#mermay came early haha

[clarkimagines]

The Waves

Pairing: merperson!oc x reader

Summary: A morning trip to the beach brings more than just sun and sand. A curious merperson finds you in the water and introduces themself, in their own way.

Word Count: 2196

A/N: i wanted to write something small for mermay and ended up typing out this giant thing in one sitting?? it was a lot of fun to write, and honestly i’m pretty fond of the merperson i came up with so i might officially make them one of my ocs haha.

You smiled as a cool wave washed over you, tugging you a little closer to the shore. The beach beyond was nearly empty; a few umbrellas listed with the early morning breeze, staking claim to swaths of sand their owners had yet to return to for the day. You kicked out a little farther. You had some time before the waves would be good enough for surfing. 

Below you, a school of fish hurried by, darting and weaving through one another in a dizzying swirl of bright silver scales. 

Once the fish had passed, you spied something nestled in the sand below. You couldn’t quite tell what it was; all you could make out were the sharp edges of what seemed to be a boxy shape. You dipped a hand in the water and made a few lazy circles, considering. The water wasn’t too deep, and it was bright and clear enough that you could see anything coming. You had time to kill, anyway, and you wanted to know what had managed to make its way so far beyond the shoreline. 

You pushed yourself off your board, landing fully in the water with a splash. You shivered at the sudden chill, then laughed to yourself. You took a deep breath and submerged yourself again, swimming down toward the box. You were an arms length from it when you reached out, only to be pulled back by an insistent tug at your ankle. You let out an impatient stream of bubbles and reached up to the chord that connected you to your surfboard. It didn’t seem to want to come loose. You twisted around to untie it, but you couldn’t get it off, so you swam up to the surface instead. 

You shook the water out of your eyes with a groan as you set to work on your tether, this time above the water. Soon, you slipped it off, but you hesitated as you went to dive back down. The waves weren’t too choppy, so it wasn’t like you would lose your board, right? Right. You nodded to yourself, filled your lungs again, and pushed yourself back into the water. 

The cold wasn’t as shocking the second time; the water enveloped you comfortably, and you wasted no time in swimming down to investigate. You reached the seafloor quickly without the chord holding you back. You craned your neck around in every direction, but the box was gone. The waves must have shifted the sand. You frowned to yourself, dissatisfied, as you peered around. 

It was underwater, peaceful, as you were gently swayed back and forth by the passing waves. The sunlight danced over the water, throwing a kaleidoscope pattern on the sand below. 

A sudden shadow passed over you. You stared skyward, hoping you hadn’t missed something about your surroundings, but it was just your board drifting overhead. You shook your head, a few bubbles escaping as you laughed to yourself. You were a bit jumpy, that was all. 

You swam back up to the surface again for some air, then submerged yourself again, content to just enjoy the ocean. Another shoal of fish passed you as you sat on the bottom. You smiled to yourself as you watched. 

You waved an arm out toward the fish, but something grabbed your arm, then your waist. A scream escaped your mouth in a gurgle. You thrashed against the grip, but you whatever was holding onto you wasn’t ready to let go. Whatever it was pulled you up toward the surface as you kicked out. You looked down to see a blur of seagreen scales. The tail was huge, much larger than any fish you’d ever seen, and you screamed again as you wondered what the hell had caught you. 

You were all but tossed out of the water, landed on your board with an unceremonious thwak. You scrambled onto your hands and knees, gripping the board’s sides as you greedily sucked in air and scanned the surrounding water. A shadowy figure undulated back and forth underneath you… that had to be the tail of whatever had… apparently thrown you out of the water? Your heart wasn’t racing the way it had just before; now, you were curious, not frightened. You stared down at the water, but lurched back as the figure drew closer to the surface. 

A head breached the surface, followed by shoulders and arms. A… person. Whatever else was in the water, there was also a person down there. They slung an arm over the board, holding themselves steady in the water. 

“Are you okay?” 

You blinked down at the stranger. “Yes?” 

“Oh. Good,” they replied. 

They must have seen the giant fish before you, and pulled you out of the water. But if that was the case, shouldn’t they be more eager to get out of the water themself? You took in the stranger’s appearance as you both caught your breath. They had long hair, so long the strands draped over your board trailed off into the water. It was dark hair, loose, and it almost seemed to shine green when the sun hit it right. The person themself had light brown skin and lovely green eyes and a warm smile and--and you were staring. You averted your eyes to the water as you felt a flush rise to your cheeks. 

“So. What brings you out so far from land,” you began, internally cringing at your choice of words. 

The stranger laughed, a clear, sweet sound. “I could ask you the same question.” 

You shrugged. “Surfing. The water’s perfect this time of morning,” you said, and the stranger nodded. 

They shot you another dazzling smile, and you grinned back but your gaze darted to the water, where the green tail was drifting lazily with the current. You looked back at the stranger, and they winked. The tail’s fins flicked up, and you barely had enough time to shield yourself with one arm before the water splashed onto you. 

“Hey!” 

The stranger laughed again, quieter this time, and the sound quickly soothed away your annoyance. It was a nice sound, and you found yourself hoping you would hear it again. You felt a smile tugging at the corners of your lips again. But something wasn’t adding up. The tail, it didn’t seem to have a head; and you should have been able to see the stranger’s legs. You dropped your arm away from your face and peered back into the water. 

Your jaw dropped. 

“No way.” 

The stranger—who apparently had a tail where their legs should be—ducked their head and brushed a strand of hair out of their eyes. They seemed almost bashful, but then the moment passed and they gave you a teasing smirk. 

“Took you long enough.” 

You frowned. “Is… is this real? Did I hit my head while I was swimming or something?” 

“How should I know?” 

You bit back a laugh. “I’m serious. Am I hallucinating?” 

“What would a hallucination say?” They replied. 

“Fair enough,” you mumbled, then reached up to prod at your head. You didn’t feel like you had been hurt. You hoped that was a good sign. But—

A hand wrapped around your wrist, gently pulling it back down. “If you did hit your head, you shouldn’t be doing that.” The smile had slipped from their face, replaced by a look of concern. 

You let out a frustrated puff of air. “Okay, but—” 

They raised an eyebrow.  

“Fine.” 

You relaxed a little; at least you felt certain that this was real. They hadn’t let go of your wrist, and you could feel the warmth of their skin on yours. That certainly felt real enough. They stared up at you, head tilted curiously to one side. 

“What were you doing in the water? Did you fall?” 

You shook your head. “I was just going for a swim.” 

“Huh. You know, usually humans don’t come out this far. I thought you couldn’t swim. Why were you just sitting in the sand?” 

“Why not?” You replied with a shrug. 

They hummed in response. “I guess the sand is pretty comfortable,” they agreed. 

“Yeah,” you said simply. Your mind was racing, though, wondering how exactly you had wound up in a conversation with a merperson about sand. You certainly hadn’t expected this when you had gotten up early to catch some waves. “Why did you throw me like that?” You blurted out before you could stop yourself. To your credit, you managed to keep most of the annoyance from your tone. 

“What?” 

“Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?” 

“You were trying to hit me,” they said with a slight pout. 

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” you replied. 

The merperson stretched, coiled and uncoiled their tail under the surface, and let out a satisfied sigh. Their scales and skin glistened as they stretched. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t drown,” they said, and their eyes flicked back up to yours. You held their gaze, knowing you had just been caught staring, again. They gave you a slow smile. 

You raised an eyebrow in return, fighting down a blush. “So, I told you about myself. What brings you out here so early in the morning?” 

They brought a spiny, green fin up to the surface again, and you prepared yourself to be splashed again, but instead they stirred the water back and forth, making gentle waves. “I got bored and wanted to go for a swim. I figured there wouldn’t be any humans crazy enough to go out this far and bother me,” they said teasingly. 

You scoffed. “If anything, you were the one bothering me.” 

They rolled their eyes. “I think you mean saving you.” 

“From what?” 

They just chuckled. “You humans are impossible sometimes, you know that?” 

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. Soon, the two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only by the murmur of the waves. You had so many questions, you didn’t know where to start. You gazed out at the open ocean as you struggled to put your thoughts into words. 

“Do you come here often?” You both asked, at the same time. They laughed a little at that, then nodded. “Me, too,” you replied with a chuckle. 

They nodded. “Maybe we’ll meet again.” 

“I hope so,” you said, then immediately thought better of it. Too eager, you chided yourself. 

They gave you a pleased smile. “I hope so, too. You don’t need help getting to the shore?” 

You turned to squint at the beach, which by now was beginning to fill up with vacationers. It wouldn’t be difficult to paddle over; you’d have the waves carrying you most of the way, anyways. “No, I’ve got it,” you said. 

The merperson made a sound that almost sounded disappointed, and you regretted your answer. Having a little companionship on the way back would be nice, especially if it was them. 

“See ya!” 

“Wait! I didn’t get your—” you turned, but the only indication that you weren’t alone in the water were the ripples in the place where your rescuer had been treading water. “—name…” you trailed off with a sigh. You caught a glimpse of their tail as it flicked up, showering you with cool droplets of saltwater, like a wave goodbye, as they swam away. 

You gazed after them, and soon they had disappeared from your view. You turned again to watch the shoreline. The tide was changing, and now you weren’t so enthused at the idea of returning to the crowded, noisy beach. You tossed one last, longing look over your shoulder at the open ocean behind you, then remembered your tether. You refastened it to your ankle. By then, a wave was swelling up behind you, and you paddled to catch it. You managed to drift with the wave for a little ways, then lost it. 

You frowned to yourself. You were distracted, there was no denying it—you could hardly even blame yourself for searching for the telltale green glint below. You knew you likely wouldn’t spot them again, but somehow, you were still disappointed when the merperson was nowhere to be seen. You shook yourself out of your thoughts in time to catch another wave, surfing in earnest this time, but after a little time you wobbled and couldn’t right yourself in time to keep from falling in the water. You had been too busy wondering what life was like with a tail. 

You sputtered as you spit out the salt water. You were close enough to the shore to walk now; you righted yourself and dragged your board behind you, grumbling to yourself as you wiped seawater off your face. But a sudden quiet washed over you as you stepped out of the water. You turned, watching the tide come in, wondering what—and who—was hidden, waiting in the surf. 

A small smile played across your face. You would be back, you promised yourself. You would find them again, or they would find you. With that thought buoying your heart, you dragged your board onto the sand. You couldn’t believe your luck; hopefully, your second meeting wouldn’t be up to chance.

#mermay #original content #oc x reader #oc #oc imagine #clark's pick #mermay imagine #merperson x reader #merperson imagine