#and wondered just what obi and shirayuki were getting up to behind the dock

[sabraeal]

Rarely Pure & Never Simple, Chapter 9

[Read on AO3]

Obiyukiweek 2023, Day 6: Free Day

Bright and early comes and goes with no sign of Obi.

Shirayuki nurses her morning tea at her usual place, hips braced against the sink and eyes fixed somewhere out past Nanna’s curtains. Or they would be, had any of her concentrated efforts to grow extrasensory powers in elementary school panned out the way she’d hoped; instead she’s stuck staring at ninety-percent frill, all that crocheted lace and starched lawn an impenetrable barrier to the outside, even if it only covers three-fourths of the glass. Nothing a quick bounce on her toes wouldn’t solve, but there’s no casual way to pop on tip-toe, no elegant way to stretch up over that homemade horizon that Nanna won’t immediately read as nerves.

And so she stands there with both hands wrapped around the mug, Felix the Cat tick-tick-ticking behind her. The reflection of his tail shimmers across the glass, a ghost of itself where the sun shines through. As long as she keeps her palms pressed against ceramic, it’s impossible to tell if they tremble.

But when the long hand gives one, tenuous tremble past nine o’clock, Shirayuki finally has to admit: he’s late.

“Oh, don’t wear that face,” Nanna chuckles, shuffling up to jog her elbow. And steep her own cup of tea, but that seems a secondary errand next to giving Shirayuki a hard time. “There’s no world under this sun where that boy stands you up. He’s just running a little behind, that’s all. Your father couldn’t read a clock to save his life either.”

Ah, she’d been hoping the furrow between her brow made her look serious and concerned, not…pouty. “I’m not worried about that.”

She might have been a few months ago, back when all this was new, and Obi’s interest seemed at best mystifying and at worst circumstantial. But with almost half a year under her belt, Shirayuki’s firmly aware of where she sits in the hierarchy of Obi’s personal cosmology: disturbingly close to the top, well above his own personal well-being, but somewhere just below food. Or, well, at least below Funyons.

“It’s just…what if something happened to him?” Her stomach clenches considering what sort of grim misfortune could befall him in the three miles between their houses. “You know, they say that the worst accidents happen just outside your own home. What if he—?”

Nanna clucks fondly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “He’s a growing boy, honey. The only thing that’s gone and happened to him is hitting the snooze button too many times.”

“No one presses buttons anymore, Nanny,” Shirayuki sniffs, taking a long sip from her mug. “Everyone’s got phones now, and there’s apps where you can even—”

There’s no time to inform Nanna of sleep rhythm tracking or blue light-induced wakefulness; no, she can’t even express that there’s different alarm sounds before reality frustratingly, inevitably resolves to favor her grandmother.

An ill-tempered groan is all the warning Shirayuki has before Obi’s jeep heaves to a stop at the curb. With a few more metallic grunts, it spits him out on the front walk, whole and intact, at least from where she stands. There’s a chance he might have a scratch or two beneath the thin fabric of his vintage tee, or maybe a skinned knee where the flames at the bottom of his trunks cast a shadow, but well— she probably shouldn’t hope that her boyfriend’s hurt himself, even if Nanny’s going to be unlivable over it.

“Well, would you look at that.” Grandad rests his arm right across the top of her head, squinting right over the curtain. “Positively occult, that’s what I say.”

“Oh, come on,” Nanna huffs, giving her tea a showy little stir. “That’s hardly anything at all. You should see what I can get up to when there’s a baby involved.”

“Not any time soon, I hope,” Grandad snorts, using his arm to tip her head back and remind her, “Don’t get any ideas there, pumpkin.”

Her tea hasn’t cooled a jot, but with one hand clapped to both, her cheeks are still the hottest thing in this kitchen. “Pa!”

It’s no use, Grandad’s already strutted right across to the front door, look all satisfied with himself for a joke well-executed. His hand settles on the knob for a long moment, tentative, like he’s waiting, and then with one swift turn, opens it with a flourish.

“Ah.” Obi’s hand drops from where he’s raised it, hooking it right around to scrub at the back of his head. “Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning, young man.” Shirayuki rarely pities her father, but seeing Grandad turn that grin on Obi, she understand why he might have elected for windows as the main source of entry to this house. “Are you here to pick up some precious cargo?”

“I think cargo would be better behaved.” Obi’s head cranes around the corner, gaze sweeping the kitchen it can reach. “Is Shirayuki here?”

“And waiting!” Nanna’s wrinkled hand presses against her back, guiding her right to the door, tea mug and all. “You two have a good time now. Do you need me to put that in a cup for you, honey, or—?”

“I-I can leave it.” It squeaks out of her, nervous, and ah, last night had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now when she looks at him—

God. Even now the scrape of his voice leaves tingles racing beneath the frail barrier of her skin, like static electricity waiting to be unleashed on the nearest metallic surface. I would have come for you anytime.

Shirayuki’s cheeks are already flushed, but she could swear the next flood of heat could sear them from the inside out, like a sunburn in reverse.

“Not too good a time,” Grandad tells them, a little arch, but she can see how a smile clings to the corner of his mouth, more teasing than warning. “Don’t need to hear about any trouble after the fact.”

Nanna swats his shoulder. “Oh, really! There’s going to be a hundred kids at this thing at least. How would they even manage to get up to anything in a crowd like that?”

“You must be getting old, Nan.” Grandad hangs from the door just like Shirayuki’s seen boys lean against lockers, giving her a cheeky grin and a wink. “Can’t remember the sort of things we used to get up to when we were eighteen.”

“Oh, hush!” Pink dapples her wrinkled cheeks, and she shakes her head. “All right, off with you two. I don’t need you getting any ideas from this old lecher.”

Grandad only smiles wider as they shuffle past him to the stoop. “I don’t think they’ll need any of my help with that, dear.”

The last thing she heard before the door shuts is Nanna’s huff, that sharp cluck of her tongue before she issues a warning, “Now, Dad…”

And just like that, the sound muffles, leaving only murmurs of her grandmother’s discontent— and the high points of Grandad’s laughter. It’s not long until she hears Nanna’s too, breathless and consternated, the last bastion against his charm. Shirayuki ducks her chin down, burying her smile in her shoulder. Nanna won’t hold out long.

“Man,” Obi sighs, a laugh bubbling under his words. “They’re exhausting.”

“Tell me about it,” she agrees, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. It’s only just long enough for a ponytail, and the front pieces keep trying to make a bid for freedom. “I think my heart stops every time they say we might be…”

Having sex. She can’t make herself say it. Can’t even make herself look at him, not when just last night she’d taken that picture he’s sent her and— and—

Please. It’s strange how vividly she remembers the words when she hadn’t ever spoken them out loud. All of it happened strictly in the confines of her own head. I want you. I want you inside—

Fingers slide between hers, gently squeezing as their palms come to kiss. “Hey,” he murmurs, his other hand reaching up to rub at his shoulder. “We’ll do whatever you want when you’re ready for it. I don’t care about what anybody thinks but you.”

It should be easy to tell him that it’s not about other people, and it’s certainly not about what popular opinion has them do behind closed doors, but— but about her. About what she had managed to imagine last night, all on her own, with only his chest and the hint of his erection to spur her on. About what she might be ready for if there was some way to— if only she could—

But she can’t. Not when she can’t even decide what it all means in terms of, er, readiness. So instead she just squeezes back. “I know.”

She dares a glance up at him then, taking in the faint circles around his eyes, the way his hair sticks up wildly from every direction. He must have just rolled out of bed and straight into his car.

“Sorry.” He scuffs his boot shyly on the stoop before hopping down, using their tangled hands to guide her after him. “I, uh…overslept.”

Shirayuki blinks at him, concerned. “Did you forget to set an alarm? I thought that you usually—?”

“Yeah, well, kinda slipped my mind,” Obi mutters wryly, stare pointed even from just the corners of his eyes. “I kinda had a big mess to clean up right before I hit the hay.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks prickle with heat, matching the tingle up her neck, and it’s a good thing he has his back to her to open her door. She doesn’t think she would survive if he could see her too. “That, um…makes sense.”

“And let me tell you, it was an even bigger one this morning,” he continues, so casual as she slips into the seat. “After I woke up to this.”

She glances up right into his phone’s screen, open to their messages. And there it is, in gray and white, I’m stuck

“O-oh,” she breathes, whole face so hot she’s sure it’ll crack to show magma beneath. “I, ah, forgot I sent that. I didn’t think you’d…”

See it, she doesn’t say. Because of course he would; even if he wasn’t awake to get it hot off the presses, Obi would never ignore her texts. And from the way he bends down, one hand braced on the back of her seat and the other on the dash, he’s not in any mood to forget it either.

“Too bad I missed it. I would have loved to help you.” He leans close enough her eyes cross to keep him in focus. “Only would’ve been fair after you gave it to me to so good last night.”

Ah, if he keeps that up, she might just erupt, the way kids in elementary school used to tease her. You got lava for hair, they’d always say, which suited her just fine. That’s how they drew Madame Pele in the books after all, and if it was good enough for her, then—

Obi’s gaze drops down to her lips, and, oh, well, that’s enough for her higher cognitive thoughts. “Did you…?” She licks her lips, nervous. “…Um, like that?”

“Kid,” he breathes, and that’s as much warning as she had before his mouth presses against hers, capturing her bottom lip between both of his. His tongue traces the shape of it, a gentle tease, a promise. Her fingers scrabble against the center console, trying to gain some purchase before she leans in, scraping them over his scalp.

“Jesus.” He pulls back, flushed. “Just…one second. Okay?”

She has enough presence of mind to whimper out, “Uh-huh.”

Obi jerks upright then, spine stiff and limbs loose like a marionette with a poor puppeteer, the tension of his strings all tangled. He shuts her door— gallant, like always; a gentleman, Nanna would hum, too pleased— but when he crosses in front of the grille to make for his, there’s none of his usual swagger. No flirtatious winks, no cat-like prowl that makes her flush, remembering the way those muscles feel like between her thighs. No, now there’s only a sense of urgency, a scramble to throw himself gracelessly into the driver’s seat.

He coaxes the car to a cough, its frame shuddering beneath her feet, still so stiff, not even daring to look at her.

“If you were a cat I’d take you to the vet,” she says, mild. “But I think they’d just tell me you had gas.”

That gets him to blink, to swing his head toward her. “What did you just say?”

“I was just wondering if something was wrong. I mean, if you were…” She hesitates, scrolling through her mental thesaurus until she settles on, “Upset? About something?”

“Upset?” It’s not a question, but a giggle, one that doesn’t so much bubble up as purr out of his throat, and ah, that probably shouldn’t make her toes curl or stomach drop, but here she is. “Kid, I…”

It’s with a sinuous shift that he leans over the gap between them, one hand cupping her jaw and coaxing her up to him. She doesn’t need much convincing; the second his fingers brush over the soft skin behind her ear she’s already reaching up, tongue darting across the space between them. He gasps against her; she drinks it down greedily, and the groan that follows, until he—

He pulls away. Again.

This time it’s not far, just enough to rest his forehead against hers, breath scattering enticingly over her lips.

“Last night,” he hums, breathless. “That was really good for me. So good. Distractingly good. All I’ve been thinking about this morning is how I wouldn’t mind if we” —he hisses, pained, and squirms back, hands gripping ten and two— “Ah, nope, never mind. That’s…we’ll talk about this later.”

Shirayuki blinks, head too clouded to keep herself from blurting out, “Am I in trouble?”

It’s no giggle when he laughs this time, throwing the car into drive. No, that one comes from a deeper place, one that thrums at the same pitch as something just beneath her skin, turning the space beneath her belly molten.

“Yes.” The gaze he turns on her is scorching, enough that every inch of her feels burned. “A lot of trouble. But…” He clears his throat, dragging his attention back out the windshield. “That conversation is going to have to wait.”

Her mouth is so incredibly dry. “Why?”

He snorts, like it’s funny, but she sees his grip shift on the wheel. “Because I can’t drive this car and make you come at the same time.”

“O-oh.” Her thighs clench tight, but that’s not help at all, not when he’s right here. “We could pull over…?”

“Kid. As tempting as that sounds…” The look he slides her makes her skin feel two sizes too tight. “We’re already gonna be late as it is. And the last thing we need is someone speculating what we needed the extra half hour for.”

It’s a reasonable reservation; the kind she should be concerning her with. The kind she would have been, if her body hasn’t suddenly informed her it’s been over two weeks since he’s touched her, a whole sixteen days since he last put his fingers insider her, and— “I don’t think anyone would notice if we’re only a little late.”

His narrow brows pitch toward his hairline. “That so?”

“I mean, we’ve been together for a while now,” she reminds him, voice only quivering with the barest tremble. “We’re old news. I’m sure that, er…”

“A certain friend of your will have an extremely detailed estimate of just what we could have accomplished left to our own devices?” he offers, a grin tugging at his lips. “One that, might I add, assumes quite a a few very complimentary things about my stamina.”

Shirayuki deflates, defeated. “Does that…bother you?”

“That Kihal thinks I could make you taste colors? Are you kidding me? I knew I always liked her for a reason. It’s just…” His grin doesn’t exactly fade, but the mischief leeches from it, leaving it a pale shadow of what it once was. “As happy as everyone is for us, I know some people…maybe didn’t think it would fall out this way. And I don’t want to…to feel like I’m rubbing it in.”

Zen, he means. Who had thought— who everyone had thought would, ah…

“All right.” She reaches over, squeezing his knee. He jumps, ticklish where she presses in. “Let’s behave, then.”

“Fine,” he sighs. “Can’t believe I argued for this.”

“It’s because you’re a good person,” she tells him. “A good friend.”

“No, he’s the good friend,” he mutters, pulling off onto the main road. “I’m just trying to deserve it.”

*

“Well, well, well.” Kihal slinks up jeep-side, taking the cooler Obi hands her from the back. “What’s this? Twenty minutes late and looking refreshed? Wonder what you two were up to.”

“Refreshed?” Shirayuki pants as she swings her beach bag over her shoulder, sweat dripping down her back like a popsicle left in the sun. Obi may not be old enough to drink, but by the title in the glove box, the jeep was. A pity that cars tended to age in dog years. It would have been nice to have the AC on a day so muggy not even the windows couldn’t cut the heat. “That’s a…bit of a generous read.”

“What did I tell you? Complimentary.” Obi snorts softly, shutting the hatchback. “Nice to know the girl thinks I could fuck comfortably on a Slip N Slide.”

Ah, now there’s a picture. “Could you? I mean, in theory.”

His eyebrows waggle in a more certain ‘no’ than any he could put into words. “Wanna find out?”

It’s the sort of tease that should have made her stammer and flush, pressure like a hand on her neck no matter how obvious he made the joke— or it would have, only a month or so back. But now she meets his mirrored lenses and just shakes her head, stifling a giggle. Her hair doesn’t budge from where it’s plastered to her neck and shoulders. “Nope.”

“Aw, kid,” he sighs, slinging an arm around her shoulder as they step under the trees. “Where’s the sense of adventure?”

It’s a short walk to where the seniors— former seniors; or if she really thinks about it, upcoming college freshman— have made camp on the shore, coolers and camp chairs taking up the small stretch of sand where the pine cover relents. It’s packed; if there’s not all two hundred plus of their graduating class here, then it’s close, most of them spread out on towels or splashing in the shallows

“Fyi, stay away from those coolers.” Kihal points toward four hard plastic coolers the size of a car trunk, cozened up under two extra-wide beach umbrellas. “Student Council’s covering drinks— at least as long as they last in this heat— but those aren’t ours.”

“Oh yeah?” Obi’s narrow eyebrows hike over his frames. “Who’s catering?”

Her mouth curls into a sneer. “Beer Barons.”

“Beer Barons?” There’s only a few restaurants in town, but Shirayuki’s pretty sure she’s never heard of that one. “Who’s that?”

Kihal huffs, arms crossing right over the band of her bikini top. “Oh, you know, the idiots who have been stealing from their parents’ mini bars and think that makes them master thieves?”

“What?” She stares at the coolers, nearly as large as the one in the pub’s basement. “That’s all alcohol?”

“Kid.” Obi’s mouth twitches. “Did you not know about this shit? It’s all anyone could talk about for months. This must be their big finale.”

“Their parents have got to know, right?” Kihal cocks a hip, skeptical. “I mean this is too much booze to be a coincidence.”

He snorts. “Oh, they’ve known the whole time. You think all those surgeons and stock brokers couldn’t put together why their mini fridges haven’t been stocked since October?”

“Mm. Good point.” She shakes her head. “Rich kids.”

“Pot,” Obi hums, mouth curling into a smile. “Kettle. Black.”

“Hey.” Kihal whips out a finger, prodding it into his chest. “I’m comfortably upper middle class.”

“I…” Shirayuki’s mouth works, but there’s nothing to say, not when she can’t recall a single thing about it. She’d been more concerned with passing in projects and sitting in on rehearsals and the brief moments Zen would scrounge up to talk to her; it’d been easy for everything else to just blur away like some aesthetic backdrop on a Christmas card. And then she’d slipped into Obi’s car and asked for kissing lessons, and well—

Well, sometimes it felt like her whole world could be just the two of them, if she let it. Less so now that he’s going to Lyrias— no need to try to fit a whole relationship into six months when they have another four years to fly or flounder— but it’s hard not just reduce her attention down to just those moments that are him and her and the way he can make her feel.

“People have been stealing alcohol?” she squeaks out, finally, weathering the wide-eyed stares Obi and Kihal turn on her. “From their own parents?”

Kihal’s quiet for a moment before she snorts, shaking her head. “You really do live in your own world sometimes.”

*

“So…” Shirayuki sits back on her heels, surveying the rumpled edge of her beach blanket. A few more tugs and it might lay flat, but she can’t muster up the gumption when getting it this far has sweat pouring down her spine, drenching the back of her cover up. “Is there anything besides alcohol to drink?”

“Uh, yeah, duh,” Kihal chuckles, spreading her legs out in front of her. “Student Council brought a bunch of soda and some Capri Suns. Should be right over there.” Her chin swings over to where there’s a couple of chest coolers— larger than what the Beer Barons have dragged out, but not nearly as nice— sweating in the sand. “But if that doesn’t move you, your jolly giant friend brought water or whatever. That’s in the bag over there, the soft one— yeah.”

Shirayuki flips open the lid, and there it is— probably twenty or so bottles fit so snugly together the ice has no place to go but on top, scattered in the small crevices between them. Heavenly, in this heat.

“Speaking of tall drinks of water,” Kihal hums from behind her, head propped up on her towel. “How’s yours?”

She blinks down at the Aquafina in her hand. “I…haven’t opened it?”

“Shirayuki, I don’t mean” —a hand flies up to Kihal’s forehead, accompanied by a groan— “I mean Obi. Your boyfriend! The guy with the great ass!”

That gets her to jerk up, scanning the crowd until she finds him crouched over a cooler. One of the alcoholic ones, she realizes, his grin wide as Mitsuhide warms up to the lecture he’s launched into, and well— she hadn’t noticed before, but now that he’s bent down, shirt shucked and swim trunks draw tight over his, ah, backside, it’s clear that they don’t leave much to the imagination. It doesn’t help that for all the stylized flames licking up from the bottom, the top is just a grayer shade of tan, and with it pulled so taut against him…

Well, even though she hasn’t seen him without his pants, she can take a pretty good guess at what he might look like under them now. Skin tone and all.

“So tell me.” Kihal rolls to her side with a smirk. “Is he proportional, or…?”

“Proportional?” She stares down at her, confused. “I haven’t measured, but it looks like his legs might be longer than his wing—?”

“Shirayuki,” she groans. “I mean, his dick.”

Her jaw drops, so dry not even a sip of water soothes it. “I don’t— I wouldn’t know! It’s only been a few months, we haven’t even…”

Seen each other naked. That’s what she means to say, except it gets stuck in her teeth, refusing to budge. Because Obi has, hasn’t he? Between taking off her shirt and getting her off with his mouth, her nakedness is a technicality. But she—

“Really?” Kihal stares at her over the rim of her sunglasses. “I know you said at graduation that you hadn’t done anything but…seriously? He walks around looking like god’s gift to women and you still haven’t torn off the paper?”

—She hasn’t returned the favor. Every glimpse of new skin from him makes her temperature rise ten degrees, and yet here she is, with some…dickphobia convincing her she won’t like the rest. It’s silly, she knows it is, but…

But it’s impossible to explain to someone like Kihal. To someone who knows how to want things.

“I’ve wrinkled the edges a little bit,” she admits slowly, twisting the bottle in her hands. “But I’m, um…savoring it, I guess.”

Kihal huffs, but it’s not judgmental, like she expects. Instead it’s playful, accompanied by a roll of her eyes and a grin. “I should have known. You let your ice cream melt before you eat all of it too.”

“Well, but that’s better warmer!” she protests, crawling back onto the blanket. “Isn’t it?”

“It really isn’t.” Kihal gives her a fond smile before she sighs, “Fine, take your time with him. But you better report back when you have answers. We’re best friends, you can’t hold out on me.”

“I will.” Even if they might be thirty when she does. “I mean, within reason.”

“No, no reason! I want to know every freckle or whatever. I should be able to picture his dick fully formed in my mind, no—”

“If you’re so desperate to know about proportions,” Kiki drawls, dropping down beside them. “Then you should know, Mitsuhide is.”

“God,” Kihal sighs. “I knew it.”

*

There’s a point— later in the day, of course, when some of her fellow former seniors have finally stated to filter out and the crowd thins— where it all becomes a little much. Where the sun and the heat and the nostalgia starts to tire her out, making her feel faded, like she’s bleached at the edges, frayed. This may have been her first year at Wisteria High, but she’s lived in this town her whole life, walked these woods more times than she can count. She even has pictures of herself standing in front of this very lake, baby fat still clinging hard to her cheeks.

The water laps around her legs, sun sinking from afternoon to evening, and all at once, she knows: it will never be like this again. That some of these people will say their goodbyes, and they’ll be gone from her life, forever. There will be high school reunions and chance meetings at the grocery store and social media posts, but—

But this is it. The end of an era. And here’s her, sitting at the end of the dock, tenaciously trying to cling to the last of it. Lingering like if she saves a few sips at the bottle of the bottom, her childhood will never truly be over.

At least, that’s what it feels like before something tan and lean surges up out of the pond, cold water splashing all over the tender skin of her thighs.

“Hey, Kid,” it says, tossing back wet hair with a predator’s smile. “Carrying something heavy there?”

She’d love to wrinkle up her nose at him, to give him a good, honest frown the way she used to when her wayward ASM would get up to no good, but for as much as there’s chaos in that grin, there’s concern too.

“Do you remember when we last came out here?” she murmurs, looking out across the water. “You dared me to skinny dip.”

Most of Obi’s submerged, his arms folded across the dock like a bowline around a cleat, but what she can see— every bit of it goes tense. “Yeah,” he rasps out, turning his head out toward the water. “Kinda…hard to forget.”

She blinks down, practically boring a hole through the whirl of his cowlick. “Really? You were…? Even then?”

“Why d’you think I was so eager to go in after you?” he grumbles, shoulders oddly flushed. “I kinda…listen, I didn’t really get what was going on with me when it came to you, but when you shimmied out of that skirt of yours—”

“You said you weren’t going to look!”

“I wasn’t looking! I was peeking.” Obi does a little bit of that now too, though his eyes skitter away before she can catch them. “It’s different. Anyway, I figured it out real fast. Too fast! Thought that freezing ass pond water would help. Which it did. Mostly.”

Her eyebrows raise. “Mostly?”

“Well, I might have caught a nipple too. You bobbed up a little when you splashed me, and uh…” He casts her a guilty look, though not an ounce of it seems sorry. “Well, it helped with things later. On my own. More than a couple times.”

There’s a prickle of heat between her thighs, enough that she has to clench to keep her head from spinning. “So you…? To me…? Then?”

“Ah, we don’t have to talk about me.” He lets his mouth hook into a smirk. “I think we should talk about you. And how you got stuck last night.”

“Oh!” That had been a conversation she’d meant to have on the ride here, a small victory she thought he’d be happy to celebrate, but now that his cheek rubs against the outside of her thigh, casual like he’s just wiping off a drip of water from his eyes, well— “You don’t need to, um…worry about that.”

“Hm?” His lips linger against the smooth flesh of her hip. “But I have been. All afternoon. Haven’t been able to” —her breath catches as one of his hands drops, tracing over her ankle— “stop thinking about it.”

A sigh trembles out of her, thin and helpless as his thumb smooths over the skin there, so sensitive she almost squirms. “You didn’t…have to…”

“Of course I do,” he hums, playfully taking the edge of her suit between his teeth. “It’s my job to make sure that you don’t get—”

“It’s fine,” she blurts out, hardly able to hear herself over the blood rushing through her ears. “I handled it.”

His jaw goes slack, her suit snapping back against her skin. “Come again?”

“I, um…” She swallows, ever part of her tingling under the intensity of his stare. “I got stuck, but then I, ah…got myself unstuck?”

“On your own?” he asks, strangely distant.

“Ah…” She nods, hoping he can’t see the way her hands tremble in her lap. “Y-yeah.”

A grin breaks out across his face, as bright as the dawn itself. “You wanna show me?”

Shirayuki stares. “What? Now? But there’s people—”

“We can solve that.” His hands wrap around her waist; her only warning before he drags her down, pond water splashing up around her shoulders before she can think to swim.

“Obi,” she yelps, hands scrabbling for his shoulders. She manages to hook one on her own, but he guides her to the other, pulling her close enough that her feet can rest right on his thighs. The muscles tense beneath her toes, hard as the pylons that serve as the dock’s mooring, and haah, well, the water’s a little warmer now that she’s got that in her head.

“See?” he hums, one hand gripping the dock to steady them. “Nice and private.”

She’d like to argue, but there’s no line of sight to the shore from this side of the dock; she’d have to bob up to even see the other one, positioned right across the lake, and well—

“We shouldn’t,” she gasps, fingers clutching tight enough her nails leave little crescent on his shoulders. “Not…not right here. Anyone could just…just swim over…”

The arm around her tightens, and Obi’s grin smooths to something more serious. “You don’t have to, kid. If this doesn’t feel good, then I’ll tease but not touch.”

Her toes curl against the flex of his thighs, and, ah, each lap of the water makes her aware of how close he is, of how much she would like to be touched. “I…um…”

“But…” He leans in close, his grin so wicked her heart skips a beat. “I think you’re into it.”

“O-obi!” It’s hard to hold the moral high ground when she’s so flushed it’s a surprise water doesn’t boil when it touches her. “That’s not…I’m not…um…”

“We’re not going to get caught.” It’s a promise when he says it, a certainty. “But…it still feels a little wrong, doesn’t it? That we could get caught. That someone else could see me touching you, and they’d know how good you get it, how good I can make you feel.”

She hadn’t thought it was possible to tremble like this and be so hot, for her to be fully submerged and yet know that she’s wet.

“Come here.” He parts her legs, wrapping them around his waist, leaving her wide open to him and yet still hidden from view. “Now no one can even tell, even if they do look this way.”

“Obi…” It’s not a no. God, it’s not even a yes; it’s a please.

His grip tightens around the dock. “Show me what you were doing last night. I want to see it.”

His free fingers drop between them, pulling aside the strip of nylon blend that covers her, and haah, the caress of the water against her folds has her hand diving between them before he can ask again.

“Jesus.” Black eclipses gold until only a thin rim of it remains, trembling the way his arm does as he holds them steady. “Kid…”

The pond’s hardly clear enough for him to see the way she drags her fingers over herself, so slick and ready that she tumbles into his hand more often than she manages to brush her clit, but it’s— it’s working, a few strokes bringing her close enough to that painful edge that she whines, head thumping back against the dock.

“Fuck, wait,” he gasps, mouth slack. “Tell me…tell me what you were thinking about. Last night.”

“Obi.” How can he expect her to talk when every bit of her longs to be consumed, when all she can think about is that she’s empty, and she could— he could— “You.”

“Good.” His grin is insufferable, but there’s something about it that makes her gasp, that makes her think about him laying next to her, just watching as he— “What about me?”

“Your picture.” She should be embarrassed, mortified that she’s even admitting to getting off just by looking at him, but it’s hard to remember when he’s so warm under her hand, when he’s looking at her like he can’t decide whether to kiss her or devour her whole. “It was— you were— hard. I wanted…”

A lot more than she’s ready for, she knows that even now. “I wanted it to be you,” she manages instead. “Touching me. In my bed. I thought about good your fingers are, and I—”

She nearly comes right there from the way he groans, forehead resting against her shoulder. “You like that? Me touching you?”

“Yes. And I thought about how I could— how I might—” She whimpers, frustrated, chasing that elusive high round and round, but finding no relief. “Obi, I need— more, please—”

“Fuck. Yeah, okay I” —he laughs, the sound muffled in her shoulder— “I got you.”

Two fingers thrust between her lips, but he doesn’t bat away her hand, like she expects. Doesn’t take over. No, after that first thrust he slows, following the rhythm of her slower strokes, fingers pumping into her with a languidness that has her whining against his throat.

“Tell me,” he murmurs, so low her skin shivers. “What were you think you could do?”

“I”—she’s so close it hurts, her voice barely eking above a whisper— “I want to touch you.”

It’s not the pace of his thrusts or the teasing of her fingers that pushes her over, oh no— it’s his face, the way his mouth goes slack and he flushes straight down to his shoulders, every bit of him vulnerable, every bit of him wanting. A whine escapes her, threatening a keen, but he swallows it as she trembles, pulling her closer even as his fingers never still, pulling each last thread of pleasure out of her.

When she’s done, they’re adrift. Or, well, at least no longer hanging off the dock.

“Well,” Obi chuckles lowly, letting her tortured swim suit snap back into place. “You didn’t do that alone, but I think an assist counts.”

A laugh bubbles out of her as she presses her head into his neck, self-conscious. “It’s just…better when you touch me.”

“Haah.” They’ve floated shallow enough that he can stand, and he does, nearly dropping her straight back into the water. “I’m glad to hear it, but uh…” He squirms, trying to unwrap her from his waist. “I think I got to, er…”

She blinks up at him, only clinging closer. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing! Nothing. That’s was…” His mouth curves, utterly satisfied. “That was great. I just…have something I should go take care of.”

“What do you—?” Something twitches against her, and ah, it’s an answer. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” His flush has faded to pink, but it’s still there, lingering. “And unlike you, it’s, ah, a little more obvious when I handle myself. So I thought I might…”

His head jerks toward the wooded part of the shoreline, lingering just a few elementary backstrokes away.

“Oh, you mean…?” It’s far enough from the beach that she doubts anyone else would be wandering through, but still, she frowns. “In there…?”

“Yeah.” He disentangles himself from her limbs, setting her down gently. “I’ll only be a minute.”

He draws himself up, water coming just under his hips, and ah, it’s not just his butt that those trunks don’t leave to the imagination now.

“Wait.” She catches his hand. “Obi…”

“Really, kid.” His eyebrows raise, emphatic. “It’s not gonna be long. You, ah…did a good job out ther.”

“No, it’s just…” She licks her lips. “Can I…come?”

He blinks at her, eyes so wide she’s sure they’ll fall out of their sockets. “I thought you just did.”

“I mean…” She stands up too, only up to her waist here, shivering when the wind blows over her. “I’d like to see you come again. Maybe even…help?”

His breath catches. “Ah, yeah.” His fingers squeeze tight around hers. “Yeah, I think that would be, uh…fine with me.”

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

17 with obiyuki pls!

Promptsare currently closed while I catch up. I will announce when I am open! :)

17. Needing to kiss to hide from bad guys

Content warning: Involuntary intoxication, dubiousconsent, and lots of kissing. Also, lime!

The brain is a brilliant, amazing, and terrifyingthing, filled with synapsis that connect and fire, who’s entire purpose it to bring to the forefrontof your mind the most… trivial of details when you need it the least andteasingly withholding the most important of facts of a mystery when you need them the most.

Never is that more apparent than when she is at herstupidest. Never is that more real than in the seconds before she most surelywill die.

Not that she’s an expert. Or anything.

—–

There’s the lift, the weightlessness, the fall. Thesquawk of outrage just as stone gives way to nothing, gravity giving way toreality as the earth comes closer. Closer still-

Grandpa, she squealed, her laughter floating with her as sheleft the safety of his hands. There’s the blue of the Tanbarunian sky, thepattern of her skirt – pink stripes and lemon yellow – as the wind catches, theway the leaves rustled in the apple tree above. Grandpa, catch me!

He’s not here. Not anymore. No one is here to catchher. Not from this height-

And the water swallows her up, just like it swallowedup the smooth green stone that meant life, that meant justice for Kihal andPopo and all the others, and Shirayuki sinks. Down and down and down- deeperthan she ever has before- touching bottom before kicking herself back to thesurface-

“Miss!”

Grandpa wasn’t there to catch her anymore. But he at least sent someone to fall with her.

~ ~ ~

“It’s beautiful,” she sighs, wistful, as the planes ofLaxdo disappear behind them. It’s not that Tanbarun didn’t have snow, but itfell so far away. While the city might occasionally dust with frost, theclosest she had ever been to real, actual snow was- was books. Illustrations inthe storybooks of her childhood, and then, later, in thick dusty tomesillustrating the first flowers breaking through mountain snowpack in theSpring. “It’s a shame we have to leave so soon.”

She’s never known a snort to be kind, so she returns the gesture with a glare. “Youdisagree, I take it?”

The cut of his mouth as he grabs hold of her arm issharp and secretive. “Oh Miss,” he drawls, pulling her astride his horse. “Iwould be happy never seeing a single flake of snow again.”

It would be a shame to see him buried under it.

There’s little warning but the tremble of earth, theway the fat little puffs that had been chirping so happily in the trees above suddenly flee with a panicked song, but she catches it before he does. The roll of snow, first alittle, then a lot-

It’s dangerous!

And all she can think – all that she knows – is thathe could be hurt. That the snow would take him under, tumble him beneath it,knock him out cold and then- then she would be alone. Out here. Digging withgloved hands until they were soaked through and she could no longer feel herfingers, searching for him and searching some more and never- never finding himbecause it had taken him so far beneath it.

So she- she just-

Pushes.

“I could’ve avoiding that on my own, Miss!”

For once, she’s not the one that has to be rescued.

~ ~ ~

It’sdangerous. Zen says quietly,bending in close while Izana looks on. Her heart jerks uncomfortably, skintightening in anticipation and eyes darting from Zen’s lips to the King’s eyes. Viande is the city of spies.

The tilt of the Kings mouth is strange, the light inhis eyes even more so when he adds, Canals, Zen. It’s the city of canals.

Would that she listened to the both.

——

Well, aside from present company, she supposes she’s a betterexpert than most.

Breath stings her throat, heart pounding behind hereyes, she runs as fast as Obi’s weight will allow. The alleyway behind them is as dark as the alleyway before them, littlepinpricks of candles illuminating the faces of the gods that watch so passivelyas they dart past. Would that they reach out, that they point the way tosafety or where she might get Obi help, but they just… look on. And she doesnot linger. 

Above them, the stars are blotted out, the windows onthe second and third stories shuttered tight, and the pitch makes thesecobblestoned streets more treacherous than normal. Slick with rain, she slideson them, catching herself against walls but never – not once – letting go ofhis hand. The shadows almost stole him from her once. She was not going togive them a second chance.

It’s only because she’s paying attention, that she’sleft to dully wonder how, stoned out of his mind, he’s able to move more silentlythan her, that she catches the clap of her shoes turn dull. They thud againstwood for one step, two, before she sees the shine of a buoy on dark water.

Skidding to a stop, she hovers just at the edge of thedock, her terrified reflection staring back at her, before a solid mass ofmuscle and bone slams into her from behind. Her skirts fly over the dark water,reflection coming closer and a scream caught in her throat when an arm latchesaround her middle so hard that she knows she’ll bruise.

Obi leans back, bringing her with him, and they bothland on their seats with a groan.

“Miss,” he slurs, his heart pounding against her spine. “Be careful.”

Boots beat a drum on cobblestones, echoing off the narrowalleyways, and she doesn’t have time to panic. Eyes adjusting to the barelights of the canal, she takes in the long shapes of the gondolas thuddinggently against the dock. Their bodies, so shiny and clever in the light, are nothing but shallow shadows in the dark. But they are covered well enough with long bolts offabric. Maybe enough to hide a body or two.

Turning, Shirayuki wraps her arms around Obi, hooking herlegs around his waist and rolls. Obiis all limb, and it’s like pulling taffy, hard at first but then his musclesstretch, resist, and then go lax at all once, letting her bend them to herwill. They land with a dull thud in the bottom of the boat.

He’s entirely unhelpful, giggling madly on top of her.

“Shh,” he holds his fingers over his lips, like sheisn’t the quietest one among them for once. He sounds positively gleeful whenhe adds, “They’re going to kill us.And if they don’t, Master will. Maybe His Majesty, too. Can you be killed threetimes?”

Right. Still no help from this quarter. 

Groaning, she pushesat his shoulders and he goes easily, legs tangling impossibly in the fabricthat was supposed to be their hiding spot. So that plan is out. Scrambling uphim, Shirayuki stretches over the edge of the boat, fingers pinching hopelesslyaround the knot tethering the boat. This really- it’s Obi’s forte, but shetries. Even with Obi groaning beneath her, steadying her thighs with his facepressed into her belly, she tries. But they’re shaking too badly.

A passing wave sneaks under their little ship andShirayuki sways with it, landing a yelp on Obi’s lap.

“What was that?”

The sound of a strange man should send her into a panic. But she does’t have time and- and Obi’s face is- very close. Eyes wide, pupils blown wideand mouth parted, with his heart pounding a rapid rhythm beneath her palm, she- she shakes herself, grabbing hold of those stupid leatherstraps of his and using them to haul his body where she needs him. Propping him in thecorner, his head falls back with a soft groan.

“Miss,” he breathes, grasping at her hips as she liftsherself to see. “Miss, get down.”

There are shapes moving in the dark. Unfriendlyshapes, heading straight towards them.

Drawing her lip between her teeth, she looks againtowards the brackish water that shimmers with buoy light and mist, that swaysthe boat, then back down at the man who is bracketed between her thighs. He’stoo broad, and she’s too heavily dressed. Even if she had time to strip down toher chemise, she’s never been that good of a swimmer-

“Miss,” he breathes again. Her eyes focus on him, andonly now she notices the way his chest heaves beneath hers, and her mind startspiecing together symptoms.

Elevated resting heart rate, dilated pupils, rapidbreathing-

They must have slipped him an accelerant. In hisdrink. In his food. Maybe even a contact drug to the skin-

Obi’s tongue flicks his lower lip and her breathcatches. This is- is not a good time to be thinking about something like this.

“Come here,” he pants.

“Obi?” she mutters, confused, when his hand finds theback of her head, urging her down.

At the touch of warm skin to her lips, her hands splayout in surprise and- Oh. Oh. 

He wants- he’s trying to- Wait, now?!

Obi pats her frozen arm once and, oh- she gets it now. Bothher arms wrap slide around his neck, anchoring him to her and his hand dropsdown to flex at her thigh. It’s- it’s nice, more than a little bit, and Obi’s lips are far softer than she imagined that they might be. So she tiltsher head, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss a little more. And it’s just apress, a flick, really, of her tongue to his lower lip, but Obi bleats like adying sheep, stiffening in her arms.

“Shh, shhh,” she whispers against him, tightening her holdon him and smoothing one hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.Just- pretend? For a moment?”

Air shutters out of him, whining in her arms, and thenhe drags her down onto his lap. Already her thighs had framed his, but now her skirtsruck up to her hips, baring the line of her stockings to cool air and mist, andit’s- it’s thrilling and a little dangerous, so she draws his lower lip betweenher teeth and bites. Gently bites. But it draws such a sound from him-

Obi’s always been a good actor, but he’s doing a far better job at pretending than shethought he could.

Both his hands splay over her ass, and she whimpersinto his mouth when he drags her forward, until she’s flush against-

Oh. Oh!

Right. There must be… some aphrodisiatic element to whateverdrug they slipped him.

Gasping into his mouth, she shifts, proud of the groanit draws from him. It makes him wilder, more unhinged, his hands no longercareful but demanding, meeting her tongue with his and sliding it across theroof of her mouth.

Another wave rocks the gondola, pressing him to her,and she squirms in his lap, opening up even further to him. Each surge presseshim to her in new and better ways. Some are nearly too much, others areperfect, sharp bursts of pleasure, and yet others are so faint that itleaves her hips chasing his.

His hands drag away from her ass, tangling with thepins in her hair, pulling strands tight and she- god help her- she moans, driving down, again and again, pleasuring her bodywith his. Obi’s mouth drops from hers, instead landing open and wet against hercollarbone. Little breathy whimpers fan across her chest, his fingers touchingevery bit of exposed skin he can find. When his tongue finds her neck, lipswrapping around flesh and sucking, herhead falls back to her shoulders, and she cries out-

“Hey!”

Shirayuki starts, and would have fallen from his lapwere he not holding tight to her spread thighs, had his mouth not teased theshoulder of her gown to fall enough to expose her left breast. His mouth isstill there and she opens hers to- to yell. To scream. To say somethingthat would distract them, but then he draws her nipple between his teeth andall that comes out is a tortured groan.

Laughter drifts across the water, and she wish she hadit in her to scold him.

“Better quiet your Miss,” one of the shadows jeers. “Gondolierscharge extra if they catch you.”

She might die. She might simply die, but Obi justraised one hand in a wobbly thumbs up, mouth not leaving her skin for even asecond, and she tips to the side, onto her back with his legs spread indecentlywide around Obi’s hips. The way pleasure jolts through her when he lands on topof her is really- it’s not fair.

But whatever Obi was planning, it seems to work. Itearns them some whistles, some more laughter, and an older voice saying, “Comeon, boys. We’re not gonna finish this job by catching a show.”

They lay there, hearts pounding, breath ragged, as footsteps slowly fade away. Obi’s breath is damp and hot against her skinbut he’s- he’s not doing anything but panting anymore. It takes a momentto realize that her fingers have tangled in his hair, that her breasts arecold, but she- she aches all the waythrough to her toes, and she wishes she had a way to say keep going. She wishesshe had a way to say stop.

Obi draws back from her, his grin a shaky thing as helooks down on her.

“Always trouble, Miss,” he laughs, voice high, before hiseyes roll back in his head and he promptly faints.

[shirayuki-wisteria]

Reunion is a Time of Bliss

Zenyuki Week, Day Seven: Reunion

Title: Reunion is a Time of Bliss

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this fan-fiction except my horrible grammar and writing skills. All the characters or cities mentioned in this fan-fiction belong to Akiduki Sorata unless said otherwise. Any references to real people or places are purely coincidental.

Synopsis: When Zen comes back from the Northern Checkpoint to Wistal Castle after successfully cleansing the Bergatt family name, he doesn’t realise that Shirayuki has already arrived before him. What will happen when they accidentally meet each other late at night? |/(o ^ o )\|

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Zen tossed from side to side, trying to get into a comfortable position. He feebly threw his blanket around to see if that would help, but it was all for naught. He sighed as he gave up, rising and leaving his room to go for a short walk around the castle to clear his mind.

Though he had the sense to throw on his coat over his pyjamas, the night wind pushed back his hair with a cold force, making his eyes slant slightly to try and see through the night.

This walk is probably doing more harm than good, He surmised sombrely as he trudged slowly through the bitterly cold night. Maybe I should just go back in—

He was abruptly cut off when a glint of shining hair flowing in the wind caught his eye. He had to blink a few times to fully register that what he was seeing was real. I-Is that really her?!

The Second Prince broke into a sprint, the cold not affecting him anymore. The figure he was heading towards had a hood pulled over their head, so he couldn’t see their hair until a gust of wind blew it back.

“Shirayuki!” He felt his voice call out to her but didn’t feel conscious of it. She stopped to look back at him.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Z-Zen?!”

He stopped right in front of her. “I didn’t know you came here before me…”

She nervously started scratching her cheek. “W-Well… Kiki and Mitsuhide suggested that Obi and I both ride a carriage here, but you know Obi. He rode behind me on a horse.”

Zen gave her a slight smile. “That sounds exactly like what he would do.”

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “Would you like to go somewhere right now?”

She blinked in confusion. “Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Before she could answer him, he grabbed her hand and began leading her away. “Come on, let’s hurry before someone finds us!”

They quickly exited the castle, successfully not getting caught due to Zen’s amazing memory of the guard’s rotations. The two made it to the place Zen had in mind.

“Here we are,” The Second Prince informed her when they stopped at one of the many ports of Clarines with a shimmering sea. The full moon was almost like a massive golf-ball, half-covered by the horizon line of the sea. The half that was visible was mirrored into the water, a halo of radiance around it. All in all, it was a very pretty sight to behold.

“It’s so pretty!” Shirayuki let out in awe as her eyes glimmered with wonder. “How did you find out about this place?”

Zen shrugged. “I stumbled across this on one of my many escapes from the castle. It’s become somewhat therapeutic for when I’ve had a particularly harsh day.”

She turned to him and gave him a slight smile. “One would imagine that it would be.”

After that, they found a nice viewpoint on top of an elevated hill nearby and decided to go sit there to watch. They sat with their arms wrapped around each other, not a word said to one another. They both let the wind and the glorious moon envelop their senses for a moment.

“This reminds me of my grandfather,” Shirayuki murmured under her breath, barely audible for Zen to hear. “He was very fond of boats and used to take me on his when I was younger. We’d have all sorts of fun together, catching fish or just paddling through the water. No matter what we did, I always enjoyed it. I miss him now…”

The sad gleam in her eyes told the Second Prince that she was on the brink of tears, and he frantically looked about for something to console her with. Found it!

There, tied up to a post on one of the numerous decks, was a wooden boat. Its paddles were still inside it and it looked easy enough for him to manage. I suppose I could do that!

He turned towards Shirayuki. “How about we go get a better view of the moon on a boat?”

The redhead’s eyes widened in surprise, then in glee. “Are we allowed to do that?”

There was no mistaking the mischief in the silverette’s eyes. “No.”

They chuckled softly as they made their way down the hill and to the dock. After unfastening the rope from around the post, they settled themselves into the boat and began paddling towards the sea.

“Do you know how to operate a boat?” Shirayuki asked curiously.

“No,” He admitted sombrely. “I was hoping you would.”

“Well…” She began, nervousness creeping into her voice. “I’m a bit rusty, but I do know a thing or two about boats!”

With that, Shirayuki was put in charge of steering them towards a good vantage point of the moon. Since Zen was new with this, she steered it slowly so he wouldn’t have any difficulty steering at the same pace as her. With this partnership formed, they made it to their terminus with time to spare.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but it looks even more beautiful when you’re closer to it!” The redhead squealed excitedly like a little kid getting a new toy.

The Second Prince couldn’t help but smile at her exhilaration. “Its craters and glow are more defined when you’re in close proximity to it, huh?”

She nodded multiple times, awe rendering her speechless as she stared up at the moon and all its glory. “Beautiful” wasn’t the word he was looking for as he stared at her; in fact, he didn’t think a word would do enough justice to her beauty at this very second.

Her smile quickly dissipated as she noticed his intense stare, turning towards him in concern. “Is something wrong, Zen?”

Without saying a word, he pulled her towards his person, his lips meeting hers in a fiery act of passion. Their kiss, like their relationship, was pure but equally fervid in the same instance. Zen put all the worries, stress, and longing he felt in the past months into his kiss, hoping she’d understand what she was trying to convey. Once she did, she put all her feelings into her kiss as well. They only pulled away when the need for air overcame their need for each other.

“Tonight was a good night, right?” He asked her unsurely.

She smiled widely at him. “Yep!”

They sat inside the boat long enough to have watched the moon set and the sunrise, enjoying every second of each. They stayed in the same spot until a very annoyed Mitsuhide—followed closely by a stoic Kiki and impish Obi—called for them to come back to shore.

“They’ll make me do more paperwork as punishment,” Zen pouted.

“Ahhhh, the lives we live are unforgiving ones indeed,” Shirayuki lamented sombrely as she helped steer the boat back to the shore.

[sapiomorph]

Bubbles and Baubles: Part 3

Obiyuki Week day 6: Little Mermaid Haaaah, this is getting longer that it’s supposed to. Part 4 will be the last.

After what had happened down at the rocks, the herbalist had spent the rest of the day in a daze. The truth of what she'd seen, of what he was, was nearly overwhelming. Whenever she had felt settled, another image of the merman's golden eyes and sharpened teeth would scurry through her mind like a mouse. Spending the evening with everyone, more than one worried question was sent her way, and forcing smiles as white lies slid between her teeth was more draining than nights spent grinding and mixing herbs back in Wistal.

She had left for bed early that night, leaving a slightly forlorn Zen behind to complete a jigsaw puzzle by himself. With a single lamp to illuminate her room, Shirayuki paced in small circles, mouth in hand as she stared at nothing. Eyeing her bed with an expression akin to a convict faced with certain doom, she debated with herself over whether or not she should bother with sleep tonight.

It was only the thought of facing a concerned Kiki in close quarters that sent her to bed.

Her dreams were formless, shifting from murky waters to resplendent gold, the sound of waves fading in and out, You truly mean that echoing over and over. Even when she awoke, his voice remained in her head, like a melody she couldn't forget.

Deciding that sleep would be next to impossible, she quietly thumbed through her book on mermaids; she had to double check to see if mermaid's were supposed to be enthralling, because her merman seemed to be an aficionado at plaguing her mind. 

She'd have to remind herself to ask him tomorrow.

Shirayuki later woke to an empty room, the inn quiet save for children occasionally running by, shrieking and laughing. Smiling, she quickly dressed and made her way downstairs. This time it was Zen who had left a note; the Duke was making himself a nuisance to the locals and to the festival, and he had to smooth things over.

"Well that clears up one thing." She said to herself before pulling up her hood. Double checking that the mermaid lure was still in her bag, she set off.

Mouth set in a grim line, Shirayuki clambered back over the misshapen rocks, bag in hand and her objective in sight. He'd taken her by surprise yesterday, but this time she was marching to battle prepared. After what felt like hours, the herbalist had finally pushed the merman from her mind last night and slept. Clearly, his unnatural charm was wearing off, which was encouraging.

Standing before the rushing waves, Shirayuki took a deep breath of the salty air.

"Alright, let's try this again." Tongue between her teeth, she pulled back her arm, ready to throw--

"You don't have to keep doing that Miss."

"Wha--?!" Shirayuki dropped the lure as she jumped in surprise. There he was, resting his arms on the rocks with his amused smile firmly in place.

"I mean, you could keep throwing it out, but I feel like its only an optional way to get my attention Miss." The low purr of laughter in his voice made her blush slightly. This level of control he seemed to have over her thoughts and emotions was getting ridiculous and she squared her shoulders.

"Well that's good! That means I don't have to keep swinging this around if you're going to be here waiting for me."  Lifting the lure off of the rocks, she stuffed it back in her bag and turned to face him, determination set in her eyes.

"Obviously I'm here because I have a lot of questions."

"I'm sure you do Miss, but..."

He held up a hand as voices suddenly echoed in the background, the high trill of children scrambling towards the tidal pools, with the tired tenor of parents failing to the rein them in. Shirayuki ducked down, hunkering behind the rocks.

"Here isn't a good place to talk."

He slid closer to her in a way that can be only be described as suave, lifting a finger to his lips. And once again, Shirayuki noticed the droplets of sea water running down his arms, skipping over the lean muscle--

The herbalist forced herself to look at his face, into his eyes that were just as dangerous as the rest of him. The evolution of curiosity to fixation was a short one, and she needed to be careful. She was very close to Zen after all, and...

"Do you have a place in mind then?" She asked in a hushed whisper that was absolutely not hoarse.

"Oh that I do, if you're willing to follow me Miss." His voice was as calm as ever, but his eyes were dancing yet again in a wild excitement, no doubt at the thought of leading her on to another discovery. And possibly laughing at her. Again.

"Just watch the water, and follow my lead." 

Even though she did her absolute best to sneak past the frolicking families at the tidal pools, it still felt like a fluke that nobody had noticed her. Tugging on the fringe of her hood, Shirayuki left the beach, following the trail her ‘friend’ was leaving for her.

She made her way down the docks of the port, watching and listening for the telltale splash of the merman’s tail to guide her. It was cleverly done, small innocuous splashes that wouldn’t seem out of place to the common eye, and she had to admit she was impressed.

Weaving her way through the heart of the fishing docks, Shirayuki walked past more and more houses as she entered the outskirts of the town. The sheer drops of the docks gave way to a sprawling beach and with a final splash, she looked up to see the broken hull of an old boat, overturned on a set of rocks close to the shore.

"A boat huh?" She muttered to herself before gingerly stepping across the rocks. The water was shallow, but she didn't want to spend the rest of the day walking with wet boots and stockings. Each jump from rock to rock was carefully calculated as Shirayuki held her skirt tightly around her knees. When she finally reached the shipwreck, she took a moment to catch her breath, looking at the husks of barnacles plastered to the hull. Pressing a hand against the salt-weathered wood of the boat, she found a large hole and crept inside.

The water gurgled as it swirled around the insides of the boat, lapping against the ring of rocks that were much more smooth than the ones from before. Shafts of light filtered down through the broken deck, the spots of sunlight dancing on the miniature waves. The water was much clearer here, allowing the herbalist to see the hills of sand sloping down and away beneath the waves. Minnows flicked in and out of sight, and a small crab scuttled by. Her window to the sea was completely out of sight from the shore, and Shirayuki knelt on the rocks just the merman appeared.

She was finally able to see him beneath the water, smoothly cutting through the water in a predatory glide that made him every inch the shark that he resembled. It took her breath away, just for a moment, and she did her best not to stare when he surfaced.

"This is much nicer, wouldn't you say Miss?" He asked, looking incredibly pleased with himself. Stifling a snort, she smiled back.

"Yes, yes, it's lovely. This was a wonderful idea, and you were so clever in thinking of it."

He let out a genuine laugh, pulling his chest up past the rocks.

"You'll make me blush if you keep that up Miss!"

"I'd like to see that."

"But that's not why you sought me out again, right?"

Shirayuki shook her head, shifting to get more comfortable. "Not really, no."

He tilted his head, a motion she was ashamed to admit was adorable. "Not really? What does that mean?"

"Well...it was a lot to take in all at once yesterday, and I wanted to confirm things for myself. What had happened had really happened, you really were real, and I didn't even know your name!" She glared at him in mock anger, puffing her cheeks.

"All things considered, you could've at the very least told me that before vanishing!"

He ducked his head, having the deceny to look apologetic. "Yes...yes you have a point there."

He looked back at her with a wide smile and waved a hand. "Hello there Miss! My name is Obi."

"Obi..." She turned the name over in her head, marveling at how well it suited him. "That's a nice name. Hello Obi!"

Obi chuckled again, his bare shoulders shaking. "Hello Miss. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Shirayuki threw out her arms, gesturing at Obi. "Isn't it obvious? Everything!"

"Well, we'd be here for days if that were the case Miss, but I can tell you the basics." Obi shifted forward onto his elbows, his dorsal fin poking out from the water. He lifted a hand and began ticking off his fingers.

"I travel all over the ocean, but I visit this place every year for the festival. My tail resembles a shark, but others that I know of do have different kinds--"

"Others?"

Shirayuki had perked up, eyes bright with wonder, and it seemed to take him aback.

"Eh, yes. Other 'merfolk', just like the ones in your stories. But you don't have to worry about me luring you to your watery death. Only sirens bewitch sailors like that. So be sure not to make any lures for them." She would've laughed if he hadn't suddenly sounded so serious, so she nodded vigorously.

"Understood. Though it's unlikely I'll ever meet one, or lure one. You're the one I want to talk to!"

His eyes widened, and Obi ducked his head, but not before Shirayuki could see the pink dusting his cheeks. And it felt amazing to have him being the flustered one for once.

"Uh, well...thank you Miss."

"You're welcome! So," She scooted closer, eyes wide and attentive. "You were saying?"

That won her another chuckle, and Obi returned to his list, the tips of his ears still a bit flushed.

"Well, I eat fish, but shrimp is my favorite. Although I did nip a fisherman who thought he could pull me in with the evening catch."

Shirayuki blinked, something stirring in her memory. "Wait, fisherman? Did he have a large beard?"

"And smell like the sailor's grog he drank? Yes, that was him." He gave her an impish smile.

"He has a huge scar on his arm! That's a 'nip'?!"

"Ah...maybe it was more of a nibble?" His smile widened, his fangs coming into view and shining in the light. Shirayuki stared at them and couldn't help but imagine just how painful Obi's bite must've been for the poor man. His scar hadn't been small at all, and if Obi called it just a 'nibble'...

"Do you want to touch them? I promise I won't bite if you do."

Her eyes met his, and his grin widened, a teasing glint in his eye. It was a dare, plain and simple, set up for him to tease her yet again. 

'We'll just see about that.' She thought to herself, and nodded.

"Yes, if you don't mind." She didn't miss the flicker of surprise in his eyes before he chuckled.

"Alright then." He said, leaning up and opening his mouth wide.

Oh.

It horribly fascinating to see rows of shark's teeth in a human mouth, and Shirayuki leaned closer in spite of herself. They almost didn't seem real, but here they were. Carefully, she lifted a hand, testing her finger against the tip of a fang...

...and nearly had a heart attack when, with a small plink, it broke off.

"Oh no, I am so sorry! I didn't mean--it just--it just broke and I--" Shirayuki was panicking, waving her hands as Obi pressed a palm to his mouth, shaking. "Did I hurt you?! What can I do?! Is there a way to reattach it or--?"

Obi threw back his head and laughed, full-throated guffaws shaking his frame and sending ripples through the water as his lower half bobbed about. Shirayuki watched in shock, more confused than she'd ever been in her life as Obi tried to control his laughing.

"Believe me Miss, it happens all the time!" He managed to gasp between giggles. "Here, let me show you!"

Opening his mouth again, he reached in and, after a bit of wiggling, pulled out a second tooth. Presenting it proudly, he dropped both teeth in her palm.

"There you are! You can keep those as a souvenir if you'd like, maybe a necklace perhaps?"

After staring at her palm, then at Obi, and then back at her palm, Shirayuki sat in silence.

"Really? Does it really happen just like that?"

"Oh yes. I can pull a third if you want."

"What about ten?"

"Probably."

Their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing.

They were able to talk for hours after that, from Obi describing forests of seaweed and winding coral tunnels, to Shirayuki describing her hometown and the sight of the castle skyline. The freedom of the open waters, to the beautiful lights of dawn sifting through forest leaves. The thin filament patterns of a leaf's veins, and the rainbow of scales in enormous schools of fish.

"I'm sorry Miss, you're a what?

"I'm an Herbalist. I work with herbs and plants to make medicines that help others and...well...it's a very esoteric subject so--"

"Eso...what?"

"....Nevermind."