Marine Snow

Winter arrived quickly, as it always does, covering the whole nearby area in snow. Luckily, it wasn’t as freezing as the year before, which really put Maria at ease.

As promised, both her and the birds had made sure to prepare thoroughly, gathering wood and preserving some plants from the forest. When the flock ultimately flew away to the south, Tsubasa was left to live in the nest alone, but Maria was sure to keep her company. 

In a weird way, Maria found caring for Tsubasa unexpectedly rewarding. Being able to provide for her made her feel quite useful, which she really enjoyed. It was a stark contrast to how she would usually feel around her, given how Tsubasa was usually the one to be of help to her (especially with her limited mobility on land). Now, it was the bird that needed her help, and she was all in for it. 

Fortunately, Tsubasa did manage to recover quite quickly. Though the first weeks were very stressful for them both, ultimately, the headaches stopped, the bruises faded, and she seemed to suffer no permanent damage in the end. That made Maria really relieved. Soon, Tsubasa started to provide for herself a bit, though she did still mostly rely on the mermaid.

Maria’s family chipped in as well, of course. Kirika and Shirabe would visit Tsubasa often, keeping her company and telling her stories. Kirika even taught Tsubasa how to sew, which really came in handy when the temperatures dropped and she needed new clothes. Maria was glad that they all got along – it only made her more hopeful, believing that this relationship was really worth pursuing in the end.

They finally managed to explain everything to each other. As it turned out, Tsubasa wasn’t purposefully avoiding Maria after all – she was just worried that Maria might be mad at her because she had kept so many secrets from her. They both were glad that neither hated the other, and they agreed to never let such trivial matters come between them again. Besides, they had bigger worries – they had to keep Tsubasa safe through the whole winter, after all.

December flew by in the blink of an eye. On the last day of the year, Maria set off to see her partner, taking with her some freshly caught fish. She thought cooking something more elaborate would be a perfect way of celebrating the year’s end, especially as it was the first time she could spend it with Tsubasa. Grilled fish it was then.

When she reached her destination, it was already pretty late, and the sun had already set. The moment the mermaid surfaced next to the cave, she immediately noticed her partner. The bird was sitting next to a brightly burning campfire, wearing her feathered skirt, now repurposed into a coat. When she realized she had a visitor, she immediately got up. “Hello, starlight,” she said, coming closer to the edge. “Need some help?”

“If you could take these from me, please,” Maria asked, handing her a couple of cod, nicely wrapped in protective cloth. “I’m sure they’ll taste great if we cook them, but they need to dry a bit first,” she added, as she propped herself up to sit on the nearest rock, which in turn let her enter the cave smoothly. “Wow, it really is cold once you come out of the water…” she murmured, feeling the chilly air on her bare shoulders.

“Come here then,” Tsubasa suggested, inviting Maria over with a quick wave. As the mermaid sat next to her in front of the fire, the bird gently brought her closer with her wing, just like she’d always do it.

“Hehe, it'll get all wet if you do that,” Maria giggled, feeling the feathers on her back. 

“Oh, I don’t mind that,” the bird confidently admitted.

“Really?”

“Mhm. Not at a-”

Suddenly, a loud bang came from somewhere around them. Maria almost jumped in her place. “W-what was that?!” Another bang erupted soon after.

“Oh, I see it’s already begun.” 

Tsubasa reacted rather calmly, much to the mermaid’s surprise. As the bird pointed towards the exit to the cave, they both looked up, and Maria gasped.

She had never seen anything like that before. What she was watching right now could only be described as… little falling stars, except they were going up instead of down. At seemingly random moments, they would suddenly explode into huge colorful shapes and scatter around, all with a loud bang. Both the sky and the sea were illuminated in various colors, making it a true spectacle.

Maria watched in awe, not quite comprehending what was happening in front of her.

“Is this your first time seeing them?” Tsubasa chuckled, seeing her surprised expression. “These are called fireworks. I’ve seen them several times in the south. Humans set them off on the last day of December, it’s their way to celebrate the start of a new year…”

Maria could feel the bird gently touching her hand.

“You know… I’m glad we can finally watch them together.”

The mermaid felt a light peck on her cheek, and turned her head to see Tsubasa centimetres away from her face. The bird was looking at her in such a tender, loving way… she couldn’t help but smile in return. Gently cupping her face in her hands, answered the kiss she had received on her cheek, but this time she gave one properly on the lips. 

“I didn’t know it held that much importance to you,” Maria laughed. “ If you’re happy, then I’m happy too.”

Truth be told, it felt a bit special to her as well. And it wasn’t just about the fireworks, or sharing a view so beautiful with none other than her lover… and, now that she thought about it, in the light of the fireworks, Tsubasa looked beautiful as well. But what felt really special was the fact that, for the first time, they could experience New Year's Eve together. That truly felt like a memory worth cherishing, and at that moment, Maria promised herself to never ever forget it.

She rested her head on Tsubasa’s shoulder, watching fireworks explode above them. After a while, she got used to the loud bangs, and it even felt a bit calming to hear them repeatedly. 

She thought Tsubasa was watching too, but soon realized that she was looking down, searching for something in the pocket of her coat.

“Did something happen?” Maria asked.

“N-no, I’m just checking…” Tsubasa mumbled, glancing back at the mermaid. “I have something for you, Maria.”

“Really? What’s the occasion?”

“There’s none, to be honest… but I hope you like it.”

Having said so, the girl pulled out something, but it was so small Maria didn’t see it at first. When Tsubasa brought it in front of her, it turned out to be a small loop made from some kind of wire. Despite its size, it was very detailed, adorned with many little stones that were sparkling beautifully in the fireworks’ light.

“It’s so pretty,” Maria said, lowering her head to get a closer look. “Is that a ring?”

“Mhm. I made it myself,” Tsubasa proudly stated. “Well, Akatsuki showed me how to put it together so that it won’t fall apart… I originally planned to give it to you sooner, but then all those things happened, and I didn’t have the time to finish it. That day, I was in the harbor to look for materials…”

“Really? Oh come on, Tsubasa, that wasn’t worth the effort-”

“Well, it was, given how it was for you.”

… Maria couldn’t help but blush a little after hearing that statement. That bird is dangerously cute, she thought to herself, her lips puckering like the mouth of a goldfish. Tsubasa noticed that and giggled, visibly amused. 

“How about we see if it fits? Give me your hand,” she said. Maria did so, but Tsubasa frowned. “No, your left hand,” she specified, and the mermaid corrected herself. The bird quickly put the ring on her finger – as it turned out, it did fit rather nicely.

Maria smiled to herself, moving her hand around to see how the ring looked from various angles. “Very pretty,” she admitted, then turned to see her partner again. “Thank you very much, dear.” 

She could hear a soft giggle from the bird. 

“Hm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Tsubasa sighed. “Something just occurred to me. I think I should tell you what it’s for, shouldn’t I?”

“Huh? I mean, of course, feel free to tell me.”

The bird nodded, then grabbed the mermaid’s hand again. For a moment, it felt like she didn’t know how to start. Then, she finally spoke.

“Remember how I told you I wanted to prove my love to you? Well, this is it. I don’t mean just the ring… it’s more like a whole ritual, to be honest.”

“Ritual?” Maria asked, confused. 

“Mhm. I think they call that a proposal? Humans, I mean. Tachibana suggested it to me when I told her about my worries. If I remember correctly, she saw some humans do it some time ago and felt inspired to do that to Kohinata and Yukine. I hope she gets to do it this winter… b-but I’m getting distracted. The point is…”

Tsubasa’s grip on Maria’s hand tightened.

“Humans do this to show their partners that they want to marry them. And marrying someone means… that this is the one person who means the world to you. And you’re willing to spend your whole life by their side, no matter what happens. As far as I know, it’s not that easy to reverse… so, once you agree, I’m yours for life, and I mean it. Now that I know I can survive winter here with your help… even migrating can wait, if it means I get to be close to you. I still want to show you the world one day… but I want to do it with you as my one and only.”

She was saying it with a smile on her face, so tender and adorable. She looked like she really believed in every word she was saying, and that made Maria truly realize the actual weight of that moment. Somehow, she suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy inside, having heard such a heartfelt declaration, and even her ear fins flapped a couple times.

“Oh wow…” she said, lowering her head in embarrassment. “That’s the first time I heard about such a ritual… now I bet you expected a stronger reaction from me earlier.”

“Not really,” Tsubasa laughed. “I myself found out about it only recently, so it’s to be expected that you wouldn’t know… but still…”

She used her free hand to cup the mermaid’s face, gently lifting it so that they’d lock eyes again. 

“I… I want to hear it from you directly. Do you want to marry me?”

Her eyes were sparkling so beautifully when she said it.

Maria took a deep breath. “I… I still don’t quite understand it, but…”

She nodded shily, her pink hair only accentuating the growing blush on her face.

“Given what you’ve said, I think it would be really nice to be such special people to each other… So yes, I do want to.”

“I’m so glad.”

With a loud bang in the distance, another firework exploded. Maria could still sense the glow it produced when she closed her eyes to kiss Tsubasa. She could feel her lover’s wing pushing her even closer, and she didn’t mind one bit.

She moved in front of the bird to wrap her arms around her neck, shortening the distance between them even more. “So,” she whispered to her. “Are we married now?”

“Not quite yet, love,” Tsubasa replied, placing her hands on the mermaid’s petite waist. “That was just me asking for permission. To get married, we need other people to bear witness. And I promised Tachibana to invite her if you agree, so we’ll have to wait until the girls come back in spring.”

“What? That’s so confusing…” Maria sighed, propping her head up on the other’s forehead. “But I guess that means I’ll have enough time to make a ring for you. It would be nice if we could each have one.”

“I’d be honored.”

Tsubasa placed a little kiss on Maria’s neck, and she would probably have gone for another one, if she hadn’t suddenly heard a quiet growl. The mermaid’s stomach rumbled, and she squeaked in embarrassment.

“Hm…” the bird purred, amused. “We should probably get those fish cooked. Getting married can wait, I don’t want my dearest to starve before that.”

“True…”

Maria buried her face in Tsubasa’s hair, hearing her lover laugh in a soft tone. 

As another firework exploded, both in the sky and on the water, signaling the start of the new year… the mermaid could only thank fate for giving her such a wonderful little bird.