Drowning Serenade

Chapter 1: The World in the Ocean

(Third Person Point of View)

Tooru Oikawa was a beautiful siren, his tail glimmering with pearls of turquoise and cream. He was the definition of perfect.

"ONE DAY WHEN MY LIGHT IS GLOWING~ I'LL BE IN MY CASTLE GOLDEN~"

"Holy shit, Oikawa! Shut the fuck up! You're scaring whales away!"

Well, not so perfect.

Of all the sirens, the beautiful Oikawa was not blessed with a voice that can lull one into sleep. He was blessed with the voice of a metallic rock band, or that's what his fellow sirens always tell him.

It was hideous, they say.

Oikawa pouts. "Come on, Tet-chan! It's not that bad!"

"It is!"

Bokuto laughs and pats his shoulder.
"Man, your voice is enough to scare a shark away, you know."

"That's so mean, Kou-chan!"

Sugawara came into view as Hinata and Kageyama followed suit. "It's nearly night. Everyone who wishes to sing on the surface may do so."

Bokuto and Kuroo looked at each other knowingly, and both swam up to the surface, wearing their shit-eating grins.

"Race you to the surface, Bakageyama!"
Hinata shows a tongue and swims to the surface at maximum speed.

"Oh no you don't, Hinata bokeee!"
Kageyama screams as he follows Hinata to the surface.

"I should be also going now." Sugawara smiles at him. "Be careful, Oikawa."

Oikawa blinks. "You're not prohibiting me to go to the surface to sing this time?"

"I wanted to, but you'll be stubbornly going anyway so why bother."

Oikawa hums. "Touché."

Sugawara just sighs. Oikawa's voice has kept the reef awake for a solid fortnight. Various sea creatures and fellow sirens complaining, thinking that it was some monster invading the reef, but it was actually just Oikawa with his voice.

Some sirens even complain that less sailors have come to the said reef because of the absurd voice, sounding as if declaring that Armageddon was about to begin.

Oikawa pats Sugawara's head.
"Hmmp. Don't worry, I'll try to sing from a safe distance."

"Oh praise the gods," Sugawara mumbles but not loud enough for Oikawa to hear.

"Well then, I'll be off now, Mr. Refreshing! See you tomorrow!"

"Be careful, Oikawa! See you on the mo-- wait, what did you just call me?!"

Oikawa flaps his tail as he swam away from the reef. The reflecting moonlight making his already beautiful tail of turquoise and white more beautiful, as if that is still possible.

Oikawa doesn't know of the world above. He has explored the world in the ocean, but he has heard some stories from sailors, believing that the world on land must be endearing as well.

He would like to see the world above someday. If even possible, to walk on it, even for just a short while.

"WHAT'S IN YOUR HEAAAAD? IN YOUR HEEEEYIHEHEAD? ZOMBIE! ZOMBIE! EH! EH! OH~!"

Fishes started to swim away from view.

He heard a laugh behind his back. He knew the all too familiar obnoxious laugh because only one person can be able to shamelessly pull it off.

"Kou-chan." Oikawa says without bothering to look back.

Bokuto swims to his side. "HEY HEY HEY! OIIIIKAWAAAA!"

"I thought you were with Tet-chan?"

"Kuroo? Ah, he found a sailor to drown, so I figured I should be also getting my own prey. So I stumbled upon you. Never mind that, Oikawa. Let's do a duet!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, let's do the Aladdin song, and you'll be Jasmine."

"What? Why am I the disney princess?"

Bokuto snorts. "Because you're Oikawa."

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?"

Bokuto's hums came filling the waters, sounding like soft waves crashing on a solemn shore. So alluring that even some species of fish came to listen.

"I can show you the world,
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me princess, when did you last let your heart decide?
I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, "No"
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming."

Oikawa clears his throat.

"A WHOLE NEW WORLD
A DAZZLING PLACE I NEVER KNEW
BUT WHEN I'M WAY UP HERE
IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR
THAT NOW I'M IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD WITH YOU"

Bokuto tries his hardest not to stiffle a laugh. Oikawa continues the song nonetheless.

"UNBELIEVABLE SIGHTS
INDESCRIBABLE FEELING
SOARING, TUMBLING, FREEWHEELING
THROUGH AN ENDLESS DIAMOND SKY

A WHOLE NEW WORLD
A HUNDRED THOUSAND THINGS TO SEE
I'M LIKE A SHOOTING STAR, I'VE COME SO FAR
I CAN'T GO BACK TO WHERE I USED TO BE"

Bokuto decides to finish the song before Oikawa invites a thunderstorm.

"A whole new world
With new horizons to pursue
I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare
And then we're home
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world
That's where we'll be
A thrilling chase
For you and me."

Bokuto and Oikawa were surprised when someone claps from the side.

"That was amazing. It was so charismatic."

"UshiWaka!/The Sea Beast!"
Bokuto and Oikawa said in unison, respectively.

"I can find no words to say how much the song was fascinating, sending me into a euphoria of a moonlit lake with the accompaniment of firefly lights."

Oikawa sheepishly blushed. "Thank you."

"I was talking to Bokuto."

Oikawa held his chest. "How rude!"

Ushijima blinks. "You're together now?"

"Wha-?" Bokuto says but Oikawa immediately grasps the weight of what Ushijima was trying to say.

"Nah, this shit-for-brains doofus already has the hots for his best bro."

Ushijima hums. "I see."

Bokuto stutters. "Wha-?! How the-?! What the actual fuck, Oikawa?!?!"

"Are you denying it, then?"

Bokuto looks away. "No..."

It was Oikawa's turn to laugh now.
"Yiiieeee, Kuroo."

Bokuto was turning redder at the moment.
"Shut up! Kuroo doesn't know, okay? He... Doesn't need to know. It's unrequited, anyway."

Oikawa raises a brow. "Oh really?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Oikawa."

Oikawa spent a few good minutes of laughing before Bokuto finally decides to whack him in the head.

"ow!"

"Shut the fuck up! It's not funny! You know, we can forget this thing ever happened and swim to the surface to sing. I'll accompany you."

"I'll never let you live this down, Kou-chan."

"You know what? Fuck you."

Oikawa waves a hand to Ushijima.
"We'll be going then!"

Ushijima waves back.
"Take care of yourselves."

That's right. This is the world in the ocean.