An Unconventional Fairytale 

[Chanyeol 2015 Birthday Fic / chansoo / 2615 words]

Once upon a time, there was a little red hermit crab named Kyungsoo.

He lived by the sandy cliff, where the corals were bright and food was plenty. Like all of his kind, he carried his home on his back wherever he went, a pretty little white shell with neatly lined ridges and faint amber patches. It may not be the perfect shelter and sometimes it was tiresome for him to lug his entire life on his back, but it was his home and Kyungsoo was very proud of it.

He liked seeing how his little shell always shimmered softly whenever sunlight hit it and he also liked how the subtle colour blended well with the sand beneath his little feet. It provided him with some much-appreciated camouflage, especially since his red exoskeleton was as red as it could be. 

Every evening when the sun is about to set, Kyungsoo would peak out from his tiny home and embark on his usual journey to find food. He’d travel across the pale sandy cliff towards the rocky hills in the distance, through the forest of waving sea grass and into the plain of colourful corals. As he slowly made his way around, he cautiously and meticulously scavenged for food, always keeping an eye out for predators. He could not help but feel nervous because he knew he was a delicious meal to many inhabitants under the sea. He could tell by the way the fish all looked at him when they swam by and lingered as he hid in his home. He liked to believe that his claws are menacing and sharp, enough to defend him from attackers large and small, but his last close encounter with a baby cuttlefish had proven otherwise.

Since then, not willing to risk losing his life anymore, Kyungsoo only went to where he knew was safe. Even though he longed to see more of the ocean floor and itched to explore, he decided being alive was more important. So every day, the little hermit crab lived his life carefully by the sandy cliff. It wasn’t an exciting life or a life he had dreamed of, but at least he was safe.

Then one day, Kyungsoo met Chanyeol.

Chanyeol is a sea anemone, who lived by the cluster of boulders among the coral reefs. It was easy to spot him among his kind, who really all looked the same, because he was the tallest one. Sitting slightly slanted on a boulder that was no special than the next, Chanyeol jutted out from the edge of his group awkwardly with his tentacles waving a bit more vigorously than the others. There had always been many sea anemones around Kyungsoo's home, but the little hermit crab never paid them much attention. He never had a reason to. Most of the time, they just swayed quietly to the gentle push and pull of the ocean currents as their many tentacles glowed eerily in the dark. However, Chanyeol was not a typical sea anemone nor was he quiet.

It was just another day for Kyungsoo until his peace was broken yet again by a familiar and increasingly irritating voice.

“Hey, hey, you there with the shell. Yes, you little hermit crab, hi, over here! Hey, hey, hey, it's me, Chanyeol, I'm calling for you. Hey, hey, hey, can you hear me? Hey, hey, hey!”

Kyungsoo paused in his search for food and for the first time since Chanyeol has tried to catch his attention in the past week, he glared at the eager sea anemone waving wildly with his many tentacles.

“Hey! You’re finally looking over, awesome! I’m here, I’m here! Hey, what’s your name?"

The little hermit crab refused to answer, which he soon realized was a mistake because it only prompted the sea anemone to talk more nonsense.

“Can you hear me? Wait, hermit crabs can hear, right? Or are you deaf? Oh no, are you? Uh…” Chanyeol tried to wave his tentacles in a different direction against the currents’ flow, but since he was boneless and basically a goop of jelly, his attempt was absolutely useless. So instead, for reasons Kyungsoo could not and didn’t want to understand, the sea anemone screamed louder at the little hermit crab.

“HEEEEYYYY! CAN YOU HEAR ME? IF. YOU. CAN’T. THEN. TRY. TO. READ. MY. LIPS!”

“Oh for Pete's sake, you don’t have lips!” Kyungsoo finally snapped upon hearing the other creature’s ridiculous shouting and to emphasize his annoyance, he even snapped his claws in a menacing fashion, or so he thought. “Of course I can hear you, stupid!” he said angrily, “You shout at me every single day for an entire week already! Don’t you get tired? I even get tired for you!”

“Oh no, I’m not tired at all! Thanks for worrying about me though!” replied the sea anemone cheerfully, as he wiggled his semi-transparent body, “You’re a hermit crab, aren't you?”

“Obviously,” Kyungsoo bit out the syllables with distain, still keeping his distance and glaring. However, his tone of voice nor his glowering looks diminished the sea flower's enthusiasm to befriend him.

“And I’m a sea anemone!” Chanyeol said, visibly excited as the tip of his tentacles glowed brighter.

“I can see that,” Kyungsoo replied flatly, still unimpressed with the single-celled organism. If he has eye lids and could roll his eyes, he would have done so. But alas, he was a hermit crab so he could only spit out bubbles of judgement.

“No, you don’t understand. I am a sea anemone!” the colourful sea flower put more emphasis on announcing his identity, “I can top you!”

“Excuse me??”

The little hermit crab snapped his claws again and waved them about in offense, dispersing strings of judgemental air bubbles in the water. Kyungsoo couldn’t grasp why in the world this sea anemone thought he’d enjoy being topped by another creature. He was already carrying his home on his back, wasn’t that enough burden for a small crab like him?

Sensing a wave of hostility aimed directly at him, Chanyeol shook his tentacles in and quickly tried to explain: “Sorry, I mean I can live on top of your shell!”

“Hell no, you’re not!”

“But it’ll be beneficial to the both of us!”

“Yah, right. Like I’d believe the words of a giant cell with creepy glow in the dark feelers.”

“Oh my god, my tentacles are not creepy," Chanyeol retorted, annoyance laced in his voice, "Look, what I mean is that we can form a symbiotic relationship. You know what that is right?”

“Do you?” The little hermit crab asked in return with an equal level of annoyance as he shuffled his many feet in the sand. There was a tense moment of silence before Chanyeol answered awkwardly.

“No.”

Kyungsoo almost scoffed; he didn't because he was a hermit crab with good manners. However, before he could sneak away, Chanyeol regained his sunny disposition and spoke again with renewed enthusiasm.

“But I have heard Yixing the sea turtle talk about it. He sort of explained it to me, how it goes and such, you know? Apparently you just plop me on top of your shell and we are good to go! I trust Yixing because he’s wise and knows a lot of things since he has been around forever. How old do you think he is? I mean he must be ancient. All sea turtles are ancient, aren't they? Not to mention gigantic. Is that why they speak so slowly, do you think?”

Distracted by his own train of thoughts, Chanyeol rambled further and further away from his point. Sighing deeply, Kyungsoo cleared his throat and glared at the sea anemone, trying to bring back the latter’s attention. It took a little while before Chanyeol realized he was glared at and when he did, he swayed sheepishly to the ocean currents and apologized.

"Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes, going off topic... Anyways, Yixing the wise sea turtle. So, one day as we were chatting, I told him that I’d like to see more of the world. He then said I can totally do that if I just find my hermit crab. And the next day, you appeared! It must be fate and we must be soul mates! You are my hermit crab and we are destined to travel the bottom of the sea together! And we wi-”

"Wait, wait, wait," Kyungsoo interrupted abruptly, "what makes you so sure that I am your hermit crab? Have you ever seen any other hermit crab than me?"

"Nope.”Chanyeol’s feelers swayed softly, “But I don’t need to. Anyways, as I was saying. We wil-"

"No, not anyways," the little hermit crab interrupted again as his snappers scratched against the sandy floor in confusion, "if you've never seen any other hermit crab than me, how do you know that I am the one?" Kyungsoo didn't understand how Chanyeol could be so sure, "Why me?" he could not stop asking.

For a brief moment, silence settled between the two creatures as they stared at, or rather faced, each other being perfectly still. Then confidently, Chanyeol answered in earnest: "Because it's you. You have caught my eyes ever since the first time I saw you and I just knew.”

“… You don’t have eyes.” Kyungsoo mumbled in a doubt and Chanyeol laughed.

“Oh you know what I mean!” the sea anemone wiggled his glowing tentacles cheerfully, “I just know, like how I always know I am a sea anemone. It's instinct, I guess. You’re definitely my hermit crab.”

Kyungsoo didn't know why those words made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but they did. Perhaps it was the effortless sincerity in Chanyeol's voice or the simplicity of its deliverance, something made those words special and they touched the little hermit crab's heart. It made him feel less alone without even knowing how lonely he had been all along. It made him remembered and... loved.

All of a sudden, Kyungsoo didn't mind the idea of Chanyeol living on top of his little white shell so much anymore. He still wasn't sure what mutual benefits there could be, but the idea of a travelling companion was surely appealing. He has always wanted to explore more of the ocean floor. Maybe it was a difficult journey for one, as he had the unfortunate experience of, he hoped it'd be a much safer affair with two. So taking one more careful scan of the sea anemone from tentacles to base, Kyungsoo edged a little closer.

"Fine," the little hermit crab said and quickly raised his claw to stop Chanyeol from delving into another flurry of words, "But! If you bring about any danger to me or if I feel unfairly treated, our partnership is over. Do you understand?"

Chanyeol waved his glowing feelers wildly about and Kyungsoo assumed that as an eager nod.

"Good. So what do I get for giving you a free ride around the bottom of the sea, loudmouth?"

"Well first of all, I sing!" the sea anemone said proudly and paused for a cheer or applause. When he got nothing but a blank stare and more bubbles of judgement, he wiggled awkwardly and continued on. "Okay, if you don't like that, I can also protect you from the fish that wants to eat you. You see, my tentacles are not only guiding lights, they are also weapons of self-defence."

"How so?" Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes doubtfully and leaned forward a bit to inspect the said tentacles.

"If you come closer, I can show you," Chanyeol waved at the little hermit crab, "Come on, I don't bite."

Wary but curious, Kyungsoo cautiously made his way to the sea anemone. When they are side by side, nothing happened for a moment then suddenly, a barely visible harpoon-like filament shot out of some of Chanyeol's tentacles and struck against the little hermit crab's red exoskeleton. Shocked by the surprise attack, Kyungsoo let out a jumble of panicked yelps and scurried backwards. Angry and dismayed, he snapped his claws in protest.

"What the hell! You stung me!"

"Yep! That's my secret weapon!" Chanyeol said proudly and displayed his stinging prowess again at empty waters, "Don't you think it's awesome?"

Kyungsoo glared hard at the ing feelers pulsing softly in the dark. The sting wasn't painful at all, but still, he did not appreciate unpleasant surprises.

"You could have just told me that..." the little hermit crab complained in mumble.

"But that'd be less fun!" Chanyeol whined in return, yet still managing to sound delighted. Kyungsoo could almost see a face-splitting grin on the sea anemone’s semi-transparent body if he had a mouth.

"I never consider being attacked fun."

"I wasn't attacking you. I was simply showing you how I'd protect you," Chanyeol said as he relaxed his tentacles and let them sway to the passing currents, "Now that you've seen what I can do, can we begin our adventures together?"

He writhed his boneless body nervously, hoping that the little hermit crab did not change his mind because of the stinging. Chanyeol was sorry, well not really, but he didn’t mean harm and he hoped that his sentiments were properly conveyed to Kyungsoo. He really longed to travel, especially with a companion, and Kyungsoo seemed like the perfect partner. Although he knew practically nothing of the little hermit crab, he could tell the other was a gentle creature and someone he could trust, despite the constant presence of snapping claws and cold looks. Loneliness hardens one. Chanyeol was well aware of that.

Glancing at the sea anemone up and down again, Kyungsoo took a moment more to contemplate a new future. Traveling to whenever he wanted without the fear of being eaten, he liked it, a lot. Also, it just felt right. Something in his gut told him that he won’t come to regret this decision.

So he answered Chanyeol with a sincere nod: “Yes, we can.”

The sea anemone wiggled in excitement and cheered out loud, his tentacles flying all over the place while pulsing with glowing light. Then as Chanyeol instructed him with Yixing the sea turtle’s wisdom and know-hows, Kyungsoo gently grabbed his new companion by his soft middle and with a slightly forceful pull, he plucked the sea anemone from the boulder and flopped him on top of his little white shell. Immediately, Chanyeol attached himself firmly to his new home and sighed in content.

“And now you’re truly my hermit crab, uh…”

“Kyungsoo.”

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol repeated the name, happiness overflowing in his voice, “let’s be happy together forever.”

“Yes, let’s do just that, Chanyeol.”

Feeling the weight of his companion on his back, the little hermit crab smiled. He was now part of a very special relationship and it made him feel excited and alive. He and Chanyeol became life partners and from that point on, they’d rely on each other for survival and would experience every new moment together. It was a daunting thought but it was also very thrilling. Kyungsoo had never imaged himself sharing his life with any other creature before. But now, he anticipated a future with Chanyeol, his sea anemone.

“Awesome! Let’s go, go, go!” Chanyeol shouted and Kyungsoo did just that, go. Slow and steady, the pair ventured into dark waters of the unknown and embarked on their shared journey.

“By the way, Kyungsoo, today is my birthday.”

“How do you know which day is your birthday? You’re a sea anemone.”

“I just know, okay? It’s definitely my birthday today.”

“Alright then. Happy birthday, Chanyeol.”

“Thank you! Happy birthday to me!”

And they lived happily ever after.

The end!