Yamcha had planned to be a regular biologist, maybe specialize in wolves as he'd always liked them, but his universities website had other plans. The layout was horrid and half the links didn't work. He had picked the first thing that had text resembling "biology" after a frustrating three hours of clicking. As it turned out he had selected marine biology and he got into the course. Hence, here he was years later getting ready for a free dive off the coast of some small island almost right between China and Japan. The place didn't even have a proper name it was so tiny. He slipped between the waves and had a look around. His assignment was not only to check on the population levels of certain species but to also keep an eye out for a creature Japanese locals had nicknamed " Ningyo", a mermaid.
"Pretty sure I got my degree in marine biology, not marine crypto-biology." Yamcha thought to himself as he swam past a school of fish. He didn't believe in such things. Sure he enjoyed hearing the myths and seeing the culture surrounding such beings but he didn't put much faith in the supposed facts of their existence. He went up for a few gasps of air and then dived back down. He headed a little deeper into the water and did his best to identify the fish he saw. A structure emerging from the seafloor nearby caught his attention. No one had told him about a cave of any sort in the area yet there it was. A rounded tower of stone nearly six feet in height rising up from the sand. There was an obvious hole in the top of it and it piqued Yamcha's curiosity.
In hindsight he should have known better. He didn't have any equipment with him and going down into the hole was severely ill advised. Still some part of him was drawn to it. That hint of recklessness that had garnered him a reputation as a troublemaker back at school. Despite growing out of said reputation the temptation to explore the cave was overwhelming. So he surfaced once more, took several deep breaths, and then swam with earnest towards the opening of the tower. Countless hours of swimming had prepared him well for this moment. It took less time than he thought to reach the entrance. It was wide enough for him to swim down with room to stretch his arms out on either side. Not ideal for a free dive exploration but better than shimmying through any tight spaces. He kept going and quickly lost visibility as the water around him grew darker. There was some kind of light ahead and faint as it may be it gave Yamcha enough motivation to keep going. Soon the tunnel opened up into a large underwater cavern. A quick look at the bottom of it revealed bioluminescent plants and animals nearly twenty feet down. Yamcha made mental notes on the species he could identify and started to turn around to head back up to the surface. Then he saw it.
There were dozens of holes on the ceiling of the cave identical to the one he had come through. His heartbeat picked up and he could feel the pressure building in his lungs. He needed to breathe and fast. He had no idea which tunnel led back to where he had started. If he picked one at random there was no telling how long it could be or if it was a dead end. When he entered the cave he had drifted for a bit and it had thrown off his sense of direction. His muscles were starting to burn and his vision was fading. He was panicking. This was it. This was the end. His mind raced as he felt his body grow heavy. What would happen to his cat with him dead? He'd never get the chance to talk things out with his ex girlfriend. Would anyone even know he was gone? Would they care? He couldn't stop his mouth from opening and all the air he had left turned to bubbles. He summoned the last of his strength and sucked in as much water as he could. If he was going to drown then it was going to be on his own terms and quick. This small comfort helped him relax as he closed his eyes for what he was sure to be the last time.
He was therefore understandably surprised when he coughed himself back into consciousness. It took several seconds for him to catch his breath and while he did so he could hear someone talking to him.
"Well, that's one more dumbass back in the world of the living. What the hell were you thinking, coming down here?"
Yamcha rubbed some water out of his eyes and tried to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a stone ledge of some kind. It was obviously situated within an air pocket as a good three feet above him was clear of liquid. He carefully pushed himself up onto his elbows and barely avoided smacking his head on the ceiling. He scanned the area and saw that every so often on the rock face there was a tiny indent carved into it. Sitting inside of them were small objects ranging from seashells to children's toys. His gaze stopped as soon as he identified the source of the voice. They looked at first like a regular human. Then you would notice the third eye and shark like teeth followed by gills lining the neck and chest. Parts of its skin were covered by scales of black, yellow and red. This thing, no doubt what had saved his life, was a merman.
"Is that how you greet all your guests?" Yamcha hadn't meant to say it, initially planning something along the lines of "You're a merman" or "Holy shit", but none the less his statement got a reaction out of the creature. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side.
"That's the first thing you have to say? I have to admit, I haven't gotten that one yet." said the merman. "Usually it's screaming."
"I'm still not a hundred percent sure I'm not dead, okay? Gimme a minute." Yamcha said.
"I suppose that's a valid point. Very well. You have a minute." the merman said before diving into the water and out of sight. Yamcha became acutely aware of how heavy he was breathing as the now quiet air settled around him. He tried to calm himself down.
"Okay. That was a merman. I nearly drowned but he saved me. I got rescued by an actual merman. That's a thing now." Yamcha rambled under his breath as he tried to take it all in. After pinching his arm and wincing he determined he was definitely alive. That meant that the merman was real. Which opened up a whole other can of worms, no fishing pun intended. He didn't have anymore time to dwell on the topic as the merman in question returned.
"That's a minute." he said. "So, are you dead or not?"
"I'm alive. I'm guessing that's thanks to you." Yamcha said. The merman shrugged.
"I didn't need a corpse floating around my home." he said curtly.
"Gee, thanks for your concern." Yamcha said sarcastically. This merman was a tad on the sassy side, it seemed. Yamcha adjusted his position to be laying on his side with one arm keeping his head off the ground. "Then again I'm sure you do this sort of thing all the time."
"Most people aren't stupid enough to swim into mysterious caves by themselves with no way to breathe so no. I don't." the merman said. He rolled his eyes, including the third one which threw Yamcha way off for a moment, and crossed his arms. "What kind of death wish instinct possessed you to do that?"
"I dunno. Old habit, maybe. Perhaps fate." Yamcha said. The merman raised an eyebrow, an odd thing for a fish person to have now that Yamcha thought about it, and swam a little closer.
"... fate?"
"Of course! Haven't you heard the tales? In every story where a mermaid rescues a handsome man they're fated to fall in love." Yamcha said dramatically. One one hand he was acting rather bold given his situation but on the other he was finding it rather easy to banter with this merman. Yamcha discovered it was just as easy to fluster the poor thing as he noticed a blush slowing rising on the creatures face.
"Did you skip over the tragic ends? I may be planning to kill you." the merman said in an attempt to defend himself.
"You said you didn't want a corpse in your home so I doubt it." Yamcha reminded him. The merman huffed and looked away. Yamcha couldn't help but laugh. After everything that had just happened to him it was surreal to think he was currently embarrassing a mythical creature with insinuations of romance.
"If you're done with your... flirting... I think it's time for you to leave." said the merman.
"Awww, I was just getting started." Yamcha whined. For some reason getting a rise out of this merman was the only thing he could focus his mind on. It was better than pondering the implications a live merman had on the world as a whole as well as his current situation. "Besides, I haven't even learned your name yet."
"You didn't tell me yours and you don't see me caring about it." said the merman.
"Well, we're going to have to fix that then." Yamcha said. "I'm sure even mermen are taught some proper manners. My name is Yamcha and I'd like to formally thank you for saving me from drowning."
"I am Tenshinhan and I'd like for you to get out of my home." the merman snapped back.
"Tenshinhan? That's way too long. How about... Tien?" Yamcha suggested.
"I don't care what you call me as long as you leave." said the merman. Yamcha smirked.
"Tien it is then. So Tien... "
"I literally JUST told you to go away."
"How exactly do you expect me to do that?" Yamcha asked. "As we both know firsthand I can't breathe underwater."
"There is a way to get you to the surface but now I think I'd rather drown you and throw your body on a beach somewhere." Tien growled.
"I thought, without a doubt, that I was going to die like five minutes ago. I accepted it then and I'll accept it now. Your threats mean nothing." Yamcha said. Tien pouted for a moment but then paused.
"... you'll accept it now?" he repeated. "Are you implying that you don't care about living?"
"Well, now that you say it back to me I guess so." Yamcha admitted. "The only person who gave a shit about me back home was my cat. Sure I'd like to see them again and stay with them but it's not like they can't survive without me. My roommate was looking after them while I was gone. They'll be fine."
"... what about family?" Tien asked.
"Don't have one anymore."
"Friends?"
"Barely any and I can tell they don't care."
"A lover? Lovers?"
"I have an ex girlfriend who hates my guts if that counts."
"... now I feel like drowning you would be doing you a favor." Tien concluded with a scowl.
"I'm not going to argue with that. Still, if it's an option I'd like to continue living for the time being. Gotta be there for my cat, right?" Yamcha said. He decided to try and change the topic. Things had gotten much too personal way too fast. "So. Me, the surface, out of your cave sweet cave. How do we do that?"
"It's, uh... well..." Tien trailed off as his blush returned. He firmly looked to a corner and away from Yamcha. As for Yamcha he was staring to feel anxious. For all his flirting earlier he didn't feel any particular way towards this merman besides slight disbelief and intrigue. Tien was obviously nervous and Yamcha didn't think that was a good sign. He tried to lighten the mood.
"What, is it like the kiss of life or something?" he said with a half hearted chuckle. Tien blushed darker. Definitely not a good sign.
"... I guess you could call it that." Tien continued. "It does require mouth to mouth contact to work... but it's the only way to get you out of here alive so hurry up."
"Right now?" Yamcha said weakly. The scientist part of his brain was in overdrive. He still had to study this creature. No one had ever met a merperson before. There was so much to learn. Another part of him was balking at the idea of actually putting his mouth on a merman. Yet another was telling him that it wouldn't be that bad.
"Yes, now! Get in." Tien grumbled. He moved back so Yamcha would have space to move off the ledge.
"So, please, indulge me for a moment..." Yamcha said as he eased his way into the water, "And explain how this works. How exactly am I living through this?"
"Simple. When you need to breathe just tap my shoulder and release the air you were holding. Then I'll use my gills to create enough extra air that I can give it to you. You breathe it in, hold your breath again, swim a while then repeat." Tien said. Yamcha paused with one hand still on the ledge.
"That makes no scientific sense whatsoever. You're sure I won't drown?" he asked.
"I've done this before. I know what I'm doing." Tien said.
"You have?" Yamcha said.
"It was to save a kid, alright? I'm not heartless." Tien mumbled while looking to the side. Yamcha couldn't hold back a small smile. This merman was full of surprises.
"Before we go dragging me to dry land..." Yamcha said. "How about we practice a little? I don't want to panic halfway there and drown."
"Alright. That's a good point." Tien agreed. He swam in close and placed one hand on Yamcha's shoulder. "Grab onto me. If you mess up I'll save you, again."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Yamcha said. He put his hand on the back of Tien's neck, being sure not to hit his gills, and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Good thing I'm a fast learner."
"For both our sakes you'd better be." Tien said. "We'll go under on three. Okay?"
"Got it." Yamcha said with a nod. He took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself.
"One... two... three!"
With that Tien let his weight pull them both underwater. Yamcha held his breath for as long as he could. When his chest burned and his head got dizzy he let all the air go in a rush of bubbles. Right as the last one cleared his face there was a pair of lips on his. Instinctively he inhaled and got a rush of oxygen. It had worked. At least up until the point when Yamcha forgot to hold the breath he got. Before he could freak out he found himself above the waters surface and gasping.
"You're aware you were supposed to close your mouth, right?" Tien asked. He had a hint of sarcasm slipping into his words again. Yamcha caught his breath and glared at him.
"I know, it's kind of obvious, I just... I wasn't ready." he said. He was more frustrated with himself than anything and knew the merman wasn't to blame. He tried to change the topic. "I'm going to guess you've never properly kissed anyone before, have you?"
"That has nothing to do with this." Tien objected but Yamcha only doubled down.
"It's fine for air transfer but it's awkward and threw me off enough that I messed up. We don't want that later, do we?" he said.
"Like I said, it doesn't make a difference." Tien insisted.
"So... does that mean you don't want to learn to kiss someone?" Yamcha said.
"No, I mean, not now, and it's not important to what we're doing, it's not that I don't want to kiss anyone, like, ever, but..." Tien rambled. He was starting to turn red again and trailed off as he caught onto the meaning in Yamcha's statement. He raised his eyes up enough to look at the human facing him and said weakly; "... learn?"
"I doubt you'll get another chance." Yamcha said. Internally he was screaming at himself. Before today he wasn't even sure if he liked guys and now he was offering to teach a merman how to kiss? Then again after everything else that day it wasn't that big of a deal. He did want to get out of there alive after all. "So, if you're okay with it then I think it'd be a good idea."
"Uh... I guess?" Tien said nervously. He slowly pulled himself closer to Yamcha. "Okay... now what?"
"You relax for starters. I'd rather not have a bruise on my arm later." Yamcha said. Maybe it was a way to stall for time but he had a point. Tien lightened his grip on Yamcha's shoulder and gently placed his free hand on the other side.
"Sorry. It's, uh, supposed to be like this, right?" he said. Yamcha grinned and put his arms around the merman's neck. This closed the distance far enough that he could see the shine of gold in the freckles that were dotted across Tien's face.
"More like this but you've got the idea." Yamcha said smugly. This was easier. Keep up the banter from before as much as possible to distract from the situation at hand. Tien, meanwhile, was a bright red at this point. He lowered his arms and gingerly put them around Yamcha's waist.
"Better?" he asked shyly. Yamcha leaned in a little more and prayed his confident facade would hold.
"Better." he admitted, his voice almost a purr. "I hope you at least know to close your eyes during a kiss."
"... I do now." Tien mumbled. Yamcha nearly started laughing. This poor embarrassed merman was starting to win him over. Before he could let himself dwell any further on the idea Yamcha raised one of his hands to hold the back of Tien's head.
"Relax. It's easy to get the hang of. Just let me take the lead." he said.
"It's all yours." Tien replied. He closed his eyes preemptively and Yamcha took a moment to collect himself.
The glow from the creatures on the cave floor reflected upwards into their cavern casting a pale blue light over everything. It made the merman before him look almost peaceful. He couldn't deny that Tien was a beautiful creature. Alas it seemed he had to put his mouth where his thoughts were as he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Tien's lips. It wasn't a very long kiss but it was enough steal the mermans breath away. When Yamcha pulled away it was a few seconds before Tien opened his eyes again.
"Oh." Tien said. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Yamcha smiled and raised a hand to run lightly across Tien's scales as if they were hair.
"See? Easy." he said. Tien nodded and Yamcha was tempted to laugh again. He held back his giggles and leaned back in towards him. "Well? How was it?"
"I, uh... wow." Tien said. "I'm not sure what to say. I've... never done anything like it."
"I can tell. Not that it's a bad thing." Yamcha said. "Then again, practice does makes perfect."
"Well then, I suppose we should... practice some more... before leaving." Tien said slowly. He was so awkward and sheepish that Yamcha couldn't help but find it endearing.
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Yamcha said before closing his eyes and moving in again. The second kiss was a little longer than the first but not very different. Yamcha was still the one in control. The third he cut short on purpose and grinned when Tien leaned foreward to try and make it last longer. On the fourth kiss Tien finally figured out how to return the motion properly. He was the one to initiate the fifth.
"Was that alright?" he asked anxiously once they parted again.
"It was a lot better than I expected. Looks like we're both fast learners." Yamcha said. Tien looked relieved and relaxed his rather tense muscles.
"You're a good teacher." he said quietly. Yamcha felt his own blush return. The impact of the merman's voice hadn't hit him before but now, when they were face to face and holding one another close, the lowness of it made him shiver.
"Does that mean we're ready to go?" Yamcha asked. He hoped the red in his cheeks wasn't as visible as it felt.
"Yeah, guess so." Tien said. "Let's get you back to land."
"About time I got out of your home, right?" Yamcha said with a small smile. Tien looked away from him and let his arms drop.
"Yup. Out you go." he said with only a hint of his earlier sarcasm. Yamcha released his hold on the merman's neck and took a final look around the cave. Then he took a deep breath and dove underwater.
He was soon joined by Tien and together the two swam out into the main cavern. Yamcha stopped as he felt his air running out and released the rest of it to bubble around him. Tien swam up and gave him a fresh breath. After lingering on the contact perhaps a bit too long they continued. Tien seemed to know what tunnel Yamcha had entered from and Yamcha trusted him to lead the way. A few more shared breaths later, including a rather awkward one where they were pressed close together in a narrow passageway, they exited the cave system and hit open water. The area was starting to look familiar to Yamcha and it only took a few more minutes for the two of them to surface. Yamcha gasped out of instinct when his head cleared the water. It was immediately obvious that he had been in Tien's cave longer than he thought. A grand sunset lit up the sky and turned the water orange.
"There. I'm sure you know your way from here." Tien said.
"Yeah, I do, thanks." Yamcha said. "... how did you know which tunnel I came from?"
"It's the smell. That one had your scent all over it." Tien said. Yamcha raised an eyebrow.
"... I have a scent?" he asked, part unsettled and part interested. Tien shrugged.
"Everyone does when they're in the water. At least to merpeople." he explained. "It helps us find food and recognize others nearby."
"So... what's my scent?" Yamcha asked.
"Wet dog." Tien said. He smirked at the dissapointed look on Yamcha's face. "I'm joking."
"And I'm flattered." Yamcha grumbled. "Seriously, what is it?"
"I'm not sure yet. I haven't been around you long enough." Tien shrugged of the question. He looked away but when he spoke again there was a hint of longing in his voice. "You'd have to stay longer."
"Well... I'm still in this area for about a week before I head back home." Yamcha said. "And I haven't finished my notes on this area yet."
"You're here to take notes?" Tien said with a small laugh. "That's quite the thing to risk your life over."
"I'm a marine biologist. It's my job." Yamcha said. He smiled wolfishly at the merman. "Plus, I think I just found the perfect specimen to research. How about I come back here tommorow?"
"Only if you promise to never call me a "specimen" again."
"Deal." Yamcha said. He reached out for a handshake with a smile. "I'll see you then, koi boy."
"Can't wait for it, land mutt." Tien said. He returned the handshake with a smirk, revealing that his initial sarcasm hadn't gone away completely. Yamcha felt a surge of courage he hadn't had since he first asked out his ex. He leaned towards Tien and planted a playful kiss on the tip of his nose.
"It's a date." he teased before swiftly swimming his way to shore, all the while asking himself why he'd do something like that.
When he arrived on the beach a quick look behind him showed that Tien had gone back below the waves. Yamcha waved his way all the same after gathering his things and starting to walk towards the boat he'd arrived in. It was probably just a sunbeam bouncing off the sea but he liked to think that he saw a black, red and yellow spotted tail waving back at him.