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— 1 —
A beaten up but well functioning car pulls to a stop in the parking lot.
Sanemi sighs and looks to the back seats.
All of his siblings are packed in, a little uncomfortable but not unbearable. He pops the trunk and unlocks the doors, allowing them to get out and stretch.
The Shinazugawa family is visiting the beach this week. Sanemi had volunteered to chaperone his siblings at the beach during their summer break, all while insisting that their mother take some time for herself.
Once equipped with plastic shovels and buckets, Koto and Shuya take off towards the sandy beach. The two are already planning the sandcastle they’ll build together.
“Don’t go too far!” Sanemi calls after them. He’s all too eager to turn them loose after the near-hour long ‘ are we there yet’s’ and stuffy heat of his old car. The open air is still warm, but with the occasional breeze and promise of cool ocean water, he can’t find much to complain about.
“Teiko, why don’t you take Sumi and watch those two. We’ll bring everything out.” Sanemi suggests, while helping Genya with the cooler.
Hiroshi barely glances up from his book, “Who’s we?” he asks, shrugging away Teiko’s insistent poking.
“I think he means you three oldest boys .’” She smiles, “We’re here for family time, so pull yourself away from my book and act like it.” She grabs Sumi’s hand and walks her to the sandy shore.
Before going too far, Sumi turns around to face Sanemi. Her cheeks are puffed up, “I wanna see Giyuu, so make sure he’s here!”
Hiroshi, carrying the rolled up beach towels, looks questioningly at Sanemi. “Who’s Giyuu?”
Genya grins and nudges Sanemi, “Just someone Nemi is sweet on— ack!” He rubs the spot on his forehead that Sanemi flicked.
“Some merman who saved his hide after a surfing incident.” Genya whispers to Hiroshi.
Merfolk weren’t as uncommon as one might think. They’re selective with whom they interact, very few choosing to do so with people, but they certainly exist.
One such merfolk is one Sanemi had met at this same beach with friends months ago. Genya had tagged along, having been invited by Tanjirou, and watched his brother’s face turn red upon witnessing a mer swim slow circles around him. Tanjirou later told him that Sanemi had met Giyuu months before that beach trip. He didn’t know how they first met however.
“C’mon, you two.” Sanemi, holding the cooler, speedwalks to the beach. Genya chuckles and follows
“I don’t remember hearing about any of this..” Hiroshi mumbles, trailing after his brothers.
Dark hair floats atop the water’s surface as a mer watches the shoreline. Bubbles make their way to the water’s surface, frothing in front of his face. Deep blue eyes watch as Sanemi sets his strange items down into the sand.
It has only been about a month since they last met, but Giyuu had missed him greatly. Something about the man drew him in, something his pink siren friend describes as a ‘pwoof! ’ that warms your fins, and ‘ fuwa fuwa’ that makes your heart beat fast.
Neither of which he particularly understood .
She suggested making some gesture to get his attention, the first stage of typical courting rituals.
He trusts her word, she’s being courted by two different merfolk after all, if anyone knows courting rituals it’s her.
It sounds easy enough. But being upbeat and extroverted, she makes anything sound easy. Regardless, he’s ready to commit and dives under the waves.
Sanemi had just gotten everything squared away. The towels and umbrellas were set up, and the cooler is full of cold water and popsicles for when the kids got tired.
Genya has Koto on his shoulders in the water, and Shuya keeps splashing his sisters. Hiroshi is once again nose deep in a book under the umbrella’s shade.
Sanemi floats on his back a little ways away from them. Far enough from his siblings’ water fight, but close enough should they need him.
He’s just beginning to relax when the currents around him begin to change. Waves swirl from his right side down to his legs and back up his left side, like an unnatural whirlpool with him at the center.
“Hey, Giyuu.” Sanemi greets with a smile. The water gradually slows on his right side until it stills completely.
Glancing over, Sanemi can only see half of the mer’s face; baby blue scales shining in the sunlight.
Giyuu greets him with a muffled trill, along with a gentle shoulder nudge. He raises himself out of the water, revealing his neck and gills that flutter before closing.
He trills again, louder this time but still muffled and now Sanemi can see why.
In his mouth..is a fish.
This isn’t off putting, ‘ what else would he eat after all?’ Sanemi thinks, but is odd however that Giyuu would choose to eat now instead of before meeting with him.
“If you’re going to eat that, at least go a little further away.” Sanemi floats upright and motions in the direction of his siblings, “I’d rather they not see you eat raw fish.”
Giyuu shakes his head. “ I got this for you.” He signs and takes the fish from his mouth, and hands it to Sanemi.
In his hands is a live, pink salmon. “..What..?”
Giyuu clicks and whistles, His vocal chords aren’t capable of replicating Japanese, so Sanemi is left confused at his companion’s proud demeanor.
“There isn’t much I can do with this right now, Giyuu.”
Giyuu frowns but nods in understanding. Sanemi glances back at the wriggling fish in his hands. Part of him is worried Giyuu expects him to eat it, but he’s certainly not doing that.
He decides to let it go.
– 2 –
Hours later in the early evening, with his siblings piled on shore half asleep, Sanemi digs through the sand. It was he who insisted that he take the children out while their mother relaxes, all she asked is that they have a good time, but Sanemi wants to do something else for her.
He wants to bring her a shell.
Only problem is; this beach has been nearly picked clean.
He’s just about to call it a day and round everyone up when a splash sounds behind him. He turns to Giyuu’s blue eyed stare.
“ Are you playing in the sand?” He signs with a head tilt.
“No, I’m looking for a shell to bring home.” Sanemi brushes the sand off his hands. “It’s for my mother, but I haven’t had any luck, the ones up here are too small.”
Giyuu whistles thoughtfully, “There are lots of shells down here. I can get what you need. ” He volunteers, already diving underwater before Sanemi can say anything else.
Giyuu is sometimes too eager to give him things. It’s sweet he supposes, he’ll just have to wait and see what Giyuu brings.
.
.
.
It’s been quite some time. Sanemi went ahead and had Genya and Hiroshi pack up, and now they’re all waiting for him to drive them back home. He’s about to do just that when a light trill sounds behind him.
He turns to find Giyuu announcing his return. With one hand he places various shapes of multiple colorful and patterned shells on the sand.
He motions for Sanemi to come closer, “ Give me your hand .” He gently places a small shell in the man’s open palm.
Its rigid and wavy, Sanemi traces the grooves with a thumb. Its deep colors remain unseen by him, but in the light it takes on a bluish hue.
“I like that one, it reminds me of you.” Sanemi can’t help the way his face heats up. “But there's something else I got you .”
Giyuu lifts his other hand out of the water, eagerly showing Sanemi a bright red, multi legged crustacean. It pinches Giyuu’s hand but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“You brought a crab..?”
Giyuu whistles happily. “ Yes, it’s both a shell and something to eat.”
Sanemi only stares back, dumbfounded. “What brought this about?”
Giyuu blinks, the fins along his shoulders and arms fanning out. “ My friend says crabs may be easier to eat like this.” He signs and points at the escaping crab.
‘By ‘this’ Sanemi assumes he means raw.
Sanemi looks between his companion and the crab, sighs and gently picks it back up. “I’ll keep it if that makes you happy,” he deposits the crustacean into a plastic bucket. “Thanks for the help, but I should get goin , Giyuu.”
Giyuu nods and dives back underwater, leaving Sanemi to stare dumbfounded at the contents of his bucket.
He hadn’t planned on eating crab tonight.
– +1 –
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The late summer heat shines almost unbearably down on the world. The beach is quiet and lonesome, with distant cicadas chirping as they welcome the evening.
Giyuu floats on the water on his back, letting the currents carry him along. It’s only been some days since he’s seems Sanemi, but already he’s feeling quite lonely.
He isn’t too eager to return home just yet, knowing well Kanroji will want to stop and chat.
He has nothing against her, but one of her suitors, a purple lionfish had laughed at his poor courting attempts.
Suffice to say, morale was quite low at the moment.
However this is not something he wants to give up on. When he’s with Sanemi, it’s like someone released a school of sea butterflies within him. His fins quiver with nerves, and his trills take on a honeyed tone, (one he recognizes from Kanroji’s suitors).
Worry gnaws on him since Sanemi hasn’t been very receptive of Giyuu’s efforts, which he blames himself for. Despite how long he’s felt this way he hadn’t started
Sanemi did say that he would return within a few days, so Giyuu has spent the better part of this week floating atop the waves awaiting his arrival.
The gentle sway of the water has a calming effect, it always does, Giyuu has found. No matter how frantic his thoughts get, he can trust the surface waves to wash them away.
He’s drifting close enough to shore that Sanemi could see him when he arrives. It’s hard to fight sleep in his relaxed state
So he doesn’t.
.
.
.
The sharp scent of something charred is what wakes him.
It’s not unfamiliar, just unpleasant. People burning their meals on the beach is common but Giyuu doesn’t understand it.
Looking to the shoreline, he spots the familiar white bob of hair settled in front of a flame.
He lets out a high trill at the sight of his friend, already swimming out to greet him. Sanemi shuffles closer to the water, reaching out a hand to cup the mer’s cheek.
Giyuu melts in Sanemi’s hold, humming contentedly.
Sanemi chuckles, “I don’t know much about your kind, but I think those gifts from the other day meant something.”
Giyuu nods, hoping for Sanemi to not notice the fins on his ears twitching.
“I had to catch a new fish-“ Giyuu huffs at that, but Sanemi continues. “—but I did keep the crab.”
Sanemi moves to the side for Giyuu to get a better look.
Over the fire pit, Giyuu sees a skewer of fish, and an odd bowl with crab legs dangling out.
“I thought it’d be nicer if we ate together.” Sanemi rubs his neck and takes a fish skewer from the edge of the fire and hands it to Giyuu.
Despite who is ‘cooking’ the food, he can’t help but wrinkle his nose. Before taking the fish he signs, “ Must I eat it burnt ?”
“Not burnt, only well cooked.” Sanemi laughs, “Just give it a chance.”
Giyuu stares apprehensively, nose twitching, before tentatively taking a bite.
The skin is crispy and the flesh pleasantly warm. There’s a flavor to it that his normal catches don’t have.
“It’s not too bad.”
Giyuu ends up asking for another fish.