A soft spring breeze danced into the bay somewhere far from the open sea, rippling the unusually calm waters of the Ionian shores. It zigzagged between the high crags protruding through the surface, ruffling the crowns of the trees that grew at their tops.
The breeze reached all the way to Yone's favorite cove, playing with his long red and white hair that hung over the edge of the rock he was lying on. It resembled a lounge chair in its shape, and it was just high enough above the surface for Yone to idly browse the silvery end of his caudal fin through the azure water. The sound of gentle waves and fluttering leaves was soothing on Yone's jagged nerves after a long and tiring week. Other merfolk would usually spend a Saturday like that one lazing around on the rocks or in the shallow sun-lit waters by the shore, searching for pretty shells and pebbles.
He, however, still had a lot of work to do, spending that beautiful day correcting his students’ assignments. As stressed out as he was, he was at least glad that he had something to busy himself with. If he just sat there lounging mindlessly, the waiting would drive him insane. No, he’d much rather bury himself in work just so he wouldn’t have to think about how much he missed his beloved.
Unfortunately, it was harder to do so with every passing day. It’d been weeks, and K’Sante still hadn’t come back from his business trip. Yone didn’t worry about him. There wasn’t anything odd about it after all. It was just one of K’Sante’s annual business trips to his homesea near the Shuriman South Coast.
A frown settled on his face. He needed to stop being so silly. It wasn’t like him getting so distracted while working. But he couldn’t help it. He kept catching himself zoning out, having to re-read every other line twice.
He flapped his tail in frustration, splashing a sprinkle of water into the air. The drops glittered in the sunbeams that found their way through the gaps between the leaves. He ran his hand through his hair with an exasperated sigh, his head falling back to rest against the rock. It was ridiculous. As if it wasn’t enough that his students had been a pain the whole week. Not only had they tried to cheat on a test, but they’d also had the nerve to come up with a rude nickname for him after he caught them. On top of that, there wasn’t anyone at home waiting for him. Their house felt too dark and empty, not like home at all without K’Sante there, lacking the warmth and light of his husband’s presence. It was so…lonely. He missed coming back to K’Sante’s bright smile and the comfort of his strong arms. To the chaste kisses and soft laughs they shared to chase away the stress of everyday life. He flapped his tail again, sending another spray of water into the air. The cool droplets fell on his almost dry skin, providing a welcomed refreshment.
With another sigh, he lifted his dominantly crimson-colored fin out of the water and curled it upward to look at it. The sunlight shone through the translucent webbing in a shifting pattern created by the ever-moving leaves. His eyes slid down a bit lower, stopping just above the junction of his fin and tail. There, a simple wrought cuff of white gold adorned it. Embedded with delicate sea glass beads, the pale green and yellow contrasted the deep red of his scales but matched and even enhanced their shine. A soft smile settled on his lips. He tilted his tail a bit, watching the accessory shimmer under the midday sun. The beads reminded him of K’Sante’s scales and his own wedding accessory. His was more intricate and sturdier in design, reflecting his husband’s taste, and embellished with pointy red coral beads.
The smile on Yone’s face tugged at the corner of his mouth at the memory of their endless discussions about the cuffs’ designs. If it had been solely up to Yone, he would have been perfectly happy tying a piece of rope with a single shell around their tails. But as he’d found out, that wasn’t a wise thing to tell a renowned jeweler and expect him to be pleased with the idea. It was also not a wise idea to suggest buying a matching set and “be done with it.” He had gotten genuinely afraid K’Sante would call off the engagement after he had said that. After all, K’sante took great pride in his craft. It wasn’t that Yone didn’t care for nice jewelry or about their wedding, but, at the time, it had been going on for weeks, with K’Sante insisting that their wedding jewelry must be perfect. To Yone, anything would have been perfect as long as it was proof of their entered-out-of-love marriage.
However, five years after exchanging their “I do’s,” and currently on their fifth annual weeks-long separation, Yone must admit that he was grateful K’Sante insisted on crafting their custom wedding cuffs himself. The knowledge that they shared something so uniquely them , something K’Sante crafted with all his love and care for their relationship, made getting through the long, lonely days much easier.
He could basically see K’Sante’s large hands using his tools with so much finesse, shaping each piece and assembling it with such precision that Yone couldn’t do anything but stare at him in awe anytime he got a chance to watch his husband immersed in his work. Jewel-making was a delicate work, something one wouldn’t expect a man of K’Sante’s size to pursue. However, a common misconception about jewel-making is that just because it is a delicate work, it is also a gentle one. Just like there was a misconception that his husband lacked said gentleness in the eyes of those who didn’t know him.
Yone hadn’t been an exception to such a way of thinking when he had first met K’Sante back in their second year of high school. But he knew better now. Knew the tenderness of K’Sante’s heart that transferred into his touch every time he caressed Yone’s cheek or hid Yone’s smaller hands in his own. It was an understatement to say that he treated Yone like one of his most beautiful jewelry pieces because not even the most precious stones were handled with as much care as Yone was in his husband’s hands.
The thoughts of K’Sante’s fingers gliding all over his body, skating over his tail scales and up the sides of his torso while his beard tickled against Yone’s shoulder blade and plump, plush lips planted tender kisses to his shoulder — they flooded his mind like a tidal wave. He dropped his caudal fin back into the water and swept it up again with as much force as he could manage, splashing as much cold water at himself as possible. It was acceptable to miss his husband’s romantic affection, but those thoughts were slowly crossing the line of a different territory, one that was off limits with his students’ assignments lying on his stomach, waiting to be graded.
With yet another sigh, Yone lifted his head and refocused on one of his students’ work, the handwriting smaller than krill. It was gonna be a long day.
*****************
The sun has slowly begun to set, its sharp noon rays softening into a gentle evening glow and dyeing the sky with various hues that covered the range of gold, pink, and purple shades. Like a liquid mirror, the darkened water reflected the beauty above, the surface glittering in the promise of a soon-coming starry night. Beneath it, a streak of green and gold whizzed between the crags.
K’Sante stuck his head above the surface, hiding behind one of the rocks at the edge of Yone’s cove. The other merman was neck-deep in work, his eyebrows knotted in a tight frown, and his thin lips pursed in a tiny focused pout, too busy to notice his secret admirer. K’Sante took a moment to watch Yone bathing in the warm light, his crimson scales glimmering like they were inlaid with rubies while the white stripes had a pearlescent shine to them. So did his hair. He was absent-mindedly twirling a red and white strand between his long, thin fingers. It was one of the little quirks K’Sante learned to recognize. Judging by the way Yone kept tugging at it, it was clear he was quite frustrated. That wouldn’t do.
Just as K’Sante was about to dive down again, Yone let out a frustrated groan. It wasn’t a loud one, but the cove’s echo bounced the sound around far enough for K’Sante to hear. He chuckled when his husband plopped himself on the rock to fully lay down, one of his arms dangling over the rock’s edge. It was quite a dramatic display of desperation one usually wouldn’t see from his husband.
With his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose and his eyes closed shut, Yone was fighting the existential crisis that some of his students’ works had given him. Would it kill them to make their assignments at least legible? He didn’t expect everyone to excel in his classes, but he’d appreciate it if he didn’t have to decipher every word like it had been written in some ancient runes.
Usually, he'd ask K'Sante to try reading it because, surprisingly, he was pretty good at it most of the time. Well, maybe it wasn't so surprising. K'Sante was used to working with tiny details, so as long as the handwriting’s biggest issue was its minuscule size, K'Sante was of great help. Things got a bit trickier when the problem lied in anything else, but usually, they'd figure most of it out together. Often, it was even fun. They would try to guess the words and make out a plausible context, but before they managed to do so, they'd go through many ridiculous options. At some point, it turned into a game of sorts. Nothing gave them as good of a laugh as trying to come up with the silliest sentences imaginable. It turned a boring and tedious chore into well-spent quality time together. So now that K’Sante wasn’t there, it became a task with a capital ‘T.’
Maybe he could take a short break just to destress a little before he tried to finish the last few assignments he had left. He let go of his nose bridge and shifted his body here and there to nestle comfortably. The late sunlight was warm on his bare skin, but it lacked the strength from a few hours ago, making it safe for him to bask in it without overheating. The sea became mildly restless with the high tide, the previously gentle waves crashing against Yone's stone lounge chair, mostly drowning out the sound of the rustling leaves.
Ionia was especially lovely in spring. Some of the trees were in full bloom while others’ blossoms were fading, their petals joining the breeze's journey across the bay before landing on the sea surface. For most of the day, they were scattered all over it, but as the waves picked up on their strength toward the evening, a large portion of them was carried to the high cliffs that made up that side of the Ionian shore. They piled up in every nook and at the edge of every rock formation, including Yone's cove and his so-called lounge chair, creating a white-pink border at the side that faced the open sea.
Yone was enjoying the light breeze, too focused on getting himself to relax, leaving him completely oblivious to the other quickly approaching merfolk.
K'Sante resurfaced behind Yone's head. Using the sound of the crashing waves to his advantage, he latched onto the rock's edge. Together with an incoming wave, he pulled himself up, the noise when the surface broke blending in with the shattering tide.
However, what he didn't count for was Yone's abrupt reaction. The moment K'Sante bent forward over Yone's face, his body blocking out the sun, Yone blinked his eyes open. That was fine; everything was going according to plan. But the moment Yone realized who he was looking at, which took him only a second because he'd be able to recognize his husband's face anywhere, he brusquely sat up, almost knocking their heads together.
Fortunately, K'Sante dodged the collision, but the swift movement distorted his balance, and with a shocked cry, he fell back into the water. That was not part of the plan. It was a simple one, but it failed on a romanticized miscalculation. In his mind, he pulled himself up above Yone, flashing him a wide smile and dropping a teasing line before paying him a flirty greeting he knew would get his husband flustered. And flustered was one of his favorite Yone looks. Then he'd kiss him gently, maybe even give his tense shoulders a massage before taking him home for dinner and hours of cuddling in their bed. After weeks of being apart, all he wanted was to hold his husband in his arms until they fell asleep. But that would have to wait because, he currently was gurgling underwater, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his throat.
In the meantime, Yone rushed to the rock’s edge, searching for his husband where the sea swallowed him. To his relief, it didn't take long for K'Sante to swim back up. He broke through the surface, coughing. The waves were rolling over his broad shoulders that were quivering in the slowly dying fit.
“Gods, are you all right?!” Yone worried.
K'Sante left out a last couple of weak coughs before pulling a disgusted grimace, the tip of his tongue peeking out.
“Ay, but I think I swallowed a petal,” he replied, his eyes finally meeting his husband's.
Yone almost wanted to chide his husband for sneaking up on him like that, to tell him that it served him right. But instead, he raised a loose fist to his lips, trying to hold back the laugh that was bubbling in his chest, but it was a wasted effort. He soon burst into a temperate but genuine chuckle. K'Sante just stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. It was partially because he was still processing the unpleasant experience, but mostly because of the vision in front of him.
Leaning over the rock's edge with his tail bent up for balance, the golden light created a full-body halo around Yone's silhouette. His long hair fell over his shaking shoulders, the tips almost brushing against the water. He pressed a knuckle into the outer corner of his eye, trying to stop the amused tears. It was a rare sight, even for K'Sante. It felt like encountering an ancient spirit because seeing his husband like that, with the soft glow filtering through the crimson of his fin and the bright smile on his face, was a magical scene to witness.
However, it was the low rumble of Yone's laugh echoing through the cove that slowly stretched K'Sante's lips into a soft smile before he erupted into a hearty laugh himself. Both their voices filled the small space, joining the singing waves and whispering leaves. The breeze carried the melody out of their little world further across the First Lands, weaving it together with the countless tunes that emanated from different places all over the continent on that day.
When the two merfolks calmed down, K'Sante pulled himself back up on the rock with that wide smile Yone had missed so much. He shuffled back a bit to make space for his husband, his eyes going back and forth between K'Sante's face and his muscular torso that was glistening with droplets of water and the tracks they left behind. The setting sun brought out the warmth in his skin and made its subtle pattern shimmer gold where it stretched all over the outer side of K'Sante's arms, alongside his collarbones, and down to his pecs. It also covered his whole back and outlined the edges of his lateral-line scales, dipping low all the way into his V-line. The same pattern was about to show up on his tail in just a few minutes now that he got out of the water to sit next to Yone on his rock. His tail would gradually lose its green color, turning fully gold and slightly darker toward the dorsal side, with the pattern that decorated it being the darkest.
K'Sante plunked himself down on the rock. Maybe his plan didn't work out how he had envisioned it, but that wouldn’t stop him. He just needed to adapt. As long as he got to hug his husband to sleep, it was all right. For that to happen, he didn’t need any plan. They always fell asleep in each other's arms unless Yone stayed up working late. It was something that would happen often at the beginning of their living together, but he liked to think he managed to introduce a better work-life balance to Yone's life.
Though, looking at his husband, it seemed he dumped his somewhat fixed sleeping habits back down at the seabed of the deepest trench the second K’Sante had swam out of the house. At least that's what K'Sante’s theory was if the dark circles under Yone's eyes were anything to go by. Fortunately, K'Sante was back now, ready to fish out that poor, abandoned sleeping schedule from the very bottom of the trench and put it back into order. The first point on his mental checklist of how to do that was getting Yone to relax.
Maybe he should be glad for the incident because, despite Yone's very obvious exhaustion, his green eyes were sparkling like two cut emeralds, and an amused smile was dancing on his lips. It was subtle, but it was there, and that was a great start.
K'Sante leaned in, going through the catalog of cheesy lines in his head he could use to make his husband chuckle. But before he could say anything, Yone launched forward and pulled him into a kiss. They were both waiting for it, but contrary to Yone's usual level-headed and quite aloof personality, he was the one who quickly grew impatient when it came to acting on his desires in private. It was a slow process to get there, but once the switch flipped it was for good.
He threw his slender arms around K'Sante's neck, his thin fingers scratching lightly at the other's nape. K'Sante wrapped his much stronger ones around Yone’s waist and pulled him even closer until Yone was sitting in his husband's lap. The pressure of being squeezed to K'Sante's wide chest and the weight of his arms worked wonders on Yone's strained nerves, his body melting instantly in his beloved's embrace.
K'Sante's cool, damp skin felt like a balm against his own that had been warmed up by the low-hanging sun. The plump lips that had been plaguing Yone’s mind for days were salty, something he never noticed when underwater, but after spending hours above the surface, his taste buds became more sensitive to the water’s salinity.
Yone’s heart was hammering in his chest like it wanted to break out and merge with K’Sante’s inside his husband's ribcage. The first few kisses were rash and sloppy, but despite Yone’s initial eagerness, they soon slowed down into a tender exchange when K'Sante's large hands settled at the sides of Yone's chest. Thick thumbs brushed over the scales of Yone's lateral line and the raised skin where they met the edge of his top surgery scars, accompanied by a bunch of smaller ones that surrounded them. Those gentle touches turned Yone's brain into a lump of goo in a matter of seconds. His movements stopped, and his lips fell slightly open, a soft gasp escaping between them.
K'Sante smiled into Yone's mouth, his ability to render his husband pliant in such a short time feeding his ego. It was like taming a hurricane into a soft breeze, just like the one they were blessed with that day.
“Seems like someone missed me a lot,” K’Sante teased, but the way he caressed Yone's cheek and brushed his long hair behind his ear was abounding with adoration.
Yone didn't bother concealing what was painfully obvious, so he just hummed in agreement. He leaned in, brushing their noses together before giving K'Sante a chaste kiss. After pulling back, he picked a stray blossom petal from K’Sante’s hair, then peeled another one from his shoulder. K’Sante just watched him quietly. Yone’s fingers worked efficiently, his movements looking seemingly effortless and graceful. It was something K’Sante was probably never gonna stop being mesmerized by.
He traced Yone's sharp jaw with his fingertips, placing them under his chin. Pressing lightly against it, he turned Yone’s head, meeting his eyes. Yone was waiting patiently for what his husband’s plans were. But K’Sante gave up on plans for that day. Instead, he let his heart guide him. He dropped his hand to rest at Yone's hip and started stroking with his thumb. With his other hand he found Yone's one and brought it up to his lips, pressing an adoring kiss to Yone's knuckles.
“I missed you too, my love,” he said with a smile while looking into Yone's widened eyes.
It was cute how, after all those years, such a small gesture still guaranteed that Yone's cheeks would get tinted with pink and his fin-like ears would flutter. Every time that happened, K’Sante’s chest swelled with pride, which was perhaps just as silly, considering it’s been five years since they’d gotten married and even longer since they started dating. Maybe it was the prolonged lifespan. Maybe it was K’Sante’s frequent business trips. Who knows? But the fact was that they didn’t seem to get past the honeymoon phase. Or, well, they did… sort of. They always fell back into it when K’Sante returned, but there also was an established sense of safety that only came with familiarity. A calm domesticity polished with the excitement of seeing each other again, not taking one another for granted. Something they learned by being often apart. It was a skill they had to cultivate — the art of missing each other.
*****************
At some point, they shimmied down the rock. Sharing feather-like kisses and brief touches, they cuddled in the seat where Yone had spent most of his day. The sun almost set, but there were still enough rays reaching the couple’s cove. They were both mostly dry now, only keeping their tails hydrated, and Yone was glad for the warmth that his husband’s body was emitting since the air grew considerably colder. He was used to cool temperatures, but he had to admit that there was something deeply comforting in feeling another person’s warmth.
They were idly playing with one another’s caudal fin, their wedding cuffs catching the late sun side by side. Yone couldn’t stop staring at them, hypnotized by their complimentary blinking while his husband’s fingers were tangled with his, and the breeze’s song became just a background melody to the rhythm of K’Sante’s heartbeat.
He could stay like this forever.
But Yone knew it wasn't possible. They both had things to do and places to be. After the sunset, they’d have to leave their little cove sanctuary, going back to the carousel of daily life — a seemingly never-ending loop of tasks and responsibilities. So, despite K'Sante being back home, they probably wouldn't get much quality time together.
As his thoughts ran wild, he became more twitchy. The way he was playing with K'Sante's caudal fin became more jittery, and K'Sante's thick fingers fell victim to his anxious fiddling and pulling.
“I can hear you thinking. What is it?” K'Sante chuckled into Yone's hair, his hot breath bouncing back and warming up his lips before he planted a kiss on the crown of his husband’s head.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”
K’Sante cupped Yone's cheek, which redirected Yone’s attention to his face and their eyes locked.
K’Sante’s amber gaze had many variations; it burned like a forest fire when he was angry — wild and ferocious. Yone didn’t have much experience with wildfire, but he had seen it once when it spread all the way to the cliffs’ edge. That’s how he knew he wouldn’t ever want to get in its way. The same applied to K’Sante when his patience reached its limits. Thankfully, that kind of gaze has never been directed at Yone. He could only hope it would stay that way because if it didn’t, it would burn his whole world and his soul with it.
However, there were other iterations of those eyes he preferred much more. Like the one when they gained that jolly sparkle that had the power of lighting up every place he entered. It was a secret he held close to his heart, but Yone believed it could possibly brighten up even the darkest corners of Ionia’s extensive underwater cave system.
His favorite one, though, was the one that felt like that day’s sunset. The one that melted something in Yone’s chest, turning his blood into a stream of liquid light that simmered under his skin, warming it up like the sun during the golden hour. The intensity in K’Sante’s eyes would soften but not weaken, and it always had Yone’s breath catching in his throat. The molten gold in his veins would stir with the rising tide of his own emotions by the time it reached his ears, filling them with a sound reminiscent of the crashing waves.
Ironically enough, the tenderness that reflected in K’Sante’s eyes like the pastel sky on the sea’s surface was what made Yone experience a feeling he imagined was the closest to what drowning must feel like. The calming sensation of lungs filling up with water, making his chest expand, and the weight pulling him deep into the sea’s embrace while watching the sunbeams shine through the glittering liquid veil above him. Slowly giving in to the light rocking of the warm current, lulling one to sleep like the steady rising and falling of his husband’s chest when he lays down on it, exactly like it did in that very moment.
But he didn’t want to fall asleep. It’d mean wasting the few hours they got together. Fighting his tired body, Yone twisted his torso and grabbed K’Sante’s broad shoulders, pulling himself up to ghost over his husband’s luscious lips. Their breaths mixed together before getting trapped between their mouths in a kiss. Sweet in nature, the kiss still tasted of sea salt, something that was possible to notice only above the water. That time was usually reserved for… physical intimacy. But Yone was too preoccupied with his concerns to follow his body’s carnal needs. All he sought was the comfort that came with the saltiness of his husband’s mouth melting into his.
K’Sante put his hands on both sides of Yone’s neck. They were heavy and warm. Skilled fingers tangled into the hair at Yone’s nape and pressed at it in an attempt to dissolve the tension in Yone’s muscles. Yone’s head dipped back a bit, and his lips parted with a tiny satisfied moan. Being the thoughtful husband K’Sante was, he didn’t think anything scandalous of it, purely focusing on pampering his beloved’s mind out of its busy state. Unlike K’Sante’s, Yone’s imagination ran wild for a second before he pushed any signs of his desires to the bottom of his consciousness, determined to leave it there, hidden like a flatfish that waits for its time to feed.
“Feeling good?” K’Sante smiled against Yone’s lips.
“Hmm,” Yone hummed back with satisfaction.
“So, what was it?” K’Sante inquired again, clearly not letting the topic die down.
But Yone was just as stubborn, so he tried to wave it off once more and hoped K’Sante would leave it.
“It’s nothing, really.”
But he should have known his husband wouldn’t give up so easily.
“Come on, Yone. We both know that isn’t true. It clearly must be something if it got you all restless like a shrimp.”
That comparison tugged at the corner of Yone’s lips before he suppressed it. It was endearing how K’Sante tended to come up with funny little similes, just like the rest of his family did. They only sounded cuter now that his accent got stronger again after his trip to Shurima. It never really disappeared, not even after years of living by the Ionian shores, but it became softer. Or maybe it was just that Yone got so used to it that he barely noticed it anymore.
What was hard to ignore, however, was his husband’s persistence, and Yone didn’t have the energy to do so anyway. Despite his claim that everything was all right, he was actually exhausted, and talking to K’Sante about it always helped. He wasn’t new to Yone’s work-related complaints, but Yone felt guilty at the idea of dumping his frustrations on K’Sante since he’d just returned.
There was no reason for it, though. Sure, K’Sante was tired from the long trip, but he still had more energy left out of the two merfolks. Plus, he never minded listening to his husband. He wanted to know every single thing about Yone’s days while he was away. Yone felt the same, but to his displeasure, he was too exhausted and he wouldn’t be able to pay full attention if K’Sante decided to talk about his travels at that moment. Fortunately for Yone, K’Sante was able to read him like a book. One look at Yone’s weary face told him everything he needed to know.
So when Yone sighed in resignation, K’Sante was quick to nudge him to turn around, his hands re-adjusting on Yone’s body to give him a shoulder massage. Yone complied without a word. He relaxed into K’Sante’s touch, giving in to the relief it brought to both his tensed muscles and his restless mind.
“So? What happened to my coral?” K’Sante tried to coax the answer out of Yone again.
But for once, the pet name only soured Yone’s mood further. K’Sante usually used it to humor his husband or to flatter him during their intimate moments when he whispered it into Yone’s hair in the morning, his voice still rough from sleep. Coral – a word that for many was synonymous with “home” or “safety.” However, all Yone heard in his current state of mind was “rigid” and “sharp,” like the corals’ calcium skeleton. He could only scoff, unamused, despite knowing K’Sante would never mean it that way. Yone was glad for the voice of reason that reminded him of that, preventing him from taking out his frustration on his beloved. Still, he couldn’t ignore how bitter the pet name tasted on his tongue when he spoke.
“Well, they call your coral a wreckfish. A wreckfish !” Yone exclaimed, clearly offended by the nickname his students gave him.
“Oh come on, Yone,” chuckled K’Sante while not stopping the massage. “They’re just kids. Also, they could call you something much worse.”
“I know, but still. A wreckfish? Really?” he turned to face his husband with a bewildered expression.
“You must admit it’s quite a creative one. Did they come up with it after you caught them cheating again?” K’Sante snickered.
Yone opened his mouth to answer just to close it without actually saying anything. Instead, he frowned, staring at K’Sante’s face as if he was searching for something. K’Sante didn’t know what it was, so he just stared back at Yone with a confused smile.
“You agree,” Yone said matter-of-factly.
“It’s not that I agree, but I do see where they’re coming from.” K’Sante nudged Yone to turn back around so he could get back to kneading his muscles. “It’s not like you hesitate to give them detention. You also have the habit of looming around and observing, you know?” he pointed out.
“You know I do it because I mean well. How are they going to learn if they cheat? And it’s not just the cheating or calling me names. All they care about are pretty things and… mingling,” he said the last word awkwardly. “They’ll be in their senior year next year. They should be paying attention and start getting ready for college.”
That drew a hearty laugh from K’Sante. He wrapped his strong arms around Yone’s narrow waist, pulled him closer, and rested his chin on Yone’s shoulder, his beard scratching against Yone’s skin.
“Come on, Yone. Did you forget what it was like to be young? You weren’t so different. We weren’t so different,” he said as he took Yone’s hands into his. He turned them upward and rubbed at Yone’s palms with his thumbs, stroking them open. Yone’s hands looked tiny in K’Sante’s, something that would never not make his heart flutter.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never compromised my education by skipping classes just to hang out with you.”
“Of course you didn’t because it was me who was late when you suddenly pulled me between the bookshelves in the library after the rest of our study group left.”
“Not that again,” Yone groaned.
“You kissed my cheek and then rushed out at the speed of a retracting anemone, saying you’d be late for class. I was so baffled I just stood there until the bell rang. I was late for math with Mrs. Shelly, you know?” K’Sante teased.
“Oh Gods, it was one time! Will you ever let that die?”
“Never. She gave me extra homework. It was worth it, though,” K’Sante grinned. “You kept apologizing and bringing me homemade lunch for two weeks.”
Yone hid his face in his hands out of embarrassment at the memory.
“Yes, yes, I remember. Please don’t remind me.”
“No, I think I should remind you more often, actually. It’s good for you and for understanding the kids,” he reasoned, which earned him a pinch to his arm. “As understanding kids goes,” he continued. “You said they only cared about pretty things, as if they were the only ones. Though, I clearly remember you used to like those too. But I guess not anymore. What a shame; I guess I’ll have to sell this one then.”
Yone watched as K’Sante brought a decorative hairpin in front of him. The body was carved out of bone and embellished with white gold that matched his wedding cuff, red coral and glass beads, pearls, and sea shells. There were a few chains hanging from the thicker end, all adorned with the aforementioned materials. However, two had tiny crab claws dangling at their ends – one bigger and yellow, the other smaller and red with black tips.
Yone took it carefully from K’Sante’s hand, studying every little detail with a focused stare. His usual frown disappeared, getting replaced with appreciation and wonder. K’Sante watched his starry-eyed husband, a sight as rare as finding a whole bloom from the trees above floating on the sea surface.
“You’ve always had an eye for pretty things,” Yone broke the comfortable silence, a soft smile curving his lips as he traced his fingertips over the embellishments.
“I sure have,” K’Sante murmured, taking Yone’s chin between his fingers and turning it for them to face each other. “And I thank the Gods every day for being so lucky my eyes landed on you back then, the prettiest person with the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met.”
Yone closed his eyes when K’Sante leaned down and rested their foreheads together. There were so many things Yone wanted to say, but he didn’t know how. He never did. Talking about feelings had never come easily to him, so he settled for the one confession he hoped encompassed everything he didn’t know how to say.
“And I thank you… For loving me.” He caressed his husband’s cheek, unafraid K’Sante would understand the full meaning of his words.
Then he stretched his neck, giving K’Sante a tender kiss, just in case his words weren’t enough. It was also a bit selfish. He didn’t get the chance to kiss K’Sante for weeks, and he missed it immensely. His heart skipped a beat when K’Sante’s arms tightened around his waist, and the beard prickled the skin around his mouth when K’Sante smiled into the kiss. Once they parted, K’Sante immediately gave him one in return, his plump lips drawn to Yone’s thin ones like the waves to the shore. Like there wasn’t anything more natural than that back and forth. But just like the sea at low tide, they eventually had to pull away.
K’Sante looked at Yone, his heart swelling to the point of bursting. He cupped Yone’s face and placed one last kiss on his forehead; then he nodded to the hairpin Yone was still holding.
“May I?”
Yone looked at the accessory in his hands, the soft smile on his face growing bolder. It would be an unnoticeable change for an untrained eye, but for K’Sante it was like watching the first star rise in the sky, impossible to miss if one knew where to look for it.
“Of course,” Yone nodded and offered him the hairpin.
“Wait, I got to do your hair first,” he chuckled and reached into his bag for a hairbrush and a mirror. “Hold this for me, please,” he said as he passed the mirror to Yone.
Yone accepted it without a word and turned his back to K’Sante so he could play with his hair. It was one of Yone’s favorite activities they did together. K’Sante would braid and style his long hair, and Yone would decorate his already styled hairdo with accessories like golden hair rings that often had various pendants on them.
K’Sante picked a silver-red strand and started brushing it carefully. Yone’s hair was unimaginably soft, slipping between K’Sante’s fingers like water. Unlike human hair, merfolk hair was resistant to salt and anything that made human hair crunchy after letting the saline water dry in it. He couldn’t imagine how much harder it would have been for them to style their hair with the dried salt in it because working with Yone’s hair was always such a breeze. Well, once he got rid of all the tangles. It seemed his husband hadn’t put much effort into taking care of his hair lately. He’d probably put it into a bun and kept it in one for most of the time. But K’Sante already knew how to detangle the long locks quickly, and soon, Yone’s hair was all soft and ready for styling.
He brushed the silky waterfall up into a high ponytail, leaving only one long strand and the bangs to frame Yone’s face. Once he secured it in place, he reached for the hairpin, and Yone put it gently into his palm, their hands brushing against each other for a brief moment. Every one of those was an intense experience after how long they spent apart. K’Sante pinned the accessory into the front of the ponytail so Yone could see it well when he looked into the mirror.
“All right, done. You can look now,” he announced proudly.
And so Yone did.
He held up the mirror just to meet his own tired eyes. The dark circles under them looked even more prominent in the disappearing daylight. Yet, K’Sante called him beautiful when he hovered over Yone’s shoulder to see his husband’s reflection. For how exhausted Yone looked, at least his hair wasn’t an absolute mess anymore. K’Sante did a wonderful job, as always. The ponytail accentuated Yone’s sharp features, and the glint of beads and pearls on the hairpin brought some light into his heavy eyes, making him look a bit more alive than he actually felt.
When Yone tilted his head slightly to the side to get a better look at the accessory, the embellished chains swung back and forth. The red glass shimmered in the very last rays of sunshine, and the crab claws clanked against each other, the sight tugging the corners of Yone’s lips into a moved smile.
He turned his head back in K’Sante’s direction, taking his hand into his own and kissing his cheek. It was stubbly, and it reminded him how much he missed the most mundane things, like their morning routine. K’Sante would shave every morning, already fully energized, while Yone dragged himself into the bathroom to brush his teeth by K’Sante’s side. Sometimes, when K’Sante was in a cheeky mood, he’d pull Yone close and press his cheek against Yone’s. That always woke the poor man up from his sleepy state. He’d grumble, not happy about the situation at all, while K’Sante laughed and showered his husband’s face in apologetic kisses, leaving more shaving gel on Yone’s face. He knew that once it happened again, he’d grumble as usual, but at that moment, he missed it dearly.
K’Sante was looking at him through the mirror, his eyes blown wide at the sudden show of affection. It caught him off guard, and the reflection stunned him just as much. Yone looked ethereal. The evening light was dancing on his slightly shimmery skin, complemented by the glinting hairpin in his pearly hair. Like a waterfall, the ponytail cascaded over his shoulder and down his back. There was now a noticeable smile on his face when he broke the kiss, not pulling far away from K’Sante’s cheek. Instead, he murmured a hushed “thank you” into K’Sante’s skin. Yone’s low voice always sent a pleasant tingle down his spine.
He shifted his weight, which led to Yone leaning away a bit further. Yone’s emerald eyes were watching him intently as he lifted Yone’s hand up, slowly bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to Yone’s curled fingers. A soft gasp tickled his ears, and a blink of gold got caught in his peripheral vision when Yone dropped his other hand, in which he was holding the mirror, into his lap.
The sound of the waves faded into the background when K’Sante lifted his head, taking his time to drink Yone’s presence in with all his senses: the comforting smell of Yone’s body, the sound of his shallow breathing that made K’Sante’s heart beat faster, the warmth radiating from his skin when their faces ghosted around each other, the sharpness of his bones when their noses brushed together, the taste of salt on Yone’s lips when they finally met, and the view of long dark lashes when they pulled away.
The gap between them was barely there, both wanting to stay as close as possible, basking in the other’s proximity.
“Happy anniversary, my coral,” K’Sante whispered and leaned to rest their foreheads together.
Yone smiled again, carefree for once.
“Happy anniversary, beloved.”