Work Text:
You caught a small octopus.
Not "caught", to be exact, but you "picked up" during an aimless walk on the beach. It’s a tiny creature with a blue-and-black complexion and a size different from the usual octopus. Its ...... should say his head, has facial features that are more like humans than ordinary aquatic creatures. And the part that connects the head to the tentacles is similar to the upper body of a human child, as well as fleshy little arms.
You found him in a small box on the beach when he was in this box that was obviously a fried chicken box, gnawing on a small piece of leftover bread crumbs.
"Pwease... Please don't eat me..." The little octopus who was enjoying the food saw you, and suddenly opened his mouth and said something you can understand.
You are surprised that this little creature seems to want to try to communicate with you, and you have it in your hand before you can be sure that he is non-toxic and non-aggressive.
You examine this little friend from side to side and squeeze his tentacle - not even as thick as your index finger. The tip of the tentacle carries a little sticky liquid, and the tiny suction cups obviously haven't learned how to attach themselves strongly to someone else's skin.
His clumsy look makes you laugh, and you ask, "Where do you come from, my little octopus?"
"From the other side of the sea!" He suddenly proudly crossed his arms over his waist with (let's call it a waist there), "It took me a long time to swim to this beach, pretty impressive, huh?"
You think about it for a while, then decide to bring this proud little octopus home with you because he's just too adorable.
"Then shall I take you home?"
"Home? What is home?"
You are struggling to explain what home is to an aquatic creature, only to see him slowly trying to crawl up to your shoulder. He can't climb upward by wrapping his tentacles around your arm like a real octopus, but can only struggle to suck on your smooth skin with his suction cups.
The place touched by the tiny tentacles left a cold touch, and you felt itchy and shivered at the place "kissed" by the sucker.
"Wait ......" you try to get him to stop, "what are you doing? "
The baby octopus ignores your question and continues to work its way up the ladder. You give up thinking and simply let it just keep climbing up to your shoulders.
You’re about to ask him to sit still, but he reaches out his tentacles trying to touch you. Sadly, he is too miniature, the poor little tentacles keep shaking in mid-air, unable to touch anything except the seawater left on his body dripping on your collarbone.
Seemingly sensing his intentions, you turn your head with a touch of compassion and tried to put your face close.
With a snap, your lips suddenly become wet. You look down to find a tentacle just on your lips, and the little owner of the tentacle is also looking at you in surprise.
It seems that this kind of "intimate contact" makes him and you feel something different, he suddenly blushed as if he was cooked, and a faint blush also crept up on your cheeks. You know that octopus tentacles are very sensitive and can even sense taste, but you didn't think that even the slightest touch would make you sensitive.
You just keep glancing at him, unsure of what to do. You wonder what you should say to break the increasingly awkward silence, but then you think it would be difficult for such a small creature to understand a conversation beyond its age. After all, it looks like it's only a few months old.
He stares at you with those big, watery eyes, as if he thinks he's done something wrong, making you want to eat him as a meal again.
"I'm sorry, pwe..pwease don't eat me ......" the little octopus lowers its eyes and apologizes to you with a pout, "I'd like to go home with you."
You were stunned, not expecting the little guy to treat you like a predator. You never wanted to eat such a cute little octopus for dinner, you just wanted to take it home and make him a new resident in that empty fish tank at home, even recalling the recipe for artificial seawater quickly in your head.
The little octopus's pitiful eyes are too devastating, and the touch you've never experienced before makes you can't help but be drawn to him, craving him to touch your lips, your neck, and even parts down your collarbone ......
Nope! You realize that such an idea is out of place, he is just a small creature of unknown origin, You don't even know how long his lifespan will be and how big he will grow in the future. There should be no unnecessary feelings for him beyond the owner and pet.
You shake your head, promise not to eat him, stand up carefully and walk towards home.
After the bath, you put the little octopus temporarily in the bathtub at home, giving him enough space to move freely, and provided him with enough artificial seawater according to the formula found on the Internet.
You suddenly realized that you should give him a name, it seems too rusty to always call him "little octopus", after all, you just had a "close encounter".
"I'll call you Box Tenshi from now on, okay?" In fact, you don’t know why you came up with this name, simply feel that the appearance of this little guy just like an angel falling from the sky. And call him Box solely because you found him in a small box.
"Box...Tenshi......" He babbles his new name like a baby, "I'm, B..Box Tenshi..." He smiles at you, showing the two tiny fangs in his mouth, it seems he is very satisfied with this new name. You decide to let him get acquainted with the environment of the new home by himself, then push open the bathroom door and walk to the bedroom, not forgetting to say goodnight before closing the door.
"Guud ...night ......," Box learns your pronunciation and says to you, and after you close the door, a meaningful smile rises on the corner of his mouth.
The next morning, you are woken up by the alarm clock as usual, and you feel as if something heavy is pressing on your body. You think it is the oversized plushie on your bed that had fallen on you again because of your excessive free sleeping position, so you reach out to the "plushie" and touch it.
"......?!" The familiar slippery touch instantly wakes you up, while a strange, deep and magnetic man's voice comes from above you: "Good morning, my......master?" You pinch your thighs, convinced that this is not a dream: a large, or rather an adult version of Box Tenshi is lying on top of you and greeting you.
You're just about to ask him something, but your thoughts are interrupted by a tentacle covering your lips.
"Shhh ...... I know what you want to ask. The truth is, you saved me, took me back home, and let me suck up enough 'seawater' to be able to get me back to the way I was." The next second, his lips take the place of the tentacle, offering you a soft, sloppy kiss like a dragonfly.
Your brain's CPU can no longer handle such a complex process, so you can only stare at him with a dull expression and thinking "I must be dead omg what a terrible creature I've picked up home". And he appears to read your mind and responds with more kisses on the cheek. His tentacles wrapped around your arms are still cold, but his lips are incredibly warm.
"So, now is the time for me to repay my gratitude."