Junketsu Ningyo
Uke is a merman who lives with his father and many much younger siblings at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. Because of pollution and human encroachment, uke and his father must work as humans to provide for the family. This is kinda dangerous because if mermen lie, they turn into bubbles/foam once the sun sets and die. Uke is an office worker who's recently been made a secretary of the rumored demon (not an actual demon, just super scary and mean) president. This was a punishment because uke turned down the daughter of a high status business partner. On arriving at the president's office, he overhears the president shouting about something being late to delivery. The president's fiance, another business partner's daughter, is saying that a huge deal will fall through if this delivery doesn't reach her father on time. The problem is, its impossible to make the delivery by land, but uke thinks he can make it by swimming. Just as he is thinking this, the president opens the door and questions who uke is. Uke explains who he is, but then president asks if he can fix the problem and since uke can't lie, he says that he can make the delivery. The president, our seme, entrust the task to uke, and uke pulls through, but exhausted himself in the process. Upon arriving back to the office, he meets the seme outside and collapses. He wakes up in the seme's office bedroom. Seme questions how uke made the trip and uke has to expose himself to not lie. The rest is just the trope of them coming together because seme is attracted to uke's purity, uke (after remembering that seme has a fiance) thinking that a human would be better off with a human and lying to get away, the seme chasing after uke to save him, them becoming a couple (after seme breaks it off with fiance), and then a bit about their time together after. Happy ending. There are multiple stories after that are all OK oneshots as well. And overall good read.
TALIM - Dare mo Shiranai Ryu no Hanashi -
Seme has loved dragons scince childhood when his grandpa told him about meeting one. As an adult, he's wandering around in the forest on the lookout for a wild animal that's been scaring the locals. He falls for a short cliff and sees huge claw marks and suddenly a man calls out to him. Seeing as how the seme punctured his hand on (I'm thinking a piece of wood?) the man, one uke, takes him to his cabin and bandages him up. But then the seme notices the uke has a giant tail. Turns out our uke is a dragon. Seme says that he won't tell on uke and after begins visiting Ike on a regular basis, bringing books and things so he can teach uke about humans and human life. Uke reveals that dragons live concealed amongst humans, but he can't yet because he's not good at keeping his dragon form contained. When he's happy his tail comes out, when he's sad or just wants to fly his wings come out, when he's embarrassed his scales show and his hair turns red if he's realllly embarrassed, when he's in heat his horns show and sparkle with static electricity. After spending their time together day after day, they naturally fall in love and have sex. Uke tells seme that male dragon can have babies. The rest is just the story of them trying to have a child, finally going out to the human world and having a bit of a jealousy tiff, and then finally having a child and being happy together. The rest of the stories center around 2 designer brothers and their partners. This was actually a really good read, but far too short! Still, 8/10.
Cherry To Skirt