#where seaweed dances

[samyelyel]

[sunskate]

that death spiral entry🥰 from rikuryu - not their day though

but deanna and max- she’s so fierce, this music is fierce - they laid it down❤️ her skating dress is pretty traditional, could be for a hundred programs- a costume that fits their vibe for the GPs pls

ilia malinin and jimmy ma in the stands waving the 🇺🇸 for chelsea liu and balazs nagy

[flowerandthesongstress]

complaints I've already seen about Coral Island, a new Indonesian kickstarter cozy game: the barman selling a ruined dish is an uncalled-for jab at restaurant workers! cats shouldn't hang out outdoors! eew, this woman shouldn't display her pregnancy stretch marks! where are all the kippot! why is everyone in such good shape! preposterous! this partially deaf character talking in caps lock is triggering me! no one in doctors without borders would be that tattooed, this dreadful representation is literal murder! no doctor would forget her paperwork at a library, for that matter! why is a japanese fisherman talking like a scottish pirate, this is inaccurate!

meanwhile in the game: I freed a stone statue from a magical underground prison and he put an enchantment on my hoe. his brother asked me if I liked figs is he flirting. my hippie boyfriend is heartbroken because his bucket-wearing pet duck is sick but shhh watching tv will heal him. last night when I talked to the outdoors cat she mentioned that she has a crippling fear of birds and thinks of getting therapy. a stem academic looks like a kpop idol and is getting enough sleep. he wears his astrophysics degree all over himself like a linguist would have worn alphabet necklaces, just to spite his dad but it's not working why is it not working ah shit it's working. mermaids hired me as a janitor. it's not pro bono I'm paid in diamonds. my neighbor is worried that his shiba inu went back to rejoin the mountain whence it came from. a turtle won't let me pass until I serve her spaghetti. I'm fighting capitalism with a literal scythe. the local blacksmith is asking my opinion regarding a legendary battle hammer and if it's worth the logistics hassle. it's been a year crabs are still dancing in celebration their zeal is admirable but their choreography could use some work. this giant monkey covered in two layers of meta wants to sell me a nostalgic souvenir. I know it because he sent me a polite letter. how many propaganda flyers can I fish out of this pond a challenge. I barged into a local lab and upended a barrel of seaweed over intricate circuitry now my flowers are five percent prettier. the scientist at the lab attached a mermish translator to my diving suit via the power of coffee. hold on I'm doing meal prep for next week let me finish putting ectoplasmic slime on okra

[eywa-eveng]

ᴠᴏᴡs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙɪɴᴅ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ – ᴛᴏɴᴏᴡᴀʀɪ & ʀᴏɴᴀʟ X ᶠᴱ�� ᴹᴱᵀᴷᴬᵞᴵᴺᴬ ᴿᴱᴬᴰᴱᴿ

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ – 12.8k

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ – angst, hurt/comfort, slight nsfw

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs – pregnancy, mentions of childbirth

A lorpaytsyal with its rows of shimmering fins swims past, stirring a cloud of syuratan that glitters like a burst of blue stars over the sun speckled sand. The shape of the white light bends to the pattern of the rippling waves, tracing out swirling shapes that break only in the shadows beneath the rows of coral. The polyps bloom in shades of purple, spindly limbs weaving together to form a canopy of darkness. Some pieces are broken, the cracked knobs revealing inner layers where something tore away the unwanted sprigs. The stony flesh of the coral has been cracked and shaped into a small alcove, just big enough to host a nest. A bed of stray lengths of seaweed and dead fragments of coral sit in the space hollowed out in the shadiest part of the sea floor. It’s lit with only the faintest glow of blue algae that’s dotted over the eggs nestled within the shallow burrow. Nestled in the shallow burrow are eggs, enough that a few going missing wouldn’t be enough to noticeably deplete the clutch.  

Light warms the hidden recess as you swim closer, the txampaysye clinging to your back filling the dusky hollow with the light of a soft sunrise. The pale green shells take on hues of gentle yellow and warm pink as you pick over the mound of eggs. They’re small, no larger than your palm, and each is only the weight of a small stone. You’re careful as you sift through them. The shells are soft and pliable, the texture like skin as you press lightly against each one. Curious fingers trace over the weighted areas of the wrinkled shells, feeling the slightest silhouette of the sea snake growing within. The light of the gill mantle is just enough to pierce through the thin membrane to the veins lacing through the shell. Each occupied egg is set gently aside but every few are empty, unviable. The shells harden when there is no life to support inside it. Though there’s no way for the mother to know that so you’re quick about your work, checking and replacing the eggs before an angry snake comes threading through the net of coral branches. By the time you’ve picked over the entire nest you’re left with a bounty of six eggs that you tuck gratefully into the satchel slung across your chest. 

It’s already heavy with other trinkets found during your exploration. Pearls in shades of blue and pink, shards of crystal smoothed over by the tide, and shells formed into delicate designs. The fabric of your pouch is nearly over encumbered as you tuck the last egg inside, leather ties straining as you tighten it closed. Sunlight traces across your skin as you swim away from the resettled nest, spears of light beginning to poke through the farther you get from the center of the coral hoard. The light of your tanhì flickers out as you emerge, sunlight swallowing the flecks of bioluminescence as it dances over your skin. Its warmth is lost in the coolness of the water as you swim, calling for your tsurak with a few throaty clicks. It takes time and a few more calls before the skimwing returns in its own time, darting through the forest of sea plants and schools of meandering fish to find you, though it doesn’t stop to allow you to mount as it rushes past. There’s a practiced ease to catching the handle of its saddle and tucking yourself against its back. Tsurak are known to be temperamental creatures, stubborn and selective with who they allow to bond with them. 

It is only your own temperament that keeps your fieresome companion returning after hunting in the open ocean. Some mounts have been known to leave the village and never return, leaving their rider to find another mount to bond with. It’s a vague fear whenever you go beyond the bounds of the village. You are not a hunter despite your childhood training. There is no reason for you to be beyond the seawall if not for your own pleasure and your tsurak knows this, can feel it each time tsaheylu is made. Your curiosity and excitement sings through the bond. It should’ve been tampered years ago and likely left you without a willing mount but you’ve yet to allow expectations to dampen your indulgences. There is balance in your excursions. For every treasure you find there is something of utility. Bones to be made into needles and knives, healing plants that only grow in the deeper waters, fish that seem to favor areas beyond the village. You leave no room for reproach and so you’ve been allowed to continue to spend your days however you’d like, coming and going as you please unless something in the village demands your attention. Still you return while the sun is still high in the sky. 

The terraces are crowded with people fishing as your tsurak leaps over the wall, beating its wings with a loud screech that draws eyes to your arrival. There’s no slowing even as the shore draws closer. Instead you simply loosen your grip and pull your tswin free of the bond, sinking into the water as your tsurak turns tail towards the open water once more. It leaves you in a cloud of frothy bubbles stirred by the rapid swing of its tail fins, unbothered by your distance from land. This is the way of things between you. Your chosen mount is bolder than most, hardly tampered by your own personality echoed through tsaheylu. It is a privilege to ride such creatures and it never lets you forget even after so many years of bonding. 

Warmth kisses your cheeks as you surface for a breath before diving back into the water. The morning had been tiring, your palms and feet scuffed and sore from climbing along the jagged edges of the island cliffs. The shore isn’t so far off that you’ll tire before you can reach it yet you still roll to your back and allow your body to float on the gentle waves. A deep orange glow plays behind your eyelids as you close them against the bright light beaming overhead, the heat of it drying the drops of water from your exposed skin. Beneath the water, the lazy paddling of your tail is interrupted by a quick tug that shocks your eyes open, stinging your gaze with the white heat of the sun. It’s hardly frightening as you recognize the distinct feeling of fingers wrapped around your appendage, though it isn’t exactly a pleasant sort of shock. The white clouds seared into your eyes disappear as your secondary lids slide closed as you look beneath the water to see the one bold enough to snatch at your tail. 

A sharp swing of your hips yanks you free of Tayku’s grip and he lets go willingly, raising his hands in a show of peace even as a roguish smile plays at his scarred lips. The boy is young–young enough to be your son–and yet he chases your tail as if it’s dipped in nectar. There’s an air of flirtation about him as he swims circles around you, the smug smile never leaving his face. His intentions are clear, as clear as your own answer has been. A terse rejection is what he and all your other suitors have received since this new season of courting began. It’s why you find yourself beyond the bounds of Awa’atlu more often than not in recent days. To avoid interactions such as these where the newly made men of the clan come nipping at your ankles, yapping about giving you strong sons. 

It wouldn’t be so terrible if they were closer to your own age, if you hadn’t watched them grow up alongside your firstborn. Each of his life achievements you’d been there to see and now he’s pulling his tswin over his shoulder in a bold display of his intentions. It would almost be endearing if he was younger and didn’t yet know the weight of his words and what he is asking for. But he’s a man now, one of the People, and knows exactly what he’s asking for as he tilts his head and flashes his fangs. You watch him posture and boast in the water for a few moments longer before rolling your eyes hard enough to open your secondary lids and turn to swim towards the shore. 

A brief surface for air gives Tayku a chance to swim beneath you and you nearly knock into him when you dive under again. He’s close, not so close that you can scold his overly familiar behavior, but just near enough that you can’t forget his presence. He clings close like a fish to the underside of a nalutsa, swimming with his face towards the surface and eyes on you. His distance is well-placed, just far enough to keep out of range of your annoyance. For all their simpering advances the young men don’t allow their infatuation to cloud their knowledge of your brash personality. This is the closest Tayku has gotten in all his advances and he still knows to keep out of your reach after inciting your temper with his childish grabbing. You’ve never been known to be particularly docile. If you were a fruit your skin would have thorns and your meat would be sour before it turned sweet, a delicacy only few people could enjoy despite the outwardly attractive look. 

«I was looking for you earlier.» Tayku signs, perfectly timing his words to your sparing glances towards him. It isn’t interest that draws your eyes to him. You’re more curious to see if he’ll leave you be if he’s ignored, though it seems Tayku has taken your brief glances to mean more than they are. He must have because he doesn’t abandon the conversation even as you arrive at the village, pulling yourself on to one of the many overhanging paths without so much as a parting glance. He stutters for a moment as you whip your loose hair over your shoulder, pelting his face with stray drops of water. 

“Where did you go today?” He asks after pushing his own damp hair away from his face, arm flexing purposefully. He’s harder to ignore outside of the water being the size that he is. Tall and wide, crowding your vision as he trots along beside you, uncaring of where you may be leading him. It hardly matters. The village is a place of finite spaces and he’s well aware of where your marui is. All of your suitors are if the gifts left outside your pod are any indication. Newly tanned fish leather, a carved box full of delicate beads, a freshly caught fish wrapped in thick leaves. There has been no shortage of anything in your home since the village welcomed its newest adults into the ranks. 

It feels so strange to be spoiled in this way again after so many years. Your time for courting had come and gone with no mate to show for it. Your son was made from a humble request for a fertility match. A quiet meeting with the village elders and tsahìk praying that Eywa grant you the child you’d so desperately wanted despite your lack of a mate. It had taken some time but they found an auspicious match and you fell pregnant quickly after, still unmated but filled with new life. It’s just as well that the two of you forwent the forging of tsaheylu seeing as your child’s father went on to be named olo’eyktan soon after you fell pregnant. He was mated off to the chosen tsahìk as is tradition and you certainly didn’t have the knowledge to assume such an esteemed position. 

The three of you became a true family, raising your children together as proper siblings despite their mixed parentage. And seeing Ronal pregnant again after so many years has raised the desire to be a mother within you once more. It was your mistake in making your intentions known to others because now you have men like Tayku trailing after you in the hopes that they’ll be the father of your next child. Never mind that they’re all nearly the same age as your first, some younger in fact. Far too young to be sniffing after you like a hunting nantang. You say as much but Tayku simply laughs, tossing his head back as if you’ve just told the funniest joke. He’s hardly being subtle in his advances. It’s nearly desperate how badly he wants to please you and yet he won’t indulge your greatest desire of being left alone to find a willing man on your accord. You’d been there for the first matchmaking and now know what to look for. An unestablished man is not something you are interested in at your age. If you are to share a parultsyìp with someone you’d rather they know their place among the clan.

Tonowari was beyond your expectations. The day the elders had collected you, and led you to a marui seldom used and sequestered within a particularly thick thatch of mangrove roots, you hadn’t known what to expect. Least of your wildest imaginings had been the clan’s finest warrior and chosen successor to the olo’eyktan. Everything that Tayku is even now in his youth is a single spark next to the open flame that Tonowari was when he was the same age. He’d been a few years your elder when you formally met, already covered in a multitude of scars and tattoos. Testamates to his prowess. It was your honor to give him his first child. 

His arrangement with Ronal was to the benefit of the clan and you’d never begrudge them that. If not for the elders’ decision you would’ve been settled with less than the best the clan had to offer you. It hardly mattered that he was mated so soon after. And now, nothing would make you lower yourself to allow the first man that asks to father your next child. If you were to have another baby it would be with a man who had earned his place within the clan, not these boys that had only just come into their own. 

“Did you find anything interesting today?” Despite your lack of answers Tayku keeps up a steady stream of chatter that sounds like bugs buzzing in your ear. He’s sweet and eager to please, and handsome despite the thick scar running through his lips. He will make a woman very happy someday. But not you. And you aren’t selfish enough to rein him in until you’re satisfied that he’s proven himself. That could take months or years and by that time he’d expect to mate fully for all the trouble you’d put him through. It wasn’t something you wanted. 

Being tied so closely to someone has always held a bit of terror to someone like you, utterly uninterested in staying tied down. When you were younger you dreamed of exploring the ocean, of visiting with neighboring sea clans and learning their traditions. But now you have your son, you have your family. Even without a mate you’ve managed to halt any plans of leaving Awa’atlu for too long. Still your childish fear of being mated persists. It may be rare but mating bonds can go sour and without death to break it you’re left tied to someone your soul no longer desires. It makes you wonder if Tayku even realizes what he’s asking of you. He has heard that you want another child, yes, but he courts you as if he expects tsaheylu to be made. You’re little more than a stranger to him, the mother of his childhood friend. To be tied to you could be his nightmare but he can’t see past the opportunity to lay with a previously untouchable woman. The thought is dizzying. 

“Don’t you have chores to attend to?” You ask at last, tiring of him shadowing your every move through the village. He raises his chin, grinning down at you, most likely elated that you’ve finally deigned to speak to him after his flaccid attempts at starting a conversation. 

“I’m already finished. I went hunting early this morning and my catch was enough for the day.” He goes on about the two large fish he caught along with his regular bounty, enough to measure the haul of any other hunter still out fishing beyond the reef, caught within the first few hours of the day. “I wanted to bring you one but I couldn’t find you.” Just as well because you wouldn’t have accepted his gift. A fish as large as he says is far too sumptuous to hoard to yourself with only you and your family. It’s a lavish courting gift, one that anyone would be elated to receive, but it would be passed out of your hands just as quickly as it came, sent off to feed the village as it should. 

“Do not feed me before the village. Your duties come before your indulgences.” It’s what you were always told when you were caught sneaking off somewhere but he blinks as if he’s never been scolded in the same way, his smile slipping for a moment. Your words are no harsher than they’d usually be but it seems they’ve finally started to break through the shell of adoration he’s formed around himself. Of all your aspiring mates he is one that has lasted the longest, clinging to even the thinnest thread of hope that you might one day share in his laughter or return a flirting remark. Instead you’ve remained steadfast in your rejection. In the days to come you can only hope he will fall away and shun you like the others, scorned and embarrassed by their own insistence that they’d be the exception. His mood only worsens, smile falling completely, when your son’s voice carries down the path towards the two of you.   

Ketsräno stands with his brother at his side, both their faces drawn tight in a show of hostility. Ao’nung has his spear in hand, ears drawn back as he glowers at the man beside you. Tayku is closer to his age, an old playmate and friend that slowly fell away as his responsibilities expanded. It is easy to see why neither of your sons would be happy to find an old acquaintance lingering close to their mother. 

“Ma Sempul is asking for you.” Ketsräno says, eyes not leaving Tayku’s face. A heaving sigh empties your lungs. Returning to the village has been one inconvenience strung after another like beads choked around your throat. It had been your hope to return home and go over all of the morning’s findings, but the wind has seen fit to blow you from one discomfort to the next. Tonowari is one of the people you’d least like to see today aside from these men flocking to you like hì’ikran over a dead fish. His sentiment towards you seems to have soured lately and you aren’t keen on subjecting yourself to his sullen mood. But the summons seem to keep Tayku at bay, at the very least. Any man with love for his life would be too afraid to follow you into the akula’s den Tonowari’s home has become in regards to you. Or perhaps he simply isn’t keen on testing your sons as they part to allow you past before meeting shoulder to shoulder once more, a clear sign for their old friend to keep his distance. 

They’re fiercely protective of both you and Ronal. It’s your hope that you’ll find the tsahìk at home beside her husband but there is no such grace upon your arrival. The marui is deserted save for the olo’eyktan sitting just inside the entrance whittling away at a piece of gnarled driftwood. 

A glance at the sun still sitting at its peak in the sky tells you none of your children will be joining their father for many hours to come. Tsireya will be teaching the village children, and Ao’nung and Ketsräno will likely have returned to their own chores. If Eywa is kind Ronal might return to relieve some of the tension already beginning to fill the home. Emotional discord incites her temper. As tsahìk she empathizes in a way that runs far deeper than anyone else and the labor on her soul is nearly exhausting at times. Her tolerance for such things in her own home has dwindled to nothingness with her pregnancy. If your silent prayers are heard Ronal will return shortly and send you away before Tonowari can finish saying his piece. Because he seems to be in no rush to speak to you despite asking for you as wood shavings gather at his feet. It must be his expectation that you’ll speak first, a trap for him to find something to pick at you for. You tighten your satchel over your chest and hope he won’t ask about its contents as you go about making a purposeful formal greeting. 

“Oel ngati kameie, olo’eyktan.” You bow far lower than necessary and watch Tonowari’s lip twitch with displeasure. “Your son said that you were looking for me. How may I be of service, nawmtu?” It’s a thinly veiled dig and he knows it. There’s no reason for such formalities between the two of you. You may not be his mate but he is still the father of your child and that affords you some privileges when it comes to speaking with him. Purposefully invoking formal speech is a slight against him, as if he is a stranger to you, a clan leader and nothing more. At last he sets aside the wood he’s carved into a lethal point and sheathes his knife, standing to his full height. His jaw is set, muscles flicking beneath the ink of his tattoos. 

“‘Nawmtu?’” His tone is curt, brows knit tight as he stares down at you. 

“Have I said something wrong?” He nods with soured understanding at your coy question, clearly not pleased with your sudden lack of sense. He stands aside and nods for you to enter and you bow in thanks despite having entered his home many times with no permission needed. This is the place your son was raised, of course you have long since been given leave to come and go as you please. And yet you stand just inside the entrance, feet not moving a step further until Tonowari pulls the covering shut to be sure your meeting won’t be disturbed. Any hope of Ronal coming to dissuade her mate’s brewing anger is dissipated with the closing of the curtain.

Without the uncovered entrance the marui has gone somewhat dark, only the faintest light filtering through the blue membrane woven into the curved wall. It’s not so dark that you can’t see but just dim enough that Tonowari’s tanhì have come to life. Anxiety curls in your stomach like stinging tendrils. What had you done to make him so upset with you that he wants no one to stumble upon this conversation? Many nights have been wasted worrying over what could’ve made him turn so cold towards you in recent times, and many more days were lost returning the bitter feelings he has given you. The love you thought you had for each other has withered on the vine, leaving only this angry awkwardness in its wake. At least Ronal is still kind, still loving, albeit more distant than before. 

If he will not speak on it you will not ask. So the two of you stand in the dusky room, eyeing each other with no words to say. He has called you here. If he wants to speak you’ll hear him, but it won’t be your voice that sparks the embers simmering between you. 

“Sit.” He says at last. His voice is stripped of any emotion. There’s only the blunt command of a man above your rank. Your knees find the woven floor and your teeth nip at your lip, biting near to bursting to keep your less than polite remarks at bay. It’s clear his patience with your attitude has thinned beyond salvaging. It feels as if you’re a child at your parent’s feet, waiting to be scolded for unruly behavior despite your age. You’ve aged far beyond reproach, but no matter your relations Tonowari is still olo’eyktan. 

“There are no eyes but mine to see you now, so let this song and dance be finished.” He expects that your attitude will dissipate because he asked it of you? After weeks of animosity he wants to call off your ire with only a few words. Not even an apology for forcing you to anger. It’s almost insulting how sure he seems of your complacency. He walks to sit behind you and you flinch at the feeling of his hand brushing behind your ear. First one then the other as he removes the dried fish fins you weave into your hair. The style is reminiscent of how forest Na’vi adorn their hair with feathers, though it’s a rarer style to find in Awa’atlu. Still, in recent times you’ve noticed younger women beginning to favor your hair ornaments and clothing. Likely in the hopes of catching one of the men trying their hardest to court you. The thought of Tayku and the rest willfully ignoring girls that would happily be courted only further sours your mood and distracts you enough that Tonowari’s hand brushing against the nape of your neck startles you. 

“What is on your mind that you’re so distant from me?” His voice rolls like thunder through the dark pod as he begins to comb through your hair, carefully unwinding any tangles he finds. So it’s you that wedged this distance between you? It also must have been you that started this battle of poorly concealed anger. How can you be faulted for your distance when it was he who first sent you away with his sudden lack of kindness?

“Where is Ronal?” It is not what you mean to say but it’s the only thought plaguing your mind aside from the resentment festering in your heart. 

“Ronal?” He seems taken aback. “I’ve called you here and you are thinking of her? How far your heart has gone from me.” 

“It isn’t me who put this distance between us.” You say bitterly. It is not your place to be faulted for his own lack of accountability. 

“No?” He doesn’t sound convinced. If anything he sounds more incensed than he had been before. “I’ve been hearing things recently, talk among the People.”

“There is always talk in the village.” It’s how days are passed. Idle chatting about small squabbles and other petty drama between people. Family rivalries persist through generations, childhood rifts persist through the years, age old stories are told to warn younglings against the mistakes of the past. Talk never ceases, it rolls in and out like the tide, constantly renewing with more things to whisper and laugh over while cooking or fishing. The elders of the village are far more intune with the business of everyone else, but it isn’t so surprising that things have gotten back to Tonowari. It is his job to keep the clan in harmony and he can’t do that if he allows conflicts to fester without at least a small acknowledgement. 

“Yes, there is always talk, but very seldom does it involve your name.”

“But it isn’t surprising if it does.” Whatever gossip has spread with your name linked to it can hardly be of consequence. “Is someone questioning my abilities as a tattooist? I’ve heard Wepxtil has gotten better at his craft as of late. If he wants to spread word that his abilities have eclipsed mine I don’t care enough to stop him.” You’re one of the most renowned tattooists in the clan and many people carry your marks on their skin. The elders have said that hands like yours are only born once every few generations. If someone wants to question your abilities they’ll simply have to ask Eywa why she has blessed you so graciously. 

“It isn’t about your tattoos. No one would believe that someone that just passed his rites could rival your abilities. It is about other names that have been spoken in the same breath as yours. Rumors of your future.” 

“Speak clearly then.” You’re growing tired of his words swimming in circles. 

“There is talk of you wanting another child.” He says it as if he’s swallowed poison, like the words sting his tongue as he speaks. 

“Is that all? It is the truth. I want another child. Ketsräno is a man now. He doesn’t need his mothers to dote on him as Ronal and I used to. My nest will be empty once he finds a mate. I want a new baby to love. Seeing Ronal pregnant again has made me miss motherhood. She looks so happy. I’m jealous.” The last part is said in jest as an attempt to lighten the heaviness in the air. You could never be jealous of Ronal. She is strong and beautiful, yes, but she is your equal in family matters. Your hearts share a bond that is deeper than simple friendship. Her children are yours in all but blood. You’ve raised them as your own just as she has raised your son. There is only love between you. Or there had been before this sudden rift. Tonowari doesn’t seem to hear the joke in your voice. His hands fall still in your hair. 

“Jealous?” 

“Not truly.” You rush, trying to keep the exasperation from your voice. “I only meant that seeing her pregnant again has brought back cherished memories. I’m not too old to have another. I would like to have at least one more.” 

“So it’s true. You want another child.”

“Why are you treating this as if it is a problem? I expected that you’d be happy for me.”

“Happy?” His anger bubbles over at last. His hands fall away from their idle combing and he stands to pace, tail strained tight with tension. “How can I find happiness when you try to keep this from me? I didn’t hear these words from your own mouth, I had to hear them from others.” 

“I hadn’t thought it mattered to tell you. I was going to see about any unmated men of the clan that showed interest before asking for another match from the elders. Though I suppose I should’ve gone to the elders as I had before, or at least asked Ronal of her opinion. Trying to find a match myself has been like catching fish in a torn net.” Which is to say it has been a failure, time and time again. The men your age had overlooked you once before or you turned away their offers of courtship for one reason or another. In the years since Ketsräno’s birth your options have only continued to dwindle. Now it feels as if you’re trying to reap crops from infertile land. 

“You still have not mentioned speaking to me about this.”

“What need would I have of your advice? I respect your word, of course, but fertility matches are matters for tsahìk and the elders. Olo’eyktan was not needed for my last match.” His insistence surprises you. Tonowari has been a strong and magnanimous leader since he was named olo’eyktan but he has always known his place, deferring to Ronal and consulting with village elders on things that were beyond his years of wisdom. Never have you known him to dip his hand into things that were of no concern to his position. He shifts to kneel before you, body moving with the tight precision of a bow being drawn. Tension has gathered on his shoulders beneath his mantle of akula teeth. 

“What need?” He tilts his head in a way you recognize, ears quirking upwards in interest as he assumes the tone he’d always use when the children asked him a simple question. It was slow and understanding of their lack of knowledge. For him to turn it on you as if you know nothing of what you speak about is patronizing. At last your distaste can’t be quelled and your lips pull back to show the points of your teeth. Instead of heeding the obvious show of hostility Tonowari laughs. It’s short and humorless but a chuckle nonetheless. 

Heat flashes across your cheeks, down your neck, and up your ears as they pull tight against your head. The loud hiss that accompanies the burst of hot embarrassment is perhaps the first you’ve ever directed at Tonowari. There’s never been a need to snap at him aside from a few dissatisfied scoffs when his words are just a touch too cruel when the children have misbehaved, though you’re admittedly the least strict of the three of you. Still it’s well deserved now as he treats you as if you’re a child for not confiding in him something that was none of his concern. Perhaps you might’ve told him when you found a match as you would’ve everyone else close to you, but now, before decisions have been made? He has no part in it.

You draw in a deep breath through your nose before pushing it out of your chest. “Apologize. Now.”

“You want an apology?” His tone isn’t as cruel now. Instead he sounds disbelieving as if demanding anything of him is beyond what he expected of your audacity. 

“Yes, I want an apology. You’ve been speaking to me with such disdain as if I’ve done something wrong for making a change in my life! It hasn’t even come to pass and here you are shaming me for going about it in a way that doesn’t suit your tastes. Apologize and tell me plainly what you want to say. I can’t know your mind if you do not share it with me.” The two of you are not mates, you do not share the deep emotional bond that forms when tsaheylu is made. Perhaps Ronal as tsahìk and his mate could parse what has been eating at his spirit but you aren’t so enlightened to his deepest thoughts. If he has something weighing on his mind the only way to share it is through words. Not this callous critiquing and avoiding he’s taken to. 

Tonowari sits back on his heels, no longer leaning towards you as he seems to mull over your words. His eyes linger on your face as if he’s trying to trace the shape of your pil with his gaze. It would almost be disheartening, his silence, if you didn’t know him to be a man of carefully considered words. In all things he is calm and collected. Striking only when a target is within reach and speaking only when he’s sure of his words. 

“I’m disappointed.” He says at last. 

“Disappointed?” Your voice is pitched with disbelief. “Because I want an apology after the way you’ve been treating me?” 

“Because you can’t seem to imagine why I would want to be told about this.” He still doesn’t sound angry. He rarely is. But he truly does sound incredulous as his lips pinch together to stave off the smile curling at the corners of his mouth. If he’d been truly upset before, the feeling has passed like a storm. Now he seems amused as he watches you work through your thoughts. He’s speaking in riddles, words tied into knots for you to try to unravel. 

“Is this because of Ketsräno?” At last a gentler expression finds the olo’eyktan’s face. 

“In part, yes, this is because of our son.” The way he says it is more possessive than you’ve ever known him to be. Our son. A reminder that the two of you will always be intrinsically linked no matter the paths you choose to walk. Still, you can’t fully understand his meaning. 

“What about our son? I have no interest in any of his old friends that have been fawning over me if that is your worry.” 

He frowns. “They should not be trying to court you.” 

“I’ve made my disinterest known but they’re rather persistent. It’s almost insulting that they think I would entertain their advances even for a moment.” 

“I agree, they’re reaching far beyond their place. But it would stop if you made your choice. I can be of assistance if you would only let me.” 

“Then who would you suggest?” He seems taken about by your requests for a name as if he hadn’t just offered his insight in the matter. When you say nothing more he nods slowly as if he’s made a decision he doesn’t wish to share.

“If you don’t know then I don’t wish to speak of it any longer. Clearly our hearts aren’t as closely aligned as I once thought we were.” He decides. 

“If you don’t wish to speak then I’ll leave. No sense in us sitting here exchanging barbs. You won’t tell me what you truly want to say and I’m not going to force it from you. It’s clear neither of us are in a place to speak kindly with one another.” He stands as you do, and for a moment you expect him to stand in your way. He doesn’t but seems to think better of it as his hand catches your shoulder before you can push the covering aside. With the petulance of a child you wrench your shoulder free of his hand only to tear your satchel as the overencumbered fabric finally gives way under the harsh movement. Crystals, shells, pearls, and eggs spill over the floor, leaving a glittering heap at your feet. For a moment you simply stand there, not even looking down to acknowledge the mess that’s been made of your collection. When at last you look down Tonowari is already there collecting what he can into his hands, pausing when he picks up one of the eggs. He stands, staring at the small egg in his palm.

“How many times have I asked you to stay out of their nests?” He asks slowly, fist curling around the hardened shell. It won’t burst as a fertile egg would but there’s a fear that his hold will be enough to shatter it as his knuckles begin to pale with the tightness of his grip. You ignore him and gather what you can in your hands, fully intending to leave without another word. He doesn’t allow you. Instead he lifts your chin with a gentle hand, blue eyes burning into yours. 

“You never listen.” He says softly. “What if you’d been hurt?”

“I wasn’t. I am not a child. I can take care of myself.” You say hotly despite the common knowledge that the ocean holds beauty and danger in equal parts. On another day you might’ve heeded his words as a gentle reminder to take care of yourself and not sprint into danger, but today you only hear incessant insults. 

“You’re acting like a child.” He snaps, anger finally rushing forward. You scoff, stepping back away from his touch. With your salvaged treasures held tight to your chest you turn to leave. He calls after you, drawing eyes to watch you stride purposefully away from him. Here is more kindle for their fire. How the rumors will grow with whispers of strife between you and Tonowari. No one but your family has seen the growing tensions between the two of you and now it’s laid bare for all to see. The prying eyes allow you the courtesy of pretending not to see either of you as he storms back inside, not bothering to follow you. His stubbornness is a blessing as you retreat home with all the dignity of a finless fish. 

What has changed? What has gone so wrong that Tonowari seems perturbed by your every decision. The first instances of his more callous attitude trace back to when you’d idly mentioned having another child while fishing in the terraces. The seawall has always been a breeding pool for village gossip and it doesn’t surprise you that rumors have sprung up like flowers in the wake of your thoughtless banter. He must’ve hoarded the knowledge to himself, let it poison his every thought of you until it all came rushing forward at once. 

There’s a braided band of flowers waiting just outside the marui when you return home and you nudge it inside with your foot, quickly drawing your own coverings to properly wallow in your thoughts by your lonesome. The treasures you salvaged from the floor are dumped unceremoniously into a basket. Some had gotten left behind but you don’t even want to look at what you’d managed to save. Instead you focus on cooking. Lighting a fire and gathering ingredients to keep your mind from wandering. 

Ketsräno doesn’t come home even when the evening deepens to night. It isn’t anything out of the ordinary, him not joining you to eat. Most meals are taken in communal eating areas or with the entire family. It is you that hasn’t been where you’re expected to be of late, the shared hostility driving you away from the simple comforts of a family meal. Instead you eat in silence, watching the dying embers of the cookfire. The night isn’t quite deep enough to sleep but you’re exhausted both physically and mentally. 

Tomorrow will be spent close to home, perhaps sequestered away just as you are now, with chores that keep you away from anyone else. Leaving home would mean facing your foolhardy suitors and disgruntled olo’eyktan. Neither sound appealing as you go about straightening the marui in the fading firelight before unfurling your bedroll, keen to be done with the day. You’ve only just laid down when someone enters the pod. Expecting that it’s your son returning from his meal, you simply roll away from the light coming through the parted covering, intent on falling asleep as quickly as possible. The blue light of Naranawm disappears just as quickly as it appears in the corner of your eye as the curtain is drawn once more. When no word of a greeting comes you know it isn’t your son. After a moment the marui swells with flickering light despite your groaning protests. 

“I am sleeping.” You complain, pulling the dark curls of your hair across your eyes in a vain attempt to shun the low light now filling your home. 

“Not deeply enough to stop you from speaking.” Ronal tuts. “I come to comfort you and you can’t spare me a single look?” Of course it’s her that has come for an unannounced visit. Where was she when you needed her earlier to help mitigate her mate’s bitter attitude? 

“What do you want, Ronal?” You sigh, finally sitting up to look at her. You needed her with you before, now you shun her presence as she stands beside the shell torch she’s lit with the forgotten wreath of flowers in her hand. It sets her hair alight with a wash of amber light that plays across the thick waves, green eyes paling in the orange light as she scowls at the gift. Distasteful fingers pluck at the flowers before she tosses it down. More petals fall when it lands but she hardly seems interested in the mess she’s made of one of your courting gifts. Truthfully, don’t want that gift or any of the others but there was still work that went into crafting it for you. Maybe you’d kicked it earlier but it deserves better treatment than being torn at by Ronal’s judging fingers. The gift and the boy that left it for you deserve better than your scorn. 

“I want you to be rid of your anger, firstly.” She frowns. “I’ve only just arrived. You have no reason to be upset with me. If you have anger you’d better dispel it before you decide to turn that venomous tongue against me.” 

In most things you and the tsahìk are perfectly matched. That includes a shared propensity for sharp retorts, though Ronal seems to keep her brashness reserved for you in specific. Perhaps because you’re the only one that won’t startle at her blunt responses. Her tongue is sharp as an arrowhead when she means it to be and she won’t spare you from a verbal sparring match if you provoke her. She’s likely to trade jabs with you long into the night if you think to turn your dour mood against her. Though she’s stirred your irritation simply by coming to disturb your peace when it was clear from the shut covering that you want to be left alone for the night. 

You stifle another sigh, letting the anger rush away from you in a deep exhale. “I’m sorry. Did you want something?” 

“I want nothing, it’s you that wants something. Another child, I’ve heard.” It isn’t a question. She means to tell you she already knows what it is that’s upset you and that she’s here to rectify the situation. She and Tonowari must’ve had time to themselves before the children returned home for the night. Ronal wouldn’t dare to raise such a topic of conversation where their ears could hear of their parents’ quarreling, though this goes far beyond the typical spats shared throughout the years. This will set a rift between the three of you that might never be bridged or mended. 

“I do,” your tone is careful, “though it seems my desire has disappointed everyone.” Ronal turns towards you with a swiftness, long skirt twirling around her legs as she snaps at you. 

“Skxawng. Sometimes I think you are willfully wrong.” The heel of her hand thumps your temple when you stand, as if she’s expecting something to rattle loose inside your head. All it earns her is a warning oìsss as you smack her hand away, temper flaring once more.

“Is it my lack of sense or everyone’s lack of explanation?” I snap. “Everyone seems upset but no one will tell me why. May the Great Mother guide me because I do not know what to do anymore.” 

“Ask.” She says it as if you’ve yet to think of such a solution. 

“Ask? That is all?” She stares patiently, emptily. Enough to draw a scowl to your lips. “Alright, Ronal, what do you suggest I do?” Her ear twitches at your sardonic tone but she seems to accept your words as a genuine plea for help. And it is, because you’re desperate to return your life to some semblance of peace. To do away with the pesky suitors and despondent looks from those around you. 

“You are asking for a fertility match?” This is hardly the formal environment in which you first kneeled before the previous tsahìk and passed on elders all those years ago, but Ronal is still tsahìk and she can make a ruling on the matter despite the lax environment. When you confirm your wish she hums. 

“I have already chosen someone suitable for you, if you’ll have him.”

You’re hardly convinced. “Who?”

“Tonowari.” She says easily. Your heart turns to stone in your chest, the weight of it dropping to your stomach. A flash of something cold prickles across your skin like an ocean spray as humiliation warms your cheeks. 

“Don’t mock me!” For a moment you truly thought that she had come to offer her guidance as tsahìk but even now she is clearly teasing, trying to further incite your ire. What had you done that both of the people you hold dearest seek to toy with you in this way. A prickling heat rises behind your eyes as tears begin to blur the edges of your vision. All these years of love and compassion and they’re tossing it aside to tease you for daring to want something more in this life. Ketsräno is all you have that is truly yours and even he is shared with his father. Soon he’ll slip between your fingers, passed from one hand to another as he makes his own path and finds his rightful place among the clan. Is it such an awful thing that you want to go through the journey again? Raising your son has been your greatest honor, more than any glory you’ve received within the clan. You were meant to be a mother and they’re mocking you for it. 

“Get out.” Ronal seems surprised, ears flicking upward as her brows rise in disbelief. “Get out!” 

“No.” She sounds astonished that you’d ask her to leave. 

“Leave! Get out and leave me be!” You aren’t shouting, not yet, mindful that the woven walls aren’t thick enough to trap your voice inside if you speak too loud. 

“Mawey, paskalin.” The term of endearment is hardly mollifying but you gather yourself even so. Anger has turned to sadness and all you want is to be left alone. By Ronal, by Tayku. Everyone. The chaffed heels of your hands are rough against your cheeks as you dry your tears. Ronal pulls your hands away from your face to lead you to your bedroll, pulling you down to sit in front her. Slowly she releases your hands in favor of holding your face. Her thumbs are soft as they brush away the stray tears still beading in your eyes. 

“Ease your storm.” Her voice is low as a roll of thunder though you can’t decide if the rain is coming or going. Going it would seem, as she holds your face like a precious stone between her hands. 

“I would never do anything to hurt you. Why have you lost faith in us?” Us. As if Tonowari didn’t look to be cursing your name the last you saw him. You left him. Walked away without a second glance as if he meant nothing. A bridge has two sides and both of you have burned them in turn. 

“You have been hurting me at every turn in recent days. Where were you earlier? Surely you knew Tonowari was going to express his anger eventually and you left me with him to drown. At least if you had come to send me away I wouldn’t be so upset now.”

“So it is my fault that Tonowari wished to tell you his feelings? He is a grown man–your olo’eyktan and father of your son–if he wants to air his grievances with you, that is no business of mine. Do not put the blame on me for his actions.” 

“The same way you aren’t blaming me? Because it certainly feels like there is no one else in the world you’d rather snap at than me. What bond can we have if it frays so easily? Son or not, there is no us. Both of you have made that plain to see. There is me and then there’s you and Tonowari. I regret that I spent so long thinking otherwise.”

Ronal tilts her head impatiently. “You don’t believe that.”

“No? Why shouldn’t I when all either of you has done for the past weeks is belittle and mock me for something you would never begrudge another woman? Tonowari acts as though I am stupid for not knowing what he won’t say and doing as I please. And now you’re here to tell me I’m wrong, too. I don’t want to hear it anymore, so, please, leave. Leave so we can move on from this. You are still tsahìk. I will always respect you as such but right now I’m not certain my heart can take being so close to you.” 

Ronal looks as though you’ve struck her across the face, green eyes growing wider with each passing word. For a moment you expect her to stand and storm out, to go back to her home and her family and be done with you as you’ve requested. Instead she sits in silence. Her face is guarded as you try to read her thoughts through the subtle shifting of her muscles. The firelight doesn’t help as it throws shifting shadows over the shape of her face, hollowing her cheeks one moment and darkening her eyes the next. When at last she speaks her voice is doleful,

“We’ve hurt you. It was never our intention and it pains my heart to know your hurt was done by my own hand.” She won’t cry, she’s too resolute for that, but the upset is evident in her voice. “But, you’ve hurt us, too.” Perhaps you have caused them grief lashing out the way you have but it doesn’t absolve them of anything. Biting the hand that stabbed you doesn’t heal your own wounds. 

“We’ve become clouded so let me say this and clear the air; Tonowari and I have given our souls to each other as mates. Before Eywa, tsaheylu was made. This is known.” You nod, unsure of what she’s trying to say. 

“A mating bond is made by choice. A choice you have decided to never make. We know this. But it is not the only way to be bound to someone. There are vows and oaths, bonds made through words and actions. And you made that bond when you didn’t estrange Tonowari from his son, when you allowed me to raise Ketsräno with you. A fertility match is usually forgotten when one partner finds a mate, but you felt no such need to shun us or hide yourself away. You stayed by our side from the moment you were matched.” Her hand brushes the edge of your shoulder as she reaches behind you to draw your tswin forward. Her fingers are gentle as they trace the weave of your hair wrapped tight around the sensitive nerves within. 

“Your first tsaheylu is with your mother.” She’s suddenly quieter, eyes distant as she winds your thick braid between careful fingers. “I remember when Ketsräno was born. You were tired but you smiled brighter than I’d ever seen as you held your son and made the first bond, and you didn’t rest until you’d seen Tonowari and I bond with him, as well. I thought from that moment on we all acknowledged our place in each others’ hearts.” 

The day is one you will remember for the rest of your life. Ketsräno had come early in the day, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. Most of the night had been spent warring against the pain in the shallows, squeezing tight to Tonowari’s hands as he held you and Ronal tended to what he couldn’t. It had been only the three of you and your spirit sister until you were far enough to call the clan to witness the birth of a new life. Your cheeks were sticky with tears by the time Ketsräno came at last into the pink light of dawn, legs kicking to the surface as he made easy work of his First Breath. There was the usual whooping and cheering but you didn’t truly hear any of it, far too enamored with your little son. 

It was a moment meant to be shared with the clan but all that mattered to you was the family gathered around you. There was exhaustion and blinding happiness filling your head and then the gentle thrum of Ketsräno’s vitra as you made the first tsaheylu. There hadn’t been a thought in your mind in regards to what allowing Tonowari and Ronal to bond with Ketsräno would mean, and now you are dealing with the consequences of your addled decisions so many years later. In that moment you had treated the olo’eyktan and tsahìk as your mates and continued every moment after. You don’t regret it, not for a moment, but you loathe your own ignorance. Tears begin to burn anew in your eyes as you recognize your mistake. 

“I’m sorry.” Over one misunderstanding you had nearly burned your world to the ground. “I’m sorry, Ronal.”

“Hear me now, paskalin. Listen well because I don’t want to have to repeat this ever again.” Her tone is strict but not without her own stern sort of affection. “Oel ngati kameie. Nga yawne lu oer. I will say this once and you will carry it in your heart for the rest of your life; we are yours, and you are ours.” You know it. A hidden piece of your heart has always known that even if you never found a mate you would be content with your life with Ronal and Tonowari. But they’re mated with each other. Of course you never considered you could fit in a place where two halves already made a whole. 

“Tonowari has been in love with you from the moment he was set to be your fertility match. His love for you was easy. I didn’t earn his affections so easily, you remember.” You do. Being olo’eyktan or tsahìk is a heavy burden to bear and while Ronal always did so with grace it was plain to your eyes as someone close to both of them that their love took some time to blossom. They were awkward with each other, stepping lightly to avoid any upset before finding their standing as a mated couple. Ao’nung and the rest followed soon after. So strange that two arrangements had such different results. Or perhaps not seeing as the three of you managed to tie your hearts together in the end. Though you never considered your place in their lives to be valued in the same way they regarded each other. Clearly you’d been wrong all these years. 

She leans in close to rest her forehead against yours and heat builds in the space between your lips as you breathe against each other. It’s a familiar sort of closeness that you’ve neglected to think could ever mean more than a close bond of friendship and parenthood. The tip of her nose draws across your flushed skin, brushing through your drying tears as she nuzzles against you. Her breath is warm against your cheeks as she takes in the scent of your skin, kissing the ripples of your pil until her lips find yours. They’re soft and warm and she tastes of sweet juice. The kiss is fleeting and precious. 

“Oel ngati kameie.” The words are whispered against her lips as she kisses you again. How long have you spent saying such words when you hadn’t truly seen what was right before your eyes. So many years wasted considering yourself an accessory to their bond when, in their minds, you had always been included. How much you have missed trying to live freely and save your heart the ache of abandonment when everything you could ever want was already within reach. Your fingers trace over the tattoo etched around the shape of her and curling high on her cheekbone. She hums quietly, eyes falling shut as she pulls you as close as her stomach will allow. The torch she lit is still burning but it gives you light to see her by as she falls asleep beneath your gentle touches. You resolve to speak with Tonowari when you wake, to try to mend the hole you’ve torn in your lives. 

It’s easier said than done, though, because when the sun rises and Ronal with it you find yourself hesitant to approach Tonowari. Dawn turns to day and you find your hands busy in places the olo’eyktan would have no reason to be. By the time the sun has reached its peak in the sky you’re busying yourself in Tsireya’s shadow, assisting her in teaching the children. She seems grateful for the added guidance you can offer, never asking what possessed you to suddenly want to stay so close to the village when midday usually finds you far beyond the terraces, hunting or frolicking on some lesser traveled islands. Weaving is easier work than hunting, not as strenuous of a task, as you teach the younglings the different types of braids and knots that make their homes and clothing. When the sun begins to set the children scatter home and you realize the day has been wasted without you speaking a single word to Tonowari. Tsireya keeps up a pleasant conversation as the two of you straighten up the marui used for teaching, collecting dropped beads and setting aside the childrens’ weavings. 

“Txa’ro shows a lot of promise, I think.” She hums happily. “She learned the arrowhead pattern quite quickly.” You nod, though your mind is far off. If any student showed any outstanding capability today you hardly noticed it. The whole day has passed in a haze like fog has settled before your eyes. Last night was like a dream, a short breath before the waves crashed over you once more. If your daughter is bothered by your uncharacteristic silence she doesn’t mention it, simply carrying the conversation herself as you follow her absently through the village only to stop once a familiar marui comes into view. It feels as though your feet are caught in mud, sucking you into the bouncing path as Tsireya continues on, happily chatting until she realizes you’re no longer beside her. 

“Ma Sa’nok?” She reaches towards you, expecting that you’ll move to take her hand, and her face falls when you don’t. Both of you stand watching each other until finally Tsireya nods and says good night, finishing the trek home by herself. It pains you to see your daughter upset and distant but you can’t bring yourself to face her father. Not yet. Instead you go in the opposite direction with no destination in mind. You walk until you run out of woven paths and the air no longer carries the scent of dinners being made, until you reach the fringes of the village where the beach is deserted. 

This isn’t how the day was meant to end but it ends all the same as you sit and watch Naranawm’s shadow swallow the sun. Soon the eclipse will break into deep night and you’ll return home without having shared a single word with Tonowari. So strange that is. There were once days when the two of you could be parted for only a few hours, for as long as chores demanded it and not a moment more. But that was when the children were young and needy for their parents’ attention. Now they’re old enough to deal with things on their own without your guidance. The sand is soft as you lay back to stare at the sky until it goes dark as your eyes drift shut. They don’t open again until you feel the sand shift beside you. It’s different than a rising tide swelling around you and you turn your head towards the disturbance. 

Tonowari sits beside you, lit in deep shades of blue beneath the night sky. He isn’t looking at you yet. Instead his eyes are fixed in the far distance, on the dark silhouette of the seawall where the terrace pools are lit with rippling syuratan. When he finally looks at you his eyes are filled with a foreign sort of longing. It’s a strange expression to see on his face. Tonowari has never been known to put his desires before anything else, if anything his wants and needs can be forgotten and buried if it means peace and prosperity for the clan. His role as olo’eyktan is put before everything in his life. Every clan needs a leader and Tonowari and Ronal both uphold their roles with the utmost care, never straying from the path Eywa has set for them. Seeing him look so lost within himself would be mystifying if you didn’t know the cause of his clouded mind. It’s in the reflection of his blue eyes, the pattern of your glowing freckles appearing like aysnatanhì in his forlorn gaze. You’re the reason for this and it feels like a knife to your heart and you desperately want to heal the wounds you’ve caused. 

“I’m sorry.” It isn’t enough but you say it anyway. Sorry is for stepping on someone’s tail or being too rough during training. It’s for small disagreements. Not something like this. Still you want to cling to the idea that what’s broken can be fixed with enough patience and attention. Tonowari seems to share the sentiment as he brushes the sand from your hair as you sit up, fingers tracing down your arm until he can bring your hand to his lips. It isn’t a kiss. Not truly. He presses his lips against your knuckles like he’s trying to see if you’re truly here before him. He seems soothed when you don’t turn to smoke before his eyes. 

“Don’t.” He says before you can further embarrass yourself with meager words of atonement. “Don’t apologize.” Your heart sinks like a stone in your chest. Apologies are all you have to give. If he won’t accept them then perhaps this distance can never be bridged again. 

“May I speak plainly?” You’ve never asked his permission to speak as bluntly as you do, but Tonowari is always considerate, even when it is undeserving. He takes a while to speak after you nod your acquiescence as if he’s weighing his words to see which will sit heaviest on your heart. Even in his anger he can find a moment to be kind. 

“You’re the most difficult woman I’ve ever met.” He says at last. It doesn’t sting as much as you’d expect it to. It’s a sentiment you’ve heard your entire life. Too brash, too harsh, too willful. Of course people will find you difficult but it’s the first time Tonowari has said it so plainly. 

“Ronal may not mind having to fight with you and wrangle you like an untamed beast, but I do. I only want to love you but you make it so hard for me. If I get too close you pull away. It feels like I am fighting to keep you by my side. And then you say–” he cuts himself off, shaking his head. “You say you want another child and you don’t come to me for this. You flaunt yourself around the village as if I cannot give you what you’ve asked for. I can. I will. You just have to let me. That is all I want.” 

“I didn’t know.” It’s hardly an excuse but it is the truth. Tonowari stiffens beside you, lips pressing into a firm line.

“Didn’t know?” He glowers, ears pulling back before he calms himself. “Then let me tell you so that you know. From today onward, paskalin, let there be no more confusion. I love you. As a husband loves his wife, I love you. I know you do not wish to be mated. I understand your heart. But you are my mate even still. You belong to me and I belong to you. Just as I belong to Ronal. Just as you belong to her. And if you want children I will give them to you. No one else.” He bares his teeth though there’s no one but you to see his show of possessive aggression. 

It’s so strange to hear him want something so desperately. Tonowari has always done what is expected of him. For the good of the People he has always thought of the clan before himself. To hear him almost begging for this allowance to be selfish, it lights a fire inside you. 

“I don’t care about them. Tayku and the rest,” Tonowari scowls at the sound of the boy’s name, “I never wanted them.”

“Then what do you want?” You’re reminded that beyond his duties as a leader, Tonowari is a warrior. He pulls you into his lap with great strength, one hand keeping your eyes on his as the other holds your waist. 

“I want this.” You whisper. “I want you.” 

His lips burn as they meet yours in a deep kiss, searing the promise you’ve made into your memory. The night air is warm but you shiver as Tonowari’s hands trace across your skin. It’s been so long since you’ve been this close with him and it overwhelms you as he pulls you tight against him and whispers sweet promises over your parted lips. You whine as his fangs nip over your neck, tongue tracing the shape of your tattoos until he finally settles against your chest. He noses at the delicate shells of your draping top, breath puffing against your heated skin. His blunt nails drag down your exposed back to your hips, pulling you harder against him. His intentions are clear and you’re more than happy to comply as he toys with the knots keeping you covered. You’re far enough from the village that no one will stumble upon the two of you as he lays you bare beneath the stars.

The hardest part passes with the rising of the sun but there is still work to be done before things can truly be as they should between the three of you. Hunting is strenuous but there is always more to do after the beast is slain and prayers are said in its honor. There is cleaning, skinning, cutting, cooking, and preserving even after that. The hunt is not over until even the bones of the animal are put to some use. The renewed and deepened intimacy with the olo’eyktan and tsahìk is hardly enough to heal the pain amassed over many years. A wound needs to be tended not ignored lest it bleed you dry. It was nearing that point, would’ve surely reached it had you gone through with letting another man father your newest child. The strained bond would’ve been shattered to splinters beyond salvaging but as it stands you can manage to slowly place the pieces back together. 

It is a slow walk to where you want to be, but each step brings all of you closer. At first it’s only small things; Ronal stealing kisses in secluded places and Tonowari lingering near you far more than necessary. They’re more protective now as if they’re worried someone will come along to trample on your budding affections. It’s all new to you, this deeper sort of courtship as you’ve never allowed anyone to go beyond the point of flattery and gifts. The fierce loyalty is to be expected. In truth you’ve never been loyal to anyone besides them. Even before your confessions and admissions of love you never bothered to be closer than friends with anyone. To be doted on so openly soothes the bruised piece of your heart still agonizing over being left behind if they grow tired of you. In so many years their feelings have remained unflinching for each other, and for you. It’s a nagging feeling you wish to starve out of your mind. Eywa has graced you with two people you adore and who love you with equal fervor in return. Tsaheylu or not the three of you have been mated since you laid with Tonowari beneath the night sky. 

Things have finally fallen back into place. Ronal still bites back at every curt remark you make and Tonowari still worries anytime you’re too far from home. But there is no more edge of awkwardness as you hesitate to kiss Tonowari or lean against Ronal. Bashfulness is unneeded when they revel in your tentative touches. Their affections manifest differently, Ronal being more subtle as Tonowari is more boastful, but you learn to balance yourself between the two of them. Ronal won’t ask for a kiss. She will simply stare at your lips until you offer one. Tonowari acts instinctually, wrapping you in his arms the moment the desire rises. It swirls new rumors of the clan leaders’ mate though many simply laugh over how long it’s taken you to accept the title they all called you in secret. It dizzies your head to know that it had been only you standing in the way of your happiness, clawing and hissing when no one meant to harm you. How foolish you’d been to run from your feelings when they were so plainly reciprocated. All that pain suffered and inflicted with no reason for it. The thought weighs heavy on your heart, ears lowering as you mull over your work. 

“Enough.” Ronal says just as quickly as the regret begins to creep in. The energy of the air has surely shifted as your soul sinks into a dark place and your tsahìk is quick to catch it. She’s irritable in the last months of her own pregnancy, more easily disturbed by small things. 

“Come here.” She makes room on the hammock she’s sitting in expecting that you’ll join her without protest. Of course you do, dropping what you’d been doing to sit beside her. The squid can wait. You’ve harvested enough of their ink for the moment though the one in your hand clings defiantly, little tentacles winding around your fingers as you try to drop into the bowl with the others. Ronal makes a face as she watches you gently peel the creature from your hand. Despite their necessity for the tradition of tattooing, she’s always found squids to be unpleasant. Something about their wriggling legs unsettling her. It’s an amusing distaste she has considering how many times you’ve reminded her their legs are more similar to the sinuous nerves of a kuru, but she won’t have it. You press a kiss to her temple as you sit to offer penance for bringing the creatures near her. 

She hums and goes back to her sewing, stitching delicate beads into the intricate weaving of a new top. Idly you flex your leg, gently rocking the hammock as you bury your foot in the sand. The day has gone by with a harmonious sort of stillness as the clan spent the heat of the day on menial tasks. Despite the more secluded area you find yourself in you can still hear the soft din of voices; work songs and gossip and children shrieking happily as they splash in the waves. You rest a hand on your stomach. Enough time has passed for you to be showing. Tonowari has been pleased since Ronal first confirmed the news, hands constantly brushing over your stomach even when you looked no larger than you had before. Now he’s weak with anticipation for their first stirring. You can already hear the words on his tongue as the olo’eyktan appears down the beach, smiling happily at the sight of his mates cocooned together. 

“Oh.” Before he can ask there’s a sudden fluttering in your stomach, light and quick like the feeling of a fish swimming past you. 

“Oh?” Ronal asks, setting aside her sewing. Your hand presses lightly against the place you felt the burst of movement. 

“Are they moving?” Tonowari asks excitedly, already kneeling before you. His hand trails up your calf to settle on your knee, blue eyes imploring as you stare blankly in wait for another flutter. It comes again and you laugh at the strangely ticklish feelings, pulling his hand from your knee to press against your stomach. 

“Did you feel it?” You ask when the baby moves again. Your child is strong, moving with great vigor. It isn’t always a pleasant feeling as you remember the bouts of sickness Ketsräno raised while he twisted and kicked inside you, but this is the first of the new baby’s movements and they’re hardly enough to disturb you. Tonowari nods though his eyes stay trained on your belly. Ronal’s hand pushes in beside her husband’s, fingers overlapping with your own as you guide Tonowari’s hand to where the kicks are strongest. She’s shared in your toiling of carrying a child, knows that it won’t always be this easy, but for the moment neither of you mention it. Instead she presses a kiss to your cheek, your nose, landing one on your lips when you turn towards her amorous mouth. Tonowari catches your lips soon after, hand still pressed against your stomach. He doesn’t go far as he pulls away. 

Instead he wraps his hands around your waist, lifting you from your seat to twirl you in a circle. There are no words for what he’s feeling because all that falls from his lips are sounds of pure elation. Laughter, as deep and rolling as the ocean fills the alcove as he dances with you. Ronal watches the two of you for a moment before smiling herself and standing to join. Your heart swells near to bursting as you realize this is what you would’ve missed had the storm of distance and anger never torn through your life. You’ve made something better of what remained when the rain gave way to sunlight. This is what you tried to deprive yourself of with your rash overthinking. You’ll never be so presumptuous again. Not when Tonowari and Ronal renew their vows to you with each passing breath. Paskalin, tìyawn, muntxate. They don’t let you forget their love for even a moment and you’ll dedicate your life to returning it a thousand times over. 

ɴᴀ’ᴠɪ ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs

Lorpaytsyal – chandelier fish

Syuratan – bioluminescence

Txampaysye – gill mantle

Tanhì – bioluminescent freckles, star

Parultsyìp – little miracle, term of endearment for a child

Sempul – father

Hì’ikran – dorado verde, small ikran (speculative)

Nawmtu – great person (honorific)

Pil – facial stripes, skin stripes

Naranawm – Polyphemus, the planet Pandora orbits

Skxawng – moron

Oìsss – angry snarl, watch it!

Paskalin – sweet berry (term of endearment)

Tswin, Kuru – neural braid

First Breath – Metkayina birth ritual

Vitra – soul

Nga yawne lu oer – I love you

Aysnatanhì – constellations

Tìyawn – love (term of endearment)

Muntxate – wife, female mate

[jaskierx]

thinking about ed's reasons to live - warmth and good food and orgasms - and the moments in the series when these are present (or not), and how all roads lead back to stede

there's a distinct lack of warmth in the gravy basket. it's tinted blue as if it's cold. ed's near-death is portrayed as him drowning in cold water. we don't see him with a robe or a blanket at any point in the kraken era, not even in private, even though we know these things comfort him. we don't see him having any physical contact with the crew - in fact there's often a large space between him and the others. he does not feel the warmth of other human beings.

in contrast, warmth is a key feature of times when he and stede work together well - they use fire to appear like a lighthouse in s1e4, stede burns the boat after the aristocrats upset ed in s1e5, ed is under a blanket when stede comforts him in s1e6, they enjoy the snake snack by the fire in s1e7.

when ed eats without stede, it's not 'good food' - either he's eating marmalade out of the jar or cake icing off a dagger because he misses stede, or he's using the wrong cutlery to eat a prawn and getting laughed at by the aristocrats. he ensures the crew get cake from the wedding raids, but does not join them to eat it. he accidentally ruins the fishermen's meal in s2e8.

when ed eats with stede, the meals are substantive and good quality - breakfast spreads, the snake snack, the meal they don't pay for. they take part in so many little social rituals associated with eating - making food for each other, clinking their teacups together, stede getting the crumb out of ed's beard. many of their major relationship moments revolve around food - stede bringing ed breakfast in s1e4, the cutlery being a turning point in s1e5, blackbeard's bar and grill in s1e7, jack interrupting breakfast and 'well well look who's eating seaweed' in s1e8, their reconciliation at the dinner at anne and mary's house in s2e4, the breakfast in bed in s2e7.

orgasms is in some ways an obvious one bc the only sex scene he has is with stede - but on a wider level, he has very little positive physical contact with anybody that isn't stede (other than his cute little friendship dance with anne) - even his interactions with jack feel somewhat forced and over the top. but ed and stede touch all the time, in a very casual way, and a lot of the moments where they touch are significant - ed holding stede's hand while he's unconscious in s1e4, ed throwing his arms around stede after the lighthouse plan works in s1e4, ed resting his head against stede's hand in s1e6, the foot touch in s1e8, stede trying to wake ed up in s2e3, ed reaching out to protect stede in s1e9 and s2e6, the way they wrap themselves around each other when they kiss.

in comparison, the ways that he shares contact with other characters is starkly different - fang describes desecrating ed's unconscious body, he indirectly loses autonomy over his body when he's forced to shave his beard at the privateering academy, ed and izzy's touches in s1e10 are either violent (e.g. ed feeding izzy his toe) or an uncomfortable violation of boundaries (e.g. izzy touching ed's cheek). compare this to stede's approach to touching ed - he asks ed to come out from under the blanket in s2e4 instead of pulling it away, he checks in with 'is this okay' when they're holding hands in s2e5, he waits for ed's nod of consent in s2e6.

idk i'm just emotional about how hornigold asked ed what he liked about living and he basically said 'stede' three times

[queensharotto]

Brittle Doughie’s Cookie Run x Reader Masterlist (Part 3: Early 2023)

A masterlist of @brittle-doughie’s Cookie Run stories organized by month.

Genre Emojis

😞 is for angst, 🎃 is for Halloween, 🎄 is for Christmas, 🍪 is for Cannibalism, 💗 is for Yandere, 💝 is for Valentine’s, 👻 is for Horror, 🎂 is for Birthday, 💚 is for Yandere!White Lily Cookie

The Indents are related to the featured cookies. If there are numerous cookies (Over 10 Cookies Featured), I’ll make a note on that as well. Additionally, I’ll categorize various cookies if they’re associated with a specific hobby, location, food etc.

Also, the ⭐️ will indicate a story featuring one of Brittle’s OCs.

January 2023 ❄️

• “Molded, Battered, Whole”

Featuring: The Five Dragons

• “Y/N Cookie getting Injured”

Featuring: Pomegranate Cookie, Mala Sauce Cookie, Black Raisin Cookie, Financier Cookie and Princess Cookie

• “Foul Play” 💗

Featuring: The Cherry Stars

• “Seize the Spin”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “Face the Music!”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, B.A.D 4, Manager Scarlet and Producer D.K.E.C

• “Two Sides of a Coin”

Featuring: Hollyberry Cookie

• “New Time Balance Department Cookies”

Featuring: The Time Balance Department

• “Sands of the Sale”

Featuring: Yogurt Cream Cookie and Lilac Cookie

• “Memories”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “Coworkers Delight”

Featuring: Maple Taffy Cookie

• “Spared No Expense 2”

Featuring: Cheesecake Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie’s Valentine’s Day Experience” 💝

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “A Fish in a Barrel”

Featuring: Affogato Cookie and the Cookies of the Dark Cacao Kingdom

• “Good Day for Walks”

Featuring: Pure Vanilla Cookie

• “A Handycookie’s Expertise”

Featuring: Coffee Candy Cookie, Baguette Cookie, Dark Fondue Cookie, Maple Taffy Cookie and Marble Bread Cookie

• “Chaos and Control”

Featuring: Twizzly Gummy Cookie and her Gang

• “House is Where The Heart Is”

Featuring: Raspberry Mousse Cookie

• “The Serenity or The Charismatic”

Featuring: Pure Vanilla Cookie and Clotted Cream Cookie

• “Eternity”

Featuring: Snow Sugar Cookie

• “Interactions with Milky Way Cookie during Episode 15”

Featuring: Milky Way Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie Dislikes People Yelling”

Featuring: Hollyberry Cookie, Purple Yam Cookie, Carol Cookie, and Caramel Arrow Cookie

• “No Deed Goes Unnoticed”

Featuring: The Cookies of the Dark Cacao Kingdom

• “At Your Beck and Call”

Featuring: The Pearl Legion and House Custard Soldiers

• “Ayo, Their Pouch Responses”

Featuring: Sea Fairy Cookie and Moonlight Cookie

• “No Dice” 💗

Featuring: Clotted Cream Cookie and the Ancient Cookies

• “Undeserving”

Featuring: Affogato Cookie’s Disciples, Dark Cacao Cookie, Adventurer Cookie, and Captain Ice Cookie

• “But the Dance is Today!”

Featuring: Cookies of the Hollyberry Kingdom

• “Y/N Cookie’s Tailoring Hobby”

Featuring: The Tailor Cookies

• “Lost Amidst Matrimony” 😞💗

Featuring: Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie

• “Sweet Heartmender” 💝

Featuring: Blue Lily Cookie and Lilybell Cookie

• “Burger Chain Backfire”

Featuring: Reporter Cookie and Shining Glitter Cookie

February 2023 💝

• “Antagonized”

Featuring: Almond Cookie, Truffle Cookie, Butter Pretzel Cookie, Lollipop Cookie, and Melon Bun Cookie

• “Even More Heartbreak”

Featuring: Black Pearl Cookie, Captain Caviar Cookie, and Seaweed Cookie

• “Star of the Industry” ⭐️

Featuring: Dumpling Cookie (debut), Reporter Cookie, and various Music Cookies

• “The Sugar Swan’s Treasure”

Featuring: The Sugar Swan

• “Y/N Cookie Blurbs”

Featuring: Various Cookies

• “Pet Times”

Featuring: Carrot Cookie, Cheesecake Cookie, and Baguette Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie’s First Encounter with Stardust Cookie”

Featuring: Stardust Cookie and Moonlight Cookie

• “Moon Pie Cookie”

Featuring: Moonlight Cookie

• “Tales of Sweetness” 💝

Featuring: Carrot Cookie, Beet Cookie, Red Velvet Cookie, Pomegranate Cookie and Light Cream Cookie

• “If Y/N Cookie Hated Someone”

Featuring: Dark Choco Cookie, Pomegranate Cookie, Affogato Cookie, Ice Juggler Cookie and Cocoa Cookie

• “Movie Star Y/N Cookie”

Featuring: Cheesecake Cookie, Blackberry Cookie, Cocoa Cookie, Mint Choco Cookie, Tea Knight Cookie, Eclair Cookie, Twizzly Gummy Cookie and Shining Glitter Cookie

• “Duel of Hearts”

Featuring: White Choco Cookie and Rose Cookie

• “A Very Much Invited Guest”

Featuring: The Cookies of the Hollyberry Kingdom

• “Fashion Week 2?”

Featuring: Cheesecake Cookie, Chestnut Cookie, and the Tailor Cookies

• “Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to”

Featuring: The Vegetable Cookies

March 2023 🌱

• “Artist Y/N Cookie”

Featuring: Butter Pretzel Cookie, Cheesecake Cookie, Truffle Cookie and Pastry Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie’s Costume Concepts”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “Drawings for the Little Cookies”

Featuring: Lollipop Cookie, Walnut Cookie, Onion Cookie and Strawberry Crepe Cookie

• “Ya Like Raisin Buns?”

Featuring: Black Raisin Cookie

• “Sweetheart Timekeeper Cookie” 💝

Featuring: Timekeeper Cookie

• “Stress from a Job”

Featuring: Baguette Cookie, Almond Cookie, Pizza Cookie, Dr. Bones Cookie and Kumiho Cookie

• “Ancient Y/N Cookie’s All Nighters”

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “Y/N Cookie being part of a Royal Family”

Featuring: Madeleine Cookie, Financier Cookie, Red Velvet Cookie, Chocolate Bonbon Cookie and Rougefort Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie having a Nightmare”

Featuring: Moonlight Cookie, Milky Way Cookie and Stardust Cookie

• “Downstream: Part 1”

Featuring: Affogato Cookie and the Cookies of the Dark Cacao Kingdom

• “Group Findings”

Featuring: Cauliflower Cookie and Peperoncino Cookie

• “Volunteering to be a parent to Y/N Cookie’s child (Part 1)”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “Sea Fairy x Y/N Cookie”

Featuring: Sea Fairy Cookie

• “A Jammed Heart” 😞

Featuring: Chocolate Frosting Cookie

• “Croissant Cookie vs. Timekeeper Cookie”

Featuring: Croissant Cookie, Timekeeper Cookie, Coffee Candy Cookie and Dark Fondue Cookie

April 2023 ☔️

• “A Forced Hand” ⭐️

Featuring: Salsa Cookie (debut) and the Ancient Cookies

• “Y/N Cookie in Scovillia”

Featuring: Scovillia Headmaster, Capsaicin Cookie, Parfaedia Principal, Prune Juice Cookie, Creme Knights Preceptor and Kouign-Amann Cookie

• “From Afar”

Featuring: Chocolate Bonbon Cookie, Croissant Cookie, Sour Belt Cookie and Lime Cookie

• “Kindred Souls”

Featuring: Milk Cookie

• “Y/N Cookie Comforting Centipede Cookie”

Featuring: Centipede Cookie, Lilac Cookie and Scorpion Cookie

• “Chocolate Frosting Cookie trying to redeem herself”

Featuring: Chocolate Frosting Cookie, Croissant Cookie, Coffee Candy Cookie, Dark Fondue Cookie and Timekeeper Cookie

• “The Pudding Cup Circus”

Featuring: Banana Cookie, Ice Juggler Cookie, Licorice Cookie and Pomegranate Cookie

• “Cookies of Darkness Go to the Movies”

Featuring: The Cookies of Darkness

• “Volunteering to be a parent to Y/N Cookie’s child (Part 2)”

Featuring: Financier Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie, Red Velvet Cookie, Madeleine Cookie, Captain Caviar Cookie and Clotted Cream Cookie

• “Exiled from their Kingdom: The Darkness’s Offering”

Featuring: The Cookies of Darkness

• “No Simp September”

Featuring: Hollyberry Cookie, Kumiho Cookie, Frost Queen Cookie, Blueberry Pie Cookie and Princess Cookie

• “I’ll Miss You” 😞

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “The Incorrect Quote Cookie Jar #2”

Featuring: Numerous Cookies

• “Y/N Cookie in the Crème Knights”

Featuring: Financier Cookie, Vanilla Sugar Cookie, Kouign-Amann Cookie, Prune Juice Cookie and Capsaicin Cookie

[xuchiya]

down the pond moments

₊˚.༄ || soft valentines m.list || hongjoong || seonghwa || yunho || yeosang || san || mingi || wooyoung || jongho || ₊˚.༄

soft yeosang with a soft looking forest with a small pond looks like it came out of the disney movies. you know as sunlight strikes a diamond, its intricate facets disperse light into a dazzling spectrum of colors, creating a mesmerizing play of rainbow hues.

yeosang had your hand wrap tightly around his, warmly. he swayed them gently as you both take in the scenery of the isolated park from the actual park in the center of the city but this one is less, well, polluted.

"oh look ducks!" yeosang pulled away, running towards the pond where he found two ducks floating around. you chuckle, moving along on his direction. you gathered your long-printed skirt in your hand before sitting on your folded legs, "hello little one." a duckling jump out of the water, waddle its small feet towards your lap. you run your forefinger on its back as it settles on your warmth, seeing its eyes close, resting on you.

your heart fluttered from the cuteness, pulling out your phone to record the duckling until you felt a splash of water; slightly drenching you and awakening the duckling. you turn your head along with your phone, only to have your mouth covering in surprise.

your boyfriend, yeosang, fell in the pond.

the pond wasn't too deep as his head and shoulders still propped up on the surface along with his knees perched up on the surface to. his hair that was styled by him for hours were drape on his forehead, a duckling sitting on top of his head.

"omo~ yeo what are you doing darling?" you chuckle, he huffed, parting his hair to gain vision on his curtain wait hair, his eyes moved upwards to motion at the duckling above his head, " this guy over here was struggling with the seaweed on his foot so i tried to help him, but i slip and here i am."

you burst out laughing which made yeosang pout and huffed, looking at your hunching body as you cackled at his situation and wanted to take revenge. so, he came up with a plan, "hey your boyfriend needs some help here ..."

you shake your head, propping your phone on rocks and move the duckling to the side as you stand to help your boyfriend up. you had your skirt bundled in your hand, so it won't touch the water. a hand reaches out for him to pull him out; and yeosang took that chance to pull you instead. with him.

that took you by surprise as you fell in the water beside him, "yeo!" you submerge on the chilly water with a betrayal look on your face. he chuckles at your reaction before splashing you, you squirm before splashing him back a little harder.

the battle between you and yeosang continue until you were thrown over his shoulders, spinning you both around. you smack his back gently, "yah kang yeosang!"

Yeosang pauses, surprising you by wrapping his arms around the backs of your legs. You instinctively reach down, resting your hands lightly on his shoulders. Your eyes meet, sparkling with the reflection of the sunlight dancing on the water's surface. His legs remain submerged, the cool water lapping playfully against his calves.

"yes darling?" even with the playfulness there's still a hint of adoration in them. in your mind, you look like a mess; all drench and smudge makeup but to yeosang, he saw beyond those what you think. your hair may stick to your face but it was still beauty to him, your ruined make up, it was like a stain smudge on the actual masterpiece.

he saw beauty beyond compare.

you shake your head, tapping his shoulders, "we have to go or we'll get sick." he smiles, tightening his grip on your legs, "no not until you give me kiss." his lips were puckered, ready to be smothered by your kisses. you smack his shoulders which in return he playfully drop you, "yeo! stop or no kisses."

"then we're no moving." you both stared at each other before sighing in defeat, yeosang is more hard headed than you. you shake your, leaning down to peck his lips then pulling away, "happy?"

yeosang huffed, "nope." you giggle at his childish, leaning down once again to give him the kiss he deserves. your lips move on his as you bask in the moment of being this intimate with him in public, a rare occasion for you and for yeosang.

this time, it was yeosang who pulled away, looking at you was something he wants to witness each morning comes, "i love you."

you cup his cheeks, pressing your forehead against his, "i love you more."

"quack!" both you and yeosang glance at the two ducklings and the ducks, watching you two. you pulled away, "let's go before you complain about getting sick." you both move back towards the ground, grabbing your things before going on your own ways, with the duckling (who sneak in) resting in your purse.

taglist: @vantediary

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Undersea Advisor.

In life, there are many variables to account for. Ah, but variables can be manipulated.

He remakes the world in his image.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

There are several little glass containers, lined up in a neat row, on his work bench. He is the master, and this is his craft: pocket dimensions, each with a different biome bottled.

Here is a lush garden with enchanted roses and caterpillars that blow smoke, and a savanna where miniature beasts race about. A desert with its own oasis--a massive scarab running amok, a regal castle he had painstakingly constructed with a pair of tweezers for a peacock no bigger than his thumb... He had even somehow managed to create a sleek building blinking blue lights and a crumbling chateau overrun with moss and bite-size bats.

His current project is a bowl of salt water, a layer of sand decorated with seaweed and coral at the bottom. He had taken the liberty of tucking fake jewels, a plastic treasure box, and a model of a sunken ship in.

For flair, he chuckles to himself. All that's left is to find proper aquatic specimens to house in it.

From the doorway, Jade adjusts the straps on his backpack, making sure that they're secure, that his supplies are in order. His boots laced, his jacket buttoned, he marches out the door and into the wilderness.

The forest is quiet and without trees but is not devoid of life.

Instead of trunks, there are stems--plump, pillowy, in various shades of white and cream. They are wider at the base and narrower at the head, which gives way to fluted undersides. Gills, Jade knows, a very different kind than those of a merman.

The air is clean and refreshing, lightly washed with spores. Not visible to the naked eye, but at the right refractions of sunlight, Jade can see them dancing into shapes upon the wind.

Circular shadows are cast across the ground, belonging to the caps that tower far above him. Mushrooms--macro-sized--have taken over the feet of the mountain, making it a suitable hideout for his hobbies. Sunlight spills through the cracks between the clustered caps, forming golden pools along the forest floor.

Jade makes a game of hopping upon them, one by one.

It isn't long before he comes upon the stream that cuts through the heart of the wood. A thin and humble little thing, able to be crossed in a single stride of his long legs.

Jade drops his backpack and drops to one knee. He inspects the fresh water up close with a careful eye. It's clear and still at the edges, white and foamy in the center, where it flows the fastest.

His heart leaps when he sees it--a streak of silver darting by.

He kicks off his footwear and rolls his pants up, silently stepping into the stream. Jade is cautious about not splashing, to avoid making noises or movements as that would disturb the wildlife.

He stands there, watching. Waiting, waiting, for that next fish to pass.

He thinks he sees it, a glimmer laid deep in the water. He reaches for it, fingers grazing wetness, but does not complete the grab.

“You like that, don’t you? The feeling of being in control, a life dancing in your palm,” a musical voice rings out. “It grants you security, assuredness.”

His eyes flicker down. His reflection shifts in the churning water, but he can see its mouth moving when his doesn’t.

An obstacle—amusing.

Jade purses his lips into a patient smile. “Oya, does a pixie presume to know those who visit their forest?”

“I am no pixie. In this pool of tears, all is laid bare,” his reflection says, “and given truth.”

“You claim to speak the truth. If that is the case, then you take no issue with divulging sensitive state secrets?” Jade’s smile grows, turning sharp. “To demonstrate your veracity, of course. I do not intend to misuse the information.”

“I know that you lie as easily as you breathe,” the pool replies, “for I have knowledge of only the souls that gaze into me.”

“A shame. I was quite curious about your awe-inspiring powers. Alas, there are limits put on greatness. It appears as though a puddle can never match the ocean in size nor in bounty.”

His reflection is not irked by his needling. “If you wish to take, then you must offer up a piece of yourself of equal value.”

“You have said that I lie as easily as I breathe. Is the word of a liar worth its salt?”

“You must speak truthfully.”

“But if I am a liar, and you have assumed my appearance, does that not, by proxy, make you a liar as well? That means what was uttered earlier is a lie, and I must tell an untruth—which I have already provided.”

The reflection pauses, considering the logic. Slow horror dawns on its expression—stolen from him—and it glowers.

"Liar," the reflection bitterly spits. It vanishes into the frothing waters.

There's a sigh, then the shudder of a release that fills the forest of mushrooms. Something, somewhere, has shattered.

Silver fills the clear stream, coloring it one shiny, metallic shade. Fins and scales bat against his skin. Healthy, plentiful.

Jade plunges an arm elbow-deep, and--

He gasps.

Something latches onto his arm and violently tugs. He's brought face-to-face with his own shocked expression, droplets hissing at him.

The stream, Jade realizes, should not be this deep.

He resists, trying to throw his body weight back, but the force holds tight. The slimy grip tightening like a fist.

He does not to fully relish in the surprise, so rare a feeling for him, before there is another strong pull. Jade falls forward, eyes wide as the water hits him in full.

Slowly, slowly... he finds himself sinking into an abyss.

It's the sea, deep and dark, shrouded by black mist. A ship-shaped shadow looms, at the inky depths--and through holes punched in the hull, undiscovered treasures wink up at him. Chests of forgotten gold and gems, like stars blinking in and out of view.

He dangles, suspended, like a puppet left upon the stage that has closed for the night. The scene, the stands, empty, save for the vague shapes of coral and twisting tendrils of seaweed.

Something shifts among the plants, and Jade tenses, preparing for a fight.

A long shape darts by, and his gaze tracks. The markings on it glow teal, peering through the murk--he recognizes it at once, relaxing.

"Floyd."

The name bubbles up and breaks upon the surface of the stream.

His twin circles him, his weaving tail sending Jade's jacket billowing. One is in the body of a human and the other, in their true form.

Floyd wordlessly grins, showing teeth like knives.

Behind him, the shadows swirl--a mess of writhing, squishy limbs and agonized moans. Tentacles, tentacles, painting a canvas with darkness.

A voice calls from somewhere in the void.

Floaty, far away.

"... de....... ade..."

"Jade!!"

He snaps awake, drawing in a deep gulp of air. As if he had just arisen from a dive.

Jade is seated at his workbench, blanked on either side. "Floyd, Azul..."

"We came as you had instructed, but it appears that now is not a good time," his dorm leader remarks. "You were sleeping like a log when we arrived."

"So I smashed a window with a rock and we let ourselves in!" Floyd declares proudly. Azul casts him a wary look.

"Just so you are aware, I am not to be held accountable for any damages incurred," he says hastily. "It was entirely Floyd's idea--I warned him against it and had him sign a liability form to assume any and all fees, should he ignore my advice and proceed with his ill-advised plot."

"Pfft." Jade chuckles. "My apologies. I must have become so enraptured in my project that I neglected to maintain a proper sleep schedule. The fault is mine, so I will not press charges."

Azul sighs, relieved. "Now, back to the matter at hand. For what reason have you summoned us here today?"

"Ah, that." Jade holds up his fishbowl, beaming. "I wished to share this with you both."

"Mmm, what is it?" Floyd asks, peering into the container. His face comes out the other end of it stretched wide and distorted, like the result of a funhouse mirror. "Looks like just some water to me."

"Another terrarium, I suspect." Azul pushes up his glasses as he surveys the other containers on the work bench "I see, so you've made one each in the image of the dormitories at Night Raven College. This one must be Octavinelle."

He suddenly frowns.

"Wait a minute, what is this?!" Azul thrusts a finger at a round little octopus suctioned to the inside of the bowl. The area around it is clouded with wisps of black.

"Hehehe, looks like Jade was right on the money with this one. That's so you, Azul."

"I-It is NOT!!"

"Really?" Jade's brows lift. "As I recall, you were exactly like this, tears and all, when..."

"AAAAAAAAH, stop, stooooop!! D-Don't say it, I can't bear that!!"

Jade laughs--soft and musical--granting his wailing dorm leader that single mercy. His chest is warm and full, a feeling his lies don't come close to.

I believe I’ve found myself company that is much more entertaining than any world right at my fingertips.

It’s his truth, the only one he has told this entire time.

[rel124c41]

NOW PLAYING ‘EVERYBODY LOVES A CLOWN’ BY GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS. floyd leech

The truest mark of a jester is not in his ability to make others laugh, but in his capacity to find humor in his own pain.

tags: unrequited love, hurt no comfort, character study, friendship, wishful thinking, angst, floyd is in his stańczyk era, complicated relationships

word count: 2,282

The game is in the first quarter. There are twelve minutes on the clock.

Floyd does not know where to start his confession to you.

As he plays, he tries to come up with ideas of love confessions: a dance, a letter, a bite, or a gentle touch? Planning however puts a damper on the sweetness of what should be a romantic fantasy. Not that Floyd allows the turmoil to show, he plays perfectly. Each move of his is effortless, on the court and when playing with you.

He has been trying for a while to confess. Cowardness ties him up like seaweed.

If anyone were to rival Floyd’s energy, it would be you. You are eudaimonia incarnate. Flourishing with happiness and good spirit, you are a wonderful yet unexpected addition to Night Raven College. Where even Floyd falls into tepid moods of anger or sadness, you stay afloat. Somehow, someway, you are always happy.

Dribbling at practice, Crabby once joked that you were made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Floyd yearns to know what a combination like that would taste on his tongue in a mating bite, sealing you two in marriage.

The Coral Sea is a triptych of shadow black, unwelcoming black, and cold black. You jump into his world, exploding with the color your soul carries. Through grimacing eyesight, he watches the gaiety of you bounce around even if it is blinding. You are the pinkest of pinks. You are the brightest orange that would rival sunkist shrimps. You are as yellow as the sun or a sky of stars, all consuming.

If shooting stars could fall into anyone’s eyes, they would fall into yours. Making little homes of fluctuating solar energy and the thumping glow of hydrogen and helium. The only eyes worthy of having stars in them.

He can feel the heat of those blazing stars on his neck as Sea Snake passes the basketball to him at midcourt line.

You sit in the bleachers with a handmade poster in your hands. To keep himself happy, Floyd deludes himself with the image of you making it alone. Without anyone handing you certain markers or glue for the glitter, you wrote WIN WIN WIN FLOYD in big, bubble letters for him and him alone. In his mind, you did not ask for the green colored pencil from anyone’s hand to shade in the caricature eel’s skin and you did not hyena-laugh when you accidentally got glitter on someone’s cheek or clothes.

The delusion of a reality where you only think about him 24/7 is sugar, spice, and everything nice. That is eudaimonia.

When Floyd scores twice in the first quarter with the aid of Sea Snake, you raise that poster up. Cheers from you are whole-hearted and never half-assed, you put everything into rallying encouragement you hope reaches and motivates Floyd.

You could frown and it would still motivate him.

When he scores for the third time, there are no vocal cheers shining down from the bleachers. Looking at the sea of unimportant guppies, he finds the reason your lips are silent. You are sharing a kiss with Jade, just two short pecks. Something you definitely initiated as Jade is timid with affection.

As he turns back to the court, Floyd imagines his confession would go like this:

“I love ya, Shrimpy.”

You laugh, almost falling off your seat, and say with a happy grin, “That’s a good one, Floyd. Tell another joke!”

The game is in the second quarter. There are twelve minutes on the clock.

Floyd is a clownfish of an eel. Not entirely like Crabby or Sea Otter, but Floyd has been marked as a class clown enough. Loud and boisterous, he is a presence that fertilizes laughter and amusement with ease. Perhaps the amusement is only shared by him, Jade, and Azul mostly, but it is still a jester’s position he has fallen into.

Nothing he says is ever taken seriously unless his words are threats. Unlike Jade, whose words are always heeded and who is taken seriously as a plague.

Floyd can be serious too though! Him and Jade are cut from the same cloth. Why can’t you see the other side of him? Why can’t your bright star eyes comprehend him as something more than a joking jester?

For a while, Floyd was content in that position. Jingling bells, stomping around in oversized shoes, falling over himself to fish that melodious laughter out of your throat. And then one of Jade’s mushroom puns got you snort in the midst of stomach deep laughter. Since then, no matter how many more quarters he plays, Floyd knows he lost.

Pure laughter is pure love in many cultures. And he, trapped in that monk’s cowl and sea anglerfish bells costume, has failed to make you laugh in that same intensity.

As he dribbles and passes the basketball, blocks shots and runs across the court, Floyd unpurposely distracts himself with a vile memory:

A party in Ramshackle. Not as extravagant as Sea Otter’s but still entertaining. As always, Floyd was like a lamp for tiny moths to gather around. Despite his pendulum-ing emotions, his company is enjoyable.

One off stories and jokes were a jester’s speciality. Capturing the attention of your friends and his fellow second years, Floyd keeps the conversation light and draws laughs out of throats like the Sea Witch once did with the little mermaid’s voice. The corner of where he is in Ramshackle is usually the loudest, brimming with comedy. The kind that should have gotten you to come over and ask curious, “What’s so funny?”

Crabby would have dismissed you but Floyd would have reeled you right in. His little Shrimpy, snug under his protective arm, as he recounted another story.

You do not laugh.

You do not look.

You just do not care.

That fucking party in Ramshackle? You spent it giving Jade a tour around the place, showing him the garden you started in the backyard, and chatting with that magnetizing, permanent smile on your lips. Before you two even were dating.

Floyd knows he does not have your total attention. Your attention is always spread in too many directions in his opinion. But sometimes, he wants more than anything for just one period of twenty-four hours where all you think about is him.

You may hold a sign with his name on it but he is not your focus. Star eyes follow the basketball that bounces from player to player; you watch the game fully, but not him.

Who would ever want to see a crying clown?

The game is in the third quarter. There are twelve minutes on the clock.

And Floyd finds himself benched.

Coach pulls him out of the game when five minutes are left in the second quarter. Coach worries about that rapidly declining mood of his in the second quarter. It is a volatile, gambling choice but the Coach thinks it is the correct one. Better to have him refuel and get back into the swing of the game. “Have a Gatorade and take a minute, Leech. No need to dig yourself down.” Floyd doesn’t want to drink his passion fruit Gatorade, he wants a different drink and he wants a peppermint to crush between his sharp teeth.

Elbows on knees and head in hands, Floyd watches the red clock go down number by number. Anger pulses off him like smoke. Fifty-eight. Fifty-seven. Fifty-six. Fifty-five. Stupid fucking Coach. Stupid fucking game. Stupid fucking Gatorade. Forty-nine. Forty –

“Peppermint for your thoughts?”

Stupid fucking Coach, Floyd thinks a second time. As is per tradition, if Floyd ever finds himself on the bench, call in Shrimpy. A small little crustacean that can reverse whirlpools back to sailable water and can make even the hungriest shark swim in the opposite direction of blood.

“It's a penny for ya thoughts,” Floyd grumbles into his hand.

“Nah, I don’t think so!” Is it possible to hear a smile in a voice? Because it feels like you speak in smiles; he imagines an alien language made by grins, one where no words like bad moods or anger exist. “Can’t eat a penny, can you?”

You take a seat by him on the bench. The space is left wide open because no one ever wants to risk being so close to the eel-mer when he is explosive with rage. When you sit, your shoulders bump together and from hip to shin, you two press against one another.

“So, the doctor is in. Doc. Shrimpy.”

Even when you are handing him something, his world minimizes down to the sight of your star eyes. The crunch of a peppermint wrapper in his hand is infinitesimal to the scorch of nuclear fusion and fire.

Still, he pops it in and relishes in the calming breakage of candy in his razor sharp teeth, replying, “I don’t know, just pissed I missed that shot.”

“Yeah, I saw that.” Liar. “I also saw you make two of the cleanest shots of the entire game in the first five minutes of the game.” Floyd hums instead of grumbling. It is the slightest, micro improvement but you still hammer on your past doctor-slash-therapist metaphor. “Say aaah for Doc. Shrimpy!”

This is the hardest part of being a clown. You do sweet, pseudo-romantic things with Floyd and never take it seriously. Everything between the two of you is shrouded under the blanket of comedy. There are zero feelings behind it. Even when you unknowingly partake in eel courtship (opening your mouth wide as you demonstrate your ‘aaah’), it is hollow and satire. And when you learn about his species’ courtship you will really only mean it with intent when you are with Jade.

“Aaah!”

Into his mouth, you pour a drink. His shoulders recoil at bit, premature disgust at the thought of tasting passion fruit which he is not in the mood to drink. Floyd is surprised when the drink starts to fizz in his mouth.

As he savors it, the carbonation and sourness a welcome burn in his throat, you smile and show him the drink you have on hand. “Shit’s good, right?” In front of him, you shake a monstrously bright pink and yellow can with the words Ghost on it. “Sour pink lemonade.”

You take the Ghost you just waterfall into Floyd’s mouth and down your own sip. Be careful, Shrimpy, Floyd thinks. Sharing food and drink is also a part of courtship.

“Gross, Shrimpy. You backwash?”

“Yeah, I did. How does loogie and lemonade taste?”

At that, Floyd snatches up the energy drink from your hands. He downs a much larger sip, going as far as to have some spill around the corner of his mouth. He takes the opportunity too to touch his lips on where yours once were.

Once he robs you of half your lemonade, Floyd brings his wrist to wipe his chin and grins wolfish, “My compliments to the chef! Think Azul’ll add it to the menu?”

You laugh just as Floyd was aiming for, all saccharine and lovely, and joke, “Oh my spit could make a fortune! I can see it now!”

“Shrimpy spit?”

“Oh my God, Shrimpy spit! It has alliteration!”

You two fall into each other, cackling and laughing at the stupidity. When your hair brushes his cheek, Floyd thinks of how easy it would be to find his lips falling to a place more forbidden than the metal rim of an energy drink can.

After you both stop laughing: “Ya gonna feed me some more, Shrimpy?”

“Hm, I don’t know. Mmm, how about this,” you grin, stretching out your sentences teasingly. “I have some takoyaki with your name up there on the bleachers. Jade and I made it yesterday. You can have the rest when you win this game!”

Your star eyes burn him. Floyd melts under their intensity.

The game is in the fourth quarter. There are twelve minutes on the clock.

Everybody loves a clown, so why don’t you?

Has he not been enough? Self-sacrificial to always keep you bright and laughing, giving you his own light, letting you bleed him dry until his skin is sandpaper and his bone rice. This constant fear that he should always try to keep you happy lies in his heart like a nematode worm.

His sugar, spice, and everything nice Shrimpy who does not belong to him.

Standing on the edge of the 3 point line, Floyd, despite his cowardice, sends out the last shot of the game.

The basketball glides across the rim like a ship caught in a whirlpool, once. Then a second time, it makes its circular route around the open mouth of victory, leaning capriciously. With a suicidal fall, the basketball falls to the right. It bounces double on the ground before rolling away out of Floyd’s reach. Over the white tape of the endline, the orange ball is now out of the court, signaling the end.

Though under typical circumstances that losing shot should usher him into despair, a smile grows on Floyd’s face. It is only broken when he starts to laugh, his own joy singular in the groans and moans of his teammates.

He turns towards the bleachers, knowing you are expecting a miserable frown; he waves happily at you when your worried eyes fall onto him. You are out of his court. But … eels mate for life which means … Floyd gets to keep you in his life, just a bit out of reach, as he dreams of your love, not knowin’ where to start.

The game ends in the fourth quarter. There are no minutes left.

[gyustarzzi]

ateez reacting to you wanting to cuddle 1/2

☆𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

It was past midnight and Hongjoong was working on Ateez's upcoming comeback that would be coming up in a few days. You, being you, decided to visit Hongjoong's office and give him some company. You had repeatedly told Hongjoong to take a rest and hang out with you but Hongjoong's answer was always, "5 more minutes" or "give me just a sec, I have to finish these last lines" and that was at least 2 hours ago when he last said those words. You were annoyed by Hongjoong's attitude. You swiftly went over to Hongjoong's chair where he was sitting before straddling him in his seat. "What is it baby? Are you tired?", he asked stroking your back lovingly. You nodded eagerly before wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling your face into the crook of his neck, "I want cuddles now", you demanded, a soft laugh erupted from Hongjoong, "Okay baby", he says before reclining his seat back slightly to make you both comfortable. Let's just say Hongjoong went back to work with you hugging him tightly in your sleep.

★𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚

Seonghwa was in the studio practicing the dance for their next comeback and you were relaxing on the couch. You watched afar as he danced gracefully for their new song, 'Inception'. His dancing was amazing and his moves were clean and sharp. You hadn't had a chance to cuddle him in what felt like too long and just watching him dance made you yearn for his cuddles. Once Seonghwa was done dancing to the song, he was taken away to be fitted in his comeback stage outfit. When he returned, his outfit was like that of a school boy, his blue tie hanging loose and his white shirt fitting perfectly, some buttons unbuttoned to reveal his collarbone. Seonghwa walked over to your bored figure with a silly smile on his face, "Do you like my outfit?", he asks while showing you his outfit, making you scoff in his face, "Do you really want to know?" you exclaimed making Seonghwa's face droop for a second before he is tugged harshly by the tie and into your embrace, "I think you look so hot, now cuddle me", you say lying on the couch.

☆𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨

As Yunho played Super Mario Party with the other members, you watched them with interest. All day you've been trying to give Yunho hints that you want his cuddles. However, for some reason he was blind and stupid because he wasn't picking it up quickly. So the entire day you were sitting on the couch sorrow plain on your face when the others weren't looking. While they were playing Super Mario party you walked past Yunho kissing him on the cheek and wrapping your arms around his neck. Kissing his cheeks often. But somehow he was unable to get the program. Unsuccessful you leave the room upset and angry since Yunho was not paying attention to you. A couple of hours later all the members leave your house, Yunho heading upstairs ready to go to bed. Once he opens the door you're lying there still scrolling through your phone. Yunho smiles softly at you as he walks over to you. He swiftly gets under the cover, wrapping his arms around your small figure. You look at him with an angry gaze before breaking away from his arms, a shocked expression on Yunho's face. "Honey? What's the matter?", asks Yunho as he tries to pull you in embrace again, "You wouldn't give me any attention when you were playing with your friends", you whine squirming away from him, "I'm sorry y/n, can you forgive me?", asks Yunho, your body turning around to face him directly. You then pull yourself into his embrace, snuggling your head into his chest. "Apologies accepted".

★𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠

You, Yeosang, and the guys were on vacation at the beach. As you sat in your chair, the others were splashing water at one another and trying to drown one another. You sigh in frustration as you watch Wooyoung attempt to drown Hongjoong for the 40th time today. His loud laughs erupt across the beach when Hongjoong came up with a piece of seaweed on his forehead. You can't help but laugh to yourself at the funny scene in front of your eyes but you had your mind on something else. Yeosang. He was splashing water at Wooyoung, his muscles flexing whenever he splashed the water or swam away. You couldn't help but feel needy this whole week. The only thing you wanted to do was spend time with your boyfriend. You watch as your boyfriend gets out of the water, walking over to you. You smile happily knowing that now you get to spend time with your boyfriend. He sits right beside you, taking his towel and drying off his hair, "Hey baby", you say, yeosang smiling back at you, "Hey angel, why aren't you getting in the water?", he asks still rubbing the towel on his hair, "I want to spend time with you", you say making yeosang stop in his tracks, a shade of blush forming on his cheeks, "Can we go to the beach house and cuddle?", you ask softly now getting out of your chair, "Of course my love".

[dadsbongos]

we need more airhead x megumi i loved that little series 🙏🏼

haha wholesome fun little addition to a fun little series - 645 words / not proofread :P

non-descript spoilers for chapters 212 +

~~~~

Hot sand is soft beneath your palms, specks clinging along the lines in Megumi’s palms. Foamy ocean laps at the muddy shore, and he sinks his feet down into the pliant ground. Stringy, inky green seaweed shreds are stranded along the empty beach. Despite the water being in front of him, Megumi feels it all around him as well. Bogging down his clothes and lifting his grown hair (when was the last time he could enjoy a proper cut?). He smells it. Oxygen still filling his lungs as the salty tinge invades his nose. And he hears it, too. Gentle wave after gentle wave licking up to his shoes. 

There is no sun, but he feels heat searing all down his exposed neck and drooling through his uniform. So hot it scars over his pale flesh. So hot he wishes he were dead.

Until his own shadow is engulfed by a wide bulb in the dark sand. Heat dissipates, and a calm cool overtakes the boil instead. 

Megumi twitches around, eyes wide and ears clogged with water, to find you, punching an umbrella into the beach. He looks up as you look down, you smile and you say something that he can’t quite hear.

“What…?” he dumbly mutters, voice airy in the disbelief that you’re even here.

“I said,” you emphasize, “‘All alone, handsome?’”

Megumi can’t respond, too busy watching as you slip under the umbrella’s shade and sit beside him. You practically lay against him, cheek smushing on his shoulder. 

“It’s boring out here,” your voice is loud. So much louder than the faraway ocean crashing. He watches through thick lashes as you glance around the abandoned shore, “At least it's clean.”

Megumi nods, too tired to wonder how it was you got here and how you plan to get out, and settles his weight against yours, “Yeah, well… who wants to look at trash while they’re at the beach?”

“True,” you turn your face until your lips are molded against his shoulder, he can faintly feel your frown through his sleeve, “I miss you, ‘gumi.”

“You do?”

“Yeah…”

Why? Where is there even the room for you to miss him? 

Megumi flattens his head on yours, eyes fluttering closed as he chastises himself. He should know better. You have a big heart -- certainly big enough to miss him even as the world around you crumbles. Megumi, meanwhile, had all the time to miss you when he wasn’t wishing he was dead.

“I want you to come home,” your voice is muffled, but he strains his ears to ensure your words don’t go unheard, “I want to make you a new recipe I learned… before all this.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm,” you hum, jamming the toe of your shoe into the sludgy, wet sand and kicking it up to reveal a rock, “It goes with ginger…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And you need to take me candle shopping again.”

“Do you really want me to go with you?”

“I want you with me all the time, ‘gumi.”

He has to stop himself from repeating the question. Even after all of this, you continue to want him around? His face, voice, and erratic hair -- even now, none of it disgusts you? 

Megumi has to be thankful for that. He isn’t sure he could so much as look in a mirror right now without cracking it open. 

“It doesn’t have to be right now,” you murmur, “I can wait.”

“Thank you…” he huddles closer to you, sucking up your warmth hoping it’ll make him feel alive again, “Thank you.”

“‘Course,” a breeze sweeps over, almost icy against Megumi’s bare neck. But it’s pleasant.

The washing waves overtake his ears again, but the heavy feeling of water has disappeared. Replaced with raw, crisp air. A bulbed shadow sways below, and a yellow parasol with printed daisies dances along with it. 

[shhh-secret-time]

hiii! i rlly enjoy your writing and ur one of my fav sp writers so i was wondering if u could possibly write poly style (stan and kyle) fluff with a shy reader! tyyyy <333

Ohhhh ohhhh I'm so soft for this, I'm weak. I love fluff pieces so much and for some reason they're the hardest for me to write! I'm sorry this took so long! I hope you enjoy it! It's Mermaid flavored.

Warning: Strong Language, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, these boys being adorable dorks

Pairing: Stan x GN!Reader x Kyle

The feeling of the waves brushing against your ankles as they continue their dance with the moon is the only thing anchoring you to this moment. Wet sand beneath your feet seem to sink slightly, molding to show the world where you stood. Only for the ocean waves to take it away.

Each time you came out to this secluded little cove you would challenge yourself to find something new. Yesterday you found a little crab buried under the soft blanket of sand. Today it was a new rock sticking out of the water. Just on the outskirts of your vision, you had never seen it before. Your eyes take in the outline and the shadows it cast on the dark water. The only light from the large full moon behind it.

Night probably wasn't the best time to come to the water, much less alone, but you liked it that way. It was exhausting having to be around so many people all the time, most of the time you didn't even know what to say or talk about. It's not that you didn't want to contribute to conversations and be invited out to things with your friends, but it was hard. You needed moments like this.

Moments with the moon, the stars, and the ocean to keep you company. Some nights it felt like something straight out of a story book. Watching intently as the ocean beckons you to come closer, how She sings for you.

Her song is beautiful. A language you can't understand but a rhythm you can feel. So, you sing back to Her on nights like this. With the sky clear so the moon can hear your voice. You only hope the moon knows how beautiful She is.

So, you part your lips and suck in a cool breath. For a moment it catches in your throat, years of teaching yourself to keep your mouth shut takes over. But only for a moment. After a single heartbeat the lyrics pour from your mouth, a second breath and you're sharing a tune with the ocean.

Sometimes while you'd sink things would brush against your legs. Shells and seaweed cling to your skin, and sometimes you like to pretend they were gifts from the ocean.

But they weren't. At least not from the ocean Herself.

They were gifts from your two admirers. The night sky and the large body of water were not the only thing you had sung for.

Two men swam in the water, circling each other in a gentle tempo. Hips swaying gently with one another. Scaled tails twined together so gently like silk across skin.

One colored with dark orange and white scales, with vibrant finned out reds. A deep red that matches the curls in his hair and the small blush on his face as his partner leads him in the dance.

His partner with eyes like the waters they tread. His tail is the same deep blue color with a thin line of silver going down it. Sharper fins compared to the red heads veiled ones. His black hair pushes and pulls against the tide.

The tide that carries your voice and tells a story they can't quite understand. Both men feel it in their chest, the urge to understand. And that urge only gets stronger every time you come out to sing.

At first it was just an accident, they swam too far out. There they saw you sitting on a board staring out towards the ocean. Your legs on either side of the brightly colored plank, swinging them back and forth. You opened your mouth and for the first time they heard you sing.

That strange language, the way it rolled off your tongue had them both in some kind of trance. Deep in their hearts they knew coming back was too great of a risk, land walkers weren't supposed to know about their kind. But the way you sang so gently, so earnestly, it was hard to picture you as any kind of threat. So, like storm chasers they returned. Every night the lovers would come back to the cove that was too far from their homes.

Now here they were dancing under the moon, just like every other night. Tonight, was no different, except of course the thoughts bouncing around in raven haired man's mind. He stops only after you pause your song, looking over at the other.

"We should get closer tonight. I don't think the shells are enough of a gift. The land walker isn't picking them up!" His voice drops to a low murmur as he swims closer to the surface.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Stan! What if they freak out?" Stern emerald eyes follow him, watching as Stan's fingers glide across the surface, not quite breaking the tension.

"What if they don't?" Stan asks, "Come on, we'll never know if we don't try Kyle."

"But we can't even communicate with them!" Despite his protests, Kyle swims up next to Stan.

The man always did have a way to pull Kyle into things he wouldn't normally do. But for Stan, he'd follow him to the deepest of trenches. And apparent by the way Stan takes his hand, he knows he would too.

"True, buuuut when was the last time we did something this exciting. I don't think the land walkers are as bad as your mom says they are." Stan wraps his arm around him and pulls him up closer towards his chest.

"Oh stop, you know she just says things like that to keep us safe. I never bought into those scare tactics."

"Uh-huh, that's why your fins are all fanned out." Stan says smirking down at him.

"N-no!" A nervous stutter and Kyle's fins fold back down against his tail. "Let's just do this before I change my mind!" He breaks from Stan's hold with a groan.

You've stopped your song for the night, content in just getting the emotions out. Normally around this time you'd step away from the caress of the water and make your walk back home. But when you caught movement from the corner of your eye, your body froze. The reality of being out in a cove so far away from town with no one knowing your location sits in your stomach like a brick.

"U...um hello?" You call out to the dark, maybe not the smartest idea but your mouth moves before you have time to think about it.

Your blood ran cold when you got no response, watching as the shadowy figure only got closer. Now that it was coming into the moonlight you could make out small shapes. Humanoid figures, two of them, a bit larger than you.

Somewhere along the way your brain finally made the connection that it should be telling your legs to move. Your legs felt like weights were strapped to them with each step you took back.

Just when you think the two figures will give chase, they stop. Curiosity seemed to be winning the little internal battle as you turned back and watch them. Squinting your eyes to get a closer look at what emerged from the water.

Two men, the water covering their lower waists. Little water droplets trail down their exposed chest, tracing every curve as it does. A breath ticks by, then a heartbeat, before the raven-haired man begins to move again. Out of instinct you look away and squeeze your eyes shut.

Silence washes over everything, even the oceans tides have stopped making noise. Until you hear what sounds like someone slapping the water.

Your eyes flicker over before you have time to stop yourself. You have to do a double take when you see how the man's perched up against the sands. Where legs should be is a tail, much longer than your legs. Blue orbs meet yours and for a moment there's a look of excitement when they meet. The depth of his blues is almost deep enough to make you forget about the fact that he's not entirely human. But when his tail slaps the water again, it reminds you of just that.

The red head circles around in the water a few times. His curly hair clings to the front of his face obscuring most of his features. Between the two of them he looks much shyer and more reserved, like he's waiting for you to make a move. Slowly inching closer to the other, he wades in the water with fins flared out.

They're both beautiful. Unlike anything you've ever seen, myths that have swam right out of a story book. Your stomach starts to do flips and your head begins to spin. It's all too much. It has to be a dream. The one with ocean-colored eyes goes to say something. He opens his mouth, but all that comes are sounds and syllables you'd never be able to make if you tried. When you tilt your head in confusion he stops and looks back at the other. The look on his face is clear, you don't need to speak their language to know the look of, "I told you so."

Their eyes fall back on you watching every little movement. The way your breathing slows. You should just grab your shoes and run back home, pretend you never saw this and go on with your life.

But it's hard when you watch the red head grab a shell and dig it into the sand. When he's finished, he looks up at you and gestures for you to look.

From the way the black haired one's face lit up and tail picked up speed you could only assume he was excited. He wraps his arms around the red head and shakes him back and forth, which only earns him a few grunts and a nudge.

Slowly you make your way over to the men. Just close enough to see what they were gesturing down towards. The fear of being dragged down to the depth by these two was still there, but the other part of you still thought this was a weird dream.

For a shell picked up on the beach, the drawing wasn't bad. It looked like a shaky attempt at a human with their mouth open. If you squint and tilt your head just right it looked like you.

When you look down at him, he grins and goes to draw in the sand again. Lines being dug quickly and traced over and over until they stick. When he's finished, he looks up at you again.

This time it looks like two fish swimming around. Chasing one another in some strange trance. The little spots and stripes across their tails made you realize they were supposed to be the two men in front of you.

The smile that spreads across your face makes their hearts leap. You gestured for the shell, a small giggle escaping your lips when the red head did a double take. The first contact with something so bizarre. Your fingertips brush against his skin as you take the shell and he's sure this is what lightning feels like. A jolt of something he feels every time Stan touches him.

You bend down and begin tracing a pattern in the sand next to his drawing. They slowly move up next to you, watching intently at your work. When you’re finished, they tilt their head and grin, turning to one another and speaking in that language that sounds like rain beating against a car window.

This went on all night, trying to figure out a way to communicate that didn't involve speech. While it was annoying at times, having to play a game of charades with creatures from a storybook. But at the same time there was something so freeing about not having to worry about saying the wrong thing. They seemed to be happy with every little thing you did, every little drawing you made in the sand, and every bit of laughter that came from your mouth.

Stan decided that was his favorite sound. The way your eyes lit up and the way your lips curled to that soft smile.

And there you stayed until the sun crept up, peeking over where He and the ocean meet. The radiance and warmth touched your skin reminding you of the passage of time. Something that seemed to slip by so quickly. It wasn't the first time you were disappointed to leave your little spot, but it was the first time you were disappointed to say goodbye.

The two men watched as you picked your shoes up and gave them a gentle little wave. They left you with one last bit of laughter as they waved with their hands and their tails. Before you could turn away, they flung themselves back into the water. Bodies twist and turn in the water as they come in contact with the cool waves.

The walk home felt heavy, but not in a way that was uncomfortable. The weight of something new, whatever it was, felt good.

Since that night your little secluded space has been accompanied by your two friends. Tracing memories into the sand, learning about one another the best you could.

There was only so much one could learn from pictures. That didn't stop you from trying, however. Over time you learned the two men were partners in all ways. Their love for each other ran deep, apparent in the way they smiled at each other. You didn't need a common tongue to see the love there. How beautiful.

You learned that they only come to see you at night. It took a while to piece it together, but eventually it clicked. Even though they were quick to trust you, didn't mean they were quick to come out in broad daylight. It was just safer this way and to be honest, you didn't mind.

Most nights were spent with you singing to your heart’s content. Watching in amazement as they graced your song with their dance. Sharing things from your different lives. They showed you fish that you've never seen before, rocks and plants. Things found only in the deepest parts of the ocean. And in return you showed them fruits and vegetables, foods they wouldn't normally be able to taste without it getting soggy. It was fascinating watching them react in different ways to the taste of things. The raven haired one seemed to like most of the things you brought, there were a few things he preferred over the other.

But the red head seemed to be a bit pickier about what he liked and didn't. Everything you brought was fine until the day you brought them bananas. Showing them how to peel it and eat the inside, not the outside, was the easy part. The hard part was not laughing when the red head immediately spit it out and tossed it so far into the ocean, that it disappeared in the dark. Even harder so when his partner laughed at him, sounding like waves crashing into a ship.

After you finished the small picnic that you packed, you stood up and began your song. Something you were working on in between nights that you couldn't come see the pair. Nights where it stormed or if the weather was too bad.

And like clockwork the two began their dance. It was hard to see in the depths of the ocean, the dark blues masquerading in their movements. But that was never the reason you sang in the first place; it was just a bonus to have an audience.

Your song is cut midway when the red head swam up to you, leaving his partner with the upper half of his head sticking out. You watch as he twists his body and tail, circling you like he's beckoning you to come into the water. Drawing in a breath, his movements feel hypnotic. In a way that doesn't take away your agency, almost comforting.

Each step deeper feels less like treading water and more like walking on air. The water rises to your waist, then to your stomach, then your neck and soon you're no longer walking but floating. Clothes cling to you like second skin, but the consequences be damned now. You damned them long ago when you chose to stay on the beach that night.

Inhaling as deeply as you can, precious oxygen fills your lungs. You dip your head into the cool water and immediately your hair begins to flow around you. The men stare in amazement, quickly circling you. As one circles your back, fingers brushing through your hair. The other is already in front of you staring into your eyes.

It's like seeing you in a new light for them. Their fingers brush over every part of exposed skin. Watching as you kick your legs to tread the waves.

"It must be hard to move without fins. Looks exhausting." The red head speaks making your eyes go wide.

You can understand him.

"I dunno, kinda looks like they're using their hips! I told you they wouldn't hate coming in the water!" His partner responds with a smug smile.

You can understand him!

"Hmm!" Before you could stop yourself, you open your mouth is shock, bubbles of air floating to the top.

"Is the land walker trying to breath in the water, Stan?"

"I don't know? I thought they couldn't do that."

Stan. The black haired one's name is Stan. You could understand them and had no way of communicating. This is what it must feel to be a fish trapped behind glass. The irony is almost funny.

What isn't is the way your lungs begin to burn. It feels like you just stepped into their world and now you have to step away from it. With a quick kick of your legs, you push yourself back up to the surface, taking deep breaths once you break. The men follow you still circling around you, if you didn't know any better think, they were hungry sharks looking for their next meal.

Their eyes train on you. Watching every little movement just like that night. Past the rocking waves you can almost make out their lips moving. Talking to one another and conversing.

Just as you contemplate going back down, you feel a hand on your ankle. Stan looks up towards you and his eyes light up. Either the lack of air or too much salt water is making you go crazy, it almost looks as if he's asking to pull you back down. It makes your heart flutter to know that you're able to understand them even though you've only known them a short time.

You take another breath and nod at him. He wastes no time pulling you back down towards him. His partner’s hands come down to your waste, acting as an anchor. Their bodies pressed against yours in such a way that reminds you that they're still shirtless. You only hope they can't see the blush on your face.

"So, you're sure this will work Kyle?" Stan asks, his eyes flickering from you to the red head behind him.

"Only one way to find out, go ahead. If it does, we can explain ourselves." Kyle speaks so softly, almost as softly as his hands on your hips squeeze.

You want to say something, ask them what they mean. The little muffled noises you make are enough to catch their attention again. Stan takes a deep breath and looks down at you. But his eyes don't land on yours, they travel down to your lips.

His head dips down slowly, giving you plenty of time to pull away. He understands the move he makes is bold. But when you don't pull your head back, when you don't struggle against their hold, he places his lips onto yours. They're soft. Gentle. Almost perfect. They feel like the rocking of waves, lulling you into feeling of mental repose.

It isn't until he pulls away that you realize you're not holding your breath. You haven't for a while. The loss of his kiss makes your eyes flutter open slowly. He states down at you and cocks his head to the side.

"I think it worked? They're not freaking out." Stan breaks the silence with a murmur.

Kyle's hands move off your hips just as Stan pulls away from you. They move around you again watching as you float there.

You open your mouth and feel strange, like your tongue doesn't quite fit in your mouth. But it does, the taste of the saltwater brushing against it reminds you that it's there. A few bubbles escape your mouth but nothing like before. You hesitate for a moment before drawing in.

When your lungs don't burn like you expect them to, you do it again. Breathing out and then back in. Each time is different until it feels like breathing. You look down at your hands and then back at the men who are grinning from ear to ear.

"It worked! Oh shit!"

And you laugh. You laugh at the comment. At the situation. At the jubilation in your heart. You're under the water breathing as they would. Each time you breath in so do they. It makes you wonder if their hearts are beating with yours.

"I can't believe this." Your voice is so small, it's hard to make it any louder.

"I can't either." Kyle responds to you with a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was my idea and Stan gets to kiss you first."

He responds to you. Talking to you like it's something he's done every day this week. Between the three of you Kyle looks like he's the only one not freaking out, because as you look at Stan, he has the same dorky grin that you're sure is on your face.

"Wait, but how am I able to do this?! Why can I understand you guys?! How did you know to do this?!" The questions spill from your lips faster than either men have time to answer.

"Kyle read it in some book! Apparently, we used to interact with you land walkers a lot in the past." Stan says circling around you again.

"It wasn't some book dude; it was a journal left behind by someone who fell in love with a land walker. They figured out our kisses grant them the ability to breath under water for a short time." Kyle follows Stan in the circle almost like he's compelled to do it.

"But why?"

"Dunno, I didn't really read the rest of it. I was just excited that we could bring you down here with us."

"Should have seen the way he swam into my room~! It was cute!"

"Shut up!"

"No way dude, you're cute. You just have to accept it! The sooner you do the easier it'll be for all of us!"

You smile at their bickering even though you could understand them, it didn't feel different than when you couldn't. Trying your best to keep up with their circling, your body twists, and spins around with them. Their tails get closer to you with each spin, veil like fins brush against your legs. Closer and closer until their hands are back on your body again. Each time you began to float back to the top, their hands would pull you back down. And each time, their touch lingered a little longer.

"But now you're down here with us. We can talk to you and hear you finally!" Kyle smiles down at you, "Just be sure to let us know if you start to struggle to breathe. It'll be my pleasure to give you more time."

The little hum behind his voice makes your face burn, the flirty tone isn't hard to pick up. It made you wonder if the kiss was just an excuse to keep you down here, if they knew that it was making your heart pound against your chest. Did they put their hands on your hips and arms just to keep you from floating away or was there more to the touches? Was this okay to feel this way?

"O-oh um...thank you Kyle and thank you Stan. For um...all of this. This is amazing, I would have never been able to dream of something so beautiful." It takes you a while to find your voice again, so wrapped up in your own head.

"You don't need to thank us for doing something we wanted to do in the first place. We wanted you down here." Stan's mind almost goes blank when he hears your name fall from your lips.

"I-I just feel like it's something to be thankful for. You trust me this much."

"Trust?" Kyle tilts his head and chuckles. "I guess you could see it that way, but honestly it's just selfishness on our part."

Oh, the leap in his chest when you tilt your head at him, that adorable look of curiosity in your eyes. The water makes them sparkle in ways that gems could never. Stan circles behind him and lays his chin on his partner’s shoulder just as he reaches up and brushes some of the stands of hair out of your face.

"As fun as our little games on the sand were, it was frustrating being so close to you and not being able to tell you how we feel."

Stan picks up where Kyle leaves off, "How happy you made us every time you came out to sing. We had no idea what you were saying, it just sounded like humming and chanting! Now we can!"

"My singing means that much to you?"

"Well...yeah. It brought us together, didn't it?" Stan blinks at you

How could he say something so sweet so bluntly. If they continued this little team attack on your heart it was going to make the water around your face boil. Out of habit you go to move your hands to your face to cover them. But it's like they had a read on your movements and their hands come up to take your wrists.

Kyle takes over and pulls you to his body, his arm moves around your waist. You can feel the laughter rumble up through his chest from how close he's holding you. "Before Stan got the idea to come up to the shores, we used to dance by the rocks for hours. Something about the way you sing, it's irresistible."

"At first it was just supposed to be a one-time thing, but then we came back and there you were." As Stan speaks Kyle twirls you around.

Letting his hold on you go, the momentum spins you towards Stan whose hands find your hips. He lifts you up in the water, twisting his body around in a gentle waltz. When you gasp, he only laughs and lets you go just as your body flips back. Arching your spine, you follow the movement into a full flip where your hands find his.

"Singing again. Pulling us into a trance again, and again, and again." Every whisper of the word 'again' and he gets closer to your face.

Your eyes flutter shut getting ready for another kiss from the man in your arms. It never comes, but the feeling of being pulled away makes you open your eyes again. Kyle's arms, the paler skin, finds purchase on your waist and pulls you down out of Stan's hold. You get a quick glimpse of his pout before he goes to circle the both of you.

"I don't know if love at first sight is the right way to describe it, but you made Stan and I feel something we only felt with each other. So, we had to get you down here. Needed to know everything about you, had to hear your voice and tell you how we felt." Kyle confesses as he lets you go and follows his lover in the circular motion.

You're in the middle of their dance now, yet you feel a part of it. You feel a part of them and everything they felt. Kyle was right, maybe love was too strong of a word but there was something akin to it. Something like you felt for the moon when you sang to Her or the ocean, yet this felt grounded. Heavy like how you felt that night you walked home the first time.

The feeling was overwhelming you, starting to boil over that you were sure that tears were spilling from your eyes. You've never cried from happiness like this before, much less cried under water. What could you say to that? Thank them again? You'd be here all night thanking them until you needed air again.

So instead, you opened your mouth and began to sing. Your voice echoes through the deep, letting the undertow take your song to places you know you'll never see. Even now it's impossible to think about just all the places your voice will carry you, but it doesn't matter. Now when it's lead you here. In this beautiful moment surrounded by admiration and a heart’s desire.

Just as the waves push forward, Kyle rides the momentum towards you. Pressing a kiss into your lips. He silences your song for just a moment before continuing his ride.

Just as the waves pull back, Stan lets it carry him towards you. His lips replacing his partners on yours. The song resumes when he's pulled away.

Push and pull. Song and dance. How poetic that you would fall in love with the moon and ocean.

[fourmoony]

𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨

𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

⭒⭒⭒

𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞. 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭. 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨.

𝟏.𝟒𝐤 - masterlist

because apparently, the only thing i know how to write is angst. enjoy this shortie with barely any context.

⭒⭒⭒

“It’s over, isn’t it?”

The sun is setting into the horizon, sea gulls flying low to the water. The tide has come in, leaving only a small stretch of dry sand that you both occupy. Further down the beach the fire roars on soundly, the strum of a guitar sounds out, broken choruses and laughter, the inability to remember all the words. Without the weight of conversation – of reality – the scene is quite beautiful. Now, though, it all feels too painful. Like something you should be enjoying, but it’s just out of reach.

The air smells like smoke and seaweed and sun cream, days spent on the beach enjoying what the Dover sun has to offer. It smells like the dying barbeque and warm cider, cigarettes and weed. It smells like summer.

His hair falls around his chin, now. It hadn’t last summer. Last summer, he’d hated the idea of it growing past the tops of his ears – a reminder of his childhood, of things expected of an heir, to be properly presentable and demand respect. He hasn’t mentioned why he’s let it grow. You haven’t asked. He’s looking out at the water, the push and pull of the waves, steady, never changing, always consistent. It’s been different for a while, now. He’s been different. Things, the world, school, friends, everything’s changing. It’s a natural part of growing up.

But it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“I think so, yeah.”

The words taste bitter, like bile. It’s the end. The end of whirlwind love, chaste kisses, heavy hands, soft eyes, and whispered words. It’s the end of midnight dances and lazy Sundays tucked away in dorm rooms. The end of blinding adoration, hopeless devotion, high highs, and low lows. Of loud fights, harsh words, spit fire tempers and broken ornaments. The end of salty tears, things that can’t be taken back, broken promises, silent treatments, make-up kisses, and repeating the cycle.

He flinches as though even though he’d known the answer, he’d expected something different. It hurts all the same. It hurts so much it’s like setting your own heart on fire. It’s like swallowing glass or bleeding out. Like you’re drowning and the surface is millimetres away.

“How long?” He asks. His eyes never leave the water, the sea foam waves, the safety of not meeting your eye in fear that it’ll break him.

Things have been different for a while, really. But how can one pinpoint the realisation of falling out of love with someone they’d been sure they would spend their life with, at one point? When do toe curling kisses turn to chaste pecks of greeting? When do meaningful conversations become stunted and filled with secrets, pieces of information that just don’t feel that important to share, anymore? When does dancing in the common room turn to dancing around one another at the breakfast table? When do arguments turn to silence, preferring to fume alone than at one another? When does your greatest love turn to dust before your very eyes?

The sand is still warm to touch from the day’s sun. It’s grounding. It reminds you of where you are, what the purpose of this trip is. To enjoy, to savour, to let the last weeks of youth take their course before the future arrives. Everyone is growing. Growing into their own person, with goals and careers to chase, lives to live and people to love. You’re not the wide-eyed group of kids you once were, struggling to find a place in the world, clinging to each other for comfort.

No, this is the beginning of adulthood. The beginning of letting go. The end of clinging on.

“A while,” a sharp inhale. “March, maybe. Around the time we had the fight about N.E.W.T. Electives for seventh year.”

Recognition floods his features, stormy eyes reminiscent of the night he’d said many things he couldn’t take back. Defence had better prospects, you shouldn’t be wasting time with classes like Care of Magical Creatures or History of Magic. He feels rotten about it, like the argument and his words have taken a part of his soul he’ll never get back. Maybe they have, in that really, when he thinks about it, that’s the fight that ended it all. He's no idea where his words came from. Your interests, your kind heart, the way you went about your education were some of the things that made him fall so heavily in love with you in the first place. Your futures look different, though. He wants the glory of sitting high in the Ministry’s Auror office, you’d like to own some kind of book shop, live a quiet life, away from prejudice and the chaos of Wizarding Britain.

And he can’t argue with that. But you’re both smart enough to know that such different desires in life won’t work.

“Yeah. Yeah, me too, I s’pose.”

You close your eyes, allow yourself to imagine a future in which you’re not in his arms, being loved by and in love with him, fighting, making up, making out, crying, laughing, dancing, singing, living. Every step of the way for the last six years, you’ve done it together, been in love for two, and it’s ending. It’s a bittersweet feeling.

Another song starts by the campfire, and you’re there again.

Still beside him, closer than strangers, farther than lovers. Still loving, not in love. Not giving up but letting go. It’s run its course, the relationship. It hurts, it’s burning and suffocating, and you feel like you might be dying a little bit. But then your eyes meet for the first time since you’d found him, taking a moment away from everyone, and you realise he’s not the boy you fell in love with.

He’s not the broken boy who came from an abusive home, the boy who would get onto the train every summer skinnier than he’d left it months before, and with several new scars to show. He’s not the same boy who was quiet in his first year, reserved in his second, rebellious in his third.

He’s everything you fell in love with, rebellious, loud, funny, loving, caring, broken, pieced back together, resentful, angry. But he’s different now, in so many ways. He’s happy. He’s himself. He’s living no crosses bared, no secrets held, no regrets and you refuse to stand in his way, be a reason he second guesses himself, be the reason he doesn’t follow his dreams. He’s a boy who grew up in a miserable home, with a hard and horribly cruel life, and you want him to break the cycle of toxicity. You both know you were good for each other at the time, but not for the long run.

“I’ll always love you; you know?” He asks, tears in his eyes.

There’s stubble on his chin, and his face isn’t so gaunt and sharp as it used to be. He’s a man, now, older, and wiser, ready to start the next chapter of his life.

“I know. Me too.”

A seagull dives headfirst into the water, there’s a cheer from around the campfire, the water reaches your toes now, the sun is long gone. But the memories remain, the blinding love, the conversations, soft touches, chaste kisses, record player dances, and Sirius Black.

The walk back to your friends lifts a weight off of your shoulders, and it's obvious that the conversation has done the same for Sirius. He looks lighter, happier, and less like he's drowning in regrets. Everyone looks up at once. James stops strumming the guitar, Peter and Remus' off key rendition of an acoustic Ziggy Stardust falls short. The group takes a collective inhale. They know. They've known probably longer than you and Sirius.

The sand feels too hot, the fire burns your skin, the smoky air is too thick to breathe. What now? Will they think they have to pick sides?

But Sirius looks at you, grey eyes and the shining bright light of fire. He smiles, the boyish smile you haven't seen in so fucking long. You smile back when he leans forward, presses a kiss to your forehead and then claps his hands.

"Right, Prongs, start from the beginning," He takes a seat beside Marlene in the sand, leaves the last available camping chair for you, "Moony and Wormy are absolutely abysmal, need to show them how it's done."

And if your heart soars a little at the man's ability to help you blend into a crowd, just like it used to, well, that's no one's business but yours.

⭒⭒⭒

requests open.

[mynamesaplant]

Day Trip

This one took a lot to get out of my head. Thanks to Mons for their endless inspiration and for urging me forward. --------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: Dawn spends the day with Mai, and Gaeric is pissed about it.

Don't like to read on Tumblr? Find it here on AO3.

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Diamond Clan wasn’t too far offshore, the village nestled in the deep channels of a mighty river delta that flowed through the whole of Hisui. The waters were considerably warmer than that of the northern shore and, although Dawn’s mer body was well adapted to that kind of water, it was a welcome change. She would be cold when she got out of the water, but she wouldn’t be at risk of hypothermia when she clambered out from the sea…

Dawn was caught mid-thought, Adaman sweeping his arms this way and that around the settlement while she lagged behind. Where did her clothes go when she transformed? Did her clothes turn into her pearly coat? Her hair was usually soaked when she exited the water, it was why she started bringing a towel down with her, but her clothes only got wet when she was out of the water and her sopping wet hair dripped on her warm clothes.

Magic could be so weird.

“Dawn,” Adaman calling her name pulled her out of her contemplation and she worked to catch up to the clan leader, his young face pinched with annoyance. “Mustn’t waste any time, Mai is waiting for you.”

This was news to Dawn. In fact, this whole situation was a little odd to her.

The Diamond clan was not unfriendly, far from it, it was just that the Pearl clan tended to gather her up rather protectively and whisk her away to the cold waters of their territory. Adaman had specifically intercepted Ingo and Dawn on their way to the settlement. The man’s scales glittered in the late morning sun as he circled around them in a hypnotic sort of dance. It was relaxed, especially for someone like Adaman who Dawn was sure was unable to relax given his impeccable sense of time.

Although Adaman could be deceptively fast with a few quick swishes of his tail, it didn’t seem like he wanted to attack or to lull them into a false sense of security, but he was acting decidedly un-Adaman-like with his small talk. Ingo chatted with him politely but was bristling with each interruption as the Diamond clan leader managed to insert himself between them and their intended destination.

It took Dawn a few passes to realize, but Adaman seemed to be herding them back to Diamond clan territory with his ever-tightening circles. He knew that infringing on Ingo’s space would make the warden want to put more distance between himself and Adaman, the blue haired mer was taking advantage of that.

“Lord Adaman,” Ingo’s voice finally cut through the conversation like a spear launched through the water. “I’m terribly sorry, but I must get Dawn to the settlement posthaste. Mistress Calaba has a lesson for her today about the practical uses of seaweed for dressing wounds.”

Unbeknownst to Ingo, Dawn made a face of revulsion. Seaweed was not amongst her favorite things. Seaweed was both slimy and rubbery to her adolescent taste buds and smelled of rotten dead fish to her, from the kombu that Beni used to make his seafood-based broths to the seaweed salads she distantly remembered her mother trying to feed her when she was young. When Dawn swam in the sea, she was the only one to screech in panic as pieces of seaweed clung to her bare legs, her brain conjuring images of sea monsters that would drag her to the deep to drown her.

She would rather die than learn more about the disgusting vegetation that the sea had to offer.

“Ingo!” She hissed, loud enough for both of them to hear, but low enough to clue into both of them men of the conspiratorial nature of her beckoning hand. Ingo excused himself and leaned down, his ear close to Dawn as she whispered to him, “Maybe I should go with him. We don’t want to offend Adaman by rejecting him, y’know?”

The warden paused to consider this. It wasn’t that he didn’t take it under advisement, he just wanted to keep an eye on Dawn, and he would not be permitted to tag along to Diamond clan territory with them. His concerns lie with her… chatty disposition. Dawn was a friendly girl, it was nearly impossible not to like her, but she often spoke first and thought later.

“Is there a specific purpose for Dawn’s departure to your station?”

He was trying to stall without being perceived as rude. Adaman waved his hand, mentioning something about Mai needing some help with some items Dawn would find of interest. Ingo was not listening.

He would not be there to help her recover if she said something suspicious. He would not be able to protect her if Diamond clan saw through, at times, tissue thin lies that she had to spin on the fly. If they tried to hurt her – No, Ingo didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about how small and delicate she was compared to every other mer. He didn’t want to think about how Melli and Iscan were already suspicious of her.

All he had to do was say no, then it would be the end of that discussion. Adaman would have to accept his choice.

“Ingo,” she must have seen something in his dour expression change minutely, she poked his cheek with a pout on her face. “Trust me. I promise not to say a word.”

He truly wanted to believe that.

“Exhibit caution around Melli and Iscan if they are there. Understood?” Dawn gave him a thumbs up and a bright smile. This was a fun, new adventure for her. “Please do not take this lightly. If anyone were to find out-”

“I’ll be careful!”

She insisted, big black eyes pleading to let her go. His ear twitched and his eyes softened at the expression, nodding in Adaman’s direction in a wordless acknowledgement. Ingo knew Diamond clan was just as protective of pups as Pearl clan was, she would be safe with them.

“I believe Calaba will understand… I will expect you back here promptly before sunset, so that I might escort Dawn back to the settlement unscathed.”

Adaman nodded, offering his reassurances as Dawn joined him at his side. The warden tried to ignore the uneasy churning in his stomach as he watched them go.

After Adaman’s little tour of the settlement, he and Dawn joined Mai at the outskirts. The warden was chatting with some of the other clan members when she noticed their approach and broke off the conversation to greet them. Dawn liked Mai, she was the second mer she ever met, and she had been nothing but kind to her. She was one of the few who didn’t outwardly said anything about Dawn being unusual for a mer. Not even weird looks. Mai was easy-going and took every Dawn said in stride with a serene, unbothered expression.

“Ready to go on a little adventure, kiddo?”

Mai asked after her initial greeting, smile widening when Dawn nodded emphatically. Ushering the teen away, the warden explained that she needed Dawn’s help searching the insides of a wreckage from one of the rifts.

Dawn encountered many rift distortions on land and in the sea, they came in the form of dark bubbles that blotted out the light around it. They would only last for a few minutes, but strange things would appear in them that seemed familiar to Dawn. She explored them, hiding from the animals that were going berserk – like being inside the rifts was driving them into a state of madness. Captain Cyllene, Professor Laventon, and Ingo all warned her to stay out of them, Laventon saying half heartedly because he was also so excited to see what things appeared inside those mysterious distortions.

“What fell through the distortion this time?

“Not sure if I’m being honest.” Mai hummed, allowing Dawn to race ahead and play in the water in her excitement. “They’re big, almost as big as me, so I can’t get inside to investigate.”

“Why not ask Arezu or Sabi?”

Mai was silent for a moment, long enough for Dawn to swivel her head to look at the warden.

“Sabi gets distracted to easily, and Arezu is… indisposed.”

Although the moment was stilted, Dawn shrugged it off and allowed herself to drift back to fall alongside her. She knew why Mai and Adaman had wanted her help as soon as the water grew colder and colder. Gaeric wouldn’t attack Mai for entering their territory with Dawn in tow. It sucked to be a chess piece, but if it got Dawn out and about in the ocean then she supposed she didn’t mind.

------

Ingo returned empty handed and prayed that he ran into Calaba first. He knew one person who would not be thrilled that his ward was not accompanying him. Although Gaeric was only slightly smaller than him, his fellow warden had mastered a level of stealth that would have been envied by the likes of octopi and flatfish. Despite his best efforts, Gaeric had found him, and he was watching Ingo’s impassive face closely. They hadn’t known each other long, but Gaeric was inexplicably good at catching the minute details that his closed off expression had to offer.

“You look more mopey than usual. What’s the problem?”

Before Ingo could get a word in edgewise, he noticed Gaeric’s nostrils flair and his eyes moved around the cavern, not seeing Dawn and instantly becoming suspicious.

“I assure you I am not moping.”

“Uh-huh,” Gaeric hummed, clearly not listening, and leaned in closer to peer around him. Dawn was nervous around him thanks to past interactions, so she took to hiding behind the large mer. “Where’s your pup? You smell like her, but I don’t see her.”

Ingo was not the lying sort, especially not with his clan mates, and, despite knowing Gaeric would not like the answer, he told his fellow warden the truth.

“Ah, she is spending the day with Diamond clan to get better acquainted with them.”

“SHE WHAT?”

------

The long metal tube that Mai eventually led her to looked as though it had been here for a while. There was no crater that would have telegraphed the momentum of such a large object crashing into the ocean floor. The sand had settled around the outside of the tube, like it had been here for a while.

“There shouldn’t be anything in there that can hurt you, but I’ll be right here if you need me, alright?”

Mai pried opened the double doors, a flurry of bubbles escaping the tube just before Dawn poked her head inside. The warden didn’t let the door close. She wanted to leave an easy exit for Dawn just in case something was in there.

Dawn prodded around. The tube was pretty barren, a few blown out glass windows and what seemed to be structural polls, and colorful bench seats. Whatever had been in the tube had most likely drifted away by this point or was scavenged by the local sea life.

Limp safety posters had turned mostly transparent from the salt water dotted the walls, the symbols seeming somewhat familiar to the teen as she swished before them, squinting at the assemblage that offered a warning. She remembered that big red text often indicated something important or dangerous to the reader.

“Is there anything specific I should be looking for?”

She asked Mai, tearing her eyes from the posters that seemed to only grow blurrier the longer she looked at them.

“No, nothing in particular.” The warden admitted, peering into the car with a massive eye. “I know you take an interest in this stuff.”

“Oh! Thanks Mai.”

“Sure thing, kiddo.”

Huh, how funny, Gaeric referred to her by the same little nickname. Actually, she and Gaeric bore a lot of similarities.

Dawn didn’t spend nearly as much time with Diamond clan as she did with Pearl clan, especially since many of their number were more suspicious of her, but she did know Mai was the eldest warden and everyone seemed to look up to her like everyone did with Gaeric.

Somehow, what they felt resonated with Dawn. She felt like a lot of people looked up to her for guidance wherever she was from. That was when she felt a mild buzzing blooming at the back of her head, uncomfortable and hot when she lifted her hand to run the spot tenderly. This always happened when she tried to remember something from before she dropped into Hisui. Did she maybe have siblings or people close enough to call siblings? She felt like she knew the pressure of having all eyes on you and she could sympathize with Mai and Gaeric.

“I don’t think there’s anything in here, Mai.”

“That’s unfortunate. Some of the things you find are real treasures.” That made Dawn blush, a sheepish smile coming to her face as she exited the tube. Mai was always taking interest in what the pups did and said, listening with an idle fascination, a soft smile, and infinite patience. “There are a few more of these closer to the drop off, let’s go take a peek. Stay close to me.”

------

Ingo expected the roar of indignation, it rattled the very foundations of the icy space. He attempted to be calm, but knew it was fruitless, nothing was going to keep Gaeric calm at this point.

“The situation is temporary. She was quite insistent that she go to maintain the piece between the clans.”

The interrogation that followed wasn’t unexpected, but his fellow warden’s explosive reaction was not entirely expected at the mention of Mai.

“Mai? MAI? Ingo, we have to go get her right now!”

Ingo looked at him, utterly perplexed as Gaeric’s whiskers twitched with a barely contained frustration. Mai was the least of his concerns among the Diamond clan. She was kind to Dawn, she knew how to be gentle, but also knew when and how to treat her like the teenager she was. This was something, Ingo noted, that Gaeric failed to understand. He wasn’t sure if it was because he harbored suspicions of Dawn, if he didn’t quite know how to deal with a runty teenager, or a combination of the two. Gaeric was an excellent mentor to the pups, and they all seemed to adore him in return – perhaps Dawn’s distrust of Gaeric made their already tentative relationship more strained.

“I fail to see the issue.”

“Mai’s going to corrupt her!”

“Pardon?”

Gaeric grit his teeth to stifle a growl, hands resting on his shoulders and claws digging into the black fabric as if for emphasis.

“Mai is going to corrupt Dawn. She’s going to twist her mind so that she might be more receptive to the ideologies of their false god.”

Ingo stared at him blankly. Although he practiced the teachings of Pearl clan, Ingo didn’t really understand the nature of the schism and the lingering animosity that arose from it. He was looking at it as an outsider and understood they had differing truths and ideals, but much of what he was able to glean from listening to Melli harp on and on about the topic, much of Diamond clan’s ideology matched up with Pearl clans.

“I understand your concerns, however I think it would be unwise to barrel into a station at full steam.”

 His fellow warden closed his eyes slowly, his jaw clenched and a tight smile on his face when he reopened them. Ingo knew Gaeric did this whenever he started to get frustrated with Ingo and didn’t know how to tell him that politely.

“We’re going to go get her.”

“I don’t-”

“Now.”

------

“You don’t like any fish?” She shook her head. “What does Pearl Clan feed you?”

“I eat cooked fish.”

Dawn said, rummaging through the detritus at the bottom of the overturned tube. Some of the things she recognized. Bottles. Little colorful wrappers for sweets. A little hard case that reminded her of a clamshell with a pair of spectacles inside. Glasses case. Dawn lifted the glasses to her eyes and looked toward Mai with a grin. The warden was extremely blurry through the lenses of the glasses.

“How do I look?”

Mai exhaled sharply, less startled and more amused.

“A little silly, but I think you could pull it off.”

Dawn giggled and removed the glasses, finding the shift between her own eyesight and the lenses disorientating.

“I think I might keep these. If you focus the light with something like these, you can start fires pretty quickly.”

“Really?” Mai said mildly, watching her as she tucked the glasses and their case into her little bag. “Who taught you that?”

Dawn was about to answer when she suddenly was met with a wall of white. Not literally, but mentally. Whatever had just been on the tip of her tongue was gone just as quickly.

“I… Don’t know. Not Pearl Clan.”

Not Galaxy Team either. They used a little flint and steel to create sparks for flames.

No, this was knowledge that preceded her time in Hisui. The realization made her heartache with a familiar emotion for a home that she no longer remembered with extreme clarity. A fog that clouded her mind and misted her eyes when something almost seemed familiar. The sensation was hollow when she knew it should ache. Surely, she left people behind – people who missed her… right?

“Dawn?”

Mai’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She didn’t reply but resumed her sweep through the tube with little to show for her searching. A slip of paper with faded colors and letter that seemed familiar. Greens and reds that were nearly opaque from the salt water, but it reminded her of something… She used a slip like this for a boat – a ferry – to take to an island. This tube wasn’t a boat as far as she could tell. Not unless it was a weird underwater boat (which wasn’t even remotely possible to build, how would it be airtight?). In any case, she stashed the slip into her bag. Maybe if she kept it, it would spark something more in her head.

“How many more of these are there?”

“Just one more. The swim is a little longer so, if you get tired, grab my hood and I’ll tow you.”

Dawn insisted she could swim but found it hard to keep up. With each stroke of Mai’s tail, Dawn had to do five to keep pace adequately. She held onto Mai’s hood.

“Mai?” When she hummed in reply, Dawn asked, “Did you ask me to come so you wouldn’t get in trouble with Gaeric if he came across you looking for these tubes?”

The warden snorted, her eyes crinkling at the sides in amusement.

“I’m not worried about that ball of blubber. I could beat Gaeric with one fin tied behind my back… But you’re not wrong.” Mai paused for a moment, seeming to consider what she said next, before admitting to her, “It would be a bad look for Diamond clan if I were to just poke around in Pearl clan’s territory. I might not be causing any problems, but I don’t want Gaeric to fly into a tizzy about this. You being here might at least give him pause.”

In all honesty, Dawn had expected Mai to say something more akin to a reassuring lie. She knew Ingo and the other members of Pearl clan did that, but the Diamond clan warden said each word with sincerity.

Mai didn’t treat her like a baby.

Dawn appreciated that.

------

“Don’t you think you’re worries are a bit… premature?”

Gaeric deliberately ignored him. Nothing he said was going to derail him – Gaeric would march right over to Diamond clan, reclaim Dawn, spit a half threat-half warning, and return to the settlement to scold her. Ingo didn’t think he would let his fellow warden get that far.

Dawn didn’t deserve a scolding for a pragmatic decision.

“Where was the last you saw them?”

Ingo heaved a great sigh and told him where, following in Gaeric’s wake to avoid an incident between him and Mai. Of all the Diamond Clan wardens, Ingo liked Mai best. Not that he disliked the others! No, he just found himself relating to her more. Much in the same way that he related to Gaeric. It made him wonder if, at one point, if he had younger siblings he looked after.

Ingo felt like he must have, that or he had people who looked up to him as if he were an older brother figure.

The orca mer shook the thought from his head and focused on catching up to Gaeric. His expression was dark with annoyance. It did not improve when Ingo asked him his next question.

“Is there a particular reason why Warden Mai in particular makes you concerned?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gaeric asked, jerking his whole body around to reply. He was puffed up with an indignation that didn’t make a whole lot of sense to ingo. Any time that Mai was mentioned, there seemed to be a near instant irritation from Gaeric. Ingo blinked, slowing to a stop, and waiting until Gaeric’s brow twitched and he exhaled sharply, shoulders slumping.

“I was not trying imply anything, Gaeric.”

“I know… Mai’s a lot more conniving than she looks. She’s a Diamond, she shouldn’t be trusted.”

“Do you have reason to believe she would harm Dawn?”

Gaeric hesitated and then shook his head. The next words looked as though they physically pained him to admit aloud.

“No, I trust her to keep Dawn safe. I just don’t like the idea of them spending too much time together.”

Ingo offered a nod.

“We will go retrieve her, but I must insist to calm yourself before we get back on track.”

------

The last tube looms in the distance, the whole thing sticking up vertically in the sand and creaking with their approach. Dawn edged closer to Mai, not liking the look of this one even a little. The sounds, the lack of other sea life, and the precarious way it jutted from the ground made her stomach queasy.

“You’re sure it’s safe, Mai?”

The older mer tilted her head, dark eyes sweeping over it.

“You don’t have to go in if you don’t want to. I have a feeling that this one might have more little trinkets that you might like just because of how isolated and undisturbed it is, but you can say no and we can head back to the settlement right now.”

Mai gave her an indifferent shrug and a neutral smile, allowing Dawn to make the decision by making her own thorough examination of the tube. This one seemed to be a lot more intact than the others as Mai suggested. This one had what looked like wheels on one side and it dawned on Dawn that the tubes were a vehicle. The word “bus” flashed in her head, but that didn’t sit right with her. It was some form of transportation, but that was the only thing that seemed clear to Dawn. She didn’t voice any of this, of course.

Swimming to the top of the transport, Dawn peered through the cracked glass and saw a few things dangling from the ceiling and a few colorful posters on the opposite end. Those were obscured by dark and sand, but Dawn immediately saw something that jumped out at her.

There was a symbol that stood out as clear as day on the right poster.

“I’ll go in. I’ll be extra careful.”

Dawn insisted, tugging on the doors but unable to open them. She waited, holding back the quiver in her hands when Mai pried the doors apart. She made a beeline for the poster and stared at the shattered glass covering, the same symbol that was on Ingo’s hat was on the poster, albeit almost as faded as the badge.

It was surrounded by symbols that had no meaning to her, but she recognized it as some sort of advertisement. There were… Silhouettes? Gray figures that were all lumped up. Nothing really distinguishable. Gingerly, Dawn pressed her fingers to the glass, absently wondering if there was a way for her to take this out of here to show to Ingo. It truly didn’t even occur to her just how odd that this symbol was here, in this transport that was clearly too small for the massive orca. Her discovery simply excited her for the rationale to cross her mind.

Eyes drifted around, trying to mentally map the space as she thought of other potential problems with this half-cocked plan. The paper would be super fragile, virtually untouchable without disintegrating, in all honestly, but Dawn was unwilling to admit that because she wanted so desperately wanted to show this to Ingo. Could she maybe pry the poster off the wall in its frame? It seemed to be bolted down tight.

Maybe if she had enough leverage…

Dawn’s eyes fell onto the other poster on the other side of the door, and she froze.

She recognized a word on that poster! In fact-

Dawn moved closer to that poster, the uncomfortable prickling in her head growing into a stabbing pain as she forced herself to look.

Sinnoh

That… That was Mount Coronet. But how was that possible?

Something was boiling in the back of her head. The burble of a voice that sounded familiar. It reminded her of Volo for some reason.

… There is a statue of an ancient ... Have you seen it already? According to myth, it was an extremely powerful ... Who knows? You may encounter something like it while you're traveling …

Dawn gasped sharply, her mind and body putting distance between the memories and the poster that were causing her such pain. The water around her face suddenly felt so warm.

------

Finding Dawn and Mai wasn’t too much of an issue. Gaeric had a sixth sense for Diamond clan members, probably from having to deal with sneaky little Sabi, and Ingo had his own sort of sixth sense to Dawn. Her habit of getting into her own sort of mischief made him hyperaware of where she was at all times. To both their surprise, Dawn and Mai were in Pearl clan territory – dangerously close to the drop off.

Why they were there was unimportant, it was imperative that they get them out of there. The drop off was absolutely not a place for pups. Not even a good place for adult mers because of all the strange things that lived in the drop off.

Ingo couldn’t help but shudder at the memory of his first and last hunt over the drop off because he was surprisingly awful at hunting and because he became Lady Sneasler’s warden. However, a hazier recollection was percolating just beneath the surface when they came upon Dawn and Mai. His limbs froze up, stopping all together as Gaeric pressed forward, completely unaware of Ingo’s sudden distress.

A burning pressure in his lungs as if he were holding his breath underwater too long, his thoughts molten from the lack of oxygen before he blissfully passed out. His next memory was of Palina’s dark eyes about six inches from his nose, the pain coursing through his body immense as… what was that thing? Ingo didn’t know, but it was crushing his tail.

The structure - That thing….

“Gaeric-”

Ingo began to say, but the mer was surging forward toward Mai with an intimidating growl. She looked their way, and her expression didn’t change much, indifferent if a little amused by their appearance.

“Warden Ingo. Warden Gaeric.”

It was polite for Ingo and a little frosty for Gaeric. It wasn’t hard to tell they had a history. If Ingo wasn’t acutely aware of minute changes in body language, facial expressions, and the tone and pitch of voices, he wouldn’t have realized. He almost didn’t realize now as a sudden and uncomfortable sensation crawled the length of his considerably long spine.

The structure…

“What is the matter with you? What would possess you to take a pup anywhere near the drop off?”

“I like to give the pups I watch over the benefit of confidence. They get a little more independent when I let them explore and do the things they want to do. I offered Dawn the chance to explore these… things, and now she is, and she loves it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

This structure… why?

“We can’t afford to waste time and coddle our pups into adulthood.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but the space around us is a little less hospitable than your filthy river.”

They said there were no more. Just the one they found him in.

“As precious as you are about your space, at least we were more strategic about picking a location to settle than a damn glacier.”

“What do you know? What do you know about what we’ve gone through when we-”

“Gaeric.”

Ingo’s voice was sharp and cold like an icicle shattering into fragments on the ground. The other Pearl clan warden flinched. His bitterness and agitation in Mai’s presence evaporated when he heard that tone. He had rarely heard Ingo use it and it was petrifying when he did. Even Mai when still and quiet, a breath stuck in her chest as she waited in fearful anticipation. She had never seen Ingo mad – but she wasn’t sure she could call this mad.

“Ingo-”

Gaeric was not permitted to finish.

“You said there weren’t more. You explicitly said there weren’t more. I may have a faulty cab, but I know this is not the same one.”

Ingo did not understand the structures, but they triggered something in his head. Something familiar. He wanted to know so badly what it was. He was found being crushed by one, but nobody really had an explanation for it. Ingo had explored that one top to bottom once he had recovered, trying to find any clues or remnants of information that might clue him into the significance of these things.

Irida had told him after a long search that there were no more. He tried to ask for permission to look for himself and Gaeric jumped in to shoot the idea down. Ingo barely knew the area, he had said, and they had already checked all over – there was nothing left.

Gaeric had lied.

His fellow warden had a flash of something (was it fear?) cross his face before he recomposed and began defending himself.

“What difference would it have made if you had known about this? You couldn’t get in there even if you wanted to. It would have been a wild goose chase.”

“Wow, didn’t realize how much disarray the Pearl clan was.”

Mai smirked, folding her arms and leaning back to watch the show. Now that she knew the anger wasn’t directed at her, she could afford to watch Gaeric get verbally berated. She doubted Ingo had it in him to hurt Gaeric, he was remarkably gentle for a mer of his size, but Ingo could talk circles around people.

“Shut up, Mai.” Gaeric hissed before cutting his eyes back to Ingo. “Listen, I didn’t really know you back when Irida had us fan out to look for your pod. We came across a few of these, but they seem less related to you and more to the rifts that kept popping open. I’m sure they have nothing to do with-”

“You’ve known about this for that long?”

The tone was verging on disappointment, but it was hurt in a way that felt sharp going in and jagged coming out. Gaeric unconsciously crossed his arms and rubbed his biceps, growing more defensive with each passing second and he emitted an incoherent snarl of frustration. Yes, he recognized that he was making excuses. It would be no good to anyone to have Ingo distractedly swimming all over kingdom come.

“What difference does it make?”

There was a flash of wickedly sharp teeth and a deep growl that seemed to make the water vibrate. Behind him, Mai tutted disapprovingly, but Gaeric made no attempt to round on her – his attention was on his clan mate.

“All that time wasted, what a shame.”

“How long?”

The words were ground out with a note of impatience, like Ingo was moments away from lunging forward to shake some sense into him until Gaeric spat out the answer.

“We knew about a month after you arrived.”

“Hm, how peculiar that your Sinnoh did not deem you worthy enough to know of these things in your space sooner.”

A warning growl from Gaeric, but Mai ignored it. It was amusing to watch someone other than herself give Gaeric a hard time. This was easy pickings, but Mai allowed herself to be petty this once. A smile curved her lips, displaying rows of sharp teeth for only a millisecond before it disappeared.

“You kept this knowledge from me? There could have been remnants of my pod there – and now they’re most likely scoured by scavengers and wiped clean by time. This…” He seemed to be at a loss for words, casting his gray eyes around as if seeking out the right string to really emphasis how painful this felt for him. “Your actions are disgraceful.”

“Disgraceful? You think my actions are disgraceful?”

Gaeric bristled with rage, leaning closer to Ingo who remained unmoving and glowering. He opened his mouth, gnashing his teeth like he was between tearing Ingo’s throat out with them or just to intimidate the orca, when something white streaked across his vision. Ingo flinched and Gaeric immediately drew back, Dawn was shoving Ingo’s cheek as if to push him away.

“Stop! Stop! Let’s just go! Come on Ingo, let’s just go. Please? I want to go back to the settlement.”

Fright laced her words, pushing him with all her might until Ingo relented, moving in the direction of the settlement without so much as a backward glance. Crisis narrowly averted for now.

“Ah well.”

Mai sighed, stretching and eyeing Gaeric’s back, his shoulders still tense. She didn’t get to see them tussle.

“Mai?” He hadn’t turned to look at her, Gaeric was still watching the duo retreat into the gloom. “Do you think there’s something off about Dawn?”

It should have been something she laughed off. Gaeric? Asking her something like that? How ludicrous. However, Mai heard something in his voice, something that resonated with her all too well, and it made her pause and really consider what he was asking. He was asking as someone concerned for his people and, even if it felt a little preposterous that Gaeric would be worried about a pup like Dawn, she gave him the benefit of the doubt, just this once.

“I… think I know what you mean? But I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Neither can I.”

Gaeric admitted. He didn’t ask anything else. He wasn’t even really sure why he brought it up, unsure of what prompted the thought in the first place, but it was out there now. Mai slipped away without further comment and Gaeric returned to the settlement, remaining under the radar until the necessary space would give him and Ingo time to reflect on their words.

[canolaaoil]

To all my best friends, only twelve leagues and one text message away

1. Dearly Departed, Brockhampton. // 2. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion. // 3. unsent project. // 4. I am in Eskew. // 5. His dark materials. // 6. Where did you go? Hishaam Siddiqui. // 7. parts in motion, Vera Much. // 8. Your Name Engraved, Herein. 9. Hmu, spacegirl GEMMY.

Description follows

[ID: song lyrics reading, "What's the point of havin' a best friend if you / end up losin' him?" end ID]

[[ID: a photograph in the style of an early digital camera of two teenage girls cuddling under blankets on a couch watching something on a computer. end ID]

[ID: a poem reading, "Life changes fast. / Life changes in the instant. / You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends. end ID]

[ID: a fuzzy photograph in the style of an early digital camera of three people huddled around a fridge. All of the people have brown hair, glowing golden from the lighting and only one of their faces is turned toward the camera. end ID]

[ID: a text entry on a pink background reading, "To: Harry I / i've written 43 / poems about you. / come back and i / won't have to write anymore. / -asle" end ID]

[ID: a photograph in the style of an early digital camera of a couple in a photobooth with only their feet and legs visible behind the curtain. one is sitting on the other's lap. ]

[ID: text reading, "The problem is, my love, is that I can't sustain the fact of your death. / I can convince myself that it's true, force myself to picture your rotting, ruined face dumped in a mass grave somewhere out in the world... / ...and then my phone buzzes and I'm still expecting an unexpected message from you, telling me what corner of the globe you've holed up in, the foods you're eating, the card-players you're outwitting." end ID]

[ID: a photograph of two people in an aquarium, shot from behind. they stand in front of a large window showing a tank of water and seaweed. the two pose as if dancing grandiosely with no one else around. end ID]

[ID: a paragraph reading, "And it was comforting to think she and Will had another thing in common. She wondered if there would ever come an hour in her life when she didn't think of him- didn't speak to him in her head, didn't relive every moment they'd been together, didn't long for his voice and his hands and his love. She had never dreamed of what it would feel like to love someone so much; of all the things that astonished her in her adventures, that was what astonished her the most. She thought the tenderness it left in her heart was like a bruise that would never go away, but she would cherish it forever." end ID]

[ID: a photograph from behind of a group of people walking together down a city street. two of the people have their arms around each other shoulders. another two link arms. the image is slightly blurry. end ID]

[ID: a couplet reading, "One day I woke up and we no longer spoke the / same language. I haven't heard from you since." end ID]

[ID: a photograph of two people, focused on one in the foreground. A young woman looks lovingly towards something out of frame, her face resting on the meat of her hand. In the background a man looks away towards another subject. The lighting is dreamy and yellow. end ID]

[ID: lyrics reading, "Show me it all / Tell me what's wrong / You got your hard drive stolen / Your phone's been broken / Play me a song off of mine / Show me it all / Show me a rise / Show me a fall / Pay me no mind / Paint me in gold / I don't mean to pry, but give me a call" end ID]

[ID: a gif from the movie 'Your Name Engraved Herein' of Birdy and A-han riding a motorbike through the streets at night. Both smile widely as they breeze along, Birdy sitting behind A-han with his shirt off over his head, yelling happily. End ID]

[ID: lyrics reading, "They say everything has reason / Life fluctuates like seasons / And maybe someday soon we'll both find our reason / But bitch you're still the bro / Never letting go / Of the friendship bracelets we made when we were twelve // I'll be waiting by my phone / For you to hit me up / For you to hit me up / Hit me hit me up" end ID]

[ID: a photograph of a plaque on an outside wall reading, "LIFE HAPPENS BUT I STILL CARE FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL." end ID]

[okaylorrainee]

her way of water

characters. neteyam & female reader. sully family. tsireya.

synopsis. neteyam and his family left their clan to seek uturu from yours. on their first night, neteyam wanders by the shore to clear his mind. he finds himself away from everyone’s marui pods and comes across you as you bathed - he couldn’t get you out of his mind since then.

note. happy valentines! little disclaimer, the fishes and creatures mentioned in this chapter do not exist in avatar. i haven't read the comics so i have no idea if there are other water creatures in pandora aside from the ones in the movie. that's why i just made some up :) i didn't name any of them and they won't hold any importance in the future chapters so don't worry. also, there's not much dialogue in this chapter bcus they’re underwater. sorry bout that.

taglist. @rainbowsocks @mashiromochi @anm3mi @fanboyluvr @anxietydrogz @sakura-onesan @amortencjja @kaealowri @jkeluv @xxlaynaxx

ch 05 [ previous . masterlist . next ]

“here is far enough for the ilu. we have to swim from this point.”

neteyam nodded and followed when you dismounted the animal. you were murmuring to your companion while he was petting his, and then the ilus swam away. neteyam watched as they disappeared somewhere. would the ilus hear them if they called later on? he pondered for a while.

“are you ready? you have to hold your breath for longer now. this is not going to be one of those breathing exercises that baby you.” you raised your brows at him, “we cannot keep going back up for air.”

he nodded once more. “yes, ma’am. do not worry about me.”

you sent him an amused look. ma’am? no one has called you that before. “but if you really need to, i will find a gill mantle for you. there should be plenty around.”

“gill mantle? what is that?”

you patted his shoulder. “stay close to me.” tightening your grip on your spear, you deeply inhaled air and dove without further explanation. you felt the waves collide with your body when neteyam came after you. 

swimming further down, you came across various schools of fishes. seaweeds danced with the water below you and there were a few rock structures in the area. small bubbles would form from you every now and then, but none of that mattered because this was just the beginning, the easy part of the journey. you still had hours before your lungs would start to give out.

the same could not be said to the na’vi you were with though. you kept looking beside you to check if he was still doing fine. sure, he was responsible for himself because he offered in the first place, but still, you felt like you had the obligation to take care of him. you wouldn’t know what would become of you if something happened to him after all.

it was impressive to you how neteyam was able to swim minutes without going back up for oxygen. his weeks of practice while you avoided him must’ve been fruitful if he came with a result like this. did he follow what you’ve shown him before and practiced the pressure technique with ao’nung? probably. you were kind of proud.

even so, you couldn’t help but to worry. you were deep underwater, and if neteyam really couldn’t take it anymore, it would be difficult to swim back up.

you patted his shoulder to grab his attention. you signed, ‘stop. wait here.’, and he gave you a confused look, but he obeyed anyway.

you swam quickly in search for a certain little creature to help extend neteyam’s time underwater. it didn’t take long for you to find some as they were swimming in groups on the way to somewhere. you carefully grabbed one and gently held it as you swam back to where you left neteyam.

he was in the middle of everything - the seaweeds, rocks, and fishes. he was watching everything around him, and his face was slightly scrunched; it looked like he was about to reach his limit and that he was only trying to distract himself by taking everything in. thankfully, you took a gill mantle in advance. he didn’t need to suffer longer.

neteyam saw you approach him, and he felt his worries wash away. once he saw what was in your hands, what you said earlier made sense to him. he wondered how it would be able to help him though. 

as you swam to get closer to him, your eyes caught sight of something swimming rapidly towards neteyam. your heart stopped in panic, and neteyam saw the change in your expression. before he could turn around to see what you were looking at, neteyam was confronted by your spear that stabbed through the water at immense speed, as if it ignored the pressure and was only flying through the air.

his eyes grew wide as the spear went past him, stabbing whatever was behind him and creating a cloud of red underwater. the blood found its way to neteyam’s nose, and even if he couldn’t smell, its consistency surprised him so much he began coughing. 

you rushed beside him, and through the bubbles he released, you carefully grabbed his queue and made it connect with the gill mantle you were holding.

a worried expression displayed on your face as you placed an arm on his chest whilst holding his lower back. you watched how he slowly started calming down, how his muscles began relaxing.

neteyam returned an astonished look to you as he felt the tightness of his chest disappear every second. when you pulled away, he attempted to feel the gill mantle from his shoulder. what an amazing creature. he thought.

‘you okay?’ you signed to him. he nodded, a little happy at your concern, and signed back ‘thank you.’

you gave him a small smile before swimming down. he watched as you went to the large fish that tried to attack him earlier. it was now dead, and your spear was still penetrating through it. neteyam curiously observed you when you gently took the large fish in your hands and moved it closer to yourself as if you were attempting to embrace it. 

with your eyes closed, you chanted a little prayer in your head, one that was part of your rituals whenever you hunted. when you finished, you took back your spear and wasted no time in swimming back to neteyam’s side.

‘let’s go.’ you told him.

neteyam nodded, and his eyes went to your spear. you threw it at such a speed, and that meant you held great strength. he believed you now when you said you could hunt on your own. you proved you were an impressive huntress.

the rest of the swim went well. no more breathing struggles, no more fishes that tried to attack you. neteyam took the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the underwater, until finally when you tapped his shoulder again and signed that you had arrived.

in front of you was a cave that had an opening comparable to the height of the palm trees found in the shores of awa’atlu. the cave was surrounded by kelp, and it was dark inside where sunlight didn't reach. the underwater cave didn’t seem to be as deep and as spacious as neteyam had expected. it was pretty small, but it was huge enough for the giant creature neteyam caught sight of to live in.

how lucky. you thought with excitement. the creature was asleep unlike the last time you saw it when you came here. 

you tapped on neteyam’s shoulder once again and pointed to the small rock next to the creature. there sat the objective of your journey, multiple pearls shining from the small line of sunlight that found its way there. 

‘be careful.’ you signed, and he signed back, ‘i will’. exchanging nods, you swam side by side deeper into the cave. 

the environment was getting darker, and you became more anxious as you got closer to the creature. the first and last time you came here, you were lucky not to be spotted. hiding behind some rocks as you observed it swimming around, you were stealthy enough to swim away without catching its attention.

right now, it was asleep, but if it woke up and attacked you, what then? you were fine with your life wasting because of your recklessness, but you had brought toruk makto’s eldest son with you, one of the most important na’vi ever. you would slap yourself right now if you could. you should’ve just given him a simpler task, one that didn’t involve giant creatures that could eat you whole.

you looked at neteyam. it seemed like the man was a lot calmer than you were. when he sensed your gaze, he examined your features for a while and immediately felt your hesitation. he placed a hand on your shoulder, gently squeezing it as a gesture to reassure you. you softly smiled before focusing on the objective at hand again.

soon enough, you reached the rock successfully. so far, so good. you and neteyam admired the pearls in front of you because they were all shining so beautifully. you began taking some with your fingers, placing them carefully in your palm, while neteyam turned around to scout the area.

but neteyam couldn’t not even move another inch when he saw what was in front of him; a gigantic eye staring right back at him. the giant creature was awake this whole time.

you didn’t feel anything at first, and only when you noticed how neteyam froze did you discern that something was wrong. you hesitated to turn around. even without looking completely, you could already see what was staring back at you. 

this is it. neteyam.

a cough leaves your mouth from panic and neteyam was quick to cover your mouth to prevent water from entering further. neteyam immediately dragged you with him to exit the cave, and you couldn’t do anything but continue to lock eyes with the creature. 

what an eerie sight. neteyam thought, arms around your waist as he carried you with him. but how odd, it did not even bother to follow. maybe it isn’t hostile to na’vi?

suddenly, the creature began to squirm, and it caused intense waves of pressure to its surroundings. the rocks that formed from the cave began to crumble that your only exit was getting more difficult to reach. the vibration from the quake made the other fishes living in the cave hysteric that they all rushed to swim out. you were about to be trapped inside if you didn’t do anything. you refused to let that happen.

freeing yourself from neteyam, you switched your positions by grabbing his arm and dragging him to swim with you instead. you were faster than him after all. you swayed from side to side, avoiding the rocks that were falling down, not as fast as they would on land but quick enough to tire you gradually.

you were getting close to the exit, just a little more and you’d finally be free. a boulder showed up in front of you, and you took your spear at once, slashing it in an attempt to push it away. you were successful; however, your spear broke in half in the process. it was alright, you could make another one once you get back. escaping was more important now more than anything.

neteyam could only watch everything below him while you dragged him to the exit. he was overwhelmed by the number of fishes that frantically swam to leave the cave; the darkness they came from helped mask their locations so he couldn’t figure out where they’d be appearing from.

when a larger fish suddenly emerged right in front of him, neteyam was quick to jab it out of the way with his free hand. perhaps neteyam reeked of fish blood for the creatures, most likely because of the earlier incident with the first fish attack, because the larger fishes kept coming after him, curious as to why he smelled such a way.

you felt the entire thing happening because you were holding him. taking another ounce of what was left of your strength, you held neteyam by his shoulders and threw him to the opening of the cave, losing a few pearls in the process. neteyam watched you with wide eyes as you continued to fend off the larger fishes that were trying to get to him with your broken spear. 

no, this is not what he wanted. he clenched his jaw as he grabbed his hunting knife. with all his strength, neteyam swam to get to you as fast as he could. so far, this was the most effort he had done with swimming, and he regretted how he lacked skill in it even if it wasn’t his fault.

you started kicking the fishes that were trying to get through you because the spear you held became more of a nuisance than of help. it seemed like the largest one in the group had gone irritated by this when he went straight to you instead of neteyam. you saw it open its mouth, and its fangs were ready to bite flesh out of you. you closed your eyes, bracing yourself from the pain, but nothing happened.

when you opened your eyes, neteyam was in front of you, shielding you from the fish as he used his hunting knife to combat the animal’s teeth. it was much stronger than the ones before, and the fact that he had no land to step on to support himself against this battle of strength wasn’t helping him at all. neteyam had to punch the fish on its chin to get the upper hand. while it was stunned, he took the opportunity to slash the knife at its flesh, and the fish wriggled in pain as it swam away.

wasting no more time, you took neteyam by his arms again and dragged him out of the cave through the only exit that was near you. and then, the environment was lighter and wider again. finally, you had escaped the cave.

neteyam moved to embrace you with his arms, and you let him. he was relieved that you were safe. you stayed in each other's arms as both of your adrenaline started dying down. you peeked at the cave while resting your cheek on his shoulder, wondering if the giant creature had survived all this chaos.

–

your journey back home was quiet because you were both drained of energy. you couldn’t even ride your ilu anymore and had to ride with neteyam on his, your companion could only swim beside you.

neteyam was both impressed and scared of how you had held your breath underwater for the whole duration of everything that just happened. he thought rotxo was exaggerating when he claimed you could live underwater if you chose to, but he was proven wrong. after all, he witnessed it himself how you never went back up for air since the moment you dove underwater.

neteyam noticed how tired you became because of it though. it was also probably because of the number of fishes you had to fight off this time; he wished he could have helped more. he allowed you to lean on his back as he guided his ilu back to awa’atlu. thankfully, it still wasn’t dark out, and that meant it would be easier to get out of trouble.

soon enough, you reached the shores of the village. neteyam helped you get off of the ilu, and you both said goodbye to your companions before they swam away. 

because you were feeling limp and tired, neteyam volunteered to take you home. you didn’t have the energy to refuse so you let him support your body with his arms around your waist; you were leaning on him as you walked. you definitely caught some eyes as you made your way to your marui, but you were really too tired to care - you’d just find an explanation for it later. you’d hear some of them ask neteyam from time to time about what happened to you or where you both had been, but he’d always answer with a quiet smile and say you were out hunting with him.

when you reached your marui, neteyam gently placed you to where your blanket was then knelt beside you. “go rest now. i apologize we failed to obtain what we came there for.” the dejection was evident in his voice. “if i can, i will find another one for you when i go out to hunt again. so do not worry.”

you raised your fist near his face and slowly opened it, revealing three small pearls. a tired smile appears on your lips, “i managed to save some, neteyam. do not apologize anymore.”

from being surprised, his lips slowly formed a grin. “you…”

you laughed and moved to sit up. “thank you.” you put your arms around him and pulled him closer into a hug. “you have helped me get these pearls. i appreciate your efforts.”

he returned the embrace with a soft smile, slightly burying his face more into your neck. “it was quite scary, i admit. but you were very brave and amazing. you are truly the amazing swimmer they say you are.” 

you pulled away from him, chuckling at his praise. “and your breathing has improved a lot, neteyam. i am very impressed.”

“what can i say?” he huffed with confidence. “i am a mighty warrior, and i learned from the best.”

©️ okaylorrainee 2023. please do not re-upload, translate my content anywhere without permission.

ch 05 [ previous . masterlist . next ]