"Can I see him?" They had been sitting without moving, not saying anything, for about half an hour when Makoto finally spoke.
"Yeah" Rin nodded to himself. "But you can´t go all crazy and start asking questions, not all at once at least. You´ll scare him. He´s also really sensible, so don´t get him uncomfortable or I´ll kill you. From what he´s told me, it has been tough for him" his tone was a little too rough and Makoto smiled. He had read every book about merfolk and knew basically everything about them.
"I´ve never seen you care so much for anyone, at least not since Kou. It´s good to see you care again" and then he stood up and Rin guided him to the bathroom.
Rin knocked carefully on the door, hearing moving water, before entering. Haru was fully submerged in the water except for his marine blue eyes, which were peeking above the edge of the tub. When he saw Rin he raised his head with much comfort, but when Makoto came out from behind him he quickly got back to only peeking warily.
"Hey Haru" Rin said as he knelt by the tub and put his hand in the water, moving it a bit. "Makoto´s a friend. No need for hiding"
The merman´s head poked out of the water again and this time didn´t duck back in, but hung his head a little. Makoto approached with gleaming eyes and knelt by the tub beside Rin. He looked at Rin for a second and then back at Haru "I have heard so much about your kind," he said admiringly. "It would be nice to know your name"
Haru looked at Rin, his eyes averting. "He´s name is Haru" Rin said, noticing how uncomfortable Haru looked.
"Can I see…?" he pointed at his legs.
Rin nodded and Makoto leaned over the tub and looked at his tail. "Amazing" Makoto looked speechless as he glanced back at Rin and smiled widely. "Amazing!" he exclaimed.
"Okay, okay" Rin said as Makoto beamed. "I know it´s amazing but don´t-"
"No, no, no" He laughed excitedly. "The tail. The color. He´s a pure blood" Makoto bowed at Haru. "I´m honored to be in your presence"
Haru looked away and Rin frowned. He had heard that term before…pure blood. But he didn´t know what it meant. By the way Haru looked, it couldn´t be too good. His face had the expression you get when you feel you´re about to throw up. "Okay, Makoto. Explain. If you don´t wanna get kicked out"
"Pure Blood. Er. They are identified by this turquoise tail color. Pure Blood´s can resist longer out of the sea water, but they have to get bathed in them once in a lunar cycle. They don´t have the necessity to be in contact with it, but, even though they can resist very low temperatures in the water, when they are on air their skin turns extremely sensible to cold" Makoto looked at Haru carefully. "But…given he´s a pure blood this is even more dangerous Rin"
Rin was just processing the information. Of course: the lunar cycle; the purple lips; he can stay out of the water; the hisses when removing the glass; it all fit. "Dangerous? How much more? I mean, I have a merman in my bathtub"
Makoto looked in awe and sighed, looking as Haru hung his head. "I was surprised to see him show affection…because Pure Bloods are really reserved; always keeping to themselves, not showing much trust to others…Anyways, they are extremely careful…and they are right to be"
"Why?"
"You remember all those old myths about mermaid tears? How they could heal and had special properties? Well," He glanced at Haru again, this time worried. "Pure Bloods are the only merfolk kind to even shed tears. His tears could even cure cancer"
"You didn´t tell me" Rin croaked out shocked. But Haru just kept hanging his head.
"I was still doubtful yesterday" He whispered. "I was going to tell you when I woke up but I forgot because…" he looked at Makoto and then back at the water. "I forgot"
His best friend looked at his watch. "Hey Rin, I have to go now. I promised mom and dad I'd watch Ran and Ren this evening cause they´re going out for their Anniversary" Rin looked suspicious. "Do you honestly think I´d give you away? Come on. I´d help you burry a body" and with that he stood and left.
Rin felt very alarmed suddenly as something struck him. Who was going to watch for Haru when he was at the police station? He couldn´t miss his job…What if someone saw him or someone already knew and broke in to steal Haru? What if they took him away forever? No, they couldn´t…how would they? But he had hit that man on the street the other night. Maybe he had seen his face…
"Rin" Haru looked more relaxed now that Makoto was gone.
"Haru, why do you trust me so much?" the question slipped from his lips without him wanting to. But he wanted to hear the answer after what Makoto had said. They are extremely careful. "You could´ve escaped while I slept, it wouldn´t have taken you so long"
The merman´s eyes shone, the marine blue remarkably bright in contrast with his black hair. "I don´t know" he replied. "I just do…like I have never before. I feel safe with you. But why don´t you give me away? Or sell me? Or torture me for tears? You could do anything. And I don´t know why, but I´d let you" Haru rested his arms on the edge of the tub. "Even if you don´t like the rules. You work as a police; you muttered it in your sleep. You love your country"
"I´d let it burn before anything happened to you" Rin smiled lovingly. "And you keep making me doubt where my trust lies" He carefully cupped Haru's face. "You´re such a fascinating creature, you´re just impossible"
Rin then slowly leaned in and kissed Haru slowly on the lips, tasting the salt there. They both slightly parted their mouths, freely exploring with their tongues as Haru wrapped his arms around Rin´s neck and tilted his head slightly. You´re just too good to be true, Rin thought helplessly as they kissed; and Haru tasted so good. Rin had kissed girls a lot of times, plenty of them, but he had never kissed anyone as deeply and genuinely as he was now.
Haru was slowly pulling him closer and Rin instinctively took off his shirt and kicked out his shoes, climbing into the warm water, carefully putting his legs on each side of Haru´s tail. They continued kissing, but not like the passionate kisses he had shared before, very messy and hot and unreal, but sweet and slow, remembering every part of it.
Once again while they kissed, Haru´s tail curled around Rin´s leg and Rin laughed lightly into the kiss; pulling back a few inches to see Haru´s blushing face. "What is that?" he muttered close to his lips, pecking his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, his temples, his eyelids and his jaw line sweetly.
Haru spoke a little embarrassed "Merfolk; we consider tail twining an extremely intimate act" Rin pecked his lips between words, smiling as Haru tried to continue. "And before yesterday in the hammock, I had never done it with anybody. That´s why I trust you so much, it only happens if it is real"
"So I guess it´s decided" Rin murmured.
"What is?"
"That you´re mine, of course"