#merman!steve

[marya-blackbone]

sexy pirate!eddie and merman!steve?

it works because:

- steve is a great swimmer

- eddie just gives sexy pirate vibes and his ship would be called the corroded coffin

- i can see steve combing his hair on a rock flirtatiously and eddie running aground... probably on purpose

- i’m sure i had more ideas but i distracted myself with that last point

[starkstruck27]

We can all have a little harringrove mermay ficlet, as a treat.

Ever since the move to Indiana, Billy kept away from the water. There were no oceans to surf in the middle of butt-fuck, nowhere, so there really wasn't a point. Not only that, but with his father watching his every move and all the small town gossip, there weren't any opportunities to sneak off with the cute boys on the swim team after practice, so there was no point there, either.

So until the summertime, he didn't go anywhere near the water. He only did it again because his father demanded he get a job, and he figured that with the humid Indiana heat, a job without a strict dress code would be perfect. Plus, there was the added bonus of fewer physical injuries if pretty much the whole of his body was going to be on display. So getting a job as a lifeguard at Hawkins Community Pool was the clear choice.

It was an easy job. Keep his eyes open, blow his whistle a few times, make sure all the floats and shit were returned by closing, it wasn't rocket science. And showing up an hour early every Friday and Saturday to teach little kids to swim wasn't hard, either. Dealing with their mothers was worse, but thankfully, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. As long as he flirted back and stroked their egos but cut things off before they got too out of hand, it was fine.

It got worse when Max started showing up at the pool with all her little friends. No matter how many times he blew his whistle and shouted at them to stop running, stop dunking each other, stop bringing food and drinks with them into the water, stop pushing each other in without warning, stop splashing the people who didn't want to be splashed, etc., etc., etc.... it all just seemed to go in one ear and out the other. And pretty soon, Billy was pulling Max aside and threatening to ban the group of them from the pool if they didn't get a parent or some other adult to keep an eye on them while they were there.

"I can either manage the pool or I can manage your asses, but I can't do both, so if you're here and someone else drowns because I'm too worried about yelling at you brats, it's gonna be your fault. Get a parent or some other adult to keep an eye on you, or don't bother coming back, cuz I won't let you in, understand?" He said to her and the rest of them, glaring with more heat in his eyes than the sun at noon.

It shouldn't have surprised him that within a day, they had found a loophole.

The day after he had threatened to ban them, they showed up again, dragging Steve Harrington along behind them. Like, actually dragging him. He didn't even have swim trunks on, he clearly did not want to be there, but once they had gotten him through the gates, there was no turning back. He sighed and resigned himself to a lounge chair, pulling out a book and some sunscreen, and slathered the cream on his pale skin before putting on a pair of reading glasses and starting to get comfortable. Billy barely had time to think about how cute the glasses looked on him when the kids started up their antics, and by the time he'd scolded them, made Henderson take a ten-minute time out, and looked back up at Steve, the other boy was out cold.

Somehow, even with the terrible heat, the constant shrieks of kids, and the loud cracks of thunder that started approaching, Steve stayed asleep for the rest of the day. Finally, after he blew his whistle a few times and told everyone to get out of the pool because of the storm, Billy got down off his chair and approached Max again, almost tempted to grab her by the scruff of her neck like a misbehaving kitten, and glared at her again, leading her and the rest of the brats over to where Steve was still peacefully napping. He shook the other boy awake and turned his glare onto him, if only a little softer.

"Wakey wakey, Harrington," Billy said, standing straight and crossing his arms again.

"What time is it?" Steve asked as he sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes, knocking his glasses askew.

"Time to take your little hellions home. Pool's closing," Billy replied, trying not to get absorbed in the other boys pretty brown eyes. They had flecks of gold in them, and it was taking everything in Billy not to stare.

"Shit, did I really sleep all day?" Steve mumbled as he and the kids started packing up their things to leave. Steve handed the keys to his car off to little Byers and the kids went to put their things in the car and wait for Steve.

"Yeah, but to be fair, you were only out for about three hours. We're closing early because of the storm coming in," Billy shrugged, and as if it were waiting for a cue, it began to drizzle.

"Shit, uh, fuck, I gotta go," Steve said as the rain began, his face going white and his body stiffening up, "I, uh, I'm a little hydrophobic. Rain, um, bothers me if it gets on me, so I have to go. Bye, Billy."

Billy was about to ask if he wanted an umbrella, but Steve never gave him the chance. He tossed the rest of his stuff into his bag, tossed it over his shoulder, and booked it to his car, making it inside just moments before the sky opened up and it began to downpour.

Billy put it out of his mind. At least it explained why he showed up to the pool in jeans and a polo. But the fact that Harrington ran out so fast yesterday annoyed him. He'd wanted to ask him to either stay awake next time to keep an eye on the kids or get them to come with another adult who could, but he was never able to. Maybe if it was still raining tomorrow he could go over and have a talk with him about it.

The next day, his manager at the pool called Billy an hour before the pool was to open and told him not to come in. It was still thundering and pouring down rain, so he figured it would be closed, and now that it was confirmed, he started to make his plans for the day. Since his dad had already left for work, he ate some breakfast with Max and helped Susan with the dishes, then went to his room to get some clothes before taking a shower. It only took him ten minutes, and by the time he got back to his room, toweling off his hair, the sun was out, bright and shiny, not a cloud in sight.

Billy hardly had time to laugh about it when the phone rang again, and again it was his manager. He told Billy that he was opening the pool now, but that he didn't need to come in, the other lifeguards had it covered. Billy thanked him and was told to enjoy his day off, and he was planning on doing just that after he stopped by Harrington's place and talked to him about the situation with the kids.

He pulled up to the giant house just before lunch time, after dropping Max off at the arcade for the day and grabbing a bite to eat. He went up to the door and rang the bell, but was growing impatient as he stood and waited for it to open. Steve's car was parked in the driveway, so he knew he was home, but he couldn't hear any noise from the inside or see any people behind the curtains. He could, however, see the sunlight streaming onto the living room carpet from what looked like a back door, so he figured that now that the rain was over, maybe Harrington was just outside enjoying the sunshine and couldn't hear the bell. So he walked around the side of the house, fixed his hair one last time in a window's reflection, hopped the fence, and strutted onto the back patio like he owned the place.

And what he saw nearly made his heart stop in his chest.

First off, the Harringtons had a pool. A big one with lights and temperature controls and everything. Secondly, Harrington himself was in said pool, relaxing on an inflatable lounger. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, was that Harrington was completely different. He had a long, golden-yellow tail in place of his strong, slender legs, and the scales of the tail shimmered like pirate treasure in the bright sun. His brown hair was wet and wavy, and it tangled up with the little fins stretching up from behind his ears. His skin was more tan than usual, and it looked as though he'd been dipped in bronzer with the way it glimmered. There were thee deep looking gashes on each side of his neck, though they weren't jagged or bloody like fresh wounds would be. They seemed to flutter a little as he breathed, and Steve didn't seem at all bothered by them. His fingernails had grown into sharp claws that looked as though they had been painted to achieve the buttery golden color that they were, and his fingers were all connected by some kind of extra skin, like the webbing of a frog's feet.

Billy could do nothing but stare at the other boy, confusion and intrigue battling for dominance inside his brain. He knew that Hawkins was an ass-backwards town, but this was something else entirely. He genuinely had no idea how to wrap his head around this, other than the idea that maybe the eggs Susan served him earlier were laced with some kind of hallucinogenic drugs and he was just seeing things. But other than that, he could come up with no plausible explanation for why Steve was in his pool after he told Billy he was afraid of water and turned into some kind of... mer-creature.

"Holy shit!!" He heard Steve shout, followed by a loud splash, and that was what finally drew him out of his own head. He was still gaping as Harrington poked just his head out of the water, fear in his eyes as the sunglasses he'd been wearing drifted and sank to the bottom of the pool. Billy was startled as he saw those eyes, they weren't the same as they usually were. They were no longer brown with flecks of gold, they were entirely gold, the color of warm honey and tropical flowers. Billy was so focused on them that he almost didn't realize it when Steve started speaking again.

"Y-you shouldn’t be... what are you d-doing here?" He asked, still refusing to make any part of himself other than his head visible above the wall of the pool.

"I-I, uh, I came to talk to you about the kids since I didn't get to yesterday," Billy said, moving closer to the edge of the pool to try and get a better look at the other boy, "but now I just kinda want to know what the hell is going on here. What... what happened to you?"

"Um, would you believe me if I told you that I was cursed?" Steve asked, finally letting himself drift away from the wall and expose his upper body. Billy did his best not to stare, lest his awe and amazement be misconstrued as digust or scorn.

"That depends on the story you tell me after to explain it," Billy replied, finally starting to get his wits about him.

"It's kinda complicated," Steve said, swimming over to the ledge again and hoisting himself up to sit on it, his long tail still dangling in the water. "But here goes, I guess. You know about all the freaky shit with the upside down, right?"

"Yeah," Billy said, though he didn't know the full extent of it. He knew that there was a weird dimension that was just like their own, and he knew that there were fucked up monsters that escaped from it sometimes, but that was about it.

"Well, it was just after all that started. I didn't know anything about it, just that some of my friends were in trouble and I had to help protect them. So I went into the upside down to try and do that, but something happened to me. It was like a bomb went off, I had thrown my lighter at some creature because they hate fire, but then it exploded and I must've gotten knocked out. I woke up a few minutes later covered in monster goop and once everyone was safe, we all came back home and started to try and patch up wounds and clean up. Only, when I finally got home and turned on my shower, as soon as I was under the water, I started to change. My legs fused together and I fell, but even with a face full of water, I wasn't coughing or splattering, I was just breathing like normal. I looked down and saw the tail and I freaked out, but I guess once I was able to flop my way out of the bathroom and dry off and I found I could change back, I was okay. Still freaked out, but okay. And I figured out that any time I come into contact with water, whatever part of me that it touches transforms. The only time it's different is if it has something in it that changes it. Since this is still just water, even with the chlorine, it works, but if I were to drink a water bottle with kool-aid mixed in, that doesn't count. Drinking plain water doesn't affect my whole body, either, just my mouth, it turns my tongue green and it goes forked. But other than that, I'm usually fine unless I get hit with a lot of water. That's why I freaked when it started raining yesterday. And why I quit the swim team and never swim with the kids. And I don't want to make anyone else freak out either, so you're actually the only person who knows other than me."

Billy was flabbergasted. That spooky place apparently could change people? With magic?! It was like he was living in a goddamn fairy tale in reverse, and he didn't know if he liked that, since fairy tales typically didn't end well, especially when they centered around humans and mermaids.

"So, is there like... any way to get you back to normal for good?" Billy asked, slipping off his sandals and going to sit next to Steve on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water.

"If there is, I haven't found it. I know what it says in the fairy tales, the 'true love's kiss' and all that, but I doubt the upside down follows the same rules as the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. So until I cam find somebody or something to figure this out, I guess I'm stuck like this." Steve replied, examining his abnormally long nails and frowning. It made Billy’s heart sink.

"Can't that psychic girl try and help? She has some kinda link to that place, right? And I doubt she would freak out. Every little girl dreams of meeting a mermaid in real life, she'd probably think it's the coolest thing ever." Billy suggested, shrugging and nudging Steve's shoulder with his own. His scaly skin was cold, but on a hot day like today, it felt nice.

"She might be able to help, but I don't want her to. Sometimes it hurts her to use her powers, and it can be hard for her to figure out what to do if she's never done it before, so it could end up worse than it started. I don't want to put that kind of pressure onto her, especially since she'd blame herself if something went wrong. She's already been through so much, I don't need to traumatized her more. Besides, I've been hiding it pretty well so far, so I can keep hiding it until I can find someone else. And it's not like it's that bad a situation. As long as I keep out of the rain and away from pools, I should be fine." Steve said, shrugging himself and making their shoulders brush again. It felt warmer this time, though it may have just been Billy's imagination, because everything felt warmer to him when he was around Steve, mermaid or not.

"Well, if it means anything, I'll be here to help you while you're like this. And I'll keep your secret," Billy said, his mouth turning up into a tiny smile.

"Thanks," Steve smiled too, and his face turned from tan to bright, shining gold. He must've been blushing. "It does mean something. A lot, actually. There aren't many people who'd be willing to do that."

As he said it, Steve did something that Billy didn't expect. He took his webbed, golden, scaly hand and reached for Billy's, intertwining them as best he could. It didn't work that well, but the sentiment was there, and as Billy looked from their hands back up to Steve's face, he saw him grinning brightly.

And he wasn't sure if it was some kind of mermaid magic or what, but all of a sudden, he couldn't control himself. He leaned forward, close enough that he could feel Steve's breath on his cheeks, and once he saw the tiniest nod of the other boy’s head, he kissed him.

And to his genuine surprise (and pleasure), Steve kissed back.

He sealed their mouths together and while Billy couldn't exactly say the taste was pleasant (like chlorine and sunscreen and something slightly fishy), the way their lips slotted together, as if they'd been made to, absolutely was. Kissing Steve was addicting already, even though he'd only done it once, and he never wanted to stop. He wanted to hold Steve forever and keep him safe and protect him from everything and help him figure out a way out of this mess he was in. He never wanted anything bad to happen to him, and he wished he had the power to make all his problems go away. He didn't have that power, but if he couldn't fix things, he was damn sure he wouldn't let Steve struggle on his own.

"Wow," Steve said as the kiss ended, his eyes big and dreamy and his lips turned up into a bright smile. "You're really good at that."

And Billy couldn't help the giggle that escaped him when he heard how amazed Steve seemed to be, nor could he help it when he leaned forward and kissed him again. By now, Steve was drying off, and his upper body was slowly going back to normal, so Billy was able to properly lace their fingers together and the fishy taste was gone from Steve's mouth. Now it just tasted like sunshine, like Steve.

"You're not so bad yourself," he replied once he pulled back enough to speak, though he remained close to the other boy. It was Steve's turn to giggle as he nudged his nose into Billy's, just wanting to keep him close.

"And I promise," Billy continued, suddenly serious, "as beautiful as you are like this, I'm not gonna stop trying to find a way to fix this for you, okay? I'm gonna help you, no matter what."

"I know you will," Steve said, leaning his forehead to Billy's and closing his eyes with a tiny smile. Billy did the same, and as his feet remained dangled in the water, he felt a soft, scaly tail wrap around his ankles and a few soft fins tickling his toes. His grip on Steve's hand tightened, and for the first time since moving to Indiana, Billy felt completely at peace in the water.

[travelingtwentysomething]

Uh, I think the first thing I was obsessed with and loved beyond a doubt was Little Mermaid so Steddie Lil Mermaid AU wouldn't go amiss.

Like, Prince of the Seven Seas Steve Herrington's been told his whole life he has to be what his father wants him to be, (he literally has to be King Steve one day), but his father doesn't really pay attention to him. He's off on his own, collecting dinglehoppers and his friend Robin who is actually a Sea Gull, and his annoying friend Nancy who is a pretty blue crab who is always telling Steve what to do but secretly roots for him to find his own feet in the world, and his friend Dustin, who is a Guppie fish who follows him around wherever he goes and is just worried for him, but idolizes him all the same, watch Steve do Something Stupid™ and get a pair of landlegs from Henry the Sea Witch (who also secretly wants his dad's kingdom) to follow the shaggy haired Prince of the Seaside Kingdom, Prince Eddie, onto land after saving him from an unfortunate almost drowning.

There is Himbo Steve shenanigans, and lots of watching the wide eyed and smirky Prince Eddie blather on and on animatedly to try and impress the mute beauty who saved his life and looked SO GOOD doing it. And Nancy and Robin conspiring in the background to get Prince Eddie to just "Kiss the Boy" but Prince Eddie's feelings are waylaid when pretty boy Henry shows up with the "voice" of his savior from that day and a boatload of misdirection and manipulation for him.

Steve is heartbroken and downtrodden and feeling hopeless until his friends rally around him and make him realize that he can't give up that easy, and then there's a near wedding, a big reveal, and Henry turns into his giant sea witch form Vecna just in time to scare the bejesus out of Eddie, straight into Steve's arms as Steve tries to protect him and save him and they end up saving each other and defeating Vecna, and then his Dad, King Triton has to give him his legs back reluctantly because the human Prince Eddie technically saved him and now he owes him a life debt, and he pays it with his son Steve.

And they kiss, and get married, and live happily ever after. And somehow Dustin convinces King Triton that he HELPED save his life too and King Triton should turn him human also, so now Steve and Eddie are raising their adopted son Prince Dustin up on land with an unusually squawky seagull that Eddie just smiles blissfully at and plays along when Steve is having (what Eddie sees as) one sided conversations, and calls it Robin no matter how many times he's been told that's actually a Gull...

combine your first real fandom with your current one to create a terrible, terrible au

[blowjob-horseguy]

Steve opened his eyes and above him was a pale man with long curly hair. It fell like buoyant curtains of ringlets from either side of his head, obscuring their surroundings. The man frowned down at him with a fierceness that made Steve think for a second they had met in a tavern one night and Steve had done something to slight him.

Steve opened his mouth to speak and felt a sharp edge be pushed harder onto his throat. Steve's vocal cords froze. Whatever he did, it was really bad. Steve runs through a quick memory catalogue of all the men he's slighted recently and how, so he could know what to start apologizing profusely for.

Did he sleep with his woman? Did he sleep with his man? Did he win too much money from him? Did he lose too much money to him? None of those seemed right.

He considered briefly that he perhaps slept with the man himself but quickly dismissed the idea. If he had bedded anyone with hair like that and this passionate a disposition, he would not need to search for the memory.

He looked closer at his features. Hair so long it could easily be a maidens, and so dark it was almost blue. Thick, furrowed brows and lips thin and white, pressed tight together, sandwiched by dimpled cheeks. His skin was pale enough to look sickly and almost green in hue. Steve definitely would have remembered this face had he seen it before.

"You are awake" said the man.

His voice dragged like wood over coarse sand: like he wasn't used to speaking outloud. Steve got a glimpse of his teeth, Sharp and thin, unlike any other human teeth he had ever seen.

A chill ran down Steve's spine as he realized why.

This is no man; this is a Merrow!

Steve's mother had told him tales of these creatures.

When Steve answered the call to the sea, his mother warned him; beware of the sea maidens they may seem beautiful on the shore, but when they lure you to their home you see their true colors. Green skin and scaley behinds. Teeth sharp enough to tear through flesh, and claws the same.

The men are said to be even uglier, with the faces of hogs and catfish, and they drag sailors down to their dens to enslave them for eternity.

Steve has always been cautious about these monsters; avoiding the bright red cap that was the telltale sign of a merrow. The others on the ship have always ridiculed him for it, and now here he is in one of theirs's clutches.

and it's not... unattractive. Strangely.

"Speak" The merrow demanded

"Please let me go" Steve spoke, his voice breaking embarrassingly.

"Go where" the merrows eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Back to my ship."

"You will attack me."

"No, I won't I promise. I'm a peaceful man, very peaceful. Couldn't hurt a fly, me. Wouldn't even know where to start."

The jagged thing at Steve's neck pressed into his skin a little harder, Steve tried to lift his chin as far as it could go to get away, but he felt a small sting as the device broke his skin.

"All men lie."

"I'm not lying, I would never lie" Steve lied.

While far from the swashbuckling type, he has never shied away from a fight, especially when it comes to protecting his fellow crewmates. He's only been on the ship a few years, but he has improved his fighting form considerably from the naive nobleman's son he once was.

While he's not going to say it out loud, he probably would attack the thing, if given the opportunity.

The merrow didn't respond, just bored dark pools of black into Steve's soul. Steve silently pleaded back with his own eyes, just wanting to get out of this situation alive.

"Release me, I beg of you. I will cause you no trouble."

"I do not believe you, you will leave this place and call fleets of your men here to hunt me down." The merrow said panic evident in his voice now.

Steve's own panic subsided for a moment and he realized this creature did not seek to kill him for pleasure, but to avoid being killed itself.

Steve took a chance and lifted his hand to touch the pale arm that held the merrow aloft above him in a gesture he hoped conveyed comfort. He did so slowly, as not to startle, and gently so the merrow knew he had no intention to harm. The merrow eyed him wildly and with fear, but it allowed itself to be touched.

It's skin was cool to the touch and droplets fell from its skin as Steve wrapped his hand around its wiry forearm.

Steve tried to reach for his signature charm, the one his father swears he learned from him.

"I promise, I mean you no harm. I have no fleets of men. Half my fellows are so foolish they could not hunt down their own behinds" Steve said.

The merrow stared at him, eyes shifting about, looking him up and down for any hint of deception.

"I will not hurt or attack you, please just remove this device from my neck."

The Merrow seemed to steal it's resolve for a moment. then slowly the pressure was removed from Steve's neck. and the merrow slunk into water.

Steve sat up on the rocky shore. Without the creature's hair blocking out their surroundings, Steve saw he was in some sort of watery cave. Dark grey walls surrounded him as far as he could see, and a vast black lake stretched out in front of him. If only Steve could remember how he got here.

He looked back at the creature and saw the object that had been held to his neck was a jagged, broken shell that hadn't yet been worn smooth by the ocean. The merrow still held it nervously as it bobbed in the water at Steve's feet.

Even with half of it's body submerged, the merrow was nearly eye level with Steve. So either the water is shallow here, or the creature is of substantial size.

"Does this mean I'm free to leave?" Steve asked.

The merrow shook it's head. Black curls shaking out droplets of water with the motion.

"I cannot be sure that you won't return with weapons or more men" it said, "I searched your person while you were asleep, I took the dagger that hung around your middle, and the one on your leg."

How long had Steve been unconscious?

"Did you steal me away from my ship?" he had to ask.

The merrow looked offended at the suggestion.

"Steal you away? You intruded onto my home!" it said as it started rising out of the water. A jet black tail emerging slightly from the grey ocean.

Steve shrunk down and put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I have no memory of arriving here."

The merrow was taken aback at that and shrunk down into the water again.

"You don't remember?" it asked

Steve shook his head.

"You washed up onto my shore. No man has ever seen my shore before. Your treasures wash up here when your ships crash in the sea outside, but no man has ever washed up with them before." it said, clearly at unease with the idea.

Steves heart fell. Does this mean his ship crashed? Is he the lone survivor? he doesn't think he can take the thought of being left without the friends he's made on that vessel.

"Did- did anything else wash up with me?" Steve asked.

The merrow shook its head.

"There hasn't been a wreck near here in months."

Steve felt his spirit lift. That could mean his crew mates are alive and well!

But then how did he end up here? Steve tries to remember. His head aches something fierce.

"Why does your face look like that?" The merrow asked.

Rude.

"My head hurts"

The creature cocked its head to one side.

"You creatures are strange and delicate. Have you hurt yourself?"

"Hurt myself? I only just woke up! It's more likely you hurt me, than I hurt myself!"

Steve clutched his head in one hand and gestured at the creature with the other. He feels rather helpless in this situation.

"I did not hurt you! I removed you from the water. You creatures are not supposed to be in there!" The thing pointed towards Steve with its shell, as if illustrating what 'creatures' it was talking about.

"Well then, however I got to be there is how I hurt my head" Steve explained, aggravated by this easily excitable monster he's found himself with.

The creature frowned at him for a moment and then faster than anything it dove under the water. It's tail following behind it in a lithe arc like a sea serpent.

Perhaps it is a sea serpent. A strange shrill sea serpent with very soft skin.

Almost as fast as it left, the thing burst back out of the water.

Steve flinched away from the splash.

"Hold out your hand" the merrow demanded.

Steve held both his hands closer to his body.

"Why?"

The merrow lunged forward and grabbed one of Steve's hands.

Steve yelled, startled, his feet scrambled at the stones beneath him trying to get away from the shockingly strong and clamy hand that held his arm tight, but his leather soles slipped on the wet rock and Steve stayed put.

And then something slimy and oddly coarse fell into his palm.

The merrow shoved Steve's own hand towards his face.

It was seaweed.

"Wh-"

"Eat it."

Steve's eyes shot up to meet the merrow's.

"Raw?!"

"It helps me when my head hurts. It will help you."

Steve grimaced at the yellowish-brown pile in his hand.

"Is it medicinal in some way?"

"It is food."

"Ah."

The merrow starred at him expectingly.

Steve starred right back.

"I'm not going to eat this."

"Then your head will continue to ache."

"I don't think the lack of edible gunk is the cause of my headache, I believe it to be the same thing that's causing my amnesia" Steve said shaking the offending object out of his hand, "I must have hit my head when I was washing up on your shore."

"Like I said; you are strange delicate creatures," the merrow reached out his unoccupied hand towards Steve, "come into the water."

Steve leaned as far away as he could manage.

"So you can drown me?"

The Merrow rolled his eyes. It looked remarkably human in that instance.

"So I can heal you"

He doesn't know if it's delirium or blood loss, but Steve grabbed the pale hand in front of him and slid gently into the water.

The creature wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him closer to it. Steve felt the scales of it's tale press against his thighs through his trousers as he was held aloft in the freezing water. His feet dangled and he couldn't feel a bottom to the lake, nor to the creatures tail.

The merrow threw the shell that was in it's other hand away somewhere and grabbed a handful of the black water. It brought it's hands up, dripping the water onto Steves head. The cold shock seemed to ease his pain. Steve closed his eyes at the relief.

He felt an even pressure on the top of his head. A tingling sensation washed over him, trickling from the point of pressure down his neck and over his shoulders. It sent Steve's body shivering.

He opened his eyes and was met by two dark eyes staring back at him. The merrow was less than an inch from his face. one of it's hands was firmly planted between his shoulder blades, and the other was atop his head emitting the magical sensation.

"You had a bump on your head."

"Had?"

"I rid you of it."

Steve felt the hand trail down from the top of his head through his hair- still wet from whatever circumstances lead him here- and down his shoulder.

He does not understand why a monster would heal him of a headache, but as he is held steady in its strong arms and feels it's breath against his lips he doesn't think it wise to ask too many questions.

"Thank you." He said.

The merrow let go of him, and Steve pulled himself back up onto the shore.

He heard a wet thunk beside him and turned to see the merrow had joined him on the rock. Its body was facing Steve and it's tail was splayed out in front of it bent at the midpoint as if the thing had knees.

It's tail alone was twice the length of Steve's entire body and it tapered along its length until exploding out into 2 wide tail fins that had the jagged edges of burned parchment.

Suddenly the creature unbent it's tail, laying it across Steve's body and curling the end slightly around his waist. it was surprisingly heavy and the large scales had the texture of smooth river stones against his abdomen.

Steve looked bewildered at the creatures face, who had the same fierce and angry look as when Steve first woke up.

"So you will not run away." it explained.

"how many times do I have to tell you, I will bring no harm to you, even if I escape."

"I cannot take that chance."

"How long will you keep me here then?"

The tail wrapped halfway around Steve's waist constricted slightly, almost causing him lose his balance. The creature beside him leaned in menacingly.

"You will stay here until I can be sure you can be trusted." it said.

"And when will that be, hmm? What could possibly convince you?" Steve asked.

The creature looked down at itself for a moment, seemingly thinking of a solution.

"I- I don't know. I will. I will know it when I know it."

"Oh! You will know it when you know it. Thats fantastic." Steve spat.

"Well you have done nothing to prove your trustworthiness to me thus far" The creature spat back.

"Exactly! I have done nothing! I have not attacked you, I have not tried to escape, I have made no attempts on your life. I have been a model captive! Whereas you, foul creature that you are, have threatened my life, stolen my belongings, and tried to feed me muck from the bottom of the ocean!" Steve had snapped, pushed to far by this infernal creature and it's damp dank lair "And now I find you have no plan for my release. You know, my mother used to tell me tales about you creatures, but she neglected to mention just how stupid you are!"

The creature just looked at him, dumbstruck by his outburst.

It uncurled it's tale from around Steve's waist and moved it back into the water. It slid it's body so it was sitting beside Steve, instead of facing him.

"What is your name?" the merrow asked.

"What?" Steve replied

"What is your name?"

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"No. You say you have been a model captive; I wish to be a model captor. What is your name?" it looked at him with pleading eyes.

Steve sighed and ran a hand over his face. What has his life come to?

"Steve, my name is Steve." He said.

"And you do not eat seaweed, Steve."

"I-" Steve groaned, "I eat seaweed, of course I do, I live on a ship. I just don't eat it raw and fresh from the bottom of a pit is all."

"So how do you eat it." The creature asked.

"You let it dry and cure, you boil it over a flame. Do you know what flame is?" Steve asked.

The creature rolled its eyes again.

"Yes, I know what flame is. If I build you one will you eat?"

Steve was taken aback. The monster is worried about him eating?

"I- yes, I suppose" Steve stammered, "do you also have a pot to boil water in?"

"A bucket washed up last month, will that do?"

"Why yes that will do greatly" Steve said.

The creature quickly disappeared into the water.

Steve sat back on his hands; confused and... oddly touched by the gesture.

Despite the creature's constant suspicion, Steve hadn't even considered just swimming out of here. Mainly due to the fact that he has no idea where he is, if there is land near here, where his ship is, or even how to find the opening to this cave in such dark conditions.

He is tired and befuddled, his wet clothing is sticking to his skin uncomfortably, he is chilled by the air and sore from the hard rock, and now that he thinks about it, he is near starving. So, he truly does appreciate the Merrow's offer to build him a fire.

The merrow reappeared holding a rusty bucket aloft the water's surface. It handed the bucket to Steve, who found dry wood, flint, and a knife at the bottom of it.

Steve smiled.

"Where did you find all this stuff?" he asked

"Treasures wash up here after shipwrecks, I told you that before," The merrow said pulling itself back onto the rock, "now would you like to build the fire yourself, or shall I?"

.....

Steve started the fire, closer to the cave wall than to the edge of the water, and set the bucket, now full of water, carefully in the middle of the flames. It will take awhile before the water boils, but that just gives Steve time to lay his clothes out to dry.

He rid himself of his trousers first, the wet denim was the greatest offender to his skin, and his white linen shirt came after it. He laid them both flat in front of the fire.

He looked around, the creature was still gathering food. He's grateful, he feels oddly modest about being in the nude in front of the merrow.

Steve was crouched down warming his hands in front of the flames when he heard a telltale splash from behind him. He covered himself with his hands and whipped around to see the merrow had returned with 2 handfuls of seaweed and a small fish caught in its mouth.

It looked Steve up and down from its place in the water and then released the fish from its jaws onto the rock.

"Your clothes are gone," it pointed out.

Steve gestured with his chin to where they lay in front of the fire.

"I'm drying them."

"Ah," it said lifting itself by the elbows up onto the shore, "come take this stuff from me, I can't get over to you, it's difficult to move across land in this form."

Steve walked over to the merrow and grabbed the fish and seaweed from it.

"You say in this form; do you have another?" he asked

The merrow eyed him oddly.

"I thought your mother told you of us?" it asked.

"Well, yes, but she also told me the men of your species have the faces of hogs. As you clearly do not look like a hog, I figured she may have gotten some things wrong."

The edges of the merrows mouth twitched upward. It- it's smiling!

"I have a legged form as well. I could get my cap and join you for dinner?" It said.

So, she was right about the caps too. At least Steve hasn't been paranoid about nothing.

"Thats not necessary." Steve said, though he must admit he was curious.

Steve walked back to the fire and dumped the fish and seaweed into the water that had started to form small bubbles. They still had a while to go.

Steve turned back to the merrow, who was sitting on the rock, splayed out, scales and all, like some kind of ancient stone carving. It looked up at Steve, waiting for him to say something. Steve felt the need to cover himself again, the gaze of this creature is just so insistent, but he thought the act would just draw more attention to the area. Instead, he decided to ask something that had been nagging at him.

"Do you have a name?"

The merrow was taken aback for a moment before it answered.

"I was called Edward once."

"Once?"

"I was banished by my people to this cave, I haven't been called anything since then." it said, eyes going sad for a moment before snapping out of it.

"Edward the Banished" Steve mumbled.

"I suppose," Edward said squirming uncomfortably.

Steve hadn't expected him to hear that.

"I left my home to follow a friend onto a pirate ship that I quickly found was made up of novices who had never seen the inside of a ship before."

Edward raised his eyebrows at that.

"I see. 'can't hunt down their own behinds' indeed."

Steve breathed out a small laugh.

"I wasn't lying."

"Hmm..." the creature's mouth flattened into a thin line once more.

It doesn't believe him, not entirely.

No matter! Steve is just glad that it calmed down enough to allow him food and freedom of movement.

When the food was finished cooking Steve brought the bucket over to where Edward was sitting, or laying... where Edward was beached.

It frowned at him.

"You are sharing with me?"

"You caught it for me," Steve said taking a bit of meat from the fish.

It was saltier than he prefers it, but at least it was food. Which reminds him.

"Did I still have my water when I arrived here?" he asks.

"The bladder you had around your belt?"

Steve nodded.

"Yes, I took it along with your knives, I thought it had potential as a weapon," The merrow said, gnawing on seaweed.

"How long was I unconscious?"

The merrow frowned at his food.

"I'm not sure. The sun was just starting to set when I found you by the mouth of the cave, and it was fully dark when you awoke."

That means it could be as little as 5- 10 minutes.

"Do you need me to bring you your water?" Edward asked still gnawing.

"I would like that yes, but where is it that you go to fetch these things."

Edward looked him in the eye, squinting to see any hint of devious intentions on his face. Steve is getting tired of the scrutiny.

"I'm not going to tell you where your knives are, but I will bring you your water." the creature said slithering away into the depths once again.

Steve sat there, bare as the day he was born, and wondered what it would take to get this thing to trust him enough to let him go.

When the merrow came back with his bladder of water Steve tried not to drink it all in one gulp. It was so refreshing, and he was so thirsty, but he doesn't know how long he will have to be here, so he needs to ration.

"I have decided how you will earn my trust." Edward said out of the blue.

Steve nearly spilt his drink in his excitement. He put his water down and wiped his chin.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You will tell me more about your ship, and I will go out in search of it to see if the stories you tell are true." it said tapping its tale against the stone it sat on in no particular rhythm. it looked nervous about this plan.

"You'll find my ship?" Steve asked, amazed at his own luck.

"You will come with me so I know where you are, and I'm not giving you back your weapons, and I will keep tight hold of you, and if I find your ship and it is not the novices you said it was, I will leave you stranded on a sand bar," it said sternly.

"Okay! what do you want to know first?" Steve asked leaning forward, excited to get the process started.

"Tomorrow, you will tell me about your ship tomorrow. Now it is time to sleep" it said and then swam away.

It is a strange and confusing creature.

Still, Steve curled up on his clothes in front of the fire and eagerly laid down his head to rest. He at last sees hope of escape, and he can't wait until tomorrow.

[emchant3d]

They say Captain Munson has a gift. That he’s blessed by a god’s touch.

His ship has survived every battle. His crew flourishes with bounty, with health and good fortune. He steers them unerringly through every storm, sailing directly into the gargantuan waves, into the lightning and rain, and comes out the other side pristine while other vessels would have been sunk, snapped and splintered on the ocean floor, crew turned to ghosts to haunt the waters.

They say he made a deal, sold his soul, sold his crew’s souls, will find his reckoning one day at the end of a sword or drowned in the sea he loves so much. They say he’s a devil of his own, that his eyes glow red and black and his teeth are sharp and fanged, nails clawed, that he slaughters innocents and bathes in their blood.

But the truth is much simpler. Captain Munson is no devil, he did not sell any souls, and he certainly isn’t blessed by any god.

Captain Munson fell in love.

He didn’t mean to. When the fishing nets are reeled in that fateful day he expects nothing more than a few meals, a couple pounds to send to the kitchens for Benny to work his magic with. He isn’t even on deck when the catch is brought in.

It’s Gareth’s frantic voice that draws him upwards, his shouting and knocking on his cabin door that has him strapping a sword to his hip before taking the stairs two at a time to see the threat.

He’s expecting a King’s ship. Maybe another pirate. 

He isn’t expecting a mer.

Pale, unconscious, bleeding, sprawled on the deck, plush and soft and gorgeous, tan torso tapering down into a huge, shimmering tail. He’s breathing but it’s shallow, weak, a shell on a necklace moving faintly with each hitch of his chest.

And the crown. A simple circlet, golden and shining, tangled in his chestnut hair, gems glinting from the locks.

Mers are mythical, believed to be stories by some and history by others, but Eddie grew up hearing the tales of them every night from his mother, and the evidence is right in front of them - how can they do anything but believe?

It takes three of them to move him below deck. Eddie grips him under his arms, Gareth supports his hips, and Jeff wrangles his tail. They take him to Eddie’s quarters, the only bed big enough to fit him.

He wakes in stages, delirious from pain, snapping teeth and swinging claws when he has the strength for it and slurring rambling words when he doesn’t, head lolling on the pillow, eyes rolling back. 

His injuries are strange - a band of dark bruising around his pretty throat, his back shredded, bites taken out of the dips of his sides and the meat of his tail. There’s sickness in him, but Joyce is patient. She patches him up, soothes the mer’s fever and stitches the wounds she can, bandages what she can’t, keeps it all clean, keeps it wet because apparently that’s what he needs - salt water, which makes Eddie cringe in sympathy, but only seems to ease the mer’s pain, not make it worse.

It’s a week before those pretty eyes blink open with genuine awareness in them, sharp and wary. Eddie’s taken to sitting at the mer’s side, feels a strange responsibility to him that he doesn’t want to look too closely at, and he glances up from his journal to find the other’s gaze locked on him.

“Where am I?” he croaks out, and Eddie smiles, snapping the journal shut.

“You’re aboard the Hellfire, sweetheart. Captain Eddie Munson, at your service.” He bows in his seat, and it goes over about as well as he thought it would.

There’s a lot of threats and snarling and cursing, but Eddie simply leans back, out of the mer’s reach as he crowds himself into the corner of the mattress, back pressed to the wall and sheets tangled around his tail.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he tries to soothe, and the mer scoffs. Eddie can’t blame him for his caution, but he tells him the honest truth - where he was found, the state of him, how they’ve nursed him back to health.

The mer’s hand hovers over one of the nastier wounds at his side, covered in gauze, dampened with saltwater. When he cuts his eyes back to Eddie there’s a little less animosity in his gaze, and Eddie will take what he can get.

Eventually he pulls a name from that snarling mouth. Stephan. “Prince Stephan,” he begrudgingly admits once Eddie points out the crown that he’d gently worked free of his hair. 

And he’s a mer, but different.

“Siren, is what I believe your kind calls mine,” Stephan says, “half and half. Mer and human.” 

“Human,” Eddie muses, and Stephan confesses, warily, haltingly - he’s the King’s bastard son. Born to King Richard of the land and the Mer Queen of the sea.

“And how did the Prince of the Mer find his way into my net, hm?” Eddie asks, smiling, and Stephan rolls his eyes at him. 

He’s a runaway. King Richard had come looking for his son and with his mother’s blessing Stephan abandoned his title, his home, because the King would find him eventually if he stayed, and whatever dangers he might face in the open sea would be nothing compared to what the King might use his gifts for.

“Gifts?” Eddie asks, and Stephan smiles, his pointed teeth glinting.

It’s a clear day, not a cloud to be seen, no sign of rain or bad weather. And yet as Steve begins to hum softly, a shadow crosses overhead. 

It happens slowly. Stephan’s voice builds, a wordless little melody, something melancholy and soft, and the sky beyond the windows of the cabin darkens. Thunder rolls and in the distance, Eddie can see a crack of lightning.

The ship rocks as waves begin to form, the once-smooth water taking a turn. Eddie can hear the crew above deck begin to shout to one another, confusion building, growing more insistent as Stephan’s song grows, and Eddie’s stomach drops.

The siren’s voice is haunting, terrifying. Eddie’s frozen in place, meeting his eyes even as tears well in his own. He’s transfixed, can’t move, can’t speak, paralyzed with some ancient, instinctual knowing of danger, of death.

Eddie does not scare easy. But this is terror personified. This is the true threat that lives in the sea. Not the waves, not man, this. This creature who smiles at him with sharp teeth and a haunting voice, reaching towards Eddie with a clawed hand, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear in a touch that makes Eddie’s skin crawl and his heart skip and dread sink into his very bones.

He’s staring death in the face, and death is smiling.

Then Stephan quiets, and it’s over as quickly as it had begun. The sky clears in moments. The waters calm. The vessel’s heaving calms, and Eddie’s spine unlocks.

He stares at the being before him, amazed, before a slow, brilliant smile breaks over his face.

“Full of surprises, aren’t you, Prince Stephan?” he asks, and gets a smile in return.

“Call me Steve,” he tells him, and fondness begins to worm its way into Eddie’s chest.

“Then call me Eddie.” He sees Steve’s eyes flutter, and he tilts his head. “You’re tired,” he tells him, and gets a huff in response. “You’re safe here, Steve,” he tells him, and he knows he doesn’t trust him, not fully, not yet, but that’s okay. “Rest. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

Steve watches him warily, but clearly the little display has worn him out. His hand finds that same wound on his side, cradling it carefully, back shifting like it hurts to sit up straight and stretch all that marred skin.

“Lay a hand on me, and I’ll eat you,” Steve warns, and Eddie snorts a laugh. 

“Whatever you say, highness,” and he tugs the sheets back into place over that large tail, and lets the mer get the rest he still clearly needs.

part 2 💕

[arelliann]

A little mermay piece before the month is over

[resande]

Steve going to mako island on a full moon🤭

Wip inbetween exams.

Ok so i wanted to make him a "freak" in the underwater world. So he's a mix inbetween a merman and octopus, therefore he has scales on his tentacles and also curly fins (the dark green-blue ones). Also i'm thinking at the tips of the tentacles i'll also add a flare of those curly fins to make it pop y'know

[libraryofgage]

Mermaid/Pirate Steddie Six

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

This fic was line-jumped! If you'd like to learn more about line jumping, please see this post

Anyway, thank you line-jumper for your patience, I know this was a little late orz but I hope you enjoy it!

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

---

“Why do they look so weak?”

“Do you have more of these?”

“Can he really not breathe under water?”

“Does he understand bubble patterns?”

“He’s not the worst swimmer.”

“I could probably break his ribs with one tail swipe.”

“Please don’t break my mate’s ribs.”

Of all the words echoing in the water around him, those last few are the ones Eddie gets stuck on. He perks up as the curious hands of adolescent merfolk poking and prodding at him pause. From the determined expression on Steve’s face as he tugs Eddie closer, he definitely meant to say that.

“Seriously?” Robin asks, curling around Steve’s other side. Her hair floats across Eddie’s vision before settling, and bubbles rise from her fluttering gills. “You’re already mated? How did that even work?”

She glances down as she asks, and Eddie follows her gaze to Steve’s tail. It looks normal to him. His wound has healed, leaving only a faint scar behind. If anything has changed, it’s that the inexplicable splashes of orange across his scales make sense in the water. They glimmer and shine like gold and silver coins in the wavering sunlight that manages to break through the surface. Eddie is hypnotized by them, and it takes a conscious effort for him to look away.

Steve’s flush tells Eddie something important has been alluded to, and he’s starting to get an idea of it. “Robin! Not in front of the guppies!” Steve tells her. She cackles in response, bubbles bursting from her gills as she curls around Steve’s right side and flicks his forehead.

“But we already know about that stuff,” one of the guppies, Lucas, says. A few bubbles rise from his gills, too, and Eddie is starting to wonder if they’re important when Robin and Steve pause to study them. 

Another one, Dustin, nods and places his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. He pushes up to float above him, holding tight so he doesn’t end up floating away. Somehow, this results in Dustin’s tail smacking against his back a few times, but at least it doesn’t hurt. “Yeah,” Dustin says, “You taught us during the last cold tide trip. Remember? Joyce and Hopper got together and started talking about more guppies, so then Erica asked what they meant and you got all red like a lobster as you tried to explain it.”

“Teaching you about reproduction and discussing…recreational enjoyment are very different things,” Steve says, his firm tone undermined by his flustered look. 

Eddie taps Dustin’s hand, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows in a curious expression when Dustin looks down.

“Oh, do you wanna know?” he asks.

“No, he doesn’t,” Steve says at the same time Eddie nods. When Steve glares at him, Eddie grins, salty water rushing into his mouth. He doesn’t mind too much, especially when he points at his throat and Steve’s glare immediately melts into fondness and concern. He leans in, kissing Eddie and pushing more air past his lips. 

“We are just teaching Eddie about reproduction,” El says when Steve pulls back. She pushes under Eddie’s arm, wrapping her tail around his leg to stay in place. With her there, Dustin’s tail is no longer hitting his back, and Eddie hesitates before patting her head. 

Between her, Dustin on his shoulders, Steve holding him close, Robin practically wrapped around Steve, and the rest of the guppies surrounding them, he’s starting to realize how touchy merfolk are. Or maybe this is just Steve and Robin and their guppies. He’ll have to ask later.

“Why are you making such a big deal when it’s boring?” Max asks, huffing as two lone bubbles rise from her gills. “Two merfolk decide to have a kid. One fertilizes the other, they carry the egg for a while and birth it. After that, caretakers watch the egg until it hatches. Simple.”

Yeah. Eddie has so many questions. He can’t ask any of them now, though. All he can do is nod along, forcing his expression to remain serious as he listens. Max seems to like the attention, her gills fluttering again and letting a stream of bubbles rise to the surface as she perks up.

“Man, it sounds boring when you say it like that,” Mike tells her, grinning as he turns to look at Eddie. “So, anyway, dicks an--”

Robin laughs as she smacks her hand across Mike’s mouth, using her other hand to ruffle his hair until it’s floating wildly in the water. “All right, all right, let’s stop before dingus goes belly-up,” she says, pinching Mike’s cheek when she pulls his hand away.

He huffs and sticks his tongue out at her. “Eddie asked,” he says.

“Eddie didn’t ask anything. He can’t talk, and he doesn’t make bubbles,” El says.

“No, like, he used his face.”

“Oh.”

As they talk, Eddie tugs on Steve’s hand, pointing to his throat again. Instead of immediately kissing him, he glances up at the surface with a frown. It’s not like Eddie was actually running out of air, so he doesn’t tug on Steve’s hand again. “How about we go up,” he says, looking at Robin. When she just looks confused, he adds, “You could see Eddie’s ship.”

“Really?!” Dustin and Will ask, both of them looking at Eddie hopefully.

Eddie considers for a moment, figures the guppies can be entertained by his crew if they get too bored, and nods once.

“Yes!”

----------

“They have so much energy,” Eddie says, carefully setting Steve on the bed before collapsing into it next to him. He rubs his fingers together, feeling how wrinkly they are after spending most of the day in the ocean. They still haven’t smoothed out despite being on the ship for an hour already.

Steve hums softly, reaching over and taking Eddie’s hand. He laces their fingers together, rests their hands on his stomach, and says, “They liked you.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell between Mike trying to drown me and Erica trying to bite me,” Eddie says, squeezing Steve’s hand.

The drowning attempt had happened when they surfaced. Mike had grabbed Eddie’s ankles and yanked him back under, grinning as Eddie yelped and swallowed half the ocean in the process. Somehow, Steve had managed to both kiss Eddie some air and smack Mike upside the head with his tail.

The biting had happened while trying to get all the guppies onto the ship. It involved nets and ropes and straining muscles, but they’d managed. When Eddie was getting Erica untied from the ropes, she’d leaned over and snapped at his shoulder. Robin saved him in time by yanking her back, refusing to hear her excuse about Eddie smelling like “really fresh krill” and her being hungry.

Things had been chaotic between getting the guppies and Robin settled, figuring out food, and keeping them entertained so they wouldn’t destroy the ship out of boredom. Eddie had never been so relieved as when they’d started nodding off in a giant tub they secured to the mast.

“They were just…testing you. A little. It’s normal when caretakers introduce a mate,” Steve tells him.

“What, are they making sure I’m sturdy?”

“More that you can handle them if you join the pod,” Steve explains. “Caretakers don’t leave their pods. If they mate with a merperson from another pod, that merperson just joins it. Guppies are overprotective and want to make sure mates deserve their caretakers.”

“That’s kinda sweet,” Eddie says.

Steve nods in agreement, shifting around some until he can turn to face Eddie. The bottom of his tail curls around Eddie’s leg, a heavy weight that he finds reassuring. “How do you feel?” he asks.

Eddie can hear the questions lying beneath. Did he like the guppies? Did they manage to scare him away? Is he going to end their courtship?

“They’re cool. I like them,” Eddie says, the words spilling out so he can reassure Steve. He feels something light and happy bubble in his chest at Steve’s smile. “I am wondering about something, though.”

“What?”

“How, uh, how does all of that…work?” Eddie asks, his face burning as he gestures to Steve’s tail, focusing on the general area Robin had looked at before. Despite the embarrassment of asking, he can’t help the heat that simmers through him at Steve’s knowing smile.

“Are you interested in theory or practice?” Steve asks.

“Practice. I am so, so, so interested in practice,” Eddie says, throwing an arm around Steve’s waist and tugging him closer. “But I wouldn’t mind a little theory so I know what I’m doing.”

Steve laughs, pushing against Eddie’s chest lightly. When he lets go, Steve sits up, gesturing for Eddie to sit behind him. Once they’re settled, Steve is nestled between Eddie’s legs and Eddie is resting his chin on Steve’s shoulders. “There’s a slit,” Steve says, taking Eddie’s hand and placing his palm on a patch of scales just below his waist. “When a merperson is aroused, it opens to provide access.”

Eddie swallows, nodding as he feels the cool slide of Steve’s scales under his palm. He glances at Steve and moves his hand, brushing his fingers over the area until he can feel where the slit is. It’s a slightly raised line, barely noticeable if he weren’t looking for it.

“And, uh, how does it work? For two mermen, I mean,” Eddie says.

He feels more than hears Steve hum, the vibrations pulsing through him from where Steve is resting against his chest. “Well, it doesn’t matter much,” Steve says, reaching up to tug on a loose strand of Eddie’s hair. “You humans have a word for it, I think, but all merfolk have the ability to carry or fertilize. It really just depends.”

“Oh,” Eddie says, biting the inside of his cheek as he presses his palm flat against Steve’s scales again. “So, which…I mean, what do you…you know, prefer?”

Steve thinks for a moment, twirling Eddie’s hair around his finger. “Anything that feels good,” he finally says, tilting his head back to grin at Eddie. “How about finding out what does?”

Not for the first time, Eddie thinks, perhaps, the merman in his arms will be the death of him. It’s a good thing he doesn’t mind one bit.

------

Tag List! (tags are full, please follow #high seas steddie)

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@m-owo-n, @newtstabber, @cartercaptainofthemoon, @spectrum-spectre, @a-little-unsteddie

[safk-art]

finally completed this! Steve's reflection

please consider supporting me on Patr30n

[Patre0n] [instagram] [Twitter] [BluSky]

[piratefishmama]

Seaside town AU Eddie Munson who swears blind he saw a merman out by the pier, and Steve Harrington who really just likes going swimming with his monofin.

[sosooley]

По мотивам работы «Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea».

[starkstruck27]

Follow up to the mermay ficlet I posted earlier this month. It’s not my best work, and I ended up taking it in an entirely different direction than what I was originally planning, but I hope you still like it. Especially @dragonflylady77 since they encouraged me to write a part 2 in the first place. Love you dearie <333

The heat of the summer dragged on and on as June turned to July. It seemed that every day that it wasn’t storming, the pool would become more and more crowded, and that only made the long days even more unbearable for Billy, and it was practically detrimental for Steve. He insisted on being at the pool with Billy every day to help keep an eye on the kids (for real now) and to be near Billy for as long as he could. He couldn’t go in the water, but he could keep him company on his breaks and talk to him as he did his work.

Billy didn’t mind his constant presence at the pool, especially since they rarely got time to be together outside of his work time. He had a curfew and Steve’s parents were actually home a lot during the summer, so it was really the only time they got to be somewhat alone together, even if they weren’t really alone. They still could sneak off to make out in Billy’s car at the beginnings and ends of his shifts, and that was enough for them.

The only other times they got to themselves was when they went on their library dates, which again, weren’t too often. Still, as often as they could, they’d go to the library to read as much as they could about merpeople and evolution and anything else they thought might help them in figuring out what might change Steve back to normal for good. 

After a month, they were still coming up empty. They had no more answers than when this whole thing started. If anything, they had more questions. It was beginning to eat away at Steve, and more and more often these days, Billy had to be the shoulder he cried on so that he didn’t end up breaking down. Not that he minded, he’d do anything for Steve, but hope was beginning to look lost. It was taking longer and longer for Steve to transition back to his human form, and he was already scared to think about the fact that one day soon, he might not be able to at all. It made Steve irritable, and he found himself snapping at people more often, even if he wasn’t even really all that mad at them. He snapped at Dustin for whining about the music he was playing in the car one day, and he snapped at Robin when she was late to work the following day. He even snapped at Billy when he tried to figure out how to help fix his mood, but he apologized to all of them right after and they forgave him right away.

Still, Steve’s anger issues were getting worse, rivaling Billy’s own at the worst of times, and it was getting harder and harder to calm him down the longer it went on. 

And then one day, everything came to a head when Steve was in his usual pool chair, watching as Billy kept an eye on everyone from his chair. His rotation was just ending, and after he blew the whistle to signal adult swim and he and Heather switched places on the chair, a woman came up to him. Steve knew her from around town, but never really talked to her before. He only knew that she was almost always at the pool whenever Billy was and once his shift ended for good, she would leave right behind them. She had dye-blonde hair and too bright makeup, and she always had her leopard print sunglasses on her nose, no matter how much it clashed with whatever swimsuit she was wearing. And she was always staring at Billy, no matter where he was or what he was doing. 

It made Steve’s stomach clench with anger whenever one of the desperate housewives of Hawkins paid undue attention to his boyfriend, even though he knows Billy’s told them over and over again that he’s taken. They still never take the hint, and finally, when this lady started grabbing onto Billy’s arm and laughing way too hard at something he’d said, Steve had had it. He stood up, walking over and trying to keep from stomping as he went. It was hot out, and he was already dripping with sweat by the time he got to them, glad that Billy and this lady had stood outside of the splash zone from the pool as he plastered on a fake smile. 

“Excuse me,” he said, and now that he was closer, he knew that the woman was Mrs. Larson, the mother of a girl from his class. She also had a son a year older than Dustin, and another son two years older than her daughter Jenny, who was in some branch of the military. It made Steve sick when he recognized her. “Billy, could you help me with something?”

“Sorry, honey,” Mrs. Larson answered for him, her eyes sharp as daggers, even behind the shades. “But he was just about to come over and help me with something. Why don’t you ask the other lifeguard, whatsername, for whatever you need?”

“Heather is her name. I’d think you’d know that, seeing as how she’s been going to school with me and your daughter for the past twelve years. Wasn’t her birthday back in December? 18, right? She’s 3 months older than Billy then, right, since his birthday is in March?” Steve said, taking on his best bitchy tone. “Anyway, I would ask Heather, but unfortunately it requires some heavy lifting, so maybe Heather could help you with whatever you need. Unless, of course, you needed Billy for some reason other than just simple help at the pool. But if that’s the case, I’d back off anyway if I were you, because he happens to be taken, which he’s told you time and again, and, no offense, but even if he wasn’t, I highly doubt he’d pick to go out with someone old enough to be his mother and whose hair looks like a used Kleenex that a rat decided to nest in.”

Both Billy’s and Mrs. Larson’s jaws dropped at the insult, though while Billy was trying to suppress a smile, Mrs. Larson looked like she’d just been told her cat got run over. She let go of Billy’s arm then, but it was only to put her hands on her hips while she got up in Steve’s face.

“How dare you!” She shrieked, pointing a manicured finger in his face. “Lord, the nerve you have talking to me like that! Who in God’s name do you think you are?!”

“What’s going on over here?” Butch Larson, her son from the military, came over and asked. He was a giant, even if compared to someone like Hopper, standing at at least 6’6”, and he must’ve weighed 300 lbs. of pure muscle. Steve could remember a time back when he was just a freshman and Butch was a junior, before he hit his growth spurt and was just an awkward stringbean kid with braces and acne. Then, in Steve’s sophomore year and Butch’s senior, he turned into the absolute monster that he was now. Steve had had just the tiniest inkling of a crush on him back then, but of course, he never did anything about it for fear of retaliation. Now, as he saw the older guy before him, all he could feel was fear.

“This young man insulted me for no reason! Jumped right into my conversation and said simply awful things, completely unprovoked!” Mrs. Larson whined to her son, like she hadn’t just been flirting with a boy younger than two out of her three kids. Steve had to fight the urge to scoff at her and make the whole situation worse. He knew Karen Larson was famous for her public freakouts, but this was a new low, even for her. Why she picked this hill to die on, Steve would never know.

“Actually, that’s not what happened. Your mother was trying to flirt with a boy younger than both you and your sister even after he told her multiple times that he’s taken, so I stepped in.” Steve said, his need to bitch overpowering his common sense. Every set of eyes at the pool that day was trained on the four of them, but Steve hardly even noticed.

“And why was that your business, Harrington? Last I checked, you couldn’t care less about anyone but yourself. At least, you didn’t when you broke my sister’s heart last year! Unless, oh! Of course! Wow, I never took you for a queer, Harrington, but that’s the only explanation, isn’t it? You wouldn’t be so worried about whoever this guy is otherwise! Only worried about other people when it impacts you directly, huh? God, I should’ve known!”

“Actually, Butch, that’s not true, either. Billy’s my friend, who happens to have a girlfriend, and who also happens to be just barely 18. Now, normally you’d be right. I don’t care about most people, but when I see a predator stalking her prey, which is pretty much what your mother’s done all summer, I’m gonna step in, because that’s just wrong. How would you feel if a man your mother’s age were looking and talking to your sister that way? You’d be creeped out, wouldn’t you? So, yeah, I think your mom deserves to be put in her place for creeping on my friend. Oh, and for the record, Jenny and I split because I caught her fucking my best friend behind my back, so I think I hardly broke her heart. Next time get your facts straight before you defend the honor of the whores that you call your family!”

And yeah, Steve knew he was out of line with that last remark, but his mouth had run away without his brain, and by the time he’d realized what he’d said, it was too late. Butch must’ve seen red at that last remark, because the next thing Steve knew, he felt hands on his chest, heard Billy scream “No!” and found himself surrounded by water.

Suddenly, Steve lost all the fight that’d been in him moments ago and was overcome with nothing but panic. He could feel his jeans tearing as his legs fused together. His fingers began to throb as the skin began to stretch and web together. His ears felt like they were being stabbed as the fins poked up from behind them, and his eyes burned as they changed to allow him to see underwater. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed as they adapted to be able to handle the water, and he felt like he was being cut with razor blades as the gills opened up on his collar bones. The only good thing about this transformation was that the pain only lasted for a second, and when he was going back to normal, it didn’t hurt at all. The worst part was that he couldn’t control it, and even underwater, he could still hear the screams of all the people around them.

Fuck.

Steve didn’t want to come back up to the surface as people continued to scream and gawk at him, but he knew he had to face the music now. There was no other option. And that woman was still too close to Billy, so maybe this would scare her enough that she’d leave him alone. At least one good thing would come out of this fucking curse.

But Steve never got the chance to swim up and breach the surface before the screams got louder and a terrifying BANG! rang out above the water. Something whizzed past Steve’s head and embedded itself in the cement bottom of the pool, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what’d happened. But the worst part was the few drops of red that mixed in with the pool water just after the thing went past, and Steve began to panic as he frantically emerged from the water to make sure everything was okay. 

“Jesus fucking Christ! Are you insane?! He’s not dangerous, and even if he was, why the hell did you think it was a good fucking idea to bring a loaded gun with you to a public pool?! Do you know how many people could’ve gotten hurt if a kid got ahold of that?! I just fucking did while it was being handled by a grown ass adult! I know that you hicks think it’s your god-given right to shoot at whatever the fuck you please, but what in the actual fuck were you trying to do just now?!” Billy was screeching as Steve swam over, confused at first, but then he saw the pistol in Butch’s hand and the blood seeping from Billy’s arm as he held it tightly with his other hand. Heather was running over with a clean towel to try and help him while two men grabbed Butch, wrestling the weapon away from him and handing it to a third guy before holding him down and a younger woman called the cops.

“That thing is a fucking freak! A monster! I would’ve been doing everybody a favor by taking it out!” Butch was yelling, fighting against the two men holding him, but they held fast.

“He’s not an it, you bastard! He’s a fucking person like everybody else, he just has something different about him, but because you’ve been off pretending to singlehandedly save the country from nonexistent threats, you wouldn’t know that this is actually, like, one of the least crazy things to happen in this shithole of a town! And if anyone’s a fucking freak, it’s your ginormous ass for bringing a fucking gun to what was supposed to be a chill day at the pool! And for the fucking record, he was right, your mother is a fucking creep!” Billy continued to scream as people continued to gather their things and book it out of there before the cops showed up. Within minutes, the entire place was empty except for Billy, Heather, Steve, the kids, a few stragglers, Butch, and the three men that’d helped to hold him down. Then, Hopper and a few other cops (all already familiar with the craziness of the upside down) came in through the gate, taking Butch away before Hopper came back in to ask some questions.

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled as he saw Steve and Billy sitting side by side on the edge of the pool, Steve just barely starting to detransition on his upper body and Billy’s arm still wrapped in the bloody towel. “So, you wanna tell me what happened?” 

“Karen Larson was creeping on me and when Steve tried to stop her, Butch went nuts. He pushed Steve into the pool and because of some weird upside down shit, it turned him into a merman. Then Butch pulled out a gun and tried to kill him, so I knocked his hand out of the way and the bullet grazed me instead. It’s still somewhere at the bottom of the pool,” Billy explained, cringing when Hopper leaned down and removed the towel to check the wound.

“Alright, well, it doesn’t look too terrible. Just a graze, like you said, I don’t even think it’ll need stitches. But I’m no doctor, so you should go to the hospital to get it checked for real. And as for you,” Hopper said, standing back up and putting his hands on his hips, “You didn’t figure out the whole monster goop thing by now? All you need to do is eat some fish.”

“What?” Steve asked, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as he tried to wrap his head around what the hell Hopper was talking about. 

“Yeah, it’s that simple. Remember, you weren’t the only one hit with that nasty stuff. I got hit, and El, and Nancy and Jonathan, too. Nancy didn’t want to explain it to her mother, so she cleaned up at our place when we got back, and that was the first time we saw it. She started looking at all of us like she was starving, and when we bandaged our wounds, she only looked more hungry. We didn’t notice until then that she’d sprouted fangs, she was abnormally pale, and her eyes were bloodshot. It happened every night after that, and she was sensitive to sunlight and always tired during the day. We couldn’t figure it out except that it had to do with the monster stuff. And then, a day or two later, there was a full moon, and I started to change. Apparently, I was a werewolf. Not violent or anything, Joyce said I was basically just like a big dog, and it happened every night that there was a full moon after that. Jonathan, we don’t know what might’ve gone on with him, he never changed into anything, and El already had her powers, so I didn’t really think anything of it when she sprouted wings and started to fly around as some kind of fairy or whatever. It was a whole thing, I don’t even know how we figured it out, but then a few days after all this started happening, Nancy was over for dinner and Joyce made fish. Some kind of flounder or something, I don’t know, but that night, none of us changed, and it never happened again after that. I don’t even try to understand how it works, but that’s what happened, so I assume it’d be the same with you. I’ll have to ask Joyce what kind of fish that was.” He explained, the two boys looking at him as if he’d grown twelve heads. Steve groaned and shifted the rest of the way out of the pool so he could start sunning himself to dry off, grabbing another towel and throwing it over himself to protect his modesty as he heard the sirens of the ambulance coming closer.

“I can’t believe that all this time, all I had to do was eat a fucking fish and I’d be perfectly back to normal. I hate everything.” He grumbled as Hopper walked away to get the paramedics and lead them over to Billy.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly logical to think about that. It would’ve been, like, cannibalism, kind of. Right?” Billy couldn’t help but smile at him, and Steve just groaned and smacked him lightly with his tail. “But hey, look on the bright side, at least we know how to fix it now, right?”

“I guess, but I’m still mad about it. Besides, I have a right to be pissed off right now. You got shot because of me.” 

“True, but I told you, I’m sticking with you ‘til the end of this thing and I’ll be by your side for as long as you’ll have me after,” Billy smiled, leaning over on his uninjured arm so he could smile down at his boyfriend still lying on the pavement. “Although, I am gonna miss how pretty you look when you’re like this. I hope I took a picture of you at some point so I can always remember how beautiful you are.”

“Shut up you sap,” Steve said, but he was smiling, and he sat up a little to kiss Billy before he had to let him go to the hospital.

A couple days later, once they got the name of the fish from Joyce (it was tilapia, actually) and were getting ready to change Steve back for good, they were sitting on his back porch, waiting for it to cook on the grill, and Steve stood up and began to remove his shirt. Billy was confused at first and tried not to let him notice as his cheeks heated up as he continued to strip, but then Steve dove into the pool and resurfaced quickly, completely transformed for the final time. 

“You know the objective here was to turn you back to human for good, right?” Billy teased as he swam over to the edge of the pool and hoisted himself up to sit on the ledge.

“I know,” Steve said, pulling his tail out of the water and rolling onto his stomach, propping his head in his hands, “But go look behind that flower pot on the table.”

Billy was skeptical for a second, but the excited smile on Steve’s face was enough to make him do it, and he could only shake his head and smile back when he saw a polaroid camera behind the big terracotta pot. Now he knew why Steve had wanted to wait a few days before fixing this for good, because this was the first day that Billy didn’t need to wear a sling on his injured arm that would’ve made it too hard to take a picture of him. He had needed stitches, the bullet having gone just deep enough to warrant them, and to make sure he didn’t pull them, the doctors had suggested he use the sling for a few days, but it restricted his arm movement. But he didn’t have to use it anymore, and even though he still had to be careful, at least he could move a little bit more freely. 

“And you called me a sap,” Billy teased as he walked back over to his boyfriend, holding the camera up and making sure the position, the lighting and the pose were all perfect before clicking the button and waiting for the picture to develop. It had come out perfectly, and Billy took it inside to leave on the counter to make sure he wouldn’t lose it before going back outside and finishing their food. 

Steve was still sitting on the edge of the pool as he was given his plate, making sure a towel was thrown over himself before he started eating. The detransformation was the quickest it had ever been as he practically devoured the fish, and by the time he’d licked his plate clean, he was completely back to normal.

“I have never seen you eat so fast in the entire time I’ve known you,” Billy said as he sat down next to his boyfriend and dangled his feet in the water.

“Yeah, well, I told you this wasn’t some kind of fairy tale, so I don’t know why you expected me to have the manners of a princess.” Steve said back, wrinkling his nose up at his boyfriend as he smiled.

“Well, you may not be a princess,” Billy grinned as he kissed Steve’s cheek, “But you’ll always be my little mermaid.”

“You’re such a cornball,” Steve said, but he turned to face his boyfriend, and this time, he kissed him for real.

[maikaartwork]

Oh no, poor Steve got stung by some weird sea creatures all over his back. It’s so good that mer!Eddie is there to check if he’s alright.

There is a different version of this piece over on my naughty birdie account and bluesky

[medusapelagia]

Sea Storm

written for @steddiemicrofic (prompt: Top, wc: 510) and STWG Daily Drabble (prompt: Mermay) rated: T TW: no one

When Eddie asked the wizard of the sea to transform him into a human he thought he knew what he was asking for. In reality, he didn't.

He exchanged his voice for a pair of legs, renounced seeing his uncle Wayne anymore and now he can’t touch the water if he doesn’t want to be turned back in a merman. Still, the man who he did all of this for isn’t considering him.

Yeah, Steve took him to his castle, fed him, but that’s all.

Every time Eddie tries to spend some time with him, someone drags him away. And it would almost be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that Eddie needs a kiss: the sea wizard gave him three days, and two of them are already gone. 

If only Eddie had his voice, he could talk to Steve, telling him it was him who saved him from the storm weeks ago. But he can’t. So he sighs, sitting on a rock, waving at the two boys that are playing on the beach. At Eddie’s side, hidden between the rocks, his crab friend reminds him that making a pact with a sea wizard it's dangerous.

As if Eddie had ever had any other chance.

Steve kneels on the ground and grabs a few colored pieces of glass that shine in his hand when he turns toward Eddie to show him his treasure. 

The sad smile Eddie gives him it’s not enough, so Steve steps closer to Eddie asking him what’s wrong.

At that moment big black clouds appear from nowhere and the waves start to get bigger and bigger. 

Steve turns toward Dustin, who is on top of a big rock, just a moment before a huge wave crashes and drags him away.

Steve yells, running toward the rocks, and jumps in the water, screaming his brother’s name. 

From the shore, Eddie freezes. His eyes wide with terror while the waves get bigger and bigger. He glares at the waves’ white foam and then steps into the water.

“Go back to the shore!” He orders Steve when he gets to him, ignoring his questions about his magically regained voice, “I’ll find the kid. I promise.” He assures him, and then he dives into the water splashing Steve with his red tail. 

Eddie finds Dustin unconscious and brings him back to the surface where Steve is still waiting for them. He takes his brother out of the water and starts to breathe into his mouth until the boy wakes up coughing. 

Once Steve is sure that Dustin is ok, he turns toward Eddie who is hiding behind a rock.

“You talk!” He exclaims, and Eddie nods quietly, “Good. Because you have to explain so many things to me.”

“Aren’t you horrified?” Eddie asks, hiding half of his body behind the rocks.

“Horrified at the person who saved both me and my brother? No. I’m grateful. And maybe even a little bit in love.” Steve declares, stepping in the water before cupping Eddie’s face and kissing him under the rain.

[emchant3d]

siren steve and pirate eddie, part 2 pt 1

Steve heals slowly.

He’s irritable and restless, bedridden, and he doesn’t have the strength in his injured tail to support himself if he were to be tossed back into the ocean.

The crew helps him to the deck for a change of scenery and some sunshine - he seems more settled when he can hear the waves and feel the sun on his skin. He’s less snappish, at least, those sharp teeth tucked away behind his pink lips instead of bared in Eddie’s direction.

Eddie had panicked briefly about how much saltwater Steve needs, and he’d rolled his eyes at him. “Keep it near and I’ll be fine,” he tells him. “Half human remember?”

“Yeah,” Eddie says, “but the fish part is looking a little dry, sweetheart.” 

Steve slaps him with a tail fin.

He finds himself spending most days with the Mer. Part of it is pure fascination - it’s difficult to not want to spend time around a story come to life. And if he neglects his duties as Captain a little, well - that’s what his crew is for.

Slowly, he pulls more from Steve. He finds out what caused his injuries - “the deep holds a lot of creatures that like the taste of Mer,” he tells him. “I swam right into a nest. By the time I realized, they already had me by the throat and were dragging me to the seabed.”

“Gods,” Eddie murmurs, and Steve hums in agreement. “Evil little things. Razor sharp claws and teeth, and their tails are like whips. They move in schools, so if there’s one, there’s dozens others.”

He speaks of these kinds of creatures so casually, monsters that have worked their way into human lore and others that are unknown to them, but the idea of them still makes Eddie’s skin crawl.

It’s like Steve has a sixth sense for his discomfort. He’s lounging in a long basin Freak and Jeff put together, a shallow amount of salt water in it to keep him comfortable, and he rolls his head to the side, peering up at Eddie.

“They probably wouldn’t turn down a human, either,” he muses, dragging those unnervingly deep eyes up and down him, “but your little lungs wouldn’t survive that deep down, so you’re probably fine.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Eddie snorts, and Steve breaks into a laugh.

As friendly as they’re becoming, Eddie knows Steve still doesn’t fully trust him. He’s excellent at reading people - he knows when someone is keeping secrets, and Steve is locked tight.

He doesn’t blame him. He knows it’s difficult to believe Eddie’s help doesn’t come with strings, and he catches Steve watching him and his crew sometimes, tense and on edge as if he’s waiting for someone to lash out at him.

Eddie hates it. But he doesn’t know how to settle him, not fully, and so maybe the solution is to craft those strings he’s looking so hard to find. Let him find what he’s looking for, but show him that they aren’t as bad as he’s built them up to be in that pretty head of his.

“So what other gifts are you blessed with, Highness?” he asks one cloudy day, the sky gloomy and overcast. A little rain won’t hurt them, but he’s hoping the darker clouds on the horizon will dissipate before they reach them and upend a true storm.

“Divination,” Steve says like he’s bored, and Eddie’s head whips around to stare at him. Steve holds his gaze, his own a little hooded, and he yawns softly.

“What,” Eddie asks flatly. Steve waves a hand dismissively. 

“Just about the ocean,” he says, like that isn’t still one of the most incredible things Eddie’s ever heard. “I can tell when danger’s near. When something isn’t quite right. Whole lot of good it did me,” he snorts, glancing down at his scarred torso.

The bandages have been removed, and pink skin is healing slowly where there used to be gaping wounds. His tail is faring much the same, scales missing from where he’d been bitten and ripped at, but the new flesh is beginning to blend in with the bright shades of his lower half.

“Everything was dangerous down there, I just tried to pick the safest option. I’m still pretty sure I chose right.” Eddie frowns. “You were almost eaten alive,” he says, can’t help it, and Steve cuts him a lazy smile.

“Almost,” he repeats, and Eddie supposes that’s an answer.

He takes a breath, calms his heart, and tries to act like the Captain he is. “So, if you stuck around, you’d be able to tell me what I’m heading towards.” Steve closes his eyes and lets his head hang back, arms resting on the sides of the basin. 

“Yes.” A cloud sweeps over them, blocking the sun from shining on Steve’s face, casting him in shadows. “I could tell you if you were sailing into an ambush, or if the waters were acting up, or any number of other useful little tips that could keep you and your crew alive.”

“You’ve thought about this,” he says, and Steve snorts.

“Of course I have. I have no home. No family. Going alone almost got me killed. I’m pretty but I’m not dumb, Eddie.” He opens his eyes, fixing his gaze onto Eddie’s. “So how about we make a deal?” he offers, and Eddie grins.

It’s an easy negotiation. Steve wants freedom. He wants to see the world. And he wants safety while he does it. Eddie wants an advantage, wants to keep his crew safe, wants them to thrive in this difficult life they’ve chosen.

They shake on it. Steve moves lightning fast as their hands meet, a sharp claw nicking his own palm and then Eddie’s, making him hiss.

“Fuck–” he grunts. A burning sensation shoots through him from hand to chest, fire hot and searing. He gasps, fingers locked around Steve’s, who stares at him impassively. “What…?”

“You’ve made an oath with a Mer,” Steve says simply. “You’ll be held to your word, Captain Munson.”

Eddie pulls his hand away and looks at his palm. 

A black mark surrounds the cut from Steve’s claw, a swirling spiral that snakes from the center of his palm in three little loops. Steve holds his hand out without being asked, showing the matching mark on his own skin.

Eddie’s no stranger to ink and tattoos, but this is decidedly different. It hums with an ancient kind of magic, a connection that he doesn’t - can’t - understand. Something unnameable settles into his bones.

This is a test, he realizes. Or maybe it’s insurance. Either way, it’s something Steve felt necessary to take Eddie at his word, and so he won’t ask questions - not yet, at least.

“Well, I’ve had worse deals, I guess,” he says, and when he meets Steve’s eyes again, some of the caution has seeped out of them. 

Eddie’s sure there’s more to be found out about this creature in front of him, but contrary to popular belief, he can be patient when it counts. 

For now he’ll take what he’s offered - a wary friendship. A slow-growing understanding. And a certain type of care, of gentleness, that curls warm within him and grows with every smile and soft look that Steve throws his way.

part 3 coming soon 💕 no tag lists, sorry!

[moon-language-0]

captain!tony and mermaid!steve manips by @fohatic for my stony mermay fic