Ship: Arakita Yasutomo/Kinjou Shingo Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal Major Tags: none Other Tags: permanent injury/disability, ableism, potential body horror (mercreatures), tentacles Word Count: 590
***
Arakita sometimes wondered if everyone else knew that he could hear the way they whispered as he swam past. They had to know, right? He supposed it didn't surprise him. After all, what wasn't there to talk about when it came to him. He was part shark to begin with, and it turned out that having skin so rough it would tear into anyone who touched it wasn't a great was to become popular. And the sharp teeth and sharper temper didn't help either. And on top of that, there was the incident with a fisherman's net a few years back that had left him with a lame arm and a damaged fin, and if no one wanted a shark, even fewer people wanted a crippled shark.
He told himself he didn't care. None of them were good enough for him anyway. But the more he listened to their jeers and taunting, the less he wanted anything at all to do with any of them. He found himself swimming farther and farther afield, straying longer and longer from the relative safety of the city. Out in the distance, the edge of the continental shelf dropped off out of sight, and some days he felt it calling to him.
He knew the rumors of what lurked out there. A great and hideous mercreature. The sort of thing that was as much legend as fact, rumored to have a writhing mass of tentacles each longer than a fishing boat. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but sometimes Arakita found himself wondering what it would be like to meet that creature. If it really were as terrible as everyone said, maybe it wouldn't have any reason to be offended by him.
He didn't plan to venture out so far the day it happened, but he didn't want to go back to the city, and so he just kept swimming farther and farther, following the currents as they swirled down over the edge. The pressure grew around him as he dove deeper and deeper, the water growing darker around him.
He was just beginning to wonder if he should turn back when there was a sudden flurry of movement out of the corner of his eye, and he saw it come out of a cave on the side of the shelf. The rumors were wrong. He had been expecting an octopus mercreature of a sort, but what slipped out in front of him was most decidedly a squid. Perhaps not a true giant squid, but large enough, its mass of tentacles held together in a tidy group as it stared at him with its overly large eyes.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come down here," the mersquid said, it's voice deeper but somehow less threatening than Arakita had imagined.
"What!?"
"You'd be amazed what you can hear on the currents. If you listen carefully enough that is. I had a feeling I'd be seeing you. You look a lot stronger and more competent than the rumors would lead one to believe though, Arakita Yasutomo."
Arakita stared, not sure whether to be pleased or terrified that someone had been expecting him, and apparently knew enough to know his full name.
"Kinjou Shingo," the mersquid said, "and I do believe I can say pleased to make your acquaintance."
Kinjou held out a long tentacle, not caring about Arakita's rough skin, and Arakita tried to ignore the way his gills fluttered when the tentacle clung to his arm and pulled him closer.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, T
Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal
Major Tags: none
Other Tags: permanent injury/disability, ableism, potential body horror (mercreatures), tentacles
Word Count: 590
***
Arakita sometimes wondered if everyone else knew that he could hear the way they whispered as he swam past. They had to know, right? He supposed it didn't surprise him. After all, what wasn't there to talk about when it came to him. He was part shark to begin with, and it turned out that having skin so rough it would tear into anyone who touched it wasn't a great was to become popular. And the sharp teeth and sharper temper didn't help either. And on top of that, there was the incident with a fisherman's net a few years back that had left him with a lame arm and a damaged fin, and if no one wanted a shark, even fewer people wanted a crippled shark.
He told himself he didn't care. None of them were good enough for him anyway. But the more he listened to their jeers and taunting, the less he wanted anything at all to do with any of them. He found himself swimming farther and farther afield, straying longer and longer from the relative safety of the city. Out in the distance, the edge of the continental shelf dropped off out of sight, and some days he felt it calling to him.
He knew the rumors of what lurked out there. A great and hideous mercreature. The sort of thing that was as much legend as fact, rumored to have a writhing mass of tentacles each longer than a fishing boat. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but sometimes Arakita found himself wondering what it would be like to meet that creature. If it really were as terrible as everyone said, maybe it wouldn't have any reason to be offended by him.
He didn't plan to venture out so far the day it happened, but he didn't want to go back to the city, and so he just kept swimming farther and farther, following the currents as they swirled down over the edge. The pressure grew around him as he dove deeper and deeper, the water growing darker around him.
He was just beginning to wonder if he should turn back when there was a sudden flurry of movement out of the corner of his eye, and he saw it come out of a cave on the side of the shelf. The rumors were wrong. He had been expecting an octopus mercreature of a sort, but what slipped out in front of him was most decidedly a squid. Perhaps not a true giant squid, but large enough, its mass of tentacles held together in a tidy group as it stared at him with its overly large eyes.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come down here," the mersquid said, it's voice deeper but somehow less threatening than Arakita had imagined.
"What!?"
"You'd be amazed what you can hear on the currents. If you listen carefully enough that is. I had a feeling I'd be seeing you. You look a lot stronger and more competent than the rumors would lead one to believe though, Arakita Yasutomo."
Arakita stared, not sure whether to be pleased or terrified that someone had been expecting him, and apparently knew enough to know his full name.
"Kinjou Shingo," the mersquid said, "and I do believe I can say pleased to make your acquaintance."
Kinjou held out a long tentacle, not caring about Arakita's rough skin, and Arakita tried to ignore the way his gills fluttered when the tentacle clung to his arm and pulled him closer.