#tides of affection

[theinheriteddutchess]

Tides of Affection

Summary: Bucky is acting fishy, and you start worrying he's drifting away from you. You find out what's going on soon though.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word count: 1580

Warning: none, unbetad we die like Humans normally do in this mermaid au

Notes: would love to hear what you think💕

Masterlist

The beginning * Previous

🦪

Bucky has been busy. He told you he's looking for food, and he is bringing his catchings home to you, but… what he brings back is too little for the hours he's away. 

He's being avoidant. He avoids looking at you when you question him. His upper body turned away from you. You're suspicious. What's going on? He's acting unlike himself. 

Normally he can't stay away from you, likes to linger nearby just in case you need him. But he's leaving you alone now. 

For long periods of time. You know this by the sun moving in the sky. No watches here. You don't miss time. Constantly having to be aware of how late it is seems more stressful now that the concept of it is gone. 

The ocean never sleeps, but plenty of life does in the night, when everything is so much darker and colder.

But even without a sense of time, you know Bucky is gone longer than he should. 

You know it's foolish, he's told you over and over how long he waited for you to join him, but there's a sneaking feeling of distress. What if he found someone else. There are merfolk, if you travel far enough. There are mermaids, born mermaids. What if he got bored of you already, tired of your slow swim, your bad hunting skills, your personality? You bite your lip. Bucky can change his mind.

He could look elsewhere. You changed, you can't go back. Even going on land for a short period of time will take years to learn, years to grow strong enough to even try. You'd be doomed down here without him. It wasn't your choice to be here, to become a mermaid, but you won't have a choice either if he deserts you.

Your thoughts are interrupted when a hand touches your arm and you swing your tail in reaction to the sudden attack.

“Ow, wait, it's me!” You hear Bucky's voice next to you, hands up in defense, then lowering to check his tail for injuries. “That was a good one.”

Your hands join him in seeing if there are cuts or bruises, even if you don't know what to look for because you don't know merfolk anatomy, your guilt taking over swiftly. “Sorry, I wasn't aware you got back. You startled me.”

He shrugged, and grinned boyishly at you. “It's fine, I'm glad I see you can look after yourself if anyone tries to hurt you.”

You lowered your gaze, feeling oddly proud at him saying that, maybe you were getting stronger. You didn't even need think to swing your tail instead of your hands, and it had looked like it was a good hit.

“Close your eyes.” He murmured suddenly. 

You eyed him suspiciously, but did what he asked. You felt the water move around you as he circled you, his chest pressed against your back (and god his skin was slippery smooth against yours) while he was doing something you couldn't figure out. 

Then his hands placed something on your chest, a string of some sort being tied behind your neck and his fingertips stroking your shoulders tenderly. 

“Okay, look.”

You opened your eyes, looked down at what he put there. A necklace. Unlike any kind you ever saw. A band of…possibly seaweed? You couldn't really tell…and a mixture of shiny rocks (possibly glass or actual gems) and pearls, all collected and crafted together in a stunning necklace. 

You touched it and lifted it carefully, to study it closely. Beautiful. And what mattered the most was that he made it himself. It looked carefully put together, and you instantly loved it. When you looked up his eyes were staring at you intensely, following your every expression. 

“Buck…” you whispered. Too overwhelmed to express yourself for a moment. 

“Do you like it?” His tone was strained, he was nervous. 

“Yes!” You looked at it again, nodding. “...yes, it's beautiful, it's.. Did you make this?”

“Of course,” he huffed, like you had just insulted him. “Found every stone and selected only the best, crafted it carefully, it's sturdy, I checked. It will last a while.”

He sounded so proud, you wanted to laugh, but you were still so surprised by this thoughtful gift, you only let out a little breath of water. “It's so amazing, really pretty.. And shiny. You found pearls? Actual pearls!”

He shrugged. “Lots of those if you know where to find them. Humans have them too, though they string them all together for no reason. Why would you just want pearls? They look better with other rocks and shells.”

“You didn't use any shells,” you told him with a smile. He looked so adorably annoyed with your former humans. Like the things they did simply seemed ludicrous to him. And finding out more about his way of life, yes, humans often did look foolish in their behavior. But you didn't inform him his kind’s behavior was a little weird to you too.

“I didn't want you to cut your skin, they can be sharp, besides they break often and you shouldn't use them in a necklace unless you intend for your courting to not last.”

Your interest was piqued. “Does that happen? A courtship not lasting?”

He frowned. “Of course, you don't want to be with the first person you are with, do you? Some courtships last a few hours, some last forever. Shell necklaces break easily, so they're used for short matings a lot.”

You thought about it, everything was so difficult to understand. “So mermaid- I mean, merfolk don't mate forever?”

“Often no. It's just sex.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal. “When there's an urge, or attraction, or the need for babies. But you can't just grab someone. You need to…” he searched for words. 

“Ease someone into it?” You suggested. 

He nodded. “Yeah, hence, the shells. They're pretty but it won't last.”

“And for something more serious?”

“Stones, or pearls, human pieces of jewelry worked into your own craftings. Things that last.”

“These all seem sturdy,” you mentioned with a warm feeling inside. 

“Of course, you're my mate.” He huffed again, like it should be obvious. 

“You just say matings won't last.” It was urgent for you to find out what he meant, he seemed devoted to you, but whenever you found out more about his kind, the more you realized how different things worked in his world.

“A lot of them don't. They want sex, or companionship. But when you want, it does. When you choose, it does. You know .” He looked at your neck, where his bite was. “You got mine.”

“You choose to mate me? As kids?”

“It's not,” he looked frustrated, but calmed himself down to think about a better way to explain. “You have mating, which is sex, and you have mating when it's like a bonding ceremony? It's intent. It's instinct. You can mate with someone, but being a mate is different. It's sacred.”

“But we were kids.” How can you choose as a kid, you were both so very young then. Had just met, before he bit you. 

“Because you were mine.” He simply said. 

This would sound insane in the human world. You can't own anyone. But in theirs, they didn't think like humans. They thought in possession, in claiming and hunting. It was hard to understand, being so new to this.

“But you could have been disappointed in me.”

“No. I knew then. We were “friends” you called it. I saved you, your life is mine. And I chose you. I saved you.” He seemed to puff himself up, like you were going to somehow deny it, the thought clearly agitating him. 

“What if you had just let me go unbitten?”

“I should have eaten you, it would have been expected. Your life was mine, to eat or to mate,” he told you. His fingers touching the necklace again softly, before dragging his fingers down your chest expertly. 

You shivered, but tried to focus. “But you didn't seem to want to bite me at first.”

“We were playing. What? You never played with your food?” He grinned teasingly. 

You slapped his peck, but got distracted by the firmness of it and it turned into more of a fondling session instead. 

His eyes became darker as he followed your ministrations.

“You could have killed me in the sea, you saved me, you never intended to eat me.”

His arms wrapped around you to pull you close. “That's why I bit you. To keep you. Besides, you wanted to be with me.”

“I was scared, I didn't want to be alone.” You explained, but then remembered how you had this ache inside you your whole life until you reunited with him again,

“You liked me. You weren't scared of me. I just knew. It felt right.”

“Even then?”

“I can't explain,” he groaned in frustration. “Humans are lost, they barely feel. We know. We don't overthink, we make decisions and then…that's it.”

“You choose me.” You repeated, pleased. 

He hummed. “Yes. And now you're here. For always.”

You laid your head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat pump steadily. Your hand stroking his side as the other laid on one of his pecs, fascinated by his dark nipple, near your mouth. 

His finger lifted your chin after a peaceful moment, so you could stare into his eyes. “Next mating cycle you get to bite me.”

What?!

[emblazons]

"I was old enough to understand what was happening. One can only imagine what this poor child felt."

Joshua Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI ⤷ finding Waljas • The Rising Tide DLC

[boinday]

I am so normal about the way they interact what do you mean

[scavengedluxury]

Fucking hell

[captainofthetidesbreath]

Ashly: Elsie is going to approach Rajan

Rajan: [brooding in a way that totally gives off that he wants to be approached right now]

[anachronistic-falsehood]

question for tidalwave enjoyers. i think theyre both stupidly oblivious 2 the fact that they like each other but who do u think would realize it first. yeah im making a fucking poll yes i am writing a post s2 tidalwave oneshot

[tubbytarchia]

Something something Shinyduo but gem is some sea goddess and Pearl is a moon goddess something something they are very much in love something something cause the moon is connected to the tide or something

You know what. Kind of going insane because yes, the Moon's gravitational pull causing tides... but also something something the Moon reflected back from water. The lyrics don't quite match but I have been brainrotting over this one song about shinyduo with lyrics that goes "All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas. The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe" and "I will set a mirror up to face the blackened sky, you will see your beauty every moment that you rise". So not quite right for this specific idea but HNNNNG still going insane. And making them into godesses, Pearl of the Moon and Gem of the sea... just made me think of that...

But then because I mostly think about traffic, that's much fitting symbolism to me that Pearl would only ever see a skewed image of herself reflected back at her, and one she herself skews (by embracing her scarlet personality after being ostracised for it) (through the Moon's gravitational pull causing waves, which realistically wouldnt be like... bad enough to constantly ripple the water I guess...? It's fine we can suspend some belief. We're talking about a huge celestial body) but Gem, goddess of the sea, in a metaphorical sense, feeling her gravitational pull would always find Pearl. And she calms the waters just so Pearl can see what Gem sees from the undisturbed reflection... or something like that. Pain

[runeyseason]

Welcome to Runey Season, a casual, forum-based RP group dedicated to all seven games in the Rune Factory series! We're looking for a fun, chill time -- whether you're looking for a sillier or a more serious RP experience, we've got room for both!

Interested? Have any questions? Want to know who's available? Or how we operate? Check out our:

ABOUT PAGE • RULES • MASTERLIST • ASK BOX

And, of course, if you want to take a look at how things are set up, check out the FORUM itself!

We hope to see you with us in the Kingdom of Norad!

[pasdetrois]

lucy observing their six year old guest and designating her as the resident little spectre is both charming and ominous

[crmsnmth]

The Tides, They Are Changing

I hear his voice somewhere in the distance Through broken windows of a house abandoned long ago in the East Side Surrounded by derelicts and the stinking ruins of a city long lost and now forgotten

It's his dirty blonde hair and that half-smirk of a smile It pulls me in as he touches my face fingers over the growth of three-day stubble I never was one to pull of a beard

We walk together around the streets Neither of us has ever explored Hands brushing and something new I'm so desperate for affect I'll let him do ANYTHING please make me bloody and sore

His hand is forceful yet gentle And I feel like I''m all that matters

I've take this heat on before

[gulava]

For the Sun/Moon Soriku symbolism lovers, we got another Moon!Sora detail in Re:Mind that I really liked! He reflects Mickey’s light to help everyone.

[seafoam-taide]

this will be affecting the trout population

[emblazons]

Joshua Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI ⤷ treating with the Motes of Water • The Rising Tide DLC

[dromaeo-sauridae]

promethea is on the planet side of the moon, and its the second moon from ouranos so one moon passes in front of it and 2 pass behind it. i… have to do some research on tides

[andromeda3116]

you know i wonder where the essay is, i certainly don't have it prepared, what it reflects about society, that the '99 trigun was a fun action western-sci-fi anime with a plot that wove itself out slowly and had plenty of heart that got serious eventually but was also a quirky romp through most of its run

and the '23 trigun stampede is a dystopian sci-fi set in a crumbling desert that can barely support life with a dark plot that drags you under immediately and also does have a lot of heart but ultimately appears to have the theme of scavenging that heart from a place that gives you no reason to believe it exists

like, as time capsules i feel like it's unintentionally saying something about us, about where we've come to and come from, that the same basic story is told in two such wildly different ways, after less than a quarter-century