#( derrick)

The door thumped open and startled him. He quickly grabbed the towel and pushed it over his lap. Water splashed up as he did so, tossing out any thought of subtlety.

"Darrick!" She said in a cheery tone and with a wave of a webbed hand. "Morwin said I could find you here and I've been meaning to speak to you. I was pleasantly surprised to hear your people also have baths!" She wasted no time in disrobing as she stepped into the room. Derrick thought that he should look away but his body wasn't responding to his thoughts. His heart pounded as he watched her slip into the water with him.

Social baths were not a foreign concept in his kingdom. This was however, his private bath. He just couldn't force himself to utter out that she shouldn't be here, because every part of his being wanted her here. The bath wasn't small although neither was he. Derrick's stature exemplified the Kendrick ancestry of giants. It wasn't unreasonable to think they could both fit. It put them at a closeness that certainly did not put his thumping heart at ease.

"Coral." He managed to get out as his acknowledgement of her.

"Oh, it's so warm. Perfect for getting the cold out of the body!" She sank down into the water to her jaw, her legs brushing against his. Her scales lightly scraped him and tugged at the hairs but it sent a lightening shock and shiver through him. "You salt your baths?" She asked as rose back up, the water level just at her collar bone. "And what's this?" She asked as she rubbed some of the lather between her fingers. Her energy was bewitching, her curiosity was endearing. Derrick stared for a moment before he broke out of his spell enough to speak.

"It's soapwort." He strained to keep his voice steady. "It's good for cleaning and isn't as harsh on the skin as wood ash."

"Ah, I see. It's gentle on my gills but the water doesn't quite have the saltiness I'm used to. Why do you salt fresh water for a bath?"

"Well it's thought to have good… um-" He couldn't stop his eyes or mind from drifting. Even though he was seeing her mostly through the water's surface he still felt desire swelling in his chest. "It's thought it helps purify and helps with health."

"Humans are so interesting in how we differ. We use fresh water for our sick. It helps cleanse salt from the body." She spoke with such ease in their shared nudity it make Derrick feel childish for being so worked up. They were simply here having a conversation, no different then from when they are clothed. It was fine. Until she raised her hands to run them through her hair, dampening her pink hair and rinsing it. Her chest rising out of the water as she did. "You seem tense and agitated Derrick. Have I made a faux pas?"

He couldn’t take it any longer. He felt like he was boiling alive in this bath with her. He need to escape, or-

He leapt toward her, her hands still tangled up in her hair, and presses his lips to hers. Her eyes went wide, his were closed shut. He didn't want to see a possible reality of this going unfavorably. She was frozen, the soft flesh of his lips against hers. His facial hair scratched her nose and chin.

He finally pulled back. He still felt burning hot but a coolness fell over his mind like a cold towel on a feverish head. She was still wide eyed, frozen in place. The heat returned to his face as he felt the embarrassment and blush creep into his cheeks.

"I-i'm-" he stammered in an attempt to apologize. He didn't know why his body fought the apology. Perhaps because he didn't want to think of what he did as wrong nor consider that she would think his actions warranted an apology.

"What was that?" She asked, her voice carried her surprise and it made him feel all the worse.

"It has rather forward of me." He still couldn't bring himself to look her in the face.

"Oh, well I forgive you. I still don't know what it means. A handshake is a form of greeting, so is a hug. I haven't encountered a kiss yet."

"It uh-" He finally looked back at her. She was looking at him with the same curiosity she looked at many things since she had arrived on the island. He wanted to kiss her again. "It has different meanings depending on, well, depending on a lot of things really. In this moment it's a show of… of intimate attraction." The confession felt clumsy to him as he said it but it was the best he could get out.

"Ah!" She said as her eyes drifted down. The towel he was using for a last line of modesty had floated away, revealing his desire.

"I'm sorry, I-"