#tfw u name the penguin after the dub name lmao

[bitway-arts]

title: Behind the Glass characters: Haizaki Ryouhei, Mizukamiya Seiryuu pairings: haimizu summary: Following an escapee penguin leads to a meeting he'd never forget. a/n: written for haimizu week (free day prompt)! since its mermay I wanted something with a mermaid au! it’s not the original mermaid au I had in mind for them but I decided to try and write one that involves an aquarium setting @iefiveshipsweek

"Come on, you have to stay in here." Haizaki mutters to the young emperor penguin that's keeping right beside him, as if she were intent to leave the habitat with the human. The little one looks up to him, chirping in glee that she might be able to waddle beyond those doors.

He clicks his tongue and bends down. Gently, his hands are placed against the penguin's back and he pushes her as far away from him as possible. It's the most he could to do ensure that she won't escape, especially since he had already given up all his fish here earlier.

With his hands still on her, eyes glance around to try and spot the other young penguins. There were a handful who seemed to enjoy his presence, but they were busy waddling and chirping on the ice. For now, it was just one he had to deal with.

Haizaki nudges her a little further. The moment his hands are off the penguin, he makes his escape. He's careful not to run on the ice, even with the boots needed to wear when coming into this exhibit, but he's certain that his longer strides can outrun a little, waddling penguin.

Once out of the penguin habitat, he turns to shut the door properly. It's quiet and he's examining the door and the bits of ice that trailed out underneath it. There's not a single fluffy bird in sight. A breath of relief is let out when he's certain that no penguins have escaped.

The teen turns to his backpack left by the door. He lets his back lean against the wall before sliding down to sit beside it. Digging through his bag, he pulls out a notebook filled with papers. Flipping through it, he finds a blank worksheet to fill out. He begins jotting down quick notes; he'd fill the rest out properly when he was home.

This internship felt more like extra schoolwork to him at times. Sure, being able to study animals up close and learn about them was worth it, but all the boring paperwork, writing scholarly paragraphs, and essays due at the end of each month was something he could live without. It didn't help that he wasn't getting paid either, just a (maybe) assured job by the time he was done with school.

He groaned to the thought, slamming his notebook shut. He takes his time thinking about how he's going to get home, what train he's going to have to catch. It's annoying to figure out especially at this hour. But, whatever. It wasn't anything new for him.

Cheep! Cheep!

The moment he hears those echoing chirps, he freezes. He wants to believe that he imagined those chirps. He's been in that habitat most of the day, so it's not unnatural to think he's hearing those restless birds even now.

Cheep! Cheep!

Now he knows he isn't simply hearing things.

His head turns, eyes trying to spot the source of sound in the dimly lit halls of the aquarium. There's a waddling ball of gray fluff heading down the corridor, chirping without a care in the world as she explores this unusual world.

"Hey!" He barks at the penguin.

The penguin's head turns and chirps, tail wagging behind as she was finally noticed. But, she doesn't come towards the human. Instead, she keeps trudging on.

As he begins to stuff his belongings into his backpack, eyes fly to the door, trying to examine it and find out how the hell a baby penguin managed to break free. He'll leave that matter for another day- tomorrow. For now he has to worry about chasing- walking after the silly creature.

Haizaki is thankful that it's past closing time. The only others in the building would be employees and he doubts that they're all hanging around this exhibit. The last thing he needs is to be teased by one of them (namely that damned Sasotsuka) for having a baby penguin get the best of him.

Slinging the backpack over one arm, he starts after the chirping ball of fluff. She can't get too far, thankfully, but she does grow curious about a door left ajar, one that read as DO NOT ENTER.

"Candice," he hisses the penguin's name, hoping to have her stop. Yet, she doesn't.

The penguin continues to waddle past the door without a care for the sign. Normally, Haizaki would have been a little more hesitant about going past one of these doors. If caught, he'd be booted out of here for sure. He'll be quick, he argues. Just go in, get her, and leave.

And that's what he does. A hand pushes the door open and he immediately scoops the little penguin into his arms.

"Time for you to go back home, troublemaker." He tries to be angry with her, but even his glare isn't as harsh as it normally would be. When she chirps in his arms, it makes it increasingly more difficult to tell himself that she won't get any treats from him tomorrow.

Before he can follow through on his plan, something catches his eyes- the reflection of water against the ground. He looks up, finding an underwater themed exhibit behind glass. Aside from the rock formations, seaweed, and other usual decoration set inside these, it lacked marine life within it. Which, he found, a bit odd.

Thinking of the layout of the aquarium, he tried to imagine what would be here. There wasn't anything on the maps he had memorized that told him what would be here. And he couldn't exactly deduct what type of marine life fit into these waters. His expertise lied in penguins and sharks. This tank fit neither.

"Whatever."

This wasn't his problem. It was probably a new exhibit opening soon. Not one he would worry about.

So, he turns, mind set on returning Candice home…until a shadow swims by- fast. Unable to make out what it was, his head turns, expecting to see something in the tank.

It's still empty.

Curiosity nags at him to get a closer look. Or perhaps it's Candice waving a flipper out towards the tank. Either way, he finds himself stepping closer and closer, until he's only a few inches away from the glass.

His gaze drifts across the water, trying to search out some type of fish. There isn't any around. Instead, his eyes catch something unexpected. A head- a human head sticking out behind one of the rock formations.

'Probably just someone cleaning the tank or whatever.'

He was stupid for thinking that there'd be fish in here. It's just for cleaning. But, something isn't right. The more he looks at the person, he realizes that he's not wearing any gear.

He's not wearing anything at all.

The one hiding had swam out, revealing his form as he made his way towards the awestruck human. He had the upper body of a male human, and the lower half of a fish.

A mermaid- merman.

And this merman was absolutely stunning. He was a pale beauty with blue hair and matching eyes. His skin was clear aside from the patches of dark blue-purple scales decorated around his body and a scar on his right side. His tail was long, a darker shade of blue, with elegant and flowing fins. Even he had to admit that this creature- person, was beautiful.

The merman had come up to the opposite side of the glass, floating in the water with ease. Hands reach out to press against it, a smile rests on his face. The penguin in the human's hand catches his attention. He waves to the smaller creature.

"Hello there."

"You can speak?!"

The voice was a bit muffled by the dividing glass, but was clear enough so that he could make out what he was saying. At least, he assumed he was if this was all real. A merman. Talking. He could hardly believe it.

"I can," the merman speaks, after laughing softly to his outburst. "Who are you? You're not one of the usuals that stop by here." He pauses, attention grabbed by Candice for a moment. "You're her friend?"

"I-"

He wasn't sure how to answer this. Any of this. He had so many questions running through his head, but only one comes out-

"You speak penguin too?"

"I suppose so? I understand most creatures. I don't see why it's so surprising."

Because that's the norm for you, he thinks. He lets out an aggravated sigh. He never thought that today he'd be speaking with a merman who could talk to his penguin too.

"Is something the matter…?" The creature asks, head tilting with a worried look.

Haizaki shakes his head. It feels…weird to have him looking so concerned over nothing.

"No, I'm fine."

That's a lie. But he's not about to spill out how he thinks he's losing his sanity the longer he stays here. Candice need to get home and so did he. Now he thinks he needs to just crash the moment he returns to his place.

"Excuse me?" He speaks, again. Gaining his attention, again. "May I have your name?" He asks, hopeful.

"Ryohei."

"Ryohei?" He parrots, sounding out this name. That smile of his returns. "My name is Seiryuu."

"I didn't ask for your name…" The human mumbles.

It seemed as if the other had heard it, causing a frown to cross his face. Now he feels guilty for letting that slip out.

"It's fine," he says quickly in hopes of wiping that frown off his face. "Seiryuu…is a nice name."

"Thank you!" The smile returns with a little hum. "Ryohei is an interesting one. I've never heard it before."

"Yeah, thanks?" He shrugs.

Haizaki feels a little peck at his fingers. He looks down, nearly forgetting that he was holding the penguin in his arms for this long. She brings him back to the reality that he shouldn't be here for too long.

"I have to…get going." He adjusts the back over his shoulder, tries to take a step back to leave.

"Will you come back?" Seiryuu asks, pushing himself closer to the glass. "I would like to see you again."

"Uhh…" He's hesitant on his answer. The only thing he can do is stare. Their eyes meet and he can see the pleading hope in his eyes, pleading for a yes. It leaves him with a weird feeling in his chest. "Maybe. I'll try to."

Even if his answer wasn't fully positive, it makes Seiryuu smile brightly, even his tail sways side to side. He thinks that, if he were human, the other might have gone in for a hug.

"See you soon then, Ryohei!"

"Yeah, you to, Seiryuu."

As he turns to leave, he notices that the other remains in place. His shadow unmoving as he watches the human leave this room. When he shuts the door behind him, the world feels different now. His thoughts are elsewhere, thinking about what- who he had just met.

"He…shouldn't be in there…" Words come out of his mouth before he's even aware of it. A beautiful creature like that cooped up in a glass tank that was made for display. While he's not the most informed about supernatural creatures, even he knows something about merfolk. They're meant to be in the ocean, not in here.

He sighs and shakes his head. This isn't his problem. He has to focus on his internship. Focus on the penguins he'd been assigned to care for. Focus on himself and what he needs.

And yet, he couldn't get the image of that merman out of his mind.

#fantext; #haimizuweek2019 #IE5shipsweek #Inazuma Eleven #inazuma eleven ares #haizaki ryouhei #mizukamiya seiryuu #haimizu #mermaid au #tfw u name the penguin after the dub name lmao #Mizukamiya is pretty merfolk