Story WIPS

"part of your world" - tyunning

“AH–!” Kai stumbles back and falls onto his butt upon his notice of two…really pretty but incredibly terrifying eyes staring at him from the water.

The eyes, wide and unblinking, observe him, pinkish hair floating above the calm tide.

Kai slowly crawls back up the dock on all fours, very gradually peeking over the edge.

Sure enough, the eyes are still there, unmoving and curious.

Kai’s all but confused. The last time he checked, fish didn’t have eyes??? 

“They do. But I’m not a fish.”

The shriek the boy lets out is…a little less than dignified, he’ll admit that. He nearly jumps out of his skin when the human-eyed fish actually starts speaking to him. Fish don’t…do that???

“You’re right, they don’t. Because, as I said, I’m not a fish.”

Kai’s eyes widen in horror. “Are you reading my mind…?”

“No,” the new species says calmly, “you’re just thinking out loud. You should try to break that habit, you know.”

Kai blushes, awkwardly scratching his head as his lips pull into an awkward, apologetic smile. “My…my bad.”

“Yes, your bad.”

Well, isn't he polite?

.

He pauses, glancing down at the fish…person…thing to see if he heard him.

The eyes blink at him.

“...Okay, then,” Kai says awkwardly. “I think I’ve, uh. Been out in the sun too long today, haha…yeah. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. No way I’m talking to a fish person…”

The eyes narrow at him before rolling in their sockets, the creature probably fed up with being called a fish.

“For the last time,” the creature begins before rising enough that his whole torso is above the water and wow. Wow holy shit oh my god what the fuck.

Kai’s jaw drops shamefully in awe at the sight of the creature before him, nearly falling back again as he stares.

The floating pink hair and wide, curious eyes actually belong to a person.

Well, not person, Kai thinks. People don't usually have fish tails.

But the top half of the person is very pretty, gold and aquamarine circlets encircling his forearm and…giant biceps what the fuck–

He seems to shimmer in the summer sunlight, water droplets like jewels on honey-colored skin.

"Wow…" Kai utters out in amazement, blushing when he realizes what he'd just let out. "Wait, my bad, not wow–well, no, wow because you're gorgeous–wait–"

The stranger snorts, sinking back down into the water a bit. “I’m not a fish.”

Kai blinks, scrambling for words. “Well–I don’t know, I kind of just assumed…” Kai groans, rubbing his hands on his face. “I’m sorry, you’re probably just some dude who swims around shirtless.”

The boy stares up at him with a bemused expression. “...Shirts…? You mean the weird cloth thing you’re wearing?" on your chest?

Kai is thankful for the fact that he doesn’t take into account him so obviously looking at him and instead asked a question that…actually raised more questions.

"You don't know what a shirt is…?"

"Don't get me wrong, I've seen them, of course. But I've never needed to wear one."

Clearly, Kai thinks. If he looked like that, he wouldn't wear a shirt either.

"Why…? They kinda cover up some of the important things, you know," Kai mentions. The boy cocks his head in bewilderment.

"My people are never fully covered. There's no need, unless you count armor, but…"