Archive of Our Own ^beta

Oikawa leaned back onto his hands. The refreshing air was a relief from the stuffy cramped rooms back home, and Oikawa was glad to be outside, even if he wasn't doing anything productive and he was alone. Looking at the ocean was mesmerizing, ripples turning into waves and crashing onto the shore.

Oikawa heard splashing in the distance. It was faint, but there were low small splashes, too small and inconsistent to be from the ordinary waves. Oikawa didn't expect anyone else to be out on the beach, so out of curiosity, he straightened and glanced around. He didn't see anyone. He pulled his shoes on and stood up for a better view of the shore, but he still didn't see anything. He thought he could hear more, at least. It sounded like it was coming from the dock. 

Oikawa got up and stepped over rocks, leaning forward and placing his hands on the rocks when he almost fell. Some of them were large and smooth, but some were jagged, and Oikawa avoided those in his path.

He stood on his toes and saw someone in the water. He was tugging on something, although he wasn't trying very hard. He was leaning back, hands on something Oikawa couldn't figure out. Oikawa walked closer to where the stranger was, just next to the dock, where a stray tangled net hung under the side, caught in the dock's wooden beams. Oikawa found it diligent of him to be in the water doing whatever they were doing, especially without a shirt in this weather. Oikawa liked the cold, but not that much.

Once he was on the dock, Oikawa crouched to poke his head over. The person didn't hear his footsteps or the dock's creaks from his weight, too invested in his task to register the noises.

"Need help?" Oikawa asked.

There was an immediate flinch and another splash of water, and the stranger ducked down, but he was still standing in the water. Oikawa crouched over the dock's edge more, his back curling and hands gripping the wood tight as his head dipped under the dock. He was completely upside down now, from the waist up. The reversal from gravity was dizzying, but it wasn't enough to deter Oikawa.

He looked down at the net, his hair unsettling and falling in the same direction he was looking. There was a seagull caught in the net, its neck ensnared in the rope. It wasn't making any noise before, but at Oikawa's sudden appearance it burst into shrill shrieks and beat its wings. Oikawa wrinkled his nose at it. Seagulls were a despicable species to him, noisy and obnoxious.

Oikawa redirected his attention to the stranger. He dropped an arm and let it hang for a moment as a wave. "Well, hello there. Is this what you were doing?" Oikawa brought stiff control back into his arm to gesture at the bird.

"I…can do this myself." 

Oikawa's eyebrow rose. It wasn't a reaction to the fragile independence of his words, but the melodic quality of his voice, soft and inexplicable. 

"How long have you been out here?" Oikawa asked. 

"Just a few minutes."

This was a hard angle to see from, but even from here, Oikawa could see him bristle defensively. There were other details that Oikawa had to concentrate on to recognize, such as the depth of grey in his hair, like an opaque mirage of the clouds in the sky, except rustled from the ends of hair floating up in the wind. Oikawa glanced to the side of his face and spotted a dark speckle on his skin, and Oikawa had a vague realization that it was a beauty mark--vague, since the stranger was talking, and Oikawa was trying to pay attention through the haze of blood going to his head from dangling upside down.

He tilted his head. "Just go. I'm fine on my own."

Oikawa nodded his head, slowly, taking in the upside-down image of the stranger as his eyes scanned. "Aren't you cold?" 

"No." 

The stranger drew his arms around himself, and Oikawa almost remarked on that, but he held back at the lack of shivering. That was a gesture of modesty, maybe, not coldness. It was his own fault for not wearing a shirt, but Oikawa didn't know how to bring that up without making him uncomfortable for acknowledging it. 

Oikawa's eyes flitted back to the net. "So, a seagull, huh? Is this…a pet?"

HIs mouth twisted. "A what?" 

"I'm guessing no, then," Oikawa answered.

Oikawa's rising confusion seemed to mirror his, but Oikawa decided to stop talking. He reached both hands up to the net, intent on getting the winged demon out before continuing the conversation. The seagull squawked and flapped harder, a couple feathers swirling around, and Oikawa averted his head with a grimace. He didn't know why his approaching presence was such a terrifying ordeal. A few minutes ago, this bird was quiet in the stranger's hands.

Oikawa reached for it anyway. He brushed his hands past the frantic wings beating against him and grabbed hold of the rope. He had to strain more to make it, his jeans scratching against the dock's ledge. Oikawa felt vertigo rising in him, a prickle of panic that was more disorienting than immobilizing, but he kept going, wrangling with the rope and stretching it as far as possible. He managed to undo a knot, and that left enough space for the seagull to back its head out. It was so surprised that it ended up jerking backward into the water.

Oikawa folded his arms to his stomach and laughed. His body arched with the movement, and he forgot to think about where he was. His waist slid a little more past the edge, and a rush of vertigo hit him again, stronger this time. Then he realized that it wasn't just that, he was slipping, and his alarmed yelp was cut off by water meeting his face.

Oikawa turned and righted himself in the water. He held his breath as he struggled to his feet, taking extra time to re-orient and adjust from hanging upside down for too long. When he broke the surface, he took a huge gasp.

"It's freezing," he coughed. The water spiked cold through him, much different from what he expected earlier. Now that his hair was dripping, plastered to his head, the refreshing air exacerbated the chill.

Oikawa squeezed his arms and glanced up. The mysterious seagull rescuer was now partially submerged, water coming up to his nose. He was still under the dock, but he looked like he was hiding, eyes warily fixed on Oikawa.

"Aren't you coming?" Oikawa asked, teeth clattering a bit.

Instead of an answer, he returned Oikawa's gaze with a silent shielded stare. His eyes shifted to glance to the side, and he slipped further underwater.

It then occurred to Oikawa that he shouldn't be able to breathe. Most of his head was underwater. Bubbles were floating up from his mouth, and through the slanted reflection of the water's surface, OIkawa saw his jaw tighten.

Oikawa leaned forward in curiosity, his arms still clutching himself in a meek attempt at warmth. "How are you breathing under there?"

His eyes went wide, and he dove completely underwater. Oikawa frowned and bent over more, squinting to look. There was a whirlpool of activity clouding his vision, and when it cleared, there was nothing there.

Oikawa sighed and waded through the water back to shore. His legs were stiff from the cold, sore and sluggish in the sea water. He didn't feel any better when he reached the shore, since the wind was whipping around and chilling him more, but he could walk easily now, make clean neat steps through the sand. His shoes made uncomfortable squelches as he walked, water squeezing out from his soles and filling his socks.

OIkawa continued to his home and opened the door, his shoulders hunched from fighting the cold. The sound of the door opening and closing attracted the attention of his parents.

"Tooru? You look--"

"Don't ask," Oikawa said. He shuffled to the bathroom and peeled off his clothes as fast as possible, and he stepped into the shower, twisting the knobs to hot water. The heat was a huge relief, and it washed over him with a sigh. After a quick shower, he settled in a heap on the couch, a blanket flopped over himself. He sipped on a mug of hot chocolate, silently mulling over the person he found at the dock.

A couple days later Oikawa came to the same dock, mindful of what happened last time. He treaded quietly and hoped he could find the stranger again. He checked under the dock, by the sand, near the rocks, but he didn't find anyone. It was disheartening coming up with nothing, but Oikawa's interest was firmly lodged in himself, and he was very curious to find him. The last few seconds with him stuck. The confusion from seeing Oikawa free the bird, the bright wide eyes, the almost-pout; it was all pressing to Oikawa. Especially the thought of him sitting low in the water, comfortable as if he didn't need to breathe. And he didn't have a shirt, either... 

Oikawa kept coming back. His friend Iwaizumi didn't believe him, and he didn't even try to humor Oikawa.

"Iwa, what if he's a," Oikawa paused for effect, "a merman?"

Iwaizumi groaned. "No, not this. Anything but this."

Oikawa had a track record of superstitions and hopeful gullibility with myths. There was a time when he was obsessed with outer space, reading up on astronomy as if any peripheral knowledge skirting around aliens could lead him to them. Oikawa's interest faded, but it gave way to worse fascinations, charmed by the charismatic appeal of the supernatural. 

"Oikawa, listen, there's no such thing as mermen, or mermaids, or anything else in the ocean."

"How do you know? Have you dived to the bottom of it and seen all there is to see?"

"No," Iwaizumi said.

"Down where there's no light, where humans have never been? Are you telling me that you can survive tons of water pressure pressing down on you, and you've explored every inch of the ocean floor, even though very little of it has never been seen by humans? Are--"

"I said no, jackass."

"I'm just making sure. You sounded so confident, after all."

A surge of smugness hit Oikawa as he listened to Iwaizumi give a heavy exhale in annoyance. There was no way Iwaizumi could persuade Oikawa otherwise; Oikawa knew more than Iwaizumi about this. Oikawa liked to be thorough. Even if some fish and other sea creatures out there were bizarre and terrifying, it buoyed Oikawa's faith in the existence of many other things. Besides, the stranger fit his image of what a merman was like, at home in the cold water without any clothes. The more time passed, the more sure of it Oikawa became. In the moment he was too invested in helping someone out, and in trying to stay warm after falling in the water, but when he got home he convinced himself that it was a merman.

"Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and I are going out to eat," Iwaizumi said after a minute of silence. "You're not going to come, are you?"

Oikawa huffed. "I'm at the beach, Iwa-chan."

The use of the honorific was a sign of worse things to come, so Iwaizumi said goodbye and quickly hung up. Oikawa pulled his phone away to give it a disappointed look, and he was sure that the universe would carry his sentiment back to Iwaizumi.

Oikawa pocketed it and continued his trek. He didn't know what to use to draw mermen to himself, so he brought human food and hoped they could eat anything. There was a sandwich in his other pocket.

"I should've asked him his name," Oikawa grumbled to himself.

Oikawa didn't find him that day.

Oikawa returned once every few days, partly out of habit to visit the beach for peace and quiet, and partly out of desire to find his merman. He didn't live without heckling from Iwaizumi and Matsukawa over the subject, and even Hanamaki did it, pretending to be interested but twisting it around into something ridiculous about fish. 

Another storm rolled in a month later. Oikawa was now glad that he came alone to hunt for the merman, since he figured that his three friends would complain about imminent rain. And they would probably scare whoever Oikawa found.

Oikawa sat at the end of the dock, shoes off and feet swinging off the ledge. This end of the dock was further out to sea than Oikawa had been when he saved the seagull, but he knew how to swim so he wasn't concerned.

He was far away from the rocket section of shoreline, but he still heard splashes. Oikawa got to his feet. He was sure that no one else was out here, so there shouldn't be any interruptions. He was careful to hide, lurking behind rocks and inching closer as he tried to understand where to go.

Oikawa could hear the splashing now. He swiveled to look, and he crouched down to ensure he wasn't caught. It was the same person, grey hair and all. Oikawa wondered if it was a coincidence that both times he appeared, it was right before a storm.

Oikawa crept a little closer. He was sure he didn't make a sound, but the stranger's head snapped in his direction when he reached a certain distance.

"Who's there?"

Oikawa thought about staying hidden to have a chance to observe without being interrupted from conversation, to look without making him uneasy. But then Oikawa remembered how he escaped the last time, and Oikawa decided to give in. He slowly stood up.

"Hey," Oikawa said. He couldn't help a twitch in his mouth, forming a quick flash of an upward curve.

Oikawa reached his hand out and bent it, pointing at the ground in front of him. "I'm coming over." Despite the warning, the stranger still didn't flee.

Oikawa carefully stepped closer. He looked at the water, but it was too dark to see if there were legs or a tail. 

"You…again." He returned Oikawa's stare.

"Remember me?" Oikawa asked. He took in the shirtless view, noting that he was again not wearing clothes.

Instead of answering, he regarded Oikawa quietly, eyes up at Oikawa.

Oikawa bent at the waist when he was near the shore, hands on his knees. "I'm Oikawa. What's your name?"

He was still quiet. After a few moments, he said, "Suga."

Oikawa perked up. "Oh? That's a lovely name."

Oikawa was mindful of as much information as he could get, such as Suga's slower speech. He stayed silent and still for Suga's response.

"That's not my full name."

"Oikawa isn't my full name, either."

Suga frowned. Oikawa wanted to snort at that. Suga somehow seemed disappointed, even though they were both withholding information.

Oikawa straightened. His hand rose to scratch at his head. "I'm surprised you didn't leave right when you saw me."

"I thought about it."

"So why are you staying? I'm curious."

"You already saw me. This is the second time we've met," Suga said. His words picked up to a faster speed, and Oikawa thought Suga might be trying to adjust to talking. Above water, at least.

"You like storms," Oikawa said.

"Not storms. The…" He waved his hand around in the air.

Oikawa's eyebrow arched. "The weather?"

He gave a slight nod. "Probably."

"Well, it's dangerous staying out too long with these clouds and this wind. Why don't you go home?" Oikawa's mouth went sly, pressed to the side as he looked and Suga and waited for his answer. 

"I'm fine. I'm used to this weather." Suga tried to wave Oikawa away. "You're the one who should go home."

"If anyone would be used to the weather, it'd be me. I live here. And now that I think about it, I've never seen you around until the other day."

Suga's eyes took on a sheepish glimmer, avoiding Oikawa to give the water his attention.

"That's what I thought," Oikawa said. "You don't actually live here."

Suga's shoulders rose. "I do live here."

"If that's true, then let's go. I'll walk you home." Oikawa extended his hand to Suga.

Suga backed away, the water rippling around him as he moved. "You go. I'll stay for a bit longer."

"I insist. I'll even buy you dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

Oikawa tilted his head up to think. It was probably freezing again, so jumping into the water was a horrible idea. Oikawa couldn't grab his tail and hold it up to prove he was a merman.

"Why are you outside, then? Just swimming?" Oikawa asked.

"Just swimming. Alone."

"You say you want to be alone, yet you're still talking to me. You can swim away."

Suga glanced around at the water, idly stirring it with his hand. His hesitation in leaving made Oikawa think that he had his own curiosities about Oikawa. That was promising.

Oikawa patted the sand with his foot and folded his legs to sit. Suga watched, his head turned but eyes giving him away. Oikawa liked that he tried to pretend he wasn't interested and failed, his focus clearly riveted to Oikawa's legs.

"You look like you've never seen a leg before," Oikawa joked.

Suga jerked his head. "Of course I have." Suga's voice hit a false note that wasn't convincing.

Oikawa wiggled his foot. "What size shoe do you wear?"

"Shoe?" Suga echoed blankly.

"Shoe. What size?"

Suga looked lost, eyes wider than before. He rolled his lips together experimentally before saying, "medium."

Oikawa snickered into his hand. "Nice try."

Suga was bristling more now, and Oikawa realized that Suga was probably starting to feel trapped by the questions. At this point Oikawa had no doubt that Suga was a merman. Unless Suga was a very eccentric human.

Oikawa decided to cut to the chase. He pointed at his feet. "You don't have feet, do you?"

Suga treaded further away. "Why are you asking?"

"It's obvious to me. You're a merman. It's the only explanation. Of course, no one else here would believe that, only me. Your secret is safe," Oikawa said confidently.

An uneasy tension tightened Suga's shoulders and face. "You're…"

"I'm glad I didn't give up looking for you. Last time I thought something was strange about you, and I thought more about it and told Iwa and he didn't believe a word I said."

"You sound so sure…" Suga sank into the water, up to part of his shoulders. Oikawa could only see his head and the top of his chest and arms now.

"I'm very sure." Oikawa readjusted his legs in the sand, and he leaned forward. "So what do you eat? Fish? Can I give you tofu?"

"What's…tofu?" Suga asked slowly, stumbling on the word.

"It's like meat, but it's made with soy."

Suga's face told Oikawa that he still didn't understand. Bringing up soy wasn't the best idea.

Oikawa lit up. "Oh! I have some milk bread. Do you like bread? Have you ever had it?"

Suga's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything. He closed it and watched Oikawa tug a piece of food from his pocket that was wrapped in plastic. Oikawa grappled with the edge of it, trying to pull it open. Suga swam closer with brighter eyes, wariness still stiff in his shoulders.

After ripping it open, Oikawa lifted the bread to present it to Suga.

"This is milk bread."

Oikawa tore off a piece and bit it. He knew Suga was looking and listening, so he made sure to emphasize his enthusiasm in eating it. After he swallowed, he offered a chunk to Suga.

"Want to try it?"

Suga's head was craned toward Oikawa now, his body rising out of the water. The water was still above his waist, so Oikawa didn't see a tail or scales.

"If you want it, then you have to admit that you're a merman." Oikawa smiled. "Say it."

"Say…?"

"Yes, say it."

"It."

"Don't be a smartaleck." Oikawa frowned as he thought about it. Suga might have said that without trying to make a horrible joke. "Say, 'I'm a merman.'"

Suga crossed his arms. "Fine. I'm a merman."

Oikawa scooted closer and stretched his arm out. "Good. Here's your prize."

Suga glanced down, then up. "You're too far away." 

Oikawa mumbled to himself and got up, dusting sand off and stepping closer. "Just because you don't have legs…"

Suga slowly tensed and grew to alertness, removing his hand from his chest to cautiously reach for the piece. He picked it up with his fingers and raised it, avoiding contact with Oikawa's hand. Suga brought the bred to eye level and inspected it.

Oikawa sat back down and resumed eating. "It's my favorite," he said.

He just ate a piece in front of Suga, so he knew that there shouldn't be anything to fear. There was no poison in the bread. Suga still sniffed it and turned it over in his hands, but when he was satisfied that it was safe, he sunk his teeth in.

Suga lowered himself and continued eating. It disappeared quickly in his mouth, and when his hands were empty, he glanced back at Oikawa. His hands remained cupped together.

"More?" Oikawa asked.

Suga nodded.

"Well… To earn this next piece… Why don't you tell me what you like about this weather?"

Suga's eyebrows knitted, but there was less reluctance in him now. "Uh. It's cooler. And without the sun, I don't feel as dry."

"Dry? You can dry out?"

Suga re-extended his hands insistingly. "Bread, please."

"Are your scales slimy?"

"Bread."

Oikawa stood up and slapped another piece into Suga's open hands. Suga lifted it to his mouth and nibbled, taking his time with this one. Oikawa sat back and observed the way Suga ate, gently biting from the bread in his hands instead of using his hands to grip it.

"Too bad I'm out of milk bread." Oikawa propped his elbows on his knees and sighed.

"You ate most of it," Suga said. That sounded a little pointed, and Oikawa let out a huff in amusement from it.

"I can bring more next time, but you have to come back."

"Come back? I only want to when it's cloudy."

"Then no more milk bread." Oikawa shrugged. "And there's other food I could bring, too, but you'll never know what they taste like now."

A grumble rose from Suga's throat. "When it's sunny, there's people."

"Then go where there aren't people." Oikawa straightened and pointed at the rocky shore. "No one likes to go over there but me and my friends."

"You have friends?"

Oikawa sat up. "Why is that such a surprise?"

"I was just asking."

"Yes, I have friends. I can keep them away, if you'd like."

Suga's head lolled to a tilt. "Keep them away." His mouth pressed together in thought. "What other food do you eat?" 

Oikawa was incredibly satisfied by that question. If Suga wanted to know, then he'd actually return.

"You'll just have to wait, Suga." Oikawa gave a brief grin and stood for the final time. He wiped sand from his pants and clapped his hands together. "It's going to rain any minute now, so I should go."

"Oikawa," Suga said. 

"What?"

Suga looked up. "No, sorry, I was just remembering your name."

Oikawa felt pleased from that. There wasn't anything particularly special about it, but Suga's mouth kept going through the motions slowly, mumbling to himself. Suga's curiosity was different from his own, fumbling and cautious instead of excited. Oikawa had to commend his bravery in coming back a second time, out of his element.

Oikawa managed to convince Suga to return in warmer weather. There were beachgoers milling around, lying on towels and swimming in the water, but they congregated in the same area and didn't come near the rough hewn shoreline of rocks. 

Oikawa had a hard time dodging questions when his parents asked him why he was carrying so much food. He got carried away and bought a lot, and he carried a shopping bag out the door filled with food containers. He had meat buns, pizza, tofu, and rice on the side, along with frosted cookies. Oikawa hoped Suga liked something from the choices.

When Oikawa made it to their place on the shore, he found Suga already there. Suga was scanning the busy shoreline, his mouth tight at the sight of people running in the sand and building castles.

"Suga, I brought you something," Oikawa said. He lifted the bag up as Suga turned to greet him.

"What is it?"

Suga swam forward, his body moving fluidly in the water, and Oikawa had to pause and admire the ease of his skill. From the motion, Oikawa could fill in his imagination, how Suga's tail swished and twisted beyond his sight, following the wave of momentum in his body.

Suga swam up to a rock and flattened his hands on it. He looked up expectantly.

Oikawa removed a plastic container from his bag and popped it open. He stopped and glanced at Suga.

"What do you usually eat?"

"Fish. And seaweed."

"So nothing else?" Oikawa asked.

Suga shook his head.

"I hope this isn't a shock to your stomach."

Oikawa pushed the container of rice and tofu to Suga, a pair of chopsticks in hand. He clacked his chopsticks together.

Suga grimaced. "What are those?" He pointed at the chopsticks.

"These are chopsticks. You use them for eating human food."

Despite the initial grimace, Suga seemed curious enough to ask for them. Oikawa handed him the pair.

Suga hovered his hand over them before poking them, causing them to rattle together. He gently lowered his hand, his fingers wrapping around the chopsticks while brushing against Oikawa's hand. Oikawa didn't miss the delayed retreat, and the restrained interest in his eyes at Oikawa's hand.

Suga couldn't hold them together. They stuck out at odd ends and bumped into each other, and he slotted them between his fingers without any tact. They fell from his hand before he could pick up any rice.

Oikawa scratched at his head. His hand swept away his bangs. "I'll feed you. At this rate, you won't be able to finish eating today."

Suga waved him away, but after more failed attempts, he grumbled and jabbed them back into Oikawa's hands. His moment of petulance tugged at Oikawa's mouth.

Oikawa stirred the rice around. "Rice can taste a bit plain, but I don't think you'd mind." He lifted a chunk of rice grains with the chopsticks. "Say, 'ah.'"

"Aah?"

Suga almost choked in surprise when Oikawa reached for his mouth. Oikawa placed a hand under his chin to soothe him, and it directed Suga's attention back to him. Oikawa tilted his chopsticks to gently place the rice in his mouth, and he pulled away to let him chew.

Suga swallowed. After some deliberation, he seemed to come to a decision. "More, please."

Oikawa was already dreading the tedious work picking rice over and over to feed Suga. He glanced over the rice and went to the tofu.

"Why don't you try this next? It's mapo tofu, so I don't know how you'd tolerate it, but my sister bugs me to eat it all the time. This kind's spicy."

Suga gestured for it. Oikawa smiled a little at his eagerness. Suga probably had no idea what spicy food was.

Oikawa repeated the process from before, dipping his chopsticks into Suga's mouth. Suga was more willing now, and his lips parted easily at the chopsticks edging into his mouth.

Once the tofu passed onto his tongue, Suga shuddered and a strangled cough came out. He fanned at his mouth, wordless pants coming out. Oikawa didn't bother hiding his laughter as Suga ducked underwater.

When Suga came back up, he blinked at Oikawa and squinted. "You didn't warn me!" 

"I said it was spicy."

"That's not a warning."

Suga swam closer again and patted the rock for his attention. "I want to try it again."

"Really?" Oikawa scooped his chopsticks to pick up more. "Are you sure?"

Suga nodded. Determination was shining in his eyes, and Oikawa couldn't argue with that.

Suga's eyes closed this time, steeling himself for the food. When Oikawa dropped it in his mouth, Suga fanned himself again, but he didn't dive underwater. He was set on finishing it without help. His shoulders bristled and tensed, his nose scrunched up, and his eyes watered. He managed to eat the whole piece, though, and he licked his lips to satiate the lingering heat.

"That was painful, but it tasted great." Suga still tried to lick his lips and smack them together, and he was too distracted by the endeavor to not notice Oikawa's stare. His eyes followed the movements of Suga's mouth, the pink lips shining from his tongue swiping over them.

"Is there more?" Suga asked.

"Yeah, but don't eat it all. I still want you to try everything else."

Suga was impatient, but he waited for each bite that Oikawa delivered to his mouth, his body wriggling in the water until Oikawa lifted the chopsticks. Oikawa cupped his hand under the chopsticks to keep any food from being wasted, even when the chopsticks made contact with Suga's mouth, hand bumping into his chin or neck. Oikawa alternated to feed himself, too, and he was amused by Suga's furrowed eyebrows of focus, attentive to the way Oikawa's fingers moved.

"Alright, we're done with this. You've had too much." Oikawa pushed the container away and reached for another, the one with meat buns.

When Oikawa handed Suga one, Suga squinted and pointed. "Don't you need the sticks?"

"For this, no."

"Why?"

"I don't know. We just don't use them for this."

Suga tried to hassle him for a real answer, but Oikawa couldn't provide one, so Suga gave up and reached for it. He nibbled at the edge, and at Oikawa's encouragement, he bit further in. Suga's reaction to it was weaker than to the tofu, but he still brightened from the sensation of taste.

He reached for another, and Oikawa pushed his hand away.

"You'll get full before you even get to dessert."

"What's dessert? Is it that?" Suga gestured at the pizza.

"No, not really. Try it anyway." Oikawa nudged it to him. Oikawa only bought two slices so they couldn't gorge themselves on it, and he was glad he made the right decision. Suga looked like he wanted another slice.

"Here, might as well try the cookie now." Oikawa picked one up by the edge, fingers carefully spread to hold it until he could shift it in his palm. He slid it into Suga's hand. 

"It looks like art. Am I supposed to eat this?" Suga raised it to survey it from other angles, checking the flat plain bottom and glancing over the top again. It was an ordinary cookie, but the swirled dollop of frosting on top and sprinkles could be mistaken for ornament.

"If you don't eat it, I will."

Suga twisted at the waist to dodge Oikawa's hand. "No, no, I'll eat it."

He opened his mouth and sunk his teeth in, biting through the frosting and into the cookie. Suga immediately gave a pleased hum, his mouth still buried in his dessert.

"Hnn! It's amazing, Oikawa." His eyes glittered for a second as he looked at Oikawa appreciatively, unaware of the frosting on his nose. He returned to eating, occasionally licking at his fingers when frosting got on them.

"You have something there, Suga." Oikawa tapped his own nose to demonstrate.

"What? Where?" Suga glanced around.

"Just come closer. I'll get it." Oikawa beckoned him over and wiped his finger over Suga's nose.

"Oh, thanks." Suga slid up onto the rock and licked the frosting off Oikawa's finger.

Oikawa choked on his own cookie and pushed Suga away. "What are you doing?"

"That was my frosting, right?"

"You don't lick people. Humans don't, anyway." Oikawa waved his hand. "Just eat."

Suga settled back into the water, a slight pout to his mouth. If Oikawa didn't know any better, he'd say that the ignorance was somehow intentional, or at least useful. It's something Oikawa would have done if he was a merman.

Suga rested against the rock when he was done. "I'm so full. I can't move."

"That I warned for. You're just going to have to wait until you feel better to move."

"I know that. I wasn't born today." Suga slumped on the rock completely, sighing and relaxing his arms.

Oikawa leaned over to check if he could see Suga's tail from above. 

Suga craned his neck up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Oikawa sat back.

Suga narrowed his eyes. "You were trying to look at my tail, weren't you?"

"No. I was checking to see if I dropped my food. I didn't."

Suga returned his chin on top of his arm. "Alright…"

Oikawa gathered the food containers and stacked them back in the shopping bag. Some were empty, but some had plenty of food left. He knew it'd be terrible if they tried to finish all the cookies, so he packed those away first.

Suga reached for one of Oikawa's hands. Oikawa paused and slowly unstiffened, watching him pull it to himself and turn it over in his hands. Suga drew his fingers over Oikawa's softly, tracing down to the elbow.

"Don't you have your own hands and arms?" Oikawa asked.

"Well… I just wanted to look." Suga released him, and he withdrew. Suga glanced down at Oikawa's legs, and his eyebrow rose. "You have weird scales."

"These aren't scales." Oikawa snorted, grinning and biting his lip. "These are clothes. Watch."

Oikawa yanked his shoe off his foot. Suga flinched from the sudden jerk of Oikawa's hands taking it off, but right after, he bent closer and marveled at Oikawa's foot.

"That's what it looks like?"

"I'm not done! Sheesh." Oikawa pulled his sock off, too, revealing his bare foot. "This is what it looks like without clothes."

"It looks like a hand," Suga said, tilting his head for a different view. 

"Well it's not. It's a foot."

Suga placed his hand next to it for comparison. He poked Oikawa's foot and brushed it with his fingers, similar to the way he inspected Oikawa's hand, but slower.

"Is the rest of you like this?"

"Skin and all." 

Suga moved his hands to Oikawa's pant leg, tugging at it. "What about this?"

Oikawa swatted his hands. "My pants are staying on."

Oikawa spent a while arguing with Suga, explaining to him what pants were and why he couldn't remove them to show his legs. Suga's interest was the same as it was in any other aspect of Oikawa's life, but this time it was surprising enough to make him laugh and a little afraid at the same time.

"What's wrong with taking your clothes off?"

"Suga, don't ever ask that again. To anyone." Oikawa tore his leg away.

Suga mumbled and stretched up, folding his arms over his head and arching his body to test his muscles. His stomach looked firm and comfortably tight, and Oikawa took the time to notice as Suga breathed.

"I'm going back to the water now," Suga said. Suga didn't seem to care that Oikawa was unabashedly watching him stretch, especially fascinated with his stomach. His original observation was off, then; Suga wasn't modest. He didn't know that taking clothes off was inappropriate, either. When Suga originally met him, trying to hide and duck into the water -- he was probably just afraid of a human.

"Might as well. I should go, too." Oikawa got to his feet and hooked his arm through the loops of his bag's handles.

"See you again, Oikawa." Suga slipped into the water, and as he swam away, Oikawa saw a vague outline of his tail.

Oikawa knew now how much food was too much food. He brought less next time, only a small container of the mapo tofu and some meat buns. Suga didn't seem to mind the lack of cookies and pizza. He was occupied by the tofu, eating it despite complaining about the heat. Oikawa smiled to himself as he watched Suga enthusiastically eat through his own plate of food, with help from Oikawa. 

Oikawa pulled the food away from Suga. "I think you've had enough for now."

Suga frowned, but he let Oikawa take it. He followed it with his eyes, keen on how Oikawa tucked everything away neatly and stacked them in his bag.

"I still haven't seen your tail," Oikawa said, dipping his head to look Suga over. 

Suga lifted his head. His eyes lowered in thought, which Oikawa saw as a good sign. Before, Suga would have tried to talk around into a new subject.

Suga pressed his lips together. "Why should I? I still haven't seen your legs."

"They're right here, Suga."

Suga gestured over Oikawa's pants. "They're covered up."

Oikawa breathed out through his nose. "What if I bring a swimsuit next time and go in the water? Will you show me then?"

"Swimsuit?"

Oikawa brought his hand to his leg, above his knee. "They're like shorts. Smaller than pants. It doesn't cover the whole leg."

Suga's mouth opened in surprise. "You can change them?"

"I change my clothes every day. I pick out what to wear." 

Suga leaned closer, hands reaching for Oikawa's shoes to feel them for himself, and Oikawa held his hands to direct them away. Oikawa moved to push them and let go, but Suga twisted his own hands to grip Oikawa's. Suga investigated his hand with his fingers, some of them loosely wrapping around his wrist.

"Suga, you've already seen my hands," Oikawa said. He was about to add more, but Suga seemed so content holding them, and Oikawa had the time and sense to notice the softness of Suga's fingertips, the relaxed attention pressing featherlight into his palms. Suga slid his hands more, bumping his palms over Oikawa's, and then they really were holding hands.

Oikawa pulled his hands away. "…Alright, next time I'll be prepared with a swimsuit," he said. "This means I'll go in the water, you know."

Suga eyed his feet. "You can swim?"

"It's not that hard." Oikawa swung his feet and alternated them, as if they were propelling through the water.

"I really want to see that." Suga rested his arms on the rock, slipping his hand forward around the side.

Oikawa saw where it was going. He snapped his hand out, heel of his palm digging into the back of Suga's hand.

"You've had enough tofu, Suga."

Eventually Oikawa returned wearing his swimming trunks under his pants. He thought it was a good idea, but now that he had to pull them off, it wasn't. Suga was watching him with an interested glint illuminating his eyes, ready to see what Oikawa looked like, and Oikawa didn't want to fulfill the gesture of taking them off. Suga's curiosity seemed entirely innocent, but now Oikawa wished he had walked over already dressed. 

Oikawa stirred his finger in the air. "Turn around."

"Why?"

Oikawa didn't feel like getting into a long explanation. "Just do it."

Suga stayed still, but after a moment he sighed and lowered himself to the water. He swiveled away from Oikawa and crossed his arms.

"Now what?" Suga asked.

"Hold on." Oikawa grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugged it off, backing his arms out of the short sleeves and guiding his head out of the neck hole. He let it drop, and he went for his pants next, unbuttoning and undoing the zipper until he could shimmy out of them.

"There, I'm done," Oikawa said. He kicked his pants away into a pile with his shirt.

Suga turned and climbed the rock, almost fumbling from the water he splashed onto the edge. He climbed further than normal, and Oikawa saw a sparkle of scales stretching around his waist. Oikawa bent to see, but Suga's face rose and blocked his sight.

"They look like your arms." Suga twisted his head to the side to marvel at his legs. "Do they come off like clothes?"

"No!" Oikawa stood up. "Only my clothes are removable. Don't try anything funny." He pointed at Suga's tail obscured by the water. "Now you have to do your part."

Suga removed his eyes from Oikawa's legs with a grumble, and he used his hands to scrabble back down the rock to the water. Oikawa saw his silhouette flicker underwater, body swishing side to side. Suga broke the surface in front of another rock sticking out of the water, a smooth slope on the side of it. Suga pulled himself up, his stomach muscles tensing with the effort of heaving his weight up. Suga slinked against the rock until he was completely on it, and he scooted away from the ledge, folding and tucking his tail to the side.

Oikawa had to cough to disguise his growing stare. Suga's tail shined brilliantly, the light flaring along his body like a wave when he moved. The scales were a light blue, a more solid color than the ocean, and it was a gentle contrast to his grey hair, like water under the clouds.

Suga's tail slapped against the rock a few times. "We're even now."

"For the moment," Oikawa said. He rested his hand on his hip, trying to casually dismiss the intensity of his sight. It was hard tearing his eyes away; seeing a merman in full was a blinding dream come true. Oikawa had to keep his mouth shut from babbling and asking questions.

Oikawa stepped forward and began the descent down the rock. It wasn't high up, but Oikawa didn't want to jump and feel the shock of water hit him all at once, in case it was colder than he thought. He tipped one foot in, and when he discovered it had a reasonable warmth, he submerged it with commitment, and followed through with his other leg.

Suga leaned over, hands falling in his lap. His tail was twisted in a way that made his stomach face to the side. 

"Does this mean you can swim with me now?" Suga asked.

"That's what I intend to do." Oikawa held his arms out for balance as he waded through the water, walking further from shore. When the water rose to his chest, he started swinging his arms at his sides, slowly through the water.

Suga leaned over more to watch as Oikawa passed. Oikawa was impressed with his flexibility, his head coming close to the rock's surface to peer at Oikawa, tail bending at his waist. Suga slipped forward and splashed into the water, falling in tail first. After he was comfortable, his head disappeared, and Oikawa saw him swim closer.

Suga circled him, head turning for a thorough view of Oikawa's legs. Oikawa felt Suga pull on his arm, and he pitched forward, his chin slamming the water's surface with an aborted yelp. Oikawa kept his eyes shut, determined to protect them from the salty seawater. Oikawa's feet pushed on the floor to bring his head back above water.

Suga's head popped up. "I thought you said you were going to swim?"

"I can't see underwater." Oikawa rubbed over his eyes to wipe water away.

"You can't?" Suga drifted closer to inspect his eyes. "Your eyes look like mine, though."

"I can't breathe underwater, either."

Suga sunk. "How do you swim? At all?"

Oikawa's knees bent, shoulders hunching to kick off and start swimming. "I can swim," he muttered.

Suga idled in fascination as Oikawa swam. He eventually switched to swimming himself, slithering underneath Oikawa and beside him. Suga was a faster, more agile swimmer than OIkawa, and his skill was almost a taunt. Suga pointed out how clumsy humans swam.

Oikawa knew Suga was a phenomenal swimmer. So when Suga swam up close and brushed against him, Oikawa also knew that it was intentional. Suga purposefully slid against him, and his scales made Oikawa almost choke. He sunk and spat out water.

"Suga, what was that for?"

Suga raised his head. "I wanted to swim next to you."

Oikawa couldn't find fault with that. He dragged his hand down the side of his neck. "Don't swim that close. You're going to knock me over."

Suga floated by, his shoulder bumping with Oikawa's. 

"Didn't you say you wanted to feel my scales?"

"Well…"

Oikawa turned his head, feigning disinterest. He really wanted to, but he didn't want to give Suga any satisfaction.

Suga went for his hand anyway and drew it to his tail, pressing his hand on the back of Oikawa's wrist to fit it to the curved side of his tail. It was smooth and cool, refreshingly cooler than the seawater, and it pulled Oikawa's face out of its determined expression. Suga removed his hand, and Oikawa's remained, fingers curling and tightening in place.

Oikawa thought it'd feel rough. The surprise made him trace his fingertips over the scales to confirm their fluidly smooth surface. He didn't notice how intent he was until Suga frowned and spoke up.

"Your hand is getting tight."

Oikawa took in Suga's wrinkled nose, and his hand on the back of Suga's tail just below his waist, a place that would be a big definite no on a human, and Oikawa jerked his hand back.

"That was an accident."

Suga tugged his body into a loose half-curl, tail swinging towards the surface as he crossed his arms. Oikawa didn't know what to make of the thoughtful silence.

If there was any cultural barrier between merman and human, it didn't exist at this moment. This was a very human reaction to having his butt squeezed. Oikawa wanted to laugh it off, but there was nothing casual about it, and nothing bubbled up to his throat.

Oikawa's fingers bent into weak fists, re-imagining the feel of Suga's tail under them. Suga was still quiet, tugging his lip into his mouth, lightly playing with it using his teeth. Oikawa's eyes were fixed to the small movements, his own lips mimicking Suga's.

Suga was so still, and Oikawa suddenly wasn't. His mouth landed on Suga's, gently transferring Suga's bottom lip to his own. Suga didn't stiffen or back away, and he didn't make any confused noises at the touch.

There was a moment of motionlessness between them, Oikawa slowing as he reconsidered, and then Suga took over. He rose up out of the water, head tilting to push his mouth on Oikawa's from a downward angle. The shift in position drove OIkawa against the rock Suga was on earlier, which they somehow swam back to. Oikawa felt the slickness of Suga's scales rubbing above his waist, Suga's tail winding between his legs, and he had to admit that this was pretty bizarre.

Suga twisted his head for the kiss, his hand digging into Oikawa's shoulder and trapping him on the rock. Oikawa was surprised at the experience of his mouth -- Suga knew how to kiss, of all things. Suga was a maybe a little too enthusiastic, but he didn't go any further, licking and breathing with desperate curiosity. It didn't look like he wanted to let go, and his tail curved down Oikawa's leg to cling there.

Oikawa had to pull away when his head got light from barely breathing. He didn't know how Suga survived, but he assumed it had something to do with being able to breathe underwater.

Oikawa didn't have much room to move his head, but he still dodged to the side. His arms were around Suga to hold him up, and he slackened them.

"Can you let go?"

Suga mumbled and hardened his coiled grip on Oikawa. The slight movement of his head told Oikawa that he was shaking his head.

But then Suga moved toward his neck and kissed OIkawa there, softly. Suga was mumbling again, and Oikawa couldn't hear.

Finally Oikawa pushed him away by his sides, holding him out in his hands at arm length.

"What did you just say?"

Suga's eyes and mouth shifted to the side, tail going limp without anything to hold.

"I want to keep kissing you," Suga said, muffled from holding his mouth in its place.

Nothing could be done about him in the water; this was Suga's home, and Suga could slip out of Oikawa's grip if he wanted. He returned to Oikawa's neck, arching up and around him and concentrating his whole body there. Oikawa was vaguely grateful for the water's buoyancy lessening the pressure of Suga's weight. Suga's tail flattened across Oikawa's stomach, but it then moved and slotted to Oikawa's side.

Oikawa wrapped his hands around Suga's tail to tug him closer. There was no point in fighting a merman now.