Chapter Text
The coasts were always considered forbidden territory for most mermaids, except for the ones that enjoyed being alone. Kenma fell into that category. The open seas were always crowded with other creatures swimming freely enjoying their business, but to him, it was a heavily congested mess. The shorelines were completely empty except for a few tiny crabs or small fishes darting back and forth looking for food. It was his definition of serenity, but there was a good reason mermaids weren’t supposed to go near the shoreline; they could be easily spotted by humans there. But the opposite was also true, mermaids could see humans there too, and that’s exactly what happened to Kenma.
It started with a few pebbles that came sinking down in front of him making gold eyes turn towards the shore. Any other mermaid probably would have swam to deeper water, but Kenma’s curiosity made him push towards where the pebbles came from. More tiny blubs alerted him to other pebbles falling from the nearby ledge. The water surrounding was deep enough for him to stay hidden, but still see what was skipping stones. His eyes followed up the ledge until he saw what looked like fire. A messy bunch of orange hair came into view and that was all it took for Kenma to become smitten with them.
He’d never been that close to a human, even though he was about 10 feet underneath them but it was still pretty close, and just the thought of being seen made his heart flutter. Whether he knew it or not, his tail began to slowly push him towards the surface. A sudden face peering down shocked Kenma enough to fling himself downward. His fin-like ears caught a small gasps as he swam away. That was the beginning Kenma’s obsession.
The next day Kenma rushed to the ledge as daylight broke over the ocean. He hoped to see the mystery human hanging around the area, but when he neared the rocky cliff no one besides a few gulls were around. Feeling extremely brave, he poked his head above the water to look around. He could see the sun making the sand glimmer, gentle waves lapping the edge of the beach, but no humans; especially the fire-haired one he was looking for. He swam as close to seashore as he could without getting stuck in the sand to observe more of the land around him. It was strange above water. The wind that surrounded him were like the currents underwater. His pale skin began to dry a bit. He dipped down to get wet and emerged again to keep exploring. Along the shore’s edge, he didn’t find people but he saw a plethora of small shells. Kenma grabbed a few to observe closely. Each one had its own distinct shape but they were all an-off white color. He couldn’t help but to keep them. His search for the human turned into an impromptu shell search.
The sun had rose to the center of the sky while Kenma had been collecting the shells. In the hours be the shore, he’d managed to turn the ones he found into intricate necklaces and bracelets. He had he even found a sharp stone to carve different patterns into a few large shells he picked up. His tail fins flicked playfully as he was absorbed in his carving he didn’t notice a shocked young orange-haired man gaping at him.
“Oh my God!”
The spell of the shells was immediately broken as Kenma heard the outburst. He flicked his tail once and vanished below the water, heart racing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw bright orange hair. It was his human. He came to an ungraceful stop. Despite a great deal of his mind telling him to swim away, Kenma couldn’t bring himself to flee. He wanted to see this human’s face. He needed to see their face. A strong flick sent him back to the rocky ledge.
Back on the surface. Hinata couldn’t believe what he’d seen. He thought he saw it yesterday, but he’d been on the beach all day so he could’ve imagined that he saw a mermaid, but as soon as he saw the pale almost translucent skin and the tail fins flick away, he knew what he saw was true. Didn’t mean he could wrap his mind around it though. An actual mermaid swimming near the shore in broad daylight. It was amazing, and for the brief moment he saw the creature his breath caught in his throat. He could only see their profile, but they were gorgeous. Hinata rarely used that to describe anything, but gorgeous seemed fitting for a mermaid. In an instant of seeing the mermaid, he couldn’t stop himself from shouting out. Mentally cursing at himself, he remembered where he caught a glimpse of them yesterday. He quickly ran towards the ledge, hoping to see them even if it just for a moment.
Kenma waited patiently by the ledge as a shadow cast over him. They were there, the human. His conflicting emotions rushed through him like a whirlpool. Should he swim up or go away? Should he do what a smart mermaid would do, or say to hell with reason and see this human’s face? When the shadow slowly receded back, he decided. Two quick swishes of his turquoise tail and he burst through the surface to see a pair of warm brown eyes staring back to his gold.
They were both in a haze for what seemed like hours. Hinata cautiously moved his hand first. He wanted to know that Kenma was real. With his hand a few centimeters from the mermaid’s cheek, the creature in question shrank back.
“It’s alright…I’m not going to hurt you.” He reassured. It was a typical thing to say, but the sound of his voice soothed Kenma’s nerves and he inched closer to his hand.
His skin was smooth and a bit cool where Hinata’s hand touched, but he was real. Hinata noticed his arm was a suddenly wet and had a gentle grasp on it. The mermaid was touching him. A slow flush began to spread to Hinata’s face from the slight touch. It was more of a caress. His eyes focused on the creature in front of him. He heard a far off voice that almost sounded like bells chiming in his head. On reflex, his hand jerked back. Kenma’s eyes widen slightly.
He didn’t want the human to stop touching him so he mirrored what they had done to him before with his hand lightly touching his cheek.
“You…you want me to do that again?”
A flick of his fin answered “yes” for him.
Hinata reached out and let his small hand rest against his shimmering skin once more. Kenma’s hand grasped his arm delicately and the sound trickled into Hinata’s mind again. It sounded like beautiful. He scrunched his face in confusion until the voice came in clearer.
“Beautiful.” It whispered.
When Hinata caught on that it was this mermaid’s voice in his head, his jaw dropped wide open.
“Woah, you’re talking to me in my head! I can hear it!”
Kenma smiled lightly. He had gotten his message.
“You called me beautiful…” his voice became soft at the realization. His face became a fiery red color.
Kenma’s head tilted at the strange color.
Hinata heard the chiming bells again.
“Red?”
“Uh…it happens when people get embarrassed sometimes.” He stammered.
A slight tail flick alerted to his understanding. Kenma’s eyes peered at his hair, reminding him of his obsession in the first place.
“Fire?” he asked with a slight nod towards Hinata.
“Fire? Oh, you mean my hair!” He pointed to it with his free hand.
Another tail flick.
“Yeah it does kinda look that way huh?” He smiled.
Kenma’s heart fluttered again. That smile was hopelessly attractive. He couldn’t help but to let the word “beautiful” fill Hinata’s mind again.
“You’re beautiful too!” Hinata shouted and instantly regretted it. His mouth had gotten him in trouble a lot lately.
A sandy blue hue tinged Kenma’s cheeks. It was a mermaid’s equivalence to blushing.
Trying to break the silence, and say anything else that was embarrassing, Hinata thought it was a good time to introduce himself.
“I’m Hinata Shouyou by the way.”
“Shouyou?” was his light response.
“Mmmhm. What’s your name…um do you even have one?”
“Kenma.”
“Kenma…” Hinata repeated. It sounded amazing in his head. He pulled his arm back and rested it on the rock. He began to just stare at Kenma. His gaze full of wonder and admiration. Kenma swam closer and rested his hand lightly on his wrist.
“I talk like this so I have to touch you.” Came a wind like response.
“Ok, I don’t mind.” Honestly who would mind a mermaid touching them that tenderly.
“So…I guess you live around here. Are you alone?”
After a hesitant glance Kenma finally answered ,”No, there are others…but they’re not like me.”
“What do you mean? "
“Afraid.”
“They’re afraid of humans?” A small splash gave him his answer.
“Oh.” Hinata glanced down. He felt saddened by his response for some reason.
“You’re fine though.” Hinata looked at Kenma and lightly laughed. The new sound making Kenma’s pulse race. This human was slowly ruining him, and he was fine with that.
Over the next few hours Kenma learned all sorts of things about Hinata. He had a younger sister. He absolutely loved to talk, and had such a warm personality Kenma found himself smiling the whole time he spoke. He especially loved the crinkle of his nose when he laughed. It was addictive.
As the sun began to sink and turned day into dusk, Hinata yawned. His face fell.
“It’s getting late…I’ve gotta go.”
Kenma frowned at the realization Shouyou was leaving. He drew himself close enough to nuzzle his head against Hinata’s forearm.
“I’ll be back tomorrow though…you’ll be back tomorrow too, right?” Came his tentative question.
Kenma wasted no time in giving his tail an enthusiastic flick causing water to splash Hinata in the face. His giggling making Kenma smile brighter. Hinata heaved himself up and stretched, loosening up his stiff muscles. He turned to wave at the mermaid below him.
“Bye Kenma, see you tomorrow!” His voice rang as he jogged away from the ledge.
Kenma copied the action as he watched Hinata’s form disappear from his sight.
He sunk beneath the water as the day’s events rewound in his mind.
“I found a human today…he was beautiful.” He couldn’t help but to say that out loud as he swam back to his underwater home. He couldn’t wait to see Shouyou, the fire-haired boy again tomorrow.