Archive of Our Own

Part of Your World

By: Aviantei

[NagiReo Week 2026 1/7]

[Parameters: "Royalty AU | Fairytale AU | Didn't Know They Were Dating"]

The ocean is calm and quiet today, with just the most relaxing of currents in place. There's no storm up above, no rain or wind—just pleasant sunlight that slips down beneath the surface and leaves a comforting warmth through the water. It's on days like this that the guards around the sea palace are lax, and so it's much easier for Reo to sneak out, swimming towards the shore. Not that he can't sneak out whenever the conditions aren't so perfect, because he's a super elite mermaid prince, but that doesn't mean he can't celebrate the small victories.

"Are you going back to the beach?" Isagi asks, flapping his flounder fins to keep up with Reo's pace.

"Of course I am," Reo says, slipping past coral and seaweed and schools of rainbow colored fish with practiced ease. The route to shore isn't complicated, but it can be easy to lose track of the distance if you're not paying attention. "Days like this are perfect for people watching. I'm not gonna miss out." Whenever the weather's nice, the beach is busy, with humans fishing, swimming, or just enjoying the view.

Seeing what's on land, imagining what takes place in the coastal town that sits on the nearby cliffs—it's the one thing that Reo's never gotten bored with. The mermaid palace and its surrounding underwater city are beautiful, yes, built from glimmering seashells and cultivated coral, but Reo's lived his entire life there. Even gorgeous jewels get boring if all you do is look at the same ones over and over again.

He knows that he might just be imagining how amazing life on land is. But every day he looks, he can picture something different, can dream up all sorts of possibilities of what it must be like. And Reo doesn't want to give up the ocean, either, just—

He just wants to see. Wants to step on land himself and experience a world different than anything he's had before, even if it's just for a while.

And so he makes it to the shoreline, swims up to the outcropping of rocks a perfect distance to watch but not be seen from, and dreams.

Magic exists, though its arts are not ones that mermaids are inclined to have. The most they have is their voices, ones that can sing and lure prey close, but that is more of an innate gift than any particular spellcraft. Reo is well aware of this, since when he was younger he used to imagine that he'd be able to find a spell that would let him visit land, just for a little while. It didn't take much longer for that dream to slip away once he learned the limits of his own ability.

But just because Reo can't learn that type of magic doesn't mean that someone else can't. Sea witches are rare, but they do exist. Often, stories paint them as tricksters, willing to give you what you want at a cost, but Reo finds that sort of thinking impractical. Of course there's going to be a cost for magic; that's just smart business. What, do people expect all these sea witches to give out spells for free from the goodness of their hearts?

Besides, if magic has a cost, Reo's willing to pay it.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go back?" Isagi asks for what's almost the twentieth time since they left the castle. The ocean isn't as peaceful or inviting as it is some other days, but it's still not difficult to find the way Reo wants to go; he's memorized all the landmarks. "Or go up to the beach again? I think it would be way better to go to the beach today."

"If you want to go to the beach so bad, you can do it on your own," Reo says, scanning over the waters ahead. If he's gotten everything right so far, he should be able to—there. It's hard to make out the exact shape from such a distance, but he can see the shape of rocks, which, if the rumors are true, hosts the cave of the nearest sea witch. "I know you think this is a bad idea, but it's better than just lying around, wishing for something I don't know I can have." Magic may be real, but that doesn't mean it could make it possible for Reo to go on land. He hopes it can, because it's what he's wanted forever, but the easiest way to find out is to talk to a sea witch and see what they're capable of. "You know how long I've wanted this."

It'll be something that Reo's found on his own, instead of having it handed to him by his family.

When Reo swishes his tail to continue onward, Isagi is right beside him. "I know, Reo. But you're still a prince. If something happens to you, it's going to cause all kinds of problems. Excuse me if I don't want you to die a horrible death." Reo frowns, but he keeps on swimming. He knows Isagi has a point, but part of him doesn't care. Besides, if all he's doing is going on land for a bit (assuming it's possible) and coming back, what's the harm? He doesn't want to abandon the ocean—he just wants to see what it's like beyond it. "Okay, now just looking at the place, I think you can understand why I'm worried?"

Yes, Reo can. The cave isn't all the way down in the depths or anything, but it's still deep enough that there's less sunlight, even during the day, and the jagged shape of the surrounding rocks paints a less than welcoming picture. Not even the occasional pop of coral or anemones along the edges can do much to improve the mood. It's the sort of place that came straight out of scary stories told to baby merpeople so they'd behave and stay in bed at night.

It's also the sort of place that convinces Reo the rumors might be right.

"Come on, doesn't this look for real?" He swims closer as Isagi groans. If there's some sort of cave attached, the entrance should be visible, assuming any hypothetical sea witches haven't used magic to hide it. Reo hopes not; it would be a shame to come so far and have nothing to show for it. "Help me look around! There's gotta be something somewhere!"

Knowing that Reo won't relent until they either found a cave or no sign of one whatsoever, Isagi gives in and helps. It isn't too big of an area, so the two of them should be able to comb it over in no time. Isagi starts from the top while Reo swims down to the bottom, and, after not quite half an hour, he strikes gold along the western ridge.

If Reo hadn't been paying such close attention, he might've missed it, mistaken the darker shadows for a chunk of rock missing any algae. But when he trusts his gut and takes a closer look, the entrance of a cave is waiting for him. He opens his mouth to call for Isagi, then thinks better of it. He can already hear his friend claiming they'd found what they were looking for, so it's time to go back, since they have a lengthy swim back home, and Reo doesn't want to hear it. Short of the cave connecting to a complex cave system, it can't take too long to look over, and it would take even less time if someone did live inside.

Taking one more glance up and not seeing Isagi, Reo slips inside, making sure to keep a hand on the wall. The stone is cool to the touch, with the occasional patch of moss here and there adding softness beneath his fingers. Thanks to the hidden away nature of the cave, the light from outside doesn't reach too far in. Reo's not scared, but even he isn't excited enough to brute force his way through darkness, and he's just about to turn back whenever a soft glow catches his eye in the distance. It's not too bright, but it also doesn't move the way an angler fish would. Something is in this cave, and Reo's gonna find it.

Hand still on the wall, Reo swims forward until he comes to a bend. When he turns, the source of the light is obvious: glowing pieces of coral along the cave walls, though they're brighter than expected. They're also placed in roughly even positions, rather than the haphazard growth of natural formations, and Reo follows the trail deeper in until he comes across a much larger space, a hollowed out cave front that stretches out high, glowing coral all the way up to the ceiling. Reo gets sucked in by the view, and he doesn't notice the sound of someone else swimming until it's too late.

"Eh? Who do we have here?" The voice is lazy and drawling, and Reo whirls around, coming face to face with another mer with messy white hair and glass gray eyes that catch the coral lights just right. All of a sudden, Reo is very aware that he's been trespassing into someone else's home, and that's not a good look, even if we came here with honest intentions. "A mermaid? You're kinda far from home, aren't you?"

"It's not—that far…" God, he's stuttering. He just might've had an image of what the sea witch would look like that was a bit like Ba-ya, and not this handsome yet intimidating person in front of him. Reo clears his throat and channels all his court training into sounding confident. "Are you the sea witch? If you are, I'm here to ask for a spell."

The sea witch(?) stares at Reo for a good, long minute, and Reo has the opportunity to stare back. Unlike Reo's own fish tail, the sea witch has a collection of eight black tentacles flexing gently beneath them, the gray undersides showing through now and then in their movement. "What's your name, little mermaid?"

That so doesn't answer his question, and Reo frowns. "Shouldn't you tell me your name first?" That's just polite, though if this is the sea witch, maybe Reo shouldn't be mouthing off so easy.

But the sea witch just hums, like that hadn't even occurred to him. "Nagi," he says, and then doesn't elaborate, continuing to stare.

"Alright, Nagi. I'm Reo. Prince Reo." Most of the time, Reo doesn't like throwing around his title, but it can't hurt to have some reassurance that doing anything to harm him isn't a good idea. All of Isagi's worrying must be getting to him. But Reo doesn't plan to show off enough weakness to be taken advantage of, so he presses forward. "So, Nagi. Are you a sea witch?"

Nagi hums. "I didn't think a prince would need magic to get what he wants."

All the non-answers are starting to fray on Reo's nerves a bit, but, if he has to give credit to anything about his childhood as the heir to the kingdom, it's that he knows how to keep his cool. This is a negotiation, and Mikage Reo always gets what he wants. "Being a prince doesn't mean I can go on land," he says, making it clear what he's here for. Nagi tilts his head a bit, but doesn't say more, so Reo fills the silence. "That's what I want. Now, if you can't help me, that's fine—I'll stop wasting your time. But if you can help me…"

Reo trails off, not knowing what else to say. He's trying not to come across as desperate, but the truth is that he is. Being able to go on land, that's a certain kind of freedom that no one else would be able to take away from him. None of his parents' guards would be able to drag Reo back home if they can't be on land, too, plus none of the humans would recognize Reo as a prince. They might just be able to see him for him, which is a privilege he's never had in his entire life.

"My magic can do that," Nagi says, and hope explodes in Reo's chest. He couldn't push the excitement down if he tried.

"Perfect! Then that's what I want!"

"And what do I get in return?" Those intense eyes are staring again, and Reo can't look away. Something slips around his wrist, and it takes him too long to realize that Nagi's wrapped a tentacle around him. It's not tight enough that Reo couldn't pull away if he needs to, but it does mean Nagi's gotten closer. "I don't do magic for free, little mermaid."

Reo swallows before he can stop himself. "W-what's your price?" Dammit, he should've spent a little bit more time doing research before rushing out; he has no idea what sort of exact costs sea witches have. Everything in the legends is vague bullshit about be careful what you wish for and don't fuck around with powers you don't understand, and so Reo doesn't have a starting point he can use to turn the tides in his favor.

The tentacle around Reo's wrist tightens just the slightest bit. Nagi's up in his face now, just the slightest movement away from their chests brushing up against each other. "Reo," he says, and then, just to make it clearer: "I want Reo." Reo's breath catches, and another tentacle traces a line up his spine, and—

"Hey! What're you doing to him?!"

Isagi's voice jolts Reo back to his senses, though the atmosphere is still tense. Isagi swims over in a green blur, trying to put himself between Nagi and Reo. It's brave and stupid, considering there's very little a fish like him can do against larger mer, but that's never stopped him from trying. "I told you this was stupid idea that would get you killed!"

Nagi, of all things, is pouting. "I wasn't going to kill Reo."

"That's not what it looked like to me." Isagi turns to Reo, fins fluttering in agitation. "You haven't made a deal or anything like that, have you? We should go home before it's too late."

That makes Nagi's expression darken, just a bit. "This fish is annoying. Maybe I'll curse them."

"No one is cursing anyone!" Reo says, pulling Isagi a bit more behind him. Yeah, he and Isagi bicker sometimes, but Reo doesn't want to see anything bad happen to him. Is a couple of feet going to do anything against a sea witch's magic? Probably not, but Reo's still gonna try. "Look," he says to Nagi, and his voice comes out steady, "no cursing my friends, or we're not going to make a deal."

And there's that stupid pout again. "Mm, okay, if Reo says so…" And then he brightens up, just the slightest amount. "So if I leave the stupid fish alone, Reo will make a deal with me?"

"Hey! I'm right here, and I can hear everything you're saying."

Nagi doesn't even look to Isagi, his gaze locked on Reo. Reo, to his immense credit, does not shiver. "Well, that's step one. You're asking for a lot, since I'm a prince and all." Not that Reo isn't asking for a lot, too, but handing himself over to some sea witch on a whim isn't going to be worth it if he can't have the freedom he wants. It would suck to have the ability to go on land, but be trapped in some dark sea cave or whatever. "I want to see that you can do what you say you can. A trial run before I agree to anything."

Isagi groans, muttering curses to himself, but Reo doesn't bother to hush him. Call it a hunch, but it feels like he'll lose if he looks away for a second. At least his attitude doesn't seem to be upsetting Nagi much, though it's hard to read his expressions when he emotes so little.

"I guess that's fair…but I'm only gonna cast my magic on Reo. Your ugly little fish isn't invited."

"Ugly…?!" Isagi splutters.

Reo reaches a hand back to cover Isagi's mouth, for whatever good it'll do. "Yes, that's fine. Isagi doesn't want to go on the land anyways." It's just Reo that's wished for another world, Reo that wants to feel the sun and the sand in a way he hasn't before, Reo that wants to explore the buildings on the cliffside and look out over the ocean to watch the sunset from up high. "So, when are we doing this?" It's not too late, all things considered, but if Reo has to sneak back out of the palace another day, he's going to need to make sure his parents won't notice he's missing.

But then Nagi says, "Might as well go today." Reo's caught enough off guard that the tentacle on his wrist starts tugging him towards the cave entrance, and Reo's just kind of pulled along until he starts swimming so he's not a piece of luggage. "Let's go, little mermaid."

"Hold on! Right now?" Isagi asks. "What am I supposed to tell everyone?"

"Say we got separated while we were exploring," Reo says, thinking it should work out. Even if his parents send out a search party, they're not gonna have much luck finding him if he's up on dry land, out of sight. "Look, you don't need to worry. I promise I'll come back."

"There are a million different reasons to worry about you right now." Reo kind of doesn't have a comeback for that, but he's also not planning on getting himself killed, either. "If you're not home by tomorrow, I'll tell everyone where you went missing. You got that you stupid octopus?"

Nagi isn't listening, already having dragged Reo back to the tunnel that leads outside of the cave. Reo tosses Isagi what he hopes is a reassuring wave before focusing on swimming forward. He played this as smart as possible, right? There's no deal yet, and he's checking that Nagi can do what he claims he can. The darker atmosphere of the tunnel makes it easy to think of all sorts of worst case scenarios, but then they're back out in the open ocean, the sun turning the waters a beautiful cerulean, and those sorts of thoughts melt away. There's a real chance that Reo's going to be able to go on land, the thing he's been dreaming of forever, and he's not going to waste it just because he's worried about something going wrong.

It's time for Reo to get what he wants.

The swim to the shore disappears quicker than ever, though that might just be the side effect of Reo's heart pounding the whole way. Now that they're out in the daylight, Nagi doesn't seem anywhere near as scary as rumors make sea witches out to be. His sleepy, monotone conversation makes it clear he'd rather be napping his days away with no one to bother him, which is a far cry from kidnapping children and eating their souls or something.

Rather than Reo's usual rock that he uses to watch the beach, they go in closer to land, finding a seaside cave to tuck inside of. Reo's come here once or twice, but that was more out of initial curiosity before people watching became much more interesting to him. He can admit that it's a good place to not get spotted by anyone, though. He wants to explore, not be poked at like some mysterious creature, even if he is one by human standards.

With a little bit of effort, Reo's able to jump himself onto the edge of a rock, his tailfins still dipped in the water. Nagi, on the other hand, uses his tentacles to climb up the side without issue. "So," Reo says, well aware of how little distance there is between this cave and the town beyond, "how does this whole magic thing work?" The myths are all very concerned with what sea witches will do to you, not how they do it.

Nagi hums, the way Reo's started to recognize means he's thinking over his words. Being a solitary sea witch hasn't left him with much opportunity to practice conversation, it seems. "I mean…I think about what I wanna do, and then I do it?"

Yeah, that's so not helpful. "Why do you sound all confused? You're the sea witch."

"I dunno. Magic's just always been something I can do. I've never thought too much about it." Nagi shrugs. "It'll be easier if I just show you."

The excitement at seeing a new kind of magic almost overpowers any sense of caution Reo has—but not quite. "Sure, you can show me, but cast the spell on yourself first." He's not letting any sort of magic get put on him until he has proof that Nagi can do what he claims he can.

Nagi doesn't bother to argue, instead closing his eyes to focus. Or Reo assumes it's to focus. He looks so relaxed it would be easy to mistake him for being asleep. But he's not, because soon there's gray wisps of magic swirling around him, and then not long after that he's changed. Not from the upper body, but below, his tentacles replaced with (to the best of Reo's knowledge) human legs. Fascinated, Reo leans closer; for all his watching from afar, he's never been able to see a human (or a sea witch in the shape of one) up close. Nagi's skin is pale, just like the rest of him, but there's still the shape of muscle in his legs, and then, between them—

"Does Reo want to touch?" Nagi asks, and Reo almost drops himself back into the water with how high he jumps at the question.

"I—w-what?"

"They're real legs, not an illusion. But you can touch if you wanna be sure."

Ah, yes, they're going to go with that excuse for why Reo was looking so close, that was all he was doing. He sure hopes that reading minds isn't one of Nagi's secret sea witch powers and clears his throat. "No, that's fine, I believe you." And also the idea of touching Nagi is kind of making him feel a bit dizzy, and it would be all sorts of pathetic if he passed out right before he gets the chance to fulfil his dream. "You can go ahead and cast the spell on me now. Oh! And I want to be able to explore first before you turn me back."

"Mermaid prince is so demanding…" But the gray wisps start up again, this time swirling around Reo, and he can already imagine Isagi complaining more about how this whole thing is a bad idea. But then the spell completes, and Reo has legs—legs!—so it's kind of easy to just forget about any possible drawbacks to the situation. It's a bit unintuitive, but Reo kicks his feet, splashing the water beneath him, the sensation almost ticklish on his skin. "Reo likes it, then?"

"Of course I like it!" Reo's grin is wide enough that his cheeks kind of hurt. Now he's just gotta figure out that whole walking thing that humans do, and he'll be able to explore as much as he likes. He has no idea how it works, but he's a super elite, it shouldn't take him long. "Now let's see, standing up…"

He ends up using Nagi's shoulder as a balance to get up onto his feet, and even that doesn't stop him from almost tipping over. But Reo makes it work, testing each foot to get a sense for that before he chances taking a step. The first couple are shaky, but then he catches his stride. It's different from swimming with his tail, that's for sure, but he should be able to manage. Whenever Reo manages to do a lap at a pace faster than a sea slug, he punches a fist into the air. "How's that?"

"Mm, looks good."

Reo would bask in the compliment, if Nagi weren't watching him with that intense gaze again. It occurs to Reo that humans are silly, silly creatures, with nothing to hide their more vulnerable parts, and his posturing is giving Nagi a clean view of everything Reo has to offer. Not that Reo has anything to be ashamed of, just… "Right. Humans wear clothes, right? I'm sure we'd stick out if we were walking around with nothing on." Again, no point in getting on land if he attracts too much attention to enjoy himself.

Nagi's answer is another push of magic—and then they're dressed in outfits that look close enough to what Reo's seen humans wear: a purple top and dark slacks for Reo, a similar fit for Nagi, except looser and white as the color of his shirt. Shoes are on their feet, too, which Reo supposes is the norm, but the whole ensemble is a bit tricky to get used to after never needing anything like it in the ocean. The closest Reo's gotten is the different pieces of jewelry he's had to wear during official appearances as the prince, and those aren't even close to how much skin humans cover up.

I mean, I can get some of it, but do they need this much? Well, whatever it takes. He pinches at the edge of his sleeve, confirming that the clothes, too, are real and not just illusions. Nagi's magical abilities just keep getting more and more impressive, but this isn't the time to be in awe. He is here to assess that Nagi's proposed deal is a fair trade, and also to explore the human town as much as he can. There's every chance that, if the deal falls through, Reo won't ever be able to go on land again after this.

So I'm gonna make the most of it!

"Alright, we'll fit right in! Now let's go see what we can find!"

"Eh, that's gonna be a lot of walking. What a hassle…"

"If you don't want to come, you can wait here for me."

"Nope. That's even more of a pain."

And so, as Reo goes to find a way out of the cave on foot, Nagi follows.

Once they make it out of the cave, Reo makes a beeline for the buildings he's only ever been able to admire from a distance before. There's some stumbling over sand dunes, but enough humans come to the nearby beach that there's clear footpaths to follow. With each step, Reo gets more comfortable with walking, and he half just wants to run into the city streets, but no one else is in a mad dash to get there, so he holds himself back.

It's a lot harder to keep holding back when they're there, though. Reo's seen crowds of people at the beach on the hottest days of the year, but there's even more packed into the town, traveling between shops and stopping to chat. Following the flow of people, Reo and Nagi end up at a marketplace, packed to the absolute brim with colorful stalls between stonework buildings, and Reo thinks he could spend a whole week here. Sure, he's come across random human objects that end up on the ocean floor in one way or another (and made a secret collection of some of his favorites), but there's even more items than he's ever been able to imagine. It's a shame he can't just get one of everything, but looking at them brings plenty of joy as he points out every little thing to Nagi, who just watches and hums as Reo talks.

And the food! There's so many different types of food. Not that merpeople don't have their own rich varieties of cuisine, but they are, in part, limited by what they can find in the waters along with methods to prepare it. Humans have all sorts of other things to eat besides fish and sea plants, so many different varieties of fruits and meats and vegetables, plus even more ways to cook them!

"Do you want some?" Nagi asks around the fifth time Reo's stopped to smell some food stall or another. He's grateful for all his court etiquette lessons, because his mouth is watering and it would be kind of mortifying to drool all over the place.

Reo makes sure he will do no such thing before speaking. "I mean, yeah, but it's not like I have human currency or anything." Humans have decided that, rather than bartering like reasonable beings, you need to have specific coins of specific metals to get anything anywhere. If Reo had come with some trinkets from the palace, he might be able to sell them, but he wasn't quite prepared for anything like that.

Nagi reaches into his pocket, pulling out some coins. "Problem solved," he says, and since he's made clothes out of magic, it's not like making money is out of the question. "What does Reo want?"

Everything. No, he needs to be cautious. "This isn't gonna add to some weird sea witch debt, is it?"

There's that stupid pout again. "No."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Does Reo have any idea if promises are binding to sea witches? No, but it still makes him feel better about the whole thing. "Now, what does Reo want? I can make as much money as we need."

Well, in that case… "Where do we start?"

Reo has never had such a stuffed full stomach in his life, and that's saying something, considering he's a prince. He's never known hunger longer than the time it takes Ba-ya to whip up a snack. But even during feasts and celebrations, there's a certain expectation that royalty won't gorge themselves in public. After all, if they're that desperate for food, what does that say about the stability of their standing?

But on land, there's no court to impress, no parents watching his every move. So Reo eats and eats and eats a bit more. Roasted bird, sauce-soaked pastas, and candied fruits made even sweeter by their hard outer shell that melts in the mouth. He even tries a couple of grilled fish (humans seem to need to cook meat or their fragile stomachs will die), and he doesn't like it quite as much as how merpeople prepare it, but it's not bad, either.

By the time the sun's hanging low in the sky, casting an orange glow over everything, Reo couldn't eat another bite. If it weren't for the infinite money thing, he'd wonder how humans could resist just gorging themselves all the time. Nagi hasn't eaten quite as much—a lot of things he tried and then pulled a face, so they must not have agreed with him—but he did find a couple dishes he enjoyed, so he also looks content. In fact, he looks downright ready to doze off any second, which is kind of concerning.

Reo knows the responsible thing to do is return to the ocean. Isagi's no doubt gotten interrogated as to where the hell Reo is, and not getting back soon will just make it an even larger pain in the ass whenever Reo wanders back to the palace. His father can fuck right off, but he doesn't just want to up and disappear on Ba-ya. Even Isagi deserves better than that.

Standing opposite to his rational side, however, is Reo's impulsive side. Yes, he's fulfilled his dream of going on land and visiting the town where the humans live, but he's only seen such a small part of it! There's so many foods to eat and buildings to see and—and—

And I don't want to go back yet.

What if Reo's father increases security and Reo can't sneak out again? What if, by some chance, Nagi doesn't want to cast the spell on him again? What if this is his last chance to explore for all that it's worth? Yeah, they'll need to get some sleep somewhere, but it'll be fine to stay out for just a bit longer, won't it?

"Hey, Nagi?" Drowsy, Nagi blinks at him. "Didn't we pass a place where people can stay overnight, earlier? Want to stay there?"

"Mm, sounds like a plan."

Getting a room, just like everything else today, isn't an issue. Humans are pretty understanding if you have enough money to throw around. Finding an inn to sleep in isn't the problem, and Nagi gets them the room without issue. Reo isn't quite ready to fall asleep just yet, but he's grateful for the opportunity to rest. His new feet and legs aren't quite used to walking so much, since they work out different muscles and all sorts of things.

No, the issue is…

"Mm, human beds are so comfy. Reo, you should come try it."

Nagi has pretty much melted onto the bed, and his expression is one of pure bliss. While it's different from his bed under the sea, Reo can admit the soft fabrics and cushions do look inviting. He'd be very pleased to flop down onto one himself.

You know, if Nagi weren't spread over the one bed in the room.

He may not have all his tentacles in human form, but he still takes up an impressive amount of space. Sure, Reo could fit into the area that's left, but that doesn't solve the issue that there's just one bed in the first place. It shouldn't matter, since Reo's had sleepovers with his friends before, and they've all ended up in one pile of arms and fins and hair, but this…this feels different.

"Are you…" Reo starts, uncertain of how to ask without sounding like he's panicking for no reason (which he is). "Don't we need to tell the innkeeper that they got our room wrong?"

Nagi cocks his head in that way Reo's learned to mean he doesn't understand what was just said. "They didn't get anything wrong. This is what I asked for." So then, it was on purpose. Wonderful. "I mean it, Reo, don't just stand over there. Lay down. You're missing out."

And then, faster than Reo's seen him move all day, Nagi's up on his feet, crossing the room, taking Reo's hand, and pulling him down onto the bed in the space of a couple breaths. By the time Reo squawks, it's too late to do anything, since Nagi's thrown one arm and one leg over Reo, trapping him in place. It's not difficult to imagine him using his tentacles to do the same, if they were available in this form. To top it all off, Nagi nuzzles in close, taking a deep breath.

"Mm. Reo smells like the ocean."

"Y-yeah?!" Is this sort of thing what Nagi means whenever he wants Reo? They should talk about that before they end up finalizing their contract, right? Yes, now is the time to get that out of the way, so Reo can enjoy his next morning to the fullest. "Hey, Nagi, I need to know—"

But Nagi's already asleep, breaths coming out in gentle snores, and he just looks like a normal man, not a powerful sea witch that could hold Reo's fate in his hands.

Not long after, the exhaustion of running around all day catches up to Reo, too, and he joins Nagi in sleep.

Skipping dinner the night before means that Reo wakes up to hunger gnawing at his stomach. Nagi is impossible to get off of him, but also impossible to wake up, so there's all sorts of squirming and groaning until he blinks open a gray eye. If it's at all possible, Nagi somehow stuck himself even closer to Reo in the night, so, while human beds are comfortable, Reo can't even appreciate it with…everything else going on!

In time, though, Nagi's also hungry enough to be coaxed out of bed, and so they head out of the room. The inn has food available, and Nagi indulges Reo again by letting him order one of everything, which makes the innkeeper pretty happy since Nagi has the coin to back it up. Reo almost can't finish it all, but Nagi ends up enjoying all the breads and pastries, so they're able to polish things off.

Being earlier in the day, not many places are open in the market, so they explore the surrounding streets instead. While there's some sort of unifying style to all the buildings, since they're built with similar materials, Reo enjoys seeing the differences in shape and ornamentation. Nagi hums along to all of Reo's chattering, but it's alright if he's not even listening. It's about the fun of the adventure, breathing in sea tinted air while the sun crawls its way up the sky. They even spot a fluffy stray cat from the distance, though it darts off before Reo can get close.

And then they're back in the beach cave, and Nagi's casting the spell that returns them both to their ocean forms. Reo slips back under the water, grateful for the water's cool embrace, but he can't help but feel a little melancholic about the whole deal while they swim back deeper into the depths. Going to land was just as fun as he thought it would be, and there's still so much he hasn't been able to see yet. His father's going to be pissed, which Reo doesn't care about, aside from the fact that it's going to make it an absolute bitch to sneak back out to see Nagi again.

But even he wouldn't make me break a contract with a sea witch, right?

They're near a massive coral reef that Reo knows isn't all that far from his palace. Smaller fish move in schools, darting along the waters. "Nagi," Reo says, coming to a stop, and Nagi stops, too, those intense eyes staring at him. Trust isn't quite the word that Reo's looking for, but Nagi did give him a trial of the magic without any strings attached. If nothing else, he respects contracts, and Reo can work with that. "I'll do it. Your deal. You want me, right?" He presses a hand to his chest, then barrels forward before Nagi can get a chance to reply, the words spilling out of him like a rush. "I still want some freedom. You can't just keep me trapped in your cave forever. And I want to go up on land a lot. No limits." Not every single day, but he doesn't want to have some arbitrary restriction put on that. "But so long as you keep using your magic to take me up on land to explore, I don't have a problem coming back to you."

"Does Reo mean it?" Somehow, Nagi's stare grows even more intense, enough to make Reo swallow. All of a sudden, there seem to be a lot less fish, colors of the coral less bright. "If you make the deal, you can't break it. We'll be bound together forever."

"I-I know that." Reo curses himself for letting his voice shake, but it's hard to concentrate whenever Nagi's tentacle is tracing a line up his arm. "But you want to be together, and I want to go on land. Besides, I don't…think you'll force me to do anything I don't want to do." Maybe it's all an act, but Nagi just seems too lazy to play the long con. "So long as you can agree to what I said, then we can have a contract."

"Hm. Going up on land all the time seems like a hassle, but it'll be worth it to have Reo." And then Nagi's even closer, somewhat looming over Reo with their foreheads almost touching. "You promise to make the deal, little mermaid?"

Reo's voice is little more than a whisper. "I promise."

"Good. Stay with me until the end."

The spell starts, not looking any different than the ones Nagi has cast before, but Reo can feel the difference, like a weight is settling down on top of him. It's not painful, but it's there, the pressure of a power strong enough to tie souls together and keep them connected, no matter what. At the spell's climax, the grey magic envelops them, making Nagi's eyes glow as the two of them are bound together in a promise.

There's no going back now.