Work Text:
Kuroo walked down the beach, his heart stammering in his chest. The sun was hanging low by the horizon, almost kissing the surface of the ocean. The water was peaceful, unlike the storm that was wreaking havoc in his mind as if to mock his state of near panic.
For the past month that he was spending the summer vacation at his grandparents' beach house, he was meeting up with this strange boy - Kenma. At first, their friendship was rather rocky, with the younger one being skittish and aloof. At some point, Kuroo felt like a creep trying to coax him out of his shell, but as soon as he stopped pushing, Kenma searched for him all on his own volition, and only then did the fun begin.
Kenma was a quiet kid with interesting hair color. While most of it was bleached blond, his roots were black, making him look like a delicious pudding. Kuroo mentioned it once, but his friend didn't seem to like the comparison.
They were hanging out every day, always meeting by this one spot on the beach. It was covered in high rocks that Kenma loved to lounge on and soak up the sun. His skin remained pale, and it shone brightly, sometimes reminding Kuroo of fish scales. His pretty golden eyes were captivating and a little scary, like the ones of a predator, but Kenma was pretty small. He couldn't pose a threat even if he wanted to.
For how much he loved the beach, Kenma seemed to despise the sea, only allowing it to coexist with his favourite spot but never actually getting in the water. When Kuroo proposed that they could go swimming, there was something in Kenma's eyes he couldn't quite put a name on, but what immediately made him back out of that plan. He wasn't sure whether his friend found the ocean scary or otherwise displeasing, but he never asked to go swimming, or even walking directly by it ever again.
Friendship with Kenma was growing and flourishing with each day. They talked and played games and walked through the neighbourhood, discovering new places. For a local, Kenma was oddly unfamiliar with the town, but Kuroo didn't mind. Having to experience the arcade and restaurants together was so much fun, he was glad it was Kenma's first time too.
With time, though, he realized that the feelings he harbored for his new friend far exceeded a platonic relationship. Every time he saw Kenma's smile directed at him, his heart skipped a beat, and his palms started sweating. He found himself thinking of this boy even when they weren't together, and he missed him as soon as they parted in the evenings, growing giddy in anticipation to see him again the next day.
It was only a small summer crush, he tried convincing himself, but the mere thought of never seeing Kenma again made his stomach churn. He had to say something, whether to be rejected and move on or figure out a way to stay together.
Kuroo walked through the beach, passing very few tourists that hang out in this area. It was far from the guarded part of the coast, and the sharp rocks sprang out from the sand almost everywhere, growing in size the further he went. Kenma loved the peacefulness of this secluded place, away from screams of joy and thrashing in the water.
Kuroo couldn't stop thinking about what he was about to do, growing colder with nerves. Even the hot sunset with its intense, orange rays of light wasn't able to warm his icy cold hands.
"Kuro!" He heard a call from above.
Without even realizing it, he reached the part of the shore where he could always find his friend.
Kenma was sitting atop the highest rock and waving at him with that gentle smile that almost made his knees buckle under him. He couldn't stop the wide, toothy grin that spread across his own face.
He waved back and waited as the other boy swiftly jumped down to meet him on the sand.
"I have something…"
"I wanna tell you…"
They looked at each other in shock, not knowing how to react to this situation.
Kenma wanted to tell him something? What could it be?
"You go first…"
"You can start…"
They chuckled awkwardly at how in unison they were.
"How about we say it at the same time? Sounds like we're quite good at it," joked Kuroo, scratching the back of his head. He really didn't want to go first, but he was scared that he'd chicken out if he didn't say it in the next five minutes.
Kenma smiled and nodded, but his movements were stiff and tense as if he too was stressed about whatever it was that he wanted to share with Kuroo. At least they were nervous together.
"Alright, so on three? One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
"I'm in love with you!"
"I'm a merman."
Their eyes widened with shock, each surprised by the other's statement.
"You're what?!" they shouted in unison, and it was so ridiculous, they both snorted just a tiniest bit.
Kuroo was so stunned by Kenma's confession that he lost his ability to speak for a moment.
"You… like me? Like… In love?" Kenma's voice was filled with emotion, his eyes watering, as a small smile sneaked into the corner of his mouth.
"You're a what?!" Kuroo wasn't about to let that other thing go. There was no way Kenma actually meant it, right? He was probably joking to lighten the mood, seeing how stressed Kuroo was and wanting to distract him with silly things.
"Oh, yeah. A merman. But that doesn't matter. You really like me like that?"
Kuroo must have been dreaming or in a coma, making the wildest shit up. So instead of arguing, he simply decided to focus on how happy Kenma looked with his confession. "Yeah. I really like you. And I don't want us to go our separate ways once the summer is over. I want to keep in touch, and maybe, I don't know, date…?"
"Yes! I like you too, Kuro. I'm so happy you told me that!"
Kenma, who was usually rather calm and collected, took a step closer and placed his hands over Kuroo's cheeks before placing a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. When Kuroo felt his friend's soft breath on his skin, it was as if time stopped around them. Suddenly, nothing else mattered except for this short, beautiful boy kissing him sweetly, and trembling with emotions.
It must have lasted for maybe a few minutes, but for Kuroo, they were somewhere where time didn't exist. Just the two of them, gazing into each other's eyes with passion and a promise of more days spent together.
When they finally parted, Kenma's eyes were shining with barely concealed excitement.
"Now you have to come with me! I wanna share with you my favourite places. You're gonna love them!"
Before Kuroo could react, Kenma grabbed his hand and ran towards the sea so quickly, the water soon reached their waists, wetting their clothes.
"I thought you didn't like the- oh my god!"
Kuroo almost jumped out of his own skin when the water started bubbling around them - around Kenma, to be precise - and his best friend's body shifted. A second later, the hand that had been holding his became softer, somewhat slippery, as the space between those fingers disappeared. There was this soft, almost translucent membrane connecting them.
Kenma's ears transformed too, looking like side fins of a very big fish, and his eyes were now unblinking, eyelids smoothed and incorporated into the rest of his skin. But the biggest change happened beneath the water level. Instead of a pair of normal human legs, there was a golden, strong tail glimmering in the setting sun and swishing playfully from side to side.
Kuroo looked at all those changes, appalled. It was a miracle he didn't scream or faint, but only froze in complete shock.
"You alright?" asked Kenma carefully, his excitement replaced with wariness.
Kuroo was utterly speechless, barely remembering to breathe. His brain short-circuited and was slowly restarting. Finally, some of the pieces fell into place. The way Kenma was always close to the sea but never enough to let it touch him. How he knew nothing of the town, even though he lived "around" all his life. How he kept his distance from the people but was amazed by all the games at the arcade as if seeing them for the first time.
"You really are a mermaid," he whispered after a long moment of silence.
"Merman, but yeah." Kenma was suddenly tense again. "Does that change… how you feel about me? I'll understand if you don't wanna hang out anymore, but please, keep it a secret. I'm not allowed to tell humans about us."
His demeanor changed, and he floated slightly away, creating some distance between them. His dejected, hurt voice finally brought Kuroo back to his senses.
"No!" Kenma's scared eyes widened at that. "I mean, it doesn't change anything for me. I still like you." And he really meant it.
Any other boy his age would freak out after seeing that transformation of his new friend, but Kuroo wasn't scared for even a moment. He was amazed, charmed even, looking at the strong tail covered in fish scales and had to physically restrain himself from touching. He wasn't a pervert. He'd ask permission first. Maybe it was racist to do it? He really just wanted to inspect the place where mostly human skin gradiented into more of a fish body without being disrespectful. It was just so fascinating.
Kenma's eyes lit up, happiness overtaking his soft features. "I'm really glad you do. I wanna take you with me."
A pang of fear flashed through Kuroo's heart. "You mean…" he started, but then he lowered his voice, unsure. "You wanna drown me?"
Kenma's laughter filled the air, unexpectedly ripped out of his chest. "Gods, no! I like you too, remember?" He laughed a little longer as Kuroo's uneasiness turned into confusion. Kenma was nice enough to explain, though he did take his time to cackle before finally calming down. "I can turn you into a merman too. It's only temporary, but I'll be able to show you the most important parts."
"Oh."
"I need to kiss you though."
"Oh."
Kuroo's head was completely blank after hearing that. His heart sped up, drumming against his ribcage, more than excited. Kissing Kenma was such an otherworldly experience, he'd glue their lips together if he could. "Yeah, sure," he squeaked, a little too high, not able to hide his enthusiasm as well as he'd wish.
Kenma smiled at him and gently beckoned him further into the water. Only when their heads were barely above the surface did he bring their lips together in a sweet kiss, slowly submerging them under. When they parted, he kept them below, his grip strong and unforgiving.
Kuroo's first instinct was to panic, thrash around, and desperately try to go back up. He struggled against Kenma's iron hold on his shoulders before he was captivated by those hypnotizing golden eyes.
"Look down," the younger boy said, his voice changed funnily, gurglingly in a way but clear as ever.
Kuroo did as he was told, and a surprised "Wow" escaped his throat, freeing a few bubbles of air that he had left.
Below the waist, his legs were gone, replaced by long red tail ending with a beautiful, soft, flowy veil. It was moving with the current and reflecting the last rays of the setting sun. The view was amazing, extraordinary, nothing he had ever seen, and he knew that nothing would ever top that. Admiring the way it looked and moved, he was so transfixed that he didn't even realize that he was, in fact, breathing underwater.
"Everything okay?" he heard the concerned voice of his friend, who still held him by the shoulders.
"Yeah," he confirmed, turning his gaze to Kenma's tail and being even more enthralled by the extra-long, flowing double tail, lazily swinging back and forth. "Beautiful," escaped quietly from his lips.
Kenma blushed profusely and looked away in embarrassment. "Let's go," he muttered and started swimming, but his hand never let go of Kuroo's.
They swam slowly with the current, Kuroo quickly getting the hang of his new appendage and easily making himself move forward. It was surprisingly easy, all things considered, and soon he was doing little loops and flips. Kenma watched him for a moment in amusement, but soon joined in on the fun. It was as if they were in space, no gravity keeping them down, as they whirled around, spinning and circling together, locked in an ethereal dance.
Kuroo brought Kenma closer to his chest, allowing the other's tail to entwine with his own. He kissed his boyfriend, letting the darkness of the sleepy ocean hide them from the rest of the world.
In the end, they didn't visit Kenma's favourite places, as the night had fallen.
"I'll show you everything tomorrow," promised Kenma with a parting kiss when he returned Kuroo to the land.
"I can't wait to see it."