A/N: Heyo, thank you for 40K! Have an Aoi oneshot, because 1), she's babey, and 2), I haven't written for her yet! Enjoy!
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"Hurry up, Asahina!" One of the girls called over her shoulder as the group raced to the changing rooms.
"In a minute, I gotta find my goggles!" Aoi called back, rummaging through her backpack with a frown. "C'mon, I know I packed them this morning... Where was I at before classes...?"
She hummed, tapping her chin and scrunching up her nose. After a moment, her eyes widened. "I was swimming this morning! Aw geez, did I forget them in the pool?!"
She dashed for the changing rooms, shrugging off her jacket on the way. She found her locker and stashed her stuff there, changing into her bathing suit quickly. As soon as she rinsed off, she walked out to the pool area, glancing around.
The rest of the class was there already, some of the girls standing nearby. Sayaka waved her over with a big grin. "Over here!"
She walked over, narrowed eyes scanning the ground. When Sayaka gave her a confused look, she replied simply, "I'm looking for my goggles."
"We can help you look if you want," Sakura offered.
"That would be great, thanks." Aoi smiled at her. "They're red, and my name is written on the band."
Both girls nodded and walked off to look.
Aoi, meanwhile, went to the pool, staring into the water. She remembered being in the deep end this morning, so perhaps they'd somehow sunk to the bottom...?"
While she was deep in thought, a girl surfaced from the water. She looked over at the (h/c)-haired girl and beamed. "Oh, hi (y/n)."
"Hello, Aoi," the girl gently replied, smoothing away her soaked (f/c) bangs from her face. "What are you looking for?"
"Oh, just my stupid goggles," she huffed, squatting at the poolside and wrapping her legs around her knees. "I couldn't find them in my bag, so I figured I accidentally forgot them here."
(y/n) thought for a moment before dipping below the water. She seemed to be looking around her person for something. After a moment, she came back up, a familiar pair in her hand. "You mean these?"
"Ah, you're a lifesaver!" Aoi cheered, taking them back and placing them around her neck. "Thanks, I owe you one."
The girl simply smiled, her pretty (e/c) eyes watching the swimmer. "It was no problem. I figured you'd be back for them."
The Ultimate Marine Biologist was a timid girl, usually sticking to herself and staying out of sight. On the very first day of classes, Aoi had met her beforehand in the pool, and the two had become fast friends. No one but her and the staff knew about (y/n)'s true form, and as such she tried to keep that secret the best she could.
Aoi usually kept to others like Sakura and Chihiro, but with (y/n), she found herself unusually attracted to her. She loved swimming in the academy's pool, and so they usually met there, Aoi to swim and (y/n) to keep herself sufficiently hydrated.
Aoi grinned at her, seeing her cheeks dusted pink. "Are you up for some more practice tomorrow morning?"
"Of course," she replied, glancing past her to see Sakura walking over. "Oh, your friends have come back."
Aoi looked up when her friend approached. "Sorry about that, Sakura. (y/n) found my goggles for me."
"That's quite alright," the hulking young woman replied, nodding politely to the girl. "Hello, (l/n)-san."
"Hello, Oogami-san," (y/n) meekly greeted, bowing her head in deference.
"I believe class is starting soon," Sakura added. "Will you be joining us?"
"Ah, I'm afraid not," the (h/c)-haired girl slowly shook her head. "I'll have to be going soon; I stayed longer than I thought I would."
"Really?" Aoi slumped, disappointed.
(y/n) flinched, eyes growing concerned for her. "I'm sorry, Aoi -- we can meet later."
"Okay." The girl shrugged, her happy demeanor slowly returning. "After classes, okay?"
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In the late afternoon, Aoi went back to the pool building, changing and walking out to meet (y/n).
She saw her with her legs sipped in the water, shimmering (f/c) scales going up her legs and glittering in the lights. She looked up and smiled, pulling her legs out. The scales faded away as she shook the water away.
"Sorry about that earlier," the girl apologized as Aoi did some warm-up stretches.
"No, it's totally cool." Aoi nodded reassuringly. "I'd have done that too. I kinda forgot about your tail."
She chuckled sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, well -- it was lovely meeting Oogami-san again. When will you next need help studying?"
"Probably this weekend, I think," the swimmer grunted as she touched her toes. "Sensei is giving us another chapter test, and I promised Naegi that we'd go get ice cream with Sayaka and Kyoko if we both scored well."
(y/n) shook her head fondly when she thought of the boy. "Naegi-kun is... quite interesting. I've never met someone with that much eagerness before."
"Yeah, he's fun," Aoi replied, finishing up her stretches and hopping in place. "Alright! You wanna get the rings, or?"
(y/n) shrugged. "We can do that, and then an underwater test."
"Okay!" Aoi cheered, going off to the storage room. "Be right back!"
(y/n) watched her as she went, admiring the girl's toned figure and tanned skin. She sighed quietly, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. She was too invested in the girl, it seemed. She could hardly contain herself around her, always blushing and stumbling over herself. She was so painfully shy when it came to affection; she wondered why Aoi put up with it. It was still hard to fathom that they were dating.
She tugged at a lock of hair, inspecting its color in the light. One of the things Aoi had always gushed about was her hair. She loved messing with it, twirling it around her fingers, putting it in braids and updos. She especially loved when its natural (f/c) tint came out at the ends. Even if it was wet, she liked running it through her fingers and admiring its shimmering colors in the light.
It made (y/n)'s heart go crazy, something she'd never felt for anyone before. She desperately wished that she could take Aoi to meet her parents one day; her father would be thrilled and her mother would absolutely love her.
Aoi came back with the rings in her hand, a cheerful grin on her face. "Okay, let's get in and rock 'n roll!"
(y/n) looked up at her with a gentle face. "Aoi?"
"Hm? What's up?" She asked, squatting down so that they were eye to eye.
(y/n) reached out and hugged her, burying her face in the girl's chest.
"E-- eh...?" Aoi was startled, but she soon melted into the hug, resting her chin atop (y/n)'s head. "What brought this on, all of a sudden...?"
"I felt like it," (y/n) mumbled, face burning red. "I wanted you to know that I love you..."
Aoi blinked for a second, but then a sweet grin spread across her lips and she cooed, hugging the mergirl tighter. "Aww, you're so cute!"
(y/n)'s face flushed darker, but she smiled at the affection when Aoi planted a kiss on the crown of her head.
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A/N: Again, thank you all so much! I hope you keep enjoying this book. I'm not planning on quitting until I have 100-200 chapters, so strap in! Also, sorry that I've been gone so long. I've been focusing mainly on other projects, but I can assure you I haven't forgotten about this book!
Please tell me what you thought, feel free to request, and I'll see you guys later!