Meiko flailed about, inhaling a mouthful of chlorinated water before realizing that she had been pulled into the shallow end and her feet easily touched the bottom of the pool. She stood up abruptly, coughing up water and wet hair sticking to her face, not quite masking the glare aimed at a certain merman who had just pulled her into the pool, clothes and all.
Kaito stood motionless, trying desperately not to laugh should he anger her even more. "I am sorry…?" He said meekly, holding his hands out in front of him in defense.
She pushed her soaked hair out of her face and lunged forward, trying to grab a hold of the merman and get her revenge. "You little-!"
He dodged her attack, easily gliding through the water as she kept trudging through the pool after him.
She stopped suddenly.
Kaito poked his head out of the water and was immediately slapped in the face by a wet shirt. He pulled it off of his face and noted that Meiko had also taken off her pants and was now proceeding to throw them over the edge of the pool.
"You're lucky I didn't have my phone in my pocket or I really would have killed you, Fishboy." She grumbled.
Kaito swam up next to her. "I am sorry, please don't be mad. I just wanted to swim with you." He pouted innocently, his blue eyes looking impossibly bright and big.
"Okay okay, whatever, I'm not mad just stop with the pouting. It's grossing me out a little." Meiko grimaced, wading over to the deeper end of the pool. "I don't actually know how to swim, so sorry to disappoint you there."
Kaito followed. "You live right by the ocean and you do not know how to swim?!" He gasped, seeming particularly offended by this new piece of information.
"Yeah, I've just kinda always gotten by with doggy paddling..." She trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed having to admit such a thing.
"What does that mean?" The merman questioned, tilting his head.
"You know, like how a dog swims?"
"What is a dog?"
"God, this conversation is going nowhere, Merman. Look, the point is that I don't know how to swim."
He looked pensive for a moment. "I could teach you!" He brightened up suddenly, swimming a circle around Meiko.
"I'm not sure that's a great idea. Many people have tried and it didn't end well. For them."
"They were probably teaching you all wrong. Who better to learn to swim from than a merman?" He retorted, flipping his fins, a proud sparkle in his blue eyes.
"Well, I guess you do have a point there. I can't promise you I won't try to hit you, though. My fight response just kinda takes over if I feel like I'm drowning."
"I will be gentle." He teased, grinning stupidly.
"I already feel like hitting you."
After several failed attempts and a lot of flailing about in the water, the pair realized that it was really not so easy for a merman to teach a human how to swim.
"You just have to move your fins like this, see!" Kaito flowed through the water with ease, his tail slicing the water with such grace and fluidity. "It's easy!"
"For the last time, Fishboy, they are legs! Not fins! And they definitely can't move the way you do."
Kaito ran his fingers through his hair. "Arrgh, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be!" He stilled, staring down at his glossy red nails and the webbing between each of his fingers. "We really are very different, he mumbled under his breath.
Meiko moved closer "What'd you say?" She tilted her head to the side. "I think I got water in my ears."
He brightened up suddenly. "Nothing. Nevermind it. I have a better idea!"
He swam close, suddenly scooping Meiko up into his arms.
"You always help me get around on land, so I can help you in the water!" He spun around so Meiko was laying on top of him as he kept them afloat.
She felt disoriented for a moment, but once she got over her initial shock she found herself staring down into impossibly blue eyes that were entirely too close to her own face for comfort.
He stared back at her, just now realizing exactly what he had done and marveling at the slight flush of her cheeks, knowing that surely his were turning quite red themselves. He leaned up, closing his eyes and tentatively pressing his forehead to hers, murmuring something she couldn't quite catch under his breath. He had quite a habit of doing that.
She noticed a glowing light between them and realized that it was the tattoo on his chest flaring up again.
"Hey, Kaito…" She said softly, causing the merman to open his eyes and notice the glow. He thrashed about suddenly, Meiko falling into the water in the process.
She resurfaced, coughing up water out of her lungs for the second time that day. She slicked her hair back, staring at him blankly.
"Waah!" He cried. "I'm sorry! I just got a little startled."
"So are you gonna tell me what that tattoo means?"
"I umm…" His blue eyes shifted to the side, looking anywhere but back at Meiko. "I actually do not completely know what it means myself."
"But you've got an idea, dontcha?" She leaned in close and poked the tattoo on his chest. It flared up once more beneath her fingertip.
"Eek!" He flinched, ducking most of his head underwater. "Stop doing that." He muttered almost unintelligibly, bubbles rising up in the water surrounding his mouth.
"I promise to stop if you tell me what it means." She batted her eyelashes innocently.
The merman rose out of the water and let out a long, exasperated sigh. "You are really not being fair." He pouted, tracing over the marking on his chest with a finger. "...All I know is that it is some kind of seal and it is supposed to protect me. Or so I was told." He looked up into her eyes. "Why it glows when I get near you is beyond me."
He swam closer to her, the pool completely quiet and still save for the two bodies in the water, breathing in time. A hesitant smile spread across the merman's lips, blue eyes becoming bright as he drew even closer. A webbed hand rose up out of the water and he cupped her cheek gently, pushing back stray strands of hair that were sticking to the side of her face.
She inhaled sharply, pink dusting her cheeks and her eyes glued to his.
"It never happened until I met you." He whispered and she could feel his warm breath on her face. "I'm a little scared but I want to know more about you." The way he said the words made them seem like they had a deeper sort of connotation, as though he were using them as a substitute for the words he really wanted to say.
"So do it." She whispered back, planting the palm of her hand on his chest, feeling the warm skin and steady heartbeat beneath it. "I'm not scared." She smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
She leaned in close and Kaito closed his eyes instinctively, waiting with bated breath as…
Nothing happened.
"But you have to work for it." Meiko whispered near his ear, pulling away from him completely. She waded to the end of the pool, not able to contain her wry smile.
"Meiko that- That was- How could- That was just cruel!" He sputtered indignantly, his cheeks crimson, as she threw her head back and laughed. "I can't believe you!"
"Why? What'd you think was gonna happen?"
"Do not tease me like that!" He yelled, covering his face with his hands.
"I'll get the wrong idea." He muttered after a moment, dropping his hands to his sides.
"Have you ever been in love, Kaito?" Her question came out of nowhere, completely catching the merman off guard.
"I-" He paused for a moment, brow furrowed and face serious. "I suppose not. I mean, that is part of the reason I ran away."
"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Nevermind. You dont need to know about that." He shook his head, clutching the back of his neck shyly.
"Hey, Kaito."
He looked up, blue eyes meeting hers.
"I want to know you too."
(A/N): I still love KaiMei I just tend to lose interest in writing for long periods of time and I'm really not confident in it and I am just a horrible person what can I say. I came back to this for the lovely people still leaving comments and favoriting and stuff. Thank you for that. Why are you still here?
Anyways... It's 5 AM.
Throw rocks at me at oxymoroff on tumblr if it will make you feel better. Or just talk to me about kaimei or smthing. Y'know, that's fine too.