Perfect Catch

-47-

Yuya marvelled at the forest in front of him. Well, it was nearly a forest. With the winter chills hitting Heartland the pop-up Christmas tree shop has finally appeared. Yuya was in complete awe at every turn, the trees where all different shapes and sizes. “Why don’t we get a big tree this year?” Lulu said. “With everyone having Christmas at our house, we’ll need a big one for all the presents.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Yuto agreed, then watched as Lulu took Yuya by the hand to look at more trees. He smiled to himself. This Christmas, they decided Yuya’s gift, was to become human and that’s what Yuto was going to give him. He turned to Emi, “Are you getting a tree too?”

Emi shuck her head, “Well it’s not for me, but the aquarium,” She said. “Declan tends to just ask me to pick out what I would like then buys it.”

Yuto cocked a brow. “So, you and Crow won’t be decorating one together?”

Emi blushed deeply. She swooped a piece of hair behind her ear. Ideally, she thought about decorating one with Yuya at first, but when Lulu said they would all do it together, as they were all family now, so that idea was out the window. She hadn’t thought about decorating a tree with Crow. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind,” She mumbled.

“Well, it would be nice,” Yuto smiled placing his hand on Emi’s back in assurance. “I'm sure Crow would like that too. It would take his mind from his exams.” Emi frowned, she knew that between the upcoming holidays and his university work, Crow was worn out. She didn’t quite understand how the human educating system worked, as there is nothing similar for mermaids. Suddenly she watched as Yuto grinned in an evil way. “If all else fails, I'm sure he mating with him would make him happy.”

Emi blushed deeper and in embarrassment pushed Yuto over and into a nearby lot of miniature trees. “P-pervert!”

That evening Emi returned home, Yuya had gone back to Yuto’s again leaving her alone with her thoughts. With a sigh, she picked up her phone, smiling as she saw a message from Crow. As she sat on the sofa, she dialled his number. She heard the tone before receiving a groggy ‘hello’.

“That doesn’t sound too good,” She said with a light laugh. “Rough day?”

“I had to redo nearly a third of my paper,” Crow moaned. “Took me two hours!”

Emi gulp, a bit nervous about what to say next. “Why don’t you come spend the night?” There was an awkward silence over the phone. “We could watch some movies and look online for some presents. I want to help you relax.”

“I’ll be right over!” The phone suddenly went quiet, leaving Emi baffled. Crow seemed to go from zero to ten in the matter of seconds. Though she was happy. With Yuya spending most of his time with Yuto, the apartment started to get lonely. It would be pleasant to have Crow over for company. Afterall, they already talked about how they felt and that they wanted a life together. From the perception of a human, the next natural step would be to live together. 

A little over an hour later and Crow made it to the apartment. Emi blushed when she noticed him with an overnight bag. Crow couldn’t help but keep the large smile on his face however as he was excited. This would be the first time the two shared a bed and well, excited was an understatement. Emi gave him a welcoming kiss before closing the door behind him. “How was Christmas tree shopping?” Crow asked throwing himself onto the ‘L’ shaped sofa.

“It was pretty fun,” Emi said taking a seat. “I got a large one for the reception area at work. I’ve asked if it’s okay for Zuzu to come and help me decorate it.”  Crow tilted his head. “Oh right, Zuzu is Yuya’s friend from home. Her dad is the one who’s assisting Declan bridge the gaps and he’s the one who told us how to become human.”

“Must be nice for Yuya to have a friend from home?” Crow pondered. “Anyway, what shall we do first?” 

“I was about to get change actually,” Emi said hiding her face. “I’m getting hungry so I thought about cooking some dinner. I’ve been marinating some chicken, if you want to try it.”

Crow watched as his girlfriend fidgeted nervously. He leant over kissing her on the forehead and instinctively, Emi leant into the touch. His hand pushed against her back, bringing her in closer. “Dinner sounds good,” He mumbled. “Mind if I have a bath first?” Emi shuck her head. “I can’t wait for this meal, it’ll beat all the instant meals I've been having recently.” 

Crow laughed as he carried his bag to the bathroom. As he closed the door, he had a better look inside. This was definitely an apartment building created by Akaba Corp. The bathroom was truly grand, the tub big enough to fit two people. Crow removed his headband, letting his spiked hair fall across his face before starting the water and plugging up the tub.

As he went to remove his jacket, he felt a buzz coming from his pocket. He groaned, pulling it out and looking at the I.D. With a groan he answered, “Shinji, what is it?”

“I just called to see how things are going, did you make your move yet?” Shinji, Crow roommate, asked with a cocky voice. “I’ll take the silence as a no but that’s okay. Check the front bag pocket.” Crow thought he was immediately going to regret his action, but he did as Shinji said. Crow was lost for words as he saw the box labelled ‘condoms’ in his bag. “Figured I'd send you in prepared. Have fun and be safe.”

Crow couldn’t believe it as Shinji quickly ended the phone call. He sighed, tossing his phone, along with the box, near the sink before continuing to remove his jacket. There was a soft knock on the door before it clicked open, Emi standing there, now changed into a dressing gown, that lay mid-way to her thighs and a towel in hand. “He-here,” She stuttered handing over the towel. Her gaze fixated on Crow. “You’ve never worn your hair down in front of me. It looks good like that.”  She turned to the sink, the flash on Crow’s phone catching her attention. Crow blushed as Emi leant over picking up the box. “What are these?”

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AN - kind of doing some filler/Xmas special chapters hope you enjoy