Rainy Day
It was raining again. Kinsu sighed, peering through the falling water at the ocean. He wasn’t too worried about Lenol – the merman couldn’t drown after all. But he could be swept away by ocean currents and separated quite easily from the boat. And the rain wouldn’t help, since it would make a good deal of noise on the water’s surface.Lenol always made it back, though. Kinsu pushed wet bangs out of his face and decided to retreat to the cabin. Getting soaked to the skin wasn’t going to help him any, and Lenol would scold him like he was a child for it.
Kinsu grinned, ducking into the warmer, dryer little cabin and immediately stripped off his shirt. Draping it over the little room’s single chair, he ruffled a hand through his hair, flicking the worst of the rain water onto the floor. Searching out a small towel, Kinsu wiped his face dry – and honestly, it was nearly April and the rains should be abating, not getting worse.
Draping the towel over his neck to catch the dripping of his hair, Kinsu plucked at the soaked fabric of his pants – he’d only been out on deck for five minutes (maybe ten) and he was soaked through and starting to get cold. Undoing his belt quickly, Kinsu decided he’d wrap up in the blankets off their bed and warm up that way (and if they smelled of Lenol a bit, well, that was just a plus).
His fingers had only just found the clasps on his breeches though, when the door opened wide and Lenol slipped in. Kinsu flushed, turning with a smile.
“Have a nice swim?” He asked, and Lenol just grinned, his eyes dropping to where Kinsu’s pants were half undone and Kinsu’s flush only darkened. “I’m wet.” Kinsu defended, and Lenol smirked, stalking across the cabin and dripping water everywhere.
“The water’s nice.” Lenol declared, bending down and licking a drop of water off Kinsu’s cheek. Kinsu flushed and rolled his eyes a little, but didn’t protest as Lenol kissed him, his hands finding bare skin and it really wasn’t fair that after a dip in the icy cold ocean that he was radiating warmth. Kinsu pressed close, his eyes slipping shut as Lenol’s hands stroked along his back soothingly and Lenol kissed him sweetly.
“I think we need to get you out of those wet clothes.” Lenol murmured, and Kinsu yelped, surprised as Lenol abruptly yanked his breeches down. He stumbled back a step, making a face as he tangled in the pants but wriggling out of them nonetheless.
“You’re wearing wet clothes too –” Kinsu pointed out, but Lenol just smirked and closed the space between them, kissing Kinsu hard and hot, his hands roving freely, and Kinsu melted (and this was much, much warmer than soggy pants), letting Lenol steer him back towards the cabin’s bunk.
“Len –” Kinsu tried, ignoring the little squeak he let out as his bare thighs hit the front of the bunk and he sat down heavily, blinking up at Lenol rapidly. Lenol tugged the towel away from where it rested still on his shoulders, and Kinsu grinned, hooking his fingers in the tops of Lenol’s breeches and tugging gently. “Your pants are wet.”
“They are.” Lenol agreed with amusement and Kinsu fumbled a little, working at the ties that held them shut. It took a long minute, and Lenol laughed when Kinsu growled in frustration (because the air of the cabin was so much colder without Lenol’s touches) before taking over and stripping quickly. “Better?”
“Dryer.” Kinsu mumbled, deciding that he didn’t mind rainy days that much as Lenol pressed him to the mattress and resumed the task of warming him up again.
Swimming Lessons
“Stop flailing!” Lenol shouted over the splashing water, and Kinsu did – only to promptly sink under the water. Lenol smothered a smirk and dove under, pulling Kinsu back to the surface and lazily keeping them both afloat with strokes of his tail.
Kinsu shivered, glaring at him. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” He complained, clinging to Lenol’s torso.
Normally Lenol would’ve appreciated it – well, he did appreciate it – but Kinsu needed to learn sometime. Lenol let go, and Kinsu yelped before he slipped underwater again, struggling to the surface after a moment – only to start the weird flailing again as he tried to stay above the water.
Lenol rescued him again, shaking his head. “Kick with your feet –”
“I was.” Kinsu snapped, his blunt fingernails digging into Lenol’s shoulders as he held on. “And moving my arms, like you said, but I kept going under anyway.”
“You were floundering.” Lenol grinned, tugging Kinsu closer. “You know –” He started, drawling, and Kinsu drove a knee into his fin, close to where the scales shifted into the skin that was slightly tougher than a human’s would be.
“As far as I’m concerned you’re not getting anything like that for ages.” Kinsu told him, his pretty green eyes darkening.
“Hey, I’m trying to be nice.” Lenol protested, and Kinsu scoffed, eyeing him suspiciously.
“If nice is your hands on my ass –”
Lenol laughed, tightening his grip just to watch Kinsu squirm.
“It’s keeping you from going underwater.” Lenol pointed out, and Kinsu shook his head.
“Take me back.” He gestured to the ship, floating some twenty yards off. They were alone, in the middle of the ocean, and Lenol ducked his head, pressing his forehead to Kinsu’s.
“I want you to be able to swim.” He murmured, fixing his grip so it wasn’t so… suggestive. “If you fall overboard and I’m not able to get to you in time –”
“I know. I’m tired.” Kinsu sighed, his hands soothing over where he’d dug his nails in. “We can try later?”
“Okay.” Lenol grinned, stealing a brief kiss, and if he didn’t mention that he wanted Kinsu to be able to keep himself afloat for other things, well, Kinsu really didn’t need to know that.
Apology
“Kinsu,” Lenol began, reaching out towards him. Kinsu neatly ducked away, moving to the starboard side of the ship and securing one of the fishing nets better. Lenol sighed, but followed, a little amused by Kinsu’s attempts to not speak to him. Really, it hadn’t been his fault.“I thought you were below deck,” Lenol said, for the fifth time. Kinsu steadfastly continued on, checking that everything on deck was secure. He was moving a bit stiffly, Lenol noticed guiltily.
“You’ll have to talk to me at some point, Kinsu,” Lenol reasoned, and Kinsu scoffed, giving him a dark look over his shoulder before pulling open the trapdoor that lead to the hold.
“What do you want from me?” Lenol asked the air as Kinsu started down the ladder. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“You could have not laughed,” Kinsu retorted, not pausing as he disappeared into the hold.
“I’m sorry,” Lenol shrugged. It had been funny at the time – Kinsu had stepped out of the cabin, only to be knocked right back in by the swing of the rigging Lenol had been adjusting. It had been funny – both the look on Kinsu’s face, and the way he’d stumbled right back into the cabin.
He regretted laughing now, especially since Kinsu still wasn’t talking to him. And the way Kinsu was walking, he’d been hit harder than he let on, and now Lenol was worried too. Frowning thoughtfully at the hold, he decided to wait until Kinsu reappeared. Then, protests or no, he’d get a look at the damage done.
It didn’t take long – if they’d been talking, Lenol would’ve told Kinsu he’d already checked the hold – and Kinsu reappeared slowly. He didn’t meet Lenol’s eyes, and Lenol used that to his advantage, snagging Kinsu’s wrist and tugging him around to face him.
“Lenol.” Kinsu’s eyes narrowed, but Lenol ignored him, catching Kinsu’s other wrist and bundling them together.
“Let me go,” Kinsu ordered, sounding extremely irritated. Lenol ignored it, pushing up Kinsu’s shirt. Kinsu tried to squirm away, but Lenol caught sight of the massive bruise darkening the skin of his stomach anyway.
“You should’ve said something,” Lenol admonished, and Kinsu sagged, shaking his head.
“It’s just a bruise. Besides, you thought it was funny,” Kinsu muttered, not meeting his eyes.
“Not that funny,” Lenol frowned, tilting Kinsu’s head up. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
“You laughed,” Kinsu sighed, his lips twisting down unhappily. Lenol let go of his wrists, kissing him fiercely. Kinsu remained stubborn for a long minute before giving in, kissing back with just as much fire.
“I don’t like seeing you hurt. I didn’t think you had been hurt,” Lenol stressed, his hands still in Kinsu’s hair. “Tell me next time.”
“Don’t laugh next time,” Kinsu retorted, but less angry. Standing on his tip-toes, Kinsu nipped sharply at Lenol’s lower lip before kissing him again, sweetly and with no trace of the ire he’d been stewing with since morning.
“Can I make it up to you?” Lenol asked when Kinsu finally let him up for air. Kinsu smiled slowly, and Lenol was hard pressed to keep his expression solemn.
“Bed,” Kinsu directed, and Lenol had been hoping he’d say that.
“As you command,” Lenol bowed, straightening and scooping Kinsu from the deck. Kinsu yelped, but didn’t fight (probably because the last time he’d done that, they’d both ended up overboard).
