With Lungs Like Gills (Merman!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 2

With a bag partially filled with two take-out containers of different flavored monaka in hand, I walked back to where the tide pool was and watched in silence as the sun finally dipped beneath the horizon, casting a brilliant orange and red glow in the sky. Yamano wasn't around, but he had warned me that he would be finished quickly if I came back to no one here.

Sitting near the water's edge, I crossed my legs underneath and took out a chestnut paste monaka from one of the containers, eating it as I watched the darkening water for Yamano. I was expecting him to be swimming actual laps, but with no one on the surface, I guessed that he had meant something else entirely.

I had just finished my treat before I saw him break the surface nearby, his hair covering most of his face before he pushed most of it back with a hand.

"Yamano! I got you some monaka, but only in the standard flavors as I forgot to ask what flavor of ice cream you wanted," I lifted the bag towards him before putting it in my lap, digging out the plastic container with his two snacks, "There's red bean and vanilla. If you don't want either of those, I have a strawberry one as well."

"Oh, thanks. I'm good with whatever you got me," He did a few breaststrokes towards the tide pool rock barrier before disappearing under the water. The next thing I knew, he rocketed out of the ocean and plopped down next to me on my left, splashing water all over me and the container. Thankfully, I hadn't opened his container yet.

"Geez...why'd you do that?" I handed him his container before looking at my own to see the remaining strawberry monaka ruined by salt water. A slight frown crossed my lips before I closed my own container and shoved it back into the bag with a silent huff.

"Sorry, it's really the only way I can get up on land without looking weird or dumb," Yamano grinned as he took a large bite out of the vanilla monaka. I glanced down towards his legs and was greeted with prominent red scales that were occasionally broken up by white stripes.

Scales?

Without thinking, I reached towards the scales covering his right thigh and lightly brushed my fingertips across them. They felt smooth, and weren't as rubbery as I thought silicone would feel. I went to touch the lionfish-like fins laying flat near Yamano's knees, but he grabbed my hand before I could reach them. I barely missed the wide-eyed emotionless stare Yamano had as he gripped my hand tightly, the pain causing me to wince.

"Ah, sorry! I should've asked first," I pulled my hand away with an embarrassed smile across my face, cursing myself for getting carried away by the realistic details in the silicone tail. If I owned a tail as elaborate as that one, I'd want someone to ask first; but here I was, touching without asking just like a hypocrite.

"It's no problem. That fin can be pretty finicky," Yamano responded after a small pause, grinning at me, "I didn't show you this earlier because I didn't want you screaming in your delirium."

"Well, it looks really well-crafted! I've always wanted to swim with a silicone mermaid tail, but they've always been so expensive. I just make do with my free-diving fins," I looked back down at the silicone tail, admiring the handiwork, "It really does make you look like a lionfish merman!"

Yamano stayed silent for a few seconds before smirking widely, "I know, right? I've been swimming with this for pretty much my whole life, so I've gotten used to how cool it looks on me."

The lights on the street far from the water turned on, and I briefly looked towards the right to see the beach patrol begin to make its way up and down the shoreline, "It's that time already?"

"What d'ya mean?" Yamano stuffed the last of his treat into his mouth, crunching the shell as he spoke.

"The beach here closes at sunset. I've got work in the morning, so I usually head home when the beach patrol comes out at night," I offered the open bag towards him so he could throw his empty container in as trash.