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#or if i saw someone else use them at some point for mer
erigold13261 · 1 year
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Sayu ask anon here! I’m not used to neopronouns yet, but they are so cool and show us how fluid language is! So Ze/Mer Sayu is canon for me now! I can’t believe how people are against these. Just use them for the person using those, and use “normal” pronouns for yourselves!
:D
I am so happy you think that!
Also, I do understand some people who don't know how to use neopronouns, like I am still confused on how some people use things like "flower" or other nouns as neopronouns, but it is SO MUCH fun to learn and see how people use them! And I do try to add more pronouns like that to my headcanons, like Adam using yo/yoself pronouns!
But like, as long as you try and use them when you are talking about a neopronoun user, then I think that's fine. If you mess up just apologize quickly and move one, don't make it about you or a super big thing.
Now for people, like you said, who are against neopronouns at all, those people are just assholes. They should just use them and move on because it hurts no one to just be kind and respect other people's identities even if you don't understand them.
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vivitheanimaxen · 5 months
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Impulse didn't quite know why he'd originally gone down to the beach with Skizz after their shifts at work, but he'd heard the whistles as soon as they'd stepped out onto the sand.
They sounded eerily like Tango, when their mer friend was curious about something they'd brought him. Impulse put a finger to his lips, motioning for Skizz to stay quiet. He didn't want to scare whatever it was away.
They made their way out onto the jetty of rock, Skizz using his phone to light their way, until Impulse saw it.
It was another merperson. It had to be.
Impulse couldn't see much more than the outline of a head and shoulders. He could tell their hair was white, with the way the moonlight bounced off of it, and he could see-- spines, maybe?
Whatever it was, they seemed to be looking for something, calling out with whistles and clicks now and again. Was there more than one? Tango was always more vocal when someone else was around.
Impulse's gaze was drawn away by Skizz crouching next to him, moving to shine the light over the water, "It's gotta be another merdude like Tango. Right?"
"Shhh-- Skizz, you gotta turn off the light or you're gonna scare it away--" Impulse reached out for the phone, hoping to point it away from the mer.
"Ugh, fine. But it's you're own fault if you trip and fall into the water and drown." Skizz huffed softly, putting his phone back into his pocket.
Impulse saw the mer flinch, disappearing with another high-pitched whistle.
"Skizz--" Impulse huffed, disappointed.
"Hey, it's not my fault!" Skizz huffed right back, before pointing out at something in the dark, tapping Impulse repeatedly on the leg, "Look! look look look look look-- there's another one!"
Impulse twisted, and sure enough, there was a different head poking up from the water.
But before he could do anything else, there was a splash and a flurry of movement, and there was nothing left except ripples.
He carefully scanned the gentle waves, looking for any more movement.
"I wasn't seeing things, right? There's two merpeople down there." Skizz stood up, folding his arms across his chest.
"Yeah, I saw them too. They know we're here though." Impulse frowned, edging further out onto the rocks. "I didn't see where they went. Can you?"
"No dude, they've completely disappeared!"
Impulse sighed. On one hand, it was probably a good thing that the mer were so wary of them, but on the other hand, Impulse was hoping to get some more information about where Tango might've been taken. Odds were, these were just random mer who'd gotten washed in on the tide. But hey, they might get lucky.
"I've got a recording of Tango on my phone from before he started talking." Skizz pulled his phone back out, flipping to his photos, "Maybe we can get them to come up?"
"That might work. Just be careful."
Skizz hit play, and there was an almost instantaneous reaction from the mer, an answering call coming from the darkness off the side of the jetty.
Impulse crouched, trying to see if they could get closer to the water, instead of being up on the rocks like they were. He pulled out his keys, because he had a flashlight on those and also he still hadn't gotten a new phone yet. Impulse used the light to see where he was going as he slid down to a shelf that was probably covered at high tide.
There was another series of chirps and warbles, and Impulse could see the vague shapes bobbing up and down at the edge of the sea.
Skizz shuffled down after him, and Impulse gave him a steadying hand as he looked over to where the figures were.
There were two of them, but it was hard to see anything but vague outlines in the dark. Impulse didn't want to turn his flashlight back on-- he didn't want to startle them any more than they probably were.
Skizz, apparently, had no such reservations, turning on his flashlight and shining it right in the mers' faces. Great going Skizz.
They were undoubtably the same kind of creature that Tango was. The one with white hair had a woven band holding it away from their face, and because of the light, Impulse could see the red-black heterochromia. A scar cut over their left eye-- the red one-- and instead of ear-fins like Tango, they looked like they had a frill of spines framing their head. Strangely enough, he looked like he was wearing some sort of ninja mask, with one webbed hand pressed over his mouth. Impulse could also see striped, spiney fins running down his arms. In fact, the mer was so still that the only movement Impulse could see was those spines flexing.
The second one had flinched away from the sudden flash of light, drawing Impulse's gaze away. He had dark hair, and big, dark eyes almost too large for his face. While the first mer seemed to be covered in spines and stripes, this one seemed to be coated in algae? He'd brought his hands up to shield his face from the light with an offended squawk, and all up his arms was covered in-- it had to be some sort of moss or algae or something, because it certainly wasn't scales. He looked so confused, almost like a kicked puppy.
"Hey-- hey, do you guys understand English?" Skizz asked, shifting closer.
Impulse pushed the light down, "Stop it, you're scaring them. How would you like to be flashed like that?"
"Do you wanna get pulled into the water cause we can't see where they are?" Skizz countered, "You know how jumpy Tango was at the start--"
"Speaking of, you can turn off the video now, I think. That one looks so confused." Impulse gestured over to the green mer, "I don't think mer have phones in the ocean, do you?"
"Right. Uhm. Hold on one second--" Skizz flicked off the video of Tango, and it was like a spell had been broken.
The spined mer lunged at Skizz with a violent hiss and a rattle of spines, coming at least halfway out of the water. Skizz tripped backwards, dropping his phone onto the rocks.
Impulse wished he had a pole or something to get between themselves and the mer, because those spines looked nasty.
"Woah woah woah hey--!" Skizz shouted, scrambling backwards. The mer's spines just barely missed his feet as he yanked them back.
Impulse had managed to retreat back up the rocks, getting out of reach before the mer could try to attack him too, "Hey-- woah calm down! We're friends. Friends--"
Impulse stayed put as the mer proceeded to talk at each other, clicking and chirping and whistling so fast that Impulse couldn't even hope to keep up, even if he did understand them.
The mer disappeared under the water, the green one pulling his friend down and out of sight. Skizz took the oppurtunity to snatch up his phone from where it'd fallen.
"Oh hey, it didn't break."
"Skizz-- get back here! Just because Tango's not venomous doesn't mean that these mer aren't!" Impulse shifted back so Skizz could climb back up too.
"I don't think they're going to come back up, dipple-dop." Skizz protested, but he backed away from the water anyway, "And I don't think they like us."
"Yah think?"
The only thing to be heard for a long moment was the lapping of water against the rocks. Impulse took a deep breath, waiting to see if the mer would reappear.
"Yeah, looks like they're gone. . ." Skizz muttered, "I know you miss Tango, I miss him as much as you do buddy, but these guys are wild. They probably think we're going to hurt them."
Impulse let out a sigh, "Yeah. . . I bet they don't understand what we're saying."
Skizz was proven wrong a moment later when both mer surfaced again, the spiney one rising head and shoulders above the water, while the other barely poked their eyes and ears out. They were further out than before, well away from the rocks.
"Oh, hello." Skizz sat forward, "They've gotta want something, right? They'd have run off otherwise."
Impulse was the next one to be proven wrong, when one of the mer called out in heavily accented English.
"How do you have that recording? Where is our--?"The next word was a warble-- "Where is--" That was the one series of clicks and whistle which Impulse recognized. It was one Tango had repeated to them countless times, trying to get them to say it right-- Tango's name.
What were the odds indeed?
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trickstarbrave · 10 months
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actually i wanna post this part as a lil preview for moon and star bc ow pain
nerevar past life pain and house indoril being dicks
Nerevar could only stare in confusion, feeling like he had been bashed in the head all over again. 
He knew House Mora was known for the rumors of mixed blood, but he had assumed it was just that: rumors. Maybe some people were, that was obvious, but not Nerevar. Wouldn’t Nerevar know if he was? 
He held his head, one eye closed as he winced in pain, a memory long buried coming back. 
“What in oblivion are you even talking about?!” Nerevar shouted, his whole body shaking in rage. “Choosing someone else from House Indoril as the heir?!”
The elder from House Indoril wasn’t phased by his outburst, only looking at him with a slight glare of contempt over the fact he couldn’t control his emotions. House Indoril were the ones who ruled over law and religion after all, and took great pride in their measured reactions. Just another thing that separated Nerevar from them and made him feel like an outsider when he was supposed to be their king. 
“We just believe it would be for the best. After all, your relationship with Queen Almalexia is…” The elder looked aside briefly, “Detached.” The man finally settled on a word to describe it, still failing to fully encompass the complex relationship and struggles they had. “Not to mention the matter of your heritage--”
“What about my heritage?” Nerevar’s nostrils flared with anger, his mouth twisting into a scowl. The elder was nervous about his anger just as everyone was; Nerevar was known for his terrifying face, after all. His hands trembled slightly despite the brave, impassive face he put on in front of the king.
The elder heaved a deep sigh. 
“Control yourself, Hortator.” The mer replied. “We just don’t want the blood of men being mixed with the bloodline of House Indoril.” Nerevar’s face twisted even further in rage as his fist connected with the wall, making the stone crack. 
“What is wrong with my blood?!” Nerevar shouted. “This filthy mixed blood king is what liberated our people. It’s what slayed the damn nordic king. It’s what has brought us so many years of prosperity--” Nerevar’s whole body was trembling. “But now I’m too fucking filthy to mix with House Indoril?!”
Nerevar’s eyes darted to Almalexia who was still seated, looking to her for support. They didn’t have the most passionate marriage, sometimes arguing incessantly, but they always made peace at the end of the day. They were bound by oath to defend and support one another, after all. Yet, he couldn’t find any warmth in her golden eyes, instead meeting only a hardened wall that made him feel like all the wind had been knocked out of him. 
“Think of what is best for Resdaynia, Hortator.” The elder reminded him. “You don’t even enjoy visiting your queen’s bedchambers, this should be a relief to you.” 
A relief? Relief his ass. He gave a bark of angry laughter in response. He was king but couldn’t even put a child of his own on the throne. He couldn’t name his own offspring his god damn heir. How was he supposed to be relieved?! What was even the fucking point of making him king then if they would take this from him too? What was the point of closing off his heart and marrying a woman he didn’t love if he was going to be stuck in a childless marriage anyways?! He should have just taken the plunge and married Voryn--
No. He shouldn’t let his thoughts carry him that far. Voryn was a good friend, yes, and the long standing object of his affections, but romance was beyond what he could expect from the other mer. Gods dammit, Nerevar couldn’t even ask for romance from his own wife it seemed, why would Voryn be any different? No doubt Voryn saw him the same exact way as House Indoril did; House Dagoth also cared about blood purity after all, and were even more insular than Indoril. Voryn would just as likely scoff from his advances and laugh it off, saying that while Nerevar was a fine friend he would never bed someone who was half-nord, even if it was impossible for their union to produce a child.
The Hortator was good enough as a warlord, but as a lover or a husband? Not in the slightest. He only existed to rip people apart, not love and be loved. Voryn swore loyalty to him only because he knew Nerevar was the best mer to unite Resdayn with his strength and clever tongue. No more and no less for the pragmatic grandmaster of House Dagoth. Nerevar was good only as a weapon, not a lover, nor a loving spouse, nor a father either it seemed. All his hands were good for destruction; why did he expect anything less than being treated like a wild beast?
Nerevar continued to scowl as he turned on his heel, stomping toward the door. 
“Do as you fucking please then.” Nerevar growled. “Don’t expect me to ‘appreciate’ it though.” He gave one last look at Almalexia. “And don’t expect me to keep up appearances by going to your bedchambers either.” 
He slammed the door on his way out, ignoring the tears stinging his eyes.
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jasdiary · 1 year
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“Smile?..Mmm…I dunno if you would like that..”
Some info may be wrong to the pics because this is a revamp!
Full Name : Tomi-Grey Cordelia Lotanic
Nicknames : Tomi(everyone), Great White(Floyd), Mademoiselle Requin Blanc(Rook)
Jp Va : Rina Sato
En Va : Bridget Hoffman
Age : 17
Height : 169 cm (5’6)
Homeland : Coral Sea
Birthday : July 14th
Zodiac sign : Cancer
Species : Shark Mer
Hair Color : Coin Gray
Eye Color : Onyx Black
Gender : Demigirl (She/Her) (They/Them)
Sexuality : Demisexual Sapphic
Family : Unnamed mother
Occupation : Student at Night Raven College, Waitress at the Mostro Lounge
Twisted From : Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo
School Information
Dorm : Octavinelle
School Year : 2nd (Sophomore)
Class : 2-A
Best Subject : Defense Magic
Worst Class : Astrology
Club : Track & Field
Dominant Hand : Left
Favorite Food : Rainbow Veggie Sushi
Least Favorite Food : Shark-Fin Soup
Likes : Trying her best, swimming, making friends, Hair clips, Her body, Messing with people
Dislikes : Fighting, Scaring people, Her teeth, Her smile, Losing control, Mentions of her mother
Hobbies : Knitting, Bettering herself, Track
Personality : Tomi-Grey is chill and down to earth, always seeming to go with the flow. But, she’s extremely observant and notices the little things. Due to her observation skills, Tomi’s gotten use to people around her being scared. She pins her hair back to show people she’s vulnerable and won’t hurt them but,,,her scars and dark eyes scare them even more. It’ll take a while for her to trust someone enough to smile for them but once she does!! she’s so cute!! She looks like she can kill you, and she probably can BUT she also sleeps with 10 pillows.
Unique Magic :
Friends Can Be Food Too
“I told myself that I would be better but…don’t make me prove that friends can be food too.”
Due to being a shark mer, Tomi-Grey makes use of her electro reception out of the water. Calming herself to a state of zen, Tomi-Grey’s apex predatory behavior and emotions with bubble up and send her into an electric frenzy. The electric wires within Tomi-Grey’s system will connect to whomever she focuses on, given her the ability to predict any movements that person will make. Depending on the amount of time this was used, A set back of this will be minor loss of all senses, leaving Tomi-Grey in a state of emptiness.
Backstory :
Growing up in the Coral Reef wasn’t easy for Tomi-Grey as a shark mer. Like any place else, Shark mers were highly feared as apex predators so no one took very kindly to them. It wasn’t any different for Tomi.
The second she was placed in school, people avoided her like the plague. Tomi was a gentle soul, playing with fishes and collecting things she found. She held everything as if it was fine china. It seems that people didn’t care whether or not if she was kind, all they noticed was that fin and those teeth of hers.
They swam away, they whispered in front of her, they even threw things to see what she would do. At that point, Tomi knew what they wanted her to do and just decided to not amuse them. She wanted to show them that they was different. Well…almost different.
One day, Tomi noticed a small octo mer being bullied. He was small and round and he cried almost everyday, they should pick on someone their own size! Without thinking, Tomi went up to them and tried to tell them to leave him alone as calmly as she could! But a singular shove to the side was enough to send Tomi into a frenzy.
She scratched and bit and twisted the boys that were picking on the small octo mer, not a single reflection of light in her eyes. The boys didn’t go down without a fight clearly, leaving her face and body all stretched up.
She’ll never forget the day she got home and saw the grotesque scar across her nose.
After defeating the boys, she tried to approach the little octo mer as gently as she could, not wanting to scare him off. But, he just looks at her with…bright teary eyes?
The boy was so very grateful and wanted to stay at her side from that day! He had two other “friends” but they were busy at the time, he eventually introduced Tomi to them. From that day on, Tomi accepted the fact that she was an apex predator and there was nothing she could do to change that.
But she could at least try. And that’s exactly what she was going to do.
Random Trivia!
Tomi-Grey lived by herself since she didn’t have any family and usually received help from neighbors for things like groceries and going to school.
She knows she had a mother, but never knew anything about her. Her mother is a sensitive topic for her.
Tomi got into a lot of fights after defending Azul yet never lost one. That’s why they’ve become so bruised and scarred.
The only people that have seen Tomi-Grey smile with her teeth showing are Azul, Jade, Floyd and Soleil.
Her eyes are a weak spot that people tend to aim for whenever they fight her.
Tomi isn’t one to talk about herself, but she’s really proud of her body! All that fighting made her gain muscle and some people find the scars attractive..to which she doesn’t really get.
Her resting face is really intimidating to others, she doesn’t mean it though!
There are days where Tomi is just…so so tired that she can’t be bothered to clip her hair back. The first time she went to class with her hair down, people thought it was a different person.
She has a habit of twirling her hair!
Don’t let anyone know but…She cries when she thinks about the friends she’s made.
Tomi’s actually quite short for a Shark mer!
Pomefiore wants to dress her up, Savanaclaw wants her to train with them…How the hell is she in Octavinelle
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arielxlazarus · 3 years
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I almost forgot about that fanfic appreciation week, but I wanted to at least do something for it! So here's a rec list for some of my favorite fics in the one piece fandom!
This list is not at all exhaustive btw (there's still loads of other fics in the fandom that I love), so please don't feel bad if you weren't included! Also if anyone wants more recommendations from me, you can check out my bookmarks on my ao3!
Who Knows (what could happen) by Chromi
Rating: T
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: For as long as he could remember, he had wanted to set out to sea as an adventurer. His father, unfortunately, dictated that he was to follow the family tradition and become a doctor instead.
Following a lifetime of hurt and sorrow at the hands of his family, he eventually breaks free and takes to the sea alone - determined to keep it that way. Fate has other ideas in store for him; fate crosses his path with Portgas D. Ace's, a brand new pirate.
And what does he hate more than pirates?
Nothing.
Or: from Sixis to the Moby Dick - the lives of the Spade pirates.
First Time by Chromi
Rating: E
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: "Because it is Ace, and it will only ever be Ace, that he wants to see like this, and he wants to be responsible for unravelling him down to his core and loving him to his very center."
In which Ace and Deuce go all the way for the first time.
@chromiwrites
Seabound by AnkhPosts
Rating: T
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Ace is a selkie, making one of his periodic stops on land to catch a breather and get some ridiculously tasty human food, maybe see some sights if there are any. His pelt is safely hidden, he'll stay a day or two at most and be on his way.
Deuce is a mer, alone on the sea and traveling as he pleases for the first time in his life, and while he might not be terribly interested in actually interacting with humans it's hard not to see them as fascinating.
Ace meets Deuce. Deuce meets Ace. Neither knows the other isn't human.
@ankhposts
Death is only the beginning by Chizyk
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: “Ankhreshet?” he whipped his head round at the sound of a raspy voice so fast he almost got whiplash. He could feel his body going completely cold as he saw the mummy’s empty eye sockets staring right at him.
@chizyk
I'm Still Here (part of a series) by theprodigypenguin
Rating: M
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace (also Izou/Sabo later in the series)
Summary: "When I do die, don't bother burying me in that empty grave. Put my body in a boat and set me out to sea. Let me sleep eternal on the ocean that my father loved so much; because before everything else in this world, I am a child of the sea, and when I die, I want to return to it. Put me in a boat and set it aflame so I can go down in the same fire I lived."
Forget-Me-Not Fall by theprodigypenguin
Rating: M
Pairing: Izou/Sabo
Summary: “Most of the nobles I’ve met tonight look meticulously put together. They look like they were built to portray a certain image paralleled a hundred times over. People who were copied and pasted. Flawless clothes, flawless faces, flawless makeup, flawless hair.”
“Not me though,” Sabo stated, and Izou hummed.
“It’s comforting.”
“Huh?”
Izou met Sabo’s eye. “Everyone else in this place hides their worst attributes with a mask they modified to fit their faces. They don’t seem to comprehend that those perfect masks only make their worst characteristics more pronounced and defined.” His expression was terribly gentle as his eyes wandered across Sabo’s face. “It’s comforting to be approached by someone not trying to be something else.”
Sabo tilted his head. “How do you know I’m not manipulating you like some common Goa aristocrat?”
Izou smiled. “There are a few reasons.”
@theprodigypenguin
A Light To Guide You Home by TheSkyIsMyHome
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: In a world that despises mutants, Ace lives purely to protect his little brother.
Until the flames inside him find their perfect match and opposite, and he doesn't know what to feel anymore.
The Phoenix's Mate by TheSkyIsMyHome
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Marco is a handsome man. Ace really can't be blamed for being attracted to him. Nobody minds, either.
But Marco isn't always a man. Ace still loves him regardless, and his sexual urges are catching up to that fact.
Marco indulges him, but he might just find himself enjoying it more than he thought he would.
@evvazi
ASL in Red (series) by Kereea
Rating: G-T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law (both asexual), Koala/Sabo, Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks/Benn Beckman, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante/Aokiji | Kuzan, Roronoa Zoro/Sanji, and several other minor ones
Summary: In an alternate universe, forces conspired to put Ace, Sabo, and Luffy in the care of the Red Hair pirates as children.
The Grand Line would never know what hit it.
Mates (part of a series) by Deubatty
Rating: E
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Deuce just wanted to go searching for plants! A nice walk in the woods. Except, he ends up becoming the mate to a very persistent naga
His First Mate The Mermaid (part of a series) by Deubatty
Rating: T
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Instead of finding another person on Sixis, Ace finds a mermaid
@masked-writer
Being Human by MaiKusakabe
Rating: E (no smut)
Pairing: None (heavy focus on the platonic relationships between Marco, Whitebeard, and the rest of the crew as they form)
Summary: The line that differentiates human from object appears to be clear, but sometimes it blurs to the point where it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins.
The Unknown Devil by MaiKusakabe
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Ace hadn’t expected his last week of imprisonment before his execution to be any different from all the years preceding it. Then again, he hadn’t expected to have Marco the Phoenix as a cellmate for that week, or that Marco’s presence would shake his bleak world so much.
Ripple Effect by MaiKusakabe
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: After the incident with Shanks, Garp didn't take Luffy to Dadan's, unaware of how much that would change the life of his other grandson.
@maisstories
To Build a Home by endlessblankpages
Rating: G
Pairing: None (heavy focus on the platonic relationships between the ASL bros and the Whitebeard Pirates)
Summary: The ASL pirates are used to being accused of crimes they didn't commit. But when they're accused of destroying a small village in the New World, it sends them hurtling toward a deadly confrontation with the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard. The results are not what they were expecting.
Persistence & The Impossible (part of a series) by dragonsfall
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: In order to keep himself from losing his job, Ace takes on an impossible story. Get an interview with the ever-elusive Phoenix. Guess he might as well kiss his job goodbye.
Self Discovery (part of a series) by dragonsfall
Rating: E
Pairing: Izou/Sabo (sort of, it's technically masturbation)
Summary: Sabo has been waiting for a day like this for a while but it doesn’t go quite how he planned it.
@clockworkpanic
A Breach of Intention by Depths
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: It was unspoken, but some pirate crews and mermaids had an unspoken solidarity. Pirates throw their enemies overboard, and the merfolk will take care of them.
mer!ace au
@leviathiane
Running on All Sixes by lunarshores
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, minor Izou/Thatch
Summary: The Whitebeard gang might be one of the most influential in the city, but to Marco they're just his family. Though he sometimes wishes they'd just leave him alone, especially when Izo's playing matchmaker, and Ace is his usual oblivious self. When a brother betrays them, they'll have to fight to show why no one ever messes with their family.
nothing is impossible with you by lunarshores
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Five times Ace and Marco accidentally mixed their flames on accident and one time that was entirely on purpose.
@lunarshores
I Want You to Look at Me by shockandlock
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: One night, Marco is missing from dinner, so Ace decides to bring dinner to him. He's surprised to see Marco wearing glasses and now he can't stop thinking about the way he looks. Now with additional chapter(s) including more miscellaneous MarcoAce PWP!
To My Dear Fire (part of a series) by shockandlock
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Living in the city is a new thing for Ace. After being raised near a cozy coastal mountain town through his childhood, it's definitely a change of pace, but it doesn't help when he loses his new job after an unfortunate encounter with actor Marco Newgate. He just wants to live-- and meet his long time pen pal, Phoenix.
Marco knows that being an actor is hard, so he takes the little things when he can: writing his pen pal (and honestly one of his best friends) Fire Fist, flirting with the cute new waiter at his favorite café-- not that he has a chance after a disaster on social media. But maybe fate really does give him a second chance when Ace shows up at Four Emperor Studios...
@shockandlock
Uncharted Territory by silverwolf_fox
Rating: E
Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: This was by far one of Ace's most ridiculous ideas.
When Deuce keeps getting flustered everytime he tries to dominate Ace, they created an opportunity where he didn't have to be afraid of messing up.
Now he's free to do and try whatever he wants...
...so long as Ace doesn't wake up.
Watching the Sunrise (part of a series) by silverwolf_fox
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Many years have passed since Rouge gave up her life for her son’s...except she didn’t die, but she thinks Ace did. Living her life on Baterilla, she’s mourned each and every day until the morning she receives his bounty poster. She sets off immediately to find him, but finds their meeting isn’t as easy as she’d imagined.
@the-devil-fruit-tree
never shall i forget, how you climbed out of a dream by siojo
Rating: T
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: “Kaido,” Ace smirks, flames burning around his feet as he shifts in preparation for Kaido’s next attack, already trying to decide what he’s going to do in response. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You’ve seemed to have been enjoying yourself here.”
“I thought you would be smarter than this, Portgas. You’ve never tried to fight another Yonko before, your bounty won’t matter much when you lose.”
Ace barks a laugh, his teeth bared in a facsimile of a grin, “You must have missed out on the brawl I had with Big Mom after she sent two of her daughters and a son for me to consider marrying. This is a bit more personal than that.”
@wordsdrippinginink
Reborn in Fire by aerle
Rating: M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Fireman Marco has earned the nickname 'the Phoenix' by saving numerous people from a certain death. After an accident however, he has to relearn to walk and gets a new job as arson inspector at a different fire station. There he gets confronted with a boy from his past, now all grown up and gorgeous.
Three's a Crowd, Four's a Double Date by aerle
Rating: M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace (main), Izou/Thatch (secondary)
Summary: "We're not dating," Marco said definitively. "That we're sharing a bed tonight is a total coincidence."
@aerle
Universal Dive by EmpressKira
Rating: M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Ace had been making his way through the city to go to one of his favorite cafes. Well, that was until this hole ripped in the sky and some pirate fell out with the flaming bird guy following. Getting targeted, he is dragged into a different world with pirates and everything defying the reality he is used to. Will he make it home? Will he go back when the time comes?
@empresskira
Blue moon (series) by de_Winter
Rating: T-M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Urban fantasy AU, werewolf Marco and witch Ace
Red Velvet by de_Winter
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: Ace already knew their routine by heart, just from observing them for a couple of mornings when he had early delivery, and from Izou’s daily long winded—and probably sexually frustrated—rants. Big Blond would come out of the bakery wearing a shirt too tight for him and too thin for the weather as soon as he was done setting up the tables inside the storefront, holding a take out cup and a small box in his big hands. They looked really, pleasantly big from where Ace was standing, and he honestly wished he wasn't standing that far away.
@dee-de-winter
We'll Look Back and Laugh at Ourselves by JuHuaTai
Rating: M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, minor Gol D. Roger/Portgas D. Rouge
Summary: Between his new boyfriend and his workaholic boss, Marco felt like he was surrounded by family issues of the father and son dispute variety. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
Or maybe he should've listened to the office gossip more. Maybe then he'd figure it out sooner.
Gratitude of the Phoenix (part of a series) by JuHuaTai
Rating: M
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: [Based on 'The Crane Wife' Folklore]
One day, he saved a bird from freezing to death in a trap. Then, a stranger saved him from suffering the same fate, and a request to stay for one night turned into having someone to fill the void left in the small cottage and in his heart ever since his brothers left.
These two incident doesn’t seem to be related to one another, but they both changed Ace’s life in ways he could never have imagined.
Watashitachi wa Roger kaizoku desu (we still stand proud) by stereden
Rating: T
Pairing: None (heavy focus on Buggy, Shanks, and Crocus)
Summary: The Roger Pirates disappeared after their Captain's death, and were happy enough to let the Marines forget about them.
Until the Marines decide to execute their Captain's son, that is.
@stereden
This Bites! by Xomniac
Rating: M
Pairing: None (heavy focus on a main character oc and the strawhat pirates)
Summary: Sea Kings, sea-sickness, sunburns, a 95% genocidal Navy and more than a million and one other assorted ways to die. It's official: Being inserted into an anime sucks ass... Buuut I guess it could be worse. I mean, look on the bright side: At least I'm sailing with the future king of the pirates.
A Fortune that Never Grows Old by imperialmint
Rating: E
Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace
Summary: It's one thing to get butterflies in your stomach when you seen an attractive person but it's another thing entirely for Marco to want to stomp out a courtship ritual and lay foundations for a nest when he meets the navy's new (hot) secret weapon.
@imperialmint
Most of the authors on this list have many other excellent one piece fics I'd definitely suggest checking out! Enjoy your reading and try to show them all some love if you can!
195 notes · View notes
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OK so I got this idea. S/o (who's this time has to be female) is also an octo mermaid but still from another world. So s/o gets into one of the pools and they discover she's a blanket octopus (if you haven't seen a female blanket octopus they're one of the most beautiful octopus out there with their gradient colors) and they get popular af like everyone is like "wow she's such a beautiful meroctopus" Yada yada. And Azul it's mad. Part 1
Part 2. And both Jade and Floyd notice it and decide to tell s/o who is shocked and sad because they have a HUGE crush so they decided to give him a gift. Since they know he doesn't have a octopus pot they decide to make him one. After months they give it to him and confess and he's shocked and ask for their forgiveness as it isn't their fault. At the end he and s/o cuddle inside of the octo pot in their mer forms.
OMG THIS TOOK ME FOREVER!!!! I probably got this ask before thanksgiving so I am very sorry that it took me this long, HOWEVER, it is the longest oneshot I have ever written so that’s quite an accomplishment. There are photo references that go with this story as well so check those out before you read. 
Warnings: Slight language, insecurities, fluff, very very minor angst, fem!s/o
Word count: 4,710
Azul x Reader: Cuddle Pot
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The above images are references for the s/o’s octopus species and the octopus pot. I don’t know who the original artist is for the second so if you know please let me know so I can give credit where due.
   “Wait seriously? You’re a mermaid!” Ace practically shrieks and you giggle. Placing a finger to your lips, you shush him as Deuce slaps the back of your over energetic friend’s head. 
   “Yes. I am a mermaid, but you can’t tell anyone yet.”
   “Why not?” Jack questions. His tail flicks in confusion.
   You sigh and think back to the last time anyone found out about your true form. Most of the people back in your world found merpeople to be odd and cursed. It was considered a disability and a disease. Human society often shunned what they didn’t understand. And that lack of understanding led to fear. 
   A boy in your old school had been your middle school sweetheart for approximately 7 months before you decided to tell him your secret. He had seemed so eager to finally go swimming with you that you had naively believed that it was all going to be fine. However when he stared at your flowey, shimmering form you felt yourself grow worried that he would no longer like you. 
   “Babe,” you started, leaning closer to try and grasp his face with your smooth, webbed fingers. “It’s alright. It’s just my merform. It’s going to-” He quickly slapped your hand away and stumbled back. 
   “F-freak, monster, disgusting. Stay away from me you animal! We’re over you deceiving B*tch!” He quickly ran away from the side of the lake where you had brought him. As dawns lovely lights sprayed your body with pinks, and soft oranges, tears slid down your cheeks and into the water below. He hated you. Oh what a fool you had been to think that he would be different, that he would love you anyway. 
   School had become increasingly difficult after that. Word spread fast and you were quickly isolated by everyone you had called a friend. Eventually you moved to a new place and decided that you would never love again.
   This wasn’t the case however in Twisted Wonderland. You were so pleasantly surprised to find people like you, and they weren’t considered freaks because of it. It had been a shock and you quickly found yourself yearning to tell others about what you truly were. Fear had you back though. At least up until that point.
   “I had a bad experience with someone I cared about back in my home world.” You stated softly. The boys looked at each other and smiled. 
   “Well this isn’t that world. You're good to go here since I can’t imagine anyone judging you for what you look like in this place.” Ace’s words reassured you.
   “He’s right. At NRC it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be bullied because of something like this. But what are you anyway?” Deuce questioned. 
   You giggled and leaned in closer to the 4 people sitting at the lunch table, (5 if you included Grimm, but he already knew). “I’m an octopus.” You said with excitement and slight nervousness.
   “Really? That sounds so cool!” Epel was quiet but excited when he spoke up for the first time since the conversation started. You smiled to yourself and mentally sighed in relief that the people you had next trusted with your secret didn’t view you any differently. 
   “Wait hold the phone. Octopus? Like Azul?” Ace pressed close enough that you could reach across with a napkin and wipe the side of his cheek that had been smeared with BBQ sauce when he scarfed his lunch.
  “Yes and no, Azul is a Common Octopus, which means that he is the standard octopus you mostly see around the ocean or in pictures. Basically what you imagine when someone says Octopus. I’m a different type of octopus, one that is more rare.” You pulled out your phone while talking to bring up an image. You held the phone so everyone at the table could see.
   “This is a female Blanket Octopus. We’re pretty rare but we are also one of the most beautiful kinds.” 
   Everyone went wide eyed and watched the screen as you scrolled through images of your fellow eight legged friends. Epel turned to you and grabbed your shoulder. 
   “You absolutely have to show us your merform.” Ace, Deuce, and Jack all nodded in agreement. You flushed and fiddled with the hem of your shirt. 
   “I don’t know guys. It would be a hassle to find a place where we could do it and I’m not sure I want anyone else seeing me. What if someone shows up and freaks out?” This time it was Jack’s turn to speak when he leaned back before smiling slightly.
   “Not that I care but I personally would show up to support you if you needed it. Besides, the school pool is closed after dark. However I’m pretty sure Ruggie has snatched a copy of every key to every lock in the building.”
   “Of course he has.” Deuce says rolling his eyes. “That hyena couldn’t keep his paws to himself even if his life depended on it.” You giggled but ignored the comment in favor of asking Jack if he could get the key. The wolf nodded and you told everyone to meet you by the pool at 9:30. Your friends nodded in agreement just as the bell rang.
----------
   The air was humid and warm, it was perfect for a late night swim, although your clothes would likely stick to your body when you changed back. Still you shifted uncomfortably at the idea of getting in the water with what you are wearing. A pair of leggings was slipped on underneath a waterproof skirt. You had a jacket over your bikini top but per usual you were unable to wear bottoms unless you wanted them to tear. You would have to be very careful not to let the skirt go up before you shifted.
   A sigh left your lips and Grimm, sensing your nervousness, rubbed up against your leg in silent comfort. Your friends were unlikely to freak out but it was still nerve wracking to think about exposing your true form to other non-merpeople. Hundreds of scenarios where something went wrong filtered through your head and promised that your anxiety wouldn’t leave anytime soon. 
  “BOO!” Half a shriek pierced the night before a hand clasped over your mouth.  
   “Shishishishishi.” You turned around in surprise and pulled the fingers away from your face.
   “Ruggie! What are you doing here?” You whisper shouted. The hyena snickered again and held up one finger. He made a circular motion and a key ring twirled around in response. 
   “Jack said you needed to get in here. Thought I’d tag along.” The smirk on his face irritated you but you couldn’t be surprised. You should have known that having Jack of all people ask for keys to break into the pool after hours was going to raise some eyebrows. Honestly you should have just asked him to invite Ruggie along anyways. Key or no key the hyena was likely to want to know what was going on. 
   “Alright fine, but if you tell anyone what you saw here today, and I mean anyone, then I will hide your piggy bank from you.” Ruggie’s eyes went wide before they narrowed.
   “You have my word.” You smiled knowing that you had convinced him to keep your secret despite the fact that if he really had told someone you wouldn’t have actually done more than try and punch him. Of all people you knew how precious money was in this world, considering the fact that you had none.
   Footsteps alerted you to the approaching presence of your other friends. You turn
around and find Jack, Epel, Ace and Deuce walking over to you. They wave and Jack frowns when he spots Ruggie.
   “What are you doing here? I thought you already gave me the key.” The hyena snickers and points towards the key Jack was holding. 
   “I gave you the one to the janitors closet, which I’m gonna need back by the way. I wanted to see what was going on for myself so I hung out here till Y/n came over, and then I figured it had to be interesting if she was involved. I didn’t know there was gonna be a crowd though.” He looked at you, “This must be one hell of a surprise if you got all the first years here.”
   Deuce pointed out that Sebek was a first year as well but the hyena shrugged it off saying “he doesn’t count as a student since he’s basically just a guard.” You figured that was Leona’s opinion and Ruggie agreed.
   “Guys it’s already late and I don’t wanna get caught so let's go in already.” Everyone nodded and Ruggie opened the gate. 
   Carefully you unzipped your jacket as you walked over to the bench. The water appeared calm and undisturbed, allowing a clear view of the illuminated bottom which was surprisingly clean considering teenage boys flung about in the water all day.
   You sighed and shrugged the jacket off before stepping out of your shoes. Setting down the bag with your extra clothes you mentally prepared yourself for what was about to happen. 
   Ruggie leaned closer to Jack and whispered something you didn’t catch but Jack’s response of “You’ll see.” was enough to tell you what had happened. Pushing your anxiety out of the way you lowered yourself into the pool, sighing as the cool water licked your skin. Giving yourself a moment to relax you let your worries leak into the water around you. You had always felt better in the water. It’s a merfolk thing.
   “Are you guys positive you won’t freak out?” You called to the edge of the pool where your friends were standing. 
   “Not unless you grow 10 heads.” Ace sniggered until Epel elbowed him. You rolled your eyes and looked suspiciously over to Ruggie who still had no idea what was going on. 
   “No promises.” You sighed, but smiled when Jack nodded at you, signaling that it would be alright. Who were you kidding Ruggie was a hyena man who grew up in the slums. What did he care? Feelings of worry taken care of, you sunk deeper into the water and closed your eyes.
   The feeling that comes with shifting is always a little strange. It’s almost like your skin has been turned to putty and it is remolding itself and when it reaches the desired outcome it snaps back into place and holds like it has been that way the whole time. 
   Once you felt the transformation had completed you righted yourself in the water and peeked an eye open to look at your friends. Ace and Epel had their mouths wide open in a gasp. One that quickly turned into a smile. Jack looked as though he had just witnessed a miracle and Deuce was still in shock. Ruggie’s reaction was by far the most extravagant. His eyes were wide and his mouth was curved into a questioning gape. He had taken several steps back and his ears lay flat on his head. Behind him his tail bristled and stood fairly straight, pushing up the too large shirt. 
   You bit your lip and examined their faces trying to come up with a conclusion to what they were feeling. 
   “That… Is so cool!” Ace blurted out excitedly and ran over to the pool's edge to get a closer look. Deuce and Epel followed him and Jack trotted over as well, but not before snorting at Ruggie. The hyena man looked your form up and down and took in the swirling shades of color that decorated your now sea creature bottom half. He made a small noise before shaking himself and casually patting down the fur on his tail, which was still tense but not as much. 
   “Ok, of all the things I’ve seen. That, I was not expecting.” You giggled at Ruggie’s flustered reaction and felt yourself relax now that you knew pitchforks and torches weren’t coming out. 
   The hyena moved closer to the pool and joined your other friends who were staring at you in awe. You blushed uncontrollably as you felt their gazes roam your colorful body. Decorative markings that spread up to your collarbone changed to a darker shade with your blush.
   “So like can I touch you?” Deuce smacks his hand against Ace’s chest and gives him this look that says “dude you can’t just say that''. You giggle and glide closer to them before lifting your arm which was for the most part pretty human, but had a lavender shade to it and a long silky strip of webbing that shimmered as it moved. The longest tentacle on your body rose out of the water as well and you shivered as the webbing stuck together in an uncomfortable manner. 
   Ace leaned forwards and stroked your arm and tentacle. His eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder. Deuce looked a little more unsure but Epel had no problem reaching out and gently caressing your webbing. Ruggie joined him and Deuce eventually stuck his hand out to stroke your arm, but Jack held back and decided that ultimately he only wanted to look.
   “Wow! This stuff is so soft!” Epel said excitedly. He was generally pretty quiet so you were glad he was comfortable enough to speak out. 
   “It’s so colorful. If we had silks this pretty in the savannah then we’d have lots of money. Say, where could I find more of your kind.” Ruggie’s smirk told you that he was just joking but you glared at him anyways and flicked water his way. 
   The hyena flinched and shook his head before laying his ears back and moving away from the water. Jack and Ace laughed at the antics before Ruggie growled playfully and distracted them from what had happened moments before. 
   It was then that Ace leaned a bit too far forwards and fell straight into the pool. You jumped and swung your tentacles back, instinctively spreading them out to make yourself look bigger. 
   You willed your body to relax as you recovered from the little panic attack and laughed when Ace’s head bobbed to the surface. He sputtered and swam over to the edge and climbed out of the pool. He lay on the concrete and breathed heavily while the boys around him cackled. Ace glared and stood up. 
   “You jerks I’ll show you how you like it.” Deuce shrieked as Ace shoved him into the water. You laughed with everyone else as Deuce came up for air. Sensing a sudden threat of being pushed into the water Ruggie backed up against the gate and watched as Jack pushed Epel in before diving in himself. The five of you giggled and splashed as Ruggie snickered at your antics. 
   You were so glad your new friends didn’t mind your merform. Even better, they really liked it. It felt like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders as you dived down to swim with your friends. As the five of you splashed and played with Ruggie distracted with your antics, none of you noticed a dark form smirk in the bushes. Nor the click of the camera that he had with him.
----------
   The next day was a nightmare. Apparently someone had spied on you and your friends and photographed you in your merform. People swarmed you asking you all sorts of questions. It was difficult to just get through the halls. Luckily none of the people who stopped and talked to you had anything unkind to say and the stares you received were more curious than malicious but it was still an uncomfortable situation to be in.
   For the most part people who knew you were pretty considerate about your space and privacy. Cater seemed absolutely thrilled to know that you were an octopus but only asked if you were alright with everything going on, instead of bombarding you with questions. 
   Kalim was a little more enthusiastic about the whole situation. Jamil ended up apologizing for him and pulling him away. Vil and Rook subtly commented on your merforms beauty before moving on. Diasomnia rarely came near you but Lilia gave you a sympathetic smile. Trey offered you a few baked sweets as he sensed that you were overwhelmed and as for everyone else you had yet to see them.
   The person you were most worried about seeing though was Azul. He was an octopus merman like you, yet you had never seen his merform. Unless you counted his overblot the only time you had seen him in full shift was in the picture you had borrowed from the museum. 
   He and the Leech twins will probably have an absolute field day over the fact that you’re also a mertype. You worried what Azul was going to think of you hiding it. Over the past few months you had developed a crush on him. You had a plan to confess and everything, but now that the secret was out you were worried that he wasn’t going to like you for keeping it from him. In truth you planned on telling him first, but figured there was no harm in letting your other friends know. Turns out there was and the whole school knew.
   Trapped in your thoughts, you failed to notice the two approaching twins and bumped into them as you turned around a corner.
   “Hiii~ Shrimpy-chan~!” Floyd’s ever changing mood seemed to pleasant as he greeted you with a smile and not a squeeze. 
   “Hello, Y/n. How are you today?” Jade's gentleman persona greeted you but failed to hide the questions and mischief in his eyes. 
   “Just say it already. I know you two already know.” You sighed and watched their faces light up with excitement. Floyd grabbed your arm and took off, dragging you behind him. “Wait!” Soon the three of you arrived at an empty classroom which you were promptly shoved in before the tweels followed, shutting the door behind them.
   “Y/n, my apologies for Floyd’s exuberant behavior, but we have been meaning to speak with you in private since the most recent exposure of your true nature.” Jade was calm and collected as always when he spoke and gently fixed your crumpled uniform which had been shifted while running. 
   “Shrimpy-chan! We have something to tell you!~” Floyd sing-songed before sitting on a desk.
   “What? Wait what is it? And where’s Azul? Wouldn’t he want to speak with me too? If this is about a deal the answer is no.” You folded your arms in front of you and put distance between yourself and the seemingly respectful brother. The twins looked at eachother and you caught a glimpse of something passing through their eyes before Floyd pouted.
   “Aww, what’s wrong with making deals with us? We promise to be real nice this time and not leave you homeless. You could stay with us at Octavinelle!” You rolled your eyes as Floyd giggled and swung his long legs despite the fact that they could easily reach the floor from his seat. 
   “The truth is, Azul is jealous.”
   “What!” You turned and exclaimed at Jade’s statement. The tall mage nodded and continued with a strange look on his face like he wasn’t bothered by this at all. 
   “You are far more beautiful than him in your merform and he is bothered by it. Everyone has always shunned him for his octopus body and now you present yourself as one and everyone goes wild with excitement over your gorgeousness. Something he believes to never have possessed.” 
   You were stunned. Azul was jealous of you. He was upset because you were more beautiful than him. No. You wanted him to love you, not be bothered by you. Why hadn’t you thought of Azul’s insecurities. He just wanted to be an attractive merman and here you were, the same mertype as him and you were advertising your beauty to the world where he had to hide his away due to the fact that he was insecure. 
   Not bothering to say a word you quickly left the room and raced down the hall. You needed to fix this as soon as possible. Otherwise Azul might not like you ever again. Two pairs of mismatched eyes watched your retreat and shone with anticipation. 
   “How long do you think it will take?”
   “Not long Floyd. Luckily she was already prepared before we released the picture.”
----------
   Azul was so over this whole thing. He had rewatched the video and looked at the pictures about 20 times. You were so gorgeous and graceful in your merform; it just made him frustrated that he couldn have been admired for his tentacles. They were simple and slimy so most people hated them yet you were swathed in colorful silks that attracted every creature in the ocean. While most would swim by him or threaten to eat him, any sea animal that came across you would be hypnotised by your beauty. 
   The worst thing about you being an octopus is that it gave him one more reason to tell himself that you will never love him. He was so drab and you were well amazing. Of all the creatures in the sea you had to be a blanket octopus. If you had been a simple mermaid or even better a common octopus like him then surely he would have a chance with you at least. 
   A sudden knock on the door startled the mage and he stood quickly to make sure he looked alright before answering the door. You stood anxiously as he opened the door and grabbed his wrist before he had the chance to shut it. Surprisingly, Azul offered no resistance as you dragged him to the entrance of the aquarium. 
   Octavinelle’s aquarium had two sections, one was for regular fish and the other sea creatures that were on display from the mostro lounge. The other was for the residents. Any and all merfolk could use the aquarium if they felt homesick or separated from their true forms. This was where you chose to place the gift you had made. 
   Coming to a stop you turned and looked at Azul. He looked confused and excited at the same time. You took this as a good sign. 
   “Azul. Will you swim with me?” The merman’s eyes widened and he stood there processing your request for nearly a minute before responding.
   “Sure.”
   Giddy with glee you quickly leapt into the water and shed your clothes before transforming. Rising to the surface you looked up at him from just underneath the surface and he peered back at you.
   Strange. He thought for sure he would feel angry again when he saw you but the darling flush on your face and how you were genuinely happy to swim with him gave him another feeling all together. It bubbled inside of him and made him blush as he slowly lowered himself into the cool water beside you. 
   It had been a while since Azul had consciously shifted so he was a bit worried that he would do it too fast or slow and something would go wrong. Fortunately he was able to shift without incident. Once shifted he suddenly felt very self conscious. As a common octopus he was far more simple and plain compared to your swirling and colorful body. 
   You didn’t seem to mind however as you twirled and circled around Azul excitedly.
   “Come on I have something to show you.” Azul frowned in confusion but followed you regardless. You led him to a sort of grove area that he had never seen before. It was very well hidden but gorgeous as well. 
   You looked back at him excitedly and pushed through the sea vines to an open area where a ray of sunlight fell across and illuminated the gift you had spent months on. Azul’s jaw dropped when he laid eyes on the octopus pot that sat in the middle of the small room. 
   The base was grey and made of some type of stone. Around it sat lavender pillars and corals that surrounded the base except for the entrance. The round opening was smoothed and carved in a delicate design that resembled sea coral. Behind it sat a dark velvet cloth that was tied back with a golden rope.Azul assumed that was to block the entrance or allow for privacy. 
   The inside was decorated with lavish pillows in all sorts of cool shades. They were illuminated by a small yet classy lamp that hung off to the side. The outside of the pot was for the most part smooth and grey with a few purple undertones, but off to one side there sat a carving that resembled the waves and water foam, on top off which held a large pearl that glinted in the sunlight. On the other side a darker grey octopus clung to the top portion of the pot and spread its tentacles out in an elegant manner. Azul took note that the few that rose off the pot appeared to be for hanging things and one looked suspiciously like it was meant to support a staff. 
   You floated in place for what felt like hours as you waited for Azul to react. You reminded yourself to stay patient as he might not respond to it immediately. When he finally did react he did so without words. He simply pointed to himself and raised his eyebrows. You nodded excitedly before bowing your head bashfully. 
   “I’m so sorry that I upset you Azul. I never meant for it to get out in the first place. I was actually planning on telling you first and then giving this octopus pot to you since I know you don’t have one. Then things got messed up and everything and I’m so sorry. I think you’re beautiful in your merform and I hope you’ll accept my apology.” Your face burned when you spoke and you swished your tentacles nervously.
   “What?” You looked up when Azul spoke and saw confusion on his face. “I’m not upset at you. It’s not your fault you’re beautiful. Besides I could never be upset at you, octopus or not. I was distraught because I thought you were so amazing and I’m so plain and that there was no chance that you’d like me back.” You gasped and watched as his face slowly turned pink. 
   He dove into the pot and curled up, mentally berating himself for letting that slip. Shocked you glided over to the entrance of the pot and leaned your head in.
   “Azul. Do you mean that? Do you really like me?” He didn’t respond, you took a deep breath and admitted your own feelings. “Well I like you so…” His head snapped up and he let his expression grow into an ecstatic smile before coughing into his fist and composing himself.
   “Well in that case, do you want to come in and lay with me?” Azul ignored the fact that his face felt like it was on fire and waited as you giggled and moved in beside him. 
   “I’d love to. What do you think of the pot?” The merman smiled gently at you and spoke as he curled his tentacles around you and yours, him. 
   “It’s exquisite. I couldn’t love it more. Where did you get it?” 
   “I made it.” You muttered and flushed at the surprised and impressed look on his face. He shifted closer to you and gripped your hand with his. 
   “You did an excellent job. Thank you.” Your fingers intertwined with his and you pressed your forehead against his. 
   “I love you Azul.” You mumbled sleepily.
   “I love you Y/n.” He spoke before shutting his eyes and enjoying the warmth that spread through the pot. You’re silky webbing fell across the two of you like a blanket and after a stressful morning Azul allowed himself to slip into a comfortable sleep.
----------
   Two pairs of heterochromatic eyes watched the two octopus merpeople sleep soundly inside the pot and smirked with wicked teeth. 
   “How did you know she was an octopus as well?”
   “Floyd, surely you must have noticed. They both smell like takoyaki.” The eels laughed and quietly zipped away, leaving the octopus pot behind.
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attllhak · 3 years
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@lu-sky-lian Hey! Here’s more Sky fic, as promised. (Sorry it took so long I got busy today.)
This is for the merAU I can up with during the last week of May because MerMay. It was way easier to find this than the WingAU fic, it turns out. I’ll still find that and post it maybe tomorrow.
Regardless, a bit of background for the merAU first: I am of the firm opinion that merfolk should be less human and so everyone here has way more fins and scales. Because that’s way cooler. Also, the communicate using bioluminescence because I think glowy mermaids are cool. My best friend did draw Warriors for this AU, so if you need/want a better idea of how they look, lemme know and I’ll ask said artist best friend about posting that at some point. Oh! And also there are three types of merfolk here: Mer, which are like ‘standard’ mermaids, Merrow, which can freely switch between having a tail or legs, and Half-Mer, which I’ll go into more detail for when I finally get around to writing the fic introducing Hyrule and Legend to this AU. Also, Knight is what I nicknamed pre-Calamity/AoC Wild, so that’s who I’m referring to when that name comes up.
There’s more to the details than this, but they aren’t really relevant and this is getting ramble-y already. If you want to know more about my worldbuliding for this AU then shoot me an ask and I can elaborate more.
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Sky frowned, watching a crab waddle around the reef.
The crab, which he’d named Crabbert about five minutes ago, had shown up a short while ago and had been just waddling around since then. Sky had decided to watch it.
He didn’t have much else to do, after all.
He knew that Artemis and General were busy trying to figure out how to deal with the recent poachings, but he wasn’t exactly helpful on that front.
Their pod had never been the safest, it’s why their matriarchs were so young, but even he knew that two poachings focused on their guard was bad.
He missed Warriors and Knight. The two other Links had trained with him to join the guard, and it just seemed, dull without them. He missed Knight coming up with a stupid idea and Warriors arguing about how to do it safely and without getting caught. He missed then doing the stupid thing with them and promptly getting caught, though only sometimes hurt.
He missed the excited way Knight would shoot up to the surface when he saw the marine research ship that came by now and then. He missed running after Warriors when one of the girls would decide to flirt with him, only to get mad when he decided to dissuade them by flirting back, but worse.
He missed his friends.
He couldn’t do anything to help though, so he just kept watching Crabbert amble around.
He turned when he saw the flashing of another mer, and smiled and waved at his girlfriend. She smiled back at him, floating just a bit above him.
‘So, what are you doing?’ She asked, floating down next to him.
‘Watching Crabbert,’ he replied, twisting to point at the crab in question.
Sun folded her arms on his shoulder and they both watched Crabbert for a while.
She tapped his shoulder after a while, and he twisted to look at her again.
‘There’s talk of moving the pod,’ she told him.
Sky frowned, thinking. On the one hand, he understood that choice. This reef wasn’t safe for them, so it made sense to move. But on the other, what if Warriors or Knight came looking for them and they weren’t here?
Sun, thankfully, didn’t say more than that, just swimming down to wrap her arms around one of his. He was so lucky to have her.
They floated there for a long while, absentmindedly watching Crabbert putter around and do it’s thing while they thought.
(---)
‘Sky, I have a mission for you,’
Sky gripped his spear tightly, drawing comfort from the soft hum of the trident in support. It was never a good sign when General called someone in to request a mission. Shield, the almost ancient former matriarch, floating behind her was an equally daunting sight.
‘Yes, Lady Impa?’ Sky said, swallowing. They may have given out nicknames to everyone who shared names in the pod, but you always addressed a matriarch with her real name.
Plus, Sky was a little bit scared of the lionfish mer.
‘Our pod cannot stay here,’ General pointed out to him, looking away. 
‘I understand that,’ he said, once it was clear she wanted prompting.
General sighed. ‘Sky, you were good friends with Warriors and Knight, yes?’
Sky furrowed his brow, confused, but nodded.
‘We have asked the marine researchers that knew Knight to look for him, but we have no one we can send to find Warriors,’ General took a deep breath. ‘What I’m about to ask you is dangerous. It’s risky, and there is no guarantee of success. Not guarantee that you’ll even make it back to us,’
‘You want me to go after Warriors,’ Sky guessed, setting his jaw. ‘I’m in,’
General blinked at him. ‘I…’ she trailed off, then sharply shook her head. ‘I hadn’t expected you to agree so quickly,’
Sky straightened up, holding his trident tightly next to him. ‘With all due respect, my Lady, it was never even a question. I’d go after Knight too, if you asked me to,’
‘You might not come back,’
‘I know,’
‘It will be dangerous,’
‘Living here is dangerous,’
‘More dangerous,’
‘I’m not scared,’
General looked him up and down, and he swore he saw her smile.
‘Lady Impa the First will brief you on everything you need to know,’ she waved an arm and the old mer swam up, eying Sky herself.
She was very intimidating, harsh and unforgiving in her expectations, but Sky didn’t even twitch as she approached.
‘Come.’ Was all she said, and Sky followed.
(---)
The next day, Sky had a bag that contained a map to the new home they’d found and a few supplies, his trident on his back as he pressed his forehead to Sun’s, the closest form of intimacy between mer. He accepted a hug from Groose, and then he turned and swam in the direction the ship that had stolen Warriors went in.
He just hoped he found his friend in the water, and wouldn’t need to find a merrow to chase the poachers inland.
He was going to bring his friends home.
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megakimathi · 3 years
Text
Headcanon fanfiction merformer cryptid Rung/reader
@auntabysmal
1 PART (I divided  fic into parts)
- The reader is a fem human
- I leave the city names blank so you can imagine the meeting places for yourself.
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Their first meeting and acquaintance took place on the shore (Name of the resort town).
The LL pod stopped in this city, and so far they had been here for three days. There is always room at the Aquatic Research and Rescue Center for the mers, and most of them sailed there to rest, only sending their holoforms there to scout out a human settlement. The rest settled on the beach area reserved for them, immediately finding various caves and flat low rocks and settling there.
Rung, who was in the rest of the group, crawled almost halfway out of the water onto dry land, with a caught fish in his teeth. He was going to have a good rest and lunch. The sun was warming his long orange and white body, and his tail was still in the water, just in case the wind was too dry - he could easily splash water into himself with his tail.
- FISH!
The merformer had finished his meal before he heard someone else's scream. Licking the remains off myself of his lunch, Rung looked around, thinking someone was asking for his prey, and saw nearby a human, looking right at him.
As he approached, it turned out to be a land puppy. The human puppy waved cheerfully at him with his little hand and was already walking toward him. Rung himself was in no hurry to leave the warm place, watching the child, only waving his palm back excitedly and uncertainly. In a way, his invisibility could ironically be called avoidance of the land people, while the rest of his congeners leave their places so that no one will bother them.
Of all possible human beings, he can be seen by children. He still couldn't get used to it.
- Hello big mermaid, what are you doing here?
The child stood beside me, looking at Rung with a smile. Like all human children, his gaze did not linger long on someone else's physical form, immediately looking around, sitting down next to the unknown creature. The toddler held a bucket in his hands, immediately taking to building sand castles. He was in his home clothes and had not yet changed into his little bathing suit. He had a panama hat on his head.
- What's a human puppy doing in "mermaid territory"? You're not allowed in here, are you? I don't know if your parents will scold you. Maybe they're already looking for you
Rung did not correct the child, playing along with him on the first word. The cryptid merformer lay his chest on the sand, so as not to tower over the little man too much, and show his peacefulness. Why are children always drawn to him?
The child squeaked resentfully, grabbed his panama and patted Rung's arm with it. Would have hit the creature with the bucket, but didn't want to ruin the sand mound, the merformer himself, chuckling quietly, found the fluffy hair braided into cute pigtails.
- I am not a puppy!!! I am a human being!!! My name is Y/N. My mom knows where I went...I guess.
The little girl showed him her tongue, aghast as the wind snatched the panama out of her fingers. Rung managed to grab the flying little hat in time to return it to the child. Y/N was visibly embarrassed and hid her face in it.
Rung smiles at the child's emotions and introduces himself in return. He hadn't planned on meeting people in any way, of course, but even this interaction was pleasant. He asks permission to touch her hair, and after her affirmative answer, he lowers his head further and pokes his nose lightly into her small shoulder while his large hand, compared to hers, touches the fluffy plaits. Human hair really is unusual to the touch.
After a moment, he feels a reciprocal touch, against his face. He looks at the girl - her eyes wide open, she doesn't look away from him, her hands touching his glasses, going down to his cheeks stroking them. Rung lets out a rumbling sound under the human happy smile, and swishes his tail to splash some water on his body. A couple of drops hit the Y/N, but she doesn't resent it
****
When two voices call out Y/N's name, a little girl sits on the sand and builds sandcastles under Rung supervision. They both turn at the sound, and the little girl gets up from the sand with a sigh, appraising her creation. She waves to the two human behind the merformer territory line, and they spot her, look around, and walk toward her across the strange stretch of beach.
- Will we meet again, Mr. Rung?
The Merformer meets a naïve look, to which he only smiles, shrugging uncertainly. He doesn't know the answer himself; he won't tell her it's all down to her memory. But the little man seemed pleased with that answer anyway.
He watches as the family gathers, the adults looking through him as usual as the child tells them about the "new friend of Rung" and points in his direction. Parents only sigh, gently scolding the child for entering someone else's territory, where people should not be.
When they leave, Rung returns in the water to hunt again.
The second time they crossed paths (Name of Town).
Several people gathered on the high pier because they saw dolphins swimming by. But they especially made delighted noises when they spotted the merformers.
The humans were smart enough not to jump in the water to the sea creatures, who decided to look at them themselves. But the sea creatures were close enough, and it was as if they were flaunting themselves in front of the crowd on purpose. Merformers usually avoid humans, but that's until the creatures decide to communicate themselves.
Rung looked out of the water to see the whole circus. Rodimus, as always, attracted attention by the way he splashed in the water. The rest of the merformers swam quietly at a good distance from the humans, and from him, So they don't get hit by his tail.
- The merformers are so cool! Y/N, come here and look at them!
Ears fins Rung twitched as he heard the rather familiar name. Adjusting his glasses, the cryptid-merformer carefully looks at the pier and sees two young men, one of whom called out to a rather familiar girl. He swam closer, looked closer, and saw a pendant hanging around the human neck. He recognized it immediately. Y/N hasn't gotten rid of it after all these years.
He looked at her more closely and realized that she had grown up and was not at all like the child who had kept him company for so many days, a few years ago. Except now she couldn't see him anymore.
Her wandering, curious gaze fell on him, and Rung had a blind hope that she would be able to see him. No, her eyes and brain can't recognize and distinguish Rung's figure, so she was immediately distracted by something else.
The girl herself was twirling the pendant in her fingers, looking curiously at the Merformers. Her eyes kept falling on the object in her hands, Y/N frowned as if trying to remember something. Something seemed vaguely familiar to her.
Her thoughts are interrupted when Rodimus finishes his games and calls his crew to continue their journey. The people look at the merformers for a little while longer, and leave the dock to go about their business.
Rung watches as Y/N hides in the crowd with his friend, and then catches up with his pod himself.
Their second meeting is over before it begins.
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swordsandshields99 · 3 years
Link
Chapters: 1/7 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Friendship, Friendship/Love, Romance, Fluff and Smut @cactuarkitty - thanks! :)  Day 1 - Beach Day (Tried to give it a Citadel DLC vibe) Smut in Italics and sectioned, feel free to skip :)
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“Yo, Shepard, can we talk to you for a second?” Jack’s voice came across the comms. “Sure thing. Did someone break something?” Shepard tried to tease the biotic. “Not yet, but I can’t promise not to break the cheerleader's arm if she doesn’t stop tapping her fingers on the console in a condescending way.”
Shepard sighed and put down the armor she was cleaning. She made her way to the elevator. “Hey Edi, if anyone is actually about to kill each other, let me know.”
“Of course, Shepard. If I were to inform you each time Jack complained about Operative Lawson, I believe you wouldn’t have any free time.”
“True enough,” Shepard chuckled. The AI was really growing on her.
Shepard exited the lift and turned into the mess hall, and was surprised to see her entire ground crew sitting around the long table. She glanced at Garrus, but he gave nothing away, other than popping a mandible out to the side in a sarcastic half-grin. “What’s all this about?”
“Shepard, it seems the crew have been discussing our current course of action,” Miranda started.
“You mean, our current course of non-action?” Shepard cut in.
“Yes,” Miranda said slowly. “Garrus has been adamant that he has tried to persuade you not to return to the Alliance.”
“He has, and as I told him, I’ve made up my mind. It’s something I have to do.”
“You don’t have to do shit,” Jack countered.
“You could go to the Council, Shepard. You’re a spectre, with spectre authority. They’ll be just as displeased as the Alliance, but they can use that authority to ride out the storm. The Alliance is just going to lock you up. Or worse. You don’t deserve that.” By the time Tali finished, she was wringing her hands and bouncing slightly on her feet.
Shepard looked down, “Listen, I appreciate your concern. But if I don’t go and take the fall, the political fall out will be detrimental to the Alliance. I might be a Spectre, but everyone in the galaxy knows where I came from.”
There was a horribly awkward silence in the room.
“I promise, I won’t let it affect any of you. Your names will all stay out of the report, and I will be adamant about the fact that I went there alone.”
“I could give two shits about what other people think. I still think you should take me up on the piracy thing,” Jack said, crossing her arms and nearly pouting. Shepard nearly laughed at the stance. Jack looked back at her. “It’s a nice ship. Stealth drives and all. Perfect opportunity wasted.”
“She’s not wrong,” Kasumi said, appearing out of thin air next to Jack.
“FUCKING SHIT!” Jack said, “God damn it I hate it when you do that.”
Kasumi blew her a kiss as she disappeared.
“Siha, it appears you are not willing to change your mind,” Thane said as calmly as ever.
“I find it admirable,” Samara nodded her head.
“I think falling on your sword to protect the very people who put you in the situation, the same people who expect you to follow orders blindly and not take responsibility for their own actions, isn’t exactly admirable,” Garrus said darkly, still leaning back in his chair.
Shepard knew he was angry. She didn’t blame him. But she kept a cool mask of command on her face. “I’m not changing my mind.”
“Then we would ask for a few days dry-docked. For repairs,” Miranda said slowly.
“Repairs? I thought we were nearly done with repairs. You all have been working around the clock on the Normandy.”
“Yes, well, there’s a few things we could take a look at on the outer hull. It’d be safer on the ground. We thought perhaps, since we’re close, we could stop here.” Miranda pulled out a map and pointed to a spot on the planet below. “We’ve actually been planning this since we left the Bahak System.”
Shepard blew out a small stream of air.
“The crew needs a break, Shep,” Garrus said.
“And time to say goodbye,” Tali added.
“Fine,” Shepard said. “You have anything to add Joker?”
“Not since you ever so reasonably agreed, no. Setting a landing trajectory now. Ready EDI?”
“Ready, Jeff.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shepard was sitting at her desk, finishing the last of the reports she had. She’d always hated filling out reports. Now though, she thought she might end up missing even this. She wasn’t sure what the Alliance had planned for her. A trial? Jail time? A harsher sentence? She didn’t think they’d hand her over to the Batarians, but the thought was still there in the back of her mind. When she had mentioned it to Garrus, he said he’d be there breaking her out before she even reached a Batarian system. And she hadn’t argued.
Just as she thought of him, he walked through her cabin doors. “Done with those reports yet?” he drawled.
“This is the last one,” she said as she signed off and sent it. “Done.” She blew out a breath and stretched her arms above her head. She looked over at Garrus, and saw he was carrying a duffle bag, and was dressed in shorts and a Turian style t-shirt. She couldn’t help but chuckle, “I know you’re not on duty, but that’s a little informal. Aren’t you freezing?”
“I am freezing my ass off Shep, but I won’t be for long. Let’s go.”
“Onto the surface?”
“Yeah, where else? I’m not letting you spend your last shore leave in this cabin.”
“Hmmm,” she said suspiciously.
“Here,” he said as he threw the duffle at her. “Put these on.”
Shepard opened the bag and rose her eyebrows at him, “I can’t tell if this is practical, or if you just want me in a bikini.”
Garrus laughed, throwing his head forward and shaking it slightly. “Maybe it’s both?” He took out the sunscreen from her bag. “And don’t forget this.”
“Do you need some too?” she asked as she started spraying it on.
He shook his head. “The sun and radiation would have to be a hell of a lot stronger for me to need something like that. Palaven’s sun throws a lot more than this one.”
She nodded, “All right, all right Mr. Tough Guy, I got it.” She stripped off her civvies and threw on the bikini and sun dress. She put her hair in a braid that came over her shoulder. “All right, let’s do this.” She wouldn’t have planned a vacation. It wouldn’t have felt right. But her crew planning it, or needing it? That was a different story. And she was grateful.
They walked throughout the empty ship towards the cargo bay doors. “Where is everybody?” she asked.
“Already down there,” he said. “I think they were excited.”
Shepard stepped off the ship and was shocked. It was stunningly beautiful. It reminded her of when her parents had taken her to Jamaica once when she was young. “Wow,” she said softly. There was nothing within many kilometers of them. Not a soul in sight other than their ship and crew. “A private beach?”
Kasumi walked up to her with a small cooler, “Take your pick, Shep,” she said with a smile. There were beer and wine coolers. Shepard took one and thanked Kasumi. “The Dextro beers are all over by Tali,” Kasumi said before she skipped away.
"She’s even in a cloak on beach day,” Garrus rumbled, wiggling his brow plates at her.
Shepard laughed and walked towards Tali, “Go get a beer, big guy.”
“SHEEPPHHEEERRDD,” a loud voice boomed from a ways down the beach. Shepard looked down and saw Grunt splashing through the water with a small pistol, shooting at fish. “This is fun, heheh,” he said to himself as he picked up a fish he had somehow managed to shoot.
“Aww,” Zaeed said sarcastically before rolling his eyes. The man was sitting on a lounging chair with 5 beer cans on the sand around him. He laid back, closing his eyes before saying, “Good day Shepard. Good day.”
Joker was sitting next to the man with his eyes shut as well. “If I get a sunburn, I’m blaming you.”
Shepard threw her sunscreen at him. “If you get sunburned, you’ll worry EDI.”
“Har-har,” he said grumpily as he started spraying the sunscreen.
Thane was down the beach further, on the opposite end of Grunt Shepard noticed, showing Samara something that resembled Tai Chi. Actually, Shepard was pretty sure it was Tai Chi. She could still remember all the moves from when she took classes aboard her mother’s starship as a kid. She joined them silently, and allowed herself to meditate peacefully.
Once she’d had enough, she stopped, unsure of how much time had passed. Samara and Thane gave her small smiles as she walked away. She found Garrus was shooting blanks with a sniper rifle into the trees. Suddenly, Shepard saw the shimmer of failed shields and Kasumi’s cloak came down. “Damn!” the thief swore. “How in the hell did you know where I was that time?”
Garrus shrugged, “A gentlemen never tells.”
Tali swooped in from behind and jumped up to grab at his visor. “I’ll give you two guesses,” she said as she inspected it.  
“Hey!” Garrus said, in a more shocked tone than Shepard would have expected. “Give that back,” he said as he pushed down on the Quarians helmet, reaching up so the visor was far out of her reach.
“Alright Garrus, no visor,” Kasumi said as she disappeared.
Garrus held the visor in one hand and aimed with the other. It took 10 seconds before he placed his next shot, and Kasumi’s shields went down again. Kasumi grumbled and switched on her cloak again.
Garrus’ eyes went wide and he hunched over his weapon slightly. Shepard heard him make a small noise of satisfaction before pulling the trigger.
“Oh, you’re good, Archangel,” Kasumi purred as she sauntered up to him. “I can see why you’re into him, Shep,” Kasumi called over to her.
Shepard just waved back with a grin and kept walking down the beach. There was a slight bend and suddenly she could see Mordin by the water, bent over looking at something. As she approached, she realized he was poking around some kind of sea creature with a stick. She stood next to him quietly as he observed it. “At first, wasn’t looking forward to ‘beach day’,” he said with air quotes. “Looked forward to comradery of course, but can get that on ship, or in lab. Surprising results. Thoroughly enjoying discovering new marine wildlife.” She saw his eyes flick back towards the sand. “Perhaps will try hand at fossils and shells next.”
Shepard smiled. As Mordin continued searching the shallow waters, Shepard started searching for shells on the beach. When she found what she thought must be the most beautiful one on the beach, she walked back over to him and handed it out to him.
“Ah!” he exclaimed, turning towards her and taking the shell. “How interesting! Gastropoda, free of inhabitants. Periostracum still slightly spongy, not old. Whorl, apex, aperture all typical. Extremely symmetrical. Red and orange in color, unsure of internal structuring.”
Shepard waited patiently as he continued his analysis until he stopped suddenly. He looked down at her and took a deep breath. “Beautiful. Thank you, Shepard.” He put the shell in one of his lab coat pockets.
She rose a brow, “That’s rather sentimental for you, isn’t it doctor?”
He shook his head, “Sometimes, sentimentality - appropriate. No point to life without the enjoyment of it.”
Shepard smiled at him. “Some friends make that exceedingly easy to do so.”
Mordin seemed genuinely taken aback, but nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed, they do.”
Legion walked up behind them, “Shepard Commander, are you searching for marine wildlife? This unit believes it can be of assistance.”
“Doctor?” Shepard asked.
“Hmmm, could prove useful in cataloging findings. Legion, please assist in cataloging findings of new marine biology.”
“Nice, thanks Legion,” Shepard said with a smile.
The Geth’s brow plates rose and fell quickly, “This unit enjoys being useful.”
Shepard rose her brows at Mordin. Before their adventures, she doubted Legion would have used the word “enjoys” at all. “I’m glad,” she said back before turning around.
She let them continue their search in the waters as she made her way back to the group. She came around the bend, and saw Jack, Jacob, and Miranda teaching Garrus and Tali how to play Volleyball. “Shepard, we need another player!” Jacob yelled out.
“I’m in,” she said as she ditched the sun dress and dug her toes into the sand to run towards them. “I grew up on a ship, but I managed to learn how to play. They know the rules?” she asked, pointing towards Garrus and Tali.
“I think we’ve got it,” Tali said.
They played for nearly an hour before they tired themselves out. “Forgot you had about a ½ a meter in height on us Vakarian,” Jacob grumbled as he and Miranda walked off towards the drinks.
Garrus shrugged with a grin, “What can I say.”
“Want to cool off in the water?” Shepard asked.
Garrus looked out at the ocean apprehensively, “Uhh… yeaaah, I’m not so sure about that.”
“Look, we don’t have to go in too deep. Mordin found a nice quiet spot around the bend a ways, there are hardly any waves at all. Just go in to your waist and get cooled off with me.”
Garrus sighed heavily. “Fine.”
They walked till they were just past Mordin and Legion. “Alright if we swim here?” She asked him.
Mordin came up from his studies. “Of course, Shepard.” Then he rose his brow at Garrus. “Aware of Turian aversion to submersion in waters. Interesting. Found a cove 20 meters that way. Completely shallow and secluded from waves and wildlife. Should be more comfortable.”
Garrus looked at Shepard and she could tell he was about to say no to the whole thing. “Alright, thanks Mordin, c’mon scaredy cat. Let’s go to the cove.”
“Shepard, I have no idea what a scaredy cat is. Is it some kind of pet?”
She laughed and marched forwards.
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The cove was beautiful. There were trees above keeping it mostly in the shade, and the water was calm and shallow. Shepard waded in and it only went up to her chest. “C’mon Garrus, look, it’s not deep. It won’t go up to your cowl, for sure.” He looked at her with a look that said he’d rather jump in a varren pit. “I’ll make it worth your while?”
He rose a brow plate, and dipped his feet in. The water was warm at least, so he continued until he stood next to Shepard. She took a step into him so that they were touching and wrapped her arms around him. “Alright, it’s not so bad,” he said reluctantly.
She gazed at him with a look that could melt metal, and took a deep breath in, before slowly sinking below the water. “Shepard,” he said nervously, although he knew she couldn’t hear him.
Shepard held onto his hips to stay below the water with one hand, and started moving his shorts aside with the other. Garrus’ breath hitched. He couldn’t help the rush that went straight to his groin, and he also couldn’t help but still feel nervous in the water. Shepard pushed him back and he took a few steps backwards until his legs hit something when they were nearing the edge. A rock. She pushed him again and he stumbled awkwardly, sitting on the rock. She came up for air and kissed his mandible, sucking on the tips. Garrus groaned, digging his talons into her waist. She submerged again, and he held his breath, partially out of anticipation of what she might do next and partially out of nerves for her being under the water. He knew humans were better with that, but it was ingrained.
He suddenly felt a small tongue lick up the seams of his pelvic plates and he groaned again, digging his talons through her hair. He felt small fingers dig between the plates in his waist. She came up for air again, straddling his lap to kiss him. She ground her hips against his. She was weightless, floating above him, ghosting over his plates, until she pushed herself down into him and began grinding harder into him. “Shepard,” he growled as he nipped at her neck. She suddenly went back under water and nipped at his pubic plate quickly, and licked all the way up and down his seam slowly. He felt his seam part as he groaned loudly, bucking his hips into her as his erection began to grow, emerging from his seam. He felt her lick at it until it came all the way through, and she sucked his cock into her mouth as it grew.
“Fuck,” he said as he threw his head back and bucked his hips. She sucked hard, head bobbing up and down twice before she had to come up for air. She was panting hard and she straddled his lap again, slowly lowering herself onto him, until  his tip was hilted within her.
Shepard moaned loudly and rocked back and forth slightly with her hips. He felt her muscles contract around him a few times and he groaned. Shepard grinned at him before lifting up and moving back down. He could tell it was harder for her in the water, and he placed his hands on her hips and began lifting her up, and slamming her down onto him. It didn’t take long before they were both panting, and it just wasn’t enough. He put her legs around his waist and stood, walking to the back of the cove, he pressed her back against the stony wall and pushed himself into her with a grunt. Shepard squeezed her legs around his waist, one arm holding on around his back, the other wrapped around his neck with her hand massaging under his fringe.
She was so tight, and he hadn’t yet been fully inside her. He took his finger and massaged the nub he knew drove her wild. Shepard began moaning loudly. “God, yes Garrus, fuck,” she groaned. Slowly, with each thrust he pushed further and further inside of her until even the bulge of his base slipped inside of her with a pop. Shepard screamed at that and held on tighter. “Don’t stop,” she screamed, and he didn’t, couldn’t really. He felt her come hard, her walls squeezing him. “Garrus,” she panted. Garrus couldn’t speak, he was too far gone. He merely groaned against her neck as he continued pounding into her, faster and harder.
“Come inside me, Garrus,” she moaned, and he lost control. He came hard with a roar, continuing to pump inside her in erratic thrusts. His body completely enveloped hers against the stone. She was so small, wrapped up in his arms, and he curled around her, willing himself to stay standing. He felt her kiss his mandible lightly. “God, you’re sexy.”
He chuckled, kissing her forehead, “So are you.”
Shepard slipped down and swam in the water to cool off before they headed back. Garrus sat back on the rock and watched, enjoying the view and surprisingly, the cool water around his waist.
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Shepard and Garrus walked back along the beach, hands brushing often. The sun was setting, and it was creating a beautiful glow around them. The whole team was sitting, watching the sunset when the pair joined them.
The group was quiet, reflective. Even Grunt, to Shepard’s surprise. He was growing up, after all. Shepard leaned against Garrus’ shoulder, and they sat there until the sun dipped below the horizon.
“Alright you bunch of pussys,” Zaeed said, elegantly as ever. “Round two.” He started throwing beer bottles at everyone.
“That’s more like it,” Jack huffed.
“Bonfire’s made!” Jacob said as he got the largest bonfire Shepard had ever seen lit using driftwood from the beach.
The team drank under the numerous stars. There were drinking games and songs, friendly wagers and shoot-the-bottle competitions. It was 3 in the morning before they packed up and headed inside. Shepard held Garrus’ hand to pull him back behind the crew and gave him one last kiss under the stars.
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hiccanna-tidbits · 3 years
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okay, okay but hear me out!
Hiccanna, Moanida and Jackunzel (and maybe someone else if u want) going on a holiday trip together (it could be sea or lake or just swimming pool).
And that three couples playing "chicken fight game"~ When u have to sit on partner shoulder or ridding piggy-back and knock down or separate the other couple!
sksksks just imagine the fun and the chaos!! hahaha
Okay SO I recently watched Palm Springs so I’m just imagining The Gang going to like…a fancy pool resort in like Arizona??? SURE LET’S GO WITH THAT
I’m imagining the only resort the gang could afford to stay at is someplace out in the middle of Arizona or something
It takes a LOT of persuading to get Jack to go, because he haaaaates deserts. Rapunzel basically has to beg. Moana finally managed to bribe him with really good homemade ice slushies. (She’s used to making smoothies for Merida, so how hard can slushies be??? Just throw in some ice!)
Rapunzel offers to help Moana with the slushies, since she gave Jack SO many puppy dog eyes to get him to come. Since they’ve got two people working on them, they’re REALLY good slushies. Jack approves.
Anna also tries to convince Elsa to go, but the perpetually-single Elsa is just like “Um, deserts? Sunburns? Being indefinitely stuck with gross couples doing gross couple stuff?!? Yeah no thank you”
Hiccup tries to wake everyone up at like 6 am to go hiking because "that's when the desert iguanas are out guys!!! C'mon, we have to go!!!" Anna is only persuaded to go after Hiccup makes her coffee--she really wants to make her bf happy, but also mornings can suck her dick. Rapunzel is more than happy to go, because she loves mornings anyways!!! And oh my god, IGUANAS!!! Jack, Merida, and Moana are like "oh FUCK no" and put the pillow back over their head, shoo Hiccup away, and go back to sleep.
On their hike, Hiccup just goes "!!!!!!!" about every reptile he sees. Snake, lizard, horny toad, literally anything with scales will send the boy into an excited frenzy. Rapunzel has similar reactions. Anna could not love both of them more.
At one point, they stumble across a gila monster sunbathing, and Rapunzel is overtaken with the unwavering desire to adopt him. She gets Hiccup on board, and he tries to lure the lizard over with a dusty piece of a snake carcass he found (Anna tried to tell him he really shouldn't touch that, but he was not to be swayed and Anna ended up figuring he could just wash his hands really well when they got back). Anna finds herself in the unusual position of having to be the Voice of Reason, having to be like “hey uh I think this might be illegal and stuff??? Also aren't they poisonous???”
(I know what you're thinking. Bold of you to assume Anna knows the difference between poisonous and venomous.)
Rapunzel literally CANNOT stop gushing to Jack about all the wildlife she saw when she gets back! Jackrabbits! Kangaroo rats! Roadrunners! Peccaries! Centipedes! Jack has only mild to moderate interest in desert ecology, but loves hearing his gf gush so he listens attentively anyways. 
Anna and Rapunzel definitely hit up the gift shops in the resort town at some point, and go ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT HOGWILD buying gifts for everyone. They probably max out their credit cards. It's embarrassing, really. But Anna gets Hiccup an absolute shitton of those little wall lizard things and he nearly cries tears of joy when he sees them, so it's all worth it, really.
Moana will not leave the pool like. The entire time. The girl is just obsessed with being in the water, honestly. She gets restless, though, and can't just stand in the pool and vibe--she needs to constantly be moving and swimming around or she'll explode. Merida is more than happy to indulge her by hanging out in the poor with her, but Merida is also constantly challenging her to swim races--a very dumb idea, considering Moana is on the high school swim team and water polo team. Merida, naturally, is an extremely sore loser and is not above excessive pouting, splashing, yelling in angry Scottish, and dunking her girlfriend in revenge. It's at least entertaining for all of their friends to watch.
Jack keeps fucking taking huge buckets of ice from the ice machine and dumping them in the pool. At first he only does this because he keeps griping about the pool not being cold enough (this boy will accept nothing less than sitting in the goddamn arctic ocean), but after her figures out that it pisses off his friends, he takes to pouring said ice directly over their heads. Merida has threatened to murder him several times for this.
Hiccup and Anna's main pool activity is just lazing around on their pool floaties (Anna has a duck one, Hicccup has a dragon one because obviously), sipping cocktails, and just generally vibing. Through some ungodly mixture of pure charisma and a fake ID that Rapunzel helped photoshop, Jack manages to talk his way into getting the whole group access to alcohol. Hiccup is a sangria or Moscow Mule kinda guy while Anna usually gets a Pina Colada or a Sex on the Beach (she's aspec, so she literally will not stop joking about the irony of this). Merida makes a game out of attempting to tip over their floaties and dunk them. Jack, chaos gremlin that he is, puts aside his usual rivalry with Merida to join in. They have a surprisingly strong dunking alliance.
Hiccup and Anna try to form a syndicate of their own, and try to lounge on the same floatie so that they can protect each other while fighting off Jack and Merida together. Unfortunately neither of their floaties were made to hold 2 peoples' weight, so the one they're on ends up tipping over, spilling their cocktails everywhere and dunking them anyways. Jack and Merida consider this a Win By Default.
Moana of course loops everyone into playing water polo at some point. Unfortunately some idiot decided it would be a good idea to let Merida of all people pick the teams, which means of course that they are incredibly rigged. It's Moana, Merida and Anna vs. Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup, so basically The Jocks vs. The Nerds (although admittedly Anna is more of a softcore jock--she's nowhere near on Moana or Merida's level, but she's still more naturally athletic than Hiccup, Rapunzel, or Jack). Naturally, Jock Team absolutely whoops Nerd Team's ass. Jack gets salty and demands a rematch. ...Jock Team kicks Nerd Team's ass again.
Throughout all of this, no one thinks to just...rearrange the teams a little. Merida was counting on this. All according to plan.
In the titular chicken game (yes, I remembered, don't worry!), it's Merida on Moana's shoulders (Moana swims and has a lot of upper body strength, what can I say?), Hiccup on Anna's shoulders (I mean...Hiccup's a twig, and Anna HAS to have a fair amount of upper body strength from throwing busts around and punching men off boats and such), and Punz on Jack's shoulders (Jack's pretty lithe and good at keeping his balance while jumping around, so he's their best candidate for not just falling over).
Jack and Rapunzel actually manage to stay in the game longer than anyone expects--their primary strategy is “be good at dodging and staying out of the way while Merida and Hiccup duke it out.” And it works! As limber as Hiccup is, Anna's not nearly as coordinated as Jack and is no match for Moana's sturdy footing. Also, neither Anna nor Hiccup are prepared for how goddamn ruthless and determined to win Merida is. Even though they really, really should have been. I mean...have you met Merida???
When it comes down to Merida-Moana and Rapunzel-Jack, Mer feels a little bad for having to go up against Pure Sweet Punzie. Unfortunately, Rapunzel turns out to be a very hardcore fighter when she puts her mind to it, and Merida is much more evenly matched than she initially thought and realizes she must use her Full Power. It definitely helps her snap out of Going Soft when Jack starts brutally roasting Merida in particular (as per usual). Merida gets a rage-fueled Second Wave, and finally manages to knock Rapunzel over in one foul swoop. Merida and Moana are victorious!
Moana and Merida basically always shower together after a day at the pool. They claim it's because they both know how to handle curly hair in chlorine, and just like to wash each other's hair, but the rest of the gang is pretty sure that's not all that's going on in there.
One day, Anna hits up the resort town alone to buy some kind of secret gifts for her friends with what little money she has left (this girl seriously has no chill when it comes to buying presents).  She goes past this huge, fancy ice cream shop and she's like “!!!! OMG!!! I'm gonna surprise all my buddies with pints of their faves!!!” She just gets super hyped and buys everyone ice cream, getting so caught up in the thrill of it that she forgets that she'll have to like. Drive all this back all the way back to the resort in the rental car. In like. You know. 110+ degree weather.
By the time she gets back to the resort, the ice cream is, of course, goop. Poor Anna, feeling incredibly dumb and like an utter failure of a friend, just kind of bursts into tears. Like damn. This is too much. She was gonna make all her pals so happy, and all for naught! Jack just kinda shrugs and throws all the melted ice cream cartons in the freezer anyways. Once they're (partially) re-frozen, Rapunzel and Moana make slushies with them. They actually come out pretty decent. Anna is substantially cheered up.
Moana prepares some tropical fruit platters for everyone to snack on. Rapunzel tries to “improve” them by adding chocolate sauce and nutella to half of them. Sometimes it works (I mean...bananas and strawberries with chocolate and/or nutella is pretty solid). Other times it just tastes...very weird. Merida gest frustrated and yells at Rapunzel for “ruining all of her girlfriend's good mangoes.”
Jack just thinks this whole thing is so funny, and decides to swap the chocolate sauce with barbecue sauce to cause further chaos. Absolute mayhem ensures. Everyone has a bad time. Except for Anna, who apparently is just a freak who enjoys eating pineapple slices dipped in barbecue sauce.
At some point, Merida gets really drunk on appletinis or some shit and signs the entire group up for a local archery competition. Much to everyone's chagrin, it's no refunds. Naturally, basically everyone sans Merida does terrible. Rapunzel and Hiccup very nearly shoot themselves, while Jack and Anna come very close to  accidentally shooting a group of referees (although Jack might have done this on purpose). Moana gets the farthest, if only because Merida's taught her how to shoot a bow at some point. Merida actually ends up winning--although unfortunately, the prize is $20 and a very cheap plastic trophy (which Merida STILL manages to find a way to break before the trip is even over).
The rest of the group is much more amicable to the concept of going on hikes when said hikes are in the evening. Hiccup and Rapunzel are still excitedly chattering about the local ecosystems the entire time, and Jack and Anna are just kind of looking at their nerdy SOs like “<3 <3 <3″ Moana and Merida, meanwhile, are just kinda vibing in the back, passively listening in and watching the desert sunset.
Rapunzel manages to capture Mer and Mo's interest and gets them to participate more with geology, of all things. Merida just thinks rocks are cool (especially when they can be thrown at people bothering her!), while Moana likes learning about the physical history of places--how water can carve out landscapes, and all that. Hiccup and Jack just kind of exchange a look like “I had no idea that they were into rocks, but...the more you know, I guess???”
Jack makes fun of every reptile they see, mainly to piss Hiccup off. Unfortunately it has the opposite effect, and Hiccup can't help but be entertained--mainly because Jack's insults are so weirdly specific and over-the-top that they loop around to being hilarious. Seriously, he keeps saying shit like “Those are the lamest scales I've ever seen. Absolutely drab, and not nearly shiny enough to prove that nature is beautiful. 0/10.” and “Ohhhh, this fucking rattlesnake think's he's so scary, with his dumb percussion instrument tail!!! I could be more intimidating with a mean look and a large pair of maracas!”
At some point, a bunch of tourists riding donkeys pass them. Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida just absolutely lose their shit fangirling over how cute the donkeys are, thus exposing all three of them as the unabashed Horse Girls they are. Hiccup, Jack, and Moana find this extremely amusing, and definitely aren't above teasing their girlfriends about it. Hiccup asks if next time they take a couples' vacation, the Horse Gang (as Moana insists on nicknaming them) would like to go to a ranch instead.
Anna gets like. Obsessed with palm trees. Like they're just so pretty and exotic and tropical!!! OMG!!! And they definitely don't have them wherever the gang is from in this AU. (Also if griping about Elsa not having "tropical powers" is anything to go by, she DOES canonically like the tropics!) She has to take a picture of like...every palm tree on her phone. And considering the gang is in Arizona, that means Anna is stopping to take a picture like...every 2 minutes. Rapunzel catches onto the fact that Anna likes them, and paints her a picture with some when Punz has the time. Anna definitely cries when she sees it. Hiccup can't do nearly that good, but he does buy her some little plastic figurine ones in a gift shop that she can put in her room. Anna also cries about this. She just cries whenever any of her friends indulge her random fixation on palm trees. Surely she doesn't deserve such niceties!!!
Rapunzel is just. In love with the desert landscape tbh. Like the huge funky cacti!!! The shrubs!!! The desert wildflowers!!! The mesas!!! All of it!!! So of course she needs to pull out her easel and paint it. Jack walks by one day and sees her working on it and, partly just to troll her, he's like “put some snow in it!” As he walks away, Rapunzel just stops like “wait...that'd actually be such a great idea for a surrealist-type fantasy piece!!!” After she finishes the main landscape, she adds an overcoat of little puffs of snow on top of everything, and has some clumps falling off of the cacti. When she shows Jack, he just about cries tears of joy, but frantically tries to hide it. She gives the painting to him as a present at the end of the trip. He hangs that shit front-in-center in his room and cherishes it forever and ever.
At some point, Jack gets the ingenious idea that he's going to prank Merida by catching a tarantula and leaving it in her room. It's one of the harmless ones--Jack fact-checks this by offhandedly asking Hiccup and framing it as a casual interest in local etymology. Still, Merida screams far louder than is at all dignified, and also probably loud enough to wake a neighboring country. Rapunzel later has to physically hold Merida back to keep her from absolutely beating Jack into a pulp. Rapunzel also manages to get the World's Largest Sheet of Cardboard and the World's Largest Cup and somehow manages to get the damn thing back outside.
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arcturusreads · 3 years
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idk if you’re still accepting prompts but if you are can you do a merhayes first kiss? how do you think we’ll get it next season?
First Kiss - Merhayes
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how we'll get the first kiss. I feel like we're going to be cheated out of a lot of their first with the time jump but I hope you enjoy this!
Cormac Hayes had known that he had wanted to kiss Meredith for a long time. Too long. It took him a month after this realisation to ask her out on a date. Their work schedules had meant that it had taken a further two weeks before they managed to go on said date. During those two weeks, Cormac hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Meredith. He swore she was everywhere he turned in the hospital, her name always being called by someone, her laughter ringing in corridors.
On their first date, Cormac still felt a little hesitant to kiss her. He didn’t want to try and cram in too many firsts at the same time at the risk of being overwhelmed. Whilst he was certain of taking this step forward, knowing that both his boys and Irene had given him their blessing and Abi wanting him to move on, he wasn’t quite prepared to go headfirst into the dating scene. Easing in seemed like the best way to go.
By their third date, Cormac had taken Meredith to the Seattle Japanese Garden before they headed down to the beach for a picnic at sunset, he couldn’t stop staring at her lips. He felt like a teenage boy with his first crush all over again. When he’d driven Meredith home, the two of them spent half an hour chatting on her porch swing. He shifted himself closer to her, moving his calloused hand so it enveloped her. The lull in their conversation had presented him with the perfect timing. As Cormac had leaned in closer to Meredith, the scent of lavender suddenly overwhelming his senses, she jumped up from her seat so quickly that she could have had whiplash.
Slightly taken about by the sudden movement, Cormac looked up at her with a furrowed brow before slowly standing up, “Is-uh, everything okay, Meredith?”
He hadn’t been sure when he had exchanged Grey for Meredith, somewhere between this date and the last. What he did know though, was that he loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.
Taking a step away from Cormac, Meredith looked slightly worried. “Yeah, I just realised the time. I should really go in; I’ve got an early surgery tomorrow.”
Cormac wasn’t quite convinced. It was only just gone ten o’clock and he knew that Meredith was a night owl. She’d gotten into the habit of texting him the most random of questions at 1 AM and would walk into work five hours later, fresh as a daisy, if not a little grumpy if she hadn’t had coffee yet. Even so, he decided not to argue with Meredith about it.
“Night, Cormac,” she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek before going inside.
Cormac heaved a sigh, hands in his coat pockets he walked back to his car, head down. He couldn’t help but feel a little like a kicked puppy. Maybe he had just gotten the signal wrong…. Maybe she had. Or hadn’t. Maybe Meredith knew that he was going to kiss her and pulled away on purpose. It seemed the more likely of the two options. It was the option that hurt him the most. Cormac had thought their dates had gone well. Why would you go on three dates with someone if they hadn’t gone well? Having spent days building up to this moment, Cormac went home feeling deflated. He knew that it was completely up to her whether she had wanted to kiss him but that didn’t stop him from feeling like a fool for the rest of the night.
Work the next day had been unbearably awkward. Meredith had made a beeline for the door anytime they were in a room together and Cormac had no clue what to even say to her if he did manage to catch her. It wasn’t until the both of them were forced into an OR together that they had to face each other. Meredith was the first one to break the silence, not wanting the rest of the staff in the room to feel awkward given that this was going to be a long surgery.
“How was Austin feeling about his history test today?” She briefly looked up from the open abdomen and caught his eye.
Cormac felt his shoulders relax a little after hearing the warmth in Meredith’s voice. At least he could rule out her being upset with him. The two began an easy conversation over the OR table but as Cormac began to relax, Meredith felt a tightly wound coil of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. It hadn’t managed to leave her throughout the entire six-hour surgery.
When the patient was finally stabilised, Cormac looked up and grinned at Meredith. The memory of what had, or hadn’t, happened last night temporarily wiped from his brain and he rode on the adrenaline of being able to save the eight-year-old girl lying in front of them.
“Shall we go and tell the parents, Grey?” Her name was only reserved for their moments alone. Away from the prying eyes of the Grey-Sloan staff.
“You go,” Meredith quickly replied, “I’ll close up.”
“Are you sure? Because I think Helm could handle it.”
She shook her head and she asked for prolene, “I’m sure, it’s been a long surgery and I just want to see the whole thing through, but you should go. Her parents are going to be waiting.” That wasn’t exactly the reason, she was just dodging an inevitable conversation between the two of them. One that she needed to prepare herself for just a little bit more.
It hadn’t taken very long for Meredith to close the little girl up. She’d meant to take her time, but autopilot had kicked in. Her hands knew the routine without her even needing to think about it. So, instead, she took her sweet time scrubbing out, barely keeping up with the conversation that Helm was trying to hold beside her. When she finally walked out of the OR, she saw that Cormac was still stood by the OR board updating his tablet. She quietly walked past him, hoping that he would be too engrossed with patient charts to see her but luck was not on her side.
“Grey!”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Meredith slowly turned on her heel to face Cormac.
“It was a good surgery today.”
“Yeah. Saving a patient is usually a good sign,” the sarcasm that she used as a defence mechanism had slipped out before she’d been able to stop it.
Cormac raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, turning back to his tablet. Huffing out a breath of air, Meredith knew that it was better to have this conversation now rather than later. She’d spent all last night stewing on what had happened after she’d gone home. After much prodding from Amelia, Maggie and surprisingly Winston who seemed to be just as invested in her love life as her sisters were, she’d told them what had happened. How she had basically run from Cormac the moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Amelia had ended up howling in laughter. The Meredith Grey, Chief of General Surgery and Catherine Fox Award winner, had run away from a kiss. That had ended up earning Amelia a pillow in the face. When Meredith had finally managed to get around to the reason why, the look of amusement on all their faces had soon turned to one of sympathy. Truth be told, Meredith would have preferred the former.
They’d all had a point though, as much as she hated to admit it. She needed to talk to Cormac about what had happened. He didn’t deserve to be in the dark about what was going on. What was the point in drawing this out any longer? The anxiety had continued to gnaw itself away at her stomach and she needed rid of the feeling.
“Actually, Hayes,” He looked back up as he handed his tablet back to a nurse. Meredith removed her scrub cap, twisting it in her hands. “Can we talk?”
Nodding, Cormac followed as Meredith began to walk away. They stood in silence as they entered the lift. Meredith stopped when they got to the walkway that was directly across from the large glass window panes. Sighing in relief when she realised that no one else was around, she rested her forearms on the railing. Cormac stood next to her in silence, waiting to see what she had to stay.
“About yesterday…” Meredith began, looking out of the windows.
Cormac winced a little. He had a feeling that this was going to be what she wanted to talk about. The ease of the conversation from earlier was no longer present and Cormac began to worry that maybe Meredith didn’t want to see him anymore.
“Aye,” he pulled his scrub cap off, running a hand over his head in embarrassment. “Look, Meredith, I’m sorry if I read the signal wrong. I just thought…”
Quickly shaking her head, Meredith reached out a hand and placed it on Cormac’s arm. “No, you didn’t.”
Slightly confused, Cormac cocked his head. “So, what happened?”
Removing her hand, Meredith didn’t know where to look. The look on Cormac’s face made her chest ache. The care and concern he had for her evident in every line of his face. She decided to look back out to the windows again where the sun was slowly making its decline.
“It’s stupid,” she muttered under her breath.
“Try me, Mer.”
Rubbing her face with her hands, Meredith went slightly red. “I was scared,” mumbling as quietly as she could.
Cormac leaned in closer, “I’m sorry, what?”
“I said I was scared!” She snapped at him.
This did nothing to aid in abetting Cormac’s confusion. “Scared?” He asked, making sure that he was hearing correctly.
“Yes. Scared. Which is stupid and idiotic because… well because it’s one of your firsts and it isn’t one of mine.” At this point, Meredith had begun to pace back and forth. “But everything feels different with you. I know I told you that Andrew was the first person I said I love you to after Derek and I did love him, but I wasn’t in love with him. Some parts always felt missing, like sitting a square peg in a round hole. And with you, it feels like there’s a chance of something so good and so right that it scares me. It scares me because I haven’t felt like this for so long, Cormac, and I’m afraid that it’s all going to disappear because the minute that you kiss me, I know that I’m not going to be able to turn back. I know that I’m not going to want to.”
Cormac gently caught Meredith’s arm to stop her from pacing. “You’re not stupid. You’re daft but you’re not stupid.”
Meredith continued to look down at her trainers, too embarrassed after blurting out all her feelings to say anything.
“I’ve been terrified of kissing you, Meredith. Do you know how much I had to psych myself up for yesterday?”
“I’m sorry.”
Cormac shook his head at her, giving her a warm smile. “I’m not saying it to make you feel bad. I can’t promise that I’m not going anywhere, and you can’t promise me that either, we both know that bad things happen all the time but I can promise that I’m not planning on willingly leaving you anytime soon. Grey, some things are worth the risk…” He trailed off as he laced his fingers with her, gently pulling her closer to him.
“What do you say, Meredith? Am I worth the risk?” His mouth was inches from her own, s faint smirk placed upon it and his breath fanned her face.
“Stupid, cocky Irishman,” Meredith muttered before closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and she reached up on her tiptoes.
Cormac held onto her waist, not wanting to let her go. Anyone looking on would have seen the two silhouettes bathed in an orange glow, completely ignoring the world around them.
When they finally broke apart, Cormac had a huge grin on his face. As much as Meredith wanted to roll her eyes, she couldn’t help but match his smile.
“So, are you going to answer my question?” He teased.
Hitting his chest, Meredith just laughed before kissing him again.
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greeneyesandtea · 3 years
Text
Elf on the Shelf
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The Elf on the Shelf was a huge deal in the Styles home this year with Baby boy Styles declaring he is now Big boy Styles due to his promotion three weeks ago when Scorpio baby Sebastian or Bashy as Alex had taken to calling him arrived. Now that Alex came to the age of realizing the purpose of the Elf on the Shelf Harry saw on pinterest like any other mom it relatively soon became Lia’s job to organize and create a cheerful but messy Elf on the Shelf idea every night from November because  quarantine already has made things gloomy babe and tonight was no different in the Styles home.
“So I saw this one it looks pretty cool. We throw flour on the table and have Lala walk across the house tracking flour all the way to the kids rooms.” Harry said, pointing his screen to her back as she was facing the stove,Lia quickly turned around to see the mess Harry wanted to cause and her eyes rolled so hard that she could practically see her skull.“Your face is screaming shut the fuck up Harry.”
Lia was putting the water to boil for the bottles that Bashy uses during the night feedings since Harry found it was the best time with his little mate.He now had a little lad and best mate,all he wanted for years and now that he’s got it his world has been completed.Lia’s world as well has been complete but that doesn’t mean their perfect world hasn't come without their challenges.
“Because you just suggested I track flour though the home I clean everyday with a baby strapped to my nipple.” Lia turns her body around completely this time to make full eye contact. “You make the mess.You clean it up.You and Alex can both learn the lesson together now.”
“We know the lesson.I know the lesson. I just like seeing you bent over in those green panties you call shorts during breakfast.” Harry stands from the island padding on his hanukkah sock covered feet, a gift from Ben and Mer and wraps his arms around his now grumpy wife, his chest to her back and  “I’ll help clean.” Lia cranes her neck to look at her husband and raises a brow at him. “This time I promise.Jeez a man doesn’t do it once and he never lives it down”
Placing the last bottle in the pot and placing the lid on it,the couple takes a minute after to soak the warmth and smell of each other in the oddly quiet home.The home was usually filled with baby gurgles and whines of  mommy please! One more snacky! and the music Harry plays as background noise.
“Something else babe please I really don’t want to have a hectic morning tomorrow. Bash hasn’t been still for days now I don’t want to deal with a crying baby and a mess.Let’s just keep looking,let’s see what mess Lala can get into tonight yeah?” Lia turns herself around placing a soft kiss on the tip of his chin and grabs a hand that fell on her ass and walks him over to the table where they eat breakfast because of the bench Harry just needed to have there because one day that bench would be filled with Styles babies.
After a few scrolls through google and pinterest before Lia saw it! Mischievous Lala was going to cut a few pieces off the boys pajamas and on the white board she was going to tell the Styles boys that Santa needed proof Lala was watching to see if the boys were being good or bad.
“Look baby.Lala can cut some holes into their pajamas,they’re growing out of them anyway.” Lia took the side of her thumbnail and started biting at the cuticle and showed Harry her Pinterest board of Elf on the Shelf ideas.
“Stop that!” Harry batted Lia’s hand away from her mouth and ghosting his lips on hers quickly Lia almost missed it because of how fast it was. “Well let’s get the scissor and start cutting.I’ll write Lala’s message.” With a pat on the bum the couple springs into action.
Slowly making her way into Sebastian’s nursery taking in the sound of her baby’s gentle breathing.Lia took the swaddle off on one side and cut three small holes.One on each shoulder blade and one right on his breast milk filled bloated tummy. Lia quickly swaddles Sebastian back up before he feels the breeze come from the hallway that will surely wake him up and one thing she knows about her new addition is that no one absolutely no one wakes him up from his peaceful sleep.
As Lia was walking out of the nursery Harry had just finished taking the final piece off of Alex’s pajamas which had more pieces cut off. Alex being a stomach sleeper like made Harry let out a giggle as he cut two big pieces right where Alex’s bum cheeks where kept warm by the pants but due to Harry’s humor now missing one patch in fabric on the center of each bum cheek and two holes on each sleeve but worst of all was Harry took it upon himself to give Alex a trim.I piece of curl that kept getting in his eye it didn’t drastically change his hair but with lockdown both parents decided a haircut was not worth the risk of getting anyone sick.
Waiting for Harry to leave the big boy bedroom only to meet his missus in the hall.Everything was fine until Lia trailed her eyes from her husband's face to his hands.
“Harry Styles!” The parents have mastered the whisper yell very well and this is what Harry knows is a true I fucked up moment  “I said cut a few pieces of his pajamas not cut his hair! Harry Oh my God your nan is going to have a fit she loves Alex’s hair.” Taking the hair from Harry’s hand and seeing the stand that now in Lia’s hand looks much longer than it did in the Sunflower shaped night light dim.
“It did not look that long in the room.I swear!” Their eyes zone in on the little bundle of hair and little giggles escape from both their lips.
“It’s okay.” Lia turns to walk down the hallway and turns around before she takes a step down the stairs. “I like being the only woman in this house and Lala fucking up Alex’s hair only secures that.”
With a white board and dry erase marker and a small tiff on whose handwriting is better You’ve spelled your own name wrong dummy the pair went to sleep peacefully holding each other.Harry’s arm around Lia’s waist and a leg between her knees and Sebastian only waking up once during the night. It was going to be a good day tomorrow was Harry’s last thought before he drifted into sleep holding his wife.
Harry’s high point ended at 9:30 am because a sob rang through the home,the sob came from Alexander Nash Styles.Alex was standing at furthest five inches from Lia’s face.
“Mummy.” The choked out sob rang through and Lia opened her eyes confused and then had wide eyes after she registered her baby was in tears and had a bright red face damn near hyperventilating.
Both parents springing up from their position wrapped in each other to pull their four year old into bed with them.
“What’s wrong baby? Did you throw up, it's okay.” Lia asks with her sweet Alex perched in her lap.
“No.” it barely came out but when it did the force of the cry almost made him throw up.This was not a normal cry for Alex this sweet boy who barely cried as a baby let alone a toddler was having a full on terror cry.Shoving his face in his mom or Mum as Harry insisted chest,Lia could only rub his back and shh his until he calmed down after a few more sobs.
“Now that you’ve calmed down,want to tell momma what’s wrong?” Lia took a hand and placed it on the side of his face and placed a kiss on Alex’s puckered lips as he already knew that was his mummy’s motives. “Thank you for the kiss.Now let’s wipe these tears and tell mummy what happened.Did you have a bad dream?”
Alex shook his head so hard it collided with Lia’s collarbone making her wince a bit.
“Lala cut-” little whine slipped from his throat. “Cut my pants on my bum and then...cut my curlies.” The cry started again Lia and Harry shared a look and then a giggle which caused Alex to look at his parents. “Oh no Bashy.What is Lala cut Bashy too.”
The thought of his baby brother getting a tailor job from Lala scared him so much and took him to protective brother mode.Alex made a mad dash to the nursery making both parents move  out of bed because Bashy could not be woken up on due to someone else.
“Careful it’s only been three weeks!” Harry warmed his wife who was quick to jump out of bed but Lia waved him off speeding down the hall in her green sleeping shorts to see what Alex was going to do after one noticed that Bashy had fallen victim to Lala as well.
Lia was met with a plea from Alex to get his baby brother out of his crib and check him.
“No,Alex come on let’s wait for him to wake up on his own unless you want a cranky brother.” Lia keeps her voice down as Harry goes to pick Alex up and starts to walk him out.
“Let’s let baby brother sleep,I'll check him later.You and I can make breakfast,let mummy and Bash sleep for a little longer.” Harry said as he walked down the stairs but before he could respond Sebastian’s cry rang through the house and caught the attention of Alexander to which Harry threw his head back and hoped Lia could get the message telepathically and change Sebastian fast before Alexander threw another fit.
“Put me down daddy! I need to check Bashy now!” The four year old thrashed himself in his daddy’s arms and had more strength than Harry had thought.Alex was a little man on a mission running up the stairs and down the hall to his baby brothers room.Harry chased after him but was not fast enough because he heard the cry that came from Alex.
“Oh no!Lala got Bashy too!”
And the sob continued leaving Alex’s mouth which caused Bash to let out a cry and the parents at a loss for words.For the first time in three weeks both their babies were crying at the same time and neither knew how to begin consoling them.
“I should have just let Lala track flour through my house.”
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dickwheelie · 3 years
Note
Some soft Jmart cuddles but in some kind of au of your choosing? Maybe from one of those generic "fanfic au prompt" lists?
ohhh Oran u spoil me....I don’t have any of those lists on hand BUT I would like an excuse to do something for my spooky mer jon au!
EDIT: oh my god Oran I. forgot that you asked for cuddles. I wrote this whole thing and there are no cuddles in it fjkfksdf I am so sorry. I’ll make it up to you but it’s late so have this for now! I’ll do a sequel for it probably tomorrow with actual cuddles. fuck I can’t believe I missed that lmaoooo sorry againnnnn
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Martin had heard the rumors, of course. Myths. Legends. Whatever you wanted to call them. Stories of dubious legitimacy about the creature that lurked in the waters of the bay that bordered their tiny village, who was either a menace or a blessing, depending on who you asked. The woman who sold flowers at the market said it had once frightened her daughter while she was playing in a tide pool. One of the grizzled old fishermen claimed it had saved his cat from drowning. There were as many stories as there were people in the village, all who had claimed to have seen it, or at least known someone who had. No one could say exactly what it looked like, only that it had a humanoid upper half, a long, slithery fish-tail, and was horrific to look upon. The more exaggerated tales claimed that its face, if one could call it that, was enough to send even the most seasoned of sailors swimming for land.
Yes, Martin had heard the stories, but he was, as far as he could tell, the only one in the village who didn’t believe this odd creature of ambiguous morals actually existed. He was a practical man, and although he enjoyed the idea of impossible things like ghosts and fairies and mer-creatures, he knew, deep down, that none of it was real, especially not so close to the utterly ordinary, unexciting place he called home. He’d lived in the village all his life, and had never, not once, caught so much as a splash of the thing’s tail.
Until now.
He had been out on the bay on his sailboat all afternoon, trying to muster up the inspiration for a poem or two. The sun had begun to set, and, with no more ideas in his head than when he’d left, Martin had started to head back to shore.
That was when he had spotted it: barely visible in the dappled light of the sunset on the water, a dark shape was moving just under the surface. It wasn’t the shape of an ordinary fish, or even a dolphin, and Martin had leaned over the side of the boat to try to get a better look.
He was almost smacked in the face by another figure rising up out of the water, splashing water all over Martin and sending him falling backwards into the boat, flailing in surprise. The figure had grabbed the side of the boat and pulled itself up, leaning over Martin as he stared up at it, dumbfounded, and rethinking everything he knew about stories of dubious legitimacy.
In the warm light of the sunset, the creature was clearly visible. Its skin was dark grey, not quite black, paler around the gills which frilled out around its neck and sides. Its torso was, indeed, humanoid, with two appendages that certainly looked like arms, ending with webbed, clawed hands. Martin couldn’t see its tail from where he was lying, but he imagined it must have been eel-like, for the creature’s face reminded him of an eel. Two huge eyes were set in its face, clearly meant for seeing in the dark of the sea floor, and a wide mouth with innumerable, close-set, needle-point teeth gaped down at him. Apparently, this was what had sent sailors fleeing in terror. Martin was honestly a little disappointed. He was well-versed in marine wildlife (or at least, he’d thought he was), and he thought it looked more cute than scary.
The creature stared down at him, as though waiting for him to do something. It certainly seemed intelligent enough; maybe he could try talking to it. Martin cleared his throat. “Um. Hello.” He managed a little wave.
The creature’s eyes darted to his hand as it moved, then back to his face. It cocked its head, then did something utterly amazing, and answered him. “Why are you not running away,” it said. Its voice was . . . properly British, actually. It spoke with a solid southern accent, the sound a bit muffled and strangely deep, but apparently this creature didn’t need to use lips or teeth to enunciate.
Martin could think of nothing else to do but answer its question. “I . . . can’t really run anywhere,” he said, gesturing at his tiny, stationary sailboat. Once again, the creature’s eyes tracked the movements of his hands meticulously. “You, uh, sort of caught me by surprise.”
“Oh,” said the creature, its voice almost sounding sheepish. It drummed its webbed hands on the edge of the boat, in a surprisingly human-like manner. “Right. Yes. That . . . makes sense.” Its throat moved as it talked, and Martin supposed that must be where its clipped, precise voice was coming from.
“Why would I want to run?” Martin asked.
“Because you’re scared of me,” the creature said, rather unconvincingly.
“Am I?”
“You . . . you should be,” it said, drawing itself up slightly, which made the sailboat rock precariously, so it caught itself and stopped. “Um. I could hurt you. Kill you, even.”
Martin supposed that, yes, this creature was capable of killing him. Though it certainly didn’t seem like it wanted to, and none of the stories he’d heard about it had involved murder. It had even saved a cat once, apparently. Besides, he thought, there were plenty of humans capable of killing Martin just as easily, if they really wanted to. “Are you? Going to kill me?”
“Uh.” The creature lowered itself slightly, so its head was barely visible above the edge of the boat. Martin shifted upwards into a sitting position to see it better, and spotted a dark, rapidly undulating shape in the water, which must have been the creature’s tail. “Well. Er. Not now.”
“Should I leave and come back later?” Martin said, mostly for his own amusement. He didn’t expect the creature to understand the joke.
But it surprised him once again by laughing. Or at least, it sounded like a laugh, and the creature immediately put its hand over its throat, as though to stifle the sound.
Martin couldn’t help but smile at it. “Is that how you talk?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “With your--?” He gestured at his own throat.
The creature stared at him, even more wide-eyed than it usually was. “Um. Yes. I believe humans also have a voicebox, don’t they?”
“Yeah,” Martin said, “but ours doesn’t articulate sound the way yours does.” He grinned. “That’s so cool.”
“Oh,” said the creature, and it lowered itself even further into the water. “I, um. Thank you?”
Martin leaned forward to rest his elbows on the edge of the boat, so the two of them were now face-to-face. This close, he could see intricate little patterns in the creature’s skin, dotted across its cheek and around its neck. Not quite freckles, but something like them. Then the creature shifted, and the dimming light of the sunset caught them, turning them iridescent. The light caught its huge eyes as well, revealing that they weren’t just black pupils surrounded by a thin circle of white, but that there was an iris, colored such a dark brown it was almost black. “Wow,” Martin said, unthinkingly. “You’re beautiful.”
The creature’s claws scraped the edge of the boat as it clenched its webbed hands around it. Martin saw its tail thrash just under the water. “I--um--I have to go,” it said, and launched itself off of the boat and back into the water with a splash.
Martin barely had the chance to feel disappointed before its head popped up again, bobbing just above the waves a few meters from the boat. “Um,” it said, “I wanted to ask, before I go--just in case I want to find you again to kill you later--what’s your name?”
“Martin,” said Martin, smiling.
“Martin,” the creature repeated, and coming out of that voicebox it sounded lovely. It paused a moment, just staring at him with those huge, pretty eyes, and then said, “Jon,” before slipping back underneath the waves.
Martin had heard plenty of stories about the strange, terrifying creature that lived in the bay that bordered his village, and he was fully willing to believe them, now. However there were none, in his opinion, that measured up to the real thing.
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