#splash mermaid yellow

[prismstonearchives]

スプラッシュマーメイドイエロー - Splash Mermaid Yellow

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Steve and Eddie work together in an aquarium, and Eddie is losing his mind. He's in love, he's got the most embarrassing crush, but Steve doesn't even notice him.

They barely interact, and Eddie only knows Steve's first name. He doubts Steve knows he exists, he's just one of many tour guides (but he's amazing with kids and especially teenagers, so he's actually a great tour guide, thank you very much!)

Back to Steve. Steve, with his lean muscles, easy smile, thick hair and beautiful, but somehow sad eyes. That Steve.

The Steve who works in the aquarium as a merman.

Eddie could watch him for hours, floating in the tank with grace Eddie didn't know existed, with his sparkly yellow mermaid tail, flowing hair and chest hair, and that man can hold his breath for so long? Think of the options, the possibilities!

The mermaid show is insanely popular among all the kids and teens, even adults. His best friend Chrissy was the one who recommended Eddie to the aquarium, she's the main mermaid, and god, if Eddie wasn't gay, she'd have him at her feet. She always looks so effortless, twirling underwater in her emerald green mermaid tail, spinning around Steve. They make such a beautiful pair, it makes Eddie want to weep.

Fortunately, she's already in a happy relationship, so Steve is reportedly still single. Chrissy makes Eddie massage her feet in the evenings - he offered, they're cramping from a bad fit of the tail - and graciously answers all Eddie's reasonable questions, such as "how do his hands feel?" ("Wet. We're swimming, remember?").

She keeps telling Eddie to ask Steve out, but Eddie isn't stupid. That man is the god Poseidon himself, and Eddie is but a humble crab in his kingdom. So he admires him from afar, longing, pining and making Chrissy's head hurt.

But Steve's just so good with kids, Eddie can't keep his mouth shut. He always mutters something to Steve as he's ushering the kids away. "Great show, sweetheart," or "I love that smile, Stevie," or "need help getting that tail off?" He's only a man, and no one can hear him.

Except for a nosy tour coordinator listening in through his earpiece, Robin Buckley. She also happens to be Steve's best friend, Chrissy's girlfriend, and a menace to society.

And maybe one day she tells Steve to just smooch the tour guide, maybe she spills a few of the longing whispers and wishful stares, but she's only human too. A human who's had to listen to Steve's ramblings about the cute guy who always pulls the kids' attention like a magnet, who even through the blurry glass tank seems to be having an amazing time. Steve sometimes asks Robin for an extra earpiece and listens to the rest of Eddie's tour after the show. He loves his enthusiasm. Once Eddie even drew a heart on Steve's tank, can you imagine that, Rob?!

Maybe Robin and Chrissy have to work together to give the two idiots what they need, because Eddie considers himself too nerdy and plain for Steve, ans Steve thinks he's too dumb and shallow for Eddie.

Maybe Chrissy fakes slipping into the mermaid tank and drags Eddie with her. Maybe Robin is there and quickly gets Steve to jump after him. Maybe she makes the innocent mistake of insuating that Eddie can't swim.

And maybe, when Steve and Eddie are back on firm ground, confused and wet, Chrissy splashes them with water and asks if pretending that it's mouth to mouth resuscitation would help, or if they can finally kiss and stop pining for each other.

And one more maybe...maybe in a few weeks, when Eddie ushers the children away after the show, he kisses his palm and presses it against the tank, and watches Steve do the same, before he can give him a proper kiss after their shift.

[mactavishsgfandwife]

Dad!Simon Takes Your Daughter Swimming 🧸

i’ve started taking adult swimming lessons recently because i literally forgot how to swim 😭 it’s so fun tho and i’m good at it now that i’ve jogged my memory pure fluff! just simon being a good daddy (i love him as a girl dad it just makes sense)

Walking out of the changing rooms, you hold your daughter’s hand at the edge of the swimming pool, looking about for her father who seems to be taking his sweet time getting his trunks on. For the mean time, you focus on controlling your hyper little girl. Her hair bounces over her shoulders as she jumps up and down excitedly in her pink kiddie wetsuit - almost giving you a heart attack every time she makes a sudden movement, for fear that she’ll slip. In that anxious state, a tall, military man wrapping a strong hand around your waist almost makes you cry out from shock.

"Hello, love," he tries to hide his chuckle at how he made you jump, planting a soft kiss on your temple.

"God, Si, you scared me!" you laugh, still a little breathless, as his toddler starts to whine and tug your hand towards the pool, her arms somewhat restricted by her small yellow armbands.

"Hey, relax," he whispers into your ear softly, taking a moment to calm your anxieties. Oh, and he thinks he’s being smooth and subtle when he checks you out, but he’s definitely not - not that you care. When he sees your tensed shoulders gently start to ease up, he lifts the baby up into the air and steps down into the pool with her, making her shriek in joy. You giggle to yourself, silently noting how your husband chose not to wear that plain black tshirt. He almost always reaches for it when you go swimming, in an attempt to hide his scary scars from the little kids and to retain some of the comfort that he finds in covering himself - the same comfort he finds in his mask. But today, he was just in his trunks, and you couldn’t help but appreciate the sight of his warm, broad back as he held your little daughter on her tummy in the shallow end, encouraging her to "kick!" and "swim to daddy, sweetheart."

With one hand on your stomach, you gently lower yourself down the pool ladder - your back faced away from it to give your (still small) pregnant stomach some room to breathe. Watching you slowly descend into the pool, Simon lifts your three year old up onto his chest so that her chubby cheek is squished against his shoulder, and swims over to you. The little girl babbles and kicks her soft legs, convinced that it will help them move faster, making simon chuckle and plant a little kiss on her forehead before he stops next to you.

"Y’okay?" a firm but gentle hand supports your lower back as you finally land your feet on the bottom of the pool. When you’re down, that same hand wraps further around your back to lightly caress your stomach, the baby in Si’s arms still babbling and trying to swim away like a mermaid (she can’t actually swim).

"’Course I am," you grin, spirit lifted by your family and by the way the water supports your belly, taking some of the pressure off of your tender body.

"Daddy’s been teaching you how to swim, has he?" you let your body float, Simon still holding both of his girls close to him in the water.

"Can swim! I can swim! Swim!" your little girl squeals, her energy shining through her purple goggles, that would leave little rings around her eyes for a few hours after she took them off

"You gonna show Mummy how well you can swim..?" your husband grins. He gently loosens his grip around her, his hands never actually leaving her sides but still not restricting her freedom of movement.

With her new-found freedom, your daughter starts to giggle and kick her legs, chubby arms flailing and splashing water everywhere.

"Swim!” she squeals, wriggling and kicking, simon gently nudging her back upright when she loses her balance, "can swim! Daddy, can swim!"

"That’s right, baby," Simon coos, a little smile growing on the face that’s typically so rugged and serious. He’s so proud. <33

i hope this was up to standard! tysm for all the love on the last dad!si post!!! i want to do my next one on her falling over (inspired by this video) bc omg imagine him cuddling his little girl and kissing her knee better 😣😣😣

thanks for reading!!

@minimimmies as promised x

[naffeclipse]

One Soul to Another

Reader x Mermaid!Eclipse

Commission Info

I absolutely loved writing this darling hurt/comfort fic centered on Vanessa and Mer!Eclipse from In Deep Dreams Between the Waves for @counterbalance! The unlikely pair getting to connect while Y/N feels so much for their dear friend and dear mer is delightful.

Content Warning for mentions of death/violence/being eaten alive/mind control.

———

The Rustbucket II floats gently along a calm ocean as the dawn waits to spread rosy-tinged fingers over the horizon and lighten the darkness of the salty waves splashing softly against the side of your boat. In the cabin, you stir gradually, still caught between dreams and the black depths filled with stars where you spend your nights with your giant mer.

A calm warmth fills your heart. The beautiful weight of Eclipse’s presence sits tenderly within you, and you swear his fingers still curve softly around you, cradling you close to his chest. His bioluminescence glows behind your eyelids with the strong, orange light of a bonfire. His soft warbles and purrs fall against you but distantly, held at arm’s length by your waking consciousness.

Eclipse?

He withdrew from you softly, setting you back into your sleeping mind like he was tucking you into bed. You blink slowly, your eyelids weighed down with sleep. He doesn’t often leave you so early. He looks forward to your shared dreams the most. 

Slowly gliding your hand over the thin coverlet, you push yourself up on your bed, supporting yourself on your elbows as you force your eyes to focus on the gray-dark light touching the ocean. It’s still so dark. A cool mist hangs in the air. The smell of seaspray clings tightly to your senses. Working up your alertness, you slip your bare feet over the creaking floors of the cabin and softly slip towards the doors leading to the deck. The glass windows are slightly stained with ocean water and you mentally jot down a note to clean those when you return to shore.

Peering out onto the deck, you find a very beautiful, rare sight.

Vanessa. Her arms are folded, leaning against the handrails with her blonde hair outside of her usual ponytail. It’s gotten longer. It falls over her shoulders and down her back. Bangs fall into her eyes from what little of her face you see. A thick-knitted cardigan of cream warms her against the early morning chill. 

Just beyond her, nestled in the water with his head above the surface, is Eclipse. The leviathan hides his great size just below. His lithe four arms are the length of ships and his long, serpentine tail is dark and beautifully frilled.

His eyes don't shift you, his brilliant yellow colors set entirely on your dear friend, but a gentle pulse ripples through your heart. 

Hello, seashell.

You silently hide in the shadow of the cabin, unwilling to disturb this moment for Vanessa. She hardly ever wants to see Eclipse. He reminds her too much of the vicious mer who took hold of her and compelled her into his horrid bidding. 

She has nightmares of his song, but she didn’t last night. You would have heard her screams.

The softest sounds of Vanessa’s voice slip through the calm ocean air. You quietly hold your breath.

“I don’t know how they found you,” she says softly. Her hands nervously knit one over the other, wringing and twisting her fingers. She hardly lifts her eyes to look at Eclipse. He’s trying very hard, you realize, to make himself small and non-threatening for her.

He warbles a low sound, sending ripples across the settled ocean surface. The slightest twitch of her brow follows.

You lean closer against the door, your ear pricking towards her. Maybe you shouldn’t listen in. Vanessa might have told you much but she hasn’t told you everything. Now that she speaks to Eclipse, you can’t help but wonder if this might be therapeutic, a way to help undo some of the damage done by Glitch.

“There must be a difference between a mer meeting a human when the mer is small and when they’re grown.” Her head bows deeper. “Do mers grow up without a human and decide to sink their ships, just because they can?”

Eclipse shifts in the slightest, his brilliant arrangement of frills crowning his head in bright oranges and yellows sweeping in a soft, comforting gesture. His attention remains on her. A soft note slips from him. A soothing sound you so often hear when a terrible dread creeps over you and you feel the wet walls of Glitch’s stomach closing in around you again.

Her eyes still don’t stray from him. A confusing need to calm her sweeps through you. You stand silently, hugging your arms in the quiet dawn-gray light. 

“I don’t know why a bad one found me. Why did he choose me?” Vanessa’s voice wobbles wetly. You almost step closer, to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Eclipse rumbles gently. The sound seems to wash over Vanessa like a wave of sea foam. Slowly, she reaches up and touches her face, smearing something wet while clearing her throat. 

A radiance of patience and compassion fills you. The distant echo falling from Eclipse brims you with a warmth like sunlight dappling a watery surface. You shift and squeeze your hands together. You so often admire your mer in his wonderful care for you. Now you witness it for Vanessa.

She swallows thickly. 

“I think about it sometimes,” she says so quietly you almost don’t catch her words. “If he hadn’t chosen me, I would be dead like the rest of them. He would have eaten me alive.”

A tide of rage flows into your heart, not your own, but Eclipses. A shudder overtakes you. Closing your eyes briefly, you clench your teeth and breathe deeply, focusing on the wooden frame of the cabin and the soft creaking sounds of your boat.

Glitch is dead. Eclipse ripped him apart.

“But he did choose me,” she says quietly, haunted. “I’m alive.”

A low warble leaves Eclipse. He bobs along the surface and catches her gaze.

On the smallest ray of sunlight filling the horizon, you watch a tear drop into the salt of the sea off of Vanessa’s face. Her fingers clench, twisting in her cardigan sleeves. A rattling breath leaves her.

“He terrifies me still,” she whispers to Eclipse. “I think he’s hiding in my dreams, waiting to come back.”

A soft rumble leaves the giant mer. Eclipse slips the smallest bit closer, sending small waves out from his movement and splashing quietly against the boat. He softly parts his lips, keeping his teeth well hidden while singing a gentle note. A confirmation.

You feel his memory as if it were your own hands. One reached down into the gullet of the leviathan to find you and pull you free, and the other two pried Glitch’s jaw wider and wider until muscle and sinew ripped and bones cracked. Until the water turned red with blood. And he held you safe in his hands, your tiny body sinking into the safety of his grasp.

He’s dead.

Vanessa lifts her eyes to him. Her bottom lip trembles.

He cannot hurt you anymore.

You breathe out softly and clutch your heart. You wish Vanessa could hear his voice.

“I know,” she says, as if she did. She hunches lower along the handrails. Even when you were at her side in the time she couldn’t sleep and feared a singing voice, she never looked so small. Perhaps you are too used to her watching over you. She looked out for you when you were younger, always taller and wiser. Now you see her for the fragile state she remains in. Your heart squeezes within you.

A gentle wave of warmth seeps over your shoulders. You breathe again.

“I had no control.” Vanessa squeezes her hands into fists until the skin over her knuckles stretches white. “He forced me to lead every single soul to their death. I was burning. Resisting him was agony like he was going to cleave my soul from my body. I could never tell him no.”

She drags the heel of her hand into her cheek, eyes squeezed shut. Eclipse stays quiet, waiting until she can breathe again. You furl and unfurl your fingers but force yourself to be as patient as Eclipse. He knows what he’s doing.

“His song still lives in my head. When it gets too quiet, I hear it again. I think he’s back.” She trembles where she stands. Her hair falls around her shoulders and you wish to sweep it back to see her face and tell her it’s alright. Glitch is gone. 

“When I was face to face with him,” she stops and bites her bottom lip. Another tear fell down her face, “I was nothing. He could have crushed me. He could have speared me with one of his claws. I could do nothing to stop him.”

A wretched sob leaves her. Horror rips from her teeth. The breath drags out of her throat and you start, your heart breaking in the echo of her sound. Tears threaten to swell within your own eyes. No. You have to be strong for her now.

She doesn’t deserve this. She is as innocent as the ones Glitch killed.

Water softly sloshes down below. Vanessa stills. Rising to the handrails, one of Eclipse’s hands holds steady. He reaches the back of one crooked finger for Vanessa but leaves distance between true contact. Vanessa steps back once. Slick brine falls away from his skin and back into the water, dripping from his claws. Eclipse holds her gaze, steady despite the slightly bobbing boat. 

Her body is rigid, taunt like a prey animal about to race from a predator. Low, coaxing sounds fall from Eclipse’s mouth as he keeps his head below. Vanessa has the choice. He will not force it but a will of simmering need to comfort one so afflicted by Glitch, just like you, heats his very heart.

You touch your chest softly. You’re here, too. It’s okay.

In silent awe, you watch Vanessa ball up her hands and step closer. As slow as the rising sun now sending sharp rays of light across the sea, she loosens her fist and slowly, cautiously, sets her hand on one of Eclipse’s knuckles. He softly hums and warbles in encouragement. Vanessa stares. She still shakes—you fear she might fall apart and dissolve into another panic attack—but she breathes. Her shoulders heave. Carefully, she looks Eclipse in the eye.

A great swirl of pride opens within you, shared equally by you and your mer. 

“You’re so big,” Vanessa mutters, far away, as if she can’t quite wrap her mind around it. Or perhaps, she’s thinking of another mer entirely. Her eyes fall below the water. “But you can be gentle.”

Yes.

Eclipse shifts his gaze to you for the briefest moment. Your smile tugs on the corner of your lips. He chirrs gently before Vanessa looks up, and holds the leviathan's gaze once more.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, “I tried to kill you when I found you with them. You were small then, even smaller than them.”

He grumbles and trills, his grin splitting across his features as if he were allowing the incident to pass like water under a bridge.

She weeps once, her back shaking. She bows low and holds tight to Eclipse’s fingers and releases what you imagine to be a great flood of anguish over what’s been done. What Glitch did to her.

A whirlpool of revolt and hatred begins. The seaspray of Eclipse’s fury towards Glitch is a storm threatening to swallow all that draws near its spinning mouth. You lean deeper against the cabin door frame and brace yourself.

Wild visions cut across your vision, filled with violence and righteous anger. A soul bond is sacred. To take a human is to share a mer’s very being with them. The dreams, the pain, the love of a mer, anchored to a little human soul. To defile such a bond, to use it for mayhem and death is unforgivable.

Eclipse’s tail flicks below. A few gurgles of water flip and Vanessa stiffens in the slightest, her eyes straying to the movement. You feel the cords of his being tightened into control. The refusal to startle Vanessa just as he closed the distance between them, and listened to her woes. His frills lower and his arms calm, holding carefully still once more.

He can be gentle.

It is wrong what Glitch did. It is unfathomable to your giant mer, and you love him more for it.

You recall asking him if he would ever do such a thing to you. You were almost washed away by his revolt and disgust for such a notion, and you were stunned. You realized your error in even asking. 

No, Eclipse could never do such a thing to you. You look at Vanessa. She didn’t deserve it.

It’s alright, you soothe inwardly, brushing against his own heart. She’s safe. No mer will ever hurt her again.

A great rumble of agreement joins your thoughts. Vanessa slowly takes her hand back and wipes the slickness sticking to her skin on her cardigan. 

“Thank you,” she says at last. Her voice is small and weak, almost crackling with emotion. “If it wasn't for you and them…”

She rubs a hand over her face, pressing down on her eyes as if to shove the alternative out of her very mind.

“I don’t want to think about it too much,” she concludes. Her hand lowers and she offers a rare, small smile to Eclipse. “Thank you. For being good to them.”

Eclipse yearns to tell her more, to flick his fins and tell her all that Glitch did is wrong, but he can only warble. Gratitude softly blossoms within you.

You’ll make sure to tell Vanessa for him.

Using the back of her hand, Vanessa wipes her face and smears tears over her cheeks until the new sunlight shines on her skin. It will dry soon enough. A deep breath echoes softly as she fills her lungs and lifts her face towards the sky streaked with the pale light of dawn. Relief, you think, paints her eyes a softer green.

Eclipse lowers his hand with a gentle gloop of water as it falls below the surface. He turns his attention fully to you. His stunning frills catch the yellow light and brighten it. His eyes glow gently as he holds your gaze. Vanessa slowly turns to find you standing there. Her shoulders push back. She exhales a rattling breath.

“Did Eclipse wake you?” she asks in a thick voice.

“No. I just heard your voice,” you offer gently. 

Stepping quietly, you cross the deck. Her smile is wet but real.

You open your arms for an embrace. She accepts, falling into you with her hands hooking around you tightly as if you were a lifesaver at sea. You gather her together and hold her tight.

Eclipse watches you both. His soft trills echo before Vanessa pulls away and wipes her face one last time.

“I’ll start some tea,” she says. 

“Okay, I’ll be there in a moment,” you nod. The tiny kitchenette in your cabin is nothing grand, but it will do well enough to get a pot of tea going.

You let her go, slowly leaning back against the handrails as she disappears inside the cabin with a quiet click of the door. 

A gentle purr from Eclipse follows, and you glance up at him with a soft joy filling you to the brim.

“Hey, big guy.” You smile.

Eclipse offers his hand, water rises until it surfaces with a slickness to his palm. Without hesitation, you accept, crawling onto the pads of his fingers and ignoring how your pajamas grow damp with his touch. 

He lifts you gently into the air. With a soft flick, he leans back and slips away from the rustbucket II but stays well within sight. You settle into his palm as if you were coming home. A pulsing warmth trickles between your ribs and into your heart. You hold his big, yellow eyes softly.

“Thank you,” you murmur. You reach out and stroke his thumb. “You were very kind to listen to Vanessa. I think it helps her a lot.”

Eclipse whistles a happy sound and you’re nearly bowled over by his sweet joy for being able to provide comfort to a human he is still getting to know. But below the harmonic chords of cheer, you feel a bitter tang. Upset at the thoughts of a terrible fate thrust upon a human. A bond crafted not to use for love, but for control.

You watch his lips pull back into a silent snarl. His teeth are powerful and large, shaped like shark incisors, but they do not scare you. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” you say softly. You shift to sit on your knees, waiting until he holds your gaze and loses the sharpness of his eyes. “It’s over now. You made sure of that.”

He killed Glitch. He told Vanessa just as much.

“You would never do such an awful thing,” you also press. You don’t need to tell Eclipse that, but you believe the mere thought grinds against his fins and scrapes his scales. 

You think back to the tiny mer you found on the beach with a hook stuck in his lip. He was so tiny, so afraid then. You were an unknown monster reaching for him, but then you set him free. Now here he is, holding you in the palm of his hand.

You smile and open your arms, a silent request.

He answers you without hesitation. Gently lifting you to his large face, he sets you against his cheek. His nuzzle is joined by a thick, vibrating purr and you laugh softly, pressing against his slick flesh. 

“See? It’s okay,” you tell him and stroke softly down the side of his face and brush a few of his swaying frills. “You take good care of me.”

And you take care of me.

You close your eyes and press just underneath the curve of his eye. 

“Yes,” you murmur.

A gush of warmth envelopes you far more than Eclipse’s hands. Slowly, he pulls you back and with a gentle lick of his tongue, swipes half your body in his fishy saliva.

“Eclipse,” you half laugh, half chastise.

Love you.

He trills and sings and lowers you back to his chest where he gently washes you with drips of salt water from his claws. You close your eyes—this must be what kittens feel like being washed by their mother’s tongue—until you are less fishy and more salty smelling.

He hums low and gentle, and as the sun rises higher and higher, you rest above Eclipse’s heart. The beautiful beat within is steady. You drift upon Eclipse until Vanessa’s voice calls out from your boat. Tea is ready.

[satorusugurugurl]

hii may i request a pirate! Nanami x mermaid!f!reader?

Iike in the Disney movie "the little mermaid"? I think id be so cute 🥰

If u do this request, thank u ❤

My Lovely Mermaid

Summary: You're a curious mermaid, Nanami Kento is a book loving pirate, a match made in heaven.

Word Count: 2,738

Pairing: Pirate!Nanami Kento x AFABMermaid!Reader

Warnings: mentions of fire, near drowning, nudity, half-burnt (BUT HEALED) Nanami, fluffy goodness!

A/N: I love mermaid au’s, yes I was that girl at the pool asking if people wanted to play mermaids! 🤣 this was so fun, I loved writing for healed half burnt Nanami, I've seen fanart of him, and golly, so pretty.

You have been obsessed with the surface world for as long as you can remember. Humans were strange creatures and carried many strange items on their ships, from a little metal trident to jewels and round circular things with deep holes. They had papers bound together with netting of some kind, and the papers were littered with strange black smudges—weird but fascinating creatures.

You want to learn all about them, ask them what they use the sharp metal things for. Why do they carry trunks full of flat yellow metal? Every time you found yourself exploring a new shipwreck, more questions arose. You desperately wanted someone to answer all of the questions you had.

The only problem was the fact that humans were terrified of your kind. Whenever you’d breach the surface when a ship would pass, all of them would cover their ears, screaming not to listen to your singing. They were convinced that you would drown them. Such a terrible stereotype; you and your kind in these warm waters had never drowned sailors, or anyone else for that matter. Other mermaids in different waters might do that so that you could understand their concerning caution. If one of them would give you a chance, all your dreams would come true.

Little did you know your wish would

Come true on a beautiful summer night.

You had been lounging on some rocks, staring at the little trident you had found and the shipwreck down below. You ran through your damp hair as your tail flipped in the water, splashing the rock below. You were lost in a trance when shouting could be heard in the distance. You sat up, looking to find a red-orange glow in the distance, the lights consuming a ship as black clouds rose. The humans on board the vessel were screaming, jumping off the edge, climbing into smaller boats, and rowing away from the ship that was collapsing in on itself.

You wondered what sort of treasure you would find inside when a man in a small boat began fighting against two other humans trying to hold him back. “Nanami! Nanami! He's still on board, captain!”

“Haibara, stop!” a man with long black hair shouted, holding the man with short brown hair back.“There’s nothing we can do right now!”

“Kento!”

“We’ll circle.” The moonlight overhead shone on hair as white as the shells you collected. “Maybe he jumped off on the other side.”

The smaller boat began rowing around, calling for this ‘Nanami.’ As they turned, you watched a man run to the ship's edge. He looked down at the water. The beam above him cracked and snapped, and the red glow crept up.

“Look out!” you cried as if he could hear you from as far away. “Hey!” attempted to get his attention a second time as the beam began cracking, falling in his direction. “Look out!!” Leave your mouth as the beam snaps, falling towards the man with the color of sunlight.

The man turns to stare as you scream in horror, covering your mouth just as he manages to dodge it. No relief is found as a rope tangles around him, pulling him off the ship and dragging him under the surface. The second he hits it, you’re diving in after him. Your tail frantically moves against the waters as you search for the man. Amongst the ropes, boards of wood, and jewels, you spot the tangled ropes of the man on the ship's edge. Bubbles rose from his mouth and nose, and his eye twitched as he dragged further down.

You wouldn’t allow the ocean to clean his life. Not today. Gritting your teeth, you swim faster, grabbing his hand and pulling him up out of the dark blue abyss of the water. Untangling him out of the ropes, you swim behind him, hooking both your arms under his, dragging him up to the surface. When you breach the surface, you ensure his head is held above the water as you swim for the shore.

The waves rock against the sandy shore as you drag him to lie on the beach. It's at that moment that you were able to see him truly. His chest slowly rises and falls as he breathes. You brush back strands of his hair, gently running your fingertips over the eyepatch that covers his left eye. The entire left side of his body, from his head down to his hip, is covered in healed scars.

“So pretty.” You whisper, running your hand down my cheek. His head leans into your touch, making your heart flutter fast.

You stay like that, staring at the beautiful man until your tail dries and shifts into your legs. You lie there next to the stranger until the sun begins to rise. It was about that time when he groaned, turning his head to the side before he blinked slowly.

Nanami’s vision was blurry, blinking slowly. He was on warm, damp sand, and his head was pounding. He turned his head to the other side and stared at the knees of someone sitting near him. His eyes trailed up higher, cheeks burning as he stuttered and sat up, finding his knees belonging to a very naked and beautiful woman.

“Oh! You’re awake!” You chirped happily, tilting your head to the side and shifting your hair. “Thank goodness.”

“I’m sorry—I'm just a little confused.”

“Well, you were drowning, and I saved you.”

The man before you slowly nodded, averting his gaze from your direction. “Oh, thank you very much; I would like to thank you properly, but—“ His cheeks flushed pink. “You’re uhm—naked.” You hummed, glancing down at your naked body before shrugging your shoulders.

“Merfolk don’t have the need to wear clothes.”

Nanami has deduced that you weren’t exactly human when he first looked at you. Your ears were shaped differently, almost similar to what he’s seen in books depicting elves with a slight point. Your cheap bones were littered with glittering scales, and you had a starfish pulling some of your hair back. He had heard rumors about mermaids being in the ocean but had never seen them in person.

“Right, well uhm—“ he sighed, rubbing his hand down his face. “Hold on,” You watched as he took his shirt off before handing it to you. “I don’t want to be rude and stare. Even though you’re very beautiful and you have a very stunning body. I want to thank you properly for saving me, so if you don’t mind, could you put this on for a second?”

You took the white fabric from him, examining its sleeves and two openings. You slid it over your bare body the way you had seen him wearing it. The shirt was long on you, covering your torso, and the end rested against the top of your thighs. The sleeves were long, swallowing your hands as you flapped them around curiously.

Nanami finally turned to watch as you cutely moved your arms up and down. He watched as the sleeves of his shirt flapped with you. He grinned, turning to face you, sitting on his knees. You examined him briefly before getting into the same position, sitting on your knees so that you could stare at him.

“Thank you for saving my life.” He bowed his head, which quickly followed suit.

“It was my pleasure.” You went back to examine the shirt closely.

Nanami scoffed, shaking his head as he sat against the glittering sand in the rising sun. “My name is Nanami Kento, what’s yours.” You quickly told him your name, more eager to stare at the different stitching in the fabric you wore. “I would like to repay you for saving my life. I owe you a debt.” For the first time in your entire life, a certain sense of excitement washed over you like the warm summer waves. This was your chance to ask him your questions and get some answers!

“I have lots of questions about you humans.”

“Do you?”

“Mhmm, why do you guys carry mini tridents on all your ships?”

Nanami cocked a blonde brow at you. “Mini-tridents?” You held the finger up in front of him before reaching into the net bag you had made and pulled out the trident.

“These things.”

Nanami reached out with the most gentle smile on his face. “This is called a fork. We use it to eat food.” You allowed him to take this so-called ‘fork’ from you. “Watch.” He reached down, scooping some of the sand onto the fork. “This way, our hands don’t get dirty when we eat. We also use spoons and knives as well. But depending on the food or culture, utensils aren't used.” But you didn’t hear any of that because your eyes were sparkling with all as you watched him take the fork into the sand, picking it up before dumping it down onto the ground.

“Amazing!”

“What else would you like to know?”

“Oh, I have so many questions! Lik—“

“Nanami?!” Both of you turn, watching several men come running down the beach towards you. “Oh my god, Captain, it’s Nanami!!”

“Haibara!” There was a relief in Nanami’s tone, which had you smiling with a heavy heart. He had a life on the short to get back to you; he couldn’t just lie there and answer all of your questions. So you pulled the shirt off and handed it back to him. “Huh?” Looking down into his lap, he found his sweater and glanced up to watch as you walked towards the water, stepping into the crystal blue ocean. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“Home.” You say, slowly sinking deeper into the water, feeling your legs shift back into your tail. “Your friends are here now. They’ll be able to get you home.”

Just before you can dive into the water, there’s a splash behind you, and Nanami grabs your hand to prevent you from leaving. “Answering one of your questions isn’t enough to thank you for saving my life. Could you come back here and meet me every day? I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.” Your fingers interlace with his.

“I’ll meet you here tomorrow. How about when the sun is highest in the sky?”

“I’ll be here.”

Just like he promised every day when the sun was highest in the sky, you would meet him at the beach where he would be waiting for you. He always brought lunch for both and was more than willing to answer every question you had. You learned all about forks, spoons, and knives. Nanami told you that women like to wear jewels, and the flat yellow coins in their trunks, which you found at the bottom of the ocean, were used as currency to buy things like food or clothes.

When those questions were answered, Nanami began bringing books to the beach for you both to read. You’re so glad he did because You’ve learned all about different things: foods and far-off places. Every day, you would lie on the beach, reading with Nanami. He'd tell you stories of his days with the crew. Sailing the seas and fighting battles, he always did it with a fond but almost sad smile.

He loved his friends and his job defending people from the Pirates, who were horrible humans. Kenjaku and his gang of horrible people had plagued the ocean for so long. They were sinking ships, stealing money, and committing the most heinous of crimes. In the battle leading up to Kenjaku’s defeat, Nanami lost his eye, and half his body was burnt by a pirate named Mahito. At the same time, his voice and eye are full of pain. He claims that it was well worth it because, in the end, they were able to defeat them. Even though he was left with the scars for it.

“I suppose it's still taking me some time to get used to. People tend to stare.” He said as he stroked your hair back. “But, you never once questioned or made comments about it. Why is that? From the mermaid who has millions of questions, I thought that would be something you would be curious about.”

“Oh,” you looked up from your book, turning to face Nanami, “I just think you’re beautiful.”

His hand gently cups your cheek, holding it there. “And I think you're beautiful. A beautiful, strong mermaid who saved my life.” The distance between your lips gets smaller and smaller as he inches forward. “You know that you are far too kind?” You lean into his touch, nuzzling against the palm of his hand.

“I couldn't just idly sit by and watch someone die. I honestly believe there was a reason behind my lounging that night, and I'm glad that J was there because I got to meet you. You are so kind and handsome. You never think any of my questions are stupid or ridiculous.”

“Because they’re not. Do you have a curious mind, and I’m happy to feed that.”

Before your lips could touch, you pulled away. “I’m happy being with you,” you whisper, playing with the sleeves of Nanami’s shirt, which he always lets you wear when you lounged on the beach with him. “But uhm, Gojo mentioned that he has another ship lined up for you. That you should be able to get back to work soon.”

Nanami can see the disappointment in your eyes. You knew this day would eventually come. He wouldn’t stay on the beach with you forever, answering your questions and feeding the delicious food he prepared. He’d eventually go back to sailing the seas, and you would go back to exploring shipwrecks soon. This beautiful time together was going to be short-lived. Because how would you make this work?

A mermaid and a pirate being together. Because one saved the other from drowning, was there anything holding him here to be with you? For you both to continue meeting on this secluded beach outside his hometown. No, he had a life to get back to.

“Yeah, about that.” he gently grabbed the back of your head, pulling you close to his face. “I told Gojo that I was going to retire.”

“Retire?”

“Yes, it means I'm no longer going to work.” The way your pupils dilated and sparkled made Nanami’s heart soar. “I've made enough money to last me the rest of my life.”

You press your hands against his bare chest. “What do you plan on doing now?” Your voice is high-pitched as your breathing quickens in anticipation and excitement.

“Oh, the crew said they will help me build a house here on this beach. I plan to fill it with all the books I haven't read yet. Books that my curious mermaid can read. Because her curiosity and awe of the world is something I want to continue to fuel because I have fallen in love with every bit of her beauty, curious mind, and heart.”

“Kento,” you whisper, eyes flooded with liquid.

“May I kiss you? And so selfishly ask you to accept me as yours?” There were no questions to be asked. You closed the distance between you both, slamming your lips against his in a searing kiss. As Nanami hit the soft sand below, his arms wrapped around you, holding you tight against him.

A few years pass, and Gojo tracks down the beach with Suguru and Haibara. They had been kind enough to bring back gifts for you on their latest voyage: books, wine, and exotic fruit. The house you and Nanami had built stood tall, providing shade for you both. You lie in the sand holding each other as your daughter happily places a seashell on the pile of sand she deemed a castle.

“Ahoy there!” Haibara yells, drawing Nanami’s attention from the little wavy blonde girl clapping her hands together. “We brought treats!”

“Uncle Yu!!” Your daughter bolted for the group of men, throwing her arms around Yu’s leg and giggling as she stepped forward. Her hair flowed in the warm summer breeze, revealing her pointed ears. She might be a carbon copy of her father, but at least she got your ears.

Nanami watched from the shade, taking a deep breath before looking at the ocean. An ocean that had left him scarred almost drowned him and brought him to the best thing in his life. You plopped down next to him, stretching your arms above your head before your husband leaned down, kissing you softly. The ocean had brought you together. And he thanked it every morning for his lovely little mermaid wife and beautiful daughter.

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3

[tulip-room]

elodea - o. tooru || wc:5.2k || tags: childhood friends to lovers, mermaid au, artist yn, muse oikawa, "pen pals" of sorts, touch starved, something keeps them apart, second chance,depression <//3, bad parental relationships, first time saying "I love you", 5 +1...sort of ! || hq works

i.

When she first meets the boy she’s unsure what to make of him, she knows he looks different than her, she asks where his legs are as they’re hidden under the water and he just laughs. It sounds like the sea breeze itself and refreshes her in a way she had yet to experience. “I don’t have those,” she sees a shine under the water and tilts her head. 

“Everyone has legs.”

“No they don’t.” To prove his point he swims closer to the dock she’s sitting on and flicks up what looks to be a tail. The scales shine decadently in the golden summer light, his skin is tanned and there’s an easy smile on his face. “I told you,” she leans down and her hands graze the water. He turns and the motion splashes her with water and she almost falls in. “I didn’t say you could touch it,” his small fingers are just curled over the edge of the wooden dock and his brown eyes stare into hers. 

“Sorry,” there’s a slight lisp as one of her front teeth has yet to grow in yet. “What’s your name?”

“Oikawa Tooru,” the water moves gently as she assumes his tail pushes it to keep him upright.

“I’m L/N Y/N,” she holds out her hand and he takes it. When he spreads his fingers she sees the webbing connecting the joints together, she turns his hand over and examines it in comparison with her own. Her mind doesn’t wrap around just what he is until the sun threatens to set over the horizon. They spend hours discussing everything their brains could think of from the color of the water to their favorite foods. “Will you be here tomorrow?” He nods and she hears the call of her grandmother from the top of the hill. 

“Will you be here tomorrow?” He tries to ask inconspicuously but fails as she catches on.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you enjoyed hanging out with me today.”

“Well…it’s a good thing you know better then.” There’s smiles on both of their faces as her name gets called yet again. “You better get going, come back tomorrow.”

She almost can’t wait to wake up the next day but her grandma reminds her of the chores she has to do. She tries to rush through them, the dishes not dried and put away, mud prints on the tiled floor from when she ran out to feed the horses, her yellow rain boots squeaking as she runs around the townhouse. “Get back in her,” she hears sternly behind her just as she’s rushing out the door. There her grandma stands with his hands on her hips and a stern but soft look on her face. “And where are you off to this morning in such a rush? You have mud on your face,” she licks her thumb and wipes the dirt away much to Y/N’s protest. 

“Grandma, stop it!” She pushes her away and tries to wriggle free from her grasp. There’s a moment of laughter from both of them and with a kiss on her forehead her grandma lets her go. 

“Okay, go be a kid. Have fun, don’t pick up any snakes you find.” Her grandma warns teasingly before she runs off down the hill yellow rain boots squeaking the whole time.  When she makes it down to the dock she sees a familiar head of brown hair and the same shining tail as yesterday.

“What took you so long,” he turns around excitedly before trying to cover it by crossing his arms. “Not that I was waiting or anything.” He makes a point to close his eyes and turn his head away.

“Sorry Fishy, I had to do chores.” She sticks her tongue out at him as she lays down on the dock, it creaks under her movements and she looks up at the clouds. “Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I only got here a few minutes ago.” She hums in response and closes her eyes as she allows the sun to beam down on her. “Do you live here?”

“No, I’m only visiting for the summer.” There’s a strange pang in his chest at the words, he’s only known her for a day at most and he already knows he’s going to miss her presence. He shakes the thoughts away and pulls himself up so only his tail is left in the water and joins her laying down. She can hear the splashes of protest from the water and hear his breaths as he hoists himself up. “Do you live here?”

“Yeah, I live by where the lake meets the ocean.”

“That seems far,” if she remembers where he’s talking about.

“It’s not bad, maybe a five minute swim?” He questions himself and then they sit in silence. “Where do you go after the summer?”

“My mom got a new job so I have to go move in with her. I want to stay here though, it’s where all my friends are.”

“Oh, how far away?”

“Two hours,” she sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. He finds his head shifting to look at her, the light tracing her face and he wonders if her skin is as soft as it looks. 

“Oh, that’s really far.” There’s a somber tone for a few minutes before the children start pointing out clouds and what they look like. 

He knows the time is passing because her front tooth has started growing in and her lisp starts to go away. “Are you coming back?”

“Next summer,” she hums. It’s become routine for them to lay on the dock together. They pretend the time doesn’t pass as quickly as it does and live in their moment. Their moment of warm sunlight and frogs croaking in weeds, of the wind whistling through cattails, and of dragonflies buzzing and flying along the water’s edge. “Can I see you here next summer?”

“Of course.” They both know their weeks together are drawing to a close. Can feel it as the weather starts cooling down and their days get shorter. She goes to school to finish out the year but she always comes back to him when she gets back. By the final week of summer her tooth has grown in and her lisp has gone away. It gets chillier at night and he stops joining her on the dock. 

“I got you something,” she says as she rummages through her bag, post it notes and pencils fall out as she grabs hold of what she wants. It’s a necklace, there’s a plastic bag holding it in but it’s clear as to what it is. She pulls out the delicate chain and he can spot a seashell hanging from the chain. 

“I love it,” he answers and takes it from her hands before she can say another word. After he puts it on he holds up a hand. “I have something for you too, I’ll be back in ten minutes. Wait for me?”

“Always.” Her feet dangle over the edge but she’s careful not to let her shoes hit the water. Around ten minutes later an out of breath boy pops his head out of the water. He holds a bag in his hands and holds it out to her. She leans forward and grabs it, inside she finds a bracelet of sea gems and smiles. “Thank you,” she puts it on and admires how it twinkles in the light of the setting sun. 

ii.

It’s easy to tell they’ve both grown older when she visits again the next summer break. Her limbs have grown longer and his voice has gotten deeper. Their routine continues when she returns. They manage to make it halfway through the break before he stops showing up every day. She waits for him with her knees curled up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. Her arms are wrapped around her legs and it’s almost time for her to go back in when she can see the faintest shimmer of what she hopes are scales. A smile grows when the shimmering gets closer and she can just make out a familiar head of brown hair. “What took you so long clamshell?”

“Sorry,” he tries to catch his breath and reaches into his seaweed bag. “I can’t always be here anymore.” He hands her the conch and the inside contrasts with the rough outside as she runs her hands over it. “Just blow into it and I’ll come as soon as I can.” She nods and he must hear something she can’t because she can see his face drop. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay, go do what you need to do Tooru,” with one last solemn look towards her, his head ducks under the water and she watches as the shimmering scales grow farther and farther away from her. She continues to sit on the old dock for a few moments longer as she turns the shell in her hands. The air is hot and humid and sticks to her skin like glue, the dragonflies buzz as they graze the water lines and her mind wanders to last summer and what could have changed so suddenly. She stands up from the chipping dock and tredges her way back up the hill and into her grandma’s home. It’s cool inside and she can smell the beginnings of dinner being started. 

“Well, aren’t you back early.” It’s more of a statement than a question as her grandma throws her a glance from where she stands. “Where in the world did you manage to find a conch around here?”

“It was a gift,” she mumbles and sits down at the table. The cloth is a pale yellow with small embroidered flowers over it in small square designs. The shell clinks softly as the tablecloth acts as a buffer for the noise. 

“You don’t seem very happy about the gift,” she lays her head down in her arms and stares out the window. She tries not to think of the sea or the lake, it will make her think of him and the surprisingly large hole he’s left for her to fill without him. She feels a hand on her shoulder as a chair screeches against the wood. Her grandma sits down while the pot boils in the background. “What’s going on little love?”

“One of my friends that I was excited to see is too busy to hang out the rest of the break.” Her grandma chuckles lightly and she glares lightly. “What’s funny?”

“That’s part of growing up, it’s okay to not see them all the time. The person is still your friend and you still care about each other?” She nods her head at the question. “Then, nothing else matters. Get that frown off your face, little love and help me finish dinner.” The chair scoots against the wood and the table shifts its weight as her grandma uses it to help her stand. She follows close behind and they talk about school, how the garden is coming along, the horses, and everything they can think of. She’s missed this, the feeling of home and the sea breeze. 

Despite herself she goes back the next day, she waits and she waits and waits. The air turns chilly and the fireflies start coming out and she knows he’s not coming today. She pulls the bracelet off her wrist and finds herself becoming calmer as her thumb rubs over the gems, they’ve been smoothed out among the edges and she finds herself smiling. He’s not entirely gone, he’s still with her when she smells the salty air of the sea or feels the wood beneath her. This is their spot and that doesn’t change just because one of them isn’t there. She rushes back up to the house and digs through all kinds of drawers, she knows she’s making a racket but her grandma doesn’t say anything to her. She just holds a fond look in her eyes as she watches her write a short letter and take a piece of geode with her. 

The geode wasn’t very old, at least in her possession, only having it for a few months after a class trip to learn about the different kinds of rocks. Her rain boots are tighter this year than they were the year prior but they still squeak as she runs down the grassed hill of her grandma’s backyard and towards the dock, their spot. She folds the paper and sets the geode on top, with a hopeful look towards the horizon she heads back up the hill and disappears into the comforting home of her grandma. She’ll have her summer memories forever, she’ll remember the air sticking to her skin and the boy with chocolate hair that she met on a dodgy dock. She’ll remember the sea breeze and her grandma’s cooking. She’ll remember the joy she feels when she’s here even long after she’s left. 

iii.

She gets used to the walls of her school, makes friends among the people in her classes. Tries to forget her time at the lakehouse. Her grandma has been sending her letters, she’s not sure how her grandma figured it out but she hasn’t made up her mind about whether she’s happy with it or not. Her heart hurts when she thinks of the lakehouse, how she hadn’t been able to go this year. Regardless of her feelings, she still sits at her desk every night and writes the perfect response to Oikawa’s letters. She sometimes sends little trinkets she thinks he’ll like and he’ll send back pieces of sea glass or a piece of coral. The space on her desk begins to fill quickly. 

She enjoys the little letters they exchange because although she’s not with him it’s like she can still smell the sea and hear his laughter in her mind if she closes her eyes it’s like she can picture herself laying on the dock with a warm body next to her own, knuckles just grazing against each other slightly and not making motions to move further. The quiet breaths she can almost hear over the buzz of bugs and the croaking of frogs. She misses the sticky air and the words that hang in the air and her grandma’s cooking. She misses her sea breeze. 

The weather grows colder and she finds the letters coming slower and fewer. Soon they stop altogether and her mind starts straying from pretty eyes and prettier smiles. She finds herself trying to latch on to anything that she thinks she can keep. She finds safety in art, in making something from the ground up, she enjoys the chalk that stains her fingers and the paint that litters her clothes and winds up on her cheek. Her sketchbook is filled with scales and pretty brown eyes, it’s filled with landscapes of the sea and a creaky old dock with a hill behind it. Of sea gem bracelets and seashell necklaces. 

She finds herself driving to the sea more often than she thought she would. She sits there for hours on the beach and just looks towards the horizon, smelling the air and listening to the birds chirp and the children laugh. She finds the cold air nostalgic in a way, the breeze hitting her cheeks and making her nose run. She wraps a cardigan around herself to sit on the rocks for longer. The sting of the wind is a familiar friend and is almost as familiar as the sting in her eyes. She doesn’t bother wiping the tears away, she has grown to the familiarity of them rolling down her cheeks as she tries to keep her breathing level. It’s a failing attempt and she lets out a dry cough. “I didn’t think I would miss you this much this soon.” 

The day her bracelet breaks is the day she stays home from school and doesn’t move from her bed. There are parts of chipped gems embedded into the carpet of her floor, when she gets up to grab water she cuts her foot on one of the pieces. She pulls the shard out with a pair of tweezers but can feel it already cemented in place and forever a part of her. A part of the sea will be with her. 

She finds it in her the following day to tediously pick the pieces out of her carpet. She steals the superglue from the junk drawer in the kitchen and spends the rest of the day gluing them back together. It’s not the same as it was before but she makes a pair of earrings and a hair clip. The cord holding them together is beyond saving. She wonders as she clips her hair back how Oikawa is doing, if he misses her like she misses him. She hopes the answer is yes, hopes that she lives in his mind as much as he lives in hers. 

“Where are you,” her words die like a whisper in the wind. Realistically she knows where he is, the same place he has been that she hasn’t. She feels her phone buzz in her pocket and sighs as she stands up, the wind almost blows her over as she gets up on unsteady feet. She makes it to her car and sits with her head against the horn of the wheel for a few moments. She drives home fifteen minutes later, she’s unsure of where the time passed. It’s been doing that a lot, jumping around and hiding from her when she’s not looking. 

Her keys clatter against her wooden dresser, it’s covered in paint; some of it peeling off already as she hadn’t wanted to seal it in place. She needs to get a new carpet but that means letting go of the pieces she couldn’t find but knows are there. There’s a lot of things she needs to do but hasn’t. She’s tired.

iv.

The day of her graduation is the next time she sees the lakehouse. Her home in the process of being sold as her mother has to move yet again for her job. This time she won’t be pulled along every which way. She doesn’t let go of her grandma for what feels like hours, just basks in her warmth and honey smell. She gets pushed off weakly and her grandma shakes her head. “Quit that, people will think I’m dying if you keep that up,’ she sends her a wink and Y/N finds herself laughing. 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Her grandma lets out a hearty laugh and bumps her hip lightly. Her legs want to pull her to the door leading down a familiar path but she refrains. There’s no chance he’ll be there or want to talk to her. She hadn’t realized how long she had been looking at the door until her grandma speaks up.

“Go see him,” there’s love in her eyes as the two make eye contact. She motions with her head to the door. 

“He won’t want to see me,” she turns her head away and her grandma shakes her head. 

“He’s been waiting for you, said that’s why he stopped sending letters. To force you to see him.” 

“I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Don’t leave him waiting for too long dear, love like that may not be fickle but it’s difficult to care for when there’s no one helping you.”

“Okay,” instead of going to the dock she locks herself in her old room. Her yellow rain boots sit in the corner and her vanity is still as she left it. There’s a printed photo of her with Oikawa hanging in the top right corner, the edges are curled and it’s entirely too bright but it’s obvious to her what it is. There’s pearls and rocks, and all kinds of trinkets she remembers Oikawa bringing her and her rushing back up the hill squeaky boots and all to give him something in return.

“A kiss will do,” he jokes and presents his cheek to her. She laughs and pushes his head away.

“In your dreams,” she sticks her tongue out at him and trips slightly on the wood as she races up and over the hill. He had grown used to the sight, of her ponytail bouncing as she ran over that grassy hill. He wishes he could go with her but he knows he can’t, he’s fine with how things are. Both of them here and happy. Comfortable, just with each other.

Her hands comb over the old stacks of homework she hadn’t gotten to throwing out before her move. Her stuffed animals are still on the bed and her bed is made with the same pink sheets that they had 8 years ago. There’s decals on her wall of sea creatures and she remembers painting a fish near her bed (she hadn’t quite figured out how human anatomy worked yet). She smiles as her hands trace over the slightly raised surface, her head laid on her pillow and her hair furled out around her. She felt at home again. 

She doesn’t end up going to the dock. She avoids it while she moves her stuff and the only box left to unpack is the letters. It stays taped shut and in a corner in her closet. 

v.

“You’ll never make a living this way darling,” the words are already festering as she eats lunch with her mother. “I mean really? Art is a hobby not a living.” Her mother’s tongue clicks against the roof of her mouth as she brings her cappuccino up to drink it. “Go get a degree in something useful.”

“I like what I do.” Her grip on her fork tightens but she does her best to keep her voice level.

“A children’s book? And about a mermaid? I mean, this just isn’t going to sell enough for you to live off of. You don’t want to mooch off your poor grandmother for the rest of your life do you?” Her teeth grind against each other and she shoves another bite of food in her mouth to keep herself quiet. “Come on darling, I’m just thinking about what’s best for you.” Her mother’s hand rests on top of her own across the table. She turns her head away and pulls her hand back. “Oh, don’t be like that.”

“Art is what I want to do Mom, I want to be an artist. I am an artist.”

“You’re just someone with too many thoughts and access to paint. Talk to me again when you let go of this silly ‘dream’ of yours.” Her mother wipes her mouth and throws some bills on the table before walking out the door. She stays there until the waitress comes and she pays the rest of the bill. Her walk home is cold, the heat of the air not doing anything for her. She pours all of her frustration into her art. By the end of the day she has two books drafted out and they’re sent to a publishing company. 

She finds herself on the dock with the conch in her hand, she flips it over and brings it up to her mouth. Her forehead rests against the shell as she sighs, this isn’t what he meant when he said to use it if she needed him. She does need him, she’s missed him more than she’s allowed herself to. Without another thought she blows into the shell, nothing happens for a little while but then she sees a shimmer in the water. 

“Hi,” she doesn’t need to look from where she now lays on the dock to know he’s there. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” There’s a plop as he lifts himself to lay next to her. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really. Do you?”

“Not really.” They sit there with their knuckles grazing each other and she doesn’t have the energy to make comments on how nice he looks, she turns to him and puts her head on his chest and he wraps an arm around her. “Let’s just stay like this for a bit.”

“Yeah,” she starts. “Yeah, I would like that.”

In six months time, before her birthday, the books are put on shelves and when she sees them in libraries she can’t help but smile. She signs any copy that someone brings her. Six months after that the second book comes out. Her grandma throws her a small party when she comes back home. “I’m so proud of you,” she’s pulled into a tight hug. “Go tell him,” her grandma ushers her out the door and she laughs a little. 

The conch has become a way for her to ask to see him instead of a danger tool. He doesn’t complain and tells her how he enjoys seeing her again. “I did it,” she whispers as her head rests on his shoulder. 

“You did,” he whispers it gently into her hair like a kiss. 

“Thank you for coming back.”

“I didn’t leave.”

“Turns out you were the one waiting for me,” it’s meant to be a joke but she knows he sees through it when his hand rubs up and down her arm slowly.

“Always.” 

“I got you something,” she lifts her head and sees his smile as he shakes his head. He’s grown into his face, his tan has evened out and there’s a trail of freckles on his shoulders and down his arms. “You can’t say no.” He laughs and it still makes her think of the sea breeze. He’s still the place she feels most calm. 

“Okay, let’s see it.” She reaches into her satchel and it reminds him of the girl he used to know. The girl with a missing front tooth and a lisp, whose pony tail bobbed as she ran up the hill away from him, the one who rummaged through her bag and gave him something he wasn’t aware would be so dear to him. She pulls out a plastic bag and he can’t help how his smile grows. 

“I know you fixed it but…I wanted you to have a better one. Not something I bought at a bookfair for cheap.” The chain is golden and the seashell hanging from it is different from the one he’s since turned into a bracelet. It’s a conch shell and he shakes his head. He carefully puts it on and he wants to kiss her so badly he leans forward, she shifts closer to him too but he pulls her into a hug. His face is buried in her hair and he takes a deep breath. Lemongrass and lavender. 

“Thank you for coming back.”

“Thank you for waiting.”

vi.

“You never told me what you wrote the book on.” He asks as her feet dangle over the edge and his arms rest on the end of the dock. 

“Us,” she finds no reason to be embarrassed although she can feel her face burning. He laughs and she finds a smile appearing on her face as he does so. “Stop laughing, what’s so funny?”

“How did we get turned into a children’s book?” He looks at her with a lopsided smile and she leans down closer to him. Their foreheads close to touching and a piece of her hair falls from behind her ear. 

“Remember all those games we made as kids?” He tucks the stray strand of hair behind her ear and she can see his eyes looking at her lips before darting back up to her eyes. “The ones where we were pirates or royalty?”

“Yeah,” he says quietly as he tries to force himself to stop looking at her lips, it’s difficult when she looks so excited. There’s a hammering in his chest and he wants to hide away. The gold chain feels tighter than usual as it sticks to him from the water. “That’s what you wrote about?”

“Yeah, you were all I could draw for a while.”

“Couldn’t keep me off your mind?” He teases and pokes her arm.

“No,” she answers honestly. She’s been growing tired of their game but wasn’t sure how to stop it. She took the opening he gave her and can only hope this goes well. She sees his eyes widen and his lips part as a sharp intake of air makes his chest rise up. 

“Can I kiss you?” Finally, she nods her head and he wraps his hand around the back of her neck and pulls her down to his lips. They both smile into the kiss and have to part as she starts giggling. Once it happens a few times he can’t stop himself from laughing with her as he kisses her face. “Stop giggling,” he says between laughs. He doesn’t really want her to stop, her laugh reminds him of home. 

“I can’t,” she throws her head back with a laugh and he thinks she couldn’t look any more beautiful than she does at this moment. She’s not aware of what happens until there’s a splash and she feels water encompass her. She swims to the surface and splashes him. “How dare you!” 

They splash around in the water and once they’re out of breath he reaches up and wipes the wet strands away from her face. “I love you.” It’s the first time they’re said the words but not the first time they've felt. 

“I love you too, even if you do pull me into the water for no good reason.”

“Because I wanted you to be closer. I think that’s a pretty good reason.”

“Okay, I’ll accept it. But only because you’re cute.” 

“Gee thanks,” he rolls his eyes and it’s an odd feeling for her feet to brush against the scales of his tail. She enjoys hearing his heartbeat below her ear as they wade in the water. “You know what I’ve always wanted to do?” She hums in response and lifts her head from his chest. “I’ve always wanted to dance with you.”

“And how is that going to work?”

“Hold your breath,” she shakes her head but follows his instructions. The quiet envelopes her as their heads drop below the surface. Her eyes open slowly and she can see Oikawa already smiling at her, he holds his hand out to her and she takes it. He’s able to spin her around once before she tries to go back up for air, he shakes his head and pulls her closer to him. She tilts her head and he brings their lips together as he blows air into her mouth. She smiles at the kiss and they stay under the water for a little longer before she breaks the surface. 

“I can’t believe you did that.” She laughs although her chest heaves up and down from exertion.

“You liked it.”

“Okay, it was a little fun.” She coughs into her arm and he helps her over to the ladder of the dock and watches as she holds on to it. 

“You can hold onto me.”

“I know, I am. I won’t let you go this time.”

“You better not.”

“Why not going to wait for me again?”

“I would always wait for you, no matter how long. I just don’t think I can let you go now that I actually have you.” She smiles and pulls him into another kiss. “Oh do I get kissed if I say cheesy things?”

“Shut up,” she says against his mouth as he smiles and complies as he kisses her back.

taglist (gen, fill out this form) @cheriisae @cherrysurf @hiraethwa @hatsukeii @szyvrue

this is not only for lalechingo but more importantly for @lale-txt since it's her birthday today <333 everyone go wish her a happy birthday and I hope you guys enjoyed this story I told <3

[mysicklove-main]

Pairing: Mer! King Bakugou x Mer! Queen Reader

Word Count: 5.3

Warnings: Fluff! Possessive behavior. Biting lol. Female! Reader

Summary: Katsuki convinces you to change into a mermaid.

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

Courting a human sucks. It is all sugar-coated, a bunch of nonsense to try to appease the other. The way mers did it was simple. Show potential mates you can provide with gifts and food, and make sure your bodies are compatible. Of course, Bakugou hasn’t gotten that far with you and his face heats up whenever he thinks about it. But in the less dirty sense, he knows you find his body attractive and your body was equally as perfect.

So yes, the king should be done with the whole courting thing. It’s been about a month now and you are still frustratingly human. You haven’t given in to his antics.

You haven’t accepted the blonde because frankly, you are absolutely terrified of being a mermaid. Sure, you didn’t have much family nor friends to leave behind, but still, it was a whole new world. You weren’t sure if you were mentally prepared for that.

“You. Pretty,” The mer at your feet huffs, frown still on his face, contrasting the compliment. From his research, he decided that humans like compliments.

“Yeah? Thanks, Kats, but you have told me that ten times today.” He trills in annoyance and uses the tip of his tail to splash water at you. You squeal but giggle at the cool water that falls upon your face.

He grips your left leg and presses his face to your calf. “Mate now?” He asks, just as he had done for the past couple of days. He then begins to gently nibble on any skin he can lay his teeth on. You give him a sharp glance, warning him to be gentle. Your legs are already littered with bite marks thanks to a certain someone. He rolls his eyes, but abides, not wanting to piss you off.

Once satisfied with the mer you sigh. “Yknow, human courting is more than just giving compliments.”

He lets out an overdramatic growl and you raise your eyebrows. His orange face fins fall flat against his head. “Human ways stupid,” He hisses and you roll your eyes.

“Forgive me King Bakugou, ruler of the sea, for being a human,” You tease sarcastically and he glares at you. You smile and reach to pet his hair, he grumbles but leans into the touch. “Alright, I have seen that you tried. I'll be your mate Katsuki. Just give me a week to you know–prepare to be a mermaid?”

He pulls away from your leg, eyes wide. He almost seems to be happy, but of course, knowing Katsuki, he wasn’t about to show it. So, instead, he barks a complaint, “Too long. Now!”

You gently push the tip of your foot onto his forehead, forcing his head to tilt back. He bares his teeth at you, but doesn’t move from the position. “A week. Keep complaining and I won’t be going at all,” You threaten and he narrows his eyes at you.

Sometimes, Katsuki was demanding. It was fine in most cases, but if you sit there and take it all the time, it will definitely go to his head. You are not one of his subjects to boss around. 

So, alas, he moves away from you and nods with a huff.

He swims back up to the dock and uses his tail to push himself out of the water, as he has done countless times. He rests his forearms next to your legs, successfully holding you still. He is slightly shorter than you in the position, but still way more threatening out of the two of you. 

“Kiss?” He asks, but it comes out more like a demand.

Nevertheless, you are happy to oblige, and you swear you could see a small smile on his face when he presses his lips to yours.

When Katsuki heads home for the day the last thing he wanted to see was two idiots in his court. 

“Did you see when she pressed that strange thing on his forehead?” The blonde-haired, and yellow-tailed, mer trills. He stares curiously at the figure above the water that is walking away.

“Yeah, and Bakugou didn’t even try to bite it off! He is totally whipped.” The red-headed shark, who looks almost exactly like a mer, excluding the extra large fin on his back, says in return. The two are so close to one another that they look like two schoolgirls talking about their crushes. They don’t seem to notice their king’s presence.

Katsuki, suddenly grabs the two of them by the back of their necks, causing them to jump. He has a murderous smile when talking. “And what the fuck are you two idiots doing over here?”

The two eye each other and smile sheepishly. “Just you know. Looking for our king!” Eijiro, the braver out of the two says enthusiastically.

“And new queen,” Denki half mumbles and Katsuki eyes him suspiciously. He can’t help but like the way it falls from one’s mouth though. But, the larger mer refuses to say that out loud, so instead he growls and drags the two away.

Then, he begins planning for your arrival.

Today was the last day of you being human. You sigh and go through your items, wondering if you’ll ever need them again. Becoming a mermaid is a life change, obviously. So, you were struggling just a little. 

You got rid of most of your stuff, but you were hesitant about removing them all. If going with Katsuki didn’t work out, would you be able to come back? You had to ask later.

So here you are, walking out of the small shack you called home. You approach the dock with only a bag full of the mer’s gifts during his courting process. You couldn’t imagine leaving them behind.

Katsuki is at his usual spot, peaking his head above the water. A pink figure is next to him. Your eyes widen, in the six weeks you knew the mer, he has never introduced you to anyone. This had to be the person changing you.

You gulp, but a familiar bark calls you over. You smile nervously. “Hey, Kats. Who’s this?” You take in her appearance. Bright pink hair, skin, and tentacles. An octopus. You have never seen one that looks like her. She was beautiful.

“Mina. Friend. Ch-Change you.” The octopus tried to talk but it comes out as strange gasping and gurgles. You could tell it was the mer language but was definitely a little different considering it was coming from an octopus. So you just smile and wave at her.

She smiles so wide in return and you begin to feel a little comforted. Mina grabs at your ankles and begins to continue talking in the language you cannot for the life of you understand. You look toward Katsuki for help, a little afraid that she might drag you in. She looks nice enough, but she is a sea creature. You don’t trust them completely yet.

“Look at her tentacles Bakugou! Only two of them. How weird!” Katsuki rips her hand away from your body and growls at her.

“Watch it. That is your Queen that you dare to touch without my approval.” Mina shrinks her hand away and nods hesitantly. She totally forgot how important you are. 

The octopus tries to do a curtsey, but it looks more like she just submerged more of her body in the water. Katsuki huffs and nods while you look at her confused. “Katsuki what is she doing?”

“Showing Re-spect. Queen.” You look at him wide-eyed. You were not going to get used to this. 

“Oh. Um, thank you?” Mina has no idea what you are saying but continues to stare at you with stars in her eye. Unknown to you, but she has been waiting for the day the blonde finally chose his mate for years now. You laugh awkwardly.

She grins at the sound and turns toward the king who is wishing this process went a lot quicker. “What did she say? Tell me Bakugou!” 

He rolls his eyes. “She says thanks. Now can you get on with it?” She nods, used to the blonde’s behavior, and beckons Katsuki to grab for your hand. He holds his hand out to you, and you take it. He begins to lead your hand to the octopus but stops.

You begin to tremble, nerves getting the best of you. Katsuki looks at you, eyes furrowed with concern. He quickly scans the area. “No danger. Don’t be afraid. Protect you. Promise, mate.”

You smile at the reassurance but it doesn’t help. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to be a mermaid, but this once again is a huge change. Your whole world is about to do a 180. 

You don’t know how to phrase this any nicer, but you have to get it off your chest. “If I…If I want to go back home, as a human. Will I be able to?” 

Katsuki grimaces. He had to admit that question hurt, but it was reasonable. Mers may mate for life, but humans don’t. After a while would you leave? Would he let you leave him? He didn’t like pondering such nonsense things. 

But, for your sake, he turned to Mina and translated your question. She takes a second to think about it but nods and explains how easy it is to reverse the spell. 

He feels hesitant about telling you this. “Yes. But–Don’t leave. Stay. With me.” Katsuki pauses, looking up at you. He huffs. “Please?” He has never asked for anything in his life, and if anyone in his court heard this they would be flabbergasted.

This is also the first time he has also said please to you. You smile and run your fingers over his webbed ones, and nod at him reassuringly. “Wasnt planning to. Just wanna keep my options open. Just in case, yknow, something bad goes wrong.”

He, like usual, grumbles, but he does understand. You’re smart. Thinking about how a situation could go bad, and how to keep yourself safe. Things queens should be thinking about it. So, although it feels wrong instinctually to agree with you, he can’t help but feel a little prideful at your statement. “I un–understand. But, nothing go wrong.”

You chuckle at his statement, but don’t disagree. You hope nothing does go wrong. You hope that the two of you will stay together forever while you are down there. 

Mina gurgles, annoyed that she can’t understand what you guys are talking about. Katsuki clicks at her sharply and she rolls her eyes. Then the mer brings your hand onto hers. You gulp. “Ready?” He barks.

“As I’ll ever be.” 

Your vision begins to fade, and the last thing you see is Katsuki grinning, canines hanging out of his mouth that looks almost animalistic.

When you awake you are underwater and breathing it. You of course panic when your first wake up, but immediately remember.

You begin to take in your surroundings. You are in a dark sort of cave. It’s hard to see much, but you are very much alone. It unnerves you. Where the hell was Katsuki?

You begin to move but forget about your new appendages. You quickly turn around to get a look at your tail and gasp. It was pretty. A light green, with glittering scales that are not that exciting in the darkness. But still, you could tell it was beautiful. It was definitely smaller than Katsuki’s massive orange one, but definitely still large. 

You put all your years of playing mermaid in the public pool into the effort at this exact moment and suddenly, you are swimming. Not fast, of course, considering you are definitely confined into a small space, but definitely something. You smile wide and swim in circles, twirling around, fulfilling your childhood dreams.

Suddenly a noise startles you out of your thoughts. You freeze and quickly duck low, hiding from whoever it was. Chances were, it was Katsuki, but you aren’t willing to risk it. 

“I don’t know man, this seems like a bad idea. Bakugou is going to kill us if he sees us.”

“Just one peek. It will be fine, Kirishima, stop being such a guppy. We will ask her not to tell him we were here!” Eijiro looks over toward the blonde mer, and nods hesitantly. He begins to drag the shark toward the end of the cave.

Suddenly, a rock is thrown at them. Not hard, considering you are not used to the dynamics of force in the water, but definitely still there. The shark jumps and looks at you in shock. “M-My Queen.” The two strangers bow at you and you grab another rock.

“Who are you guys? And where is Katsuki?” You hiss, green face fins spread in alarm. The two look at you in shock.

The yellow-tailed mer is the first to respond. “How…How can you understand us? Didn’t you just transform?” 

You begin to lower the rock in confusion. Then it hits you. You weren’t using your vocal cords the same as usually do. You were clicking and trilling at them. It was instinctual, you didn’t even know you were doing it. 

Another figure appears and you hiss on instinct. When you do so though, you immediately cover your mouth, eyes wide in shock. 

“I did it!” Mina says with a smile and swimming up close to you, way closer than normal personal space. She grabs your hand and begins to assess it. “I gave you something that helps with understanding mer linguistics. I just couldn’t wait to talk to our new Queen!”

“Does the king know?” Eijiro says eyebrows pinched in concern. He knows that Katsuki doesn’t like doing things without his approval. Especially stuff involving his new mate. That’s why if he and Denki were found out, they were fucked.

“Well, no! But he will be happy! Anyways, what are you guys doing in here? I am making sure the transformation went well.” She turns back to you and runs her hands over your face fins. You flinch at the strange feeling. “My Queen, can you please open your mouth for me?” You abide, and she begins to count your teeth and checks your canines.

Kaminari swims closer to the octopus. “We wanted to take a look! Bakugou really scored, huh? She is so pretty and–”

“I’ll ask you guys again. Where is Katsuki?” You hiss, cutting the blonde mer off. You weren’t trying to be rude, but you were overwhelmed, and the fact that he is not here when you are so vulnerable is upsetting you. 

“Demanding! Perfect for a ruler!” He responds, a smile on his plastered on his face like he was used to being treated like this.  

“He is hunting for you, my Queen.” The large shark, you were most wary about says, with a soft reassuring smile on his face.

“Y/N. Please, all of you call me Y/N, all this “my Queen” talk is throwing me off.”

They all look at each other hesitantly, wondering how exactly Bakugou will feel about being on a first-name basis with you. But, you were their queen, and this was your first command. So they all nod at you. “Of course…Y/N,” The blonde mer says and you smile. “Im Denki and this is Eijiro. And of course, you met Mina. We are part of King Bakugou’s court.”

Mina lifts your arms up and moves them around, humming to herself. “Anyways, don’t worry, he will be back soon. These two idiots aren’t supposed to be in here but don’t be afraid they are harmless.” The two grin at you at her statement and you return the gesture.

Suddenly, there is noise at the entrance of the cave. Mina drops your arm instantly, and moves to take a peek. She gasps and quickly turns her shocked gaze toward the other two. You watch the boys’ faces pale drastically. 

Eijiro quickly stutters out, “M-My King….You are here–” before the two of them are pinned to the floor, held down by the backs of their neck. You gasp and Mina sighs, knowing this was going to happen.

“What the fuck are you two doing in here? I should banish you. Coming in here on my sleeping mate, your Queen, without my permission,” He hisses out, face fins spread wide, pupils constricted, and claws digging into their necks, causing the two to wince. “No, not banish, I should kill you guys for–” 

You let out a small yelp, shocked by what the hell is happening. You have never seen Katsuki angry before, and now he is using full sentences to threaten to kill people. His very own subjects! It made you think about what he could do to you.

That’s not even talking about his appearance. He looked animalistic. Like he really would see his threat through. You didn’t know if you really were cut out for the world under the sea. 

Katsuki whips his head toward you at the sound, and his eyes widen. He takes in your very much shaken appearance, trying to hide behind Mina. He of course didn’t mean to scare you. He assumed you were still asleep. “Out. All of you. I’ll deal with you later. Now!” The three quickly scamper out of the cave, leaving you alone with the king.

He sighs and rubs at his face. He swims up to you, but instictually, you flinch away due to his appearance. His eyes slowly contract back to usual and his facial fins relax. “Sorry. Sorry. Don’t be scared. Will not hurt you. Sorry. Mate. Protect.” He using your language again. It’s a little muffled under the water, but understandable. 

But what really shocks you was how desperate he sounds. He really was afraid that you were scared of him. It made your heart throb. You have to think about it, but you speak in your tongue. “It’s okay. I’m okay. You shocked me a bit, but I’m not afraid of you Katsuki.”

He gently grabs onto your arms and this time you don’t flinch away. He sighs and hugs you. Katsuki mumbles, “Those fucking bastards.” In your neck and you laugh. 

“I like them. Eijiro freaked me out at first, but they seem nice.” He jumps and pulls away from you, holding you not at arms length.

He furrows his eyebrows at you, confusion written all over his face. “What? Speak.”

“Um okay?” 

“What the fuck? How the hell can you understand–Mina. That idiot! I knew she would somehow ruin this.”  He pinches the bridge of his nose and you laugh.

“What’s the big deal? This is a good thing. You now can use full complex sentences. It’s honestly kinda weird, but now I can understand you more, without the growls and grumbles,” You reason and he looks away from you, a small blush on his face. He mumbles something under his breath. You hum in question.

“Nothing. I just–Whatever doesn’t matter.” 

You cock your head to the side. “C’mon tell me, if I am to be your mate I have to understand what’s going on in that hard head of yours.” He rolls his eyes at your grin.

Katsuki mumbles out, “Didn’t want you to learn it yet.”

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion and then bring back the teasing. “Why? So you could be the only one to talk to me?” You smile and lightly tug on the two orange fins attached to his face.

He blushes and turns away from you. You have your answer. A laugh falls from your lips and he growls in embarrassment. “You possessive little shit! How would I be able to rule a kingdom without speaking your language?”

“I would teach you the basics. You could ask me to translate the rest.”

“With your fantastic English speaking?”

“Fuck you! I’m fantastic at speaking it, better than you.” You laugh at his cocky statement, and his eyes fall to your tail.

His grumbles stop as he stares at your tail. He runs his claws over it gently, admiring it. You stop your laughter to follow his gaze. “It’s pretty. Smaller than mine. It fits you. I knew you were destined to be a mer.” 

You smile at him. It was rare for Katsuki to speak so gently with you, so you were soaking it all in. But, you turn the conversation back to what’s important. “You scared me earlier.” He scowls, remembering your terrified face, just a couple of minutes ago. “When you weren’t by my side when I woke up.” 

His ruby eyes scan your face. “I was hunting. I was with you every second for the past week. If I didn’t I would most likely starve to death. I don’t know why the hell you woke up the one time I was gone. It’s your fault.” You give him a glance that said, really? at his ridiculous answer and he scoffs, giving in immediately. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright.”

He nods before he leads you over to the stone ledge covered in seaweed that you awoke on. “Rest. You just shifted. Mina says you should be sleeping. Can’t have you die on the first day of being a mer.”

“Die?!” You screech and Katsuki laughs mischievously.  

“Im fucking with you. I didn’t dedicate six weeks courting your ass just for you to die. Sleep. Now.” You use your new appendage to hit his stomach at his teasing. But, you’re not used to your new strength, so you accidentally hit him way harder than you meant to. He winces and falls forward, having the wind knocked out of him. Your eyes widen and you spit out apologies immediately.

“Pretty and strong. Perfect.” He wheezes and you laugh nervously, fretting over him. He just pushes you back down on the slab, mumbling how he alright. He then curls up next to you and begins to lull you to sleep.

Two weeks go by, and now, officially you are Katsuki’s mate. Two nights ago it became official, and the both of you have bite marks on each other’s necks. 

The one on yours is huge, he didn’t even try to make it hidden. It’s right below your ear, and no matter how hard you try, it will be shown to everyone. Possessive bastard.

Katsukis is a lot smaller, you were hesitant about biting him in the first place, so you placed it near his collarbone. He stopped wearing jewelry so that it could be shown and you swear he goes out of his way to crane his neck to display it when talking to someone. It was ridiculous.

But, other than his antics being queen honestly hasn’t been that hard. His court loves you already and his mother absolutely adores you. She saw you once scold Katsuki for being mean to one of his subjects and fell in love immediately. 

You live in a palace. It was absolutely massive and was made out of gold. Katsuki says it has been here for hundreds of years. It was completely different than your beach shack, but you were growing fond of it.

Katsuki’s room is definitely very…Katsuki. It was more like a cave in all honestly. He says he likes to go with his roots. His instincts. Mers originally lived in caves after all. You have done some touch-ups to make it more home-like, but kept it the way he likes. 

The gifts the both of you received hang upon the walls. It was a little strange to see a tennis ball held in such a protective case, but you didn’t say anything, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

Currently, you were talking to Eijiro as you were swimming to the dining room. You have slowly convinced Katsuki to actually eat in the dining room with the rest of his court, instead of bringing dead fish back in his mouth like a wild animal. 

He agreed but forces the chefs to make his and your meals the fish he hunted. Everybody snickers about it behind his back, but nobody has the guts to say anything to his face.

Surprisingly, you actually enjoy eating fish. It took a couple of days of getting used to it, but it was a lot better when the chefs prepared it. You had no idea how they made the sauces for it, considering you guys were under the sea, but you knew you probably didn’t want to find out.

“And then we helped the guppy find his parents!” Eijiro clicks, snapping you out of your daydream. He was telling you about his day guarding the city.

You smile at him. “How sweet. I’m not surprised, you are a great soldier.” He grins at you and nods. The shark seems to have taken a liking to you, considering you don’t shit on him constantly like Katsuki does. You don’t mind. It was nice to have friends, you didn’t have many on the surface.

Suddenly the door behind you opens and the two of you turn toward it. Eijiro, like always, bows low in greeting. You smile.

Katsuki swims over toward the two of you, with the usual scowl plastered on his face. “Why talk to him?” He grumbles, not liking that you are alone with the shark. He knows nothing will ever happen, but still, it was annoying that he has so many kingly duties that he doesn’t get to spend as much time with you as his court does.

You rephrase his statement. “He asked us what we are talking about.” The shark nods and Katsuki looks at you like you slapped him. You cock your head, confused.

“Don’t trans–late. He is idiot.”

“You know he is a member of your court.”

“Our court.”

“Yes, our court.” He nods in triumph and you sigh, but smile. Katsuki has been going out of his way to talk to you in English. He likes the idea that only the two of you can communicate with one another like this. 

The blonde swims up to you and presses his lips to yours, without a warning. Eijiro lets out a disgusted noise, before turning away and heading to the dining room by himself. 

“Really?” You sigh when you pull away. He grins mischievously and grabs you by the hand, before leading you to the dining room.

Upon your entrance, your court “stands” from their chairs. They all bow and simultaneously say, “Greetings to His and Her Majesty.”

You smile and wave at your new family, you manage to get a small wave back from Denki. You still aren’t used to the whole dramatic greetings. Katsuki just nods in approval. 

Katsuki sits at one end of the table, and you sit at the other. You actually hate doing this, you much rather sit next to one another, but it was important for the king and queen to also show respect. 

You receive your custom-made meals, and your mate grins from across the room. “Salmon. Good.”

“Thanks, Kats.” You smile warmly at him, knowing he takes immense pride whenever he has “provided” for you successfully. He huffs but uses his hand to wave the thanks off. Denki has to hold back a laugh.

The others receive their meals and begin to indulge themselves. You are the only one who uses silverware, but you don’t mind, you are now used to the way merfolk eat. The first day it almost gave you a heart attack watching them viciously tear into the fish.

You talk to Mitsuki for most of the meal and occasionally join in Mina’s conversations. Katsuki talks to Eijiro most of the meal, but the two of you make eye contact multiple times. You always smile at him. It was a nice dinner. It always was.

You really love it here. Everyone is so kind to you. Being a queen is not too hard, but that is simply because Katsuki is really good at being a king. He is respected by everyone, so naturally, as his mate, you are too. Plus you haven’t had to make any life-changing decisions. Katsuki did that for you, and you were grateful. You didn’t have much experience ruling people.

Dinner ends uneventfully and you dont mind. The routine is nice. Katsuki leads you back to his room. It was the first time you have seen him all day besides dinner.

The day ends with just the two of you. You lay facing one another, and Katsuki runs his fingers through your hair. He kisses the bitemark on your neck. He then murmurs, “My Queen.” into your neck.

“Hmm?”

“Just like saying it.” You laugh lightly.

You sigh and look toward the stone ceiling. “It’s weird. If someone told me that I would be a ruler a year ago I would have fainted.”

He grins, canines on full display. You remember when they used to freak you out. Now you can’t help but love them. “Would you believe that you are mated to the strongest being of the sea?”

“I think you mean the most arrogant bastard of the sea.”

“Don’t act like you don’t love it.”

You roll your eyes and switch back to your native language. “Mated to a man who thought courting meant trading. What a strange thing.”

“Your fault! Dumbass!”

You grin at him. “How was that my fault? You really thought I was coming onto you that fast?”

He grumbles to himself. “Wouldnt be sup–rised. Happened before.”

You fake gasp. “Don’t tell me. Have you been trading with other mers before you met me? I’m wounded Katsuki!” You knew the answer to that, having heard him multiple times tell you that he only had eyes for you. 

“Yeah. Traded with many mers. Way prettier than you.” He nibbles on your jaw, a sign of affectionate teasing. He has also told you multiple times in high dramatics that he was “mated to the prettiest being of the sea.”.

You laugh and continue the joke. “Don’t worry, I understand. I “traded” with tons of other human men too.”

He growls and runs his teeth over the mating mark. “Joke over.”

You pet his head, still grinning. “Who said I was joking?” He looks up at you, squinting at you and frowning. He can tell by the look on your face that you are lying.

He quickly switches tactics to lightly gnawing on your skin, earning squeals from the ticklish feeling. He pins you down to stop your squirming. It doesn’t stop your hysterical laughing. “Stop! That tickles! Mercy! Katsuki!”

“Say it.”

“Say what!?”

He stares at you. “Fine! Fine! I have only traded with you!”

“And?” The mer prompts, as he moves to your stomach to lightly bite it. You continue to squirm, but you know what he wants you to say.

“And….Katsuki! Im going to pee myself! And I am so happy to be mated to the strongest being of the sea!”

“And?”

“And what?!”

“You know.”

“And I love being Queen of the sea! And I’ll never turn back human!” He releases you with a grunt and you begin to pant, trying to regain your composure.

He didn’t mean to get you to say that last part, but he can’t help but feel an immense amount of joy from the words. He is afraid you’ll get sick of the life of a queen. The reassurance helps.

Once you calm down, you glare at him for torturing you. “I am going to kill you Katsuki Bakugou!”

“With those little fangs? You can try.” You pounce on him immediately and the two of you twirl in the bed. He laughs and growls playfully at you. Katsuki barely lets you win. He smiles when he feels those dull claws, compared to his, pins him against the bed. He will let you have this moment, especially after what you just said.

The poor servants were left red in the face when they passed your door, hearing the thumping, growling, and squealing coming from the King and Queens bedroom.

[st4rbe0m]

𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑ KISS THE GIRL - PSH

🫧 now playing - kiss the girl from disney’s The Little Mermaid 🫧 contents - the little mermaid au, no gendered implications but the word 'maiden' is used, implied kissing 🫧 wc - 0.9K 🫧 a/n - i hope this compensates for the lack of body search updates recently :( i need to structure that story out a bit more, so it'll be a while. might make a mini series out of this however teehee >.<

masterlist

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, My oh my Look like the boy too shy Ain't gonna kiss the girl

The blue luminescence of the algae around them, surrounding the boat in a surreal bubble, made the breath in Sunghoon’s throat hitch in awe. You were right in front of him, hands on the pair of paddles opposite to his own, making no move of their own, as your eyes blown wide in awe of scenery peered around. The way the drooping willow branches of the cove swayed in an almost rhythm like manner, creating a music of its own. The fish seemed almost animated as they playfully swam along the quivering currents of the water, the boat stalled and rocking almost like a crib, gently. The reeds whistled, adding the percussion to the music of the ocean, while the crabs and the seagulls perched along the rocks of the shallow alcove seemed to scuttle along, adding a tapping beat to the environment. Almost like this endeavor was planned. Almost. 

Sunghoon doesn’t really register how quickly this stranger, whom he’d found on the beach with no voice of your own, and almost seemingly no knowledge of his importance or his duties, had easily slid into his life, like the puzzle piece he’d been missing ever since he went aboard his ship on his birthday. The day he was knocked off the very vessel, and only had an angelic voice and a fleeting memory saving him from being pulled under by the unforgiving waves of the sea. 

The boat was swaying gently in the water as you both rocked along with it, eyes swallowing in all the beauty of the escape Sunghoon had found during his lonesome adventures to escape from princely duties. A hidden cave, with a shallow pool of water and a welcoming alcove hiding the both of you away from prying eyes. After all, the rumors and gossip about town would multiply with a frenzy, if any citizen were to come across the adoration on the face of their beloved prince, as he gazed upon this strange maiden. The mood around them was so tender, so fragile and so, so beautiful. Yet to Sunghoon, the only beauty he could focus on was the one right in front of him, only on the way your head was tilted up and looking around, like you were seeing everything that existed above the land for the first time ever in your life. The way your lips parted softly and exhaled a soft sigh of satisfaction, like a thirst to see everything was being quenched slowly. And how soft your lips looked, glowing under the moonlight that entered through the cracks above. The plump curve of your cupid’s bow, and the dip of white where your teeth bit into your lower lip in fascination.

If the ambience wasn’t already perfect, the buzzing of the fireflies, that illuminated the air around you both with their bright, yellow glow just made your heart leap in joy, and the smile that grew on your face made Sunghoon’s heart flip in his own chest, like the marine creatures surrounding you both, almost like they’d choreographed their own dance to celebrate the union of you both. The frogs that sat with their little webbed legs stuck on to the paddles of your boat, and the wonderful, colorful fish, creating a haze of flurried colors under the dark water. It was all absolutely delightful, as you both chuckled at the behavior of all the animals around you. One of the frogs on the paddle decided to leap in a move of its own, elegantly diving into the water with a plop. But as graceful as the move was, it ended up with a small splash of water ungracefully landing on Sunghoon’s cheek, which made you giggle in amusement. Bringing the fabric of your sleeve to your palm and shifting close to wipe the cold water off his face, your eyes met the warmth in his brown ones, making you fall harder for the enigmatic and handsome prince. The human you’d found yourself to be so captivated by. Prince Park Sunghoon, royal heir to the throne of the island country, Telmarina. 

Sunghoon’s heartbeat was thundering in his ears due to the proximity between the two of you, and if he didn’t already feel that magnetic pull that was urging him to push his lips onto yours, the urge just got stronger as he looked at all your features with such intensity, as to almost memorize them. You could feel his shortening breath on your face now, which just created a chain reaction to your own flusteredness. His eyes, which were settled on yours, hesitatingly shifted, and then dipped to your lips. And it seemed that you did too, as the pink tinge of his lips seemed to call you like a siren. Leaning in slowly, almost gravely, both of you inhaled as your lips almost touched to fulfill what you both had been yearning for this entire time.

That was until the solid wooden flooring of the boat under both of you seemed to disappear, leaving you both plunging into the cold water of the lagoon, icing the blood in your veins and leaving you both in a shocked state, floating in the water. Laughing at the state of both of you, the kiss that almost happened seemed to slowly leave both of your minds, and Sunghoon swore that if you listened close enough, you could hear some sort of disappointed groan coming from the rock where the crab and seagull sat. And holding out his hand for you to take as you both swam up to land, you both almost ignored the dark slithering eels that swam away silently from the scene, ready to report to their masters of the success of their devious plans.

[yandere-class-1a]

Class 1a as mermaids and mermaid and reader as a human-like one day reader finds a trapped mermaid and they save them and now that mermaids tell the other mermaids about the humans and their will to meet the reader

Author Note: I tired my best to work on this and keep it from going to far of track so I really hope you like it. I actually headcanoned what each on of their tails would look like so if you want that just send in another ask! It's perfectly fine if you have your own ideas though ♡

On a warm summer night, as the moon cast its gentle glow upon the beach and the wind sung a sweet lullaby, you some how found yourselves tossing and turning, unable to drift of into your dream world for the third time this week. Frustrated, you decided to go on a late-night stroll along the deserted shoreline of the pink sand beach. You weren't sure the actual name, maybe it was the romantic settings or probably the pink tinted sand, but most people called it Soulmates Beach.

As you walked along the shore line and in the moons soft glow, the rhythmic crashing of the waves provided a soothing soundtrack to your thoughts. Almost forgetting your frustration at not being able to sleep you become lost in the beauty of the night. That was until your eyes caught sight of something peculiar in the water. A glimmering pink and yellow tail, trapped in a net, struggled against the unforgiving holds of captivity.

You paused for a second thinking it might be a large fish if some kind. However you quickly dashed towards the thrashing net as you saw a human arm hand grab at the net from the inside. To your amazement you discovered it was a living breathing mermaid. You freeze for a second once again. No way is that a real mermaid, you thought to yourself, it's every kids dream to meet some type of mystic creature! However you quickly snap out of it once you hear a distressed chirp come from Mina.

It took you a few minutes and using a shell as a knife but you finally manage to free her from the entanglement. Grateful and relieved Mina let out a small thank you purr before swimming deep into the ocean and returning to her mermaid pack. The news spread like wildfire among the members of her mer-pack, each one if them instantly amazed by the very idea of a human saving a mermaid.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and thankfulness at saving Mina, they all set their sights on meeting the stunning human that mina had told them so much about. They didn't even know you, heck Mina was the only one that hhad even seen you, and yet they all felt some sorta warm and fuzzy feeling when one of them would mention you. They had all decide to name you Shinning Star. They thought it was perfectly fitting as you lit up their worlds just by being mentioned.

Days later, the encounter with Mina still planted deeply in your brain, you returned to the beach. You weren't expecting to see her again, after all if you had been caught by humans you would be pretty scared to come back up to the surface so you don'treally blame her. You sit at the edge of the beach, on a small stone that was oddly shaped like a chair. You gently start to hum a song as you close your eyes.

After a few minutes of sitting there with your eyes closed you are met with a loud and continuous splashing sound accompanied by small chirps. Your eyes open faster than you ever thought they could, and there is a absaloutly amazing sight.

Emerging from the depths of the beutifull blue ocean are not one, not two, no not even three, but nineteen whole mer-people. All of their beutifull tails glinting under the sunlight. With eager eyes they gently call for you to come close to them. You knew it was risky but you are absaloutly amazed by what your seeing, so without thinking you gently walk over to them and smile a amazed smile at them. Your hands are fidgeting from how excited you are at this opportunity.

Izuku is the first to greet you. His tail is a beutifull emerald green with freckles of red and white. He flicked it happily as you step closer. In the excitedness he let's out tons of happy chirps and goes to lean forward to touch you. Unlucky for him he was as far as the water would let him go and he face planted in the sand. You rush over to him and check on him.

Izuku thinks it's absaloutly adorable, your in the presence of real life merpeople and your worried that he got a little sand in his eye. He chirps happily and snuggles his head gently into your stomach, a sign of love and respect in mermaid body language, not like you know that though. You chuckle as Izuku hops up and turns to the rest of the mer-pack before chirping out somthing unreadable to humans. They all greet you one by one.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turn into months you and the group of mer-people forged a unique bond. You all had a absaloute blast, even though somtimes it seemd asif they never wanted you to leave. Mer-pack 1-A, once captivated by your heroism, now found themselves captivated by your very presence.

With each passing day, their heart grew fonder for you. Their once pure curiosity and admiration for you blossoming into something more. In your company they all found found acceptance, understanding, and a love stronger than anything they had ever felt before.

[ottern0t]

oh not sure if you're up for more requests or anything but the thought of mermaid rose with a still normal nine just popped into my brain and I thought it might be fun to draw. big beautiful tail splashing about, chatting with her half propped out and him dipping his legs into the water. actually bet he'd fret over getting his leather all wet lol. anyways some ideas idk I just love a good mermaid au

Not my favorite drawing of mine but HIP HIP HOORAY it’s the big pink and yellow fish :3

[universallydestinytaco]

The Little Smiling Mermaid (Chapter 9)

Thank you for reading the first nine chapters of TLSM, unfortunately I have to put the fic is on hiatus until around October because I got lots of art projects to finish! PS. please follow one of my buddies @bluebellcup, it would make us smile!!

TW: Gender Dysphoria + Unintentional Misgendering

Graham Nelly was out scavenging for breakfast as part of his daily morning routine in his own unique Graham Nelly way: he used his "grappling hook" to harvest the sweet and aromatic tropical fruit the island bore, although it would take about seven times to succeed in getting at least two or three of each type he was craving at the moment. He accidentally grabbed a nest full of eggs and one angry mother parrot, who proceeded to give the hapless mer-hippy the ol' stare-down of doom. Graham gulped, bearing what one would call a shit-eating grin and sheepishly wave hello to shake off any negative vibe. This friendly greeting was only met with the mother furiously squawking in his face and ferociously chomping his hand. So much for a balanced breakfast! Once the panicking Graham Nelly finally got away from that one pissed-off mama, he spotted a very familiar group he knew all-too-well. Graham called out: "Well, look at what the catfish dragged in!". It didn't take too long for Graham to notice something was up with his littlest cousin. "Say, There's something different about you, Pim! New hairdo? I can see you've been using your dinglehopper!'" Pim shook his head for "No", Graham placed his hand on his stubble trying to figure it out. "New seashells?" Same response from Pim, who was humored by his cousin's morning absentminded-ness. Graham shrugged: "Well, I'm stumped." Alan snapped: "HE'S GOT LEGS, YOU IDIOT!" Graham was taken aback by the rarity of the lobster losing his cool. "He traded his voice to some crazy sea witch for a pair legs! UGH!" as Pim was trying out his new legs by getting up to stand for the very first time, his friends further conversed; Glep summed-up the catch of the deal: "Eskabezawabowakishymwah!" Alan admitted in anguish: "And he's only got three days. That big yellow guy barely even knows Pim! This is a catastrophe! Okay, maybe there's still time for me to get your voice back-" Alan's rant was cut off by Pim tripping on a pebble and falling back down with a dramatic splash, cascading water all over the lobster who took it as a sign to chill out. Alan then crawled into Pim's hand, looking up eye-to-eye with a plea to reason: "Look, if I can call off the deal, you don't have to return to the palace BUT it can just be us exploring what else the sea has to offer! You'll be...." Alan quickly noticed that Pim's eyes started to shimmer with leaking tears. "...just be miserable for the rest of your life." Defeated, Alan agreed: "All right, all right! I'll try to help you out best I can." Pim immediately smiled, kissing Alan on top of the head before letting him go free. "Ugh, what a soft-shell I turned out to be." Graham spoke up, giving some helpful advice to Pim: "Dude, I'm tellin' ya, if you wanna be a land critter, the first thing you gotta do is dress like one!"

~

Charlie, his crew, Mipnessa and Mr. Boss all embarked on the newly-prepared ship at noon for some sight-seeing, as Dj Spitz served the party a light brunch of egg sandwiches and chopped fruit per Mipnessa’s request. Of course Charlie was still having an internal conflict with himself over recent events, but eventually decided to turn his brain off to properly enjoy his meal. Mipnessa asked: “I beg pardon but isn’t this fruit supposed to be chopped?” Charlie grinned and assured: “Wait for it…” Dj Spitz grabbed two swords behind himself, tossed a pineapple in the air to where his blade caught up just in time for him to quickly dice it into chunks, landing perfectly on the plate to which the impressed group gave Dj Spitz a well-deserved round of applause. Tomar complimented: “Hot damn, Spitz, you sure know how to make a spectacle out of a meal!” Dj Spitz replied, “All in a day’s work, man!” As he wiped the juice off the blades before returning them to their scabbards. “I do say, Charles, your friends are all charmingly eccentric, no wonder you’re so lively.” said Mipnessa, to which Charlie replied: “What can I say? They’re the wind beneath my sails!" Smormu, realizing the egg in her sandwich was in dire need of some seasoning, asked: "Say Chris, may you please pass the salt?” to which Chris obliged: “Sure thing.” but while reaching for the salt, he accidentally knocked over Lyle’s coffee and spilled it on Mipnessa’s gown! Boy did he ever thank the heavens that it had already been cooled off by the cream. “Shit!” Chris spat out as Smormu and Charlie quickly grabbed some napkins to help Mipnessa clean up as a groggy, crusty-eyed Lyle muttered: “Damn it.” while picking his mug up for a refill. The embarrassed Chris apologized over and over until Mipnessa replied: “That’s okay, I find bumbling, awkward men to be more unique and endearing...that’s why I find Charlie to be my ideal husband!” Tomar chuckled: “Oh that Mip, she's a real kidder!” while nudging Charlie’s shoulder as the latter's face flushed red in embarrassment; Eager to change the subject, Charlie broke silence: “How about my ol’ pal Tomar plays us a tune?", rummaging around one of his pockets to dig out his ocarina and placing it in Tomar’s hand to hastily request in a whisper: “Play us a good ol’ fashioned sea shanty, for atmosphere.” Tomar sighed, knowing he kinda had that coming. “I’m no Nicholson but I know The Golden Vanity by heart.” Charlie held his hand out to Mipnessa, "May I have this dance?”

~

“You look sensational!” Graham Nelly complimented Pim on the makeshift dress they collaborated on, Pim finding an old discarded sail and Graham providing the needle and thread. Alan put his claw on his chin, suggesting: “It’s missing something…” just then Glep swam up and gave Pim a familiar trinket he salvaged from the grotto’s ruins: Pim’s flower barrette he stashed inside his favorite music box. Pim kissed Glep to say thanks before placing the barrette in his hair, using his reflection in the water as a mirror to make sure the look was perfect. “I bet that Prince dude's gonna feel his jaw drop the ground when he sees you all dolled up and stuff, let's swim over to- Oh, right, you have legs now so it'd be a bitch for you to swim...luckily I have just the thing for that! See that big ol' platform with the fiddle-sticks over there? All that came with the island, now the platform itself is a little bit wear-and-tear but it'll still keep you afloat!" Pim walked up to the raft and with some help, he started pushing it out to sea. Before Pim could embark, he had to give Graham a big ol' hug to show his appreciation. Graham returned the favor by ruffling Pim's head, responding: "Love you too, kiddo."

~

All while the usual high-seas hi-jinks played out in the background, Mr. Boss was looking out for any sign of trouble with a spy glass, although he wasn’t behind the wheel at the very moment since the ship was anchored, he was still startled from the previous outing at sea. Just then he spotted what appeared to be a stowaway perched on top of a rock surrounded in debris from what he deemed a shipwreck of sorts. Mr. Boss took pity as he pondered just how long they sat on that rock, so the old man quickly rushed over to the dinghy with some lifesavers handy, catching Charlie's attention, asking “Woah, Boss, where’s the fire?” as he followed Mr. Boss, who replied: “We have a stowaway in need of our help!” Charlie’s curiosity peaked, asking: “...Is it a girl?” Mr. Boss spat: “There’s no time for sophomoric questions, boy!” as he lowered the dinghy to carry out the mission. …

Pim felt like an idiot who didn't know how to paddle to save his life...then again, he never really had enough experience to steer a raft, especially considering merfolk obviously didn't need anything like rafts or boats anyways. Nevertheless, his heart fluttered as Charlie gently helped him up, calmly asking: “You okay?”. Mr. Boss fussed in sympathy: “What a trooper.” Charlie carried Pim bridal-style over to the dinghy where he laid the beautiful stranger to sit beside him as Mr. Boss rowed back to the vessel to raise the dinghy upwards. …

Mipnessa was harmonizing her lute with Tomar getting the hang of Charlie’s ocarina to the rest of the gang's clapping rhythm. That was, until everyone sans Mipnessa's attention immediately turned to Mr. Boss, Charlie and the beautiful stranger they rescued. Chris, Tomar, Lyle and Smormu all stood stupefied in awe at the newcomer as Mipnessa ran to Charlie to hug him and fuss over how she wondered where he was while he was gone...for about at least 10 minutes. A sly Chris remarked: “Hello nurse.” only for Mr. Boss to chide: "Ladies prefer a man who minds his manners, Chris." Smormu piped up: "Aw sweet, more girls to relate to and bond with! Everything's coming up Smormu!" Pim started to frown, the double-disappointment of repressing his own jealousy towards Mipnessa honing in on his man and being unable to clarify his true gender, but in a case of Morton's Fork, he'd still be hesitant to come out right away even if he did have his voice intact. His frown did turn into a smile once Smormu walked up to Pim to shake his hand. "The name's Smormu, what's yours?" while patiently waiting for a response, she took notice of Pim's barrette and let out a girlish squeal: "Oh my gosh, what a cute hair clip! Say, is that a golden pearl in the center?" Pim's face flushed, responding to the compliment with a curtsy. Mr. Boss chuckled at the demure stowaway. "While all be! She must have come from a wealthy family, perhaps even royalty." Mipnessa piped up: "Oh, how beautiful indeed! In fact, it reminds me of one of my own favorite pieces of finery!" Mipnessa quickly removed her shawl to reveal a gold-chain necklace whose focal point was a large creamy-white pearl embellished with diamonds, impressing everyone around her; even Pim excitedly shook his hands while thinking of a way to express a non-verbal compliment. Charlie knew this had to be the mystery critter, right? For a girl with the most beautiful voice, she was literally speechless. Perhaps she had laryngitis, or maybe she reserved her voice for certain times? Either way, Charlie was feeling even more conflicted with himself now that he really did have two potential brides to pick between: The proper lady he was arranged with, or the wild and elusive beauty he kept bumping into?

[nohoney]

I have an idea, can we get siren (merman) Hawks and can it be smut/fluffy...please

-👁

i’ve never been one to be able to write about any fantasy creatures whatsoever but this was actually kind of fun (๑˃ᴗ˂)

warnings: oral sex (receiving), fingering (receiving), some dirty talk (imagined by the reader), a little bittersweet at the end sorry

The air is warm, sunlight peeks through the breaks of the trees, and you walk further down the path to the lake that you’ve been visiting since the beginning of spring last year. A picnic basket is carried by your side, it’s contents slightly rattling as you walk the paved dirt path. The straps of your dress fall down your shoulder every once in a while and you think that once you stop to rest that you should tighten the bows a little bit so that you’re not always adjusting them.

You break into a little jog once you see the end of the path despite your flip flops not being meant for more than a leisurely walk.

A small pond with a little waterfall is your destination. There’s a wooden dock that you can tell has been standing strong and shows no sign of giving way anytime soon. Perhaps in another fifty years it will start to show some wear but right now, it’s sturdy.

You sit at the very end of the dock, making sure to take your flip flops off first and setting your basket aside next to you. The water level has risen; you know this because last year the water only reached your ankle when you dipped your feet in and this year, the water is up last your calves. There was a lot of rain and while you’re grateful for it, you also don’t want it to submerge the dock either.

Kicking your feet in the water, it creates ripples and disturbs the water lilies nearby.

A head of blond hair pops out from the surface of the water, yellow eyes trained on you swimming beneath the surface to approach. “There you are,” you greet to your friend, “I brought a picnic for us today.”

The head disappears beneath the surface, leaving you alone for a few seconds, the splash of water and wet hands grip onto your calves. When you look down, you see the handsome face of man but beneath the surface of the water, he’s mythical.

Last year, you discovered him.

You moved to town two years ago in the winter and hadn’t made any friends yet. Loneliness settled heavily on you as you struggled to connect with the folks of this town but it’s hard to break into the inner circles of a place where the population is only used to knowing each other. In trying to make conversation with the townsfolk, you heard a lot of talk of avoiding the lake in the middle of the forest. That apparently some parents tried to drown their child in the lake and it came back as a ghastly creature to haunt the water and the surrounding shores of it as well.

You took their little fairytale as a bunch of hooey and decided to walk to that lake.

When you walked the path, it was no different than any trail you had been to before. However coming closer to the break in the trees, you saw a dock and someone swimming in the water. There was some wariness from you when you saw it was a man. Only his head popped up from the water and he seemed very focused on something in the tree branches that reached over the water.

You peered quietly at first, following his line of vision to see a hawk just perched on a tree branch.

When you called out, it startled both the bird and the young man. The hawk took flight and the man in the water was frightened by your presence. He was quick to look back at you before going into the water. You ran to the dock, shouting that you were friendly and your eyes were searching for air bubbles to find him. Your immediate action was to jump in after him.

It was the day you discovered that mermaids… or rather a merman was real.

He had a beautiful tail of red scales that shimmered underneath the sunlight and he seemed to have a liking for the hawk that circled the lake.

So you named him Hawks.

Unusual name for a sea creature but he responded to it once he had gotten used to your presence.

“Here, I brought you an egg today. Hard boiled this time.” You offered to Hawks, already having peeled the shell off. Last time you tried to give him soft boiled but he hated it. He looks reluctantly at it and shakes his head, a gesture that you had taught him since you found he had very little communication. “Oh don’t worry, it’s not runny like last time.”

To prove it, you bite into the top half of the bed. The yolk is firm and a little dry as you chew, but it’s for your friend and not yourself.

Hawks is still reluctant.

“If you don’t want it, that’s okay. But it just means that you won’t get your favorite,” you sing the last word and watch how he perks up, “chicken.”

Hawks grunts and pats his hand at your knee, almost as if he were a child. His hand reaches towards you, eager at the mention of his favorite food. You place the half eaten egg in his palm before pushing his hand back to him. You giggle when he pouts at the egg and looks back up at you; you can tell he feels a little betrayed.

“Just try it, okay? You know how to show me if you don’t like something right?”

You taught him small ways to communicate, often with simple hand gestures. If he doesn’t like something, he’s supposed to cover his mouth with his hand. If he does, he taps his lips twice and then points to what he likes.

Again, like a child, he takes the egg and chews with puffed up cheeks. As you wait for his evaluation, you reach for the plastic container inside the picnic basket but you don’t quite bring it out just yet. He needs to properly tell you whether he likes something or not.

Hawks seems to mull it over before putting his hand over his mouth.

“Okay, I won’t bring you eggs anymore then.” You say with a little confirming nod. The container from the picnic basket is brought out and Hawks bounces in the water in excitement. The little, excited grunts he makes make you shake your head with a smile. You hand him a hearty piece of cooked chicken and it’s practically snatched from you.

Nothing that you haven’t been used to for a good while now.

You give him pieces of chicken with one hand and feed yourself with a sandwich the the other. The sun is warm on your skin, the water is cool, and Hawks is nuzzling your shins as you finish feeding yourself once all the chicken was gone.

Slowly you start to pack up everything inside your picnic basket. You wished that you didn’t have to go, truthfully you hated leaving him by himself, but you still had a life to attend to. Plus also needing to cook his favorite foods as well. “Okay Hawks, I’ll try to see if I can stop by in a few days?”

You start to lift your legs out the water but Hawks hugs your legs to keep you in place.

When he does that, you know it’s because he’s feeling a little lonely.

“I’m sorry Hawks, I know you’re sad that I have to go. I’ll try to come the soonest I can, okay?” You apologize to him, reaching down cup his cheek. He leans into your palm, affectionately humming but whines sadly when you retreat your hand back. He taps his lips twice and points to you. “I like you too Hawks.”

Slowly, he parts your legs and pushes the skirt of your dress up. Again he taps his lips twice and points to in between your legs, this time sticking his tongue out.

“Oh… I don’t know about today.”

Aside from keeping his actual presence a secret, this of course stays strictly between the two of you. Not that Hawks had the capability of saying anything or anyone knew of his presence. Sometimes you laid in bed at night thinking about him, reminiscing how curious he is about your body and how you let him explore his curiosity.

Hawks repeats his action, his brows furrowing and insisting with a pout that is working its magic on you.

He ends up getting what he wants when he presses a kiss to your knee, looking at you through his eyelashes and humming.

“… Okay.”

You discard your dress and fold it neatly before setting it aside. Hawks has a smile on his face that you pretend to not see as you slip your underwear off your body. Your calves are used to the temperature of the water but you still let out a little squeal as you join him in the water.

Hawks swims up to you and shows how happy he is by giving you a hug, affectionately nuzzling your cheek. Even though you hadn’t necessarily planned to have this type of visit with him, a part of you is flattered that he has these kinds of feelings for you and wants to act on them.

He pulls back, only to give you a quick kiss on the lips, smiling at you before sinking beneath the water’s surface. His lips kiss at your tummy before sinking lower, his hands carefully holding your hips and pats your butt as a signal.

I’m going to start now.

You gasp when he shyly licks at you as just a little tease, focusing on the view ahead of you and at a water lily floating on the water. “Oh…” you whisper quietly as closes his mouth over your cunt, licking away at you with the same eagerness he was displaying before. “H-Hawks… oh fuck.”

If only there was some way for you to be able to breathe underwater with him. To see his face and what kind of expressions as he eats you out. He’s beautiful so you know that if you were to see him look up at you as he ate you out, he’d set the butterflies in your tummy fluttering.

When you first let him explore his curiosity, he was just as shy as you were. You could tell by his touches and he could tell by the way you’d jerk whenever you were unprepared to receive his touch. But at this point of your bond, the two of you were definitely used to each other.

Not to say that he didn’t make you flustered sometimes.

Hawks seemed to be able to express himself just fine without words and without difficulty. Something in his nature or perhaps you happened to sync well with him, the two of you were able to understand one another clearly. How was it the best communication you had in a relationship, it was with someone that couldn’t speak any discernible words at all?

“Oh god!” You gasp again before you let out a small moan. Hawks licks you enthusiastically, carefully pushing a finger into your pussy, something that he learned after observing you in the early stages of the two of you showing interest in one another. You remembered how you shyly opened your legs while sitting at the dock one day and confessing to him that you dreamt of him. You remember his curious eyes watching your fingers dip into your dripping cunt and just how fascinated he became.

Your head falls back and you dip one hand beneath the water to grasp at Hawks’ hair. You bite your bottom lip to try to keep your noises in even though you were more than sure that no one else except him would hear you.

Sometimes you wonder what he’d sound like if he was able to speak. You imagine his voice would be smooth, pleasing to your ears and that he could make you laugh. In your selfish little mind, he says all the right things that make your heart race.

You’re a good girl, my wonderful girl…

The tip of his tongue prods against your clit and you let out an audible moan into the air.

The way you sound is so sexy, I fucking love it!

Your hips rock into his mouth, almost like you’re riding his face. His hands are secure on holding your waist to help keep you afloat. Sparks of pleasure go up and down your body, your thighs slightly shaky as your orgasm starts build higher.

Sweet, precious thing… I adore you.

Your hand clenches into a fist and grabs a fistful of Hawks’ hair while your mouth drops into a silent ‘oh’. Your eyes flutter as you experience your high, still caught off guard over how well Hawks has learned how to make you cum. He was intelligent enough to discern that you were experiencing pleasure, smart enough to see if you were sad over something, and he always seemed to be looking into you just as you were looking into him.

He always looked like he was in wonder whenever he stared at you too long.

Hawks comes up from the water and you loop your arms around him in a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek and just hanging onto him like a sloth. You were wanting to catch your breath. He doesn’t seem to be done with you just yet, sliding his hand between your bodies and pushes two fingers into your pussy. “Oh… you’re not done?” You ask but have difficulty keeping conversation when you’re still sensitive from an orgasm and he keeps curling his fingers into you.

Your body shudders as you let him finger you, a part of you wondering if he liked the feel of his fingers inside your warm cunt. More than a few times he’d point to in between your legs and hold up his middle and index finger up as a signal and pointing at himself. Eventually you had learned that it was his way of saying that he wanted to finger you.

“H-Hawks… are you done? I have to go back soon.” You whimper as he continues to tease his fingers against that spongy spot that makes you see heaven. Your cunt squeezes around his fingers and a big part of you wishes that he had a cock so that you could know what it was like to fuck him.

You could see him being a little whiny as he cums in you, lying back to let you take control as you ride him. You’d milk him dry and make a creamy mess on his dick, wanting to make him just as over sensitive in the same way he does it to you.

You wished that you could fuck Hawks.

Cumming a second time by his fingers, you pat at his shoulder and he retreats from you. This time, he returns your hug and holds you close. Your legs cross around his waist and you stay for a small moment just holding one another.

A kiss is pressed to your forehead.

I miss you already.

In return, you do the same to him.

I always miss you.

You wished that he could come with you.

You try hard to not look at him as you begin to get ready to leave because of the sad look in his eye. There are days that he seems to be okay as you head home, but others he makes it very known when he’s sad. And you know that the more time you spend together, each goodbye will get harder and more forlorn.

“Okay Hawks, I’m going to go now. I’ll try to visit soon.”

He nods his head, watching from the water as you take your picnic basket and the straps of your dress fall off your shoulder. You walk ahead and make sure to keep looking forward, eventually hearing when he dives under the water and you can let out the sad sigh you were holding in.

“I’ll visit you again soon.”

[vampcubus]

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍!𝐊𝐘𝐎𝐉𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐏

a/n: perhaps if i show this to somebody i'll be motivated to finish it lol.

:ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 : merman!kyojuro rengoku x reader

:ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : sfw, mermaid au, reader is a human navigator.

:ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 : 0.8k+

But orders are orders. Or so that’s what you repeat to yourself in your head as you help the crew restrain it and drag it below the deck. All that’s available to keep it in is a small metal pool— more of a tub really, filled with seawater and hardly two feet deep.

You’re the last to leave the hold, and only you seem to hear the mournful cry the creature makes as you climb to the top deck again. You chew your nails off with worry in your quarters that night, guilt settling in your stomach like a heavy stone.

You force yourself to avoid that area of the ship to close your heart to the whole situation, and for two days that seems to work. You carry on with your duties; marking maps, scrubbing the deck, and tying knots. But try as you might, you just can’t get that awful, mournful cry out of your head. Can’t unsee the fear in those golden, catlike eyes. And it starts to show.

Upon seeing your uncharacteristically mopey demeanor, Akaza decides to saddle you with the task of feeding the creature, “Since you’re so broken up about it.”

You roll your eyes at that, all but snatching the bucket of fresh fish from his grasp. You can’t help but see your friend in a new light after this whole debacle, not that fishermen were generally the compassionate or trustworthy sort, you just… You liked Akaza. He was friendly from the start, and respectful, and pretty… You supposed you expected better of him.

As you make your way below the deck where the creature is being held, you can’t help but feel excited. Your giddiness melts into anxiety as soon as you reach the bottom of the stairs, however, hearing the splashing halt at your arrival.

You don’t see him at first, but as you approach, you notice two yellow eyes just peeking out from beneath the water. You fight the instinct to flee; your curiosity inspires you to march right up to it. Immediately it– he backs up to the farthest side of the pool away from you. The feeling is reminiscent of a stray cat running away when you pspspsps it.

“Hello there… you. Uh, you must be hungry, right?”

His finlike ears flick, but otherwise, he shows no signs that he even understands you. In fact, you’d be surprised if he did. He’s probably never even come across a human before. Awkwardness permeates the room. Should you even bother trying to communicate? Do you just throw the fish in and bolt? Risk hand-feeding it and likely losing some fingers?

“Food? Hungry? Ahh, you probably don’t understand a bloody word I’m saying.” 

You curse under your breath.

At this point, you’re just talking to fill the silence with something other than your shaky breathing.

You reach into the bucket barehanded, uncaring of the slimy texture of the fish after almost a lifetime at sea. You wave the fish in the air, which seems to snap his attention away from you, but only briefly.

“Looks good, right? Been a couple days since you’ve eaten, i bet.”

You set the bucket down on the floor, but it hardly registers when you take in the sight of his tail beneath the water. The disturbed surface of the pool distorts it slightly, but you can’t help but stare even still.

You hold out the fish by the tail and the creature’s molten gaze flickers nervously between you and the offering, oozing distrust. But somehow, torn? Cautiously, he dares to come closer, using his webbed hands to ‘walk’ himself across the pool. You’re mesmerized by his face as he approaches, even half-hidden beneath the water, he’s notably handsome.

A cute round face with even rounder eyes, wide and fixated on the fish in your grasp. His skin is bronzed by the sun, and the image of him lounging on a rock in the summer sun appears in your mind. But what really sticks out is the color of his hair. It looks like a flame; bright blond with crimson tips.

He stops a foot or so away, and no closer.

“It’s for you.”

Still nothing, and you have to admit you’d be mistrustful too if you were in his shoes— er, position, you supposed was a better word. He didn’t quite have feet. So you compromise and drop the fish into the pool, deciding you were satisfied with his willingness to come even this close. In an instant, he ducks under the water and snatches the fish between his pointed teeth, nearly swallowing it whole with two harsh chomps to soften it up.

“Good!” You can’t help but praise, and instantly you feel silly for it. “More fish where that came from, though try to chew the next one, yeah?”

And that’s when you’re completely soaked in seawater by a rather rude splash of his fluke.

[zelphin124]

LCB-3: Chapter 11

This chapter did... not turn out as I expected it to...

Masterpost

Chapter 10 <--> Chapter 12

~o0o~

"His Demons under My Command lay waiting to strike my bidding. The dedication is astounding! I am blessed to be the King's Right Hand... I already have a project in mind with the revenant's return noted. The Burner of Surya will suffer every hell when I am through. I shall claim him, for our King."

Jekyll rolled her eyes before putting the new set of notes in the same pocket as the old scrolls. She goes on and on about the same thing…

Hyde herself was groaning in anguish. These are the flattest people I’ve ever met. 

Jekyll had left the altar after the mermaid flashed across the room another time. They picked up any notes that she could find, but none of them held any useful information. Every time Jekyll tried to go anywhere and dry off, the mermaid came so close to knocking her down it drenched her each second. 

The dripping sensation started to drive Jekyll insane. It’s like it wants us soaking cold and wet! Why not just hit us? 

You fool, that would damage us. It’s better to just be drenched in the waves it splashes. Let’s not get hit by a moving truck of water and slime. 

I thought you had a death wish. 

I’d rather go out in style. 

There were shouts on the other side of the room. Jekyll could recognize Mallo, Jatayu, and Mark’s voices shouting back and forth at each other. She couldn’t tell what they were saying from so far away, but she could tell the retorts weren’t necessarily friendly. She shivered in her boots; she hoped they wouldn’t lash out at her like she thought they were doing on each other. 

A bright light turns on in the distance, revealing another part of the room. Perhaps the rest of the party was working their way through the lights and fixing them. Jatayu was an engineer of P Corp, right? 

That’s what the drone lady said. 

Maybe he’s just fixing the lights and they are shouting to communicate… Jekyll forced her heart to give her party the benefit of the doubt. 

She turned her head to look behind her, spotting another water portal forming in her line of sight. She shuddered and stepped out of the way, hoping that she wouldn’t get hit by the massive mermaid flying across the room now and then. The simple sight of it terrified her; the doctor and the painter were both sick of walking in wet socks. 

There. Hyde pointed into the darkness, showing yet another disruption in the shadowy fog. Likely another note with more useless information. 

Jekyll heaved a sigh, taking a step towards the note and picking it up gently, unscrolling its purple fabric to read what it said. 

"However, we mustn't lose sight of our reasons for this return to the Home. We must procure the Treasured Relic, even at the cost of Q. Corp's ire...perhaps, that is the reason for the Chariot Breaker's Return. Perhaps, he knows the greatness we have stowed away here. Does he hunt for it?"

“Must be the golden bough,” Jekyll muttered to herself, placing the purple scroll with the others. She walked along the section of the room until she stumbled upon another button. She glanced curiously at it. Oh! This could be another light! Perhaps–

Wait. 

Hyde forced her hand back, resisting the urge to press it. Jekyll paused, very confused. Hyde, what the hell–

Do you see the small slots on the side of the box? Hyde pointed out the opened slits on the top corners of the box, able to fit a spider-leg through them. This button is also a different shade… it’s more yellow, more meek, it speaks of something alive rather than a simple machine of a dull gray. 

Jekyll didn’t notice the two different shades until Hyde pointed it out. She withdrew her hand, smiling softly. Your artist's eye finally came to good use. 

Has it ever not? 

The doctor sighed. …No, you… kept us alive this far… 

Hyde ignored her passive-aggressive tone and glanced into the darkness once more. There’s likely a button over there, try that one. 

Jekyll obliged and waddled over to the new button, examining it for the same slits in its corners and its shade of color. When she saw none, she gently rested her hand on the button. 

Nothing happened. 

Hmm… Jekyll tried looking at the box to look for any loose wires; which she discovered zero. Where is the engineer when you need him? 

The veteran? Hyde forced Jekyll’s head to peek into the darkness again. You should’ve followed his voice instead of getting distracted. I have questions to ask him, and now you need him to fix this light. 

Well, perhaps we can try it ourselves… Jekyll recommended. Do we really need the light on, anyway? 

Before Hyde could answer, there was a call in the air. Someone was calling Jekyll’s name, but it wasn’t one she recognized immediately. It was so casual… so… unusual. It rang through the air like a feather trying to cross a cavern. 

The doctor drew her paintbrush, readying for combat. Is it the mermaid? Did it learn my name? Is it trying to play a trick on us? 

For once, the painter did not answer her. 

Jekyll heard the voice call again; the voice approached her from the south with loud clanks across the floor. The figure walked rhythmically, much to the beat of Mallo’s foot pacing. Jekyll sighed in relief, and shouted with all her might, unable to tell how far Mallo truly was from her. “Mallo?” 

Mallo poked her head out of the shadows into Jekyll’s vision, plugging one of her ears and casting a glare toward her. “Ahh, there you are. Just wanted to make sure everyone in the group was alright, cause’ be and Jatayu went off, splitting up the party. Mark confirmed that Pen was by his side… did you travel with Lenore?” 

Jekyll stammered over her words, muttering over her own breath. “L-Lenore stayed behind to p-protect Dante.” She’s going to scold me, isn’t she? 

“So you went all by yourself?” 

No, I’m here. Hyde scoffed. You’re never alone, save when I want to leave you alone. 

Jekyll closed her mouth after she opened it to reply. There was a notable pause before she spoke again, adjusting her brush to rest behind her. “Well, I’m never really… by myself…” 

“You know what I meant,” Mallo adjusted her ponytail and narrowed her eyes, pulling out another cigarette. 

Seriously, where does she get all those? “Yes, I explored… by myself…” 

Mallo lit the cig and inhaled a part of it whilst keeping eye contact with Jekyll. She heaved a disappointed sigh. Letting out a puff of smoke. “I don’t know why you didn’t stick with one of us. This place could’ve been dangerous.” 

That’s the best part–

Not now, shut up, Jekyll snapped. We are a drenched puppy right now, making that argument will not help us. “Was the… non-verbal suggestion not to split up and cover more ground?” She asked in a gentle tone, trying to deflect what she thought was anger. 

“Yes, which was good,” Mallo flicked the end of her cigarette to get rid of the curling ash. “But it’s no use splitting up if we are dead.” 

Her lack of faith in us is despicable. Hyde spat, glaring at Mallo. I am not a force so easily snuffed. 

Mallo ignored the glare and continued to talk. “Did you at least find anything?” 

Before Jekyll could form a proper response, she blurted out a nonchalant “no” and sighed. Hyde! What the heck?!

We found nothing of importance, there’s no need to inform her of that. 

“Alright, well…” Mallo trailed off, believing the lie. “I found these, at least.” 

Jekyll took from Mallo’s hands three new scrolls of information. She unwinded each of them and read them carefully: out loud so Mallo could hear. 

"The Chariot Breaker will not claim this. If he does, our King will take notice of our failure today, and he will not take lightly. Alas, I am too busy within my workshop to be there to resolve the issue in person, and the higher leveled Demons were not available for this venture... Is it wrong to be more excited? To see the depths that the Burner of Surya will go to for whatever reasons he may fight for? I can already hear the screams of my Demons. The monsters are vicious. Let us see if they are enough. The one fish creature.. reminds me of our Master's Chariot.. surely, the bird is too weak to flap its wings once more.. then again.. he survived our King once. I will be eagerly hoping to see him break again, like that night we took the Star-to-Be."

Wonderful, Hyde smirked. This helps us with the other notes we found. 

Should we not tell her? Jekyll pleaded, feeling a knot of guilt tie up around her chest. She’s our teammate; we are supposed to work together. 

She doesn’t need to know, Hyde shrugged and smirked with glee. Information is not free. 

Jekyll sighed, not having the strength to say no to the painter. She moved her head to line up with Mallo’s. “Did you guys figure out anything else from these notes? Any cryptic messages, or what they could mean?” 

“The fish creature is the mermaid that’s been gliding across the floor. By the looks of it…” Mallo glanced at Jekyll’s coat dripping water from every side. “You’ve seen it already. I assume the Charior Breaker is… Jatayu?” 

Jekyll raised an eyebrow. Yes, and? 

“Look, I’m not the best at discerning cryptic messages. Whoever the person is, the one writing the notes… I don’t like what they are planning.” 

The altar came back into Jekyll’s mind, and she turned her head toward it. She couldn’t see it anymore due to the darkness, but everything slowly started to click. “The new era they talked about doesn’t sound nice…” 

“Hold on,” Mallo turned away from Jekyll, her back facing her. She cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting in the south direction. “Jatayu! Did you get that button to work?!” 

A faint voice replied; one that was clearly the veteran. It wavered amongst the darkness like a candle giving off light. “Not yet. Where are you? I… can try… to work?” 

Jekyll didn’t catch everything he was saying, but hearing his voice alive and well gave an odd sense of reassurance to her. 

Mallo turned to Jekyll and lowered her voice. “Did you find any button that might’ve been a light?” 

“Y-Yeah, one over there,” Jekyll pointed across her body with her opposite arm into the darkness. She turned and walked over to it, glancing towards the north wall. “This one?” 

Mallo started counting down the rows and columns of the room. “A, B, C, D… Jatayu, I got it! You have the wire plugged into I-3, right?” 

“Yes?” Jatayu faintly replied. 

Jekyll tried to see him in the darkness, staring in the direction his voice came. However, there was one very large object in the center of the room that disrupted the shadows and everything around it. What… is that? 

“Do any of the plugs say 2?” Mallo continued. 

The veteran called back in another faint voice. “No!”

Mallo cursed under her breath. “Is there one that says E?” 

“Yes!” 

“Try plugging that one in!” 

“Got it!” 

Jekyll glanced at Mallo. What the heck is going on–

“Jekyll, try pushing the button,” Mallo’s demand immediately interrupted Jekyll’s train of thought. 

Her hand rested firmly on the large red button before she pressed it down with precision. The moment she did so, the room suddenly lit up in all the directions of that light, revealing another section of the large floor plan. The red tiles on the floor became much more vibrant and silky under the light; they waved like the texture of the ocean. 

Jatayu was visible next to a large gray box in the center of the room, which appeared to be some sort of maintenance generator at first glance. Jekyll also spotted the mermaid in the light, getting a good glimpse of it. 

Although she had caught glimpses of it before, the picture in the doctor’s head was now complete. A large, blue-haired mermaid hovered in the red metal ground like it was water. Her hair flew like water and peeled against her flaky pink skin. The mermaid was armless, and her pink skin traveled all the way down to her silky green tail. Her eyes were large hearts with a sharp, white, cracked line between her pupils. It appeared as if the hearts in her eyes were meant to be broken. It slowly eyed Mallo, approaching her much more slowly than the quick, deadly strokes it was taking across the room earlier. 

Mallo shuddered as she eyed it back. “That’s the thing…” she clamped her mouth shut, wrinkling her nose. 

Jekyll glanced toward the north wall once more. She saw the exit. It was a large door with a complex mechanical design. The door had three bright green lights in a horizontal scope, with two of the lights still dull, indicating five lights total. The bar in the middle of the door was pulled back to the last two unlit lamps. It was clear the last two lights needed to be lit before the door would open. 

Huh. Hyde nodded slowly in Jekyll’s head. Not a half-bad design. 

“Jekyll?” 

Jekyll turned to face Mallo obediently, offering the former lobotomy corporation employee her full attention. 

Mallo cleared her throat and adjusted her uniform. “Did you find any more of those buttons?”

“Yes,” Jekyll stammered before Hyde could interject. “I’ve seen two. One of them lit up way back where Dante is, and the other remained dead.” 

“That door has five bulbs,” Mallo pointed to the red exit door. “We’ve pressed three buttons so far, lighting up three sections of the floor plan. The generator over there has five ports. If we light up all of the room, that door should unlock. It’s a stupid disciplinary team design… but it kept abnormalities like this one contained.” She glared at the mermaid. “We need to press all of the buttons, light up the room, and the door will open.” 

Jekyll followed Mallo’s gaze to the mermaid, her heart beating faster. “With… that thing flying around?” 

“Just hit it,” Mallo said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Stick by me, and it won’t be a problem. It’s predictable.” 

Nah, remember the last time we stuck near an abnormality? Hyde forced a memory of the White Lake to Jekyll’s thought. I ain’t doing that again. 

No… and the Red Queen, Hearts Lady, thing… it wasn’t reasonable either. “I know where the button is. I can press it, but I need to get past the mermaid.” 

“I’ll distract it, then,” Mallo gestured into the darkness where the other button resided. “Go.” 

Jekyll obliged and quietly sneaked around Mallo, double-checking to make sure the mermaid didn’t spot her before slowly working her way around. 

Mallo took notice immediately and acted upon her promised distraction. “Ugh, love… I hate it,” she cursed under her breath before shouting towards Jatayu, giving him instructions. 

When the mermaid’s gaze locked onto Jekyll, she took a step back behind Mallo once more. She decided to glance at the door one more time before making her move. 

“I’m burning alive, but still alive!” Mark’s voice could be heard shouting throughout the room. 

“What happened?” The veteran asked. 

“This… bastard of a spear keeps burning me!” 

“Why is Mark burning alive?” Jekyll glanced towards Mallo, wondering why she hadn’t acted upon the mermaid via a distraction yet. 

Mallo’s face showed how done she was with the situation. “He called the spear a bastard, like the idiot he is. Do not mess around with tool abnormalities, lest you wish to be bound to more trouble.” 

Jekyll opened her mouth to reply but clamped it shut as a heap of coughs claimed her vocal cords. She faced north to see a blue gas seeping out from the open parts of the door. There is an odd noise from the other side which accompanied the leaking gas dripping through the cracks. The fog was blue and felt hideous to inhale. Jekyll’s skin didn’t react well to touching it, either. 

Jekyll flattened her face and stepped away from the door, spotting that the mermaid made its way closer to Mallo. She decided to start heading into the darkness as Mallo and Jatayu conversed more. 

“Right… I am going to put this into Port C, or something!” The veteran stepped into the generator and started to fiddle with some of the wires inside of it. “I have no idea which one it is… it says C6?” 

“It is probably the one Jekyll is heading towards!” Mallo nodded toward the doctor before communicating again. “That way!” 

“Oo! A box!” The veteran stopped what he was doing. “This one has a green button on it!” 

“A green button?” 

“It’s yellowish like the bomb boxes… but the button is green instead of red.” 

“Press it; see what happens!” 

Jekyll stopped dead in her tracks. Are you insane?! Her eyes widened. Those were bombs?! Why are you telling him to press it?!

There was a loud click, followed by silence. Even the mermaid took a moment to look at the generator. 

Mallo tapped her foot impatiently. “Jatayu?” 

“I think I’m being surrounded!” 

“Don’t touch the boxes!” 

“They want me to press them!”

“Don’t press them!” 

I’m getting a headache watching this, Hyde rubbed her head. We have a party of idiots. 

“Yeah,” Jatayu shouted toward the faint Mark voice. “The spear corroded two of the LCB-2 members and tried to stab me when it gained control. No, we can’t break it… that thing has ruined many lives.”

The what? Jekyll stood dumbfounded. Are they all on crack? What are they talking about? 

“You can’t break abnormalities, that’s not how they work! They physically cannot die, they just turn into eggs!” Mallo added. 

“Mark, you won’t be successful!” Jatayu pleaded. “I would like to see it die, but it won’t work!” He waited as Mark shouted something before replying. 

Mallo’s voice was louder than his. “It definitely won’t work! Hop around the generator, the mermaid is on my side!” 

Mark stepped briefly into the light, but not enough for Jekyll to see. However, Jatayu’s reaction was enough to get a grip on what changed. “MY GOSH WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!”

The conversation had taken so long, the mermaid was inches away from Mallo. It approached slowly and with great caution, trying to get as close as possible. Jekyll was about to alert her, but Mallo spotted it first and unsheathed her stave, pointing it at the abnormality. “Hey! Don’t come any closer!” She hissed. 

The mermaid formed a mouth; it looked horrendous when it spoke. “You… you stopped me on my laps before… Why? Do you… do you love me?” 

Jekyll saw this was the only opportunity she was going to get. She made her way around Mallo, approaching the darkness slowly. 

Does it want love? Hyde raised an eyebrow. That’s it? 

Jekyll shook her head. I don’t think it’s that simple… 

A contagious, psychic laughter left Mallo’s lips as she towered over the creature’s head. “Love you? Really? Do you really think I could love something like you? That’s cute… and pathetic. I have no love in my heart anymore.” 

The world briefly stood still. A knife shot itself through Jekyll’s heart the moment Mallo said that. No love within her heart… W-What? The doctor gripped her brush, thinking back to all the caring moments and the love Mallo had shown her. But… But I thought–

It only made Hyde roll her eyes. I knew it. The motherly act was a lie. There is no love in her, Jekyll. You heard her say it with her own mouth. 

Jekyll did her best to slow her breathing, but it didn’t stop tears running from her eyes. Surely, she–

Jekyll! Hyde snapped. We have a door to unlock, and a golden bough to retrieve! This is no time to be moping about someone not caring about you. No one ever did! Stop believing they will! 

The mermaid resonated with the plea Jekyll almost uttered. “I’ll do anything for love, please!” the creature begged, the hearts in its eyes cracking. 

“People promised me that before; do you think I’d believe you?!” Mallo grabbed the abnormality by its throat, scoffing in its face with a wicked smile. She pressed her fingers into its neck as a form of intimidation. Memories flashed before the woman’s eyes. 

The mermaid started to cry, staring into Mallo’s soul. “I just want you… to love me…” 

Before Mallo could speak and Jekyll could think, a light began to shine from the mermaid’s point of contact with Mallo. AN invisible force pushed Mallo, forcing her to be drawn to the mermaid.

Mallo became panicked as her hand merged into the mermaid’s skin. “Wait, wait! What the hell are you doing?!” She spoke quickly and in a panic. “Stop that, stop that!” She tried pushing the mermaid away with her foot, but it only merged with her foot as well. 

Jekyll watched in horror as the mermaid grew in size and devoured Mallo in a matter of seconds. Mallo fused with the mermaid effortlessly, and was nowhere to be seen as the mermaid took on aspects of Mallo’s body; black hair and bright blue eyes. 

Hyde watched in terror herself. …What the actual f–

Inelligle voices ran between the air in the form of the mermaid’s voice and Mallo’s, only uttering one word Jekyll could understand. “Mark.” It didn’t take long for the mermaid to zoom into the darkness in the last direction Jekyll heard the prisoner’s voice. 

PFFF– Hyde burst into a peal of laughter. They’ve become like us! Fighting for one mind! How ironic, how diabolical! 

Jekyll only snapped out of her thousand-yard stare from Hyde’s laugh. She stumbled onto the floor and up again, bursting into the darkness and as far away from the abnormality as she could get. It… It took Mallo… Mallo is gone…

Relax, Hyde’s cackling subsided. She never cared about us anyway, there’s no need to care about her. 

Jekyll frantically lunged through the darkness before stopping to take a breath, spotting the altar once more. Hyde… Is it… Do you think–

We don’t need her, Jekyll. Hyde narrowed her eyes. We don’t need any of them. Each of us is in this company for our own gain. I’d say we get that golden bough ourselves, and get the hell out of here. 

Jekyll paused, wiping away her tears. 

Hyde used her silence to continue. How have you not learned this lesson yet? Stop seeking Mallo’s validation, she is not our mom. She never will give you what you want. No one actually cares about anyone in the city. 

Jekyll stumbled from side to side before reaching the button she found previously, still eyeing the altar. She glanced into the darkness, faintly hearing footsteps approaching her. “Who goes there?!” 

Jatayu’s voice accompanied the figure merging from the fog. “Jekyll? Is that you?” 

Oh great, just the Burner of Syra we needed. Hyde rolled her eyes.

He… At least he cares about finding his niece… At least someone cares about someone else in this City. 

Stop sulking. That doesn’t matter right now. Let me ask him my questions. 

“Yes,” Jekyll finally answered the veteran as he came into view. He also looked incredibly drenched and sopping wet from the mermaid’s sprinting rounds. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, adjusting his tanfas in his hands. 

Jekyll nodded before she froze, seeing the dark outline of the mermaid in the distance. “Uh… Mallo has fused with the abnormality…” 

“What?!”

“I don’t know!” Jekyll raised her hands instinctively after Jatayu’s roar. “Stay there, let me come to you!” 

“You stay safe!” 

Murmurs about ‘family doesn’t matter’ echoed from the mermaid as it splashed across the room. Jekyll eyed it carefully before she reached Jatayu, pulling him out of sight of the creature. “Thank goodness you're safe…” 

Jatayu glanced around, confused. “What happened?” 

“So… Mallo fused with the abnormality, I think…” She glanced at the button next to her. That’s… odd. I thought it was more south. 

It’s the yellow one with the slits, Hyde observed. 

“This button is suspicious,” Jekyll watched Jatayu eye the button before pushing his hand away from it. 

He gripped his hand with the other one before glancing up at Jekyll’s hair. “Mallo said the yellow ones were bombs, is it yellow?” 

“Yes.” Jekyll sighed. “Do you see anything else? Perhaps another button?” 

Jatayu stared into the darkness. “I see… two things… one by the west wall, and a button-shaped thing south of us.” 

Jekyll clenched, stress building up in her shoulders as she looked over them. “You… see that?” 

“It looks like a small… no, large… box? I am not sure,” the veteran looked curiously at the doctor. “Do you know what it is?” 

Perfect time to bring up the questions–

“Uh… I don’t know if we have time to dive into this,” Jekyll was almost answering Hyde more than Jatayu, but he seemed to take it as an okay answer. 

The mermaid is distracted. Ask him about stone altars. 

Jekyll paused, stammering over her words. “Do you… have any experience with… uh… stone altars?” 

…Are you serious right now–

“Not personally,” Jatayu’s face wore confusion like a mask. “I remember one of my fellows saying they had visions of stone altars when they held the tool abnormalities…” 

It was Jekyll’s turn to be confused. Who? 

Probably the LCB-2, Hyde groaned. He doesn’t refer to any of us as ‘fellows’ anyway. He is probably referencing whatever’s burning Mark alive right now… Somehow, I think that thing and Jatayu are linked to the altar. 

They were supposed to sacrifice him on the altar, right? Jekyll reasoned, putting her hand up to her chin. So… was that a tool they tried to use? 

“I see more boxes, a few yellow ones… and… I think I see the mermaid?” Jatayu continued, spinning in a circle to name everything he could see. 

Hyde scoffed in a light-hearted manner. Dork. 

Jekyll didn’t take his response the same way and hyperfocused on what he said. “Wait, what? You see the mermaid?” 

“Over there in the distance,” Jatayu pointed southeast. “I see its figure… where Mark was. Wait, it might be chasing Mark!” 

Jatayu turned to take a step in that direction, but Jekyll grabbed his arm. Hyde was clearly not done with him yet. “Considering how fast that thing is, there is not much point in helping Mark if the being is after it.” Jekyll stammered over her words, eager to get answers out of the veteran before he disappeared. I don’t need you merging with the abnormality, too. 

Jatayu did not take her comment lightly. He turned his head slowly, his gaze full of anger and his voice one with authority. “What do you mean there’s no helping him now?” His tone was one of someone offended by the sheer thought. “Mark might be a dick, but he is still our comrade!” 

“Jatayu, I need you to listen very carefully,” Jekyll returned in a serious tone as she stared into his soul, her gaze unwavering. You’re the only one that cares about anyone else at this party, why can’t you think of yourself? “We need to solve the puzzle in this room and turn all the lights on so… we can help our comrades better.” 

Hyde paused, a look of surprise on her face. You are a smoother liar than I thought. 

W-What? 

I see your intention. Hyde scoffed, waving her finger. We can urge him to help us solve the puzzle… then we can get out of here. 

Jekyll paused. Well, yes, but–

No, no, I like this. Hyde smirked with a hint of villainy. Keep going. Use these… ‘titles’ of his to get his attention if you must. 

��okay. 

“Our comrades are being chased by the mermaid, Jekyll!” Jatayu combated. “They are heading for Mark– oh no, they could be heading for Dante too!” 

“Jatayu!” Jekyll snapped, gripping his arm and pulling it towards her. It was enough force to make the tall veteran look down at her. “I don’t know who you are, or whether or not you truly care about the rest of the party. I cannot judge that after these titles of… ‘Burner of Syra’ or ‘Chariot Breaker’ I’ve learned about you from the notes on the ground I found. But I need you to set your emotions aside and work with me here! You need to focus on the puzzle and help the party solve it, otherwise, the mermaid will freely travel in the dark and claim us all as it did Mallo! I don’t want that… for you…” She stumbled over the last part, trying to make it as sincere as possible. “I need you to promise me that you will not go to the altar behind me, and you will press the lightbox on your way to the others.” 

Hyde’s smirk only grew as Jatayu became convinced of Jekyll’s quick plan; she also noticed how he tensed up at the titles used, delighted in the fact she had found another button to poke. 

“Okay, I promise not to go near the altar… And I will press the button as I head towards Dante. You should go to the generator and plug in the wire for the last button.” Jatayu forced his arm out of Jekyll’s grip, heaving a heavy sigh. Regret was written all over his face, and he actively tried to pull himself together. 

I… can’t believe he actually fell for it. Jekyll nodded firmly. “Okay.” 

What do you mean you can’t believe it? You gave him no room to suspect otherwise. Hyde said through the grin that hadn’t faded. I’m impressed, Jekyll. 

The veteran stepped into the darkness before looking over his shoulder, his eyes softly wishing a farewell to the doctor. “Good luck,” he said sweetly. 

Jekyll felt guilt wrap around her soul like a chord as Jatayu walked over to the light button and pressed it firmly, turning on the lights for the area and revealing the generator to Jekyll’s eyes. He then took off running southeast, on a mission to make sure Dante was okay. 

Jekyll clenched her arm, staring at the ground. At least he will not go near the altar, now… 

Don’t beat yourself up about the motivation behind your ask, Hyde chuckled to herself. We got what we wanted from him. Let’s finish this puzzle and be on our merry way. 

Jekyll slowly walked to the generator, trying to obey Hyde in not beating herself up about it. Is it the right thing to just… take off, and not look back? To leave them? 

They’ve been making points about how useless you are to the group, Hyde reminded her. They don’t trust you, just like Mark said. They don’t love you, just like Mallo said. Do you really think a group like that is worth fighting for? Are they worth your time and effort? 

Upon those words, Jekyll hardened her heart, remembering the prior experiences she had with similar people. She was not going to be walked all over again by those who didn’t care about her. She was not going to fall for any of it. No, no they are not. 

Hyde seemed satisfied. Then let’s open the exit and get out of here. 

[newtonsheffield]

Idea for AU:

Hyacinth is desperate that her birthday party needs to have a real mermaid. How is she supposed to have a birthday party without a real mermaid, Anthony? It can’t be a mermaid party if there’s not a mermaid there?! So god help him, Anthony sets out to find a professional mermaid in bloody London. And that’s how he meets Kate Sharma who shows up at his sister’s birthday party looking every bit an ethereal underwater goddess. And he has no idea why he blushes when she winks at him and reaches out of the water to place a pirate hat on the top of his head.

“Kiss her!”

Anthony balked finally pulling his eyes away from Kate’s, nearly toppling into the water as he spun around, a sea of five year olds staring expectantly back at him. “I- I can’t.”

“Why not?!” Someone yelled out from the back, “She made you a pirate. Pirate and Mermaid’s kiss!”

Anthony winced, “I’m- I’m not sure that’s true.”

“It is!” Someone else yelled back, “I saw it in a movie.”

“Well, what if I turn into a mermaid as well?” Anthony asked, “Then where would we be?”

He heard a chuckle from behind him and turned to see Kate, her long dark hair tumbling around her, yellow tail splashing in the water, “I don’t think you’ll turn into a mermaid.”

Anthony’s eyes widened, and he mouthed furiously at her What are you doing?!

She shrugged, winking at him again as the kids started chanting “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Anthony leaned down, pausing before their lips met to give her a moment to splash him or pull away but she leaned in, pressing her lips lightly against his, only for a moment, and his heart fluttered oddly in his chest. She winked at him again before she splashed water, drenching him completely.

He’s still blushing when he goes into the small room the pool had let them borrow, for Kate to get ready in, clutching the cheque in his hand. She was dressed in leggings now and a crop top, tugging a jacket over herself, her long dark hair still wet, tumbling around her, drown to her waist.

“I’m sorry about, the kids.”

Kate raised her eyebrows, “I knew their would be children, it’s a five year old’s birthday party.”

Anthony shifted awkwardly, “I meant about… you know, them telling me to kiss you. I’m not like… some sort of… creep.”

“I didn’t think you were.” She shrugged, “I’m mean sure, some of the dads usually are but you were just a cutie, and I wanted to kiss you.”

Anthony flushed deeper, stepping closer to her, “Would you… like to kiss me again without the audience of my sister and her friends?”

Kate chuckled, plucking the cheque from his fingers, “I’d like that.”

“Do you have an actual phone number or is it just the mermaid line?”

“I’ll give you the number to my real phone rather than the conch shell I usually use.”

[kairiscorner]

Honestly I’d love to see u write a fic with noir and his fam at the pool and it’s just pure chaos where his daughter is too scared to go in the water and peni is over here trying to show noir a bunch of tricks while he’s trying to get his daughter in the pool and the reader just watches this all go down 😭😭 (also I feel like peni is the type of kid to play mermaids in the pool)

hello :DD omg THOSE ARE SUCH CUTE IDEAS AAAAA ofc i'll write that >:)) hope you like this anon !!

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

"peni! please don't splash at us!" peter called out as peni practiced her kicks in the water as she tried to swim. she tried to tell peter splashing is necessary in pools, with peter explaining to her how it's really not as he tried to calm your daughter down as she cried about getting into the water. "it's super important to make big splashes in pools though! you believe me, right, mx. parker?" peni asked you as she tried to get someone to agree with her.

you chuckled as you watched from your pool lounge chair this whole chaos unfold. "well, peni, um... it depends." you said as you went back to reading your book, with peni pouting at you. "i bet ham agrees with me, doncha ham?" she asked the spider pig mutant as he ate a hotdog cartoonishly from the sides. "it's only necessary if you'll do it like this!" he said as he took off his bright yellow and pink hawaiian floral shirt and jumped, somersaulted in the air, and shouted a 'geronimo!' and landed into the water, splashing all of you in the process.

"ham!" peter and peni called out to him as your daughter cried and made a fuss about getting wet. peter shushed and tried to calm her down as peni and ham soon tried to entertain the baby and get peter's attention as they started to do dives in the water, splashing the father and daughter even more. peter chuckled as his daughter soon watched you and peni bring out a big mermaid tail pool float. she soon made grabby hands at it, and peni swam over to her with it. "you wanna swim with it?" she asked her adoptive sister as she nodded.

peter placed his daughter on it with peni holding on to her as she swam from the pools' ends, with peter and ham sharing a beer by the side as you watched your two daughters play together. truly, it was a slow day, but a memorable and wonderful one as a family, a pretty zany an chaotic one, at that.

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @sabcandoit @binibinileonara @k4tsu3 @luvstarrstruck @maxoloqy @fiannee @fictarian @thee-fantastic-mrfox @yuridopted0