.” Oikawa responded

“Cute. Why are you here?” The man asked again as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Swimming”

“I figured that, but why here?”

“Because there’s no one else around. I’m not very good with people so I was looking for a spot without anyone around.” Oikawa responded with as much truth as he could without having to explain why he wasn’t good with people.

The man stayed quiet looking, but not looking, at Oikawa.

“What’s your name?” Oikawa asked suddenly. The man seemed surprised by the question as he cocked his head to the side, his face scrunching up at the unexpected question.

“Iwaizumi Hajime.” He responded hesitantly

“Oh nice name Iwaiz… ah! Iwa-chan!”

The man, Iwaizumi, flinched at Oikawa’s outburst. He scoffed at the nickname, but made no move to correct Oikawa on it.

“I should go.” Iwaizumi said as he pushed himself up off the dock. He bent down picking up a long white stick, placing it in front of himself as he began walking back towards the land.

Oikawa watched as the man expertly scaled the rocky hill towards the land above.

Moments later, once Iwaizumi was gone and out of sight, Oikawa plunged back down below the surface.

-

The following day, Oikawa woke up to the sun shining through the coral roof of his underwater home. His thoughts where already filled with the man from the previous day, Iwaizumi. He found the man intriguing. Not just because he was blind, but because he seemed like the kind of man who wouldn’t let his limitations stop him from doing as he pleased.

After eating breakfast, Oikawa was swimming through the water heading back to where he met Iwaizumi.

Upon arriving, Oikawa was saddened to see that Iwaizumi was not there. But of the plus side, it was a nice sunny morning, a perfect day for sunbathing.

Pulling his body up onto an islanded rock, Oikawa spread out his body, his tale twitching in response to the warmth of the sun.

Hours passed by before Oikawa heard movement along the rocks.

Opening his eyes, Oikawa looked towards the land to see Iwaizumi perfectly scaling down the rocks as if it was second nature to him.

“Hello Iwa-chan~” Oikawa sing-songed as Iwaizumi began walking down to the docks edge.

Iwaizumi peaked up when he heard the voice.

“You again.” he muttered as he bent down to sit on the deck with his legs swinging off the edge, his toes just skimming the water’s surface.

“Ah don’t be like that Iwa-chan.”

“Why are you here again?” Iwaizumi asked

“Sun bathing”

Iwaizumi scrunched up his face, turning his head in Oikawa’s direction.

“Out in the water?” he asked

“There’s a large rock over here, perfect for relaxing on.”

Oikawa sat up from the rock.

“Why do you come here?” Oikawa asked curiously.

“Why? Because I like the sound of the water. Plus it’s usually quiet here.”

“Hm, you like the quite Iwa-chan?”

“… Yeah. It’s too noisy where I live.” Iwaizumi responded in a hushed tone

“Where do you live Iwa-chan? Do you have a large family?” Oikawa asked.

“What’s with all the questions?”

“Just trying to get to know you.”

“Why?”

“You’re interesting.” Oikawa answered simply.

Iwaizumi sat quietly. He let out a deep sigh before speaking again.

“I live in a home with other special needs people. When I was little, I was in an accident with my parents. They didn’t make it and I lost my sight. I had nowhere else to go and because of my sight, I was placed into a special needs home. People seem to think I can’t take care of myself.” Iwaizumi said with a flat tone, his face turned up towards the sun, soaking in the warmth.

The two men were quiet for some times before Oikawa broke the silence.

“I don’t think that.” he said.

Iwaizumi tuned his head slowly in Oikawa’s direction. He looked surprised at Oikawa’s comment.

“You don’t?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because Iwa-chan is able to walk down the rocks without any help and without falling. Iwa-chan is the kind of person who can do anything he wants as long as he tries hard at it. At least, that’s the impression you give off.”

Oikawa watched Iwaizumi’s expression change from confusion to surprise to… something happy.

“Say, what’s your name?” Iwaizumi asked

“You can call me Tooru.”

Out in the ocean, Oikawa noticed Sawamura watching him from a distance. He could tell by the stern look on his face that he wasn’t too pleased with the fact that Oikawa was befriending a human.

“Sorry Iwa-chan I need to go now. I’ll see you later.” Oikawa said before diving down into the ocean.

Oikawa swam in Sawamura’s direction. He knew that he was going to get in trouble, but that wasn’t going to stop him from seeing Iwaizumi again.

He had finally met someone who he could be friends with without worry about them committing suicide because Oikawa couldn’t love them back.

“What do you think you’re doing Oikawa? I told you not to talk to humans.” Sawamura seethed.

“I know, but this one is okay. I promise nothing bad will happen with him.” Oikawa said trying to calm Sawamura’s worries.

“What makes you think that?”

“He can’t see me. If he can’t see me, he can’t fall in love with me; therefore he won’t die because of me.” Oikawa explained

Oikawa could see as Sawamura worked over his words in his head.

“Are you sure about this?” Sawamura questioned.

“Yes I’m sure. I promise.”

Sawamura sighed heavily, a habit that Oikawa noticed the elder did a lot.

“Fine. You better be right about this.” Sawamura said before retreating back to their colony.

-

Weeks went by and the merman and human fell into a peaceful routine. Some days Oikawa would arrive at the alcove before Iwaizumi. On other days, particularly the days where Oikawa needed to help the colony gather food, Iwaizumi would be the first one there.

Each day brought new conversations. At first, Iwaizumi was hesitant towards Oikawa. He didn’t know how he should respond to Oikawa’s loud and unexpected questions. And not being able to see anything made him hesitant to trust Oikawa.

“How do I even know you’re real?” Iwaizumi asked one day. “You could just be a figment of my imagination.”

“I am not your imagination.” Oikawa protested. To prove his point, he swam closer to Iwaizumi, something he had been refraining from doing up until this point, and stuck his arm out to the dark hair man. “See I’m real.”

Iwaizumi felt around blindly for a moment before coming in contact with Oikawa’s arm. His fingers traced along the skin, feeling up his wrist towards his elbow.

“Huh. Weird.” Iwaizumi muttered

“How rude!” Oikawa said gently pulling his arm out of Iwaizumi’s grasp.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way dumbass. What I’m saying is your skin is soft, but it’s firm and tough kind of like leather.”

Of course it would be. Oikawa’s skin needed to be tough in order to deal with the roughness that the ocean threw his way.

“Is that bad?” Oikawa questioned suddenly becoming self conscious of his own skin.

“No. I think it’s nice. It suits you.”

Oikawa was glad that Iwaizumi wasn’t able to see the blush blooming on his cheeks.

How unexpected.

-

“Why are you always in the water?” Iwaizumi asked one day.

“I’m a creature of the water Iwa-chan. I live to be in the water.”

Iwaizumi let out an undignified snort, shaking his head at Oikawa.

“Sure. Why don’t you sit by me for a minute?”

Oikawa stiffened at the request. He knows that he shouldn’t get to close to Iwaizumi. He knows that only bad things will come out of this whole situation. Mermen and humans weren’t meant to be together. They weren’t meant to become friends. They were supposed to live separate lives believing that the other was just a myth.

Oikawa knew that if he sat beside Iwaizumi, he would feel the coldness of his scaly tale beside him. He would question Oikawa on it. Questions that Oikawa was not sure he would be able to answer.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Iwa-chan. You’ll get all wet if I come up there.” Oikawa said in hopes that Iwaizumi would let the idea go for the time being.

“So. It’s just water.”

Typical of Iwa-chan to be stubborn.

“Sorry Iwa-chan I need to go.” Oikawa said retreating into the ocean before Iwaizumi could protest.

-

The following day Oikawa made his way closer to the alcove where Iwaizumi sat waiting. He snuck forward quietly, hoping that Iwaizumi wouldn’t notice him yet. He should apologize for the previous day. Just leaving Iwaizumi like he did without any answers was rude and he knew that.

“Tooru?”

Oikawa flinched as he heard Iwaizumi’s voice. Oikawa didn’t understand how Iwaizumi’s hearing could be so good. It was on par with Oikawa’s hear when he was in the water.

“Hey Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said swimming closer to the man on the dock.

“Sorry.” Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi said at the same time.

They both sat in silence for a moment before laughing at each other.

“Sorry Iwa-chan. I shouldn’t have left you like that yesterday.” Oikawa said as his laughter settled down.

“No, I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. Sorry.” Iwaizumi apologized

The two settled into a comfortable silence. Oikawa was lying with his face turned towards the sun, soaking up the shimmering sun light while Iwaizumi was skimming his feet across the water.

“Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked quietly.

“Hmm?”

“Do you believe in mermaids?”

Iwaizumi tilted his head slightly in contemplation.

“I don’t know. Maybe. There are a lot of things in this world that are strange and unknown to humans, so maybe mermaids are one of those things.” Iwaizumi responded looking up towards the sky.

“What would you do if you met one?”

“Well as long as it doesn’t want to eat me… I don’t know, Tooru.” Iwaizumi said with a shrug.

Oikawa didn’t know what he was thinking but he started swimming closer to Iwaizumi. He knew it would be a bad, no, a terrible idea to do this.

“Move over Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said softly.

Iwaizumi scooted over on the dock, making just enough room for Oikawa.

Shimming his body upwards, Oikawa landed on the dock with his stomach pressed to the old worn wood. Rolling over onto his back, Oikawa scooted upwards into a sitting position.

They were sitting side by side.

The human and the merman.

“Okay Iwa-chan promise not to freak out okay?” Oikawa said trying not to panic and flee as quickly as he could.

Oikawa took hold of Iwaizumi’s hand and gently placed it at the spot where the scales of his tail met his skin.

Iwaizumi jumped as his fingers touched the smooth skin and slimy, rough scales.

He didn’t say anything; he just moved his fingers up and down along Oikawa’s side. Iwaizumi was feeling along the skin similar to that of a human before dipping down and tracing the scales of his tail. Hesitantly, Iwaizumi trailed his hand further down Oikawa’s tail, feeling how the scales became slightly larger as they went down and the small fins along the sides of his tail.

Oikawa was watching Iwaizumi’s face as his fingers trailed along his body. He watched as Iwaizumi’s expression was set in a concentrated expression. His eyes though, shone brightly from the glint of the sun and the curiosity in his mind. 

1. Oikawa thought.

“So you’re a fish?” Iwaizumi said startling Oikawa out of his thoughts.

“No! I most certainly am not a fish Iwa-chan. I am a merman.” Oikawa responded loudly feeling slightly offended at being compared to that of a fish.

Iwaizumi chuckled. His eyes crinkled in laughter and his lips tugging up into a smile.

“Is that why you’re always in the water? Is it okay for you to be up here then?” Iwaizumi asked curiously

“Yeah that’s why. I should be fine for now, but don’t be surprised if I suddenly jump into the water.”

Iwaizumi took his hands off Oikawa’s tail. Oikawa was momentarily upset by the absence of Iwaizumi’s hand, but jumped when Iwaizumi placed his hand of Oikawa’s cheek.

“Iwa-chan?”

“I’m just making sure you’re not actually a fish.” Iwaizumi said with a light chuckle.

Oikawa would have protested but couldn’t find any words. His mind went blank at the feeling of Iwaizumi’s hands tracing the contours of his face.

Iwaizumi’s fingers were slightly rough, but were gentle as they ran along Oikawa’s forehead and down to his cheekbones. His fingers glided along the length of his nose, up over his eyelids, back down to his chin. Finally, his fingers gently smoothed over Oikawa’s lips before sliding off his face.

Oikawa was a brilliant shade of red by the time Iwaizumi let him go.

“Tooru is a… merman.” Iwaizumi muttered softly.

-

Iwaizumi was lying on his stomach, dragging his fingers through the cool water, feeling the tiny fish darted in-between his fingers. Oikawa wasn’t at the dock yet. Iwaizumi wasn’t worried. He knew the rambunctious merman would be there eventually. As if on cue, Iwaizumi’s ears perked up at the tell tale sound of someone swimming through the water and Oikawa’s voice calling out to him.

“I~wa-chan!” Oikawa sang out in greeting.

“Took you long enough.” Iwaizumi muttered turning his head to rest his cheek against the wood panels of the dock.

“Ahh~ did Iwa-chan miss me.”

“No… not really.” Iwaizumi said a slight blush trailing across his cheeks.

Oikawa giggled behind his hand finding the entire situation to be very cute and very Iwaizumi like.

“Hey Iwa-chan, you like the water right? Can you swim?” Oikawa asked

“Yes.” Iwaizumi answered for both questions.

“Why don’t you ever swim out here then?”

Iwaizumi lifted his head up in Oikawa’s direction.

“I’m worried that if I swim out here, I’ll lose my sense of direction and not know where the shore is.” Iwaizumi replied

Oikawa hummed in response.

“I think you should come swimming with me.”

“Huh? Weren’t you just listening to what I said?”

“Of course. But if you’re worried about all of that, you don’t have to be because I’ll be here to keep you safe.” Oikawa said sounding quiet proud of himself.

Iwaizumi was quiet for some time as he laid on the dock thinking. He just lay there dragging his fingers through the water.

“Promise I’ll be safe?” Iwaizumi asked sounding very hesitant.

“I promise.” Oikawa said taking hold of Iwaizumi’s hand “I would never let anything bad happen to you.”

“… okay. Tomorrow then.”

-

The following day, Iwaizumi made his way down to the dock where he could hear Oikawa already splashing about in the water.

“Tooru?” Iwaizumi called out.

He could hear a loud splashing sound coming from the docks edge.

“Iwa-chan! Are you ready to swim? Today’s a perfect day for swimming.” Oikawa greeted cheerfully.

“Don’t you think every day is a good day to swim?” Iwaizumi responded

“Oh Iwa-chan is being sassy!”

“Just up Tooru.”

Oikawa laughed.

When Iwaizumi reached the edge of the dock, he pulled off his shirt and shoes before sitting on the edge of the dock. He was still worried about swimming in the ocean. He knew he could trust Oikawa, yet there was still the nagging feeling of what if.

“Come on Iwa-chan. I promise you’ll be safe.” Oikawa said calmly. He reached up and grabbed hold of Iwaizumi’s hands, leading him into the water.  “Don’t worry the waters pretty shallow over here.”

Iwaizumi tried to calm himself down. As the water surrounded his lower body, he felt a smile start to stretch across his cheeks. It had been many years since he’s been swimming. He had forgotten how soothing the water could be.

“Do you want me to let go?” Oikawa asked gently. He knew how hesitant Iwaizumi was about swimming so he knew not to push him.

Iwaizumi nodded his head in reply. Slowly Oikawa withdrew his hands, letting Iwaizumi stand on his own two feet in the water.

“I’ll be right here so there’s no need to worry.” Oikawa said.

Slowly, Iwaizumi took a few steps forward. Feeling the cool water lap up his sides, getting higher and higher up his body.

It was a first. A first step on his own. For so long, Iwaizumi had been told that he was limited in what he could do because of his disability. He hated hearing it, but knowing that half of what they said was the truth, hurt. Now, now he was able to do something that he had been told he couldn’t, shouldn’t, do on his own.

Granted Oikawa was nearby, but it was a step forward to where he had been in the past.

The day went by calmly after that. Oikawa and Iwaizumi lay floating in the water, just soaking up the sun and talking to one another. Iwaizumi was feeling calm. Calmer that he had been in years.

“Hey Tooru?” Iwaizumi called out.

He waited for a response.

“Tooru?” Iwaizumi called out again thinking that maybe Oikawa hadn’t heard him.

“Tooru?” Iwaizumi was starting to panic. He pushed his body down, treading water, waiting for Oikawa to respond to him.

As no response was made, Iwaizumi’s panic started to get the better of him. He didn’t know what to do. He kept turning his body around and around as if looking for Oikawa even though he wouldn’t be able to spot him even if he were there.

“Tooru!” Iwaizumi yelled.

His panicking was making it hard for him to stay afloat. He knew that panicking in this situation was bad, but it was a natural response, he couldn’t help it.

Across the water, Oikawa resurfaced looking down at the shell he had found for Iwaizumi. He had been so preoccupied with finding something special for Iwaizumi, that he hadn’t noticed Iwaizumi’s insistent calls for him.

When he looked across the water, he saw Iwaizumi struggling to stay above the surface of the water as he kept yelling out his name.

Oikawa panicked momentarily before darting over to Iwaizumi, wrapping his arms around the struggling man.

“Iwa-chan. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He said calmly, muttering into Iwaizumi’s ear that everything was all right.

Iwaizumi was shaking as he wrapped his arms around Oikawa, pushing his head into the crook of his neck.

“Tooru…” Iwaizumi muttered sounding very weak and scared.

Oikawa pushed through the water, gently placing Iwaizumi onto the dock. Pushing himself up as well, Oikawa hugged Iwaizumi tightly, mutter apologies.

“I am so sorry Iwa-chan. I couldn’t hear you. I’m sorry. I just saw something really pretty below the surface that I wanted to get for you. I wasn’t thinking.  I’m so sorry.”

Slowly Iwaizumi’s shaking stopped. He turned his head up towards Oikawa.

“What was it?” he asked quietly.

“Huh?”

“The thing. The thing that you were going to get. What was it?” Iwaizumi asked

“Oh. Give me a second and I’ll go get it.” Oikawa said before lowering himself into the water.

He had dropped the shell in his moment of panic when he saw Iwaizumi’s struggle. Looking around the ocean floor, he spotted the shell not too far off.

Once he grabbed hold of it, he swam back up to Iwaizumi.

“Here” He said placing the shell into Iwaizumi’s hands.

“A shell?” Iwaizumi questioned as his fingers traced over the contours of the shell.

“Yeah. I was told that if you put it to your ear, you can hear the ocean.”

Iwaizumi lifted the shell to his ear. He could hear the roaring of the ocean, the sounds so characteristic of the vast expanse of water, right next to his ear, amplified only for him.

“You can.” Iwaizumi murmured. “It reminds me of you.”

-

After the swimming incident, Iwaizumi choose to stay up on the dock where he felt safe. Oikawa understood why he would. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for what had happened. It was his fault in the first place.

“Are there other mermen?” Iwaizumi asked.

Iwaizumi wasn’t the type to ask Oikawa about his life. He mostly learned about the merman through the stories he offered about the ocean and the life that lived in it. However, Oikawa had not once mentioned other merpeople.

“Of course.” Oikawa replied

“What are they like?”

Oikawa laid his arms across the dock, resting his head in his arms.

“Hmm, well like me. We live in a group together. There’s the leader of our group, Sawamura, he’s like a gentle giant. He’s very kind, but stern at the same time. Sugawara, his mate, is like the motherly figure to all of us. There’s several other adult merpeople too. They all like their privacy though.” Oikawa replied.

“Are there young merpeople?”

“Yep. They’re a troublesome bunch. Young merpeople are always full of energy. I take care of them sometimes at night. I like to tell them stories before they’re sent off to bed.” Oikawa said with a deep fondness.

Iwaizumi was smiling slightly as Oikawa told of his people. Oikawa had mentioned how all the merpeople considered themselves a great big family. They were a little overbearing at times, but that’s what families where for, Oikawa had said laughing.

“So, you have… mates?” Iwaizumi asked shyly.

“Some do. I don’t. There are some who mate only for reproductive purposes, others choose mates for love. I’ve had offers to be someone’s mate, but I’ve never accepted them.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want someone who I will love and who will love me back. I don’t want a mate out of obligation. Everyone likes to call me a hopeless romantic.” Oikawa replied chuckling.

“I don’t think that’s such a bad idea.” Iwaizumi replied softly, turning his head down towards Oikawa.

-

As the sun began to set, Iwaizumi and Oikawa headed off to their respective homes.

Getting closer to his home, Oikawa was greeted by three of the young merchildren.

“Tooru-chan will you tell us a story.” Hitoka asked pulling on Oikawa’s arm towards the bushel of seaweed that the merpeople used to relax on.

Oikawa chuckled, taking hold of Hitoka’s hand, smiling down at the tiny mermaid.

“Sure.” Oikawa said with a smile.

Along with Hitoka were Tobio and Kunimi, two of the quieter children in the colony.

“Ah Oikawa, you’re back.” Sugawara said swimming up next to him and the children.

“Yeah I just got back when I was attacked by these monsters.”

The children smiled up at Oikawa.

“Are you going to tell them a story?” Sugawara asked.

“Yep! Care to join me?”

Sugawara nodded, taking a seat beside Oikawa. The children were seated in front of them, their tiny arms holding their tales close to their chests.

“What do you want to hear today?” Oikawa asked.

“I wanna hear about the humans!” Hitoka exclaimed.

“Again? Don’t you want to know how to antagonize a shark? Or how to talk to a whale without getting stuck in its teeth?” Oikawa said jokingly.

The children shook their head, already set in mind with what they wanted to hear.

“Fine. Well then I can tell you about the first time a mermaid met a human. It’s not a very happy story. Does that sound good?”

With a nod of the children’s heads, Oikawa began to retell the story that he had been told when he was child.

“Once there was a beautiful mermaid who loved the sun and the sky so much that she would often surface to feel the warmth of the air above. Upon breaching the surface one day, she was surprised to find a man in a boat.

“At first glance, the mermaid fell in love with the man, and the man fell in love with her. They were so happy together. For many months, the mermaid and the man would meet out in the water to talk and have fun together.

“However, the man wanted the mermaid all to himself. He was saddened that he could only see her when he was out in the sea. So he asked her one day to go away with him, up onto the land. The mermaid knew that this was impossible for her. It broke her heart to tell him that she could not go with him. So as a last goodbye, she kissed the man she loved. Only she did not know that man and mermaid where not meant to be.

“Her kissed took the man’s breath away. The man had collapsed after the kiss, completely deprived of air. When the mermaid saw what had happened, she was so heartbroken that she refused to do anything and just sat alone along the shore next to her loves body. She loved him so much that a few days later, her broken heart failed on her. The water swallowed up the lovers bodies, taking them out to sea for the rest of eternity.”

Oikawa looked at the children’s faces. Hitoka looked about ready to cry. Tobio looked pissed off (he did most of the time). Kunimi looked bored, but Oikawa could tell that he was upset.

“See I told you it was a sad story.” Oikawa sighed.

“So even though she loved him, they couldn’t be together? That’s so sad.” Hitoka mumbled quietly.

“Does that mean merpeople can’t be with humans at all?” Tobio asked.

“More or less I suppose.” Sugawara replied “although I do know of one story where a human and merman lived happily.”

The children seemed to perk up at that. Oikawa did as well. He didn’t know of any story where a relationship between a human and merperson ended happy.

“This is a very old story. My grandmother used to tell me it.” Sugawara began to say “There was a merman and a human woman who had met and fell in love. The merman knew that he was unable to kiss her, but he loved her so much that he would not dare do anything to harm her.

“But one day there was a storm. The woman was swept out to sea by the strong waves. The merman was so frantic about saving her, but the water was to strong. She was struggling to breathe. The merman thought that it would be the last time he would see her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to save her so he decided to kiss her.

“Only rather than her breath being stolen away, she grew gills and a tale. The women had turned into a mermaid. Not knowing how that happened, the merman went to the elders and asked ‘why did this woman become a mermaid?’ they responded, ‘only when a human is in grave danger of dying, and only if the merperson truly loves the human, can their kiss save the human by turning them into a merperson themselves.’ And so the merman’s love saved the human he loved from dying by turning her into a mermaid.”

Oikawa looked down at the children, their eyes were all alight.

“I like that story better.” Kunimi said.

“Me too.” Oikawa responded.

After a few more stories, the children were sent off to bed for the night.

Oikawa stayed seated as he ran through Sugawara’s story in his head. For some reason, the story reminded him of Iwaizumi. Oikawa had grown fond of the human. He loved spending time with him, but it had never occurred that maybe what he felt towards him was something other than friendship.

“Oikawa?” Sugawara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m just going to go for a little swim before I go to bed.” Oikawa mumbled.

-

Oikawa swam through the cool night waters, not really thinking about where he was going. As if by habit, Oikawa found himself beside the dock hidden within the alcove shore. His mind had been running rampant since Sugawara told that story. He was unable to get thoughts of Iwaizumi out of his head.

Pushing through the surface of the water, Oikawa was surprised to see Iwaizumi sitting on the deck.

“Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi jumped when he heard Oikawa’s voice.

“Tooru, what are you doing here.”

“I should be asking you that. I thought you went home.”

“I couldn’t sleep. Why are you here?” Iwaizumi asked

“There’s just been a lot on my mind I guess.”

The two sat silently, Iwaizumi looking up towards the night sky, Oikawa watching how Iwaizumi’s face was illuminated by the cast of the moons glow.

“Where is the moon at?” Iwaizumi asked without taking his eyes off the night sky.

Oikawa took hold of Iwaizumi’s hand pointing it upwards in the direction of the moon.

“There. It’s a full moon tonight.”

Iwaizumi turned his head towards Oikawa. From where he was, Oikawa could see the dim moon’s glow cast soft shadows across Iwaizumi’s cheeks. They were close. Much to close.

As if the story he told the children was mocking him, he felt the urge to lean upwards and kiss Iwaizumi.

Oikawa let go of Iwaizumi’s hand.

“You should be getting back Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said so softly Iwaizumi wouldn’t have been able to hear it if it weren’t for their close proximity.

Iwaizumi sat there for a moment before standing up.

“Good night Tooru.” He murmured before heading up the dock.

As Iwaizumi’s figure grew further away, Oikawa let out a tiny whisper.

“Good night Hajime.”

-

When Oikawa woke up that morning, he felt as if something was wrong. He didn’t know why, but something was just… off.

Leaving his home, Oikawa grabbed some food before turning to head off towards the alcove in hopes that Iwaizumi would be there already.

However, before he was able to leave Sawamura stopped him.

“Oikawa, it’s your turn to help go gather food.”

Knowing that he had an obligation to his family and to the colony, Oikawa went along with the group to gather food for the week. The entire time that he was out, Oikawa was barely able to focus on the task at hand. The nagging feeling that something was wrong continued to bother him.

When he was finally done gathering food, Oikawa speed off toward the alcove.

Only Iwaizumi wasn’t there.

Initially, Oikawa thought that he was late. But as the hours passed by, Oikawa began to worry. In the entire time that he had spent with Iwaizumi, the only times that they hadn’t met where on the days that it rained.

But today was a bright and sunny day. It was the kind of day that Oikawa knew was Iwaizumi’s favorite. The sun warming his skin with a light breeze blowing past.

The sun had begun to set and Iwaizumi had not appeared once.

Oikawa was worried.

What if something happened to him? What if he was in an accident when he went home the night before? What if, what if, what if’s began to plague Oikawa’s mind.

“Oikawa.”

Oikawa looked around, his eyes meeting that of Sugawara’s gentle ones.

“It’s getting late; shouldn’t you be getting back soon?” Sugawara asked.

“Um yeah sorry I just…” Oikawa said looking back up towards the cliff hoping that Iwaizumi would appear before him.

“Where’s your human friend?” Sugawara asked.

Oikawa spun around looking wide-eyed at Sugawara. No one was supposed to know about his meetings with Iwaizumi except for Sawamura.

“Daichi told me about him.” Sugawara explained with a slight smile.

“He… didn’t show up today.” Oikawa replied sullenly.

“Ah. Well he was probably just busy today. He’ll be here tomorrow I’m sure.” Sugawara said in hopes to calm Oikawa’s worries.

“… Yeah.”

“Let’s go home for today.”

Oikawa hesitated for a moment before following Sugawara into the ocean.

-

Oikawa barely slept that night. His mind was too active to let him sleep. When his mind was finally able to calm down, he slipped into a deep restless slumber.

Waking up the following morning, Oikawa bolted out of bed fully intending to head to the alcove.

However as he made out to leave, he hesitated. He worried that he would get there and Iwaizumi would be missing again. He was worried that he would wait all day and Iwaizumi would not show. Oikawa was so worried that he would never see Iwaizumi again.

It terrified him.

Eventually he was able to calm himself down enough that he was able to head off to the alcove.

When the dock came into view, Oikawa lifted his head out of the water.

It was faint, but Oikawa could see a figure sitting on the edge of the dock. A figure that he had come to know so well.

Speeding through the water, Oikawa was upon the dock in a matter of seconds.

Without much thought, Oikawa heaved himself out of the water and onto the deck.

Well, he was about half on the deck and half lying on top of Iwaizumi.

“Tooru?” Iwaizumi muttered breathlessly.

“Iwa-chan. I was so worried about you. Where were you?” Oikawa muttered into the hollow of Iwaizumi’s neck.

“I-I got into trouble for going out late at night so the caretakers wouldn’t let me leave yesterday.”

Oikawa tightened his grip around Iwaizumi, holding the human, his human closer to him.

“I was so scared something happened to you.”

Iwaizumi was shocked. It was surprising to him to hear that the merman was so worried about him; he felt his heart flutter with affection.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you Tooru.” Iwaizumi said. He wrapped his arms around Oikawa holding the merman close.

-

Time passes by quickly. Days are spent relaxing on the dock. Nights are spent separated.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi were comfortable together.

The seasons were beginning to change. The air was growing colder. The days were growing shorter. There were starting to be more rainy days than sunny ones, which just meant less time spent together.

As the air above them grew restless, the life under the water became quieter. The sea life could tell that a storm was approaching. They could feel it in the way the water swirled around them. They could tell by the schools of fish seeking shelter from the brewing storm.

The one’s who were unaware of the change were the humans. They weren’t able to sense the change in the air the way the land animals and sea life could. They went along day by day unaware that the clouds forming above where just the beginning of what was to come.

Some humans had more of an advantage in knowing when a storm was coming. Others did not.

That’s why Oikawa was frantic when he saw Iwaizumi sitting on the deck within the alcove completely unaware of the storm headed their way.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called out as he approached Iwaizumi.

“Tooru took you long enough. I thought you weren’t coming today.”

“You need to go home Iwa-chan.” Oikawa demanded

Iwaizumi was caught off guard by the sternness off Oikawa’s voice. He had never heard the merman sound so serious before.

“Why?” He asked.

“There’s a storm coming. You need to get inside where it’s safe.”

“No one said anything about a storm.” Iwaizumi responded with a tilt of his head.

“That’s because they don’t know. I know Iwa-chan. Trust me.”

“How do you now that though?”

Why does Iwa-chan have to be stubborn now of all times? Oikawa thought

“I can feel it in the water. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s the same way that animals know when something bad will happen.”

Iwaizumi looked unconvinced, but thankfully stood up to head home.

“Fine, fine I’ll go home.” Iwaizumi muttered annoyed.

“Thank you. Please stay inside until th-” Oikawa was cut off when the rain began to fall.

Iwaizumi looked up towards the sky as he felt the droplets land on his head.

“Huh, I guess you were right.” Iwaizumi said sounding impressed.

“Be careful Iwa-chan.” Oikawa reminded Iwaizumi.

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi started climbing up the rocky hill. Iwaizumi’s foot slipped a few times, but he was able to gain his bearings even with the rain picking up in strength.

Watching as Iwaizumi reached the top, Oikawa was about to head back underneath the water. What stopped him was seeing that Iwaizumi’s footing wasn’t that great. As he walked along the cliffs edge towards his home, Iwaizumi slipped.

Oikawa’s mind went blank.

All he could see was Iwaizumi falling towards the open waters below.

The water around Oikawa was choppy and rough. Waves began to beat down on Oikawa.

But he didn’t care about that. All he was think about was Iwaizumi.

Oikawa dove under the water and swam as fast as he could to where Iwaizumi fell.

It was dark. The water was so dark that Oikawa was having a difficult time seeing through it. Along with the darkness was the strong waves pushing against Oikawa, forcing him back when all he wanted to do was move forward.

He saw Iwaizumi.

He was floating helplessly beneath the water.

Quickly Oikawa swam to him. He grabbed hold of Iwaizumi’s limp body and tried desperately to break through the water’s surface. But it was too strong. The waves were too great that no matter how hard Oikawa tried, he couldn’t reach the top.

He was running out of time.

Iwaizumi was dying.

Only when a human is in grave danger of dying, and only if the merperson truly loves the human, can their kiss save the human.

Sugawara’s story came to mind as Oikawa struggled to the water’s surface.

The thought that Oikawa could save Iwaizumi was strong, but his fear that the story was just a myth frightened Oikawa even more. He didn’t want to be the death of Iwaizumi. He has worked so hard to keep him safe and yet now… now he wasn’t so sure he could do anything.

Looking down at Iwaizumi’s limp body, Oikawa made up his mind.

He could not let this man die.

So he kissed him.

Oikawa kissed Iwaizumi with all he had. He tried to convey the love that he had for this human in hopes that it would help prove something.

Oikawa was crying.

He couldn’t think.

Pulling away from Iwaizumi, Oikawa assumed that he had failed. Iwaizumi was still very much a human. And the kiss, if not the water surrounding them, killed him.

Oikawa pulled Iwaizumi tightly to his body. He wept and wept as he held Iwaizumi. The water pushed against their bodies, tossing them around the water like a ragdoll.

Lifting his hand to run his fingers along the expanse of Iwaizumi’s neck, Oikawa was started.

Along Iwaizumi’s neck were three thin slits.

They were gills.

They were the same type of gills that ran along Oikawa’s neck.

Started by the presence of the gills, Oikawa felt along the juncture of Iwaizumi’s throat, feeling for a heartbeat.

It was faint, but it was steady.

Once again, Oikawa wept.

Only this time, it wasn’t in sorrow.

-

Oikawa brought Iwaizumi’s limp body back to the colony. He didn’t know what else to do. The storm was too strong to stay close to the surface. The safest place for them to be was as far down below the water as possible.

Sawamura saw Oikawa as he was carrying Iwaizumi through the colony.

“Oikawa what have you done!” Sawamura demanded.

“He fell. I didn’t do anything. But… but it was like Sugawara’s story and now…” Oikawa gestured to Iwaizumi’s neck.

Sawamura was surprised to see the presence of gills along the human’s neck.

“What’s happened?”

Oikawa looked behind Sawamura to see Sugawara approaching.

Looking at Iwaizumi, Sugawara seemed to have understood.

“You should get him home Oikawa. Watch over him, okay?” Sugawara said calmly.

Oikawa nodded his head before swimming past the two mermen.

Inside Oikawa’s home, which was a small den like structure made out of coral and rocks, Oikawa laid Iwaizumi down onto his bed of sea sponges and seaweed.

Not really sure what to do, Oikawa removed Iwaizumi’s clothes. They were heavy from the water saturation, and they wouldn’t be necessary if Iwaizumi was in fact becoming a merman.

He looked along Iwaizumi’s skin, checking for any injuries.

Luckily there were none that Oikawa could tell.

So he did the only thing he could think of. He sat and waited for Iwaizumi to wake up.

-

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the strong smell of salt. The second was the feel of water all around him. The third and most startling of them all was when he opened his eyes and saw a fish looking at him.

Iwaizumi screamed.

A person sprung up beside him. His eyes were wide and frantic, and his mouth was hanging open in shock similar to the fish that darted away when he screamed.

“Iwa-chan! You’re awake!” The man exclaimed.

The man, no not just any man, it was Oikawa. The merman he had met many months ago.

Iwaizumi stared at him mouth agape. He didn’t know what was going on. All he knew was he was underwater and he could see.

“Iwa-chan, how are you feeling?” Oikawa asked looking worried.

“Uhh… you… I…” Iwaizumi stammered

Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi confused.

“Can… can you see me?” Oikawa asked hesitantly.

Iwaizumi nodded.

Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa’s eyes widened comically.

“You can see me!” Oikawa exclaimed.

“What’s going on?” Iwaizumi asked finally finding his voice.

Oikawa looked Iwaizumi in the eyes and said

“I know this may sound strange, but you’re a merman now.”

Looking down, Iwaizumi noticed that his legs were missing. In their place was a long tall covered in dark blue and turquoise scales.

He looked back at Oikawa.

“How?”

Recounting what had happened and the tale about a human turning to a merperson, Iwaizumi began to understand how he got into this situation.

“So you’re telling me, I fell off a cliff, you kissed me and I turned into a merman.” Iwaizumi said in disbelief.

“Yeah…”

Oikawa looked nervous.

“Why did you save me?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Because I love you Iwa-chan.” Oikawa replied like it was obvious.

He stayed silent as he watched Oikawa fidget beside him.

Moving forward, Iwaizumi touched Oikawa’s cheek gently.

“Thank you Tooru.” Iwaizumi smiled leaning in to give Oikawa a tender kiss.

~

“Do you always wake up with a fish staring at you?” Iwaizumi asked later that day after he met with some of the other merpeople and took a look around his new home.

“Yeah pretty much.” Oikawa responded

“Weird.”

Oikawa chuckled. He took Iwaizumi’s hand and led them towards his house. Turning towards Iwaizumi, his kissed him sweetly.

Pulling back slightly he said,

“Welcome home Hajime.”