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Today was going to be a good day. A great day. Gon could feel it in the air.
It was more than superstition. The intense thunderstorms that had swept Whale island the past three days had finally let up, and Gon could finally look past the petrichor of the rain and wind to smell the sea .
The tides had receded, the fish were back in the shallows, and Gon could finally, finally go back to his favorite cave and go swimming!
The thought made him bounce in place. He was beyond excited— finally, he could wear his skin again! Mito had been aghast at the thought of him swimming out during the storms, too afraid of him being tossed by the waves. Gon had been upset, sure. Storms were fun to play in! Lightning didn’t often strike the water, even if he was above the surface, and if it did he always had enough time to dive below the shock.
Swimming in the rough waters was challenging, far more challenging than the calm, sunny shallows surrounding Whale Island’s reefs. Gon could follow the riptides until they flung him skyward, so high he felt like he was flying. It would pull him along like a bullet past the coral boundary into open water— that was always a little scary. But it was scary in a way that tingled sharply down his spine and made his fur bristle on end, more electric than lightning itself.
Someday, Gon would swim out there. He’d swim, and swim, and swim far beyond the reefs, into the dark of the open ocean. He’d shed his ties to Whale Island like his coat and travel out as his father did, as his kind must.
But right now, Auntie was here. While she would never understand the innate need to leave, she would never stop him… and Gon wasn’t ready to shed his life.
So Gon would stay in the shallows, and swim in the reefs, and not go beyond into the open ocean. Yet.
“Aunt Mito!” Gon called, sharp and loud as a bark, “I’m going down to the beach, now!”
His aunt’s face poked around the doorway to the kitchen. Despite the crease ever-present in her brows, she smiled kindly when she met his eyes. “Alright, Gon. Thank you for remembering to tell me, first.”
Gon laughed sheepishly, not responding. He didn’t think Aunt Mito would ever stop mentioning that, even though he only did it once. He understood better, now, how scared she had been to find his pelt and him gone. But it wasn’t as if he didn’t come back! And he had been grounded for that already, his pelt put in a box on the highest shelf in the closet for what felt like ages, until his skin felt tight and he always had a dry mouth no matter how much water he drank.
(He’d been grounded until he got sick. Really sick. Gon couldn’t really remember a lot of what happened, during that time, but his Aunt never took his coat again.)
(Coming home was the first promise he ever made, he was determined to keep it.)
Gon grabbed for his plastic bucket, shovel, and towel. He didn’t need them, but they were nice things to have when he was waiting for the sun to dry him off. He practically threw himself out the door, nearly falling face-first into the dirt in the process and barely remembering to shut the door gently behind him. The moment his bare feet hit the dirt he was running, his pelt flapping against the backs of his thighs from around his waist, and all he could think about was the cool rush of water-water-water-water!
The path from home to the beach elapsed into seconds. Gon couldn’t remember any of it. One moment he was on the porch and the next his toes were slipping in the sand. The distant spray of the ocean hit his cheeks and he smiled, grinning so wide his face hurt. There was a muffled shouting in the back of his head, barking louder and louder, overlapping over and over itself until he could hear nothing but the crash of the waves on the sand and see nothing but blue.
He was consumed by the sea. So much so, he nearly sent himself flying with how close he came to tripping over the white-grey lump blending into the sand.
It’s not his fault! It really did blend in. When the sunlight hit the sand it turned a blazing white, just like the hair on the stranger’s head, and their scales were the prettiest, blinding speckled-snow grey. Even the skin blending into the scales was nearly opalescent pale, moonlight over the ocean.
They looked like…
They looked just like a spotted seal! A spotted seal if it were merfolk, rather than a selkie, at least. Gon hadn’t met an Arctic selkie yet, but he bet he would someday! Maybe, they would even be half as beautiful as the merperson sleeping on the shore!
…That really wasn’t a good place for them to sleep, though.
“Hey!” Gon called out. No response. Not a twitch.
Uh oh. They were really deeply asleep. Whale Island was safe, and a lot of the locals knew about their neighbors , but that didn’t exactly mean a whole merperson could just go comatose on the sand. Even as remote as they were, there was always at least one or two merchants that hung around, just in case of interesting product. It was the reason Auntie was so adamant he keeps his pelt in the house, rather than tied around his waist or flung over his shoulders.
Gon crept closer. He looked quickly around, just in case— alone. Alright, good! That was good. “Hey!” he tried again, this time reaching out to… what? To shake them? Hmm, Gon didn’t want to risk hurting them, somehow. What if they were beached because they were injured? He hadn’t considered that before, but now it was all he could think about!
Gon frowned as he took in the merman. Cracked scales, a strange, dusty white like fogged glass. Their webbing looked like paper. Their skin was painted with its blush, ruddy and stark, practically steaming. Their gills opened and closed in shallow, jerky little ripples that looked like they hurt.
Gently, he touched the white, salt-crusted hair. He combed the thick curls out of the merperson’s face, letting the light hit them. Wow, they were pale. Gon knew that, of course, but it was something else, somehow, to see their face. Even their eyelashes were white! And their skin was so warm, even warmer than his own. They hissed quietly, eyes scrunching tight, but not opening. The moment Gon let their hair fall back into their face they went silent again.
Yikes. They really had been beached for a while. This wasn’t good.
Gon unfolded his towel and carefully tossed it over the mer. It would shield them from any more sun, at least a little. Everything counted. “I’ll be right back,” Gon told them seriously. If the unconscious boy gave a response, Gon wasn’t waiting to hear it, already sprinting down the sand towards the waves. He couldn’t just drag the other back into the water, not without risking hurting them more— they had likely been cooking in the heat for so long that the shock could really hurt them. Merpeople couldn’t regulate their temperatures the same way selfies could. It was just part of being a fish-person and not a mammal-person. But Gon could at least try to help them cool down. Give them a chance to acclimate a little more, before they went back properly!
The sea washed over his feet. It was warm. Whale Island water was always warm, even in the winter. And thank the seas it was. Cold was good, but too cold and he may as well just kick the poor stranger awake, instead. Gon waded into the surf. He filled the bucket as full as he could without risking spilling half of it on the way back.
The mer hadn’t moved an inch. Gon set the bucket in the sand. He reached forward, touching that curtain of white hair.
“Nhh…”
Gon’s pulled away as the mer’s head lolled away, eyes squeezing tightly— Ooh, oh, they were waking up! That was— great! Gon felt relief begin to unfurl in his chest.
It just as quickly died as a horrible, rasping noise coughed out of the mer. They frowned, even in their sleep, like it hurt to make the noise. Gon caught the tiniest sliver of open-ocean blue as their eyes fluttered. It didn’t last. Their head fell back down, limp and weak, into the sand.
Gon panicked, a little. “Hey, hey! No, don’t do that!” They must have been injured! He was right! This was bad, if they were so injured they couldn’t even stay awake, what if they didn’t wake back up? Gon needed them to wake up now, by any means necessary!
He raised a hand and slapped them.
It did the trick— too well. Those ocean blue eyes snapped open. Gon jerked away with a shout as the mer(man?) wheeled on him. Fast! So much faster than he expected! If he hadn’t moved when he did, those claws (razor sharp, like little steel knives. Gon didn't have claws like that! He didn’t even have teeth like that, in seal form. So cool…!) swiping inches from his skin. Gon tripped backwards, falling onto his butt in the sand. Uh oh. Oh, he was done for.
…Or not? The merman didn’t pursue him. He certainly tried to, but he seemed to be having trouble. His thin fingers struggled to catch a proper grip on the soft silt. More than that, he just seemed tired . Exhausted in the way that left you sluggish and confused. A flush was dark across his pallid skin.
The merman didn’t seem to appreciate his scrutiny. They flashed their teeth and hissed at him.
…Okay. Upset, but only in the way of something hurt and cornered. Gon could deal with that. Scared-upset was better than angry-upset. Even better, since he wasn’t handling a wild animal, but a person! Someone who could understand that he was just trying to help before attempting to bite him! He pulled the bucket up, stepping closer.
He didn’t get very close before getting hissed at again. Which was fine, and totally understandable, except then the mer tried to move .
“Get—“ they choked, coughing on hot, dry air and sand. Their tail pushed into the sand, fins digging into the grit. It didn’t give them any purchase to do more than flop awkwardly in place. “Get ‘way from ‘e!”
Poor guy. He was so disoriented. Gon wished he had gotten up sooner, maybe he could have found him before he had cooked so long. It was lucky he didn’t have heat stroke, already. “It’s okay,” he said gently, taking another step. The mer was scared, and hurt, and confused, but Gon didn’t think he really wanted to hurt him even though he definitely could. Those teeth looked sharp! His words didn’t go very far in reassuring, though, with the way the mer snarled at him. Yikes, that was bound to hurt, with the way he was coughing. Gon paused, watching with wide eyes as the mer thrashed, sand flying everywhere. He was really going to hurt himself if he kept fighting. “Hey, it’s okay, I promise I’m not going to hurt you! I’m trying to help!”
His words may as well have been to a wild animal anyway, with how much the merperson listened. “‘Et away ‘om me!” He cried hoarsely. “Get, g-et,” he coughed. Kept coughing. Gon’s brow furrowed anxiously. They really, really needed to stop talking. Or, at least, wait until they got wet to talk. He stepped closer, raising his bucket. “Get away—“
Gon hoped he wouldn’t be too shocked. The water was a little warmer, in the bucket, at least. He poured it onto the mer’s head.
Still cold, clearly, with how they jerked back. His whole body twisted, thrown back in a burst of energy Gon hadn’t really expected him to still have— landing on their dorsal fin in a move that made Gon cringe. Those weren’t flexible the way seal flippers were. He hoped it didn’t hurt them too bad. At least it had flipped them onto their back! Gon leaned forward, carefully tricking more water from the bucket onto their chest.
They made a noise that rattled Gon’s brain in his skull. “I know,” he shouted over the ringing, “I’m giving it to you! Stop moving!” Their wiggling made it very hard to aim. Gon did his best, pouring water across the gills laid over their ribs. He watched in fascination as they moved. Fluttering open and closed, whistling with the tempo of the merperson’s rising and falling chest. Gon hadn’t ever seen gills so close up. They were so— weird. Like little red xylophones under silver-white skin.
He was so focused, watching them, that he straight up dropped the bucket when the mer’s claws flashed under his eyes. Gon barked in shock, jumping out of range, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t going for him. The mer dragged himself through the sand in one determined push, their talons curling around the faded rim of Gon’s bucket— and just stuck their whole head into it.
Um. Okay! That worked.
It was a little ineffective, but it was better than pointlessly fighting him. Distracting, too. Gon crept close, watching carefully, but the mer didn’t seem to care about him anymore. They were too involved with his bucket. His white hair fanned out in the water, going from a limp wad of snow to a cloud of fluffy white that hid his face from view. All that poked out was the tips of his ear fins, pressed tight to the sides of the bucket.
Too bad he didn’t bring a bigger one. Gon would, from now on. Just in case. He had just enough room to dip his hand into the bucket beside the mer’s head. He moved slow, ready to pull away just in case, but the other was far too focused on the water to pay him any mind.
Gon sighed, shoulders relaxing. He gently pat the mer’s hip. The scales under his handprint glistened, almost coming to life under the touch. It was like wiping dust off metal. Gon slid his hand along the scales, watching in awe as more and more glittering silver shone up at him. They were rough to the touch. If he ran his hand up the mer’s flank, he would probably shred up his palm. It was so strange, so unlike the thick fur of a seal— he was just like a real shark! The tail and fins were definitely shark, though Gon had never seen a shark so pale and bright.
He dipped his hand back into the bucket, moving to let water drip off his hand onto the dark red gills peeking out from the mer’s ribs. The mer’s whole chest twitched when the water hit them. The gill slits opened, fluttering wide like a gaping mouth. Gon giggled. So weird…! How different would it be, if he could breathe underwater? Gon could hold his breath really, really long, but what if he never even needed to? So strange. He couldn’t imagine it, honestly. He reached out without thinking, petting them gently like he would a cat. They shivered under his fingers.
Water flooded over the rim as the mer pulled his head from the bucket. Gon moved on instinct, hovering, only to freeze as that white cloud of hair whipped around. His ear fins splayed wide, framing his pale face. Slitted blue eyes glared.
Okay, still upset. Gon pulled away with a nervous chuckle. No touching, then! He didn’t want help, that was alright. Gon held up his hands, palm up. He hadn’t hurt him, had no weapons (unless the bucket counted?? Or the towel? Or the shovel? Though he kind of lost that one, somewhere along the beach…) but was getting hissed at anyway. The mer was showing his teeth to him! Now that was just unfair, even if they were very pretty teeth. Pearly and sharp and shiny. He hoped the other wouldn’t actually use them to bite him. That would hurt pretty badly.
Gon believed in his chances. Even when the mer swiped at him, it wasn’t a very serious attempt to hit him. Gon could tell, if the other wanted to really hurt him, he would.
“I hope you don’t, though,” he murmured under his breath. “I wouldn’t be mad, if you did, you’re really scared and you’re probably hurt and you’re all alone, and you don’t know me. But I’m gonna help you. I’m gonna help you anyway.”
Still, Gon let him have his space. If he was that freaked out by Gon coming closer, then that was okay. Gon would just stay right where he was. No big deal! The most important thing was that the mer had some water. Gon didn’t need to come any closer at all, if he didn’t want help applying it.
He stayed patiently still as the mer’s growl slowly fell quiet. Gon could see the indecision in his pretty face. His blue eyes darted between him and the bucket, lingering on the water for longer and longer. Would it help if he sat down? Or would moving make him more nervous? Gon wasn’t really sure. The rules were different. This wasn’t just an injured foxbear, or a fledging bird, or a stray cat— it was a whole person, with needs and wants that Gon had no experience with.
At least he could breathe. Gon had been so sure he was dead, at first, so still on the sand. He had no clue merfolk could breathe outside of the water at all!
And he was being so, so good. He barely lifted a finger. Even his swats and hisses were half-hearted, like he knew, even subconsciously, that Gon was trying to help him. Gon just had to keep proving it.
“It’s okay,” he continued. His voice was low. Almost whispering. A suspicious glare was leveled at him and he showed his hands, keeping them open and loose and empty. “I’ll stay right here, see? I’m right where you can see me, I haven’t moved an inch. It’s okay. My hands are empty. I’m not holding anything, I’m not reaching for anything...” The glare didn’t let up, didn’t soften or give an inch. But Gon smiled to see the mer diligently lifting handfuls of seawater up to their gills anyway. Refusing to give in, and refusing to give up! They were so cool. He almost couldn’t keep himself from blurting it out. “Yes, keep using the bucket, please, that’s good. You’re so smart, so brave for not panicking—“
“Shut up.”
Gon startled. His eyes widened. He— spoke to me! Speaking to me! Not yelling, not panicking! Speaking! With me! Ooh, that’s so cool, I’ve never— “Sorry,” he sputtered, “what was that? Did you s—“
“Shut up!” Yep, definitely speaking to him!! Gon felt his heart skip a beat. The words were hoarse, and made the boy wince, but Gon was so happy for a moment he nearly started vibrating. His new friend would talk to him!! Gon wasn’t sure if merfolk could talk, or if he was just mimicking sounds, before. They weren't like him, there was no second form they could slip into that was meant to walk and talk and live above water— he wondered if all of them could talk! He wondered if he’d be able to finally, finally find out, when he was finally allowed to swim beyond Whale Island— surely there were so, so many people like him that he had yet to meet, and he could speak to them! He could meet so many people, make so many friends—
“Hey.”
Gon’s daydreams faded like fog under sunlight. He blinked, somewhat embarrassed. Oops. He was maybe getting a little ahead of himself. Those thoughts were for the future. One where he didn’t currently have a hurt merman right in front of him.
His thoughts moved way too slow. Already, the mer was settled onto the sand, staring up at him like he was an idiot. “Hey,” they said again, exasperated, “how old are you?”
They wanted… to know about him?! Gon could die happy. He was unable to stop his smile, only hoping that they didn’t take it as a threat display. “I just turned 12 a few months ago! What about you?” Please by my age-please be my age-please be my age—
“None of your business. What’s your name?”
Gon wanted to laugh. He wanted to shout. He wanted to jump around and throw his fists to the sea and say See! I’m interesting, too! I’m interesting to someone! There’s someone my age (maybe!!) and they want to know more about me!! They’re pretty and cool and shiny and amazing and different and they want to know about me! “None of your business!” He teased, the words practically bubbling out of him.
His joke didn’t play over that well, with the way the mer hissed at him, but that didn’t bother Gon at all. “Sorry!” He chirped. He couldn’t stop smiling. Even upset at him, the other boy was so pretty. His swipe was almost playful, with how lazy it was. Gon was making progress! “My name’s Gon! Can I know yours, or is that not my business, either?”
He hoped it was! He really, really hoped it was! Gon wanted— wanted a name to put to the face in his head. He wanted a name to take home. To tell Aunt Mito and Grandma Abe, to finally be able to say “I made a friend, and his name is—“
“—not your business,” the mer snapped. He tossed the bucket towards Gon. Oh, it was empty! He hadn’t even noticed, the other must have finally used it all up. That was fast. They must have been really dry. Gon’s smile twitched. He tried not to let it show. If he started getting nervous, the other boy would definitely get nervous too. That’s the last thing Gon wanted. The calmer and friendlier, the better. People of all kinds were just like animals, and all animals were the same– if they didn’t on some level think you both were there to help and could help, actually helping was going to become much, much harder. “If you’re just gonna stand around, go fill that back up with more water.”
Gon was already picking the bucket up. His cheeks hurt with his smile. He stepped a tiny bit closer, moving slowly, and pulled the towel from where it had become half buried in all the sand kicked up. Not giving himself time to second guess, he gently tossed it over the mer’s back. The end of it flopped over his head, covering his white hair. He hissed, sounding more surprised than any actual upset, and shook it off. Gon snickered. Cute! “That’ll keep you a little cooler while I’m gone, okay? I won’t be long!”
He was already backpedaling towards the surf. His chest was light with joy. Even if he didn’t know the boy’s name, he was being allowed to help! Trusted to help! That was worth more than nearly anything. “Sure thing!”
He didn’t want to pull his eyes away, didn’t want to risk turning and finding the mer gone, never there at all, not real in the first place— Gon took off at a dead sprint to the water. He was fast, whether he was in or out of the water. Whale Island’s beaches were as familiar to him as his own skin, his own fur, and Gon didn’t even skid in the sand as he barreled right into the waves. He had to go a little deeper, to get water and no sand, getting his shorts wet all over. But it was worth it for the crystalline sea water. Worth it to do something for his new (first) friend.
Gon turned back, clambering out of the surf, and froze.
Oooh no-no-no. The mer was trying to move. Thrashing like he was caught in a fishing net, flopping and dragging across the sand, the towel flung off to the side— was he hurt? Was he hurt, and Gon somehow missed it? He was facing Gon, now, low on his belly— was he trying to get to Gon? What happened!?
Gon’s belly swooped. He took off running before he could think to do so, the bucket cradled tight to his pounding chest.
Where was the wound, the injury? Gon placed the bucket down, barely remembering to stop out of the other’s reach. He scanned him up and down, up and down, but he didn’t see anything wrong. Just the same dry, grey scales and shaggy white hair and piercing blue eyes. Gon whipped around, scanning the beach. No one else on the sand. No animals sniffing around. No ships on the water.
Gon’s brow furrowed. Nothing hurt, nothing else around. Was he just stressed?
As if in answer the mer thrashed again, flopping awkwardly in the sand. Some got in Gon’s mouth. “Woah!” He spit, gagging. Shut his eyes as more sand went flying. A frustrated keen left the mer, so low and tight Gon wasn’t even sure he knew he was making it. Alright, very likely not hurt, then. He was glad, but… “Hey, don’t do that! You’re gonna hurt yourself— I can help you get back in, but you need to—“
“I don’t need your help!” He yowled.
Woah! Gon jumped back, barely missing the mer’s tail. Yikes. He had felt the muscles, there, when he had touched it before. If that had hit him, he was sure he’d have broken a bone or two. How was he supposed to walk the mer to the water without legs to walk? Eh, he'd have figured it out, but still.
The mer whined high in distress. “J-just leave me alone, already, you, you—“
Gon frowned. That… hurt. He was doing his best to help, really…! No one even wanted his help, much less him. It stung. He pushed it down like he always did. Feeling hurt never helped anybody. The mer wasn’t actually mad at him, he was probably just scared. Scared and alone. Merpeople weren’t the lonely type, right? Not like selkies. They probably had families, and stuff, like humans did. This mer probably had people looking for him, people he wanted to go back to. He was just lashing out because Gon wasn’t who he wanted. Sucks, sure, but if Gon knew anything it was making do.
And if he knew anything else, it was helping people even if they didn’t want your help. “I’m not gonna do that!” Gon shouted. The mer froze, staring up at him with wide eyes, and Gon realized he had come a little too close. Oops. No take-backsies now, but he could be nicer about it? “I understand that you’re scared, and hurt, but you can’t get back to the water alone. You’re too far away, and it’s really hot today. If I hadn’t found you, you would have just died.”
The mer stared at him. His eyes were huge. Like two moons, the pupils so constricted they were barely a thin black line in a sea of blue. They were shaking.
He was just scared. Gon tried to relax. It was normal to be afraid, in their situation. He didn’t know what was going on. All the mer knew was that he was stuck and fairly helpless. Of course he would fight. That’s just what animals did, and people were animals too.
“Look,” he said, trying to lower his voice, soften it the way Mito did with the songbirds and the stray cats, “let me help you. I promise all I want is to help. We’ll get you back in the water together, and you can…” he swallowed. It wasn’t about him. He couldn’t make this about him! “…just swim away, and I won’t tell anybody, even my Aunt.” It would kinda suck, to not be able to, but he would do it. He would do it for this mer. And he wouldn’t regret a thing, because it made them safe and happy.
The mer looked into his eyes, silent. His mouth set in a tight line. He glanced past Gon, out into the open ocean where Gon wasn’t allowed to go. Gon didn’t move an inch. He stared back, unblinking, begging the other to believe me-believe me-believe me please–
“Prove it,” he whispered.
“Okay.” Gon nodded, agreeing despite not knowing what exactly he was agreeing to. Prove it? How was Gon supposed to “prove” it, beyond everything he had already been doing and saying? What else was there to do? Shake on it? Would that help?? “I’m going to come a little closer, now.”
If the mer had any arguments against that, he didn’t voice them. Those blue eyes watched, wide, pupils darting across Gon’s face, as Gon kneeled in the sand. He was completely in the other’s reach, now. If he really, actually wanted to hurt Gon, he certainly could. Gon’s heart beat in his ears. He sure hoped he didn’t! It would hurt a lot, if he chose to swipe or bite. Those claws were sharp. Even a half-hearted lunge would mess Gon up pretty bad.
Gon had, despite everything, complete faith that he would be just fine. For as upset as the mer was, he had yet to maim Gon even a little.
With that belief in his heart, exceeding all else, Gon grabbed that clawed hand in his.
Cold. Compared to Gon, at least.
Wet. Good, it should be.
Pretty. Very much so.
There were little white scales on those pale knuckles. The grey speckles looked almost blue, against them. Their claws were long and sharp, deceptively fragile in how fine they appeared. Gon could tell, upon touching them, that they were more like solid steel knives. He was careful not to nick himself as he pulled the mer’s pinkie out, careful of the delicate white webbing between his slender fingers. The membrane was surprisingly soft, almost velvety.
Gon fought with himself not to needlessly touch them. Or any part of the other boy, for that matter. This was to prove he was good, not to be weird about it. Gon didn’t like when people asked to touch his pelt, so he shouldn’t try to touch other people’s non-human parts either!
He curled his pinkie around the mer’s, and hoped he couldn’t feel Gon’s heartbeat racing through the contact. “I promise,” he started, more seriously than anything ever, “to swallow a thousand needles, if I lie. Sealed with a kiss!” He pressed their thumbs together in a careful smooch. Delicate. Slow-paced. Diligent. Trying to show, with every breath and twitch, just how serious he was. Gon’s heart was in his throat. He had nothing but sincerity to offer. Sometimes, that wasn’t enough, but he hoped it was this once. “Do you… believe me now?”
No reply. Gon risked a glance up from their joined hands to find the other staring down at them himself. There was a strange expression on his face. Jaw slack, brows high, lips parted as if to take in a breath and forgetting to actually do so. His eyes traced the line of their hands, their fingers, their palms. Over and over, as if looking for answers to some questions unasked.
Finally, his gaze flicked up. When he noticed Gon staring he ducked back down, hiding his ruddy cheeks. “Y-yeah.”
“Great!” Joy roared in Gon’s chest. “That’s great…!” His smile was splitting, straining at his cheeks. It didn’t lessen even when he glanced back at the bucket, forgotten in the sand. He hoped he hadn’t wasted too much… he had been more focused on running than trying not to spill. “Can I help you, now? I won’t touch you again, if you don’t want me to.” Please want me to. I have no other clue how to do this without touching you. I’ll figure it out if I have to. But I’d rather just touch you and I’d rather you let me.
The mer wasn’t blinking. He looked up at Gon through white lashes, blue eyes wide like he had never seen something like Gon before. Maybe he hadn’t, really. How often did merpeople come to shore? Gon had certainly never seen one before, and he swam all the time. If he knew something like this had been out there all along, he would have–
“No, you… you can h-help.”
Oh, thank the seas. “Okay!” Gon chirped instead of sighing with relief like he wanted. He had a feeling the mer would be offended, somehow, if he showed it. He didn’t want to risk it. He had taken too long already, getting the mer back into the water– Gon didn’t want to be the reason he was suffering a moment longer. Something like him should be in pain, or scared, ever. Especially not because of Gon. It just wasn’t fair that he was stuck like this in the first place; Gon doubted he did anything to deserve being beached the way he was!
He tried not to mourn when he let go of their hand. This wasn’t the time! He needed to help, not shamelessly take advantage of the poor guy. Gon could touch him later, maybe. Merpeople had such different hands to human hands, or even seal flippers. There was webbing between his fingers! It was so thin and delicate it was transparent; Gon wanted to know if he could see his veins in it, wanted to know if it felt rubbery or leathery or smooth. He wanted to touch the tiny, shiny scales on the back of the mer’s hands. He wanted to see just how sharp his claws really were.
Later… maybe later. Maybe the mer wouldn’t mind? He had given Gon permission to touch him, so surely that could extend to holding his hand? Just a little?
Arrgh, Gon was going to lose his mind getting distracted like this!!
He swung the bucket closer with a little more aggression than intended. It splashed over the rim, smacking the mer in the face. Gon squawked an apology, grabbing for the bucket.
Those pretty, deadly, alien white hands shot out. Gon froze as they touched him. The mer’s palms pressed down on his knuckles. Clammy and scratchy-hot all at once, the flesh feverish under cool scales. The mer’s claws, long and razor sharp, curled awkwardly away. They trembled with the effort.
The mer mumbled something. Gon didn’t hear it over his heartbeat in his ears. He stared down at the beautiful hands touching his, touching him, and his brain was full of white noise. “J…s…” He blinked. He swallowed. “...oop some ont.. m… ribs…omething.”
Helping. He was helping. Gon was allowed to touch the mer, and the mer was touching him, and he was supposed to be helping.
The mer pulled away. Gon forced his heart down his throat and dipped his shaking hands into the bucket. The water was cold, shocking him out of his head. He breathed in and out, disguising his hesitation by swirling his fingers in the bucket as if stirring it. From what, who cared. He just— he needed a moment. “You’re alright with me touching you?” Gon asked again. His voice broke awkwardly on the sentence. He muscled through it and pretended it didn’t. If he didn’t acknowledge it, it didn’t happen. Simple as that.
Huge eyes stared up at him, blue and sparkling as the sun cresting over the waves.
A second later they darted away. Gon held himself tight, restraining his urge to follow that gaze to just a twitch. He let his eyes wander, just for that one second. Glittering cheeks, speckled with darker scales like fallen ash on fresh snow. A blue hue flushed beneath them, glowing through the thin scales. It traveled down the sharp bridge of the mer’s nose, across the apples of their cheeks, up into the flexible spines of their pinned ears. Gon followed that flush down the elegant line of their jaw, into the pretty sea-blue of the delicate gills lining a pretty throat. “Don’t— say it like that— yes, yeah. Whatever.”
Did he catch him staring? Was that bad? “I—” Gon started, panicking.
The mer ducked their head down, thrusting it into the bucket so aggressively that water spilled up and over the sides. “Woah!” Gon yelped, darting forward, “not so rough!” he flailed to try and catch some of the water in his cupped hands. It splashed uselessly into his lap. His shorts soaked through. Gon cringed, whining high in his throat. Human clothing felt awful when it was wet. They were just not meant to get wet, not in the slightest. At least his pelt, wrapped around his waist, blocked most of it. That, at least, was meant to be wet.
Among other things. Gon sighed. “Excuse me,” he murmured, leaning over the mer. He ran his palm carefully down their side, wiping off the spilled water onto the mer’s dry scales. It was amazing, honestly, how immediately it soaked up the water, going from dull, flaky grey to gleaming white in a single pass. So shiny and beautiful, when they weren’t starved for water. Gon watched, mesmerized. It was almost like magic, how quickly the change happened. He rubbed a long line from beneath the mer’s ribs to their pectoral fin, following the smooth bend of their hip. There was a weird divot in the scales there, like a fine line right down the mer’s side. Gon thumbed at it idly, massaging salt water into their tail.
Bubbles burst noisily from the bucket. Water gushed from the gills next to his hand. Gon jerked, a yelp shocked out of him as the mer pulled away from the bucket with a hacking cough. Oof, that sounded like it hurt. Gon hesitantly patted his back, unsure if that would help. Fish didn’t have proper lungs to cough up stuff from the “wrong pipe”. Fish didn’t even have a “wrong pipe”. Were merpeople more fish or more people? Gon had no idea.
He settled for just petting the mer’s back, hoping the touch was at least soothing. He knew he liked being touched like that. Firm, even strokes through the fur, scratching gently along warm skin. Oh, but the mer had dorsal fins. Did he like those being touched? Was that okay? Gon pulled away from them, just in case, petting along the other’s hip instead. There was okay, surely. The mer barely reacted when he touched him there, fins twitching every time Gon’s fingers stroked over the strange, tiny divots in the scales along his side.
The mer shifted, finally catching his breath, and Gon reluctantly pulled away.
“Okay,” they rasped, voice rough. He refused to meet Gon’s eyes. Gon hoped it was just due to the awkwardness of asking for help. The mer seemed the type; independent as possible and distressed when not. “How are we gonna do this?”