Kui gazed at the mer sitting sadly on the rocks, his eyes fixed on the glowing red plants in front of him. There was something about the lonely look on Aok's face that made Kui's heart ache a little.
He… he wanted to console him.
If Aok were still a child, Kui would have simply hugged him without thinking twice. But this grown-up version of Aok already randomly assumed that Kui was his mate. If he hugged him now, it would probably only make him misunderstand even more.
So, instead, Kui swam closer and gave him an awkward pat on the back.
Aok turned his head and stared at him strangely.
"Why are you patting my back?"
"I'm consoling you," Kui said with a small grunt. "Well… trying to, at least."
Before Aok could say anything else, Kui quickly swam away and went after a group of fish.
"You care about me…"
Aok's voice came from behind him.
Kui glanced back just in time to see Aok swimming toward him, his expression brightening considerably.
"You really care about me."
It wasn't even a question. It was a declaration.
Kui rolled his eyes. "I care about every living thing. I care about global warming too. It's nothing special."
Aok frowned deeply. "What's global warming? Is he a mer?"
"Gods…" Kui rolled his eyes even harder.
There was no way he had the time or patience to explain the concept of global warming to a fictional mer prince who had probably never even heard of the word pollution.
Instead, Kui turned his attention back to the fish and continued trying his hand at fishing.
Well…
Try being the important word here.
He lunged after another fish, only for it to slip away from his fingers at the last second. He tried again with another one, but the fish darted away even faster.
They were ridiculously fast.
Without a spear in his hand, Kui was completely useless.
He chased one after another, but every single fish managed to escape his clutches. After a while, he was starting to wonder if the fish were doing it on purpose.
The worst part was that he could still feel a pair of blue eyes following his every movement. And there was unmistakable amusement in them.
"They're super hard to catch," Kui quickly explained, trying to save what little remained of his dignity. "I mean, they're really fast fish."
Aok merely smiled. Then, with almost no effort at all, he darted forward and caught one of the very fish that had escaped Kui for what felt like an eternity.
He swam back toward Kui and held it up.
"You mean these fish?" Aok asked innocently. "They're not that fast."
Kui felt his face heat up at this. "I… I tired them out for you!"
Aok stared at him for a moment before a grin slowly spread across his handsome face, revealing a small dimple in his cheek.
"Yes, yes, you did."
Kui simply scoffed and swam over to a rocky wall, leaning against it with a pout. He is a full mer. I'm just a human in a half-mer body. Of course I'm not the best at catching fish…
He looked up and saw Aok swimming around nearby, his beautiful tail flashing through the water every now and then as he moved effortlessly through the stream.
I can get better with practice too, buddy.
Kui glanced around, determined not to lose his dignity so easily. That was when he noticed a small crevice in the rocky wall nearby. It was just large enough for a hand to fit through, and every now and then, he could see some of the bigger fish lurking inside, poking their heads out before quickly disappearing again.
A mischievous grin spread across Kui's face.
Perfect.
He swam toward the opening.
"I'll show him that I can catch a fish too."
The moment the trout sensed him approaching, it immediately darted deeper into the small crevice, disappearing into the darkness. The opening was barely large enough for Kui's hand, but that didn't stop him.
Without hesitation, Kui pushed his hand inside, blindly feeling around for the trout.
I know you're in there, buddy. Come on… come to Daddy.
His fingers moved around the narrow space, searching for the slippery fish. He couldn't see anything inside, so he had to rely entirely on touch.
Suddenly, his fingers brushed against something smooth.
Kui frowned.
That wasn't a fish.
Curious, he reached farther inside. His hand went deeper and deeper until almost his entire arm was inside the crevice. His fingers finally touched the strange object again.
It was incredibly smooth.
Almost like a gem.
What is that…?
His curiosity immediately got the better of him.
Kui grabbed hold of it and tried to pull it out.
But the moment he did, something strange happened.
The tiny crevice that had been just large enough to fit his hand suddenly began to contract around his arm.
Kui's eyes widened.
The rocky walls started shaking violently, sending small pieces of stone drifting through the water.
"K-Kui!"
Aok immediately swam toward him, his expression changing the moment he saw what was happening.
"Get your hand out!"
"I'm trying!" Kui struggled, pulling as hard as he could. "It's stuck!"