nanase haruka / I


You opened the hall cabinet, placing the warm towels you had just folded into their correct place, even reaching past the bottom shelf to rearrange a few miscellaneous items on the one above. You closed the cabinet doors, making your way down the hall to the bathroom. Before you opened the door, you stopped to adjust the glass dolphin figurine placed near a few of the children's books you had bought earlier that week. Taking it off of the shelf completely, you used your night shirt to rub in each crevice and clean it of any dust. Once you could see through it again, you placed it back strategically where Haruka had insisted you put it.

"Ryōta, what sound does a dolphin make?"

You heard a shrill keening noise from inside the bathroom. Venturing further, you peered through the door, watching as Haruka scrubbed your son, Ryōta's black hair, covering it in a tower of suds. The boy giggled and continued to splash around in the tub. "Like that, daddy!"

"Very good."

"Now, what sound does a whale make?" you asked, stepping fully into the room. Ryōta squealed at your presence, abandoning the bath toy so quick Haruka barely had enough time to even look at you before the small child was grasping the air for you, all the while making deep, undulating sounds from the back of his throat. You laughed, watching Haruka's mildly amused expression as he peered at you from the corner of his eye, sinking deeper into the soapy bathwater as though trying to disappear.

"We're taking a bath."

"I see that," you nodded, approaching the porcelain tub and kneeling to splay your hand against Ryōta's. You linked your fingers with his, something he took immense joy in.

"Bath, momma!"

"Oh, no," you declined. "It's late. Daddy was supposed to have you out of the bath an hour ago." You cast an accusing look at Haruka, who was now hidden from the eyes down in the bathwater. You swore you could see his eyes rippling with mischievousness. "What happened to no baths past seven-thirty?"

Haru only brought his mouth out of the water to quickly shoot you a sentence. "He insisted."

"Ryōta, you need to hurry and get Daddy out of the tub before he becomes a wrinkly water monster."

"Oh no, momma! Bad monster!"

"That's right! Go get him!"

You watched your small child fall all over your husband, latching onto his neck and shoving bubbles into his hair. "Daddy's a wrinkly monster!"

"Water monster will be fine as long as he stays in the water. Forever. Come get me in the morning."

You laughed outright, brushing your hair behind your ear with a wet finger. "We all know how much you want to become a mermaid, Haru. I just don't know if you'd want to turn while in dirty water like that..."

"All water is beautiful."

"That's it, Haruka Nanase! I'm coming in there right now." You pulled off your tank top and dropped your night shorts. Dipping your feet into the water, you knelt down and embraced Ryōta from behind, tickling him fiercely before leaning forward to claim Haru's lips. "Ew, you taste like dirty water. This might have been a bad idea."

"Baths for everyone?"

"Ugh! No matter what you always seem to have this psychic connection with the water, and you're just constantly scheming together and plotting with your devious plans. If you love the water so much, marry it!"

"I did." He sat up, muscles dripping with water as he loomed over you, caging Ryōta between his chest and yours. The boy squealed in happiness, clinging to him.

"Oh really." You brushed noses with him, and you felt his warm tongue slip across your soft lips.

"By marrying you, I now have endless bath time."

"Oh screw you!"

"Screw you, daddy!"

"Okay no Ryōta no we don't say those things oooops! Underwater time!" You tossed your child away, and he ducked his head underneath the surface of the bathwater. You glanced awkwardly at Haru. His lips curled in amusement.

"Nice save."

"Screw you. Stupid mermaid."