Title: The Circumstances of (Arima) Ibushi's Bathtub
Fandom: Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!
Rating: T
Length: 1069
Content notes: Merman!Akoya and an AU fusion with Orenchi no Furo Jijou (The Circumstances of My Home's Bathtub.)
Author notes: Triples as fills for GenPrompt Bingo and OTP Prompts.
Summary: Arima Ibushi has a pretty, pink-haired merman living in his bathtub.

It's just another day in grad student Arima Ibushi's life. After returning home after a long afternoon of botany classes and a freelance photography job, he saunters into the kitchen and whips up a sweet treat for his house guest and himself.

"Are you hungry?" he calls into the hallway and hefts the tray off the counter, heading through the kitchen and towards the hall bathroom. "Are you sleeping, Akoya? Akoya?"

Is it normal to have a merman living in your bathtub?

Ibushi pushes the door open with his hip and ambles inside. A pair of bright blue eyes look up from the rubber ducky in the tub at him, and a pout forms on Akoya's lovely lips.

"What took you so long today? I was bored all by myself," says the merman with a flick of his tail.

The budding botanist smiles back at him, that carefree smile that sends a shiver down the merman's back, and apologizes, "Sorry, Akoya, but I had an extra job after classes today." He sets the tray down on the bathtub's edge and clips it into place. "Now, now, don't look so upset! I can make it up to you with macarons, ne?"

"Ooh!" squeaks Akoya, clapping his hands together and swishing around in the tub with excitement. He moves to pluck a pastry from the tray but Ibushi catches his wrist first and pushes his hand away. "H-Hey, you said they were for me!"

Ibushi feigns a wounded frown and picks up a macaron. "You would deny me the pleasure of feeding you, though?"

"I-I'm not your pet, Ibushi…" gripes the merman, folding his arms across his slender chest. Despite his obvious aversion to the idea, he parts his lips and accepts the offering from his human friend, savoring the sweet flavors. "Mmm…It's good. What?"

"Oh, nothing." Ibushi stands and slips his shirt over his head, startling the merman a little. "You're just so cute when you're actually satisfied with something~"

Akoya daintily picks another macaron from the plate and pops it into his mouth, stifling the sigh after he swallows it. "W-What are you doing anyhow? Are you…"

"What better way to relax than a warm bath?" The mortal man flashes another grin down at his house guest and shimmies out of his trousers next. A chuckle escapes him after he throws his boxers over his shoulder, delighting in the adorable expression Akoya wears, all blushes and wide-eyes. "Would you like me to wash your hair?" he asks and climbs into the tub.

"No matter how many times I see him naked, I can't…argh," gripes the merman internally as he makes room in the tub for his human friend. "IBUSHI!" he hollers when the grad student wraps arms around his waist and drags him backwards, settling Akoya against his chest.

"Calm down," Ibushi reassures him with a gentle tone of voice, "we don't have to do anything but sit here and enjoy each other's company. That's all I want right now." With the shampoo bottle in hand, he lathers up Akoya's fluffy pink hair and hums to himself.

Akoya didn't understand the idiot sometimes; Ibushi leads him on and then he plops into the tub naked saying he doesn't want anything but Akoya's good company.

"Are all humans as odd and fickle as you?"

Ibushi's eyebrow quirks up. "Oh? You think I'm odd?" His dopey smile turns into a thoughtful frown and he taps his chin. "I suppose I am a bit eccentric, allowing a merman to live in my bathtub, ne?"

"I…! I didn't ask to stay here!" The merman folds his arms over his chest and flips his head to one side. "Y-You felt sorry for me and pleaded with me to stay! I could leave at any time!"

"Of course, you're free to go any time you like," says Ibushi with that dorky grin of his again. He massages Akoya's scalp and rests his chin on his shoulder. "This isn't a prison, and I don't wish for you to feel that way. All you have to do is say the word and I'll gladly drive you to the beach."

Akoya recalls the filthy river Ibushi rescued him from, full of pollution and garbage. The nearest beach is over sixty miles away yet Ibushi is still willing to accommodate him at the drop of a hat? Why did he have to be so damn chivalrous and understanding?

Warm water pours over Akoya's head as Ibushi rinses his hair free of shampoo. The human keeps his free hand over Akoya's eyes to shield them from any stray suds. Their eyes meet and Ibushi is still smiling at him.

"Would you…" starts the merman in a small voice. "Would you miss me if I left? Be lonely without me?"

"I'd be terribly bored and lonesome without you," coos Ibushi with a sigh after, digging his chin into Akoya's shoulder purposefully just to tickle the merman and hear his laughter. "So yes, I would miss you and…A-Akoya?"

Akoya turns and presses a kiss to the corner of his human friend's lips, gracing him with a timid smile after. "Yes, Ibushi?"

The grad student leans back and thinks for a moment, his mouth hanging open. It's weird to see him speechless, thinks Akoya with a coy giggle.

"How do you feel about staying here forever with me?"

The merman's heart almost stops. "Wha…? Really? I can?"

"Only…" Ibushi plants a kiss behind the sensitive hollow of Akoya's ear. "…as my lover. Hm?"

Akoya's cutesy smiles vanishes quicker than it came and he elbows his host in the ribs, growling, "Ugh. You really know how to kill a mood, don't you? Sappy bastard…"

Ibushi rubs his sore stomach and says in a cracked voice, "But your darling pout and getting to see you blush is well worth the pain~"

The merman huffs and settles against Ibushi's chest once more, making himself comfy and relaxing when the other man's arms come to rest at his hips. His tail flicks lazily back and forth in the warm water while Ibushi works on massaging the soft skin where flesh meet scales.

"You never had to ask me," he says at length, "because I'd happily stay…"

The human's voice tinkles with amusement, "Oh?"

"A-As your lover, of course…" finishes Akoya with a quiver in his voice, reaching down to hold Ibushi's hands in his.