For the first time since he'd lost Coral, Marlin felt at ease. Nemo had swum off with the rest of his classmates for another day of school, and he was safe. Thank goodness, his boy was safe. The breath he took was unburdened by the past, and instead focused on the present; on giving his son the chance to be a kid. Not too long ago, the fraught clownfish would've fussed about every little thing that could go wrong with this scenario, the dangers that could lurk out there if he wasn't there to protect his son from them.

But the adventure he'd had that took him far across the ocean, what he'd learned from the fish and other sea creatures he'd met along the way - primarily from Dory - made him see life in a different way. That he didn't have to be afraid of everything. That he could trust his son to make the right decisions. That life doesn't begin and end at the anemone.

And that made him feel... happy.

He decided to take it slow on the swim back home, allowing himself to fully bask in the environment of the reef - from the lush greenness of the kelp to the colorful arrangements of coral, to the pale comforts of the sand settled on the ocean floor - the caustic reflection of the water casting a soothing glow that could relieve even Marlin's stress. These were all sights he had never really taken the time to just look at without worrying. Needless to say, it was quite the view.

However, he was so preoccupied with the view that he failed to notice he was about to bump into somebody until he and the poor soul he'd collided into bounced back by a foot or so. Once he recovered, he hurriedly swam to them in concern.

"A-Ah! Oh, oh no, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

The moment Marlin met their gaze, he nearly gasped. He knew that look in their eyes all too well.

Fear, apprehension... grief.

A soft, wistful sigh escaped him. "You're new to the reef, aren't you?"

They flinched as he approached. Oh, how his heart ached.

"Hey, hey, it's okay... I'm not gonna hurt you. It's... it's a real nice place here, y'know?"