In the Deep

Love Bite

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Nines couldn't believe how long it had taken Gavin to figure out his courtship. He'd tried everything! He'd performed a mating dance, gently sashaying his hips and tail as he swam in circles around him. He'd opened his fins wide and made them float close enough to brush his battered scales and drag along his torn fins. Gavin had looked pleased but oblivious, black and green eyes softening as he trailed his clawed hands over his glittering scales. When that didn't get the message across, he'd groomed his tiny scales. They'd settled on a large rock in the beaming sun, and he'd roved his fingers up and down his long tail, picking out all the dead ones he could find and gently working them free. Gavin had made happy purring sounds and nuzzled closer before falling asleep, only waking when Nines pushed him back into the ocean.

He'd even made him a courtship bracelet, the most common form of proposal in the ocean! He'd searched high and low for the correct shell. A hundred-eyed cowrie shell. The rarest in all the ocean. It had taken weeks to find one! It looked plain. A thin cone in marbled shades of honey and caramel with vague stripes that reminded him of Gavin's tail. It truly was a perfect fit. He'd cleaned out the shell and threaded a thin vine through from tip to base before adding colourful cockle shells to the outer edge. He'd thought he understood when his eyes lit up as he'd tied it on his wrist, but the hook hadn't caught. Surely, so close to mating season, it should have been obvious!

He was almost insulted that it was Elijah who'd clued him in. Gavin had gone to visit his brother to celebrate his mating with Chloe. From what Nines understood, Elijah and Chloe had known each other for many years, and he'd finally presented her with her own courtship bracelet that she'd gladly accepted. Having made one of his own for Chloe, Elijah, of course, knew the significance of the rare shell on Gavin's wrist. He'd had Chloe show him her own bracelet, laced with pearls, calling him a hammerhead for not realising on his own. Chloe had found the whole thing delightful, especially as Gavin had laid out all the odd things Nines had been doing for the past month or so. Elijah had actually reminded him that mating season was coming up.

Once he understood the proposition, he'd disappeared for almost a month before returning with a bracelet of his own. Nines looked at the cheerful cockles on his wrist, which contrasted somewhat with the plain browns of the cowrie shell. He must have searched tirelessly to find so many shades of blue and white cockles. No two were the same. Nines could see he'd put a lot of care into it, though the holes weren't as straight as his own. Gavin was often heavy-handed, and his sharp clawed nails made delicate work difficult. His own nails were short in comparison, and barely pointed. Gavin often sighed and purred at how light his touch could be. Nines was determined to change that once he finally mated him.

They'd had trysts, of course. A season may only come once every seven years, but that didn't mean they were barred from intimacy. He and Gavin had enjoyed each other many times. They'd tumbled through the warm waters of the reef, writhed and coiled on the seabed, rolled on the beach, and rucked against the rocks. Gavin had teased and tempted him with gentle nips and caresses, guiding him down and coiling around him. They'd played games of dominance, biting and pinning until one of them gave way. Nines had kissed and licked his way along Gavin's torn fins and scars, always eager for stories to build a picture of his life.

Although they weren't far off the same age, it felt like Gavin had a wealth of experiences. He'd been in a pod since birth, and grown up exploring the ocean floor, travelling along the coasts and visiting different reefs. He'd been to the surface often, lounging in the sun and watching the land walkers from countless hiding spots. He admired the great ships they built, especially those that ended up on the ocean floor. While travelling, he'd also done his part defending the pod. He may be considered the runt of the group, but he more than made up for it in speed and dexterity. He was strong and well respected, though his pod often despaired at his habit of getting in trouble. Rockfalls, land walkers, getting caught in the great nets, squeezing through tight, jagged formations to find underwater caves, cutting himself on shattered wood and crusted metal as he explored sunken ships, and starting fights with larger sharks from other pods.