It was a normal day for Naofumi. The sea was calm after a sudden storm, Naofumi walking down to the docks. He was planning to do some fishing when he spotted someone collapsed and bleeding on the shore.
Running, he approaches the person until he pauses in shock. It was his close friend, L'Arc. The last time he'd seen L'Arc was yesterday, swimming next to his boat, and chatting.
After making sure L'Arc was still breathing but unconscious, Naofumi tried to haul him over the sand, careful of his wounds…before seeing a scaly red fishtail. 'He's a merman?'
Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to get L'Arc out of sight. So he did his best to carry him to his cabin up by the cliffs, where he lives alone.
He puts L'Arc in his bathtub before turning on the water. Using disinfectant on the wounds, Naofumi sighs, 'We're to have a long talk…'
Once L'Arc woke up, he looks around, a bit dizzy. He's in a bathtub filled with water.
Blinking, he hears the door opening and sees his Naofumi.
"You're awake…" Naofumi states.
"Kiddo…" L'Arc mutters, "I'm sorry."
"Don't," Naofumi sighs, "While I do understand why you kept," he gestures of L'Arc's tail, "This, a secret…you still should've told me. I would've helped you."
"Now, can you tell me what happened during the storm?" he asks.
L'Arc explains, "Long story short, I'm actually the King of an undersea kingdom. The storm was the magic of a sea warlock that I fought because he was trying to take my throne. I got knocked out at some point, and ended up washed ashore, only for you to find me."
Absorbing that information, seeing L'Arc with a tail, Naofumi believes him, sighing, "Just rest here until your wounds recover."
"Really?"
"Yes…" Naofumi nods before getting L'Arc something to eat. He comes back with chakuze, and L'Arc loves it.
Shaking his head, from then on, Naofumi teaches L'Arc the ways of humans since he's naturally curious about it. They also share the bathtub for a while.
One night, during a bath together, L'Arc suddenly kisses Naofumi, who immediately blushes.
"I like you…a lot," L'Arc admits, "Will you be my bride? Or, in this case, husband?"
Naofumi shakes his head, "L'Arc… you know I can't. We're from two different worlds…it wouldn't work."
"But-"
"No," Naofumi's voice is firm as he quickly gets out of the tub, leaving L'Arc to his own devices.
In their separate rooms, they both sigh.
About a month passes, and L'Arc's wounds are healed, leaving a few scars.
Naofumi just wraps L'Arc up in an old quilt.
"Uh…Kiddo? What're you-wah!" L'Arc yelps as he's dragged along the beach. 'Is this Kiddo's revenge?' he thinks as Naofumi's smiling…perhaps enjoying this a bit too much.
Once they got to the shoreline, Naofumi stops and unwraps him, "Okay... There you go... You should be able to go back home now."
L'Arc looks at him with hopeful eyes, "Come with me~."
Naofumi argues, "I can't breathe underwater, though..."
He smirks, "No problem," before he kisses Naofumi again. Naofumi covers his mouth with his hand, blushing.
"Merfolk have a spell that allows humans to breathe underwater," L'Arc explains.
Glaring, "You... I still can't…" but Naofumi was interrupted when he's suddenly lifted up by strong arms before being tossed into the water.
SPLASH!
Then L'Arc uses his tail to jump right in after him.
SPLASH!
Coming up to the surface for air, Naofumi yells, "What the hell?!"
L'Arc just laughs sheepishly, "Sorry~!" before he drags Naofumi into the deep sea.
Panicking, Naofumi was struggling to breathe as L'Arc held him.
"Just breathe slowly... Yes, just like that," he soothes him.
Naofumi got the hang of it, listening to L'Arc as he calmed down, and just breathed.
"Better?"
Nodding, Naofumi still feels L'Arc's strong arms around his waist as he's taken away.
