Notes: Fantasy/Historical/Futuristic AU, so I used the ideas of The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling in this story just so you know, sorry i didn't edit this one either.
Nitori Aiichirou was a different kind of beauty to the world, no one understood him. No one saw him as beautiful. He was awkward, shy, didn’t understand how people worked. He was ugly to them. He was an outcast to the world and he didn’t understand why. He thought himself of average beauty, silver hair, bright blue eyes, an average amount of body weight, smart in aspects of school. Perhaps he wasn’t physically attractive in aspects people would want him to be.
A day of tiring teases lead Nitori off to the dock beside the sea where he sat glum kicking his feet back and forth, the wind pushing up slightly behind his back. His hair swayed with the wind and his jacket hugged against his skin from the cold. He saw a flash of blue in the water, not a clear sea through but a solid shimmer.
He blew it off although.
Out in the sea swam the prince of it, Haruka Nanase, a rebellious, curious little merman who took to watching the creatures above the water. Seeing the teen above the water got him captivated and when the silver haired boy stood on those sticks where his tail should have been the wind decided to be harsh and blew him right into the water.
Nitori was a swimmer but from the shock of falling in and the lack of air in his lungs, he could do nothing but drown.
His eyes closed Haruka found himself swimming up to him and latching onto his arm finding him relatively light before dragging him upon the shore. His curiosity had driven him into staying, watching the freezing boy. Haruka didn’t know what to do, the boy in front of him shivered and coughed and all he could do was stare curiously.
Nitori coughed from the water in his lungs but it wasn’t much to keep him under. A few coughs later and exasperated breaths allowed him to open his eyes finding a dark haired beauty above him. Gasping he quickly scrambled from his laid position to about five feet away and huddled into his legs.
“D-did you s-save m-me?” He asked curiously, his eyes only on the others eyes, he hadn’t seen the tail that came along with Haruka.
“Yes. You were drowning.” He said quietly, before scooting himself into the ocean. “I must go though.” He told him before making himself scarce. Nitori stood quickly trying to take back the merman still naïve to his true nature.
“Wait! Please!” He called and the boy turned to him questioningly.
“What is it?”
“Will I see you again?” Nitori asked him hopefully.
“We come from two different worlds. I don’t think so.” He whispered with a small laugh before swimming into the ocean allowing a stunned Nitori to emerge.
X
For a week, Nitori went back to that dock to wait for him and get away from the world behind him. He wished the merman would come back to him. He held no judgment in his eyes for Nitori and was only concerned for his well-being. He began to sob at the thought.
A splash was heard beside him and he looked over to find Haruka Nananse, the prince of the sea, approaching him with a small smile.
“Wipe your tears, you shouldn’t cry.” He whispered, leaning his legs against Nitori’s bare legs.
“Why not?”
“Because you are too beautiful to cry.”
Nitori only scoffed hearing this and turned his head away. “I am no beauty.”
“Of course you are, out of all the creatures in the sea I find you the most beautiful.” He whispered, his long sentences scaring himself because of his nature not to talk often.
“How can you say that?” Nitori asked looking down at him. “You look as if you could stun people with your beauty. I can only stun them with the amount of inferior ugliness I hold.”
Haru, in that moment, only saw the shining light from the sun that cast from behind his head. His beauty was of unnatural talent that was suppressed and molded into believing the thoughts of others. “Why not come with me?” He asked, holding a hand out to Nitori with a small smile.
“With you? Down there?!” Nitori shouted shocked at the offer. “Merman, I’m sad to say that I can’t breathe under water. I don’t even know you!” He shouted standing to his feet.
“Then get to know me.” He whispered, looking away. “And when you’re ready to get away from the life of sadness and deprivation, tell me, but I will not leave you alone. I will come here every day for you and talk to you and you will see who I am and I will see who you are.”
“What is your name then?”
“Haruka Nanase, the little mermaid.” He told him easily, leaving out his social status as per usual.
“Nitori Aiichirou, the ugly duckling.” He mimicked only to get a soft punch from Haru.
Characters: Haruka Nanase, Nitori Aiichirou, Matsuoka Rin
Rating: K+
Notes: Sorry I didn’t have time to edit!!, Confessions/First Time (I guess both)
Nitori Aiichirou awkwardly walked down the hallways of Samezuka not sure, how he was supposed to go about tonight. Yeah, sure, he and Haru had been dating for more than a month and have hung out outside of school and maybe he has slept over at his house since it got so late but they’ve never had a proper date. It was new to his tongue and he didn’t know how to go about it.
Continuing his pace with great speed only so he could reach his room and flop onto his bed without noticing the maroon shark that sat in their room doing his homework. Rin noticed the perplexed look on the small duck and scooted out from his bed so he could lean on the bed frame to Nitori’s bed.
“What’s wrong?” He asked watching the first year concerned but plainly. Nitori jumped a bit but turned away from the wall back to Rin.
He stared at him for a long time before Rin shouted at him to tell him and the nervous teen quickly stuttered out his reply. “Haru and I have…” Nitori began then whispered intelligibly where Rin couldn’t hear him even if he strained.
“What was that, Ai?” He asked leaning in closer to the boy.
“Haru and I…”
“Nitori!” He shouted but the teen couldn’t reply when the door opened wide, not even a knock from the intruder. Haruka Nanase walked with a basket in hand, as he watched the two with a stoic face. Rin watched shocked at his childhood friend, wondering how he even knew his roommate.
“Rin, you’re too close to my boyfriend.” He said blankly as he stood inside as if he lived with them. Rin could only reply with his mouth agape and eyes wide as Nitori scrambled down the ladder beside his bed, tripping on his way down and quickly threw their closet door open to pull out a dark blue cardigan and his purple shoes. Haru smiled at the blue color of his cardigan (Nitori knew it was his favorite because *cough* water *cough*).
“You two-“ Rin stopped himself shoving a fist in his mouth unsure of what to say. “… are dating.” He whispered shocked and maybe the tiniest bit disappointed.
“Yeah. It happened at least a month ago.” Nitori stated, running around the room trying to find socks before noticing he was already wearing a pair.
“A month… ago?” He asked, awkwardly looking at the two. “I know Haru wouldn’t have told me but Nitori… I thought we were closer than that.” Rin watched the teen a bit disappointed as he stood beside Haru.
“I was going to but every time I went to tell you I chickened out, you were asleep, or I didn’t have the time. I’m really sorry you had to find out this way.” He muttered looking down as if he had truly caused a great sin.
“No. Nitori, it’s okay” Haru’s hand slipped into Nitori’s. “I was just… stunned.” He smiled a bit strained. “I’m-“ He took a deep breath trying to straighten his thoughts out then gave them a true smile. “I am truly happy for you.” He breathed looking the silver haired boy right in the eye and Nitori almost began to cry at the sincerity in his eyes.
“Oh, Rin thank you so much. We’ll be back at around ten!” He called the two walking out the door. Rin watched their retreating backs before sighing and falling back to his bed.
~
Haru and Nitori had gone on a picnic together sitting quietly in a dark vacant park only lit by the street lamp, which cast enough light for them to see. Haru had brought, for once, plain sandwiches for the two of them instead of going to the trouble of making mackerel. The two sat there for the longest time together, eating, looking up at the stars, and then as the two began to stand to clean up Haru found himself flying himself in for a kiss, which caused the shy teen to stutter and blush. Haru found it cute and funny before pecking him again. On the third time, Nitori Aiichirou quickly stuttered out the statement that shocked both of them: “I-I love y-you.”
