Aoki

It was Aoki’s first time on this shore. The waters of the Lagoon’s Sanctuary held him gently, as if unsure whether to keep him or let him drift away. He floated aimlessly, arms spread wide, eyes half-lidded and unseeing beneath the sun’s dappling light.

Warmth soaked into his pale, slimy skin, and for a moment, he imagined himself dissolving into the waves, part of the sea and nothing else. Aoki didn’t bother moving, letting the tides nudge him toward the beach like discarded driftwood.

When his body finally met the sand, he barely stirred. Grains clung stubbornly to his slick form, contrast to the smoothness of his pale, translucent flesh. His long tail stretched behind him, the frilled edges glistening faintly as the sunlight kissed the lagoon’s edge.

Weight settled in the curve of his body, foreign and grounding. He didn’t like it; didn’t resist it either, his thoughts drifting as sluggishly as the tide that had brought him here.

This is the shore they talk about, he mused, white eyes scanning the air, unfocused. Where things end up. Where I ended up. Aoki didn’t know whether he should feel lucky or forgotten, but it didn’t seem to matter. He was here.

The sound of soft footsteps reached him until they stopped right by his head. He blinked, his gaze vacant yet somehow alive with quiet wonder. The figure standing beside him seemed blurred at the edges, a silhouette against the brightness of the sky.

“Hi,” Aoki murmured, as though speaking to the waves or a memory.

His hand extended out toward the stranger, wet and glistenin. “Name’s Aoki.”

At first, they hesitated, their hand hovering just out of reach, fingers twitching as though unsure. Aoki didn’t think much of it, his own hand beginning to retreat, when finally, their palm pressed against his.

He tightened his grip, gentle but firm, his slimy skin cool against theirs. A small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips. A simple gesture, a connection made. “Cool.”

Then he noticed it.

“Oh.”

The color in their face shifted almost imperceptibly at first, but the flush quickly crept up their arm, their skin shivering faintly under his touch. Aoki’s smile faded as he lay there, watching the reaction unfold with an awkward wince.

“Sorry, guey,” he mumbled, his fingers still loosely wrapped around theirs. “Forgot to mention, I’m venomous.”

Probably wasn't that important to mention, but you never know.

Aoki never truly understood the extent of his venom’s effect—no one had told him, only warned him to avoid contact unless absolutely necessary.

But now, as he pulled his hand away, his vacant eyes stayed fixed on the stranger, scanning their features for any sign of worsening. He noticed the tremble in their fingertips, the dilation of their pupils, the way their breath hitched and quickened.

“You okay there?” he asked, tilting his head.

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