POT: Original author terminated their account, and what kind of bloody idiot would I be if I let this gem vanish when others can read it like I have? As a Celica-stan, I cannot abide! Enjoy like I did!

OA: Wild Blue Sonder


He doesn't like sand.

"Fucking hates it" is a more accurate expression of his feelings for the amalgamation of silicon dioxide and other minerals comprising typical beach sand. His ass is currently seated in a mixture of pulverized quartz, feldspar, mica, glass, and organic matter such as wood and animal bone. He scoops up a handful of the gritty shit and watches it fall through his fingers. Fine, soft, bleached by the sun. Also the same color as his hair.

It's almost impossible to discern sand's individual components without the aid of a microscope, which he got to use for the first time this year; microscopes hadn't been in the budget for his elementary, middle, and high schools. He couldn't care less about science but prerequisites are a thing in college and he needs fifteen science credits to satisfy the general requirements. Like a lot of freshmen his major is undecided, but pretty much everyone has to take the same bullshit courses such as biology, algebra, speech, and information systems aka how to use the library correctly. He struggled through Biology 101 during fall quarter and Chemistry 100 over winter quarter, barely managing passing grades. He procrastinated like a boss in choosing classes for spring quarter and had no choice but to enroll in Marine Biology because everything else was full. He quickly fell behind and resigned himself to failure. Isn't flunking a college class a rite of passage?

But he met someone who refused to let him fail. Her name is Celica Mercury and she has become a literal pain in the ass. It's her fault there's sand in his shorts, all up in his nooks and crannies, but he has to admit the view he's seen plenty of times before looks a lot better with her in it now.

"Come on, Ragna!" Celica calls from the surf. "Get over here and show me how it's done!"

"You'll figure it out," he says. The breeze carries his baritone so he doesn't need to yell. His vision is also keen enough to see Celica's lips turn down in a slight pout, but she only tucks the boogie board under her arm, lifts her chin, and marches into the ocean like she knows what she's doing. She's a petite girl and doesn't make it very far before having to lay on the board and kick out to where the waves begin forming. Nothing happens for several minutes, and Ragna sighs. "You went too far!"

"What?" Celica shouts back.

He stands and cups a hand around his mouth. "You're too far out! Come back!" As she kicks toward shore, a swell catches her and brings her in. Her surprised yelp becomes a gleeful giggle as it deposits her at Ragna's feet. "You wanna be in between where the waves start to rise and where they curl," he advises.

Celica plants a hand on her hip. "It'd be easier if you just gave me a demonstration."

He gets defensive, shoving his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders. "That wasn't the deal."

"I know, I know…" She sighs, then a glint appears in her eyes. Ragna has learned by now that that glint never fails to convince him to do things he's otherwise opposed to. "We could leave a lot sooner if I didn't have to figure out how to bodyboard on my own."

Logical, as always. Ragna is prolonging his own misery by not helping her. "Fine," he groans, pulling his shirt off and unsuccessfully tossing it over a log. Now there's sand in it too, plus gross kelp. He takes the proffered board and wades to where she caught her first wave. The tide is actually receding which makes bodyboarding less fun than when it's coming in, but if Celica knew that she'd probably finangle him into going to the beach again.

It isn't that Ragna hates all beaches, just this one in particular because it's attached to the city he was raised in, Yakusa. A shitty place where he got made fun of for his name, for having heterochromia and a prosthetic arm. A city where most of the kids he went to school with haven't left and probably never will since they lack ambition. He still doesn't know how Celica found out where he grew up. She won't tell him and it's futile to badger her when she's the most stubborn person he's ever met.

As Ragna treads water, resting most of his weight on the board while waiting for the perfect wave to come along, he senses rather than sees Celica studying him. She's the kind of girl who likes to gather all the facts before making decisions, but she can be spontaneous, too. Case in point: befriending him. One day he went to marine bio, content to fail, and the next Celica slid into the seat beside him. "I see you're struggling in this class," she said. "Want me to tutor you?"

He scoffed. "Why not? Not like you'll be able to help me pass."

He saw the glint in her eyes for the first time. They were an interesting color, like reddish brown or maroon, wide and expressive. "Yes I will," Celica stated. "I promise."

So began their routine of studying in coffee shops, the library, and Ragna's dorm room. "Why don't we ever study in your room?" he asked once. "Wouldn't that be fair?"

She shook her head. "I live in a sorority house and boys aren't allowed."

"Not even to study?" She nodded. "That's stupid. Sororities're stupid." She agreed with a laugh. "Why'd you join?" Ragna wondered.

"My mom said I should. She said I could use 'the sisterhood' for connections." Celica frowned. "But I don't really like it. They're not the sort of people I want to be friends with."

He snorted. "And I am?"

"Mhm," she answered, and he didn't quite know what to say to that.

There was no denying that they had become friends. Celica was so easy to talk to that Ragna shared his entire life story, except for where he grew up. But he told her about being bullied in elementary school, his emo phase in junior high, and becoming a high school delinquent who picked fights and skipped classes. "Academics really don't sound like your thing," Celica said, "so what are you doing at university?"

"My physical therapist got me a scholarship," he explained. "I didn't ask him to, but he went and did it anyway. What was I supposed to do, tell him 'thanks but no thanks'? That'd be a dick move even for me." She laughed kindly. That was the moment when Ragna realized he adored the sound of it. Celica was happy to be around him, and the feeling was mutual.

Since there is only one boogie board between them, they have to take turns using it. Ragna is tall enough that he can stand in the optimal wave-catching zone while telling Celica which ones to go for and which to ignore, occasionally correcting her form. The sun is high and hot by the time she gets the hang of it, so they take a break to lounge on their towels. Ragna attempts to shake the grossness off his shirt before deciding fuck it, situating himself with a grunt as Celica giggles. "This is all your fault," he says, but his tone lacks real condemnation. "My clothes're ruined 'cause you wanted me to take you to this stupid beach."

"Not my fault you lost the bet," she returns. He grouches and grumbles some more. "You shouldn't have doubted my tutoring methods."

She's probably right about that. Halfway through the quarter Ragna grew frustrated, feeling like he'd learned nothing. The information just wouldn't stick, and there were so many weird words relating to fish he had to memorize, like dermal denticles. When would he ever have to whip out that term unless someone asked what shark skin was called during trivia night at a bar or something? But by the time their final exam rolled around, he realized he had a better grasp on the material than he thought. Two weeks prior he'd all but hurled his textbook across his room in a fit of rage. "I'm never gonna get this shit!" he shouted. "It's pointless! Celica, stop wasting your time and just let me fail!"

She looked at him from her seat at the desk, unerringly calm. "Want to make a bet?"

"About what?" he snapped.

"That you'll pass."

Ragna folded his arms tight across his chest. "Not gonna happen, but whaddya want if by some miracle I do?"

Celica thought for a moment, a finger on her lips. "If you pass marine bio with a three-point-oh or better, you have to take me to Nari Beach in Yakusa."

Veritable ice formed in his veins. He tried acting like it didn't bother him that his best and only friend knew which shit-stained city he'd come from despite deliberately withholding the information. "Why do you wanna go there?" he asked.

"I want a sample of the sand," she answered.

"Why?"

"To run some tests on it."

"Why?" Ragna pressed. Really he needed to know why she wanted to drag him back to his place of torment.

Celica pursed her lips. "The sand at Nari Beach is known for having bioluminescent properties, but no one's ever done real research to figure out the cause. I thought I'd make it my research project next year." Well, Ragna could hardly fault her for that. Celica planned to major in earth science, specifically geology, but she was interested in all aspects of the natural world hence her reason for taking Marine Biology. She was like a hippy but with good fashion sense, and she didn't harp at Ragna about recycling or eating vegan. She held his gaze, staring at him but not judging. She never judged him. "Do you know why the sand glows?"

"I dunno… probably phosphorus or some shit." That was one thing he remembered from Chem 100: phosphorus glowed in the presence of oxygen, and oxygen was everywhere. He knew jack shit about the other periodic elements, though.

Celica hummed. "I'll jot that theory down."

So here they were at Nari Beach, wasting time bodyboarding and lounging beneath the warmth of the late spring sun since Ragna had doubted Celica's tutoring methods, but he passed stupid Marine Biology with a 3.5 and so was obligated to uphold his end of the bet because he has integrity. "You gonna grab a sample?" he asks, peering at his friend from the shadow of his arm.

"In a minute," she replies. "I know you'll want to leave as soon as I do, but this bikini was expensive and I want to get as much use out of it as possible."

Ragna grunts in acceptance. Unlike him, Celica comes from money. Her parents are an engineer and doctor respectively, and her older sister teaches at some hoity-toity private school. Celica can study whatever she wants without looking like a black sheep. As for Ragna… he just doesn't know what field would be worth getting a degree in. He's only good at a few things: getting into fights, playing video games, and possibly cooking. He can stir fry and make noodle bowls like nobody's business. One thing he really appreciates about Celica is that she never says anything that makes him uncomfortable. They've been friends for a whole quarter and not once has she commented on his lack of direction, his mismatched eyes, his fake arm, or his surly attitude. At first Ragna thought she just didn't want to be rude, but after getting to know her he realized those things didn't matter to her. Celica befriended him because she saw who he was on the inside.

She is, admittedly, the reason why Ragna isn't feeling as miserable about being back in Yakusa as he thought he would. Nari Beach is as empty now as it was back then. Any time he had to run away from someone –bullies, authority figures, negligent parents– he came to the deserted shore and watched the waves until things calmed down. Maybe the inherent coolness of the blue ocean has that effect on people. Once, things got really bad and he tried to act on the notion of drowning himself in that blue, where everything would be calm from then on, but the waves wouldn't let him sink. They pushed him to shore no matter how far he tried to swim. Eventually he gave up and lay on the sand for a while, much like he lay now. At the time he thought it was fucked up that nobody cared if he disappeared for good but the ocean kept sending him back, like he had reasons to continue living even though he did nothing but suffer in Yakusa.

Now Ragna feels… peaceful. He's sunbathing next to a cute girl in a cute bikini and it's so quiet it's like they're the only two people in the world. He has never felt comfortable enough around others to take off his shirt and reveal his prosthetic arm, but with Celica he just sort of did. He feels so relaxed that he dozes off for a while, unsure how much time has passed until he checks it on his phone. 16:45. "Celica…" Ragna reaches over to touch her shoulder. She lifts her sunglasses to offer a questioning look. "We should get going. Long drive back to school."

"All right," she agrees, hopping to her feet. After putting on a sundress over her bikini, she fills a little vial with sand and drops it into her bag as Ragna scrunches his nose at the gritty, slimy shirt in his hands. "How about I buy you a new one?" Celica offers. "It's the least I can do to thank you for driving all the way here."

"Did I have a choice? I lost the bet."

Her gaze lowers and her smile fades. "Well, maybe it was an unfair bet because I knew I'd win."

He raises an eyebrow. "How'd you know I wouldn't bomb the final or flunk it outta spite?"

"You wanted to make me proud," she says.

Ragna opens and closes his mouth a few times. Celica… is not wrong. He did want to prove that all the time she spent teaching him the course material counted for something, unlike the time they wasted with their pathetic excuse for a professor. He tried his hardest on the final because it might've seemed like he took her for granted otherwise, and he wasn't going to do that to the only friend he'd ever had. "Yeah, well… thanks." He realizes he hasn't told her that yet. Dick move.

Celica ducks her chin. "You're welcome. Now, let's go into town so I can buy a shirt to replace that one."

Begrudgingly, Ragna drives into the metro but refuses to leave the car and go with her. Thank god it has tinted windows so no one will recognize him as he slumps in the seat. He keeps a close eye on the entrance to the multilevel shopping center so he can start the car and gtfo as soon as Celica returns. Being inside the city limits is actually making him anxious, not the case when she was with him at the beach. Maybe he should've gone with her after all, suffered the sand in his t-shirt for the sake of picking out a top and being able to leave that much sooner. It's been fifteen minutes already; did women always take this long to go shopping for just one thing?

Eventually he catches Celica's reflection in the side mirror and straightens. "Sorry it took so long! The store was having a sale and it was super crowded," she explains. She hands Ragna the bag and he all but dives into it. "But I got you some options!"

"Options?" he echoes. There appears to be three different shirts he can choose from. "Celica, you didn't have—"

As she stands there with the passenger door open, a catcall interrupts the rest of his statement. "Hey baby! Lookin' good in that dress!" Ragna glares at the guy in the rearview as Celica sighs and lowers herself into the passenger seat. His pulse starts pounding as the guy approaches the back of their vehicle. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

Before the stranger can go around to Celica's side, Ragna throws his door open and steps out, glowering. "Stay the fuck away from her."

The guy seems startled to see him, wide eyes calculating how the rest of this encounter will go based on Ragna's height and toned, bare chest. Then his attention settles on his upper right arm. "Hey… don't I know you? I went to high school with a dude with a fake arm." Ragna pales a little while the other guy brightens. "Oh yeah, I remember! You're that punk kid who was always causin' problems!"

From her position Celica can see Ragna tensing, knuckles turning white as veins bulge in his forearms. She pulls out a shirt and waves it at him. "Here, sweetie, put this on. We'll miss our reservation if we don't get going."

Sweetie? Ragna freezes as the random guy's eyebrows shoot skyward. "Whoa, hold up, is that your girlfriend?"

Celica tosses her hair. "Yes, I am, and thanks to you we're about to forfeit our table at Umi's." Ragna's countenance grows even more confused. How does she know about the most expensive, exclusive restaurant in Yakusa? "Let's go!" she adds with a note of impatience. Shaking his head incredulously, the stranger walks off into the shopping center. After a moment of just standing there Ragna returns to the driver's seat and closes the door. "What a jerk," Celica says. "Has catcalling ever worked for any guy?" She side-eyes Ragna who is staring at the rather nice button-down in his hands. "You wear a lot of black, so I got dark grey to spice up your wardrobe."

"Uh, thanks…" He unbuttons it, puts it on, and does them up again. Perfect fit. He yanks the tag off the cuff and looks straight ahead in utter silence.

"Should we get going?" Celica prompts.

"Where'd you learn about Umi's?" Ragna returns.

"There was a sign for a live music show there," she answers, shrugging. She then tilts her head. "You were really ready to hit that guy, huh?" He dons a guilty expression but she laughs. "No one has ever stood up to creeps who whistle at me. Thanks."

"I'm the one who should thank you for getting rid of him." The tension finally leaves his body. "That was smart thinking."

Celica's lips curve in a coy smirk. "He seemed shocked that you could have a girlfriend like me, like I'd ever deign to date a guy like you."

"Like you would," Ragna chuckles, backing out of the parking space.

Celica hums and is mostly quiet during the three-hour drive back to their university campus. Before Ragna turns onto the parkway, Celica points ahead. "Go straight. Let's get something to eat."

He obeys. "You actually wanna have dinner together?"

"Yes!" She seems excited by the prospect. "Anywhere you want, my treat!"

"You don't need to keep buying me things, y'know." Not like he can return the favor since he survives on allowances.

Celica folds her hands in her lap. "Listen, Ragna. I know how uncomfortable it was for you to go back to your hometown. You didn't say anything because you were trying to keep up your stoic tough-guy act…" He shoots her a look. "…but I knew it'd bother you. All those stories you told me… how could it not? And then that guy saying you were the troublemaker in high school, like everyone else was in the right for pushing you to the point you had to defend yourself…" She shakes her head. "I really did want to get a sample of sand from Nari Beach to study, but I also wanted to see if things were as bad as you said. Not that I didn't believe you, of course I did, but it's like… how did you not turn out to be a product of your awful environment?"

"I… never belonged there," he replies. He's never had to delve into the psychology of why he is the way he is. "Yakusa never felt like home."

"Does anywhere feel like home for you?" Celica questions.

"Depends how you define it."

She mulls it over. "Where you feel secure, comfortable. A place you can always turn to for support no matter what."

Ragna does not answer the question based on that definition because it'd be too embarrassing to tell Celica that she is the one who makes him feel like he found a home in her heart… or something mushy and dumb like that. He doesn't want to scare her away with that response since she doesn't feel the same way about him… probably.

They find a deli still open and order some authentic Italian cuisine. The tab is nominal to Celica's wallet, but she wants dessert so the shopkeeper directs them to a gelato stand down the block. Ragna pays for the treat this time. They wander aimlessly, stopping on a bridge overlooking a river. Celica shivers in the breeze coming off the water and Ragna wordlessly sidles up next to her, bumping her hip with his own. "You're warm," she comments, and wraps her free arm around his waist. The contact doesn't bother him in the least. "So, what do you think about our first date?"

Ragna smiles. "That's what today was?"

"Mhm. We went to the beach, you taught me how to bodyboard, got to see me in a bikini…" He scoffs lightly at that, but also blushes. "You wore the shirt I bought you to dinner, and now we're eating ice cream together. Think that guy's jealous of you?"

"Definitely." Celica giggles and he looks down at her. "I can't tell if you're being serious."

"Sure I am." She cranes her neck to meet his eyes and all of a sudden his heart skips a beat. "You were right when you said I'd never deign to date a guy like you. I'd just date you, Ragna."

"R-really?" He frowns at himself for stuttering. "Why?"

Celica faces the river once more. "When you have an upbringing like mine, you learn pretty early on how to tell who wants to be around you so they can use your money and connections. You're the first real friend I've ever had. You saw me for me and that's a nice feeling."

"I can… say the same."

"It's okay if you want to stay friends," Celica goes on, "I just thought you should know that I like you a lot. I'll still study with you no matter what classes you take. I promised I wouldn't let you fail, remember?"

"I remember…" There are so many thoughts running through his mind that he can't focus. He briefly squeezes his eyes shut. "Thanks, Celica. For everything. Not just today but, like… everything." Ragna rubs the back of his neck, smiling shyly. "I like you, too."

She beams at him, then mischief appears in her irises. "I'm glad. What do you think about going to Anijima for summer break?"

His little grin falls right into a scowl. "No way. I hate sand."