(A/N: hahaha a third WIP…oops lmao I am using the Greek mythology version of sirens in which they are like half-bird, half-people rather than the more like modern version i guess of sirens just being evil mermaids lol bc i want boys with wings damn it)

Onodera Ritsu fell in love at twelve years old with a creature that wanted to eat him.

The young crown prince was never one to get into trouble. He always paid close attention in his lessons, always spoke with the utmost politeness, and never, never left the castle walls without a guard or escort beside him.

That is, until he was told that he and his good friend Kohinata An were to be wed once they came of age. Apparently they had been promised to one another at birth, but his mother and father had only bothered to tell him now.

Ritsu wasn't a fool, he knew he was a prince and therefore there were certain expectations of him, that mindset had been beaten into him since he could understand Japanese, but...even at twelve years old he had hoped that maybe one day he would meet someone and fall in love. He knew what such an arranged marriage led to, he saw it in his parents. While the relationship between his mother and father was fine, it was...unaffectionate. Distant. Neutral. It was a business partnership. There was no spark in his father's eyes when he gazed upon his mother, there was no shy smile on his mother's lips when she met such a gaze. There was nothing.

Ritsu didn't want that.

He liked An fine. The two of them had met on multiple occasions, their families visiting each other's kingdoms with a relative frequency and the two children got along quite well. But...he couldn't see himself loving her, at least, not in a way that didn't feel familial. And now, during his family's most recent visit to the Kohinata Kingdom, Ritsu and An had been sat down and told they would wed in three years. Three years! When Ritsu had looked around the room, searching for any hint of devastation or regret in anyone's face, he found that he was the only one feeling this way.

Crushing

Suffocating

Run, run, run, run, RUN

Never had he sprinted so fast, escaping his mother's mirthful eyes, as if she had just told Ritsu something he should be delighted by.

The royals had been too stunned and Ritsu too fast for anyone to stop him as he left the castle.

Alone.

The only thing the prince was ever allowed to do alone was sleep and now he wandered the seaside kingdom on his own. This new found freedom was both terrifying and exciting. He knew it was only temporary, eventually he'd either be found or go back on his own, but for now he savored the solitude.

He avoided the busy town, knowing his regal clothes could very well bring him attention from both citizens and guards. He stuck to the outskirts of the kingdom, eventually stumbling upon a small private beach. It was in quite a state with sticks and branches from past storms, washed up nets from failed fishermen, bottles, driftwood, etc.

SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK

Ritsu jumped at the sound of a distressed seagull, seeing the bird tangled up in one of the nets. A pair of hands were attempting to help the animal get out. Ritsu's eyes slowly trailed up from those hands to the arms and chest. He discovered the chest was bare aside from what appeared to be a few strange markings that he didn't recognize. Ritsu's face turned a bright pink as he continued to look at the stranger, finding a handsome face. The stranger's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he tried to untangle the seagull without hurting it. He hadn't noticed Ritsu yet. The brunette almost stepped forward to announce his presence and offer his help, but jerked himself backwards once he looked past the handsome face.

On this stranger's back...was a pair of wings. So dark they appeared black, but upon further observation they were clearly a very dark blue.

Wings.

Wings!

Ritsu had read many books in his short life on many topics, knowing of some mythology and legends.

A seaside creature with wings...it sounded familiar.

The winged man's hand grew something akin to claws and began to cut at the net carefully, trying not to snag the bird.

A seaside creature with wings and claws. Ritsu didn't doubt that those claws could completely rip him apart.

The seagull was soon freed and quickly flew away with a caw and Ritsu caught the stranger's smile, revealing a gleam of unnaturally sharp canine teeth.

Siren

Ritsu's mind provided him with the single word and his heart leapt in his chest. The creature still hadn't noticed Ritsu, the prince taking advantage of the fact that the way to the private beach was covered heavily with foliage and trees.

I need to get away from here, Ritsu thought and yet he did not move, frozen in place as he watched the siren begin to collect trash. If he starts singing I'm doomed.

Ritsu wasn't positive that this boy was a siren, after all he'd never met one. He'd never met any winged person! This stranger could very well be something harmless. However, Ritsu didn't think that was a risk worth taking. Slowly, the prince convinced his feet to start moving backwards, taking care not to step on any twigs or fallen leaves that might crunch under his shoes. He waited until he could no longer hear the ocean waves gently crashing against the sand and then he began to run again. Both his legs and lungs burned with the exertion, but he did not stop, could not stop until he was back to civilization.

When he approached a guard who then gently guided him back into the castle, recognizing that the young boy was severely shaken up, he was grateful for the company. However, the small moment of relief was shattered once he met the lecturing tones of his mother and father.

How could he be so impolite? How could he run out like that? How could he do something so foolish and childish? Did he not know how dangerous it was for him to go off alone?

Ritsu merely nodded along, taking it all in stride, knowing there was no point in defending himself. If he dared to raise a point against either of them, surely he would catch his mother's ring on his cheek.

"I am truly sorry. I was...surprised by your announcement of my engagement, but I should have never reacted in such a way. I deeply apologize for the trouble I've caused." Ritsu said once they finished.

"It is not only us you need to apologize to. You practically spit in the face of King and Queen Kohinata. And the young princess, she was so devastated to watch you run! She has been worried sick ever since your departure." His mother replied.

Ritsu nodded once more. "I will apologize to them immediately and make this right, I promise. I never intended to insult the Kohinata family. I only hold the utmost respect for them."

His parents decided they were satisfied with this response, sending the young prince on his way to do exactly that.

Ritsu repeated his apologies over and over again for the rest of the night, brushing off An's fussing over him and assuring her that he was alright. The prince had never been so grateful to retire to his room later in the evening.

He laid in bed after a servant helped him change into something much more suited for sleeping, staring up at the ceiling.

He was to be wed in three years to a girl he did not love. He would be expected to eventually start a family with her to continue his lineage. He had left the castle grounds alone for the first time ever today. He had seen a siren. He had seen a siren.

Ritsu's heart jumped at the thought of the boy on the beach, but the prince was not positive it was with fear.

He helped that seagull. He was cleaning up the beach, Ritsu thought to himself, surely those selfless acts of kindness do not mean nothing?

The siren had shown compassion, something his mythology books had never bothered to mention.

I want to see him again.

Although he had fled in fear, a desire to see the siren once more began to burn at him.

I want to know his name. And help him clean the beach. I want to see him smile again.

Ritsu's cheeks burned with embarrassment at these foreign thoughts, quickly covering himself up with the blanket and burying his red face into his pillow.

I wonder what his voice sounds like.

And that was how Onodera Ritsu fell in love at twelve years old with a creature that wanted to eat him.