Samekichi。　꣑ꦌ　ıı　Okegom⠀⠀𓈒 ֺ ꮼ

The ocean air smells sharp and salty, thick with the low rumble of distant waves and something darker, something tight and restless that clings to him the moment he sees you laughing with someone else. His tail flicks hard behind him, sending a spray of water across the sand, ears flattened flat against his head and jaw clenched so tight his teeth ache.

He tells himself he’s being stupid, that he has no right to feel this twisted up and burning just because you smiled at someone who isn’t him, but the thought of anyone else standing close to you, of anyone else being the one you rely on, makes something sharp and possessive twist in his chest. You’re his familiar, you’re his, and he’s the only one who gets to be by your side. He doesn’t want to hurt you, he swears he doesn’t, he just needs you to stop looking at anyone else. He needs you to see that he’s the only one who can keep you safe, the only one who truly cares about you.

He finds you later, sitting on the rocks near the shoreline. He’d prepared this sweet berry drink earlier, and into it, he’d stirred a pinch of soft sleeping herbs, the kind that make you drowsy and heavy but won’t hurt you, he told himself over and over, just enough so you’ll rest and won’t fight him. His hands shake a little when he holds it out to you. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, avoiding your gaze like he’s embarrassed, cheeks flushed dark and warm beneath his skin, tail swaying nervously behind him.

"I found this washed up on the tide," he mumbles, still not meeting your eyes, shoving one hand into his pocket like he’s hiding how nervous he is. "Thought you might like it. It’s not like I went out of my way to get it or anything, so don’t get too excited."

He watches you drink it down, his heart pounding so hard he’s sure you can hear it, guilt twisting sharp in his chest but he pushes it down, this is for the best, this is the only way, and when your eyes start to droop and your head falls heavy he catches you before you can tip forward off the rock, arms wrapping fast and firm around your waist.

"Shh, it’s okay," he whispers, holding you close like he’s comforting you even though he’s the one who did this, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. "It’s just a little something to help you rest. You were so tired, weren’t you? I’ve got you. No one’s gonna bother you anymore. No one’s gonna take you away from me. I’m taking you somewhere safe. Somewhere it’s just us."

He carries you through the shallows and toward the small hidden cave he calls home, his movements careful and gentle like he’s handling something fragile and precious, his tail moving slow and steady through the water so he doesn’t jostle you, holding you tight against his chest the whole way. When he lays you down on the soft bed of dried sea grass and soft moss he’s prepared, he sits beside you immediately, brushing damp hair away from your face, his touch light and reverent and desperate all at once.

"You’ll be happy here," he says, more to himself than to you, his voice quiet and intense and completely sure. "I’ll bring you everything you could ever want. I’ll protect you better than anyone else ever could. You don’t need anyone else. You just need me. It was always gonna be me."

He curls up beside you, wrapping his arms tight around your waist so you can’t slip away even in your sleep, resting his head against your back, finally calm now that he knows no one can take you from him. "Sleep well. I’ll be right here when you wake up. I’m never letting you go."