#looking forward to mermay too

[ionomycin]

At the moongate, I set you free

#artists on tumblr #this was supposed to be just a simple chill piece #in between bigger illustrations #but i actually like it a lot #i've always struggled with blue #even though it's one of my favorite colors #i like the little pinky touch #that's where it's all at #creating the wlw content i want to see in the world #looking forward to mermay too #more like mergay #expect underwater sapphics

[buckets-and-trees]

Out of These Waters

Fandom: MCU Characters/Pairings: Mer!Bucky x Princess!Reader Word Count: 7.6k

Summary: Fathoms below the surface, the tales of merfolk aren't mere tales, but a reality - a society sworn to secrecy, protecting themselves from the dangers of humans. But one of them with a yearning for what's out there keeps being drawn further and further into the places he should not go. A gender-bent adaptation of The Little Mermaid to be told in two parts.

Content/Concept Warnings: liberties taken with Hans Christian Andersen and Disney source materials, pining, magic

Additional Notes: Written for the @buckybarnesevents Connect4 Alternate June-iverse to fulfill my C3 "Gender Bend" square, looping in a number of dialogue prompts for Navy and Roo's May Challenge over at @the-slumberparty (designated in bold), my second square of @buckybarnesbingo B2 "Hidden," and MERMAY (shush, I know it's coming in at the absolute last seconds before the whistle blows). Thank you @navybrat817 and @rookthorne for letting me shout at you and go on at length riddling out this plot! A/N 2: This is part one of what needed to be split into two halves of a thorough adaptation/retelling. I had NO INTENTION of doing anything mermay. But a few weeks ago mermay art started surfacing on my dash... and I was enamored. And then some of Mindy Lee's art was shared in this post, and I thought... but what if Bucky were a merman with ridiculously long, dark, flowy hair like that... And then there was this merBucky art by @haflacky, and @navybrat817 sent me this one, and, and, and... and I realized the square I had been most perplexed about how I would find something to inspire a muse for could work if I made Bucky the protagonist of The Little Mermaid. So if you've noticed that I leaned heavy into the reblogging of mermay art, NOW YOU KNOW WHY.

 “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Steve shook his head. “I can’t keep saying the same thing again and again, Buck.”

“Then don’t.”

“You know you’re supposed to guard from below, not above. The whole point of our guarding is to maintain secrecy, ensure humans never get too close.”

“Is it not better to know exactly what’s going on than to wait and react?”

Steve’s tail lashed quickly forward and back again, a further show of the frustration already written on his face. “But we both know that’s not why you sit at the surface.”

“There’s a wide balcony built into the side of the cliff the castle rests upon that’s only just above where high tide hits with a stairway that leads straight into the waters,” the words rushed quickly out of Bucky’s mouth. “It’s old. Why would they have direct access into the sea at the royal palace if not to interact with us?”

“How do you – no, I don’t want to know how you know that.” Steve planted his hands on his hips, just above where his dark blue scales spread down below his abdomen. “If I don’t know, I don’t have to lie for you. Your shoulders are darker than they should be, and your face is too sun-kissed.”

With that, he turned and began to swim away. Bucky looked at the tiny octopus resting on his left shoulder, tentacles wrapped around his bicep and stretching over his chest and back. He stroked the top of one of the tentacles and the beast slipped one of its arms underneath its body and slid out the three small trinkets Bucky had hidden there. “If humans are so bad, why do they make and collect such interesting trinkets?”

Instead of following straight after Steve, Bucky headed further west instead of south to the kingdom, and it wasn’t long before he reached a cave near the reef on the edge of the kingdom he’d discovered long ago during his patrols of the outer regions. It was in an undisturbed area on the outskirts of the underwater kingdom of Asgard, a place of complete solitude for Bucky. He shared the existence of this place with no one, using it as an escape, then a retreat, and now a regular spot to not only be away from duty and his ties to others, but also a place to keep his growing collection of human artifacts.

A cautious visit to the surface to observe humans as a point of reference was part of ritual tradition for all Asgardian merfolk as they reached the age of adulthood. Many used it for what it was – the point of reference for the life they were not a part of, knowledge of the dangers of the surface world, and were happy to have it over and done with.

Not Bucky.

He wasn’t the only one who the visit struck a chord with. Many of the merfolk found a call to join the royal guard after their visits – some out of fear to keep the sea safe, some out of a reverent respect for what lay beyond the safe border of the underwater. Others were struck by their habits – so similar to the merfolk, and yet different – and became collectors of the oddities that sometimes found their way into the sea either by shipwreck or simply being tossed overboard.

Bucky had yearned for his visit to the surface for years before it was his time, spurred on by a fascination that had sprouted from hearing about humans and the surface from his father who had served in the royal guard for many years before Bucky was old enough to join. His visit split the curiosity from a small crack to a chasm of questions and desires. He wanted to know so much more about the people he saw, how they lived, and yearned to even experience it himself.

Joining the guard and taking regular rotations of duty for protection monitoring allowed him the opportunity to breach the surface and observe as long as he was careful, and he was. As Steve had rightly surmised, today had been another of those days. He kept to every other part of the code and did not speak or interact with the humans on any level, the directive put into place by Bor Burison early in his reign, maintained throughout the entirety of Odin’s reign, and continued by his son Thor, their current king.

But it wasn’t the only reason he had joined the royal guard. Bucky was an explorer by nature, so he also took satisfaction in the standard undersea outskirt patrols, mapping and surveying different parts of the kingdom, and – most importantly – felt a deep sense of duty to the kingdom and serving the king, whom he felt a great amount of loyalty and friendship toward after growing up on the same training grounds together and fighting alongside on a few occasions.

So Bucky’s cave was more than just a place to keep the trinkets and artifacts he found during his excursions, it was a place where he could be himself, think, rest, or just be without any distraction. The alcoves held his treasures, which included some maps of his own creation on the sheaves of seaweed, and some things made for him or given to him by his younger sisters.

This place was some three or four leagues from the coast, and Bucky often saw the shadows of boats sailing above it. It was growing dark, so tonight he wouldn’t lay and look up at the passing shades. It was only his intention to stow away his new findings – a silver ring with jade stones and another instrument, either a tool or an ornament, with a thin silver shaft a little longer than the palm of his hand holding a row of teeth with more jade embedded into the smooth back of the shaft. As he studied it, running his fingers over the smooth back and the bumps of the dull teeth, wondering what purpose it could serve or if it was purely decorative, it began to collect hues of muted but colorful light. He smiled and looked up through the hole of the roof of his cave.

“The booming fire lights,” he murmured to his shoulder octopus, placing the object on a shelf, and shooting quickly up and out of his cave for the surface. Within just a few moments he was near the surface, and so he slowed abruptly, knowing it was always safest to emerge slowly into the air rather than burst forth from below, even if he did benefit from the darkness of the night sky. With the booming fire lights flying above, Bucky knew there was an even smaller chance for any humans to notice him, but his adherence over the years to very basic strategies made his venturing beyond the established boundaries sustainable.

The wind danced across his face as he emerged from the water, cool and swift, but not unpleasant. Wind was such an anomaly to him, he wouldn’t have thought it unpleasant anyway. He watched the colorful lights dancing against the intensely dark sky, seemingly darker than others he’d seen before, but his attention was drawn by something else as well. Not far off from where he was treading at the surface a large sailing ship was gliding along with loads of music and laughter spilling over the sides. Ships in this area making their way to and from the docks of the surface kingdom were frequent, but not usually at the leisurely pace and with such clearly joyful revelry. His heart swelled just a little, and he couldn’t deny the pull toward the celebration. He slunk back down just below the surface, low enough he knew the rapid movements of his tailfins wouldn’t emerge or even disturb the water and swam toward the vessel.

Bucky had seen the ship on approach earlier during his surface patrol. It’s one that usually sat in the harbor, had been gone for a few weeks, and only returning now.

A few moments after he resurfaced, just at the base where the ship met the water, the booming fire lights in the sky ceased, and a shortly thereafter the music died down. The ship was not far off from land, so Bucky assumed the crew had stopped to celebrate with the fire lights and was now starting to make final preparations to conclude their voyage, but his curiosity was not disappointed in venturing closer. Two humans were at the side of the boat conversing directly above him, one leaning a little over the railing, looking out over the waters, and their voices rang out clearly for his ears.

“The people will be proud,” a male voice said.

“I hope so,” your voice drifted down to him.

“They will,” your companion insisted. “Your first royal tour, and you were able to make tremendous diplomatic overtures in many of the kingdoms we visited. In particular, the resurgence of a more active alliance with Wakanda and opening a trade route with them – we hoped for the former, but no one expected the latter. Wakanda hasn’t traded with other countries for generations!”

“With Shuri as the new queen, she was ready to make new inroads, I just happened to be the first delegation they received.”

“I’m sure that was by design.”

“Do you think they’re using us?”

“No, your majesty, as I told you before we set out, I think they were receptive to our diplomatic overtures because as a new queen, she saw you on equal footing as a princess who will soon inherit this kingdom.”

You didn’t respond immediately, and Bucky heard you heave a heavy sigh before speaking again. “Less than a year.”

“You will be ready. You are ready. Shuri initiated the trade negotiations only after she had judged your character, your intelligence, and your tenacity – characteristics noticed by her brother T’Challa, as well.”

“Are you my Prime Minister or my match maker?” you chided.

Your companion laughed, and replied, “As your Prime Minister I do know that the people would certainly rejoice at the prospect of a royal wedding, but I don’t think there will need to be any interference on my part, Princess.”

“The people would certainly rejoice?”

“They would, and of course a happy people makes doing my job easier, but I would also rejoice. I would not have you face the prospect of the crown alone, your highness.”

“I don’t need a husband to rule.”

“No, I know that – only a moment ago I just affirmed how strong your diplomatic skills are. I only say that because I believe you deserve to have a partner to share it with – the weight of the burdens as well as joy in the successes. I’ve always been grateful for my companion in those ways, and your kingdom has benefited from their wisdom as well, for they set me straight when I need to see something differently and everyone else will tell me what I want to hear and not what I need to hear.”

You didn’t respond immediately. Bucky imagined you may have been sharing a look of some sort with your Prime Minister. “T’Challa was someone who gained my respect very quickly and,” you hesitated for a moment, “he was also perhaps someone I began to grow fond of.”

Something burned in the back of Bucky’s throat. He didn’t like hearing you speak of this Wakandan prince. He didn’t like it because your voice was not that of a stranger to him. He had heard you – only a few times but heard you all the same – when he had ventured near the palace on the cliffside, discovering that sunken balcony with steps right into the sea, and other places along that part of the shore. He assumed you were part of the royal household, but this was the first conversation he’d heard indicating you were the crown princess and due to take the throne. He wanted to know more about everything on land, but he was particularly intrigued by what he was learning about you.  

“I left with many indications that the Wakandans were interested in reciprocating a royal diplomatic visit presently, and that although Queen Shuri would be unable to leave in the near future, this was a priority moving forward to put stock in the alliance, and there is no one the Queen trusts more than her brother for matters of importance.”

“How conveniently fortuitous for your romantic hopes,” you responded, bracketing it with a soft, warm laugh.  

The wind suddenly picked up, there was a deep rumble in the air, and then the sky began to release water down on them. A storm. Bucky had encountered a storm at the surface before, but never with such a heavy pelting of water. The folk on the boat began shouting, and he could hear a bit of their hustling about above the sounds of the storm, but only just. His ears began to buzz, and there was a sharp metallic taste hitting his tongue. Bucky put his hand on the side of the ship to steady himself, starting to feel a little dizzy. The next second there was a blinding light that engulfed everything, with a sharp crack, and an even larger almost deafening crash at the end of it, and then a roaring sound unlike anything Bucky had ever heard before, followed by screaming and shouts from the ship’s crew. Bucky’s heart beat erratically for a few moments, and though the brilliant white light had disappeared, there was now a red and orange glow radiating from the front of the ship.

The splintering of wood, more shouts, and then a boom as the mast of the ship tumbled over, and then fell over the side, and into the water, Bucky just swimming out of the way in time. The whipping of the wind increased even more, bringing big waves that began to beat against the side of the ship, causing it to rock and creak.

Bucky retreated below the surface, and looked up seeing other things beginning to fall into the water, boxes, row boats, a body swathed with swirling skirts. Bucky’s body was full of adrenaline already from that wicked flash of destructive light, body feeling out of sorts, but he was horrifically transfixed on that body, waiting for the limbs to react, to move, but they didn’t.

Someone from the ship’s crew would see, they would leap in after to retrieve the displaced human.

Any second.

But what continued to appear at the surface, after another flash of light, were more object, planks of wood, and the body remained motionless, continuing to sink.

He couldn’t leave the human helpless.

Surging upwards, Bucky snaked his arm around the torso of the human, tucking it against his side, and then rushed to the surface. He looked around, scoping out the situation, but found nothing but more chaos. The human crew on the deck of the ship were distracted entirely in what was happening immediately around them, no one seeming to look over the side at all in search of a missing body because now the small boats were being cast into the water and all the crew were calling out, “Abandon ship!”

Bucly looked down at the head that had lolled back to rest on his shoulder and his heart stuttered because though it was dark and stormy and he’d never been anywhere near this close, he was certain it was you, the crown princess in his arms. Bucky groaned in distress. He was already in a compromising position, he couldn’t leave you here with little assurance that you would be rescued – certainly not without him helping you in your unconscious state – and each passing second mounted his concern over if you were even still alive. He brought a trembling hand to the side of your neck to see if he could feel a heartbeat. Do humans have heartbeats? he wondered, but assumed they must since merfolk like himself did, and humans and merfolk seemed to share near identical bodies from the waist up. Detecting a heartbeat seemed futile at this moment, tossing about in the sea, with his own hand unsteady.

Without another thought, he tightened his hold beneath your arms, swirled to face land, and franticly beat his fins to take you away from the wreckage, realizing there was nothing left to do but swim you to the shore himself.

Bucky knew the shore too well for a merman, far better than he knew ever to admit to anyone in Asgard, but his extensive familiarity meant in this instant he had no question of where he needed to go, and time was precious. Grateful for the hightide of nighttime, Bucky had to make very little effort to get the two of you up onto the balcony that lay at the bottom of the cliffs just below the palace – the very one he had spoken to Steve about only an hour before. Bucky gently shifted you onto your back on the smooth granite, cradling your head in one of his large hands. His other hand furiously brushed his long hair out of his face, then came up to your neck, seeking signs of your heartbeat again. It was faint, but he could feel it consistently pulsing under his fingertips.

Tension he didn’t realize he’d been carrying released in his chest.

You were still alive.

He’d felt dizzy with that streak of violent light, so perhaps you had been affected as well and may have also hit something in the water when you fell off the ship. He brushed his thumb softly over your cheek. “Come on, Princess, you need to wake up.”

Still unresponsive, he rubbed your cheek a little more firmly, then moved his hand down to squeeze your shoulder. He continued murmuring softly, trying to coax you back to consciousness. After a few more minutes, he finally felt you beginning to come around, noting the moment when instead of your head lying dormant in his hand, your muscles started to move and adjust. “That’s it, Princess,” he cooed.

You groaned and pressed your cheek into Bucky’s palm. His heart ached and raced, realizing the reality of his situation.

He hesitated for a split second, loathe to leave you, but he carefully eased your head onto the ground, removed his hands from you, and slipped away and back into the sea before you could see him.

As he swam as fast as he could, his heartbeat roaring in his ears, and he did not stop until he was home, only slowing to a speed that would not draw attention when he neared the outskirts of the underwater kingdom, knowing he could never even hint at his involvement in saving the life of a human. His mind raced with the enormity of what he’d done, and the only reason he slept at all that night was due to the exhaustion from maintaining such a high-speed swim over the long distance to return home.

His body was refreshed in the morning, but his mind was not. Bucky knew he had a day ahead of him filled with his duties as a royal guard, but every fiber of his being yearned to rise to the surface and seek you out – only to ensure you were safely recovering from the shipwreck ordeal.

“You’re not tricking anyone always taking the assignments to investigate new shipwrecks, patrol the outskirts, and monitor security near the surface,” Sam said as they left the command post for the guard in the golden palace of Asgard after the morning briefing and assignments.

Bucky shot him a sidelong glance. “What did Steve say to you.”

“Steve didn’t say anything to me,” Sam chuckled. “I know you, and this is becoming more frequent.”

“If someone has to take care of these responsibilities anyway, why not me?” Bucky tried to keep his tone casual, adding a shrug.

Sam didn’t respond. Bucky looked over at him.

Sam put up his hands nonchalantly. “If you say so.”

Bucky stopped and turned to face him. “Say what you feel so compelled to say.”

“I don’t think Thor will be as angry as Odin would have been about your human obsession, but he won’t be happy about it. The laws are there for a reason. You know that.”

Bucky shook his head in irritation. “I’m not in any danger.”

“I’m not scolding you, Buck, but Odin would have had your fins nailed to the floor.”

The little octopus on Bucky’s shoulder squirmed. Bucky stroked it soothingly. “Thor’s not Odin, but no one is going to tell Thor anything because there’s nothing to tell.”

“Just be careful.”

“You also volunteered to mapping part of the uncharted reef with me today,” Bucky reminded him.

“Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t get lost or lose track of time,” he said with a grin.

Bucky laughed. “Come on then, morning light is best for scoping out the reef.”

The day was spent adding to the empty edges of the map of the reef. Thor had commissioned further exploration and completion of the maps of their land and the surrounding seas, placing great importance on better knowing the kingdom and her neighbors. Scratching the new lines and shadings into the sheaves of seaweed brought its own sense of satisfaction, and it did fill his mind for the day and distract him for the most part. He returned to Asgard with Sam at the end of the day, no detours. He ate with other members of the guard before returning home. He slept, but then he woke before dawn, leaving in the darkness, and began swimming to the shore. Would you be at the seaside balcony at the crack of dawn? He didn’t expect so, but he would scope it out all the same, and he was sure if he did not see you he could safely sneak to the port docks and hear news of you – now that he knew you were the crown princess, any word regarding the return of a royal after a shipwreck and her wellbeing would be the gossip of the morning.

Merfolk and humans were no different in that way, Bucky thought with a smirk.

The sun was only just sending its rays over the edge of the horizon when he reached the shore. You were not at the seaside balcony of the palace, and he only lingered for a few minutes, eyes fixed on the spot where he’d held your face in his hands.

Two mornings after the shipwreck, the docks at the port were still busier than Bucky normally saw them. He had to stay further below and only came up to the surface twice, but that was all he needed to hear that the people’s princess was recovering without anything more than a nasty bump to the head and exhaustion.

He swam past and surfaced near the balcony again before heading back for another day of Asgardian life and duties. You weren’t there, of course.

But that night, you were.

He watched you watch the stars until you retired for the night.

Three mornings later Bucky was off for the day, so he ventured back to the shoreline mid-morning, hoping he would catch you at some point during the day. He had encountered you there a few times after all.

And you did not disappoint.

You sat on the top step that led from the balcony down into the water, pulled up your skirts, and began loosening the laces of your shoes. Soon you had them off along with whatever fabric was covering your feet beneath the shoes – he wondered what those were called. They looked delicate. Then you scooted down to sit a few steps lower, letting your feet dangle in the sea. Bucky dipped far below the surface and swam closer to the wall of the cliff. When he came up again, he slipped up onto an outcropping of rocks out of your view, leaning his bare back against the cliff face. He was only meters away from where you were still sitting. He could hear you idly raising and lowering your feet out of the waters as it was a very calm day for the tide.

After a long while, he heard you sigh. “Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I know I didn’t make it up. You aren’t a miracle or a myth, you’re proof the merfolk aren’t extinct and that they’re not dangerous.”

Bucky’s heart leapt into his throat. He thought he’d been silent or quiet enough with the other sounds of the sea.

“You’re out there somewhere. I’ll find you.”

He did not move until he heard you leave, then he slipped into the deep blue, a rushing in his ears, heart pounding, resolved to keep his distance.

Only that resolve didn’t last long. He was drawn to you as much as he was to everything above water, and within a week he was back, but he came at the end of the day. You weren’t there, but he hoisted himself back up on the same outcropping of rock at the base of the cliff near but still out of view of the steps. The view of the sunset was stunning, steeped with deep reds and oranges, and sitting there taking in the sight you might have been able to see was enough.

And better.

This was safe.

Then he heard the faint sound of voices far off, steadily growing, then footsteps descending on the stairs. Two sets of footsteps, and then finally he could make out the voices, recognizing both – yours and that of your Prime Minister.

“Everything is ready to receive the royal envoy. Prince T’Challa sent this letter ahead for you.”

“Oh.”

Bucky registered a hint of something in your voice even in just that simple sound alone that pricked at him.

“Oh,” your tone was even warmer.

“A good letter?”

“That is not really your business, Prime Minister,” you laughed, and he chuckled.

“A royal alliance in absolutely my business,” he said, though the Prime Minister’s tone was clearly in jest, ultimately content in deferring to your rank and privacy.

“I will say it is certainly a letter anyone could be fond of,” you offered in a gentle voice.

That consumed Bucky immediately. He didn’t want this prince to lay claim to your heart and draw this kind of affection from you. He wanted that chance. His tail twitched with his impatience, splashing up some water. Bucky instantly stilled, pressing back against the cliff face.

But neither of you seemed not to notice.

The conversation turned to more business about the visit, and Bucky continued to listen, wanting to hear your voice, but none of the words registered in his head.

After a while, Bucky realized the voices had stopped, but he had no idea when that had happened. The sun had disappeared completely, the celestial bodies of the night sky had come out and were shining brightly against the darkness. The position of the moon indicated it must be near midnight. Bucky groaned, his shoulders and back a little stiff after sitting so long in one attitude against the rocks. You must have gone away and to sleep ages ago, and he ought to follow suit. He pushed up and off the perch, making a small dive into the sea to return home.

What he did not know was that you had stayed long after dismissing the Prime Minister, watching the sky until the very last rays of the sunset, but as you were about to retire had heard the twitching of fins against the water close at hand and out of curiosity climbed down the steps to the water’s edge to investigate. You had seen only the end of a set of large, shimmering black and gold fins and the lower part of a black-scaled tail. Your breath had stopped, and you’d had to stifle your sound of shock. You hadn’t dared to get to the bottom of the steps and look around the edge, certain that if it was one of the merfolk you’d heard the myths of your whole life that they would retreat immediately if they knew you’d seen them, but you had moved as far to the other end of the balcony as you could to see more of that glorious tail – but still not revealing much more to your view – and waited.

And all your patience had been rewarded when you saw the arms, head, shoulders, and torso of a man dive into the water, magnificent black and gold tail with intricate and powerful fins following him in all his glory.

Now you knew they still existed.

No, Bucky knew none of that.

Bucky’s mind is singularly fixed on all the things he can’t have – things he’s wondered about since hearing about the human surface world as a merchild, things he saw during his observatory rite of passage visit when he turned sixteen, things he’s seen over the years since then through his own exploration above and below the surface, and the everything just out of his reach now with you. He goes first to his grotto, and here the number of things he’s collected from the human world far surpass the number of things he knows about you, but he can’t deny the draw he feels. His chest aches, and yet he’s forbidden from doing anything – if there even were anything he could do.

Being among the relics of the human world only serves to agitate him more, and so he leaves and makes his way to his home cavern in the city of Asgard. Sleep is impossible. He swims short, agitated lengths back and forth within his humble dwelling.

He has a few relics here, too, but these are things passed down from his parents, including his grandfather’s combat spear. The royal armory holds weapons and all manner of protective outfitting for his majesty’s armies, but long past are the days when the kingdom issued gear to every soldier and officer. Many under the early days of Odin’s reign were issued personal pieces as a standard, but that ebbed away as the need and dangers faded or were conquered. The height of need had been in the early days of Bor Burison’s reign – Bor who had enacted the stringent regulations against fraternizing with the humans or spending any significant amount of time at the surface.

Bucky had naturally collected many pieces of the history of their people in relation to the humans, but he had never visited the royal archives. He’d always made at least a modicum of effort to keep his interest in everything looking exactly like that – an interest and not an obsession – and a visit to the archives to read and study the records of their interactions with the humans would not be seen as an idle interest.

Now he didn’t care. He needed to know everything; perception be damned.

He swam off some of his anxious energy making laps around the borders of the city surrounding the palace until dawn when the elders would open the archives. It was a collection that spanned art, statues, treasures, and artifacts, in addition to the records of the merfolk of Asgard. Some of their history had been created in murals along the walls of this hall, but there were also panes of etched glass and titanium for important long-term records, as well as various scrolls and sheaves of tough seaweed for maps and other documents. One of the elders pointed him to the area most applicable to their past dealings with the humans, and he started from the most recent records and started to make his way back through Asgard’s history. Bucky collection of events even more complex than he’d known began to coalesce as he combed through the accounts of things that played out over a few years, ending in a bloody battle between Buri – Thor’s great-grandfather – and the human king and his navy with many lives lost on both sides, including Buri, leading to Bor’s untimely ascension to the crown at an age earlier than anyone expected, and Bor instituting all the laws, principles, and practices to eliminate any contact with the surface world, deeming too much had been lost and that humans had become too dangerous to continue any dealings whatsoever if they wanted to keep the people of Asgard safe.

But Buri’s had inherited peaceful ties – positive ties even – with the folk on land, ties that had been forged by his father and grandfather before him. To say this was intriguing to Bucky would be an understatement. These ties were entwined with the selkies of Jotunheim.

Odin had beat back the selkies from their waters.

All except one.

Bucky knew of a selkie still in existence.

Exiled, but Bucky was fairly sure he knew where he could find the long-forgotten adopted brother of Thor, rumored now to be the warlock of the seven seas.

Bucky was questing for information, for answers, but tales of the things the former prince who had embraced his magic had done since leaving the gleaming halls of Asgard were whispered, and Bucky began to wonder if perhaps he could get more than he set out for by paying him a visit.

He need not have worried about finding him. As one of the pre-eminent cartographers on the royal guard, Bucky knew where to begin his search, but once he got to that point on the fringes, there seemed to be a myriad of elements to point him straight to Loki’s dark cavern.

There must have been enchantments to alert the sea warlock of his approach because Loki was waiting for him at the entrance to his lair. Bucky took in the sight of him as he drew near. Odin had invoked powers to conceal Loki’s true nature as a selkie and disguised him as a merman when he brought the infant into the royal family, and though Loki’s rebellion came during the early years of Bucky’s service in the king’s guard, Bucky had never seen him in his true form.

He was not that different from what Bucky had known him as before. The marked difference was that instead of scales and fins, his lower half was covered in the pelt of a seal, still beautiful and shiny in its own way, but with flippers instead of fins, and it was a skin that he could shed – for legs above ground. That and his flesh skin seemed sallow, but his eyes were still sharp.

“James, after all this time, and now you come to visit me,” he crooned. “You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.”

Bucky furrowed his brow, not anticipating this direct nature, and he was wary of what it meant.

In Bucky’s half-second of hesitation to answer, Loki’s face took on a dark grin and he continued his overture. “For that’s why you are here, is it not? No social calls on your part since I left the palace – not that we were particularly close. I didn’t expect overtures of our continued acquaintance since leaving Asgard, but seeing you swim into my waters at any point was certainly not something I ever predicted would happen.”

Bucky hovered near, but not within reach of the warlock. “It’s true I come to you with particular needs, but I harbor no bad blood for the past.”

Loki nodded, then turned and swam inside, calling, “Come in,” over his shoulder.

Bucky followed.

The circumstances surrounding the final confrontation that took place between Thor, Odin, and Loki during the latter’s rebellion were not public knowledge, and though Odin died that same day, Loki’s departure from the kingdom was a self-exile, and Thor and the then Queen Frigga maintained that Odin did not die at Loki’s hand and forbade anyone pursue the fallen prince. Thor had assumed the throne, Loki had wandered in mystery, as yet not returning to his once-home, and had settled now in this place.

They swam through a tunnel toward a faint glow ahead. Something continually reached out, whisping across Bucky’s skin as they passed, and he was unsure if it was plant or creature, but he had the distinct impression these were sentient and intentional touches. Bucky was forced to endure at the pace at which Loki progressed ahead of him.

They emerged into a massive cavern aglow with filtered light streaming in through gaps in the ceiling and glowing plants that cropped up in patches along the walls. One of the cavern’s faces was riddled with nooks and alcoves that were packed with bottles, pots, artifacts, tools, supplies – it was all an eerie collection Bucky imagined had been clearly amassed with meticulous obsession, knowing the habits of being a collector himself. Each spot his eyes darted to held both familiar and unfamiliar items.

Loki stopped, floating near the middle of the lair, and Bucky followed suit. The selkie swirled languidly around to look at him, and though his posture appeared relaxed, Bucky could see the true scrutiny in his eyes.

He kept the silence, eagerly sowing the anticipation, before he spoke again. “Know that I entertain you only for the sake of my own curiosity.”

Ah, he understood, at least I know the approach. He opened his mouth, ready to unfold his explanation, but Loki abruptly raised his hand, and Bucky thought it was only to stop him, but then something entwined both of his arms out of nowhere, gripping him and drawing him nearly chest to chest with the warlock.

“No, no. this will be more satisfying for me than your words,” Loki said, then put his nimble fingers to Bucky’s temples, and closed his eyes.

Bucky winced as almost immediately he wasn’t in physical pain, but he swore he could practically feel Loki sifting through his head, extracting what he wanted from the memories that flashed rapidly across his mind – Steve, maps, the records, conversations with his father, pieces of his artefact collection, his trips to the surface, the shipwreck, and you. So many thoughts of you. Bucky tried not to move, not wanting to show any weakness.

“Mmm, I see,” he said, finally releasing him both from his own touch and from the grip of the enchanted seaweed.

Bucky was only too glad that Loki retreated. It was only a meter, but any inch of distance was relished after feeling so exposed. There was no taking back the flashes, but at least most of the concentration had been on the human things, a few moments of you, but not every memory he had of you.

He let the quiet permeate the space between them again. Then he turned around, a smile on his face, and it was nothing but unsettling, too relaxed for Bucky’s liking.

He knew he was being toyed with, but he had to play whatever game Loki was setting up.

Finally, he spoke again. “Clearly the way to get what you want is to become a human yourself.”

“And you can do that?”

“I fortunately knew a little magic, and my talent and knowledge have only grown in my exile, so I could, but what in the vast ocean is in this for me?”

“The challenge,” Bucky responded, employing a slight incline of his chin – a tactic he had used with others to inspire or sway them over the years.

“Oh, but I want more than that, and so do you, you want this with everything in your soul.”

Bucky could feel how much Loki was enjoying this. Loki literally had the power, but that put him in a position that Bucky still knew he could use in this game.

“Here’s my offer: you’ll get your legs, you’ll be able to breathe on land – so not under the sea – and by the time the sun sets on the third day, if you haven’t procured true love’s kiss –“

“True love’s kiss?” Bucky interjected.

“But, of course! That’s what you want anyway, is it not?”

The smirk on his face riled Bucky even more, but he was determined to appear as unaffected as he could, even though he knew they both knew Bucky was keyed up to great heights.

“Yes, you are intrigued by the life on land, but you’re here because you want the heart of that princess.” Loki pauses and tilts his head, demanding the admission.

Bucky nodded.

That kindled a spark of something more in Loki’s eye.

“You said I have until sunset on the third day. What happens if I don’t succeed by then?”

Loki shrugged. “You turn back into a merman and you serve me for thirteen years.”

Bucky blinked before responding. He thought he would say for life, but only thirteen years?

Loki chuckled. “I know exactly what you’re thinking, but I may not want you longer than that. Now, if you succeed, you remain a human and live a human life up there with your beloved princess for the rest of your days,” he concludes, almost bored by the end.

“No interference from you in the future?”

Loki waved his hand as he replies, “No interference from me. But,” and his tone switched, fully engaged again, “we haven’t discussed the matter of payment.”

“You can have any of my gold or treasures.”

“I have enough of my own. I want something more unique. I’m not asking for much, just a token really, a trifle.

He paused.

“What I want from you is your voice.”

“My voice?” Bucky’s mind worked quickly, trying to work out what he was missing if he agred to give up his voice. Aside from the logistical inconvenience and disadvantage it would present on his part, he can’t imagine what Loki would gain by having it – it seemed to be an eccentric choice.

“Your voice.”

Why ask for that? Bucky’s eyes narrowed a fraction. Clearly it was something to further taunt Bucky and entertain Loki.

Then Loki unexpectedly seemed to soften, relaxing his posture. “I understand perhaps more than you anticipated. I empathize with your unrest, the way you yearn to know a part of you that’s been denied.”

They didn’t have the same circumstances, but Bucky sees where they could draw parallels with each other.

“What you’re asking would enormously alter your destiny. Your voice is almost nothing if what you truly want is to become human and live out your days with that princess your soul longs for.”

Those words were spoken without flair. Bucky only needed to agree to get what he wanted – he couldn’t have crafted a better scenario considering what any of the alternatives could have been. It was a bizarre barter – his voice for a chance at life out of these waters – but it did seem to fit the weight of what he was being offered.

“Now, do you agree to the terms?”

“I agree.”

Loki’s wide smile reappeared, and he turned away to fetch and summon different items from his wall of endless supplies, and soon there was a round glass jar between them, just larger than the size of a head with a small spout meant for pouring things in and out. Vials, jars, and some loose elements hovered near Loki’s shoulders, and he waved his hand twice in a circular motion beneath the glass jar. The water there continued to stir, and Bucky could feel the warmth it generated. Loki began to add ingredients into the spout, and they swirled in the orb. Loki murmured a few short incantations, and there were cracks and rumblings from the concoction.

“Put your palms against the glass and hum until you can’t hum anymore,” Loki instructed.

It was yet another peculiarity, but Bucky didn’t question. He placed both hands as indicated and started to hum. He could feel the heat immediately, and as he continued to hum, he could sense the exchange as his voice was drawn continuously from the depths of his chest and magic slithered through his veins. Once he felt it seep into every inch of him, the energy surged suddenly. His throat seized, there was a searing pain through his lower half, and he wanted to withdraw his hands to clutch at his neck, to kick away, but whatever magic was brewing prevented him from pulling back at all. His chest tightened painfully. There was a flash of light that rivaled the violent flash in the sky that struck the ship the night of the shipwreck, the searing pain burst in his tail, and then all at once he was released.

The discombobulation was overwhelming. His powerful tail and fins were gone, and he realized how unsuited for this setting he was, the new limbs altogether inadequate, and his lungs were desperate for air. He kicked and surged upward, but he’d even lost the slight webbing between his fingers that had helped him glide more quickly through the water.

Loki’s laughter followed him as he made his escape from the depths of the sea.

The octopus companion that had peculiarly clung to his shoulder on one chance expedition and rarely let go unfurled itself and diligently aided Bucky in swimming to reach the surface where he burst into the air, gulping in lungful’s of air. It was crisp and immediately quenched all of the dread and desperation that had filled his being.

Then the next breaths soothed and then invigorated him. He laughed with relief.

Only there was no sound.

For he had no voice.

to be continued...

A/N 3: SHUT UP, YOU GET A THIRD AND FINAL NOTE FROM ME TO YOU! This - clearly - is part one of two. I dove DEEP into this (shush, puns) and to tell the story I know I will feel satisfied with in the end, I got to this point and joked that maybe I should just stop here - who needs to resolve any plots, he got his legs, right? - but then the joke became the option I genuinely liked because I was getting overwhelmed by how this story had grown. And so, dear readers, keep a weather eye on the horizon for merBucky to reappear with the tide.

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #merbucky #bucky barnes x reader #mermay #bucky barnes x female reader #navy and roo's sleepover #buckybarnesbingo2023 #bbb2023 #connect4au #female reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x yn #bucky barnes x y/n #mer!bucky #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x reader

[stellamancer]

pairing: fem!reader x merman!satoru gojo

summary: you were excited to return home for the summer, but all that excitement is quickly thrown out the window and you nearly resign yourself to a quiet and lonely summer.

the insufferable merman you rescued, however, has other plans.

contents: degrees of social anxiety from the reader, fem!reader (no pronouns used, reader is referred to as physically smaller than gojo) 

notes: uh. this was written for the teahouse mermay collab! but, uh, gonna probably spend the summer writing this because somehow plot happened. will happen. this work will end up being a roommates to friends to maybe lovers fic so please look forward to it. uh. not sure what else to say. i usually don’t post multi-part fics to tumblr, but since i don’t expect this fic to get too long i figured it would be okay this time around lmao. i expect to eat my words. anyway this fic can also be found on ao3!  

word count: 4.3k

masterlist 

It’s the first time you’ve been home in a while, and honestly speaking, you don’t know how you feel about it.

At first, you were excited. As much as you enjoyed city life in Tokyo, you still missed your little seaside hometown. It was your parents’ idea to come home to visit, not so much because they missed you too, but because they wanted you to watch the house while they went on a summer long trek across Europe. As luck would have it, the time of their departure coincided with the expiration of your apartment’s lease. With no intent on renewing it, you figured you might as well return home for the summer and save a little bit on rent before moving into your new place.

Once your plans were settled, you’d texted your best friend, Minori, to let her know you were coming back, but… there was something a little off about her response. It’s not like you were expecting her to drop everything at the news of your homecoming, but you thought she’d at least be a little more excited. It did bother you a bit, but you merely chalked it up to being absolutely horrendous about keeping in touch while you were away. You’re almost positive that once you see each other it’ll be like you never even left.

Besides, if she really felt that awkward about seeing you, then she wouldn’t have agreed to hang out tomorrow.

Nor would she have forgotten to mention that there was a big hangout thing that was happening at the beach tonight.

Probably anyway.

It’d been one of your old high school classmates Kyohei Shinomiya who had mentioned the beach thing. You’d run into him working at the grocery store and while you really wouldn’t have considered Shinomiya a close friend, you were acquainted enough to chat amicably as he rang up your things. Most people you’d run into upon your return had asked about your life in Tokyo, but Shinomiya was oddly excited to hear about it. You’d gotten the feeling that not much had changed in your absence— but was the city really all that interesting? Shinomiya looked almost disappointed when all your things were bagged up, his face twisted almost as if he was debating something serious. Just as you were about to walk out the door he spoke up, and you realized that was what he’d been contemplating on all along.

“Are you gonna be at the hangout tonight?”

You’d tilted your head in confusion. “Hangout?”

“Yeah! On the beach at sunset!” He’d answered, his enthusiasm renewed. “If… if you’re not doing anything, then you should totally come by! Everyone from high school will be there!”

You’d immediately thought of Minori. She hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort. Had it slipped her mind? Or maybe she forgot? Either way, with no one waiting for you at home, and no other plans to speak of, your night was woefully free.

So, of course you showed up.

Shinomiya hadn’t been kidding when he said that everyone from high school would be here. You recognize basically every person on some level— not just people in your own year, but upperclassmen and underclassmen as well. Some of them recognize you too, a few of them even stop to chat a little, politely asking where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to, just like everyone else. Once you’ve made a lap around the group, you awkwardly park yourself near the barbeque where one of the upperclassmen is grilling skewers for everyone, unsure of where else to go.

Of all the people you’ve seen, Minori is not among them. Is it possible that maybe she wasn’t invited? You’ve seen some of her other friends here, though, so it wouldn’t make sense to leave her out. You start to reach for your phone to message her to ask if she knows, if she’s coming. Given how Shinomiya invited you, in the odd case she didn’t know, it probably wouldn’t be a problem if she showed up.

Probably.

Just as you start typing, you hear someone nearby yell. “About time you showed up! You’re late!”

You happen to look up to see who this latecomer is and it’s… Minori. But she’s not alone; at her side is someone else you recognize instantly: Hayato Tsuji. It’s been a while since you last saw him, but your heart stutters at the sight, your body remembering the feelings you harbored for him in your high school years. He’s grown even more handsome now; his features sharper and more mature now than when you were teenagers. Something about the two of them together nags at your mind, but you push the thought to the side, more relieved to see your friend here than anything.

Minori’s gaze moves from the person who called out to her, scanning the area before finally landing on you. There’s no missing the way her eyes widen in clear and obvious surprise, making it apparent that not telling you about this whole thing was a conscious choice on her part.

Still, she makes her way over to you, smiling sheepishly. her eyes now avoiding yours. “Hey! Didn’t expect to see you here."

"Shinomiya invited me," you explain almost flatly.

Minori hums as if you've said something very interesting. "Is that so…?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought you'd be doing something with your parents tonight," she offers, the reason of why she didn't tell you about this hangout threaded between her words.

"No, they left this morning."

"Oh."

You could have sworn you told her that, but maybe she got the day wrong or something. It’s no big deal; Minori was probably just trying to be considerate since it’s been a while since you’ve seen your parents, but still something feels… off. It’s fine. A little awkwardness is to be expected, you tell yourself.

“Minori!” Someone else calls and she whips her head around toward the voice to see who it is. You recognize it as one of her other friends, waving wildly to get her attention. Minori glances back at you, looking a little unsure.

“It’s fine,” you say, smiling, though it feels hollow. “We can catch up later. We’re hanging out tomorrow, aren’t we?”

She stares at you, the hesitation still flickering in her eyes before nodding. “Yeah.”

You wave her off as she heads toward the person calling her and you don’t miss how her expression looks considerably lighter as she walks off. Sighing, you turn back to the barbeque, thinking to busy yourself with some food. Will it be like that tomorrow? Awkward? Weird?

You shake your head. It’ll be fine.

“Skewer?” the upperclassman manning the grill offers you one, and though you thought to occupy your anxious hands by eating you find that you actually don’t feel all that hungry.

“No thanks,” you tell him, smiling apologetically. He doesn’t seem to take any offense, though, and nods. You move away from the barbeque so that you’re not in the way of anyone who might actually want to eat, but once again you’re not sure where to go. You feel like finding Minori again is out of the question, the earlier weirdness repelling you. Maybe Shinomiya then?

You make your way around and spot Shinomiya joking with some underclassmen, laughing jovially. Should you approach? You don’t want to interrupt anything though, so you lurk off to the side, teetering back and forth on your feet. Maybe you can come back later when there’s a lull in the conversation or something.

The only other person you can think of seeking out is… Hayato. Your heart skips a beat at the thought. You can’t say you’re friends but you’d talked a few times in high school, even worked on a few group projects together. It wouldn’t be all that weird to say hi, would it?

You look around again, your eyes straining to pick him out in the crowd. While you look, your thoughts get ahead of you. He was just a high school crush, but wouldn’t it just be something, if you guys ended up talking and it just… picked up from there? Reconnecting with something akin to an old flame and things developing into something more over the course of one fateful summer… You’re sure you’ve read a story like that somewhere before and the sheer possibility of fiction becoming reality makes your heartbeat accelerate in your chest.

When you find Hayato, your entire body goes still, nerves seizing control of your motor functions. It's fine, it's cool, you try to tell yourself. You are just saying hi. You can do that. You can say hi.

And if it goes beyond that… you’ll figure it out later.

You take a deep breath and take a step forward toward Hayato, then another, then… You stop short— breath catching in your chest when you notice, when you see.  

There's someone standing next to Hayato, leaning intimately into him while his arm slung snuggly over their shoulder. You know them— recognize them, because there's no way you wouldn't. There's no way you wouldn't recognize your best friend.

It shouldn't surprise you, it really shouldn't . After all, they showed up here together, you saw them show up together and yet…

You feel absolutely gutted. Questions race through your mind. How long has Minori liked Hayato? Why didn’t she tell you? Are they dating already? For how long? Why didn’t she tell you?

Why didn’t she tell you?

Minori says something to whoever she’s talking to and laughs. Hayato leans his head down to whisper something in her ear and she blushes and swats at him, embarrassed, but still with a fond smile plastered to her face. You feel like you’re a whole world away— an outsider peering in. The contents of your stomach are flipping like they’re competing in the Olympics and you realize that you’re very, very glad you didn’t accept that skewer.

Eventually, you turn away, even though you really just want to walk over there and find out for yourself what exactly is going on. The last thing you want is to start a scene though. You can just ask Minori what’s going on tomorrow; find out if this is why she’s been acting weird. She knew you had a crush on Hayato, and even though he’s still really handsome now, that was in high school. If they're dating now, it’s not like you’d hold it against her.

You start to walk off, but you bump into someone instead.

“Oh hey!”

It’s Shinomiya.

You look at him and catch his expression shift, from a smile to something of a concerned frown.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Oh, uh.” Your shock must show on your face. You try to smile, but it feels far too strained to be convincing. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He doesn’t believe you.

“I’m, uh… gonna… go over there.” You feel so awkward that you want to disintegrate.

Shinomiya’s mouth opens slightly, brows furrowed, looking like he’s struggling to say something. “...do you want me to come with?”

You laugh in an attempt to alleviate his concern, but the sound is mechanical, fake. “Nah, I’m fine.”

Shinomiya doesn’t seem convinced, his mouth set in a frown. His expression is contemplative again, like it was when you were at the store. You take a step back, away from him and wave him off a little.

“Really,” you say, before whatever he’s thinking about just spews out of his mouth. “Just… gonna take a little walk. The... smoke from the barbeque is getting to me.”

It sounds like an excuse, but it seems reasonable enough you think. Shinomiya still seems doubtful, but he doesn’t press the issue as you take another step away from him. You give him one more smile, this one feeling  a little more natural, to reassure him that you’re fine.

Because you are.

No one else seems to notice as you slip away from the group, heading toward the shoreline. The tide ebbs back and forth, the water coming up to gently lap at the soles of your shoes. You stare out at the sea, the sun nearly set over the horizon, dyeing the sky in oranges and purples. Some of the people at the hangout are probably setting up a bonfire or two so that the get together can continue into the night. You could probably go help out to keep your hands busy, but you don’t particularly feel like it.

Instead, you continue walking down the beach, further away from the chatter of all the people you grew up with, their conversations sounding more and more like a foreign language with each step. Even when you were younger, when you still lived here, you could never slot yourself perfectly among your peers. Minori was the only one who really felt like a friend to you, so her silence weighs heavy on your heart. If you had done a better job at keeping in touch with her, then would she have been more forthcoming about what was going on in her life? At the same time, it’s not like she was any better at keeping in contact with you, but…

You sigh. You’ll talk to her tomorrow. There’s no need to keep mulling over it now.

The sun has completely set now and you realize you’ve actually walked quite a distance from the hangout spot on the beach; you can’t even see anyone anymore. In fact, you’re actually probably only a few minutes from your parent’s house now, their home almost practically on the beach itself. You’re just better off going home, rather than going back. It does feel a little bit bad to have left without saying anything though, so you pull out your phone and send off a quick message to Shinomiya apologizing for leaving without saying anything and thanking him for inviting you in the first place.

You turn, with the intent of heading home, but something on the beach catches your eye.

Something unnaturally shiny.

People are generally pretty good about picking up their trash when they’re on the beach; it's a rule, after all. Sometimes, though, there are some people who forget, or just don’t care. As you approach, you figure whoever left this mound of garbage on the shore is part of the latter group, simply not caring enough to pick up after themselves.

But someone cared enough to cover it up in sand and seaweed.

You lean over, prepared to dig out whatever can and other trash has been buried when you notice, when you see.

It’s not a beer can that’s half buried here.

It’s some kind of fish and it’s huge.

You’ve heard of the very, very rare instances of beached whales, but this thing has scales, shiny, pretty iridescent scales that remind you of opals and you wonder distantly if there’s a fish this big, this pretty, really out there. More than that, though, you wonder how in the world it ended up on the beach like this. When you’ve finally cleared everything away, you realize that this thing isn’t a fish.

It’s a person.  

Or half of one at least.

You gawk at the sight, your eyes traveling down the length of their body. From the waist down, they’re all fish, tail and fins and all, but from the waist up they look like a man, with arms, and a torso and a human head.

Merman.

The word echoes in your mind over and over. You shake your head. This has to be a dream. There’s no way. Merpeople aren’t real. If they were, surely there’d be some kind of record or something of them.

You raise a trembling hand, to confirm what you see with your own two eyes. Very, very quietly, you murmur an apology as your fingers reach out, brushing against this being’s waist, where their human skin meets their fish-like scales. Maybe it’s some kind of… swimsuit or something. You’ve seen stuff like that on TV. If that’s the case there should be some kind of waistband or something, but you find none. The junction between their human half and fish half is completely seamless.

The merman is real.

You gasp softly and look around. It’s only the two of you on the beach right now. What do you do? Should you just leave him here? In a few hours the tide will be high enough to pull the merman back into the water, but… what if someone comes between now and then? If they realize it’s a merman, there’s no guarantee that they’ll let him return to the sea. He could be sold off as a research subject or some kind of exotic pet. The thought disgusts you. Shouldn’t you put him back then? Make sure that he returns to where he belongs? He seems to be unconscious though, but surely he can breathe underwater while sleeping, right? You have absolutely no idea how it works.

The merman groans beneath you and you look back at him. His face is scrunched up like he’s in some kind of pain. Is he hurt, maybe? Is that how he ended up on the beach? Using your phone’s flashlight, you check his body, trying to find some kind of injury, but you don’t find anything. Could he be sick or something then?

You reach up toward his head, brushing some of the snow white hair sticking to his forehead out of the way before you press the back of your hand to his skin. It’s slightly warm to the touch, so he probably doesn’t have a fever.

Wait. Can merfolk even get fevers?

Is he maybe having a bad dream then? Or is he uncomfortable? You don’t know. You could try to wake him up, but if he’s in pain wouldn’t that make it worse?

The panic is starting to settle in your nerves. What do you do? You've never encountered anything like this before. Do you attend to him as if he were an animal? Or as if he were human? You start to reach for your phone to call someone for help, for advice but—

Who could you possibly call?

Your parents are on an airplane right now, hundreds of kilometers in the air and out of reach. You couldn’t possibly bother Shinomiya with this and Minori— The image of her laughing amongst her other friends, Hayato snuggling up next to her flashes in your mind, sudden and almost disorienting. Something ugly and frustrating wells up in your stomach at the thought but you do your best to dismiss it.

You can’t bother her with this either.

You’re all you’ve got right now.

With that thought in mind, you force yourself to take a deep, deep breath. Before you can do anything else, you need to calm down. Once the anxiety has dislodged itself from your chest, you go over the options once more. You can’t leave him here because someone else with far worse intentions than you might find him. You can’t toss him back in the ocean because there’s no guarantee that he’ll be okay if you do that. Then what else can you do?

Take him somewhere else? You glance down at the merman; his body is longer than you are tall and you’re sure that he probably weighs a ton. You wouldn’t be able to take him very far on your own, so if you take him somewhere it has to be close.

A lightbulb goes off in your head. It seems kind of crazy, but you could take him home; a year or two ago your parents renovated the bathroom so now the tub is disgustingly huge. You think it’s big enough to house this monster of a merman until you can ensure that you can return him to the sea without the fear that he might get eaten by a shark or something.

Now the question is… how do you transport him? If you had a wheelbarrow or some kind of cart then you could put him in it and just wheel him to your parents house, but…

A particularly large wave crashes against the beach and another lightbulb goes off. Your father has a really big longboard he used to use when he was a teen. Maybe you could roll the merman onto it and pull it kind of like a sled?

The idea sounds absolutely insane, but you can’t think of anything else. If it doesn’t work… Well, you’ll figure it out later.

“I’ll be right back,” you tell the sleeping merman before bolting off toward your parents’ house. You get there in almost no time flat and easily locate the longboard, tucked away in a storage room. The board’s leg rope probably won’t be able to support the merman’s weight so you grab some regular rope your father has in the storage and wedge it in with the leg rope, using it to secure the rope to the board. When you’re satisfied with it, you dash back to the beach.

The merman is luckily where you left him, unconscious and undisturbed. You toss the longboard onto the sand next to him, shoving it as close to him as you can before bending over and rolling him face up onto the board, taking great care to make sure his entire tail is on.

Like this you’re able to get a better look at his face and— he’s handsome, breathtakingly so. The sharpness of his jaw, the angle of his nose, the width of his shoulders, his collarbone, the sight of them all assembled together like this ups your pulse a bit.

You’re getting distracted.

With the merman in place, you grab the rope and start to tug your makeshift sled toward your parents’ house but, god, he’s heavy. You don’t get very far before you stop to take a break, your arms and shoulders screaming. A different tactic would probably be better. You move to the other end of the board and bend down, gripping both sides of the long board as you push.

This method works much, much better until you get to the house itself. You knew the board would only get you so far, but from here on out you’ll have to carry him. There’s no way a bridal carry will work, so you brace yourself, and after a fair bit of struggling you manage to sling this massive merman over your back.

Each step toward the bathroom is absolute agony and you’re so damn grateful that the house is only a single story. It feels like hours have passed when you finally get to the tub. You rip off the cover and toss it haphazardly to the side, but now you have a new problem: how do you get him in there like this?

You could attempt to shrug him in, but his weight combined with the fact you can’t see might result in him accidentally hitting his head on the wall or something. That wouldn’t be good. Instead, you step into the tub, nearly slipping as you step over the wall of it, but luckily you manage to keep yourself from falling. Then, slowly, you free one of your hands gripping the merman’s body to reach down and tuck his tail into the tub.

He weighs too much for your one hand to handle and this time you lose your balance.

Both you and the merman tumble backwards into the tub. You manage to angle your legs out of the way of the faucet and land against the merman’s body with a thud, the hand that was holding onto him twisted into an uncomfortable angle. Quickly, you roll around to make sure he didn’t didn’t get hurt or hit his head against anything.

Miraculously, he seems perfectly fine— as if you had gently lowered him into the bathtub.

You breathe out a heavy sigh; it feels like you just ran a marathon, but you’re not quite done yet. As much as you’d like to leave it where it is, you pull yourself up to retrieve your father’s longboard from outside. Leaving it could possibly lead to questions from the neighbors and the last thing you want to deal with is gossiping aunties.

Especially with a merman under your roof.

You drag yourself back to the bathroom after you’ve put the longboard away and he’s still asleep, grimacing a little, but still asleep. It’s absolutely wild to you that he hasn’t woken up at all. You wonder if you should fill the tub with some water. Would that make him more comfortable?

You reach over and start the faucet, making sure to lower the temperature. As the tub fills itself, you feel a wave of exhaustion wash over you, and you slump down next to the tub. Carrying the merman home really, really took a toll on you. Your eyelids feel heavy and you think it should be fine to close them.

Just for a minute or two.

It feels like the second your eyes flutter shut, they pop open again, your whole body awakening with a start. Your thoughts are all jumbled up. Why are you in the bathroom? Did you actually fall asleep here? Wasn’t the water running? Thank god your parents bought one of those super fancy bathtubs that regulates the amount of water in the tub. Surely the merman wouldn’t mind if the water overflowed but—

Right. The merman!

You sit up straight and turn your head toward the merman and sure enough he is still there. He wasn’t just some crazy dream you concocted; he’s real and, more than that, he’s awake.

He watches you, his lips curved up into an amused smile that reaches his eyes— bluer than the sunshine on the sea. Your heart hammers wildly in the cage of your chest as you rediscover, all over again, how supernaturally stunning this being you’ve brought into your house is. He tilts his head, his grin widening almost impossibly as he speaks, his voice a melodic timbre that you would almost swear resonates with your very soul.

“Well, good morning.”

next chapter  →

#satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojou x reader #satoru gojou x you #jjk x reader #nikuniku fics #not sure what else to tag this as always tags are hard #reader is very anxious and emotional i think but #it will get better for them!! #sots fic tag

[ikkosu]

Pookie I must know, do YOU have any merformers pharma headcanons of your own?💚

🛐🛐🛐 OMYGOSH YESS COMPY!! I'm about to go to the pagoda to absolve my sins /j

merform pharma would stalk your boat a hundred percent. he's a smart goober and would figure out your schedule really quick .

what's a human doing in this isolated expanse of an island?

he's sure he won't get the answer directly, so he's willing to risk a few scales of finding it

at the dead of the night, he'd rig your boat so the next time you'd go fishing — it starts to sink and he'd be the one saving you

obviously, you don't know that so, to you, he's considered a savior of some sort as he scuttles you back to the island

he could just bring you back tot he cave and keep you thee forever but that wouldn't be too ethical, would it?

besides, he wouldn't sully a bond he's been looking forward to for so long

language barrier is definitely a prominent problem between you both but pharma doesn't seem to mind

In fact, he likes it when you speak

The way the words warble out of your mouth, a language so foreign yet its a soft ripple off that pink muscle you call a tongue

so often as you go fishing with your new guardian, pharma would prod you with his digits, prompting you to speak

you're not even sure what to talk about anymore given you have him all the things he has to know about you, so you just ramble about anything in general

pharma is gazing at you with heart eyes as you talk about the recent strays that keep pissing and shitting in your barn

he would also keep (steal) your stuff, literally anything that reminds him of you. sometimes even more scandalous things like, say, your uh undergarments.

loves your scent. he loves smells that revolt him in general

you know he knows what you're saying, you've been far too long with that ridiculously smart mer to know he's a prodigy of picking up cues

so when he shakes his head dumbly at your subtle accusation — he's a big fat liar

aside from ammassing souvenirs, he loves to collect little trinkets and give them to you.

to him, it's courting but of course you know jack shit about mermay customs and so you think he's playing fetch with you

no, like he's literally hoarding seashells and dumping it at your boat.

"Pharma the boat is going to sink!"

#I went to much on this #HES SO CUTE AGHHHHHHHHH I WANT HIM SP BAD #i need a mermay in my life for once #save me pharma....sabe me #transformers #maccadam #transformers x reader #transformers idw #ikkoasks #pharma #idw pharma #pharma x reader #merformers pharma #merformers pharma x reader #mootsies

[mdzs-is-rotting-my-brain]

Wangxian mermay 2023

Day IV: Shipwreck

The last thing Wei Ying expected to happen to him, was pinned to the floor of the shipwreck he’d been hired to evaluate by a man with gold eyes.

His hand, thick with…callouses, didn’t cut off airflow, but the implication was there. His other hand was large enough to pin both of Wei Ying’s hands to the floor.

Which was doing things for him.

Bad time to learn he had kink.

This is not the time to get aroused.

Wei Ying cleared his throat, and prayed his face wasn’t red.

“Um, hi. Did…I disturb you?”

What a thing to ask!

In Wei Ying’s field of environmental science he learned there were only a handful of people that willingly walked into ten-year-old oil tankers washed up during hurricanes.

The first group, his group, were the people hired to figure out what threat it posed to the environment.

The second group, dumb teenagers.

And the third group, people looking for a ghost story, or the curious.

This man, with his sharp angled features, beautiful golden eyes, and large hands, belonged to neither of those categories.

“I mean, yes. Clearly I did because people don’t tend to react violently when they’re expecting people to come wandering around the corner. And you’re not living here, you’re too pretty for that. Not that that’s a judgment on the houseless, anyone can be-”

“Quiet.”

Wei Ying snapped his mouth shut, frowning. The man’s voice trembled. He noticed both of his hands were shaking, his breaths were ragged and short.

“Oh shit, do you…need help?”

The man glared at him harder, his hand on Wei Ying’s throat twitched like he couldn’t decide to squeeze or release.

Wei Ying shut down the part of his brain that wanted him to squeeze just a bit harder.

“Close your eyes,”

Wei Ying obeyed, closing his eyes and going limp, trying to poise as little threat as possible. The hands fell away from him, as the weight moved off.

“Get out.” The voice came back, shaking and pained.

Wei Ying sat up, turning his head to the direction the voice came from, keeping his eyes firmly closed.

“You’re hurt.”

A snort, what sounded like a snake across the metal plates,

“You cannot help me.”

Wei Ying frowned, “You don’t know that. What’s wrong?”

“I cannot tell you. You cannot help me.”

Wei Ying took a breath, slowly breathing out. “I can’t just leave you here. Please…let me do something. Call someone you can-wait, no that won’t work Yuan-er broke my phone last week. Mianmian has a phone I can borrow.”

A long beat of silence followed that. Either the man had gone, or he was staring at Wei Ying, trying to figure out how he tied his shoes in the morning with a brain that moved that fast.

(He didn’t! He had velcro laces and boots so he didn’t have to worry about if he tied them or not)

“I…was going to see my brother. I do not have his number. There…is no one else.”

No one that beautiful should sound that heartbroken. Wei Ying wanted to hold his hand, to comfort him in some meaningful way.

“Then let me help…please.”

The tension this time was different, he knew the man was waffling, willing to give in, he could taste his anxiety and reluctance in the confined room.

“You…may open your eyes.”

It took a moment for them to adjust to the sunlight streaming through the broken plates of the tanker, scattered across the tossed cabin. Glinting off silver and white scales smeared with blood from a long fin impaled by three rebar.

“Shit.” Wei Ying scuttled over to the tail, he pressed down gently around the wounds, issuing an apology when a hiss of pain and a hand grabbed his elbow. “Fuck, fuck, this…this is bad. Ho-how long have you been like this?”

“Thirteen days.”

The man’s brow twitched forward, his mouth wasn’t unhappy, more…curious, his eyes darting between Wei Ying and his tail.

Right.

He probably should have had more of a reaction to a mermaid in the shipwreck (great name for a band) but as stated by friends and the few people that loosely considered him family, he was bad at faking being human.

An explanation would have to wait. The man was dehydrated, and had lost a considerable amount of blood, The tanker was upside down, so the high tide would have brought in water and fish, but still he needed fresh water, his first aid kit, and the atargatian from his jeep.

Turning he saw his gray and white bag on the floor, grabbing it he pulled out his lunch, and a bottle of human medication Wen Qing cleared for him to use.

He passed both over to the man, along with a sweater he kept because fuck these northern estimations and recoveries, they were always cold.

“I have to go back to my car and get some things. I have some atargatian that will help heal your wounds, but I’m going to have to get them out of you first. Are they welded to the floor? Do you know?”

The man blinked, a creamy cardigan with ink stains around the cuffs draped about bis shoulders, and his hands full of Wei Ying’s startlingly red lunch looked…adorable.

Wei Ying barely restrained himself from cooing aloud.

“No. I sought refuge from the storm in here, the waves drove them in when the ship washed on land.”

Wei Ying nodded, “Good, good, that’s very good. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

He pulled his gloves back on so he could pull himself out of the wreck faster without worrying about cuts and scrapes and legged it up the beach to the parking lot.

With flirting and a lot of fluttering eyes he got Mianmian to text Wen Ning to pick Yuan-er up from pre-school, only promising to tell her the entire store later, She was a Koi Jin, she would understand.

He was out of breath when he got back, the mermaid had put the cardigan on and was staring at the food with the kind of determination a man before the gallows does.

“You don’t have to eat it.” Wei Ying turned over a metal box, using it as a makeshift table where he unloaded the three bottles of atargatian, handing one over, he got out the rest of the supplies.

“I..do not think that I can.” His voice was quiet, he peered at Wei Ying through his lashes, “I do not wish to be rude.”

“Dude. You’ve been pinned by rebar for thirteen days, and you let me go after just a few seconds of incredibly kinky restraint. You’ve been the perfect gentleman given the circumstances.”

He kneeled beside the rebar closest to him, this one was going to be the easiest to get out.

“I should really have asked Wen Qing to come out, but I forgot before I left if you would have been comfortable with someone else. She’s a Wen Taimen in case you were worried I’d call a human to help you out. What should I call you anyway?”

Wei Ying pressed a thick gauze pad to the top of the wound, grabbed the rebar.

“Wangji.” He said staring at Wei Ying,

“On three.” Wei Ying offered his elbow “You can hold on to if it you need too.”

He slid one hand around his elbow, fingers shaking slightly.

“Okay,” Fresh blood seeped out of the wound, “One, two-” He pulled up and out, covering the wound with the gauze before fumbling for the first bottle of atargatian, he popped the glass cork, dumping the dark blue brew into the wound.

He made quick work of the other two pieces of rebar before wrapping the bottom half of the tail with enough gauze to make Wen Qing have a coronary when she finds out how much was missing from his kit.

Wangji was breathing hard, his skin was pale and sweaty, his fingers were digging into Wei Wuxian’s arm so hard he knew he was going to have bruises the next day.

“Okay.” Wei Ying moved to his side, holding up his hands, after he pulled the gloves off, “Do you want me to touch you?”

Wangji nodded once, a tight, controlled action.

Wei Ying took one of Wangji’s hands, placing it on his own chest, over his heart where Wangji could feel his heart through the thin t-shirt.

“Breath with me. In and out with me. Good, good, that’s very good. Slowly.” He took deep breaths, letting them out slowly.

“You did good. Such a good job. I know it hurts right now. I’m sorry. You’re doing gre-”

Wangji buried his head in Wei Ying’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around Wei Ying’s waist, hands gripping his shirt so hard he might have felt a few stitches pop.

Wei Ying settled down beside him. Stroking his hair and back, rubbing his arms. He hummed softly, like he did when Yuan-er had bad dreams, something soothing from Wen-popo to help soothe him.

Cold water slapped him in the face.

Sputtering Wei Ying jerk up, blinking at the rapidly encroaching water and the dusty sunset.

He scrambled backwards, looking around. The mermaid was gone, along with the empty atargatian bottles, his lunch, and sweater.

No surprise really, he hadn’t expected for an injured mermaid to stick around. Being injured was bad enough, having to rely on someone who may or may not have been human, especially given their track record was worse. Wei Ying could have brought Wangji to his family, washed his tail, and adorned him with pearls while kneeling and it wouldn't have mattered. Acts of service did not trust make.

Gathering his things, he gave the slowly encroaching ocean one more look before making his way out of the ship.

He thought that was the end of it.

He really did.

He helped someone out that needed it and went on with his life. Told Wen Qing of the events before she discovered the missing gauze and atargatian before she could, and got replacements a week later and a lecture about falling asleep with a stranger.

Which, he deserved.

Until today.

“Have you…done anything recently?” Mianmian had asked an hour ago, perching against his desk.

Wei Ying looked up from his oil tanker report draft,

“Not…that I’m aware of. Why?”

“Lan Xichan called, he wants to see you at the corporate office in Gusu.”

Wei Ying stared at her for a minute longer before looking at the clock on his computer, “It’s nearly midday, Gusu is a three-hour train ride, or two hours by bus, I gotta get Yuan-er in forty minutes and-”

“You’re not cooking tonight.” Mianmian stole one of his mints from the bowl, “I am. I don’t want to die. Lan Xichen’s sending a car for you.”

“It wasn’t that spicy, Yuan-er?”

Mianmian shrugged, “I’ll grab him, Good luck, put on a tie.”

She pushed off his desk, returning to her own.

Wei Ying flipped her off before digging out the only tie he had.

The car ride was only an hour, but it felt like an eternity. He’d met Lan Xichen when Cloud Recesses Disaster Recovery had been brought in for an oil spill off the coast of Seattle, in which Wei Ying was both an anti-capitalist protester and volunteer. He was pretty sure Lan Xichen forgave him for nearly setting him on fire. In his defense he hadn’t known he’d been there at the time. Companies didn’t like talking to Volunteers, and Volunteers had decided on in situ burning to prevent the build up of oil near a turtle nesting ground.

He hadn’t lit anything on fire recently, so it couldn’t have been for that.

The Corporate offices were high in the mountains that forced corporations that ruined the environment to climb up the stairs, while employees got the trolley ride up the back.

He was greeted upon arrival, and taken straight to Lan Xichen’s office.

“Lan Xichen I-”

He was met with bright gold eyes staring at him from the otherside of the room.

This one went places. Were those good places?

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mirmb wangxian mermay 2023 #wangxian mermay 2023 #mirmb writes

[artiststarme]

Heartbreak in the Sea

Well, here is a merman Eddie/human Steve AU. I’ve never actually read any mermay prompts but I plan on getting a mermaid/siren tattoo soon so I guess this was meant to be! Thank you to @mentallyundone for sending me the prompt. I hope this meets your expectations! 

~*~*~*~

The only thing Steve had to look forward to was seeing the beautiful merman on the beach. He didn’t care about his ship work anymore, his friends back on the mainland, or even the treasure his crew hoped to find. All he could focus on was the next time he could talk to Eddie, the most beautiful man in the sea. 

He’d met him by accident when his crew had become stranded on an island vacated by men long ago. Ever since that fateful day, the merman had been on his mind nearly every second of every day. Steve could picture his ink black hair glistening with sea water under the light of the moon. He could imagine his spiked black and silver tail resting on the rocks as he spoke to Steve about the happenings of other ships and the kingdoms underwater. Most of all, Steve could imagine his smile and the playful glint in his eye as he sang his siren tune. 

Over time, his memory faded away. Steve forgot his favorite song and the names of his friends back home. He forgot the best courses to sail and even the name of his ship. He just couldn’t seem to grasp any information that wasn't related to merfolk on that isolated beach. The only thing on his mind was Eddie. 

Steve thought the merman would be happy to hear how often he plagued his mind but instead, Eddie looked distressed. His smile dimmed to a broken frown and his eyes filled with salty tears.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Everything’s okay, I love thinking about you.” Steve told him softly.

But Eddie just shook his head, “Stevie, you don’t love thinking about me, it’s a curse. I talked to you too much, I exposed you to my world. Don’t you get it, I’ve sentenced you to death, my love.”

The words threatened to break Steve’s bliss but they just couldn’t make it through the hazy cloud of ‘Eddie, Eddie, Eddie’. “That’s okay, as long as I get to spend time with you, I will be pleased.”

Eddie looked distraught the rest of his visit and even afterwards, he watched Steve board his ship in worry. He knew the stories of what happened to humans after spending too much time with the merfolk and yet he still dragged Steve into it. 

Steve, the beautiful Steve Harrington, his Stevie that could do no wrong. He was going to die because Eddie had been selfish. He just couldn’t leave the pirate alone, too drawn in by his human charms. And now he was going to lose him. 

On a random night, the thoughts of Eddie grew too strong for Steve to withstand. His memory was gone and his common sense was shattered. He had to get to Eddie, he had to find him. So, he pulled on his coat and walked out of his quarters on the ship he no longer recognized. He stood at the railing for a moment and looked at the tempestuous sea. The moon illuminated the harsh waves as if as a beacon, beckoning Steve closer on his quest to find his merman. He had but a single whisper in response. 

“I’m coming, Eddie.”

He leapt from the ship and hit the freezing water. His body froze as the ice gripped his lungs. Steve knew deep down that he’d made a mistake. The curse cleared at once but he couldn’t swim against the paralyzing cold. Eventually, he breathed in the freezing water and drowned to a painful death. In his mind, he could still see Eddie. He imagined what they could have been in his last moments had he been born to the sea or if Eddie had been born on the land. But alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. Not in this world but maybe in the next. 

Eddie never again saw his pirate love. He would search along the ship routes and even ventured close to the lands that Steve mentioned frequenting but he could never find him. He spent the rest of his life searching the seas for Steve, hoping against all hope that he would find the man he loved. He never did though and he died just a few years later of a broken heart. Thus, the story ended in tragedy for yet another pair of star-crossed lovers whose love was doomed from the start.

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#Someone said I chose violence today and they were right #Ugh what is this? #Mermay AU #Merman Eddie #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #fanfic

[panic-flavored]

Mermay-Stobotinik ask!!

An agent or basically just another human starts getting handsy with a uncomfortable Robotinik. Then Stone dives out of tank and eats the other human before promptly marking Robotinik as his.

“You can't keep disemboweling every agent who gets a little too close to me, Stone!”

The badniks have already dealt with the body - or what was left of it - and Robotnik is pacing in front of Stone’s tank, rubbing a knuckle against his chin, torn between either delivering a furious reprimand or thanking Stone for disposing of a man who was entirely too touchy-feely with him to be considered work appropriate. Stone sits on the platform attached to his tank - Robotnik originally constructed it to make it easier to perform exams on Stone, but lately Stone enjoys using it just to get closer to the Doctor - watching Robotnik with an expression that can only be described as distracted. On edge, perhaps. His pelvic fins are still frilled in agitation. Robotnik has seen him like this before, usually after a kill, but today something seems different. 

“This is the third ‘misunderstanding’ in the last month, I'm starting to run out of excuses to tell the Commander! I don't enjoy having to occasionally work with humans either, but you're going to have to learn how to control yourself around them. Do you understand?”

Stone frowns. His fins have lost their threatening red stripes and have eased into the friendlier golden glowing spots, something he only displays for Robotnik. Stone repositions himself so he can use his hands to sign. 

He touched you.

“Yes, I know, I was there,” Robotnik groans. He can still feel the unwelcome hand on his hip, and can still hear the uncomfortably flirtatious tone in the agent’s voice. Why someone would ever attempt such a thing is completely beyond him. Robotnik is famously a horrible person to be around - a fact he’s very proud of, thank you - and should, by all accounts, scare everyone off without even trying. This was the persona he’d cultivated for himself, after all. The agent must have been after something, he thinks. There’s no other explanation. “I didn’t enjoy it, but I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need you to rip out the throat of every human who looks at me funny. I’ll let you know when and if your service is required.”

Stone stares at him unblinkingly. He signs again. 

No one can touch you but me.

Any sane, rational person would take a step back after hearing something like that from a merman who has just pulled the intestines out of a man with his teeth, but Robotnik is neither sane nor rational. He takes a step forward.  “Oh ho, what’s this? A bold claim, if I do say so. I don’t remember ever agreeing to this.”

You don’t seem to mind when I touch you.

Robotnik’s eyes narrow. “Well, you’re different, I suppose. I’m researching you, sometimes physical contact is necessary.”

Stone’s eyes dilate sharply. That isn’t– He makes an irritated click from the back of his throat. It’s different.

“Enlighten me, then,” Robotnik challenges, taking another step closer to the merman. At this distance, he can see how wild Stone’s eyes look and how abnormally labored his breathing has become. Robotnik frowns. “...Stone? Perhaps you’d better get back in the water, you–”

A low growl rumbles in Stone’s throat, and before Robotnik can react he’s being tackled to the floor by a merman. Robotnik sputters a surprised curse, his fall softened by Stone’s arms around his head and shoulders to cushion the impact. Robotnik always knew getting killed by either his machines or his research subjects was a possibility - about .09%, actually - but it was unexpected, all the same. When a few seconds pass without the feeling of sharp teeth tearing into his flesh, however, Robotnik chances glancing up at his attacker. 

Stone leans over him, his chest heaving with harsh breaths, lips parted to reveal the barest hint of those terrifying teeth. His eyes are wide and wild, but again, something seems off. He doesn’t look hungry, he looks desperate. Emotional, perhaps. With his hands planted on either side of Robotnik’s head, he can’t sign what he’s thinking, but Robotnik isn’t certain he’s able to communicate anything in this state, anyway. 

Robotnik is wearing his control gloves. He can easily signal the badniks to end Stone’s life right here and now, but he doesn’t. Instead, he raises a hand to gently, experiementally touch the side of Stone’s face, fingertips trailing over Stone’s trembling jaw. 

“I think I understand,” Robotnik says softly. Stone’s eyes are dilating wildly, locked onto him with a longing that doesn’t need to be signed to be perfectly understood. “Alright, then. You’ve been a good boy all this time, haven’t you? You’ve done everything I’ve asked, and you’ve protected me as well as any of my machines. Whatever you need to do, go ahead.” 

Something flickers behind Stone’s eyes, something Robotnik has never seen there before. Stone leans down, opening his mouth wide and setting the tips of his teeth against the juncture between Robotnik’s neck and collarbone. Robotnik sucks in a breath just as those teeth sink into him, piercing through the thick material of his shirt like it’s nothing more than tissue paper. 

Robotnik hisses in pain, unable to stop himself from bringing his hands up to grab hold of Stone’s shoulders, not to pry him off, just for something to hold onto. He can feel his pulse throbbing frantically under Stone’s mouth, deafening in his own ears. Stone’s jaws are locked onto his shoulder like a vice but thankfully he doesn’t continue to bite down. He holds his position, his mouth impossibly hot against Robotnik’s newly punctured flesh. As Stone’s grip grows stronger his powerful tail moves to coil around Robotnik’s legs like a snake strangling its prey, holding the Doctor firmly in place.

Robotnik has never felt so helpless in all his life. He’s in pain, he’s immobilized, and he’s completely at Stone’s mercy. At any moment Stone could decide to rip his throat out and end it all, but inexplicably, Robotnik knows he won’t. He can’t explain how he knows, but if he had to try, he would say he just has a feeling. Robotnik is not a man of feeling, not usually, but it’s almost as though Stone’s intention is infectious, spreading to Robotnik’s conscious mind like a virus. Stone makes him feel safe. It’s bizarre to claim he feels safe with an apex predator digging his teeth into him, but there’s no other way to describe how he feels at present. 

If Robotnik is being honest with himself, he knows exactly what Stone is doing. He’s known for some time, ever since he sussed out the reason behind the luminescent spots appearing on Stone’s fins, or noticed how extremely overprotective Stone was over his wellbeing. Stone wants Robotnik to be his mate. And although it defies all logic and reason, Robotnik isn’t against the idea. 

It’s too late for regrets, even if he had them. The moment he’d given Stone consent to mark him he’d sealed the deal. Although it's a foreign concept to him, Robotnik relents, relaxing his body into Stone’s hold. Stone utters a soft, pleased growl, his tail curling around Robotnik all the more snugly.

.

.

.

“Good lord,” Robotnik mumbles, standing shirtless in front of one of his monitors, using his badnik’s camera to view his wounds. An almost perfectly symmetrical circle of teeth marks covers his neck and collarbone, still bleeding. He dabs the emerging blood with a cloth. “You’re lucky I like turtlenecks, Stone, because I’m going to be wearing one for the rest of my life to cover these up. I hope you’re happy.” Behind him, Stone ceases his contented, languid circles in his tank to come to the surface with a big, dopey grin on his face. His mood has done a complete one-eighty since being allowed to bite the Doctor, and Robotnik doesn’t know exactly how that makes him feel.

Don’t cover them when it’s just the two of us. I want to see them.

Robotnik scoffs, though he can’t ignore the way his face heats up. “Don’t think that just because I gave you a little bit of freedom you get to order me around,” he growls. “Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, does this mean you’ll stop ripping agents to pieces if they stand less than five feet away from me?”

It depends on how close they get.

“Stone!” Robotnik squeezes the bridge of his nose, exhaling a frustrated sigh. “I suppose you don’t want me to treat the wound either, despite how many diseases you just probably gave me.”

Stone leans on the edge of the tank. Come over here. Robotnik shoots him a suspicious glare. Please?

Robotnik rolls his eyes, stomping back over to the tank. Stone reaches out carefully, guiding Robotnik closer, and he pushes himself out of the tank just enough to brush his lips over the puncture wounds. For a moment Robotnik wonders if Stone is going to bite him again - maybe once wasn’t enough - but instead, Stone’s long, narrow tongue laps gently against his wounds, sending a chill flying up Robotnik’s spine.

“Wha– What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Despite his protests, Robotnik barely moves, allowing Stone to continue his ministrations. A musical trill sounds from Stone’s throat as his hands answer Robotnik’s inquiry. 

Helping you feel better. 

As difficult as it was to admit, it was working. The stinging pain was beginning to fade away, replaced with a pleasant, tingling warmth that spreads into his neck and down into his shoulder. 

“F-fascinating. Remind me to take another sample of your saliva later,” Robotnik says, biting his lower lip to prevent an unbecoming moan from spilling out. When Stone is satisfied with his work, he leans his arms on the edge of the tank, that grin still infuriatingly plastered onto his face. The spots on his fins are glowing so brightly Robotnik worries he’ll burn himself out. 

Feel better? Stone signs. 

Robotnik clears his throat, the heat in his face growing stronger. “The pain is irrelevant, it’s the scarring I’m worried about.”

Stone rests his chin in his palm, his eyes trailing from Robotnik’s face to the red-pink mark on his neck. Don’t be worried. My marks look beautiful on you.

Robotnik reaches out to grab Stone’s hands, desperate to make him stop talking. His words are doing something to Robotnik’s chest that he can’t explain, and for once, he’s in no hurry to figure it out.

#stobotnik #stobotnik merman au #marking #agent stone #doctor robotnik #MerStone #can you believe this was supposed to be a 300 word drabble #fic

[fandom-go-round]

Hi and happy mermay! How about Jazz and a human s/o exploring a reef together and maybe something tries to make a meal out of reader? fluff/angst/comfort, any category works :) whatever you find inspo for

Warnings: Shark Attack, Wounded Reader, Mermaid Jazz, Human Reader, Monster x Reader, Shark Death, Blood No Graphic Descriptions, Wound No Graphic Descriptions

I know that sharks don’t usually go after people, this is your official PSA that sharks aren’t total assholes

            It’s easy to get lost under the ocean. Not just physically but mentally too. You’ve been swimming with Jazz for a long time now and being in the water feels natural. Even if your fins are annoying, nothing beats being able to roll through the waves with your lover. Jazz teases you about having to be in a wet suit but he only ever takes it off when you’re on land or near some place you can stand.

            Today it’s a trip out to a farther reef, a place Jazz has been asking you to join him for weeks. You’ve been hesitant, mostly because you need a boat to get there. He swears up and down that it’s not going to be an issue but it’s still nerve wracking to slip into the water so far from land.

            Jazz was following your boat the entire time and when you sink into the water he grins and weaves around you, fins flaring out. He’s a gorgeous mer, primarily black and white with blue accents. He reminds you of an old wife fish but you’ve never gotten the courage to ask him. It feels rude, even if he wouldn’t care.

            You can’t kiss him with the snorkel in your mouth but you smile, reaching out to twirl around him. He coos something in a mer greeting and you hum back, knowing that he gets the idea.

            “Come on love, this way.” He’s quick to take off, not leaving you behind but knowing where he’s going. You follow, watching as the reef comes into view. Jazz is right; it’s beautiful and covered in life. He leads you down towards the bottom, pointing out different schools of fish and crabs. Most of the creatures leave the two of you alone, some braver fish swimming between Jazz’s fins.

            You’re distracted by an eel half out of a rock, watching as it corners some type of smaller fish. The schools around you scatter but it’s only when a shadow falls over you that you react. The tiger shark darts forward as you try to launch back, teeth grazing your shoulder as you scramble down the coral.

            Your screaming, half in pain and half in shock, bubbles blinding your vision. You try to regulate your breathing but it’s hard when you have no idea where the shark is. Faint red oozes around you and you swear, knowing blood in the water is only going to make it worse. By the time you get your breathing under control the shark has its sights set on you and you have no idea what to do.

            A furious shriek has you flinching, a blur of black and white barreling towards the shark. It’s too late for the fish to move and Jazz rakes his claws down its side, the shark thrashing in pain. It turns from you towards its attacker but Jazz is too fast, dodging the bite aimed at him and giving one in return.

            It’s not a fight, not really. The shark has no idea what to do and Jazz isn’t letting up. You watch in horror and awe as Jazz breaks it’s back, a quick jerk that you can only half hear in the water. He wastes no time swimming over to you and dragging you towards your boat. Other sharks begin to swarm the corpse, drawn by the blood and fighting. None turn towards you, thankfully.

            It doesn’t take long to get to the boat, Jazz helping you in and crawling in himself. You yelp, trying to tell him to not get in the boat but he somehow manages to get in without sinking. The boat is low in the water but it holds somehow. You begin to head back to shore, your lover pressed against your side and looking you over. You sign a little to yourself, reaching for the first aid kit. You’re not going to be diving again any time soon.

#transformers #transformers imagine #jazz x reader #jazz imagine #macaddam #maccadams #tf jazz #mermay #mermaid au #exophilia

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 4: Merms

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs | Read MerMay Stories

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

Bro lands somewhere completely unexpected, but also, beautiful. He's landed on a beach, looking out over a wide expanse of blue-green water. A bay? A lagoon? Something like that. Behind him are tall trees with vibrant green leaves. A forest. To the left and the right, at the far ends of the beach, are tall dark rocks--tide pools and little alcoves full of water. There are no people around. Or... even any signs of people. Where is he?

Bro blinks and pushes himself up, looking over the landscape with widening eyes. “…what the fuck? This-this isn’t home??” He has to admit it is beautiful but, “Where the fuck is this?!”

Everything is quiet and still, or as quiet and still as a beach and forest can be... until there's a splash over to the left, near the rocks. Bro can see someone grab onto one of the rocks and hoist themself out of the water. They're sort of far away, but it looks like a man with brown hair. He leans down close to the water, like he's looking at something still underneath the surface.

Bro is freaked out, frantically pulling out his phone to see if he can call Alt or Jackie. Something definitely wasn’t right here! He jumps slightly and almost drops his phone but manages to grab it before it slips into the water. He looks at the sound of the splash and sees the man. Not wanting to miss his chance- Bro flies over and lands a bit away so hopefully he can approach without startling them. 

“H-Hey! Can I ask ya something?” He shouts out, trying to sound friendly.

The man looks over at him, startled. And now that Bro is close, he realizes that something is off. There are... are those... fins? Poking out from behind his ears? That's definitely a long yellow dorsal fin going down his back. And his forearms are covered in blue and green scales. 

Bro skids to stop and stares with wide eyes, his jaw falling open. “W-What the fuuuuckkk….??” 

Before the man can respond, something shoots out of the water, grabs him, and pulls him back into the water. It happens too fast for Bro to really see what grabs the guy other than that it's green.

Bro shouts as he sees the man get dragged under water. He skids to the edge of the rocks and looks around frantically. Then, against his better judgment, he kneels down and then shoves his head under the water- trying to find any proof of what he just saw.

Underwater is blurry, of course, but Bro can make out what looks like two creatures fighting, both of them different shades of green. The darker-green one notices him and lunges forward, but the other pushes that one away. This whole time, there's a sound like... dolphin chatter? 

Bro blinks past the harsh burning of the water and tries to focus on what he can see-they’re- fighting? Why can’t he understand them??

Suddenly, Bro finds himself pushed back out of the water. While he recovers from this, the man--man?--from before stares at him, head and shoulders out of the water, looking worried.

Bro gasps as he’s pushed out and then blinks comically at the man- merman? That pushed him out. He waves, “uh…. Hi?”

The man waves--showing that there are more fins on his wrists. "H-hiii," he says. And then... then he makes some strange sounds. Random vowels interspersed with clicks, whistles, and chirps--in other words, the dolphin-like noises. 

Bro blinks in surprise at the new sounds and then holds up his hands. “Ahhh fuck- I can’t understand you… but- holy shit… you’re a merman…!” He laughs and pushes his bangs out of his face, blinking in disbelief. “I… I don’t know why I can’t believe this- I’ve seen weird shit before but- this!” 

Another head pops out of the water behind him. Someone else, with green hair, green-tinted skin, and glowing green eyes. There are fins behind his ears like this first... guy. The new one scowls and glares at Chase.

P

Chase tilts his head at the other figure. Huh… that green in his eyes almost looks familiar. “Um… you might not be able to understand me but um- I’m Chase! …and I’m so fucking lost.” 

"You're not Chase." Now that--perfect English--comes from the green-tinted one in the back. 

Chase blinks and then points at himself, "... Yes I am! I'm Chase- Chase Brody! Who the fuck are you-" Then he pauses and looks surprised, "Wait- you spoke English! Oh okay brilliant maybe you can-" 

"I don't know what sort of--of ssshhhit you're trying to pull--" The one in front turns around and splashes the other one, chattering in a harsh tone. The green one splutters and responds snappily in the same chatter. 

And the two of them have a quick back and forth. Then the green one sinks in the water. "...How did you get here?" he mutters, grudgingly civil. 

"Uh... well.. that's... complicated. But um... I came from another.. universe...?" Bro says. ...Why does the grumpy green one kinda remind him of Alt?

"Universe...?" the green one repeats, understanding the word but not the concept. 

The other one smiles at him. He points at himself "Dak." And then back at the green one. "Antee." 

Chase's eyes widen as he whispers. "...no way-" He stares straight at Antee- now clearly seeing the resemblance in the face- despite the green tint and scales. 

The green one protests in the chattery language, but the other one splashes him again and says something that asks like a question. 

The green one sighs. "Jack wants to know if that's somewhere far away, and how you got here if that's the case."

Bro slightly shakes out of his surprise and then nods, "Uh... yeah. R-Really far away. And uh- we got here by... magic mostly. A bit of tech- but mostly magic. My brother's a magician."

Jack's eyes light up. He chirps and chatters something, grabbing Anti and shaking him slightly. Anti rolls his eyes. "We know magicians," he mutters. "Didn't know humans could use magic, too." 

"Y-Yeah he's really good at magic! Best magician I know at least," Bro grins. 

Jack asks something. "He wants to know if your brother came with you." Anti interprets.

Bro quickly nods, "Yeah! He's... probably somewhere around here... we tend to get separated when we come to new places."

Jack and Anti look around. The lagoon is clearly empty of people. "Well. Good luck looking for him," Anti says, and starts to sink underwater. 

Jack makes an offended whistling sound--like putting voice behind a gasp--and grabs him, pulling him back up. "Look, if he's human then his brother is human, and probably on land! We can't help!" 

Jack slumps, then perks up again, asking something. Anti rolls his eyes. "Alright, Chase Brody. Why don't you use your metal slab to call your brother, then?" 

"Fon," Jack adds. 

"Your phone."

"Oh! Well... I could try? Wasn't sure it'd work here but- Guess they do exist here! That's handy-" Chase laughs as he pulls out his phone, trying to see if he can reach Alt.

It looks like cell reception doesn't translate between universes, but there is a tiny, tiny bit of WiFi that he can use to send a text. 

Anti swims a bit closer as Bro messes with the phone, trying and failing to hide his curiosity.

Chase curses as he takes the phone away from his ear and studies it- trying to send a message: Alt! I'm at a beach near a forest- where are you? Did the TRVLR glitch? Are you okay??? ...probably overkill but- just in case.

The text takes longer than usual to go through, but it does eventually. And now, they wait. 

----------- 

Alt lands on a solid surface, and Jackie lands right next to him. They've arrived on a... boat? Yes, a boat floating out on the water, with a distant, pier-lined coast in sight. They sky overhead is a bright blue, contrasting against the endless dark blue water all around them. A table (and two chairs) sits on the deck, pushed up against the metal railing, its surface covered in burgers, fried chicken, French fries, ice cream--basically any fast food you can think of. 

Alt groans and curls up as he lands on something solid, finding it hard to breathe momentarily. 

"Alt!" Jackie cries out and goes to help him up. 

Alt blinks at him in confusion. "J-Jackie? Wait... no.. what??" He looks out at their surroundings, his stomach dropping. "T-This isn't-!" 

"What the hell?!" a young man, leaning over the boat's railing, jerks backwards. "Where did you two come from?!"

Jackie and Alt both jump as they hear the young man. Jackie scrambles to say something and just blurts out, "Uhhh... from the sky??" 

Alt gives him a confused 'are you serious' look.

The young man laughs. "Yeah, right. Okay, where were you guys hiding? There aren't many spots on here. You know that trespassing is still illegal if it's on a boat, right? Cause this is my boat, and I didn't say you could be here." He frowns. "Why are you guys here, anyway?" 

“O-Oh fuck uh- sorry sir, we didn’t know!” Jackie tries to say, holding up his hands. “I was trying to make a joke- we uh… god this is gonna sound crazy but we couldn’t actually control where we landed? It’s uh- magic and shit. We uh… came from another universe…?” Jackie grins a wide nervous smile, looking very uncomfortable. 

But as they talk, Alt notices something. Some of the fries from the table have fallen onto the ground. And a hand reaches up from the side of the boat and grabs some of them.

Alt gets distracted from trying to diffuse the situation as he sees the hand reach up. His eyes widen and he glances at the man before hurrying over to the side of the boat to look.

"Another universe? Yeah, sure. You can at least try to--hey!" The man tries to grab Alt as he hurries over but barely misses. 

Down in the water beneath the boat are three--people? They're clearly not normal. One wearing a cap has orange fins behind his ears and white and black stripes across his chest and arms. One with a bag has blue-green tentacles poking out of the water around him. And one in a sleeveless woven hoodie has a dorsal fin sticking out of his back. That one chokes on the fries he hurriedly shoved in his mouth while the one with the tentacles shoves the other two underwater. 

"Uh--don't mind that!" the young man rushes over, pulling Alt back. 

Alt’s eyes widen and he wants to shout but he gets dragged away. 

"Those are, uh, my friends! We're--practicing for a--a stunt show! R-really real costumes, huh?" The man laughs nervously. 

Alt looks back up at the young man and gapes at him. “…mermaids- those were mermaids!” 

“What??? Lemme see lemme see!” Jackie says excitedly, running to the railing to look over.

"No! No no no, those weren't mermaids!" the man protests. "They were just--dressed like mermaids!" 

As Jackie peers over the side of the railing, some of the spray from the water hits his face, as it's splashing a lot. But there definitely seem to be both human-like limbs and fish-like tails under all that splashing. Briefly, the one in the hoodie breaks away from the struggle and waves at Jackie, allowing him a closer look at him. Long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, sharp teeth bared in a grin, and scars across his eyes. Yet, somehow, he looks familiar. And then a tentacle wraps around his chest and pulls him underwater again.

Jackie stares at the water and then the hoodied man before he pushes away from the railing. “H-Holy shit…!” 

Alt whips around at the young man, “Don’t try to trick me! I know what I saw! No costumes are that realistic! And an illusion wouldn’t hold up with all them moving like that-“

"I--uh--uh--" The young man pauses, clearly mentally scrambling for an explanation. Then he suddenly switches tactics. "Did you know this all along?! I-is that why you snuck aboard?! W-well, I'll have you know you have no way of proving it! E-everyone's gonna call the pictures photoshopped if you post them!" 

“Hah?!?” Alt says. He glitches slightly in anger and presses up against the young man, “You got sea water in your ears, kid?! We just told you we didn’t mean to come here! I don’t even know where the hell we are! I couldn’t care less about proving anything!” 

The young man's eyes widen as Alt glitches. His mouth falls open and he's at a loss for words. 

Again, the hoodied mermaid pulls away from the struggle. He grabs the edge of the boat and smiles. "H-h-hayy," he says to Jackie. "Yoo.. luck... layk mmme."

Jackie startles as the hoodied merman pulls himself up towards him. He bends down and cocks his head at him, looking confused for a second. But then it clicks and he gasps, pointing at the merman. “OH MY GOD!! Alt! ALTTT!! ITS ME AS A MERMAN!! I FOUND A MERMAN JACKIE!!!” 

Alt glitches again and glares at the man before glitching over by Jackie. His eyes widen. “Yo- what the fuck…?”

The man stands there, stunned, while Alt and Jackie move to talk to the merpeople. 

The mer-Jackie makes a startled sound when Alt suddenly glitches next to Jackie, jerking backwards and into the water. Then he looks excited, turning back to the still-splashing part of the water. And he makes some strange sounds, like dolphin speech interspersed with human-made vowels. Whatever he says, it gets the other two to stop fighting. The one with the cap swims over next to Jackie, looking back up at the two guys curiously. The other one stays where he is, just his eyes poking out of the water, darting back and forth between the guys on the boat and the merms in the water.

Jackie shakes Alt’s shoulder excitedly. “Look dude look!! A merman me!!” 

“I am looking dude- I still don’t believe it-“ Alt breathes. He kneels down by the edge again, tilting his head at the merms curiously. When he notices their strange way of speaking he knits his eyebrows together and then tries to see if he can cast a translation spell.

The mer-Jackie and the cap merman make an "oooo"ing sound at Alt's magic. They turn to each other and chatter. 

"--was--" 

"I--was--maybe?" 

"I--humans--not--use magic?" 

"--don't know that. Maybe they--know magic--forgot?" 

"Maybe we should ask Marvin later." 

The spell really struggles with this language, even more so than Glasish when they visited that fantasy world before. But it gets there eventually. 

"Well go on, Chase!" mer-Jackie says, shoving the other one. "Talk to them in human! Ask them about their magic!" 

"It's called 'English,' Jackie. They have a lot of languages." 

Alt honestly was afraid it wouldn’t work at all- but he seems to relax as it starts to make sense. He blinks then laughs and waves at them both, “Actually- it’s okay. I can understand you both now.” He grins. 

“What??? Alttt why’d you leave me out??? I wanna hear! Your doppelgänger isn’t even here!” Jackie whines. 

“Oh yeah- right… sorry Jackie-“ Alt says, quickly casting the spell on Jackie too. Then, Alt studies the capped merman. Is this one really Chase?

"Oh, you can?" mer-Jackie blinks. "Alright, how many fingers am I holding up, then?" He holds up three fingers. 

“3!” Jackieboy says excitedly, pointing down. Alt gives him another done look. 

The one in the back swims over and smacks the other Jackie in the back of the head. "That makes no sense! Idiot." 

"Owww! Don't be mean, Schneep!" 

Chase laughs. "Well, um... hi?" He waves. "We don't... usually see humans using magic like that. O-or looking like a broken computer."

Alt blinks back down at Chase and smiles, “Well- 1) cool that you know about computers! Didn’t think a merman would know that- 2) I’m a special case~ not many magicians like me exist! Anddd 3) we’ve never seen real life mermen before!” 

“Much less mermen that are us!!” Jackie grins, bouncing on the railing. “This is insane! It’s me and our friends as fucking mermaids, dude!!!” 

“Man Jackie you are bringing so much energy into these trips-“ Alt mumbles, rubbing at his ear.

Chase laughs, a sound that's sharper and more chittering than a human laugh. "Most merms don't know about computers, but I'm special. Oh, that's what the general term is, by the way, 'merm.' I-I know you guys tend to default to just mermaids but that's only for women." 

“Oh! That’s helpful to know!” Jackie says, “Mermmmm- heh- that’s fun to say! Merm merm merm merm-“ 

The one in the back--a mer-Schneep, it seems--eyes the two guys suspiciously. "Are you sure they can be trusted, Chase?" he mutters. 

"Schneep, they can hear you," Jackie points out. 

"It's fine, Schneep, I-I think they're different," Chase says. 

Alt hums, trying to ignore Jackie still saying merm over and over, “I know we look strange but- we know other people who look like you, and they’re our friends.” 

"Ollie?!" Chase calls. 

The young man walks over, looking over the railing. "These guys... are cool?" he asks hesitantly. 

"They're cool," Chase agrees in English. 

"O-okay." Ollie nods.

At the name, Alt’s eyes widen and he whips around, finally taking in all the features of the young man- he feels his breath get taken away ,a flush coming to his cheeks. “O-Oliver…?” He breathes.

"Uh... yeah? That's what Ollie is usually short for." Ollie laughs a bit. 

Alt is just staring at Ollie like he’s looking at a ghost. This is the first time they’ve seen someone else outside their friend group in another universe. He never thought he’d see a copy of his boyfriend?? This was super duper weird- and Alt can’t stop his cheeks from turning red. “U-Uh yeah… right… s-sorry… you just.. l-look like someone I… know.” 

"I do, huh?" Ollie smiles a bit. "I-I hope it's someone you like. It, uh, probably is." He doesn't want to comment on the obvious blush.

Alt makes a squeak at this. 

"Um... so... h-how'd you get on the boat? I didn't even notice you guys." Ollie asks.

"I think they just appeared," Chase says. 

"Appeared?" Ollie glances at Alt, confused. "Uh... sorry, I-I'm still getting used to the merm thing, people appearing and, uh, glitching around... is a bit much." 

Alt eventually shakes himself out enough to answer. “Uh yeah we.. just kinda do that… cuz of m-magic! Which I do- and used to get here- w-with this device.” He pulls out the TRVLR to show them. “But uh… we weren’t supposed to be here. I was sure I plugged in the coordinates for home.” 

As Alt looks over the TRVLR, he notices something. After tinkering with the settings between adventures, he'd found one that makes the current universe code show up in the top left corner. This... isn't the code for their world. Instead, it reads UA-0501019MM. 

He blinks and then narrows his eyes at the universe code. What the heck?? This isn’t even close to their code!

Meanwhile, mer-Jackie is joining in with his human counterpart repeating "merm merm merm merm." 

Schneep rolls his eyes at that and looks at Alt. "Who are you, then?" he asks. "Your names?"

Alt looks down and then lightly smacks Jackie to get him to stop. He gestures at Schneep then at Jackie. Jackie blinks then looks back at Schneep and grins, “I’m Jackie! Jackie Mann!”

"Jackie! Like me!" Jackie says. 

Jackie beams, “Yeah! Just like you! We’re like- the same person but from different worlds!” 

Alt raises his hand, looking timid. “‘M Alt… Alt Brody. But um… I-Im also known as Anti.”

The three merms glance at each other when Alt mentions his name. "We know an Anti," Schneep says. "That is funny. Names are funny." 

“Yeah… figured you would,” Alt mutters.

"Different... worlds?" Jackie repeats, uncertain. 

"Oh, like another dimension?" Chase asks. 

“Uhh yeah! I think that’s the same thing!” Jackieboy says, grinning. 

"What the fuck do you mean, 'dee-men-shun'?" Schneep asks. 

"Uhhh... it's hard to explain. It took me a while to get it." 

"Wait, you mean you guys weren't kidding about being from other universes?!" Ollie gasps. 

Alt laughs, “Nope- weren’t kidding at all. Where we’re from- mermaids don’t exist.” 

“As far as you know!” Jackie points out, “What if they’re just like- lurking so low we never see them? Like a giant squid! We’ve barely explored the ocean bro!” 

“Your wife is rubbing off on you,” Alt chuckles. 

“Hey! I have a fascination with the ocean outside of my wife too you know!!!” 

And shortly after, Alt's text tone goes off. The glitch then jumps slightly as his phone buzzes. He switches out the TRVLR for his phone, checking the message. Alt! I'm at a beach near a forest- where are you? Did the TRVLR glitch? Are you okay??? 

“Oh well- texting works here at least… that’s nice.” Alt comments. 

"Oh, your phone messages." Schneep nods. 

Alt looks back at Jackieboy. “Chase is on a beach somewhere-“

"I'm not on a beach, I'm right here," Chase says. "Or--do you know a Chase like we know a Jackie and Anti?" 

Alt blinks at Chase and then laughs shaking his head, “Yeah, we have a Chase too. He’s my older brother.” 

"Brother?" Chase repeats. "I have a couple siblings, but we don't really keep in contact. Maybe I should reach out to them. I think they all still live in the school we grew up in." 

Alt blinks, “huh- you might be one of the first Chases I met that actually has siblings too.” 

"A lot of merms have siblings," Chase says. "But you kind of drift away from them. In the ocean, at least. Everything's so big. It might be different for freshwater merms." 

“That’s so interesting…” Alt replies. 

"If your friend is on a beach, I can try to take you guys there," Ollie says, still barely grasping the idea of these visitors being from another world. "I mean, I can't really take you anywhere, but if it's nearby."

Alt can’t help but smile at Ollie- even if it feels weird to look at him for too long. Stop trying to heat up cheeks! “Uh- t-that’d be awesome if you could. He’s said he’s one the beach near a forest- does that sound familiar?”

"Oh!" Jackie's eyes light up. "A beach near land with trees? Is it the beach of a lagoon? With big brown rocks at the entrance and some deep tide pools?" 

Schneep looks at Jackie and frowns. "Do you think he found where Jack and Anti are?" 

"Yeah, I do!"

Jackie and Alt exchange looks. Alt seems uneasy for a second but- it’s not like they’re saying anything bad about this other Anti. He sighs. “If your friends live over there… then that’s probably where he is. We get drawn towards people we know when we drop into these worlds.”

Jackie blinks. "I don't think I'm really understanding this thing about worlds and 'oo-nee-versus' but we can take you there! Ah-lee can follow us in the boat!" 

"We are sure about this?" Schneep mutters. 

"I'm curious, at least," Chase says. 

"Come on, come on!" Jackie dives back underwater, swimming over to the prow of the ship. His dorsal fin sticks out of the water as he goes, highlighting that yes, he is indeed a sharklike merm, as opposed to Schneep's tentacles and Chase's more traditional fishy shape. 

Jackie laughs in surprise and delight as he sees mer-Jackie swim. “Oh my god!! He’s a shark!! That’s so cool!!!” 

Schneep grins at Jackie's enthusiasm. "Yes, Jackie is a yellow shark. Chase is an anemonefish and I am a great ocean octo." 

"Lemon shark, clownfish, great Pacific octopus," Chase says. "You guys have different words for us. Oh, and we're going to Jack and Anti, who are a discus and an electric eel." 

“That’s so sick!! You’re all so different!” Jackie says excitedly, “In cartoons and shit- all mermaids look the same!!” 

Chase laughs. "Oh yeah, we've seen some of your cartoons. We know. But it's fine, don't worry. I think it's great, actually!" 

"Well, if we are going, you should message your brother," Schneep says to Alt. "So he is not waiting and not knowing."

Alt blinks and then nods and texts Bro back: Hang tight bro- we landed on a ship and found help. Coming to find you. All safe 

Then Schneep looks at Ollie. "Can you follow us?" 

"No problem." Ollie gives him a thumbs up. "Try to stay slow, though. You guys are really fast." 

Alt hums in thought, shrugging his backpack off and starting to skim through the pages. He wonders if he has any spells that can help… Because… These guys know about magic- and there’s one other person from their world who’s left unaccounted for.

And with that, he and Schneep go join Jackie at the prow, and the boat heads off across the ocean. 

-----------

 Magnificent does not appear anywhere familiar. Or even anywhere he would want to be. He lands on a small beach. This is on the edge of a large body of water, surrounded by thin trees. Judging by the lack of salt smell, it's not the ocean, but an especially large lake. And one that people know about, since there's a small area with a picnic table and trash can nearby.

Magnificent rolls onto his stomach, growling against his binds and hoping he can get away from those pesky-! Wait- this… isn’t their universe. As Mag thinks this, Alt’s magic breaks apart, freeing him. He quickly teleports to his feet and dusts himself off. Then he hisses and scrambles back as he sees his close he is to the water. Fucking water- as much as he doesn’t want to lean too heavily into cat stereotypes… he can’t stand large bodies of water. And getting wet. But… new universe… what magic could lie around here..?

Well... there are pros and cons to him reaching out with his magic. Pro, there is a great deal of magic nearby, strong and deep and rippling with power. Con, it's clearly under the lake.

Magnificent starts to brighten as he senses the magic- then his face quickly falls as he sees it’s under the lake. He curses up a storm, kicking at the sand and basically throwing a fit. Once he lets out his rage he breathes and then braces himself before jumping into the water. He casts a quick spell to make sure he can breathe and see, while cursing whoever left this magic down here. He’s not a great swimmer but he pushes forward, aiming to follow the pull of the magic.

As Magnificent sinks through the lake, the light becomes dimmer, but fish become more plentiful--though they all scatter whenever he gets near. And as he starts to reach the floor of the lake, he notices something strange. Some of the plants are glowing. They give off faint magical signatures, but aren't really worth his time. There are also... glowing starfish? But those live in the sea, not lakes. And yet here they are, scattered about, getting closer together as the pull of magic becomes stronger. He comes to a spot clear of any plants, and finds something strange. A structure made of pillars and slabs of stone, most of it having no walls except for a single attached room. What is this? Some sort of ruin?

Magnificent swims past most distractions, eager to get a boost and then get out of this lake. But… the starfish are odd. And so is this… structure. Curiously, Mag swims towards it and tries to peek inside.

But then he runs into something coming out of the structure. It’s not immediately clear what it is, but as it makes some sort of chirping whistling sounds, the details sink in. It’s… a merman. That’s the only word for it. The bottom half is a silver tail with glints of yellow and blue, the upper half is mostly human (wearing a dark green cape) but has silvery fins trailing from the upper arms, and the face… is startlingly familiar. The merman trails off, fully taking in Mag’s appearance as he takes in his. Then his eyes widen in fear and he swims backwards, making a loud whistling noise.

Magnificent’s eyes widen and his jaw falls in disbelief. A merman… he thought those only existed in fairytales! And well, unfortunately, he knew this thing’s face all too well. But, the mad magician tries to put on his most charming smile and tries to back up, looking apologetic. “My apologizes, noble merfolk! I was just… searching the area. Did not mean to intrude~!”

But it doesn't matter how kind or apologetic he seems, the merm turns and darts into the structure, whistling and chattering loudly. Once inside, he grabs something from a shelf carved from rock and puts it on his face--a mask with four bits of orange sea glass embedded in the forehead--and starts rummaging through round stones on the shelves.

Mag’s face goes from cordial to dangerous in an instant. He growls and then darts to follow the merm into the structure. Once he sees him he lashes out to try to grab him by his wrist.

But the merman's wrist slips out of his grasp, the skin less grippy than Mag expected. He looks at the magician with wide eyes and grabs tight to one of the stones. Strange symbols carved on the surface light up with seafoam green light. And that's when Magnificent realizes. The power he'd felt--it wasn't one big source, it was a lot of sources gathered together. One of them being this merman. And many others being the little round rocks he was looking through.

Magnificent growls, his own eyes lighting up with magic. Then, he pauses as he reads the room. Oh… okay. He grins, then tries to grab one of the stones for himself.

The merman notices what he's doing and tries to stop him, going to smack his hand away. 

Mag is stopped and he yells out in frustration as he slapped away- but he manages to lash out again and grabs the merm’s hand. He laughs sinisterly, digging claws into his flesh. “Don’t worry, little fish… this won’t hurt a bit~!” And he tries to drain the merm of his magic.

The merm shrieks and manages to backpedal his way out of Mag's grip, tail pumping hard to push him through the water. But not without Mag's claws scraping down his skin--and not without some of his power being stolen. It flows into Magnificent like the water that surrounds them, bubbly as the seafoam its green color is named after. It's only a fraction of what the merm had, but it's something. The merm looks at him in horror, then turns and swims out of the structure.

Magnificent laughs, studying the magic as it flows through his veins. He laughs as the merm runs, going to scoop some of the power stones up for himself. Curious little things… worth studying he thinks. Hmm… should be off that little anomaly of him? Or capture it to see what it could explain about the magic here? …or- he could do both. He grins and then rockets after the merm, quickly trying to see if he can teleport to cut it off.

He’s surprised to see he can but grins menacingly as he appears in front of the merm, reaching out to try to catch him.

The mern shrieks again, ducking down to swim under him. And as it chatters, something happens. 

"--the--trying--me!--my magic! Where--you?!" Huh? The sounds are starting to make sense. 

Mag yells in rage and tries again, trying this time to throw out strings to catch it.

But the strings alone get pushed away by the currents of the merm moving. He circles around the structure to the more solid part--and something pops up from the other side of it. A person, just their head poking above the ceiling of the structure. He has brown hair and a thick mustache. His eyes widen as he sees Mag, then he looks at the other merm and makes weird gestures. The merm hurries towards him.

Magnificent is getting tired of this chase- he rockets back down and then conjures up a net with his magic, whipping it out towards his look-a-like.

The merm is too focused on reaching his friend to notice the net. It wraps around his body, pulling him to a stop. He shrieks. "No! You--! Let me go!--help!" 

Whatever magic Mag absorbed must be translating the chatter. 

Magnificent laughs and starts to pull the magic back towards him. “Well! That was a fun chase, Marvin.” He spits out his name. “But I’m afraid playtime is over, little fish~” 

The other merm dives forward, hurriedly trying to pull his friend out. This one is very different than the other, with strange wings attached to his arms and sides. A ray of some kind, maybe.

Magnificent finally takes notice of the other merm and he laughs, floating above him. “Now now little one- you can run along~! I’m sure I have no need for you~” He sends out a wave of magic, trying to push the Ray merm away.

The ray clings to the net but the magic pushes him away and he goes flying over the structure. "No! No! Jameson!" Marvin shouts, struggling. He looks back at Magnificent. "Wh-who are you?! How do you know my name?! Can you--can you even understand me?!"

Magnificent laughs, “Yes I can~ and since we can now hold a conversation… I think you will be such a good source of knowledge for me. So- why don’t we get to know each other, Marvin? You can call me Magnificent.”

"Magnificent? S-stupid name for a h-human." Marvin tries to smile smugly, but there is clear fear under the mask."I don't--I don't know what you could want. I just live here, I don't know anything a-about your human stuff."

“Oh my dear child, I am no human~” Magnificent laughs, showing off his fangs, “I am something so much greater.” 

 "Not human, huh? Th-that would explain how you're down this far and still breathing." He tries for a smile again but doesn't even manage a smirk this time. 

Magnificent tightens the net and brings Marvin close to his face, going to use his claws to turn his back and forth by his chin. He chuckles, tilting his head like a curious predator. “Why that’s okay, little fish. I think I will find what you know sooo much more interesting. Like- how these stones work- for instance? Or how you got your magic?”

Marvin swallows a lump in his throat. Tiny slits on either side of his neck open and close in miniscule motions."I--My magic, it--it's something I was born with, a-a lot of merms are, though most don't do anything with it. A-and the stones, they store power. You pour some of yours in and pull it out at later times."

Magnificent tsks, “It’s that trivial? Hm…” He twirls some of the strings of his magic with a thoughtful expression. “You said a lot of …merms- have magic? Where could one find a bigger source of that?”

Marvin opens his mouth to answer--and then realizes that it's probably not a good idea to give this guy what he wants. So he shuts his mouth. "I don't know."

Magnificent’s expression darkens. He grabs Marvin harder by the chin and forces him to look up at him as he whispers, “Are you lying to me, kitten?” His eyes start to spiral with magic as he chuckles, “I don’t think you should lie to me, Marvin. Because- I believe I can actually make use of you~ don’t you want to be useful to me, Marvinnn~?” He tries to pump the mark full of his influence.

Marvin blinks, confusion momentarily snapping him out of fear. "What d'you mean, 'chishin'?" he mutters, terribly mispronouncing 'kitten.' But then the spirals appear, and he gasps, closing his eyes immediately-- And before Mag can do much more, something slams into him from behind.

Magnificent growls, “that doesn’t mat-!” He gets cut off as he’s slammed into, dropping the net with Marvin in it. He growls and whips around to blast magic at whatever hit him. 

The magic hits his attacker point-blank--the same ray merm from before, who now gets flung into the ground. A cloud of sand flies into the air from the impact. "Jameson!" Marvin gasps, struggling to break free of the net.

Magnificent is quick to scoop Marvin back up and magic builds up behind him- making an even stronger spiral. “Enough games! You will help me find stronger magic or I’ll find bigger fish to fry after making you dinner! You will obey me!”

Marvin glances from Jameson to Magnificent--and freezes upon seeing the spiral. It flickers in his eyes. "I-I-I... n-no, I-I can't..." he says quietly, his struggles growing weaker and weaker. "I-I... Don't... hurt Jameson... please. I-I'll do... whatever you want, just... don't..."

“Is that all? Then of course, little fish… I won’t harm, Jameson. All you have to do is help me~” Magnificent giggles quietly.

"O... kay..." Marvin slumps entirely. "I'll... help." 

Jameson watches this happen in horror, frozen in plaze.

“Very good~” Magnificent grins. He snaps and the net disappears from around Marvin. “Grab whatever you need for the journey, Marvin. Then, you can lead me towards where this power is, hm?” 

"Okay." Marvin turns and swims into the structure. "We're going... to the ocean. Magic is stronger in deeper waters." He's grabbing a woven bag and filling it with things: a couple power stones and some kelp packages. 

Mag glances at Jameson, his eyes glowing unnaturally in the water.

Jameson tenses, and then abruptly turns and dashes away, keeping close to the sand. With the speckled pattern on his back he quickly blends into the ground.

Magnificent snorts with a smirk. Good. This Jameson was a coward. He wouldn’t get in the way then. Looking over himself he hums in thought. If he’s going to be down here… he needed a better way to swim and also not attract too much attention. He snaps and a burst of magic swirls around his legs and transforms them into a sleek black tail- resembling the tail of a pacific black dragon. He flicked the long eel-like tail and grinned as it lit up slightly green. Perfect. He abandoned his normal attire to have a material like his cape drape over his chest. Now- hopefully he wouldn’t draw too much unwanted attention…

Marvin stops, staring at Magnificent transform with shock. "S-so easy...?" he mutters, sounding in awe. "That tail... like a deep dweller." He shivers at the thought of them, then the hypnotism takes hold again. "Are you ready to go?"

Magnificent grins, “Yes. Lead the way, little fish~” He makes a sweeping motion like a showman, gesturing out towards the rest of the water.

Marvin nods. "Yes. The river to the ocean is this way." And he starts swimming, leading Magnificent there.

#SATCV #SATCV Merms #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #jackie mann #new au!! #this is based on Cry's mermay stories which are very good! #a lot of the aus in SATCV are ones i didnt know so if you don't read these from cry you'll be just as lost as i was ahbk #but!! you should still read them :3c #alsooo ao3 is downnn so i'll have to post it on there lateerr

[kayla-crazy-stuffs]

A new friend? Surfer Dream au: Side Story

HEHE I'm back with surfer Dream au >:]

(btw this happens before the second incident)

This counts as a mermay post so, here you go :D

1081 words :)

TW: Safe/soft vore, death mention, digestion mention and fear of dying (doesn't happen)

The day was clear and there was a bit of a breeze, so after spending a few weeks getting ready, he decided to go out to sea with his small boat. It had been a long time since he hadn't taken a boat ride, so he was really excited.

“Uhh.. Bad, do you really think it's a good idea for you to go alone..? I know you really like the sea and all that, me too, but you could find yourself with a dangerous mer…” Bad turned to look at the young man and gently placed a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down.

"Nothing will happen to me, Foolish, I promise you." he told him with a warm smile. The teenager just sighed. “Okay… but, really, be careful… you know perfectly well that you are like a father to Dream and me… We would feel horrible if something happened to you…” he replies looking down.

Bad gives him a little hug before pulling away from him and ruffling his hair. "I'll be fine, I'll be back before night falls." Foolish nodded, waving goodbye to him as Bad started to get on the boat.

The walk was quite calm, several dolphins had appeared along the way and later a really big whale. Although soon the sky turned a darker color when some storm clouds began to appear.

"Oh muffin... I'm going to have to get back before the storm gets any closer..." Bad went to turn the boat around when something much bigger tore it in half, causing Bad to fall into the water, slowly sinking.

Bad held his breath as best he could and tried to swim to the surface, but unfortunately, he couldn't find it. He was about to try to breathe when suddenly, he was in a warmer space.

He was squished against a wall by something quite soft and in a few seconds the water disappeared after a loud sound that came from behind him.

Bad took another breath and tried to orient himself to where he was, when the soft ground beneath him shifted slightly. 'Oh no… This is not the floor…'

He looked around the warm space, seeing a pair of rows of sharp teeth and behind it, a huge uvula, followed by a deep throat. 'Oh god… He was in a mouth… and most likely a mer’s mouth'

The pale turquoise blue tongue beneath him moved again, pushing him into the back of his mouth. 'Oh no… the mer is going to eat me…' Bad tried to crawl forward, but the tongue pushed him all the way back.

He frantically thought of something not to be swallowed, when he looked up and saw the uvula, clinging to it as his life depended on it. The mer swallowed once and Bad felt himself slipping down a bit. The mer swallowed a second time,sending him down into his throat.

Bad slid for a moment until he pressed his back against one of the walls of the throat and stretched out his legs, stopping his descent completely. The mer choked for a moment, swallowing to try to make Bad slide down, but he didn't.

He swallowed a second time, getting the same result. At that rate the mer would end up choking. A few seconds passed when suddenly a lot of water entered the throat, pushing Bad and forcing him down.

Before long he slipped into a more open space. The stomach of the mer. Bad kicked and pushed the walls of the stomach, he didn't want to die like that. 'He couldn't die! He Promised Foolish!' The walls around him closed in, pinning him in place. “Can you stop? You won't get anything by doing that." "Let me out!"

The mer seemed to consider this before answering. "I can't do that-" "Why not-?!" "Unless you want to drown, you should stay inside." Bad hugged his legs, placing his head on them. "Dying by drowning is better than dying digested..." That made mer stop.

"Die? You are not going to die, rather I have saved you from dying.” Bad raised his head. "What are you talking about? I'm in your stomach..” “Storage stomach, basically a second stomach but without digestive fluids. All mers have one.” Bad sighed, relaxing a little at his words.

For some reason he felt that he could trust him. “I was calmly swimming when I saw another mer tear your boat in half and well, I decided to save you. And although it seems a little strange, I had never seen a human. I had been told that you were small, but I did not imagine that you were that small.” The mer commented, trying to establish a conversation.

“Oh… Thanks for saving me then… My name is Badboyhalo, but you can call me Bad to keep it short.” “Nice to meet you, my name is Skeppy and I am a turquoise blue betta mer.” responded the mer to Bad’s presentation.

"I guess that explains why your storage and mouth are turquoise..." Skeppy chuckled, patting his storage a little. "I guess so, haha.. Now relax, it will take a couple of hours to get to the coast." “Okay, ‘geppy...” Skeppy laughed a little more at the nickname the human gave him, continuing on his way towards the coast.

It took a couple of hours until they reached the coast where Bad had left many hours ago. A human was there waiting quite worried and nervous when he saw the mer. Skeppy pushed Bad back into his mouth, opening his mouth to let him out.

Bad got out very carefully, not wanting to cut himself on his Skeppy's sharp teeth. In a few seconds he felt that he was hugged tightly by someone. “Bad, you said you'd be back before dark! I was really worried that something had happened to you!” "I'm so sorry Foolish" He said, ruffling the young man's hair.

"I had a little problem but Skeppy, the mer who brought me back, helped me" He added when Foolish's gaze fell on the giant mer. "So, he's friendly?" Bad nodded.

"Now let's go home, I'm a little tired after everything that's happened…" He turned for a moment to look at the mer. "I hope to see you again soon, I really liked you, bye!" he said with a smile before walking away with Foolish.

Skeppy felt that his face was burning. Was he falling in love with the human…?

#mcyt g/t #mcyt gt #dsmp g/t #dsmp gt #mcyt vore #dsmp vore #safe vore #soft vore #tw vore #giant!skeppy #turquoise blue betta mer!skeppy #tiny!bad #tiny!foolish #mentioned Dream #heve some skephalo heheheh #surfer!dream au

[sasukimimochi]

🥥🏝🌤 - My own prompt ❤✨ (for filling some space)

Travelerji/Merxian AU See the first four prompts here.

-

The Taste of Home

Lan Wangji quietly scraped flesh from the coconuts he’d gathered, every now and then glancing out at the sea with a forlorn sigh. It’d been many days now since his supposed ‘bad luck’ began. He decided to stay put for a while, gathering supplies, repairing his ship…cloud watching.

He leaned back against the palm tree he ate under, watching the clouds shift and looking for pictures through the leaves. He could see fish, occasional birds, and other random shapes he couldn’t quite lay his fingers on.

He paused after bringing a piece of coconut to his mouth, the taste bringing memories of something from his childhood. 

His mother used to make dragon’s beard candy, filled with peanuts and coconut, and it was so impossibly sweet but oh how he loved it.

It was such a strenuous task too; he couldn’t help with his smaller arms, and since his father was away a lot of the time, just the three of them did it together- him, his brother, and his mother. It was much too hard for the twins, so really it was all her…but it still felt like they did it together.

He could remember his mother’s laughter, how he acted so aloof and embarrassed with her affections but how much he really looked forward to their time together. His mother brought them so much joy, and then when she never came back, why did his father have to go, too?

Lan Wangji sighed and laid his arm over his eyes, blocking out the sun. Well, that’s what he convinced himself it was for, as something salty fell down his cheeks.

Splash!

Lan Wangji startled upright and uncovered his eyes, watching as something blue and black disappeared into the depths of the ocean. What was that? He jumped up, fully intent on running after it at first, but then paused as he saw sand dollars, sea shells, and pearls.

He looked back out to the sea, wondering if he could find the mysterious being, but upon seeing nothing lingering anymore he instead knelt down to see what had been left on the shore. He couldn’t help but continue to cry, but at least now it was in relief.

He knelt in the sand, and one by one collected the gifts on the shore.

Gifts.

They’re gifts. 

Lan Wangji smiled subtly and carefully placed each trinket into his carrying pouch, each little item a priceless treasure. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist, doing his best to collect himself, although it took some time.

Wei Wuxian smiled tiredly, settling into the sand on the ocean floor to watch the traveler scavenge for his gifts.

Check out other MDZS Projects on my masterpost! ❤

Merji/Travelerji WIP Wangxian Prompt 1 WIP Merxian sketch / Merxian 1 (nudity & wips included) Merxian 2 (sfw) Merxian 3 (B&W) Wangxian Prompt 1 cont. sketch

-

I created these two mermay au's for mermay prompts i'm writing. (check back to the prompt list for updates)

#yes merxian is still injured here #just not as badly #he did his best to heal himself a bit along the way but its tough when you're in the ocean #bc the smell/taste of blood and all #he will probably go on land to get some privacy so he can heal the injuries better when there's no one around #The Night We Met #The Taste of Home #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #wwx #wei ying #wei wuxian #merxian #lwj #lan zhan #lan wangji #TravelerJi #wangxian #romance #writing blurb #mermay #mermay 2023 #merfolk #ficlet #snippet #writing #writing snippet #writing prompt

[justaduckarts]

Soup Delivery! A tiny Sun approaches you with a bowl of warm soup and offers it to you with a eager smile. Would you accept it?

Hi! Sending a tiny Sun this way with a casual reminder to eat, hydrate have a short break if you're in need of one!

Also wanted to use the opportunity to pop in and say while I'm a little behind on the story I've been enjoying your Star Holder fic so far! (Lunar has become a favourite, he's mysterious and quite mischievous with having his own reasons behind his actions.) Also, I've been especially enjoying the mermay fic and following along on how the story develops with the Sun and Moon river fish. I'm looking forward to continue reading how it progresses!

Thank you <3 I adore him <3 (And the soup was good too)

Also AAAAAAAAA bjkewb; I'm so glad!! It still blows my mind how many people like my story and my characters :0 I'm floored, honestly. But I'm with you, Lunar is one of my absolute favorites and I adore his chaotic energy. <3

AAAAAAAa The fish boys, too?!?! Inile;bq I love them. Moonfish, our beloved. That boy deserves so many snacks <3 Thank you so so much for this ask!! I hope you have a great day/night <3

#justaduckarts answers #star holder au #omg #the sillies #aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[loosingmoreletters]

Mermay Day 3: Lake. Part 1 (Overview)

The Yunmeng Jiang delegation arrived on boat, traveling down the rivers to the lake at the foot of Lan Wangji’s home, making them the last sect to arrive. Lan Wangji hadn’t looked forward to picking them up, but when given the choice between them and driving to the airport for the Jin, he’d chose this every time.

Half of the disciples stood behind Jiang Yanli as she greeted him. “We thank Gusu Lan for its hospitality,” she said and bowed. She seemed sincere, unlike most other foreign disciples he’d met. They only complained about the summer lost to the stuffy rules of Lan Wangji’s sect as if their chaos was so much more preferable.

“We can depart in a moment,” Jiang Yanli said. “My brothers are just—”

A shout interrupted her. “You’re not fucking staying!”

For a moment, Jiang Yanli’s expression fell. “I apologize. My younger brother wants to stay but must return to Lotus Pier.”

“Jiang Wanyin is an invited guest,” Lan Wangji stated. The Jiang had yet to proclaim a sect heir, so it was to be assumed their children got the same education.

“My other brother,” Jiang Yanli clarified.

Lan Wangji hadn’t heard of a third sibling, but no matter their status, they ought to be invited as well. When he told Jiang Yanli that, she only shook her head. “A-Xian cannot learn as we do.”

“You fucker!” the shout rang out again. Lan Wangji frowned in disapproval, but before he could voice that such behavior would not be tolerated at the Cloud Recesses, a massive shadow turned beside them.

Water ghoul, his instinct said, but before he had the chance to engage in combat, the shadow emerged, revealing the head of a teenage boy. His eyes were big and his teeth looked sharp enough to rip out Lan Wangji’s throat.

“Shijie,” the boy whined. “I want to stay.”

Just as he complained, another boy dressed in regal purple emerged from the boat, although he was half-drenched. “Don’t listen to him, a-Jie. A-Die said he had to go back, the Lan don’t have the right accommodations.”

“That is very rude of the Lan,” the boy said before his eyes narrowed onto Lan Wangji. Many people glared at him, but this felt more like a tiger watching prey. “You! Lan-gege, won’t you let me stay because you think of eating my delicate flesh?”

The boy pulled at his collar, absolutely indecent, as Jiang Wanyin hissed for him to stop.

“We are vegetarian,” Lan Wangji replied.

“There you go! They probably won’t harvest my organs either. I can stay in a bathtub or… something!” the boy exclaimed and braced his arms on the pier before pulling himself on top.

It was then that the rest of him emerged and Lan Wangji was stunned into silence. While he wore a proper shirt the color of his sect, the rest of his body was decidedly inhumane. A long dark tail sat where his legs should be.

“Jiaoren,” one of the Lan disciples breathed.

The boy grinned, too-sharp teeth glinting. “Never seen one before?” No, where would they have? They’d been hunted to near extinction. To see one, they’d need access to the highly specialized facilities dedicated to keeping them alive.

Or be rich enough to afford to buy one, they weren’t commonly regarded as human, after all.

“I belong to Yunmeng Jiang, my name is Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian!”

“You’re my annoying brother, that’s who,” Jiang Wanyin said, promptly stepping in front of Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji would think it rude if he didn’t see how Jiang Wanyin’s hand hovered above his sword.

“But Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian complained and they were bickering again.

Lan Wangji had not expected this situation. He turned to Jiang Yanli. “I’ll have to ask my uncle what accommodations can be made for your brother.”

She seemed surprised. Whether that was the willingness to figure out a solution for the situation or the fact he accepted who, legally, couldn’t be more than a pet, as her brother, Lan Wangji couldn’t tell. He supposed it didn’t matter either as long as he got away from Wei Wuxian and his everything.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mdzs fanfic #the untamed #wangxian #mermay #mermay 2023 #fanfic

[dilatorywriting]

I read your monster mayhem series for Leona and fell in love with it!! Can’t wait to see how the two fall in love. Slow burn but lion man is falling ☺️💕💕💕

Thank you!! I am also having an absolute ball with this slow burn drama. Man's gotta work for it after all the nonsense he's putting the reader through, y'know? But yes! For now there's a quick break because his next part was getting long and I really wanted to squeeze in something for MerMay. So there's hopefully a bit more Monster Mayhem to look forward too soon, even if it isn't exactly Mister Grumpy Lion ;)

#Asks

[mlim8]

Kon hears the merman’s heart speed up, on the right side of his chest rather than the left; beating in a rhythm different from both his own and that of most humans, slow and sweeping; almost like gentle waves rolling onto the shore. With a breathy, nervous laugh, Tim meets his eyes and adds, “Mostly because messing with you humans is just too much fun to pass up.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’tcha?” Kon drawls, a hint of Midwestern colouring his accent. It’s a souvenir from all those weekends that Clark’s taken Kon home to his parents’ farm with him, a mark in the shape of Kansas; etched deeper into his bones with every time Ma ruffles his hair and every time Pa tells him, ‘Good job, son!’ after a long day of working the fields.

Kon licks his lips and leans in close enough to spot the constellation of tiny, indigo freckles scattered all over Tim’s nose and cheeks; darkening further as his cheeks do, until they’re so blue they’re almost black. With one, final wink, Kon makes a show of breathing in a big lungful of air that he doesn’t need— and lets his body sink back beneath the waves.

BONUS: Sassy Mer lol

HAPPY MERMAY!! COMING IN CLUTCH WITH THIS IDEA LMAOOO - @allthatsentimentalcandyfloss​ and I did a mini collab for MerMay! Please enjoy and look forward to more mer art things coming because Elle’s writing is just so lovely and I love mers so damn much. Please take a look at Elle’s amazing fic!  You won’t regret it, it’s adorable!! <3

#timkon #tim drake #kon-el #conner kent #mermay #dc #dc comics #young justice au #timkon au #mers #fanfic art #mer art #merman tim drake

[bluejadedragon]

More Sneak Peaks to WIPS (because I haven't finished any and I really need to)

1. Mermay? Sharpagne? More likely than you'd think.

His eyes snapped up, his first thought being another employee had found him and was going to start harassing him. Nobody was running up the beach though, instead a frothing disturbance a few hundred metres away drew his gaze. With a furrowed brow, he fixed his bookmark before leaving his book on the rock, standing to approach the racket. 

An angry snarl threatened to escape as his closer inspection revealed something trapped in a discarded fishing net. It was large, and shimmering bluish scales shone as a thick tail smacked against the bank, distressed trills filling the air above the splashing. Champagne sighed quietly, approaching slowly as he called out.

“Easy there, buddy, you’re gonna get hurt if you keep thrashing like that.”

To his disappointment, that only seemed to make the creature more distressed, the trills cutting off as the tail slammed painfully against the sand and rope. Champagne winced as he noted a small trickle of red spilling between iridescent scales. If they kept this up, they could get seriously hurt- a severed fin or worse.

“Easy there, easy, let’s get that off you, ey?”

He reached forward, grabbing the net and pulling slightly to get the creature fully onto the wet sand dividing the beach and ocean. He tugged a tattered cover off the old net with a wrinkled nose, turning back to continue freeing the creature before freezing. 

Blue-green eyes that matched the shimmering tail stared back at him.

Champagne swallowed thickly. A mer. He was freeing a- a mer. Okay. Wow.

“Hi there.” He said softly, reaching to slowly start untangling the rope from around the large blue-green tail. The mer didn’t respond, watching him intently with wide, wide eyes, hands curling into sand, body tense.

2. Losing Ourselves on the Interstate

The kid fell asleep sometime before the border cross into Pennsylvania. Benny didn’t mind, happy to let the kid rest as long as they needed. The dark bags under their eyes certainly suggested they needed it. They blinked awake as Benny turned off to a pit stop. He didn’t plan to stay long, a few hours of sleep maybe, but the look in the kid’s eyes as they stopped at a slightly shabby carpark made him hesitate.

“Hey, Astra? Do you want to keep moving? We don’t have to stay.” Look, don’t judge, he tries, okay? He never claimed to be the best when it came to people, but even he could tell something was off with the kid.

“No.” They breathed. Their eyes were fixed on the wildflowers growing by the toilet block.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” The bite is back, but it has no real heat to it. “Bathroom.”

And then they’re gone, disappeared into the dark. Benny let out a soft sigh, then grabbed his favoured green blanket, climbed into the back and curled up to catch a few hours of shut eye. With the van off, the sounds of wildlife drifted through the metal plating to reach his ears. Tiredly, he rolled over, pillowed his head on his arm, and sunk into the depth of sleep.

A door opening caused him to stir in his sleep, but a quiet, “you can keep sleeping” stopped him from waking completely. 

It was only when the sun began to rise nearly six hours after he initially fell asleep that Benny properly woke. With a grunt, he pushed himself up and into the front seat. He kicked the door open, stepped out and stretched, watching the sky transform as he leaned against the van’s front. He glanced over as Astra rounded the bonnet to sit above the number plate. In their hand was a thermos that they offered Benny.

“Coffee.” They said by way of explanation at Benny’s odd look. It was decent coffee. Once he was feeling more awake, Benny hopped back into his seat and warmed up the engine.

“Come on kid. Let's go get some real breakfast.”

Astra nodded.

“Can we pick up some crickets from a pet store too?”

Benny frowned and turned to ask before pausing. His gaze flicked from the creature on his dash to the kid next to him.

“Where did you get that.” He asked flatly. Astra scooped the critter up and placed it in a small container.

“Behind the toilets. I don’t know how long they were there for. I don’t know if they’ll live, but they were an abandoned pet. Have to be. Leachie’s aren’t native here. And this one’s just a baby.”

Benny elected not to question the seemingly random reptile trivia, instead sighing and not trying too hard to hide his smirk. “Alright kid. Let’s get all three of us fed up, ‘ey?” Astra looked up at him with something like hope in their eyes, before looking down at the critter -leachie- with a small smile.

“Yeah.”

3. Sneak Peak to Chapter 11 of LttS

Jake muttered his goodbyes, mind a mess he was trying to clean as he kicked off the side of the building. The other’s had gotten used to his odd form of travel, only offering calls to be careful now instead of the shocked gasps he’d heard the first time they’d seen him fly. The wind whipped his hair about his face and he closed his eyes, imagining his worries being blown off his back. Unfortunately, it was this relaxation that allowed him to pick up on the sounds of yelping.

His eyes snapped open and he was diving before he could think, goop covering his eyes to protect against the wind. He barely had time to process where he was going before he found his target. 

He felt his blood boil.

“HEY!” He yelled, dust flicking around him and condensing in his goo as he landed, skin pricking with anger. The group jumped before turning on him.The ringmaster glared at him, but Jake wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was staring daggers into the teen a few steps behind the leader. A very familiar teen who he’d seen only a few weeks ago in a dark alley. 

“What do you think you’re-” “Two options.” Jake cut off, voice pitched low and dangerous. “Either you can step away from that fine woman there, or I can make you.”

He grinned at that, all teeth and no spark, before flicking a small orb to land straight between the leader’s eyes. “So, what’ll it be?” 

The group charged.

- - - - - - -

Annie was beginning to wonder if her new friend was the cause of her series of unfortunate events.

#fanfic #writers on tumblr #writing wips #current wips #popcross studios #multiverse tales #mersharp