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Mermaid Scales and Christmas Times

A bit late but heyy @naniya27 !! I’m your Secret Santa this year!! I had a lot of fun working with your prompt and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it!! Happy Holidays!! (´∀`) and thanks a lot to @dgmsecretsanta2018 for arranging this event!

(I apologize if there are any mistakes! English is not my first language but I did my best to cover all the errors ;u;)

Pairing: Yullen

Summary: There was a reason no one got near the ship, the rumours about it were enough to build the warning among villagers.

Kanda couldn't remember who had had the idea, one of Lavi's friends probably. Or could've been Lavi for all he knew. What he did know was that it was a terrible, terrible idea. There was a reason no one got near The Ark; the wrecked ship had been there for years and the fact that it was technically impossible for it to remain untouched the way it had been and the number of missing people that had decided to pay it a visit was enough to build the warning among villagers to never go there. Even less at night. Why was Kanda here again? "Yuu! Come on we're getting left behind!" Oh, right. Lavi. Under different circumstances he'd have left him to make his own mistakes but Lena had looked at him with those big eyes of "please don't let him be killed" and so here he was. The sea was agitated. Kanda could listen the waves hitting against the shell of what would've been a great ship in other times, and they were still a few meters away. The wind was picking up, little gusts of sand hit Kanda's face every few minutes making his cheeks feel numb. He watched the group that had come up with this idea slowly moving along the rocky formation that went from the shore all the way into the sea for a few meters where the ship laid. He stood there for a while, watching the group disappear through a crack at the side of the ship, and watched Lavi getting closer to the formation. He quickened his pace, following Lavi as they slowly made their way through the slippery rocks, trying hard to maintain his balance with the waves crashing every few seconds. By the time they were by the entrance, droplets of water had started falling and they could hear the rest of the group laughing somewhere inside. Lavi threw him a wicked grin over his shoulder before disappearing inside, a few seconds later Kanda followed. There was no point trying to make him change his mind. The moment he stepped inside, he knew there was something wrong. Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the wood, giving the space an eerie look. The big open area was flooded, wood planks dispersed all over and what used to be the mast crossed the empty shell of the ship from side to side. Kanda could hear the group laughing somewhere deeper into the ship, but nothing else. Despite the strong waves hitting the outside of the ship and the hard drizzle now falling, inside it was unnervingly quiet. Even the water on the inside seemed way too calm. Kanda moved carefully, not wanting to lose Lavi nor get too far from the entrance. His boots and jeans were soaked already but still he tried to remain way out of the flooded parts. He looked around then, not seeing Lavi anymore and just as he caught a flash of red, the music started. It appeared to come from nowhere, a soothing melody that felt like some kind of pressure around his temples. Then a scream resonated all over the place. Kanda stopped dead in his tracks and looked up just in time to watch one of the girls from the group jumping into the water, then chaos broke out. Kanda observed as another girl and a boy were dragged by something deep underwater. The melody kept ringing in his head, mixed with a horrible screeching noise and giving him a headache. He quickly look around just as another person disappeared below a wooden plank, he needed to find Lavi. He felt something hitting the wooden plank he was standing on, whatever that was would surely drag him down just like the rest so he swiftly jumped to the nearest plank. He kept moving like that, the remaining members of the group were now screaming and trying to hold on to anything stable enough. He came to a halt as he spotted Lavi, just a few meters before him, their eyes met for a second before Lavi went down. Kanda didn't think twice and jumped after him. The water was freezing despite it being the middle of summer, for a moment he couldn't see nothing but darkness and debris every way he turned. Then something moved quickly by his left side, he turned just before whatever that was moved past his right, but wherever he looked he couldn't see anything. He caught sight of Lavi desperately trying to hold on to the mast, something he couldn't make out pulling him by his foot. Kanda swam as fast as he could, went up for a bit of air before diving once more. He grabbed Lavi by his torso and pulled hard to no avail. Lavi was not conscious anymore and Kanda was starting to feel dizzy, desperation making his body feel tired and heavy. Just as he was about to go up for air, he felt something take a hold of his ankle, pulling him deeper. He held on to the first thing he could, a very unstable wood plank, only managing to hold on for a few seconds before he was being pulled deeper. He fought against whatever that was pulling him down, he kicked as hard as he could but the surface kept getting further away. Black spots had begun to appear at the edge of his vision just as a flash of white quickly swam past his right side. He heard a weird screeching noise before the pressure on his ankle disappeared. He attempted to swim back up only to find out his limbs weren't responding. He felt exhausted. His vision was blurry, limbs heavy, his lungs ached for air, and just before his eyes gave out, he felt himself being tugged upward.

~ ~ ~ ~

Kanda woke up gasping for air, his throat felt scratchy and his lungs burned with every breath he took. It took him a moment to completely open his eyes, feeling them itch every time he blinked. The sun was just rising, images from the previous night flooding his mind, but just one thing remained. Lavi.

Startled, Kanda looked around searching for a red mop of hair, he found him a few steps away, passed out in the sand but breathing. Relief washed over him, he let out a long sight and turned around to watch the waves gently hitting the sand. He froze at the sight before him. In front of him, laying in the sand was another man, couldn't be older than him. His white hair contrasted wildly against the wet sand just as his pale skin, but what caught Kanda's eyes was what laid below, just where the waves hit. A tail. Long and shiny, of a pearly-white with red tinges, it almost seemed to glow under the soft morning light. Kanda's eyes traveled from the tip of the tail, barely visible swaying in the water, to the point where it met with human skin just below the hip bones. He hadn't noticed the man had awoken until his eyes continued his travel and met the stranger's ones. Silvery eyes stared at him, wide and expectant. Kanda's body stiffened. There was not fear in that look, the...creature in front of him was simply waiting for his first move. Kanda instinctively backed away, putting as much distance as he could between the sea and him. The stranger simply cocked his head to a side. "Kanda! Lavi!" The voice came so suddenly, Kanda couldn't help the little jump his body did. His eyes never strayed from the man before him, and Kanda watched as panic appeared in his face. Lena called for them once again and Kanda turned around to answer back, only to hear a splash behind him. He quickly turned just in time to watch the end of that pearly tail disappear through the waves. He stared for a moment to the place where the man had been, the waves were already erasing any remaining prints, but Kanda was able to catch a glimpse of a message written in the sand just before the next wave took it away. 'Stay away'

~ ~ ~ ~ Kanda didn't stay away. Even after Lena made him and Lavi promise her they wouldn't go near the ship again. He felt extremely curious about the creature and maybe just a bit angry about that message. As if Kanda had wanted to be there in the first place. But mostly, he thought that curiosity had something to do with the fact that only Lavi and him had left the ship alive. Honesty, he should simply feel grateful and walk away but he couldn't. The sand felt too hot under his feet, the sun stood high up in the sky, no clouds visible and the beach was unusually empty for it to be the middle of summer. 'Could be since 5 fucking people disappeared again last night.' Kanda thought to himself. He shook those thoughts away and slowly made his way through the rocky formation. The inside of the ship felt blessedly cool compared to the summer heat outside. Sunlight poured through the cracks in the wood and the water gently rocked against the wood planks every few seconds, he could hear the waves hitting on the outside and the whole area felt a lot different than it had that night. Kanda was moving slowly through the shallowly-flooded areas, letting his feet cool down when he heard a thump behind him. He felt goosebumps traveling from his neck down his back as he slowly turned around, only to find an empty space. As he turned once again to keep moving he was pulled down. He only had a moment to take a breath before he was underwater, face to face with familiar silvery eyes that looked at him partly curiously and partly bothered. The creature looked at him for a few seconds before flicking his tail and swimming to the other side, making a sign with his hand for Kanda to follow. They both broke the surface at the same time, Kanda gasping for air and moving towards solid ground once again. "Was that necessary?" He threw a glare in the direction of the stranger, wet hair sticking to his face. The man simply smirked back at him. "I told you to stay away." Kanda hoisted himself up and sat down on a piece of wood, sun hitting his back and feet dangling just a few centimeters out of the water. "And I didn't. I take no orders from strangers." The creature remained on the opposite side, eyes narrowed and with only his torso out of the water. Kanda hadn't been able to take a proper look at him until now. His arms were crossed over another plank of wood, one pale as the rest of his body and the other one of a deep red, intricate markings winding around it, from that far it almost seemed like a burn mark. He could barely make out a few silvery scars scattered around his body, shining against the sunlight, a particularly long and pinky one running from his right shoulder down to his waist.

As Kanda's eyes traveled upwards, he became aware of a detail he had missed. A very particular scar, starting in the shape of a star, went from his forehead and all down to his cheek, passing across his eye on the left side. His white, messy hair reached his shoulders and gave him a childish look. The stranger shifted under his stare, eyebrows falling down into a scowl. "What?" He asked in a clipped voice. "You look like a beansprout." And he did, what with the paleness and long tail. This, however, only served to deepen that man's scowl, almost turning it into a glare. "And you look like an idiot but I'm not throwing that out there am I?" Now it was Kanda's turn to glare but he chose not to say anything. They stayed like that, just staring each other without saying a word, the gentle lapping of the waves the only sound. The man's tail would break the surface from time to time, creating small ripples as it did so. That reminded Kanda of the reason of his visit. A million questions popped in his head; why did he save them? What were those creatures? What was HIM? And yet what came out of his mouth was: "Are you gonna sing?" The stranger's eyes widened for a second before settling into a scowl once again, he almost seemed insulted. "I'm not a siren." Kanda (raised) an eyebrow, gaze flicking to the now quickly-swishing tail. The man's eyes narrowed at that. "I'm a mermaid. Well, merman." Hearing that, Kanda raised both eyebrows, blankly staring at him. "Aren't those the same?" The creature now seemed mortified more than anything, the thin gills on his neck twitching slightly and tail swishing even quicker. "No, they aren't." He snapped. He let go of the piece of wood and dove down, only to reappear a few seconds later, eyes cold and hard fixed on Kanda. "And if you value your life you will not come back." With that he went down once again and disappeared, long tail gleaming for a second.

~ ~ ~ ~ "You really are an idiot." Was he first thing Kanda heard as he made his way into the ship a few days later. He flipped the stranger off before settling once again on the wood plank. "I told you I follow orders from no one, beansprout." He heard him scoff at that. "Name's Allen, not beansprout." "Kanda." He offered back. He watched Allen rise an eyebrow before a smirk appeared on his face. "Bakanda." "Fuck off." Allen huffed out a short laugh before diving underwater, Kanda saw the white, shiny tail move closer a few seconds before the white mop of hair appeared just before him. "You got a death wish or why are you back?" The sunlight pouring through the cracks hit the spot exactly where Allen's tail swayed underwater, making it glow even more so the red looked like copper. Kanda watched it swiftly swaying with the waves for a few minutes until he couldn't hold it anymore. "Why did you save us?" At that, Allen's eyes snap back up to Kanda's from where he had been staring at his toes as if they were the most interesting thing in there. He observed him intently for a few seconds, as if looking for something in Kanda's eyes and Kanda met his stare. Then Allen turned to the side, breaking eye contact and letting out a deep sigh, Kanda watched transfixed how the thin gills slightly twitched. "You heard it didn't you?" Kanda barely heard him over the crash of the waves outside. He tilted his head a bit as Allen turned to look at him. "The song." Kanda remembered the soft song of that night, the pressure he felt over his mind and how he had been unable to shake it off. An involuntary shiver traveled down his spine and he nodded. Allen was the one to tilt his head this time, as if he were studying Kanda. "And you still were able to move of your own volition." It was not a question but Kanda still nodded once again. "That shouldn't have been possible." As soon as he said that he was diving under once again, appearing a few maters away next time he broke the surface. He twisted his head to look at Kanda over his shoulder. "Could you please not come back again?" Kanda couldn't hold the smirk that slowly made its way on his face. "I won't promise anything." Allen laughed at that, a sharp and loud sound that traveled through the whole area. He shook his head a bit and turned completely to look at Kanda properly. "Wouldn't expect anything else!" And with that he was gone.

~ ~ ~ ~ Kanda did went back, and Allen stopped asking him not to after the fifth time. Every few days Kanda would appear with a funny comment and Allen would answer him with a snide remark. Then they would settle and just talk till the sun began to set, by which point Allen would either tell him to go back or simply say goodbye before swimming away. Kanda knew better than to stay any longer. Before he noticed, it became part of Kanda's routine to visit Allen. Even if it wasn't daily, he'd find himself going there as soon as he had the chance. Days turned into weeks, weeks passed and suddenly July was coming to an end.

~ ~ ~ ~ Allen, Kanda had discovered, loved to take the equivalent of cat naps for mermaids. Which meant, he had a very specific spot over a wood plank that remained half-in and half-out of the water, bathed by sunlight and that no one would notice unless they peered down after being deep inside. "You said you were different from a siren." Kanda's voice startled Allen to the point he slipped, torso following his tail on its way down to the water. He snickered as Allen's head popped out, throwing daggers with his eyes at him and with his hair sticking out in all directions. "Hello to you too, you dick." Kanda smirked at him as he settled on his usual spot, Allen following closely and taking his place at the same fallen platform. "So? What's the difference?" Allen huffed as he finally found his position again, flicking his tail and splashing Kanda. He laid on his stomach, arms crossed to cushion his head, closed eyes and posture completely relaxed. It was a thrilling feeling for Kanda, to be this close to such an intriguing creature. Just when he thought Allen wouldn't answer, the merman opened his eyes. "Sirens are creatures full of grudges, vengeance, negative feelings. Mermaids just...exist. Born out of people who loved the sea and died in it." Kanda went over the words over and over in his head, three of them catching his attention in particular; 'died in it'. He peered down to where Allen rested, a question at the tip of his tongue. Seeing Allen's tail swishing anxiously, face turned to the other side so Kanda couldn't see his expression, his tensed shoulders and back, all of it said more than enough. Then the memory of that night they met came to his mind. The coldness and darkness that seemed to cover the whole ship. His gaze went instinctively to the cracks in the wood, to the sun pouring all over the place. "You made those cracks in the wood didn't you?" Allen's body relaxed if only a bit, gratefulness written all over his face at the change of topic as he turned to look at him once again. "They were taking children," his gaze moved to the top of the ship, as if counting the cracks. "They hate the light so..." Kanda observed him for a while. The many scars spread all over his body making a lot more sense now, the reason he spent so much time in this place, why he had been so adamant about Kanda not coming back. He closed his eyes, bathing in the sunlight falling over him, taking in the chilly wind sneaking in. "Well, I think that's the biggest and most important difference right?" He didn't open his eyes, but even then it was as if he could see the smile Allen threw at him over his shoulder.

~ ~ ~ ~ "You really are awful at this Kanda." Kanda threw the rest of the deck of cards to his face as Allen snickered at him. "You're just a cheating little shit." Allen grinned at that, seeming not to care at all about the accusation. "Guilty as charged. That doesn't change the fact you suck at this." Kanda flipped him off and Allen's grin turned into a full, (blown-out) laugh. Kanda was about to say something else when a quick movement to his left caught his attention. Allen's tail. Its movements were usually smooth and flowing, but lately Kanda had noticed it rather seemed twitchy and jumpy as August advanced. Same was for Allen. He didn't seem to notice though, acting as his usual self. Kanda was a bit worried, even though he wouldn't admit it. "Is something wrong with your tail?" He could still be direct about it though. Allen looked up at him from the deck of cards, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to explain. Kanda tilted his head, signaling to his tail, which was twitching now even more. As if just noticing, Allen stared at it as well, eyes widening a bit, cheeks turning slightly pink. "Oh, that." He swished his tail a bit faster, as if trying to gather complete control over it once again. "Happens with the seasons. Nothing serious." He didn't seem convinced but Kanda wasn't gonna push it. Instead, he grinned and threw a stray card to Allen. "Are you getting legs like Ariel or something?" He regretted it the moment he had said it. Allen raised both of his eyebrows, smirk spreading all over his face, eyes bright and playful. "Should I be surprised you've watched 'The Little Mermaid'?" Kanda groaned and turned to look at the other side. "Lavi loves it." Allen laughed at that, eyes crinkling, hair falling all over his face and tail unconsciously curling a bit. It was a nice sight. "Just so you know, it doesn't really work like that," He finally said once he stopped laughing. Tilting his head, he observed Kanda for a few seconds before talking again. "Once a year." Kanda's eyes furrowed, he stared at Allen, waiting for a longer explanation and once he saw it wasn't coming he asked. "Once a year what?" Allen smiled at him, a softer, smaller smile. It almost felt like he was about to confide Kanda with a very important secret, and he found himself holding his breath. "We change once a year. On our birthday."

~ ~ ~ ~ As autumn settled completely, days began to change. The beach felt chillier, water turned colder, and the sun began setting earlier, which meant Kanda had less time to spend in the ship. "I need your help." Kanda stopped dead in his tracks. Allen's voice seemed...anxious, and he himself seemed about ready to jump out of his skin or swim out of there as soon as he could. It appeared as if it was taking him a big effort to remain where he was, simply floating in the middle of the biggest flooded area. His tail seemed a lot more twitchy than the last few days Kanda had been there. "Okay. What do you need?" Allen gestured for him to get closer, to a wooden plank just beside the one he usually took his naps on. Kanda followers with no objections, simply hissing as he crossed a flooded part, water lapping at his legs. He sat down once he reached the platform and waited for Allen's next move. He seemed pretty nervous, fidgeting a lot and turning his head from side to side every few seconds, Kanda stayed still, not wanting to push him. Then suddenly Allen was moving closer, eyes sharp and determined. He stretched over his usual plank, pulling himself face down until his upper body was up as well as half of his tail, this time though, he was a lot closer to Kanda. The pearly white and red of his scales shimmered under the sunlight, making it seem almost as if it were breathing along with Allen. Kanda's hands itched to touch it but he pressed them together between his thighs. However, the more he observed and the more attention he paid to it, the more he noticed some of the little scales were crooked or bent, others were even loose. As if reading his mind, Allen twisted a bit to look at him. "It's normal. They change with the seasons," And autumn was just starting, Kanda finished in his head. "That's ah...some of them I...can't reach. And they itch a lot. Some even hurt and well...would you..." He seemed too nervous, wouldn't meet Kanda's eyes as if he were ashamed to be asking for help, and Kanda wondered how he had even managed to do it on previous years. "You want me to pull them out," A blush spread all the way from Allen's neck to his cheeks, distracting Kanda a bit, barely catching the little nod. "Okay. You tell me what to do." "Just...pull them out, if they're twisted or broken...or loose." Allen still wouldn't meet Kanda eyes, head pressed against the wood and tail twitching nervously. Kanda was pleased though, to find the blush had spread over his shoulders and a bit lower to his back. He smiled and scooted a bit closer. He took the first crooked scale he saw between his thumb and forefinger and gently pulled, the little red thing coming off easily. Allen's tail however, tensed for a moment before thrashing to the side, managing to completely soak Kanda's jeans. Allen turned his face quickly, mouth open and ready to throw an apology, and Kanda was having none of that. He simply placed the scale aside and rested a hand gently over the lower part of Allen's tail. "I won't hurt you, so relax." He almost smirked at the way Allen's blush deepened, but opted against it. That wouldn't help the merman relax. Allen simply faced away again, letting his head fall to the wood with a thud. Kanda turned his attention back to the tail, amazed at the feeling. It was warm, not cold as he had expected given the temperature of the water, the scales were small enough so that they didn't feel rough, thinner fins jutted from a few different points looking as some kind of silk as they swayed with the waves. He could feel the strength of it every time it shook to the side, muscles jumping under his hand. It was mesmerizing and only when he noticed Allen shifting did Kanda realized he had been staring for a while. He mumbled an apology and began working. Most scales came out quite easily, others got a bit stuck and he had to pull harder, Allen didn't seem to mind though. Kanda was rather relieved once the tail under his hands stopped twitching, Allen's body finally relaxing, it almost looked like he was in one of his usual naps. It took the whole day for Kanda to finish, what with the smaller scales at the end of the tail. He finished just as the sun began setting, Allen turning around to look at him with a dazed yet grateful expression, smiling at him before they bid their goodbyes. Kanda found himself wondering how would Allen's tail look once all the new scales came out on his way home. He discovered it a few weeks later, and it was beautiful. Red predominated this time, going from a deep burnt colour to a washed-away time that seemed almost pink, the pearly white now seeming as smudges of white paint. Kanda loved this tail even more. Allen smiled and waved at him, and Kanda couldn't help but think he fitted with the season quite beautifully.

~ ~ ~ ~ September, October and November flew by, in between visiting Allen, work and spending time with his loved ones, Kanda didn't even notice December approaching. He did notice the little details signaling Allen's tail was ready to change once again, however. Kanda didn't point it out, he knew if Allen needed his help he'd let him know. December came as it always did, out of nowhere and with no one ready. Kanda found himself with less and less time to visit Allen, what with Lena and Marie decorating his house as if it were a Christmas shop. By the time he found the opportunity to go, one week and a half had passed. "I thought you weren't coming back." Kanda peered down from the high wooden plank he was standing on, finding Allen close to his napping point, tail swishing anxiously. He resisted the urge to point it out. "Christmas preparations are a pain in the ass." Allen laughed at that, and Kanda felt those days they had missed vanishing with the wind. "Need help with that?" He did point to the tail this time, tone serious but with a small smile, not wanting to push the topic. Allen simply smile back and nodded. They went through the whole process all over, except this time Allen seemed completely relaxed and pleased from beginning to end, and that made Kanda feel contented as well. He found himself excited to see Allen's tail colours for winter once it fully changed. However, a few days later, Allen disappeared. Kanda kept going back as many days as he could, but he was nowhere to be seen.

~ ~ ~ ~ "I swear to god I'll knock your boyfriend out if you don't take him away from the karaoke Lena." Lena opened his mouth to reply but was promptly interrupted by a loud howling coming from the other side of the room, both Lena and Kanda turned to see Lavi standing on the coffee table, microphone in hand and a new swing starting in the machine. Lena smiled sheepishly at him. Just before Kanda could say anything else, the doorbell rang. "I'll go!" Before he could stop her, Lena had already sneaked away to the door. Kanda let out a long sigh and looked around. His house was a mess, people were scattered all over the place, food was laid in almost every surface and he was getting a headache from that damn karaoke. He couldn't hold the smile that stretched on his face though. This was his family after all. He wasn't gonna listen to Lavi sing another damn song, however. He had grabbed a cushion from the sofa and was ready to throw it when Lena reappeared beside him. "There's someone asking for you outside." Kanda wasn't expecting someone else. He was about to tell her that when he saw the wide smile on her face. He needed a bit of air anyway, it was feeling a bit suffocating inside. He scurried to the door before she could say anything. Said door was open, cold air scurrying inside, Kanda stepped outside and closed the door. Then he saw him. Standing a few meters away from his front steps, standing in the sand. He turned around as the door closed and Kanda felt his whole body go tense. Because that was Allen. A very no-tail-wearing-jeans Allen. Kanda walked closer, until he was standing right in front of him, eyes taking him in as if trying to convince himself this was not some kind of weird illusion. Allen shifted under the scrutinizing look and Kanda snapped out of it. "You have legs." Or well, mostly out of it. Allen smirked at him, posture relaxing if only a bit. "No shit Sherlock." Kanda's eyes narrowed at him. "You also disappeared for more than 2 weeks out of nowhere." Allen winced at his tone, his eyes falling to his feet, which were nervously kicking the sand. Kanda could almost picture his tail, doing the same nervous movements underwater. "Yeah, sorry about that. Had to figure something out." His voice was so low Kanda almost didn't catch the last part. Allen wouldn't meet his eyes. "I was worried." Those three words seemed to catch his attention though, gaze snapping back up to Kanda's face, looking for the smallest hint of a lie. Finding none, he smiled at him, wider than ever and yet oh so soft. Then he remembered. "It's your birthday." Allen's smile turned into a grin, which then turned into a full-blown laugh, Kanda was pretty sure that had something to do with the expression he had on his face but he didn't care. "It's been for a few minutes now, yeah." And now it was Kanda's turn to laugh. Allen looked so...good, standing there with his maybe a-bit-too-long jeans, barefooted, and blue sweater (hell, Kanda didn't even know where those had come from and he didn't care. Hair as messy as it had always been, eyes shining and Kanda was oddly glad his scar remained because that was just who he was. Standing there, with the sea at his back and the cold wind ruffling his hair and his clothes and with the moonlight bathing him, Allen looked as mesmerizing as his mermaid version. Maybe even more. "Wanna come inside?"

He stretched his hand, and felt his heart jump a bit as Allen accepted it. They shared a little smile as their made their way to the house.