#Abalone | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bungalowbear · 1 month ago

Text

Abalone

Pairing: Fushiguro Toji x f!reader

Word Count: 8.9k

Summary: You and your small family relocate to the coast when your husband secures a job as a lighthouse keeper. At first your new life seems peaceful. But after your stepson nearly drowns, more of the ocean’s dangers begin to reveal themselves.

Warnings: established relationships, child nearly drowning, mentions of a parent’s death, piv smut, MDNI

A/N: This is my entry for the lovely @storiesoflilies Whimsical Summer Event. My inspiration was the painting “Lighthouse Hill” by Edward Hopper. Thank you so much for hosting, Lily! I hope you enjoy!

Playlist

A clear blue sky touches down on the horizon to meet the seemingly endless length of highway. One lone car travels along the winding coastal road.

Your little family of three, five if you count the dogs, is less than an hour away from your new home: a lighthouse. Your husband secured the job as its keeper only one month prior, but preparing for the move wasn’t as stressful as you imagined. The house you’re moving into already has the basic furnishings. So the small boot of the car is filled with boxes of your books, Megumi’s toys, and Toji’s eclectic assortment of personal items. On the roof is strapped a wooden trunk nearly five feet wide that you managed to fit everyone’s clothes in and boxes of kitchen and bathroom supplies.

You turn in your seat on the passenger side to look into the backseat. Your eight-year-old stepson is asleep, cheek smushed against his seatbelt and both arms outstretched to accommodate the large dogs he’s sandwiched between.

Toji’s large hand floats from the steering wheel and onto your thigh. He gives a squeeze and you turn back around to take his hand in both of yours, placing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. There’s a slight dusting of pink on his cheeks as he checks the rear view mirror to make sure Megumi is still asleep. You smile at your husband’s brief embarrassment.

The rest of the ride is silent, but you keep his hand secure and resting in your lap.

When you finally arrive, Toji slowly rolls onto the humble dirt driveway. The engine is turned off and he’s the first to exit. His head and shoulders are out of view from your spot in the passenger seat, but when he raises his arms the hem of his shirt lifts and exposes his lower stomach. You bite your lip in a brief moment of distraction before you realize Toji’s already begun undoing the restraints of the luggage on top of the car.

You reach your hand into the backseat and gently shake Megumi’s knee to wake him. It takes a few seconds for his eyes to slowly open. Little green gems emerging from the darkness of their caves.

“Are we there yet?” Megumi asks, blinking sleepily at you.

“We are,” you say. The dogs stir. A white muzzle nudges the boy’s face and gives his cheek a lick while a black tail swipes the window as its body extends in a deep stretch. “Wanna help them get out? They probably need to go, yeah?”

Megumi nods his head. Both dogs begin to whine as he unbuckles his seatbelt. They crowd the space around the door and immediately bound out when Megumi opens it. He hops off and languidly follows after them.

You get out of the car and shut the door behind you. Raising a hand to shield your eyes from the sun, you take your first look at your new home. You’re immediately drawn to the massive circular structure with walls made of white stone and black metal grating at the top to fence in the currently inactive revolving beam. The lighthouse is a wonder, almost eerily so as it looms quietly above you.

Your gaze then moves to a small cottage to the left. It’s connected to the lighthouse by an outside corridor with wooden beams evenly spaced out to support the flat roof. The corridor leads to a door to the west side of the home, which itself is rather quaint. The white paint of the wooden exterior is chipped. There are a few shingles missing from the dark brown roof. You’re thankful that the red-bricked chimney still stands strong. You’re told there are two bedrooms and one bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. It’s a charming little place. Perfect for your family.

Taking a deep breath, you inhale the salt from the ocean just on the other side of the property. The breeze blows against your face and your lips curve upward ever so slightly.

Toji calls your name and you’re taken out of your trance.

Megumi already has his backpack on and is unloading the smaller items from the backseat. You meet them on the other side of the car and Toji hands you the box labeled bathroom. The large wooden trunk with all of your clothes is hauled onto your husband’s shoulder and he takes the leading step into your new life, with you and Megumi following right behind him.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

Three weeks pass. Your family has quickly adopted a weekly Saturday morning habit of going a few miles inland to the small nearby town.

You help Megumi wrangle the dogs into the backseat while Toji locks up the house. Once you’re all in the car, Toji starts the engine. You fasten your seatbelt then look behind you to check if Megumi’s done the same. Your stepson gives you a thumbs up from his spot between the dogs who’re already sticking their heads gleefully out of the open windows.

Looking to Toji, you nod your head and he pulls out of the driveway.

In less than ten minutes you’re driving down the main street of the town. There are already other cars on the road and people milling about the sidewalks. You pass a bookshop, a hardware store, and even the elementary school Megumi will be attending after summer break.

Grocery shopping is the primary goal for today. But before you keep on toward the supermarket, you stop for breakfast at a corner cafe. You choose a table outside so the dogs can stay with you. The waitress greets you, pulls out a notepad, and writes down your order. She leaves with a promise to be right back with your drinks.

While Megumi asks Toji if he thinks the supermarket will have the brand of dog food you always get, you catch the eye of an old woman sitting by herself one table away. She has grey hair and a kind face. You smile at her politely, and to your surprise, she rises from her seat. She abandons her food and approaches your table.

“Good morning,” she greets with a soft voice.

“Good morning, ma’am,” you respond.

“I don’t think I have seen your faces around here before. Are you the new family that moved into the lighthouse?”

“Yes, we are.”

“I see.” The old woman’s face suddenly grows serious. “Then I must tell you about that horrible place.”

“Oh?” You look to Toji, but he simply raises an eyebrow. “We’re still tidying up, but I wouldn’t say it’s horrible.”

“It’s not just the house itself. Those waters are cur—”

“Aina-san.” The waitress appears with your drinks on a tray. Her voice is surprised, almost panicked, as she addresses the old woman. “I think we’d better leave these nice people alone now.”

“They moved into the lighthouse. Did you know that?”

The waitress gives you an apologetic look as she places your drinks down on the table. She then turns to Aina-san and places a gentle hand on her shoulder, patiently leading the old woman back to her table.

“You food will get cold if you don’t eat it soon,” the waitress says.

“But I haven’t warned them yet about the last people who lived there. How they went mad and were sent to the mental hospital.”

From your table, you can hear the entire exchange. At the mention of the mental hospital, you try your best to act casual as you take a sip of your drink. Megumi, sitting beside you, hides his face in your arm and peeks at the old woman who’s now frantically speaking about water demons. Toji rolls his eyes across the table from you.

“Crazy old lady,” he mutters.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

The midday sunshine floods in through the open window above the kitchen sink. You have a perfect view of Megumi and the dogs digging into the sand on the beach down below.

Today you’re disinfecting all of the glass jars and organizing the kitchen cabinets. The radio on the counter is tuned to a random station that you hum along to while you use a pair of tongs to place the jars one by one into the pot of boiling water.

You place the tongs down beside the stove and make your way toward the cabinets on the other side of the sink. As you pass the window, you take a quick glance out onto the beach, expecting to see Megumi where you did last time. Instead, you see the discarded pail and shovel in the sand with no boy or dogs in sight.

After turning down the radio you brace yourself on the edge of the sink and lean closer toward the window. You think you can hear the sound of barking, but it’s distant and muddled by the waves crashing onto the shore. You call out to Megumi and wait a few seconds for an answer. It doesn’t come. You tell yourself not to panic when another shout of your stepson’s name goes unanswered, but you can’t fight the feeling in your gut that something is wrong.

Without anymore hesitation you speed out of the house. You shout for Toji as you run through the outside corridor and toward the entrance of the lighthouse. Your husband is already bursting through the door, reacting to the distress in your voice.

“What?” He meets you halfway, in front of the wooden stairs that lead down to the sand. “What’s wrong?”

“I couldn’t see Megumi anymore,” you explain. “I tried calling for him, but he didn’t answer me.”

Toji immediately dashes down the stairs. The creaky old boards groan and squeak under his weight as he takes them two, three at a time. Toji is faster than you, already running through the sand while you have another third of the stairs left to descend. You follow as quickly as you can while he’s closing in to where the dogs are barking at the waves further down the beach.

Toji’s nearly at the water’s edge, stripping himself of his heavy boots and his coveralls along the way. Your eyes scan frantically across the expanse of blue, white froth lining the tops of wild waves. Miraculously, you see Megumi’s head bob above the surface, but then get pulled back under as he flails his arm in an attempt to stay afloat.

“There!” you shout with a finger pointed in the air.

Toji sprints through the shallows and dives into deeper waters without hesitation. You wait with bated breath on the shore. Surrounded by your husband’s discarded clothes and two pacing dogs, you wring your hands tightly as your eyes stay glued to the spot where you last saw Megumi.

Guilt takes root in your chest. You should have been more vigilant of the young boy who’s been entrusted to your care. You love him so dearly, as if he were your own. So how could you let this happen?

You don’t know how long Megumi has been in the water or how long he’s been struggling against the tide. It feels like a lifetime since Toji dove after his son, but it’s likely only been a minute or two. But just as suddenly as they’d disappeared both father and son breach the surface. You exhale in relief as Toji begins to swim back to shore with Megumi securely in his arm.

Toji stomps out of the ocean with Megumi in his arms. The boy’s eyes are closed and his arms and legs hang limply from his father’s hold. His skin is pale as he’s gently laid down onto the sand. You carefully get his head into position and start administering CPR. His chest feels so fragile beneath your hands, but you don’t cease the compressions and breathing air into his lungs until Megumi eventually coughs up water and rolls onto his side.

Tension flees from your body and you slump back onto the sand. But the moment of relief is short-lived when Toji suddenly grabs Megumi by the shoulders. A pair of large, sturdy hands clutch tightly onto thin and frail arms.

“What were you thinking?” There’s a wild look in your husband’s eyes. Green flames stoked by fear. He raises his voice when Megumi only stares up at him with a blank expression. “You aren’t supposed to go into the water without us. What if she hadn’t noticed you were gone?”

You place a hand on Toji’s arm, softly saying his name. His hold on Megumi lets up, but the boy remains silent as his chest heaves with the effort to regulate his breathing. You’re starting to become concerned at Megumi’s passiveness when you see it.

Moisture gathers along Megumi’s bottom lashes. His chin starts to wobble and his nose scrunches in an effort to keep the tears at bay. But they come flooding out when he finally speaks.

“I’m sorry!”

In the last five years you’ve known Megumi you’ve come to realize he’s not as expressive as other children. He rarely cries, but when he does it’s never as intense as this. It’s understandable given the circumstances but it still takes you and Toji by surprise. Your stepson turns out of his father’s grip and pushes his face into your stomach. Sobs wrack through his small frame as he repeats his apology.

You share a worried look with your husband as you hold Megumi in your arms, his usually unruly hair now weighed down by saltwater drenching the front of your shirt.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

While you take Megumi to the doctor in town Toji and the dogs stayed behind at the house. The doctor evaluates Megumi and declares him healthy and in no danger of any complications.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the doctor’s office, you ask Megumi if he’d like to eat before heading back home. He nods. You hold out your hand and he takes it before you walk a few blocks down to the familiar corner cafe. You’re sat inside this time and a different waitress brings you your drinks and takes your order before leaving the two of you alone again.

“Megumi,” you begin carefull, “do you think you can tell me what happened today?”

“I didn’t mean to go in that far.” He doesn’t look at you as he speaks. His gaze is fixed on the bubbles that float to the surface of his dark cola. He wears a mask that you think to yourself he’s too young to have perfected that hides his true emotions. “But…something pulled me in.”

“Pulled you in?”

“I didn’t see what it was,” he quickly supplies. Most likely to discourage anymore questions.

“You’re not to be on the beach without one of us for a while. Okay?”

Megumi nods in agreement. He still hasn’t looked at you.

“Gumi…you know your dad loves you, right?”

He hums, picking at the discarded straw wrapper.

“He didn’t mean to yell at you like that. He was…he was—”

“Scared?” The shock must be clear on your face because the eight-year-old boy sends you a frown from across the table. “You can say it. I know grown ups get scared, too.”

“Yeah, your dad was scared,” you concede. “So was I.”

“Remember at our old house when me and dad came back from the park that one time? After I tripped and fell down the hillside? I wasn’t awake when he found me, but I remember the look on his face when I opened my eyes. It was the same look he had today. Like he’s scared of me not waking up. Like how my mom didn’t wake up.”

Megumi looks away again, at the hands in his lap. He sniffles and your heart breaks for him. He’s only a child but he’s already been through so much.

“Your dad loves you,” you repeat and Megumi’s eyes peer up at you. “He loves you more than anything. He just…has a hard time expressing it sometimes.”

He sighs. “I know.”

“And you know I love you, too?” He nods. “I love you so much, and I’ll always keep you safe, Megumi.”

He smiles at you. A small, barely there, curve of his lips. Then his eyes widen as if he’s just remembered something.

“You were a swimmer before, right?”

“You remember.” You reach out to fondly tap on the center of Megumi’s forehead. His cheeks flush pink. “I haven’t swam in some time, but I still make sure to keep my CPR certification. Just in case.”

“I’m glad you did.” His face burns a deeper shade when he adds, “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

The bell above the cafe door chimes, signaling a new customer. You don’t think to look over to see who’s entered. You’re so focused on Megumi that you don’t realize there’s someone approaching your table until they’re already standing right beside you.

You look up from your seated position to see that you recognize this person. It’s the same old woman you’d encountered on your last visit to the cafe. You fix a polite smile onto your expression.

“Good afternoon, Aina-san.”

“I saw you through the window.” She points to the wide pane of glass fixed into the wall. “I saw you and your boy. I didn’t know when I’d see you again, but I’m glad I found you. I must tell you now.”

“Tell me…” you glance briefly to Megumi and he’s looking at the woman with curious eyes, “what?”

“About the lighthouse,” she says urgently. “Where a man and woman lived before you. He tended the lighthouse and the woman tended to the sea.”

“She tended…the sea?”

“Yes! She was ama! She belonged to the women who harvest pearls and sea creatures. Every summer she would give offerings of abalone to the dragon king who rules over the sea. But five years ago her and her husband passed, and since there has been no diver to perform the offering, water demons haunt the lighthouse and its waters to lure humans as offering instead for their king.”

“I—” you start, but another voice cuts you off.

“Aina-san?” Your waitress calls from behind the counter. You look over and she’s coming around the counter and in the direction of your table. “I didn’t know you were coming in again today.”

“Don’t ignore what I’ve told you.” The old woman grabs your arm. Her voice lowers to a whisper, urgency in every syllable. “They’ll come for the boy first.”

The old woman releases your arm and flees from your side, leaving you speechless. She’s out the door before the waitress gets to your table.

“That’s odd,” the waitress says. “Aina-san usually only ever comes in the mornings.”

You only nod your head when she lets you know your food will be out in a few minutes, struggling for the right words to say next.

You’re preparing to dismiss the old woman’s words as superstition, but then you see Megumi. His back is rigid and his mouth forms a tight line. He stares across the cafe at the door where the old woman escaped, and the terror swimming in his wide emerald gaze urges you to heed the old woman’s warning.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

A crescent moon hangs in the sky that night. Its faint light enters in through the open windows of your and Toji’s bedroom, enough to keep the room from being cloaked in complete darkness. The curtains billow with the gentle breeze. A rhythmic squeaking softly fills the space.

Your hips don’t rise too high, cautious of how much force will affect the volume of the metal frame beneath your bodies, but you make up for it with a sinful swivel of your hips. This earns a pleasured groan from your husband beneath you.

Toji’s hands grip your waist as you ride him, helping you keep your pace. Your breathing is labored and heavy from both physical exertion and swallowing moans to not wake up Megumi in the next room. It’s proving difficult with the way Toji’s girth fills you. It’s a delicious stretch that makes you just a little dumb. You have no idea what you look like, but if it’s in anyway the same as Toji’s wrecked expression, you’re certain neither of you will last much longer.

You fall forward and support yourself with your forearms planted on either side of Toji’s head. He gazes up at you, midnight locks plastered against the white fabric of the pillow and heated puffs of air escaping his pink parted lips.

“Doing so good, angel,” he softly coos. One of his hands drops to take a palmful of your ass, pulling you closer to him with every one of your thrusts. “All for me, yeah?”

“Yes.” You drop your forehead onto his. Your hips begin to stutter, long deep strokes now becoming short and choppy and desperate. “For you. Only for you.”

You’re nearing your climax and clenching hungrily around him. Toji jerks his hips upward and strikes a sensitive spot inside you and an involuntary whine climbs up your throat. His head rises to catch your lips in a rough kiss. He swallows each of your muffled sounds of pleasure as you both continue to grind against each other. The bed frame squeaks louder, and just before your release, Toji wraps his arms around your back and pulls you down onto him. You’re chest to chest with your hands tangling in his hair and gripping at the roots when you come. Toji’s chest vibrates with a deep, satisfied groan when he empties himself inside you.

With a heaving chest, you roll yourself off your husband but still land half on top of him on the full sized mattress. Warm cum slowly trails out of you and onto the sheets. Normally you would mind, but you’ll be washing all the sheets in the house tomorrow so you let it go. You should clean yourselves up though. But that thought is swept aside when Toji turns to face you, slotting a muscled thigh between your thighs and hiking your leg around his waist. He traps you with an arm across your back and the other cradling your head to his chest.

“We need a bigger mattress,” he whispers, voice gruff from exhaustion.

“Toji?”

“Hm?”

“I love Megumi like he was my own son.” Your voice goes even quieter. “You know that, right?”

“Of course I do. Why’re you saying that?”

“I just…I was remembering what you were like when we first met.”

Toji stiffens. You can hear the effort in his voice to keep it steady. “I’m not that man anymore.”

“I know, baby. I know you’re not,” you say. Toji’s hold tightens around you and he presses his lips to the top of your head. “Today was scary.”

Your husband releases a heavy sigh. “Yeah. It was.”

“I’ll always do my best for you and Megumi,” you promise. “You don’t ever have to be that man again.”

“I love you.” Toji’s voice is tender in the quiet of the bedroom. Every word is a vow he doesn’t intend on breaking. “I’ll always take care of you and Megumi.”

“I love you, Toji.”

You shut your eyes and breath in your husband’s familiar scent, the sweat accumulated from your lovemaking giving it a salty edge. You burrow your nose deeper into his chest and let sleep take you.

When you wake hours later, still dark outside, you untangle yourself from Toji. He doesn’t let you go at first. Only when you whisper that you have to use the bathroom does he let you go, rolling over on his side in the opposite direction.

You grab your oversized sleep shirt off the floor and pull it over your head. Your underwear takes another minute to find in the darkness but you do, holding the cotton garment in your hand to put them on after you’ve cleaned the dried spend between your thighs.

You open the door and step into the hallway. The restroom is directly across from your bedroom, a short trek you could make with your eyes closed, but you halt when you step in something wet. Looking down, you see a wide trail of liquid on the old wooden floors. The subtle shimmering substance leads from the front of the house and toward Megumi’s room further down the hall. You crouch down and swipe a finger over the clear liquid. Cautiously, you bring it to your mouth and realize it’s saltwater.

You stand up and slip on your underwear. With slow and careful steps you follow the trail of water until you’re at Megumi’s door, which is wide open.

Your breath catches at the sight of a figure standing over Megumi, sound asleep. Water flows silently along its form, but it doesn’t lose its shape. Its human shape.

Looking around the room, you don’t see either of the dogs, which makes you anxious because they always stay in Megumi’s room at night. You step forward, the creaking of the floorboard catching the figure’s attention. You freeze when its head turns sharply in your direction.

“L-leave.”

Your voice shakes, but it’s forceful. The figure doesn’t respond. At first you think it might not understand you, but then suddenly it charges at you. You shield your face with your arms and brace for a heavy impact. Instead, the figure passes through you.

When you lower your arms, it’s only you and Megumi in the room. You are completely dry and there are no traces of salt water left on the floor boards.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

You sit on a folding chair on the beach. Megumi is a few yards away in the middle of the sand digging for shells while the dogs sniff the ground around him. You’d found them outside last night, scratching at the door on the west side of the house.

A shudder rips up your spine. Part of you can’t believe what you saw last night was real. Aina-san’s stories linger in the back of your mind. Sea kings and water demons sounded like ancient ghost stories yesterday, but your visitor is making you less skeptical. Unfortunately, without any evidence left behind that’s all they are for now: stories.

Maybe it was real, or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe the stress of almost losing Megumi is affecting you more than you realize and you’re starting to lose it just a tiny bit. Whatever the case, you’re hoping a day on the beach will clear your head and settle your nerves.

White puffy clouds float easily across the sky. The sun’s rays beam down between them, warming your skin. The roar of the waves is steady and powerful, a constant presence, as they invade the edge of the shore.

You peek your eyes over the top of your book to check on Megumi, satisfied that he maintains a good distance from the water. He didn’t show any fear of the ocean when you both walked hand in hand to the edge earlier. He didn’t argue or complain when you told him you wouldn’t be going any deeper than past your ankles. He simply held your hand and gazed out at the endless blue, curiosity and caution lurking within his emerald irises.

You return to your book and continue reading. The story is actually quite interesting. However, your mind is preoccupied with the urge to take another glance at Megumi every couple of pages. You hold out until you finish the current chapter before dropping your book into your lap and checking on Megumi again. You tell yourself it’s not good to worry so much, and there’s nothing to stress about because he’ll be right where you last saw him.

Except he’s not.

You jump up from your seat, eyes frantically scanning the beach. His shovel and pail are discarded. Your feet move at once to the follow the three sets of footprints in the sand, one human and two canine. You sprint forward when you realize they’re heading toward the water.

“Megumi!”

You shout his name as you draw nearer. The dogs each have the back of his shirt and shorts between their teeth, keeping him from going any further into the ocean. You call to your stepson again but he doesn’t acknowledge you.

When you finally reach him he’s knee deep in the water. You scoop him into your arms and trudge back to shore. You hear the dogs growling behind you as they follow. When you’re at a safe distance again, you set him down on his feet. You’re about to scold him for going further in than he’s allowed, until you take in his expression.

“Megumi?” You gently hold his face between your hands. His gaze is distant as a thin grey film spreads across his eyes, turning the vibrant green murky. “Can you hear me?”

He doesn’t respond and panic starts to churn in your gut. You shake him lightly, careful not to hurt him, and fortunately that seems to be all it takes.

Megumi’s eyes clear and he blinks once, twice. His expression turns confused.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

Your lips part, but you don’t even know what to say.

“D-did it happen again?”

Now it’s your turn to be confused. You turn your head back toward the ocean. Aina-san’s warning echoes in your head.

They’ll come for the boy first.

You turn back to Megumi, his vulnerable gaze fixed on you. Words continue to fail you and so you gather him in your arms again. Megumi doesn’t object when you rise. Instead, he clings to you with his head on your shoulder as you trek up the wooden stairs toward your home.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

Your attempt to convince Toji that Megumi is being haunted goes as unsuccessfully as you expect. Your husband has never been superstitious, only believes in practicality, so needless to say he doesn’t believe you. He tries to be gentle about it, even when he implores you not to let the old woman get into your head.

Anxiety starts to creep up on you. If Toji’s not on your side, what chance is there to beat whatever this thing is?

You go to bed that night more troubled than before. You toss and turn until finally you fall asleep.

The next time you open your eyes Toji is shaking you awake. Blearily, your lids peel apart to take in his expression, serious and smooth except for the deep crease between his brows. Megumi is on his hip.

“Toji?” you question as you sit up and pull your legs over the side of the bed. There’s no light coming from the window. It’s still early in the morning. “What—”

Your mind snaps awake when your feet touch down into a pool of water. It’s already above your ankles when you stand, and rising quickly.

“The house is flooding,” Toji says, grabbing your arm and leading you out of the bedroom. “There’s no time to check where it’s coming from. We have to get out now.”

Your legs splash and kick up water as you try to keep up with Toji as he pulls you across the short hallway and into the kitchen. The dogs wade toward the door, barking for your attention as they nose at the wood.

Toji hands Megumi over to you and trudges to the door. He turns the knob and manages to get the door open, but it takes noticeable effort as the water continues to rise. It’s now up to your knees. Toji manages to get the door open halfway but a sudden surge of water catches him by surprise. The door shuts closed again. Toji growls in frustration before reaching forward in another attempt.

Megumi whimpers and you hold him closer to your chest. Your heart beats frantically in your chest as you watch your husband struggle with the door. His arms, huge and defined by cords of hard-earned muscle, are taut as he slowly but surely inches the door wider. When he can get in front of it, he uses all of his body weight to keep it fully open.

“Go!”

Toji shouts and motions for you to pass through first. You immediately do as he says and start forward. The sudden rush of water leaving the house threatens to topple you forward, and it nearly does as Megumi’s weight makes you lean forward, but your legs carry you swiftly into the outside corridor.

Toji keeps the door open a little longer to let more water escape your home. It cascades down the wooden stairs, down the hillside, and onto the beach in a giant stream. When it’s all nearly gone, Toji comes up to you, right hand on your waist and left hand on Megumi’s back, and his eyes scan you both for any signs of hurt.

“We’re okay,” you assure him. “You got us out. Thank you, Toji.”

He pulls you into his embrace, placing a kiss to both your foreheads. He lingers longer against Megumi, who turns in your hold on your hip and lunges for his dad. Toji’s expression flashes briefly with surprise before he lets himself relax with his son’s face pressed into his neck and short arms spread across his broad shoulders. You release Megumi into his father’s embrace and smile to yourself, mostly out of relief, but it makes your heart swell to see the two share a tender moment.

The dogs are near the top of the stairs, shaking off water from their coats. You go over to check on them. Kneeling down, you take each of their heads in your hands to check their eyes, ears and muzzles. Next you inspect their paws, but you stop short when a shimmer on the top board of the stairs catches your eye.

The moonlight shines down on the lingering water. But it’s not the presence of the water that troubles you, it’s the direction it’s flowing. Instead of heading down the stairs it’s trickling up into the corridor. A small puddle is already forming.

“Toji…”

You stand, tugging on the dogs’ collars, as you take several steps backward. Your sudden awareness seems to have an effect because the puddle is rapidly growing in size and trailing each of your footsteps.

“Toji,” you repeat. “Something’s not right.”

“Huh?” He comes up behind you, making you stop, following your gaze to the floor. “It’s just a puddle, angel.”

“No, look.”

You move from side to side and the puddle follows your movements. Both dogs start to growl. Toji takes a step forward, Megumi still in his arms.

“What the—”

A wave of water suddenly shoots out from the stairs and you and Megumi shout. Toji reaches out to you and pulls you backward with him. Your gaze sweeps down the stairs and toward the beach. You gasp, seeing the source of the water is coming directly from the ocean.

The water crashes into the roof of the corridor and falls onto the ground, speeding in your direction. Toji is quick to pull you toward the door of the lighthouse, calling for the dogs to follow. But when you reach the door, Toji lets out a curse.

“What?” you ask.

“The key is inside the house.”

“What do we do?”

You look to the driveway, the dirt dry and untouched, where the car is parked. You’d have to climb over the railing while dodging the water. It’d be risky, but if you couldn’t get into the lighthouse what other choice did you have?

“Dammit,” Toji grumbles. “After I just fixed the hinges on this thing.”

You’re about to question what the heck he’s talking about when he sets Megumi down on his feet and takes a large step back from the door. You pull Megumi into you and watch in awe as your husband lifts his right leg and slams it against the door. The wood creaks against the abuse, but your husband takes that as a sign to give it another. Two more powerful kicks are all it takes to send the door flying off it’s hinges and across the foyer of the lighthouse.

Toji doesn’t waste a second as the water travels rapidly across the long corridor and is now at your heels. He pulls you both inside, pushing you toward the foot of the winding metal stairs. The dogs surge forward while you follow them. Megumi is behind you and Toji is at the rear. Your lungs work in overdrive as your legs and thighs burn the higher you climb. You keep looking over your shoulder to make sure your family is still behind you. They are, and so is the rising salt water. It’s filling the round structure, as if it were a water tower instead of a lighthouse.

You’re almost to the top now, just one more flight. You keep your thoughts on the singular goal to reach the top, but a thump from behind makes you stop. You turn and see Megumi fallen on his knees. You go to help him up, but Toji shouts at you.

“Keep going! I got him!”

Toji effortlessly curls his arm around Megumi’s middle and hoists him up into his side like a doll with his arms and legs dangling in the air. You turn and run the rest of the way up. There’s a small landing at the top with a couple chairs, blankets, and a lantern. This was meant as a watch post, not a place to survive a tidal wave. You look around but there’s nothing to help you escape.

Toji herds you all against the farthest edge away from the rising water. There’s only three rungs left before the water reaches the landing and then it will completely overwhelm you.

Even in Toji’s embrace, the safest place you’ve ever known, you tremble. Megumi clings to both of you as he buries his face in his father’s chest. The dogs cower at your feet as they too look frantically for an escape. You try to steady your breathing, to ready yourself for the inevitable.

The giant ignited lamp of the lighthouse rotates dutifully. You hadn’t fully registered its presence in your mad dash up the stairs, but now it’s glaring. Its powerful yellow glow gives the water an ominous aura, as if there’s something lurking within. You swear you see a figure in the water, but you blink once and it’s gone.

They’ll come for the boy first.

Aina-san’s voice fills your head. Is this what she meant by haunted? Water figures and the ocean coming to drown you? You did all you could to keep it from claiming Megumi, but now it seems it was all in vain. You’re all going to drown at the top of this lighthouse.

You look at your husband one last time, accepting your fate, and place a kiss to his cheek.

“I love you.”

Toji’s expression is hard. You can see the calculation in his green orbs. Always trying to find a way, never giving up on keeping his family safe. He’s better than you could ever be.

“Don’t say it like that,” he huffs.

“But—”

“We’re not dead yet,” he insists, fixing you with a passionate stare.

You gather enough nerve to match his expression, giving him a nod in return. Your eyes return to the stairs. One rung left until your safety is invaded. Again, your eyes scan the space but you fail to find any life saving uses from two chairs and some blankets. Think. Think, think, think, think—

“The water,” Toji whispers. “It stopped.”

Your gaze jumps to the edge of the landing, where the water has indeed stopped rising. You watch the way it rocks to and fro, trying to go higher, but it can’t. That’s when you notice the lines carved into the stone floor.

You stand and take a step forward, stopped when Toji grabs your wrist. He reluctantly releases you when you tell him you’ll keep your distance, you just want to check something. The closer you inch toward the stairs, the more the carvings become apparent. They’re etched deeply into the floor. Patterns made of straight and curved lines that are unrecognizable to you, and they’re all around the inner edge of the circular landing.

Your eyes float from the carvings to the water. A thought flashes in your head that these might be some kind of sigil or warding to keep the water at bay.

You rejoin Toji and Megumi, relaying to them your theory about the markings in the stone. Megumi looks over in wonder while Toji’s features still harbor skepticism.

You grab the blankets and drape them over your huddled forms, still in your sleepwear, while the dogs curl up next to your feet. Your little family has no other choice but to wait this out.

Toji rests his chin on your head, his gaze fixed out the giant panes of glass. He’s seeing for himself what you’ve already realized. Something has flooded the lighthouse and trapped you inside while keeping the outside completely dry. You do your best to stay awake, but Toji’s voice coaxes you to sleep.

The next morning, you wake to find the lighthouse is free of water. Toji takes the lead going down the stairs. Once he’s sure the metal staircase is still structurally sound, he motions for you all to follow him. You follow him all the way down until you’re outside in the chill of the summer morning air.

Although the water has receded, you still feel surrounded. The ocean to your right and the lighthouse to your back. Even the small home you’ve come to love feels as if it’s no longer safe. You hear only one voice in your head, and it’s begging you to listen.

You look over at Toji who’s looking down at a still sleepy Megumi slouched against his father’s leg.

“Toji.” Your husband raises his head when you say his name. “It’s Saturday.”

“It is.”

“You hungry?”

He looks over his shoulder, down the long corridor toward your home, and then back at you. He shrugs. “Yeah. I could eat.”

Toji lightly jostles Megumi awake and places a large palm on his son’s head to steer him in the direction of the house. You jog ahead toward the door, still ajar, and slip into the kitchen. You grab the car keys off the counter and toss them to your husband, who then steers Megumi toward the truck in the driveway. You go deeper into the house to grab a bra for you, pants for Toji, and a light jacket for Megumi. You quickly gather the items, as well as a pair of shoes for each of you, before you head back outside with full arms.

The drive into town is the same as always. The same fields of grass, the same light jostle of the truck onto the paved road, and the same storefronts that line the streets all the way to the diner.

This is the first time you’ve come here and actively seek out Aina-san. Megumi leans against his dad’s side, fighting off sleep, and the dogs lie with their heads on their paws beneath the table. You sit across from Toji and crane your neck for any sign of the old woman. Your family is here earlier than usual, which doesn’t go unnoticed by your waitress when she pointedly avoids drawing attention to your very casual wardrobe, but you don’t have to wait long after you give your order to catch sight of Aina-san.

It only takes her one look at your appearance to realize something has happened. Aina-san approaches your table and this time she takes a seat. You tell her about the night you’ve had, and she listens without interrupting.

When you finish you and Toji share a look. Most of his skepticism was washed away last night, but you can tell he still holds on to some strings of rationality. One of you has to since you’re already halfway into the deep end, waiting with baited breath for Aina-san’s verdict.

“You’ll need to perform an offering,” she says.

“What kind of offering?” Toji asks before you can.

“Abalone,” the old woman answers. “The sea king prefers abalone. You can find a bed of them a mile down the coast from the lighthouse.”

“That’s perfect,” you say.

“How do you know so much about this?” Toji questions, tone unabashedly suspicious.

You kick his shin beneath the table. He pays it no mind as Aina-san answers him easily.

“I used to be ama.”

“Ama?”

“Women divers,” you cut in, remembering her earliest words to you. “They dove for pearls and sea creatures. They also did the offerings, right?”

“That’s right. Which is why a woman must be the one to do it again.”

Toji narrows his eyes at the old woman. “I don’t think so.”

“Toji—”

“No.” His gaze jumps to you. His words are insistent. “I’ll do it.”

“A woman must do it,” Aina-san repeats. “Otherwise you’ll have a repeat of last night’s events. Maybe even worse.”

Toji doesn’t take his eyes off you. Green pits of fire blaze passionately, desperately, for you to pass this burden onto him. Your husband begs for another opportunity for redemption, but he’s more than shown you how much he’s changed since you first met. He’s no longer the hollow shell of a husband who lost his first wife, neglecting his young son and living a life avoiding responsibility, drowning in his deep sorrow.

Toji calls you his angel because you came into his life when he and Megumi needed it the most, but to you Toji and Megumi are the biggest blessings you’ve ever received. You’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

With a fierce resignation, you turn your gaze to Aina-san.

“What do I need to do?”

Toji lets out an indignant tsk and leans back in his chair. His eyes continue to bore into you while you speak with Aina-san about the breathing technique used by the ama. She’ll have to train you before you make the dive. Then she pulls out a pen and pad of paper from her purse to show you patterns to sew into megumi’s clothes and draw on sheets of paper to ward off the water demons. You realize they’re the same ones on the floor of the lighthouse landing.

You pay close attention to her every instruction and feel hope bloom in your chest.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

You devote yourself to diving training for the next week. Your background as a swimmer is an advantage, but even with Aina-san’s guidance you aren’t able to perfect the breathing technique in such a limited amount of time.

Each day that passes, you become more and more aware of the heavy presence surrounding your home. The warding Aina-san showed you at the diner is nailed to every side of your house as well as the door to the lighthouse, newly repaired by your husband. It’s only through the warding that you suddenly become acutely aware of the energy that’s always been present.

When the day of your dive arrives, Aina-san arranges a boat to take you both out into the water. Toji and Megumi are here on the beach to see you off while the dogs run around in the sand. You crouch down and give Megumi a hug, and he whispers in your ear to be careful. You give him a kiss on the cheek and promise you’ll be back soon.

Your husband’s arms are crossed. His expression is petulant like a child’s, has been since you said you would do the dive. But you also see the fear lingering in his eyes and the guilt heavy on his brow.

“I should be doing this,” Toji says.

You shake your head. “Aina-san said—”

“I don’t care what that old lady said.” He’s pouting now. You’d tease him for how cute it makes him look if the situation weren’t so serious. “It’s my job to take care of you and Megumi. It should be me going into the water.”

“You already have,” you remind him. “You saved Megumi once. Now it’s my turn.”

You reach up and gently coax his massive arms apart. You step into the newly created space and bury your face in his chest.

“You don’t have to do it all yourself. We’re a team.”

Toji rests his cheek on top of your head. “Just…come back to me, angel.”

“I will.”

You lift your face and angle your lips so that he can give you a kiss. You reach up on the tips of your toes to place another kiss to the corner of his mouth and then his cheek before you throw your arms around his neck and squeeze. His arms curl around your waist and he squeezes back. You pull apart when Aina-san calls your name from inside the boat. You give each of your boys one last kiss before you climb the short ladder onto the small vessel.

The early morning waters turn rocky as the boat gets further away from the beach. You look back and watch as your husband and stepson’s figures get smaller and smaller on the shore.

When you reach the spot for the dive, the boat becomes stationary. It rocks to and fro as you idle in the middle of the ocean. The sky is clear. Sunlight reflects off the water’s surface, a mirror for the sun.

You sit on a bench nailed to the side of the cabin in a diving suit, more warding sewn into the fabric. Aina-san helps you secure your flippers while you adjust your goggles to fit comfortably over your eyes and nose. You’re going in without an oxygen tank, as it’s traditionally done, so it’s up to your body to make the nearly fifty second dive.

You thank Aina-san before you carefully step up to the side of the boat and then jump into the water. The cold temperature shocks your body but you can already feel yourself adjusting. Your head resurfaces and you look up at Aina-san where she’s holding out a long netted bag for you to take, which you do.

You tread water the next minute as Aina-san coaches you one last time, reminding you of the mechanics of the breathing technique. When you’re ready you turn away from the boat and take a deep breath, conscious of what Aina-san taught you, and then you dive.

𓏸𓈒𓂃𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸

Your family sits around the low table in the living room as Toji, tongs in hand, carefully eyes the mollusks being prepared over the charcoals in the tabletop grill.

Your dive was successful, having harvested four abalone in total. The first, and largest of them, will be offered to the sea king, then there will be one abalone for each of you to eat after you’ve offered up your prayers.

“Are they almost done?” Megumi asks, hands looped around his father’s neck as he hangs off his back. Two emerald gazes watch the grill.

“Almost,” Toji says.

Your eyes too are glued to the abalone, remembering your descent into the ocean. The hardest part was focusing on your breathing. You had to resurface twice before you could keep your nerves steady enough to reach the ocean floor. But when you did it was a wonderful sight. Such diverse life beneath the water’s surface. It was difficult to find the abalone since they camouflage into their surroundings, but you’re grateful that you found at least one. Lucky to find three more.

You were running out of breath by the time you found the fourth, so you were quick to turn your body toward the surface. It was only as you were ascending that you noticed the figure. The same one from that night in Megumi’s room. Only it looked more solid now. They kept their distance, most likely due to the warding on your wetsuit, and merely watched as you exited their domain.

Toji declares the abalones are done, pulling you out of your thoughts. You stand as he places three of them on a plate and keeps the largest one between the tongs to transport it over to the altar in the top corner of the room. He carefully reaches up to place it on the small plate Megumi had helped you set up along with the seashells and dried seaweed he’d collected from the beach.

The three of you stand below the alter. Three pairs of hands clap twice, and three heads bow. In unison, you recite the prayer you’d practiced to give thanks and honor to the sea king. After a few seconds you raise your heads and exchange glances, silently hoping this will ensure your family’s safety.

You return to the table, where the dogs are laid out underneath. Megumi sits between you and Toji to watch as you slice lemons and your husband begins to melt butter in a small pot over the grill. The quiet of the room is slowly pushed out as your voices take over. Megumi will start school in another month, Toji still has plenty of projects to complete around the lighthouse, and you’re considering taking up Aina-san’s offer about continuing your ama training.

The three of you find comfort in each other as you talk about the future. One that feels more real when you enter the living room the next morning and find the abalone on the altar is gone.

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