Chapter Text
Atsumu watched his grandmother hang a large painting in their house when he was six years old. It was nearly as tall as she was, the entire canvas coated in blue and gray waves and pristine white reflections. A little yellow sailboat sat towards the top, and seagulls flew overhead. He would sit and stare at it for hours, taking in all of the minute details and running his fingers over the layers of paint, the texture intentionally left bumpy.
From that point on, Atsumu knew that’s where he was meant to be.
His family would go on trips to the coast every year for his birthday, it was his favorite place to be and Osamu’s favorite restaurant was there so it worked out perfectly. He would trot up to the shore and let the waves coat his feet in warm golden sand while the sun danced along his nose and cheeks.
The infatuation started as a calling there, nothing more than a love for the shore, but as he got older he became more interested in all of the small details. He could tell you everything about any sea creature, tell you the way sand layered and built on top of itself, hell, he even knew how the oceans moved in response to wind.
So needless to say, no one was shocked when he bought a beach side apartment and a boat.
His mother was horrified to let him go, and even more horrified to find out that he had gotten a sailing license behind her back, but she couldn’t hold back the grin that came when he led her down to the dock, slowly removing his hands from her eyes to reveal a yellow sailboat, nearly identical to the one in the painting.
She watched him run up to it, pat the stern, and flash a bright smile. “Told ya I’d get one.” He laughed, watching her walk up to it and hesitantly place a hand on the side, running her fingers along the smooth exterior. “I’ve already taken ‘er out a few times, wanted to get the hang of it before I letcha on.” He explained, leaning over the edge and pulling out two life jackets. “Grandma already came on once, wouldn’t let me get on the damn thing without ‘er.”
He was expecting his mother to comment on the fact that he let his grandmother on before her, but she never did. She instead smacked him upside the head. “You did all of this without telling me? What if you died out at sea and we had no idea you even left?”
“Ma,” He laughed, ducking away. “I’m alive, aren’t I?”
She snatched the life jacket from him and put it on with a pout, angrily securing each buckle and pulling it tight. Atsumu grabbed one of the straps, double checking it was safe before he put on his own. He held her hand as she climbed inside, her entire body freezing up when it rocked. Atsumu placed one hand on the edge to steady it, slowly helping her sit down. He hopped in afterward and detached it from the dock, pulling the anchor up.
He ran his hand along the mast as he walked by, glancing up to check the wind. He pointed the boat windward and adjusted the sails before he started moving, and his mother latched onto the side handles as tight as her hands would allow.
“‘M not gonna kill ya, relax.” He laughed, her body barely unwinding at the comment. She calmed down after ten minutes of sailing, finally catching her breath and looking out at the water with a softer gaze. She lowered her hand to touch the waves, smiling at the way the water bent around her fingers. Atsumu watched her with a smile and slowed the boat as soon as he was far enough away from everyone. He sat down across from her and pulled a cooler out of one of the benches.
He handed her a lemonade and a cold-cut sandwich, both of which she happily accepted, and took out the same for himself. He was half way through unwrapping the plastic on his food when she spoke up. “I’m proud of you, Atsumu.”
His eyes shot up to her, and he desperately tried to hide the sappy smile working its way onto his face. She adjusted slightly as she opened the lemonade can, taking a sip and scrunching her nose at the sour flavor before she continued. “You had a dream and you took hold of it. Not everyone can do that. I’m still pissed ya didn’t tell me ‘bout all this, but I’m proud.”
Atsumu looked down at his sandwich, his fingers working on the wrapping again. He was not about to cry. No way. He refused to look up at her but responded anyway, “You’re the one who believed in me.”
He heard his mother sniffle and quickly shook the tears out of his own eyes to look up at her. He was never great with emotions, unsure if he should let her cry or try to comfort her, so he instead dug out a small pack of tissues and tossed them over, tapping his foot as he watched her dig one out of the package.
“My boys are all grown up.”
Her smile was bitter-sweet as she looked at him, the same one she had given Osamu on the opening night of his restaurant. She sniffled again before she tore open her sandwich and took a bite, chewing pathetically as tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving small trails of black.
“I love ya.” Atsumu said with a small smile.
“I love you more.”
Atsumu ran into his apartment, quickly stripped out of his work clothes and pulled on a pair of burgundy board shorts and a white button up that was so light he barely felt it. He just needed to cover up the now blistering burns that had sprung up along his back and shoulders from the single day he decided to go out without sunscreen. He grabbed a small bag with all of the necessities and a few extras before running out to the beach and to his dock. He hopped into his boat as if he had no time to waste, plopped his bag down on a bench and worked on getting it into motion. It was only then that he bothered to apply an obscene amount of sunscreen and aloe, causing his shirt to stick to his back.
He pulled out a small plastic box of watermelon and set it beside the helm, popping a piece into his mouth as he steered. It was one of the first clear days all month, no sign of rain or crazy winds, which meant it was a perfect day for sailing. Sure, it was already six thirty, but he could at least get a couple hours in before heading in for the night.
He tilted his head forward, his sunglasses falling from his hair onto his nose, and peered out at the shore, smiling at all of the people playing in the water, watching him, or simply tanning. It really was a beautiful day. The sun’s reflections on the water were nearly blinding, the sand was golden and hot, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky yet it still held a cold gray hue. Just like his grandmother’s painting.
He wiggled his phone from his back pocket and took a few steps back as he opened the camera app, angling it so the bow of the ship and a sliver of sand were visible. He took a few photos before he opened her contact and attached them to a message, now debating what he should send with it.
His eyes shot up as a large wave came and sent him scrambling to the helm and sent his phone clattering to the ground. He held onto the wheel tight as he reached for a line and adjusted it accordingly, managing to get over the wave mostly unscathed. He looked back at the small pool of water that had collected in the bottom of the boat and engulfed his phone completely, but didn’t have the luxury of pouting about it before another, bigger wave came.
This one sent the boat flying, the sail flapping loudly against the gush of wind that came with it. Atsumu nearly fell back on his ass as he attempted to right it, letting out shaky breaths as the surface beneath him stilled.
He was okay.
Horror still pooled in his eyes but a small, manic smile parted his lips as he started laughing. “Holy fucking shit!” He looked around, adrenaline begging to fade from his body. “I’m not dead!” He did a little dance to himself as he steered his boat back to the dock, only beginning to collect the now soggy watermelon and his phone once he was sure he was stable.
He pulled his bag from the boat and climbed out, deciding that sitting on the dock and sticking his feet in the water was a good enough Plan B. He smiled once he saw a package of trail mix at the bottom of the bag and fished it out, happily ripping it open and tossing a handful of it into his mouth.
He looked out at the sea again, narrowing his eyes when he saw a head pop above water, and whoever it was, most definitely saw him too. “What the hell?” He muttered, leaning forward slightly. The person wasn’t too far from the shore but buoys lined the outside of the docking area, and the only time Atsumu had ever seen someone on his side of it was when their boat capsized and they needed help.
He scooted forward on the wood, searching for the head again. They’d certainly need air by now.
He waited another moment before shouting out at the ocean, “You alright?”
Nothing.
Atsumu blinked a few times before he shook his head out, he was seeing things. That was all, he probably just needed to sleep off all of the sun he’d been getting. He slowly got back to his feet and gave the water one last look before he turned and walked back to his apartment.
Atsumu sat on his balcony after a long shower and the most needed meal he’d ever eaten, the cold air nursing the hot burns on his nose and cheekbones. He closed his eyes as he absorbed the feeling he would never get sick of. Salty air, light chatter, crashing waves and the most beautiful view he could ask for.
He was on the fifth floor, high enough to look over most of the town and watch the cars pass by or the kids on bikes zip across sidewalks. His eyes shifted out to the now black water, the moonlight dancing off of each inky wave.
It was nights like these he understood his almost magnetic pull to the ocean.
The next day was a Saturday, and unlike every other Saturday in his life, Atsumu dreaded the idea of sleeping in.
He walked down the boardwalk to the food trucks parked all the way at the end and ordered an acai bowl, eating it on his way back to his apartment. He poked at all of the fruits, pushing them around the small bowl until he found one that seemed appetizing. He plopped down on the dock as he ate, this time in a small woven chair. He had finally bought a few items for it.
A pair of cheap beach chairs that wouldn’t leave him heartbroken if someone were to decide to steal them and an even cheaper center table with black legs and a white plastic top sat on top of the wood. He leaned back and closed his eyes as he finished his meal, carefully tucking the garbage in the back pocket of one of the chairs before he hopped onto his boat and applied a generous amount of sunscreen.
He had been out for a few hours when he finally decided to reapply, removing his shirt and spraying himself down. The sunscreen bottle let out a few pathetic hisses before Atsumu shook it, confirming that there was nothing inside. He groaned and set it on the edge of the boat as he dug around for another can, a small wave sending the bottle toppling into the water.
He smiled once he found a new can and held it up victoriously, until a wet one hit him in the shoulder. His eyebrows furrowed as he picked it up from the ground, looking between the wall it was propped on and his shoulder.
He carefully set it down and sprayed his back, listening to the can plop into the water. It hit him again.
He groaned and shoved the can into his bag, not bothering to dry it off beforehand. He held onto the railing as he looked down into the water to investigate, catching a glimpse of shimmery scales a few feet beneath the surface.
He stuck his arm as far into the water as he could, only managing to get to about his elbow before he risked the chance of falling out of the boat. He felt around for any sort of fish, but his arm pulled out quicker than he knew humanly possible when he felt something soft. It felt like hair.
Atsumu stared at the water, plagued with a disturbed expression. He looked at his hand to see a thick black hair tangled around his fingers, getting curlier by the second. If he could look more mortified than he already did, he would.
He had spent years of his life researching sea creatures and was suddenly doubting whether or not there was an animal with human-like hair that liked to creep around the surface and shore.
Atsumu looked out at the sand, then at the hair. It probably belonged to some kid and it just happened to drift over to him. He nodded at the thought and decided to push back the memory that he most definitely felt a lot more than one strand.
That still didn’t explain the sunscreen, though.
He peeled the hair from his hand and dropped it back into the water, carefully observing again. Maybe someone was messing with him. He had become rather acquainted with his neighbor, and Atsumu liked to think that this was definitely some shit he’d pull, but his hair was straight and red opposed to curly and black. He was also at least a hundred feet from the docks, and although the guy played volleyball, he doubted that he would be able to swim all the way out there without being noticed or hit by the boat. Only an idiot would attempt to swim underneath it.
Atsumu sighed softly as he placed his hands on the wheel, still looking at the water quizzically. The soreness on his shoulder was an indicator that he didn’t make it up, but he felt like the more he looked the less he saw. Everything was just a blue blur.