Ocean Mist (Azul Ashengrotto/Yuu)

7 ~ Two Months

"—And don't forget to follow the skincare routine I gave you! I want to see you with flawless skin come Autumn," Vil called out to Yuu before turning back to his conversation with Rook, who turned to wave at her one last time before they left for summer break.

She felt a light hand on her shoulder and turned to see Azul standing behind her, a bittersweet smile on his face. She turned to completely face him and greeted, "What's that look on your face for? It's just two months!"

"I'll still miss you," he said quietly, fidgeting with his hands. He had gotten better at expressing himself to Yuu, which she was very proud of him for, though he still tended to get nervous. She was glad that he was trying to better himself—nothing good ever came from bottling everything up.

She held his hands in hers carefully. "I'll make sure to call and text you a lot, 'kay? Anyways, I should be the one worried that you'll forget me for some hot mermaid with a perfect beach body... Is it even called a beach body in the sea?"

"I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to," Azul chuckled. "You're quite the memorable person."

"In a good way or bad way?"

"I'll leave that up to you to decide."

Yuu squeezed his hands gently before glancing around the room, though she still held onto him. "Are the twins not with you?"

"They'll be coming soon. I came early to catch you before you left." His cheeks tinged pink and he glanced to the side. Suddenly, he seemed a lot more nervous than usual.

A smirk played on Yuu's face. "Are you gonna ask me out~?"

He blinked a few times before pressing his lips into a thin line. "That's what I should've done today, before I..." he muttered under his breath.

"But you were gonna do something, right? What is it?" She let go of his hands and pulled out her phone to check the time, seeing if she was still on track. "I can be here for a few more minutes, but I have to get in line soon..."

Azul let out an exhale. "Right." Yet his uneasy demeanor didn't go away, nor did he do anything to reveal what he was going to do. He simply fidgeted with his hands for a few more moments, cheeks turning pinker with every passing second.

"Azul—"

"Can I kiss you?"

Yuu went slack-jawed. Azul Ashengrotto, asking to kiss her? Him asking to kiss her? Not the other way around? What alternate universe was she in that he was the one suggesting that?

It seemed that she hesitated for too long because he started stammering, "O-Oh, if you don't want to, that's completely understandable... I-I mean, I certainly wouldn't want to kiss me—"

She cut him off by grabbing his collar and pulling him in, initiating the kiss herself. Azul's eyes widened for a moment before fluttering shut, unsure of what to do with his hands before tentatively deciding to place them on her waist and kissing her back.

"Really? In the Mirror Chamber? Man, think of the children~" Floyd's familiar voice interrupted, startling Azul and causing him to quickly tear away from her, embarrassedly looking everywhere except at her before settling on locking his gaze to the floor.

Yuu grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Hey, you can't just not say anything," she said with a smile, her reddened cheeks comforting to him. He pursed his lips, feeling bashful. "Wh-What am I supposed to say?"

"Come up with something romantic~" she teased, lowering her hand from his chin. He crossed his arms, hugging his elbows as he thought, genuinely trying to come up with something to say.

Azul's face after they broke the kiss was one he'd never made before, an amplified version of how he looked when Yuu teased him—wide eyed and red faced. She thought his expression was simply adorable.

"Well... it looks like Jade and Floyd are waiting for you over there..." She shifted on her feet, not wanting to part ways just yet. It felt too wrong, especially after they'd shared their first kiss, but neither of them had much time.

He held one of her hands in his before bringing it up to his lips, gently placing a kiss on it. "I... I'm glad you were my first kiss," he whispered into her hand.

A smile rose on her face. "I didn't say this earlier, but I'll miss you, too." She glanced towards the mirror, then at her phone to check the time, before returning her gaze to him. "I wish I didn't, but I have to get going now if I plan on going home for the summer..."

She began to walk away, but Azul caught her wrist. She looked at him expectantly and he hesitantly pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I wanted to be the one to initiate the kiss," he said grumpily, though he wore a slight smile. He walked her to where she needed to be before pressing one last kiss to the top of her head.

"Hey, Azul?" She stopped him one last time.

"Yes?" He wished they didn't have to part ways, even if it was only temporary. Any time without her would feel like an eternity.

She gave him a final bright smile, squeezing their intertwined hands one last time before letting go—he would think about these little actions all summer long. "Have a good summer!"

A soft laugh and a bittersweet smile. "Same to you as well. I'll see you next school year, Yuu."