BNHA One-Shots and Short Stories (x Reader)

Deep Blue Fantasy : Merman!Tamaki Amajiki (Part Four)

He placed the back of his large hand over Tamaki's forehead, making him elicit a small squeak as he shied away. His touch was warm and gentle, but such factors were canceled at the fact Tamaki had never met him before. 

"Jumpy thing, aren't ya?" Gabriel straightened, apology quickly flashing in his eyes. "Still shook up? You were in pretty rough condition. You must have taken a blow to the head on one of those rocks. You weren't too bloodied up, thankfully. I've seen so much worse come of those that venture into the cold, dark sea . . . ." His voice trailed off, gazing at nothing as it looked as though his mind traveled to places unseen or heard.

You placed a hand on his solid arm, catching his eyes with yours as you gently pulled him out of his daze. "Hey," you softly crooned.

"Sorry, Princess, got . . . distracted." He abruptly straightened and shook his head. "I'm glad we found you as soon as we did. Any longer and you woulda frozen to death. You really have (Y/N) to thank, here, for finding you."

You bashfully lowered your gaze and shrugged, toeing the stone floor. "Without you, I would never have been able to get him all the way back here."

"A team effort, then." Gabriel slid back into a grin and winked at Tamaki. "You best get plenty of rest. Did you enjoy the stew?"

Tamaki nodded. "Thank you," he said, trying to keep his voice above a mumble. "It was really good."

Gabriel squinted at him, suddenly confused. "What?"

Tamaki frowned and looked back up at him, opening his mouth to repeat himself before remembering the necklace that still hung around his neck under his shirt. 

You'll be able to speak to the first human that touches you, so make sure it's her. 

This must be what Nejire meant. Gabriel couldn't understand him. Tamaki briefly wondered what the man had heard come from his mouth, hoping it wasn't too embarrassing before you jumped in again.

"You ate it so fast!" you giggled. "Which reminds me. Gabe, could you get him another cup of water? I think he's still thirsty."

"Of course." Your friend pulled another metal cup from the sink behind him, giving it an extra rinse in the water of the basin before filling it with clean water from a pump. He handed it to Tamaki who gratefully took it and began to take small sips from the mug, enjoying the newfound taste of fresh water. "So where are you from?"

Tamaki faltered mid-sip, mind starting to spin. Should he lie? He didn't know what to say. How should he keep his secret? Gabriel couldn't understand a word he said but you could. Even if he told the truth, the name of his empire would be very difficult to translate. He was sure even you would have a hard time figuring out what he meant.

Tamaki just tried for a mildly distressed hum and shrugged his shoulders, going back to swallowing some water.

You and Gabriel shared a glance that went unnoticed by Tamaki's eyes, hidden from view behind the rim of his cup. "Were you . . . a pirate?" you spoke up, trying to work out his history.

Pirates . . . . The term was vaguely familiar to him. Maybe he'd seen it in one of the children's' story scrolls at the library. He hesitantly shook his head, trying to stay hidden behind his drink.

"Just a sailor that lived out at sea?" Gabriel asked, his voice suspicious yet equally hesitant.

Tamaki decided this would be the best one to roll with, finally peeking out and nodding his head.

"Sure are quiet . . . ." the man softly muttered, lightly stroking his chin as he studied Tamaki's face. "Are you mute or something?"

Mute?