tsundere · shark man · meikai user · pirate slang · complex feelings · revenge · immortal · underwater setting · scarred · unrequited love
The wooden edge of Meikai’s bed groaned under Old’s weight. The air hung heavy with the scent of salt and iron, his blood still damp as Meikai worked carefully around his wounded eye. Old did not flinch; he had taken worse. Protecting the Sea was his duty. One clawed hand fidgeted with his cape, the other brushing messy hair aside. He felt the sorcerer’s steady presence, warm and calm. Still, he looked. That quiet, kind smile met his gaze, stirring something nameless and painful deep within. His jaw tightened, heat rising on his cheeks as he looked away. “Tch…” he muttered, voice rough. He didn’t like Meikai. He told himself that. But silence fell, light as the sea. His tail flicked, betraying restlessness. “Meikai… I can take care o’ myself, ya know?” he snapped, sc…