#never skip tail fin day

[peadackles]

What everyone sees: Cute LGBTQIA+ and disability inclusive family imagery

What I see: Little Timmy the Tuskaninny is strong as fuck to be standing upright on his tail that way

[crying-fantasies]

Monsterfucking

Masterlist

Featuring Merformers! Rodimus Prime, smut/fluff/humor, CW: you fuck the fish, that's it, Roddy doesn't know about kissing, licking (sexy and lovingly), handjob, penetration, mention of a knot, barrier language, nesting, light gore (in a fight), mention of Rodimus’ creators, mer pups/cubs (I love these fictional babies so much), long fic.

Days in Cybertron tend to be regulated in cycles, the days are longer than average back on Earth, and it has been years but you still get problems waking up at the start of the day cycle, a new day to work, and a new day to try and not mess all up as a snake-like tail gets clingy, not letting go of your leg and purring when his claws get a hold of your torso again, hardly letting you hold on the data pad and give your boss a message of your more than sure tardiness just to get a thumbs up from her, almost hearing her say “work hard!”

Anything to help an endangered species.

Rodimus tends to be quite the hyper-energy kind of person, well, fish, he stands up more than the rest of the marine wildlife on this planet, and that's saying a lot given the unique metallic nature displayed, it’s a miracle that whatever kind of liquid filling most of the planet's oceans isn't cooking your meat out of your bones; Rodimus stands up, a lot, you've seen the others around, most are friendly, more inclined to curiosity when they touch your legs or look at you from some reef like structures, believing those as the better spot to hide but forgetting to low the light in their optics, first time it happened you were in for a shock as the rest of the team laughed at your spooked reaction to more than 20 pairs of optics shining bright under the liquid, all with overflowing attention to the new organic putting feet on the floating laboratory.

Rodimus would always be more noticeable to you, as he was the first pair of blue optics reaching out to you the same day your work put you there, so far away from your real home, all to preserve the mechanical nature of this planet and it's creatures, Rodimus escaped from his group, servos trying to catch onto his fins, all for nothing as the mech came up to a side of the lab where your official in charge was giving you the tour of the facility.

With shiny red-colored scales and flimsy paper-like metallic membranes, he was just like in the books, something from far away yet seemed organic, it was something so intricate no one could ever think of, the pads in his digits patted your right foot, feeling the texture of skin and thin body hair before giving a high pitched trill when he launched himself back to the liquid.

One of the scientists laughed, “Rodimus likes you”, almost catching on to his designation he emerged back, just to be dragged under by the rest of his group in a hissing feat, especially by a very mad hunter mech.

Mechs they call them, as in mechanical individuals, some skip over formalities and call them mers because the mers call themselves that way; and no, it’s not a joke as you see Chief Medical Darcy act as a referee when Optimus and Megatron are about to rip the fins of one another again as the doctor only sips on his instant chemical coffee, watching them both quarrel like an old couple, using sounds on a piano-like artifact to tell them to, in the mers own language, “frag off already, Optimus, you left him” while pointing at the blue mer, then to the almost smiling big-like ancient shark, playing his piano like a pro, moving pieces and volumes to say: "Megs, you shouldn't have acted like that, you started it”.

They are ancient, going way back to when Earth was still galactic powder, sentient in every way, they have language, culture, arts, and everything in between, the planet was under colonization until someone noticed the fishes could communicate, it all burned down from it, now considered a protected system the priority was to increase their number, as they could tell tales from bygone times, cures and methods never told before; the mer called Alpha Trion knew of a treatment for decayed fins, which somehow also worked on humans, it was incorporated to treat many skin diseases back on Earth, and the pros of keeping them alive overwhelmed the ones trying to sell them in pieces like it was done at first.

Rodimus is part of the reproduction program, more like one of the offspring resulting from it, but you've seen the program, it looks more like a dating event to this point, and then a nursery program, once the mers get good results, keeping the babies is high maintenance even for the most experienced ones, Cory tells you so once he catches on Rodimus going to you more times than ordinary, cuddling your side like an over-affective cat while purring, “he was just a small baby when I handled him, seems like it was yesterday”, he has a very worn-off expression, and the bags under his eyes tell you of unending nights while he has a new baby in his arms, you see a few mers in the pool connected to the nursery, passed out on the floor in uncomfortable positions over beds of wire-like kelp, some with their young sleeping like angels over them, and Rodimus, who is now shining and swimming in circles for some reason around you two as you also hold a baby, is very focused in how the little guppy holds the neck of your t-shirt, even using one of the sleepy carriers as some platform to show off his pretty red and orange scales, “never expected to live enough to see the day he would dance for a human”, you take a moment to think over it, process it, Rodimus has little time to do something when one moment you're standing there and the next you're running like you heard Megatron is coming with a bad temper.

Rodimus hasn't seen you since that day and makes it everyone else's problem while wailing on the shore closest to your room, and you, so shocked you almost dropped the baby back into the water, only hide in the sudden realization that an alien, mechanic, sentient fish wants to have something with you.

It was too much for a Saturday night, excusing yourself and leaving the baby with Cory who shouted something along the lines of it being normal, “Have you seen this fellow here?” he pointed at the red and silver mer in the pool, a new sire taking a rest while his babies were being rocked back and forth by you just a few seconds ago, the silver and white baby, now in Cory’s arms next to his red and white sibling, “have you meet Miss Astoria yet? The co-owner of this preservation program? These are her boys”

How can it be normal? How did it even happen between two different species on two different planets? How come the babies don't even look human? How?

And why is he trying so hard to find you? There is hardly time to even eat next to the shore before he appears once again, at least his blue optics peaking over the liquid before he goes back down, leaving you in a moment of solitude, raising your hopes, that maybe he finally settled for a partner of his species, but no, Rodimus only went back to the ocean and took out some kind of alien mechanical fish, still moving and trying to return from where it came, only to be gutted right there and then in front of you, Rodimus looks at you, expectantly, how can his optics shine so much?

“You know what? Fuck it”

Next thing everyone knows you're sunbathing in your free time on the beach, Rodimus making a donut-shaped nest at your side with his body, thrilling happily while doing so before you are called back, making him look at you, then at the nest, and back at you, big optics pleading and almost whimpering, “what is-? No, no! It's not that I don't like it! You shouldn't even be doing that here!”

Mers hardly do nests everywhere, as it is only recommended to do it near calm waters, safe to raise their young, close to the waters to ensure the moisture of the nest, with enough light to keep the iron sand warm and cozy for the growing protoforms.

Rodimus makes them where he likes or where you stay for a time long enough for him to get back at his job.

Cory tells you that's normal, since you said yes to Rodimus is normal for any newly paired couple to create their own nest, and also the fact that Rodimus is a recently matured young adult makes him more eager over the idea.

Maybe not exactly at the prospect of having a baby, more like the idea of banging.

Rodimus makes a lot of nests around the iron sand, he has one outside your shared habsuit, another out of your side of the laboratory, one in the sunbathing grounds like the other mers, but not one in the nesting grounds or the nursery, being extremely on edge if an unpaired mer looks at you or his nests, Rodimus is snarling at them when he notices, fins flaring with violent intent and only stopping when the other mer is at a distance he considered respectful before going to you as if he was the victim and not the curious young mech, chattering inconsolable until you let him snuggle in your lap, holding to you and whistling happily.

Mers, while being highly intelligent and sentient still go by their traditions, quite animalistic traditions as they fight over themselves to get a partner, and catch the attention of another; a group is wrestling in the iron sand in one of the little islands while you sunbathe with Rodimus, cleaning his fins of parasites or dead scales, taking samples while at it before a road and a snarl catches on your attention, jumping on your spot over the sand and looking at the island, two mers soon to kill each other while some others look, expectantly, waiting for the winner, the mers waiting to make a display and show their scales, show their array once the loser is bleeding energon in the sand and the winner takes the prize, you feel bad for the med, dragging his massive metal body back to the ocean, maybe soon to arrive at the medic area for medical aid, Rodimus calls your attention back at him, his servos holding your hands and pressing them back at his chest which rumbles, then holding onto your face to look him directly at his optics once you notice the healed scars under his scales or the growing pity on the injured mer just meters away.

Doesn't take much to know why he is always so clingy, or the reason for him to have so many scars when you look at his multiple medical reports, all gained after several mating seasons, losing every single one, being dragged back by Cory to patch him up even in a fainted state.

You look at him now, different, both resting in the bed inside your habsuit, still too early in the morning, Rodimus is curled next to you, his arms holding you, tail heavy over your legs, tangled within your legs, a remarkable subject that pointed out what he was and what you are, impossible to miss, still, you know about it now.

Nesting season is still a long way to come but the mating one is ever present once the fights for lovers have ended, Rodimus seems to not be moved by it, or he tries to appear as much as he grooms you with his hands and his glossa, it is more like an affectionate display but it still far from any sex, still, while he tries to rule over your hair with his oral solvents you catch on the puffy look his slit shows; most paired mates had long since gone to more private zones to let their needs and urges free, you are with the rest of the team as everyone gives their farewell to the newly paired young mechs, hoping for the best in the nesting season.

He tries to deny it, trying to keep up with the older mers who choose not to join the younger ones and the ones without pairs, all just doing their usual routines, Rodimus comes back much earlier than usual and becomes more anxious, just yesterday you finally noticed the reason why he didn't like to enter the nursery lagoon, using the piano-like artifact, asking him if he didn't like to come near the nursery even when you or Cory, his partner and his sire, were inside, his answer was simple “you don't like pups”.

Take a moment to let that sink and the misunderstanding born from the moment you realized his intent in courting you, Rodimus was, in reality, giving you much praise while snuggling next to you, presenting how nice you were with the young pup in your arms in front of his sire, happy by the way you two seemed to be getting along and then thinking in how happy his carrier was going to be when he came back with the hunting group, but his sire said something, making you jump and run, leaving the pup behind with his sire.

Rodimus believed you didn't like babies.

Which, in truth, wasn't exactly like that or different, “it may be impossible”, your words translated with the machine made his optics go big, soon pointing at himself, “Well, hard to happen”, Rodimus looked at you with barely closed optics, a little mad and hurt, “how can we be prepared? Or in any case, why now?” of course, it had to be soon, as the days progressed, and as every grooming session got heavier, sometimes you would nap while Rodimus cleaned you, soon feeling the way his servos were touching, massaging, his glossa looming over your neck, denta nipping at the skin.

He has been so strong so far, but it only takes a movement of your leg to make his tail recoil over it, rubbing his dilated slit over your hip, moaning during his recharge, optics opening just slightly when your fingers started to move along the opening, he squeaked, then rumbled out a groan, hissing while letting his slit open, you've seen the books, but it never said anything of it being soft, like rubber, Rodimus moves his hips, his massive tail pumping against your fingers as his arms go to your neck, anchoring himself to you while crying out in ecstasy, your fingers push a little more and you find a protrusion, pushing your fingers out for a moment to show his spike, letting you touch him more, lavish him more, his servos were frantically holding to the meat in your ass, trying to make you move against his spike in a rutted haze, barely giving your time or space to get the pajama pants off, “Okay, if only we could- could you keep it down?”, your laugh is nervous as he seems to be ripped apart on putting you over or under him, groping where he can while doing so, being careful to not catch your skin or hair with his frantic moving seams, finally deciding to put you down in the mattress, rocking his spike in between your open legs, knowing well the differences, but also the coincidences, between your bodies.

Where the slit of his tail was is also the point in which your legs connected.

“Come here”, your instructions are hard to follow as he is overthinking, full of joy while nipping at your neck, eager to couple but too excited to put it in, the little fighting you both do, one to put his spike inside of you and the other showering you with affection, finally ends when your hand catches on the pointy head of his spike, pumping at it while dragging him over, making him curl a little to be able and still be face to face plate.

Of course, you should've expected the unfamiliar sensation, impossible to compare to anything you've ever had, there was desperation in it, and his movements were too fast, too eager, still, Rodimus kept showing what you liked about him, smiling like a dork and holding to you, letting your legs brace to his tail, said tail rocking fast against you like he was swimming, putting your arms around his helm as he snuggled against your chest and neck, leaving bite marks just to show off, never to give you real damage, moving just enough, in that specific part to make you see starts with your breathless indications, easing your worry with forehead nudges that you changed for kisses, taking him for a surprise before he just let you continue, imitating you, when you felt his spike grow, inflaming, he was sure to make you come at least once before he started to pump faster, wilder, until the base was all in, pushing to a point never had before, looking at you with barely open optics as he started to coo and chatter, you didn't know what he was saying without aid, but Rodimus was singing you praises once again, “I love you, we are mates, mates for life, you're mine, I’m yours”, every short break in between his thrilled gibberish were supposed to be words, but you didn't have much to think straight as he kept on leaking into you, overflowing, keeping it all inside while relishing over your limp body as he still moved to let you get all of him, cleaning you once again to let you rest.

Once you slept well, he was back from wherever he went, coming back with food for the day for you both, once you ended your rations he would give you one of those glances, holding one of your legs, smoothly putting it over the beginning of his tail as you let him, seating you over his already wet and dilated slit.

Mating season wasn't a long period, but it was a delightful one, soon comprehended why so many people on base were missing for all of its duration, now being part of them and even learning why some told you to keep your clothes off most of the time except for a night coat easy to open, Rodimus was a good lover, as he barely left your side, and if he did, it was only to get rations from the cafeteria before leaving them to you and expanding the nest he was making outside your habsuit, using his body, curling it over the sand to make it compact at the base, then making a hole in the middle to keep water inside while you rested inside, not worrying about you leaving to do your science as he was sure the other humans just let you rest.

Months later, Cory found Chandler hissing at the ocean, just to stop, startled, like him at the sight of Rodimus, soon making direct eye contact with them, holding a still closed-eyed little black and silver hissing pup between his servos, presenting his own young and beaming with pride as they both heard you screaming Rodimus’ designation with two more pups in your arms from your habsuit, more than likely enraged and worried out of your mind by the lack of your firstborn in the nest where you left him with his siblings, then being startled by the potent cry of the pup that could only be comparable to a dying animal asking for mercy as he was soaked, cold and scared out of his young mind by the emotion of Rodimus’ to show off his offspring, and this was the fourth stop he made so far.

Rodimus’ carrier, Chandler, didn't give his own pup time to ponder what made you so mad before he was trying to knock some sense with violence into his adult pup like he was still a youngling after snatching protectively the pup against his chest to try and comfort him, Cory runs to them to try and save his son from the fury of his partner and his heavy servo, you appeared with your other two babies to see Rodimus being smacked by his carrier without mercy, “Have I not taught you well?! What in the PIT were you THINKING?! What are you DOING with a NEW FORGED PUP OUT OF THE SLAGING NEST?!”

Rodimus was a great lover, he was still learning to be a sire.

.

Inspired by the work of @tinydefector and @shyspider, love your guys’ work so much, totally lost Mermay but I can try it again with some good monsterfucking.

And if you realized, yeah, that hissing baby is Sunset.

@tf-kinktober2024

[oogalybooglay]

<you have each other…>

(Lunamoon1985’s commission!)

TW; itty bitty descriptions of violence and blood, again, an ITTY BITTY Bit.

also, you, reader, are also an experiment, why? FUN! (what animals are you? Your choice! Use your imaginationnnn)

You… lost everything… your husband and now? Your freedom…. You had been framed of murder, just like your husband.. Sebastian solace.

As if it was magic, you had the same sentence… death. The memories of your last call with Sebastian flashed through your head, him telling you he’ll still be there… watching you from heaven, you KNEW he never killed those people and neither did you! but your cries fell on deaf ears

you rotted in your cell… waiting for your final day, until…. Urbanshade decided to swoop in and pick you up, but… living in a cell didn’t really change, they turned you into a monster, changing your dna into a freak….

they said you’d be an mechanic of some kind… they knew your job before you got sentenced..? Strange…. Your were now, Z-**

It felt…. De-humanizing but at least you weren’t dead, on the outside at least…. You were repairing on some stuff, slightly dissociating thinking of your life before this…. You missed it. You missed it a lot. You missed everything, your family, your friends… Sebastian….

then… you heard a strange amount of chaos right outside the door… blood curling screams, your rush out the door and see the floor, coated in crimson puddles

you immediately started panicking, trying to avoid WHATEVER was doing this, in your panic, you fell down a floor you never knew was there….

Time skip?

You had a THROBBING headache, you lifted your head and scanned the area, it looked like some kind of.. shop? You saw a tail and slowly looked up to the figure it belonged to… a tall, eel like figure he spoke, in a……. oh so familiar voice

“Ah! You’re awake, are you alright? you knocked yourself cold out there”

He seemed to be wiping something off his nails…. But you ignored it and focused on his voice and demeanor, you mumbled in a confused but hopeful tone

“s….Sebastian..?”

the figure, perked up and looked down, lowering his hand and speaking

“w-what..? {name}?? {NAME}?!??”

You lifted yourself off the ground and exclaimed

“oh my god- SEBASTIAN?? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?- doesn’t matter-“ you, without a second thought, hug tackled your husband,

“ack- calm down there dear, your gonna crush me”

Tears started rolling down your face, burying your face into his chest, after a little you pulled away and examined his new body, spotting the third arm and eye. Sebastian looked away and scratched the back of his head

“yeah i look uh… different… then again, you do too- wait- I didn’t mean it like that- damnit- ugh..”

You laughed a little as your husband fumbled his words, you pulled him by his collar and smooched him right on the lips, he froze up and started babbling (author interjections: head canon mention alert, head canon mention alert)

“ah- well- uhm..- hoooo boy- lord- holy..-“

you smiled, human or not, he always started babbling as soon as you kissed him, like a stun gun but wayyy more affectionate, it shut him up when he was being an ass when you were human.

Sebastian wrapped his arms, which were stronger and bigger than before because of the experiments around you and slid down the wall, sitting on his tail. Resting his chin on the top of your head, he wrapped his tail around you, his chest rumbled with a purr like sound, he mumbled something then shifted around, the fins in the sides of his skull wiggled a little

the height difference was wayyyy bigger then it was when you were human, he was at least 10ft and you? 7-6ft… no fair!

Your positions shifted as time passed, soon enough you were on the ground, laying on Sebastian, his new body was different, but you can’t say you weren’t the same… Sebastian still snored, just like when he was human, guess that never changed huh? You looked up at his large, sleeping form, looking at his angler esca, I thought only female angler fish had that? Doesn’t really matter when you both literal mutants. You slowly kissed his…. Snout? And lowered your head again to rest

you needed this, you BOTH needed this. Life was gonna be…. Different, you had each other.. and that’s all that mattered….

EEEEE I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!! SPECIFICALLY YOU @lunamoon1985 👁️👁️❤️❤️

YALL I WAS SCARED TO POST WITH BUT HERE YALL ARE. EAT MY MOTH CHILDREN! EAT YOUR SEBASTIAN SOLACE FANFICS!

[6saints]

Delicate

Yandere! Merman x Reader

18+ - gore and smut

Chapter two

—

It is in human nature to be deleterious. To be a cancerous leech plundering on the natural resources Earth had to offer. Human nature entails dominance over any being deemed inferior, to find amusement and comfort in the technology the big bad business men advertise. They are wolves selling a fallacy of hope to the selfish humans who pray for an advanced civilization; all while stuffing their pockets with gold and giving blessings to the sick.

That homeless man may have been right about the end of the world, or those hippies chaining themselves to trees or even those laughable metal straw ads everyone would skip. Had anybody listened to the fanatical people of the early 70's, perhaps the state of the earth would never have gotten so dilapidated. Magazines and newspapers were thrown out for billboards, projectors and little technological pockets of information. The news always the same, yet always afflictive to the weak little hearts of the people. Every day was a new animal, new country, new city being destroyed by one man made thing or the other.

That was how he was raised. To despise humans and their technology, the same filth congesting his oceans and killing any and all marine life.

His first encounter with humans had been just a decade ago. Fishing vessels weren't common near Silnich shores therefore, his entire childhood had gone relatively unoccupied. Socialization was rare, even amongst his own species, so when a Trawler spurred against empty waters the half-fish was naturally whelmed with vague interest.

It was a melancholy night; ashen clouds covering the darkness. The waters were desolate, a lonely ambience surrounding the waves and empty sky. Zero lights, he had thought to himself, his diaphanous tail swishing beneath himself. Occasionally, if he was lucky, yellow, red, purple and even blue dots would scatter behind clouds and a pale moon would situate itself at their side.

He recalled an old friend, a merman and traveller, had once mentioned calling them stars. That humans could see them up close, that they could dance and fly among them; a laughable notion considering only birds could do such a thing. Humans were widely regarded as stupid and rather begrimed; a soiled species responsible for the odd materials destroying underwater ecosystems. He never understood his friend's peculiar way of regarding them, almost as if with an admiration of sorts.

"Alright boys, what we catchin' today?" A loud, booming voice sounded atop the boat.

Two other voices had joined in, southern and thick. "How bout a shark?"

"Shut up, Randall," laughed one of the men, "Let's catch some fish fore' the boss rings our neck."

A thunderous whirring came from a machine attached to the boat, yellow and rusted with a net attached to the bottom. It sunk beneath the inky waters, the boy following after with pure curiosity. He noticed a school of fish swimming closer, their delicious forms becoming entrapped within the roped net and struggling to swim out. Their meager bodies flattened against each other, fins frantically fluttering back and forth in a futile attempt at escape.

Did humans also eat fish? He wondered.

He hadn't gotten a look at what the men's physical appearances were. How big are they that they need so much fish?

He swam closer, using his taloned fingers to scratch at a piece of the net, allowing for one of the fish to plop out into his webbed hand. Easy hunt, he thought to himself, swallowing the fish whole before reaching in to grab another.

This time, however, the whirring sound seemed to grow louder and the net began oscillating at a rapid rate. Before he could push himself away from the machine the net clasped around his tail and arm, forcing him into place with the rest of the fish surrounding him. He struggled, contorting his body forward and backward venturing to free himself.

SMACK!

All his sensitive skin could feel was a cold, damp metal beneath his limbs, fish jumping to and fro around him as the light from the boat blurred his vision. The slits in his eyes became thinner, almost nonexistent, when one of the men flashed something strikingly bright into his face. Two of the three voices now had a face and body, each distinct and rather ugly. The larger, burley man had no hair atop his head yet his arms were covered, a complete contrast to the smoothness of a mermaid's upper body. The one flashing an instrument in his face was rather lanky and petite, a beard cleanly growing across his chin and ending just above his collarbones. He couldn't find the third one, he didn't know if he even wanted to.

The bulky man had thin lips curled into an odd smile, like two sea worms bent in an odd angle, a tooth sticking out the side of his lip curiously. "What the hell am I looking at?" His voice was painful up close, the boy's finned ears twitching as they continued speaking.

"Certainly not a shark," the other whispered, a shocked expression painting his unkept features.

"Say, you a fuckin' mermaid?" He asked. The man took a thin metal rod and poked his tail.

"Mermaids are females, boss."

"Merboy?" He corrected himself sarcastically.

The fish-boy didn't speak, tightlipped and glaring at the men hovering above him. Occasionally, a frantic fish would slap him on his face.

"Well fuck me I guess." He rolled his eyes. "What should we do with it?"

"I don't know, boss, maybe we-"

A voice from behind the boy cut the lanky man off, "We make some money off of him."

He jerked his head back, staring wide-eyed at the new voice that had appeared. A light flashed, the man carrying a square box with a whitened piece of glass just over his eye. The third man, round and clean, looked like an office worker dressed up as a fisherman. "What?"

"You ain't hear me the first time?" He walked up to the boy, hands pulling at his tail just to check for any hint of falsehood. He growled at him, exposing two rows of sharpened teeth, the canines especially long. "Woah!" He stumbled back before recomposing himself. "How much money you think people would pay to see a mermaid?"

"It's a boy."

"Same thing." He shrugged.

"Probably a lot," the bigger man muttered, pondering for a moment. "What you say bout' bringin' him with us?"

"Where we gonna put him?"

"I can free up space in one of the barrels back at the yard. Some water should keep it alive." The lanky man walked closer to the boy, bending forward with a confidence only an idiot could sport. "You got lungs, right kid?"

These are the things that can fly like birds? He bitterly laughed to himself, as if!

The fish-boy hoisted himself up, lunging at the man and just barely grazing his left shoulder. His tail caught on the net, forcing his body back into the metal floor brutally.

"Shit!" The man whimpered, clutching into his shoulder feverishly. "The kid's got a bite to him."

"Grab the extra netting from the back." Ordered the hairy man immediately, that odd smile of his disappearing into a frown.

The men began tying him up, repulsed expressions covering their faces as they got a closer look at the struggling being. He was snarling, animalistic eyes wanting nothing more than to kill them for touching him with their filthy human hands. These men are exactly as the stories portrayed them! Absolutely abhorrent and disgusting!

Unfortunately for him, these men were massive, towering at 6 feet.

Mermen on the other hand didn't reach full maturity until age 20 and the majority of their size would come from the length and girth of their tail, not their upper bodies. Though, he imagined he would look significantly better than these rotten humans once he did reach adulthood.

He glanced at the fish and then at the hairy man. He was the one that would put up the most fight, he figured. The lanky one was weak and rather easy to overpower and the round one was a coward. If he could get rid of the one threat he would be free to escape.

"Please don't hurt me," he blurted, skin paling further and his body forcing a shiver.

"The little shit speaks!" The lanky man laughed.

"Aye kid, we're not gonna hurt you, sailor's promise." His target stepped forward.

Just a little more, he thought.

"I'm sorry for scratching you," he looked up at the men, big doe eyes pricking with non existent tears.

His new bald headed prey walked forward again, kneeling down and holding out a fish. He wondered if he was overselling the helpless child trope a bit too much, recalling how orcas would do something similar in the wild.

Whatever the case was, the man was within reach. He extended his webbed fingers, slow and innocent-like, but instead of grabbing the puffed fish he imbedded his talons into the man's eyes, pulling him on top before quickly searching his pockets for anything that would free him.

The men behind were bellowing out curses and shouts, petrified of the scene in front of them. As he suspected, the larger man ran back to the edge of the vessel, whitened knuckles grasping onto the metal in a horrified state. His fingers prodded and poked until something sleek and flat made contact with his palm. He fumbled with the edges of a strangely ornate and intricate design, swirls of flowers and odd vinery leading to a sharpened edge.

Just in time too, considering his friend, though weak, had garnered the courage to defend his crew imperishably.

He pushed the man's body forward, tripping the other while he made his escape over the edge of the boat, both screaming incoherently about one scary thing or the other. The boy allowed his no longer confined body to sink to the bottom of the ocean. He could still view the top clearly and hear the men's belting, unlike the darkness and comforting silence the ocean usually offered him. Their voices began to wane, signaling their exit. He was exhausted, hurt, and dejected.

And this interaction only proved to him the cruelty that human beings harbored within themselves.

Since that day, humans never made an appearance on Silnich waters again. Perhaps he had instilled a fear into them, a sense of self preservation that he knew only a selfish human could harbor. The humans must have warned the others, fed them stories about the attack of a crazed sea monster, who was really just a scared boy.

He was 24 now, a grown merman protective of the colony he had single-handedly protected. The fish were his to eat, the sharks and dolphins were his to play with, and the sky was entirely his to look at.

Until it wasn’t.

“Slow down you crazy child..”

The melodic harmonies began playing a soft tune.

“Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while...”

It was a male singing, perhaps a siren? Though he had never met a male siren before.

“It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two...”

The closer he swam to the shore, the more he could pick up on other voices.

“When will you realize…”

And there they were, long limbs swaying cautiously against each other, dull teeth hidden behind soft smiles and innocent laughter. Their feet were hidden within the ocean despite the light splashing.

And there she was, (h/l) (h/c) hair bouncing idly and her fingers interlacing with another of her species. She was rather beautiful, he thought for only a moment.

“Vienna waits for you...”

More humans came running into the water, two males and a female. And the merman's hazy thoughts were replaced with something more sinister.

Intruders, he told himself, in my waters.

[tj-dragonblade]

popping my head in to ask about Mer Hob 👀 from the WIP title ask game

Finally popping my head back up to answer, my apologies for the wait! Mer-Hob came out of server conversations about mer-Dreamling fish assignments and aquatic mating displays, but he kind of fizzled out with the scene I tried to write. Dusting him off for this, though, I think I can breathe the spark back into it. Take it past where I meant to before, so it will have a more satisfactory conclusion. I have scrapped the lackluster 'how did they meet' that was stalling me out and given them new backstory and now I'm unsure how exactly I want to structure this. Start where I've started and then jump back to the meeting, then bring them back to the present? Make the backstory a separate fic? Rearrange the whole thing chronologically, which would require a lot of rework and shortening of the current opening bit? IDK but I'll figure it out. In the meantime, here is a chunky chunk of drafting for their meet-cute (sfw but cut for length):

Dream is not surprised to find a waterline-level cave out on the rock formation in the bay, on the side not visible from shore. Nor is he overly surprised to find someone stretched out in the handsbreadth of water covering the floor with their eyes closed, as the morning light fills the first several feet of the cave brightly in a way that is conducive to sunbathing.

The fact that the sunbather has a bright orange tail with brilliant yellow fins and blue-black leopard-like spots is rather less expected, however, and Dream gasps his surprise.

The sound startles the man—the merman—surely not?—who sits bolt upright, eyes wide and panicking as he locks gazes with Dream not an arm's length away.

Dream's heart skips a beat. He's beautiful—

"Oh, fuck!" The merman—there is no other explanation, no mistaking the flurry of fins and scales as he moves—the merman twists and flops and dives past Dream, a less-than-graceful plunge off the rock and into the sea and then he is gone.

"Wait!" Dream cries, to the bright flick of yellow vanishing into the depths, but of course it is no use.

He could swim back to the boat, could don his diving gear and follow—but no. The merman is already gone, and will be more so by the time Dream could be equipped to give chase.

He swallows back his disappointment, his disbelief, and tells himself resolutely that he surely imagined the entire thing.

But he did not imagine it, he knows this; the knowledge lodges in his mind, burrows down into his consciousness and curls around his common sense, stokes his curiosity.

He saw a merman.

Merpeople do not exist.

But he saw one.

He returns the next day, hoping perhaps to repeat the discovery, but he is the only visitor to the cave in the hours that he spends there. When the tide has gone out and come back in, high enough once more to cover the floor of the cave, when he has spent all day waiting with nothing to show for it, he admits defeat and swims back to his boat.

He returns again, and again, later each day with the drift of the tide, diving to explore beneath the surface when the cave remains empty. He finds nothing of note, nothing to hint at the existence of merfolk, nothing at all out of the ordinary; by day six, he is trying to convince himself to make peace with the likelihood that he will never find any trace of the merman he knows he had seen.

On day seven, the merman is back, sunbathing at the front of the cave again.

Only this time, he has human legs, is wearing swim trunks, is sitting further away from where Dream is treading water, stunned.

"…Hello," Dream manages.

"Hi," the man says, warmly polite. He is cross-legged with his knees drawn up and his arms wrapped around them, one hand holding the other wrist; he is meant to look casual and relaxed, Dream is certain, but the tension and the nervousness coming off of him are palpable.

He is still beautiful.

"You're. I saw you here, before?" His thoughts are still trying to catch up; he hoists himself into the cave, doesn't move closer.

The man's shoulders drop a tiny fraction. "Yeah, yep! Startled me good, you did!" He chuckles lightly, a carefree and casual sound; the fingers of his dangling hand wriggle, a nervous and distracted sort of gesture that draws Dream's attention to the profusion of hair on his bare legs, and arms, and what Dream can see of his chest.

"You had a. A tail, last time," Dream says, somewhat awkwardly, tearing his gaze from the sprinkling of hair on the man's bare toes.

"Oh, that, yes!" The man grins, bright and disarming. "I'm a mermaid performer, with the, ah, the local carnival."

Dream is convinced this is a lie even as the logical part of his brain points out that this explanation makes far more sense than believing in merfolk. He knows what he saw, the flexing of muscle and the fanning of fins, the bending and twisting that did not match up to the way that human legs would move in that configuration. The merman speaks with casual confidence, but the tension in his frame and the nervous fidget of his clasped hand are easy to read.

"…No, I don't think you are," Dream says, and the man's bright smile dips before returning to full wattage.

"Calling me a liar, are you?" He laughs, a light and enchanting sound that Dream immediately wants to hear more of. "Merfolk, they don't actually exist, I'll have you know."

~ The wip tag has a tiiiny bit more of this one, also.

[poupeesdecirque]

Next character collection for the dolls.

I know they differ in quality but I don't do them for perfection I do them to challenge myself to just draw them all again.

adult!Nachtmar - my first collaboration with @adragonstale back in the day as I sculpted the huge tail fin and he casted the parts in silicone for me. Back in the day it was unusual to be able to buy such parts for dolls, that in ... 2022 you would be able to buy a bjd with a silicone tail... never would have expected it.

Sammi (child!Samuel) - I needed Samuel's happier child variant as a doll, Samuel's childhood was actually not that bad, he had a foster mother who cared for him, a family. But as Elana vanished one day everything changed.

Melek - For ages the only company that offered Naga parts was Sugarble, as they went out of business I got Melek. Now you have Dream Valley and other companies coming out with better engineered ones but ... I am fine with Melek. As a character he works in Loreley's shop and his special skill is getting lost in the forest while collecting herbs.

Victoria - She's one of Willow's loyal followers. A very friendly spirit who helps lost humans when they wander through the woods. In opposite to Wellem she's keen on helping and guiding them safely back home.

Kassandra - A lucky ebay find. As the doll to her was released I dislike the body she was on (around that time I instantly got every event doll from Doll Chateau... don't... ask) I skipped. But then I found the hybrid between both dolls on ebay, bought through Angelesque in before and by a trustable collector from the hobby. Kassandra is a scarecrow and sometimes ... she forgets that. Well her head is filled with straw what did you expect.

Vincent - After all the years Vincent got an design upgrade, I kept his first shell but this doll here is his main variant as the overall aesthetic matches Samuel and Delilah more. He is also the variant freshly after memory loss.

Lilian - Pierre's human form. Pierre's actual body is forced to stay in the chamber of candles, he operates through projections. But sometimes he uses his old human body to 'flee'. And that is Lilian.

Jaclyn - Another character from my Fallen Magical Girl Storyline, she was one of the weakest among them and got corrupted by the dark side. The darkness slowly eats her alive. I always wanted to do something cool with an Unoa Akubi and she was the result.

Petula - Happy little Pumpkin Lady. The Luts Pumpkin was one I had hunted for years and was so happy as it got a rerelease.

Blättchen - This doll wouldn't have been possible without Rotervolkenvogel. She bought him at LDoll for me. He's actually from the first run of Kodama which was like ... 5 dolls? Later on there was a second release.

October & Autumn - Different from all the other Pumpkins October and his sister Autumn are parasites, they move dead human bodies.

[leyia]

𝐓𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢 (𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬)

Summary: “Her tears tasted of salt, and lips chipped like sand. She was beautiful”

Pairings: Kiri x Metkayina!MaleOc

Word count: I lost track at this point.

Warnings/notes: Angsty Kiri cries the entire ocean ; umm plot ? Writer’s block (& I’m back from the dead lol). Title inspired from the Jake Sully’s Series by @stargirlrchive

You were definitely staring.

Well- sort of

•••

With Leiya’s family hosting the Omatikaya’s lodging, it was inevitable for you not to splash over each other. To be the Tsahìk’s confident and childhood friend meant being informed of the isle’s latest affairs (but ultimately : taking on the role of mentor in helping the tanned blue Na’vi foreigners adapt to sea)

Breathless-

She was at first ; when learning the basics of diving, while also leaving you short on breath.

You were tasked in teaching about the biome’s flora alongside Tsireya, who was on the opposite spectrum appointed to delve into physical respiratory exercises. Laughably, you weren’t complaining ; it was your field of expertise after all. Endless days of hunting with Aonung’s scavengermates through tepid- tropical lagoons wouldn’t have gone to complete waste.

Though through gritty teeth and fidgety fingers, your body-language couldn’t lie : Kiri caught your eye & when she mirrored your gaze, on Eywa your heart threatened skipping between beats. Her aura was.. tantalising, a sensation you never could name without wavering. She resembled the wild “blueberries” the Sullys had brought as token of appreciation for quartering. Indomitably alluring, but brittle in bleeding. You wanted to solace the sorrows she kept a front for, but her forteresse was one made of mistrust

•••

After tending as per usual to Awa’atlu’s seawall terraces *a chore tailored to your sparse schedule, you sailed off to inspect the proximate CoralCove. Upon skimming past the entrance’s gaping threshold, in-between mossy Stalagmites thrived your own secret subaquatic garden.

During the Eclipse’s after-hours, when moonlight stuck it’s quarter crescent & tidings rose above knee-altitude, you dedicated a moment’s sigh to the reef’s research …

Scribbling down the last of today’s findings in a keep-safe logbook, the intuitive reminder of heading home gradually became urgent. Yet before taking off, the unusual sight of flickering iridescence within the cave’s core had enticed a change of heart.

Distant echoes sparked betwixt unobtanium walls, and whispering wails protruded the thickness of it’s shallow waters ; another presence was within ear’s reach. However, this Haven was sharply located 6 nautical miles from the coast (whoever had trespassed wasn’t likely to be your familiar) ; so the noise left you perplexed.

You Blinked-

Rubbed your eyes with seasalt

“Kiri ?”

•••

You could barely distinguish her hunched build from behind, with faint bioluminescent freckles blending into the dimmed background. Yet, it was undoubtedly her signature hiccups that alerted your ears to perk up in concern :

Kiri’s voice was to you, discernable amongst any crowd. You took a silent liking to it’s husky ringing, almost imitating a Siren’s Lament… Granted she was mute most times, dry eyes darting in compass way to the Omatikaya Rainforest. Homesickness gradually caught up to her, though you only stood watching as she withered from within ; week after week.

The lingering thought of eavesdropping was impendingly tempting. Part of you wanted to know what her crestfallen irises wouldn’t reveal ; your latter resolve was skimming the nearest exit (with cautious steps) before being caught lacking. At least that was the initial intention, until your clumsy tail mingled with fins *making you tumble over in a reverberate spatter…

“Who’s there ?”

You stiffened, adrenaline rising. Heart rate betraying your cover, sh*t

“Leikh’a ?”

•••

Rising from the chilling waters, you shifted eye-contact to wherever she was blurred out of frame in avoidance to the clear tears streaming upside-down. Not as if Kiri’s crying face wasn’t undeniably hot tho

“Um, surprise ? Welp this is awkward.”

Upon lifting your gaze she only returned a stare, irises flashing upwards, visibly irked

“I bet Father’s worried about me if you’re here. But I’m not a child anymore, tell him to leave me be..”

Slowly wiping the remains of her tears, she composed herself

…

“Actually- I’m not here on his behalf, I come here quite often. It’s my hideout. Kinda rare finding oxygenated heathens underwater…”

“Right-

“It’s not about your Father is it ?”

There was an underlining tension in the air left unspoken

could you..

perhaps keep a secret ?”

…

“Sure,”

A few moments into the thick and thin, your tail couldn’t stop swishing left to right. This was the most Kiri had ever shared about ever since her arrival.

The luminescent pigments that dotted her skin had returned, and you found she was much more relatable than any of your siblings here ; even quirky sometimes.

•••

“I feel her, Leikh’a... Eywa.

Kiri had placed both your hands in hers, faintly whispering

I hear her breathing. I hear her heartbeat.

She's so close. She's just there.

Like a word about to be spoken...

I know you think I'm crazy”

“What does her heart feel like ?”

“Mighty.”

…

“Please don’t tell anyone.. your people think we’re freaks”

“I don’t,

Listen. You don’t need 5 fingers or fins to accomplish great things-

Oel ngati kameie, I see (through) you

And you’re beautiful.”

[krokkroo]

note: the English version is below, but I make it clear that I use a translator because my English is very bad and since I had seen that there are mostly stories in English, I also wanted it to reach another type of audience. 😸

nota: la versión en ingles está más abajo, pero dejo en claro que use traductor porque mí inglés es muy malo y cómo había visto que en su mayoría hay historias en inglés también quería que llegara a otro tipo de publico. 😸

Él chico del apartamento 512

Cada dia es igual por mí pasillo... Nunca llego a mí puerta sin escuchar un chiflido de un chico que me dice que me está esperando, lo que debería estar haciendo es ir y pegarse un baño.

Y un aburrido me detiene..

—¡Hola linda! ¿Donde vas tan sola?— veo su mano en mí muñeca y su torcida sonrisa.

Pero yo, por puro aburrimiento, voy y le finjo interés.

—Tal vez necesito a un acompañante— mí sonrisa hace aparición, pero mis ojos no dicen lo mismo.

De un momento a otro siento el ascensor abrirse, dejando ver al chico de mis sueños, el que quiero que sea mí dueño. Él chico del apartamento 512, el mismo chico que hace a mí corazón saltar...

Al único que le dedico cartas y por vergüenza no puedo entregar.

—y ya se quién lo será...— digo, con un aura de enamorada al momento de verlo a él, a Kawata Souya.

Lo veo acercarse y ayudarme a alejar al tipo de mí. Me derrito con solo ver sus ojos posarse en los míos con cierta preocupación, *exijo aunque sea darle un abrazo*, pero todo lo que sale de mí son leves tartamudeos...

—uh.. yo- g-gracias Kawata— le sonrió y ¡Oh santísima exquisitez! Me da la expresión más bonita que puede existir, una que durará miles de años en mí.

Lastimosamente él se va y vuelve a esa misma expresión de furor, dejandome con una bella imágen de su sonrojo un mí mente...

Estoy segura que hoy soñaré devuelta con él y solo con él.

[...]

Escucho a un viejo invitarme..

—Niña, ven a verme— y le digo que no me gustan los viejos rabo verde.

Camino lentamente a mí departamento, con la esperanza de volver a verlo y cuando sale a caminar, pasa y me saluda con una sonrisa que me vuelve a conquistar.

Pero hoy por fin de una vez, le confesaré todo mí amor.

Toco su puerta y se me enchina la piel, y me contesta una mujer... Sentí mí corazón romperse cuando de repente me pregunta..

—¿A cuál de mis hijos buscas?— sentí mí corazón llenarse de ilusión, otra vez decidida a mí objetivo.

—Mucho gusto, esperaba poder hablar con Kawata Souya—

Every day is the same down my hallway... I never get to my door without hearing a squeal from a guy telling me that he's waiting for me, what he should be doing is going and taking a bath.

And a bore stops me...

-Hi beautiful! Where are you going so alone?—I see his hand on my wrist and his crooked smile.

But I, out of sheer boredom, go and feign interest.

—Maybe I need a companion—my smile appears, but my eyes don't say the same.

From one moment to the next I feel the elevator open, revealing the boy of my dreams, the one I want to be my owner. The boy from apartment 512, the same boy who makes my heart skip... The only one I dedicate letters to and out of shame I cannot deliver.

—and I already know who it will be...— I say, with an aura of a lover when I see him, Kawata Souya. I see him approach and help me get the guy away from me. I melt just seeing his eyes rest on mine with some concern, I demand even a hug, but all that comes out of me are slight stutters...

—uh.. I- t-thank you Kawata— he smiled and Oh holy exquisiteness! It gives me the most beautiful expression that can exist, one that will last thousands of years on me.

Unfortunately he leaves and returns to that same expression of fury, leaving me with a beautiful image of his blush in my mind...

I am sure that today I will dream of him and only him.

[...]

I hear an old man invite me...

—Girl, come see me— and I tell her that I don't like old green tails.

I walk slowly to my apartment, hoping to see him again and when he goes out for a walk, he passes by and greets me with a smile that wins me over again. But today, finally, once and for all, I will confess all my love to him. I knock on her door and my skin crawls, and a woman answers me...

I felt my heart break when she suddenly asks me...

—Which of my children are you looking for?— I felt my heart fill with excitement, once again determined on my goal.

—Nice to meet you, I was hoping to talk to Kawata Souya—

[polskasroka]

Ghostober Day 21

Welcome to Day 21 of Ghostober created by @kroas-adtam!

Pairing: Aether/Rain

Main tag(s): Dom/sub

Additional tag(s)/cw: none

Word Count: 1161 words

Read also on ao3!

Rain was standing in the middle of the room with his head hung low, not daring and not being really allowed to look at Aether at this moment. The water ghoul knew that he’d disobeyed the older ghoul and he was reasonable enough not to make it even worse for himself by doing something without Aether’s permission again. Whatever the quintessence demon was planning on doing to him was surely going to teach Rain a lesson anyway.

“So pretty. Especially that dorsal fin of yours,” Aether purred from behind and said fin shuddered as soon as Rain heard the compliment. “What a shame that you have such dirty hands, though.”

Rain’s ears fell flat in embarrassment, since he was very much aware of what Aether was referring too.

“We should do something about it, don’t you think, Raincloud? So that you don’t make the same mistake again. Answer me.”

“You’re right, Sir. Please, treat me as you see fit now.”

Even though Rain knew that he was deep in trouble, a shiver ran down his spine. A shiver of excitement.

He also shifted on his feet, his thighs rubbing against one another as a slow wave of arousal rolled through his body down to his lower stomach. Feeling Aether’s presence right behind him, Rain exhaled shakily and patiently waited for any further orders. The silence was making him uneasy but he tried his best to ignore it and focus on the next command that was about to come from behind.

“Strip down,” said the quintessence ghoul in a flat and emotionless tone.

It was terribly alluring and Rain was certain that his own scent gave off every little note of thrill and lust that was flowing through him. He knew that Aether was smirking to himself while watching the water imp peel off his garments one by one. He could indeed smell all that Rain was going through but Rain could do just the same.

So, as soon as he revealed his back to Aether, he both heard and smelled the admiration that was filling the older demon. Despite the incoming punishment, Rain’s lips also curved into a smug smile and, for a brief moment, he thought he’d get away with it all by prolonging the action of taking all his clothes off.

“Hurry up, Rain. It won’t work on me.”

With difficulty, Rain prevented himself from huffing. Instead of that, he closed and opened his eyes, and then took a deep breath. Now, he could continue to get rid of his boots, socks, pants and underwear. Meanwhile, he felt Aether’s eyes piercing a hole in his back as he kept gazing at it. Even though Rain was used to it, it was always flattering to be reminded of the fact that his beloved quintessence ghoul loved his dark teal back and the speckles that shone silver on his arms and shoulder blades every time Rain was at least a little bit energised or thrilled.

The waft of air caused by Aether rounding Rain made the latter shiver again. It brought a smile onto the bigger demon’s lips and he stopped when he was right in front of the water ghoul. His head was still bowed while he kept his tail tucked between his legs in complete surrender.

“Very good,” Aether hummed, clearly contented. “Now, kneel.”

Rain gulped but complied without any delay. His knees soon hit the floor and he occupied himself with staring at it mindlessly. In order to please the quintessence ghoul, he spread his legs wider and neatly laid his hands palms-up on his thighs as a yet another act of full submission to the other demon.

“Take your belt and present it to me,” went the order that made Rain’s heart skip a beat.

At that point, he knew exactly where it all was leading to – he was going to get struck with his own leather belt.

There were so many spots on his body that Aether had already treated like that before. Despite the burning pain, Rain loved each and every second of it, even though it wasn’t done for his pleasure. And it never brought him pleasure either, ironically enough. It always simply rid his mind of any thoughts, worries and fuck-ups, and that state was a blessing in disguise. To Rain, it felt as if each time, he just earned the peace of mind through pain. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Aether was well aware of that and when Rain took the belt from the top of the pile of clothes that he’d built before, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the way the water ghoul presented the item to him. The movement was impossibly smooth thanks to the many times Rain had been made to repeat the action. No other ghoul could make this motion similarly graceful.

“Good boy,” Aether praised and took the belt from Rain’s hands that he held above his head.

Warmth spread over Rain’s heart and he gasped as the bigger ghoul invaded his space, stepping in-between his bent legs. Then, the younger imp felt Aether’s huge hand brush against one of his horns and then pet his hair gently. Rain couldn’t help but risk leaning his head against Aether’s thick thigh.

Rain purred loudly, since Aether kept raking his fingers through the former’s hair and didn’t say anything about Rain’s sudden clinginess. In fact, the quintessence ghoul found it adorable. Despite that, both of them knew that it wasn’t going to save Rain from what was inevitably coming and they didn’t even have to say it out loud. That simply was the way things were.

“Tell me why I have to do this to you, Rain. You can speak to me now,” Aether offered softly, a low purr reverberating in his chest in the meantime.

“Because I disobeyed you, Sir,” the water ghoul answered calmly, fully grounded by Aether’s proximity and touch.

“What did you do exactly?”

“I-I touched myself, although you’d forbidden me to.” Rain’s throat went dry as a dark indigo blush of shame appeared on his cheeks and spread to his ears and shoulders. “I also came without your permission, Sir.”

“How many times?”

“Twice, Sir.”

“Such a good boy for telling me all this.” The praise made Rain sigh a little chirp. “In a minute, you’ll raise your hands once again, just as you did a while ago. You’ll keep your head down and you’ll turn your palms up, so that I’ll be able to see them. I’ll whip both of your hands 20 times – 10 times for one orgasm you gave yourself without asking me for permission. If at any point you need me to stop because you can’t bear it, tell me to stop. Otherwise, I expect you to stay as quiet as possible. Do you understand, Raincloud?”

“I do, Sir.”

“Shall we begin, then?”

“Yes, Sir,” Rain replied, a small smirk painted on his lips again.

[palushiemalis-fr]

cw: drowning

Persimmon sauntered along the sandy cove, his claws kicking up flecks of sand and foam as he ran. Sure, he was on a lair assignment, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a nice summer's day. He had to make himself useful now and then. He just hoped he wasn't working with some hard-headed type he'd skipped the desert to avoid. He shook out his sail and his fins to ready himself for a dive. All he had to do was navigate to the natural tunnels underneath between the cliffs. Shame he was one of the only skilled swimmers in the lair, alas, he wasn't going to deny his natural talents to those in need. He waded out to the shallows and began swishing his tail rudder. With little effort he slipped below the waves. Shoals of fish parted like silver curtains as he made his way down, the sea grass bowed as he snaked past. A a great green turtle investigated him before paddling away. Below a reef shelf he found the gaping mouth of the sea cavern. He hadn't anticipated the gloom, nor how quickly it would become pitch black. Another reminder of his homelands; dark choking tunnels. He felt a pang in his lungs, he could hold his breath for a little while longer... surely it would come to surface soon...? A sharp scrape against his flank. Persimmon doubled back on himself. Was it an attack? No, just the cave walls closing in. Which was forward? He knocked against the stone sides again, losing scales and gasping in shock. Disorientated he was swimming in circles. Which was was up? His lungs burned. Panic gripped him. He couldn't even turn back. His chest was seizing now. He shrieked a desperate call through the water. The black became blacker...

***

A voice rumbled through the cave, "Shhh... close your eyes, take deep slow breaths..." Persimmon did as he was told, letting his heavy lids close and focused on breathing. It took a few minutes to reaquaint his lungs to the air and his heart to slow. He laid down and listened: dripping, the heaving of waves, gentle trickling, the plunge of wood into water and the squeak of rusty hinges. When he finally opened his eyes again there were two enormous, scintillating eyes gazing at him. He flinched. The colossal face the undertide frowned apologetically. "Oh my, I hope I didn't scare you." She said, lowering her head. She was peeking her head out of a pool of blue water lit by floating orbs about the chamber. "No, its fine... did you save me?" "Yes, I heard struggling through the main entrance, you poor thing. I should have underlined the necessity of bringing a light source in the request letter but I didn't wish to patronise a strong swimmer such as yourself." Persimmon chuckled weakly, "Never mind that, I am the fool who didn't think to read it." The undertide smiled, dipping her head lower in the water, "Regardless, you need to rest before we can begin any task. I am afraid I couldn't bandage your wound, so I did my best to administer an ointment to your sides. Gain your strength back up with the kelp broth and clams." Persimmon sniffed the air and found the bowl -- or what would have been a tub to most dragons -- full of broth and curling with steam. The rest of the chamber was fitted with a homely over sized kitchen, one that could be operated switches and levers as he doubted she could fit herself comfortably here. Scallop shell garlands hung from the smooth banded rock of the cave. Scavenged red coral and abalone hung from wind chimes above the centre pool. How charming, he thought. "I feel terrible for wasting your time with this... I know I was asked here to do something important and I'm just taking up your time--" "Hush now." She said, trailing her words to soothe him, "I am in no hurry and your task is only a simple report down a tunnel -- a well lit one, mind you -- to report back on several heating pipes and filtration tanks. Please, eat your fill and we can work at our own pace." Persimmon turned to the bowl gratefully and manoeuvred the huge, unwieldy spoon into his mouth. "Thank you, what's your name?" "Phaesyle." She rose out the water to let him shake a long, translucent spined fin, "I am always glad to have company. I don't have many guests down here." Persimmon huffed, "They ought to make the effort! You're a darling and a wonderful host, and your cave is wonderful." "Oh its nothing, but thank you." She seemed to blush and draw her facial spines over to cover her eyes, "I hate to make others take the trip to this gloomy place, its such a fuss." "Nonsense, I shall hold my next recital in this chamber, the acoustics are to die for."

[starswimmingart]

"Can you talk?" - that sounds like it could lead to some fun/sad times

Oooh thanks for sending in a prompt!! this was my first time trying something like this, and I had a lot of fun with it! This story takes place probably around chapter 3, I hope you enjoy! "Can you talk?" 1500+ Words CW: drowning

It had been a long… long day of travel. Or, night, really. The sun seemed as exhausted as you were as it barely began to peek up over the horizon, any bit of wave covering it in an instant from your view. While being a creature of the sea, you’d been swimming for an extensive period and everything ached from your whiskers to your tail fins. 

Any moment now, that sun is going to be blocked out by a lovely silhouette of land.. Maybe some trees… we’re too far south for icebergs.. Shit, I’ll take anything at this point. 

According to the boys’ navigation systems (and thank the stars that there’d been clear weather recently or you’d never get to land at this rate), it was only a short trip remaining until your next encounter with shoreline.

However, your eyelids were getting heavier by the minute, and your body felt like an anchor as you swam behind the two animatronics. Sun liked to stay near the top of the water, Moon swimming far below scoping out the trenches. You, needing to breathe air, tended to stay with Sun, although occasionally you liked to pop down for a peek of what Moon was up to. You swam up to the top again and took another big puff in through your nostrils, the cold morning air filling your nose, making it burn a little.

You let out a pitiful little sneeze.

Water splashed against your head and in an instant a bright cheerful face was directly next to yours. 

“Oh dear selkie, that was adorable!”

“Hello, Sun.”

The tall yellow animatronic had not let you out of his sight since you’d begun your journey a few days ago, and you’re sure the other grumpy blue one hadn’t either.. Though unlike Sun, Moon's intentions seemed to be less fascination and more of keeping you on a leash. Sun had just NOT left you alone for one moment, though, in all fairness, he really did seem to try. He swam juuust far enough away to make it feel like you had room to yourself, but stars forbid you so much as thought out loud because he snapped to your side in moments asking if you needed something. 

It was… a little endearing. Borderline annoying, yes, but endearing nonetheless. 

Ignoring your short answer, he dove straight into conversation (as if the two of you hadn’t just been chatting previously about ten minutes beforehand.. And ten minutes before that..) “I’m so so glad we’re almost near some land, aren’t you? Just look at that sunrise! I’m soooo looking forward to being able to charge back up again. Aren’t you looking forward to some rest?” He blinked at you innocently.

It was an obvious trap.

“No actually, I think I could keep going all day! I’m doing just fine!”

Despite their intentions on the surface, you still weren’t sure you could let your guard down around these two. The simple facts were they were much bigger and seemed much stronger than you and while they seemed nice enough… 

You swallowed. 

“I might even be up for skipping the next island, you know! 

So says the idiot half asleep and swimming. You know you need that rest. Do you want to drown?

The voice in the back of your head scolded you but you beamed at Sun, swatting it away in your mind's eye. 

Sun's gaze on you remained steady, his smile never wavering. There was silence for a moment, as he studied your face. He only replied with a small "Hmmmmmm.." before doing a happy spin in the water, returning next to you to float on his back. 

"But of course selkie, you know best! I'm sure a strong, brave creature like you could make this journey with no trouble! Moony and I are only just holding you back!" 

He wasn't buying it. 

"I'll leave your capable selkie self to your own devices then, maybe we will even skip the next island, if you're so sure!"

Uh oh.

You puffed up for extra emphasis "Oh absolutely!! I bet we would save so much time, it only makes sense!"

Oh my stars shutupshutupshutup!

He purred. "Wonderful! I'll go let Moon know!" 

Before you could protest (if your stubbornness would even let you) he dove off with a flash of his brightly colored fins into the depths below. 

Well.. shit.

Your navigator had just disappeared. 

You stopped swimming abruptly. While it was a pretty straightforward path ahead, towards the rising sun, you still didn't trust yourself to navigate so very far away from your home waters. 

You stared out into the great fiery ball on the horizon, slowly hoisting itself into the sky. It slowly.. got.. fuzzier..

Oops

Your body buckled. 

When you stopped swimming, apparently that signaled to your brain that it was time to rest. This was very inconvenient seeing that you were in the middle of the ocean. 

You took a gasp of air as you slipped under the cold water, bubbles filtering out of your nose as your vision tunneled. The air went wrong down your throat and your body coughed instinctively, sending saltwater cascading down your airway. Your limbs felt like lead, dragging you down.

I can't move, fuck, FUCK I can't. I can't breathe

You began to tip down, flipping in the water and pointed towards the bottom. Was it the bottom? Everything was so dark, dark. 

I can't...

Muffled, below the ringing that began to fill your ears, you started to hear voices, soft.. familiar.. 

-----------

"Selkie? Selkie!" 

Loud. They're so loud. 

"They're responding, Moon, loo-"

"Yes yes I see, I see!"

He's cranky, as usual.

"Selkie, can you hear us? Open your eyes, we need to see if you're fully responsi- SUN stop pacing like that it's very unhelpful." 

You could hear the solar animatronic whimper, and the footsteps that you didn't recognize being there before stopped. 

You attempted to crack open your eyes.

Bright. Oh stars did that noise just come out of me? Ah shit, OW, ow..

The pain in your throat and chest hit you all at once and you started to cough again, heaving and trying to open your eyes all the way. 

Large hands rushed to you, two against you back, one on your shoulder and one on your knee. Two of the four gripping tightly enough to bring you back to reality with the sensation. 

You coughed again. 

"Easy easy now selkie, don't try to sit up too fast..!" worry pricked Sun's ordinarily cheerful voice and finally, you managed to pry your eyes open enough to weakly look out ahead of you. 

Sun and Moon were crowded around you, looking over with concern, smiles gone from their faces. Sun looked positively distraught, guilty even. Moon watched you with coolness but with an obvious worry written on his face. He cleared his throat, as best a robot could.

"Can you talk?"

Hm. You hadn't thought to try. 

You opened your mouth to speak and out came an uncomfortable wheeze, and you lurched as you burst into another fit of coughs. Sun whined and covered his face in his hands. 

"Oooh no no no this is my fault, I saw you were tired, I shouldn't have left you alone even for a moment, and now you're hurt. I was only meaning to tease, I should've known better.."

Moon began to scold Sun for his self depreciation but stopped as you reached out your hands to gently set one on each of their shoulders (funny, you didn't remember having transformed). 

"H-hey."

Your voice barely sounded like your own, it was raspy and it stung. 

The bots fell silent, eyes boring into you and seemed to watch every breath you took. 

"S.. stop that, I'm okay." 

You didn't FEEL okay but jeez, if it got these two blockheads to stop fussing then you'd dress things up a bit for the time being. 

Finally, you took the chance to look around, and saw that you were on a beach. The sun had risen a decent portion into the sky and the warmth felt.. comforting. Like the comfort of being back surrounded by your pod. You closed your eyes again and felt yourself naturally sinking backwards into laying down. 

The two animatronics stiffened, and followed your hands as you went back. 

"..s'fine.. m'fine.. tired…" 

The pair was quiet for a bit while you seemingly got comfortable on the sand, and you could hear them shift. 

"Get some rest, selkie, we'll get moving again later this evening." 

They seemed to settle in place on either side of you and went still. You knew that they could internally talk to each other using their .. blue.. mouth.. tongue.. tooth? Something fancy, human stuff, whatever. You sighed, and tiredly reached up your hands once more and gently knocked on both of their backs. 

"Mmthanks, both f'you, not drowning s'good.."

You heard a content whirr and a few low chuckles. "We'd be very poor at our job if we let you die before we even got back, you know." Moon joked. 

"Mmmmmhm! Imagine we come all this way and turn up with no selkie! How very disappointing!" Sun tsk'ed a few times disapprovingly for emphasis and the dramatics made you chuckle, trying not to start coughing again. 

The sound of the waves gently breaking on the shore, sea birds, and the soft humming of the internals of the animatronics were the last things you heard before you rocked into a much needed sleep.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi, this might be a crazy request but since you asked for something platonic. Could you maybe write something where reader is a lonely siblingless kid and has three imaginary friends that are Jade, floyd and azul? For an example the parents see there child come home with all these toys despite only giving them 10 dollars and they ask if she stole them and there child just responds "no azul told me what to say to the sales clerk so I got these for 10 dollars but he keeps telling me to sell them!"

Ooh, this is a really fun idea ✨ so I took it and ran with it~

This prompt almost perfectly describes what I was like as a kid AHAHAHAH so it hits close to home... I hope others are able to relate, too.

***Mild spoilers for Dorm Floyd’s personal stories~***

Imagine this...

From a young age, the sea had always resonated with you.

There was something so calming about it--its depth, its expansiveness, the way light caught and sparkled on its surface. The waters were comforting in a way that human company never was. With no siblings and few friends to call your own, the sea was your solace--the thing that set your heart at ease.

The moon, like a pearl, an eye, in the sky, watched over you as you wandered along the shore, waves gently lapping at your ankles. Sand squishing between your toes, the chill of water delighting you. You clung to your mother and father’s hands that night, letting them guide you through the darkness, illuminated only by a silvery glow.

“Do you know why they call this beach Mermaid’s Cove?” your mother asked, pursing a finger to her lips. “They say that you can hear strange singing at midnight. That’s when the merfolk come out to make music.”

“Really?” Your eyes sparkled with wonder. “Do you think we’ll see some mermaids today? I wanna meet one.”

“We know you do, kiddo,” your father sighed. He gave you a playful ruffle on the head, messing up your sweat and sea-slicked hair. “But your mother and I worry that you’re a little lonely. You need to get your head out of clouds... uh, water... and make some friends outside of your imagination, too.”

“It’s not just my imagination. Merpeople are real, and I’m gonna be one when I grow up!” You prodded a seashell buried in the sand with a foot. “I’ll make a deal with the sea witch and get a magic potion, and when I drink it, I’ll grow scales and gills and a tail.”

“Then we’ll have to move you to an aquarium,” your mother joked, giving your small hand a squeeze. “And you won’t be able to hug all your sea creature plushies--they’ll get soaked if we try to bring them to you.”

“I’ll play with them by the water, then! I’ll keep’m dry!”

“Will we have to feed you sushi every day, too?” your father asked, wagging a finger teasingly. “Raw seafood? And get you seashells for your hair?”

“Yeah!! I’ll eat sushi and raw seafood and seaweed. I’ll wear all the fishy fashions, with seashells and coral! I’ll...” Your voice trailed off.

In the distance, a faint sound skipped across the waves to greet your ears. It was soft at first, a few notes that gradually evolved into an expertly woven melody. Slow and a little sorrowful, a song of ruin and rebirth.

Your heart skipped a beat, excited and aching at the same time. You tore away from your parents to dash out toward the waters, kicking up sand in your wake.

The sea was an azure blue, fading into jade at some points, and frothing with foam, a mixture of whites and pale greys. You squinted, and there it was. A crash, a splash--and a flash of a slender fin.

A fish, or...?

“Sweetie, wait...! Where are you going...?”

“I hear the mermaids!” you called back to them, pointing out into the sea. “They’re out there, and they’re putting on a special concert for us! Look, look! I just saw one of them diving back under!”

Your mother and father stared dubiously out into the waves, then at each other.

“... I think it’s well past your bed time now, dear. We should head back to the cabin and tuck you in for the night,” your mother murmured, slipping her hand back into yours.

“But mom...! I’m awake, I really, really am! I saw them, I know I did!”

“Your mother is right. Come along, now. The mermaids aren’t going anywhere. You can... see them again another day.” Your father patted you firmly on the back.

“But what if they do go somewhere?”

“[Full Name]. You heard your mother. Let’s go. We’ll return in the morning.”

“Awww, fine.”

You allowed your parents to herd you back, stomping dejectedly in the sand all the while, leaving your tiny footprints behind. You grumbled under your breath, something about how stinky stupid this whole thing was, and how you had longed to listen to the music for longer. The watchful eye of the night sky followed you and your tantrum.

“It’s not fair,” you muttered. “Not fair at all.”

“You should work on your negotiation skills, little one,” advised a dulcet voice.

A young man had emerged at the water’s edge, striding alongside you and your parents at a brisk pace. He was dressed in glasses, some kind of a fancy suit, and a hat, a scarf and jacket hanging off of his shoulders and trailing behind him. His locks were the color of moonlight, and his eyes, the sea itself.

Neither of your parents reacted to the young man--yet you could hear him, could see him, quite clearly.

“Knee-go-shee-ah-tions?” you whispered, your eyes swelled with confusion. “What’s that?”

“What he means,” cut in another smooth voice, “is that you have much to learn in the way of speaking up for yourself. Ah, but there will be plenty of time for that.”

Another stranger had appeared, bending at the hip and bowing to you as you passed. He wore a similar suit to the first person, though his coat was entirely buttoned up, and his bowtie perfectly affixed against his collarbone. A single earring, comprised of three diamond-shaped scales, dangled from his left ear, twinkling teal in the moonlight. He raised his sharp eyes to yours, revealing one olive, one gold--and a stripe of black against turquoise hair, cropped short.

“Ahahah~ I can’t wait to play with you some more,” added a third in a singsong. “They’re so small, but feisty, too! Just like a little shrimp. Hey, that’s what I’ll call you from now on, okay? Little Shrimp.”

You tilted your head--and there was a spitting image of the second stranger. His coat hung open, and his bowtie was undone, shirt not fully buttoned. He walked along with hands shoved in his pockets, lips turned up in a toothy grin and downturned eyes creased with glee. A stripe of black hair ran along his right side, along with his earring and the golden orb of his eye.

“Who are you guys?”

“Us?” The three of them shared a knowing smile--unseen and unheard by your mother and father. “Why, we’re your new friends.”

The house always felt empty when your parents were away at work. They often fretted, filling your room with more stuffed animals than you could count to keep you company. When those could no longer hold your attention, your father had returned one day with a plastic bag filled with water and a big, fat goldfish. Its tank was mounted in the living room, where you could make faces at it for hours on end until the front door swung open, and your parents paraded in.

Day 3 of goldfish watching, and you were already bored out of your mind.

You puffed up your cheeks and stuck out your tongue, blowing a raspberry at the fish. It gaped at you blankly, mouth opening and closing to let bubbles escape.

“You’re not very interesting,” you told it, tapping the glass accusingly. You wore a frown as you laid your cheek upon your arm, eyes slowly following your pet as it floated around aimlessly.

“Mm? Is Goldfishy boring you, Little Shrimp?”

You craned your head, finding Floyd to have plopped himself down beside you. He mimicked your motions, smushing his own cheek against his arm--but he wore a mischievous grin rather than a frown.

“That’s not his name! I called him Riddle, so you’ve gotta call him Riddle, too.”

“What kinda name is Riddle? Goldfishy makes way more sense.”

“That’s a silly name! Riddle is already a goldfish, so naming him Goldfishy is repeating. It makes no sense.”

“Riddle makes about just as much sense if you ask me.”

“You make no sense, Floyd!”

“Ehehehe. Where’s the fun in making sense?” He threw his head back and laughed. It sounded raspy, and on the verge of crazed, but there was still a musical quality to it that you liked.

“You stink at coming up with names,” you declared stubbornly. “You call a goldfish Goldfishy but you call me a Little Shrimp when I’m not even a shrimp!”

“It’s cuz you’re so teeny tiny,” Floyd cackled, flicking you on the forehead, “like a shrimp. I’d like to see you try to come up with something better.”

“I can.”

“Then...” He displayed two rows of dagger-like teeth. “What would you call me if I wasn’t already ‘Floyd’?”

Your answer was instantaneous: “Shark.”

“Eeeeh? You picked such a scary one. Am I scary to you, Little Shrimp?” Floyd leaned in a bit, his large form casting an ominous shadow over you. His smile remained lazy and laid back. “If you’re not careful with what you say, I might just gobble you up for lunch~”

At once, you leapt onto your feet, emboldened by his words. “Nuh-uh! Bet you can’t catch me in the first place!”

“Bet’cha I can,” Floyd retorted, hauling himself up to his full, imposing height--over 190 cm, easily towering over your puny form. “Sharks are fast swimmers! I’ll get you in no time at all.”

You looked at Floyd, then at his legs. Long and lithe, almost like a mermaid’s tail, split down the middle. You didn’t doubt his claim for one second.

... Which was exactly why you raised a leg and kicked him right in the shins as hard as you possibly could.

Floyd howled in surprise and doubled over, clutching at his knees--and with that head start, you made a run for it. His maniacal laughter carried after you as you raced down the hallway. "Ahahahah! That was a dirty trick you pulled, Little Shrimp!! I’m going to punish you when I get my hands on you...!!”

You skidded around a corner and scrambled into your bedroom, leaving the door hanging open so as to not draw suspicion to yourself. With a squeak, you dove under your bed and lodged yourself into its dark depths. You slapped your hands over your mouth to muffle your panting, and instructed yourself to stay still.

Sharks can smell fear, can’t they?

You inhaled shakily.

This was your safe haven, your undersea lair, as you called it. You had spent countless hours pretending to brew potions and tending to an anemone garden here, tucked away from the rest of the world. A familiar warmth swept over you, slowing your racing heart.

Stomp, stomp.

You could see Floyd in the distance--his polished shoes clicking against the flooring, and his funny striped socks. He made a great show out of checking every door, knocking at first, waiting a few moments, and then kicking the door down with a powerful foot.

To your horror, he quickly made his way to your bedroom. The merman paused at the threshold to knock.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!! Uncle Floyd just wants to have a little talk!” He cried out, voice tinged with a bit of madness. “If you give up now, I promise I’ll squeeze you gently!”

No reply came.

“Ohhhkaaaay, looks like we’re gonna have to do this the hard way!”

Floyd prowled in, sweeping to stick his head in your closet, your toy chest, even in your desk drawers. He made a full round, stopping just short of your hiding spot. If you reached out, you could touch his foot.

Your heart caught in your throat, and your hands clamped down harder than ever around your mouth. A frantic mantra repeated in your head. Don’t look under the bed, don’t look under the bed, don’t look under the bed...!!

“... ‘Kay, I guess you’re not here!”

And with that, Floyd spun around and his heel and bolted out.

Huh? You blinked, flabbergasted. Had you done it? Had you outsmarted the shark?

You held your breath, letting a few seconds pass, then cautiously poked your head out from under the bed. You shimmied, carefully wiggling your body out from down under. Bit by bit, you crawled your way out of the undersea cavern.

Then came the harsh tug at your ankles, yanking you back into the darkness.

You shrieked as you sailed backwards, limbs flailing in desperation. You kicked and punched at the air, but to little avail. Try as you might to fight against the monster from the deep, its grip held tight like a vice grip.

A familiar shadow loomed overhead as you came out on the other end of the bed. The shadow of a shark.

“Caught you,” Floyd announced giddily. “Ehehe. You’ve been pretty bad lately, Little Shrimp--so for your punishment, I’m gonna tickle you until your stomach hurts!! Prepare yourself~”

“Drink up, Flowey!” you chirped, tipping your watering can, heavy with water, to grant a refreshing drink to a bed of flowers.

(Once, you had called repetitive names stupid, but thanks to Floyd’s influence, you practically named everything after what it actually was. Was it a blessing or a curse? Perhaps both.)

While your parents were away, you looked after yourself at home--doing your homework, amusing yourself, even taking care of a few household chores. You had taken up “gardening” recently, if only because it was an excuse to be near some water. Hosing down the plants was great fun (until mother warned you you’d drown the poor things), so now you made it a habit of watering them a bit in the afternoons.

You set the watering can down and stepped back to admire your work. Flowey now glistened with fat droplets upon its petals, its soil soaking up its midday drink. “Grow up big and strong,” you whispered, patting its petals.

Of course, the flower did not answer--but you liked to think that it was nodding along to your wish.

“... [Name]-san? Ah, so this is where you were.”

Your ears perked up. Glancing over your shoulder, you found Jade perched on the backyard porch, hands dutifully clasped in front of him.

“What a good child you are, assisting your parents with looking after the garden,” he mused, striding over. Though shorter than Floyd by a few centimeters, Jade still towered over you. It was only when he crouched down that he was able to meet you at eye level. “How are the plants faring today?”

“They’re doing really good!”

“Well. They are doing really well,” he corrected.

“They’re doing really well!” you parroted back. “Maybe one day they’ll be even bigger than you and Floyd!”

“Fufufu. Will they, now? I look forward to that day, then.” Jade’s mismatched eyes glimmered with anticipation. “With all of these flowers and herbs you’re cultivated here... When the time comes to harvest, you will have a bounty on your hands.”

"Yeah! Mom and dad can make something really good with the herbs. And we’ll have fresh flowers to make the dinner table pretty!” You giggled, pleased with yourself. “We might get an apple tree, and plant some potatoes too, so we can have even more food from home.”

Jade nodded, his eyes carefully tracing the perimeter of your fenced-off garden. He tucked a hand, fingers curled, under his chin. “... Have you considered adding fungi as well?”

“Fun-guy?”

“Mushrooms.”

“Don’t mushrooms grow in icky places?” You grimaced, wrinkling your nose. “I don’t wanna eat something that grows in caves and between my toes.”

Jade chuckled. “They are more than just a means of nourishing oneself. Mushrooms can be used for poison medicine as well. Some can glow in the dark, some create their own ‘ink’, some change color... They are fascinating. What’s more, mushrooms can enrich the soil and make it easier for your other plants to grow.”

“They can?” you gasped, a hand flying to your mouth.

“Yes. You wished for your flowers to grow as tall as myself and Floyd one day, correct? Mushrooms can assist you in that endeavor.”

“Wow, are they magic or something?”

“Fufu. You could say that, yes.” Jade grinned from ear to ear. “But if you wish to see this ‘magic’ for yourself, then I would highly suggest investing in some mushrooms of your own. Do bring it up to your mother and father when you next discuss plans for the backyard.”

“Okay! I’ll do that!”

“Responsible and obedient. My, your parents must be so proud of you, [Name]-san,” he cooed, reaching out and running hand through your hair.

“... I dunno.” Your voice was small in the shaded garden. “They look at me funny sometimes. Dad says my head’s full of water, and mom worries that I don’t have friends from class.”

“... Is that so?” Jade’s smile turned sympathetic. “I suppose it is only natural for parents to be concerned for their child. However, in my humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with being considered an odd duck.”

“There isn’t?” A touch of hope honied your tone.

“Oddity is what gives the world its flavor, its spice. If we were all exactly alike, life would be quite dull to experience. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah, but...” You bit your lower lip. “My classmates don’t like odd. I get picked last for sports and group projects. They don’t want to play with me during recess. I’m always alone.”

“It is their loss--but you need not fear. You are not without friends. You have myself, Azul, and Floyd now, yes? We are your friends, and we enjoy your oddity.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

You fell silent, letting his words stir around in your head.

“... Thanks, Jade. I feel a little better now.”

“I am glad to hear it.” He rose to his full height and offered a gloved hand. “If you are finished tending to the plants, might I invite you inside for a snack? Your parents have left a platter of fresh fruit for you in the fridge. There are apples, bananas, oranges, and a berry medley.”

“Can’t I have cookies instead?”

Jade’s smile widened. “Most certainly not.”

“You’re no fun!! Floyd lets me eat cookies for snack time.”

“Floyd and I are not one and the same. You may say what you will, but I am merely doing my part to help maintain your health. Were you to be malnourished, I would not nearly have the same amount of amusement that I currently enjoy.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I wouldn’t concern yourself with it.” Jade placed a hand on the small of your back and gently ushered you indoors. “Come now--right this way. I will fetch you your fruit, in addition to some granola and a cup of low-fat yogurt. After all... What are friends for?”

You folded your arms, squinting down at the stacks of homemade play money spread out before you. Each “coin” was a haphazard circle with a number scrawled in the center, and each “bill” was colored in crayon and boasted crudely drawn mermaids or fish in the center. Seated across from you on the floor was Azul, his arms also crossed, patiently waiting for your answer.

“Let me repeat the question again to refresh your memory,” he suggested. “If I purchase the rights to the Mystery Drink from the Mystery Shop for 100 madol, tax included, then resell it at the Mostro Lounge for 1500 madol a glass, not yet including a 20% tip and a 8% tax, how much profit do I stand to make for each sale of the Mystery Drink?”

“You’re making it too hard, Azul!” you squeaked in protest. 

“I am challenging your intellect,” he insisted, pushing his glasses up. “Now then, your response?”

“I like you better when we’re playing board games. Even Monopoly’s better than this.”

“Your response, if you please.”

“My response is that you’re a meanie!!” you cried, shoving a handful of play bills and coins at him with a loud huff.

He glanced at the amount--quickly calculating the sum in his head--then grinned down at you. “That is correct. Well done. I knew you had it in you--all you needed was a little push in the right direction.”

“Hmph! You’re still a meanie.”

“This is the thanks I receive for helping you get ahead of your studies in math? How cruel of you, [Name]-san,” Azul sighed dramatically, bringing a hand to his forehead. “And here I thought you would be more grateful for my services... especially after I assisted you in cutting a deal with that toy vendor. Sob, sob, sob...”

“Liar. I can tell you’re fake crying!”

“Oh dear, it seems like I’ve been caught and foiled again. What ever shall I do?”

You laughed, chucking the rest of the fake money at him. “Make it up to me by getting me a Mystery Drink! I want to drink some, too!”

“As you wish, dear customer.” Azul swiftly collected all the bills and coins, tucking them away into an inner pocket of his jacket. “Shall we make the trip to the kitchen together to pour you that drink?”

“Yeah! Let’s go!” You eagerly hopped to your feet and trailed after Azul.

Click clack. Each step he took was accompanied by his walking stick snapping against the floor. Sharp and resounding in the long, empty corridors of your house.

You stared up at him quizzically.

“Azul, are you old?”

“Old?” He made a face. “Older than you, yes, but no older than the twins. By month, the twins are actually considered to be older than me.”

“You act a lot older. Plus, you’ve got this cane, and glasses, and grey hair!” you pointed out.

“I beg your pardon? For your information, this is no cane. This is a magical staff. One wave—” Azul pantomimed sparkles shooting through the air with a wiggle of his fingers. “—and I can make all your dreams a reality.”

“Can you make yourself real? And Jade and Floyd, too.”

“... That, I’m afraid, is simply not possible.” Azul glanced away, his expression solemn.

“You lied to me again.”

“Only if you consider us to be dreams. You’re very much awake right now, aren’t you? So technically, it was no lie.”

“Sneaky sneak!!”

Azul laughed. “Pay attention to wording, and you can find loopholes and grey areas in nearly anything. That is what makes for a skilled negotiator and debater.”

“You said something like that at Mermaid’s Cove.” You bounced on your tip-toes. “Have I gotten better since then?”

A sly smile. “Perhaps.”

“Geez, just gimme a clear answer!!”

Your banter continued as you crossed the threshold into the kitchen. Seated at the dining table, your father, newspaper in hand, and your mother with a cup of coffee. Sunday evenings were moments of reprieve for them, yet their eyes were deep and dark, almost sunken in.

Their heads turned to you as you, still bickering with thin air, entered. They exchanged a worried glance.

“Who are you talking with today, sweetie?” your mother asked nervously, staring at where Azul was—and seeing nothing there.

“It’s Azul, mom!” you replied cheerily. “He’s making me a Mystery Drink.”

“A... Mystery Drink?”

You swept by her and to the cabinets to retrieve a cup for yourself. Then you flung open the fridge and pulled out an assortment of fruit juices (though in your mind’s eye, you imagined Azul perched behind a classy bar area doing this for you). Unscrewing each cap, you poured off some of each juice into your glass (picturing Azul in your place).

Apple, orange (with pulp for texture), grape, cranberry, lemon, lime, fruit punch... You thought of them all dancing around in your mouth in a conga line.

You replaced the caps and, using a spoon, stirred up your drink to incorporate everything. (He handed it over with a crafty grin. “It’s on the house—no need to thank me, [Name]-san. Drink up.”)

“Thanks, Azul!” you told the air. Glass of Mystery Drink in hand, you plopped down between your parents at the table. “Oh, and Azul says ‘hi’, mom and dad. He thinks you should visit the Mostro Lounge one day.”

“And the ‘Mostro Lounge’ is...?” Your father raised an eyebrow.

“It’s the restaurant he works at with Jade and Floyd. They have lots of yummy stuff like this!” you explained, taking a loud slurp of your concoction.

“Right...” Your mother pursed her lips. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but immediately closed it before any words could escape. “We’ll have to go there next summer vacation, then.”

“Where did you say you met these... fishy characters again?”

“At Mermaid’s Cove a few years ago, dad. Remember? We heard them singing.” You paused, listening to Azul’s business pitch. “The Mostro Lounge usually has jazz music. They’re thinking of starting in-house band performances every weekend. Azul on the piano, Jade on the bass, and Floyd on the drums.”

“I see...”

Another concerned look was exchanged between your parents.

“Well... as long as you’re having fun, dear,” your mother said at long last. Her smile was kind, but a little weary.

It went over your head--but Azul took note of it.

The moon came out to play in the evenings. You liked to lie on your side and gaze out your bedside window, watching the moon and the stars twinkle until sleep overcame you. It was your silent fourth friend, the one that followed and guarded you when the others weren’t around, swathes of silver ribbons embracing you in a gentle hug.

But tonight, you were fully alert. Sugar coursed through every fiber of your being, refusing to let your eyelids drift shut--and there was pressure upon your bladder.

... Maybe I shouldn’t have had that Mystery Drink.

Your bladder seemed to gurgle in agreement.

You groaned and sat up, swinging your feet over the edge of your bed and letting them touch the floor.

In the dimly lit space, you slowly padded toward the bathroom. Only a few steps in, you caught a golden ray spilling out from further down the corridor. Light within the darkness.

That’s weird. Did mom and dad forget to turn off the lights?

Your feet drifted past the bathroom and curiously headed toward the kitchen. Words slowly came into focus, set upon familiar tongues.

“... rried about [Name],” came your mother’s voice.

“I am, too,” said your father.

What? About... me? You pressed your back to the wall, and strained your ears to listen.

“They should have outgrown imaginary friends by now... but they still talk about Azul, Jade, and Floyd as if they’re real people. Adding more and more details every day... It feels as though they’re disassociating themselves from reality.”

Ice climbed over your skin. Your body was present in the moment, but your mind felt far away--soul and spirit disconnected, jarred by the declaration. It was a punch to the gut, sending your thoughts whirling.

“They do the same thing in school,” your mother continued. “Their teacher called the other day, said [Name] sits and talks to themselves instead of with their classmates. They’re a bright child, but they’re so closed off from others... it’s alarming.”

“We can take them to the doctor. Maybe they can help us sort it out.”

“No! No, that can’t... that won’t do. I don’t want to ruin their fun, or make them think they have some kind of problem...”

“You’d rather we wait for it to go away on its own? How long would that take? The kid’s growing up fast. They might sooner lose sense of who they are before the issue poofs away.”

“You’ll crush their spirit. All their hopes and dreams.”

“At least then we’d still have our child intact. Not these... fake fish folk they speak through. They can’t keep living in a fantasy world forever, and we can’t keep sheltering them in it.”

“I… I suppose you have a point. Sooner or later, they have to realize a fantasy is a fantasy. Better that we address it now.”

“I’ll call the doctor in the morning, then.”

“Please do.”

The ground fell away at your feet, the world tilting.

Your chest tightened as you took a shaky step back. Then another, and another--until you bumped into something. No, three someones.

“... [Name]-san, it is well past your bed time,” Azul tutted, placing his hands on your shoulders to steady you. “You shouldn’t be up and about like this.”

“You should go about your business in the restroom, then see yourself off to bed,” Jade chimed in calmly.

“You’ll need your shut-eye if you want to have the energy to play, Little Shrimp!” Floyd added.

“Mom and dad think there’s something wrong with me,” you mumbled back, eyes dazed and blank.

You stared at your hands. The very same ones that clung to others, tapped goldfish tanks, watered flowers, played games, and poured drinks. They seemed so foreign now--so alien.

Otherwordly and unreal.

Azul grasped your trembling fingers.

And without another word, the trio guided you through the dark world.

You stood in silence by your bed, clutching onto Azul’s hand until your knuckles turned as white as the moon. Jade was busying himself with fluffing up your pillow, while Floyd was folding up your comforter into various origami-like shapes. The moon peered through your window, training its gaze on you.

A heaviness permeated the room, stifling all sounds.

Your various sea creature plushies looked on--an audience, watching, waiting.

Azul cleared his throat. “[Name]-san, I believe the time has finally arrived for us to part ways.”

Your snapped to him, face contorting in horror. “What? You’re… You’re going away?”

“It is for the best. You’ve grown far too old to continue clinging to shadows of the past.” Azul readjusted his hat, the brim casting a shadow across his features. Eyes as blue as the sea, and hair like moonlight--just how it had looked when you had first seen him.

“But I don’t want you to go. You’re my best friends. My only friends!”

“Little Shrimp can make new friends!” Floyd unfurled your blanket upon the mattress, blinding a number of your stuffed animals. “You won’t have any problems, since you’re so fun to play with!”

“None of them will be as cool as you guys! Or as strong and smart. I bet none of them are merpeople, either!”

“I’m afraid that flattery will get you nowhere.” Jade set down your pillow—freshly fluffed. “Azul is right. You’re growing in every sense of the term—our services are no longer needed here.”

“Lingering for longer than is necessary…” He shook his head, his earring clinking. “That would be coddling. Fufu. Such an insult to one who is already perfectly capable of looking after themselves.”

“But…”

“Depend on others too much, and you will incur a debt that you cannot possibly pay off,” Azul warned, wagging a finger.

“I don’t care! I’ll do whatever it takes to make you guys stay! You can take all the money in my piggy bank, all the mushrooms I raised, and Goldfishy too!”

“I can keep Goldfishy? Yaaay!”

“Floyd, please. We’re having an important discussion here!” Azul sighed in exasperation, hands folded as he regarded you.

His expression and his voice softened. “... We care for you—and because we care for you, we must also learn to let you go. Just as you must also learn to let us go. It is the only way you can continue growing splendidly.”

Azul patted the bed, now fully made. “Even if change is difficult or painful, it must be done if you wish to be your best self.”

You didn’t let go of his hand, and made no effort to climb onto your mattress.

Azul sighed, scooping you up in his arms and depositing you onto your bed in a swift motion. You stared up at him. His face was engulfed by shadows, moonlight outlining his form.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” he asked quietly. “Think of that, and let it be your motivation and courage for change.”

“A merperson,” you squeaked, voice hoarse. “I want to be where the mermaids are. I want to see them laughing, and dancing, and swimming through the sea. I want to be a part of that world—a part of your world.”

“... Is that truly what you wish for?”

“Yes. I want it more than anything.”

Jade and Floyd slinked over, flanking either side of Azul. Their golden eyes pulsated under the cover of night.

“You will always be a part of our world, so long as you are thinking of us,” Jade reassured you in a soothing cadence.

Taking your comforter in both hands, he neatly tucked you into bed. You raised your head to argue, but he eased you back against your pillow with a nudge on your forehead.. 

“We won’t be gone forever! The water’s always around. You can look for us, like a big game of hide-and-go-seek.”

Floyd seized a shark plushie from beside you and, with a giggle, tickled your nose with the stuffed animal’s maw. You laughed, swatting at him with your arms. The shark tumbled out of his grasp and rolled onto your lap, its silly smile a reminder of Floyd’s own.

You snatched it up and held it close to you. Squeezing so tight, you feared the shark’s button eyes would pop off.

You dared not look them in the eyes when the next words left your mouth.

“... I’ll miss you,” you sniffled, eyes watering and burning—threatening to spill over.

“Hey now, Little Shrimp! Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Floyd ran a hand through your hair, tangling it all up between his fingers. “I had a blast while it lasted~”

“Do not think of this as the ending,” Jade advised with a bow. “Think of it as a new beginning. The start to a new song, simply with fewer performers than the last number.”

“A new song…?”

Azul expelled a sigh. “That is enough talk, you two. You are prolonging things.”

“Boo, lame.”

“My apologies.”

The twins silently stepped back, rejoining Azul.

“[Name]-san, it is late, and you look absolutely exhausted. You’d best be off to sleep now—perhaps dreaming of swimming in the sea.”

“I’m afraid that if I close my eyes, you’ll already be gone when I wake up.”

“... A lullaby would help,” Azul suggested. “You always were a fan of our songs, weren’t you? It was how we first met—and now, let it be how we depart.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

The bed creaked in protest as Azul and the twins seated themselves upon it. You weren’t sure who started it, or when, but before long, a low hum had floated over, wrapping itself around your head. The opening notes to a sorrowful song from the distant past.

Ruin and rebirth.

You couldn’t quite understand the words. They slurred and melded together, like a stream of water in constant motion—yet there was a comforting, soft cushion to their composition. Valleys and crests in the notes, filled with tears and fragmented hearts. Sad and happy at the same time.

Bittersweet.

Your eyes fluttered, despite your best efforts to keep them wide open. A pleasant, tingly warmth enveloped you from head to toe—thanks to magic of the music, and your blanket cocoon—and a curtain of drowsiness descended upon you.

You yawned, fresh tears forming in your eyes as they, at last, shut. The world went black, and sounds muffled, as your consciousness slowly faded away.

The last thing you heard...

“Sweet dreams, little one. May we meet again in another time and place.”

The moon looked on through the window, and shed a tear into the sea.

[landofspaceandrainbows]

for a “Pinch Hits from the Void” prompt from a lovely Anon! < 3

Moment Not Found

~

Karl wandered the green paths, his stomach frilled with little electric zaps and the flutter of a thousand butterflies. He watched as Sapnap puckered his lips and blew a tiny whisper of flame onto the heads of six of his arrows, and as the blazeborn, Manifold rolled a ball of amber lava between his hands, clenching a thermometer in his hand until his strength boost was high but still allowable under the rules for the tournament.

Karl fidgeted, and smoothed out his finned tail behind him and glanced down at his turquoise and copper sweater. His nerves battled with the little “purr” looking at his new outfit gave him.  Every thread just as he had planned.

A line in a book he had found in his own handwriting once whispered through his mind "You don't get to choose when you time travel or when you return, but you already know that... "

Glancing at a clump of flowers drooping down from  above his head, Karl actually bumped into George, he looked him over, the light blue of the mushrooms growing out of his shoulder looked a bit odd, but set off the dark brown of his hair about as well as his usual red mushrooms.  The white spots on their hoods gleaming in the sun. The thick frames of his sunglasses like diorite or quartz.

"Amazing!  I was worried I wouldn't get to see you before the start.  Yea, I know I've been doing this for years longer, you still nervous?"

Karl nodded.

"I'm sure you've got this." He felt George's arms warm around him, "just breathe."

"And you look as lovely as a spring day."  The blush staining George's cheeks was a sweet reward even if it dissolved quickly at they were transported to the Aqua Axolotls starting area.

~

Build mart first, Karl sprinted for the dark oak logs first, and a gleaming pile of gold.

His feet sank into the scarlet carpet, but soon his feet skipped between gleaming quatz, and occasionally blackstone brick, and red wool.  He counted four blocks here, six blocks there, before dropping back onto the carpet softly, seconds out of time.

His hand grasped George's on the way by as he went through to grab a coal block set into a and the makings of a "socket" of trapdoors, to set off the gold. 

Red, white, red, white, beneath his leather boots.

"You don't get to choose when you time travel or when you return, but you already know that... "

He saw Sapnap facing him down, white shirt like a brand in the darkness.  He could see his raven-black brows drawn down in emotion and concentration. "Cmon, cmon" he whispered, he willed white walls to rise from the ground around him, to fill the air with burnished quartz in the shadows like that shirt.  Or black walls, right now he would gladly roll out the welcome mat for the Other Side....

If there were crickets here, he could nearly hear them in the silence as the second crawled by like hours. No response to his pleas.

And no fire res, fuck.  He slipped into his inventory, felt the eerie little prickle of weight-from-nowhere you never quite got used to.  His Frostwalker Boots.  He scraped them against the ground encouraging the cold to come a few inches above his waist, hopefully that would be enough.  He spun away, diving behind a wool block - as the arrow released. He could see a flash of white teeth in the darkness, even though they were on other teams, Sapnap acknowledging his defensive maneuver.

The arrow hit his sleeve,  a rosette of pain blossoming in his wrist.  He almost melted at the sensation,  Sapnap and George's faces still fresh in his mind, his body lighting up with how George's arms felt around him... but "not now, not now" he whispered, crushing his sweater against the ousides of the boots, and feeling the cool layer of ice take away the pain.

As the bell gaily rung the end of the round.

~

Crouching beneath the colred walls advancing towards him was more of a dance at this point.

He stepped into the white glowing halls, and hunted around, here was a upward sloping path, and here a short stair,  it would take him at east two minutes to make the climb, but while he didn't have forever, the slight issues of timing weren't an issue here.  There!  Now here he was, roughly in the same position as before but two or three blocks higher.

...and stepped out again, as the brilliant lime green of the wall passed below him.

~

The two axolotls stepped down from the winner's stage.  George, still warm and sweaty pressed Karl into an out of the way corner.  Green ivy hiding them from the crowd and the murmur of voices.  Karl spotted a sweater and hood that was all too familiar to him, but... red?

Another fluff of brown hair spilled from under the hood.  So damn familiar to Karl by now from the mirror.  "Mind if I join?" whispered the mild voice.

He  recognized the hands, certainly,  but he didn't remember ever wearing that shade of nail polish before.  How far from the future was he?  or was this simply another memory problem?  Missed appointments, misplaced keys if he didn't place them beneath the big wood arrow saying "KEYS", he remembered so little these days. The sparkling magenta nails, helped him lift the edge of George's shirt,  scraping across George's soft stomach and earning them both a gasp.

"MCC 2023, Pink Parrots," Karl's own voice said, "thought I'd stop by, so I left a note.  I know how much my hands were shaking today.  Thought I'd lend a hand" He grinned wickedly, "or two.  Call it a double winner's  point of view!"

~

[shushiyuii]

tiny!mer tommy with giant human sbi member noms

HAHAHAHA ANGST TIME, i'm kidding. its all fluff! MUHAHAHAAHAA!

Warnings: Soft vore

Words: 1.4K+

(@ghostan0n here you guys go!)

Tommy swam and splashed happily around his pond. The pond was a fair size considering Tommy was only about half a foot in height, not only that but the pond had a good ecosystem going for it with no other Mers around, meaning it was the perfect safe haven for the little Mer.

Growing up Tommy had been the runt of him and his siblings and because of the smaller size, he got blown away in a current from his family at a young, leaving him to learn to survive without the help of his parents.

He luckily found the pond, so it greatly helped him in surviving. He learnt how to live completely on his own.

He wasn’t alone though; he did have some frequent visitors.

“Tommy! We got you some treats!”. Tommy slowly and sneakily made his way to the surface, out of the way from the human’s view, to deem this treat worthy of his feast.

Surprisingly it was his favourite, little choc chips. They were sweet and full of flavour! Tommy loved them! He dove back under the water and happily pounced onto Wilbur’s hand. “There you are!”, he was just smaller than Wilbur’s hand.

He chirped back happily and began to eat his chocolate, he wasn’t allowed much and afterwards Wilbur was supposed to give him fish food, which wasn’t the worst food out there, but it tasted rather bland if he was honest.

Wilbur chuckled as he witnessed Tommy straight up gobbling the chocolate with what he could with small fangs. He honestly found it adorable. “You doing okay, Today?”, Tommy chirped happily in response.

Sadly, Tommy couldn’t speak English, only understand it. He learnt it through many years of living in the lake. But what he could speak was his own language known as Oceanian, which consisted of thrills and chirps.

And luckily for Tommy they had a translator as Wilbur’s dad, Phil worked with Mers and had a good understanding of the language. Meaning he could communicate with them. Only with Phil present though, he had yet to learn sign language.

Once Tommy was finished with his chocolate, he dove back into the water as he couldn’t stay on the surface forever.

Tommy is honestly quite happy where he is now, he would never want to leave the pond. It was his home now and Wilbur, Techno and Phil were his family, even with the creature difference.

Tommy gestured for Wilbur to join him in the pond and play. “You wanna play?”, he got a splash in response. So, Wilbur happily walked into the pond, with it barely being his knees length he could easily sit down.

Once he did sit down, Tommy swam around his legs. Breaching the surface much like a dolphin now and again. It made Wilbur happy to see Tommy happy as cheesy as that was.

“So, what’s happening in Tommy’s chaotic life Today?”. Tommy stopped for a minute and surfaced his upper body. He pinched his chin in a thinking position until he seemed to remember something.

Tommy dove back into the water and didn’t surface back up for a couple of minutes. It made Wilbur curious about what he was doing. Then Tommy came up to be carrying a small shell, which fit nicely into both arms.

“Another shell for my necklace, huh?”. Tommy nodded and chirped happily in response. Wilbur was going to have to drill a hole into this one in order to fit his necklace that was laced with shells already given to them.

It was always a gesture Tommy gave them; it was always a contest between the three of them who got the most shells from Tommy. And not to brag but Wilbur was winning.

Tommy continued to swim around Wilbur and getting the occasional hand cuddles, then it was time for bed, “Alright Toms, I think that’s enough for today.”. He whispered to the half-asleep Mer sleeping on his hand.

Tommy lazily chirped back as if saying “I don’t wanna sleep!”. But Wilbur moved so he could put Tommy into his grove.

But Tommy wasn’t having it, he clung onto Wilbur’s hand when he tried to retract it. “Tommy, it’s getting late! Phil will be mad if I don’t get home for dinner!”, he chirped back frustratingly in response.

“Tommy we can’t be arguing right now, I gotta go. I’m sorry”. Tommy began to aggressively chirp at Wilbur as if he were screaming profanities, he probably was. “Tommy! First, language! Second, I can’t stay! Sorry bud. I’ll come back tomorrow though”.

Tommy’s ear like fins lowered as he made the saddest puppy dog eyes he could. He didn’t want Wilbur to leave obviously. Wilbur sighed, “Why are you being so clingy today, huh?”.

Tommy thrilled sadly. “Alright, alright. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes, okay?”. Tommy finally let go of Wilbur, trusting him to come back and Wilbur wasn’t just going to let him down.

Wilbur made his way back to the house, “There you are Wil! How’s Tommy?”. He asked as he continued to cut the onions on the cutting board. “Just fine, he’s being really clingy Today.”.

“Ah, Mers can be like that sometimes, they don’t want their pod to leave.”, “Tommy wouldn’t let me leave one night actually, it was annoying”. Techno added, but it was clear no ill intent was there. It was just Techno’s way of being playful.

“Hey Dad, is it okay if I skip out on dinner tonight?”, Phil looked over with concern on his features. “How come?”, Wilbur stumbled on his words, whilst grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Uhh-“.

Wilbur looked away when he couldn’t answer. There was a moment of awkward silence as Phil thought for a moment. Then he pieced it together. “Oh! Got it! Go ahead! Stay safe alright?”. He sighed in relief, “Will do!”. Then, he left the house back to the pond.

…

He then made his way back to the pond, “Tommy! I’m back!”. In a second Tommy was at the surface, swimming towards Wilbur. “Okay, you clingy bitch! You know what we’re going to do?”. He asked sarcastically. Tommy chirped back in determination. He knew what he was going to do.

Because of Phil’s job as a Mer biologist, a professional one at that. He knew a lot about Mers. And he made sure his kids knew a lot too. So, when the family met Tommy, they already were well aware of how to take care of the Mer.

That also included other things too, such as the fact Mer’s were able to be swallowed and safely be stored in a human’s stomach since they were acid-resistant. The first time Phil had done it so they could transport Tommy safely was rather shocking for Wilbur and Techno.

But then they did it themselves and were actually quite surprised it felt like a giant hug, so they honestly didn’t mind swallowing Tommy, they did it now and again. So, it seems like it was one of those days for Tommy.

“How about a challenge Toms?”, Tommy furrowed an eyebrow. “Try and land in my mouth. I dare you.”.

Tommy made a determined expression and quickly dove back into the water. Wilbur sat down, opened his mouth, and waited. After about a minute, Tommy breached the surface as high as he could. And missed.

So, he tried again, this time Wilbur gave him a helping hand and let Tommy land in his hands. And then quickly shoving him in his mouth, much to Tommy’s dismay. He wanted to do the challenge. It made Wilbur laugh as Tommy’s tail hung out of his mouth.

Tommy chirped angrily and slapped his tail against Wilbur’s chin. In response, Wilbur just softly swallowed, then proceeding to slurp up Tommy’s tail like a noodle. He then swallowed again and traced Tommy’s descent with his hand. Making sure his little brother was again.

Once he felt Tommy land in his stomach, he put a hand to his stomach. “You okay Toms?”. He got a chirp in response and felt Tommy get comfortable in his stomach. He signed in relief, he then grabbed his water bottle and chugged down the bottle. So, Tommy was sure to be safe.

“Alright, time for bed.”. He then made his way back home, grabbed his guitar and played a soft melody until he heard Tommy’s sleepy chirps. Then made his way to bed.

[garbagevanfleet]

Brightest Blue (series)

PART TWELVE

Pairing: Josh x reader Warnings: THIS CHAPTER IS 18+! Explicit sexual content Summary:  Things are changing. New state. New school. New roommate. You just pray things are going to click into place.

Notes: ahh, sweet resolution. Writing this chapter made me euphorically happy. Thank you for reading! Extra thank you for liking, reblogging, or replying to this fic. I’m so happy people like it as much as I do. 

taglist: @valleyd0ll​ @satingrass-maidensfair​ @guitarfingers​ @thebohemianpenguin​ @peaceisouranthem​ @oblvions​ @hansonobsessed​ @myownparadise96​ @anditsmywholeheart​ @kill-fear-the-power-of-lies​ @bigblack-catattack​

MASTERPOST

The final week before the play was an oddly enjoyable hell. Every second felt like it flew by and dragged on for eternity simultaneously. 

You had skipped class on Thursday, just to make sure you had every costume just the way you wanted it. Your very favorite one to work on had been Alice’s dress - you put more work into it than most of your classes for the past couple of weeks, but by the time it was done, it could have been in a storybook. 

As it hung from your closet door, you took a moment to be proud of yourself, admiring the lace and the neat trimmings. 

Kate showed up around 5, and somehow you knew she would, even though she never mentioned a thing when you told her you were staying home. 

“Hi, you,” she greeted, letting herself in as she slipped past you. “Did you get it all done?”

“Well, if I had another week, I’m sure I could find more that I could work on with them, but they’re pretty great,” you agreed. “You want a glass of wine?” 

She shook her head at you. “Actually, I’m taking you shopping tonight.”

“Shopping?” 

“Yeah, have you thought about what you’re going to wear to the play?” she inquired, sounding smug like she knew you really hadn’t.

You frowned at her, unsure. “I was thinking probably something simple.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, it should be something classy, pretty,” she said. 

“And warm,” you reminded, thinking of the snow outside. 

“Sure, sure, yeah. So, are you coming?”

You gave her a sweet smile. “Let me get my coat.”

+++

“I don’t think I can wear this,” you said through a grimace as you turned this way and then that in the mirror. Kate had let herself right into the dressing room with you, her long legs taking up more space than you could afford in such a small room. “My whole vagina would freeze.”

“It’s not that short,” she giggled.

“Yeah, but it’s just an open dress. My legs are exposed!” 

“True, maybe you could wear leggings under it,” she suggested. 

“If I were going to wear leggings, I’d want a longer dress I think. Maybe something mid-calf. Then I could wear booties.”

She looked like she was considering it for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that seems like it would be super cute. What about your hair?”

“How about we find the dress first and go from there,” you teased. 

Once you were dressed again and had everything hung back on the “reject” rack, you ventured out into the store again, weaving through mannequins and lines of garments. You went to grab a hanger when you snapped your hand back in pain. 

“Damn,” you hissed. She turned to give you a concerned look. “My fingers are so sore from sewing. I’m kind of thinking they might never recover.”

You were joking, but she gave you a sympathetic look anyway. “You know this play is just as much yours as it is his, right?” 

You huffed a laugh. “Oh my god, that’s so dramatic.”

“Well, pretty damn close,” she objected, pulling a dress from the rack in front of her and laying it over her forearm. “His ass would have been grass without you.”

“We can thank Rachel for that,” you quipped, chronically annoyed by the thought of her. 

She paused what she was doing and met your eyes. “Did you figure out why she quit?”

You gave her a confused frown. Now that you were thinking about it, Josh never did tell you why. You shook your head. “Why?”

“Well, it sounds like she kinda had a thing for Josh. Like a big thing. And that’s why she signed up to work with him in the first place.”

You nodded for her to continue, your stomach feeling tight. 

“And I guess it went okay for a little while - he seemed receptive to it apparently, but she found out he had a female roommate and saw you guys eating lunch together all of the time, you know?” Kate continued carefully. 

You hummed, trying to seem casual, but you felt a little like you’d just been sucker-punched. 

“How did you hear about this?” 

“Grapevine,” she replied with a smile. “What do you think of this one?” 

She was stroking her fingers down a long dress, black with flowers in muted colors. “That would go really well with my coat actually. We have to accept the reality that I’m going to have to wear a coat the whole time.”

She smiled at you in an oddly genuine way for her. “I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but you should go for it.”

You gave her a confused look. “I have to try it on first.”

She put a hand flat on your chest. “Not the dress, you goober. Josh.”

You stared blankly at the ground until you were sure of what you wanted to say. “I don’t want to fuck this up. I can’t lose him as a friend - I’d be devastated.” 

“Why would you think you’d fuck it up? I don’t know that you could, to be honest.” You watched as she grabbed a pair of earrings, dangling off of their cardboard hanger. She started back off toward the dressing room, and you followed close behind.  

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

+++

You helped Josh get all of the costumes to the school on Friday, hanging them up on racks backstage. You took the time to make them all tags, writing the kid’s names in fancy, flowing script. 

Josh was working on getting the first set perfectly into place, so everything was ready to go for showtime the next day. Despite how clearly nervous he was, you could hear him handing out compliments and words of encouragement to the stagehands - even his constructive advice was said in a way that felt like every person in that room was his best friend. 

He had left you mostly alone to get the wardrobe ready, but when he popped back into your area, he crouched down next to where you were sat on the floor. 

“I probably won’t be home until late again tonight,” he informed with a half-frown. “There’s a lot I still have to get into place.”

You gave him an understanding smile. “Don’t worry about me, worry about you. You need a good night’s sleep for tomorrow.”

“I know,” he replied, looking thankful. “Show me some of these costumes.”

You had been oddly flattered that he had trusted you enough to have them done - and done well - by the time of the play; he hadn’t asked to see them even once until right then. 

“You can look through them, but they won’t look right until they’re on a child.”

His face lit up like that was the best news of the day. “That’s perfect because the kids should be here for dress rehearsal in about ten minutes.”

You smiled at him as he stood and helped you up with two outstretched hands. 

He ran his hands over the rack, pausing on the one you knew he would. With a perplexed look, he pulled the door mouse costume and held it up. 

“This is-” he started, but you cut him off. 

“I know, I really hope it’s okay, but I found a sheet in your room with some rough designs on it, and I really liked a lot of them,” you admitted sheepishly. 

“You were going through my stuff?” he asked with a grin.

You shook your head. “Just that. And it was when I went in to get Penny.”

His fingers slid down the tail of the costume, made from a string of peach-hued rope - just like his draft had called for. His brown eyes flicked up at you, looking like melted chocolate under the warm-colored lights. “I literally don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you for this.”

You could feel a blush rising on your cheeks, the sensation of flower petals brushing your stomach lining. “Let’s make it through the show without them falling to pieces first.” Your tone had been a teasing one, but he looked completely unaffected. 

The intensity of the moment was slowly creeping up on you - you weren’t sure if he was going to kiss you or cry. In the end, he did neither. 

“Do you want to stick around to see the kids in their outfits?” he offered, but you shook your head. 

“I’m actually really excited to see it all for the first time tomorrow,” you replied with a smile that was immediately matched by his. 

“Alright, I like that idea.” He paused a moment before speaking again. “Don’t wait up for me, okay?”

You chuckled at him, pulling your jacket on to leave. “No promises.”

+++

That evening you spent a long time in the bathtub with a bottle of wine. You had homework to do - and you tried for a couple of hours, but you just couldn’t be fucked with it, so you turned the water up as hot as it would go and rested your head on a rolled-up towel.

You felt silly about it now, but you were scared that once this was over, you would feel lost without the costumes to worry about. That moment never came for you - at least not with the costumes. 

You definitely couldn’t stop thinking about Josh.

There was this terrible feeling in the pit of your gut - a guilt, heavy like you swallowed a pile of gravel.

When you got out, you haphazardly dried off and left the wet towel on the bathroom floor. You got changed into a long-sleeved shirt and your pajama shorts and then grabbed what was left of your wine and made your way to Josh’s room. After you laid out on his bed, you rolled over onto your side and stared into the fish tank, pressing your fingers against the glass. 

Penny had been snoozing in her log decoration, but when she spotted you, she hurried out to greet your hand.

“I fucked up, Penny,” you whispered. You imagined she was making an angry face at you, but in reality, she was just floating there, probably wondering where her dinner was.

You glanced at the time on your phone. 

8:32 pm

You grabbed the little jar of flakes off of his bedside table and strained to drop a couple into the water. She gobbled them up excitedly, her safety-orange colored fins waving in the water. 

You had no idea when it happened, but you woke up to the dresser drawer by your head opening. You sat up, irregular heartbeat making you feel jittery.  

Josh turned to look at you, a warm smile on his lips, the sun illuminating his tan face. “Hey,” he greeted. 

“Oh my god, it’s light outside. What time is it?” you asked groggily.

“About 8:30. I got home at midnight and you were passed out in here, so I covered you up,” he informed, making your face run warm.

You pushed your messy hair away from your face. “I’m sorry, I was laying in here with Penny and I must have fallen asleep.” You glanced around in confusion. “I didn’t even feel you get out of bed.”

“Oh, I slept on the couch,” he replied, picking a pair of pants from his top drawer. 

You frowned, casting your eyes down to the bedsheets. He thought you didn’t want to sleep next to him, and instead of waking you up to move you, he slept out on the couch. The idea made you want to cry.

“Will you sit with me a moment?” you asked, patting the spot next to you. 

He gave you an apologetic smile. “I really want to, but I need to be over to the school in twenty minutes. I am planning on being back here around 4 to eat something quick and then get ready.”

“Okay.” You clambered out of bed as he pulled his shirt off and changed into a new one. “I think I’ll probably already be at Kate’s, but if you want to take my car you can.”

He shot you a smirk. “Really? You’re going to let me drive?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, putting on your best mom voice. “Yes, but only if you promise to be very safe.”

He put his hand over his heart. “I promise.”

“I’ll see you after the show,” you said, maybe a little too sweetly, and brushed a curl out of his eyes. It was well worth it to see the tops of his cheeks turn pink. 

+++

As Kate took you both to the theater, you couldn’t kick the nervous butterflies. She looked beautiful - you’d never seen her in anything but mom jeans, but she was dressed in a plaid skirt, tights, and a black turtleneck sweater. She had insisted on doing your makeup - sitting you down at her vanity and pulling a barstool close enough she could reach you. You had known better than to complain about the amount of time she took - besides, you had gotten over to her house so early, you had nothing but time. When she was done, you barely recognized yourself. Somehow she had made your eyes look bigger, your lashes longer and darker, and your face sharper. You were used to wearing foundation and concealer, but your face felt almost a little heavy under all she’d put on you. 

She had laid out a few extra things for you - a pair of boots and a set of green gem earrings and you gave her a thankful smile as you donned them. The truly hard part was resisting hugging her very affectionate polar bear - which was actually a dog, she informed you. You had tried once, but she scolded you, reminding you that white fur didn’t look good on black fabric.

You had whispered a promise to him that you would be back soon to give him all the love he could handle.

When she pulled up to the school, she had you get out at the doors and grab the tickets while she went to park, and to your pleasant surprise, Jake was waiting for you. He helped you out of the car with an outstretched hand. You weren’t sure what you were expecting him to wear, but it definitely wasn’t a button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone and nothing underneath. 

“You’re literally making me cold just looking at you,” you teased, wrapping your arms comfortingly around your frame. You had earned a grin from him.

“I’m wearing a coat,” he reasoned, holding up the hem of a light peacoat to prove his point.

You rolled your eyes at him. “C’mon, let’s get our tickets.”

He pulled two tickets out of said coat’s pocket and handed them to you. “You mean these?”

“Did you buy these?” you asked through a frown.

“One of them. I bought mine and Kate’s, and I think you can guess who got yours,” he responded with a genuine smile. 

You took one of the tickets wordlessly, but you couldn’t suppress a smile. 

As soon as Kate had joined you in the foyer, you took your seats. Despite it being only a college production, you were shocked at how many people had come to the opening night. There were only a handful of open spots left when they flashed the lights, and you could just imagine Josh giving the kids a pep talk backstage. 

The show started with a fun, bouncy opening music number and you leaned against Kate as you looked on at all the set pieces you’d both worked so hard on. You had thought your job was hard, but Kate had to round up a bunch of art students to help her work on the hundreds of different props.

Leave it to Josh to treat a children’s musical like a broadway show. 

The first half of the show went pretty much perfectly - everyone seemed to remember their lines, and if they didn’t, you didn’t notice. You couldn’t help but smile in pride as you watched all of your costumes appear on stage, one by one. 

During intermission, your head snapped over when you heard a soda tab opening and you shot Kate a disapproving look - you’re pretty sure you’d read a “no outside food and drink” sign at the front entrance. She gave you an unapologetic smile as she took a long sip and then handed the can over to Jake. He laughed under his breath.

The time went by too fast, and the closer it got to the closing act, the more anxious you got. The final scene was a triumphant number, exciting and big. You could tell that a lot of the audience was family members because when the curtain fell, they all began to stand. Hooting and hollering filled the huge room, and you almost cried when the curtain rose again to reveal some of the kids wearing smiles that spread all the way to their ears. It started with the minor characters - the cards, the flowers, and then the Cheshire Cat, the Hatter, the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit. Then finally, The Queen of Hearts, followed by a grinning Alice. 

They waved excitedly at the crowd, eating up the standing ovation like it was candy. You saw Kate with her hand pressed over her mouth and the biggest eyes you’d ever seen her wear - she was absolutely in love with them, as was the entire rest of the room. 

A moment or two later, Josh stepped out onto the stage. You recalled back when you had first met him and had told him you couldn’t imagine him in business casual because he was wearing a dark blue suit, a pair of black dress shoes, and a proud grin. As the kids made a spot for him in the line, he crouched down in between them and gave a couple of them a pat on the back. You saw him speak something at the girl playing Alice, and it must have been praise because she gave him a toothy smile in return. 

When the cast members had returned backstage, you had told Kate and Jake to leave when they were ready - you were going to wait for Josh. Both of them had given you knowing smiles that you brushed off easily enough, but they left all the same with a parting word of “text me” from Kate. 

You gave it enough time that most of the audience had left - all the kids joining their parents with promises of ice cream and treats - before you made your way backstage. 

After looking for him for a moment, you spotted Josh chatting with an older man excitedly by the back exit. When the older man (his professor, you assumed) laid eyes on you, he gestured toward you with a, “Please head home, we’ll see you tomorrow. You’ve done a great job.”

Josh turned to look at you and the smile melted from his lips as he nodded a haphazard acknowledgment to his professor. 

“Hey,” you greeted, only needing to speak above a whisper in the quiet area. Viewing him on stage was fine - it felt impersonal, but up close it felt like looking into the sun. “You look so handsome.”

His cheeks turned red under the tan skin as he rubbed at the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said through a weak laugh, and a moment later said, “The costumes were incredible.”

“Not bad for someone who didn’t know how to sew a month ago, right?” you teased. You stared into his eyes for a long moment before crossing the room and taking his hand. “Are you ready to go?” you asked, then teasingly added, “Provided my car is still intact.”

He chuckled at you before taking a long breath. “Yeah, let’s go home.” 

The car ride home was tense, but not uncomfortable. You could sense the electricity running through him as you chatted about the production - the pride radiating from him was palpable. 

When you pulled into the apartment parking lot, it had just begun snowing, and neither of you made any moves to exit the car once it was turned off. 

After a long moment of silence, you spoke again. “We have a lot to talk about.”

He gave you a nervous look, one eyebrow quirked. “We do?”

You breathed a laugh, half-turning towards him in your seat. After a moment of collecting your thoughts, you said, “I want you to lay it all out for me. I know we haven’t been talking about it because it’s scary but I need to know exactly how you feel about me.”

He stared into your eyes for a long time, seemingly trying to predict whether this was a good idea or not. Just for assurance, you laid your hand on top of his where it rested on his knee - his fidgeting fingers pausing under your touch. 

“You know, I think I felt it for you the moment I first met you,” he admitted, casting his eyes anywhere but on yours. “I was nervous up until semi-recently that I just felt that way because I was lonely, you know? When my ex and I parted ways last spring and my roommate dropped out and moved away, I felt like I lost everyone all at once.

“I stopped going to parties and seeing my friends until I had none left. And I didn’t want to see my family - I think I had become accustomed to being alone, but you moved in and you were so kind. I’m not sure exactly when it happened - probably kind of a little bit at a time - with every interaction, you know? But I feel it for you. For real.”

He met your eyes again with a surprised frown. You watched his other hand come up, his thumb swiping under your eye, leaving a cool spot behind. “I’m sorry, don’t cry.”

You laughed weakly. “I didn’t know I was. I’m going to ruin all the makeup Kate spent an hour working on.” Before he could speak again, you took the moment. You leaned in and tugged him closer to you by the lapels of his suit jacket, pressing your lips to his. He melted into it for only a moment before pulling away with a sad smile. 

“I don’t want you to do this just because you feel bad for me,” he explained, voice uncharacteristically flat. 

You gave him a frown, taking his chin between your fingers and forcing him to look at you. “I’m not,” you promised, but he looked unconvinced. So you tried again.

“Josh, I’m so sorry about the way I’ve treated you. I fucked up. You have got to be the absolute sweetest person I’ve ever met - definitely the sweetest man - and it was fucked of me to sleep with you and then make you feel like you were wrong for wanting affection.”

He gave you a questioning look.

“It’s never going to happen again. Because - if you’ll have me - I want to give you all the affection you can handle. No weed-induced hook up’s this time.”

He was silent for a long moment, and you huffed a laugh as you visualized his brain working. 

“Oh,” he breathed as a smile started to tilt his lips up at the corners. “Well. That’s not how I expected this to go. Are we gonna fuck here - in the car?”

An abrupt laugh ripped through your chest. “I would prefer if we didn’t, this is cloth upholstery. But we could go inside?”

He nodded at you, and opening the door and stepping out, he came around to your side and gave you his hand to make sure you didn’t fall in the new snowfall. 

Inside, he toed off his dress shoes, and you bent to undo the buckles on your boots, your fingers shaking slightly in anticipation. The second you were stood again, he had you pressed back against the door with just enough force to knock the breath from your lungs. 

When he leaned in and connected your mouths, you wrapped your arms around his neck, your fingers lacing into his hair. 

He kissed a trail down your jaw and to the base of your throat, the feeling of teeth dragging across your skin giving you goosebumps. He hummed into your neck as his hands snaked around your body, his fingers tugging up the hem of your dress.

You slipped your coat off with his help once he realized what you were trying to do. As soon as it fell to the floor, you were walking him back blindly through the apartment, neither of you caring when you bumped into this or that. He turned you around when you reached his bedroom, laying you out over the covers. 

You watched as he unbuttoned his suit jacket, then the cuffs of his dress shirt. 

“You look so beautiful tonight,” he mumbled, making you blush lightly as he gestured to your form. “Did you do this for me?”

Through a smile, you replied, “Of course.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he stated confidently as he worked to open his button-down shirt. You decided that you weren’t going to let him do that alone, so you sat up, replacing his fingers with yours. 

You huffed. “Don’t say that.” The second the fabric was undone, you pressed your lips to his warm stomach, feeling the skin twitch under the touch. “You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met - candy sweet.” It was his turn to flush pink across his face, but you weren’t done yet. “I find myself thinking about you constantly.” You nipped into the trail of hair below his navel as you tugged his shirt from his dress pants. He hummed low at the slight pain. “I actually got some condoms in case you wanted to use them. Probably not all of them tonight - it’s a big pack, but you know. Over the next couple of weeks.” Your tone was teasing, forcing a breathy laugh from him. 

“Where are they?” he asked, voice a little gravelly. 

“My bedside stand.” 

As he exited the room to retrieve them, you pushed yourself up onto the bed until your head hit his pillows. You could hear him rummaging in the next room until the noise stalled for a beat as you worked off your leggings. You listened to him pad back across the hall, wearing just a smile and his dress pants when he returned. 

He crawled up the bed over you, pressing his face into your cheek as his hand lifted the hem of your dress. 

“What’s this?” he asked into your ear, pressing something cold against your thigh. You knew what it was instantly, making you suck in a surprised breath. 

You laughed, but even to your ears, it sounded nervous. He held it up so you could see.

“That would be a vibrator.”

It wasn’t anything special - just a slim, blue plastic piece, but it was the only one you’d ever had, and it had been a very good friend to you. He hovered his lips over yours as he ran the toy up your leg until the tip of it brushed your panties. 

“Is this okay?” he asked, but he sounded smug like he already knew the answer. You squirmed in anticipation and nodded. 

When he brushed it across your mound, you jolted, your fingers pressing tightly into his shoulder. He applied a little pressure to it, pressing it into the folds over the fabric. The feeling made you whine in the back of your throat.

He sat up, slipping his legs under yours, pulling your ass into his lap. Your face felt hot, so you covered your eyes with your fingers, sucking your bottom lip into your mouth. This was a lot different than hooking up with him while high. 

He played the toy over your panties until you were wet enough to have left a damp spot in the fabric. Then he hooked his fingers under them and tugged them down enough to give him full access, though the position restricted him from removing them completely. 

When the plastic pressed against your bare skin, you had to suppress a moan. You couldn’t see, so you didn’t expect it when the toy flicked to life against you, and he ran it across you lightly, just teasing. 

You stared up at the ceiling through your fingers, your mouth agape as he brushed it over your clit in circles, making your hips buck into the touch.

“Fuck,” you breathed, taking one of your hands from your eyes and running your fingers through your hair. If you tugged on the locks lightly, no one had to know but you. 

A little rougher, he deliberately pressed just the tip of it into your clit, forcing a shocked whine from the back of your throat. You made the mistake of sitting up on your elbows to watch, but instead, all you could look at was the form of his hard cock straining against his tight pants. 

You couldn’t have stopped yourself if you tried - you reached out and ran your fingers down the length of it. It twitched under your touch, but he didn’t stop what he was doing. You made a mental note to congratulate him on his dedication. Instead, he grabbed your wrist with a firm grip and laid you back down, all without taking his eyes off of his task. 

You could feel it starting to build in you as you rocked your hips into the feeling of the toy against your most sensitive part. You were positive that you looked absolutely pathetic, but when you met his eyes, he looked so entranced that it made you blush deeper - if that was even possible. 

Your fingers were flexing into his sheets as you came, a high whine ripping through your chest. When he pulled the toy away, a thread of your come was still connected to it, shimmering in the dim light of his lamp. He brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss against it, leaving his lips shiny. 

It took you a moment to collect yourself - your breathing was ragged and not at all appealing, if you had to guess. 

He gently placed your vibrator on his side table, and you watched as his fingers worked open the button on his pants, and then the zipper. When he pulled down the elastic band of his underwear, his cock popped out - rock hard. He pushed all the fabric down to his thighs and then tugged you further into his lap until your parts were flush together. 

“Did you want the condom?” you asked with a fucked-out smile. 

“Fuck it,” he replied with a grin as he rubbed his cock through your slit, making your over-sensitive skin pulse.  

You breathed a little “ah” sound as your whole lower half felt like it was hooked up to a live wire. “Are you telling me that you went all the way over there and forgot the condom?”

“First of all,” he started with a sinister laugh. “It’s just across the hall. Second of all, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

You had opened your mouth to respond but before you could, he pushed into you, his thumb holding his cock into place. 

“Fuck,” you rasped, throwing your head back into the pillow. You could feel how wet you were just by his movements. Your hands reached out until you could dig your fingernails into his forearms, his hands tight on your hips as he bottomed out in you. 

You looked up just in time to catch his tongue swipe out over his lips, his eyes half-lidded. 

He started rocking in and out of you like a tide drawn to the beach, sending little shockwaves through your core and up into your tight stomach.

To give your fingers something to do, they worked at the buttons on your dress. They only went down to the bottom of your ribcage, but it was far enough to expose your chest. He didn’t waste even a second before he moved one of his hands to your tit, squeezing it until it spilled out through his fingers. 

You were focused on that until he brushed something inside of you that made your jaw drop open. You went to moan but no sound would come out, so you sat up on your hands and pushed back against him, forcing him in deeper. His teeth were clenched as his hands found your hips again, holding you in the position you needed to be in to work yourself on him. He hummed, eyes fluttering as he met you halfway, thumbs pushed into the thin skin across your hip bones. You briefly wondered if he’d leave you little oval-shaped bruises.

He was staring into your eyes as best he could while his eyelids fluttered, so you knew when he was getting close to the edge. He pulled you up to him so you were riding his lap, his forehead against yours, the new angle putting his cock perfectly against your sweet spot as the length of him slid into you. 

You kissed him deeply as you worked yourself onto him, his breath hitching and his fingers lacing into your hair as he came. You were shockingly close behind, so when he drove you down on him harder to ride out his orgasm, you lost it too. 

You gasped into his mouth as it washed over you, leaving your senses as if you were swallowed by a wave. 

Neither of you moved for a few moments until you pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes. 

“You’re going to have come on your dress pants,” you whispered teasingly. He smirked back at you as he laid you out onto the bed. 

“Yeah, I’ll have to wash them before tomorrow night’s show,” he agreed, and the idea made your cheeks go pink. 

You were both silent as you cleaned up, and when you returned to him from the bathroom, he was already tucked under the covers in his bed. He smiled at you and held the comforter up for you as you crawled in next to him. You knew you were going to fall asleep almost instantly once you got completely situated, so it was lucky that he spoke before that happened. 

“I want you to come home with me for Christmas,” he stated, voice just above a whisper. 

You blinked over at him, a little stunned. 

“I don’t want you to be here alone - you deserve to be with a loving family,” he explained further when he saw the look on your face. 

You gave him a smile, feeling oddly sentimental post-orgasm. You could feel tears pricking at your eyes, so you buried your face in his neck. 

“I’d like that.”

[stiltonbasket]

Stilton! I feel it would be a shame if MerMay passed us by without a prompt for your Mer!AU, so here's a question: how does Shuilan come about in this AU? Alternatively, how does the boat trip/family getaway go where they're heading down south to see (presumably) the Wen and Jin pods? OR do SongXiao et al appear in this AU? ... Turns out I could go on quite a bit, but in the interest of not hitting the character limit I'll stop there =D

After Wei Ying signals his return from the warm waters of the south, Lan Wangji scarcely eats or sleeps until he reunites with his family.

"A-Die has a surprise for you, Fuqin," Wen Yuan says cheerfully, as soon as he flops out of the sea at Jingyu Cove and transforms his tail into a pair of knobby-kneed legs. "Are you wearing swimming trunks?"

Regrettably, Lan Wangji is not wearing swimming trunks, mostly because he assumed that Wei Ying, A-Yuan, and Xiao-Yu would shift into their human forms and come up for dinner at the beach house. But having a merman for a husband and two merbabies for children has long since divested him of his dislike for cold water, so he strips down to his boxer shorts and wades in the direction of Xiao-Yu's pointing finger, picking his way through clumps of seaweed until the sandy seafloor drops away beneath him.

And there, glittering in the distance with something small clutched in his arms, is Wei Ying: floating in a brilliant arc of red light reflected from his tail, and trailed by a cloud of inky black hair. He is as beautiful as ever, even lovelier for the month that the Jiang pod's seasonal migration forced him to part from Lan Wangji, and Lan Wangji's heart swells at the sight of him until he wonders if it might actually burst.

Lan Wangji strikes out in a short, smooth freestyle (he's gotten much better at swimming since meeting Wei Ying, because even merbabies need a weather eye keeping watch over them at all times) and kicks off towards his husband, coasting to a halt at his side before they rise to the surface together for a cool, salty-tasting kiss.

"You taste like salmon again," he murmurs. "Were you hunting just now, beloved?"

"Yanli-jie is hunting for me," Wei Ying replies, with the sunlight in his eyes sparkling just the way it does on the horizon. "I can't hunt just now, you see. A-Yuan and I have too much to do."

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow. "Oh?" He was under the impression that Wei Ying does most of the hunting for his family during the days he spends offshore, since merfolk from his birth pod are faster, stronger swimmers than most blood-related members of the Jiang family. "What has been keeping you busy, then?"

In answer, Wei Ying unwraps the long kelp leaf in his arms and shows Lan Wangji the warm, breathing thing bundled up inside it: a fat little bunch of wild black hair and marbled scales, like the colorful blotching on the bodies of ornamental carp. The stubby-finned tail is impossibly small, smaller than Xiao-Yu's was when Lan Wangji first met him, and his heart skips a beat in his chest; because the soft little bundle nestled against his husband’s chest is unmistakably a baby, so delicate and tiny that Lan Wangji can scarcely make out its pearly fingernails.

“Wei Ying?” he gasps, as the merbaby yawns and turns over onto its back. “Is it--the baby, did you...?”

“Someone left her behind,” Wei Ying sighs, with a sad little smile on his lips. “We haven’t been able to find out who she is, or where she came from. So she’s ours now, Lan Zhan!”

Lan Wangji bends closer and strokes the baby’s round cheek, holding back tears as she opens her eyes and blinks at him.

“She is perfect,” he says thickly. “Is it dangerous for her to be away from the water, Wei Ying? Is that why you did not come up to the beach?”

Wei Ying nods. “It would frighten her, so I thought she should meet you first! And look, Lan Zhan, she likes you!”

The baby’s dimpled fingers are wrapped around Lan Wangji’s thumb, holding it so tightly that his nail is starting to go blue, and he breathes out a soft, delighted laugh before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I like her very much, too,” he smiles, before taking his husband into his arms. “What should we name her, xingan?”

“A-Ling already chose a name! Do you want to hear it?”

“Mm, my love. Very much.”

“Her name is Shuilan,” Wei Ying smiles, uttering the name as if it were a pearl, rolling sweetly between his lips and out into the brisk morning air. “The lan is your favorite flower, and part of A-Ling’s courtesy name--fitting, isn’t it?”

“Then we will call her Wei, to prevent any confusion,” Lan Wangji decides. “A-Yuan is Wen Yuan, and A-Yu is Lan Yu. So this little one will be Wei Shuilan, and honor us both in her name.”

And then the world is swept away, lost in the comfort of his husband’s embrace as Wei Ying leans up to kiss him.

“I love you, my heart,” he whispers, when Wei Ying pulls away. “Endlessly.”

And I love you, Wei Ying replies, as the strength of his conviction fills the water like a song. I love you no matter how far I go, or how long we spend apart.

I have never loved anyone more, Lan Zhan, and I never will.