Christmas in July
All translations are courtesy of Google and what I know.
Isabel was brimming with excitement as she parked her dune buggy next to the cave on the beach. It was finally happening. After a year and a half of bringing her little mermaid trinkets and foods from the human world, she was finally going to bring Chiara to the surface to see it for herself. It had taken a week of begging and bargaining, but the King of the Sea, Romulus himself, had said yes. He promised the Spanish human that he’d have her head if any harm came to his granddaughter.
No pressure.
Isabel grabbed the large duffle bag from the seat next to her and got out. “¡Ay! ¡Arena caliente!” she yelped, getting back into the buggy. She looked at the sky, frowning. As much as she loved the early morning sky, it made the sand very hot very fast. Reaching to the floor, she grabbed her flip-flops and got out again. Pleased with herself, she grabbed the bag and started to walk around the outside of the cave. “Chi?” She called out as she waded through the shallow water at the entrance. “Chi? ¿Mi pequeña sirena?” Isabel dropped the bag and followed the trail of water deeper into the cave. The shallows grew deeper, spread outwards, nearly filling the circular cavern until one could comfortably swim in it again. Isabel smiled. Chiara was still in the water, her sunset tail curled underneath her. Isabel splashed the water with her foot, alerting Chiara of her presence. “Chi? Come up, por favor?”
Chiara looked up at her, finally coming to the surface. She smiled somewhat awkwardly at Isabel. “Are you sure about this?” Isabel frowned, having never seen Chiara so uncertain.
“Of course, I’m sure! You’ll love it, I promise!” Isabel’s grin broadened. Chiara looked up at her, twisting her wavy hair around her clawed finger. Isabel got down on her knees, kissing Chiara’s forehead. “Do you trust me, Tomatia?” she whispered.
Chiara’s face reddened slightly. “Sì. It’s just, I’ve never used my legs before. What if something bad happens? Like we get attacked by pirates or some fucked up shit like that.”
“I should’ve never shown you YouTube.” Isabel shook her head as Chiara smirked. “We’re going to be fine.”
Chiara finally nodded. “Okay, help me out of the water.” She raised her arms like a child. Isabel shifted her position, kneeling on one knee before wrapping her arms around Chiara.
“Ready?” Chiara nodded. “¡Uno, dos, tres!” Chiara yelped as Isabel lifted her up and out of the water, dragging her towards the entrance. “Ay, you’re heavy.” Chiara glared, clicking her tongue. Isabel stopped, letting her go. “I don’t want to know what that means, do I?”
“No.” Chiara shifted, groaning softly as she managed to situate herself so that her back was pressed against the wall.
There was an awkward silence as the two stared at Chiara’s tail. “Are you going to do it or-”
“Shh! Magic takes focus, dumbass!” Isabel put her arms up in surrender, sitting next to the mermaid instead. Chiara’s eyes glowed brightly as steam started to rise from her tail. Isabel eventually pulled off her shirt, groaning softly. “You’re such a fucking baby.” Chiara winced as her tail started to separate.
“Wow…” Isabel smiled as she finished her transformation. Chiara panted, groaning softly as she leaned against the cool rock of the cave. Isabel turned to her, the wonder in her eyes dimming to concern. “You okay?”
“Mhm...Just a bit tired.” Chiara shifted, sitting up. “Did I finish?” She looked down, testing out her legs. She squealed when she saw her toes wiggle, making Isabel burst out in laughter. Chiara hit her, blushing furiously. Continuing to wiggle her toes and feet, she looked at the markings that were on her arms and breasts. “This won’t give me away will it?”
Isabel looked at the markings, shaking her head. “Nope! They look kind of like tribal tattoos.”
“Tribal tattoos? You have names for the marks on your bodies?” Chiara asked.
“Well, it’s just a type of tattoo. Body art. Our birthmarks aren’t nearly as intricate as yours.”
“Only the royal family and the regional leaders have marks like these,” Chiara said, pleased that she’d blend in with the humans.
“Ready,” Isabel stood up, “to try and stand?” Chiara shook her head. “Come on, Chi! You have to walk around and stuff.” Isabel held out her hand. Sighing softly, Chiara took her hand and let Isabel help her up. The nude girl whimpered softly, holding tightly to Isabel’s hand. “You can do it, princess.”
The markings on Chiara’s body glowed with her eyes as she glared at Isabel. “Don’t call me that. I’m not a princess right now.”
Isabel giggled, her eyes shining. “Lo siento.” She squeezed her hand. “Come on.” She led Chiara towards the duffle bag that had remained near the entrance of the cave, one step at a time.
“Do I have to wear clothes like you?”
Isabel smiled at her girlfriend’s child-like question and paused to kiss her cheek. “You do, Tomatia” She laughed upon seeing the disgusted look on Chiara’s face. “They protect us from the sun and stuff.” Chiara rolled her eyes, still clinging to Isabel for dear life. Isabel started to loosen her grip as they reached the bag.
“Don’t let me go, idiota!” Chiara snapped, reinforcing her grip.
Isabel winced as Chiara’s nails dug into her arms “I have to, you have to get dressed.”
Chiara nodded quietly, letting Isabel release her. She held on to the cave wall as best she could, her legs shaking slightly. She clicked her tongue, squeaking softly as she nearly fell over. Isabel watched for a moment. “It helps if you stand up straight.” She reached down and pulled out an outfit out of the bag. “Here, I hope these fit.”
Chiara crouched down, still holding onto the wall. “What the fuck are those?” She removed one hand to pick up an article, sniffing it.
“It’s a shirt. It goes over your head.” Isabel smiled as Chiara sat down and pulled the shirt over her head. She managed to get her arms out after a few moments of struggle. She clicked her tongue in frustration the entire time but managed.
“Well?”
“It’s backward.” Chiara looked down in confusion, yelping as Isabel grabbed the hem of her shirt. “Let me fix it.” Chiara felt her face burn with how close the Spanish human was but nodded. Carefully, Isabel helped Chiara fix her shirt, kissing her cheek. She stepped away, watching as Chiara picked up another article of clothing and started to inspect it.
“What the fuck? Is this another sh...shirt?” She glanced at Isabel.
“You got it right,” Isabel said. “But that’s a skirt. I thought it’d be easier than pants.” Chiara frowned, looking through the hole.
“You’re wearing pants?” she asked.
“Nope! I’m wearing shorts!” Isabel said, smiling to herself as she watched Chiara work out the skirt.
“Why can’t you call all this shit what it is? Clothes?” Chiara asked, pulling the skirt to her waist before trying to stand again.
Isabel shrugged and helped her up the rest of the way. “Who knows, but you look cute.” She grinned. She kissed Chiara’s lips, smiling at her as she pulled away. “Want me to put your hair up?”
“Like yours?” Chiara frowned and pulled her hand away to dust sand off of the lime-green skirt. She looked at her outfit, both intrigued and annoyed by the feel of the fabric. She then inspected Isabel’s messy bun. “No, it’s stupid.”
Isabel rolled her eyes, grabbing the bag from the ground. “At least put on a headband, it’ll help.” Chiara sighed, but let Isabel pull her hair through the dark red headband. She smiled when she finished, kissing Chiara’s cheek again. “Come on, I want to show you something,” Carefully, Isabel grabbed Chiara’s hand again. “Wait,”
“What? I thought you had something to show me?”
“Can you walk through water?”
Chiara paused. “What kind of question is that? I’m human until sunrise, idiot. So I can walk through water, just like you.”
“Really? You won’t turn back into a mermaid when you touch water?”
“No, I won’t,” Chiara huffed in frustration. “Is that one of your fucking stories about us?”
Isabel giggled. “Yeah, we have a lot of stories, most of them are nice.”
“You told me the one about the little one.” Chiara tugged on Isabel’s hand. “But you said you have something to show me.”
“You’re right,” Isabel started to lead Chiara out of the cave, “be careful.” Chiara did as told, yelping as her feet touched the sand.
“What the hell?!” She quickly stepped back into the shallows, glaring as Isabel as she waited for some sort of explanation.
Isabel smacked herself in the forehead, muttering curses. “I knew I forgot something! Lo siento.” She bit her lip, pulling her flip-flops off and giving them to Chiara. “Just put that part between those first two toes.” Chiara did as asked, smiling. “Better?”
“Yeah. These are...shoes. Right?”
“Mhm.” Isabel hopped from foot to foot. Chiara laughed.
“Thanks for giving them to me.”
“De nada.” Isabel started to walk faster, Chiara yelping as she worked to keep up. “Ta-da!” Isabel carefully let go of Chiara’s hand to get into the dune buggy. She whined slightly as it had also been heated by the sun.
“What is it?” Chiara finally asked.
“It’s a dune buggy!” Isabel laughed at the expression on Chiara’s face. “It’s so we don’t have to walk through the sand.”
“Oh...like when we ride the currents instead of swimming?”
“Uh...yeah!” Isabel patted the seat next to her. “Get in!” Chiara did as asked, pulling down her skirt in an effort to not burn her legs.
“Why doesn’t this have protection from the sun?”
“I...I don’t really know, but it’s fun,” Isabel grinned, starting the buggy. Chiara squeaked as it started to move, bouncing slightly. Isabel floored it, Chiara screaming with a mix of delight and fear. She held tightly to the side of the dune buggy as Isabel whipped around in the sand, giggling. Finally, Isabel stopped, the two of them reaching some semblance of civilization. Chiara’s grip tightened, her eyes glowing.
“There’s so many…” She whispered.
“Relax, none of them know you’re a mermaid, promise.”
“But what if they find out?”
Isabel glanced at her. “You said you were human until sunrise, right?” Chiara nodded. “I promise, no one’s going to know you’re a mermaid. Relax, okay?” Isabel pulled into the rental area, smiling at the man. She handed him the keys, grabbing the bag and reaching for Chiara’s hand. “You’re going to be fine, promise.”
“You’re making a lot of promises,” Chiara said quietly, eyeing the man carefully.
“I...Yeah, I guess. But I’ll keep them.” Isabel smiled, pulling Chiara along. Chiara squeaked, smiling as she found it easier to walk. Still, she held tightly to Isabel’s hand. “Ready for breakfast?”
“Uh...sure.”
Chiara smiled as she walked hand-in-hand with Isabel. Waves lapped at their feet, the two of them tired from their day out. Chiara leaned her head on Isabel’s shoulder, yawning. “I don’t want to go back,” she said quietly.
Isabel laughed. “We still have all night,” she said quietly. The faint sound of the latest summer hit came from further down the beach. A group of people was gathered around a bonfire, cheering and dancing as dusk settled in. Chiara watched them, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Want to join them?”
Chiara paused, her gaze lingering on the group before she finally shook her head. “No.” She yawned. “What do you want to do?”
“Have you ever stargazed?”
“When we were little. But I’m training to be queen now so there isn’t much time.” Chiara leaned her head on Isabel’s shoulder.
Isabel frowned. “Will you still come see me when you’re queen?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well...I’m human for one thing.”
Chiara frowned. “Let’s not talk about this right now.”
Isabel’s frown deepened, but she eventually sighed. Her grip Chiara’s hand tightened. “Alright.”
Chiara clicked her tongue quietly, biting her lip. “I love you.”
Isabel felt her heart skip. “You do?”
“Well...yeah. You’re much better than all the suitors I’ve met. You’re really nice to me and you never tried to use me to get famous or whatever.” Chiara looked up at Isabel. “Do you love me?”
Isabel hummed, nodding. “I do, I love you.” Chiara beamed as Isabel kissed her head. Isabel had many questions but bit her tongue. This was a nice moment. The two continued to walk, eventually ending up at the cave where they had started their day. “Did you have fun?”
“I had fun. Thank you,” Chiara hummed. “Can we do it again someday?”
“Of course we can.” Isabel let go of Chiara’s hand, wading in the water. “Think I could ever see your world?”
Chiara nodded. “I’ll find a way.” She yawned, closing her eyes. Upon getting the pool in the back of the cave, Isabel sat down, easing Chiara down with her.
“Are you going to turn back now?” Isabel asked quietly. She moved her hand to Chiara’s waist, pulling her closer.
“I’ll wait until dawn. I don’t want to go back yet,” she muttered.
Isabel smiled, yawning. “Alright, we’ll stay here.” Chiara simply hummed in response, falling asleep. Isabel kissed her forehead, leaning against the wall of the cave, closing her eyes.
Isabel groaned as she woke up, smiling when she saw Chiara’s tail trailing in the water. “Chi? You have to get up. I’m sure Rome is waiting for you.”
“So…?” Chiara yawned, squirming. She was tired, everything a bit sore. “Help me get in.” Isabel did as she asked, taking Chiara’s clothes. She didn’t swim off right away, looking up at for a long time. “I’m going to miss you.”
Isabel got down on her knees. “I’ll miss you too.” She leaned down, kissing Chiara. Chiara happily kissed back, closing her eyes. “Te amo,” Isabel whispered.
Chiara smiled. “I love you too,” she said quietly. The mermaid slipped under the water, swimming towards her home.
Word stuff is hard and I promise, I’ll write a better version for you. But either way, Merry Christmas (in July), @learninghowtohetalia!
