The next morning Rin cooked breakfast as Haru watched him from the bathroom, which to he had left the door open so the merman could watch him walk around.

"Is it hard?" Haru asked as he put the fish and scrambled eggs on the table.

"What?" Rin asked as he walked to pick him up again. He looked at Haru from where he was standing and smiled, seeing what a wonderful creature was hiding in his bathtub.

"Walking" Haru's eyes sparkled. "It's difficult right?"

Rin leaned down and picked up Haru bridal style. "Well, is swimming hard?"

"No"

"Because you've been swimming your whole life" Rin sat Haru carefully on the wooden chair and for a second thought he'd slip, but his tail moved back and forth beneath him, like a dog's when it's happy. "It's the same thing"

"Oh" Haru stared down at the fork and knife. He picked up the fork curiously and smelled it, then tried to bite it and hissed, throwing the form away.

Rin laughed lightly. "With this" he said picking up his own fork. "You eat" he ate his scrambled eggs and Haru watched him intently.

"That's odd" he frowned. "Why would you eat with that? Doesn't it hurt?"

"No" Rin looked at the fish in front of Haru. "Are you eating?"

Haru ate his mackerel with his bare hands, munching it quietly. After a few minutes of silent eating, Haru shivered, hugging himself. "Oh, you're cold?" He nodded. "I didn't know you could be cold. I mean, the sea is quite cold don't you think?" He shook his head and his lips were suddenly turning to purple.

Rin left his empty plate and rounded the table, touching Haru's cheek with the back of his hand and quickly retreating them. "You're freezing" he said alarmingly. Without thinking, he took off his jacket and put it neatly on Haru's shoulders, pulling the sides close to him. He took a shaky breathe and smiled a little. "T-thank you"

Rin picked him up again. "Is it because you need water?"

"No..." Haru cuddled closer to Rin. "It's the climate only, the air...my body's not used to it"

"So you don't need water to survive"

"Yes, sea water, once a lunar cycle at least. Best when it's full" Rin walked with the merman in his arms, feeling how cold he actually was.

"Do you want to go back to your tub?" He asked, but Haru shook his head.

"It's cold"

"To bed, then?" He questioned.

He frowned. "Bed?"

"Yes" Rin smiled "when I took the glass from your tail"

"Oh, that?" Haru blushed a little. "Yes...that was nice" he whispered and Rin shrugged.

The blush on Haru's cheeks was cute in some way, but what was making him blush? Last night he had blushed when he had dropped him in his tub after removing the glass. It was funny; it wasn't even a blush-able act. Maybe merfolk had other things to blush for? Other believes? Other ground rules, if you could call them that?

Wait, Rin stopped. He had a better idea. He turned on his heels and walked to his terrace, where Haru immediately gasped and tensed, then quickly relaxed again when he saw the ocean. Rin sat on the hammock with Haru still in his arms.

"I thought you'd like it" Rin said simply, nodding towards the ocean that lay in front of his house.

"It's a pretty view" Haru said lowly. "I wish I could go back..."

Rin tensed "what do you mean"

"I was pushed towards the shore when boats started dropping a liquid into the water, a dark thing that killed my tribe before they swam away. I got too close to the shore. That's where a man captured me in his nets and I was dragged to the coast"

Rin felt sad for the merman, who had nowhere else to go. Who had watched his tribe choke on oil and die...? It was terrible. "Don't worry" Rin tried to assure him. "Maybe someone got out. And we'll figure about the moon cycle and the sea water"

Haru nodded and, surprising Rin, cuddled closer to him. Somehow he had gotten his arms on the sleeves of his jacket, and the cuffs reached halfway his fingers. Rin eased himself slowly onto the clothe of the hammock, having not slept enough, as he had woken up too early because of what had happened; he was exhausted and telling by the drooping eyes of Haru, he felt no different.

Soon they were lying completely on the hammock, Haru's head, along with his arms, were resting on Rin's chest; his tail snaking as if on instinct around one of his legs. Rin in change had both his arms around Haru, holding him against him lightly.

Haru was already in deep slumber above Rin, but Rin was still a little awake. He was watching the merman wearing his jacket, tracing the delicate features of his face with his eyes; those blue eyes resting behind his eyelids. Oh god, Rin thought, you're seriously not falling for him. But when he heard what his mind was whispering, he knew it was helpless and felt a little relieved.

Of course you are.