Work Text:
I knew Samekichi was already sleeping. Lying on this soft, comfortable bed, I was able to hear the shark's gentle snores from nearby. He was always near me to make sure I was safe and that nothing bad would happen to me ever again.
That poor shark decided that after all this trouble of the Red Sea and countless invasions, leaving me alone for a single night wasn't worth the risk at all. He also didn't trust me even a bit when I claimed I could protect myself - my tiny fists bounced off of his jacket like confetti and he was able to seize my rebellious hands in no time, telling me that it was only for my safety. He seemed really serious, too. I guess I couldn't have argued with that.
The arrangement was that he wouldn't sleep with me in the same bed lest he did something (what could he do anyway? Samekichi loves me so much, he wouldn't do anything against me). Instead, next to the bed, there would be a soft, blue armchair decorated with white anchors in a regular pattern. Every night, Samekichi would take off his jacket and place it on top of the armchair, whereupon he'd sit down and keep a cautious eye on me. Even if I moved the slightest inch, his stern eyes and firm face would be over me in miliseconds, trying to observe what could have possibly caused me to move.
Rarely, it was a nightmare which would require intervention from him - mostly, it was just me shuffling around and arranging myself into a position, and feeling Samekichi's warm but worried breath on my cheeks seconds later just made me giggle uncontrollably. He'd begin questioning me once I'd turn to see him, his hands carefully grasping mine and petting them madly, asking whether I was feeling alright and if I had a bad dream and if I did then whether something was chasing me. I'd often gently laugh his questions off, seeing those bloodshot and tired eyes blink, telling him to go back to sleep because there was nothing to worry about. Often, he wouldn't believe me at all and would persist, asking whether he should sit even closer to the bed (I don't think that was possible anyway) - I would respond with a confident smile and shoo him off, back to his armchair, and he'd settle into his regular pattern of snoring immediately.
Repeatedly, I had been trying to convince him to stop watching me every single night, as it was badly impacting on his health - however, he'd hear none of that. Even if we were visiting a friend and he'd fall asleep at their dinner table, or fall down randomly because of a lack of energy, or look completely absent and not present in some situations. I was becoming increasingly worried about him, perhaps giving alternatives to his draining tactic of keeping me safe, but he ignored those suggestions too. I should have known that when Samekichi was set on something, he wouldn't let it go even if it meant his well-being was at stake.
However, today it was different. I had been used to preparing for bed - entering the bathroom, brushing my teeth, changing into silky nightdresses - then diving into the bedcovers just as Samekichi entered the room and falling into a deep sleep without problems. Today, it wasn't as easy to fall asleep. I had been watching the wallclock tick away, the hour magically teleporting from nine to twelve in no time at all. I had even been fidgeting, but Samekichi looked so absolutely fatigued he couldn't notice as he snored away on the armchair.
I was left to my own devices tonight, so I started to think deeply. And one particularly unsolvable question dawned on my mind, so I decided to ask the closest expert I had.
I threw one of my hairbows at the sleeping Samekichi to wake him up - the very second the fabric collided with his face, he jumped in his seat in fright and dashed towards me in a flash. Seconds later, his caring hands were grasping mine, caressing them to death as his shocked eyes stared into mine.
"Wadanohara, what happened!? Was it someone in the windows?"
"No, Samekichi--"
"A bad dream!? Was someone chasing you?!"
"No, Samekichi please--"
"Alright then, tell me what's happening so I can help you."
I smiled earnestly at him, cupping his face in my hands in order to calm him down - I could faintly hear his heart beating way too fast and his breaths running races. Instantly, he nuzzled up his face against my hands, brushing his cheeks against my fingers and tickling them in the process. He elicited a giggle out of me as I stroked his adorable face.
"Look, Samekichi, it's nothing. Now, please calm down. You are worrying way too much."
He nodded and sat back down on the armchair, still not taking his eyes off of me for even a second. His glow-in-the-dark blue irises kept staring at me, analysing everything from my expression to body language, persistently trying to find out what was the cause of my movement.
"Are you sure it's nothing?"
Full of embarrassment, I smiled at him, contemplating whether I should worry his tired little head with the question I thought of during this particularly sleepless night.
"Actually, it's a question."
Samekichi's lips quickly formed into a rather surprised circle - his eyebrows raised, he crawled up closer to the bed to listen to me. Up close, he looked even more fascinated, which warmed my heart in the best way possible.
"...Samekichi, if I asked you, 'what is a heart' - what would you say?"
The tired shark kept his eyes on me, and I could observe the question turning the mechanisms in his brain like a factory machine - his facial expression switched between happiness, bewilderment and confusion in the blink of an eye, until he dropped to the ground to think about it deeper.
"...That is the dumbest question I've ever heard, Wada."
I did feel quite hurt, but I smiled at him still.
"What is a heart, Samekichi? Do you have an answer?"
He scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly, staring at the ceiling and searching for some type of answer.
"Well, duh, the heart is an organ. Y'know, the meaty thing that pumps blood around your body. Fish hearts are actually quite tasty."
I stared at him in disbelief - I should have known that this man would have thought with his stomach only. I giggled and quickly got out of bed, taking my place on the sitting Samekichi's lap. As I sat down, he froze, but I ignored that - he reacted pretty strangely to some actions sometimes, such as hugging or kissing. I'd probably never understand why.
His hands quickly positioned themselves on my stomach, holding me closely, and that allowed me to lay my head back on his shoulder. He felt extremely warm, and to this day, I still can't figure out why.
"Samekichi, are you okay?"
He began coughing in nervousness, covering his face with one hand so I wouldn't be able to see his blush. He always tried to be really tough next to me, but I noticed he found it arguably difficult.
"So" - cough - "what was the question again?"
"Well, you've already answered it...and I don't really think that that's what I meant."
The shark continued to stare at me in disbelief as I attempted to explain the true meaning of the question.
"By heart, I didn't mean a physical...heart. I meant something more like what the heart symbolizes - and in my opinion, the heart is a symbol of love, affection, deep care that we gift someone special to us with. We cannot live without love, and love enhances our lives so much."
As I said every earnest word of that sentence, I observed Samekichi's conflicted emotions flicker on his face, until they rested on a bashful smile.
"Ugh, that's such a sappy definition... but couldn't have said it better myself."
I gently pinched his cheek which elicited a growl out of him as I asked an another question.
"Is there anyone who you gift with such love, Samekichi?"
His irises immediately widened, and I felt his body heat up.
"W-Well, uhh..."
"I'd love to know!"
"Uhh...maybe some other time, Wadanohara."
I pouted at him in response, fidgeting on top of his lap.
"Aw, and I really thought you liked me."
"I mean, uh, of course I like you...maybe even more than like--"
"That's great! I like you a lot too. You're really nice, Samekichi!"
I heard a disappointed sigh escape his lips for a reason I did not know just as my overenthusiastic mind gave birth to an another interesting question.
"Samekichi?"
"Yeah?"
"...so what is the opposite of a heart?"
It didn't take him a minute of thinking to sweep me off of his lap into his arms and carry me to bed with a stern grimace on his face. He laid me under the covers and tucked me in, hesitating for a kiss but deciding against it, until I pulled him closer and gave a peck to his forehead. In return, he gently patted my hair with an embarrassed grin.
"Wada, I had to take you to bed because you're spewing out nonsensical questions. And I really don't wanna answer them at this hour."
I giggled and he left my bedside, taking his place on the famous armchair, snuggling comfortably with an imaginary me and dreaming of lovely red warm hearts.