Mermaid AU}
Kaeya X Albedo}
Slight Angst(?)}
———
"See Jean? I told you." Kaeya motioned his arm out towards the sea.
Jean took in a deep breath, running a hand through her blond hair. "Kaeya please. Just let me think for a minute."
Some of the others were standing nearby, not wanting to interrupt the other two. Lisa was holding the photo in her hands, glancing down at the figure.
"Well, this certainly isn't the kind of mermaid you'd hear about in fairytales." Lisa spoke.
And it was true. This wasn't the beautiful kind with perfect hair and a large fin. This 'mermaid' had both scales and skin, hair that was tangled from the waves, and clothes that looked like they had been tossed into the water ten years ago.
"I didn't grow up with bedtime stories about sea creatures, but this certainly doesn't match the stories I've heard you or Amber tell Klee." Eula spoke, glancing at the picture from over Lisa's shoulder.
Jean then let out a sigh. "Let's go back to shore, we can think about the matter there." She declared.
...
Kaeya walked down from the facility, headed for the beach. He needed to clear his head, and usually a walk by the water would do the trick. He was walking down the sand, thinking about the mermaid the group had found. So they really were real.
"Sucrose!"
A voice Kaeya wasn't familiar with called out. Kaeya froze for a second after hearing it. But he decided to investigate, taking off across the beach.
Turning a corner covered by leaves and bushes, Kaeya saw a boy with blond hair staring up at a green haired girl who seemed to be stuck in a tree.
"What's going on here?" Kaeya asked.
The blond jumped before turning around. "My friend, she's stuck in a tree." He explained to Kaeya, using one hand to point to the girl.
Kaeya liked his voice. It suited the man. It sounded slightly tired, full of curiosity, and very composed. And the man gave off the same feeling. Kaeya shook the thoughts away, looking up towards the tree.
"I'll climb up there and see what's going on." He offered.
The blond nodded. "Thank you, thank you.. uh.." He paused, looking back at Kaeya.
"Ah, sorry. I'm Kaeya." Kaeya introduced himself, walking over towards the tree.
"I'm Albedo. She's Sucrose." Albedo looked back up to the girl. "Hang on Sucrose!" He called out to her.
Kaeya climbed up the tree, resting by the branch Sucrose seemed to be stuck on. She was sitting on the branch just fine, but she seemed to be clinging onto it for her life. It was then Kaeya noticed that the girl's foot was stuck.
"Don't worry, I've got it. Just hold on tight." He told her. Sucrose nodded, and Kaeya went to work. He carefully pulled at the smaller branches, trying not to hurt Sucrose or the tree.
After a bit of pulling and bending branches, Kaeya made enough room for Sucrose to pull her foot free. After, he offered Sucrose his hand and helped her climb down the tree.
Once they both stepped onto the sandy ground, Albedo came running over and wrapped his arms around Sucrose.
"Thank goodness." Albedo muttered.
"Don't worry, I'm okay." Sucrose's voice was soft and timid, but her words seemed honest.
Albedo looked up at Kaeya, who was significantly taller than the other two. "Thank you, Kaeya."
"It's no problem." Kaeya shrugged.
He wanted to spend more time with them, he wanted to learn how Sucrose got up in the tree. He wanted to know the two better. But he couldn't. He needed to go back, and he needed to confront Jean.
"I should get going. I'll see you guys around, hopefully." Kaeya flashed them a smile before walking off.
"Farewell." Albedo called to him, but Kaeya didn't turn back. He feared that if he did, he'd get too fond of Sucrose and Albedo.
Instead, he kept walking. Away from the beach. He figured he wouldn't see them again, and that they would become nothing more than a memory.
And maybe, that would've been better.
———
684 words.
Sorry it's short— there'll be a part 2 eventually.
