Penned Sea Hearts

Kai floated above K’arhan, looking from one corner of it to the other. When he’d arrived yesterday, he’d been too tired to appreciate being in this little town again, but now that he’d slept a leisurely long time at the local inn, he had no such problem.

He used to feel a little creepy for watching people like this, but that was long in the past. It was weirdly great for inspiration to see everyone go about their daily schedules, seeing the small conflicts of life. He even liked to sketch scenes like this, even though he was actually very bad at it. It for some reason brought him joy, and made his job a lot easier.

It was just so novel, being in these out-of-the-way places. Kai spent most of his time in Za’renti, the shining capital, with its tall spires and thousands of buildings sprawling as far as the eye could see. From above, it truly looked like a shining gem in the middle of the dark sea.

But somehow Kai liked these small towns better. Sure, they didn’t offer as many job opportunities or entertainment, and they were less beautiful on a surface level, but he felt like if he wanted to, he could know everyone’s names, maybe befriend them all. How many people could there be in K’arhan? A hundred, maybe? That was entirely doable.

Maybe he was just idealizing these places because that was what he liked writing about, especially couples where one of them was out of town, a newcomer. Partly because it made the exposition easier to deliver, but still.

He supposed he would see if something convinced him this place wasn’t as good as he thought so far now that he was here for a second time. Summoned by the cute librarian, even.

Kai felt his stomach twist a little at that, remembering that he should go see him. He’d seemed a little concerning in the letter, not really through his words but rather the writing itself. Maybe Rami just had shaky handwriting, and Kai had simply assumed he’d been the type of person to do needless calligraphy, but something seemed off, especially in the context of the library facing financial difficulties, as Ramos had put it.

Kai’s eyes quickly found the roof of the library, and he started swimming toward it, wanting to get the details out of the way as soon as possible because he hadn’t been given a specific date or time. Rami had probably assumed Kai would write back before coming here, but he didn’t mind staying here for a bit. He could certainly afford it, and he could write his latest novel anywhere.

Pushing the library door open, Kai blinked in surprise when he saw the front desk, Ramos asleep at it, his head resting on that massive book all libraries had where they wrote down returns and borrows.

Was that normal for Ramos? Kai didn’t really want to wake him up, but at the very least he was sleeping at his job. That was probably bad, right?

Kai would do that if he had a job where sleeping would matter, but he hadn’t gotten that impression from Rami.

Moving over to him, Kai poked at Ramos’ shoulder, making the merman flinch, propelling himself up off his chair, forcing Kai to look up at him.

“Oh, sorry!” Kai said, raising his hands. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Rami blinked at him blearily as he floated back down into the chair, his glasses adorably crooked on his nose as he frowned. “Am I still dreaming?”

Kai couldn’t help but chuckle, even though he was getting a little concerned, especially at the deep circles under Ramos’ eyes. “I know I’m very dreamy. But no, you’re awake.”

Ramos’s cheeks went bright red as he ducked his head, fumbling to straighten his glasses. “Oh. Um.”

Deciding to take mercy on the poor guy, Kai chuckled again. “Got your letter.”

“Oh, right,” Rami nodded, running his hands through his blond hair, his ears turned down. “Um, sorry, thank you so much for coming.”

Kai frowned at him, now properly concerned. “Are you okay?”

Rami nodded, shaking his head as if trying to get himself to wake up. “Yes, of course. I just…I’m surprised you are here. Apologies for being asleep.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. While he found Rami being a little strange charming, this was just a little too strange not to be unnerving. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” Ramos replied, his voice breaking on the single syllable, but he immediately cleared his throat. “I’ve just not been sleeping well. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this.” Then he grimaced, his eyes growing a little panicked. “At least I hope that’s why you’re here.”

Okay, enough was enough. Kai couldn’t watch this anymore. “I am. But before we set aside a specific date, I need you to tell me what’s going on.”

He put his hand on Ramos’ desk to emphasize his point, which made Rami’s shoulders sink. He almost looked small in that chair of his, all curled in on himself. Kai wanted to hug him, though Ramos was probably not going to appreciate that.

“I explained in the letter. We are having financial difficul—”

“And that’s why you look like your world is ending?” Kai asked gently, cutting him off. “No one died, right?”

“No, just our funding,” Ramos mumbled miserably, putting his arms on the desk before laying his head on it as well. “I’ve been counting down the days when we’ll have to close.”

Kai grimaced. He’d had no idea it was this bad. He’d assumed something in the library had needed repairs, or something. If he’d known, he would have shown up earlier, but he’d wanted to spend time to check in with his mom, spend time with her. And that had quickly turned into two weeks.

“Well, that’s not happening,” Kai said firmly, squeezing Rami’s shoulder, trying not to get too lost in his purple eyes when Ramos lifted his head and stared up at him. “But you’re in no shape to plan anything, clearly. When did you eat last? You look even thinner than the last time I saw you.”

Ramos opened his mouth, but nothing came out as he narrowed his eyes. Kai could practically hear him thinking. “Um.”

“Too long ago, I bet. Come on.”

Kai flicked his tail to get close enough to Rami to grab his arm, pulling him along before the poor librarian could manage to argue. He only recovered once they were outside, flapping his dark purple tail and dragging it along the ground to slow them both down.

“I don’t have money to go out to some fancy restaurant someone like you frequents,” he argued, though his words were lacking in forcefulness. He just sounded deeply upset, which truly tugged at Kai’s heartstrings. “Besides, I can’t just leave the library like this.”

“First of all, I don’t like fancy restaurants, even if this town had one. I never get enough food there,” Kai said, raising his index finger. “And secondly, you were just sleeping, and the library was fine.”

But instead of reassuring Rami, the merman’s eyes just bulged out with horror. “Oh gods, what if someone stole some books? I have to go check on Bookie!”

He tried to swim back inside, but Kai held him back, which made Rami give up in an alarmingly short amount of time, just huffing a little, not saying anything. If this was back when they’d met, Kai didn’t doubt that Ramos would tell him off, but now he was just so listless. Kai didn’t like this at all.

“Come on, Rami, the books are fine. You need a break.”

The pleading look Ramos gave him then was almost enough for Kai to let him indulge his paranoia. “What if someone took her?”

“You really think any book on magic will let itself be taken if it doesn’t want to be? I got my hand hit by them multiple times just for not petting them right.”

Ramos nodded, sighing as he turned away from the library, his ears somehow drooping even lower. He looked so damned miserable that Kai couldn’t help himself, putting his arms around the other merman, hugging him close, praying that Ramos wouldn’t get even more upset at that.

But Ramos said nothing, just tensing up for a moment before relaxing. He didn’t resist, but he didn’t do anything in general either, staying as is until Kai let go of him. The only evidence remaining of their hug was the blush covering most of Rami’s face, which Kai would enjoy under normal circumstances, but right now, it just made him more worried.

“Come on, let’s go eat.”

Rami grimaced, his face scrunching up again. “I don’t have money. Any money. I might have some at my apartment, but—”

“As a bigshot from Za’renti, I think I can afford to pay for your meal.”

Rami gaped at that, as if offended by the mere thought. It was kind of funny to see, though the situation they were in ruined it. “I can’t ask you to pay!”

“You didn’t. I told you I would do it. You have no choice, book man.”

Ramos scowled, folding his arms over his chest and huffing, and finally, finally, there was that familiar spark. Good, Kai would have Rami being his grumpy self in no time.

“I’ll pay you back later.”

Kai chuckled. “Sure. Now come on. The Golden Octopus has great grilled cod.”

He expected Ramos to light up at the mention of food, but instead, his face twisted into another grimace before he very unsuccessfully hid it behind a small, very fake smile.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Rami sighed, scratching his neck as he turned his gaze to the ground. “I just…I hate fish meat. It makes my stomach turn. I don’t know how hungry I would have to be to enjoy eating it.”

Kai chuckled. Somehow that was adorable. “What do you eat instead, then?”

“Clams,” Ramos replied with a shrug, still avoiding Kai’s eyes, embarrassment dancing in his. “And shellfish. Sometimes.”

“Well, it’s not shellfish to have preferences. Come on, they serve those, too, I’m sure.”

For a second Ramos went rigid, as if fighting with himself not to say something about the pun, but then he nodded, relaxing again. “Okay. Thank you.”

“I came here to support the local library. Gotta take care of the librarian too, right?”

“That’s not what that means,” Rami replied, huffing again, but this time it was in amusement. What a pretty sound. Kai hoped he would make him laugh much more.

“The library can’t function with its librarian floating belly up.”

Ramos didn’t argue that time, following Kai without a word when he started swimming, though Kai could tell he still wanted to argue about this.

Kai really liked the location of the inn. It was so quaint. A relatively large building with golden domes for a roof, and yet due to its location at the foot of a hill, it looked cozy and sort of homely. And they served mean, all-you-can-eat breakfasts, which was the essence of any good inn, in his opinion.

Once he reached the entrance, he easily pushed through the revolving door, looking back when Rami joined him, staring at the lobby with sharp curiosity. There wasn’t much to see aside from the large, woven, seaweed carpet on the floor, and the glowing, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. But Kai liked it. It was cozy.

“What? Never been here before?”

Ramos shook his head, rubbing his eyes. He did still look a bit out of it, his little outfit on a bit crooked, and his tie half undone, but at least his ears weren’t drooping anymore. That had been such a sad sight. “Um, no. I never had a reason to be.”

Kai shrugged. “Sorry, it’s just that this town is so tiny I kind of assume everyone’s been everywhere.”

He waved at Ramos to follow him, moving from the lobby to the restaurant portion that was in the next room.

He grinned in victory when he saw that the tables of food that had been set up for breakfast were still there, though half-empty, with only two people sitting around eating. Though then again, there weren’t that many people staying here in general. It made Kai wonder if there was some kind of annual festival or celebration perhaps that kept this inn afloat for the whole rest of the year because this couldn’t be enough.

With another flick of his tail, Kai reached the merlady behind the counter in the corner, reaching into the satchel hanging over his shoulder to get a few coins.

“Two plates, please.”

The woman said nothing, only raising an eyebrow as she took his money and handed him two plates. Honestly, for the price, given that Kai could eat however much he wanted, it was very affordable. He sometimes forgot how much cheaper not living in the capital was.

He swam back to Rami who was now doing his best to adjust his clothes, clearly having noticed how rumpled he was himself, which was a shame. He was cute when he wasn’t so prim and proper, though Kai supposed he was a different kind of cute like that, too.

Kai wanted to endlessly tease him, but right now wasn’t a good time. The poor guy might start crying, and Kai couldn’t handle causing that.

As Rami finished fixing himself up, Kai handed him a plate, which Ramos took, looking a little unsure, but then he nodded gratefully.

“Thank you.”

Kai grinned. “Sure. Go pick out your clams. I’m gonna get more cod.”

He wasn’t hungry, given that he’d eaten here just a while ago, but it would be awkward if only Ramos ate, and Kai did want to eat a bit more of the cod. It really was delicious. Whatever magic fire they’d used to cook it had worked wonders.

He quickly collected two of the remaining fillets onto his plate, grabbing some kelp too so he had something other than meat to eat. He should eat more plants in general. Good for digestion, or whatever his mom always told him.

Satisfied, he seated himself at one of the empty, stone tables, putting the plate down and shoving some of the fish in his mouth, humming happily. It was just perfect. He wished he could get the recipe. But he doubted the chef would tell him.

Perhaps if he gave her a signed copy of one of his books….

He was brought out of his thoughts when Ramos joined him, his plate full of all kinds of clams and some tiny lobsters, or something. Kai was actually not very good at telling these things apart. He didn’t like them much, but he was glad Rami found something he would enjoy.

“Thank you for, um, indulging me,” said Ramos, scooping the meat out of one of the clams with a spoon and putting it in his mouth. He still looked embarrassed, but he kept eating at a somewhat alarming speed, clearly having been very hungry.

“Indulging? What do you mean?” Kai asked as he started to chew on some kelp.

Ramos shrugged, grimacing as he picked up one of the lobster things. “Most people either make fun of me for it, or tell me to not be so picky.” He sighed as Kai scowled. “I know it must seem ridiculous. But I just can’t stomach it.”

“Rami, you don’t owe me an explanation for your food tastes. I’m glad you got something you enjoy.”

Ramos said nothing to that, just nodding as he continued eating. Kai let him until he stopped devouring his meal as though he hadn’t eaten in two weeks, at which point he decided it was time to ask about what was going on.

“So, what exactly is going on? You lost your funding?”

Ramos nodded again, glaring at his meal. It seemed now that his stomach was full, he was back to how Kai knew him from their first meeting. “The mayor just decided to take the library’s money. I wrote to so many authors, asking—no, begging them to help with a signing event, or something similar. But so far no one responded.”

Kai grimaced a little, guilt twisting within him. He probably should have written back. It would have clearly helped Rami’s mental health if nothing else.

“No, wait, actually, I did get a response from some. Three letters. All declining,” Ramos finished his rant, his fist clenched around an empty clam shell. “I still can’t believe you showed up. Especially after I, um, wasn’t the nicest to you.”

Kai waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, it’s fine. No harm done. Honestly, it’s kind of refreshing.”

“Yes, I am aware that everyone loves you,” Ramos grumbled, only for his wide eyes to fly up to meet Kai’s, staring at him in horror. “I, uh, I mean—”

Kai laughed. “Relax, Rami. I already decided to help you out. You can’t chase me off that easily.”

Ramos kept his gaze down, his face red, which Kai couldn’t help but grin at. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but everything about Rami was adorable. It really was a shame he was spoken for.

Though he’d hope whoever he was dating would be trying to help him out. What kind of person were they that they let their boyfriend get like this from stress over his library?

Kai wasn’t sure why he was getting so defensive on Rami’s behalf, but he was.

“We’ll do a book signing. That helped last time, right?”

Ramos nodded, shutting his eyes. “Thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you, but—”

“Hey, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal.” Kai sighed. He didn’t know what to do here. His knowledge of comforting people began and ended with hugs. And that hadn’t worked that great with Rami earlier. “It’s nice to have an excuse to leave the big city, anyway. I’ll write a letter to my publisher to get the word out and get new books here. And should be enough to get the rich snobs here. And meanwhile, your job will be getting enough sleep.”

“What?!” Ramos exclaimed, staring at Kai in shock. “No, I can’t let you do everything for me, only to—”

“I’m gaining from this, too, remember?” Kai didn’t actually care much about that part, but it was true. He did enjoy meeting his fans, getting to share in their excitement, maybe banter with them about his characters or upcoming books, but he was here to help Rami and the library first and foremost. But he had the feeling telling Ramos this would help convince him.

“I…I suppose,” Ramos grumbled. And then yawned, despite his clear effort to stifle it. “But I refuse to let you do everything yourself.”

Kai wanted to point out how little there was to do on his part, but he shrugged, then, giving in. “Fine, we do it together. But I need you focused. And that means resting up properly.”

Ramos full-on pouted, which Kai desperately wanted to immortalize in a drawing. “…I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Kai smiled. “After you’re done eating, you’re going straight home. Wherever that is.”

“But the library. I have to…close it,” Ramos forced out, frowning in displeasure, as if it hurt him to consider doing this. It made Kai want to shake his head at how ridiculous this librarian was.

“Fine. Close the library. Then go to sleep.”

Whatever Ramos had wanted to say to that turned into a long yawn, after which the merman looked even more miserable, his lips turned down in a frown. “Is my doing that conditional on you helping the library?”

Kai rolled his eyes. Gods below. The fact that Rami had even thought of saying that was messed up. “Sure, yeah. I’ll leave if you don’t take care of yourself. So you better do your best.”

Ramos sighed, his head bowed forward a little, as if the fact that he had to be mindful of his bodily limitation caused him great discontent. But in the end, he agreed.

“Okay.”

Ramos reached out with a hesitant hand, making Kai snort before reaching over the table to take it into his own, shaking it.

“It’s a deal, then.”