Chapter Text
The sky was what drew Shōto out. Just the same as every evening, when the sun went down and the beaches were empty.
It was then that he was free to stretch out his fins and push through the surface of the ocean's waves to glimpse some of the things those land-dwelling creatures were free to enjoy whenever they so chose. Many other mers were not fond of the habit, especially Shōto's family. As secretive as he tried to be, it was known that he would swim up. Attempts to stop him would last no longer than a few sunrises before he would find his way out again. So, most of them had stopped, only verbally discouraging him from continuing. Telling him stories about humans to try and frighten him into staying in.
Of course, Shōto was never going to listen to them. Why should he? What was the risk in it? Only ever going during the night, staying away from the shore, no matter how tempting it was to get closer, no one had ever taken notice of him before. No reason should that change now. Plus, the view was too incredible to give up.
Even more so from his favourite spot. A simple rock, large enough for him to stretch across, barnacles and other little friends scattered the sides but the top of it was free. It was just close enough that Shōto could see a few buildings in the area beyond the sand. On some days, usually if it was rainy, he would get lucky and the rock would still be warm from the sun shining down on it. Unfortunately, as he pulled himself up this time, he found the stone to be as cold as the water that crashed down upon it. It was a comfortable temperature for Shōto but the warmth was always nice.
Carefully, he situated himself. Caudal fin still in the water, to occasionally splash water up over his head and keep his gills and skin comfortably damp, no pressure placed on any of the fins along his tail. They wouldn’t be damaged if he lay on them, it just didn’t feel great.
Once Shōto was comfortable enough, he was finally able to take in the sights. The sand while dry, the wind sometimes picking it up, the colourful lights from the buildings, the moon and all of the stars it was outshining, the clouds that were so wispy they could blot out none of the light.
What a beautiful night.
Hanta hated it when he was scheduled to work in the afternoon. It was so busy and his boss had to not like him, why else was she always starting his shift in the middle of rush hours?
In the fall, it was not so bad. The groups were smaller, there were far less children around, he didn’t feel like he was melting. If it were fall right now, he wouldn’t be so annoyed. No, it was summer. Summertime was filled with vacationers, tourists, students seeking out short-term jobs.
Lovely for all of those people. A miserable time for him.
Due to the cruelty of his boss, he was scheduled to close and could not leave until it was late. Which was the only redeemable part of the evening so far. It was much less busy in the later hours. Walking home was actually peaceful and quiet.
At this hour, Hanta really should have headed home quickly. In the morning, he did have to wake up early after all. The stress of the evening would have made sleeping unreasonably difficult anyway, so he decided to do something he knew would help him calm down. Going to the beach.
Often throughout his childhood, in the sweet little seaside town, he had sought out the sounds of the sea when he needed to cool off. When he was really young, and not allowed to go wandering around on his own, he remembered begging his mother to bring him to ‘the shell spot’— to this day, the plot of sand with the biggest shells.
Usually he would prefer to remove his shoes, or to be in sandals— another piece of evidence to his boss hating him, he never got to wear sandals and for entirely no reason, several other members of staff were given that privilege, so why it was not extended to him, he had no clue— but he did not want to track sand into his house. Having to clean up sand, after the night he had? Yeah, no. No way. He was not going to put up with that. Walking around with the shoes on, while not as satisfying as letting his heels sink into the damp sand closer to the shore, was good enough for the time being.
As he trekked, enjoying the cool feel and scent of salty sea air, and the gently lapping waves of a calm evening, Hanta noticed something. Having lived here for the majority of his childhood and all of his adult life, he knew what he would see while walking the beach. Or at least what he should see.
What looked to be a person, at least when he squinted, on the rock was not something that should be there. Especially not when it was dark out. Wondering why, he went closer to the shore and felt the water begin seeping into both his socks and shoes. He called out to the person, asking what they were doing, but his voice was drowned out. Each attempt got entirely no reaction.
After debating if it was at all worth it, Hanta sighed and began to go further into the water. Curses to curiosity. To be fair to himself, the person did seem a little unusual. Very unique hair, and what looked to be equally unique hair accessories.
Maybe they were filming something? Or taking photos? God was he going to feel like an asshole if he interrupted someone’s late-night photoshoot. It was too late to really change his mind though, he was already swimming out to the rock. Not exactly his best idea ever, especially fully clothed and with his, thankfully unaffected by water, phone still on him. It was still an idea that was quick to pay off.
Resting in the water, looking up at the odd person, Hanta noticed something. A few somethings. First, the things he thought to be hair accessories instead were attached to the stranger’s ears. In some way or other. Honestly, he couldn’t even see their ears at all… They must be really talented. Second, the sets of gills on this person which, honestly he might not have thought much of, if they were not moving . Again, a show of this person’s clear talent in makeup. Third, despite being so close to them that he could visibly see how perfect their complexion was, he was somehow still not noticed. Oh, and the bonus of no cameras in sight.
Hanta called up to the stranger, that still not managing to catch their attention. Considering that perhaps they did not have great hearing, he pulled himself up onto a rock. Immediately afterward, he heard a gasp and felt eyes on him. He glanced up to meet the most beautiful, and panicked, pair of stormy sea eyes that anyone could possibly possess.
Shōto gasped. He was caught. Again, he was caught, and who knew how tough it would be to sneak away next time. Though, as he took a closer look at the mer, who seemed to be doing the same, they were not at all familiar. His family would never send someone he did not know after him, not after the first time they had tried it; so who was this?
“I’ve never seen you before, nor a fish like you in the region. Where have you come from?” Shōto questioned, pulling himself closer to the strange dark-haired mer.
Those words sparked both confusion and served as a confirmation. Hanta was looking at a mermaid. Or merfolk? Merperson? Whatever the term, there was a real one, in the flesh, right in front of him. This must be a dream.
Tilting his head, Shōto frowned, “Ah, can you not understand me? I thought this the common tongue of the region? Oh, but if you are from somewhere else, I suppose it makes sense…” He tried remembering what he had been told by Kyōka.
Thankfully, it seemed that was not necessary. A response was given. “N-no! I can understand you. Just, uh, just fine..” A response, but clearly an uncertain one.
Who would have thought they were speaking the same languages as humans. Maybe they had their own languages as well, but Hanta was very interested in learning why that was the case. Maybe just because they were living so closely to one another? Or was it common to interact with one another, if not now, at some point in time?
Not thinking anything of his actions, Shōto reached out and slightly lifted the shirt that Hanta was wearing, trying to get a look at his presumed-to-exist scales. Most mers had at least some which extended onto their torso, for some in patches and for others simply tapered off higher. That was the case with his own, the very highest reaching of his scales being along his sides. On the other, there were no scales to be found, just smooth, oddly warm, skin… How strange, but many creatures of the waters were free of scales.
“Hmm… Maybe you are a snail then? Or a catfish?” Shōto theorized, not leaving Hanta with any time to comprehend what was going on. “You do have very soft skin and fairly plump lips, which makes sense for a catfish, but you are missing the typical fins.” As Shōto contemplated, he splashed water over the pair of them, taking note of something else. No gills. “No, definitely a snail. Or a squid, perhaps, I nearly forgot about them…”
The fresh splash of chilly water set off Hanta’s shivering anew. Thankfully it also gave him a chance to pull his shirt back into place, forcing the hands out from under it. “I don't…” Hanta paused, pushing his hair back out of his face, “I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not any of that… I don't have a tail,” he informed.
Shōto tilted his head in confusion. No tail? What did he mean? His tail was right there. At least it was. All of a sudden, the single tail split into two tails… No. Not tails, legs.
A human.
Immediately, Shōto backed away. “You… You didn't attack me?”
Hanta frowned as he saw the panicked look in those pretty eyes. He lifted his hands placatingly, “Of course not! I don't even have anything I could attack you with, if I did want to. Which I don't! I don't want to attack you,” he said.
Those words earned nothing more than a suspicious look before Shōto sat up straighter and looked around, mainly at the beach. “Humans have always hunted us, I am not going to believe that. Were you going to follow me back? Are you with more people? Are you meant to be distracting me?” Shōto questioned, moving closer to the edge of the rock.
“I thought you were a human when I came over here, I wouldn't have swum over if I knew you were a mermaid or… Whatever you're called,” Hanta explained and backed away as much as he himself could. He had much less space. “You already pretty much checked me for weapons, I don't have anything.”
Still worried, Shōto kept an eye on the human, but it only made him more curious. “Fine. I do have a weapon, in case you try anything,” he said. It was a lie, he was completely unarmed, but there had to be something he could grab from the water. There always was. “What's your name? Mine is Shōto. I was told humans have two names, please only tell me one of them, otherwise it will be confusing,” he asked, wanting something other than human and stranger to call him.
Hanta stared blankly for a moment as he took in the change. “Hanta. Uh, that's my first name… So, you have stories about humans attacking your kind? We have those about you too.”
The answer came quickly in the form of a nod. “Yes.” Shōto confirmed verbally as well. “Not only stories, we have found remains of our own in shipwrecks in the past. It is a very well-known thing among all mers that land creatures, especially humans, are dangerous. We are told the stories starting when we are very young,” he said.
Not asking more questions was a difficult thing. So many things to know about the world that could only be viewed. For Hanta, the sea, for Shōto the land.
Naturally, Shōto was the first to give in to his curiosity. He was on the rock only to view the human world after all. “Do you live in one of those structures over there?” he asked as he pointed over at those that he could see. There were less of the lights on. He wondered why.
“Oh, no. I live on the beach.”
That answer was slightly confusing. “There are no structures on the sand. I thought all humans lived either on ships or in those?” Shōto frowned.
Hanta laughed lightly as he shook his head. “Sorry, I see how that's confusing. It's not on the sandy part of the beach, the rocky area further down. There's a small dock over there, can only reach it when the tide is high now,” he clarified, “Do you build things to live in?”
“Hm, okay,” Shōto said with a short nod. “Typically, no. It does depend on the type of mer. Some live in caverns or burrows. Some take-over human-built things that are now in the ocean. There are a few who will live in structures made by us, my family does. We try our best not to construct many things as it bothers other sea life.”
“Oh. That makes sense. Is there a reason why your family lives where you do?”
“Yes, I am not going to tell a human that information though.”
Again, Hanta laughed, amused by that reply. “Fair enough. If you won’t tell me that, can I know why you looked so panicked at first? You clearly thought that I was a… One of you at first, so what was the issue?” he asked, one of his brows raising in the process.
At first, Shōto stayed silent, face pensive as he debated on whether or not that question was fine to answer. A minute and a sigh later, he shifted his gaze out toward the open ocean. “I am not allowed up here. It’s discouraged for most everyone to not go swimming where humans might see you, but… My family is more strict on the rules,” he paused to look back at Hanta, “My father has sent a lot of people to find me. They all know to look for me here, so it is never difficult for them.”
“Oh? Why don’t you go somewhere else then?” It was a genuinely confusing thing for Hanta. If he did not want to be found, why not go somewhere harder to find?
Shōto did not view it that way. Though thinking about such a simple solution did bring a smile- which Hanta was quick to admire- to his face. “If there were an emergency, no one would know where I was. Since I stay out of the water, if someone called for me, I likely wouldn’t hear it from so far away either. At least my sister would have to know,” he explained.
Hanta let those words stew. While it wasn’t said explicitly, he understood what was meant by them. It was dangerous. While he had his phone and could technically be reached whenever necessary, it was different for Shōto and… all of the rest. The rule made perfect sense.
Hanta nodded, trying to show that he understood. “Makes sense, yeah. Maybe you-” he was cut off by his own shivering as a sharp wind cut across his exposed skin. Not that anything covered was any warmer. He brought his hands up to his face and pressed his palms against his cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Shōto asked. The reason was unclear to him, but he could tell that something was wrong.
“I’m just a little cold. No biggie,” Hanta dismissed with a shake of his head.
Shtōto frowned, reaching out to place his own hands over Hanta’s. “Why are you cold?”
The concern being shown to him by this stranger, Hanta, don’t forget, was embarrassing. Beneath his clammy hands, he felt his face warming. “Wet clothes, cold wind.”
“Wet clothes? Why not just take them off?” Shōto questioned, dropping one of his hands onto Hanta’s shoulder to tug at his sleeve. All of that fabric seemed a little excessive anyway.
“Uh- No! I can’t do that!... It would probably make it worse.”
“Why not? I have no clothes and I am not cold? The humans I do see are never wearing this much.”
Hanta sighed. The chilly air might soon stop being an issue if his face grew any hotter. “Because-! My skin would still be wet,” he said, sounding a little uncertain.
Shōto frowned and let his other arm drop as well. If the cold was such a prevalent issue, why were so many humans coming into the water? Including children. What kind of parents would let their child freeze over water! “Oh. So… How will you be not cold?”
“I have to change. At home… So I would have to, you know… Leave.” Hanta found it oddly difficult to say that. Not helped by the clear flicker of disappointment that crossed the pretty fish boy’s face when he said it. “Uh, you can help me get there, if you want?” he offered, hoping to appease him.
The suggestion did brighten Shōto’s expression, though his apprehension was evident. “Are you sure? This isn’t some sort of trap, is it?”
Hanta’s chuckle was, apparently, not an appreciated response. “Sorry, sorry. I swear it isn’t. You can… Hold onto me while I swim? If that helps? I’m not that strong of a swimmer anyway, so it probably is for the best.”
Shōto tilted his head just to the left, narrowing his eyes questioningly. “Then why did you come over to the rock? That’s dangerous, even I know that,” he said, leaning back and placing more of his weight on his hips. It was about time for him to splash himself with water again, but he was holding out for Hanta’s sake.
“I was curious!” Hanta huffed, ignoring the urge to defend himself further when Shōto’s head only tilted further. “Hey! You have no right to look at me like that, Mr.Rulebreaker. Do you want to swim with me or not?”
“I suppose I will. This way?” Shōto asked, pointing down the beach in the direction that he was facing. Hanta’s nod was all the spurring it took for him to slide down from the rock.
He allowed the water to carry him for only a moment, the gentle motion a great comfort for him, before he swam around to the other side of the rock. His head popped out of the water as he peered at Hanta, urging him to hurry and get down.
Sighing once again, Hanta much more carefully got down. It felt a little less chilly while fully in the water. It helped that, before he could process it, a pair of pale arms were wrapped around his middle and a torso pressed against his own. Shōto was very close… It seemed to not bother him even a quarter as much. “Why-? Uh, why… Like this?” Hanta questioned, not looking at the other because their faces were already practically touching.
Shōto blinked at the dark-haired male as if the answer should be obvious. “My fins. They might cut you if you were on my back. And you need the air, yes?”
Hanta shook his head. “You realize you could just hold onto my arm or something, right?”
“Right. Would you prefer that? It would be a little slower, but not difficult.” Shōto shrugged.
“No, but-” Hanta huffed as he was suddenly flipped, laying fully on Shōto as he started to swim. He was mostly out of the water and Shōto was clearly having no trouble swimming like this. It reminded Hanta of otters. Which was another embarrassment. Not only was he being carried, he was being carried like a baby otter. “Geez, warn me before doing that,” he mumbled in complaint.
Shōto giggled, the sound not noticeably muffled by being submerged in water, “I will next time,” he promised, “Let me know when we arrive, I can’t see.” Not that that was a complaint, he did love to watch the sky after all.
The prospect of a ‘next time’ hardly crossed Hanta’s mind. He found himself quickly distracted by the fact that Shōto felt even warmer in the water than out of it. That did make sense since he was meant to be in the water, but it still came as a surprise to Hanta. He nodded dumbly and simply relaxed, keeping his head lifted to watch the shore. Luckily, Hanta could recognize the place from the water, so it did not take much active effort to watch out for the familiar rocks.
For only around ten minutes, they continued in this way, Hanta almost being coaxed into sleep. The occasional spray of water crashing into him the only thing preventing it. He almost missed his stop, staring at the approaching dock blankly for several long seconds before he realized. “Oh- We’re here,” Hanta informed.
Shōto paused as soon as he heard those words, carefully reorienting both of them so that he could see. He was still very careful to not let Hanta’s head dip under. He could not see the building very well, but what he could see of it was so interesting. He really hoped to see it closer. Now was not the time for that. “It looks nice,” he smiled, continuing to drag Hanta along until they reached the end of the dock. “Do you need help getting up there?”
Hanta answered with a shake of his head and, once he was let go, he put his hands on top of the wood and pulled himself up. He sat there on the edge with a sigh, looking down at the mer with a slight smile. “Thanks for the help. And hey, now you know where I live, if you wanna visit. Siblings who are cool are invited.”
“Would… it be okay for me to come tomorrow?” Shōto asked. It was risky, incredibly so, but he had to know more.
Hanta froze in surprise. Despite offering it, he had not expected an acceptance. “Oh, uh, sure? Yeah, if you want to. I should be here… Two hours after sunset?” he said.
Shōto nodded, pretending that he understood. He would just show up when it got dark and wait. “Okay. I will see you tomorrow,” he said with a small smile.
“Yeah.” Hanta was hesitant, not wanting to say goodbye, then waved.
The gesture confused Shōto, but he understood once Hanta stood that it was a human farewell. He raised his arm to mimic it and watched as Hanta walked toward the structure. Shōto waited until he could no longer see him before he turned to dive down into the water. As soon as he was home, he wrote to Kyōka, requesting that she visit immediately.
For the rest of the evening, Hanta had his odd new acquaintance on his mind, even his dreams flooded with thoughts of swimming.