#she basically uses the money to keep the aquarium functioning and to capture more merfolk for their 'protection'

[r0b0-writes]

Based on the mer scc au/designs by @charliedzilla

Title: The Cove

Desc: Sweet and Cap'n don't know if it was fate or coincidence that the day they went to The Cove would be the same day they discovered a mermaid. But what started as mutual curiosity and caution is now something much more.

Words: 3,124

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The afternoon sun hit the beach with such ferocity that any living thing would find it hard to walk barefoot on the sand.

The Cove, very cleverly named, was a remote area that few people visited. There was hardly any good fishing in this area and the debris from the nearby trees made the beach a poor spot for tourists.

Still, Sweet and Cap’n loved The Cove.

The duo had been visiting the remote area for about two weeks straight now. What had started as an easy-going trip had turned into something way bigger than the two of them.

Literally.

The pair lived in a lazy old fishing town. Nothing to note except for the occasional events the local bar would put on. The residents were like the residents of any other small town. Everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyone’s business. There was no stopping it. If you were to tell the butcher something then you could guarantee the grocer would know soon enough.

Which made the pair’s daily adventures to The Cove noticeable. Fellow locals had asked where they were heading a handful of times. Each time Sweet and Cap'n made up an excuse, but there were only so many excuses until someone would decide to come snooping.

Sweet and Cap’n both waited in the shade, impatiently looking at the water. “They’ll come,” Sweet muttered, mostly to himself. "They'll come," they repeated. Cap'n rolled his eyes, "you act like he's never not shown up." He tossed a rock in the air, catching it in his hand only to toss it again. "We were early anyways, it's two, we usually aren't here until at least three."

“Well, I didn’t want to be late again! You saw how much it stressed it out last time.”

Cap’n didn’t have any comment on that subject. He could still recall the sound of that melody as they hiked to The Cove a night ago. The two had a small gig at the bar in town and didn't make it to The Cove until the sun had already set. He remembered that once he heard the voice, his legs moved on their own, his head got a weird fuzzy feeling. He had begun to cry as they raced towards the beach. Whatever unknown language was being sung, Cap’n and Sweet knew it was for them. They could feel the sadness in each pitch, they could feel the longing, begging desperately for them to appear.

It was the worst feeling they had ever felt. Overwhelming, suffocating mourning.

It only went away when the two locked eyes with the owner of the song.

A familiar melodic chirp came from the beach. “It's them!” Sweet and Cap’n dashed out from the safety of the shadows towards the rickety old dock. The duo comically let out a few ow’s, ouches, and eek’s as they hopped from foot to foot across the burning sand.

Once at the dock they were greeted by what made The Cove so special to them.

The mermaid.

They didn’t have a name for their green, metallic, and scaly discovery. But they simply nicknamed them K_K. After the happy chirps it would make when greeting them.

They had learned two things about K_K during this week. He was a social creature and didn’t like being alone and he loved giving gifts. As the two approached the end of the dock, K_K dived beneath the water only to return and dump an armful of treasures onto the wood. He stared at Sweet and Cap'n as the two looked through his gifts.

Sweet pulled a shell from the clump of sea debris, examining it in the light. "Wow, look, this one's really pretty." Cap'n leaned over, "you're right, and hey look, it's the same color as my shirt." Sure enough, Cap'n was correct.

Upon noticing their interest in the shell K_K rummaged through the clump to find more, handing each shell to them. Then they slunk back to the water, only their eyes above the water, staring intensely.

K_K liked these land dwellers, truly and genuinely liked them. They had never had a pod of their own. Hatched alone in the big ocean, with no family, K_K had spent their life traveling amongst many different residents of the sea. It had many friends, but none they felt this drawn to. From the moment they saw them, K_K had felt a connection, an instinct to greet and protect them. K_K hoped they felt the same.

They had never been more certain of their feelings than when the land dwellers hadn't visited until nightfall. All-day K_K had waited and waited for them to appear. They would look to the sky to see how late it was getting, and by the time the sun was setting, K_K was certain the two had been killed by some predator. That thought was enough to shatter K_K's heart. The only way to convey their sadness was through song. They sang for hours until their throat was sore, but then they saw the duo racing towards them.

K_K had decided that maybe he was being dramatic, but what else was he to think? He didn't know what the land looked like. Each time the two left, K_K could only hope to see them return. Besides, it was hard to communicate between the three of them. K_K managed by recognizing their tone and gestures. But the language barrier was still a problem. K_K communicated in a language no land dweller would be able to speak fluently, his true name indecipherable. Many fishermen simply called it 'The Language of the Sea'. Something all marine life was born knowing the moment of birth. The only way K_K could verbally communicate was through song.

Sweet and Cap'n had finished pocketing the shells they wanted, K_K took a mental note of which items they liked most. They distinctly ignored the fish bones he had brought them but seemed mesmerized by each item that had bright colors.

"Hey, K_K," Cap'n called.

He swam up to the dock, tilting his head.

"We brought you a gift this time too." Cap'n dug around in his backpack then pulled out a plastic box, inside sat a slice of lemon cake. K_K's eyes widened as Cap'n handed him the cake. He looked between the two and tried to share the cake, but they refused, telling them it was theirs. K_K bit into the cake and quickly realized this was its favorite food. He finished the cake in a few bites.

Sweet smiled at how enthusiastic K_K was. "With how much they liked the cake we should just call them Cakes," he chuckled.

Cap'n and Sweet glanced at K_K, who was licking the crumbs from his fingers. "Hmm... nah," they both said.

After finishing the cake, K_K pulled themself from the water to sit on the dock beside them.

Even though it had only been two weeks since their meeting, the trio had grown very close. When first meeting K_K the two had been cautious of touching his tail, yet they stared at it all the time. It wasn't until K_K made the offer for them to touch his tail that the tension fell. It was almost funny, now the two comfortably leaned against his body, with no fear or hesitation. K_K closed his eyes, basking in the sun. Beside him, the two talked, of what he didn't know, but they were happy. That was all he needed to know.

The serene silence was short-lived, however.

“Hey!”

The trio's heads swiveled behind them.

"Oh no..." Cap'n muttered.

K_K looked between the two, they seemed nervous. Was the shouting something to be nervous about? Sweet turned Cap'n "Get them in the water." Hurriedly Cap'n tried to coax him away. K_K frowned and knit their eyebrows together. Why were they pushing him away? Nonetheless, he listened to their gestures and flopped back into the water. They did not go far though, curiosity kept their head above the water.

Footsteps echoed under the dock.

"What are you two doing here?" Came an unfamiliar voice.

"Uhh, just lookin' around," Cap'n blurted out. "Y- Yeah, we went for a hike and stopped here just to, uhm, admire the... scenery?" Sweet didn't sound as confident as Cap'n did. K_K could feel the anxiety in their tone. Whoever was on the dock with them was bad news. And they were making K_K's pod members feel uncomfortable. His tail flicked in agitation.

Above the dock, Sweet and Cap'n had found themselves in a fine kettle of fish. They were face to face with the one person in town that could ruin everything. He was talkative, a show-off, and worst of all, a blabbermouth. "What are you doing here?" Cap'n asked. "You normally don't come out this way, Berdly."

Berdly smiled smugly, "you two really thought you could keep this a secret?"

The pair began to sweat, "uh... wh-- what do you mean? We don't have any secrets here."

"Oh, ho ho! No secrets? Then why do you come here every day? And you come back to town with a bunch of trinkets and shells? I know what you're up to..."

"Look, Berdly, please don't tell--"

"You two are going to start a sea shell business selling beautiful shells for an outrageous cost! But I won't be made a fool of! I know what capitalism does to a society! You fiends! I'm here to get the prettiest shell before you so I can give it away freely to my lovely~ Noelle~ and my heroism will win her heart!"

The guys were too stunned to speak.

"Your lack of response means my deduction was accurate." Berdly pushed his glasses further up his face. "You two are like fish yourselves, mouth gaping open like that. HA!" He laughed. "Too stunned by my brilliance, I see! Well prepared to be even more stunned! Because I'm going to tell everyone! Then everyone will come--!"

"NO!" They both shouted. "Don't tell anyone! You figured it out, okay?" Cap'n raised his hands, "we'll do anything as long as you promise to not tell anyone."

Berdly hummed in fake contemplation. "I might be persuaded to keep quiet... If you give me something in return."

Sweet narrowed his eye, "what do you want?"

"I want free front seat tickets to your next gig in town. I'm going to take Noelle and she'll be so impressed!"

Sweet glanced at Cap'n, mildly confused. They weren't the most popular band, but then again, they were the only one in town. Their gigs were usually for festivals or at bar nights. But the main problem was they couldn't promise Berdly free tickets. The people who hired them were in charge of all that.

Cap'n began to speak when Sweet pulled him aside. "Just go with it. We'll pay for his tickets later if we have to."

The two turned back to Berdly. "Fine," Cap'n sighed and crossed his arms. "You'll get your free tickets."

"Just, please," Sweet begged, "don't tell anyone to come here."

K_K's eyes widened. Why did Sweet's voice sound like that? Was he scared? Was that other person... scaring them? His dorsal fins rose, making them sharp and spiky. Enough was enough, no one would get away with scaring them. The dock rocked as K_K rose from the waters. Berdly's face shifted to horror as K_K loomed over Cap'n and Sweet. K_K hissed, the gills around its neck rose, its strong tail slapping the old dock. Sweet and Cap’n could all but stare as water droplets fell from its chest onto them from below. It bared its teeth, daring the threat to take a step forward.

Berdly fell to the ground, beak trembling, "m-," he scooted backward. "Monster! There's a monster!" Berdly rushed to his feet and dashed away as fast as his feet could carry him.

With the threat gone, K_K’s body relaxed, but only slightly. They turned back to their pod only to be met with scared eyes.

K_K was confused and looked behind them to make sure the threat was gone. He was. So why were they still--

Oh.

K_K frowned at the realization that who they might be scared of right now... is him. They had never seen him angry, they had never seen his claws or teeth bared like that. To them, he must've been frightening. K_K lowered their body and flattened their dorsal fins.

The two relaxed and he slowly approached. K_K gently took their hands and brought them to his cheek. His eyes closed as he leaned into their touch, embracing the knowledge that they were safe with him. That he would protect them from all enemies. Confiding that he was no threat to them. The two blushed at the closeness but didn’t dare move their hands. Not that they wanted to. They weren't scared of K_K, they had been scared for him. After the moment ended, K_K slunk back to the water and began humming a happy melody.

Sweet and Cap’n wondered how its emotions could change so quickly. One moment he was protecting them like his life depended on it, the next he was doing flips in the water and singing happily.

Sweet dropped to the ground, covering his eye. "What are we gonna do, Cap? What if he tells the town? What's gonna happen to K_K?"

"Hey," Cap'n rubbed Sweet's back. "It's gonna be okay, we'll figure this out. We won't let anyone hurt him." Despite Cap'n's words, he was equally worried. Berdly wasn't much of a threat by himself, but if word got out to the wrong person...

"We have to figure something out, Cap. I can't imagine him stuck in a cage or-- oh no," Sweet's eye began to get teary. "What if someone wants to mount him on a wall?" He gripped Cap'n by the shoulders. "What will we do? We can't let them make him sing 'Don't Worry Be Happy'. Do you have any idea how traumatic that would be?" Sweet released Cap'n and gripped the corners of his head. "What're we gonna do? What can we do?"

"Dude, breathe. You're stressin' me out," Cap'n took Sweet's hand in his. "I promise you that it'll all work out. Worst case scenario we gotta put K_K in our bathtub." He squeezed Sweet's hand, "I promise."

Meanwhile, K_K had been under the water, picking out more shells for his pod members. However, when he resurfaced and saw the two they forgot about the shells and swam back to the dock to see what had upset Sweet. He did not know what was being said, but he could hear Sweet's worried tone, Cap'n trying to comfort them. K_K frowned, it did not like seeing them so unhappy.

As K_K approached the two turned to face him. Sweet wished he could ask K_K if they knew the risk of what had just happened. He wanted to tell K_K that there had been no need to show themself to Berdly. But he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to. K_K rose from the water and sat beside them. He tilted his head and placed a finger under his eye then pointed at Sweet.

Sweet moved his hand to his mouth to make a beak shape, then decided against it. That could be miscommunicated easily and probably make the situation worse. This would be so much easier if-

Wait.

"Cap'n, toss me your bag."

Sweet dug around in Cap'n's bag until he pulled out a pen and sketchbook. "Hey, man! That's my sketchbook, what're you doing?"

"If we can't talk... maybe we can draw to each other, you know?" Sweet doodled on the paper and then turned the sketchbook to K_K.

K_K's eyes followed the doodles. The first doodle showed the threat from earlier running off. The second showed the threat talking to other land dwellers. The third showed K_K in a net. The last two frames were engulfed in a thought bubble above a doodle of Sweet. Even though they were sloppy and hastily made, K_K seemed to understand.

He looked between Sweet and Cap'n and took their hands in his and squeezed. He leaned his forehead to theirs and began humming a gentle tune. At that moment there was no worrying of hunters or the burning sun. Just the slight breeze and the comfort of knowing they were all together.

≋

"-- I swear! I swear it was a monster! A monster in The Cove!"

The bar erupted in laughter. "Yeah, uh-huh, someone's been out in the sun too long." Blue laughed from his booth. "Sea monsters are just a bunch of fairytales."

Feeling dejected, Berdly huffed and left the bar. Maybe he had been imagining it? He sat down by a few barrels that lined the outside of the bar. Stuck in his thoughts, he hadn't even realized that he was not alone in the night.

"Quite A Show You Put On," came a voice, surprising him to the point that he fell off the barrel. He stumbled to regain balance, "Q-Queen?" Berdly was momentarily shocked. Not only was Queen the owner of the biggest fishing company in town, but being on her good side meant a lot. Sadly, Berdly wasn't thinking of any of that. "Come to laugh at me too?" He averted his eyes.

"LMAO, I Already Laughed At You. But That Is Beside The Point," she smiled down at the boy. "If You Don't Know, My Name Is Queen. Though I Don't Know How You Could Not Know. I Literally Have My Face On A Billboard."

Berdly narrowed his eyes, "... I know who you are. My name's--"

"That Is Not Important." She held a hand up to his face. "Swatch, " A tall finely dressed person stepped out of the shadows at her call. "Dear, Grab Us Some Drinks." The tall one nodded and disappeared back into the bar.

Queen stared at Berdly, Berdly stared back, she stared harder, Berdly was now sweating. "Can I help you?? Or??" But before he could say anything else, she had him in a tight embrace, patting his head.

"There, There, Little One."

"I'm not a kid--"

"Shhh, Shhh, It Must Have Been So Scary To See That Big Ol' Monster, Hmm?" She patted his head.

"... Yeah, a little," his shoulders sank.

Just then Swatch returned with two bottles of the finest beer the bar had available.

"Ah, Thank You, Swatchie," Queen cooed. "Of course," Swatch bowed, "let me know if there is anything else you desire. I won't be far."

Queen waited until he had left to continue the conversation. "They Are Such A Good Right-Hand, Always So Dependable." She raised her glass and took a long sip then smiled, "Now, Tell Me About This 'Monster' You Saw."

_________________________

The End

[I hope you all enjoyed! As stated, Mer SCC / Mer K_K belongs to @charliedzilla . I had a lot of fun writing this and exploring the world in this AU. I might write some shorts/drabbles in the future, just depends on irl stuff. I'm getting ready to go back to college so uploads are going to be sparse again.

I also want to add that Queen isn't malicious in this fanfic (maybe I'll write a prt 2 to clear things up). But she's sorta just... under the impression that the ocean is full of predators and mermaids would be so much safer in captivity (plus she can capitalize off them by putting them in aquariums and whatnot). So kinda like in dr w/ Noelle. She has good intentions but doesn't ask the merfolk anything, she just jumps to conclusions, assuming what she's doing is helpful/noble].

TL;DR

Queen: LMAO. I Am A Fisherman Not A Marine Biologist