#mr harrington is a wanker

[dragonflylady77]

FIC NOW COMPLETE!!

Click on this link to see the art by @akichania

❤️❤️❤️ @billybigbang2024 ❤️❤️❤️

The Stolen MerPrince

Rating: T | harringrove | 16,419 words | mermaid!Billy x mermaid!Steve

Welcome to the labour of love that is this fic I wrote for @billybigbang2024!

I started with the idea for a couple of scenes then had to weave the rest of the plot around it. I created the banner (below the cut) really early on, before my fic had even been claimed.

Then @akichania made the banner above for promo week. I love both so you get both!

The talented @akichania also made a wonderful piece of the two mermaid boyfriends that will be posted soon. 🥰

I am currently in France visiting my family so there will be only one post with the link.

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Billy is pissed. There aren’t many places to stretch his tail in Hawkins, and he misses the ocean. One day, he overhears his father talking about Steve Harrington and uncovers some shocking truths about the mermaid prince his mother used to tell him stories about. Now Billy needs to convince Steve that mermaids are real and take him back to California.

Chapter 1 - a beautiful baby boy

“Mama?”

Billy flicked his tail and watched the bubbles come up to break the surface. They were floating on the bull kelp canopy, Billy’s head resting on Mama’s belly, the sun shining down on them.

“What is it, Billy Blue?” Mama asked, running her fingers through his curls. Spending time in the ocean with Mama was Billy’s favorite thing to do in the whole world. They’d found a small cove away from the tourist areas and it was their secret spot. There, they could let out their tails and forget about the human world for a bit. 

Sometimes—when they had more time because Billy's dad was away for work—they would swim down to the city under the sea, where they met merfolk like them and Mama would show him the history of their people, painted on large murals in the library.

Billy knew Mama used to work at the palace, but then something bad happened and Mama left her job. They didn't talk about it. The people they met in the deep of the ocean didn’t mention it either, but they were always happy to see Mama and Billy. 

They didn’t seem to like Billy’s dad very much, though. Billy wondered if it was because his dad was human, and sometimes not very nice. He felt bad thinking such things, but he’d heard tales about humans who did horrible things to merfolks. Mama said that was why they needed to hide the truth about their tails.

Billy flicked his tail a few more times. He liked how the sun reflected on his scales. Mama had told him the colors of his tail would change as he aged, going darker. He hoped his tail would look like hers, dark red and gold, with spots of black. Mama’s tail was so pretty.

“Can you tell me about the stolen prince?”

“Again?” Mama said with a laugh.

“Please, Mama.”

“Alright,” she said, dipping her fingers in the water and letting the drops fall on Billy’s cheek. “It was a bit over a year before you were born. After years of trying and hoping, Queen Titania finally had a child. A beautiful baby boy—”

“Like me!” Billy exclaimed with glee.

“Yes, my darling, like you.” Mama smiled and picked up Billy’s hand to give it a kiss. She kept it as she continued the story. “He had big brown eyes, and equally brown hair, and he was named Stephanos. The whole queendom rejoiced and merfolks came from all over the ocean to see the little prince. There was enchanting music and endless dinners with fancy foods, and a lot of dancing. It was such a happy time.”

“Then the bad men came…”

“That’s right. When Prince Stephanos was a few months old, two men sneaked into the palace and stole the baby. The palace guards looked everywhere but they couldn’t find the men or the little prince. The queen was so heartbroken that she refused to leave her chambers for a long time.”

“Poor lady.” Billy didn’t like that part. He had seen the queen a couple of times when Mama had taken him to the underwater city, and she had looked so sad. He hoped Mama and him were never separated like the queen and her baby had been.

“The high council sent the royal secret service to look for the prince everywhere, even on land. But it’s been over ten years, and they still haven’t found him. A few weeks after the prince was taken, I found out I was pregnant with you, so I left my job at the palace to be with your father, up here.”

Mama stopped talking then, and Billy looked up at her. She looked sad, a bit like the queen. He wondered why, since he was still there with her.

“I love you, Mama. I always want to be with you.”

Mama smiled down at him, but he could see the tears in her eyes, even if they didn’t fall. “I love you, too, Billy. No matter what happens, you will always be my precious boy.”

Shortly after, Mama decided it was time to go home. They swam to shore where she waited on the sand for him to focus enough to switch to two legs. He was still learning how to control the transformation, finding, like many other merchildren, that going from two legs to a tail was easier than the reverse. 

“It’s too hard, Mama. I can’t,” Billy said, frustrated and tired. Mama shushed him, her soft hand brushing his cheek as she kissed his forehead.

“It’s okay, baby, it takes time. It will come to you with more practice. Here,” she handed him the enchanted necklace that prevented merfolk transformations on land. Billy would need to use it when bathing and swimming around humans, until he could control his tail.

[...]

Read the rest on Ao3

[mini-eggs]

Road Trip | Steve Harrington

summary: you go on a road trip with steve and have the time of your life even though you both hate each other’s guts.

warnings: cursing

pairings: steve harrington x reader

a/n: part 2 in the process

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

Your jaw was dropping to the floor as your mother explained what was about to happen on the weekend. Your mother and Mrs. Harrington had arranged a trip to Indianapolis for the weekend for you and Steve. They were both fixated on the thought tha you and Steve would be the cutest couple alive. Aside from the burning hatred fuming between the two of you. Both of you had applied to Indiana University and gotten in. Apparently, you would always be majoring in the same, and dorming together. It was bizarre that this had all happened in merely the time span of a month, but you were sure that Mrs. Harrington had something to do with it. Ever since your family had moved in across the street from the Harrington family, both of your parents thought that you and Steve had some sort of connection. Mrs. Harrington had ties to the university, so you were almost positive that she had something to do with the situation.

“Why don’t you like Steve?” your mother sighed and you sat at the kitchen table, facing her. You flew your hands in the air.

“Because he’s a total wanker!”

“Y/N Y/M/N! Language!”

“Sorry,” you groaned. “He’s the rudest person that I have ever met. He’s so arrogant, mom! The cockiest boy I have met. He thinks he’s top shit! Of course, every single girl is in love with him too, only feeding his ego. Have you even met the boy?”

“Many times.”

“It’s a figure of speech, mom.”

“You’re going on that trip, final answer.”

You groaned, falling back into the chair. Little did you know, Steve was excited for the trip. He only hated you because you hated him. Somewhere inside of him, Steve found himself liking you just a bit more than as mortal enemies. He would never admit it, though.

“Y/N! Steve is here!”

Your stomach dropped as you sat on your bed, looking at yourself in the mirror. You rubbed your hands over your eyes and groaned as you realized that you most likely smudged your mascara. “Tell him I’ll be a couple,” you shouted back to your mother as you fell back onto the bed.

You were dreading this trip so much that you made yourself physically sick. According to your mother, it was just nerves.

“Don’t make the boy wait, Y/N!”

“Shut up,” you whispered to yourself, pulling a dark purple and green jacket over your shoulders. Swinging your bag over your shoulder, you headed down the stairs and grabbed your shoes. “I’m going to kill myself,” you blurted a little louder than intended.

“Y/N!” your mother scoffed and you closed the door behind you. Sighing, you fell into the car, throwing your bag in the backseat.

“Good morning.”

“Don’t speak to me,” you folded your arms across your chest. Chuckling, Steve nodded in response and took off down the street. Reaching over, you turned the dial up a couple notches on the stereo as The Clash played loudly throughout the car. “I fucking hate this song.”

“You hate a lot of things.”

“Shut the fuck up, Harrington.”

“Ouch.”

Rolling your eyes, you fell back against the seat and looked out the window. Steve was driving fairly fast for the city limits. “Slow down, will you? I want to die someday, but not with you, Harrington.”

“Got a death wish, Y/L/N?”

“It’s called a joke.”

“Weird sense of humour.”

You fell silent. “No snarky remark back? That’s a first.”

“Sorry, it’s too early in the morning for the wheels in my head to turn.”

“I guess it must always be too early,” he fired back immediately and you turned, punching him in the arm. “Ouch! Do you want me to crash the car? I thought you said that you didn’t want to die with me?”

“I changed my mind.”

“So you do want to die with me.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s what you said.”

You looked out the window to see the Hawkins, Indiana sign pass. You sighed, only to see the Indianapolis one pass too. Five hundred miles. You groaned loudly.

[ao3feed-strangerthings]

Whispers In The Dark

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Spkl4U

by BriarRose231

Sam massaged her temple, sighing. She knew everyone in the bus had most likely given her the once over, trying to decide if she was some crazy hooligan, and to be honest she didn’t blame them one bit since she looked like a trouble maker.

Words: 1416, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Max Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Steve Harrington, Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Billy Hargrove, Mr Clarke, Karen Wheeler, Holly Wheeler makes an appearance, Erica Sinclair, Ted Wheeler AKA if boiled cabbage was a person, Oh and Troy the pants pisser

Relationships: Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers, OC X OC, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Steve Harrington&The kids

Additional Tags: Mike needs a hug, Lucas needs a hug, Dustin needs a hug, Will Needs a Hug, Eleven Needs a Hug, Max needs a huge hug and child protective services to come god damn, Everyone Needs A Hug, Erica Sinclair has snatched my wig and she deserves all my uwus, Tbh so does Joyce, Steve Harrington is a mom, You heard me goddamnit, (Although he’s definitely a daddy), Set between season 2&3, its spring time in Hawkins, ’boutta get hella lit, Hopper is a confused Dad tm, theres a lot of internalized homophobia, Period Typical Homophobia, period typical racism, they don’t say the N word but, some punches WILL be thrown, Billy Hargrove is a racist asshole, I don’t know if I’ll give him a redemption, Probably not but there’s a sliver of hope for you complete wankers that like him, Srsly though y’all are normalizing his abuse, getting back on track before y’all get mad, Will Byers is hella gay, LOADS OF PINING AND ANGST, I’m not fucking with you it’s everywhere, Troy is gonna have his ass handed to him wink wink, art therapy, Idk if it was a big thing back then, Buts it’s important to the plot so shhhhhh, Dyslexic OC, Dyslexic Steve Harrington, Impasto art!!!, Yes I know it sounds like macaroni art (haha I’m trash for puns), but its beautiful, If you don’t know what it is please look it up for your sake, Y’all so many plot twists it’s mental, OC is pretty fricken asthmatic, also she’s a self-sacrificing idiot, she and Will have a Steve and Bucky relationship without the romance, theres a diner, the oc is a theatre kid oof, Dolly Parton’s music makes an appearance, And the Clash, Oc can hauL ASS, A lot of chapters are based on present day songs, I’ll tell you which ones don’t worry, There’s some violence and stuff, blood is described, take care of yourself kiddos and don’t read this if blood or pain makes you feel gross, Asexual OC

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Spkl4U

[ao3feed-mileven]

Whispers In The Dark

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Spkl4U

by BriarRose231

Sam massaged her temple, sighing. She knew everyone in the bus had most likely given her the once over, trying to decide if she was some crazy hooligan, and to be honest she didn’t blame them one bit since she looked like a trouble maker.

Words: 1416, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Max Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Steve Harrington, Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Billy Hargrove, Mr Clarke, Karen Wheeler, Holly Wheeler makes an appearance, Erica Sinclair, Ted Wheeler AKA if boiled cabbage was a person, Oh and Troy the pants pisser

Relationships: Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers, OC X OC, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Steve Harrington&The kids

Additional Tags: Mike needs a hug, Lucas needs a hug, Dustin needs a hug, Will Needs a Hug, Eleven Needs a Hug, Max needs a huge hug and child protective services to come god damn, Everyone Needs A Hug, Erica Sinclair has snatched my wig and she deserves all my uwus, Tbh so does Joyce, Steve Harrington is a mom, You heard me goddamnit, (Although he’s definitely a daddy), Set between season 2&3, its spring time in Hawkins, ’boutta get hella lit, Hopper is a confused Dad tm, theres a lot of internalized homophobia, Period Typical Homophobia, period typical racism, they don’t say the N word but, some punches WILL be thrown, Billy Hargrove is a racist asshole, I don’t know if I’ll give him a redemption, Probably not but there’s a sliver of hope for you complete wankers that like him, Srsly though y’all are normalizing his abuse, getting back on track before y’all get mad, Will Byers is hella gay, LOADS OF PINING AND ANGST, I’m not fucking with you it’s everywhere, Troy is gonna have his ass handed to him wink wink, art therapy, Idk if it was a big thing back then, Buts it’s important to the plot so shhhhhh, Dyslexic OC, Dyslexic Steve Harrington, Impasto art!!!, Yes I know it sounds like macaroni art (haha I’m trash for puns), but its beautiful, If you don’t know what it is please look it up for your sake, Y’all so many plot twists it’s mental, OC is pretty fricken asthmatic, also she’s a self-sacrificing idiot, she and Will have a Steve and Bucky relationship without the romance, theres a diner, the oc is a theatre kid oof, Dolly Parton’s music makes an appearance, And the Clash, Oc can hauL ASS, A lot of chapters are based on present day songs, I’ll tell you which ones don’t worry, There’s some violence and stuff, blood is described, take care of yourself kiddos and don’t read this if blood or pain makes you feel gross, Asexual OC

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Spkl4U

[dragonflylady77]

The Stolen MerPrince

Rating: T | harringrove | 16,419 words | mermaid!Billy x mermaid!Steve

Welcome to the labour of love that is this fic I wrote for @billybigbang2024!

I started with the idea for a couple of scenes then had to weave the rest of the plot around it. I created the banner (below the cut) really early on, before my fic had even been claimed.

Then @akichania made the banner above for promo week. I love both so you get both!

The talented @akichania also made a wonderful piece of the two mermaid boyfriends that you can find here. 🥰

I am currently in France visiting my family so there will be only one post with the link.

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Billy is pissed. There aren’t many places to stretch his tail in Hawkins, and he misses the ocean. One day, he overhears his father talking about Steve Harrington and uncovers some shocking truths about the mermaid prince his mother used to tell him stories about. Now Billy needs to convince Steve that mermaids are real and take him back to California.

Chapter 1 - a beautiful baby boy

“Mama?”

Billy flicked his tail and watched the bubbles come up to break the surface. They were floating on the bull kelp canopy, Billy’s head resting on Mama’s belly, the sun shining down on them.

“What is it, Billy Blue?” Mama asked, running her fingers through his curls. Spending time in the ocean with Mama was Billy’s favorite thing to do in the whole world. They’d found a small cove away from the tourist areas and it was their secret spot. There, they could let out their tails and forget about the human world for a bit. 

Sometimes—when they had more time because Billy's dad was away for work—they would swim down to the city under the sea, where they met merfolk like them and Mama would show him the history of their people, painted on large murals in the library.

Billy knew Mama used to work at the palace, but then something bad happened and Mama left her job. They didn't talk about it. The people they met in the deep of the ocean didn’t mention it either, but they were always happy to see Mama and Billy. 

They didn’t seem to like Billy’s dad very much, though. Billy wondered if it was because his dad was human, and sometimes not very nice. He felt bad thinking such things, but he’d heard tales about humans who did horrible things to merfolks. Mama said that was why they needed to hide the truth about their tails.

Billy flicked his tail a few more times. He liked how the sun reflected on his scales. Mama had told him the colors of his tail would change as he aged, going darker. He hoped his tail would look like hers, dark red and gold, with spots of black. Mama’s tail was so pretty.

“Can you tell me about the stolen prince?”

“Again?” Mama said with a laugh.

“Please, Mama.”

“Alright,” she said, dipping her fingers in the water and letting the drops fall on Billy’s cheek. “It was a bit over a year before you were born. After years of trying and hoping, Queen Titania finally had a child. A beautiful baby boy—”

“Like me!” Billy exclaimed with glee.

“Yes, my darling, like you.” Mama smiled and picked up Billy’s hand to give it a kiss. She kept it as she continued the story. “He had big brown eyes, and equally brown hair, and he was named Stephanos. The whole queendom rejoiced and merfolks came from all over the ocean to see the little prince. There was enchanting music and endless dinners with fancy foods, and a lot of dancing. It was such a happy time.”

“Then the bad men came…”

“That’s right. When Prince Stephanos was a few months old, two men sneaked into the palace and stole the baby. The palace guards looked everywhere but they couldn’t find the men or the little prince. The queen was so heartbroken that she refused to leave her chambers for a long time.”

“Poor lady.” Billy didn’t like that part. He had seen the queen a couple of times when Mama had taken him to the underwater city, and she had looked so sad. He hoped Mama and him were never separated like the queen and her baby had been.

“The high council sent the royal secret service to look for the prince everywhere, even on land. But it’s been over ten years, and they still haven’t found him. A few weeks after the prince was taken, I found out I was pregnant with you, so I left my job at the palace to be with your father, up here.”

Mama stopped talking then, and Billy looked up at her. She looked sad, a bit like the queen. He wondered why, since he was still there with her.

“I love you, Mama. I always want to be with you.”

Mama smiled down at him, but he could see the tears in her eyes, even if they didn’t fall. “I love you, too, Billy. No matter what happens, you will always be my precious boy.”

Shortly after, Mama decided it was time to go home. They swam to shore where she waited on the sand for him to focus enough to switch to two legs. He was still learning how to control the transformation, finding, like many other merchildren, that going from two legs to a tail was easier than the reverse. 

“It’s too hard, Mama. I can’t,” Billy said, frustrated and tired. Mama shushed him, her soft hand brushing his cheek as she kissed his forehead.

“It’s okay, baby, it takes time. It will come to you with more practice. Here,” she handed him the enchanted necklace that prevented merfolk transformations on land. Billy would need to use it when bathing and swimming around humans, until he could control his tail.

[...]

Read the rest on Ao3

[dragonflylady77]

CHAPTERS 5 AND 6 ARE UP NOW!

@billybigbang2024

The Stolen MerPrince

Rating: T | harringrove | 16,419 words | mermaid!Billy x mermaid!Steve

Welcome to the labour of love that is this fic I wrote for @billybigbang2024!

I started with the idea for a couple of scenes then had to weave the rest of the plot around it. I created the banner (below the cut) really early on, before my fic had even been claimed.

Then @akichania made the banner above for promo week. I love both so you get both!

The talented @akichania also made a wonderful piece of the two mermaid boyfriends that will be posted soon. 🥰

I am currently in France visiting my family so there will be only one post with the link.

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Billy is pissed. There aren’t many places to stretch his tail in Hawkins, and he misses the ocean. One day, he overhears his father talking about Steve Harrington and uncovers some shocking truths about the mermaid prince his mother used to tell him stories about. Now Billy needs to convince Steve that mermaids are real and take him back to California.

Chapter 1 - a beautiful baby boy

“Mama?”

Billy flicked his tail and watched the bubbles come up to break the surface. They were floating on the bull kelp canopy, Billy’s head resting on Mama’s belly, the sun shining down on them.

“What is it, Billy Blue?” Mama asked, running her fingers through his curls. Spending time in the ocean with Mama was Billy’s favorite thing to do in the whole world. They’d found a small cove away from the tourist areas and it was their secret spot. There, they could let out their tails and forget about the human world for a bit. 

Sometimes—when they had more time because Billy's dad was away for work—they would swim down to the city under the sea, where they met merfolk like them and Mama would show him the history of their people, painted on large murals in the library.

Billy knew Mama used to work at the palace, but then something bad happened and Mama left her job. They didn't talk about it. The people they met in the deep of the ocean didn’t mention it either, but they were always happy to see Mama and Billy. 

They didn’t seem to like Billy’s dad very much, though. Billy wondered if it was because his dad was human, and sometimes not very nice. He felt bad thinking such things, but he’d heard tales about humans who did horrible things to merfolks. Mama said that was why they needed to hide the truth about their tails.

Billy flicked his tail a few more times. He liked how the sun reflected on his scales. Mama had told him the colors of his tail would change as he aged, going darker. He hoped his tail would look like hers, dark red and gold, with spots of black. Mama’s tail was so pretty.

“Can you tell me about the stolen prince?”

“Again?” Mama said with a laugh.

“Please, Mama.”

“Alright,” she said, dipping her fingers in the water and letting the drops fall on Billy’s cheek. “It was a bit over a year before you were born. After years of trying and hoping, Queen Titania finally had a child. A beautiful baby boy—”

“Like me!” Billy exclaimed with glee.

“Yes, my darling, like you.” Mama smiled and picked up Billy’s hand to give it a kiss. She kept it as she continued the story. “He had big brown eyes, and equally brown hair, and he was named Stephanos. The whole queendom rejoiced and merfolks came from all over the ocean to see the little prince. There was enchanting music and endless dinners with fancy foods, and a lot of dancing. It was such a happy time.”

“Then the bad men came…”

“That’s right. When Prince Stephanos was a few months old, two men sneaked into the palace and stole the baby. The palace guards looked everywhere but they couldn’t find the men or the little prince. The queen was so heartbroken that she refused to leave her chambers for a long time.”

“Poor lady.” Billy didn’t like that part. He had seen the queen a couple of times when Mama had taken him to the underwater city, and she had looked so sad. He hoped Mama and him were never separated like the queen and her baby had been.

“The high council sent the royal secret service to look for the prince everywhere, even on land. But it’s been over ten years, and they still haven’t found him. A few weeks after the prince was taken, I found out I was pregnant with you, so I left my job at the palace to be with your father, up here.”

Mama stopped talking then, and Billy looked up at her. She looked sad, a bit like the queen. He wondered why, since he was still there with her.

“I love you, Mama. I always want to be with you.”

Mama smiled down at him, but he could see the tears in her eyes, even if they didn’t fall. “I love you, too, Billy. No matter what happens, you will always be my precious boy.”

Shortly after, Mama decided it was time to go home. They swam to shore where she waited on the sand for him to focus enough to switch to two legs. He was still learning how to control the transformation, finding, like many other merchildren, that going from two legs to a tail was easier than the reverse. 

“It’s too hard, Mama. I can’t,” Billy said, frustrated and tired. Mama shushed him, her soft hand brushing his cheek as she kissed his forehead.

“It’s okay, baby, it takes time. It will come to you with more practice. Here,” she handed him the enchanted necklace that prevented merfolk transformations on land. Billy would need to use it when bathing and swimming around humans, until he could control his tail.

[...]

Read the rest on Ao3

[dragonflylady77]

CHAPTER 3 AND 4 ARE UP NOW AS WELL!!!

The Stolen MerPrince

Rating: T | harringrove | 16,419 words | mermaid!Billy x mermaid!Steve

Welcome to the labour of love that is this fic I wrote for @billybigbang2024!

I started with the idea for a couple of scenes then had to weave the rest of the plot around it. I created the banner (below the cut) really early on, before my fic had even been claimed.

Then @akichania made the banner above for promo week. I love both so you get both!

The talented @akichania also made a wonderful piece of the two mermaid boyfriends that will be posted soon. 🥰

I am currently in France visiting my family so there will be only one post with the link.

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Billy is pissed. There aren’t many places to stretch his tail in Hawkins, and he misses the ocean. One day, he overhears his father talking about Steve Harrington and uncovers some shocking truths about the mermaid prince his mother used to tell him stories about. Now Billy needs to convince Steve that mermaids are real and take him back to California.

Chapter 1 - a beautiful baby boy

“Mama?”

Billy flicked his tail and watched the bubbles come up to break the surface. They were floating on the bull kelp canopy, Billy’s head resting on Mama’s belly, the sun shining down on them.

“What is it, Billy Blue?” Mama asked, running her fingers through his curls. Spending time in the ocean with Mama was Billy’s favorite thing to do in the whole world. They’d found a small cove away from the tourist areas and it was their secret spot. There, they could let out their tails and forget about the human world for a bit. 

Sometimes—when they had more time because Billy's dad was away for work—they would swim down to the city under the sea, where they met merfolk like them and Mama would show him the history of their people, painted on large murals in the library.

Billy knew Mama used to work at the palace, but then something bad happened and Mama left her job. They didn't talk about it. The people they met in the deep of the ocean didn’t mention it either, but they were always happy to see Mama and Billy. 

They didn’t seem to like Billy’s dad very much, though. Billy wondered if it was because his dad was human, and sometimes not very nice. He felt bad thinking such things, but he’d heard tales about humans who did horrible things to merfolks. Mama said that was why they needed to hide the truth about their tails.

Billy flicked his tail a few more times. He liked how the sun reflected on his scales. Mama had told him the colors of his tail would change as he aged, going darker. He hoped his tail would look like hers, dark red and gold, with spots of black. Mama’s tail was so pretty.

“Can you tell me about the stolen prince?”

“Again?” Mama said with a laugh.

“Please, Mama.”

“Alright,” she said, dipping her fingers in the water and letting the drops fall on Billy’s cheek. “It was a bit over a year before you were born. After years of trying and hoping, Queen Titania finally had a child. A beautiful baby boy—”

“Like me!” Billy exclaimed with glee.

“Yes, my darling, like you.” Mama smiled and picked up Billy’s hand to give it a kiss. She kept it as she continued the story. “He had big brown eyes, and equally brown hair, and he was named Stephanos. The whole queendom rejoiced and merfolks came from all over the ocean to see the little prince. There was enchanting music and endless dinners with fancy foods, and a lot of dancing. It was such a happy time.”

“Then the bad men came…”

“That’s right. When Prince Stephanos was a few months old, two men sneaked into the palace and stole the baby. The palace guards looked everywhere but they couldn’t find the men or the little prince. The queen was so heartbroken that she refused to leave her chambers for a long time.”

“Poor lady.” Billy didn’t like that part. He had seen the queen a couple of times when Mama had taken him to the underwater city, and she had looked so sad. He hoped Mama and him were never separated like the queen and her baby had been.

“The high council sent the royal secret service to look for the prince everywhere, even on land. But it’s been over ten years, and they still haven’t found him. A few weeks after the prince was taken, I found out I was pregnant with you, so I left my job at the palace to be with your father, up here.”

Mama stopped talking then, and Billy looked up at her. She looked sad, a bit like the queen. He wondered why, since he was still there with her.

“I love you, Mama. I always want to be with you.”

Mama smiled down at him, but he could see the tears in her eyes, even if they didn’t fall. “I love you, too, Billy. No matter what happens, you will always be my precious boy.”

Shortly after, Mama decided it was time to go home. They swam to shore where she waited on the sand for him to focus enough to switch to two legs. He was still learning how to control the transformation, finding, like many other merchildren, that going from two legs to a tail was easier than the reverse. 

“It’s too hard, Mama. I can’t,” Billy said, frustrated and tired. Mama shushed him, her soft hand brushing his cheek as she kissed his forehead.

“It’s okay, baby, it takes time. It will come to you with more practice. Here,” she handed him the enchanted necklace that prevented merfolk transformations on land. Billy would need to use it when bathing and swimming around humans, until he could control his tail.

[...]

Read the rest on Ao3