Work Text:
Étoile dans la Mer
“Denali.” Stella said calmly. Denali stopped, turned her head to look at her. She tilted her head, her soft black hair floating in the water. Stella frowned slightly. She raised her head to look at the calm water not far from above, then shook her head at Denali. “I don't think this is a good idea.”
“No one comes that close to the pier, Stella.” Denali's tail waved slightly, she flipped around in the water, waved at Stella, signaling her to follow. “We won't get caught.”
Stella sighed. Most of the time it's true that people don't go to the pier very often. But since becoming a mermaid, Stella has always limited her appearance at the pier every time she returns to land when diving. Because Stella knows that sometimes Wataru and Sunny will be there fishing. And Theo likes to stand on the pier and play the guitar. In addition, many people were living in Coral Inn, and Stella could be caught at any time if they suddenly appeared.
“Hurry up.” Denali urged. Stella sighed, but finally swam after Denali. “Things have been great since you healed the coral reefs.”
Stella just smiled but said nothing. Diving was one of the activities she enjoyed most since returning to Starlet Town. Stella still remembers the feeling of the first time she put on a diving suit and was immersed in the water. Even though the entire sea was heavily polluted at that time, Stella still enjoyed the feeling of diving. Perhaps because of this feeling, Stella spends a lot of time diving and trying to heal the coral reefs.
And things get even more wonderful when she discovers the existence of merfolks deep below this ocean. When Stella received recognition from the Merfolk Kingdom, she enjoyed diving even more. Every time she feels tired, Stella will go diving to relax. Although she still cannot talk to sea creatures, she often visits or greets them.
“Denali, slow down.” Stella held Denali's hand as she got closer and closer to the pier. Everything Stella does for the island is a secret. Perhaps Ling was the only one who knew what was going on, and Stella wouldn't risk revealing the existence of merfolks to town folks. The existence of the Goddess was probably still a mystery to them, the people couldn't see the Giants, so Stella believed it would be better if she kept the fact that merfolks existed a secret. “Don't come too close, if someone sees you…”
“It will be okay.” Denali smiled happily, grabbed Stella's hand and pulled her swimming towards the pier. The two of them looked up at the turbulent water surface. Denali pointed forward. “See, there's no one there.”
Stella sighed, gently swimming closer with Denali. She turned around, her tail wagging slightly, Stella said. “You can leave now, go back quickly before someone actually sees you.”
Denali clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, then she shyly waved to Stella, a happy smile on her face. “So see you later? Next time maybe we can go to the Deep Sea to see what the coral reefs are completely healed or not?”
"Sounds good for me." Stella smiled. She turned around and left.
Stella will occasionally go with Denali to deeper zones to monitor the recovery of coral reefs as well as continue to clean up the remaining trash below the ocean. But Stella can't always come and go with Denali, after all, she still has a whole farm to manage and take care of.
Stella put her hands on the pier and pushed her body up. Her lower body immediately turned into her legs as she left the water. She sat on the pier, watching her toes still play in the water that had become clear again. Stella smiled slightly as she felt her toes being patted by the fresh water.
“Need help?” Stella was a little startled. She raised her head and looked up to see a white cotton towel being brought in front of her. She was a bit surprised, but also took the towel and slowly wiped her dark red wet hair. “It seems there are people who like to dye their hair every time the seasons change too.”
The teasing voice rang out again. Stella blushed slightly. She felt lucky because the towel could help her hide some of the expression on her face. Stella watched Wakuu come and sit next to her on the pier. Wakuu's hair is also bright red. The two of them sat there, saying nothing more.
Wakuu is not someone who would appear at a pier like this. Most of his time is spent in the Observatory, and occasionally Stella will also come... to talk and give some gifts to Wakuu. Normally she would only be able to find him at Raj's coffee shop in the morning or Fishensips if he stopped by in the evening.
"Is everything okay?"
Stella asked softly. Wakuu turned his head to look, then smiled slightly at her. “Do I look like something is wrong?”
“… You don't come here often so…”
“Yeah, I spend more time at the Observatory.”
Wakuu's voice rang out evenly, he didn't look uncomfortable at all. But Stella could still sense that something was going on. She had also seen Wakuu get very sad whenever he heard Wataru praising his cousins. She can also partly understand that there is conflict between Wakuu and Wataru. She also hopes that they can make up or at least... talk to understand each other better. But these weren't things she could really get involved in.
“I grew up with my father on a boat.” Wakuu said softly. “I actually really like the sea, but I feel that the stories hidden behind the stars are more interesting and wonderful than spending the whole day fishing. I don’t just spend my days looking at the stars… I study them.”
“Astronomer is a job that not everyone can do.” Stella said calmly.
Wakuu is a very smart person, or it can be said that he is one of the smartest people on this island that Stella has ever met. Wakuu's intelligence is shown through the way he studies the stars, the way he is always excited and happy every time he discovers something new. Stella liked the way Wakuu could easily find joy in the difficult math of predicting when meteors would appear. Or the way he always looked so happy when he was at the Observatory.
Stella knows that Wakuu is living a life, doing a job, and becoming the person he wants to be. And that's very great for him. Wataru… maybe doesn't understand that, or he has his own problems so sometimes Wataru acts like he's disappointed in what Wakuu is doing. But Stella felt that the two of them just didn't know how to talk to each other.
“Glad you can understand that being an Astronomer is not easy.” Wakuu smiled softly and said. He looked like he was trying to be humorous, but Stella could still sense the faint disappointment hidden in his voice.
“I can listen if you want to talk about it.”
Wakuu laughed. "I know. You also see… there are some problems between me and father…”
“If you're talking about how you got angry and left last time at the Beach Shack then um… I do know a bit about it.”
Stella said a little awkwardly. That day she only intended to go to the Beach Shack to have dinner, but unexpectedly it happened to be when Wataru and Wakuu quarreled. The next day Stella met Wakuu at Raj's cafe and he still seemed quite upset about it. They talked and Stella also understood that Wakuu hoped his father could support him becoming an Astronomer instead of a fisherman.
"I'm fine." Wakuu smiled, slightly tilting his head to look at Stella. She doesn’t know why, but he looked down at the water surface. Stella instinctively curled her toes slightly. She hadn't seen Wakuu near the pier when she returned from her dive, she hoped he hadn't seen anything strange. Wakuu's voice rang out, and this time Stella felt like she didn't understand what he was implying. “Thank you for listening, also… it's Fall now, shouldn't you be diving so often?”
“Ah…” Stella didn't know how to react. Wakuu stood up, smiled softly, waved goodbye to her and left. Stella looked at Wakuu's back, swayed her legs slightly, and whispered. “…Thank you for taking care of me.”
Anyway, Stella knew that Wakuu couldn't hear her, because he was gone. But her face still couldn't help but turn red.
~~*~~
Stella woke up feeling quite tired. Last night she returned very late after swimming with Denali in the Deep Sea area. Stella could have returned much earlier, but after her conversation with Wakuu a few days ago, she felt it would be best if she returned when it was late. Then there would be no one at the pier and she wouldn't have to worry too much about how she grows a fishtail when diving.
She sighed, rubbing her slightly sore neck. Stella felt like she should really stop diving continuously like this. The weather in Fall is also quite erratic, with days of strong winds or rain also causing the sea to become rough. And Stella didn't want to get sick and see Yuri or Charles at the Clinic.
She tiredly went into the kitchen, prepared breakfast and fed Inari - her adorable fox. Stella petted Inari while drinking coffee, she felt much more awake. However, Stella also hopes that the headache will not come after she drinks coffee. Inari let out a cry and jumped down from Stella’s thighs. She sighed, a little tired and stood up to leave the house.
“Ah.” Stella was startled, she closed the door, a bit surprised to see Wakuu standing in front of her house at six o'clock in the morning. She frowned and walked over. “Wakuu?”
Wakuu rubbed his neck, he raised his head to look at her, looking a bit shy. The man was carrying a small bag, which Stella could easily see that he had bought something from Sam's store.
"Good morning."
“Good morning… When did you get here?”
“Just… not long ago.” Wakuu smiled and said, he instinctively hid the bag behind his back. Stella was a bit curious, but she wouldn't have asked if Wakuu didn't want to talk. He suddenly cleared his throat, his face turned slightly red, and he spoke embarrassedly. “Because I don't know when you'll leave the house, so…”
Stella smiled. “Is there something you need to find me for?”
“Well…” Wakuu was nervous, then took a breath. “I bought you some things…”
Stella winked and said slightly teasingly. “I hope you didn't bring me the seeds from Sam.”
Stella has a lot of seeds. Either way, she needed to store them if she wants to use the Greenhouse. But she honestly wouldn't mind if Wakuu suddenly decided to visit and bring her some seeds as gifts.
Wakuu was a little startled when he heard what she said, then smiled shyly. “Actually, I brought you something else.”
"Oh?"
Stella tilted her head curiously as Wakuu handed her a white paper bag. She took it, bowed her head slightly to see what was inside. Stella was surprised when there were several bottles of vitamins in there, they obviously came from the Clinic. She raised her head to look at Wakuu and saw him blushing shyly as he spoke.
“I… I see you go diving a lot. But the Fall weather is not ideal for diving. And it seemed like you came home very late, I just wanted to… make sure you weren't sick.”
Stella smiled dumbly, then laughed. “You're so… sweet and thoughtful, you know that?”
"… Thank." Wakuu spoke in a low voice, then he cleared his throat, slightly turned his eyes to look at Stella's fields, and said. “Actually, I also have a favor to ask.”
Stella nodded. She knew that Wakuu wouldn't just come here to bring her some vitamins. If those seeds weren't for her, then maybe they were for Wataru. A few days ago she went fishing - no, to be exact, she was planning to go diving when she saw the two of them fishing, so she joined in. Only to see... Wakuu got angry again and left first. Stella also hoped that Wataru would chase after him, but it seemed like the two of them still hadn't talked to each other.
“I… bought some seeds at Sam's. Would you mind giving it to my dad at the Lighthouse?”
“…” Stella looked at Wakuu for a moment, but then reached out to receive the bag of seeds. She sighed and spoke softly. “You know… you should talk to him, right?”
Wakuu was a bit silent, then nodded. “Yeah… I just need a little more time.”
Stella didn't say anything more, she signaled Wakuu to wait for her for a moment and then went back inside the house. When she stepped outside again, she saw Wakuu watering the pumpkins. Stella couldn't help but smile. She walked over and gave him a paper bag, not forgetting to tease him.
“You know they don't need watering, right?” Stella saw Wakuu take the paper bag in her hand. She amusingly pointed towards her sprinkler. Wakuu's face turned slightly red with embarrassment, but he curiously looked inside the paper bag that Stella had just brought. “Vegan tacos. I think… you will like it.”
Wakuu was stunned, then smiled brightly at Stella. “Exactly what I craved off now, I was about to stop by Emma's place to buy a vegan taco. Thank you, Stella.”
She just smiled and said nothing.
~~*~~
“Hope I don't bother you, Wataru.”
Stella put one hand in her pocket, the other holding a bag of seeds. She slowly walked over to Wataru as he was tending to the flower beds in front of the Lighthouse. The man laughed loudly when he saw Stella, he stood up, slightly supported his waist and said.
“I rarely see you here.” Wataru smiled and went to Stella. She gave him the bag of seeds. The man was surprised and then laughed loudly. “You don't need to give me a gift. But thank you.”
“I didn't buy it.” Stella smiled. Wataru was stunned, then lowered his head to look at the bags of seeds he was holding in his hand. Stella walked over, took the water bottle and carefully watered the flowers that were about to bloom. “You should talk to him.”
Wataru nodded. “Actually… I'm very proud of him.”
Stella nodded, continued to take care of the flowers and listened to what Wataru said. The man loved his son very much, he just didn't know how to express it. Stella can understand the feeling of both loving and being jealous of his son. Wataru spent his whole life on the boat, fishing, and could do nothing but become a fisherman.
But Wakuu grew up on the boat with him, learned everything that he need to know to become a fisherman but he became an Astronomer. Wakuu's dream is something that perhaps Wataru himself also dreamed of but can’t never make it comes true. He wanted a different life. If only Wataru wasn't a fisherman who can only do jobs with his hands, maybe things would be better. That might be what he was thinking.
But with Wakuu… perhaps if he heard that Wataru is proud of him, all problems could be solved easily. Wakuu is always angry, upset, and sad about his father. Stella felt sorry for him about that. Sometimes, a frank conversation where two people can completely open their hearts will solve all problems.
“Wataru.” Stella walked over, she gave the older man a warm hug, patted his back that always looked lonely, and spoke softly. “Wakuu deserves to hear about how proud you are of him.”
"I know." Wataru also gently hugged Stella, then he laughed loudly and patted her shoulder. “Stella… you have deeper feelings for Wakuu, right?”
Stella was a bit stunned, she cleared her throat, blushed, then nodded slightly. “I like him.”
Wataru just looked at Stella understandingly. “I believe you two will make a great couple.”
She was embarrassed and said nothing. Stella has always had special feelings for Wakuu. A gentle, handsome guy who always being sweet to the others. Furthermore, Wakuu is a person who knows how to comfort and be kind to others. He is not afraid to praise those around him, and behaves very gently with everyone. Wakuu was polite the first time they met.
Stella is attracted by Wakuu's intelligence and kindness. And every time she learned more about him, she felt more and more that he was a very sweet and gentle person. Stella will never admit that she dyes her hair every time the seasons change because she wants... to have a little more in common with Wakuu.
Wataru talked with Stella for a while and then returned to the Lighthouse to work. Stella watched the man leave, stretching a little. She thought she should go home, and rest. But before she could leave, she heard a noise, Stella frowned, she looked down at the sea in front of her, a head floating above the water. Stella was startled.
“Denali!!!”
~~*~~
Stella smiled when she saw Shrimpy crawl up her arm. She gently stroked Shrimpy's tiny red head, then let go and let the little shrimp leave. Denali and Arung swam from afar. The two of them stopped in front of Stella, she waved to Denali and nodded to Agung.
The three of them swam together around the Deep Sea and watched as the coral reefs gradually recovered and returned to their original color. Stella did not swim with Denali or Arung, she was almost left behind when Stella swam very slowly. She closed her eyes slightly, relaxing her body. Stella seemed to let the water wash over her.
She really enjoyed the feeling of being at the bottom of the ocean like this.
Stella was in the sea for a long time that day. She swam close to the pier, but did not return to the land, but quietly leaned back, looking up at the night sky filled with dim moonlight. Through the clear water with its gentle ripples, Stella seemed to be able to see the moon very close to her. She raised her hand slightly, her fingers touching the shadow of the moon shining on the water.
Stella smiled softly, wondering if Wakuu was at the Observatory today and looking at the shining stars like her.
She turned around and slowly swam toward the pier. Just as Stella was about to go up, she heard footsteps, the wooden panels creaked when someone walked on them. Stella was startled. She quickly hid underneath the pier and listened carefully.
“Alice.” Wakuu's voice rang out from afar, Stella was a little startled. She heard his footsteps slowly approaching. Stella lowered her whole body into the water, hoping that no one would see her. It was very dark, but the lights from the Coral Inn were still bright enough to see a shadowy figure moving. “Star gazing?”
Stella heard Wakuu ask. Someone's footsteps sounded - probably Alice's, she went and sat down on the pier. Stella panicked when Alice's feet appeared before her eyes. She moved back slightly, trying not to let the girl discover she was here.
“The weather is beautiful today, isn't it?”
Alice said happily.
Wakuu's footsteps rang out. “That's right, do you want to see the stars? We go to the Observatory…?”
Alice's surprised voice rang out. "Really? I thought you didn't like people coming to the Observatory…”
Wakuu's laughter suddenly rang out, hearing as if he was quite embarrassed. "Actually, there will be a meteor rain coming soon. If you want, you can go to the Observatory to watch the meteor with me and the others."
“I’d love to do that.”
Alice said happily. Wakuu suddenly changed the subject. “It's late, I think you should go inside.”
Alice slightly swayed her legs, as if she were looking at the moon, and then stood up. “You're right, the wind is strong today, right?”
"Yeah."
The sound of two people's footsteps gradually faded away. Stella let out a breath, she once again emerged from the water. She carefully raised her head to listen. When she was sure that no one was there, Stella slowly stretched out her hand, preparing to go up. A dark shadow suddenly appeared, scaring her to death. Stella slipped her hand and fell into the water again. Strong arm suddenly reached out and grabbed Stella's arm. She panicked, and grabbed the handrail of the dock, gasping for air because she choked on water.
"You okay?" Wakuu's worried voice rang out, startling Stella. He pulled her onto the pier, and Wakuu gave her a cotton towel. “I didn't mean to scare you…”
“…”
Stella took the towel and carefully wrapped her body. When she was in the water, she didn't feel cold, but when she got to the land, it was very cold. The night wind kept blowing, making Stella shiver a bit. She carefully raised her head to look at Wakuu.
“Since when do you know?”
“About you having a tail when diving?” Wakuu smiled, his eyes curved up, and his face also became especially gentle. Wakuu sat down next to her, placed his hands on the floor, leaned back slightly, and looked up at the moon. “It's been quite a while. In the Summer I saw a mermaid swimming near the beach. At first, I thought I was mistaken. But a few days later, I saw you again with that mermaid near the pier.”
Denali … Stella sighed. Honestly, Wakuu's reaction was calmer than she thought. As an Astronomer, she believed he was someone who believed in what science could explain. And merfolks... shouldn't they only appear in fairy tales?
“It's a bit hard to believe.” Wakuu suddenly said, he used another cotton towel to carefully place it on Stella's hair, then gently wiped her wet hair. Wakuu's long fingers were extremely warm, Stella shivered slightly when he touched her wet curls. His gentle voice rang out again. “But I guess everything has become unbelievable since you came back here.”
“… Is that a bad thing?”
Wakuu laughed. “On the contrary, everything becomes… better with you here.”
Stella blushed. She wondered if Wakuu knew that he was a very gentle and sweet person. This man always knows how to make her heart flutter with his gentleness.
“Let's go, I'll take you home.”
Stella really wanted to say he didn’t to do that, but when Wakuu pulled her up, she decided to stay silent. Stella also said nothing when Wakuu chose to take... the longer route back to her farm. Wakuu put his hands in his pockets and calmly walked together with Stella back home.
“Did you know that if you discover a new star, you can name it?”
"Really?" Stella smiled softly and asked again. She really didn't know too much about the stars, but they must be amazing for Wakuu to like them so much. “You want to discover a new star?”
Wakuu laughed. “Probably everyone who works as an Astronomer hopes they can achieve that achievement. Isn't it wonderful to be able to name a star?
"Yeah."
Wakuu gently hummed an unfamiliar song that Stella had never heard before. She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. As if sensing her gaze, Wakuu turned his head to look, slightly embarrassed, then cleared his throat and said.
“Just a lullaby. I listened to that song every day when I was on the boat with my dad.” Stella nodded. The way from the pier back to her farm was not too far, very soon the two of them arrived in front of her house. When Stella was about to step inside, Wakuu suddenly called her back. "Thank you."
His voice was very gentle. The moonlight from above shone down to reveal Wakuu's very gentle face. Stella laughed softly.
“I'm glad everything is resolved.”
Wakuu laughed. Stella loves to see him smile.
“There's also... the taco you made, it's delicious.”
Stella was stunned, smiled, and asked.
“Even better than Emma’s?”
Wakuu was stunned, then laughed softly. "Yeah, the best tacos."
Stella pursed her lips to prevent a smile from blooming on her face. She turned and pushed the door open to enter the house. Before the door closed, both of them spoke in unison.
"Good night."
Stella was stunned, then laughed, waved at Wakuu, then closed the door.
Wakuu stood there for a while longer until the light in Stella's small house was turned on again, then he turned and left, still humming the lullaby he heard when he was a child.
~~*~~
“You come to the pier more and more these days.” Stella sighed as she grabbed Wakuu's hand and he pulled her up. He skillfully used a cotton towel to wipe her hair. Stella bowed her head slightly so that he could more easily touch her wet hair. Her eyes glanced slightly at the Coral Inn behind her, which was still brightly lit. “Oh right, thank you for distracting Alice last time.”
"It’s nothing," Wakuu said calmly, then used another clean towel to put it on Stella's shoulders. “I've always wanted to ask you what it's like under the ocean?”
“Beautiful." Stella smiled. She excitedly told Wakuu about the interesting sea creatures she encountered in the ocean. Wakuu just smiled, calmly took her hand, and pulled her towards the path back to the farm. “I brought a lot of sea critters back for the museum.”
“No wonder Scott talks all day about how great you are at bringing sea critters to donate for the museum.” Wakuu nodded and said. He tilted his head, looking at Stella who became excited every time she talked about the ocean. He thought he could somewhat understand why Stella was a mermaid. She loves the sea and is almost a part of it. “Maybe you should take me to see those creatures sometimes?”
Stella was startled, then she shook her head and laughed. “I don’t think you could stay underwater that long.”
Wakuu laughed softly. “Well, understandable.”
They once again stopped in front of Stella's house. She bid him goodbye, but Wakuu quickly pulled her back. He felt a little embarrassed and stuffed a letter into her hand. Stella was stunned, looking at him in surprise.
“Wakuu?”
“Ahem… go inside and open it.”
Stella was taken aback, but nodded. She slowly walked into the house, saying goodbye to him as usual. Stella immediately opened the letter as she closed the door behind her. The letter was written in very neat handwriting, written by Wakuu. He asked her to meet him at the Observatory tomorrow night.
Stella put the letter to her nose, she smiled a little shyly. In the air, Stella seemed to still be able to smell the faint scent that belonged to Wakuu.
“You’re here,” Wakuu spoke enthusiastically. Stella couldn't help but smile. She didn't think she'd ever seen this man so excited before. She slowly walked forward, and Wakuu quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her to the large telescope in the room. “Let's take a look.”
Stella nodded, quickly bent down, and used the telescope. Wakuu's breath seemed to play on the back of her neck. His hand was placed on Stella's waist, and another hand held her hand, gently controlling the telescope. His voice sounded soft.
“Wait a moment… it's almost there…”
Not long after that, Stella saw a pink shooting star flash across the sky, passing through the telescope.
“Beautiful, right?”
“Yeah.” Stella said happily, continuing to observe the stars through the telescope. For the first time, Stella felt that being an Astronomer would be a wonderful thing. She wondered what those brightly shining stars meant. Wakuu gently pulled her hand. “Wakuu?”
“Those stars are beautiful, but it's difficult for me to enjoy them,” Wakuu said calmly. He took Stella's hand and smiled softly. “Especially when you're here, nothing can compare to your beauty.”
Stella was embarrassed. “You… really know how to make my heart flutter.”
Wakuu blinked in surprise and then laughed. "Really? But I only told the truth. Also… I have really wanted to ask you this for a long time, will you… be my girlfriend?”
Stella was stunned, then she blushed shyly and nodded in agreement. Wakuu immediately hugged her, a kiss falling on Stella's hair.
“Thank you. I have always wanted to do this.”
It was a very beautiful afternoon in late Fall. Wakuu and Stella held hands and walked along the beach. Stella clicked her tongue when she heard the sound of something. She raised her head and saw Denali clinging to a large rock, waving at her. Wakuu laughed when he saw the mermaid looking curiously at the two of them.
“It's been a while since you went diving, right?”
“Two weeks…” Stella nodded.
Wakuu gently pushed her shoulder. “Go ahead, I'll wait for you here.”
Wakuu quietly followed Stella as she walked towards Denali. The mermaid carefully grabbed Stella's hand and supported her as she sat down on the pier, slowly dropping her whole body into the water. Wakuu saw Stella's legs glow slightly and then a beautiful tail appeared in front of him. It sparkled in the warm sunlight. Wakuu walked over and watched Stella drop her whole body into the water, revealing only her head, looking at him.
"Hold on."
Stella turned her head. Wakuu bent down, his hands gently cupping her face. Stella tilted her head up, her eyes widening as Wakuu placed a kiss on her lips. That kiss was just a very gentle kiss. Wakuu laughed, pinched Stella's nose, and said playfully.
“I was hoping I would have a tail when I kissed you.”
Stella parted her lips, then laughed. She grabbed Wakuu's collar, pulling him in for a deep kiss. She rubbed her nose against Wakuu's and said lovingly.
“You’re so silly...”
Wakuu smiled, stroking her hair. “Before you go, I want to tell you a secret.”
“Yes?”
“I named a star after you. Étoile dans la Mer.” Wakuu whispered, kissing Stella's temple again. “My Stella.”