Yuri is a natare. A mermaid. He knows how to follow the rules that keep his kind safe. So why does a human dancer named Victor makes him feel like breaking all of them?
Yurio hummed happily to himself as he swam behind Yuri towards the entrance to the nest.
The older natare had hoped that Takeshi would forbid the fingerling from leaving the nest, that he would stick by the rules that a fingerling not of age was just too inexperienced, too much at risk in the open, hence forbidden to leave except on exposure trips. Going on monitor assignment was nothing like the exposure fingerlings went through. Exposure trips were heavily monitored, controlled, and in areas that up until recently were known to be safe from humans.
All these things had changed since the incident with group B. Exposure trips were banned indefinitely, and all the unmated maters had been ordered to stay in the caves. Only Yuri had been excluded from this rule because he was a monitor. A monitor close to the maximum age of being unmated. He was running out of time. This could possibly be the last time he was allowed to leave. Yuri wanted to use that time to see Victor, but with if Yurio tagged along, that would be impossible.
Takeshi had agreed all too quickly for the fingerling to join Yuri outside the nest. Something that Yuri was having difficulty grasping. Even with the problems the nest was currently facing, rules were rules, no?
With a hard swipe of his fin, Yuri burst into the open ocean, feeling for a second the freedom it brought him and the knowledge that Victor was out there somewhere. Just thinking of the human made Yuri's center warm up, made him want things that were hopeless.
The feeling didn't last long when he paused and turned around to see Yurio had stopped just before the border. "What is it?" Yuri asked after re-joining the fingerling.
The young natare hesitated at the invisible border. "I just need a moment."
Yuri saw it as an opportunity. "If you want to stay, you can. It's all right to be scared. I'll train you next time."
Please stay please stay please stay.
"I'm not scared, stupid scotoplane," Yurio stuck his tongue out, then he glanced past Yuri, towards the open waters. "I'm just wondering if I'll see them."
Yuri looked behind him, there was nothing there. "See who?"
The blond fingerling's head snapped up in anger. "None of your business," he snarled. "Why am I even telling you this?" he spat before dashing forward with a burst of his fin. Passing by Yuri quickly and vanishing into the dark of the ocean.
Yuri stared dumbfounded wondering what the heck had just happened, then he rubbed his brow. It was going to be a long day.
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"It's a blue whale, a blue whale!" The fingerling swam excitedly around Yuri. "Juvenile, weaned. pre-mating age, solo."
Yuri nodded in agreement and watched carefully as Yurio got as close as he dared to the large creature. To his surprise, the day hadn't been as bad as he thought. It was clear that Takeshi had been right when he'd say that Yurio would be a good monitor. The fingerling was a natural. Doing the things Yuri expected without being told how to do them. Recalling his early training by heart, and despite their rough start, Yuri wasn't completely hating showing the inexperienced fingerling the ropes.
