"W-What?" I stammered, trying to crane my neck to look at his face. Was he joking? I couldn't tell.

"Pe's are kind of one step down from kids." He pointed out.

"Uh, well, joo, but..." I stuttered. He wasn't joking.

"If ya take care of the fish, maybe we'll ge' a dog next." He mused, nuzzling into my hair.

"That's great, but what..."

"Bu' we're namin' it somethin' normal." He informed me sternly. "Same goes for kids." He added. I wiggled my way out of his arms and turned around, facing him as best I could in the tub.

"Berwald!" I snapped, finally getting him to shut his mouth for a moment. He looked at me expectantly. I took a breath, trying to calm myself, for I'd risen to a panic without even realising it. "You, uh... You do realise that I'm male, right?" I asked dubiously. He quirked a brow.

"Of course Ah do." He replied. I sighed, a bit of relief washing over me.
"Then you know I can't have kids." I continued. He looked at me without much of an expression.

"Ja." He agreed.

"Alright, then where is this coming from?" I wondered vaguely. He allowed himself a small smile.

"Sorry Tino, didn' mean to startle you by bringin' it up all of a sudden. Ah don' mean righ' now. But Ah'd like to have a kid some day." He explained, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and bringing me in for an embrace. I returned it, my hands coming up to rest against his chest.

"Well, that's alright, I suppose. But like I said, I can't have..." I trailed.

"We can adopt." He offered. I blinked, not recalling that word.

"What?" I questioned. He took a moment to think about how he wanted to answer.

"Sometimes, when parents die, or can't take care of their children, or don' want 'em, the governmen' will place them with another family. One tha' wan's them." He explained. I frowned.

"You mean parents just abandon their children?" I demanded. He frowned as well, but nodded.

"Ja. Some people don' wan' to be parents, some aren' fit." He replied. I didn't like the sound of that. I'd never heard of a Mer abandoning their young, Violet Eyes aside. There was a sort of irreversible spell that our children cast on us. They infatuated us, and we doted on them till they came of age. At that point they began releasing hormones, which kind of undid the spell. Not that there wasn't still a bond between parent and child, it was just not as strong. And Mer, once they hit mating age, tend to want to wander and look for a mate. It's rare that one finds a mate nearby.

"That sounds terrible." I decided. He nodded his head in agreement.

"It is, bu' it works ou' in our favor." He pointed out. "We can give one of the kids a home."

I smiled, pressing a kiss to his jaw, for it was the closest thing to my lips. I felt a lot better about his sudden talk of children. I was still young yet, and not really prepared to have children of my own, but he said it was something for the future. And that made me giddy, because that implied that he wanted there to be a future for us, meant that he saw one. I snuggled in closer, straddling his hips so I could wrap myself around him all the more.

We let the subject drop, simply basking in the warm water until my forming fins became a problem, at which point we got out and dried off. I checked on Hanatamago before we went to bed, turning off the light of the tank for the night. I bid she sleep well, then entered the bedroom. Berwald was already laying down, and I smiled, shuffling in that direction with plans of joining him. But as I passed the Moomin alter, I noticed that one of the stuffed toys had fallen, so I had to stop and pick it up.

Berwald scoffed from the bed, and I turned my head to look at him.

"What?" I demanded indignantly, patting the little Moominpappa on the head before meandering over. He shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"Ya kind of ruined the moo'." He said. I quirked a brow, dropping the towel from my waist and tossing it into the hamper. I contemplated putting some pyjamas on, but enough of Berwald's hips were sticking out from under the blanket for me to guess that he hadn't put any on. So I shrugged, lifting the blankets and slipping in next to him. It was a bit strange, we'd never slept together like that, but I didn't mind. And it was nice to feel so much of Berwald's skin against mine.

"Mood?" I prompted, hoping he'd elaborate. He didn't though, opting instead to wrap his arms around me and draw me against him. I went without complaint, but tried to keep my legs away form the rest of him, knowing that the scaly texture of mid-change was a bit off-putting for him. I thought it was anyway. But he ignored it, grabbing my waist and pulling me flush to his side. It was a bit more forceful than he usually was (which is saying very little, all things considered.) I didn't mind, but I was a bit confused by this behavior.

"Berwald?" I said quietly. "Is everything alright?"

"J-Ja, sorry." He apologized. I rolled my eyes, kissing the little bit of his collar that was next to my face. We stayed like that for a while, and I began to wonder why he hadn't turned the lamp off. Were we not going to sleep? Maybe he'd forgotten about it? I reached over, planning on yanking the little cord that would turn the light off, but he grabbed my hand, stopping me before I could. I turned to look at him, the question on my face.

He was blushing, his cheeks dusted with a bright red hue, even in the scant light provided by the bedside lamp. I wondered what had him so flustered, but I didn't ask, because he'd probably be unable to tell me. He brought the hand he'd captured to his lips and began pressing kisses there, one to each knuckle, to the back of it, my wrist. I giggled, allowing him to pull my arm up a little so he could continue his little trail of kisses. He sat up, bringing me with him. When he reached my shoulder, he curved the line, kissing up my collar and neck, all the way to my lips.

I smiled as he pressed our lips together, wrapping my free arm around his neck, the other still being held captive. He let it go though, using the now free hand to support my lower back, pushing until I got the hint and untangled my legs from the blankets, wrapping them around his hips instead so that kissing would be easier. My legs were pretty much back to normal at that point, just a few patches of rough texture still smoothing out. Berwald didn't seem to mind at all, running his fingers over my thighs gently.

We didn't kiss like this very often. Sometimes we'd do it on the couch, but Berwald always put a stop to it after a few minutes, his face warm, and he'd rush off to the bathroom, disappearing for a few minutes. It was confusing, because he obviously liked it, if the tongue in my mouth had anything to say about it. I could never figure out why he always ran away. But he wasn't making any moves to escape this time.

It started getting kind of difficult to breathe, but I didn't want to part from him. My heart was racing, and I could feel his doing the same, but it felt wonderful, and I wasn't prepared to let the excitement die. I tried to move closer, but there was no more space for me to move forward, I was already as close as was possible. I whined, trying again in vain. But a noise ripped from my throat as the action caused a little friction between us.

I finally pulled back, looking at him in surprise. Where had that come from? And my stomach felt like it was swimming in circles, almost like I was going to be sick, but not nearly as unpleasant. I tried to convey my confusion with my eyes, but I ended up verbalizing it anyway.

"Berwald, what... I don't know why I just..." I tried, unable to find the proper words. He didn't respond, his lips finding mine again. I sighed, deciding that I could let it go in favor of kissing Berwald some more. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite pastimes anyway. His hands came back up from my thighs, resting on my hips instead. He just rested them like that for a while, but he eventually started using them to pull me forward, much like I'd tried to do moments prior. Again, a sound pushed its way out, and I frowned, the muscles in my stomach trembling.

"Please, Berwald, I don't understand." I whined, pushing back a little to look down. I was surprised by the sight. Berwald let out a small breath of a sigh.

"Yer aroused, Tino." He said simply, kissing my cheek. I looked back up, then down again.

"I'm what?" I demanded, a bit of panic setting in, because a part of me was doing things I'd never seen it do before.

"Aroused. Turned on." He replied, his hands not leaving my hips. "Horny, hot..." He continued. I scowled, none of those words meaning anything to me.

"I don't-" I began, but he cut me off hastily, like he was eager for something, like he couldn't wait.

"Alrigh', Tino, have ya ever mated before?" He asked. My eyes widened, and I shook my head violently.

"No, I just recently came of age, and I never found a mate, so..." I tried to explain. I didn't want him thinking I was one of those Mer that kept several partners. It was very, very rare. Mer mate for life, for the most part.

"Do Mer only mate during matin' season?" He wondered. I nodded.

"Joo. It's usually in early spring." I said.

"Humans don' have maitin' seasons. We jus'... Well, whenever we wan' to." He explained. I thought about that, and looked down again. I suppose that this feeling was similar to the one I had during mating season, but it was incredibly different too. My stomach felt tight, and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. And everything that Berwald touched, like my thighs and my hips, felt tingly, almost ticklish.

"So, right now... You want to?" I questioned, a little fearful. He kissed me, as if that was answer enough. Maybe it was.

"It's no' the same for us, Tino." He began. "For humans, it's mostly about pleasure."

I furrowed my brow. Pleasure? Mating, as far as I was aware, wasn't particularly pleasant. It wasn't incredibly painful or anything, but it wasn't something worth pursuing beyond the biological reasons. And if two males decided to be mates, then it was forgotten entirely. There were no eggs to fertilize.

"I don't really... Um..." I mumbled.

"Ah know it mus' sound weird to you." He supplied gently, his thumbs tracing my hipbones. "But will ya trus' me?" He asked, his eyes searching mine. I let my lips fall open, returning the gaze. I did trust Berwald, more than anyone, and I'd do anything for him, even turn myself over to the king himself. So, if I was willing to die for him, wasn't I willing to let him show me something new?

"I do." I replied, seeking a kiss of my own. He pulled me against him again, his fingers trailing up and down my back, barely touching it at all, my whole body shuddering from the shivers. I could feel that his body was reacting in the same way, so at least I wasn't abnormal, even by human standards. His hands fell to my hips again, gently moving me to rock them against him. I did, the same noise spilling from my lips again. It was a moan, I suppose, the kind you make when you're in pain, or sometimes when you eat something that is just so, so tasty. I was unable to hold it back.

He didn't care, or maybe he even liked it, because his grip tightened, urging me to do it again. I complied, not bothering with stifling the sounds anymore, finding a slow pace at which I was comfortable rolling my hips against his. He remained still, but I could tell that it was difficult, I could feel the muscles in his legs twitching with the effort. I gasped when he gave in, rocking up against me, my whole body bouncing up a bit with the force. The groan that vibrated in his chest sent another shock of fluttering to my stomach, my throat suddenly feeling very tight as I tried to swallow.

He pushed me away gently, only far enough that I rested on his thighs instead of his hips. I looked down at him as well as myself. He was apparently aroused too, just like me. I'd learned that there were quite a few words that one could use to refer to that part of the body, but I wasn't sure which would be appropriate. I usually turned those kinds of programs off very quickly, ever since Berwald had caught me watching one and had expressed unreal levels of embarrassment. But from the few I'd seen, I knew, vaguely, that humans used them for mating, and I assumed that it went similarly to Mer mating. We were much like dolphins in the way that we mated, though they gave live birth while we had eggs. Female Mer carried them inside of their bodies until they got too big, then they would settle down and care for them in a stationary manner. We'd never come across any other animals that reproduced quite like we did. Human birth, I'd come to realise, was rather terrifying. I'd seen it on the television a few times. Human females didn't release the egg when it got too big, growing the entire baby inside of their bodies, and pushing them out of places that were much too small to accommodate for the size of the new life. I was glad that Mer didn't have such painful reproduction practices.

My mind snapped back to Berwald, all thoughts of childbirth forgotten as he wrapped his hand around my arousal. My head fell back, another moan echoing off the walls.

"B-Berwald!" I gasped, rocking up into his hand. He used the other to steady me, holding my hips down so I couldn't move as freely. He moved his hand jerkily, up and down, squeezing, making my head reel. I'd never felt like this. Surely mating wasn't this amazing for Mer, because if it was, we'd do it a lot more often, I'm sure. I was practically sobbing, unsure of what to do with the coiling feeling of my stomach, the trembling of my muscles. Berwald sought out my hand, bringing it to his own arousal, begging me silently to return the gesture.

I didn't really have any idea what I was doing, simply mimicking his actions, but that was apparently enough, because his breathing picked up just as mine had. His noises were much quieter than mine, small grunts and an occasional groan as opposed to my cries and keening whines. Maybe that had a little something to do with him having more experience in this genre. It was completely new to me, in every way, so I took comfort in the fact that Berwald knew what he was doing.

My stomach started to feel tight, and I wasn't sure what was happening. It was akin to having to use the bathroom, yet I could tell it was a little different. Was that how I was supposed to be feeling? I was kind of scared, but I didn't want to bring it up, because what if that wasn't how it was supposed to feel? What if there was something horribly wrong with me? What if...

Berwald cut off my train of thought, kissing me roughly, his hand never slowing. I tried to focus on doing the same, but ended up pausing to kiss back. I never realised how bad I was at multitasking. He made a guttural sound, sort of like a growl. It should have frightened me, but it only served to excite me further, a shudder wracking my body. I refocused my attention to my hand, letting him do as he pleased with my mouth. But the longer we stayed like this, the more pressure was building up inside of me. It was driving me insane, and the pleasure Berwald was supplying only made the feeling worse. Was that right? Was that normal? I couldn't risk it, I decided.

"Berwald," I tried to say, but ended up kind of crying it. He made a noise to affirm that he was listening. "I-I feel funny." I admitted, laying my head against his shoulder.

"Funny 'ow?" He asked, still not stopping. I whined, a tear that I hadn't known about falling past my lid, solidifying and falling against his chest, landing on the bed shiny and white. How could I even describe it?

"I feel-Ah! I feel tight." I decided, my free hand releasing the bedsheets and seeking out purchase on his skin instead. "And something... I think something is going to-Oh! To come out!" I finally managed, more tears starting to trickle down my cheeks. It wasn't painful, I was just so overwhelmed, so hypersensitive, aware of everything all at once, and yet so mindlessly absorbed in the sensation. He tilted his head, capturing my lips again, kissing me sweetly, as if to reassure me.

"Tha's normal Tino. Jus' le' it happen." He rasped. My body shook, the effort to hold back whatever it was that was happening starting to be too much for me to bear. I think Berwald was in a similar state though, because he was having trouble keeping me steady, and the hand on my hip was holding on just a little too tight. It would probably bruise, proof enough that Berwald wasn't quite in control of himself.

The feeling welled up, fresh moans rising from my stomach, my whole body vibrating with them. I trembled, tears falling steadily at that point, the pearls forgotten in the twisted sheets beneath us. I tried to force it down, but reminded myself that Berwald told me to let it happen. So I did. My back arched, the position stiff, it probably would have been painful if I was paying attention. But I wasn't, too mind blown to register much besides the feeling of the pressure reaching its peak, and then the relief of falling over it. I couldn't even make a sound, my mouth open in a silent scream, my eyes shut so tightly it was almost uncomfortable. Whatever had been coiling inside of me had come out, and I felt so drained, I was unable to even hold myself up anymore.

But Berwald was the same, his body going rigid only seconds after mine. I could feel whatever it was spilling over my hand, and I was relieved that I hadn't done anything wrong. I collapsed against him, panting heavily, relying entirely on him to keep me upright. Thankfully, he had the headboard behind him to aid in this endeavor, and he managed to lower me into the bed gently, sliding down to rest next to me, his breathing just as ragged.

We simply laid there, breathing, staring at each other, stupid, for minutes. I couldn't think, not even if I tried. All I knew was that I felt amazing, and tired, and I loved Berwald so, so much. My thoughts seemed to return with my breath, and I looked down at my hand, covered in milky liquid. I guess it should have seemed gross, especially when I put together that this was semen, but I didn't really mind it, because it was Berwald's. Still, I didn't think I'd get much sleep with it all over. Berwald came to the rescue, stumbling out of bed and retrieving the towel I'd tossed into the hamper earlier. He wiped his own hand clean, as well as his chest. I blushed, wondering if it was strange that it had gotten that far. My chest was clean, after all. But I couldn't really force myself to care much, allowing Berwald to take my hand and clean it off with the towel.

I smiled to the best of my ability, opening my arms when he tossed the towel back to the hamper, accepting him into the bed with an embrace. He wrapped his own arms around my waist, pulling me close and pressing his nose into my hair. I didn't mind when he inhaled, but I did wonder if I really smelled that good. Whatever I smelled like, he seemed to like it, for he held the position for a while, his hot breath ghosting between my locks when he exhaled.

Eventually he pulled back, scooting both of us further down on the bed and pulling the blankets over us. I heard a few pearls clatter against the hardwood of the floor, but I could clean those up the next day. I was too exhausted and satisfied to care enough to get up. Berwald didn't seem to mind either, rubbing my back slowly until he fell asleep, his breathing finally lulling me into following behind.

A/N: I might have been gone for a long time, but look at what I did to make up for it! I'm going to leave the rating at mature for now, but if you guys think I should raise it up to explicit, then I will. I just don't think it was really dirty enough to warrant that, but I think that's more for you guys to decide than me. Let me know if you want it bumped up.
So, to be completely honest, the reason this ended up taking so long is because I've recently learned that I LOVE roleplaying. I'd never bothered with it before, but Tora-Star convinced me to give it a go, and now I'm a junky. Like, I am texting her and Terra about when I'll be home so I know how soon we can get started. It's a little bit worrisome. But I do get a bit of work in between.
But it's crunch time now! I have to make two costumes by January! I've been putting it off like a loser, and now I'm starting to realise that I've only got a MONTH. So I'll be using my days off to work my butt off. Please be patient with my slow updates. It could definitely be worse, trust me guys!
Alright, off I go, much to be done! Thanks for reading, and feedback is always appreciated!

KuroRiya

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