Also on Tumblr and AO3 under Shiny_the_Strange. Enjoy!

Another day's end, another sunset. Beams of marigold, crimson, and orange encompassed the sky as the sun descended. Miles upon miles of water gleamed as sunlight danced across its waves. The boat's rocking was surprisingly gentle, considering how far out it was. Land had left sight hours ago.

Yō sighed as she rested her arms atop the railing. Out of all the things she loved about the sea, the view was perhaps the best. It served as a reminder that she was really here, living the life she'd always wanted. Not that solid ground was bad; so many of Yō's fondest memories came from the land. But when she got to be surrounded by the sea's expanse on all sides, watch its teal surface ripple from every angle, and see the stars at night so clearly, her heart couldn't help but race. There were times where the sea and the sky blended together, barely distinct from one another. Days like that were the best.

Of course, one couldn't stay on the water forever. Supplies weren't as limitless as the wide, blue expanse Yō adored. And so she had returned to shore earlier that day, purchasing everything she possibly needed for her stay. She ensured that she would have just enough essentials to last for the rest of her vacation, but it was still enough to catch the cashier's attention. When You explained that she often went out to sea on her time off, she had been bombarded with questions such as "How long do you typically go out for?" and "How does the sea make you feel?", to which she answered with enthusiasm. Last but not least, he asked Yō's favourite question:

"Don't you get lonely?"

This question had been asked countless times at countless ports, but Yō's answer was always the same: "I used to. That is, until a little bit of home started coming along with me!"

"Home?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

A loud splash sounded, knocking Yō out of her thoughts. Recovering from the sudden disruption, she walked over to the other side of the deck and stared into the water.

Kanan stared back, holding up a large handful of seaweed. "Hey, why don't we clean this up and make sushi?"

Yō frowned. "But I already bought some seaweed at the market earlier!"

"But this is fresh!" said Kanan. She grinned widely. "That seaweed you got has preservatives. We can eat it later, so why not?"

Yō felt her cheeks heat up. Whenever Kanan smiled like that, Yō was seconds away from melting and becoming one with the waves. With a sigh, she nodded. "You certainly like your fresh seaweed, don't you? Bring it up!"

"Alright! Sit tight, I'll come get you when I need you." Kanan swam towards the back of the boat. Yō's gaze followed her, admiring every one of her strokes and splashes.

To think there was a time where Yō would almost always be out here without someone like Kanan. Occasionally she'd invite others to join her, but most of the time they would get seasick, homesick, or begged to go back to land early for another reason. The time she'd managed to gather all of Aqours (well, as many as she could; Dia, Mari, and Riko couldn't make it) proved to be no exception. That, or it was just an extremely unlucky trip; Ruby and Hanamaru had gotten rather sick, Yoshiko had nearly fallen overboard so many times to the point nobody felt comfortable with her being on a boat this far out, and Chika's family needed an extra hand at the inn after a sudden emergency. Yet even after everyone else left, Kanan stayed. After spending a couple weeks alone with her, Yō found herself feeling different whenever Kanan was near. The way her hands clammed up, heart pounded in her chest…when did she want to be held so much?

An arm covered in navy blue wrapped around Yō's waist and pulled her in, her half-exposed back pressing against...

…A wetsuit that was still soaked. Yō shivered. "Kanan-chan, I love you, but can you take that off?"

Kanan giggled and let go. Turning at the sound of the zipper being undone, Yō watched as the suit fell to the deck. Her gaze slowly returned to Kanan's face, taking in the emerald-green and sky-blue striped bikini she wore.

With a mischievous smile, Kanan wrapped her arms around Yō and pecked her cheek. "That better?"

Her body was a little wet still, but that was just how Yō liked it. She brought her lips to Kanan's, taking in the taste of sea salt. Pulling away, she said, "Much better. Did you buy that bikini today?"

"Yep. Got it just for you."

"I love it!" Yō glanced at the bikini again. "Next time I'll get something for you. So, where's the seaweed?"

"In the kitchen. You ready to cook?"

"I'm ready!" said Yō, saluting Kanan. "Yōsoro!"

"Do you think, one day, humans will be able to swim in space?"

Yō looked over at Kanan. Not two minutes had passed since they lied down on the deck and began to gaze into the twinkling sky. "You really want to do that, huh?"

"Just think about it," said Kanan, entwining her arm with Yō's. "Swimming among the stars, looking back at Earth, watching as comets spin past you, feeling so free as you float around aimlessly…isn't it kind of like the sea?"

Were humans allowed to be this cute? Chuckling, Yō rolled over onto Kanan and embraced her, kissing her nose. "When you put it like that, it kind of is. If we somehow figure out how to swim in space, promise me you'll come back to me, okay?"

"Of course I'll come back to you." Kanan hugged Yō back. Her eyes locked with Yō's. "You know…I think I may have a crush on you."

Yō laughed. "I sure hope so. Otherwise I'd get off and leave you alone."

"I wouldn't mind that. All I need is the sea and the stars."

"That's cold," said Yō, squeezing Kanan a little tighter. "I might just have to throw you off the boat for that."

"If you do that, I'll just swim back. Try all you want, but I'm gonna stay right here." To prove her point, Kanan squeezed even harder than Yō did. "There're a lot of places to swim, but I can only think of one place I like that's better than the sea or the stars."

Blinking, Yō raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Where's that?"

"Your eyes."

"My eyes…?" Yō's face burned. "W-Well, I like how…purpley…your eyes are."

At that, Kanan burst into laughter. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Yō wanted to tell her to knock it off, but said nothing as she continued to keep her eyes on Kanan's face. Could she have chosen a better partner? Perhaps. Did she want to choose a better partner? Absolutely not.

If a sailor's first love was the sea, then their second love was their lady of the sea.