#mersimon

He doesn't know.

"Relax Simon you're just spawning. This is completely normal for salmon tails."

"This is normal?" His voice sounds like a cry, "The- the blood didn't do this to me?"

"No. It looks like a case of bad timing."

"Why hasn't this happened to me before?"

"Uh, I'm not totally sure but my guess is that you lacked proper nutrients. Now that you've been eating better and in a safe environment you've finally spawned." Grace smiles like this is a good thing.

"I won't stay like this forever then, right?"

"Nope! I mean yes. I mean no you won't stay this way. It'll last about a month before returning to normal. If you stay healthy the same thing will happen next year."

"I feel awful." (Like the blood fever of Vulcans)

"Take it easy this month. If you need anything just tell me."

(Simon likes Grace and then he goes and spawns and is freaked out and embarrassed because he looks like a monster. How can Grace ever like him like this?

But Grace thinks he looks BEAUTIFUL. His colors are so beautiful and his teeth are so cool. It's amazing what the human body can do, how it can change like that. A little painful especially with the teeth growing in and definitely scary when you don't know what's going on, but handy for avoiding the dentist.

Also knowing what spawning means kind of gets Grace buzzing. Even if it's natural and Simon isn't interested in Grace.

(oh it'll make Grace's heart flutter and his cheeks blush when Simon vibrates his tail and swims over and around him, when he "play" fights rocky to try and impress Grace. (Simon is aware Rocky is not a rival but Rocky is helping Simon out.) BITE THE MAN! But Simon doesn't even realize he's doing courting behavior lol.)

Also do more universal courting behaviors, like gift giving, cooking, nest building. Both males and females can make the nests.

While Simon spawns in fall Grace "spawns" in spring.

Grace gets full of energy and gets more aggressively playful. He play bumps into Simon's side. And if he manages to knock him over kind of pushes him down in a kind of wrestling. Simon of course is strong and wrestles back. A lot of pushing into the ground though. Aggressively playful in a way Grace usually isn't. It feels young and bro ish. A lot of looks that have Simon running before Grace can get him and Grace chasing after Simon. Sometimes they end up running and swimming and wrestling and laughing all day. Even Simon is winded. And Grace keeps wrestling and Simon ends up too tired to fight back. So he's just laying there on his stomach on the couch as Grace just keeps him there. Just laying on him.

Simon isn't sure what's up with Grace but he doesn't mind.

When swimming Grace does a lot of chasing and swimming beside Simon and pressing his side into him.

"Grace come on. Stop with the coffee or something." Simon is pushing Grace the next morning.

Grace is well aware of his nature. He knows he's spawning and displaying courting behavior towards Simon who he knows doesn't know. Usually he goes on a run or a long bike ride to get the energy out but since he and Simon were having fun with all the wrestling Grace indulged the behavior. Looks like Simon needs his space now.

He lets Himself get pushed he still can't stop his playfulness. Or his smile.

"Alright, alright!" He laughs, "I'm done. I think I'm going for a run or something." Grace does a few jumps in place as he shakes his limbs around.

"What's up with you lately?"

"Ah its nothing. I get like this sometimes. Got all this stored energy!" Grace Shadow boxes Simon.

"Next thing you know I'm sleeping in and almost late for class and feeling every bit of it in my muscles." Grace laughs.