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#i never do mermay n i’ll probably never do it again so this is all ur getting from me for that.
dodiebeeps · 10 months
Text
It Started With a Dead Fish
Ch. 3 - Someone Who Cares
midoriya x reader
wc: 9.3K
a/n: final part! now let's see if i can post my other mermay fic in time 🫠
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“Remember you don’t put the spices in until they’re in the pan!”
You whisk the eggs somewhat faster in the bowl in response to your mom’s nagging. She’s wonderful, and you’d never change her for the world, but you won’t burn the kitchen down. You were only close once! Once! 
“Noted, Mom.”
“And did you leave a window open? So the house doesn’t smell like smoke?”
“ Mom, I did. Don’t fret. See?” There’s a small click as your phone’s ring holder pops back into its case, and flip the camera so your mom can see the window that’s been propped open. The early morning light creeps over the sand.
“Hm, you’ve been taught well.” False arrogance colors her tone, making you smile. 
“Only by the best,” you grin, and startle as you hear a tentative knock at the door. 
The unexpectancy of it has you cracking the egg you’re holding a bit too hard—the yolk smears across the counter, and the white is littered with a less-than-delicious array of egg shells. 
Wasted. Someone owes you what that egg cost. 
“Was that a knock?” Your mom looks at you inquisitively as you flip the camera once more, tilting her head as if trying to look behind you. 
A silent groan leaves you at the wasted product. Luckily, your mom doesn’t mention it if she noticed, or heard. “It was. I’ll probably hang up now. See you later?”
She leaves without trouble, her last words ‘Love you, my apple’, with countless kisses that followed. You hung up before you began to decompose from all the attention. 
With a grimace, you quickly wipe the yolk remains on the thigh of your shorts. Marching to the door, ready to give a piece of your mind to whoever ruined your egg—
Midoriya waits on the other side. His eyes widen at the wall of anger he’s faced with, and you swear you hear a squeak as he takes a step back. 
The fury immediately dissolves upon recognizing the face. There are flashbacks—him in the water, beached on the shore, holding your hand amidst the crowd of strangers—and you blink slowly when you realize it’s him. He was a half-fish just yesterday, and as you glance down, you notice very human legs. 
“Hi.” Your voice comes out airy. 
“H-hello.”
Midoriya anxiously combs a hand through his green curls as you continue to stare. 
“You’re back.”
“I…I am…?” 
“Sorry.” Blinking a few times to dispel the crowding disbelief, you step aside to allow him access. “You can come in if you want.”
“Ah.” Midoriya seems to consider it, but then his innocent expression shifts. It’s a new look, a suddenly determined one. “No, no. I came…apologizing for the mistake.” Your mouth opens to form a question—he continues before you do. 
“The other man, Kacchan, he believed you to challenge him. He took the fight to ocean, where he knew he could win. I’m sorry. I could be faster. You got hurt.” 
The question is swept to the side and your mind goes blank. That orange fish, Kacchan— that name sounded familiar—thought you were challenging him?
It doesn’t make sense. All it took was a shell for him to lose it? The faint memory of that crazed grin invades your memories, watching you drown, your sight growing foggy and dark, the desperation of searching for air and not finding any—
A hand envelops your shoulder. Your gaze immediately flicks to Midoriya, who blinks once he’s caught your attention once again. 
He doesn’t take his hand away. “I’m sorry.”
Heaving a sigh, you focus on a speck of lint dangling from his sleeve. “...It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” 
The man looks like he wants to protest, as if that wasn’t the correct answer.  But before you can be thrown back into memory lane, you tap his wrist with your clean hand. 
“We can talk more inside if you want. It’d be embarrassing to tell the doctor I got a heat stroke from standing in the doorway.” 
Midoriya stiffens in what appears to be alarm. He eyes you cautiously as you step further into the bungalow, watching for any signs of discomfort. You swivel to the left, where the kitchen is, to wash the egg yolk from your hands. Inwardly you hope he doesn’t notice, just like he doesn’t notice the messy counter. 
But, you don’t hear feet following you, so you assume Midoriya remains right by the entrance. 
Swiping napkins on the small kitchen island to polish the mess, you wrack your brain for conversation starters. You mean…you could ask him about the entire merman thing he has going on, but you’re uncertain where to start. So, before you pry open that can of worms, you talk based on the other things you know about him. 
“How often did you clean the house, uh, before I got here?” Your voice is considerably loud, considering Midoriya’s too deferential to get close to you. Maybe he’s still remorseful after what happened? But you don’t dwell on the events long, because your heart will start picking up and you hate your random episodes enough. Starting them intentionally wouldn’t make your day any better. 
“Started months ago.” You finally hear the wooden creaks of footfalls before they shift into the slaps of tile. It sounds like he’s taken his shoes off, like the last time he was in here. “Did simple things, kept the dust out.” 
The mess of egg yolk you made wasn’t too horrible, and you dump the napkins into the trash beside the counter before looking at Midoriya with a nervous grin. “I still thank you for that! Also, I’m trying to make a breakfast sandwich, if you want? I’ve, uh, never really cooked for anyone but my mom but I definitely wouldn’t mind sharing—” 
“Okay, it fine.” Midoriya stands by the threshold between the living room and the kitchen. "Thanks."
You smile softly. "No problem." 
You carefully pluck a new egg from its carton. Sliding down the counter to click on the stove, you place the pan you had left there earlier on one of the burners. It'll save you time to just turn up the heat now, rather than wait in awkward silence and attempt to make conversation with Midoriya. 
As you continue to prepare something familiar, the aforementioned boy introduces the topic you, quite frankly, haven't had proper time to stew over. 
"Thank you. For, taking me back to water yesterday."
You inwardly smile at that. It’s probably the craziest story you would tell if you had any close friends to share it with. “Yeah, it was no problem.” Your preferred ingredients go into the bowl you’re mixing the eggs with, and the faint tap-tap-tapping of your fork whisking the ingredients fills the air. 
And it’s in the silence that follows that you realize the question that’s been burning you from the inside out can no longer be contained. 
“Midoriya,” you start over the faint murmur of your food hissing on the hot plate. He doesn’t say anything but you can see movement in the corner of your eye; he moves closer, leaning on the small island. “I’ve been…wondering.” Facing him fully, you meet the unnatural green tint of his eyes and resist getting distracted by them. “Uh, you have a fish tail sometimes. And…human legs other times, and I’m not quite sure normal anatomy works that way.”
His face stretches in surprise, and then, to your surprise, blooms red. Ah, you embarrassed him, didn’t you? Scrambling to apologize, you begin to mention how he doesn’t have to explain, that it’s none of your business and you think it’s cool that he can do that, albeit its unnatural and Midoriya watches you ramble for a bit until, with your face flushed, you swiftly turn back to the pan. Your gaze is so focused you could heat the batter with your eyes alone.  
It’s silent for the ten minutes you spend plating for two, making sure there’s some haleness provided by the slices of protein and greens you add. You glance at Midoriya ocassionally, and each one has told you he’s lost in thought. Your appetite is nearly destroyed by the feeling that rises in your throat. 
Maybe this was the reason you lost friends. Too inconsistent, too insensitive, too incompetent. 
With unease, you nervously hand over the plate. 
"Y-you don't have to talk about it. And, if you don't like sandwiches it's fine. There's fruit in the fridge, though you probably already knew that…" You realize, and you want to facepalm. "It'd just…be rude if I ate by myself." You avoid looking the man in the eyes throughout your prattling. The weight in your hand is lifted as Midoriya gingerly takes the plate, placing it on the island.
You perch in a seat away from him because you're not forward enough to be that close. 
"Thank…you." Midoriya glances your way, before bringing the plate close. "And I, want to talk." 
He idly taps the fork against the plate. staring idly at the food. You briefly wonder if Midoriya's too kind to say he doesn't like the food. But it is blinked out as you're  interrupted by him.
"My tail is immediate when there is water. Takes longer for human legs to form when out. One easier. One was learned."
"Learned?" Your voice is muffled from the mouthful you eat, and you hastily cover it with your hand for the sake of politeness. "So…are all people like you able to do that?"
You receive a nod. "All of us relate to human."
"And…and your speech?" Okay, that sounds bad. Really bad. "N-not that I'm making fun of it and I'm not trying to be rude whatsoever it was just an observation." 
Midoriya quickly shakes his head, waving his hands in front of him with a flushed face. “No, no, s’okay! My speech is…different, we speak through sounds. Your language rather hard to grasp, occasionally.” 
“Hey, at least you can be understood,” you start, lifting to take a bite out of your cooking before it loses its warmth. 
The green-haired man’s gaze briefly drops to your plate. He suddenly perks up, as if remembering that you made something for him too. Midoriya is slow to start eating, and you wonder if you should be insulted until he tries it. 
You're watching him too intently for it to be considered normal, but since it's only been your mom that has tried what you've made you're a bit anxious. The feeling quells when Midoriya takes the first bite, and eventually another. He almost chokes when he meets your eyes, and you quickly recede. You’re being creepy. Stop it.
"It's good," he starts, and you know he's probably saying that to be nice. Or, because he was pressured by what must've been the burning heat of your eyes on him. Again, you have to stop doing that. "Savory."
"Glad I managed to get the flavor." You murmur, and something in your tone must set him off—he raises an eyebrow at you, one of his cheeks stuffed with sandwich. 
His voice comes out muffled, but you can decipher it anyway. “Promise it good.” 
“Don’t choke.” You tease, and Midoriya immediately covers his mouth, promptly swiveling back to resume eating. For some reason, you’re having too much fun with someone you met too recently. “And really, thanks.” 
His hum of acknowledgment lulls the conversation, and you both eat in comfortable silence. 
——————————————
Over the next few weeks, you have a friend. 
Honestly, you expected the summer to be like every one that came prior, but you soon learned that Midoriya was, unsurprisingly, not the type to sit around all day. And when he discovered your summer break was only three months, you often came back home with legs sore and heart happy. 
You would’ve never guessed innocent, sweet, kind Midoriya would be a man of peer pressure—albeit there was always a chance for you to decline—but still. You came to expect the knock on your door that would alert you to him, the bright grin that’d split his face every time he saw you. It was an incredible weapon, that face of his. So incredible you assume Midoriya wasn’t aware of the power he held. 
The crowds weren’t so much of a hassle to deal with anymore. Still nerve-wracking, but manageable. What was nerve-wracking was the day Midoriya asked if you wanted to meet his friends. The first time, you’d declined without missing a beat. But when he’d mentioned them offhandedly days later, when you’re both cooling off in a nearby store…you surprised both yourself and him by asking. 
“If—if you want.” Midoriya says. He sweeps his hair back to dispel some of the sweat that responds to the heat and huffs when his curls push back against the headband he wears. The strands are so adamant about not being tied back that the headband practically flies off, onto the outdoor table you both sit at.
You can’t help but chuckle at his misfortune, snatching the hairpiece when he reaches for it. Even with the store’s air conditioning pumped to the max, it’s too lukewarm to play keep away for long. So Midoriya playfully steals your sunglasses, right off the bridge of your nose. 
“How rude.” You say, monotonously. Midoriya rolls his eyes at your audacity, and your laugh betrays you. 
“Looks better on me.”
“Well…it's not completely awful.” A wink from you throws him off, much to your delight. His cheeks turn red—which will not help him in this blasted heat—and he covers his face. A low whine in the sound of your name comes from within his palms. You don’t tease him often; the last thing you want to do is drive him away, but at times when you both get silly it’s hard not to help yourself. 
Fiddling with the headband in your hands, you slide it back on Midoriya’s head. He flinches at the contact, to which you immediately utter an apology. Then, to relieve him of what must be embarrassment, you swerve back to the original statement. “About before…I wouldn’t mind meeting them, just, don’t expect me to be too talkative or anything.” 
He only nods, but you aren’t allowed to see his expression. Ah well. Your punishment for being mean. “Great. That’s good.”
——————————————
Midoriya’s friends are…different from what you expected. Your usual cliques are quiet and reserved. As a group, you kept to yourselves, only united by common interests. And if people happened to leave, the rest of you weren’t so eager to invite a stranger in. It became smaller, and smaller, until it was just…you. And the people you thought you knew changed into people you didn’t. Your puzzle pieces no longer fit. 
But Midoriya’s group was loud. You hear them before you see them, encircling a fire on the sandy beach that leaps starkly against the evening sky. Logs are arranged into seating around it, and the first stranger you see has bright red hair. He’s bulky, and currently has a blonde in what looks to be a loose chokehold. You assume no one’s in danger because they’re both laughing. Another one, with glasses and dark hair, berates them with strange chopping motions for their childishness. On a separate log, you recognize Midoriya’s friend from the store, talking with a pink-haired lady and a wide-eyed girl in a green shirt. There are other faces you dart over, but they all share the same trait—being unfamiliar.  
Now that you’ve noticed everyone else’s hair, Midoriya’s doesn’t seem so crazy. 
You don’t realize you’ve stopped in your tracks until Midoriya taps your arm, giving you a soft look. “We can go back, if you want.” 
“N-no, no it’s o-okay.” It’s not, the anxiety is rising again and you desperately want to turn tail, but that’s what you’ve been doing all your life. If a situation had even a hint of going wrong, you’d remove yourself from it. It so happened that social interaction raised the reddest flags. Anything and everything could go wrong. 
But, that wasn’t you anymore. Or, at least, you didn’t want that to be you. 
The first step towards uncertainty is one you take voluntarily. Midoriya follows you in your peripheral. Your heart, which had only been an issue sporadically across the month, thumps almost audibly in your ears. Willing it not to throw you into a full-blown episode, you continue forward. 
The red-haired one is the first to notice you, and when he stops to take you in, the one he had in his hold notices you as well. Midoriya attracts everyone else’s attention when he introduces you, and it’s then you notice how much his speech has improved. You can’t even think about complimenting him on it, though—multiple pairs of eyes are on you, and your skin has adopted the structure of ice. 
“Hey! You’re the one I met in the library!” The girl you met once before smiles at you in recognition. “Have you been doing alright?” 
“U-uh.” Your first words aren’t the most impressive. “I-I have! The—This island is very nice.” You don’t notice the grin Midoriya sends you, as you’re quickly distracted by the man with glasses who struts up to where you stand. For a moment you think you’ve done something wrong, jumping at the sudden movement of his hand reaching out for yours.
Oh. It’s…just a handshake. Nothing too awful. You take it tentatively, and he shakes it up and down once, firm. 
“Greetings, friend of Midoriya’s. I am Iida Tenya. I’ve noticed that I have not seen you around the island before. Are you perhaps new?”
He speaks formally, and his clothes reflect that too. You can’t see a wrinkle on the button-up he wears, his collar perfectly straight.
"I-I am. I came here a month ago." 
Apparently, that's enough for Iida. He looks as though he wants to continue the conversation, but the blonde you saw before abruptly slides up in front of him, much to Iida's annoyance. Taking a step back, you watch as he (playfully?) inspects you before revealing a grin.
"Hey! Name's Kaminari, but you can call me your—" He's pushed out of the way by the redhead, who introduces himself as Kirishima. His grin is slightly alarming—as they’re shark-like in nature—but no one seems to mind, so neither will you. 
He's big and boisterous, but surprisingly gentle as he holds your hand in his. "Sorry about him," Kirishima apologizes. "He gets too excited meeting new people. It’s nice to meet you!"
Not knowing what best to add, you repeat the latter sentence with a sheepish grin. Midoriya eventually leads you back to the log Iida sat on, where he retreated after Kaminari got in the way. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice what you think are red eyes, but your attention is quickly taken by your feat. 
You almost can't believe it. You survived. There's probably a shirt online that says 'I survived social interaction,' but if there isn’t you swear you'll make it yourself. No one has shunned you, looked at you strangely, or even asked you anything too intimate. The girls were especially welcoming when they introduced themselves—Mina, Asui, and Uraraka—and had even shooed away Kaminari and Kirishima (albeit playfully) in their subtle endeavor in getting to know you. 
According to them, this collection of people wasn’t even the whole basket. Apparently, there were more of them since they had been in the same class, twenty in total. You try not to release a breath of relief; twenty other humans would have you walking the other way. 
Midoriya thankfully stays close while you interact—in quieter settings you would’ve called him a mother hen—and for the first time in a long time, you feel a part of a group. Not too familiar with them yet, no, but you could sit here for hours, listening to their gossip and watching them tease each other the same way siblings do. 
You wonder what it’d be like to have that. The safety net of having people to rely on. 
A hand taps on your shoulder, ripping your gaze away from the bonfire. “You okay?” 
“...Yeah. This has gone better than I expected, actually. Thanks, Midoriya.”
“It’s okay to call me Izuku now. Since Midoriya is my surname.” He smiles brightly. “And what do you think would happen?” 
“Chaos. I think the world would’ve gone up in flames if this didn’t end perfectly. ” Your attempt to be funny pays off, as Midoriya—Izuku chuckles. He looks like he’s about to add more, but your eyes look away from him for a second and are immediately caught on someone else. As your friend says something in the background you’re glued to the sight of crimson eyes and pointed ivory hair. The owner of them thankfully isn’t looking at you, but rather barking something at Kirishima and Kaminari. You’re stabbed with familiarity. 
How did you miss this guy? Just by looking at him, it’s like the aura of hostility that he carries surrounds you, even though he’s across the bonfire. 
Midoriya says your name, but it registers in the very back of your brain. It’s too scrambled trying to figure out just who this man is and the reason your memory is so intrigued. Your friend follows your gaze and stiffens when he realizes who it is. 
The man, who must’ve felt all the stares on him, looks around to find the source of it—you. It hits then, seeing his face. His eyes narrow in the same way they did a month ago. Except this time, the blackness isn’t curling around the edges of your vision, hindering your sight. 
It hurts to swallow. You can’t believe this guy can stare at you so boldly, so unashamedly, when he’d nearly drowned you. You’re certain he’s the one.
His combative stare flits to Midoriya when he gently slides an arm in front of you, a hand moving to rest on the other end of the log. Peeking over his shoulder, you watch as the both of them engage in a hell of a staring contest. Even though you're not the receiver of it, Izuku's gaze threatens to make your blood turn solid. These two have a history, a charged one that’s so palpable you’re wondering how the others don’t notice. 
“Aww, come on.” Kaminari whines. “Not in front of the newbie, guys.” If the tension before hadn’t attracted the attention of Midoriya’s classmates, the comment did. Kaminari’s bright eyes flit to you, and he raises a brow at said green hair’s position. 
“Shut up, Dunce-face.” Your almost-murderer growls, his expression twisting in a way that makes you flinch. “Shitty Deku. The hell did ya bring ‘em here for?”
“It’s nothing that should concern you, Kacchan. They’re here because I invited them. Wasn’t aware I required your permission for such things.” 
Kacchan (which you think is a rather unassuming name for someone so volatile) stands slowly, intentionally, honed in on his rival like a missile. You immediately flinch back, and Izuku glances at you—eyes darting towards your slight movement—and swivels to the blonde with an even deeper scowl. He moves to stand as well, and the only thing that stops them from engaging is Kirishima’s hand on Kacchan’s shoulder, and Iida’s around Izuku’s arm. 
Both murmur to their respective friends, serious, and as you glance around you watch the rest of the group. Their faces are either blank or slightly humored or even annoyed. You assume they must be used to this. 
But you’re not. You caused them to nearly blow off each other’s heads. And you’ll continue to cause it as long as you’re here. Your insides feel completely emptied—hollow, and the guilt relentlessly sets in.
Your sandals fill with sand as you shuffle to the end of the log. There’s just enough space between the one you’re sitting on and the next to slip away. You attract a few glances as you begin your retreat, and though you receive a few knowing glances, no one stops you. This is what you’ve gotten good at—slipping away in a crowd. Izuku and Kacchan haven’t begun to fight yet, and hopefully, when you’re out of sight their tension will continue to recede. It was…fun while it lasted. That, you’re grateful for. 
Luckily the town center is visible from the bonfire. You turn on your heels and walk as quickly as you can before Izuku acknowledges your disappearance, and tries to call you back. 
——————————————
As soon as Iida talks Izuku down from squaring up with his former bully—they’ve turned into rivals recently, ever since he learned to defend himself against him—he notices you’re gone. He removes Kacchan from his sight, making the blonde scoff as Izuku searches around for you. He’ll most likely pay for that later; Kacchan will probably find him when they’re back at sea and demand to spar. But, that isn’t his main concern.
“Where is-?”
“They…left,” Ochako states, stretching out her legs on the next log over. There’s a sourness in her tone that Midoriya picks up on immediately. Being friends with her for so long had gotten him acquainted with all her mannerisms. If it wasn’t clear already, the pointed look she gave him made things crystal. “They looked uncomfortable.” 
At that, he wilts. It was never his intention to— Kacchan just made him feel— 
Despite what he meant to do, what happened was still Izuku’s fault, no matter how he tries to defend himself. He perches back on the log, voice lowered so only she can hear. “Did you…see where they went?”
Ochako only raises an eyebrow. “Did I?”
He closes his eyes, releasing a frustrated huff. It wasn’t directed at her, he deserved it, but Izuku had to at least get an idea of where you went.
“I just want to apologize to them. And…I can’t if I don’t know where to look.” 
The few moments of silence between them have Izuku focusing on the background chatter of his classmates, their conversations back in full swing after the near-fight. It makes him feel void. His classmates are used to the song and dance between him and Kacchan, but you weren’t. Midoriya’s palms squeeze together when he realizes you must’ve left because you were apprehensive.
“They were headed back to the town center.” Ochako gestures in the direction of where you went, and with the help of the dim embers of the bonfire, Izuku spots the disturbance in the sand. There are footprints of someone retreating from the group—you. 
Izuku stands to follow them, but before he takes a step Ochako has his arm. 
“Don’t make things worse, Deku.” Her tone is stoic, yet her eyes tell of something different. “You can get overwhelming when you’re apologizing.”
He tries to ignore how his ears flush at that truth. “O-okay. Yeah.” 
She releases him, and Izuku spares a fleeting glance at Kacchan, who has turned to murmur something to Kirishima. Their eyes meet again for a moment; before the blonde can start up again, Izuku turns to follow the indents you left in the sand. 
He has… some idea of where you could be. Even though you’ve been acclimated for at least a month, Izuku wouldn’t catch you dead hanging around a crowd. After all, it had taken him weeks of subtly dropping info about his friend group to even get you to consider meeting them. His mood dampens at how great that turned out. 
His focus switches to the fairy lights that swirl above the storefronts in the town center, so bright this late they make stars look like mere candles. Izuku eyes the premises of a diner, where customers sit out back and enjoy the cool air that comes with the sun’s retreat. He planned to take you to a place like this after, to celebrate you throwing yourself into his social gathering (though you would’ve raised a brow at his reasoning). 
Well, maybe…
Izuku takes a step toward the entrance. 
Maybe he can still get something. 
——————————————
When you kick the water, the waves splash against your legs in protest, sending chills zig-zagging up your limbs. This place, this lonely pier battered by the sea every day grants you a clear view of the sunset, which you unfortunately just missed. 
It’s fine, though. There’s nothing wrong with a starless sky. 
You’re glad what happened here wasn’t enough to drive you away from this place; Kacchan won’t be lurking in the waters anytime soon, you hope, and neither will Izuku. 
Speaking of him, you hope he’s doing okay. You left abruptly, and knowing him he’s noticed your absence by now. Well, if he wants to find you he’ll have to wait till tomorrow—you’ll be huddled in your bungalow by then. 
The sea laps against your shins, and you busy yourself with running your hands up and down your legs in an attempt to drive away the cold. It doesn’t work, obviously; you’re one human against a force of nature. It's quite upsetting, so you attempt to distract yourself by grabbing your phone from your back pocket. The screen reads 9:26 PM.
You’d been at the bonfire for barely an hour. Funny how it felt like much longer, but time waits for no one. 
Your heart skips a beat when you hear the dock creak. The sound and its cause snap your head to attention.
The first thing you notice is verdant hair, and even brighter eyes. Izuku?
Somehow, he’s found you, and so silently that if the wood didn’t alarm you you’re sure you would’ve jumped into the water. It’s almost scary how quiet he is. He looks apologetic upon seeing your wide eyes, and after you register him your eyes wander to the white bag he holds in his hand. 
“Well well well, look what the sea dragged in.” You try to joke, and Midoriya’s expression shifts into a wide smile. He comes closer once he realizes your chipper mood. “Did you guys eat out?”
Izuku moves to sit by you, abandoning his red sneakers behind him, next to your sandals. He places the mysterious bag between you; it feels like a peace offering. “No, no. I wanted to…” He hesitates, which only makes you anxious. The boy picks up on this and jumps to continue. “I wanted to show you restaurants, after the gathering, but…”
But you left, is what he’s trying to say; the words don’t leave him, but it’s like he said them nonetheless. That vacant feeling drills a familiar hole inside of you.
“I’m sorry. For leaving. I shouldn’t have. It’s just me, running from problems again.” You mutter bitterly.
“No!” Izuku yells, starting you both. He clears his throat, apologizing under his breath. “I’m the one who heightened things and made you uncomfortable. Kacchan and I are…rivals. We have been for a long time. He just saw you, and me defending you, and he thought something was up.”
“I’m starting to think he takes everything as a threat.” 
“You get used to it,” he chuckles softly, and before you can ask him exactly how long he’s known that menace you’re distracted by the rustling of the bag between you both, disturbed by the wind. Right, he brought something. Izuku parts the bag so the opening faces you, just enough to see two takeout boxes.
“...Leftovers?” You question, and if it was a bit brighter you would see Izuku’s face whiten like paper. He stutters for a few moments, shaking his head in horror. You watch him, smile growing until you pat his shoulder to put an end to his misery. “Sorry, sorry! I know you brought food, I was just messing with ya.”
The boy raises a hand to cover his cheeks but leaves his eyes visible. All the better to glare at you with. “Y-you’re…so evil.”
The laugh that leaves you is sudden and freeing. It feels like a weight has been pushed off your chest from the stress of the day, allowing you to enjoy being in the presence of a friend. You rub an eye after getting a hold of yourself, and when you look back at Izuku his smile is positively blinding. 
“It’s just so hard not to mess with you.” You return the gesture and reach into the bag for the first takeout box, popping it open. The first thing you notice is the steam that erupts from the freshly-made food. It’s hot enough that you could raise your hands over it and warm yourself like a fire. 
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, I mean I’ve seen what you eat sometimes and based it off of that, but I know it’s not completely accurate—”
Your brain puts his rambling into second priority as you take a curious survey of the goods. As you glance at the contents, you wonder just how much he’s paid attention. There are only a few foods you’re unfamiliar with but other than that, the man is spot on.
…How? You’ve known him for weeks, but you weren’t expecting him to pay this much attention to you. 
“—If you don’t like anything in there then you don’t have to have it, I’m not trying to pressure you into doing anything you don’t like and if you're worried about waste I can probably find one of my friends to eat it—”
“Midoriya Izuku,” you interrupt sternly, and he immediately straightens, pupils like saucers. Letting your expression melt into one of gratitude, you gesture at the box. “Thanks. You’ve got a good eye, and even if you hadn't I would’ve eaten it anyway. And I assume the second one at the bottom is for you?”
“If you didn’t want them both, yeah.”
“Then I guess today’s your lucky day,” winking at him, you take out your box and place it on your other side, as you don’t intend to dig in right now. “Congratulations, Izuku, you don’t get to go hungry.”
“What a relief,” Izuku laughs airily, the shifting of his feet in the water causing ripples to rub against your legs. The subtle movement suddenly reminds you of what Izuku is. The fact that you nearly forgot is surprising, to say the least, considering that the discovery could be world-altering. 
“Hey, do your friends know that you’re a merman? You and Kacchan.”
Izuku blinks twice, and then a shy grin slowly creeps up his lips. “...No.” 
“Really?” So you’re the only one that knows? “How? You’ve been living on this island for how long now with them in the dark?”
“M-maybe a decade…” 
“So, you’ve kept yourself hidden, somehow, for ten years, and then you reveal yourself to the newest person you met." A brow raises at the statement. “Kinda suspicious, don’t you think?”
Though you meant it as a joke (for the most part), Izuku turns red for the second time tonight. He’s way too calm considering with just a few words, you could possibly ruin his life. Or, everyone would think you were mad. The latter is more likely to be true, but still. 
“Okay, point taken,” Midoriya runs his fingers through his hair, and you’re momentarily distracted by the way the curls fold under his touch. It moves like the sea itself. “But the first time I saw you, I was a little curious and then the second time was at your home, the third was after Kacchan…, and then by the fourth time I really wanted to get to know you—”
“Woah, wait. Hold up.” There are so many words to process, and your brain runs through them while you interrupt. “The first time we met was when I was settling in. And then Kacchan. Am I remembering wrong…?”
Izuku pulls his hair so the strands go over his eyes. Unfortunately for him, they bounce right back into place, leaving his strangely-flustered expression visible to the world and you. 
“...Not exactly.”
“No?”
“You came to the island on a boat…”
“Yeah, of course I did. The only other way is by plane and I’m definitely not rich enough for that.” 
Well, you guess the alternate, rare method of travel would be being a merman of all things. The world practically is his oyster then, being on both land and sea—
Wait. 
“...Were you there when I first arrived?”
Izuku only glances at you before his gaze flits over the waters, resolutely avoiding your countenance. His answer is clear as glass.
“No way.” You murmur, stuck between being creeped out and curious. However, you’re leaning more toward the latter. It’s hard to be uneasy considering he’s quickly made his way into good standing with you. It wasn’t hard, he didn’t have much competition in regard to your other friends. If he had told you this sooner, though, you imagine it would have been a different story. “Coincidence?”
“...Yeah.”
He still hasn’t looked your way. You decide it’s a good time to take up teasing. “You must reeeeally like me then, huh?"
You don’t know what you expected, but it wasn’t for Midoriya to take a cannonball into the water. Shouting his name on instinct, you watch as something shimmers under the water for an instant before the waves swallow it whole. 
It's eerily quiet with nothing but the waves flipping over itself and battering against the shore. Your gaze narrows when the scintillating thing rises to you, and in a moment of self-preservation, you begin to pull your legs out of the water. 
However, you pause when Izuku just barely surfaces, his nose and the tips of his ear fins just barely reaching visibility. With his head tilted downward just so, you get the hint that he’s still diffident.
"Well hello again," you start softly.
He makes a sound that sounds like a rumble, rippling the water around him, then slowly looks up at you.
This is the third time you've seen him like this, and you're struck with a similar feeling of awe as the previous times—except not hidden behind layers upon layers of adrenaline, fear, and unease.
"If it makes you feel better, I think you're pretty cool." You cringe at the desultory tone. Deciding it sounded too airy, you try again. "I mean, I like, like you too. If that was what made you nervous."
Izuku remains still, and you find yourself wishing the dock builder had hung fairy LEDs or some source of unnatural light so you could see his expression. Seconds pass, and then Izuku pushes himself forward in the water. You jolt as you feel a hand touch your leg, so delicate you barely pick up on the pressure. 
He hovers just in front of your knees—his shoulders just barely above the water now—close enough for you to watch the way his eyes emit a faint glow. They’re not shockingly radiant like a flashlight but are instead mellow, similar to stars fading in and out. 
With the lessened distance, you can see how red melts on his cheeks and the base of his ears like paint. The fact you’re able to tell is evident by the clouds shifting away from the moon—just your luck. 
Izuku begins to move in an attempt to occupy the space beside your legs. He croons at you as he does so as if asking for your permission. 
You’ll give him more than that.
Reaching your hands out for him, you lean forward, pretending to aim for his cheeks, only to plant your fingers in his hair. Despite being soaked, Izuku’s curls are abnormally soft, and as you play with them, he leans into your touch. The urge to shake his head like a maraca is overwhelming, but honestly, you wouldn’t want that done to you. You playfully tilt Izuku’s head from side to side like you’re examining him. 
This sort of confidence is…unlike you. Ever since you arrived on this island things have been different. No one knows you; it’s a chance to start over, and your brain had jumped right on that without alerting the rest of you. 
Not that you didn’t welcome it—not by a long shot. It’s nice, learning how to socialize with others. You had the basics down, something your old friend group had blessed you with luckily, but it didn’t go much further than that.
You think…being with Izuku, the same one who nervously knocked on your door because he was interested in you, despite being a little socially inept himself, might’ve helped a little.
At your invitation, said merman creeps further into your space. His scales tickle your skin as he props himself up on the dock, lines of scales brushing against your clothes.
“L…li-like y-you…” He tries to say. 
“It’s alright. Don’t ruin your vocal cords for me.” At that, Izuku’s brows furrow. He shakes his head in disagreement, and opens his mouth to try again. This time you do reach over and shake him, hopefully not enough to make him dizzy. “Nuh-uh.”
For longer than a second, Izuku gazes at you through dumbstruck eyes. How has nobody asked questions about how vibrant they are? They’re enchanting, and everything starts to blur around you the more you choose to focus on them. An emotion—dare you call it affectionate—weaves through the color. It presents itself as a smile, small and hesitant, but one that looks ready to burst at the seams.
You do your best to ignore the heat rising in your chest and up your throat like a heavy turtleneck. Even swallowing becomes a palpable chore, and you glance away from the merman in front of you, distracting yourself with a question that’s been knocking against your head. 
“Does your mom know, at least? That you’re a merman?” 
Izuku’s response is a quick nod. It becomes impossible not to smile at that fact. You can’t say you’re surprised. Izuku seems like such a momma’s boy, from what you can tell. It’s undeniably sweet—the image of him, toddler him, struggling with his quirkiness while his mother supports him every step of the way—your expression widens in cheeriness. The merman beside you chirps questioningly, and you barely meet his eyes before laughter escapes you. 
You receive a look of understandable confusion, but Izuku leans into your leg, verdant eyes flitting over your every move. 
“S-sorry, sor—” Dramatically clearing your throat, you nudge the merman’s stocky arm. “Childhood must’ve been fun growing up, hmm? I can’t imagine your mom having to deal with you.”
A drawn-out groan escapes him, low and quite frankly, unamused. 
“I think it’s a unique experience,” you start, slowly dipping into the water. Izuku blinks, then his expression shifts into one of slight alarm as he watches you move. “You can swim better than me, at least.” 
The water is positively frigid. You can feel the goosebumps swirl up your arms—but it’s just like getting used to the pool. You’ll get used to it, hopefully. 
While you tread water, Izuku darts in front of you, preventing you from moving farther away from the dock. Under the surface, the glint of scales—his hands—hover under your arms as if you’ll drown the second you lose confidence. His ear fins stick close to his head, nervous due to your antics.
A thrill leaves him, and even in another language you understand it's a question.
"It's alright," your legs swirl a little faster under you to keep your head up. "I'm not traumatized." 
The moment you duck your head under, just to prove a point, your squinted eyes catch a glimpse of the tail that extends under you. Your heart, as stagnant as it was earlier, leaps. It's green, Izuku's tail is green, but for just a moment it's brighter, an orange even—
Reeling back, you grasp Izuku's forearm, only loosening your grip when he flinches.
"Sorry," you say mindlessly, focusing on a particularly entrancing spatter of scales on his arm. "Almost forgot you had a tail there."
He starts to pull his limb with you on it closer to himself, brows slightly furrowed. Maybe he knows what you said didn't add up. In place of a response, you release him and push yourself away in a backstroke. You only hear a chirp of alarm before it’s cut off. 
After a few seconds of silence, you glance up to see Izuku gone. However, the vacancy doesn’t last long, as a second later something swishes across your back. The merman appears again before you, eyebrows fluted. A noise of protest leaves you as you’re forced to stop again, this time clinging to his upper arms. 
Huffing out a near-frustrated sigh, you try to move around Izuku. It proves fruitless, as he rotates just unsteadily enough that you can’t use him as a push-off for a second time. Amidst your efforts, he stares, attentive and head inclined forward. An ear fin flutters, as if waiting for a pin to drop. 
Waiting for you, you eventually realize. "...It’s not that big of a deal.” The only sign of his dissatisfaction is the monotone hum he makes. "Stop yelling at me," you glance at the ocean around you, doing your best to shake off Izuku's gaze. 
It proves unsuccessful, and the silent pressure eventually cracks the flimsy brick wall.
"I was terrified. I thought I was going to die," you admit, still resolutely looking away in a frail attempt to reign your feelings in. A glance at him too early might unleash things you’re not prepared to deal with—later, but not now. “...Was he really going to kill me?” 
“...No. Kacc..han’s no killer.” 
Your eyes snap below the waters to the feeling of movement in your hands—his arms—ascending to meet you. The water feels as intangible as air when a finely-tipped hand grazes your cheek, and then alights on your head. His fingers ever-so-slightly spread, then lift, patting you once. 
His affirmation brings you some ease. Though, you still question at what point the ruby-eyed merman would’ve stopped if he wasn’t out for blood. It’s a question you’ll ask later.
It’s impossible not to gaze at him, wondering about his next move. His cheeks are black paint against a canvas in the faint moonlight. A hum leaves him, flat, almost like the way your mom expresses disappointment that you hadn’t done the dishes as she asked or frustration at your unchanging homebody attitude. Except, when you glance at him, Izuku’s attention isn’t on you, but on the hand still on your head. His hand, like it had personally offended him; like it didn’t emanate the comfort he hoped it had. 
You squeeze his raised arm, the one you hadn’t let go of. “It’s alright, Izuku.”
The merman huffs, an impolite sound—from Izuku Midoriya, of all things—of disagreement. The weight of his hand leaves your head, only to be replaced by guilt as you note that you've angered him. Only, that's replaced by surprise as Izuku slips out of your hold on him to encircle his arms around you, the movement graceful.
A symphony of noise leaves him, sounds that would attract awkward attention on land, but serves only to startle you here, in the embrace. A succession of clicks, trilling, cooing , even, vibrating against his chest. Your face feels red, terribly so, and you can guess, from the few weeks of being around him, that he's—
"I-I'm…sor-sorry." 
Those two words stretch out in the silence, before they collide with a laugh, yours, breathy and wavering.
"All that birdsong for an apology you don't need to give?" Consciously, you lean more into Izuku, finding warmth in the curve of his shoulder. At the sudden stiffness around you, you recoil, casting a jittery grin up at him. “Sorry.” 
His grip around you tightens marginally, only for a second. He stares sideways for a moment, as if he's seen something fascinating in the empty ocean, before focusing back on you, replicating your gesture, but smaller.
Izuku pulls you closer, his tail hovering beneath your feet, resting his forehead on yours. The cold air brushes against your eyes as they widen, unprepared. Suddenly opening your mouth, unsure of what stammer or word vomit might spout out, you force it shut as you catch the merman's gaze—or rather, its absence. He’s still as he leans against you; he’s trying to take you in, enjoy the moment, and you do your best to disregard the heat rising in your neck to do the same. 
It’s impossible not to fixate on him—he’s the only other person out here, and just so happens to be the warmest. So, with little room for hesitation you follow him, sinking into his embrace and attempting to reciprocate.
Nothing you've initiated has ever ended like this. It's never been close—you were never given the chance. 
Of all people, you're glad it's Izuku, different as he is. It's rare to meet someone this open, this eager to share the bits and pieces of himself that people keep buried. It's given you the liberty to share yourself, too, with someone who cares. He listens. he asks, he smiles and that's all you could ask for.
From your view over his shoulder, you see the dock and the takeout bag that lies undisturbed on it. It’s probably gotten cold, and as you think of it, you are too. 
“It’s a little chilly, don’t you think?” He leans back from you the same time you do, though still undeniably close. His head tilts in observation, so you continue. “Great. Now that we’ve agreed, can you take me back to the dock?”
At that, Izuku pauses briefly, then nods. His tail brushes against the heels of your feet as he steers you both toward the pier. He waits until your fingers cling to the soggy planks to let you go, dipping under the water.
Well…it’s not that you expected him to help you up. It was probably enough to ask him to take you back, considering how he hesitated—
A yelp rushes out of you as hands circle your hips and push you onto the dock. An unflattering heap is what you are for a good three seconds until you flip to the culprit with a faux glare. The merman barely peeks out of the water; the only way you know Izuku’s reaction is from the crescent-shaped curve of his eyes and the warbling chirp that rises from the water. 
“You’re a menace,” you start, only for a breeze to sweep in from the ocean. With it brings the sudden urge to curl into a ball. Doing so had to be warmer than these terrible conditions you were being subjected to. Moving to stand up and nearly toppling from the new weight your clothes have accumulated, you turn back to Izuku.
He chirps, softly, almost bitterly, as if he already knows what you're going to say. The dock creaks under him as he settles some of his upper body on the planks.
"You know where I'll be, Izuku." You toe his arm at the same time you remember the take-out he'd bought for the both of you. "And if you want your food back, you'll have to visit." 
The merman swipes a gentle hand at you when you snatch the dart foam container with his food, jostling it at him before placing it in the bag with your goods. Shaking off whatever water remains on your feet, you sent a fleeting smile toward Izuku—who trails you in the water before it becomes too shallow—and head for home. 
This feeling in your chest, it’s completely new. Different from the tight pain your heart usually provides, the beat you adopted since you were young. It’s a breath of fresh air and for once you don’t feel bad being greedy for taking it, as it’s yours to treasure. 
——————————————
After a good attempt of washing away the saltwater in the shower and taking your antiarrhythmic meds (your heart has yet to thump the traitorous beat of arrhythmia, but you're used to following routine), you step into the kitchen where the takeout bags flop on the counter. You hope that the flavor won't diminish too much in the microwave. 
As you decide to entertain yourself with the television before heading to bed, your door calls to you in a set of four knocks. the same four Izuku uses, though the rhythm of it changes occasionally. 
A smile manifests when you realize. It's him . You try not to look too excited as you walk to the door—you just saw him an hour ago, after all—but it’s fairly difficult. 
His grin is nervous as the light from your living room outlines him from the dark outside, but eases when his gaze alights on you. 
“Hi,” you start, because you’ve suddenly forgotten how to initiate a normal conversation under the weight of his stare. He opens his mouth to reply, but you barrel on, “I left the takeout on the table, it might be cold, so it might need to be microwaved and…I’m sorry for interrupting you. You were saying?”
He gapes for only a moment before his face brightens, a low chuckle leaving him. Izuku leans down toward you, slowly, to give you the chance to reject if you wish, until his forehead meets your own. His hair is soft against you, albeit a bit damp. It only takes you a heartbeat to lean into the touch. This is okay, greater than that, even. There’s no need to hold back anything, now. 
“That’s fine,” he murmurs. A pause, and then Izuku retreats so he can meet your eyes. “I was, was wondering if…I could stay for a little bit? With you? Well, obviously with you because you live here but I understand if it’s a little too late for that, I wanted to have dinner with you but I can leave, it’s no–”
Izuku rambles on, making more eye contact with the floor than with you, but you don’t interrupt. Especially since you get to watch the show of all the expressions he makes, the hand gestures, the rise and fall of his inflection, the way his throat bobs. It blows your mind how he wants to do things with you , actively seeking you out to suggest another activity to do over the summer, even showing you his friends . 
“I’m sorry.” You suddenly hear, and you realize you’ve zoned out while your eyes chose to settle on a freckle near his eye.
“Don’t be. I think it’s– you’re pretty.”
Satisfying red blooms on his cheeks, then spreads to the rest of his face. The boy stiffens up, shoulders high, and fists clenched as he squeaks, “P-pretty?”
“Yep,” You let the tease slip into your voice. “Maybe even handsome.”
You laugh openly as Izuku groans into his hands, shoulders curling inwards as he tries to hide his face. You notice the tiny personality change from when he was a merman—nothing too different, but he seemed a bit more confident then, and when you mention it to him, an eye peeks from behind his fingers.
“I-it was, was because I had the upper hand. In the water.” 
“You sure? You were a pretty shade of red back there too.”
Izuku makes a sound of disdain at the fact, slowly revealing his face. “I just want to be with you, and you’re being mean about it.”
Despite the fact he’s teasing, your demeanor softens as your fingers reach out to his face, covering his hands. There’s still a dusting of rose, but the green of his irises is so much brighter. Izuku’s callused hands slip out from under yours and wrap around your wrist. Leaning into your touch, you feel his exhale as his eyelids lower.
“I’m fine with it.” The words leave in a whisper, a perfect volume for your next words. “I like being with you. A lot.”
You feel the muscles of his cheeks rise with his smile, and you swear the lights reflected in his eyes twinkle. “Me too. So, so much.”
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jamiscrazy4krerdly · 10 months
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Happy Mermay gamers!! To celebrate I ate a gummy bear and wrote an ENTIRE 60 Chapter mermaid Krerdly fanfic just last night!! Not really but trust me I am tempted, instead here’s something smaller because I found the concept funny. I call this one… “Fishing For Crits”!
EXT. SECLUDED ROCKY SHORE SIDE - SUNSET
Merbird Berdly, posing tentatively against a rock with soggy feathers: I concur, you WOULD make good company for my impending excursions… alas, the only way for us to walk along the same soil is if I beseech THE SEA WITCH *lightning strike x4* to grant me a pair of stick-structured chicken legs and you’d be a PLEBIAN to think I’d go to such lengths for a single travel companion- ACK!
Kris cannonballs into the water, splashing the avi-phibian and further dampening his vaguely water resistant feathers.
Kris, grinning cheekily behind their already kelp-filled hair: Lets go turn me into a merperson.
Kris snatches up Berdly’s wing in their fishnet-styled, fingerless glove covered hands and watches him expectantly.
Berdly, adjusting his glasses (GOGGLES??) as his seafoam irises glimmer: Y-yes! Lets!
-one epic five-minute-swim adventure later-
Kris with their head in an air bubble: *signing at Catti that ghoul should totally give them gills and shit*
Catti with tentacle hair or whatever: k *blasts them with dark magic*
And then Kris swims out the door and shows Berdly (who was required to wait outside) that they are a mer now!!!! YAY!! Then the two of them go off to dress up and travel together and MAYBE fall in love, idk… you can’t really say for sure… its up to interpretation, really… (they eventually make a habit of gazing longingly into each others’ eyes and exchanging ocean facts late into the night as they lock their tails together and lay alongside one another at the bottom of the sea).
The End!!!!
Okie that was fun, I’m just gonna type a bunch of randomly selected but definitely Deltarune related thoughts down now. :P
You won’t even believe which character I’m not done talking excessively about yet- it’s CATTI!! This demigirl just unlocked a new pronoun and by the goddess it is he. WOOHOO! Rockin that She/He/Ghoul swag… I probably won’t actively use it in my w.i.p fics because there’s almost always someone with a he pronoun on screen and I don’t want all that stuff to get jumbled up but it will DEFINITELY be in the fic tags and perhaps actively said by Catti ghoulself. YAYAYA!! Y’all have no idea how long I’ve been itching to post about this, applying the he pronoun to ghoul just makes so much sense to me idk how to describe it but yeah. YEAH!
I’m genuinely terrified of writing a Catti POV fic thing because I love a good side character that makes a lasting impression but I could TOTALLY flesh ghoul out more if I tried… maybe after I get through my current projects I’ll consider it.
SPEAKING OF PROJECTS!! I may or may not have three now. Derp. The new one is smaller and I’ll probably be done with it first to get it out of the way but I don’t plan to post it until the first two projects are done but yeah. Don’t think I’m going to do a Halloween fic afterall ;n; but there’s always next year.
Btw this is random but in my first ever Krerdly fic I had the two attend this thing called Alternative Prom and apparently that doesn’t… HAPPEN in the mainland?? I feel like I made it pretty clear what it was but I’m making a callback to it in my super secret fourth project *GASP* so I mine as well address it: Alternative Prom is a dance held specifically for LGBTQ+ teens, basically. I went once when I was in 8th grade and it was MAGICAL y’all… and then I proceeded to NEVER GET TO GO AGAIN because it got cancelled due to covid hitting during my freshman year and it hadn’t recovered by the time I graduated my senior year (this year) so yeah. I really hope it comes back for the future teens tho!! I MIGHT be romanticizing it a bit but oh my godssss was it such a fun night. I still have the rainbow flower crown and pin as a souvenir. I used to wear my pride shit to school like allll the time, I was a rainbow princex and shit!!! Hell yeah!! I’m a frickin inspiration!!
Ok ok less about me now. I lowkey already outright said so in my Valentines fic but I headcanon that Kris and Catti are exes, right? Well it’s about time that I reveal the dramatic story behind their breakup… Kris wanted to kindate Beastboy and Raven from Teen Titan with ghoul and when ghoul said no it was all over. </3 I hope I didn’t make anyone too emotional with that one. /s
BY THE WAY… a new challenger might have entered the ring that is my infested brain. I’m definitely not gonna tell you guys because it’s my little secret OK FINE it’s M.K!! They are the guy ever and I’m DEFINITELY biased due to their iconic role in Undertale (ty Ask Frisk and Co. ask blog for changing my life for the better). Anyway so yeah they’re awesome and they’re precious and if I’m alone for two seconds I’m going to start shipping them with everybody so. Uhm. Idk if the world is ready for my M.K x Berdly rare pair…
BUT THEY BETTER BE READY FOR CATSEI because it’s been festering in my mind an d oo ooh my g osh… it is so based……………. almost too based, honestly. Like in my headcanon-ing brain the puzzle pieces fit together really well (fashionista x fashion designer) but I don’t. Know... there’s like a mental block that’s not letting me enjoy much past the original idea of their first meeting. If I try to envision their domestic life together I end up with big blurry blanks in the picture where their bodies should be. Which is PRECISELY WHY in my SUPER SECRET FOURTH PROJECT that isn’t super secret anymore they will undertake a magical adventure together through a dark world and tighten their bonds and Jockington will tag along and maybe put them in precarious situations and help them… do something idk it’s just a spontaneously slapped on B-Plot addition to one of my older Krerdly fic ideas but idk maybe something beautiful will bloom out of it!! IN DUE TIME, because it’s gonna take a while. Yea yea yea. Plus I need the excuse to write Ralsei more. His jolly little clap has been one of my dominating stims for a while now.
Also!! Also!!!!! Uhm!! @v@‘ Not super related at all but as I briefly mentioned I finished high school recently and it’s scary (bad thing) and I’m not in contact with anyone I know from there anymore (good thing) and like I’m kind of a bump on a log that’s in dire need of a job (the library thing was a student position) and am definitely nearing a low mentally (very bad thing) BUT I am battling so hard and writing helps so much (it’s like the only active thing in my life right now lol) and yeah… it’s giving going into chat rooms in Amino and telling people I’m depressed (NOT SOMETHING I DID I SWEAR)
As a reward for making it this far here’s two out of four of my outfit boards for my not-so-secret third project that isn’t coming out anytime soon!! Once again featuring my ultra cringe sprite edit of Kris that gets me giggling every time and doesn’t even apply here because both of their eyes will be concealed in this one but yeah!
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It’s so obvious I’m a Nintendo kid it’s not even funny. -v- (HIGHLY EMBARRASSING!!)
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simplybakugou · 4 years
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Off the Deep End
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↝ In a world of supernatural and all powerful quirks, Bakugou is baffled when he has to help a mermaid save her kingdom against his arch nemesis.
PROMPT: “You’re a what now?!”
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⋆ PAIRING: prohero!bakugou x mermaid!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: swearing ⋆ WORD COUNT: 6011
A/N: Here’s my submission for the @bnhabookclub​ mermay event! I may or may not have made Monoma the villain because it was funny to me I swear that I don’t hate him lmao. Also I’m sorry if this is probably the worst thing you’ve ever read lol
Tagging: @sipsteainanxiety​ shay thank you for your sweet words during our sprints. I hope you enjoy this :)
✐posted 5.31.2020✐
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“I can’t believe I’m listening to your bullshit right now,” Bakugou grumbled into his phone over the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, looking around the dock. 
“Dude, Sero and I are telling you that there’s something really weird happening around there!” Kaminari urged on the other line, the panic evident in his voice. “I read that so many people patrolled in that area and they said that something fishy’s going on. Just check it out for me?”
Bakugou laughed. “Are you too fucking scared to check it out yourself?”
“No!” Kaminari blurted in annoyance. “It’s just… electricity and water aren’t a good combination.”
“Sounds like a fucking excuse to me but whatever. I’ll see what you’re whining about.” Bakugou hung up shortly after, shoving the device into his back pocket as he walked along the wooden panels. He scanned the area, not seeing anything out of the ordinary or anything to be frightful for. That idiot’s complaining for nothin’...
The only peculiar thing about this sector was that usually docks and ports would have various boats attached to it but this had nothing, just a wooden walkway staring right into the mouth of the ocean. Bakugou shrugged, assuming that his friends were blindly believing blatantly idiotic rumors. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was a prank they were trying to pull either as the pair would often mess around with him and attempt to send him off on wild goose chases.
With that thought in mind, Bakugou walked off into the opposite direction, making his way towards his car so he could get back to his agency until the sound of laughter stopped him in his tracks, one that sounded like bells ringing and echoing in the air. He spun around, eyes averting in all directions to try and locate the source of the melodic laughter. The area was abandoned and the sun beaming in the sky would reveal anyone roaming around easily. That was why Bakugou was even more baffled when the sound repeated, loud enough to be heard over the collision of the splashing waves. 
Not thinking twice, Bakugou approached the source of the sound, believing that this was what Kaminari and Sero were so afraid of. He got to the end of the dock, his feet on the edge as he attempted to search for the mysterious voice once more.
“What the fuck am I even doing here?” Bakugou grumbled to himself, deciding to head back after failing to find the voice and once again annoyed with himself for even coming here in the first place.
“Whoa, I didn’t think people actually came on this side of the portside anymore,” a voice quipped just as Bakugou was walking away.
He turned around, taking a few steps back as he gasped to see a person in the water, smiling up at him. “The fuck you think you’re doing?! It’s too dangerous to be in the water!”
You were taken aback by his sudden concern, your lips curling upwards in amusement. “Now this is odd. It’s not everyday a human is worried about me.”
“What are you--” Bakugou stopped as he saw you dove underwater, causing Bakugou to toss his shoes and phone to the side. Even if he was off duty for his job, he was still a hero and he wouldn’t let anyone drown themselves, no matter how stupid they were for doing so.
Just as he was about to begrudgingly jump into the water, your head popped back up, even more amused than you were before. A human was willing to risk his life to save you. Bakugou sighed, irritated that he was even entertaining you or that you were pleased by this in the first place. “You think this is funny? Just get out of the fucking water, you’re wasting my time.”
You laughed, the sound ringing in Bakugou’s ears. “I’m sorry, maybe this will make more sense if I do this.”
Before Bakugou could question what you were doing this time, you swam over to the edge of the dock, hoisting yourself up over one of the many ginormous boulders lodged into the side. Bakugou nearly choked at the sight before him, feeling like his eyes were deceiving him.
But it was not a deception. There you were, sitting atop the boulder, with two shells covering your chest and the rest of your upper body adorned with miniature seashells. Your lower half was inhuman as a large tail, iridescent hues of blue and purple sheen covering it. 
“As you can see I’m not human, so you don’t have to worry about me,” you said, grinning from ear-to-ear, completely beguiled by his flabbergasted expression. It was always funny whenever humans reacted this way to seeing you, although it had been years since you’d last seen a human. “I’m a mermaid.”
“Y-You’re a what now?!” Bakugou asked, absolutely bewildered. When Kaminari had informed him about odd occurrences happening in this dock in the past, Bakugou suspected anything but a mermaid to appear.
You maneuvered down the boulder using your arms, settling back in the water and swimming closer to the dock to get a better look at Bakugou. He took a step back, flustered by how intense your staring was. “W-What? Why’re you giving me that weird ass look?”
You chuckled, resting your head in your hands. “The last times humans showed up in this part, they came because they wanted to see the ‘legend’ of the mermaids that live here. And everytime I had to deal with those humans, I had to scare them off so that my people could live in peace. This is the first time someone has come here without any ill intentions.”
Bakugou took a small step forward, looking down to verify once more that your tail was real and not a figment of his imagination. You giggled, lifting your tail up slightly above the water. “It’s real. You weren’t imagining anything.”
Bakugou felt disconcerted by this whole situation, unable to comprehend what to do or how to go about this. He knew he had to return to work soon but he didn’t know how to just walk away from this knowing that you were a full fledged mermaid. You rose a brow at him. “You’re not going to go to your friends and have them come down here, are you? Because I’m really not looking to have a fight with anyone.”
Bakugou shook his head slowly. “It’s none of their business to come down here. I just came ‘cause my friend’s a fucking pussy and was nagging me to check out this area.”
You smiled, grateful and also a little surprised that a human had no desire to exploit you and your species’ existence. “I appreciate it. You know… you’re not that bad. I’ve always despised you humans for everything that you’ve done, but I think you’re pretty okay.”
Bakugou scoffed, looking off to the side. “Whatever.”
You laughed at his reaction, looking up at him and taking in his features. He looked nothing like any human you’d ever seen. His hair was spiky, not budging against the rhythm of the wind beating against it. His eyes were the brightest, most intense shade of scarlet red, making you feel intimidated just by one look. And yet he was handsome, too. 
“You’re really pretty, you know that?” You said bluntly. 
Bakugou’s eyes widened, his cheeks inflamed. “Shut up! Just mind your business and do whatever fish shit you do. I’m leaving.”
You watched as he stomped off, ten times more amused than you were before. He was interesting to say the least, and you were hoping that he would keep his word and not bring any unwanted attention to your existence. But somehow, you felt like you could trust this beautiful stranger.
***
Since that day, Bakugou felt himself physically and mentally drawn to the dock. He started out by stopping by occasionally, curious to see you once more. Your mere existence intrigued him, although he would never admit it. Slowly with time, his visits became more frequent and you began catching him in his act. So you joined him, talking to the only human you’d ever met that was curious about you solely because he wanted to get to know you.
And you wanted to know more about him, often finding yourself waiting by the boulders for his visits. And the more you two met, the more you learned about one another. It was your first time meeting a pro hero, understanding why Bakugou felt obligated to help you when first meeting you.
And Bakugou learned about you and your kingdom. You were a princess of an underwater kingdom called Coara, guarding your kingdom from prying and nosy humans, many of whom were scientists who would go as far as wanting to dissect you and your people if they had gotten their grubby hands on you. Bakugou frowned whenever he heard the anger in your voice when voicing your opinion on how aggravated and fed up you had been with such pestering people. 
You were interesting to say the least. Most people’s first impressions of Bakugou were mostly negative, people often complaining about his abrasiveness or that he was too rude for their liking. But not to you. Even the way he spoke to you was intriguing for you, you finding yourself into him even more than you already were.
But the more you thought about him and were around him, the more you felt unsettled by your new friendship. All your life you had worked to gain this peace that had finally remained. You warned yourself that humans were bad news, vowing to reprimand anyone who so much as approached this area. And yet you wanted to be around Bakugou more and more, feeling disappointed if he didn’t show up on certain days due to his demanding occupation.
And just like any other day, you waited by the boulders, growing impatient as the sun had begun to set, casting an orange hue over the sea. “He’s late…” you muttered to yourself, returning back underwater for the remainder of the night.
Although Bakugou had informed you previously that his job had irregular working times, meaning it was never certain that he was free on certain days, you felt annoyed with him. In fact, for the past few days he hadn’t shown up at your usual spot. Since he never had any way of contacting you, as you were a mermaid and had no reason to be acquainted with human-made technological devices like cell phones, Bakugou was never able to tell you when he wouldn’t be able to see you. If he were being completely honest, he still couldn’t believe that he was regularly meeting with a mermaid in the first place. 
So for his lack of visits, you decided to take matters into your own hands.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea, Y/N,” one of your closest friends urged, looking around the dock as it had been quite some time since she had even bothered to go above the surface from the safety of her underwater home.
You waved her off. “It’s fine, Alicia. As long as no one else finds out about this, which is why I trust that you won’t say a word about this to the others.”
Alicia scoffed. “Of course not, Your Highness.”
You gave her a look as she laughed at you teasingly. “You know you’re the only one allowed to not call me that because it weirds me out when you say it.”
She grinned, throwing her arm over your shoulder. “That’s because we’ve been stuck to the hip since day one! I’d do anything for you.”
You smiled softly, looking around the area once more to confirm that no one was watching or listening in. Then you reached over to the dock, pulling yourself up with the help of Alicia pushing the rear of your tail. Twisting your body around you sat back, flexing your tail above water.
“No turning back now!” You exclaimed, placing your hands on your tail and activating your quirk. As you were a mermaid, you still were born with quirks like humans. Similar to how some animals have intellectual type quirk that allow them to communicate with humans, you still had a quirk. Your quirk was Legs, giving you the ability to provide yourself and others with human legs at your command. You could also take them away at will and this quirk only benefited those who didn’t already have legs. It was an odd quirk but it was yours. It was often used in the past, back when the people of Coara were interested in human life, and you and your mother had the same quirk. It was tradition that the first daughter of the royal family inherited this quirk as a means to make amends with the humans. But since you had taken the throne, the selfish science oriented humans had no intention of keeping an alliance as they only wanted to probe and dissect you and your people for their own benefits. It had been years since the last scientist had caused trouble, leaving you and your kingdom with a short period of peace.
And you had every intention of keeping the peace.
Using your quirk, your fingertips created an amber glow, adorning your lustrous tail into two legs. You groaned, stretching your new limbs out in the air. “It’s been a while since I’ve had these. I need to stretch them out.”
Alicia chuckled, retrieving the mound of seaweed she had collected per your request. Her quirk gave her the ability to make cloth and clothing out of any form of vegetation and plants. She needed to utilize her quirk as you couldn’t just waltz around the city with only a shell bra covering your chest and nothing covering your lower body.
“It’s pretty hot out now so I made something more freeing for you to wear,” Alicia said, handing your clothes. You quickly changed into them, slipping on your underwear, top, and shorts. She even made a pair of simple sandals out of coral and branches. In no time, you were ready to head out into the city.
“You really like him, huh?” Alicia asked, staring up at you as you rose to your feet. 
You rolled your eyes at her. “We’re friends. He’s the first person I’ve met since I was a child, roaming around the human world by my mother’s side, that has shown genuine compassion and interest in our people.”
Alicia sighed. She knew that this was more than a newfound friendship, however, you were too blinded to understand how you truly felt about Bakugou yourself. Even he didn’t know how he felt about you. “Just be careful. Please.”
You smiled, crouching down in front of her. “It’ll be alright. Trust me. I just want to see him for just a second and I’ll return as soon as possible!”
“Alright. Tell your boyfriend I said ‘hi’!” Alicia called out teasingly, earning a glare from you as you strode off towards the city.
***
It took about twenty minutes for you to find your way into the city as it had been quite some time since your last visit. Nevertheless you made your way through, stopping and asking bystanders for directions to Bakugou’s agency.
On the other hand, Bakugou obviously didn’t suspect a thing. He was patrolling around the sector as he usually did, keeping an eye out for peculiar events. Kirishima joined him that day, walking beside him as the two men strode through the city. 
“It’s not everyday that we’re asked to patrol together,” Kirishima commented, waving to a fan who was quite excited for his favorite hero to be out and about in public.
“Makes my life easier so I can leave early,” Bakugou responded as the two turned the corner.
Kirishima glanced over at him. “Why, you got someone you’ve been dying to see?”
Bakugou was startled, regaining his composure to not give any hints. How did he know? “The fuck are you talking about? I’m not seeing anyone.”
“Come on, ever since Kaminari and Sero made you go to that weird place you always seem too busy to hang out with us.” Kirishima looked over at Bakugou as he seemed irritated. He didn’t want anyone to find out about your existence, understanding that you and your people’s lives would be put in danger. And he didn’t know what he would do with himself if he were responsible for anything that could happen to you.
Before Kirishima could prod any further into the matter, the two heroes stopped in their tracks, Bakugou personally getting ever more agitated than he already was at the sight of Monoma standing in their path.
“Monoma, I didn’t know you were in town,” Kirishima said.
Monoma smirked. “I’ve been around. More importantly, looks like Mr. Number One here is going to fall down in the rankings soon enough.”
Bakugou didn’t bother responding, ignoring him and walking right past him, causing Monoma to be taken aback. He turned around, staring Bakugou down. “You’re not even concerned with what I just said?”
Bakugou turned his head around, glaring at Monoma. “I don’t give a single flying fuck about whatever it is you’re running your trap for. I’ve got better things to do than hear you spew out some weird ass bullshit.”
Kirishima stifled his laughter, catching up to Bakugou with a few strides. Monoma’s agency had tried for years now to help Monoma reach his way up to the rankings, only able to reach the number two spot and falling short from Bakugou himself. Bakugou was simply the indisputable best, no matter how hard Monoma tried to dethrone him from the rankings.
And this absolutely infuriated him.
Monoma huffed, annoyed with the blonde who had gotten on his nerves since their days back in U.A. “I guess the rumors are true. You’ve changed these last few months. I wonder why that is…”
Bakugou stopped walking, now a few feet away from Monoma. He didn’t like the way he spoke, his words indicating that he was keeping something from him. For the final time he turned his head, staring daggers in Monoma's direction. “Keep worrying about falling from the rankings instead of being up my ass all the fucking time, dipshit.”
Bakugou kept moving, Kirishima keeping up with his pace as the pair made their way back to Bakugou’s agency. Kirishima chuckled. “Man, I’ve never really liked Monoma but he’s been pretty obsessed with you ever since you were named number one. It’s a little weird if you ask me.”
“I can barely remember that fucker’s name. I really don’t give a shit about what he does, so long as he’s not bothering me,” Bakugou mumbled as the two of them waited by the stoplight at the intersection in front of the agency. The light finally changed to green and Bakugou and Kirishima crossed the street, opening the giant glass doors to the building. Kirishima went over to the receptionists, filing any reports they had to complete.
“Ground Zero, there’s someone here who wanted to see you,” one of the receptionists said. “She’s waiting in the office.”
“Alright,” Bakugou said, mentally agitated as he didn’t want to deal with anyone right now. Nevertheless, he made his way down the hall and into his office, prepared to meet an annoying official working for the government or a crazed reporter that somehow was able to break into his agency. But he was pleasantly surprised to see a woman’s back facing him as he entered his office.
“What is this about?” Bakugou asked the woman curtly.
You turned around, causing Bakugou to nearly stop breathing. He didn’t know how, but you looked even more stunning standing in front of him than you did in your mermaid form. Your hair was slightly damp, the locks curling upwards. But your skin was practically gleaming against the light in the room, your smile sealing the deal that could cause Bakugou’s heart to palpitate irregularly in no time.
Just as he thought you couldn’t amaze him more, you did tenfold. “H-How the…”
You laughed, amused like you always were with the way he tended to be speechless by your mere presence. “Surprised to see me? I thought I’d pay a visit.”
Bakugou was absolutely bewildered, eyes widened and mouth agape with incredulity. “But you’re a fucking mermaid? Where’s your tail? How are you standing? What--”
“I have a quirk that lets me turn my tail into legs,” you stated blankly. “It’s nothing too special, my family has had a long line of inheritance with this quirk and I decided to use it since it’s been a while.”
“And why did you come? I was gonna stop by today,” Bakugou asked, waiting and wanting to hear you say what he wanted to hear.
You paused momentarily, your (E/C) eyes boring into his vermillion ones. You visually travelled down his figure, taking in his hero costume that you hadn’t seen previously. His biceps bulged out, his stature taller than what you had expected. He was even more handsome standing before than he was sitting beside you.
Bakugou felt himself blush under your obvious staring as you didn’t want to mask what you were doing or how you were feeling. You looked back into his eyes. “I missed you, Bakugou. I can’t explain why, but I missed you. And I couldn’t stand waiting idly by for you to come to me. So here I am.”
Before Bakugou could be even more flustered than he already was, the door to his office opened wide, a certain dark-haired man swinging his arm around Bakugou. “It’s been a while, man! Where have you been?” Sero exclaimed excitedly. Kirishima stood behind him at the door and the two men finally acknowledged you, shocked to see such a stunning woman in Bakugou’s office. Sero had stopped by as Kirishima had texted him, letting him know that he and Bakugou were back in the agency. But they were both pleasantly surprised by your presence.
Sero looked over at Bakugou, recognizing the light pink tinted on his cheeks as he smirked, putting two and two together. “Man, so this is what you’ve been doing recently!”
Bakugou glared at him, shaking Sero off him. As he knew two of his closest friends well enough to understand that they would pester you and bombard you with thousands of questions, he took matters into his own hands by grabbing your forearm and leading you out of the office.
Ignoring Kirishima and Sero’s shouts behind him as well as the stares he received from his receptionists, Bakugou led you out of the building and back to the streets. You looked down at where Bakugou was holding you, his hand still warm under his gloves. It was the first time a human had touched you.
Once he could confirm that his friends weren’t behind him following him, Bakugou let go of you, keeping his distance but still walking beside you. He looked off to the side, not wanting you to see his inflamed face. “I’ll walk you back to the dock. It’s not safe for you here.”
You smiled at him. “I appreciate your concern but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been amongst humans like this before.”
“Just… let me do this for you, alright?” Bakugou urged gently.
Regardless you nodded, smiling to yourself. Humans were more interesting than they had seemed before, or at least Bakugou was in a league of his own. You wanted to know everything about him, you wanted to constantly be around him, and he was all that was on your mind lately. You were slowly understanding that what you were feeling for him was crossing the line from friendship to something more and it frightened you. All your life you had known humans to be vile, selfish creatures who would do anything for their own gain. But here you were walking beside the most considerate man you’d ever met, exceeding the mermen of your kingdom in both looks and personality. 
But as much as you liked him, you didn’t want to pry any further. He was still a human and you were a ruler of a kingdom. You had decided to end things here, savoring and basking in the moment as much as you could until you had to finally cut all ties with Bakugou. And you knew when that moment would arrive, you wouldn’t be able to recover for a while. You had spent almost every evening with him on that dock, your special place with him, talking for hours upon hours. You liked how flustered he would get whenever you complimented his looks or how proud he seemed when he spoke about his occupation and passion. You could hear him talk, even if he was just cursing someone out, all day long. But soon enough, you would never hear from him again.
You shook your head, wanting to rid your mind of such saddening thoughts, deciding to change the subject instead. “Is it okay to leave your friends like that?”
“They’ll live. Your secret is more important right now,” Bakugou said, not realizing how touched you had been by his words. He truly had every intention of keeping your identity a secret and the more you were around him, the more you were falling for him. This was slowly becoming a dangerous situation, but you didn’t care, not in the moment at least. 
You looked down at your feet as the two of you made your way back to the dock, the amount of people around you decreasing as you got closer. And the closer you got, the more despondent you became as you realized this was the last moment you would have with him.
“What’s wrong?” Bakugou asked, snapping you away from your thoughts.
You looked up at him abruptly, his scarlet eyes penetrating right through your soul and being. You smiled reassuringly. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Bakugou looked over at you, deciding to drop the subject once the two of you finally reached the dock.  
As you grew closer, a blonde man who you didn’t recognize stood on the dock, looking around the area. He was particularly looking down into the water, directly above your kingdom. You felt your heart stop as you began to become frantic that your home was found.
Bakugou extended his arm in front of you, ceasing your footsteps as you moved to confront the man. “Don’t go. You’ll get in danger. I’ll deal with him.” You looked at Bakugou, who had an expression you had never seen. He was calm and yet his nostrils were flared. You knew he was livid. 
Bakugou trudged towards the man, infuriated to see Monoma poking his nose where he didn’t belong. “The fuck do you think you’re doing here?”
Monoma smirked, looking beyond Bakugou’s shoulder to see you, staring you up and down and intently at your legs. You felt disgusted by his gaze, wanting to jump back into the water as soon as possible.
Monoma flicked his gaze back to Bakugou. “The rumors are that you’ve got a girlfriend which is why you’ve been slacking off recently. So I followed you over here a few days ago to see that you’ve got a mermaid by your side now. Even more interesting…” His voice trailed off and he smirked at you as you grimaced under his stare. “She looks exactly like a human.”
He let out a bellowing laugh, exasperating Bakugou even more than he already did with his presence alone. “It’d be a shame if more people found out about this…”
Bakugou didn’t hesitate or think twice to grab Monoma by the collar, his fingers curling against the fabric as uncontrollable sparks emerged from both hands. “If you even think about opening your trap up about this I’ll rip you apart limb from fucking limb.”
Although Monoma wouldn’t admit it, he was slightly intimidated by Bakugou’s threat, but even more so he found this whole situation to have been a stroke of luck. He knew exactly what he had to do. Monoma brought his hand up, grabbing Bakugou’s forearm that was clutching his collar. “Tell you what, I’ll let this whole thing go. If I’m being honest,” his eyes whipped over to you, causing a shiver to go down your spine, “I really don’t give a damn about you and your fish people. That’s the last thing I care about. I’ll let this all go… on one condition.”
“Spit it out, you bitch, you’re testing my patience,” Bakugou snarled through gritted teeth. 
Monoma chuckled humorlessly, smirking at you once more. You felt disgusted and defeated all at once. You had promised your people that this was a time for peace, that you wouldn’t let the humans that you hated so much ruin anything for you and your kingdom. And here was a human threatening the life of Coara like the lives of the mermaids and mermen meant nothing and were replaceable. 
You wanted to despise humans as much as you had before, but you couldn’t. Not when Bakugou was a human as well.
“I’ll let this go… if you give up your ranking.” Monoma laughed once more, feeling Bakugou’s grip loosen from the shock. 
Bakugou had worked day and night, protecting civilians left and right and defeating any villain that came his way to be number one. Even you understood this as Bakugou had explained hero rankings and how hard he worked. You could see he was a respectable man who would do anything to show others his worth. And here was a spineless bastard trying to rip it all away from Bakugou. 
Monoma shook Bakugou’s hand from him, smirking cruelly at him. “You see, I know you won’t give up your ranking for some rotten fish. Either way, I’m going to enjoy watching your little girlfriend’s life crumble before your very eyes--”
Before Monoma could yap and run his mouth more than he already had, Bakugou sent a right hook flying, contacting Monoma’s jaw and pummeling him to the floor of the wooden dock. You gasped, not suspecting him to do that, and took a few steps towards him. He turned his head at you, raising his hand to stop you from getting closer. He didn’t know what Monoma would do to you just to spite him. You felt hopeless, wanting to help Bakugou and your people were still in the back of your mind. What was the right thing to do in this situation? What could you do?
Monoma spit the blood out from his mouth, wiping his bloodied lip and rose to his feet. He cackled once more. “I knew you were too much of a coward to do--”
“I’ll do it,” Bakugou said in one breath, causing you and Monoma to be appalled.
“Bakugou! Don’t do it!” You called out in concern. You would do anything for your people but not at the expense of years of hard work Bakugou had put in. 
Bakugou ignored you momentarily. “I’ll give it up, my ranking. But if you take back your work I’ll fucking--”
Monoma rose a hand up in the air to cease his threats. “Don’t worry about that, I don’t give a damn about you or your girlfriend.” He extended his hand out at Bakugou, grinning in absolute delight. “We have a deal?”
Bakugou stared at his pale hand, his own fists clenching at his sides. Even so, he didn’t hesitate to shake hands with his nemesis, gripping his hand as tightly as he could. Monoma winced, wriggling his hand from Bakugou’s hold and rubbing it once he got free. Monoma laughed once more, walking past Bakugou and towards you. You stepped to the side, wanting to avoid him at all costs. He looked down at you, smirking. “For some rotten fish, you’re pretty hot.”
You wanted to puke from anger and disgust, staring daggers into his back as he walked away with delight and glee. Monoma waved his hand back. “I’ll send the paperwork to your office tonight, Ground Zero.”
Once he was a considerable distance from you, you ran towards Bakugou, joining him on the dock. “Why did you do that? Why would you give your ranking up?”
Bakugou sighed, looking down at the water and the boulders that you always sat upon during your frequent meetings. He slipped his gloves, boots, and socks off, sitting on the edge of the dock and dipping his feet into the water. You watched as he did so, not understanding his silence. Nonetheless, you joined him, slipping off the sandals Alicia made you and sitting right beside him. This was the closest the two of you had ever physically been.
“It didn’t feel right,” Bakugou said, avoiding your eye contact. “It’s my fucking fault that dipshit found out. I couldn’t just walk away knowing that I was putting you in danger.”
You smiled softly, shaking your head. “I’ve dealt with idiots like him before. I would’ve been fine. But you worked so hard to get where you are now.”
Bakugou turned to face you, his eyes just as intense as they always were. “You don’t get it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you. A ranking is a fucking ranking. I know I’m the best, that fucknut weaseled his way into becoming the new number one now. But your life means more to me than that.”
You were astonished, blown away by his selflessness. But Bakugou didn’t recognize his actions as being selfless as he continued blaming himself for putting your life in danger. And you recognized this by his hurt expression as he was physically grimacing. You smiled, lifting your hand up and cupping his cheek. Your palms were cold against Bakugou’s cheek, sending tingles down his spine, but your fingertips held the softest touch. “You’re amazing, Bakugou. This isn’t your fault. I don’t blame you, not even a little bit. I chose to see you everyday, I could’ve just stayed in my palace if I didn’t want to see you. But I came here because I like being around you.”
Bakugou stared at you, basking in your beauty. He had never met anyone like you as you were truly a one of kind being. You were tenderhearted, a leader, ambitious, and driven for others. Bakugou knew by now that he had no control over his feelings for you, not giving a damn about the consequences. He wanted to hold you, protect you against anyone who would even think of harming you.
“Do you regret being with me? Do you regret meeting with a human that could harm your people?” Bakugou questioned.
You shook your head, not hesitating to answer immediately. “There isn’t a fiber in me that feels that way. Being with you has given me faith in humanity.” You took back your thoughts earlier, knowing full well you couldn’t abandon him now, not when he protected you.
Bakugou nodded. “Alright. Then don’t mind when I do this.”
Before you could let the words ‘do what?’ escape from your lips, Bakugou closed the gap between the two of you, gently locking your lips with his own. It was a pleasant surprise, making you realize that humans were softer than they seemed. He smelled of burnt sugar, locking in how sweet he truly was. He was gentle despite how caustic he seemed to others. But you knew him, you had spent months with him, and you had no intention of letting him go now.
You pulled away, your chest rising and falling slowly. He was beautiful, more beautiful than you could ever describe into words. You were willing to go off the deep end for him, the stunning human who risked his career for your life. And you had no intention of leaving him.
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bellafarallones2 · 3 years
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A/N: so I wrote some nsfw indruck for mermay? angst with a happy ending
Duck usually stayed in his quarters when the rest of the crew raised the drag-net every morning. He didn’t enjoy watching the fish flipping across the deck, watching men scoop them up and snap their necks and cut cleanly down their spines. But this morning, the sheer volume of shouting brought him forth from his quarters and into the ice-cold air.
A silvery tail lay across the deck, flopping weakly, larger than any fish Duck had ever seen. The mesh of the net cut into the fine scales. One of the sailors raised his arm and drove a harpoon through the tail. An unearthly scream made him stumble back, and Duck realized that this was not a fish at all, because the tail was attached to a human torso, with skinny arms and damp silver hair.
The mer mewled pathetically, shivering, and tried to drag itself away from the sailor standing over it, smearing bloody scales onto the deck. For a moment Duck met its frantic red eyes.
“Hey!” said Duck. The other sailors turned around. He wasn’t quite one of them, but his broad shoulders talked. “What are you, an animal?” he said to the man who’d speared it. “That’s not a fish.”
“Yeah, a fish wouldn’t fetch us each a fortune on the London market!” another sailor called.
Duck ripped the harpoon out of the mer’s tail and immediately realized his mistake when it screamed again. “Shit!” Duck said. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He was kneeling, now, trying to staunch the flow of blood with his hands. The mer seemed to be in shock, its sharp teeth chattering. Lord only knew how long it’d been trapped in the net before being pulled up. He couldn’t put it back in the water in this state.
Not knowing what else to do, Duck scooped the mer up in his arms and carried it back below deck. His cabin was dark, lit by only a single porthole window to the outside. Even in that dim light he could see the ice crystals in the mer’s pale hair. Duck put it down on his bunk, curling up its tail to fit.
“I’m going to fix you up,” Duck said, more for his own benefit than the mer’s. When a wet cloth touched the mer’s wound, it hissed and clamped its spindly fingers around Duck’s shoulder. “Shh,” Duck said, and continued gently wiping the blood away. “Joe, help me.” The ship’s doctor, who had been sitting transfixed, leapt into action, preparing a clean bandage and taping it down over the wound.
The mer had stopped shaking, now, and seemed to relax a little into the pillows, shifting to get comfortable. “Please don’t tell me it’s about to die on us,” Duck said.
Joseph shook his head. “Probably just needs rest.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Hey, if your bed is still… occupied… tonight, you can share mine.”
“I can sleep in my desk chair, but I appreciate the offer.” A shout from somewhere else on the ship, calling everyone aboard to breakfast, made Duck turn back to the mer in his bed. “We’ve got to go, but we’ll be back later, okay?”
--
When Duck and Joseph returned to the room that evening, the mer was awake and alert. Duck distracted himself from the urge to stare - it had a fascinating face, smooth and angular - by laying out what food there was available. Hardtack and salt cod. The mer reached hesitantly for the fish and took a bite.
“Yeah,” said Duck. “The food ain’t great, but at least even the captain doesn’t have anything better.”
The mer took Duck’s hand, and with surprising strength pulled Duck down on top of him. For a moment Duck panicked, thinking he was being strangled, but the mer was only… hugging him?
Face burning slightly, Duck got fully onto the bed. The mer’s lips were only an inch away from his ear, and his voice was barely louder than a breath. “Thank you.”
Duck pulled back. “You can talk?”
The mer gestured at his throat.
“Maybe it’s difficult out of water?” Joseph suggested.
The mer nodded. Even just the few hours in the air had turned his skin dry and cracked.
“Do you feel okay to go back?” said Duck.
The mer nodded.
“Alright, up you get.” This time the mer leaned against his chest as he picked it up and carried him up onto the deck, and the narrow end of his tail curled around Duck’s waist. As soon as he’d lifted him over the rail he slithered down the side of the ship into the water and disappeared.
--
The HMS Kepler followed the red hand of its captain’s compass northward, slipping between the shifting ice floes, until one day there was no way forward. And then no way back. The arctic was a nightmare of a lover, squeezing the ship in a deadly embrace.
While the shores of ice closed in, Duck and Joseph spent the day in their cabin, playing cards. They could hear the muffled noises of the rest of the crew elsewhere in the ship, and then a horrible creaking from all around them.
“Uh, did you hear that?” said Duck, looking around.
“It’s the ice,” said Joseph calmly, putting down a card. “It’s reached the ship.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No,” Joseph agreed. He stood up and went to the bookcase, where he reached behind his books and pulled out a bottle. It was rum, two-thirds full, significantly more expensive stuff than the swill they got with meals.
“Holy shit, have you had that this whole time?”
“I certainly didn’t pick it up out here. Look, do you want any or not?”
“Hell yeah I do!”
Joseph uncapped the bottle and took a sip before handing it over to Duck. “To our icy doom.” He sat down again, leaning gingerly against Duck’s side. Duck put his arm around Joseph’s shoulder, and they sat there for a while, side-by-side, passing the bottle back and forth.
The captain decided the next morning that they would take their chances out on the ice. They threw a rope over the side of the ship and climbed down, carrying whatever supplies they could on their backs, and started walking. East, towards Greenland.
The sun never set, this far north, so they slept only when they could walk no longer, and walked again when the freezing wind ripped sleep away.
It didn’t take long for their supplies to run out. Duck didn’t know how long. Joseph was counting the sleeps in a notebook he insisted on carrying (“it’ll be helpful to know, if anyone ever finds our bodies”), but Duck didn’t pay much attention.
One of those mornings, while the others packed up their tents, Duck stood exhausted at the edge of a hole in the ice, hoping something edible would surface that he could spear. The regular harpooner had already succumbed, and the harpoon felt strange and heavy in Duck’s hands.
What did surface was a pale head of hair. Duck blinked. A pair of cold hands gripped his ankles and yanked him down into the freezing water. The harpoon clattered onto the ice.
“I’m sorry,” the mer said. It had been long enough since they’d last met that the wound on his tail was only pink scar. “If you stay with your crew you’re going to die.” And then he pressed his chilly lips to Duck’s.
Screaming pain, then, as his legs broke and were re-made, but the water no longer felt so cold. And Duck realized all at once that he could breathe.
He looked down. He had a tail like a seal, thick and gray.
“Oh,” breathed the mer. “You make an even handsomer mer than I’d imagined.”
Duck grabbed him and kissed him again. The mer’s sinewy tail wrapped around his. “Uh,” Duck said finally. “What’s your name?”
“Indrid.”
“I’m Duck.”
“I know.”
Duck mustered a smile and a teasing tone. “Does this mean I get to sleep in your bed now?”
“Yes, but I won’t be as much of a gentleman about it as you were.”
The mer had always been cold to the touch above the water, but now he was warm, and Duck allowed himself to rest his head on the other’s shoulder. He was exhausted. Months of hard work on a ship and, even worse, weeks of struggling on foot across the ice to an uncertain destination would do that to you. But the water washed the sweat and grime easily from his skin.
Indrid lived in a cave at the center of an iceberg, where the layers of ice above them softened the light of the sun. When Duck flinched awake in the middle of the night, dreaming of starvation, Indrid petted him and let him drift off again in the faint glow of his red eyes. When Duck was strong enough to swim Indrid taught him how to hunt, driving schools of fish upwards and trapping them against the surface.
And still they slept with their tails intertwined.
“Indrid,” Duck said late one night as he traced patterns on Indrid’s narrow back.
“Yes?” Indrid raised his head from where it was resting on Duck’s shoulder.
“Do I have a dick?” He’d figured out how to go to the bathroom, but the rest of the smooth front of his tail was a mystery to him.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Indrid’s smile showed in his voice. “Would you like me to show you?”
“Please.”
Indrid wrapped his fingers around Duck’s wrist and guided his hand down. “Under here. But it only comes out when you’re aroused.
“Can we… do that?”
Indrid’s tail wrapped more firmly around Duck’s, both restraining and holding him close. “I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”
“You sure did,” Duck gasped as Indrid’s hand pressed his against the tender flesh. He relaxed into Indrid’s hold, letting him take the reins.
“Oooh, you’re sensitive. We should have done this ages ago.”
“Yes, we should have, Indrid please-”
Indrid kissed Duck’s neck. “Can I bite you? Just a little, I won’t -”
“Fuck yes, mark me up, want everyone to know I’m yours.”
Indrid’s sharp teeth sank into Duck’s neck, and Duck squirmed in his hold. A slit he hadn’t even known was there was opening near the top of his tail, the unmistakable head of a cock emerging.
“Good boy,” murmured Indrid, and they both saw how his cock jumped. “Go on, touch yourself.” Duck plunged a finger into his slit, forcing his cock out into the water. “I told you you had a cock, didn’t I? And what do you say to me for showing it to you?”
“Thank you,” Duck gasped. Indrid had let go of his hands and was now feeling up his chest. “Please, Indrid, please -” Indrid’s tail had him so tight he could just barely twist his head around enough to kiss him.
“Do you want me to touch you some more?” said Indrid, muffled by Duck’s lips on his.
“Yes.”
Indrid’s clever fingers closed around Duck’s cock, and he didn’t let up with the kisses for a moment as he stroked him, and then with a twist of his wrist Duck was coming, milky fluid dissipating quickly in the water between them.
“Well,” Duck said when he’d finally caught his breath. Indrid had released him, so Duck could look into his eyes again. “Now I know I have a dick. But I have a second question.”
“Oh?” Indrid squirmed as Duck pressed his palm down on the upper part of his tail.
“Do you?”
--
Joseph had been watching, when Duck disappeared beneath the ice. He’d gone to pick up the harpoon and looked down into the water and saw nothing but gray-blue.
It was a shame. Duck’s presence was what had kept the rest of the crew from bullying him. He didn’t allow himself to think about the rest of it.
Not that he had long to ruminate. One day he was looking into another circle in the ice when a face appeared, a face very much like Duck’s. Joseph immediately thought back to determine what might be making him hallucinate: the lead from the cans of food? Plain starvation? And then a pair of strong hands pulled him into the world below.
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cryptidofthekeys · 3 years
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Siren!Marvin x Sailor!Jackie - My Jolly Sailor Bold
Yes, there is a reference to that song both in title and in the story, here’s a lil somethin for MerMay also I really just thought of what if, Marvin but s i r e n and my head went wRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN- anyway I hope y’all enjoy? Its killin  me not editin the dialogue text like I usually do BUT i just dont have time so r.i.p
Jackie was gathering his equipment up and then placing it in the boat, as he finished that up, his friends had come up to him, one of them shaking their heads “Jackie… I’m worried about this… You’re going to one of the most dangerous spots out there!” Another friend spoke up “Yeah… There’s talk of a siren that owns those parts!” Jackie tilted his head “A siren? One of those old folklore tales?” He grinned “Hah! I don’t believe in such fairy tales!” Another friend shook their head “J-Jackie… Sirens are serious business! They aren’t just folklore or fairy tales, sirens are REAL and they are evil, horrible creatures! Haven’t you heard?” The other friend interrupted “About the mysterious disappearances of many sailors out there?! People have even been nicknaming that place The Siren’s Sea!” Jackie rolled his eyes “Look, guys, I appreciate you trying to look out for me but I promise, I’ll be fine! If anything tries to come after me, well… I’ve got some pretty powerful equipment, I can take care of myself!” And then Jackie was climbing aboard his boat, double checking to make sure everything was all there and ready to set sails!
His friends pleaded and begged, one stepped forward and gave Jackie a hug “Jackie… We can’t stop you from doing this but please… I fear as though you’ll ne’er return again if you head to The Siren’s Sea…” Jackie sighed and hugged his friend back, pulling the rest of them into a group hug “Guys, I promise… I’ll be fine, I WILL return to you, I swear… I’m the best sailor around and I know I can handle myself out there! I’ve made a vow to explore every part of the sea I can, and this place is no exception! I’ll be back soon!” His friends sighed and waved Jackie off as he set sail across the seas, heading out to this infamous place in question, he didn’t really believe in such things as that, he was just going out there because he was curious about the area, he had never really been out that far but truth be told he had heard it had a beautiful cave hidden around the place, and he was determined to find that cave!
Eventually after what felt like ages of sailing, he finally made it to the place nicknamed ‘The Siren’s Sea’ He looked so relieved to have finally made it, sure, it did take a good bit to get to most places out on the seas but this felt like an eternity! The air around this infamous place where sailors had gone missing was thick, almost deathly thick… It did give Jackie a chill running up his spine but nonetheless, he looked off into the distance and noticed a cave, perhaps that was the one! Although, it was strange… That wasn’t very hidden… Either way he’d go check it out, he began sailing over to the cave in the distance and midway he suddenly got a feeling, a bad feeling, that someone was watching him… He looked around as he sailed, however he saw no one in particular, he also saw no sharks around either so he took a deep breath and chuckled “Them stories my friends told me must be messin’ with me… Yeah, that’s it…” He then continued onward and once he made it to the cave he looked around it, it wasn’t the one he thought it was but it was still pretty nonetheless! It seemed to go deeper than he thought it did as well, he squinted as he looked ahead, his boat could definitely fit through the cave so long as he was careful enough!
He eased his boat into the cavern and pressed forward, this was a big cave, bigger than most! Maybe this was the right cave! It looked almost endless as he sailed through it, this cavern was very beautiful even if Jackie didn’t find the hidden area, this would do him fine, as he continued sailing he decided to sing a tune to keep himself from getting bored, it was anything in particular really, just a little tune he had made up in his head, however unbeknownst to Jackie… A creature was swimming along the cavern, it’s head perking up as it heard the tune echo throughout it’s cavern “What a… Gorgeous melody…” It muttered to itself, and while the creature usually knew who sang each song, whose voice was whose, this voice in particular however, it was unfamiliar with… The creature was curious, it needed to find out who was singing this wonderful tune! It swam ahead, trying to locate the source of the noise, of course the creature was careful to keep its distance or stay hidden, because not all creatures, not even of its own kind would be friendly toward strangers… And or of course, it didn’t want to risk scaring the other off! Once the creature had managed to find the sound, it let out a soft gasp, this was no creature…! This was a… A damn sailor! Trespassing in it’s cavern no less!
However… The creature would not deny, the human had such a beautiful voice… To be a sailor no less… No matter, the creature did not take kindly to trespassers, especially not sailors… It slowly sank underneath the water, deep enough to where the sailor wouldn’t see it right off the bat and proceeded to follow the ship, meanwhile… Jackie continued sailing along, looking around as the cavern seemed to get more and more sparkly, he finally sailed into a big open area of the cavern, sparkles from one end to the other and there were even a few spots out of the water to stand on, some crystals strewn about on the ground, once he got in the middle of the area he stopped his boat and looked out, he was curious as he jumped off and into the water, swimming to one of the spots he could actually stand on in the cave, he pulled himself up onto the rocks and grabbed one of the crystals he found “Wow… Such a beautiful place…” The creature stayed under the water, listening intently to the sailor, well… At least the sailor could appreciate the beauty of his territory, he wouldn’t reveal himself just yet however… Meanwhile Jackie was picking up some crystals and bringing them back to his boat, he was going to take a few with him just because they were so pretty… And then he continued onward, man the cave was HUGE! Eventually, he came across an even larger opening with three tunnels ahead of him…
He had no idea which one to go through so he parked his boat in the middle and then sat down and sighed, beginning to hum another melody much to the creature’s delight below him… After a few moments it decided to join the sailor in singing a tune, this made the sailor’s eyes widen as he got up and slowly approached the side of his boat to look down into the water, he saw something… It was coming up! Annnnd… Whatever it was had splashed water in his face upon coming up to the surface, great, he had to take a moment to wipe the water away and once his vision cleared, his eyes widened at what he saw… There, resting on the side of his boat, was another man…  His green hair tied up in a man bun, his eyes as blue as ironically enough, the Ocean… That’s really the only thing he could see underneath his cat mask (y’all know what that looks like, sometimes a writer can get lazy and or tired with descriptions and that’s okay)
He looked like a normal man actually, a grin was splayed across his face, revealing needle sharp fangs which Jackie had to admit unnerved him a bit “Ah, hello there darling~! You are the one who sings, yes?” ...And he could talk like a normal human apparently too and that’s when Jackie saw the other’s tail swaying behind him, it was a mixture of various greens and blues and honestly… It looked so beautiful, and then it hit him… “A...Are you a Siren…?” He asked rather bluntly, to which the creature tutted at “Well how rude of you… Ignoring my question like that, however unlike y o u… I WILL answer a question… Why yes, yes I am dear~” Jackie also saw his hands, they were webbed and the other had claws “Woah… So my friends WEREN’T lying?!” He looked… Surprised but not scared, more so in awe than anything “Of course not! Why would they lie or make up such a thing? We aren’t just folklore, fairy tales, no no, none of that! We are quite real… Now, would you be so kind as to answer my question from earlier?” Jackie nodded “Oh yeah, sorry… I was the one who was singing, yeah! My name’s Jackie!” The Siren smiled at this “Ah, Jackie… What a lovely name~! My name is Marvin, it’s nice to meet you… Which is not something I say often about sailors you know…”
Jackie blinked in surprise before realizing “Oh uh yeah… Other sailors probably try to capture creatures like yourself, yeah?” Marvin only rolled his eyes, an irritated expression now on his face “Oh it’s S O much more than just mere capturing… Your kind has tortured mine for so long now… I suppose us sirens can fetch a high price but is that really any excuse for all the damage that has been dealt?” Jackie shook his head “Not at all… I uh… I really hope you don’t think I’m here to do that, I promise…! I was just passing through here, if you really need me to though I can just turn back” While he really didn’t want to turn back, if Marvin wanted him to he would do so, he wasn’t going to break any rules or trespass where he wasn’t wanted! And then he realized, his eyes widened as he looked back to the crystals “Oh shit… Uh, if these are yours by the way, I’ll also give 'em back, I don’t want any trouble here” Marvin clicked his tongue and smirked, resting his head in his hand, he wouldn’t deny, despite this man being a sailor he was MUCH more polite than all the others that had ever came through here… Nonetheless, a sailor is still a sailor... “Mm… You can keep those, they aren’t of any importance to me…” He paused for a moment.
Then Marvin got an idea “Actually, I would love it if you did one teensy little thing for me, darling…” Jackie tilted his head “Oh? What’d that be?” The Siren paused to clear his throat before staring straight into Jackie’s eyes, and Jackie swore that very stare had just pierced his soul “Well… I would l o v e it if you’d sing a little melody with me... After you sing with me, you can be on your way, I p r o m i s e…” Marvin was lying right through his teeth, the only place this sailor would be going was down below, but he wouldn’t deny, the thought of bringing Jackie down below and drowning him was triggering something within him, something he had never experienced before… No matter, this was still a sailor, sure enough if he ever tried to trust him, he’d be captured, tortured, or killed! He couldn’t risk this… He had to focus! Jackie could swear the other’s eyes were glowing now but he didn’t really know… His mind was starting to feel fuzzy, something was wrong here… “Upon one summer’s morning…” Marvin began, looking at Jackie expectantly who instantly followed up “I carefully did stray…” (dont worry im not going to type all the lyrics i s w e a r) Marvin seemed pleased with such a quick response.
“Down by the Walls of Wapping… Where I met a sailor gay…” Well… Jackie wouldn’t deny that last part at least “Conversing with a young lass…” Jackie continued, not wanting to keep Marvin waiting, absentmindedly getting closer to the edge of the boat and toward The Siren himself who seemed pleased with this so far “Who seemed to be in pain... Saying, Jackie, when you go, I fear you’ll ne’er return again…” And then simultaneously both Jackie and Marvin began to sing, Jackie coming closer when Marvin motioned for him “My heart is pierced by Cupid… I disdain all glittering gold… There is nothing can console me but My Jolly Sailor Bold…” As Jackie got closer Marvin began slowly dipping back down into the water, and Jackie knew something was wrong, despite not being able to stop singing along with Marvin and not being able to take his eyes off the other, deep down he knew this wasn’t right! This was what his friends were trying to warn him about wasn’t it! He desperately tried to pull himself out of whatever trance The Siren had put him under but it seemed to be no use as his body slowly began following Marvin under the water, he was beginning to panic internally now at this as he tried to hold his breath.
Now it was only Marvin continuing along the song as he gently placed a hand on Jackie’s cheek, he could sense the panic in the other and that seemed to strike a nerve in him, why was he feeling so odd?! This wasn’t anything new, he used his powers to gain control over the sailors, he dragged them down below to drown and then eat them! It wasn’t anything he hasn’t done before so why this particular sailor was he feeling… Sympathy for? He tried to continue downward but the farther he went the more Jackie began to panic, some of the panic had become external and Marvin saw the bubbles, shit… This just… Ugh! He quickly grabbed Jackie and headed back to the top, he carefully tossed Jackie back into the boat and then gave up his control, the other coughed and spluttered a little bit, grasping at his chest as he heaved in some breaths, his body was now beginning to tremble and he swore he felt tears prick at his eyes, meanwhile Marvin only sighed “I just can’t do it, not to you…” Jackie looked confused but he didn’t even dare look at the other as he spoke “I-I yo...you… What the f u c k…? Wha-What were you trying to do…?!” Marvin glanced toward the sailor, it pained him to see the other in such a panic, and because of him no less, he spoke not a word as he quickly dove back below, maybe at least now he wouldn’t have to worry about the sailor coming back.
Jackie gasped “Wa-Wait!” He called out and quickly made his way back to the side of the boat and looked below, he couldn’t see the siren anymore and he only sighed “What was that all about…!?” He muttered to himself, still feeling shaken he decided to turn back and call it a day, no way he was going to continue forward after that! He quickly managed to turn his boat back around and head out of the cave, not aware of the siren in the distance watching him leave… Marvin sighed “...Why couldn’t I do something so simple…? It’s in my n a t u r e…! I’ve done this for so long now…” He mumbled to himself, watching as the boat finally disappeared, he cursed himself mentally for letting the sailor go, he should have just continued, there was no way he had… ...No, he wasn’t even going to dare think that, he retreated back to the deeper parts of the cave so he could do some thinking… Meanwhile Jackie despite still being shaken up, he was still curious, he wanted answers ...And he knew what he’d have to do if he wanted to get them, but damn he wasn’t ready nor prepared for that ...Not yet anyways.
A few weeks had passed, Marvin was just swimming around in his cave, the waters were awfully quiet around the place and that sailor hadn’t come back yet, maybe Marvin really had frightened him off, it was for the best, no way things would end well if they got too close… It was a shame really, because that was the first sailor who had ever been nice to Marvin and showed him kindness… ...He had been thinking about what happened almost every day now and the more he thought about it the more he regretted it, the more he regretted scaring Jackie like that ...He still wouldn’t admit he was growing fond of the sailor, no way but he at least hoped that maybe… Just maybe he’d get his chance to apologize… He jumped upon hearing a boat in the distance, he glanced over and squinted, there was no way… No way that was him, he was just secretly hoping, after a few moments The Siren’s eyes widened as the boat got close enough for him to see, that… That WAS Jackie’s boat! Shit! He quickly dove down and began swimming to the furthest part of his cave, sure, he wanted to apologize but that sailor was probably angry with him, he could have brought weapons with him! Maybe that’s why Jackie was back, to seek revenge for what happened which wouldn’t surprise Marvin really.
And then sure enough, there was Jackie… He was coming upon that same cave, the one where he almost… Jackie shook that thought away, all he wanted was some answers… He did bring a harpoon just in case but he really didn’t want to use that, he didn’t want to hurt Marvin or any other creatures really, it was just for a last resort… As he pulled into the cave he took a deep breath and stopped the boat when he deemed it was far enough in, he then put on some of his equipment, sure, he had brought this last time… He could have followed Marvin then but he was just too scared at that moment, too shaky, but now… He finally felt he was ready to confront The Siren, if he’d even answer his questions, for all he knew Marvin could just easily attack him, and like it or not… Despite their previous encounter, Jackie did still have some interest in Marvin, he was still curious, once he got everything set up he finally took a dive below and began swimming further into the cave, he wondered if Marvin would even still be here, for all he knew that Siren could have moved locations by now, he didn’t necessarily know if they stayed in one place all the time like a home of sorts but he supposed if he got the chance maybe he’d find out today.
This cave was much prettier than he originally thought the deeper he went, he noticed that even if he wanted, there was no way his boat would fit through this spot, it was far too small, he also noticed there were MANY more crystals and shiny objects this far ahead, he didn’t dare touch anything though, he didn’t care about the treasure at this rate, that was the last thing on his mind, right now his only focus was trying to find Marvin! And eventually after a long while he managed to come to what was presumably the end of the cave, he stifled a gasp as he saw Marvin, laying down on one of the flat rocks and looking… Sad? He was messing around with some rocks, gently tossing them to the side… Jackie slowly swam forward, trying not to make much of a sound but Marvin only sighed “Why did you come back?” Jackie seemed startled at that question, even more so when Marvin turned around… The Siren’s eyes instantly shot over to the harpoon in Jackie’s hand and then his gaze shifted back to Jackie’s “Ah… Revenge, is that what you seek? Because, I won’t deny… Heh… I probably do deserve it BUT I still will NOT go down without a fight…” Marvin slowly rose from his spot and fully turned toward Jackie.
Jackie shook his head “I… I don’t want to fight… I didn’t come here for revenge, can we please just… Talk…?” To Marvin’s surprise Jackie slowly released the harpoon and he watched it float up to the surface “...I… You… You do understand how easy it would be for me to devour you right now, yes? And you just… Let that weapon go… The ONLY thing you had to defend yourself with? ...Darling, I admire your bravery but that was oh so stupid…” Jackie flinched as Marvin began swimming toward him “Like I said, I don’t want to fight you…! I just… I just want answers…” That made Marvin stop and raise a brow “...Go on…” Jackie paused for a moment to adjust some of his equipment before continuing “I just wanted to know… What were you planning to do with me?” Marvin sighed “...Like all sailors really, I had just planned on drowning you and then eating you… There, I’ve answered your question, you may leave my home now” Marvin turned away, heading back to lay on his rock but then froze instantly upon Jackie’s next question “...Why…?” The Siren turned back around, a confused expression on his face “...What do you mean ‘why’...?” Jackie instantly followed up and swam a bit closer “...Why didn’t you?” The Siren’s eyes widened a bit at that “...I… I just wasn’t feeling hungry, that was all, what is it to you anyways?”
Jackie shrugged “I just wanted to know, after all, I heard you say you just couldn’t do it, not to me… That doesn’t sound like you just weren’t hungry to me… You acted like I was, I don’t wanna say special, but I’m just another sailor, so why was it so hard for you to just… Kill me?” Marvin looked a little… Well, Jackie didn’t know how to describe his expression, he flinched a little as Marvin suddenly swam up to him “Good because trust me, you shouldn’t flatter yourself… You are not special to me, you are just another sailor like all the rest, I could end you right now if I so desired!” Marvin bellowed, he knew damn well however that what he just said was a complete lie, but he was determined not to let Jackie find that out, he went stiff upon hearing Jackie’s next words… “Wh...Wh-Wha...What did you just say…?” He wanted to be sure he heard that correctly, there was… No way, he surely misheard that! And then Jackie looked him dead in the eyes and spread his arms “...Then do it” Externally, Jackie was as calm as could be, he tried to keep himself calm internally because right now he was poking the bear or in this case The Siren… Marvin looked taken aback, he was shocked at what just came out of the other’s mouth.
“...Do you… Have some form of death wish? Is THAT the true reason that you came back…? Or are you just dumb…? Taunting a Siren like this, you have no IDEA what we are truly capable of do you?” Jackie shook his head “Not at all, honestly, I had no idea beings like you even existed originally, the things I’ve heard about your kind, people depict you as cold blooded killing machines essentially, but if I’m being honest… You don’t seem all that bad, you seem nice actually” Marvin blinked in surprise before he shook his head and got closer to Jackie “...Well I’m n o t… You’ve signed your own death warrant by coming back here, s a i l o r…” He hissed through his teeth, and Jackie wouldn’t deny seeing those razor sharp canines were not… Pleasant but he had to keep his confidence, but mentally he couldn’t help but curse himself for being THIS risky with a literal Siren! 
Marvin raised a clawed hand, letting out a hiss as he glared at Jackie, who didn’t even break his gaze with the other, the more Marvin stared at the other the shakier his hand got, eventually he sighed and lowered it “...Just get out of here already, I have asked so many times yet you STILL persist and stay, don’t you realize that you have overstayed your welcome…?”
Jackie practically beamed and internally he was sighing in absolute relief, he grinned “I knew it…! So I was right!” Marvin wouldn’t and honestly really couldn’t deny that, that did get him to smile a bit, the sailor was… Awfully cute when he was happy or excited ...Ah hell… Marvin really was falling for a sailor wasn’t he…? Of all things, a Siren falling for a sailor… “You are such a strange individual, you know that Jackie? You come back to the very place you could have died, you confront the exact same Siren who could have caused said demise, and then you even go as far as to offer yourself to me like some sort of… Sacrifice… I must admit, that is very flattering…~” Marvin grinned “...I would hope however, that you know not to do that to just… ANY Siren of course…” Jackie nodded “Don’t worry, you’re the only one I uh, I guess I trust to do that? I didn’t believe you’d hurt me anyways” Marvin chuckled “How charming… I have to admit, you are one of the nicest sailors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting” Jackie’s face turned a slight shade of red at that “O-Oh… Really?” Marvin nodded “Yes actually~ I mean, most sailors would have come back for revenge, which I suppose would be fair... Yet you came back here just for answers and then did, well, t h a t… Honestly, it’s a nice change of pace to see a sailor as different as yourself”
Jackie nodded “Oh uh, yeah it… I don’t think I could hurt you, even if I wanted to ...W-Which I don’t, don’t g-get me wro-” Marvin held up a hand “Darling, relax, I understand what you meant” Jackie seemed relieved about that “Uh, y-yeah… So like, I… That’s really the only reason I came down here, was for answers… I can leave now if you want me to?” Marvin paused for a few moments before shrugged “Eh… It isn’t like I’ve got anything better to do today so, you may stay for a little while… Although are you s u r e it was ONLY you wanting answers… Or perhaps… Were you still curious about me?” Jackie’s face flushed a little red and that made Marvin chuckle “Aww darling~ Admit it, you ALSO wanted to see lil ol’ me as well didn’t you~?” Jackie shook his head “I… N-No… It wasn’t anything like that…! I just…” And then he trailed off, shit… How could he make a comeback here…? Meanwhile Marvin only had that shit eating grin on his face “Well? I’m waiting~” Jackie just shook his head and crossed his arms “...Just.. Sh-Shut up…” He pouted a little and that made Marvin laugh, that was a genuine laugh and that definitely caught Jackie’s attention as Marvin stared at him “Oh darling… You are quite adorable… That little pout on your face… Although, I can’t say I blame you, I mean… Who wouldn’t want to see such a magnificent creature as myself~?”
Jackie only rolled his eyes “...A narcissistic creature at that…” Marvin merely chuckled “Narcissism or just purely confident in myself~?” Jackie gave him a look but refrained from saying anything else, he watched as Marvin then swam around and looked him over “You know… I am curious, what is all that equipment you have on you? I am… Not familiar with a lot of things that humans have” Jackie smiled “Well uh, the thing on my back is my oxygen tank, it’s why I can be down here for so long actually!” He then cleared his throat before continuing on.
“Next the mask here protects my eyes so I can well, ya know, actually see down here… And the suit helps me keep warm because honestly, this cave isn’t too heated eheh… And the flippers, it helps me swim a bit faster honestly” Marvin nodded “I see… How interesting… Well, I suppose it’s fair… Given how humans differ from creatures like me…” Jackie nodded “Yeah, you’ve got gills to breathe under the water forever, you’ve even got claws and teeth to defend yourself with just like that! You’ve also got a beautiful tail and…” And then the sailor trailed off as he realized what he said “I mean… uh-” Marvin seemed to perk up at this “Oh? You think my tail is beautiful~?” Jackie sighed “Yeah I mean… The u-uh… The scales are… Very beautiful honestly…” Marvin hummed at that, he wouldn’t deny, that made a blush appear on HIS face which was impressive, no one had ever been able to make him blush before “Mm… Thank you dear… Of course someone such as yourself can appreciate true beauty when he sees it~” ...Okay, Jackie didn’t know how to really respond to that so he simply nodded and then something beeped, he pulled out a strange device and his eyes widened to which Marvin raised a brow at “Something the matter Jackie…?”
The sailor looked over at the other and shook his head “Sh...Shit… This oxygen tank won’t, uh,  last MUCH longer… I gotta get back to the surface…!” Marvin frowned “Ah… Such a shame but… Do what you must, after all, I don’t want you to drown… No no, you’re FAR too lovely for such a cruel fate as that…~” Now it was Jackie’s turn to blush “A-Ah… Uh… Th-Thank you…? I’ll come back and visit if you really want me too! I have plenty of oxygen tanks back at home…!” Marvin hummed for a second before nodding “Yes, I would like that very much…~” And then Jackie was waving Marvin off as he began swimming away, once the sailor was out of sight Marvin only sighed and smiled “...I cannot deny it… I am falling for him… Heh… How quaint…” And then Marvin looked down at his tail, he noticed a greenish blue scale was coming off and that gave him a brilliant idea… He gently took hold and pulled it off (don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt him, sometimes a scale or two will fall from him) He then swam down toward the bottom and gathered up some other materials and various crystals, he knew what he would make for that sailor… He quickly got to work and began crafting the item, meanwhile…
Jackie was swimming back up to the top, he wasn’t… TOO terribly worried, he felt like he had plenty of time to get back to the surface and he wouldn’t deny, he couldn’t get that siren off his mind… Now usually a siren can play many tricks on a human but he didn’t feel as though this was trickery, in fact, the things Marvin had said about him seemed so… Genuine… ...Maybe Jackie was just hoping for that though, he had definitely felt things about the siren, he just shook his head, he shouldn’t get his hopes up though, there’s no way Marvin ACTUALLY likes him back, why would a siren, especially one like Marvin love a simple sailor like him? ...And then suddenly, Jackie heard some gentle humming that startled him, he quickly spun around and saw three sirens coming out of the shadows “Ooh… Lookie here~! We’ve got another f i l t h y sailor who’s dived down here and decided to steal all the treasures for himself~!” Jackie’s eyes widened and he put his hands up in defense “N-Now hold on… I didn’t come for tre-” The siren only swam over and hissed right in Jackie’s face and before the sailor could even t r y to get away the other two sirens came over and held him by his arms, he tried desperately to struggle against them but to no avail, they were strong, far stronger than he was.
What he presumed to be their leader grinned maliciously and chuckled “Hmm… You know if you weren’t a sailor I’d actually consider you cute~ But no matter… You should be running out of oxygen soon~” The siren gave a look to the others and they tore his oxygen tank clear off, casting it to the side which made him panic internally, shit… He wasn’t prepared for that at all! He continued to struggle, trying desperately to fight at them and kick at them even if they were stronger than he was, he STILL wasn’t going down without a fight until… The leader came closer, gently cupping his face and locking eyes with him, they began singing a soft melody and slowly but surely Jackie stopped resisting, his eyes growing slightly cloudy as he listened and swayed his head from side to side “There we go… Good boy~ Just relax now and listen to our wonderful melody~” The other two sirens giggled and joined in with their leader, making sure Jackie’s struggling and fighting ceased, he could feel his body going slightly limp but he wasn’t passing out, he just… He was beginning not to feel the need to fight back anymore, deep down however was that terror that was slowly building, despite his mind feeling fuzzy, he still knew if he didn’t get back up to the surface soon he’d run out of oxygen.
He tried his hardest to gain back control of himself, to try and continue fighting but their song was just… So powerful, who knew a song could hold such power? Granted… There had to be something more to a siren’s power than just an ability to sing, either way… After another few moments had passed, he could definitely tell needed to come up for air and f a s t! He still couldn’t struggle as the leader opened their mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth that were ready and eager to devour him, his eyes widened slightly as he heard them all hiss, this was it, this was going to be his demise wasn’t it…? He couldn’t even close his eyes to avoid looking at the maw that was staring him straight in the face… Before the sirens could all begin to feast, suddenly they were all blown away by what Jackie had thought was a strong current originally… However he quickly snapped out of his trance as they had stopped singing and he looked to the much larger siren in front of him now, it was Marvin! And he heard Marvin snarling at the other sirens “I will only give you all o n e warning and one warning only… Stay. The. FUCK… Away. From. Jackie… He’s m i n e and mine alone… I should kill the three of you right now for your pathetic insolence anyway!” He hollered and the three other sirens cowered, huddling together “Ohhh!” The leader got another glance at Jackie only to look back at Marvin after he put a hand out.
“This sailor is YOUR prey?! O… Oh, we are so terribly sorry oh great one…! We had no idea that he was your pr-” Marvin hissed “He is NOT prey… Let me make this very clear, the three of you are to warn ANY other sirens out there that this sailor is NOT to be harmed, if I find one singular h a i r harmed on him, I will not HESITATE to end anyone who d a r e s to touch something that belongs to me…” Marvin heard some bubbles from behind him and he quickly held up a hand, suddenly, a bubble was forming around Jackie’s entire body and he gasped in some fresh air. This was strange but nonetheless he wasn’t complaining in the slightest, he could breathe and he felt safe and secure in this,  he heard the leader of the sirens apologize profusely “This will NEVER happen again sire…! We cannot express how terribly sorry for this!” The other sirens nodded and Marvin only hissed, baring his fangs “Enough with your apologies… I have heard enough, get out of here and don’t e v e r come near him again…”
And that was enough to send the others swimming away for their lives and Marvin then sighed, calming himself down and turning back to Jackie who was still breathing heavily, mostly trying to calm himself down from everything that just happened “...Come now darling… Let’s get you back to the surface…” And just like that, Marvin was swimming upward, the bubble slowly and carefully following behind him and Jackie could tell he was on edge, the siren kept looking around and behind himself to make sure the ones that had swam away wasn’t trying to attack him from behind, he seemed relaxed again whenever he saw the only thing behind him was Jackie and eventually he made it up to the surface, the bubble popping just as soon as Jackie got onto his boat, the sailor could feel his body absolutely trembling… Marvin leaned against the side of his boat “Are you okay, Jackie? Did those disgusting wretches hurt you at all?” Jackie shook his head much to Marvin’s relief “I… If yo… If…” He was a bit too panicked to try and get out what he was saying… Marvin noticed this and beckoned him over which Jackie slowly followed, carefully… The siren took ahold of Jackie’s hand “Shh… It’s okay now… Just breathe my darling… They cannot and will not hurt you ever again… I promise, I will let no harm come to you…”
Jackie took some deep breaths and focused on Marvin’s face, looking into the siren’s eyes was so calming and relaxing… He trusted Marvin after all so far “Just breathe in and out with me dear…” After a while of doing the breathing exercises, Jackie seemed to calm down finally “O...Okay… I… I’m good now… Thank you, so much Marvin… I-If you hadn’t shown up wh-when you did th… Then I…” Marvin lifted a finger and shushed him “There’s no need to worry any more about them… They wouldn’t dare defy the likes of me… They along with any other sirens out there will never bother you again” Jackie nodded and then he realized he and Marvin were still holding hands, he didn’t pull away however, his face only turned slightly red but he was… Grateful and honestly glad to see Marvin right now “I was originally coming to give you something but then I sensed you were in trouble, I should have swam back with you in the first place, I knew there were other sirens that populated this area… I’m so sorry Jackie…” The sailor blinked and gently took his other hand and placed it on Marvin’s cheek “H-Hey… C’mon Marv… Don’t beat yourself up over that…! I mean… How could you have known that those three would even be here, sure, ya might have sensed me in danger but that doesn’t mean you can predict what or when danger is coming… I promise… I’m fine… Besides, you did STILL come and save me!”
Jackie grinned and pulled Marvin into a sudden hug, being very mindful not to pull the siren fully out of the water “I’m very thankful you got there when ya did…!” That made Marvin sigh and carefully he placed his arms over Jackie as well “...I know but still… I should have not been that careless, next time, I will be here waiting to escort you around, and I will accompany you through this area…” Jackie smiled “...I appreciate that… I really do…” And then they both pulled away and out of the hug and then Marvin noticed, he chuckled slightly “...Isn’t this a familiar sight?” Jackie raised a brow “What do you mean?” Marvin gestured to the positions they were now in “Just like when we first met out here, when I first… ...Well um… A-Anyways, speaking of, I want to apologize… For… That…” Jackie blinked in surprise but merely shrugged “It’s okay Marv… It’s crazy though, it feels like years since that day, then again a lot HAS happened…”
Marvin nodded “Yes, I suppose things have been… Hectic as of recently, I can assure you, things should calm down now ...I would hope anyways, for our sakes” Jackie nodded “Yeah for sure…” Jackie looked out toward the entrance of the cave and saw the sun setting in the distance “Wow… That’s… Really pretty…” Marvin looked to where Jackie was and smiled, for a while, they sat in silence as they watched the sun go down before the sailor then realized “Hey wait… You said you had something to give me, didn’t you?” Marvin’s eyes widened “Oh! I almost forgot!” Marvin snapped his fingers and suddenly Jackie felt something around his neck, he looked down and gasped at what he saw, he took it off to get a better look at the item… It was a necklace, the pendants were all various crystals of different sizes and colors and in the middle of them was a bluish green scale and if Jackie’s eyes could they would sparkle right now “...Yo...You made this for me…?” He looked over to Marvin who smiled and nodded “...Yes, Jackie… I have something I wish to tell you… I hope this is not too sudden… But, from the very first day we met, granted, I DID unfortunately try to eat you… I felt something deep down that I have never felt for anyone else ever, not my own kind and certainly not a sailor…”
Marvin cleared his throat and Jackie could tell he was nervous which seemed extremely out of character for someone as confident as Marvin “As much as I tried, as much as I so desperately wanted to deny it… You were and are still very special to me… I, ahah… You probably are going to think this is ridiculous given the kind of being I am but Jackie… The truth of the matter is…” And that’s when Marvin hesitated, he could feel his heart beating more rapidly, he was never the type to really be nervous but this time… It was different, much different, deep down he was terrified of being rejected but at the same time he wouldn’t necessarily blame Jackie for rejecting him given what he tried to do upon the first meeting but… Marvin also knew, it was now or never “...Jackie… I… I… lo… l-lo… I love you….” He finally stuttered out and waited for what he thought would be rejection and heartbreak, to his surprise though Jackie smiled so brightly and after quickly placing the necklace back around his neck he leaned in and gave Marvin a kiss on the lips, this took the siren off guard and his eyes went wide, slowly but surely however, his eyes had fluttered shut and he kissed back, the kiss lasted for as long as they could manage before Jackie had to pull back to take a breather “...I love you too Marvin…” And then that made the siren’s heart flutter, his tail gently swaying behind him, and then he gave Jackie a genuine smile.
This was pleasant… He would make sure no harm ever came to this sailor, even if he had to tear down entire ships or the ocean itself to make sure of that, he would never let anyone try to take him away either, this sailor was his and his alone! He didn’t quite register Jackie’s question until the sailor snapped his fingers and that made Marvin snap out of his thoughts “Hm? What is it dear?” Jackie looked curious “So… Those sirens back there, why did they call you sire?” And that made Marvin sigh, only giving a slight smile “Oh my love… That’s such a long story, and one for another time… For now, how about we enjoy some peace and quiet under the full moon tonight, hm?” Jackie sighed, he was curious but he wouldn’t push on it, he only smiled and gave a thumbs up “Okay Marv, okay… ...Love you…” Marvin hummed as he gently intertwined his hand with Jackie’s “...And I love you as well, my jolly little sailor~”
(If y’all really want, i’ll talk bout the sire ordeal just shoot me an ask if your curious about all that anyhoo- im actually proud of this one)
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justmevoldemort · 4 years
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Kiss of the Mer
A/N: I can't draw, but I can write so here's my contribution to MerMay with a Julian Devorak Mer AU
Word Count: 4k
Kiss of the Mer
The sun beat down harshly on her already burnt skin as she walked along the beach, a spear in hand, searching for a fish to satisfy her hunger. She’d been on the island for several weeks now, and though she often had Julian to keep her company, she was beginning to wonder how long she would last. Every day she would wake in the early morning and go into the jungle behind her. It was too dangerous for her to sleep there, but it had a flowing trickle of fresh water, plants and animals that she could hunt and eat, and plenty of shade to offer relief to her burnt skin. She spent the early morning hunting and gathering food, and in the hottest part of the day, she did her best to stay out of the sun, and to find more ways to protect herself and to build her hut on the beach. In the late afternoon, when the sun wasn’t as harsh, she would return to the beach and go for a swim as well as hang out with Julian. They hunted fish for dinner and stayed up late into the night talking. It was the only interaction she had.
Theoretically, she could survive, but in practice? She missed the life she had before. She missed the sight of something besides the island. She missed music. She missed eating something besides fish and plants. She missed people. Thankfully though, she had Julian. Ever since he rescued her from the shipwreck and brought her to the island, he’d visited her every day. She enjoyed his company thoroughly. He was funny, nice, and convenient to have around whenever she managed to injure herself. He was a good friend, and she was glad that he was willing to spend so much time with her. She’s not sure she would want to. She was sure that she looked horrendous, her skin red, dry, and peeling, and her hair greasy and sticky from lack of washing and from the salt in the air and water. Her clothes were ripped from forming makeshift bandages and from the explosion that caused the wreck; and she was certain that she smelled something awful. But Julian didn’t care about any of that. He was kind to her and provided her some much needed company. He helped her hunt and he told her bad fish puns. He helped heal her wounds, and he made her laugh. Julian was an amazing friend, and though he was mer, she almost found herself wishing he was more. 
There were several nights where they floated in the shallow bay and talked about everything under the stars and what’s under the stars often was very personal. She told him all about her life on land and then at sea, and he told her about all the oceans he’s traveled and about his family. They often floated close together, hands grasped so they wouldn’t float apart, and his tail sometimes wrapped with her legs. There were several times they ended up face to face, chest to chest, warm breath fanning on each other’s faces. But nothing ever happened. Maybe, sometimes, they would hug or cuddle, but never more.
In legends, they said that a mer’s kiss could allow a human to breathe underwater for a period of time. She wondered if that was true. She also wondered what it’d be like to kiss a mer-- to kiss Julian. Would the fins on his arms flare open like they do when she teases him and he gets embarrassed? Would his lips taste of the saltwater or would they taste of the berries she finds on the island for him? Would his kisses be soft and slow, or would they be fast and passionate? She wanted so badly to find the answers to all of these questions, but doubted that she would. She doubted Julian felt the same. 
With her mind milling with these thoughts and frustrations, she thrust down into the water. Her spear was powerful and fast, but the fish she’d been trying to grab was faster. In her frustration, she hadn’t noticed her foot being directly under the fish until she missed the fish and the tip of her spear when directly into her foot. She cried out in pain and surprise and tears flooded her vision. Damn it. 
At the sound of her distress, Julian was at her side in an instant, the worry in his brows increasing at the sight and scent of blood in the water and the tears in her eyes. Carefully, he picked her up out of the water and set her on a rock, careful not to jostle the spear. With tender hands, he removed the spear from her foot and pressed a kiss to her knee in comfort when she hissed out in pain. His hands pressed on the open wound and he began to hum a song that she’d heard the last time he healed her. It wasn’t a song she knew, and he had told her it was an ancient mer song from the very depths of the sea. Through the song, he was able to access his healing energy and project it into her wound, healing her and only leaving a scar.
 She was glad that he was able to heal others, it had come in handy several times before when she had been injured in the explosion, and when she was attacked by a shark not long after. The only downside though, was that the healing process, since it was expedited, was excruciatingly painful. She wasn’t one to cry often, being a pirate did that, but each time Julian healed her, even if it was something as minor as a scratch, tears of pain would roll down her cheeks. 
Julian lifted his hands from her foot and wiped the tears off of her face and looked at her with worried eyes. 
“Are you alright?” She nodded her head and averted her eyes from the depths of his gray blues that held so much emotion concerning her. “What happened?” 
“Julian…” Her eyes flicked back to his before focusing out on the rolling waves. “I don’t know how much longer I can live like this.” She didn’t dare look over at him for fear of seeing the emotional response on his face.
 “What are you talking about?” Despite not looking at him, she could hear the concern in his voice, the careful strain of him trying not to seem too bothered by her statement.  She gulped, and in that, swallowed down the urge to brush it off and not open up to Julian.
 “I haven’t eaten anything besides fish and berries in over three weeks, I’m dehydrated, my skin is raw and peeling, and I’ve lost count of how long I’ve been stuck here. I miss music, I miss dancing and wearing clothes that aren’t ripped and not feeling disgusting all the time. I do the same thing every day and the only thing that’s given me any happiness and has kept me from not giving up, is your daily visits. But even with that I still feel so alone and if I talk to myself any more than I already do I’d be considered crazy. You’ve been wonderful to me, but I’m just slowly going to deteriorate here on this island. Eventually the stream  of fresh water will run dry and I’ve got no way to convert the water from the ocean into something that would keep me alive. If I don’t die from the nutrients I’m lacking from only eating fish or from dehydration, I’m going to die from skin cancer that I’ll surely develop from the amount of time in the sun with no reprieve. If I stay here, it doesn’t matter what happens, I’m just going to slowly die.” A deep breath and she continued her rant that had been pent up for too long.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love being with you and I really appreciate your company, but companionship isn’t going to keep me alive. It’s just keeping me from going crazy. I almost feel as though I was supposed to die that night from the explosion but you rescuing me only delayed the inevitable. I sacrificed myself that day on my ship because I didn’t have anyone and I was at terms with death. But now, now I have you and the fact that I am going to die a slow and probably painful death and I’m not at terms with that-- I’m terrified of it. There’s no way I’m going to survive for long and yet, all I want to do is live now.” A single tear tracked down her cheek. “I can’t live like this but I don’t want to die.” 
Seeing that she was finished, Julian pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly in a comforting hug. His tears trailed down his face and dripped onto his chest where they mixed with hers before falling into the water below them. He held her tightly, a hand winding its way into her hair and rubbing lightly at her scalp and holding her closer to him. When they finally pulled away after several minutes, watery, tired eyes looked deep into one another and conveyed emotions that could not be described with words.
  “I wasn’t going to suggest it yet, but I’ve been talking with my sister and there may be a way we can help you,” Julian said softly, gauging her reaction before continuing.
 He must have waited too long though, because she pulled back slightly and looked at him, “How?”
 “Well, a mer’s kiss can give a human the ability to breathe underwater for some time and we thought that it may be beneficial for you to come to our home where we can care for you a bit better and then we could find a way to get you back to your civilization on land.” She looked at him with wide eyes.
 “That sounds wonderful. Why were you waiting to suggest it?” Julian swallowed thickly.
 “Well, because, um, in order to do that, you’d have to kiss me and I wasn’t sure you’d want to do that.” He rushed the last bit and he felt his cheeks burn at the curious look from her that followed. The longer she looked at him, the darker his face became. “What?” Finally, she looked away and giggled, the sound making Julian much happier than the sobs several minutes before. “What is it?” He asked again, embarrassment and curiosity biting at him.
 “It’s nothing, really I-” she laughed and shook her head again. “You really thought I wouldn’t want to kiss you?” 
“I-I-” Julian stuttered a failed response, the flush spreading up to his ears and down his chest and the fins on his arm flaring open slightly. 
She giggled again at his reaction. “Oh, Julian. What on Earth made you believe that?” She shook her head lightly, when they met eyes again, Julian saw mirth dancing in her eyes where sadness was before. “Whatever made you think that I didn’t want to kiss you lied.” Now it was her turn to flush. She looked down for a moment before getting her confidence and courage back and continuing. “In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve thought about kissing you for quite some time now, and I definitely wouldn’t object to kissing you, underwater breathing abilities or not.” Julian stared at her for a moment, his brain catching up with the situation before a smirk fell upon his lips.
  “So you’ve thought about kissing me then?” His eyebrow raised in teasing and suggestion.
 “Looks like you’re not shy about this anymore,” a smirk of her own teased her lips. “But yes, on several occasions actually,” While that was the response Julian was hoping for, her open honesty made his ears redden more than they were. But he quickly recovered, using his hands to grab hold of her hips and lift her off the rock and pulled her in close to him. 
“Really?” His voice rising in a lilt. “Why don’t you show me everything you’ve thought about then?” His eyebrow raised in a challenge and her arms slowly made their way up his arms and around the back of his neck.
 “Okay.” Julian blinked in surprise but before he had time to react otherwise, she was pulling his head down to meet hers and their lips locked in a soft embrace. Their lips moved slowly against each other, neither rushing things or pushing too hard. One of her hands wound its way into Julian’s hair and gave a light tug, causing Julian’s hands to tighten on her hips and a low groan to escape him. With each passing second after Julian’s emission, the kiss grew more passionate. Their lips moved heavily, sometimes biting or licking, and the hand in Julian’s hair tugged harder at each moan of his they swallowed up. 
Though they hated to separate, they had to part for air and unlike humans, Julian had to re-wet his gills so the two had to separate completely. She gasped for air and Julian fell backward into the water, splashing up at her and offering her a shit-eating grin. She caught her breath but Julian continued to lay in the water. She laughed and watched him roll around and float, occasionally flicking his tail and splashing her. A laugh barely escaped her throat before it was cut off by a squeal when his tail suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her down on top of him. 
His arms moved to circle her waist and steadied her on top of him so she wouldn’t fall, and his tail treaded the water and kept them afloat. He reached his head up and kissed at all the water droplets scattered across her face causing her to giggle. He watched her laugh and the sun shining in the background provided her a halo effect and caused her eyelashes to glimmer when it caught the water in them. His tail kicked them around the bay and they continued to laugh and kiss as they floated around in the water with the sun setting above them. 
One particular swish of his tail was more powerful than the rest though, when she bit his lip as they kissed. The force of the movement jostled the two of them and caused her to fall off of Julian and into the water. 
Bubbles surrounded her as she fell into the water, but unlike usual, they didn’t dissipate. The longer she was in the water, more bubbles formed and circled around her. They surrounded her and kept her from surfacing for air. They spun her around quickly and she could feel something changing. Was she getting gills to allow her to breathe? If not, what was happening? Julian didn’t warn her about this. The water spun her faster and she felt her legs become glued together due to the force and a quick, sharp, pain erupted in her neck and sides, as well as the feeling of something pushing through her skin on her arms and hands.
 When the bubbles finally subsided, she was dizzy and her lungs burned. She tried to kick her way back up to the surface but found that her legs would not move. Panic flashed in her vision and she looked around wildly until Julian appeared in front of her, his eyes wide and shocked. When he noticed her panic, however, he grasped her forearms and guided her in breathing, showing her and convincing her that she was okay and that she could breathe the water without dying. It took everything in her power to open her mouth and breathe in, and that was only after she saw black lining her vision from lack of air. When she breathed in, the cool water provided relief to her lungs and her vision cleared.
 “Are you okay?” Julian’s voice cut through her mind, surprising her. This must be how merfolk conferred underwater-- by projecting thoughts into one another’s brain. She nodded and attempted to formulate a reply.
 “I can’t move my legs.” Julian looked down and blinked away some shock. 
“You may want to look down.” Confused, her eyebrows furrowed and she looked down at her body. The first thing she noticed was that she was no longer wearing the loose pirate’s shirt she’d been wearing. Now, there were… scales? Her hand drifted to her chest. Yes, scales covered her breasts. With her hand in front of her, she saw webbing between her fingers, and fuschia fins protruded from her biceps. Her eyes continued down her body, but in the darkness of the depths and the new lack of sun in the sky meant that she had a difficult time seeing anything below her waist. Julian grabbed her hands and helped pull her towards shallower water where she could see with the little light that was left in the sky, and when she looked down, she was shocked with what she saw. 
Starting at her waist, fuschia and blue scales draped down her body and formed a tail with a beautiful, feathery fluke at the end. She gaped at the tail, the beauty of it stunning her almost as much as its placement. As an experiment, she moved her legs in the same way she practiced when she was a little girl, and flicked the tail backward. The momentum shot her forward in the water and after a moment of struggling to turn, she quickly managed the mechanics of the tail and was swimming in circles around the area where she and Julian were, a large smile on her face and a look of wonder on his. She loved swimming like this, it was like all her childhood dreams were coming true. The tail was strong and powerful, and she was able to swim quickly through the water. It was everything she’d ever dreamed of and more. \
“Does a tail usually come after kissing a mer?” Julian had only told her that she would be able to breathe underwater, not that she would transform into a mer. Julian shook his head. 
“You’re the first I’ve heard of who’s gotten a full transformation just from a kiss.” She cocked her head.
 “Just from a kiss? Does that mean if a human and a mer do more than kiss, a full transformation usually happens?” Julian’s face flushed red like a child in a sex ed class taught by their mother and she fought back a laugh as she swam up to Julian and pressed a kiss to his flared fins on his arm. 
When she pulled back, her hand went to the gold necklace draped from her neck and fiddled with it. Julian stared at the necklace as if he was seeing it for the first time and his eyes widened as he registered the golden conch charm hanging from the chain. Could that be why she had a full transformation?  
“Julian? What is it?” Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern and confusion and Julian realized that he had been staring at the necklace for too long. 
“Your necklace. I think that may be the reason you had a full transformation. It’s an ancient and powerful mer relic. Where did you get that?” 
“It was my mother’s. It’s the only thing I have of her.” Julian swam close to her, and after checking with her, he reached up and grasped the conch around her neck. The moment he did, the water around them began to swirl quickly, shapes forming in the water, projecting scenes of something they didn’t know.
 It started with a young mermaid, her dark blue tail swishing in the sea foam at the base of a large rock that she was resting upon. In her arms she held a bundle of blankets, but from the angle, they were unable to decipher what it was that was inside them. The mermaid looked out over the water and watched as a small craft steadily approached. In the boat, there was a single figure and as it got closer, they could see that it was a young man, likely a fisherman judging by the size of the craft and the nets draped over the edge. The craft got closer and the mermaid's grim expression flickered to a smile for a brief moment before turning to a frown. 
When he was within a foot of the rock, he threw down an anchor to stop the boat and looked at the mermaid longingly. He then spoke to her and though the water didn’t project the sound from that moment, through his body language, she and Julian could tell that the man was pleading with the mermaid. For what, they guessed for her to stay with him. With a sad look, she turned toward the bundle in her arms and unfolded the top of it, revealing a baby girl. She whispered something to her baby before taking off a necklace she was wearing. The necklace caught the light and the golden conch that matched the one glimmering in the ocean next to Julian from was placed around the baby’s neck. She pressed a kiss to the baby’s temple and just before handing her over to the fisherman, her voice was suddenly projected outward from her necklace and into the water around her and Julian.
 “I love you my daughter. Never doubt that, and never doubt that you are worth every piece of gold in the vast oceans. My daughter, you are royalty. I love you, dear one.” With those final words the mermaid handed the baby over to the fisherman and he held on to her tightly. The mermaid pressed a kiss to his cheek and after one long, longing look towards the two of them, she dove off the rock and disappeared into the depths below. 
The water cleared around them and she and Julian stared at the place where the image had been. Shock displayed across their features at what they had just witnessed and what was implied by the scene they watched. Julian turned and looked at her with what seemed like new eyes. He saw all the similarities between her and the mermaid as well as the fisherman. Her eyes shone the same color as the mermaid’s and her face shape was a mixture of the two. Her hair was the same unruly mess as the fisherman’s but the same color as the mermaid’s. After seeing the two and then looking at her, it was obvious that they were her parents.
 “Julian…” Her hand fiddled with the conch resting on her collar bones and she looked up at him, unsure.  “Do you think that…” She trailed off, leaving the unasked question hanging in the water. Julian nodded and brushed her cheek with his thumb. 
“You look so much like her.” She smiled at the comparison and Julian continued. “And that explains your transformation. It wasn’t the conch like I thought. It was because your mother was a mermaid, and a mer queen at that.” She blinked at him.
 “Wait a queen?” Julian nodded. 
“Yes, she said you were royalty and she holds a remarkable resemblance to the queen of the mer that I saw when I visited the palace when I was younger-” 
“You’ve seen her? She’s alive?” She couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice. Her entire life she’d been told that her mother was dead, but now, she could be alive.
Julian looked away and solemnly shook his head. “She was killed in a pirate attack three years ago. We’ve been without a queen since then but…” He trailed off, his eyes wide as he looked at her “You’re her daughter, you’re the next in line for the throne.” Her eyes widened. 
“Does that mean…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the question in case she was wrong.
 “You’re the queen of the mer.” 
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A Merman and a Teacher [Request 1] [Merman!Kirishima/Takara] [No Quirk AU]
Hello my friends! No this story isn’t dead lol. In honor of MerMay, I guess, here’s another chapter of this story! 
This was requested by @kitteylove​ who is super super sweet and patient. They requested this a while ago and I just now got around to finishing it. Sorry my friend! Anyway, I hope you like it! 
One thing I need to mention is this entire story is basically a spin-off of @thetrashywritingwitch​‘s AMAZING story, Tedium in Blue (here’s a link to the story on AO3). In their story, they kept the reader gender neutral, so while I used female pronouns accidentally in the first chapter when I mentioned the reader from Tedium in Blue, I will use they/them and Y/N as their name from now on. 
Alrighty! Here’s Chapter 1 Link and Chapter 2 Link! Now, let’s get on to the story! I kinda feel like this went everywhere, but I’m getting tired and I wanted to get this up before I go to bed, so...please accept this. I might go back and edit later. Idk.
Ok for real, hope you all enjoy! 
God Bless and Good Day! 
~The Lupine Sojourner
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It had been several months since I’d started meeting with Kirishima, whose first name I had yet to find out. 
In that time, we’d grown very close, but Kirishima told me with his limited English that first names were very personal and intimate for merfolk. 
Their first name was rarely shared with anyone until such time as the merperson in question chose a mate or had grown to trust another person so completely that they felt safe revealing their first name. 
I had no right to ask him his first name, and still felt lucky he trusted me with his last name at all and kept risking discovery to see me every day (with a few breaks that he always told me about). 
He was getting so good with English, we could almost hold normal conversations, but it was still limited to smaller words and we had to stop to let Kirishima figure out how to say a word in English sometimes.
“You’re good at words.” I praise when we were starting to wrap up our little meeting for the day. 
“Kara stay please?” He asks in reply, looking suddenly sheepish.
 ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ had been some of the first words I’d taught him after our first meeting, when I’d gotten dunked and Kirishima stole a kiss on the cheek. 
I raise a brow. “Um...why?” I ask. He’d gotten so good about my leaving, trusting me to always come back the next day, I wondered if he was regressing for some reason.
“Meet friend.” 
I frown. “What friend?” I ask. 
“Friend.” He repeats. 
I know he might not have the words to explain further so I try to help him. “Are they...like you?” 
Kirishima nods eagerly. “Meet at dark on wood!” He chirps. 
It takes a few moments for me to interpret what he’d said. “...You want me to meet your friend when sun down?” I ask. ‘Sun down’ or ‘dark’ was how Kirishima said night. Of course, living underwater, merfolk probably didn’t have the same concepts of night and day or even likely the passage of time. It was probably a miracle he was always here at roughly the same time. “What you mean ‘wood’?” 
“Big wood human use.” Kirishima says slowly, pointing down the beach. I look where he’s pointing and see the very edge of the pier. 
“That’s called a pier.” I explain. “That’s where you want me to meet your friend?” 
Kirishima nods. I nod back. 
Okay, so he wants me to meet some friend of his tonight at the pier. 
Wait...hold on...that was where I saw that human (I think, anyway. For all I know they could have been a pixie. Who’s to say pixies aren’t real if mermen are?) and that blonde merman! 
...Is the blonde merman Kirishima’s friend he wants me to meet?
There was something bugging me about this sudden desire of Kirishima’s to introduce me to his friend; why? Why now? I’d barely gotten him to admit there was a secret city of merfolk somewhere deep and far away in the sea. To repay his trust, I hadn’t asked any more questions about the city. 
I wondered if there was a different friend he wanted me to meet, other than the blonde merman. Some merperson from this hidden city. Doubt it. He’d mentioned that no one leaves, and certainly never reveals themselves to humans. 
That raises several questions about both my uncle’s encounter with a merman and the blonde merman meeting with that individual on the pier. 
I push my questions aside for now, the curiosity about the friend proving too much to ignore. “Sure. I’ll meet you and your friend at the pier when sun down.” I promise, grabbing my phone and my water bottle before settling my goggles over my eyes. “Will we swim?” I ask just before heading out so I know if I can shower or not.
“No swim. Sit on p-peeer. We come see you.” He replies, stumbling over the new word. 
I nod and let him swim closer as I got closer to the exit of our little alcove.
As is tradition, even after these few months, Kirishima offers his cheek and I give it a quick kiss. “See you later!” I call, another usual goodbye between us. I then dive and swim for the shore to get food, shower, and prepare myself to meet this friend of Kirishima’s. 
I felt...oddly nervous. I knew this friend likely meant a lot to Kirishima and I suppose I just wanted to make a good impression. But then again...why? Why was I so concerned? 
Maybe because Kirishima was trusting me with meeting his friend. Kirishima had been such a fascinating part of my life, I forget there’s so much I still don’t know about this merman. 
He loved spicy food (but only some spicy food) and meat, playing with the phonetics app, and scratches behind the ear (in place of kisses) when he managed to learn a new word. He was always happy, playful, and a bit coy with me. 
But I still didn’t know if he had siblings, how he got on with his parents, and really anything about his life. And merfolk culture, as well. 
I knew that there was a lot to it and most of it I couldn’t understand if I tried, but there was a part of me that wanted to learn. That wanted to grasp just who Kirishima is. 
Shaking myself, I finally stepped out of the shower, drying off and applying my few hair products quickly. 
Then I pad barefooted out to my fridge and grab a few eggs, frying them quickly. I had to eat fast. It was already sundown and I didn’t want to keep Kirishima and his friend waiting. 
Once I am done eating, I grab my phone and a light jacket. It got a little chilly at night.
Feeling my nerves returning as I walked closer to the pier, I find no obvious signs of merfolk about, so I go toward the end. 
That’s then I hear a splash I somehow know wasn’t just a wave or a fish. I search the water and, again, find no signs of merfolk. 
Sighing, I sit on the edge with my feet dangling toward the water, eyes and ears alert to any sign that the merfolk had arrived. 
There was nothing yet. 
Then, maybe a minute or two after I had sat down, I feel a sharp tug on my feet, nearly pulling me into the water. 
Letting out a cry of surprise, I manage to keep from falling into the water, sitting back down with my now wet feet tucked under me. 
I gaze down to see two ruby red eyes glaring at me from behind a rock, blonde hair swirling around the angry face I saw in the water. 
I knew it! The blonde merman was the friend Kirishima wanted me to meet! 
“He-hello.” I stammer, waving, unsure why I was feeling shy. 
The blonde merman continues to glare at me from the water, then I hear a familiar voice. 
“Kara came!” I look a little further out to sea to find Kirishima waving from the water, coming closer every second. Realizing he was about to come up to the pier, I hastily scoot aside to make room. He flops up to the pier, letting his tail flop in the water absently as his elbows took his weight and his chin went into his hands. “Bring friend.” He notes happily, gesturing vaguely to the angry blonde merman who thought he was hiding. 
I chuckle. “Yes, but he no like Kara.” I reply. Kirishima rolls his eyes. 
“He shy. That all. He meet other human here. You no other human.” 
I blink. So it was a human. No pixies, after all. Interesting. “Right.” I say slowly. “Um…” I lean back over to look at the blonde merman who’s still glaring at me. I slowly wave at him. “Hi there! I’m a- -hey!” I got a face full of seawater for my troubles. The merman spat a mouthful of seawater at my face! Wiping it on my jacket, I glare back at the blonde merman, waving a finger at him. “Don’t be rude! I was saying ‘hi’!” I bark. 
“I don’t like you!” The blonde merman snaps back. 
I was taken aback that he knew any English at all, and I nearly overbalanced in shock that it was actually him that had spoken. I knew there was no one else around and that Kirishima would never speak to me like that ever, but it was so insane to me that this merman knew English. 
Then his words truly processed and I glare at him. “Well, that’s just rude. I didn’t do anything to you.” I explain, crossing my arms. 
“Wants his friend.” Kirishima stage-whispers in my ear. I laugh, but then the blonde merman grabs Kirishima’s powerful tail, and hauls him down into the water. 
Squeaking in shock, I look over and see them wrestling beneath the surface, the blonde one seeming to barely be winning when Kirishima suddenly thrusts the blonde merman off of him, talking to his friend and gesturing angrily before coming back up and I have to move quickly aside again as he flops back up to the pier.
“You make Kirishima be stupid.” The blonde guy snaps at me, coming back closer to the pier and glaring at me again from the water. 
“No, Kara not make me stupid!” Kirishima protests angrily The friend beckons to Kirishima gruffly and Kirishima pats my leg as if to say ‘sorry about him. Be right back!’ before diving back down. 
The pair hold what looks like an argument before Kirishima seems to say something that shuts the friend up. Kirishima lets his words sink in a moment before coming back up. He was chittering, whistling, and hissing in his own language, which meant he was upset. He rarely got upset with me, but it had happened. Mainly when I tried to push him learning a more complex word before I stopped trying.
Kirishima was about to speak when the friend cuts over him, a webbed finger pointing at me. “Don’t tell humans about us or else.” He growls. 
I cross my arms and roll my eyes at him. 
While it was still shocking he knew so much English, I was also annoyed he was being so rude. He seemed different when I’d first seen him on the pier, but that was one incident. I didn’t have the full story on that scenario.
“If I wanted to do that, I would have done it when I first saw him.” I say, jerking my head toward Kirishima. Something told me telling this merman and Kirishima that I had first seen them talking to a human was not a good idea. 
“Be nice!” Kirishima barks at his friend, saying something else in merfolk language (merspeech?) to which Blondy scoffs. 
“Kirishima likes you. Don’t crush his heart.” Blondy growls. 
I ruffle Kirishima’s hair. Blondy must really like Kirishima if he’s being this overprotective “I don’t plan to. Hey...Kirishima told me this is personal to you, but...what’s your name, if I can ask?” I try to phrase it in a polite way, so he wouldn’t be madder at me than he already was. 
“...I don’t have to tell you.” Blondy growls. 
I chuckle. “True, you don’t. But, it’s either that, or I call you Blondy from now on.” I tease. 
“You do that, I scratch you. It’s Bakugo!” 
I nod, extending a hand. It worked like I thought it would. “Great! My name is Takara, but my nickname is Kara.” 
Bakugo reluctantly shakes my hand, appearing to realize he’d been duped into giving his last name. 
Then...I heard a surprised voice call out from further down the pier. “He-hello?” I turn and see the person from that night on the pier striding toward me. 
I stand. “...I suppose I need to explain, huh?” I begin, extending a hand again. “My name is Takara. I met a merman named Kirishima almost six months ago. I’ve been meeting him over in that alcove” I point out where I mean when the person makes no move to introduce themselves or shake my hand, “every day, and earlier today he asked me to come here later to meet a friend.”
The person is quiet for several seconds.
“...That dumbass.” The person growls, face-palming. 
Kirishima unhelpfully pops his head up a few feet further in the water, watching us. 
“Kirishima wants to say goodbye.” Bakugo says, rolling his eyes. 
I blink, my heart dropping into my chest. 
“What do you mean?” He hadn’t left in a long time. I found myself not wanting him to go anywhere despite knowing I couldn’t keep him here.
The human turns to me. “Bakugo is going back to the merfolk city. It’s a long story, but they’ll be gone at least a week, but maybe more. Kirishima is guiding him.”
I turn to Kirishima. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” I snap, irritated. He flinches back and I realize he might not understand all of what I was saying. I take a breath. “Kirishima, I would have understood if you need time away. No hiding things from me, okay?” 
Kirishima slowly comes over, nodding sheepishly. “Sorry, Kara. No hide no more.” He murmurs.
I sigh, unable to stay mad at him for long. “I hope you have fun, okay? See you in a week.” He comes even closer and I take a few steps into the water to meet him, wearing shorts and sandals so I’m not ruining my clothes. He hugs me tightly and I hug him back, inwardly sighing at the instant rebuttal to my thought about not ruining my clothes. Ah, well. “Let’s let them say goodbye, ok?” I guide him toward our alcove, the water lapping against the bottom of my shorts now. 
“I miss you all time.” Kirishima promises, blinking rapidly like he was about to cry. 
“I’ll miss you, too.” I reply. 
“Kara wait here?” He asks sheepishly. I tilt my head to the side. 
“Ok...why?”
“Close eyes and no open!” He cries, now excited. Sighing at his antics, I close my eyes. 
I hear him splash into the water and he’s gone, the sound of the waves and the distant conversation on the pier the only sound I heard. 
Then, I felt a hand grab mine. Knowing it was Kirishima by the webbed fingers, I let him plop something into my outstretched hands. It felt like maybe...a rock? Or a shell? 
“Kara open eyes.” Kirishima instructs and I do to see…
A oyster shell crafted into a necklace case. There was a necklace inside, with a very large pearl (one of the largest I’ve ever seen) as the pendant, with driftwood craftily carved around the pearl. The rest seemed to be some kind of cord, but from what I don’t know. It seemed like seaweed, but I wasn’t sure.
“Whoa...Kirishima...where did you get this?” I ask breathily, eyes locked on the gift, fingers brushing over it gingerly. 
“Search all round. Find good pearl for Kara, get help make gift.” Was this what he was up to when he was gone?
I find a very simple version of a lobster claw clasp on the end of the woven cord, so I clip the damp necklace on. It rested halfway between my collarbone and sternum, the pearl glistening in the moonlight. 
“I love it, Kirishima!” I praise, hugging him again. 
Cheekily, Kirishima puts his cheek close to my lips in his traditional request for a kiss. I laugh. “Ok, but just one, then you gotta get going, alright?” 
“...Alright.” He murmurs, not happy at leaving me for around a week. “Kara be waiting?” 
“Kara wait.” I assure him. I kiss his cheek. “Now go before your friend gets madder than he already is.” Kirishima chuckles and dives, speeding toward Bakugo and the pair take off after Bakugo gets a kiss, too, only...on the lips? Whoa.
I shake myself. That was none of my business. 
I could just leave and let the identity of the mysterious human on the pier remain a mystery...or I could go talk to them. 
Deciding that it was too late to start talking about how we both knew mermen, I decide to pull up a notes app and type out my contact info while walking back to the pier along the shore, waving to Kirishima when I spot him in the distance. 
I show them the note. “Here...in case you wanna talk.” I yawn as the other person takes their phone out and snaps a pic, yawning as well. 
“I’ll see if I can call you tomorrow. We’ve got time to kill til the boys get back.” They reply slowly, as if unsure if they should really be doing this. 
“Goodnight!” I call over my shoulder as I walk back to my apartment. 
=#=#=#=#=
I’d waited four days before coming again. I knew it would take closer to a week at the earliest, but I couldn’t help it. 
Most times, I waited til evening when the other person who knew about merfolk (Y/N, as I came to learn their name was) would be there so we could talk, but they were hesitant and still a bit wary of me, which I suppose was justifiable, considering that I was a sudden interjection into their life and routine. 
I started going to the alcove instead and waiting just outside the entrance, leaving Y/N to wait in private.
Time seemed to speed up somehow and, 8 days after the two mermen left for the merfolk city, I saw Kirishima’s long red tail zipping toward me as he raced to get back to me. I duck into the alcove and manage to get far enough back that Kirishima, while he does splash me, doesn’t land on top of me. He eagerly hugs me and I fall backwards into the shallow end of the pool in the alcove. Kirishima’s necklace dug into my chest, but I couldn’t care less as I scoot myself and Kirishima back so I could sit with his head in my lap. My legs were extended on either side of Kirishima’s lean muscular body. 
His hand takes mine and he seemed to relax, smiling at me broadly.
“Kara waiting!” Kirishima purrs, stroking my hand happily. 
I nod. “Yes, yes I was.” 
“Not on wood like thought.” Kirishima muses and I blink. 
“Oh I’m sorry!” I stammer. 
“It ok.” 
Before anything else could be said, I felt my foot being grabbed and, looking up, I see green eyes with a mop of green hair looking up at you from the water. 
It took several seconds for anything to happen, both of us too stunned to do or say anything. 
Kirishima then took the initiative, scooping me up, plopping me further up the shallow end and lightly shoving the new merman toward me, taking up what appeared to be a guard position at the exit, and I can’t help but still be flabbergasted. In a few more moments, my curious nature won out and I ease myself forward a little. 
“Hello.” I greet, slowly extending my hand. 
The new merman, this one green with hints of red in his tail, eyes wary but also curious like mine, swims a little nearer, hand reaching for mine. 
Once his fingers touched mine, he seemed to forget his fear, coming closer still and examining my hand eagerly, my fingers and arm thoroughly explored by his webbed hand. 
Evidently, the lack of webbing was as strange to this merman as it had been to Kirishima the day we met face to face. 
The merman then started to explore down my torso and before I could peel his hands off, Kirishima barked in merspeech and the merman scooted away a little, looking ready to bolt, eyes darting sheepishly around to look at anything but me and Kirishima, his cheeks flushed. 
I scoot back, draw my legs up, and extend one leg to him. The merman looks to Kirishima, who says something else in his language, nodding at me, and the green merman responds, sounding relieved and grateful, before gripping my foot again. 
If it weren’t for all the times Kirishima had grabbed my foot, I’d have laughed aloud and withdrawn. 
As it was, though I laughed, I held my foot still. The merman continued prodding and examining my foot before my ankle became a point of interest. After that, though he looked at my legs, he didn’t touch them like Kirishima had. 
In fact, he scooted away from me, his curiosity apparently sated for now.
I look at my friend, a strange feeling forming in my gut. “You tell him not to touch my leg?” I ask. 
Kirishima nods. “No touching you there.” He says with a bit of possessiveness in his voice and manner. It hadn’t been there before. 
“Why not?” I ask, frowning. Normally, Kirishima was the type to go with the flow, not enforce rules. 
Kirishima gets flustered, his face turning nearly as red as the green merman’s cheeks, but he swims closer to look me in the eyes. “Because merman no touch other’s mate.” He says sincerely. 
My eyes go wide, and my heart skips a beat. His...what?!
“R-really?” I ask timidly. 
“Yes. We mates in merfolk ways.” He explains. “That...that ok? Kara not mad?” 
It takes a long few minutes for me to answer. 
...I was someone’s mate?! What the hell happened at the merfolk city?! 
“N-no...ah...no, Kirishima. Um, Kara not mad. Just...surprised.” I murmur slowly, trying to figure out why I wasn’t more upset about this. 
I hadn’t been offered a choice, and yet...I wasn’t actually that upset at all. It seemed...fine, in a way. I knew I ought to be furious, but then again, I’ve never had a boyfriend and likely never would have. I’d simply never met the right guy, so...what if...what if maybe I could be happy meeting Kirishima everyday? I know we’d never be able to...well, make kids, but frankly I never liked the idea of intimacy. 
I could honestly say I’d be happy to call Kirishima my mate and continue meeting as we are now if it made him happy. 
I smile at Kirishima. Somehow, we’d make this weird relationship work. 
I had a feeling this would be a great adventure. 
The green merman now inched closer, not touching me but swimming to my other side.
In all the excitement about being declared Kirishima’s mate, I’d nearly forgoten about the other merman. 
He says something in merspeech, as if asking a question, hands fidgeting nervously. 
“He wants to give you his name.” Kirishima translates.
I blink. “Really?” I ask. 
I look at the merman curiously. He smiles at me, then nods at Kirishima as if to say ‘go ahead’. 
Kirishima points to the merman. “Midoriya.” He says. “That his family name.” 
I nod. “Can you tell him my name is Kara?” I ask. Kirishima does, I assume, then Midoriya extends a hand. Apparently, hand shaking was also used in merfolk culture. I shake Midoriya’s hand. 
Kirishima yawns suddenly. I smile empathetically at him. “You’re tired from your swim.” I say, stating it as a fact so he wouldn’t argue. “Go get sleep. We’ll meet here tomorrow.” I promise. 
“You will?” He asks. 
“I will.” I swear. “Always.”  
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bitway-arts · 5 years
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title: Behind the Glass characters: Haizaki Ryouhei, Mizukamiya Seiryuu pairings: haimizu summary: Following an escapee penguin leads to a meeting he'd never forget. a/n: written for haimizu week (free day prompt)! since its mermay I wanted something with a mermaid au! it’s not the original mermaid au I had in mind for them but I decided to try and write one that involves an aquarium setting @iefiveshipsweek
"Come on, you have to stay in here." Haizaki mutters to the young emperor penguin that's keeping right beside him, as if she were intent to leave the habitat with the human. The little one looks up to him, chirping in glee that she might be able to waddle beyond those doors.
He clicks his tongue and bends down. Gently, his hands are placed against the penguin's back and he pushes her as far away from him as possible. It's the most he could to do ensure that she won't escape, especially since he had already given up all his fish here earlier.
With his hands still on her, eyes glance around to try and spot the other young penguins. There were a handful who seemed to enjoy his presence, but they were busy waddling and chirping on the ice. For now, it was just one he had to deal with.
Haizaki nudges her a little further. The moment his hands are off the penguin, he makes his escape. He's careful not to run on the ice, even with the boots needed to wear when coming into this exhibit, but he's certain that his longer strides can outrun a little, waddling penguin.
Once out of the penguin habitat, he turns to shut the door properly. It's quiet and he's examining the door and the bits of ice that trailed out underneath it. There's not a single fluffy bird in sight. A breath of relief is let out when he's certain that no penguins have escaped.
The teen turns to his backpack left by the door. He lets his back lean against the wall before sliding down to sit beside it. Digging through his bag, he pulls out a notebook filled with papers. Flipping through it, he finds a blank worksheet to fill out. He begins jotting down quick notes; he'd fill the rest out properly when he was home.
This internship felt more like extra schoolwork to him at times. Sure, being able to study animals up close and learn about them was worth it, but all the boring paperwork, writing scholarly paragraphs, and essays due at the end of each month was something he could live without. It didn't help that he wasn't getting paid either, just a (maybe) assured job by the time he was done with school.
He groaned to the thought, slamming his notebook shut. He takes his time thinking about how he's going to get home, what train he's going to have to catch. It's annoying to figure out especially at this hour. But, whatever. It wasn't anything new for him.
Cheep! Cheep!
The moment he hears those echoing chirps, he freezes. He wants to believe that he imagined those chirps. He's been in that habitat most of the day, so it's not unnatural to think he's hearing those restless birds even now.
Cheep! Cheep!
Now he knows he isn't simply hearing things.
His head turns, eyes trying to spot the source of sound in the dimly lit halls of the aquarium. There's a waddling ball of gray fluff heading down the corridor, chirping without a care in the world as she explores this unusual world.
"Hey!" He barks at the penguin.
The penguin's head turns and chirps, tail wagging behind as she was finally noticed. But, she doesn't come towards the human. Instead, she keeps trudging on.
As he begins to stuff his belongings into his backpack, eyes fly to the door, trying to examine it and find out how the hell a baby penguin managed to break free. He'll leave that matter for another day- tomorrow. For now he has to worry about chasing- walking after the silly creature.
Haizaki is thankful that it's past closing time. The only others in the building would be employees and he doubts that they're all hanging around this exhibit. The last thing he needs is to be teased by one of them (namely that damned Sasotsuka) for having a baby penguin get the best of him.
Slinging the backpack over one arm, he starts after the chirping ball of fluff. She can't get too far, thankfully, but she does grow curious about a door left ajar, one that read as DO NOT ENTER.
"Candice," he hisses the penguin's name, hoping to have her stop. Yet, she doesn't.
The penguin continues to waddle past the door without a care for the sign. Normally, Haizaki would have been a little more hesitant about going past one of these doors. If caught, he'd be booted out of here for sure. He'll be quick, he argues. Just go in, get her, and leave.
And that's what he does. A hand pushes the door open and he immediately scoops the little penguin into his arms.
"Time for you to go back home, troublemaker." He tries to be angry with her, but even his glare isn't as harsh as it normally would be. When she chirps in his arms, it makes it increasingly more difficult to tell himself that she won't get any treats from him tomorrow.
Before he can follow through on his plan, something catches his eyes- the reflection of water against the ground. He looks up, finding an underwater themed exhibit behind glass. Aside from the rock formations, seaweed, and other usual decoration set inside these, it lacked marine life within it. Which, he found, a bit odd.
Thinking of the layout of the aquarium, he tried to imagine what would be here. There wasn't anything on the maps he had memorized that told him what would be here. And he couldn't exactly deduct what type of marine life fit into these waters. His expertise lied in penguins and sharks. This tank fit neither.
"Whatever."
This wasn't his problem. It was probably a new exhibit opening soon. Not one he would worry about.
So, he turns, mind set on returning Candice home…until a shadow swims by- fast. Unable to make out what it was, his head turns, expecting to see something in the tank.
It's still empty.
Curiosity nags at him to get a closer look. Or perhaps it's Candice waving a flipper out towards the tank. Either way, he finds himself stepping closer and closer, until he's only a few inches away from the glass.
His gaze drifts across the water, trying to search out some type of fish. There isn't any around. Instead, his eyes catch something unexpected. A head- a human head sticking out behind one of the rock formations.
'Probably just someone cleaning the tank or whatever.'
He was stupid for thinking that there'd be fish in here. It's just for cleaning. But, something isn't right. The more he looks at the person, he realizes that he's not wearing any gear.
He's not wearing anything at all.
The one hiding had swam out, revealing his form as he made his way towards the awestruck human. He had the upper body of a male human, and the lower half of a fish.
A mermaid- merman.
And this merman was absolutely stunning. He was a pale beauty with blue hair and matching eyes. His skin was clear aside from the patches of dark blue-purple scales decorated around his body and a scar on his right side. His tail was long, a darker shade of blue, with elegant and flowing fins. Even he had to admit that this creature- person, was beautiful.
The merman had come up to the opposite side of the glass, floating in the water with ease. Hands reach out to press against it, a smile rests on his face. The penguin in the human's hand catches his attention. He waves to the smaller creature.
"Hello there."
"You can speak?!"
The voice was a bit muffled by the dividing glass, but was clear enough so that he could make out what he was saying. At least, he assumed he was if this was all real. A merman. Talking. He could hardly believe it.
"I can," the merman speaks, after laughing softly to his outburst. "Who are you? You're not one of the usuals that stop by here." He pauses, attention grabbed by Candice for a moment. "You're her friend?"
"I-"
He wasn't sure how to answer this. Any of this. He had so many questions running through his head, but only one comes out-
"You speak penguin too?"
"I suppose so? I understand most creatures. I don't see why it's so surprising."
Because that's the norm for you, he thinks. He lets out an aggravated sigh. He never thought that today he'd be speaking with a merman who could talk to his penguin too.
"Is something the matter…?" The creature asks, head tilting with a worried look.
Haizaki shakes his head. It feels…weird to have him looking so concerned over nothing.
"No, I'm fine."
That's a lie. But he's not about to spill out how he thinks he's losing his sanity the longer he stays here. Candice need to get home and so did he. Now he thinks he needs to just crash the moment he returns to his place.
"Excuse me?" He speaks, again. Gaining his attention, again. "May I have your name?" He asks, hopeful.
"Ryohei."
"Ryohei?" He parrots, sounding out this name. That smile of his returns. "My name is Seiryuu."
"I didn't ask for your name…" The human mumbles.
It seemed as if the other had heard it, causing a frown to cross his face. Now he feels guilty for letting that slip out.
"It's fine," he says quickly in hopes of wiping that frown off his face. "Seiryuu…is a nice name."
"Thank you!" The smile returns with a little hum. "Ryohei is an interesting one. I've never heard it before."
"Yeah, thanks?" He shrugs.
Haizaki feels a little peck at his fingers. He looks down, nearly forgetting that he was holding the penguin in his arms for this long. She brings him back to the reality that he shouldn't be here for too long.
"I have to…get going." He adjusts the back over his shoulder, tries to take a step back to leave.
"Will you come back?" Seiryuu asks, pushing himself closer to the glass. "I would like to see you again."
"Uhh…" He's hesitant on his answer. The only thing he can do is stare. Their eyes meet and he can see the pleading hope in his eyes, pleading for a yes. It leaves him with a weird feeling in his chest. "Maybe. I'll try to."
Even if his answer wasn't fully positive, it makes Seiryuu smile brightly, even his tail sways side to side. He thinks that, if he were human, the other might have gone in for a hug.
"See you soon then, Ryohei!"
"Yeah, you to, Seiryuu."
As he turns to leave, he notices that the other remains in place. His shadow unmoving as he watches the human leave this room. When he shuts the door behind him, the world feels different now. His thoughts are elsewhere, thinking about what- who he had just met.
"He…shouldn't be in there…" Words come out of his mouth before he's even aware of it. A beautiful creature like that cooped up in a glass tank that was made for display. While he's not the most informed about supernatural creatures, even he knows something about merfolk. They're meant to be in the ocean, not in here.
He sighs and shakes his head. This isn't his problem. He has to focus on his internship. Focus on the penguins he'd been assigned to care for. Focus on himself and what he needs.
And yet, he couldn't get the image of that merman out of his mind.
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ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇs ʙʏ ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ
Characters/Pairing: Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi/EiRin
Type: Ningyo!inspired fantasy AU, Freestyle
Word Count: 3334
A/N #01: So there’s this thing called MerMay going on and I wanted in on the fun too. Unfortunately, I can’t draw to save my life so I wrote some nonsense instead. 
A/N #02: GDI, I just wanted cute, mindless Mer!EiRin is that so hard to ask for, brain? Ignore glaring plot (there’s no plot)!
He was in the middle of an omiai when he first saw her.
She was not his match – it would have been so much easier to accept the immediate, powerful flare of attraction the moment he laid eyes on her if that was so. That strong, intrinsic pull he had felt deep within his gut, instinct willing him to go nearer, to seek her favor, to entice.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. She was not for him to court.
So he held himself back, lingered where he was. And stared.
The actual partner whom he had been introduced to was stunningly beautiful as well, and he did her disservice by failing to pay her the appropriate amount of attention and interest that she deserved. They were of the same kind, a special breed of ogon nishikigoi, carefully paired to each other by their families in order to preserve the purity of their pedigrees.
Nakiri Erina, with her fine, gilded scales and shimmering flawlessness, was the precisely selected complement to his own pale, glowing fins and platinum white perfection. Silver and gold. They were expected to court, then marry and breed, thus continuing to strengthen the bloodlines of their families. It was their duty. Eishi had never really cared either way – Erina was indeed lovely and graceful if not somewhat fussy and aloof, but most of the females in their circle were like that. He had been told repeatedly by various sources that she was a great catch, but his thoughts on the matter remained largely ambivalent.
A great catch? That was likely so. But he never actually had to catch her in the first place, and perhaps that was why he failed to properly appreciate the qualities of his potential wife-to-be the way any other being lucky enough to be in his position would have. Him and her, they had been pushed onto each other whether they actually wanted it or not, and that was that. The white-haired male would have felt guilty for this sense of indifferent apathy…if not for the fact that she also felt the same way. They were courteous and cordial enough to each other, well aware of what was expected of them…but there was no…spark.
Even with all her glittering radiance, Erina seemed to pale in comparison to the crimson fire of the redhead who had just caught his eyes. Eishi had no idea who she was, but she made a bold, dramatic splash of color against the backdrop of muted, glimmering elegance that he was used to, so very electrifyingly vivid…and incredibly appealing. It was impossible not to stare at her in wonder, gripped wholly by an urgent sense of something that he did not quite understand himself. He could not, should not let her leave his sight. He did not know why he felt thusly, but it was imperative that he stayed close.
Beside him, Erina slanted a curious stare at the merman who still appeared visibly stunned. His usually detached, distant lavender gaze now so sharp and alert, firmly locked onto the stranger who had just crossed their paths. The other ningyo appeared to be around their age, but neither had met her before, in this part of the massive freshwater lake biome they all called home. It was obvious that he was interested – he certainly made no effort to hide it.
“Tsukasa-san, if you gape some more, your expression is going to freeze on your face,” Erina’s tone was placidly dry, yet still unfailingly prim and proper.
He tore his eyes reluctantly from the other female and returned his attention to his elegantly dressed companion. He actually looked briefly disconcerted, confused, a far cry from his normal icy, reserved composure.
“I…” he paused, even as his gaze automatically flitted back to the exotically exquisite mermaid with the feathered, blood red fins and flowing tail. The dark red of her gleaming scales were a perfect match in color to her long, tousled mane, unadorned and flowing freely behind her, framing and accentuating her lovely human features; a heart shaped face, golden, slit pupiled eyes, shining ruby lips…
He could not seem to stop looking at her, and promptly lost his train of thought once again.
Erina tilted her head bemusedly – she had never seen the Tsukasa heir so flustered before. She wondered if that was a good thing. There was a faint feeling of something like envy that welled in her. She wondered if there would ever exist someone who would stare at her the way her omiai partner was currently staring after another female, the way he just could not seem to help himself.
She should be offended, she knew, but oddly enough, she was not.
He had never belonged to her, after all.
“…She’s swimming away,” the blonde pointed out softly at last, because amazingly enough, her companion was so distracted that he had completely forgotten her presence, once more. “You should at least find out her name, or you may never see her again.”
Eishi was embarrassed by the transparency of his desire, a want so fiercely unyielding and immediately insistent, he could not disregard it. He was also stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he looked from one mermaid to the other. Duty and obligation tethered him to one, but something inexplicable that felt very much like destiny and fate was calling him to the other. His instincts clamored loudly and unrelentingly, refused to be ignored or muted by things like common sense or rationality or reason for the stark truth that only it could comprehend; he knew her once upon a time, this girl with the tumbling scarlet hair and the entrancing ochre eyes-
He desperately needed to know her again. 
“…I’m sorry, Nakiri,” the white-haired male apologized to his fair companion, quietly contrite. His lavender eyes flickered with gratitude – it was probably the most expressive he had ever been around her, in all their years of acquaintanceship. “And thank you.”
The golden-haired mermaid waved away those words with a languid carelessness she did not entirely feel. “Save your thanks. You may explain to our parents why our miai fell through.”
Eishi grimaced inwardly at the thought of how that conversation would go, but he was not as upset as he probably should be. Still, he hesitated, remembering his manners.
“Will you be alright, on your own?”
“Who do you think I am?” she enquired loftily, glancing at a fixed point over his shoulder. “Hisako has been trailing us all along, so I’m the least of your worries. I absolve you from your self-perceived sense of responsibility towards my wellbeing.”
That was all the Tsukasa scion needed to know. Another quick, appreciative look at the blonde, and the beautiful merman was gone in a silver flash, his sleekly muscular, powerful tail slicing effortlessly through the water currents, propelling him unerringly towards the future that she had foreseen. The nishikigoi mermaid watched the other disappear in pursuit of his happiness, but there she stayed, waiting until another familiar presence quietly swam up, faithfully keeping her company.
“…Erina-sama,” her loyal retainer sighed with faint consternation and dismay. “You need to stop giving your suitors away.”
The koi ningyo glance askance at her pink-haired parrotfish counterpart. “…But why should I keep them when their hearts have found homes with others?” she asked rhetorically.
There was a specific reason why she had requested her meeting with Tsukasa-san to occur here and now; at this particular place, at this very moment. Her visions were never wrong, and this time was no different.
Hisako was exasperated, all the same.
“Nevertheless, please don’t keep doing this. It’s dangerous…”
“But Tsukasa-san will be very happy with his mate.” Or at least they would be blissful together, once he managed to lure her into courtship. The Nakiri princess was wistful, staring unseeingly into the distance. With her youthful face momentarily bare of the many masks she often put on to fool the rest of the world, she looked so painfully alone and vulnerable at that moment. “Hisako…do you think I’ll find happiness too…one day?”
The parrotfish mermaid quietly ached for her beautiful, isolated mistress. 
“Of course, Erina-sama,” she whispered fiercely. “You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
The gold gilded koi smiled faintly at her friend and companion. “I hope so.”
“Shall we head back to the castle?” Hisako suggested lightly, anything to gently distract the ningyo hime from her ennui. “Azami-sama will not be pleased if you’re outside and unchaperoned like this.”
“Father is never pleased no matter what I do,” Erina uttered ruefully. But she turned obligingly towards the other mermaid with the pink and orange sunset scales, and the two kimono-clad females slowly started to swim towards home.
That’s because he believes you failed to inherit your late mother’s clairvoyance, Erina-sama, Hisako thought silently to herself. And it was imperative that Lord Azami continued to think that way, for all of their sakes. Erina-sama’s ability should never be used for the purpose of mongering power – Senzaemon-sama had already warned as much. Only grievous tragedy awaited seers who were forced down that path.
Hisako’s expression grew quietly grim with determination. She would not let her beloved mistress meet that fate. Time was running out, but Hisako had a plan, and she was not alone to execute it. She, together with the others whose lives had been touched by the kind, lonely princess, would make sure that Erina-sama’s happiness finds her…this time for sure.
She was being followed for a while now, that much was obvious. The one who was tailing her wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it, and she wondered what his deal was. 
She was not the most patient individual in the first place, so it did not take her long to reach the end of her tether. Screeching to a stop and whirling around sharply in a flare of flowing crimson fins, she quickly swam straight over to him. Her arms were akimbo, and he was so surprised by her charging approach he stilled, looking briefly like one of those startled woodland herbivores that lived in the forests around the great lake.
“Oi, you. Why are you…following…me…?” she asked, without preamble at first…and then, she just stared. She hadn’t had a good look at him earlier, but now that he was right before her... Oh.
She was very certain that they had never met before – she would have remembered a face like his otherwise. He reminded her of the moon, pale, silvery and enigmatic, and his scales glowed a brilliant white in the semi darkness of the deeper waters that they were currently in. He possessed immaculately striking features, and she had never seen any merperson with his coloring before.
And the intensity of his lavender gaze as he stared back at her…
Her indignation subsided, slowly taken over by a confusion of her senses. There was a hard jolt of recognition – or maybe it was connection – that she did not understand at all. It made no sense, this sense of familiarity that he gave off. She started to edge backwards, bewilderment clouding her delicate features; he was disorienting up close and she could not string together a coherent thought as she struggled to figure out who he was.
She wasn’t the only one afflicted with this strange condition.
Eishi’s mind went blank at her demanding question, and then the first three things that came to his mind in reply was ‘you’re breathtakingly beautiful, you make me feel things I’ve never felt before, and I want to make babies with you,’ all in that specific order. None of the three were embellishments at all, though before he could actually open his mouth and blurt out his feelings, his common sense came barreling into the picture, possibly saving him from making a complete idiot out of himself and scaring her away for good.
“I... What’s your name?” he asked her in return, trying to stall for some time to get his frazzled thoughts in order. “I’m Eishi. Tsukasa Eishi.”
“I’m Rindou.” She did not offer any last name. She also looked him up and down, promptly recognizing him for what he was. “You’re one of the nishikigoi.”
Not only that, but judging by the blinding, glittering white of his tail and fins, coupled with his striking noble features and the fine material of his yukata, he was obviously one of the rarer ones of that breed…which made him a member of the elite, then.
“…Yes, I am.” So that was her name. Rindou. The Gentian blossom. He quickly committed it to memory. It would not do for him to forget. “I’ve never seen you before, Rindou-san. Are you a citizen of Tootsuki? Where do you live?”
He was trying not to come across as too eager, but it was hard.
She frowned slightly. What was with this interrogation? “I’ve never seen you before either, and I get around. Anyway, what business have you with plain ‘ol me, koi?” 
He tried not to color at her unintentional double entendre. He did not entirely succeed – his alabaster complexion was not one that allowed him to hide his fluster easily. If anything, it enhanced the tinted hue of his cheeks, much to his chagrin. She looked at him like he was the strangest thing she had ever seen, her head cocked ever so slightly to the side. He could not help but admire her features all over again; the fine arch of her cheekbones, the slender bridge of her nose, those tilted, exotic eyes, her full, red mouth. She also possessed a sharp little pair of pearly fangs, and her incisors poked out over her bottom lip. He stared at her dazedly.
Gods, she was gorgeous.
“…There’s nothing plain about you at all,” he finally responded, and her brow shot up. His eyes widened imperceptibly when he realized his faux pas. He snapped out of it and hurriedly continued. “Our paths crossed earlier, back at the glade. You were…dancing across the fern meadow like you were light as air…I was mesmerized,” he offered…almost shyly.  
Was she dancing across anything? She could not remember. She had been doing her usual thing as always, and hadn’t really paid attention to her surroundings. Also…
“You were mesmerized…by me?” she echoed curiously, her gossamer thin caudal fins lazily fluttering back and forth to keep her from being displaced by the currents. What even was that supposed to mean?
“Yes.” He stopped, then slowly, carefully, declared his intention as boldly as he dared. “May I swim with you?”
Her mouth fell open. What was he saying?
“You’re nishikigoi,” she repeated again, the moment she recovered from her bewilderment.
His brow furrowed in concern. Did she dislike him for some reason? “Is that a bad thing?”
Was he being deliberately obtuse? Did an anchor fall on his head? Her frown deepened.
“I know your kind. And you’re not just any average ningyo; you’re one of those extra special snowflakes, aren’t you? You lot only breed amongst yourselves,” she concluded. Something about keeping the noble bloodlines pure or similar nonsense. She did not presume to understand the odd notions of the wealthy and powerful.
He didn’t think that her observations were meant to be complimentary.
“…You’re right,” he agreed quietly.
She pointed to herself.  “Exactly! I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not the same as you. You’re courting the wrong type of fish here.” Why were all the handsome ones kind of airheaded and spacey, she lamented to herself.
“No, I found the right fish. You’re very beautiful and I’ve been utterly captivated,” he told her with serious, utmost sincerity.
She stared at him. Huh?
“…You think I’m beautiful?”
“Yes.”
She stared some more. This was the first time she had been told this so honestly by someone…and he actually seemed to genuinely think it, too.
…Huh.
“You want to court me…because I’m beautiful?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation whatsoever.
“Nothing else?”
“…” He looked at her blankly, not sure what she was expecting him to say. Where he came from, there was nothing more prized than appearance, which often went hand in hand with power.
That was not the case where she was concerned, unfortunately, and she started to scowl, offended.
“What about my amazing sense of humor? What about my bright, sunny personality?” she demanded, swimming closer to him in fiery, passionate pique. “My virtuous kindness and consideration towards the young, the weak and the elderly? And my flawless hunting skills? My angelic singing? How quickly I can open up a can of whoop-ass? My ability to eat everything deliciously and cleanly?”
At the reminder of food, her stomach gave out a hungry little gurgle. Sheesh, he could have brought food as a courtship offering, if he was really serious. What was with this sea monkey. What on earth was she even supposed to do with ‘you’re very beautiful?’ Could she eat that? No!
He blinked owlishly. He had only ever been taught that courting was to be gentle, subtle, delicate, but she was so vibrant and lively and candid that he was completely caught off guard. She was definitely nothing like the other mermaids whom he was used to…and as such, he was at a loss when it came to actually figuring out what it was that she sought from him.
“…Then, you wish to be praised more…?”
“No…! I mean, you don’t know me, and I also don’t know you, Sparkly!”
“Sparkly?” Now he was the one who sounded faintly incredulous.
“Yah, ‘coz you’re all sparkly with your shiny scales and tail,” she gestured at his lower half, long and sleek and shimmering. He called her beautiful, but she was quite sure that he was the prettier one. “Sparkly.”
He was nonplussed by the nickname that she had just saddled him with. He would rather she call him koi, if she really had to give him a pet name.
“…Are we already at the stage of giving each other endearments?” he asked, hesitantly.
“Hahh??”
He made no sense to her, this merman who had just elegantly glided into her life and then bravely requested to court her. Did he even know who she was? Was this how things usually went with his kind? No wonder these nobles were all so wonky and illogical!
“…Benitsuki,” he decided then, distracting her from her thoughts. His eyes ran carefully, intently, over her scarlet hair, her graceful features.
“I’d call you Benitsuki...because you draw me to you just like the moon draws in the tides.”
She paused at his calm, earnest note of admiration, reluctantly caught in the snare of his glowing, intelligent gaze. An inexplicable shiver of awareness ran up her spine at this gentle, tender intimacy; what was this strange ability of his, that allowed him to touch her without physically doing so? Her cat-slit pupils slowly dilated, her face suddenly feeling too warm for comfort.
She found herself at a loss for words, and that triggered her instincts to execute the next most appropriate action.
She cocked her arm back, chambered a punch, and slugged him in the solar plexus.
His eyes widened.
His breath whooshed out of him; she acked a wallop and that one blow was enough to send him reeling back – she was impressively strong.
“Ow-” he wheezed in comical shock and incomprehension, still doubled over. She absently shook out her stinging hand. He was surprisingly solid…for a sparkly thing.
“This is how my people court.”
…Eh?
“You still have no idea what I am?” She tossed her head and lifted her chin, her bright, brilliantly crimson caudal fins languidly unfurling like a peacock’s tail, dazzling, iridescent. There was only one species of merpeople that displayed with such elaborate appearance.
Comprehension slowly dawned in his gaze-
“I’m a fighting fish, so if you still think you want me, then your fancy ass better be good enough to wrestle me into submission first.” 
Glossary: Ningyo - human fish, i.e. mermaid/merman/merperson Omiai - traditional, formally arranged matchmaking between a man and a woman to consider the possibility of marriage Koi - means ‘carp,’ also homophone that can mean ‘affection’ or ‘love’ Nishikigoi - brocaded carp, ornamental carp Ogon Nishikigoi - a special variety of nishikigoi that’s of one solid color only. E.g. gold, platinum-white. Benitsuki - Crimson Moon
Eishi: Ogon Nishikigoi (solid, platinum-white) Rindou: Japanese/Siamese Fighting Fish (solid, blood red, rosetail) Erina:  Ogon Nishikigoi (solid, gold) Hisako: Blood Parrot Cichlid (pink orange ombre)
A/N #03: Sometimes I wonder what happens when two ningyo of different species (and different courtship behaviors) come together, and I guess I ended up exploring that idea in this drabble. 
Koi fishes are traditionally bred for their appearances (still are), whereas Japanese/Siamese fighting fishes were once bred and prized for their fighting ability. Koi fishes court with the male swimming with/following close by their chosen female, whereas Japanese/Siamese fighting fishes show off their genetic prowess by aggressively fighting off the competition, and sometimes the females fight the males too. 
Side note: This AU willfully ignores the effects of sexual dimorphism in nature, so in other words - all ningyo genders are capable of displaying vibrant, colorful appearances, not just restricted to the males of the species. 
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icollectyoursins · 3 years
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Mer!Joseph x Reader SFW
Not gonna lie, I wrote this prompt specifically with Joseph in mind, so I just had to do this.
Joseph, your new found, fishy friend, loved to show off, but today he was just a little off his game.
SFW prompt 7: “That was-” “-Incredible? Amazing, spectacular, wonderful, jaw-dropping-” “Something."
Wanna know what I’m willing to write? Rules here!
Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!
Looking for more? Master post here!
Written for Sinn’s Mermay writing challenge found here.
WARNINGS: None, lots of dialogue and showing off.
Word Count: 1271
       A cool gust of wind blew through the sails of your small ship, pushing you forward. You looked out over the blue horizon, mottled orange and pink with the gradually setting sun. It was beautiful. You had been sailing for some time now and while you were no expert by any means, you had gotten into a routine of going out to just stare at the vast beauty every evening before the sunset.
      Okay, there was one other thing bringing you back.
      A loud, playful splash to your right startled you out of your peace. Turning around to find the source you saw the other thing hanging off the side of your boat. You had guess he made the splash and then booked it to try and spook you. Thank god you were used to it by now.
      “Heyy, (Y/N). Come back to admire these, hmm?” He trod in the water, showing off his muscles by flexing in the stereotypical hero pose that you saw so often.
      “Hi, Joseph,” you chuckled, moving to the side where he was and putting your feet in the water. Joseph was... well, a merman, but also someone that you now considered a friend, regardless of how annoying he was in the beginning. “Catch anything cool?”
      “Aaaah, the human is interested in what I’ve caught today? I’m flattered,” he swam closer to you, hopping up to sit beside you on the sailboat. “I sadly caught nothing. I did, however, fight with a swordfish. It was a ferocious battle that ended in blood in the water.”
      You laughed again. “If it was such a horrible fight, why aren’t you cut up?” His eyes opened up in shock, then he turned away, defeated. 
      “Fiine. Take the fun out of everything, why doncha?” He muttered before turning back to you. “I see you haven’t gotten tired of the sunset, huh?”
      “No. Who would ever get sick of a sunset like this every day?”
      “One person comes to mind. A certain fish-like person.”
      “Oh, really? You get sick of the sunset? Aren’t you underwater the majority of the day?” You ask sarcastically.
      “Eh. I prefer staring at something else.” He wiggles his eyebrows and throws you a wink, making you roll your eyes. “Besides, the sun’s always in the sky, I can see it whenever I want.”
      You shrugged, staring out into the ocean with a sigh. Joseph couldn’t help getting a little frustrated that your attention was on something other than him. Slowly, he lifted up his hand, carefully keeping it out of your view and then...
      “BOOP!” He tapped the end of your nose, startling you, causing him to laugh. You rolled your eyes again, used to his antics at this point. It didn’t bother you as much anymore, but you knew that he wouldn’t give up until you showed interest in him. You turned back to him with a thin smile on your face. 
      “Well?” He looks at you quizzically. “You want my attention, right? Well, you have it now. What’s up?” He seems at a loss. He didn’t think it would actually work. You sigh, eyes trailing down to his large, green and brown tail. His scales gleamed in the dimming light beautifully. You could just barely see his fins, long and thin, ending in a bulbous end, almost like a sea dragon. 
      “Your tail looks nice, did you do something different?” You ask, trying to spark conversation. He perks up, interested in the new topic change about him, no less.
       You listen to most of what he was saying, but honestly, you were too distracted by the mess of hair on top of his head. It was wet and yet, somehow was still sticking up on end. You reached a hand out to it, gently brushing your fingers through it. It was softer than you expected. Joseph stopped, shocked by the audacity of attempting to mess up his hair. Your diligent digits massaged his scalp, tracing through his messy locks making him hum. Maybe it wasn't that bad. He leans into you subconsciously, closing his eyes for a moment. 
       He suddenly pulls away, dipping himself back into the water to keep from drying out, then hopping back up. This time, he stretches out along the boat, putting his head in your lap. You scoffed at the wet spot now spreading across your thighs, but continued playing with his hair. The two of you sighed happily, your faces illuminated in a soft, orange-pink hue from the setting sun. Your hand travelled down to his jawline, gently running along it with a lazy finger. His sweet blue eyes look up at you, trailing down your features.
     "How was your day, huh?" He asked. You sigh again. 
     "Okay, I guess. Boring, did a lot of housework which is never fun. Had to check the boat over, make sure nothing was ripped. I noticed a scratch along the side; nothing too big, just annoying trying to get a paint that matches not to mention it'll have to dry. So, probably won't see me for a bit." You looked disappointed. That's when Joseph got an idea, something to cheer you up a bit. 
     "Well, I'll just have to make this visit one to remember, eh?" He laughs, rolling into the ocean and splashing you. He quickly swam to the depth he needed, then turn tail, swimming up until he burst through the water like a graceful torpedo. Then, he leaned back, sending him into a spin that he definitely had control over. Suddenly, and totally unexpectedly he loses control on his second roll, belly-flopping into the water with a painful slap. He hoped you couldn't see him curling in on himself, sore from the drop.
     Soon, he regained himself, proudly swimming to you. There was no way you would have thought that was an accident. He did that on purpose, obviously.
     "Eeeh? What did you think?" He asked, treading water enough to flex one arm. 
     “That was-” 
     “-Incredible? Amazing, spectacular, wonderful, jaw-dropping-”
     “Something." You chuckled, covering your mouth. God, what a dork. "Are you okay?"
     "Wha?! Do you think that hurt me? I am a creature of the ocean, my dear (Y/N)! There's not a thing in the-"
     "Joseph!" You couldn't stop laughing. He was too sweet. "You know you don't have to jump around like a Pantene commercial to impress me." He furrows his brows. 
     "What's Pantene? Delicious food?"
     "No, no! It's a shampoo and conditioner thing," you say with a smile. "Besides, I thought that maybe for once you could come visit me while the boat is getting painted? I could fill-up the bath so you don't get dry and show you what Pantene is. What do you think?" 
     Joseph stares at you for a minute, pretending to think about the decision, as if he hadn't made up his mind the minute you asked.
     "Fiiine. If you want me to partake in your human things, I will." You grin at him, getting up to get the boat ready as you talked.
     "Great! I can turn the boat around and you can-"
     SPLASH-THUD!
     You turn around to see Joseph lying on your boat, a cocky smile on his face. 
     "Well? Come on, we don't have all day. Show me what this uh... sail can do!"
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