#imagine him getting splashed and just using his tail to create a small wave | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

espressokiri · 4 years ago

Note

If I could, could I request Class 1-A’s with a water quirk who loves mermaids?

Class 1A x GN!Reader

In which Class 1A deals with a classmate who loves mermaids.

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

a/n: These are so cute to write about plz <3

(Y/n) (L/n) has always had a fascination with what was hidden underneath the ocean, it could be the result of their quirk being related to water or just the child-like wonder never leaving them. Growing up they would watch The Little Mermaid on repeat and sigh dreamily at the thought of having a tail like hers. They learnt how to draw in order to create themselves as a mermaid in fictional form, perhaps they could even send in a similar design for when U.A. asks for hero suit designs.

That is exactly what happened. Despite not having fins for legs on the regular for their costume, there was a resemblance of flow like material that would glimmer like scales. They also garnered mini seashells strapped around their waist like a belt.

“Pft! What are you? Holder of seashells or something?” Bakugou cackled and (Y/n) glared at him, spraying him with water and directly aiming for his open mouth.

Bakugou sputtered and coughed out the liquid before attempting to charge at them with his quirk engaged, (Y/n) simply sucked out all the sweat he was generating for his quirk with a flick of their wrist, leaving him useless. “What the hell?!”

“Whoa thats so cool! (Y/n) can basically turn Bakugou quirkless!” Denki clasped his hands in amusement as Kirishima and Sero had to restrain him from physically attacking the water bender.

Midoriya was in the cornering jotting down the useful information about them that he had witnessed.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

“Tsu-chan! Tsu-chan let’s pretend we’re mermaids!” (Y/n) exclaimed as they dragged Asui to the U.A. pool. The girls had rented it out for a day before the training camp and invited (Y/n) along because they all found them adorable, the girls had basically adopted them.

(Y/n) was gifted a swimming tail by Hatsume Mei, who had tinkered with the idea of a mermaid suit for them. Once they put it on as trial, (Y/n) could not stop the joyful tears from flowing as they pulled Mei into a crushing hug, thanking her profusely for making their dream come true.

As of now they finally got to try it on for use. To say it wasn’t hard to maneuver in at first would be a lie, but with the help of Asui they finally got the hang of it and felt like they were on cloud nine.

Breathing under water was not a problem as a water quirk user, it made it all the more real. The water was a safe place and they knew if ever they wanted some time to think, away from the loud noises and to clear their mind in general, the water would welcome them with open arms.

“Wow (Y/n)-chan, you look like a real mermaid!” Hagakure squealed as she watched the tail appear and disappear in the water, “you really do look the part.” Jirou commented, a slight blush at the beauty before her.

“Our precious (Y/n)! Here I thought you couldn’t get any cuter.” Mina huffed, trying to take pictures of the moment.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

(Y/n) was at the bottom of the pool in U.A.

They were laying down on the floor of the pool, watching the lights above reflect the water. Fully clothed in their U.A. uniform, as they could just pull the water away from them to dry instantly, with their backpack the only thing on the pools edge.

They were trying to think of a special move to progress in their class, it seemed like there was a mental block preventing them from creating any train of thought for the class. Maybe a nap would help?

A sudden splash into the pool pulled them out their light slumber as a hand gripped their arm and pulled them to the surface, “what the hell?!” (Y/n) exclaimed, pulling themselves away from the perpetrator. “I just saved your ass! Is this the thanks I get?!”

They looked at Bakugou with irritation as they calmed their breathing, “saved me from what exactly?”

“From drowning, dumbass! What were you even thinking?!”

A stagnant silence.

(Y/n) snorted before bursting out into laughter, angering the blonde even further. “You think dying is funny?! Wait till I drown you myself!”

“Bakugou, what’s my quirk?” (Y/n) wheezed, trying to calm themselves down.

“What kind of question is that? Water manipulation, idiot.”

“Exactly.”

They both had a stare-down. (Y/n) with a hand on their mouth to hide the small giggles slipping out and watching Bakugou’s face morph from anger to embarrassment as he realized.

“No one must know of this.”

Cue (Y/n) planning to blackmail him.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Training camp was as tough as Aizawa said it would be.

The students were worked to the bone, being sucked dry of their youth and filled with soreness and pain from the excessive use of their quirks. To think (Y/n) thought they would have it easier since Aizawa had basically thrown them into the nearby lake to practice water pressure and surface tension.

They tried taking a breather for a minute but a stick would be shoved through the water and whack them on the head for doing so. Aizawa had eyes the eyes of a hawk, despite his constant dry eye, and they felt sorry for whoever ends up being his child.

Once they were sure their teacher had left his focus on them to pay attention to the rest of the class, they decided to close their eyes for a brief second. The peace was soon disrupted.

A shot of white tape wrapped around their waist and they were yanked out of the lake and onto the broad shoulders of Sero. “Look what I caught! A mermaid, huh? You’d sell for a decent price.” He chuckled.

“Only decent? Wow okay, my ego’s been bruised.” (Y/n) scoffed, dangling limply on his shoulder despite feeling their stomach bruise from the impact. “Working on making your tape waterproof?”

“Mhm, and I nailed it!”

“That you did. Now carry me properly to dinner while I nap as punishment for disrupting the one time I got away with sleeping.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When the Big Three were introduced in class, (Y/n) couldn’t help but gaze with sparkles in their eyes at the indigo haired male with elf-like ears. Oh how they were imagining a fairytale themed photoshoot or outing, which was inappropriate as he was a third year and they doubt he would befriend them after observing his timid and shy nature.

But a mermaid must not leave an opportunity behind.

“Tamaki-senpai!”

The male froze in his steps, shoulders stiff and posture hunched as he trembled and turned towards the voice. (Y/n) approached him with a grin, hands behind their back as they were fidgeting in place.

“Y-yes?” His gaze was on the floor, avoiding eye contact with the first-year.

Nejire and Mirio had glanced at each other before nodding their head in agreement to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“I just wanted to say that you look so pretty! Like something out of a fairytale! I love fairytales, especially mermaids and I have a suit with a mermaid’s tail since I have a water quirk and stuff.” (Y/n) glanced at Mirio and Nejire and waved at them cheerfully.

Tamaki on the other hand had gotten red in the face at the compliment and became a stuttering mess, that’s when Nejire and Mirio decided to jump in, both very happy at the thought of talking to the cheerful student in front of them.

“He’s a bit shy so don’t mind him! You’re so precious! You look like a mermaid too, so gorgeous!” Nejire complimented and pulled at their cheek as (Y/n)’s eyes twinkled at seeing Nejire in a new light.

“H-Hado-senpai, you look like a fairy!” (Y/n) was in awe of how pretty she was, she was literally sparkling.

Mirio was chuckling in the background, “looks like we’re all like fairytales in one way huh?”

Nejire gasped and clapped her hands together, “a photoshoot dressed like that would be so cute! Don’t you think Mirio?”

“Hado-senpai I was thinking the same!”

#mha x reader #mha imagines #bnha imagines #bnha x reader #sero imagine #sero x reader #bakugou imagine #bakugou x reader #my hero academia #boku no academia #mha fluff #bnha fluff

191 notes · View notes

honey-dewey · 4 years ago

Text

The Sunspear Mermaid

Pairing: Oberyn Martell/Ellaria Sand/GN! Reader

Word Count: 2,045

Warnings: None

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog, and I included a photo of the reader’s tail as well.

There were plenty of things Oberyn didn’t believe existed anymore. Dragons, mainly, but there were other things as well, creatures that had long since faded from everyday life and had become nothing more than tales parents told misbehaving children. So when a fisherman came running through Sunspear saying he’d fished up a merfolk, Oberyn assumed him insane. But Doran, who had always had an active imagination, requested the fisherman bring the merfolk to the palace. They had a pool in the palace they could keep the thing in for now.

Oberyn sighed, watching two horses pull a covered cart up a hill. He was in his room, Ellaria by his side. She peered curiously over his shoulder, resting her cheek on his bare skin. “My prince,” she said softly. “Should we not be at the pool with your brother?”

“I don’t believe in things as childish as merfolk,” Oberyn replied, turning from the window. “But you may attend if you wish.”

Ellaria nodded, shuffling into a thin robe and walking out of the room, leaving Oberyn alone with his thoughts. There was no way merfolk were actually still real, right?

————

To say you were pissed was an understatement. Trapped in a glass tank, you huffed, pounding on the sides yet again. It was a fruitless venture, but you tried anyway. How could you have been so foolish? Your mother told you that the land men were getting bolder, that they were fishing near your home and you had to be careful to steer clear of their nets. You just hadn’t expected them to come as close as they did.

Sinking to the bottom of the tank, you sulked, swaying as the water sloshed around. You hoped the land folk didn’t intend to keep you here forever. It was much too small.

Thankfully, the tank stopped swaying eventually and you felt it tip sideways slowly draining the water over the edge. You could hear it splashing into a different pool of water, and you perked up. Getting the message, you swam to the top of the tank, following the flow of water and falling into a much bigger pool of water. It was decorated with shining rocks on the bottom, the smooth colored surfaces arranged in such a way that an intricate pattern was created. Looking up, you spotted many plants above you, and some interesting architecture, but the details were lost to the rippling of the water.

Land folk began to surround the pool, and you stayed firmly on the bottom, not wanting them to have the satisfaction of seeing you. Muffled words were spoken, and you huffed, sending a stream of bubbles up to the top of the water. You continued blowing bubbles, entertaining yourself as best you could. You would explore the pool later, when you were alone. For now, you just waited.

The land folk disappeared shortly after, all wandering away and allowing you to swim around the perimeter of your new home. Some parts of the pool were covered, shadowed and secure beneath overhangs with arches and columns. You set up in one of the corners under the biggest overhang, yawning widely and wishing you were home before curling up and beginning to sleep.

It was hours before you woke again, hearing loud footsteps running through the palace. Night had taken the sun from the sky, and your only source of light was the silver of the moon. The footsteps grew, and you floated out, wanting to see what was causing the commotion.

A man was running around the pool, seemingly running from someone. He looked in both directions, seeing no way out, and dove into the pool.

You shrunk away, pressing yourself into the corner. Did he not know you were here? How could he not?

The man turned, seeing you. He let out a shout that stole the air from his lungs, and you immediately rushed forward, grabbing his face. He had facial hair that tickled your hands, but it was no concern of you as you pressed a firm kiss to his lips. He flailed, but you held him tight, pushing air from your lungs into his mouth. When you pulled away, the man swam backwards, gasping. He put a hand to his throat, surprised. He was breathing underwater.

You examined the man. He had distinctly land folk features, with brown eyes and short brown hair. His face was angular and beautiful, and you wondered if he had merfolk blood in him. He wore yellow robes that swirled around in the water, his feet bare and his robe loose. You carefully stripped him of it, letting the useless fabric float in the water. Underneath, he wore a linen shirt and simple pants.

The man tried to speak, but nothing more than bubbles left his mouth. You giggled, swimming in a smooth circle around the man. He twisted to follow you, but you were too fast, flicking the bare points of his skin with the tips of your fluke. He was entertaining, even if he did seem scared of you.

You blew bubbles in his direction, and he flinched as they harmlessly hit him. He looked at you and your curious blinking. Hesitantly, he blew a few bubbles back. Clapping, you blew a large bubble and held it in your hands, tossing it to the man. He tried to catch it, but it popped when he touched it.

A shout at the top of the pool pulled your attention away from the man. You looked up, grabbing the man and dragging him with you as you broke the water’s surface. He gasped when he hit air, and you tsked softly, using your tail to keep him above the water.

“Prince Oberyn!” A sharp voice yelled. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” the man said, his voice strained. You knew, in that moment, he absolutely had some form of merfolk blood in his veins. His voice was silky as a siren’s and twice as enchanting, even marred by his breathlessness. “I’m fine. Stand down.”

The men around the pool relaxed, helping the man out of the pool. You watched him go, a bit disappointed. He had been fun. What had the men called him? Prince Oberyn. So he was land folk royalty. You snorted, turning to go back to your corner and spotting something in the water. Swimming towards it, you realized it was Oberyn’s robe. You grabbed it, swirling it around you and eventually deciding to put it on. It didn’t exactly fit, but the deep yellow complimented your tail well and you liked how it moved when you swam. Curling up in your corner for the night, you sighed out, snuggling down in Oberyn’s robe. You would definitely be seeing him again.

Oberyn did not visit you for a while. Other land folk came around to see you, but none of them were your mysterious land prince, and so you were uninterested.

Finally, after months, Oberyn ended up at the pool again. He had a familiar land woman on his arm, and you tipped your head at the woman and she and Oberyn walked around the pool. She was watching you, her eyes full of curiosity. She spoke to Oberyn, who looked at you and shook his head. You scowled at him, swimming to the top of the water and sending a spray up, soaking Oberyn and the woman. She laughed, waving to you as you circled slowly, watching the pair. You waved back, giving her a mischievous smile and beckoning her close.

The woman broke off of Oberyn’s arm and sat on the edge of the pool. The water was too shallow for her to get her feet wet, but you swam to the surface, floating on your back and taking a few burning breaths of air before your lungs adjusted.

“Do you have a name?” The woman asked, looking down at you.

“I do,” you said. “Do you?”

“Ellaria.”

You hummed, flicking your tail and watching the water dance across your white gold scales. “Ellaria,” you purred. “A lovely name. I’m (Y/N).”

Ellaria smiled. “This is my lover, Prince Oberyn.”

“I know,” you said. “We’ve met.”

“Oh?” Ellaria looked at Oberyn, who was standing nervously behind her. “He never told me that.”

You giggled, waving to Oberyn. “When are you going to take another late night swim?” You asked him. “I miss you.”

Ellaria laughed. “Is that where you got that robe?”

Nodding, you fiddled with the sleeve of the robe. “It’s very comfortable.”

Oberyn sighed. “I’m going back to our room,” he said, and you pouted, swimming in a frustrated circle. “What?” He looked down at you and your scrunched face. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“Why do you hate me?”

It was not what Oberyn was expecting. He was silent for a moment before sitting beside Ellaria. “I was unsure of your existence,” he finally said. “You and your kind were a fairytale to me. I am merely unsure of how to approach you.”

You nodded, holding a hand out. “Join me,” you said. “My father used to say the best way to learn is to experience.”

Ellaria stood, removing her robe and dress and sliding into the water with no hesitation. You steadied her, watching slightly as Oberyn pulled his robe off more hesitantly. He remained in his pants as he followed Ellaria, the water cradling him as he joined you two.

The first few minutes were full of patience, with you circling the land folk pair and encouraging them to swim with you. Ellaria dove first, Oberyn following. You swirled around them, urging them lower. When it seemed Ellaria was running out of air, you kissed her. Kissing her was very different from kissing Oberyn. Where she was soft and eager, he had been rough and hesitant, although you found yourself missing the scratch of his facial hair against your skin. When you pulled away, Ellaria gasped in a breath, eagerly lighting up when she realized what you had done. She beckoned Oberyn closer, tangling with him and kissing him slowly and smoothly.

The three of you played in the water for a while. After a good hour, during which the sun began to paint the sky with streaks of pink and orange, you eventually exhausted your land folk friends. You showed them how to weigh themselves down, laying across the patterned floor of the pool. Oberyn and Ellaria were pressed together, as if they were trying to become one being. You watched, almost jealous, until Ellaria summoned you close.

Unable to speak, she scooted away from Oberyn, gesturing to the space between them. You slid in, finding a comfortable spot and immediately purring as warmth surrounded you. Tiny bubbles rippled to the top of the water, and your rumbles made your two partners smile. Oberyn wrapped an arm over you, pulling you closer to his chest. Ellaria sandwiched you to him, and your purring deepened. You wanted this every day, this gentle warmth and tight embrace and feeling of pure bliss.

Eventually, someone must’ve noticed Oberyn was missing, and guards in various states of dress surrounded the pool, all shouting. You looked up, hissing slightly and tightening your grip on Ellaria’s shoulders. Oberyn smiled, kissing your cheek and floating to the top of the water. He spoke to the guards, who all nodded and dispersed quickly. Swimming back down, he embraced you and gestured to the surface. Reluctantly, you followed him as he crested the water once more.

“They want us back in our room,” Oberyn explained. “I think they thought you had kidnapped us.”

You sulked, face stuck in a pout. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“I know,” Oberyn murmured. “I’ll speak with my brother tomorrow morning. I’m sure we can find a way to get access to my room from this pool. Worry not, we will remedy this.”

He climbed out of the pool and helped a very reluctant Ellaria out as well. You waved, calling goodbye until your new lovers were out of earshot. Floating to your sleeping corner, you hummed, curling up and watching Oberyn’s robe swirl around you. Maybe being captured by the land men wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

#game of thrones #Oberyn Martell #oberyn martell x reader #oberyn martell x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing #writer wednesday

67 notes · View notes

1a-imagines · 5 years ago

Text

Where the land and ocean meet

(Merman!Izuku x reader)

Type: sickeningly sweet fluff.

Overview: From the moment he watched you stumble onto his beach he was enamoured by you. The more he watched you the more he fell in love and when your worlds accidently collide he only falls deeper.. and so do you.

A/n: This is day 5 of the Izumonth collab! You can find the announcement post here. I hope you enjoy!!!

You climbed down the steps of the cliff, taking caution not to slip. They were old and crumbling, steps created by nature and not man.

Your eyebrows knitted together, lips pressing into a thin line as you took on one step at a time. Sadly, they were the only way down to your little, secret, beach so you had no other option but to brave them anytime you wanted privacy.

Ever since your family had moved up onto the hills, away from the town, you had been exploring a lot more. Eventually stumbling across this private beach. It was hidden by the cliff, the sand receding into a small cave-like structure. It was peaceful, your very own pirate cove. You had been coming here almost every day since you had moved.

You had yet to tell your family about this discovery. You wanted to enjoy the solitude for a while longer before telling them about it. You were sure as soon as you told them they would also be down here every day, therefore breaking the peaceful aspect of your hidden treasure. You had thought about never telling them a few times but they would most likely find it eventually anyway.

Especially because you keep disappearing everyday for hours at a time. Someday you would have to come clean, but today was not that day. You lay down your blanket, the sun at a perfect point for it to shine directly on the beach. The heat tickled at your skin making you hum, it felt like a thousand warm kisses. You threw your bag down next to you and got comfortable.

You skimmed through a new book you had bought, though you only made it a few pages in before the idea of a nap hit you. With the sound of gentle waves rolling against the shore, the feeling of the sun caressing your exposed skin, and nobody around to disturb you, it was the perfect condition to catch up on sleep.

You pushed the book aside, making sure to lather sunscreen over your skin for the second time that day. The cold gel made you shiver, but it was still better than waking up to a nasty sunburn.

You rolled onto your stomach, using your arms as a makeshift pillow, and before you knew it you were falling into a blissful slumber.

---

“What are you doing!” The brunette asked, eyes widening, as her friend dove into the water, swimming towards shore, right where the human was.

“I just want to get a closer look! They’re asleep so this might be my only chance!” He replied.

He had been observing you almost every day since you started showing up at the beach. Usually, it was where he would come to relax, but now you had come to claim the beach as your own, unaware you had stolen his hangout from him.

Not that he was complaining, he had found himself admiring you from afar. He enjoyed watching you from behind the rocks, observing your habits, listening to you sing to yourself, and watching as you splashed in the shallow ends of the water.

He was completely enamoured by you. You were a beautiful mystery to him, and he would do anything to get a closer look.

This was the first time he had seen you fall asleep on the beach and he didn’t want to miss the opportunity. He wanted to poke around those human objects you always brought with you. Sometimes he would find you laughing or smiling, even talking! To that rectangle you were always holding. Humans were so strange, you would never catch him talking to kelp, or corals! Maybe the rectangle was a new species of land animal?

His curiosity got the better of him and despite the warnings from his friend he kept swimming forward. Her cries of worry drowning out as his eyes focused on you.

He halted once he reached a cluster of rocks by the side of the beach. He was close enough to see you better, your chest was rising and falling at a steady pace, the sun bounced off your skin in a way that made you look like you were glowing. He had never been so close to you before, his tail wagged beneath the water in a giddy manner, he could even see the grains of sand that stuck onto your feet.

He took time to admire you again, a small lopsided grin spreading across his face, accompanied by grand blush. You looked so relaxed, he could only see one side of your face but your expression was so soft, he wondered if you were dreaming of anything.

Seeing your eyes closed gave him more confidence to move forward. His tail pushed him through the water, the sand started to rise as he reached the shallow end. He pulled himself from the water using his hands, his tail dragging behind him like a dead fish.

His torso made it onto the and but he made sure his tail didn't leave the water so he wouldn’t dry up. You were so close now, he could've reached out an arm and caressed your soft skin. The thought sent tingles down his spine.

Despite knowing his friend was likely having a panic attack from behind the rocks, he pulled himself closer once again, his face finally coming up next to yours. A small part of his brain told him to go back, you could wake up any second and see him, but his body didn't comply.

He couldn't focus on the fact that this was reckless, that if Uraraka told anyone about this he would be in a lot of trouble. All he could focus on was you.

He lay beside you, head resting on his bicep as he listened to your gentle breaths. His irises traced over your face, soaking in every detail. The way your lashes brushed against your cheeks, how soft your parted lips looked. You were even more beautiful up close.

He was so deep in thought, he hadn’t realised his hand had come up to brush, stray, strands of hair from your face. His feather-like touch brushed against your skin and he felt sparks rush through his body at the contact. So many weeks of watching you from afar and falling deeper in love with you.

It had all come to this moment. If only your eyes were open, he would give anything to see your sparkling irises up close. He sighed, dreaming of what it would be like to stare into your eyes.

It's true when they say be careful what you wish for, your eyes slowly fluttered open. He wanted to admire them, they were gorgeous, shining more than anything he could have ever imagined.

But panic overtook him and without a second to lose he dived back into the water, the ocean acting as a blanket of protection.

He swam back to his friend, heart racing in his chest. He couldn’t believe that had just happened!! You saw him! Your eyes met! His head finally poked out from the water when he reached the rocks, turning back to you.

You had turned over onto your side, your breathing still steady. He sighed in relief, you had gone back to sleep.

“You got really lucky there…” Uraraka shook her head, she couldn’t understand what had gotten into him. He was a naturally curious person, but that was so reckless!! Her heart was still in her throat, and seeing him laying down next to the human, was he not thinking at all?! If anyone found out about this he would be put in lockdown. Never allowed to leave their kingdom again.

“Yeah..” He muttered, he noted the worry in his friend’s eyes and looked down. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok. Let’s just go.” She said as she turned away, she paused for a second, not daring to look back at him. “I don’t think you should come back here anymore... For your own safety. I won't tell anyone what you did.. just, please, never do it again. You know the consequences.” She said before diving into the water.

His blood went cold. Never see you again?... Could he really live with that? He turned back to your figure curled up on the sand. He watched you longingly. Maybe Uraraka was right... These feelings were getting stronger everyday, he was becoming attached to you, a human, and he didn’t even know your name.

Maybe it was best he didn’t come back. If you found out about him, his kind, who knows what you would do. That's why merfolk had these rules in place. Any merpeople found getting too close to the shores would be put under temporary lockdown, break the rules more than once and it would be permanent. By doing this he was putting his whole species at risk. He couldn't be selfish like that. No matter how much he would miss you, his first love. He had to let go. With one last glance, followed by a sigh, he dove into the water and followed Uraraka back home.

---

Warm..

Why did he feel so warm? He forced his heavy eyelids open. A goan bubbled in his throat as the sun blinded him. The noises of yelling seagulls and crashing waves filled his ears. Was he on a beach?

His brain raced as he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered going to hunt for food with his group, a shark attacked them… he used himself as bait to distract it so the others could swim away to safety. It fell for the bait and chased him for what felt like hours, he swam as fast as he could, Echoed thoughts of dying entered his memory. After all, not many of his people went up against a shark and lived to tell the tale. He remembered swimming closer to the shore, hoping the shark would be dissuaded from following him into shallow waters.

He had almost reached shore but as he looked back to see if the shark was still there he swam head first into a rock, and everything went black. There were no memories left after that, just black, a feeling of cold and then another of warmth.

"Are you awake now?" A melodic voice asked from beside him. He turned his head only to be met with your worried eyes. His heart leaped into his throat, he wanted to reply but the words got caught. His mouth went dry, eyes widening as he struggled to decide how to feel about the situation..

Should he panic that a human had seen him? Or be happy that the human was you?

It had been weeks since he had last seen you, staying true to his words and keeping away. It pained him so much, his heart constantly tugged him in your direction, but he had to fight himself every step of the way. He had to keep his people safe.

But now, here you were! Talking to him!! You had seen him! All those weeks of torture seemed pointless now! Izuku rushed to push himself up from the sand but his body rejected the quick movement, pain striking through his head, he let out another groan. Your hand placed onto his chest and pushed him back down. "Be careful, you're hurt." You scolded softly.

When he lay back down his head didn’t hit the sand as he intended, but instead something that was a lot softer. He turned to see the strange material you always lay down on, it was folded over a few times, and he had to admit, it was quite comfortable. He felt the waves rolling against his tail, he wondered if you were the reason his gills were still being fed water or if it was just by pure chance.

Despite being intrigued by the soft object beneath, he couldn't forget about you. His heartbeat quickened again upon meeting your eyes. He gulped. You looked surprisingly calm for a human meeting a merman for the first time. He always figured if you two ever happened to meet you would be all over the place, questions spewing from your mouth as you paced back and forth.

You saw his eyebrows knit together, he probably had a lot of questions. You weren't even sure if this creature would be able to understand your language. Technically he was half human, so it was worth a shot. "I found you here, knocked out on the beach, I think the shore washed you up, you had a few cuts on you, but other than being knocked unconscious and a bump on your head, you're ok."

You smiled and he felt hypnotized. That smile he had admired from afar for so many months, the smile he had missed every day he was away, he was finally able to see it up close. It was as if fate was rewarding him for taking on a shark.

Your eyes were beautiful too. He had spent most of his time noting every single detail about you, but seeing you up close gave him a whole new perspective. You were even more gorgeous than he had thought.

"You're not… surprised?" He asked. You giggle as if he had said something funny. "I was at first, but you've been knocked out for about 3 hours now. I had time to process it while I was waiting for you to wake up."

3 hours? He had been unconscious that long? He was going to be in so much trouble when he got back home. As much as he knew he should leave this beach right now and never return. He couldn't find it in himself to want to move. Not because he was in too much pain, but because this was the first time he was able to speak to you.

The human who had captured his interest as well as his heart was right in front of him, taking care of him, smiling at him. Maybe he was dead after all and this was just his version of heaven. He smiled at the way the sun hit your face. You were an angel roaming the sandy shores. "You stayed here with me that long? Thank you!"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you washed up on shore alone now could I? Besides, the chance to talk to a real mermaid! No way would anyone pass that up!" You chuckled.

Midoriya sat up. His head still stinging from the pain, he felt a little dizzy but overall ok. Merfolk tended to heal pretty fast, by tomorrow this injury would be completely gone, so there was no need to worry.

He bit back a smile. He was just as excited as you were. Maybe it was selfish but he trusted his instincts, you didn't seem like a bad person at all, he had observed you for months, even if you had never had a conversation, he knew you. He was there when you helped that crab out of the plastic it had gotten stuck in and when you went around picking up all the washed up trash on the beach. He knew you were a kindhearted person, he wouldn't have fallen in love with you otherwise.

Without realising he let out a dreamy sigh, his eyes trailing down your body, not in a sexual way, more out of curiosity. His eyes landed on your legs, they were on show as usual. He smiled, they looked so weird! You had two of them and those weird things attached to the bottom. Toes? He recalled.

You smiled at his reaction to your legs, lifting one up for him to see. "I guess seeing them must be unusual for you?" He nodded. He used his hands to pull himself forward, his tail dragging behind him, staying in the water. He didn't touch them since he didn't know what kinds of boundaries humans had. Merfolks tails were pretty sensitive, only to be touched by a mate! Maybe it was the same for humans and their legs?

"They look so complicated, there's two of them and they look like they have so many parts. It's like having two tails with ten extra tiny fins on the bottom." His eyes sparkled as he got to admire them up close. You laughed at his analogue, wiggling your toes for his own entertainment. "I suppose that's one way to look at it."

He sat back up until he was level with your face. It felt like the closer he got the prettier you became. To test this theory he absentmindedly brought his face close to yours. You shrank away from him, averting your gaze from him. Maybe it was normal for merfolk to inspect people like this? Or maybe he was just curious about seeing a human for the first time. You didn't want to push him away and hurt his feelings but feeling the tip of his nose against your cheek made your nose scrunch up. You could smell the salty ocean water on his skin.

He pulled back a little, noticing your body language. you turned back to him now you had some space. You looked into his emerald eyes, they shone like jewels underneath the sun's light. He was very good looking, no doubt, but that didn't make the close proximity less awkward.

"So- uh. Do you have a home?" You asked, your voice wavering. Thankfully he sat back, leaving your personal bubble alone. He looked out to the sea and nodded. He did have a home, and if he wanted to stop his family and friends from getting worried he would have to leave soon. They might think the shark had killed him and pronounce him dead. He didn't want to put his mom through that.

"It's getting a bit late and you should probably get back home before the sun sets." You warned him, you had already been here for hours while taking care of him. Your family were going to start getting worried too. So much for your daily relaxing beach day.

Instead it had become ‘nearly fainting upon finding an unconscious mermaid on your beach’ day. You chuckled as you remembered the feeling of your legs giving out from under you and collapsing into the sand. You had never felt so many emotions in one go, doubt, shock, worry, confusion. What a day it had been. You were sure no one would believe you if you told them what happened, not that you were planning on telling anyone anyway. You didn’t feel like being laughed at or mocked.

Despite the sun sinking below the horizon, both of you had yet to make a move to leave. Instead you opted for sitting in an awkward silence as you waited for something to happen. Each of you desperately wanted the other to ask them to stay. You wanted to know more about him and merfolk, to understand this phenomenon. And he wanted to stay so he could get to know the human he had fallen so hopelessly in love with.

He bit his lip, couldn't let you go, not now he finally had you back! "I'll come back!!" He blurted out without thinking. His hands quickly came up to cover his mouth. He couldn't believe he had just said that! What made him think you'd even want him back?! You didn't know who he was! Now he sounded desperate and creepy! Why did he have to be so stupid. Not to mention how frowned upon it was by his people! What if he had just put them all at risk!

"Really!?" He watched as your eyes lit up with joy. You looked ecstatic. His heart melted seeing how happy he had made you, his worry slowly faded. That smile was because of him, and it felt really good knowing that. He nodded, he couldn't find it in his heart to take it back after seeing you smile. His head turned away, the thought of this becoming a regular thing had made the blood rush to his cheeks.

"I'll be here again tomorrow then! I'm here almost everyday." You didn't need to tell him that, he already knew your schedule, not that you could have possibly known that. "I'll see you tomorrow then!" He smiled with a nod, though, still, made no movements to leave. He sat admiring you for a few seconds longer before hesitantly turning and crawling back into the water.

He had to remind himself that this wasn't the last he would see of you. He would see you tomorrow, he would get to talk to you, see you smile again. Once he was far enough out he dove into the water and swam away. He resurfaced by the same rocks he always used to admire you from behind and looked back to see you waving at him. He brought his hand out of the water and gave you a small wave in return, his face sporting a love struck grin.

Before he knew it, the days were flying by and turning into weeks, then months. No matter how tedious the journey to the beach got, he never missed a day. Even if he could only be with you for 30 minutes, he took whatever he was given with a smile. Every second with you was worth it. He lay awake at night, on the sandy ocean bed, thinking about you. How you talked for hours and it never felt awkward, how one time made you laugh so hard you snorted. You were so embarrassed but he thought it was the cutest noise in the world.

He even loved those moments you both lay in silence, listening to the waves crash onto the shore, and watching the sunset, as seagulls danced in the sky. He remembered one time, you lay so close to him your hand accidentally brushed against his. It sent electricity through his body, just like the first time his hand made contact with your skin. It was too bad you pulled away before he could intertwine his fingers with yours.

He continuously convinced himself he definitely would have taken your hand in that moment had you not pulled away so quick.

His tail flopped against the waters edge, you sat beside him, eyes sparkling with passion as you explained to him about the concept of art and photography. “Capturing a single moment in time forever?” he repeated with a hum, bringing a hand up to his chin in thought. He thought over the concept, sometimes they would carve pictures into rocks but it was a hard and grueling task so not many people took to the hobby.

You used your phone to snap a picture of him before turning the device to his eyes. He gasped, grabbing the phone from you so he could get a closer look. “Whoa! That’s me!?” his lips parted, “.. Do I really look like that?” He tilted his head, one cheek puffing out. You giggled, there probably weren’t mirrors in the ocean. Was this the first time he’s been himself? “What’s with that expression?”

He shrugged, tilting the phone in his hand as if it would make him look better. “I’ve only seen myself in the reflection of the ocean, but the ripples make it hard to get a clear image.." he leaned closer to the phone, eyes narrowing, "My eyes are really big...” He muttered, pressing his fingers to his eyelid. You snatched the phone from him, He wasn’t about to get insecure on your watch. “Well, I happen to think you have beautiful eyes.”

He sucked in a harsh breath, his cheeks dusting pink. “Y-You do?” He asked, his voice wavering as he spoke.

You nodded. “By human standards, you’re very good looking. So don’t be putting yourself down!” You scolded him softly while putting your phone away. His fingers dug into the sand, the grains lodging underneath his fingernails. Hearing you say he was good looking, that you thought he had beautiful eyes, his heart couldn't take it. His clenched up in his chest, stripping him from breath. He gulped, hoping you wouldn’t see how hot his face had gotten.

“Oh! I actually wanted to ask you something!” You turned to him, eyes wide with curiosity. He nodded, urging you to go on as his hands played with the sand. “Well, Ever since i’ve met you you’ve been able to understand me. How come? You say you’ve never met another human? So how can you speak the same language?”

He shifted in his spot to get comfier, hoping to relax his tense body. Your compliments were still ringing in his ears, boosting his ego. “Well, from what’s been told from generation to generation, merfolk came first, humans evolved from us. I’m not the first merperson to talk to a human, there have been many. At one point, almost all merfolk were doing it, we were all friends! We learned your languages so we could communicate better! But that… was a long time ago.” He frowned, a shadow sweeping across his eyes. “Things went bad, our people started being hunted, disappearing never to return, those humans wanted to hurt us. Now we have rules in place, we’re not allowed near humans, we hide our existence, which is easy since humans have only discovered about twenty percent of the ocean.”

“You’re not allowed near humans!?” You repeated, jaw dropping in the process. Izuku let out a breathy laugh, though there wasn’t much humour to it. “Yeah… everyone at home always tells me I have a dangerous curiosity. I guess they’re right since technically… I shouldn’t be here..” He looked down at his tail splashing in the water, his eyes remained distant for a moment before he shook his head. “Even if it's frowned upon, I don't regret the time we've spent together, In fact, I treasure ever second.” He smiled, looking into your eyes so you knew he wasn't lying.

You turned your head away from him, unable to fight the smile coming onto your lips. “I’m Glad you don’t, my life has been so much better since i’ve met you and i’m not just saying that because you’re a magical, unknown creature from the depth of the ocean.” You joked and he giggled. “Even if you were a human like me… It wouldn’t change a thing. I like you for who you are, you make me happy.” You admitted with a red cheek. Now it was his turn to hide his face, his cheeks pushed up into a smile. “You make me happy too.” He replied, the giddy feeling in his chest made his tail wiggle with joy.

Everyday he spent with you felt like he was on cloud nine. He got to admire every little detail about you, how your eyes sparkled when you talked about something that you were passionate about, how your nose crinkled at things you didn’t like, how you mimicked him without even realising it by splashing your feet in the water next to his tail. He loved hearing about human culture too, something his people had become greatly disconnected with. He was surprised to know about all the creations humans have made over the years. He was slightly jealous you had so many machines to help you do tasks with ease.

You brought him human food and he brought you ocean treasures. He shared just as much about his people as you did about yours. He trusted you, You had both created this unspoken bond together. He was falling deeper and deeper in love. His connection with you rivaled that of the ocean, if he was ever given the chance he would leave the sea behind and choose to be with you in a heartbeat.

The sun began to set over the horizon, leaving a painted reflection on the water's surface. Like everyday, before you both left, you sat and watched the sun set. It was silent, peaceful, not a word spoken between you two as you found comfort in each other's presence. The familiar sounds of waves crashing against rocks and seagulls yelling from the skies were enough for you both, you didn’t need to speak.

Izuku turned to you. Catching the way the orange glow of the sun reflected on your skin, how your hair danced in the gentle breeze. There was a content smile on your face making his heart leap into his throat. He wondered if one day he would be able to look at you and not feel like his heart way about to implode.

He wasn’t sure what overcame him but the need to confess his feelings grew stronger the more he stared at you. Maybe it was the serenity? Or maybe it was how breathtaking you looked? It just felt like the right moment. He cleared his throat, ready to speak. “Y/n.. I. u-uh-” When you turned to him his body froze, words lodged into his throat. His breathing became rapid and choppy, his hands gathering sweat.

“Yeah? What's up? Are you ok?” You tilted your head, worried about this strange behaviour. He looked like he was about to pass out, or throw up, maybe both?

He suddenly shook his head and with the speed of a cheetah he crawled forward and dove into the water. “Nevermind!! I’ll see you tomorrow!!” He yelled not leaving any room for you to reply as he began swimming away as fast as his tail could manage, not daring to look back. When he submerged under water he slapped his palm against his forehead, teeth gritted together. “I’m such an idiot.”

The next day, he swam back towards the beach like he was in a marathon, he was desperate to apologise for his weird behaviour yesterday but his friends had started prying into where he was rushing off to. Out of all the days for them to get nosey and interrogate him, it had to be the day he was going to apologise to you. He was worried you might be upset at him for rushing off yesterday, and now he was going to be late too!? He could only hope that you would wait for him.

Izuku looked back a few times to make sure they weren't following him. He wasn't the best liar in the world. He'd never had to lie to them before, so he wasn't sure he had convinced them that he wasn't doing anything special. He told them he was just going for a swim with the dolphins, but they didn't look convinced, his body language gave him away.

He hated lying to them, it felt awful! But he knew they wouldn't understand your situation. You were safe to be around, there was no danger. Upon his second visit to the beach you promised not to tell anyone, in fact, you had no interest in telling others about your find. You knew what humans were capable of and you promised to protect him from any harm. You cared about him and he trusted you with his life.

But the others would never see it that way.

As the waters got shallower he moved up to the surface, eventually his head poked out, locks of green hair being pulled down by the water, covering his eyes like soaked curtains. He remembered the first time he had poked his head from the water in front of you. You laughed, claiming he reminded you of a "wet dog." Whatever that was.

Using his hand to brush his hair back from his face he noticed the vacant beach. There was nothing but foot imprints left in the sand. He slowly sunk back into the water until it was just under his eyes. "I missed her…" his words creating bubbles in the water.

He turned to leave, but he noticed your bag was there, partially hidden behind a rock. He swam forward towards the shore. The footprints looked like they trailed around the cliffside, disappearing once they reached the rocks. He dove back into the water, much like a dolphin, and swam around the rocky terrain. He resurfaced to see if there were any signs of you.

He sighed in relief once he saw you. You hadn't left early after all. You stood at the edge of an abandoned pier. Most of the wood was chipped away as if someone had taken a hammer to it. It creaked with every movement you made. Though you didn't pay any attention to it.

You turned upon seeing the green hair poking from the water. You waved, getting ready to turn and run off the pier. He sighed, at least you didn’t seem upset with him about yesterday.

You barely finished taking one step, when the wood beneath your feet cracked. Your sporadic movements didn't agree with the feeble pier. It felt like it happened in slow motion, your body fell, disappearing into the void of water below.

He didn't have time to think or react, his body dove forward as soon as your body fell. His heart sunk along with your limp figure, his hands outstretched as if that would get him to you faster. A cloud of red enveloped your head, mixing in the blue of the water. He would have panicked if not for all the adrenaline coursing through his veins. All that mattered was getting you back to safety.

He finally grabbed you, his arms looping under yours as he pulled you back up to the surface. When you hit the open air, you didn't make any movement, your body floating lifelessly in his arms.

He shook his head, the worst case scenarios started eating at his anxieties. He had to get you back to the beach. He moved you behind him, pressing you onto his back and looping your arms around his neck. He grasped your wrists tightly as he shredded through the water with the strength of a speed boat.

In a matter of minutes you were back at the beach. He placed your body safely onto the sand before he pressed his ear to your lips, there was no breath. With no hesitation he placed his lips onto yours, the water filling your air way came back up, filling his mouth. What a nasty feeling it was, but if it was to save you then he would ignore it. He pulled away and spat out the water onto the sand beside him.

He was in no way good at healing, especially not humans! He could only thank Poseidon that he was graced with the ability to use water magic, it may have just saved you.

His calloused hand pressed against your cheek, turning your limp head to him. "Y/n.. please.. please, wake up." He pleaded helplessly. You let out a cough, excess water dropless leaving your airways. You were breathing again, but your eyes didn't open.

The red blotch of sand under your head brought attention back to the other problem. "Oh god.." he looked around, his stomach was churning. He had to stop the bleeding!

His eyes darted around for a solution, eventually landing on your bag. He used his arms to drag himself towards it. He began rummaging through for anything he could use to stop the bleeding.

He found a spare shirt, he let out a breath of relief, this would stop the bleeding for now. He took the material and ripped it apart into strips, hoping you wouldn't be mad at him for destroying your shirt, but it was for a good cause. He moved back over to you, his hand cradled your head, holding it up. It was only a small wound, thankfully, it wouldn't kill you as long as he stopped the bleeding. He examined it, he didn't want to bandage it without cleaning it first. He grabbed your bag again, and found a water bottle. He remembered you telling him about how humans didn't like salty water. He didn't really understand why but it was probably a safer bet to clean it using your human water than his ocean water.

He tipped the bottle over the wound, water washing over the cut, drenching your hair in the process. After he was sure it was clean enough he bandaged it up with the cloth, making sure it was secure.

Even after he was done, he never let you go. Rather, he held you tighter. One hand cradling your injured head as the other arm went around your waist. He rocked you gently, holding you against his chest. He was breathless, his mouth was dry as his heart thumped against his ribcage. He was more scared now than when that shark chased him all those months ago. The panic of losing you was worse than anything he had ever felt, and losing you to the very place he called home no less. It sent shivers down his spine.

You let out a groan, your arms shifting in his hold. He looked down and his eyes met yours. You winced in pain as you moved. "Careful, don't move too much. I've got you." He brushed hair from your face. Your half lidded eyes looked up at him, dazed and confused. "What happened?"

"That pier you were on broke. You fell into the ocean, must have hit your head on the way down too. You almost drowned." He explained, his face twisting into worry again.

To utter shock, you smiled despite the obvious pain in your eyes. "You saved me?"

"O-of course I did!" He exasperated as if it were the most stupid question anyone has ever asked him. He felt your hand come up and brush through his damp hair, much like he had done to yours a moment ago. "I guess we're even now then." You chuckled, he always made such a big deal of repaying you for helping him when he was washed up. Being out of the water for too long would have dried up his gills, and that would have suffocated him to death. You had saved his life, and now, he had saved yours.

"Ow, shit, this really hurts." You pressed your fingers to the cloth around your head. Izuku helped you sit up, steadying you when you swayed, you had lost a lot of blood, he was worried you might not make it home on your own. "You should really go to the housepetal." He was only trying to help but when you laughed at the suggestion, his shoulders deflated.

"I think you mean hospital." You corrected him. "Oh." He giggled along with you, finally understanding. "But you're right, I should. I'm just not sure I can make it up the cliff right now. I feel so light headed."

He shuffled closer, despite you sitting up just fine on your own, he was ready to catch you if necessary. He was not going to let anymore harm come to you.

"Is there any water left?" You asked him, he reached over for the bottle that he had used to clean your wound. There was a little less than half left. He gave it to you and you hastily drank it all down.

Once finished you let out a satisfied gasp before discarding the bottle into your bag again. "Feel better?"

"Not yet. Soon." You replied, tilting your head forwards as if it would help get the blood back to your head any quicker. He watched your movement, his tail gently splashing against the water's edge to stop himself from drying up.

His eyes skimmed the back of your head, where the wound was. His mind went back to seeing your lifeless body sinking into the ocean's darkness as a cloud of red engulfed you. It was something he never wanted to see again, though the memory was well carved into his brain at this point.

He hated to admit it, but for a second it crossed his mind that you might have died. That he hadn't been quick enough to save you. Holding your limp, unbreathing body in his arms had shaken him to his core.

You hand accidently grazed against his on the sand, pulling him out of his swirling thoughts. It was just like that day a few weeks ago, when your hands brushed against his for the first time, but this time he didn't hold back. You went to pull your hand away but his larger hands encased it, pulling it back towards him. You gasped as your hand was snatched from you, his skin felt so smooth against yours.

He looked deep into your eyes. "I have something to say." He'd never looked so serious before. You gulped, nodding for him to go on.

He inhaled through his nose, his fingers subconsciously squeezing yours. “Before you found me washed up on shore.. I used to come here everyday." He started, pausing for a second but you didn't make any reactions, just waited for him to go on.

"My friends and I used to spend a lot of time here but then we had to go away since a human found our cove, but I found that-... I couldn't leave. I was so enamoured by you, and... I slowly started to fall in love." He heard you sucking in a breath. "Then, I finally got to know you, I fell more in love than ever before! Seeing you almost drown, thinking about what would've happened if I hadn't been there. It made me realise…" he looked away, out at the vast ocean that separated his world from yours. "What we're doing right now, seeing each other everyday, it might not last forever."

He hated admitting it outloud, he could hear his heart breaking it two at the thought of being torn away from you again. Thoughts of you moving away, someone else finding this beach and ruining your secret space, one of you could get hurt, he could be put in lockdown. There were so many possibilities that were running through his head. "I just wanted to tell you how I felt. I want you to know how much you really mean to me. I'm in love with you. So whatever happens in the future. Please, always remember that."

"You think too much." You whispered without missing a beat, your expression unreadable through his eyes. "We're always going to find a way to be together, no matter how long it takes. We'll always find our way back." You whispered, your fingers shifting in hand to intertwine with his.

"How do you know that?" He asked, his eyes were full of doubt but you seemed so sure of yourself. You pulled on his hand, yanking him forward until his nose brushed against yours.

"Because I love you too."

His eyes widened, he sucked in a breath as your lips moved closer to his. He could hear his heartbeat echoing through his ears like the beating of a drum. Your lips finally made contact with his. He inhaled through his nose, your lips were so soft, softer than he could ever imagine them to be. His lips quivered under yours, shaky breaths exhaling from his nose. He tried to keep up with your moving lips despite the lack of expertise. You smiled into it, putting a hand onto the back of his head,patting down his hair and like putty in your hands, he relaxed.

You finally pulled back to see his flushed face. He brought up a hand to his lips? pressing his finger tips to them. "A.. kiss?" He breathed out, looking at you with half lidded eyes. He smiled, shuffling closer so he could sit side by side with you on the beach. His arm came to your shoulder as you curled into his side.

You were right. As long as you loved each other, there was nothing that could tear you apart. You would always find your way back, and you would always have a shared home where the ocean and the land met.

Bonus:

Izuku kept pressing his fingers to his lips, eyebrows knitting together. "You really haven't had a kiss before have you?"

He shook his head, "Well, merpeople show affection in other ways is all.. but that kiss felt so good.. I wonder why we don't do it more often?" Even if he was speaking out loud it felt like that last part was a question meant for himself.

You tilted your head, "Well, what do you guys do to show affection?" You asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

He smiled and turned to you, genuinely happy that you had taken an interest in his species. "I can show you if you want!!" You nodded, curious to see what he would do.

He moved closer to your face, aiming for your cheek. His tongue rolled from his mouth and as it got dangerously close to your skin your leaned back, face turning red. "AHH! WAIT! NEVERMIND! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW-"

997 notes · View notes

moonbeambucky · 5 years ago

Text

Hey Neighbor (Part 14)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader, Billy Russo x Reader Word Count: 6039 Warnings: fluff, light angst, mentions of cheating

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: Major cringe warning everyone.. I can’t wait for your reactions! 😂 A huge thank you to my wonderful beta Sam @buckyofthemyscira Feedback is always appreciated!

PART 13 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

Bucky pulls off his headphones, pressing a finger to the keyboard to stop the music he’s reviewing, taking a moment to pinch between his brows. He gets up to stretch his legs, grabbing the empty beer bottle along with him for the short walk to the kitchen. He tosses it in the garbage with the rest.

He doesn’t like drinking this much but lately he hasn’t been feeling great. His music has been stagnant, devoid of life and energy. Thinking about it only makes him feel worse, a painful reminder that deadlines are coming up and what little he’s created is absolute shit.

The knob squeaks as he turns the faucet, letting the water turn to liquid ice before he runs his hands through them, splashing it up against his face. He hears the hiss of the pipes next door and his heart sinks.

It’s Y/N’s shower. He looks towards the wall wondering if she’s alone, quickly shaking the thoughts out of his mind. He shouldn’t care if she’s alone or not. She’s in a relationship and it shouldn’t matter.

Bucky tried really hard to not think about her. He promised himself he would get out there and find someone and well, it hasn’t exactly worked out. In the last three weeks he’s been on a dozen dates. Most of the girls could barely hold a conversation, while the others were less exciting than watching paint dry.

He fucked a few of them even though he said he wouldn’t. That wasn’t the point of these dates but Bucky needed the distraction. It was hard hanging out with everyone, it didn’t matter if Y/N was there with Billy or if they were not; Bucky wasn’t sure what was worse.

Over the last few days he has been messaging someone new who’s been doing a pretty good job of keeping him entertained. Bobbi, she works at a gym Uptown. She’s worked extremely hard for her body and flaunts it in most of her photos and sure, Bucky would love to hit it but there’s something more that keeps him drawn in.

She’s so direct, talking to him as if they had known each other for years. He loves checking his phone to see her latest message, a smile already stretching across his face when he sees a long text about something that happened at the gym. Apparently a lot of characters workout there and she has an endless list of horror stories she couldn’t wait to share with him.

They planned a date for the end of the week and Bucky was very excited to finally meet her. It was promising, the idea that he could be happy with someone just like… just like everyone else.

You hug yourself a little tighter as you walk down the block, feeling the cool breeze move right through you. Billy seems to be in his own world, his head gazing down to his phone as it had been through most of dinner. You didn’t voice your annoyance though because it would only make things worse.

Billy’s been in a bad mood ever since the Feds came knocking at ANVIL’s door. A few former employees were recently involved in a string of armed robberies and Billy was questioned about it. Word got out and he lost a big account as a result.

Obviously the situation is upsetting but it’s not just that, Billy’s been distant lately. You’ve been spending a lot of time together but maybe that’s the problem, the honeymoon period might be over. You know it’s a normal part of any relationship but the idea that things could change so drastically doesn’t make you feel great.

“Hey watch where you’re going,” an unfamiliar voice barked.

Your head turned quickly to find Billy getting in the face of the stranger he apparently bumped into.

“What did you say to me?” Billy’s dark eyes sharpened like a bird of prey closing in on its target. His nostrils flared as he snarled, staring down the other man until he backed away with his tail between his legs. Billy looked him up and down, a smug smile creeping across his face in silent victory.

A heavy arm fell around your shoulders as Billy pulled you closer to him when he began walking away.

“What the hell was that?” you asked after a long beat of silence.

He faced you with the same incredulity he gave the man before. “That was people knowing better than to get in my way.”

Your stomach churned with unease and that silent alarm inside you was going off. You needed to get away from Billy, for tonight at least. By the time you got to the front of your building you figured out an excuse you hoped would work.

“Hey so, I promised Elena I would head in early tomorrow. Paperwork’s been piling up and medical records have been on our case about it. So, can we raincheck this?” You smiled, using your best doe eyes to seem sincere about it.

Billy stared you down, looking for the slightest crack in your expression. It was something he had always done, reading people, checking for lies. You know it’s a product of his upbringing, with so many broken promises made by a faulty system.

“Yeah. Yeah that’s fine,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember I got us Knicks tickets.”

You nodded in agreement, gasping slightly when he caught you off guard by his kiss. It was the last thing on your mind but you gave in, opening your mouth to his forceful tongue. Anything to keep up appearances, for tonight.

Billy watched you enter the building and you waved back at him right before you disappeared for the hallway, finally able to take a breath. On the way up to your floor you wondered if you should talk to Wanda about what happened. It was kind of late though and even though she would want to hear everything about it you didn’t want to disturb her.

As you approached your door you looked towards Bucky’s. Maybe he could give some advice from the male perspective. Then again you didn’t want to bother him either. Bucky’s also been pretty distant lately and you’ve barely seen him in the past month. Maybe everything’s changed, your relationship, your friendships. Change is supposed to be good but this felt all wrong.

You couldn’t find a comfortable spot on your bed, tossing and turning, kicking off the covers, pulling them back up again. Nothing seemed right. There was too much on your mind and you couldn’t relax.

“Shut up brain, just shut up!” you begged out loud, grabbing your phone to find something to distract yourself.

Scrolling through your playlists you tried to find one that wouldn’t give you the urge to stay up and sing along, and then you stopped on the perfect one. It was Bucky’s playlist, Greatest Cinema Scores. Grabbing your headphones you laid your head back on the pillow as John Williams carried you to dreamland.

You groan, rolling over to one side. It’s still dark out. You don’t want to look at your phone but you give in anyway. Two in the morning. At least you still had a few more hours of sleep. Your stomach spasms forcing you to get up, hurrying your paces to the bathroom because the weird rumbling has you convinced you might not make it in time.

It’s five past two in the morning when all hell breaks loose. Hell translating to everything you’ve eaten this evening coming up and out of you from both ends. It’s not pretty. Tears are streaming down your face as you puke into the garbage can you’re rapidly filling, trying to catch your breath in between painful heaves. The other end isn’t much better, hot liquid expelling itself from your body; stomach cramps, body spasms all doing their part to add to the mess.

Ten minutes pass by the time it’s safe to leave the bathroom. Your throat burns with the remnants of vomit, your ass is on fire and you curl back into bed, brushing aside the tears from the corner of your eyes. Your reprieve is short lived as your stomach grumbles again and you rush across your apartment, giving yourself over to the porcelain throne.

More comes out of you than you’ve taken in and you wonder about the science of it all. When will it stop? Dinner was simple, a glass of wine, a small house salad, chicken parm and some vegetables that come out whole as you peer into the soupy garbage held out in front of you. A whiff of the stench makes you gag again setting off another round of vomiting.

Everything hurts. Tears burn hot against your skin as you cry alone, half naked and in need of a shower at this point to clean yourself up. Elvis died on the toilet, is that how you’re gonna go too? It seems entirely possible at this point.

By the time the sun begins to peak out through the large buildings you’ve exhausted your body of all its worth. You’re shaking as you change into clean pajamas, crawling back into bed, barely having the strength to raise your phone to your ear as you leave a message for Elena, telling her you won’t be able to make it in today.

Sleep doesn’t come easy, not when you’re still getting out of bed every hour to get rid of every part of your insides. Isn’t it out of you already? You think back to dinner and the slightly pink chicken you thought at the time was your imagination or bad lighting. Dammit.

You text Billy, telling him you have food poisoning, hoping his seafood and linguine didn’t leave him in the same position you were currently in. After the hundredth trip to the bathroom you opened up your fridge looking for something. You squirm as you look at the orange juice, however tempting it is the acid would probably burn through you. Your mouth waters looking at the forbidden food, aka anything that isn’t a plain cracker. Do you have any of those? Nope. How is it possible you don’t have a single thing you could possibly eat?

The trek across your apartment and back to your bed seems like it went on for miles and now you shake with chills, wrapping yourself up in the blanket as you text Wanda begging for her to come over with Gatorade, ginger ale and crackers.

You whimper out loud as you feel your stomach gurgling, it wants another round versus the toilet where you’re going to lose. By the time you come out again you’re sweating, shaking on weak legs as you cry yourself to sleep.

In another hour you’ve woken up, thankful for the returned text that she would come by before heading to work. After your latest round in the bathroom you trudge to the front door unlocking it, and move to your couch where you plop face down. You text Wanda, telling her the door is open, and try to shut your eyes until the inevitable happens. Because you know it’s going to happen again. For some reason you’ve been cursed and there’s nothing you can do about it but suffer.

You aren’t sure of how much time has passed but you hear your door opening, bags rustling in hand and the tiniest smile spreads across your face.

“Wandaaa, my butthole hurts,” you whined, lifting your head up off the couch slightly to groan even more. “It’s like a volcano that’s erupting hot brown lava. There’s so much of it Wan. It won’t stop. My ass is vomiting shit.”

“Wow Y/N, that’s quite a visual.”

Oh no. Panic surges through you when you realize that was not Wanda’s voice. A weak arm pushes you up from the couch where you turn around to find Bucky somehow looking at you in the eye after he heard your very blunt confession.

You’re stunned into silence, not knowing what to say because you had just said far too much than you ever wanted to. Suddenly you feel nauseous again but for a different reason.

Bucky shifted one of the bags he was holding into his other hand so he could send a small wave in your direction, trying not to burst out laughing as he said, “Hey neighbor.”

“B-Bucky, what are you doing here?” you asked, sinking back down onto the couch because you couldn’t support yourself anymore.

“Wanda texted me, said she wasn’t able to get these to you before work.” He set the bags down, walking closer to you and crouching down by the couch. “Are you okay?”

Your head shook a little before you answered. “No. I think I’m dying. I’m puking up my organs.”

“Oh yeah? Which ones?” he chuckled.

“My intestines, definitely my stomach… maybe a kidney or two.”

He cracked a beautiful smile that somehow made you feel better just by looking at it. Bucky reached the back of his hand out to feel your forehead. You were a little warm but you didn’t feel feverish.

“Well I’m here now and I brought all the good stuff you need. Will you let me help you?”

Tears filled your eyes as you replied, and Bucky smiled again. He emptied the bags in your kitchen, taking out a bottle of ginger ale, Gatorade, crackers and some instant white rice.

“How about a little ginger ale to settle your stomach, yeah?”

Bucky brought over a glass that was less than half filled. Sitting next to you, he helped you sit up and you waited for the room to stop spinning before you took a few small sips as he told you to. Your hand was shaking and Bucky took the glass from you before you spilled it.

You didn’t think a few sips of ginger ale would be a magical cure but you wished it would. You felt so shitty… which seemed fitting, but it really wasn’t funny. You leaned against Bucky, closing your eyes as you sighed in frustration. It was comforting to feel his arm around you, and hear his whispers that everything would be okay.

“Are you nauseous? Do you need to…”

“I just don’t feel good,” you cried against him.

Bucky pressed his lips into a thin line, wishing there was something more he could do for you. When Wanda texted him he had shot right up, threw on clothes and raced to the store. He wished you had asked him, that you were as close as you used to be but he understands why you might not have wanted him to know.

The briefest thought about Billy crosses his mind. Did you tell him? Was he going to come in and take care of you? Would you shove Bucky aside if he did? But Billy isn’t here, and Billy isn’t important. Right now this is about you and doing whatever he can to help.

“Hey doll, do you want to try and eat something?”

You barely process the nickname as you think about how your stomach is feeling. It’s still too early to try and eat so instead you ask for some Gatorade, hoping that might make you feel a little better.

Bucky brings it back, along with a wet washcloth he places on your neck, feeling your skin prickle at his touch as he moves aside the collar of your shirt. It’s a nice relief for the short while it lasts. You head back to the bathroom again but at least you didn’t vomit this time. You’re thankful since you’re really not sure you have the strength to even handle throwing up anymore.

Back on the couch you lay your head down on Bucky’s thigh, curling your body into a fetal position as he lays a throw blanket over you. You don’t realize when you’ve fallen asleep but you wake up at some time later to find the sky is lit in a golden glow of the afternoon sun. Bucky assists you with sitting up, helping you quell the dizziness with more sips of Gatorade and ginger ale.

You feel brave enough to eat, hoping that one single cracker will not send you back on the hell ride through your digestive tract. Bucky can’t help but smile as you nibble on the cracker slowly like a hamster.

“What did you eat that got you sick?” he wondered.

“New Italian place on 23rd and 8th. Bad chicken. I mean, I thought it was good at the time but I don’t think I’ll be going back again.”

“Good to know. I’m gonna cancel my plans tonight,” he said, digging his phone from his pocket.

“Yeah, definitely go somewhere else.”

“No, I’m cancelling the whole date.”

Your head spun as you turned it too fast to face Bucky. “You have a date tonight?”

His head shook before he began speaking. “Nope, not anymore. I want to stay here and take care of you.” You began to protest but Bucky insisted. “Y/N, I really want to do this. Please, let me help you.”

The fluttering in your stomach made you wonder if you needed to rush to the bathroom again but it didn’t feel the same as before. Instead you smiled softly, thankful to have Bucky’s kindness. It was nice to know someone wanted to take care of you.

In the moment you scanned the table for your phone, remembering the text you sent out this morning. Billy still hadn’t replied. Maybe he’s sick too or maybe… well you don’t have the energy to think otherwise at the moment.

Your mouth is watering, craving anything and everything that you can’t have. Even the drinks have to be sipped slowly otherwise you’ll set your stomach off again. It’s so unfair. Why is this happening? And why is every commercial food related?

“Bucky, can you change the channel?” you begged.

He switched it to a show about animals, that’s fine, that’s… not fine. The TV shows a raccoon eating delicious red grapes and you feel the tears begin to flood your eyes. You huff against Bucky’s leg, not bothering to change the channel because there was no point. You couldn’t eat and you probably never will again. Was that being dramatic? Maybe, but right now you’re not in the mood to think sensibly.

“I feel bad askin’ but is it okay if I order food? I know you can’t have any and I really don’t want to make this worse for ya.”

Bucky is staring at you with big blue eyes, hoping his small request isn’t too much of an offence at the moment. You almost wanted to say no but you couldn’t, it’s not Bucky’s fault you ate bad chicken.

“Pizza? Really?” you whined after he placed his order.

His eyes grew big with panic and he was about to call back and cancel his order before you stopped him.

“No, no. I’m sorry Bucky. It doesn’t matter what you eat, I’m gonna want everything so enjoy yourself.”

You pouted, grabbing the throw blanket to pull it over your shoulder as you adjusted your position of resting on his leg, shutting your eyes until he got up to answer the door when the pizza arrived.

“That smells really good,” you said, frowning as Bucky opened the box.

He was hesitant to take a bite, feeling guilty as you looked at him. “Can I make you anything? Think you could handle some rice?”

Your head shook and you took out another single cracker, chewing on it slowly as Bucky sat down beside you with a few slices.

“I’m sorry Y/N. You’ll feel better soon, I promise. And when you’re up for it let’s get pizza. We still haven’t kept our promise.” Bucky’s mouth dropped open in response to your confused face. “Our pizza quest! Remember? Eat our way through the city to find the best pizza!”

“Oh yeah!” You smiled for the first time, bright and beaming across your face and Bucky was happy he was able to bring that out in you. “We definitely have to do that.”

The night continued with Bucky putting on Galaxy Quest for you both to watch. Halfway through the movie you went back to the bathroom, missing a call from Billy. Bucky couldn’t help but look over as your phone buzzed, seeing a picture of you and Billy smiling together.

A moment later a text came through and he knew he shouldn’t read it but he couldn’t help himself. Bucky looked towards the bathroom to check that you weren’t about to come out before he grabbed your phone, reading Billy’s text.

Billy: Wtf Y/N where are you? Did you remember the basketball game?

Bucky placed your phone back on the coffee table, remembering to unclench his jaw as your bathroom door opened. What an asshole. He didn’t even ask how you were.

“Your phone rang,” Bucky reluctantly said as you sat down again.

He watched as you read the text, typing back furiously. Another buzz and you were responding to Billy again, your face getting angrier the longer the back and forth messaging went on.

“I’m sorry, that was rude,” you said, tossing your phone on the table. “Let’s put the movie on.”

You got comfortable against Bucky, ignoring the buzz of your phone. The texts didn’t stop coming in and you tried your best to ignore it and pay attention to the movie but Bucky could clearly see you were upset.

“You can answer that if you need to.”

“I really don’t want to. Billy’s so concerned about wasting money on tickets, not once has he even mentioned the fact that I’m sick. Did he not get my messages?”

Bucky bit his tongue, not wanting to say something he might end up regretting, especially if this isn’t the end of you and Billy like he hoped. Why would he hope that? He’s dating now. Or at least he thought he was.

He cancelled his date with Bobbi tonight without hesitation, just so he could take care of you. She seemed cool about it, asking if he was free tomorrow and Bucky agreed to another date but the longer you stay curled up beside him the less interest he has in wanting to see anyone.

The warmth of your body against his lulled Bucky into a deep sleep. It wasn’t the most comfortable, slumped on the couch in a mostly sitting position but he didn’t want to move, not when you had fallen asleep before him. You were exhausted from everything you went through so your sleep was more important to him than the cramp that developed in his neck overnight.

You woke up, slowly opening your eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as you realized you weren’t in your bed but on the couch resting your head against Bucky. You watched the rise and fall of his stomach through the soft sweater he wore, the one that most certainly left tiny marks on your cheek from leaning against it.

Looking up at Bucky you smiled at the way his head was tilted to the side, eyes shut peacefully as small puffs of breath left his mouth. You thought about everything Bucky had done for you, what was supposed to be a simple task of dropping off ginger ale and crackers turned into his whole day being rearranged just to take care of you.

You wanted to do something nice for him in return, it’s something you’ll have to think about when your head’s not as light as it feels. Slowly you begin to sit up, taking a few sips of Gatorade from the bottle that was left on the table. You feel… better but still not great.

It’s daring but you aim to eat two crackers, hoping it won’t set off your stomach. It was grumbling with hunger but you knew better than to give in with actual food even though you were craving pancakes.

After sitting up for a while you didn’t think you felt dizzy anymore so you got up slowly. You felt the weakness in your legs as they carried you across the room but at least your trip to the bathroom was normal. A regular pee was a lot better than everything else that came out of you yesterday.

“G’morning,” Bucky said mid-yawn as you opened the door, seeing his sweater rise up to reveal a sliver of his toned stomach as he stretched his arms out.

“Morning Bucky.” You smiled as you made your way beside him again, reaching your arm across his stomach as you settled back against him, nuzzling your head on his chest.

Bucky loved this but absolutely hated that he needed to use the bathroom and therefore ruin the way you cuddled up against him. “I’m sorry doll. I’ll be quick,” he said, rushing up off the couch.

Doll. You liked that nickname. It was a little on the old fashioned side but it was endearing. Billy called you babe which was fine and all but it definitely didn’t have the same effect as doll. The thought of Billy made you roll your eyes. You would have to speak to him today but you really didn’t want to.

“Alright, where were we?”

Bucky’s voice rang out as he opened the door, walking back towards the couch. He moved his neck from side to side to crack it before he sat down again, letting you cozy up to him.

“How’re you feelin’ today?”

“Better. I think I might try some rice later.”

“Just let me know and I’ll make it.” There was no hesitation in his offer, just pure tenderness in wanting you to get better.

The morning was spent cuddling on the couch until Bucky’s stomach began grumbling worse than yours. He got up to make himself something while you insisted you weren’t ready for anything more than crackers and ginger ale yet.

“I’m gonna take your garbage out and head home for a quick shower. You think you’ll be okay? I’ll be quick.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks Bucky.”

He was thankful you didn’t tell him not to come back. You seemed much better than yesterday and you probably didn’t need him but Bucky really didn’t want to leave. Sure he had work to do but this was more important. He wouldn’t have been able to get you off his mind anyway so he might as well be useful.

During Bucky’s absence you debated talking to Billy, knowing it would probably end up in a fight but you didn’t have the strength to do that yet. Besides, you hadn’t done anything wrong so there is no need for you to be chasing him down.

With the little energy you had you decided to freshen up. While splashing your face with some water you noticed the broken blood vessels in your eyes, the result of straining so much to throw up. Fun stuff.

It was a bit of a struggle to get undressed and changed into new pajamas and you had to lay down in your bed before the room stopped spinning. Thankfully Bucky had come back and was able to help you.

He handed the glass of Gatorade to you, rubbing slow circles of comfort on your back that seemed so natural for him.

“You need to eat something Y/N. Think you’re up for some rice now?” he asked softly, gazing at you with concern as he awaited your answer. You gave a simple nod and Bucky leapt up to get it started.

The burn of tears rushed to your eyes as you thought about Bucky. He was so eager to make sure you were okay, taking out your garbage that was filled with various bags full of vomit without hesitation, spending every minute of his weekend just to take care of you. He even cancelled a date.

Something inside your stomach twisted at the thought of Bucky actually dating someone. It’s not like him sleeping with someone was a surprise to you but apparently in the last month you’ve drifted apart from him, unaware he had started to date people instead of just sleeping with them. You’re not so sure why this makes you feel so… well, you’re not really sure how you feel about it but you know you feel something.

None of this should matter though. You have been dating someone for two months. Someone you thought you loved but this past weekend has taught you a lot about Billy. Not only has his change in demeanor put you off but the fact that he hasn’t shown any concern for you over this weekend really makes you want to end your relationship.

Bucky happily brought over a small bowl of white rice. There wasn’t much in there to begin with but you could only manage a few teaspoons before you had to stop. The worst part of it all is that you were so hungry but you really couldn’t eat much, and certainly couldn’t chance upsetting your stomach anymore no matter how badly you wanted to shovel the rice down your mouth.

The afternoon was spent on your couch again, cuddled up against Bucky as you continued to watch movies. His arm was around your shoulder and occasionally you felt his hand rub up and down over the curve of your arm. You smiled against him, letting yourself enjoy however long you could have Bucky like this.

In the back of your mind you thought about him dating again. Whoever he ends up with would be the luckiest girl ever, to have someone as kind and caring as Bucky take care of them as he has been with you. You chew on your bottom lip remembering the shared kiss on New Year’s Eve. Yeah, it was safe to say you would be completely jealous of any girl that ends up with him.

While attempting to have a little more rice you watched Bucky respond to his phone that had gone off a few times. It was hard not to glance over at him, imagining what pretty girl he was probably talking to.

What you didn’t know was Bucky was talking to a girl, Bobbi, cancelling the plans they had rescheduled for today. He didn’t bother to reschedule again and Bucky knew it was stupid not to but somehow the weekend he’s spent on your couch made him lose all enthusiasm for dating someone. Logic tried to reason with him, remind him that you were in a relationship but it was hard to deny the way he felt about you, how he’s been feeling for a long time now.

Bucky can’t stop staring at you, watching as you finish up the rice from earlier. He’s hated seeing you in pain but being able to help you this weekend has been such an honor.

As the sun set you realized you were not at all prepared to go back to work tomorrow. You probably could use another day off but since you weren’t throwing up anymore you wanted to at least give it a shot. Besides, Tony had been relying on you a lot recently with the logistics of getting The September Foundation prepared and you didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

“I need to take a shower.” As you stood up you felt a little dizzy and Bucky had his arms around you just in case. After a moment of a few deep breaths you felt a little better. “I’m okay,” you assured him.

Bucky didn’t quite believe that so he poured more Gatorade and handed you the glass.

“I’m not leaving you.” Bucky wiped his hand down his face realizing how forceful that sounded. “I mean, I won’t leave until you get out okay? I don’t want you to slip and fall or anything.”

“I’ll leave the door unlocked just in case but now I feel like I’ve jinxed myself,” you joked. Having Bucky hear your vivid description of shitting was bad enough, you really didn’t want him to find you passed out in the shower.

Bucky lowered the volume of the TV to barely above mute, wanting to listen out for anything out of the ordinary. He heard the shower turn on and a minute later the curtain pulling as you stepped in.

A text from Sam pulled his attention away from listening and he opened the message, his jaw clenched as he scanned the photo attached. It was Billy, with his arm around another girl. She was short with dark hair pulled into a bun, dressed professionally and Bucky questioned if he was jumping the gun at thinking the worst. Maybe she worked with Billy or maybe it was his sister.

The next text that came through proved his theories wrong. Sam captioned the picture of Billy kissing the girl with “Asshole.”

Bucky: I’m with Y/N now. She’s been sick all wknd I don’t think she knows about this.

Sam: Do you want to tell her or should I have Wanda come by? She’s ready to rip his head off.

Bucky: So am I Bucky: Fuck. Bucky: idk maybe Wanda should talk to her?

There was nothing Bucky wanted more than to tell you what an asshole Billy was but he didn’t want to be accused of using it to his advantage in any way. Bucky would be there with everyone else to support you through this but as a friend only. You deserved better than Billy no matter who you ended up with.

“Bucky!”

The sound of your voice in distress makes him pop up from the couch. He runs to the door, fear coursing through his veins as he hopes you’re okay. Inside the steamy bathroom he finds your head poking out through the shower curtain, the rest of it pulled close to your body not to reveal yourself.

“I forgot to grab a towel,” you said, smiling. “They’re over there.” A bare arm slick with water points behind him and he grabs a towel from a shelf. “Thanks,” you said, taking it from him, watching as he nods awkwardly before shutting the door.

Bucky’s cheeks are flushed from the brief humidity and the sight of seeing you in the shower. Well, not that he saw anything but just the idea of it has his heart racing.

Ten minutes later and you were out of the bathroom, changed into new pajamas, these ones covered with a cute cactus print, brushing through your still wet hair.

Silence filled the room as you finished your post shower routine of putting on a variety of moisturizers and facial sprays and Bucky felt like he had overstayed his welcome. You were winding down even though it was still early, and truthfully he had a weekend’s worth of work to catch up on.

“So there’s more rice on the counter, plus an unopened bottle of ginger ale too, and if you need anything else you know where I live.” He chuckled uncomfortably at his bad joke. “Really though if you need me please call me okay? I’ll come running.”

He didn’t mean to sound so desperate but it was true.

“Thank you so much for everything Bucky.” You threw your arms around him for a hug, melting deeper into him as he wrapped his arms around your body.

Neither of you realized the other didn’t want to let go but you made the move to reluctantly pull apart. Bucky had spent his whole weekend doting on you, you didn’t want to force him to stay any longer.

Bucky smiled as he gazed upon you, the way your eyes shifted down before staring back up at him. He leaned in slowly, pressing his lips to your forehead and a surge of electricity went racing through you. His kiss lingered and the longer he made contact with your skin the more you wanted to press your lips to his.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he said, walking away slowly towards the door.

Your heart was caught in your throat as you locked it behind him, letting out a deep, longing sigh, and the realization that you might have feelings for Bucky.

PART 15

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes au #billy russo x reader

793 notes · View notes

cellard0ors · 4 years ago

Text

Ficlet: Beneath The Blue

Mermay isn't over and people enjoyed Part 1, so here's some more...

Rhett has a bit of a gambling problem.

No, that's not quite right. More like a gaming problem. He likes games. He likes the rush of winning and it's not so much about money as the thrill of nailing a dart on a bullseye or getting a hole in one or - well - being right.

He really loves that one. Trivia, guessing games, riddles - lucking out on the right answer or just knowing it, always makes him feel fantastic. He's had marginal luck in his life. With basketball, with singing, and now - with his new current career - fishing, but games?

Rhett's always mastered those, rarely ever a loser. But the thing is, to do those things, he tends to have to use cash as an entry to play, thus - a sort-of-not-really gambling problem.

And winning in those kind of situations is also a problem, because, after some time - it tends to attract...attention. And usually the bad kind. Recently it was very much the bad kind, because he was at The 101, engaging in his normal play only to be snatched up by some very rough looking characters.

Ones who took him into a backroom and decided to skip right over the 'broken knuckles' threat and jump right into the 'you're going to go sleep with the fishes' threat.

To be fair, they probably went quickly into the decision once he started fighting back. Rhett's not much of a brawler, but he's a big guy and that in and of itself can create...issues. Especially if his temper is up.

Long story short - Rhett's bit of a gambling problem led him to being clonked over the head (more than once, matter of fact) and taken out to sea. His last real memory before hitting the water was that he'd been amazed at the boulder they'd found to attach him to - where had they gotten such a huge rock from? A landfill?

Not that it mattered - rock, rope, and Rhett all went overboard and into the deep. Rhett tried not to hold his breath, to struggle enough just to get loose, but, in the end - he'd been lost.

Except he hadn't been.

He'd awoken to find the setting sun bathing him in golden light and, above him, an angel. Because only an angel could have such eyes. Eyes as blue and deep and mysterious as the sea he was supposed to have died in.

His throat ached from damn near drowning but he'd still managed to ask the angel for his name. And he'd gotten it.

Link.

But then the angel had turned, vanished, and Rhett had seen that - while he was right about his mythical savior - he was not at all right about what kind.

Because Link had a tail.

A fish tail.

One as sparkling blue and captivating as his eyes and he'd disappeared into the surf so fast, Rhett began to question his sanity.

Had he imagined it all? The entire experience had been traumatic as heck - maybe it was just a coping mechanism for his mind? But then, far out, he'd seen a head appear above the waters.

Seen it and a shy wave and he'd waved back, because what else could he do? He wasn't dead and he wasn't crazy. He'd been saved. Saved...by a mermaid (merman?) named Link.

Which leads to now and his camping out full time on this small rocky stretch of lonely beach. Rhett made sure to check in with the local marina, see if it was okay for him to dock his tiny fishing boat, The Bluegrass, nearby. And 'nearby' was about a mile or so away, because this bit of land is pretty unoccupied and small.

...the perfect place for a merman (mermaid?) to drop off someone they saved. And, hopefully, return to? Rhett's not sure - honestly, this whole thing might be a fool's errand, but either way - he has a tent pitched and is waiting.

Waiting to see if Link returns.

Night after night seems like a failure. Still, Rhett doesn't mind. He can be patient. His last haul (fish-wise, not gambling-wise) earned him a considerable amount, so there's no harm in waiting.

Still, as he sits here now, the sky a lovely lilac as the sun dips low beneath the horizon, he can't help but feel like time's running out. Honestly, what did he expect? For Link to return and want to...what? Be best friends?

The person...creature...per-creature? Did what he could and Rhett should just be grateful and move on. But there was something about him...and those eyes...and that voice...

Rhett cracks open another can of soda, takes a deep sip when he hears it. The water's waves have become almost a white noise at this point, so consistent, but this...this is different. Just a little splish. Or splash. Or whatever.

And it's close. He puts the can down and quickly surges to his feet, looking out intently over the water and then he sees it. Just the top of someone's head. His head. Dark wet hair and blue eyes behind...are those glasses? And Rhett can't see his nose or anything else, but he can see enough to cry out, "Hey!"

The head rears back, sinks some, and Rhett feels a surge of panic, not wanting to lose this opportunity, "No! Wait, wait! Link! I-!"

The head stops, goes still. Rhett continues on, desperate for this to continue, "Please...don't go."

He doesn't.

Bolstered, Rhett continues, hoping he's heard, understood, "I...I just-? You saved me."

Link simply blinks.

"Thank you."

There's a bobbing in the water around him and Rhett's pretty sure Link nodded. Rhett edges just that little bit closer, "I...I'd hoped you'd come back. Not only so I could thank you, but so...um...maybe-? Maybe we could-? Could talk-?"

Link sinks a little more again, but Rhett can still see his eyes and, as long as he can see those, he feels okay, "I mean...you-you came back. Right? So-so maybe you'd-? You'd like to talk too?"

Link's head disappears.

Rhett feels his heart break. But then he notices that the water is moving. There's a rippling, the kind he sees when fish swim close to the surface. As if to punctuate that thought, the broad tip of a blue tail rises up and out, pushing against the waves.

He's swimming closer!

Rhett resists the urge to hoot in delight, to pumping his arms in victory, as Link pushes forward and, on the next movement of water, he surges upwards - his whole head visible now.

Link's entire face is nice.

A strong jaw, a good nose, a very fine mouth and yeaaaah, Rhett doesn't want Link to swim off, so he's going to do his very best not to focus on that mouth too much as he says, "I'm-I'm Rhett."

Link licks his lips, dips his head shyly, "I'm Link."

"Y-Yeah, you-you said..."

They both just sort of eyeball one another, both clearly unsure of what to make of the other. Of how to proceed. Eventually Rhett does, "So, ah, you're-? You're a mermaid?"

Link's eyebrows rise.

"Merman?"

"Just Mer," Link clarifies, "Our kind doesn't really attach those bits on the end there."

"Really?"

Link nods, "Humans came up with that one."

"Oh? We-we did?"

Another nod, "Back when we first used to come across one another."

"...take it that doesn't really happen now?"

"Not really. No."

Another awkward silence falls. Rhett scratches at one cheek, struggling for something else to say when Link blurts, "You're hairy."

Rhett lowers his hand and - much to his own surprise - he bursts out laughing. Link colors some and he gives a bashful smile and okay, Rhett said he wasn't going to pay too much attention to that mouth, but it's hard when it's so danged cute, "Yeah, yeah I am, brother."

"Bro-ther?" Link repeats and it's clearly a word he's unfamiliar with. Rhett beams, "'Brother'. We use it for family members. Y'know, the boys born from the same Momma and such. Can be a term of endearment too."

"Oh..." Link seems pleased with this and Rhett grins, "You got one?"

Link's eyebrows knit together and Rhett explains, "A brother? Or-or some other family or-?"

"I was spawned from another Mer. She came to shore to give birth to me."

Rhett's eyes grow wide, "You-? You were born on land?"

Link nods, "Most of us are. Mers walk between both worlds more often than not."

Rhett lets that one wash over him even as Link comes closer. Rhett can see his tail better now. It's amazing. Glossy and sparkling blue, the scales tightly knit. Rhett's first reaction is wanting to touch it but he quickly shutters that idea - recognizing it as beyond rude. They've just started talking to one another, for goodness sake!

Still, seeing it rest against the wet sand of the shoreline is tempting and seeing it move, more so. It slides and slithers, but in such an enticing way. Rhett moves a little closer, foam teasing at his toes as Link looks up (and up) at him, "Hard to talk at this level..."

Rhett realizes he probably looks like a giant at Link's angle, the Mer practically lying at his feet, so he lowers himself down until his butt hits the sand, crossing his legs at the ankles, "Better?"

Link nods and Rhett does a bit of a wiggle backward to avoid getting his khaki cargo shorts wet. There's an amused smirk around Link that says he recognizes that action. But of course he does - Mers, apparently, can traverse between land and sea.

So, Link is probably aware of how clothing works. Has he ever worn clothing? Come to the shore? Rhett wants to ask so many questions, but isn't sure what's appropriate and what isn't, but Link beats him to the questioning, "Are you a fisherman?"

Rhett lets out a strained 'Ah-?' as he immediately realizes that the true answer will no doubt insult his new acquaintance, but, again, Link beats him to the punch, "You've got the attire for it. Flannel shirt, baseball cap..."

Rhett frowns, "You think fisherman have a particular attire?"

"To my recollection..." The remark makes Rhett chuckle again, unable to help himself, "'Recollection' - you sound so danged southern. Just like me. I was born and raised in North Carolina."

Link beams, "That's where I was spawned! My sire came from the same location. Not all Mers are from the sea. Some reside in lakes, rivers - any water deep enough to conceal us, but a lot of us return to the ocean, considering its the biggest body of water."

Rhett lets that sink in even as Link again asks, "So, you are a fisherman, right?"

"Um-?"

"It's okay if you are," Link assures him, folding his arms and resting his chin there, "It's not really a proud profession amongst my kind, but it's understandable."

Rhett's lips twitch from side to side, "So I'm not, like, catching up your friends or something?"

Link snorts, "What - you think we talk to them?"

"Heck, man - I don't know how it works," Rhett lets out a peal of nervous giggles, getting the idea that Link is teasing him. Link returns the laugh and Rhett relaxes as a realization settles in.

Whether or not Rhett wants to admit it, he did want Link to return. He wanted him to return and be his friend and it appears that that is indeed what is happening.

It's happening and Rhett couldn't be any happier.

#rhink #mermay #mermaid!au #my writing #randl

21 notes · View notes

headoverjojo · 5 years ago

Note

hi! can i request mermaid au where bruno falls in love with mermaid reader.💞✨

Hello there, dear! Sure thing :3 here we go! I hope you’ll like it :3

Mermaid AU: Bruno Bucciarati falls in love with a mermaid

(Under the cut for length!)

Every sailor and fisherman knew about mermaids. Someone said they had the body of a bird of prey and the head of a beautiful woman, and that their home was on the most unattainable peaks; someone else said that they lived under the sea, and that they were half human and half fish. They all agreed, however, on mermaids’ enchanting voices; if you heard a mermaid’s song, you didn’t come back as the man you were, they said. You would have always longed for the sea, to hear that voice again… it would have drawn you to madness. That was why mermaids were mostly considered guilty of many sailors and fishermen’s deaths: their songs called maelstroms and drew the fishes away, bringing months of poverty and misery on the land. Bruno, just a twelve years old child, already knew this all. He had heard those stories countless times from his father’s friends; even so, he mostly didn’t believe them, labelling them as legends and stories, created to explain natural events, or to give an explanation to someone’s sudden death. Still… a little part of him couldn’t help but to believe that there was something true about it. He just hoped that mermaids weren’t as malevolent as legends said…

He clutched to a rope, when another big wave made his father’s little boat dangerously roll, hoping once more to encounter just a benevolent mermaid. The storm that was approaching was huge and it had appeared all of sudden, and they were too far from the coast to reach it before the storm. They could just endure it and hope to have on their side every kind of benevolent entity.

“Bruno, watch out! Go inside!” his father’s words got lost in the roar of the cold and salty wind that ran over the boat, almost making it overturn. The jolt was too violent: Bruno lost the grip on his support, falling into the unforgiving sea.

Suddenly, every sound was muffled. The roar of the wind, the thunders, his father and the other fishermen’s screams… it was all far away and unintelligible. Bruno tried to break the sea surface to breathe, but every time the water pushed him down, nullifying his efforts. He was starting to feel lightheaded, his lungs seemed on fire, and his heartbeat was echoing in his ears, deafening…

Suddenly, fresh air! He could breathe again! Bruno gulped down the rainy air, grateful, clutching at the thing that was keeping him out of the violent waves. Thing… or person? Bruno turned, finding himself staring at a pair of bright and big grey eyes. What made him almost lose his grip was what was around those eyes: scales. Shiny and little scales, an iridescent dark green so similar to the girl’s hair. They almost seemed… yes, seaweed…

The girl gasped, seeing the lucidity coming back to the young boy, and hurried to throw him back on the boat. Before falling on the slimy floor, Bruno managed to take a last glimpse of iridescent green -was that a tail?- before the sea reclaimed that strange girl.

The next hours, for Bruno, rushed in a blurry. Before he could even realize it, the storm, as soon as it had arrived, vanished, allowing them to go back to the harbor; everyone already thought they were dead. No one could survive a storm like that! Everyone said it was a miracle, that some Saint, above in the sky, had watched over them… but Bruno, still scared, cold and dripping wet, knew who had saved them, and it wasn’t a saint.

It was a mermaid. He couldn’t tell it aloud, however. It didn’t feel… right. The girl didn’t seem to want someone to know he was there, and he didn’t want to put her in danger.

However, he wanted to approach her, even just to thank her. He had to find a way to come closer to her without scaring her… finally, after a couple of days spent mumbling and thinking, he came to an idea. He often found pretty shells and stones on the shore, especially when, during the night, the waves were violent and filled with treasures, and he took the prettiest and put them in his precious treasure box. He smiled, finding what he was searching for: a small stone, a perfect oval and iridescent stone. Its texture was smooth and nice thanks to the water that had modelled it, and there was a small hole, big enough for inserting in a thread. Bruno, once, had planned to make, with that stone, a pretty necklace, and to give it to his mother… but then she had left them, and she had never come back, even when she said she would have done it for sure. So, the little stone had remained in the box, unused and almost forgotten, until that moment.

It had been easy to make the necklace. He used a special thread, particularly resistant to sea water, and here it was, a pretty and unique gift. He was more than satisfied, and it was time to give it to his saviour!

He left it on a rock by the sea, far enough from the harbour to be safe for her but not too hard to reach for him. He put the necklace on the rock, near enough to the sea to allow her to take it, and then he sat down, and waited. And waited. He waited for hours, but nothing. When the harbour's bells rang for the last time of the day, at 8 p.m., he sighed, getting up. Maybe he had imagined it all, and there was no girl with scales around her eyes and seaweed hair…

A sudden splash made him jolt. He quickly turned around, catching a glimpse of a palmed hand that was quickly retracting into the sea, holding the necklace. Bruno gasped, incredulous: it was her! It was the girl!

"Hey, wait! Wait!!" he called, sprinting to the rock, but it was too late. The girl was gone.

Bruno sat down again, huffing with frustration. He was so close… however, that was the proof he needed. He wasn't crazy: she existed! Now… he just had to slowly gain her trust, day by day. It would have been a long journey… but it would have been worthy of all his efforts. He was sure about it.

Well, the journey had been a bit longer than what he had thought. Way longer.

It took Bruno ten years to finally come to know her. Every day, he sat down near the rock, bringing, when he could, a gift. Sometimes it was a jewel made with stones and shells, sometimes it was a little ornament he carved from the wood the waves brought to the shore. It seemed that she liked his gifts; soon, she started to leave gifts for him too. It was a slow, really slow process: it took more than two years to just be in each other's presence. They stayed a little far from each other, studying and staring at their faces, without talking. After a while, he started to take with him various books, and to read them aloud. She seemed to like it: she rested her head on her arms, staring intently at him and listening attentively. Sometimes she even closed her eyes, to enjoy his voice better.

Starting to talk for real had been the next step. She trusted him enough to reveal her name, and to open up about a few things about mermaid society and life. He was utterly fascinated by her stories; it was like being in a fairytale…

At the same time, he talked to her about land things; how humans lived on the land, their legends, their stories. She couldn't have enough of it; the more she knew, the more she wanted to know. A boy who loved the sea and a girl who loved the land: what a strange pair they were. What a perfect pair of friends…

Friends, yes, that was what they were. But… Bruno had started to feel pretty weird around her. When he saw her smile, so sincere and sunny, his heart started to beat faster; when her eyes stared in his, he felt drawn to her, as she was a magnet…

He knew what it was. He knew that what he was feeling was way more than a simple friendly feeling, or even a simple crush. It was deep, and sincere, and it had roots in his true heart. It wasn't something he could not think about or eradicate. He could just… live with it. And he felt that he had to be honest to her, and tell her the truth about his feelings. He knew it was foolish to even think about having a normal life with her: she was a daughter of the sea, and he was a son of the land. Their worlds weren't meant to be together. But maybe… maybe they could meet in the middle, and share at least something. It would have been better than nothing… and, if she didn't want to, he wouldn't have forced her. They would have stayed friends, if that was what she wanted.

He sat down on the rock, as usual, and waited for her. Her head peaked from the water, and she smiled at him, bright and marvellous as the sun, as she was approaching him. She hoisted herself up, resting her arms on the rock, near his leg. Bruno smiled at her, happy, but then worry and agitation took his heart again. It was the moment…

"Y/N, listen, I… I have to tell you something…" he started, fiddling with a loose thread of his shirt. God, why it was so difficult…

"I know, Bruno. I already know it." she interrupted him, looking at his fingers. She could feel Bruno's eyes, those wonderful eyes, blue as the clearest sea she had ever seen, on her, filled with surprise. Oh, she had known about his feelings for a long time, maybe even before he had noticed them… because they were the same feelings that filled her heart to the brim. Even so… how could they love each other? She was a mermaid and he was a human… they were not meant to be together. Even their friendship was something… unnatural, something that shouldn't have existed…

However, it did exist, and it was strong. So, maybe… maybe their worlds weren't so far. Maybe there was a place, somewhere, where they could live together…

"What can we do?" he whispered, almost not daring to hope. His fingers searched hers, softly caressing the tiny scales on her hand. She stayed in silence for a while, looking at his long fingers gently brushing her hand. His fingertips were rough and callous, due to the heavy work he did on his father's boat. Still… they were so gentle and delicate on her scales. It was such a wonderful feeling…

She held his hand in a strong and determined grip. She had taken her decision, and he already knew what it was just by looking at her in the eyes.

"We'll do whatever we need to in order to be together." she answered, finding her same desperate determination in Bruno's eyes.

They would have fought against both land and sea, if needed, to be together. That was a promise.

#jjba #vento aureo #bruno's gang #bruno bucciarati #fem s/o #mermaid!reader #mermaid au #mermaid scenario #scenario #prompt scenario #sfw #anon ask

79 notes · View notes

ofdragonsdeep · 4 years ago

Text

27: Benthos

It was not the most conventional venue for a picnic.

(named m!WoLxThancred)

A thin fog had rolled over the Ruby Sea with the cold light of the morning, shrouding the islands dotted about its breadth with a gentle blur. From where he was sat at the front of a draft chocobo’s saddle, Ar’telan squinted through into the morning, eyes narrowed to catch sight of a key landmark beneath the surface of the waves.

“Not exactly what you had in mind, I take it?” Thancred remarked from behind him, his hands looped into the saddle’s hand holds with the easy regard of someone who was confident that if he fell, he would either be caught or make the dive. Ar’telan huffed, unable to reply with his hands on the reins, and nudged the chocobo into a dive. It came to a halt just above the water, understandably not willing to dive all the way in, and Ar’telan guided it over to a flat-topped rock just beneath the water, where it settled down and ruffled its feathers.

“You can steer next time,” he said once Thancred had dismounted with a splash of boots in water. Thancred chuckled at the threat, casting an appraising eye over the horizon.

“Your displeasure has been noted,” he allowed. “As is your choice of venue. We are going swimming, I take it?” Ar’telan nodded.

“You did say you could hold your breath for ten minutes,” he said, and Thancred let out a hard-done-by sigh.

“This was not the test I had envisioned for that claim, but let us be about it.”

—

The dive down into the Ruby Sea was not a long one, but the experience of breaking the water and inhaling a lung full of salt water as though it was air was never one that Ar’telan would get used to. He had always been comfortable around water, though it was not a trait that many of Eorzea’s miqo’te seemed to share, so it was a simple matter to cut a path down through the water. Thancred could have outpaced him, he thought, if he had known where they were going, but instead swam alongside him. Unlike Ar’telan with his kojin’s blessing, Thancred had to be feeling the sting of the salty water, but Ar’telan had assumed that if he could make it through the Lochs without crying then a quick jaunt under the sea would be like a child’s game.

The cave itself was small and unassuming. Ar’telan had found it while harvesting pigments for Charlemend and Maelie’s planned art therapy at the clinic in the Firmament, and upon exploration had found that the natural magics of the area had trapped a little pocket of air in the rock formation. It was damp, with water dripping through the little bubble that marked the “entrance”, but perfectly breathable, and so Ar’telan had hatched a plan. Convincing Thancred to do mysterious things with little context was not the hard part, more so the actual finding of him when he had time to do something unexpected, but here they were.

“Well! A quaint little place you’ve found,” Thancred remarked once they’d both got their bearings, shaking his hair out like an itinerant dog. “I suspect Urianger and Y’shtola would have a field day with the unusual aetheric phenomena necessary to create such a thing.” He looked over at Ar’telan, wringing out the bottom of his coat onto the light coating of algae on the floor. “What do you intend to do with it?” Ar’telan felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness.

“I… I had thought we might have a picnic,” he said sheepishly, pulling the little waterproof box that Cid had been kind enough to make for him from his pack. He had snuck out of the Inn in Kugane and teleported back to Mor Dhona the previous night, working in a quiet frenzy in the Rising Stones kitchen. No-one had been awake but himself and F’lhaminn, who had respectfully said nothing as he determinedly made the most compact sandwiches he could manage and squeezed fresh juice into a stoppered bottle. It was not the most impressive meal he had ever made by a long way, but it was transportable, and at the time that had felt important. Thancred had probably noticed as he teleported back to Kugane and tiptoed into their inn room, but he had politely pretended to still be asleep.

“A picnic,” Thancred repeated, looking bemused. “In a tiny air pocket at the bottom of the sea?”

“Well, if you phrase it like that it sounds foolish,” Ar’telan said, fighting the urge to pout. Thancred laughed, an easy smile on his face, and took the box from where Ar’telan had awkwardly balanced it on his arms to reply.

“You’re right. A romantic hideaway, deep beneath the ocean, that none but the fish and the rather distressing number of water elementals know about… It could be a story about the merfolk spiriting a mortal lover deep beneath the sea to hide like a jewel, couldn’t it?” He tilted his head, regarding Ar’telan curiously. “I suppose you make a good fit for the merfolk, although we might need to get you a more fishy tail.” Ar’telan curled his own tail around his leg in embarrassment.

“I can’t tell if you’re mocking me,” he confessed, and Thancred shook his head, squeezing Ar’telan’s shoulder with a damp glove.

“I’m not. I can’t say I was expecting this precise turn of events, but it is perhaps the most unique date I have ever been asked on.” He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. “And the most involved one, given the length of the journey out, but I appreciate it nonetheless.” Ar’telan took a fire crystal from his pocket, striking it over the nearest piece of flat rock to dry the worst of the undersea damp, watching the water elementals endemic to the area shy away from the warmth. Then he laid out the picnic blanket - Tataru had insisted that it needed to be checkered, and Ar’telan had complied more out of fear than anything else, so it had a pleasing red and white pattern on it. Thancred sat on the edge of it, gingerly shrugging his sopping overcoat from his shoulders and setting it just out of the way.

“You have the advantage on me,” he said, and Ar’telan rubbed the back of his neck ruefully.

“I could probably have thought a little more about the specifics,” he allowed, putting the glass jug of juice next to the box that Thancred had set down. “It was more romantic in my head.” He grimaced, pulling his legs in to sit a little more neatly, ears drooping. “I have never been much good at this.” Thancred laughed, reaching over to break the seal on the top of the ironworks-branded picnic box. The sandwiches still smelled good despite their unorthodox journey, which was more of a relief than Ar’telan had expected it to be.

“You’ve never been on a picnic?” Thancred asked, surprised. Ar’telan stared at his knees.

“No. Not really. I’ve never - I haven’t really… been in many relationships before.” He closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Hey, now, none of that,” Thancred said, though there was no judgement in his voice. Ar’telan flinched at the first soft touch of fingers on his cheek, but opened his eyes as sense took hold again. “This is sweet of you. And I’m grateful for the break.” He withdrew his hand to pull a sandwich from the pile, biting into it with a look of appreciation. “And- mm - the food is as good as it always is.” Ar’telan laughed softly, letting himself relax into a less stiff sitting posture, nervously taking one of his own sandwiches as well.

“Thank you,” he said around the sandwich. The rhythmic drip of seawater was calming, at least, and he gently shooed away the knot of nerves in his stomach as he started to eat. He had no need to be anxious, and the rational part of his brain had told him this the entire time - Thancred was a hard man to disappoint, even if his imagination left Ar’telan feeling very second-rate in comparison. The food alone would have done the job even if Ar’telan had suggested taking a picnic on the side of the active Hell’s Lid volcano. But that little voice would always be there, he supposed, claiming that he was not quite enough, remembering what the ascian had said with Thancred’s voice.

“Did you bring any vodka for this juice?” Thancred asked, and Ar’telan sighed wearily.

“No, Thancred,” he said. Perhaps the only key to his heart that Ar’telan never had the heart to turn. “If you can catch one of the elementals it might have a similar kick.” Thancred eyed the water elementals dubiously, but it was a good half a minute before he definitively gave up on the idea and took a drink straight from the jug. The idea had been well-received, the journey there had been a few calming days together. When it was over, they would go back on the same ship, and all would be well.

Just for a few days, all would be well.

#clangs pans to chase away the angst demons #this one was hard honestly and it turns out I suck! at writing fluff!#ffxivwrite2021 #Warrior of Light (solo story)#I s2g if Hydaelyn doesn't have vodka I will kick down a door let me have this

1 note · View note

svtntntn · 5 years ago

Text

part of your world (1/2)

the little mermaid!au

inspo: the little mermaid, both the disney version and the classic fairytale but make it somewhat similar and different at the same time

you long for life above the surface and get your wish when you make a deal with the infamous witch of the sea

——

“(y/n), there's a reason why all merpeople are banned from going above, from breaking the surface and going on land." Seungkwan fiddles with the end of a seaweed fiber as he follows after you. "We wouldn't survive there, it's dry and hot and nothing good ever happens when we set tail on land!"

"Those are just rumors, Seungkwan! For goodness's sake." You circle around the vacant ship and slide between the broken wooden panels, entering a decaying room flooded by the water. You begin rummaging around the bedroom for what you can scavenge, finding all the interesting knick-knacks you can hide back home.

"No they're not! I heard it from Hansol, who heard it from Mingyu who heard it from Yugyeom and Jungkook! They know someone who went to the surface and didn't come back! And they couldn't even tell anyone what happened! Nothing good comes from the surface, (y/n)."

“There’s tons of cool things that come from the surface, Seungkwan! Just look at this rectangular box! It lights up and plays sounds!” You press down the white button along the side and the instrument begins to glow with its diamond gem at the top, muffled sounds creating small bubbles. "Granted we need to be above to hear it better—but this is just one of the many things that are up there!"

“(y/n) put that away!” Seungkwan pushes your hands down and cautiously glances about, “we’re not allowed to be in possession of land instruments.”

You continue to let the music box play, making up your own tune as the bubbles rise from the machine. “Imagine what your father would say if he saw you with that!" Seungkwan angrily whispers as you hide the music box in your satchel. “Besides, all the humans do above the surface is litter the seas with their trash—they're killing us, (y/n)! They do nothing but pollute, pollute, pollute!"

He wasn't wrong.

Your father had to take extra precaution with the sudden pollution among the eastern coast of the kingdom, the new influx of treacherous toxins poisoning the merpeople and their children.

"I'm sure they don't mean to do such a thing." You circle around the room before going to another, jimmying the closet doors open and peering inside.

Seungkwan frowns as he hovers in the center of the room, cautiously fluttering about with his arms crossed, "you don't know them well enough to know that."

You oppose, "and neither do you." Swimming over to the adjacent desk, you gently pull on the drawers, finding small trinkets cluttering the bottom alongside wilted parchment paper. Underneath it all, you find a sterling silver necklace gleaming behind a murky photo, a star pendant with various etching along the back's center.

The photo pictures a trio of land people—a woman with two younger children in front of her, both boys with their faces pulled into wide smiles. Their clothes in the photograph look worn and stained with something unusual, their hair sorely grown out but they look happy and content… they look normal.

They don't look like the monsters, not at all.

Your heart aches as you look closer in the photo, noticing a bright spot between the lone woman's collar bones, the blip shining like the star in your hand.

"(y/n), can we leave now?" Seungkwan moans, "we have to go otherwise we're going to miss your father's ceremony."

"Oh no! How could we miss such a thing?" You gasp in fake surprise, tucking the necklace and the photo away in your satchel before exiting the ship.

"I swear, (y/n). It's a wonder that you're still your father's favorite daughter." Seungkwan shakes his head as you two swim back within the kingdom's limits.

"And it's a wonder that you're still my favorite of all my father's assistants," you rebuttal back with a smile.

“Come on, Seungkwan! Please! You can be my lookout.”

"I'm tired of being your lookout! I refuse to be your lookout any longer." Seungkwan pouts as you rise to the surface, the merman's eyes raising in alarm as he scrambles after you. "(y/n)! You have to stop doing this! Your father has reprimanded you once already for your land collection, you—"

"Seungkwan, don’t you want to know what it’s like on the surface?" You sigh heavily. "Don't you want to want to go about and discover what's out there?"

"Don't you want to know what's like living above?" You break the surface and dreamily collapse on a lone rock, the sun warming your skin as you scan the nearby beach from a distance.

"(y/n), what if they see you? Get down!"

"Oh shush, Seungkwan, they're not going to see me," you wave off.

Two lone figures lay on the sand from where you watch, one immediately spiraling up to the tune of music coming from the second one's guitar. The first one's movements cut through the air and flow like water, the duality of the motions amazing you as the musician plucks the strings with ease.

You feel your friend nudge you in agitation, “oh stop, Seungkwan! I just want to see what they're really like, is that too much to ask for?” Your eyes continue to focus on the heavenly figure, watching him dance along the shoreline with ease till the other figure joins him, his mouth open in song as they prance to the opposite end of the beach.

They make the use of their two legs look so… easy. To be able to bounce and jump and move with ease? With two legs?

What was that like?

You glance down at your own tail, the array of scales neatly shining a brilliant blue color as the sun beats down on them. As you dip your tail back into the sea, the scales blend in seamlessly with the water, with the cerulean ocean waves, with those of your kind.

Seungkwan pokes at your tail with his finger, splashing you with water using his own tangerine-colored tail.

"Okay okay, let's go." You roll your eyes and dive back below the surface, half-heartedly listening to Seungkwan's heated warnings about the land people for the millionth time. The warmth of the sea is different from that of the sun, it's comforting and yet all too familiar at the same time, reminding you of your safety, of your status as one of the princesses of the sea, as a mermaid down below.

"(y/n)? How many times are you going to break your father's rules?" Seungkwan calls out to you as you break the surface of the water, swimming in the direction of the ship before you.

"I'm not breaking them—I'm just…"

"Y-you're what? Not abiding by them? Just to see surface people up close?" You ignore him once again as you come close to the edge of the ship. "(y/n), now is not the time for this. You heard your father, you heard the council; there's a bad storm coming tonight and it's safer to be at home."

You watch the sailors celebrating all around the ship, raising their glasses in celebration and entangling themselves in a merry circle and dancing to their hearts' desire. You take another glance at the dark sky, the clouds blending in with the night and hiding the unknown danger.

"But they don't know that. I could try to help them somehow, tell them to go in another direction away from the storm. We can't just leave them to weather the storm alone, Seungkwan. It wouldn't be right."

"(y/n), you shouldn't interfere like this." You pull yourself up to the side of the ship, carefully peering onto the deck as you duck behind one of the many wooden bars.

Your eyes catch on a man sitting on the staircase close to you, watching the rest of the sailors dance merrily with a soft smile. His dark eyes are enticing, and yet they look troubled. Many of the sailors stroll by and invite him to come to the middle of the deck but he shakes his head and declines till another figure stops in front of him.

"Soonyoung! C'mon you need to relax, we're on track to return to shore in the morning," the man confidently wraps an arm around Soonyoung as he sits next to him, offering him a cup of liquor from one of the shipmates. The man's eyes sparkle from the lit torches around the ship, his wide smile catching your gaze. "If there's someone who should be sulking here, it should be me, not you."

Soonyoung takes the cup possessively and puts his lips to the rim, drinking a small amount till he pulls back, wincing from the strength of the liquor and keeping his eyes locked on the crew. "I'll never understand how you could just sit by and let this happen to you, why your parents are so intent that you marry someone else to rule your own kingdom." He swishes around the drink in his hand as you notice a nervous bounce in his leg, his hand slightly tremoring as he holds the cup. "Since when did you need a wife to become king?"

This man was a prince? Of the land?

The prince shrugs, "It's more for our kingdom’s tradition… for politics, really. My parents want our people to be able to trust two figures at the top, not just one. It's like a check and balances but for public image… for our people to know I have a heart, to know that I'm not some soulless dictator or some loser."

You find yourself agreeing at the sentiment, knowing that in due time, you were responsible to find someone to marry to take on the crown. It was tradition, it was within the rules to marry once you were of age to take the crown. The pressure to find someone of royal blood to marry and be with forever was daunting and yet it was the very same position this prince was in.

"You're not a loser, Chan." Soonyoung affectionately tussles with Chan's hair, "you're a royal loser." He runs off with the drink in his hand just as the prince shouts back, chasing after him with a smile.

"What happened to warning them?" You hear Seungkwan mumble begrudgingly, "all I see is you making googly eyes at the prince."

You can feel your face go warm suddenly at Seungkwan's statement. "I-I will! I need to figure out how." Your eyes scan the ship and you notice a bell on the opposite end, the length of the rope connected to the ringer long enough to grab from the side of the ship. "There! I just need to swim over to the other side and ring the bell to warn them."

Seungkwan squints to find the exact bell you're talking about, noticing how high you still have to get to the end of the rope, "Don't get too close, (y/n)."

"I won't get too close, promise." You swear to Seungkwan, diving back into the water in earnest.

Okay so, this was definitely breaking that promise.

You're wrapped around the man you first laid eyes on as he helplessly falls deeper and deeper into the water, his eyes shut closed while less and less air bubbles come through his lips.

Wreckage from the ship continues to drop all around you, the abundance of wood and ropes and metal all creating a dangerous maze for you to maneuver yourself and Soonyoung around.

You notice another body weakly falling in the distance as you almost reach the surface, "Seungkwan! Help me! Get the prince!" You point in the direction of the drowning prince, your other hand busy wrapped around Soonyoung's waist as you push to the ocean's surface. You and him break the surface and you fight to keep his head above water as you begin paddling to shore, the thunderous rain pouring down on you and challenging your vision.

Seungkwan follows behind you, struggling with the prince and muttering curses under his breath before reaching the shallow end of the beach, his tail now giving himself a hard time bringing the prince to shore.

The moment you drag Soonyoung along the banks of the beach, all the aches and pains in your muscles melt away and you can't help but want to stay. The sand melts between your fingers as you claw your way up the shoreline, dragging his body as best you can without hurting him.

The clouds along the shore are a faint gray, wisps of white delicately painting the sky amongst the pale blue haze. You already know it already must be close to dawn from the warmth of the sun slowly rising from the sea, the rays bathing the man before you in an orange glow.

His eyes are completely closed as you hover over him, drinking in the sight of an actual person from the surface. You trail your fingertips along his face, feeling the soft skin as you carefully lay your head on his chest to listen for a heartbeat. You can't help but feel goosebumps ripple on your arms as you hear a faint thump in his chest, ignoring your racing heartbeat in favor of his own.

"He's so beautiful, so surreal." You whisper to yourself in awe. Soonyoung's face suddenly tightens and he shouts in pain, calling out for someone whilst his eyes remain close. Seungkwan hurries you to quiet him before you do the only thing you can think of: singing to him.

You murmur a soft melody in his ear, tenderly stroking his forehead as his pain slowly subsides and he drifts off back into unconsciousness, looking more peaceful and at ease than before.

"The prince, (y/n)." Seungkwan yanks the man next to you as you copy the same actions from before, checking for a heartbeat before examining him closer. His eyes slightly open and droop back closed as you hear his heartbeat loud and clear, his pulse strong in your ears.

You take a moment and stare among the wreckage that washes up to shore next to you, moving a broken plank to prop their heads up as to avoid the incoming waves of water.

"(y/n), you did the right thing... They're going to be fine. We have to go back." Seungkwan tugs your arm and quietly nod, pushing yourself back into the sea and away from those you rescued.

The prince groans again in pain and flickers his eyes open, noticing your face hazily before the residue of the saltwater forces his eyes closed. "Wait, come back!" He sits up and haphazardly tries to rub his eyes quickly but the moment he opens them, you're gone.

Seungkwan and you you hurry back behind a slew of boulders and rocks half-covered by the seas as you hear men rush down the shoreline and flock over the prince and Soonyoung, gingerly waking the latter and bringing him to his feet.

Your heart melts in earnest as you duck below the water, waiting for someone to wander back looking for you with open arms, but you sigh at the reality of the situation. Turning back and entering the water, you miss the way Soonyoung looks out into the ocean before letting the guards guide him and Chan back to the castle, entranced by the voice that saved him.

"Are you coming with me or not?” You grouch at Seungkwan, who apprehensively follows behind you with a nervous look in every direction.

"Y-yes, but I don't think you should be doing this (y/n). The witch is known for her trickery, you might end up one of her prisoners or something! I don't feel good about this." You feel Seungkwan's hand tighten in yours as you approach the cave, "i-is the witch in there?"

"N-no, no one is here." You're alone in the dark cavern, a wave of icy, cold water surrounding your body as you swim towards a single orb of light set above a lone stack of stones.

The closer you get, the colder you become, your skin alive with goosebumps trailing all over your body. Even your scales harden, the protective layer feeling something unsettling in its wake.

"What brings you here, lonely, little princess? Get lost on the way to the coral reef?" A sinister voice mocks you but there's no other bodies except you and Seungkwan in the cave. "O-or how about exploring your land with your pesky little sidekick provided by the King? Come to take this corner of the seas as your own?"

"(y/n), let's leave now. This isn't right." Seungkwan tugs on your arm but you shake your head.

"No." You grit your teeth together and turn to face the witch at the end of the cave, "I came here to make a deal with you. I heard you can make me like—"

"The people above the surface?" The voice matches the face of the infamous, banished witch of the sea, manically smirking just as your eyes widen in surprise. "Isn't that right, dear? You want to become one of them." Her voice circles about you in a dark, murky cloud, the water chilling your spine. "Trade your beautiful tail for a pair of legs? What would your father say? What would the almighty King say?"

You ignore her attempts to rile you up, clenching your fists tightly and taking a deep breath. "So you can do it?"

The witch rebukes your question with a loud sneer, singing to you, "Of course, I can, but not for free, princess. Everything comes with a price."

Seungkwan tugs on your hand again but you let it go, "what's your price?" You grip your bag closer to you as you peruse what you could use to trade with the witch.

"Oh, nothing in that bag could ever pay, dearie. I just want a little something…" She ponders for a moment, rising above you and circling around the cavern. "Your voice."

"M-my voice?" Your hand immediately touches your throat as if to protect it from harm. You swallow deeply and bite your tongue.

"Tit for tat, princess. Something priceless for something priceless. Unless you don't want a pair of legs to roam the surface, a pair of legs to walk and run and call your own?"

"I-I do… but can I get my voice back at the end of this all? Isn't there something I can do to get it back?"

"Sure sweetie." The witch says dismissively with a roll of her eyes, pursing her lips evilly, "you have eyes for someone handsome, don’t you? A certain prince you rescued days ago? Become queen of the surface and you can surely get your voice back after this is all over." Turning to her cauldron, she pours various liquids and shriveled kelp into the vat, churning it several times over while adding more sickening ingredients from within her cabinet. "I'll give you what—like a month? To get the prince to fall in love with you? You’d complain if I gave you less, wouldn’t you."

You nod nervously as she sprinkles in the finishing touches, reaching deep within the cauldron to pour you her latest concoction. You reach out for the potion but she draws her hand back, "Wait, before you take this, you must sign this."

A scroll composed of seaweed appears before you, line of poetry scrawled on the page in thin, white letters.

a pair of legs you seek, a pair of legs you get

in exchange, your voice

now a simple bargain is met.

thirty days to make a vow

only with a true prince of the crown

become queen among the surface and forever you shall stay

with a pair of legs, your voice will come back as you lay.

"Just know that if you fail to become a queen of the surface, you are forever to be under my reign, princess, under my control. If you choose to sign it at the very bottom, then you have a deal, princess."

Your hand shakes you sign your name with a flourish, the parchment disappearing within a mere minute and the witch’s potion extended out to you in its place.

The potion tastes of thick seaweed, a dark green sludge followed by just a hint of something sweet—is it a nectar of some sort? The thought leaves your mind just as you can feel the mixture deep in your stomach, a prickly sensation carving your insides with tiny little daggers till the pain swallows you whole and your world turns dark.

The world is suddenly so bright behind your eyelids, a blindingly clear sky appearing when you open your eyes carefully. Sun rays beat down on you and you can feel your skin tanning under the bright star, your hand grasping at the ground beneath you to level yourself.

A heavy weight sits on your bottom half, the feeling of numbness in your legs that echos and reverberates through to your feet.

Your legs.

Instead of your singular, curvy tail scaled with your navy blue ridges, you have a pair of individual legs, the scales replaced by smooth skin sensitive to every movement, every hair, and every grain of sand beneath your body.

It takes every ounce of strength to lift one leg, moving your ankle in circles before flexing your foot completely. The pain dulls deep inside your limb as you let down one leg and try to do the same motions with the other, naturally biting your lip in concentration.

The shoreline you lay beneath is all too familiar to you, the view from the sand a picture you've seen before. There's wreckage beside you: broken wooden panels laying about, splintering wood poking up from the sand, torn rope strands and a fraying white canvas sheet meant for a sail. You manage to yank the sheet over your body and wrap it around, using the rope to tie it together as you've seen in photographs of women from the surface.

Your satchel lies on the sand next to you, your land artifacts safe from harm and collected together at the very bottom. You grit your teeth together and slowly work your way up on your feet, a static-like sensation coursing through your legs as you concentrate on moving one foot in front of the other, shifting your weight somewhat evenly.

You're too busy focusing on trying to walk that you don't even notice a figure running up to you.

"Excuse me, miss! Who are you? You're not supposed to be on this beach." The voice sounds familiar as you look up from your feet and immediately recognize the man waving his hand in front of you dumbly.

"Uh, hello? Miss?" Soonyoung's hands are on his hips as he stares at you in disbelief. The moment you try to shift your feet without looking at them, your balance is gone and you grab the first thing you can to steady yourself: Soonyoung.

You reach forward and latch onto him as you lose your footing and he's surprisingly stable, helping you stand on your own as you feel electricity surge through your veins, your heart skipping a beat at the mere touch. "Are you okay?"

You open your mouth to speak but nothing comes out, your eyes falling to your legs as you remind yourself of their price.

"Soonyoung, who is that?" Another figure steps behind Soonyoung and his eyes go wide. "Wait, you look awfully familiar… have I seen you somewhere?" He leans closer to you, staring into your eyes as he smiles from ear to ear. "My name is Chan, I live near here." He scans over the wreckage behind you and your tattered dress. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you from?" He actively frets over you with many questions, taking your hand in his to scan all over you.

You feel a pair of eyes still staring at you and you lock eyes with Soonyoung again. "This is Soonyoung, he’s one of my closest friends," Chan explains. "Were you on a ship nearby? Are you lost from your friends? Your family?"

You nod meekly and clutch your satchel close to you.

"So you really can’t speak?" He asks again, "do you have a name at least? I mean, I'd call you 'beautiful' but…" He trails off as you hear Soonyoung scoff and groan at the cheesy line.

You notice a broken branch of driftwood and quickly drag it across the sand, managing to write your name in script and pointing to yourself.

"Oh, (y/n)? (y/n)!" Chan grins. "Beautiful name for a beautiful person." His gaze lingers on you longer as you smile and blush. "Uh, why don't you come back with us? We can help you find your family or friends or someone you can stay with…?"

You nod eagerly and loop your arm through Chan's as you two and Soonyoung walk the pathway back to Chan's kingdom, back to where an elegant castle sits a couple feet away from the shoreline, overlooking the bright blue sea. The prince situates you with some of the staff and they whisk you away to wash and clean you of the sand and salt of the sea.

Soonyoung watches as you hesitantly follow the women to one of the many bedrooms in the castle, only trusting them once Chan promises he'll be back soon for you as soon as he can. He observes his best friend rush up to his own room and quickly lay out clothes to change into, especially considering it was nearing evening and he knew Chan would ask you to stay for dinner.

Which would also mean dinner with him as well as Chan’s one and only guest in his castle.

But after dinner, what was he going to do? What was he thinking?

"I've seen her somewhere, I know it. She looks so familiar, I just don't know where or how." Chan mutters aloud, already knowing what he was thinking. "Her eyes, they're beautiful… It sounds stupid, I know I've seen her, I think she rescued us, but... I know I wouldn't forget her if I saw her anywhere else."

Soonyoung sighs as he remembers watching you walking on the beach—or struggling to walk—would be a better word for it. He remembers the moment you caught on his arm to balance yourself, remembering how his skin came alive with goosebumps at the simple touch of your skin on his.

He couldn’t lie to himself, Chan was right: you were beautiful. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that.

No.

He really shouldn't be thinking of you like this. Chan was clearly taken by you the moment he laid eyes on you and yet, Chan had other priorities to think about.

“Your parents are going to throw a fit when you bring home a girl shipwrecked from the beach and not from the crown.” Soonyoung remarks, "you know they're expecting you to get married before your coronation—and to someone of royal blood."

Chan grunts in response and Soonyoung rolls his eyes. He didn't like reprimanding the prince for his choices, but he was fine days ago when they were talking about his royal marriage for the sake of public image, so seriously—what is going through his mind now?

Soonyoung stops him from exiting the door, "What are you going to tell them about (y/n) then?"

“My parents won’t know that she's from the beach or the sea, because they’re going to think she’s with you.”

"W-what? You—no!" Soonyoung glares at him. "What makes you think your parents are going to believe I'm with her?"

"Because I'm asking you to pretend to be her escort in this matter."

"Her escort? They're going to immediately jump to the conclusion that she and I are—"

"Together," Chan finishes. "Which will give her time to stay here at the palace." He explains, "you're only here till my coronation ball, and that's exactly in one month. Soonyoung, I really want to get to know her. I-I thought I saw her when I woke up from the shipwreck last week, and I can't get her out of my head! I feel like I know her somehow, and I want to figure that out—figure her out."

Soonyoung sighs deeply, his hands on his hips and his lip bitten in thought over what to do.

You couldn't be the same girl who rescued him and Chan last week, there was no way it could be. He’s never confided in his best friend that it was actually a girl with a beautiful voice who saved him from the shipwreck and from his own nightmare come true.

And you couldn't even speak a word.

There was no way you were her.

And given Chan's claim to the throne, there was no way you were going to be his queen, not when the rules specifically call for his queen to be of royal blood.

But if anyone was going to change the rules and prove him wrong, it was Lee Chan.

"Just till the end of the month?" Soonyoung tiredly asks.

"That's all I need, promise." Chan grins widely, eagerly waiting for Soonyoung's confirmation.

Soonyoung laments again with a weary expression, "Promise?"

Chan avidly shakes his head and extends his hand out to his best friend to honor his word, standing tall and proud of himself and his abilities. "Promise."

Soonyoung really hopes he doesn’t regret doing this.

[ part two ]

#Seventeen #seventeen au #soonyoung scenarios #Hoshi scenarios #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #kwon soonyoung scenarios #kwon soonyoung imagines #hoshi au #hoshi imagines #my work

108 notes · View notes

kieraswriting · 5 years ago

Text

Virgil’s Second Adventure in the Imagination

More Than The Sum Of Our Parts

Previous Next

Masterpost

Virgil knew that the door always opened for Roman, but he had never tried to go through by himself before. Mostly because Anxiety couldn’t do much good in the imagination. He pushed at the door, and while it didn’t open, a cat door formed. He went through.

It was dark, which Virgil guessed made some sense. It was still nighttime after all. He seemed to be in a forest.

He realized that he hadn’t thought this out very well. He had no idea where Roman might be, and he couldn’t call for him. There might well be other cats that looked like him, so he couldn’t even be sure that Roman would recognize him if he did find him.

Shadows seemed to be pressing closer to him, and he tried pulling them closer. To his surprise, it worked. Soon he had wrapped himself in a blanket of shadows. He was feeling much better, and had stumbled across a path. He followed the path, hoping that Roman would have done the same.

••^*^••

Roman was in the most important room his castle. At least, it was the most important in the moment. It was the room in which he created dreams.

Dreams took time to make, but he loved making them. There were so many wonderful things to consider. The dream tonight was an older one, one that had been saved to repeat. But to make up for that, Roman was determined to make the most spectacular dream he could!

He had a large pot, and he poured into it enough excitement that a touch more would have made it into panic. He threw in danger, and some of a blend he had made of fantasy elements. With it being a blend, there was more surprise in it. He added ingredients and stirred. It was far too dry. He pulled a bucket up from a well that went right to the core of Thomas. He splashed enough belief into the pot that everything sloshed together. Then he had to cook it until everything dissolved together.

He added a few dashes of things as the pot heated. Eventually it bubbled up, and he quickly took it off the fire, and poured it into a wooden frame. As it cooled, it crystallized, and each crystal sparkled.

There was a knock at the door. Roman opened it with a wave of his hand.

Remy sauntered in, his cup nearly empty. “Your guards held me up again.”

“I’ll speak with them. Are we done for the night?”

“Not yet, but I ran out of dream dust.”

“This one’s nearly done.” Roman smiled down at the frame.

“Yes, Ma’am, that looks like a good one. I might keep him in bed all morning with this one.”

Roman glowed. “He does have something to do at eleven, though, so maybe not the entire morning.”

There was a loud cracking sound from the frame, indicating that the dream was done. Roman poured the crystals into a large mortar, and ground them into a dust that looked more like glitter. Remy held a bag at the edge for Roman to pour the dust into.

“Thanks, Babe!”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.”

Remy held out his cup, and Roman snapped, filling it with a cherry almond slushy. Remy sipped, and wrinkled his nose.

“TBH, you make weird drinks.”

“You know they’re fantastic, that’s why you always want one.”

“See ya, babes,” Remy called over his shoulder as he left.

Roman wondered if there was enough time to make another dream before Thomas woke up.

••^*^••

He felt the shadows react just before the hair on his back rose up. Virgil hid underneath a bush, trusting the shadows to keep him hidden. A woman, dressed oddly even for the imagination, burst onto the path, looking all around but especially behind her.

Suddenly, as if she could see clearly through all the shadows, she looked directly at Virgil. She smirked, and walked up to the side of the bush. Virgil backed out, slowly enough to not leave the meager cover too early, but enough to let him run away if she tried to grab him. But she didn’t. She started mumbling and crouched down, pulling up a hood and looking very much like a stump.

In the distance, but coming closer very quickly, there was a crashing, as if several people were blundering through the undergrowth. Virgil crouched under the bush again, gathering the shadows as close as he could. The sun was only barely up, so there were still many shadows.

Three soldiers came running into the path. After some conversation, one followed the path one way, one the other way, and the last continued in the way they had been going previously.

Once they were gone, the woman stood up, dropping her glamour. She looked at Virgil again, and this time he ran. He was faster than she was, and could weave through the trees and bushes by the side of the path better than she could, but she must have figured out that he was trying to stay near the path, because she chased him without leaving it. She started saying something, but he didn’t pay any attention.

He didn’t dare leave the path completely; getting lost in the imagination was probably the worst case scenario. But the woman was catching up. He was faster, but couldn’t last very long in this form. He ducked and wove around her, but apparent all she needed was to touch him once. Her hand brushed against his tail, and he was frozen.

How?! He was a side! Some random figment from the imagination shouldn’t be able to immobilize him like this! She picked him up. He tried to claw and scratch and bite, but nothing happened.

The woman left the path, and walked a ways before finding another. She followed this one for quite a while before reaching the very outskirts of a town. Virgil could see that from the town ran a toad, and at the end of that road he could see a city, with a castle. That’s where Roman would be. Except now he couldn’t get there! He tried again to get free of the whatever. It didn’t work. Then he remembered the way the shadows had attacked Roman. He willed the shadows to cover the woman’s eyes.

He couldn’t turn his head to see, but it must have worked because she stopped. She lit some kind of flame in her palm, which dissolved most of the shadows that still clung to Virgil.

She took him into a house, which was more of a hut, and held him so that he could see what she was doing as she slit her palm, and spread the blood on the windowsill and the floor in front of the door. Then she went to pet his head. Virgil cringed back, and was surprised that he actually could. He squirmed down, and tried to escape, but the blood made some kind of barrier that he couldn’t cross.

He spun back to her, hissing.

“Aren’t you angry? How cute. You know, I was surprised to see you again. Did the Prince leave you alone?”

Virgil hissed again, all his fur sticking up. If he thought it would do any good, he would have attacked her.

“You have more transformation magic than he does. Although, I’ve always been surprised he had any at all, he never uses it.” She laughed. “Still confused? Does this help?” She waved a hand over her face, and revealed the face of the DragonWitch. “See, I’m too easily recognizable. I have to have extra transformation magic if I want to be near people. Though, I will say, I think that this identity won’t last much longer.”

Virgil just hissed. He didn’t care about her problems.

“I am curious though, about the shadows. You’re barely using any magic on them, but you have a better hold than I ever did.” She waited a few moments, as if expecting an answer. “Can’t you speak like this?”

When Virgil didn’t answer, she got up and started mixing together powders and liquids. She took down a hunk of dried meat that was hanging from the ceiling, and coated it with the mixture before cooking it. She started eating it, but then pulled a piece off and held it out to Virgil. He had no way of knowing it wasn’t poisoned, except that she had eaten some first, but she might have just planned to eat an antidote as well.

In the end, his stomach decided to pain him for seeing the food and not eating it, and he took the meat from her hand. It was very small, and a minute later she held out another piece. He tried to take it, but she held it above his head. He hissed his displeasure, but she just smirked and held it higher.

“Jump, kitty.”

Oh no. He was not going to do anything for someone calling him kitty. “Old hag.” Virgil recoiled. He had spoken out loud. It was heavily accented, and didn’t sound like his own voice at all, but it was speech.

“Now you can tell me. How do you control shadows so easily?”

“What makes you think I would ever tell you?”

She leaned forward. “I have you trapped, and I’m sure you’d like to know how to turn human again.”

“I already know. It wears off after a few days.”

“You don’t know. You merely assume. It is not a spell that adds something to you, it’s one that takes away. And gives to me, I might add.”

Virgil just hissed.

“And as such, it won’t really wear off, you’ll just generate more power, and when you have enough, you can turn yourself back. If you tried, you might be able to do it now.”

She stood and went outside with the pan she had cooked the meat in. Virgil didn’t know if he believed her, but he still tried to turn back to usual. It worked. It was so much better. He first checked on Thomas, but he seemed to be fine. Then he tried to sink out, but wasn’t able. The door opened and the DragonWitch leaned against the frame.

“You’re held inside with a bloodseal. Now the nice thing is, while I’m out here, you can’t get to me, but I can get to you. So, if you want to stay human, you have to tell me how to control shadows easily.” She was already charging up the spell she had hit him with the last time.

Virgil glared at her. “I’m never going to help you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Virgil ducked, but the spell still hit him, knocking him out.

••^*^••

“Has anyone seen Virgil?” Patton asked. “He didn’t come down for breakfast, and he wasn’t in his room when I checked.”

“No, I haven’t seen him since last night.” Logan said, looking up.

“I haven’t either.” Privately, Roman wondered if, now that he wasn’t so tired and hungry, Virgil had been embarrassed and gone to hide.

“I don’t want him to get hurt. Should we look for him?” Patton said, worry plain on his face.

“Virgil is very capable of taking care of himself.” Logan said. “It’s very possible that he wanted time alone. I would suggest that we wait. If he’s still missing by dinner time, then it would be appropriate to begin searching for him.”

“I’m sure he’ll turn up once he gets hungry anyway,” Roman said in support.

Patton still looked worried. “Sometimes he doesn’t though, I don’t want him to think that we don’t care about him just because he’s a cat right now.”

“But if we bother him now, we might be invading his privacy, and he might think that we don’t trust him.” Roman countered, still thinking of how much he would hate if any of them saw him while he was stuck in an animal form.

“I guess…”

••^*^••

Virgil woke when someone started banging on the door. The DragonWitch was nowhere to be seen. A moment later the door was broken down and several soldiers burst in. Virgil hid back in a corner, pulling a few shadows surreptitiously to cover him.

“She must be here.” One of the soldiers said. “Search everything. She can shift, so look for anything suspicious.”

Soldiers were ransacking the place, spilling powders and smashing bottles. Virgil backed further into the corner. But it was only a matter of time before they found him.

The one who had spoken, who seemed to be the leader, picked him up by the fur on the back of his neck.

“You really should have picked something better, Witch. A black cat? And you practically stink of magic.”

“You’re the one that stinks,” Virgil said, not realizing that he was still able to say it out loud.

The soldier frowned deeper, and tightened his grip. Moments later, Virgil was shoved into a saddle bag and shaken nearly to death over the next hour.

The clopping hooves got louder, as if they were on stone rather than dirt. Virgil hoped that they were in the castle. Even as a prisoner, it was closer to where Roman probably was. At this point, having found the DragonWitch, but not Roman, Virgil no longer believed that Roman was in danger. He had just gotten anxious and paranoid over nothing again, and dug himself over his head in trouble. At this point, he’d be taken to prison, and either escape and make his way upward, or Roman would come down to deal with the ‘witch’. Either way, he’d see Roman, who would let him out and take him home.

Except…

What if he didn’t?

What if Roman was mad at him for coming into the imagination without asking? What if the witch did something to him and Roman couldn’t recognize him anymore? What if he couldn’t escape and the guards never told Roman he was here?

“Here, we caught the witch. She’s turned herself into a cat to hide. I’ll inform the prince, if you’ll take her down to the dungeon.”

A shudder ran through Virgil at the word dungeon. He knew it was Roman that made it, and Roman didn’t exactly torture people for fun, but he wasn’t above running a villain through with his sword. Which meant that his guards likely took the same view.

He was handed over, bag and all, with no chance for escape.

He was carried a ways, and then down stairs, and down more stairs, and then more stairs. The farther down they went, the colder it was. The tie on the front of the bag that had held it closed was undone, and he was dumped out onto the ground. Immediately the door was closed. It was dark, but his eyes were used to the inside of a bag and it didn’t take him long to see where he was.

The cell would have been small for a human, but it was large to him. The walls were solid, rather than bars, and the only light came from a grating up on the door. From there came a faint, flickery yellow light, probably from a torch somewhere in the hallway. The cell was cold, and the only things in it were a bucket and a pile of very old straw topped with a blanket. Virgil climbed onto the blanket, curled up as tightly as he could, drew up the shadows over him, and went to sleep.

••^*^••

“I’m really worried now! We should have looked for him earlier!”

“Don’t worry, Padre, there are still places we can look.”

“I suggest that the two of you search the memory archives, and I’ll ask the Others.” Logan said.

“You can’t go confront Dark Sides by yourself!” Roman protested.

“I can. I can handle talking with them more safely than either of you can. On the other hand, the memory archives are large, and will take some time to search.”

Patton rushed into Logan, hugging him tightly. “You have to promise me you’ll come back safely.”

“Of course, Patton.”

Roman stuck out his hand. “We’ll meet back here at breakfast tomorrow at the latest.”

Logan took his hand and nodded. As he let go, Roman conjured him a sword.

“Roman, I appreciate the gesture, but I do not require a sword. Nor do I know how to use one effectively.”

Logan waved away the sword. “I will be back here by tomorrow morning. If Virgil is with the others, I’ll bring him back with me.”

Then he sunk out.

••^*^••

It was closer to lunchtime when they met up the next day. Logan brought Deceit with him.

“Virgil is with me or Remus, but everyone else is being very clear and easy to understand. He may not be with one of them.”

“We’ll come with you. If it’s all of us we can even break in if we need to.” Patton said, his eyes bright with passion.

Roman nodded. “I just came back from checking his room again. He’s definitely not there, and I couldn’t see any signs of anyone going into the subconscious.”

“Did you check the imagination?” Logan asked.

Roman shook his head. “He’s never once gone into the imagination on his own. And it’s huge. If we don’t find him with the D-“ he glanced at Deceit and stopped himself. “With the others, then I’ll check the imagination next.”

“Let’s go!” Patton said, already sinking out.

••^*^••

Virgil was starving. And cold. And getting more and more worried that he would never get out. He had no idea how long he had been down here, but it seemed to stretch on endlessly.

There was a constant scratching sound. Or sounds. Virgil suspected that the dungeon had rats. But, so far none of them had come into his cell. He wished one would. Except he wasn’t positive he had enough strength to kill a large one.

At least he didn’t have to worry about Thomas. As a cat, he couldn’t tell as easily what Thomas was doing or saying, and in the ‘witch-proof’ cell he could tell even less. But just sitting still and shivering gave him plenty of time to pay attention. Thomas had been fine. He was taking a few days to just work on video editing that had been waiting for too long.

The scratching came closer. Virgil froze. He forced himself to stop shivering, and to barely even breathe. He wasn’t a stranger to eating rats. Remus in particular had forced him into it more than once. He could see the tip of a nose come out of a crack. It was followed carefully by a head, and then a body.

Virgil waited until it had left the wall entirely to pounce. It was a smallish rat, which the hungry side of him resented, but that made it easier to kill. Food. Finally.

••^*^••

“At this point, he should be human again,” Roman said.

“At least, as human as any of us are,” Logan conceded.

“We still have to check the imagination,” Patton said, pacing. “And if we can’t find him there I’m going to Thomas.”

“We can’t bother him with something like this,” Logan protested. “Not when he isn’t having any adverse effects.”

“I don’t care. Virgil has never been missing so long. He’s always been in his room, or with the dark sides, or somewhere!” Patton was getting choked up, and Roman hugged him.

“We can check the imagination. I’ll mobilize all my troops, and we’ll find him.” Roman promised. “We’ll find him.”

••^*^••

Virgil was not going to wait around for Roman any more. He had finally been able to turn back human again, and had stuck out his hand through the grating to get the attention of the guard. It had taken a long time, and a heated argument, but he had finally convinced the guard that, having a human body, and a human stomach, he ought to be given something to eat. He gathered all the shadows he could, which was more than ever before, and then waited.

As soon as the door had opened an inch he sent all the shadows against the guard and stuck his hand through the gap. The guard reeled back in confusion, and Virgil was able to grab him and throw him into the cell. He pocketed the keys, and stopped to scarf down as much food as he could quickly. Then he started to make his way upstairs.

••^*^••

“I want everyone. Everyone. To be looking for this man. Even the prison guards.” Roman said.

“Of course.” The captain said, saluting. “While you were gone, we caught the witch—“

“I don’t care!” Roman yelled. He took a deep breath. “I apologize. Finding this man comes first. After that I will hear your report.”

“Yes, Sire.” The captain hurried to carry out his orders.

Patton and Logan had been given escorts and gone to ask around in villages. Roman paced. He needed to stay here to receive the message that Virgil had been found. If he was brought here, but there was no one to meet him, it would waste time and energy.

“Sire?” A servant poked his head in the door.

“Yes?”

“There’s a commotion from the prison.”

“I’ll come see. Thank you.”

If there was a prison escape, or if the guards were upset at having to go out and search… Roman wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but no one was going to like it.

He stomped down the stairs, pulling out his sword.

When he got down to the courtyard, the door to the prison was a writhing mass of people and cries of pain.

“Get out of my way!” Roman boomed.

Guards started backing away, and clearing people away. Soon it was clear that there was only one knot of people left.

“What’s going on?!” Roman yelled above the sounds of fighting.

“Roman?”

Roman knew that voice anywhere. “Virgil! All of you stop now!”

The guards stopped and backed away. Virgil had almost been forced to the ground, and was covered in dirt and blood, but he jumped up as soon as the guards let go of him.

“Virgil!” Roman rushed to hug him. “What happened?! Where have been been? We’ve been searching for days!”

“I was stuck in your dungeon. What, do you keep witches forever without a trial?”

“What? No. Never mind. I’ll get word to Patton and Logan. You’ll tell all of us. I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Me too.”

••^*^••

After cleaning up, getting first aid, and having his hoodie returned to him, Virgil found himself at a large table Roman had made at the border of the imagination, where he told his whole story. Deceit and Remus insisted on hearing as well, since they had helped look for him.

“This can never happen again.” Patton announced.

“I agree.” Roman said. “I’m going to make each of you a place in the imagination, and I’ll put in phones so that if I’m ever in the imagination I can be reached immediately. I’ll also make sure that all of my subjects know who you are, so that nothing like this happens again.”

“In addition, it may prove useful to have a public schedule, so that each of us can anticipate where the others will be at a given time.” Logan suggested.

“Honestly, I’m still shocked that you guys were looking for me so long.”

“We will always look for you, kiddo!” Patton said, getting up to give Virgil a hug for the fifteenth time. He gave a meaningful stare to the others, and soon they were all in a group hug, broke up once Remus’s smell overwhelmed them.

#virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #remus sanders #platonic prinxiety #more than the sum of our parts

95 notes · View notes

hazbinextgeneration · 4 years ago

Text

Down The Rabbithole Ch3

(Disclaimer: The song sung is Wonderland by Taylor Swift and I do not own the song or it's lyrics. I just switched some words around for the chapter.)

Everything hurt. Everything was dark. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mama. His papa. He wanted them to tell him it would all be ok, that he can just go to bed and everything would be ok when he wakes up. But no. Big fat tears rolled down his face as he kept limping and stepping along the dark forest floor he had already gone through enough trouble of running away from bigger things without food, shelter, or anyone to help his poor self. He was dirty, hurt, hungry, and just wanted it all to stop-

SNAP!!!

A stick snapped under his paw walking down the hill and down he went. Yelping and thumping down the hill as he felt pain explode all over his body, eventually rolling a couple more times at the bottom before landing and stopping on his back where he let out a groan. ...He really regretted going through that magic puddle. All he wanted to go home and- he froze as a shadow fell over him and he popped his eyes open. A shadowed form was standing and leaning over him blinking and staring down at this weird entity as red-brown eyes stared at him. She was just playing sword with a stick and playing priates when she heard the loud crashing and noises coming from the hill behind her. The little girl watched confused as a small blue blur came rolling down the hill and stopped just short of the ship(old log-) she was playing on and heard a couple chokes and groans from the thing that landed so close....Being a curious six year old, she blinked and jumped off the log and trotted through the tall grass over to the small thing that was left unmoving...and gasped. The thing was skinny, so skinny it looked like he hadn't eaten in days and dirty. Very, very dirty. It wore a torn white shirt and crooked now dirty red bow. But being a child, that didn't register to her. Nor did the fact that there couldn't possibly be a natural blue cat. That defies the laws of nature. Oh no, no. All she noticed in her innocent child mind was that there was a small little kitty in front of her. Making her gasp again and his pretty pink and yellow eyes popped open at the gasp.

"A KITTY!!" She flung her arms out excitedly. Dropping the stick and all the thought of fighting imaginary pirates were lost in favor for the idea of a cuddly cute kitty right in front of her. He blinked and tried to skitter away but he wasn't fast enough and yelped in slight pain when the little girl giggled and grabbed him into her arms. Cuddling and rubbing her cheek into the top of his head. He waved his puny paws out trying to escape when she turned around and ran back to the giant white house behind her, cat in arms. Panic and fright completely covering the cat's face as she did. There was a small gate which the little cat-napper squeezed through and ran past a garden of flowers and herbs up to an open back door. A kitchen is what was greeted him and an elderly looking human was cooking over the stove. The sizzling sounds and delicious smells of cooked meats and veggies were in the air as he still wriggled in her arms and tried to get away to no avail. His body was too weak to get away. The little strawberry-blonde girl easily moved him under one arm as she tugged on the older woman's dress. "Granny, Granny!! Look, look, look!!" He held her catch up suddenly to the woman who didn't pay any attention to the small girl. "I found a kitty!!"

The old woman chuckled. There wasn't any cats in these woods. This is just like the time she brought home a rose and said it was the magic rose from Beauty and The Beast fairytale. "Oh really now?", she asked still cooking the food.

"Uh Huh!! He's pretty and blue and has pretty eyes." He was struggling harder when she brought him back in to be hug attacked. "Can I keep him!? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! I promise to love him, feed him, and play with him!!"

The grandmother chuckled more before waving a hand off. "Of course you can keep the blue kitty. Just make sure he stays out of trouble now. Now go wash up. Lunch is almost done."

The little girl gasped and jumped. "YAY!! Thank you, Granny!!" The grandmother chuckled as she heard the little girl dash away upstairs. Ah. Children. What will she think of next? The little girl held the still struggling kitten out from her as he lightly hissed at her and pulled at those hands holding him. "You're really dirty kitty. You need a bath."

"No! Let me go human!"

She gasped and her eyes widened more. "You can talk?!"

"PUT ME DOWN!!"

He couldn't escape her grip when she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind them, walking over to the bathtub and turning on the water. He bristled with a startled meow and lept to get away to no avail as she huffed and put him over the quickly filling water. Dropping him in with a splash. He instantly felt cold water rush over his sore body and when he popped back up he spat water out and turned to glar- A sponge was pressed to his face with a wet SPLAT!! and he sputtered and pushed against her hand as she rubbed it all over his head and giggled.

"You're really messy, Kitty."

"My name's not Kitty!!" His tiny paws pushed the hand and sponge away and scowled at her. "I happen to be Chesire Cat the twenty second!" He smiled proudly and threw his front paws out making her giggle.

"Im Allison! Are you hungry kitty?"

"CHESIRE!! And yes. Im quite hungry from not eating for three days, and if you have any milk that'd also be very nice of you."

She giggled again before scrubbing the top of his head, "Ok, Kitty. You're really small."

He grumbled. "Cheshire....and hanks I think?..It that a human compliment?"

She continued giggling and scubbing the cat in the tub, at one point tugging the horrible clothes off him and supplying him with a new tiny green shirt from one of her teddies. He dragged himself out of the tub all wet and skinny looking with the went fur being weighed down on his body so he shook himself. SHe giggled at the water droplets spraying all over her before plopping a towel on himself and picking him up wrapped like a baby. The new shirt was greatly appreciated but he thought it clashed with his own natural blue fur. But he refused to go down to dinner. Even if food was involved he didn't trust anymore tall humans, he didn't need any more of them. But he was still thankful when she managed to bring back a plate of food and milk. Her granny loved to spoil her and let her eat in her room if she really wanted. And if she really wanted to 'feed her new kitty' then she wasn't about to stop her imagination. He happyily took everything from her and down it in a matter of minutes. His stomach felt SO much better now that it wasn't empty as an abandoned house.

"You're really hungry, Kitty." She pet his head and he flinched....before he purred and arched his back as she giggled.

"C-Chesire...but I must thank you for everything. It's certainly been a while since a creature showed me any kindness, especially in this world. You probably saved my life. Tell me. Where am I?"

She tilted her head at his words. "Uh....I don't know. The woods?"

"Fair enough. Well then, Allison was it?" She nodded and he smiled for the first time in a while. "Well, Allison. You've taken me into your home and feed and cleaned me. You possibly saved my life today and I am in your debt. But could I have more food if it's not asking too much. I haven't eaten in a few days and Im still hungry."

More giggling. "Ok, Kitty!"

"...I see we'll have to work on that."

***************************************************************************************************************

"Allsion?"

"Hm?" She looked up and blinked at the floating cat who giggled at her confused face.

He booped her nose. "Silly humans spacing off. I was asking you what you were thinking about?"

"Oh! Just..I'm thinking about what happened all those years ago." She took another bite of the pancakes. He was right, they weren't perfect. The bottom pancake was a little burnt and it tasted like he might've not added eough milk to the batter, but she wasn't going to rudely refuse a meal made for her by an old friend who happened to be a magical floating talking blue cat in a half suit. She watched as he once again landed but this time sat on the small coffee table in front of her with a smile. ''Uh...So. All those fairytales really came from your world?"

He nodded before pausing and shaking his head no. "Well it's a yes and no. Most of the ancient stoires you humans have come to known were actual events in MY world. But not ALL!! Frankenstien, The Princce and the Pauper, Romeo and Juliet are some examples of the not ones. Those were definately written by humans." He counted on his fingers as he spoke. And she rose a brow curious.

"well which ones did?"

He shrugged. "I do not know ALL of them because no one has ever told me of them all. BUT!!" He smiled even more proudly. "Your human creativity has helped shape my world! After all it only came into existance once humans started using their imagination to create."

"Really?! Wow. It sounds amazing...But tell me what stories ARE true about your world then? The ones you know."

He hummed and looked at the ground for a moment as his tail thumped against the table behind him. "Oh a few you might know. Red Riding Hood. Goldielocks. I know her great, great granddaughter Blondy. Nice young lady. But I do know all the ones the Brothers Grim write were true."

She stared at him...and blinked before holding up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!! What a second. Are you trying to tell me THE famous Brothers Grim, the ones who originally wrote all those fairytales, actually wrote real events that happened?! In your world?!"

"YEP!!" He said bluntly.

"So Cinderella? With the glass slippers and step mother?"

"True."

"A-And Snow white with the apple?"

"I heard her great something nephew still has the recipe! Though I wouldn't recommend eating it."

"The Gingerbread man!!" "That witch accidentally used a living potion in the recipe to bring him to life." "SLEEPING BEAUTY?!" "Oh yes! Because she slept so wrong she doesn't have as many descendants as others. A few granchildren at most." "PIED PIPER!! PINNOCIO!! MARY AND HER LITTLE LAMB!! THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF!!"

"All as real as myself!! And Im standing before you!!" He chuckled but hummed. "But there was a few that came to life on their own."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well sometimes if a fairytale or story becomes very influencial and impires human enough after a while they'll just-" He made a pop noise while jabbing a hand up in the air. "They'll just randomly show up one day."

"How does THAT happen?!"

He shrugged. "It's a wonder. That's why our world is called Wonderland. It's shaped and formed by the wonders you humans made, though the worlds much rather stay seperate. It's for the best if a bunch of nosey humans didn't try to travel. My world's magic works in mysterious ways not to be tampered with. "

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I saw one too many movies where someone messed with magic and it backfired, probably for the best...Hey. Wait a minute." She looked back to him and pointed. "Then how did you get here in the first place?? And how in the world did someone like the famous writers get into your world?"

He giggled and pointed a paw behind her, she looked over her shoulder at where he was pointing an rose a brow as he pointed to the meditating room. "Through the looking glass.~ My own personal portal. No one can get in or out except if I allow it."

"...The what?"

"The looking glass. You humans call them mirrors." She blinked and the mirror gleamed back at her, as if beckoning her to come closer and touch it- She shook her head and looked back to him with a small look of understanding and he chuckled. "That's how they got in. Not my personal one of course, but sometimes a random human stumbles their way in via magic hidden portal and would have to leave before the Heart Family got wind of them." His eyes narrowed and he chuckled a little darker at the thought. "I'm not surprised such famous magic explorers like them found one, they're lucky to have escaped with the help of Mother Goose."

"...Who?"

"Mother Goose. Bless her heart. She was a very famous hisrtorian of my world. Told the brothers ALL about our history. Same with the man who wrote the Famous Wonderland book!! "

"This is a lot to unpack but it's....Also really cool in a way." She smiled...but a sudden thought made her stop..and she looked at him. He tilted his head and blinked at her in confusion still smiling. "You said you were around here when Granny was taken to the nursing home right?" He nodded and guilt set in. "Were you.....Just sticking around waiting for me to comes back this entire time?"

He blinked this time. "ME?!" His pointed to him before shaking his head and waving his hands at her. "Oh, no, no, no. Im not the kind to simply sit and wait around like a dog. I had other things to keep me entertained back home once I found out how to channel my energy into a portal!" With a wave of his paw he summoned his small staff and stood on his hind legs before leaning against it. Like a small human would. "I learnt lots of tricks while waiting for my best friend to return!! Such creative minds to work wonders again!!"

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. ''You're a magic talking cat that comes from the land of fairytales and nursery rythmes. Is there anything else that should be pointed out?"

"I can sing, too.~"

"Sing?" He had gotten her interest.

He chuckled. "Yes. And you used to be my partner remember? When we would make up songs and sing along together!!" He snapped his fingers. "SAY!! Why don't we sing a small duet again for old times sake?!"

She huffed and pointed to herself. "Me? Sing? No offense but I'd have better luck taming a lion then I would at singing."

"Oh pish posh. Here! I'll start one we used to sing all the time." He then without warning brought his staff up and lightly slammed it to the table. It stayed stuck when he let go and then the red ball on top suddenly lit up. What sounded like static rang out and he looked to her with another giggled as she gazed in wonder. "I'll lead. You join."

"Oh, no. I-"

She stomped when a beautiful piano song played from the staff and Chesire reached up to straighten his bowtie as he cleared his throat. "Flashing lights and we took a long turn and we fell down a rabbit hole.~" His voice was surprisingly very smooth as she blinked at him and he smiled even wider. "You held on tight to me, cuz nothing's as it seems.~ Spinning out of control!~" This time he jumped up and to her only lightly surprise his head came off his shoulders before being pulled back onto his shoudlers. Yeah. She remembered that. ....She also started to slowly remember a few certain instances with the brave kitten going to couragiously save the princess in their adventures...This song in particular was one that they'd enjoy and she smiled a little wider. "Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?~ Didn't you flash your red eyes eyes at me?~ Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?~ Oh! Didn't it all seem new and exciting?~ I felt your arms twisting around me.~" He hugged himself and lightly moved his body from side to side smiling as she giggled and smiled more. Before he closed one eye. "I should've slept with one eye open tonight!~" He suddenly pointed both arms out towards out gesturing to her. "We found Wonderland. You and I got lost in it! And we pretended it could last forever!~" His arms threw themselves up as he 'jumped' up higher in the middle of floating. "We found Wonderland. You and I got lost in it!~ And life was never worse but never better!~" The music continued to play as he nodded yes and made a 'come on' motion with his paws. Obviously trying to encourage her to sing along.

She looked sheepishly down to the floor and he rose a brow and tilted his head. Hmm. She was obviously bashful, and not one of those dwarfs. Well maybe she'd be feeling it in a bit. He wasn't about to pressure her.

"In wonderland!~" He continued to sing and still held at least one paw out to her. "In Wonderlaaaaand.~ In wonderland!~ In Wonderlaaaaaand!~" He suddenly stood as if getting ready to walk. "So we went on our way!~ Too happy to think straight!~ All alone or so it seeeeemed.~ " He suddenly put his hand over on his forehead as if he was looking far away at something. "But there were strangers watching-" And then he made a blabbing mouth motion with the other paw. "-and whispers turned to talking." He suddenly threw his arms out and looked up towards the ceiling like those famous ballerina pose but his head came. "And talking turned to Screeeeaaammss!!~ OH!"

She blinked at the sudden smooth high note, wow he had REALLY gotten better since they were children definately. But he suddenly snapped into a position with his head held in his hands as he looked at her, his body and especially his tail thumping to the beat as he sang.

"Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?~ Didn't you flash your red eyes at me-"

"Didn't you calm my fears with a chesire cat smile?~," she sang asked him back and he was admittedly caught off guard for a moment. Keeping his smile and blinking...before his smile widened as did hers and he resumed bouncing to the beat of violins, pianos, and other intruments.

"Didn't it seem all new and exciting?~ "

"I felt your arms twisting around me.~" She sang the next verse and he smiled before raising a slightly smug brow. "It's all fun and games until someone looses their minds.~"

He giggling at that before another calm verse came in the song. "But Darling, We. Found. Wonderland." He again held out both arms towards her. "You and I got lost in it.~ And we pretended it could last forever!~ "

"We found wonderland!~" Both were now singing the same verses as their voices collided in one duet like so long ago and a familiar feeling of happiness washed over them both as they sang in harmony. "You and I got lost in it! And life was never worse but never better!~ In wonderland!" This time they both threw their arms up for the fun of it. "In wonderlaaaaand!~ " He looked at her smiling and with still a slightly embarrased flush to her face. "In wonderland!" She looked back to him as they sang what was supposed to be the last verse. "In Wonderlaaaaand!~"

"I reached for you, but you were gone.~" He blinked slightly in surprise as she kept singing with a strange look in her eyes. Not bad or dangerous just...there. Even thought she still smiled and looked happy as he silently watched. "I knew I had to get back home.~ I searched the world for something else to make me feel like what we had and in the end I just went mad.....Oh I found wonderland and I just got lost from it. And I pretended it coudn't be there.~ I found wonderland and I just got lost from it. Life was never worse but never better.~"

The sad tone in her voice was mad evident in the way her eyes was starting to shine and she sniffed. Until two little paws grabbed her cheeks and she looked back up into the blue face of the cat.

"You found wonderland.~ And got back lost in it.~" A hankerchief appeared in his paw when he pulled back and waved it, and presented it to her. "And we will make sure it'll last forever!~ You found Wonderland!~ And got back lost in it! And life was maybe worse but now better!~ In Wonderlaaand!~"

She knew he switched up those lyrics to help comfort her as tears started to flow and she happily took the human sized hankercheif from him as any music stopped and she wiped her now crying face as more tears and a choke came out.

"I-I'm so sorry. I-I-It's been so hard." She hiccuped and looked to him. Even though his smile was still there his eyes had sypathy. "I haven't been this happy in such a long time. And now I feel terrible for forgetting you and making you wait so long!!" She took a deep breath between the hiccups. "Everything seemed like it was against me all the time and I feel absolutely worthless not being able to do anything!! And I miss my granny!" Something soft suddenly hugged her and she didn't question it when she hugged Chesire back and continued to cry as he patted her shoulder.

"There, there.," he conforted. "It's ok to cry. That what all the famous princesses and other folk did. Trial and errror are a real fact of life anywhere, but you shouldn't be afraid of asking for help. So don't feel bad for trying to live out your life." He smiled wider and patted her back more. " It could be a lot worse. You're a very lucky human as far as the ones I've seen. You could've lost your creativity and kind heart in this big world. Im glad you didn't, and Im sure your grandmother would've been so proud of you, Allison."

She smiled despite the feelings crashing over her and held the small cat closer to herself. "T-T-Thank y-you.....I m-miss you."

"I missed you too, Old friend."

2 notes · View notes

crescent-quill-writings · 5 years ago

Text

Midnight Meetings on the Reef

Fandom: Hamilton - Miranda

Words: 2422

Relationship: Hercules Mulligan/Thomas Jefferson

Additional tags: Mermaid AU, Fluff, Loneliness, Mermaid!Thomas Jefferson, Sailor!Hercules Mulligan, Bioluminescence, Hercules gets a bioluminescent boyfriend

Summary: Hercules Mulligan is a sailor living a simple life yet always wanting something more than what he has. So, when he receives a map that would supposedly lead him to a great treasure hidden in a distant reef, of course, he follows the path it lays out for him. Even though he gets lost along the way, he still ends up finding the treasure... Or more like the treasure finds him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the sun began to sink below the horizon it painted calm waters with flame-like reds and tinted the skies with bright pinks. These fading golden rays created a near-perfect silhouette of a small sailboat and the man on board as it slowly drifted across the glassy surface of the water, disturbing its smooth surface with the ripples of its wake and scattering a school of silvery fish in the reef below. The sailor was a giant of a man, standing right around 7 feet tall with broad shoulders and rugged features. He was almost as gorgeous as the scene around him, but he was much too distracted with pacing back and forth across the deck and trying to make sense of the old parchment in his hands.

"So... If I did this right and this is the reef and back there was the sandbar then the archipelago should be just ahead of us?" He mutters to himself, suddenly stopping on the bow of the ship and looking up and around him. His eyes were bright with excitement, but it slowly faded into a dull realization when he was met with the sight of the infinite horizon of the uninterrupted ocean. "... I guess that's what I get for trusting an old coot in a bar with a map and fancy fairytale after a couple of pints." He then grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering a series of colourful curses under his breath before he crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it overboard. "Useless piece of junk..."

Rightfully upset with himself, the sailor pulled a flask from his pocket and took a swig of the amber liquid inside. Sitting back on a crate pushed against the mast he watched, or moreso glared at the setting sun as the sky shifted from pink to red, to purple, and then finally to black as night fell upon the reef. He continued to stare up at the stars as they began to poke through the dark canvas of the sky before he sighed and stood, capping his flask and placing it in his pocket again.

"Time to turn in so we can figure this shit out in the morning." He mutters, fumbling with a match for a moment so he could light an oil lamp and hang it up above his head so he at least wasn't stumbling around in the dark as he tied everything down and dropped anchor for the night. Just as he took a rope in his hands and began to hoist the sails a ripple of movement and a flash of something bright and pink from beneath the waves caught his attention. "The hell...?" He murmurs, letting the rope fall from his hands and the sails fall slack as he took a step towards the water. For a moment the sailor thought it was some figment of his buzzed imagination and was about to turn back to the ropes before the light darted by again and pulled something beneath the water with a 'sploosh'. "The fuck?!" He exclaimed, rushing to the edge of his little sailboat and leaning over to peer into the water, looking for the light again.

"Was that a fish...? A glowing fish?" He knew about bioluminescence, having heard stories from other sailors and seen a few photos too, but even that didn't make sense. He'd heard of the algae that dotted the waves and beaches like stars and the freaky deep-sea fish that used light to lure in their prey, but nothing like what he was seeing now. Nothing he knew of was such a rich pink in colour like what he was seeing, and none of it could move so fast either. Again the sailor questioned if it was just in his imagination as he took out his flask, uncapping it quickly and taking a whiff to see if its contents had gone bad (if that was something that whiskey could do) before there was a sudden loud splash as his back was drenched with seawater and the small flame of his lamp extinguished. The water was still calm, so something had to have caused it.

"Shit, fuck--!!" The sailor exclaims, fumbling for a harpoon in the darkness and rushing for the other side of his little sailboat, ready for a fight and looking for the threat only for his weapon to fall from his hand and clatter against the deck. Now without the interruption of firelight, the world beneath the water was able to reveal itself to the sailor. Fear turned to shock and shock turned to awe as he watched the seagrass glow an azure blue, swaying anemones lighting up with scarlet hues, the forest of coral shine with shades of teal, indigo, and orange, and the schools of neon pink and blue fish that darted in and out from the nooks and crannies of the world beneath the waves. Nearly entranced by the other-worldly sight in front of him the sailor had forgotten about the earlier perceived threat and the streak of pink light he had first seen until--

"What the fuck!!" He exclaims, leaping back from the edge as his gaze locks on a human face poking out of the water and the curious indigo eyes looking back at him.

"I believe this is yours... You should be more careful." It spoke, its voice low yet smooth like a honeyed melody that made the sailor's knees go weak. He was stuck in a sort of shocked silence that he didn't notice the face had lifted an arm out of the water and was holding up a sodden grey lump that looked to be whatever was left of the map he had thrown out earlier.

"Oh, uh, thanks..." The sailor murmurs. He didn't know why he was so calm as he stepped forwards and kneeled down at the edge of the boat so he could reach for the ruined ball of paper, but he couldn't help the gasp that escaped him as he finally got a good look at what had approached him.

It had the head and the upper body of a human man and quite an attractive one at that with chiselled features and hair made up of long dark curls that looked well kept and soft despite being submerged in saltwater all day. As strange as it was to see a man living in the water, this was not what made the sailor gasp. Instead, his gaze locked on the 'man's tail. It was over twice the length of his torso and was crowned with a large and elegantly flowing fluke. Every scale was perfectly overlayed with each other and glowed with a rich pink hue in shifting intervals and levels to create a nearly hypnotic display of patterns as his tail swayed steadily to keep him in place against the light currents.

"Holy shit... You're a- You're a mermaid!" The sailor murmured, voice barely above a whisper as his fingers brush against the aquatic humanoid's as he takes back the ruined map.

"That I am, yes. You're quite the observant sailor, hm?" The merman replies with a warm chuckle, a sound that nearly makes the human melt as he rises further out of the water to rest his arms on the edge of the boat before he notices the harpoon and frowns, "I'm sorry if I startled you earlier, I just wanted to put out your light. This place can't thrive properly when there's something bright like that around, you see. I promise I mean you no harm, though, and thank you for not attacking me yet." He adds with a small sigh before smiling with sharpened teeth up at the sailor.

"Yeah, no, it's okay. No harm no foul and all that, I get it. This place is beautiful... You're beautiful..." He replied, only realizing what he had said as the merman laughs again and the sailor's face flushes with heat. "Uh- My name's Hercules Mulligan, though you can just call me Hercules or Herc. Do you have a name?"

"It's nice to meet you, Hercules. You're quite handsome yourself, especially for a human... My name is Thomas, at least, that's what I believe it translates to in your tongue." The merman earns a quiet 'likewise' in response from Hercules as silence falls on the pair. Thomas' expression was serene yet amused as he watched Hercules with those same curious indigo eyes, chuckling again as he catches him staring at his tail again. "It's alright, you can look... as long as you don't mind if I do the same, that is... I don't get many visitors out here, you see, especially not ones as kind as you." He watched the sailor blink quickly in response before he chuckled quietly and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Thomas found himself enjoying the sound and wanting to hear it some more. "Is there a reason why you've travelled all the way out here on your lonesome, Captain?"

"No, not really..." Hercules replies with a sigh and a shake of his head, looking out across the dark horizon for a moment and taking in a deep breath. "Just heard some stories and got a map, I guess I thought it'd be like going on an adventure of my own if I found treasure or something like that. Pretty sure I got lost along the way, not that this place isn't nice... Just not what I expected, I guess." He explains, and the merman laughs in a melodious sound that made Hercules' breath catch in his throat before he slips into the water and began to swam lazy circles on his back around the sailboat.

"Even if you did get lost I think you've done pretty well. This place isn't easy to find, after all, and it's not every day you get to meet a merman either." Thomas grinned at the way the sailor scrambled to stand and paced across the deck to follow him, finding it cute how enamoured he had become as he stops by the bow of the ship.

"Yeah, I guess you're right... Meeting you could be a kind of treasure in itself." Hercules replied with a small smile, though the expression shifts to confusion as he tilts his head at the merman's extended hand.

"I would like to sit next to you, could you help me up? I'm afraid climbing is rather difficult with just a tail." Thomas explains with an easy smile, and the sailor nods as he takes the merman's hand in his and hoists him up and out of the water.

"Jesus you're big... N-Not that it's a bad thing!" He comments as he struggles to collect the mass of Thomas' tail in his arms, suddenly embarrassed again and his cheeks flushing with heat as he was met with the sound of the merman's melodious laughter again and set him down on the deck to him as he sat down with him.

"You're really sweet, you know that?" Thomas smiled a little more, dipping his fluke in the water and tucking most of his tail off to the side, letting silence settle between the two of them. It was a comfortable silence, giving them both the time they needed to process the day's events and where it led them and a chance to enjoy another's company on a calm midnight.

"So... Is there any real reason you wanted to come up here?" The sailor asks, breaking the silence and earning a small shrug in response from his new companion.

"I just thought it'd be easier to talk this way, or perhaps it'd just close some of the distance between us... I'm not really sure, honestly." Thomas admits, pulling his tail closer to his body as his gaze dropped to watch the ripples around the boat. Silence came over the pair again, though this time it was less comfortable. Hercules watched the merman with a frown, wondering what was going on behind those indigo eyes before he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to his chest.

"It's okay, I don't mind... It's not like I got any company out here either. Except for you now, of course." He replied after a moment, offering Thomas a warm smile that only grew as their gazes met and he was able to catch a sparkle of hope in those beautiful indigo eyes. "Y'know, I wouldn't mind coming back here either if I got to see you again. Not sure how I'd do it, since I kinda trashed the map, but you found me on accident anyways so maybe we could make it work out. I don't got much to go back home to anyways..." Sure, Hercules may have started rambling a bit, but he couldn't really help it. Being with Thomas made him feel relaxed like he could enjoy the moment and not have to worry about much other than making sure the merman kept smiling. Thomas was happy too, and although he was a bit unused to the feeling of another's arm around him he happily let himself lean into the sailor's side and rested his head on his shoulder, humming in content as he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the little moment they were sharing.

"If you're really that worried I can get you a conch shell... If you play it right the sound will travel for miles and guide me right to you. That way I could help you find this place again until you've learnt the way yourself." The merman explains, his voice a gentle noise that harmonized with the rippling of the water under the boat that Hercules could only describe as 'cute.' Sitting up a bit the merman opened his eyes again and pressed a kiss to the corner of his sailor's lips, humming in satisfaction at the way Hercules began to laugh to hide how flustered he'd become and settling against his side once more. "You're a good man, Hercules, so I'm not worried... Let's just talk, the night's still young and I'd like to hear you laugh some more." The merman muses, smiling up at his sailor with a little shine in his indigo eyes as he sees his sailor was smiling too, "I haven't heard something that nice in a very long time, nor have I met someone as nice as you either... So thank you, the reef is a little less lonely tonight because of you."

#Hamilton #hamilton: an american musical #Thomas Jefferson #Hercules Mulligan #Mermaid AU #Thomcules #first fic #my writing

9 notes · View notes

rosecoloredmac · 5 years ago

Text

maybe we’ll meet again: Chapter 2

Mortals feared her and other immortals, aside from her sisters of course, avoided her at all costs. Macy had grow fond of her life of solitude. But when she crosses paths with a nature god named Harry, her entire world is turned on its head.

Modern Day Greek Myth AU.

A/N: As promised, chapter 2. Thank you to everyone who commented, they were very encouraging.

Also on AO3

Maggie’s tastes were far too extravagant for Macy’s liking, but something she was willing to overlook for the sake of her happiness. On a secluded island, hidden away from the prying eyes of mortals, her sister’s home was nestled at the base of a mountain, overlooking the sea. The house was all glass windows and white marble floors and expensive furnishings.

Her own home wasn’t exactly humble, but more subtle.

As she’d expected, the house was overflowing with immortals. Music blasted from every corner and the flow of alcohol seemed endless.

Macy sat outside by the pool, Cerberus at her feet. He was glamoured again to better fit in the house, but Macy fully intended on setting him free in the jungle later. She was reclined in one of the chaises around the pool, one of the brightly colored concoctions from the bar in one hand. It wasn’t bad, but was lacking in actual alcohol content.

“Are you just going to sit there all day?”

Macy glance down to see Mel watching her from the edge of the pool.

“Maybe,” Macy answered, pushing her sunglasses up her nose.

“Why don’t you come for a swim?” she asked, splashing water at Macy. “You look like you could use a cool down.”

Macy rolled her eyes playfully and dropped a hand to Cerberus’ back. “She’s right, the water looks very inviting.”

Mel’s eyes widened and she backed away from the pool’s edge as Macy smirked.

“Macy, no,” Mel tried, but it was too late. Cerberus was already on his feet, ready to pounce.

“Go ahead,” she whispered and lifted her hand.

He took off toward the pool and Mel barely had time to get out of the way before he launched himself into the water, creating a splash that hinted at the large creature he really was. Macy smiled as he kicked around, licking Mel’s face.

“Now that doesn’t seem very nice.”

That voice immediately set Macy’s teeth on edge. Her grip on her glass tightened, but she kept her gaze fixed on her beloved pet tormenting her sister.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him sit in the chaise beside her and kick his feet up.

“Your sister throws a lovely party,” he commented conversationally. “Though I must admit I don’t always make it to as many as I’d like.”

Macy ignored him and sipped at her drink, now more than ever wishing it was ten times stronger.

She heard him let out a short laugh.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot last week,” he said and Macy glanced over at him.

His sunglasses were pushed up into his hair and his green eyes were studying her. Macy felt something stir inside her, a part she thought had long since frozen over. She softened, if only a fraction.

“I think that might be an understatement,” she said with a scoff.

He chuckled. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Harry Greenwood, god of spring and nature.”

“Clever,” she said flatly, looking back at the pool.

“I thought so.”

She glanced over at him, giving him a quick once over. He was wearing ridiculous flowery swim trunks and an almost too white button up shirt, short sleeves this time. It was a bit too on the nose.

“That would explain your overly cheerful disposition and your soft spot for the whims of mortals.”

“Yes, well, I tend to look on the brighter side of most things,” he said, tilting his head. “After all, even after the harshest of winters, a flower will still blossom.”

Macy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Nature immortals were all the same.

He laughed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, that sounded incredibly cheesy, even to me.”

“At least you’re self aware.” She’d give him that.

“Now that’s a bit hypocritical for someone who looks ready to set fire to the first being that looks your way,” he pointed out, raising his eyebrows pointedly.

Macy rolled her eyes. “Don’t tempt me.”

She took another sip from her drink and was disappointed to find it empty. She wrinkled her nose and set the glass aside.

“I’m Macy,” she told him, looking back at the pool. Cerberus was still kicking around happily now that everyone else had gotten out. She smiled softly.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Macy.”

Macy turned to look at him skeptically. “I find that hard to believe.”

His brow furrowed. “Why’s that?”

She chuckled humorlessly. “Most immortals give me a wide berth. Look around, aside from my sisters, your the only to come within ten feet.”

His eyes were soft as he regarded her, a small smile on his lips. She looked away, out at the sun setting on the horizon.

“If they aren’t avoiding me, they’re plying me with gifts because they want something. More often then not it’s for the return of a mortal lover. Most would call you a fool for even walking over here.”

She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to tell him any of that, but it seemed that once the floodgates were open there was no stopping the words from tumbling out.

“Then I guess I’m a fool,” he said, his gaze dropping to his hands. “Their loss really.”

Macy blinked, reaching blindly for her empty glass.

“I need another drink.”

He was on his feet in an instant, his fingers closing around hers on the glass.

“Allow me.”

Macy swallowed and met his eyes for a moment before pulling her hand back. She cleared her throat and nodded her head.

“Thank you.”

She watched him until he disappeared into the house. She saw Maggie skipping over and quickly schooled her features. Maggie was grinning and plopped herself down at her feet.

“You two looked cozy,” Maggie said, looking pointedly at Macy.

Macy avoided her eye. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “You and Harry, I saw you guys over here. What were you talking about?”

“His odd infatuation with mortal romance novels.”

“Fine, don’t tell me.” Maggie pouted. “I’m just happy you came. You need to get out more.”

This argument again. After a few thousand years, she would think her sisters would let it go. She preferred her solitude, was that such a bad thing?

“I get out enough or did you forget the Underworld is a busy place.”

“How busy could it be, everyone down there is dead.”

Macy frowned. “I’m going to let that on slide, but only this once.”

Maggie sucked in a breath and reached out to touch Macy’s hand. “I’m sorry, I just get worried about you being alone all the time. We both do.”

She followed Maggie’s gaze to where Mel sat at the edge of the pool watching them.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t mind being alone,” Macy said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Besides, I’m not alone. I have Cerberus.”

He came trotting over, ever the loyal companion and laid his head in her lap. She scratched behind his ears and he wagged his tail happily.

“See,” she said looking pointedly at Maggie. “He’s all the company I need.”

Maggie reached out to pet Cerberus and opened her mouth to say something, but Macy was saved from whatever else she had to say by Harry returning with two drinks in his hands.

“For you,” he said, holding one out to Macy.

Macy accepted the drink with a smile while he sat on the chaise, facing Macy and Maggie.

“It’s good to see you, Har,” Maggie said. “It’s been too long.”

“I’m afraid I’ve been busy in the mortal world.”

Macy snorted into her drink and felt his eyes on her, but she ignored him in favor of giving Cerberus her full attention.

“You’re always so busy,” Maggie said and Macy didn’t have to look up to know that she was pouting. “Like someone else I know.”

“Some us don’t have our heads in the clouds,” Macy muttered. The earned her a soft chuckle from Harry.

“I’m gonna go talk to Mel,” Maggie said, standing from Macy’s chair. “You two have fun.”

Macy watched her go and join Mel on the other side of the pool, but looked away when both pairs of eyes fell on her and Harry.

“So this is the ferocious beast that guards the Underworld?”

“Of course,” she said, stroking Cerberus’ back. “I’m taking him down to the beach to let him stretch his legs. Would you like to join us?”

He brought a hand to his chest and smiled. “I’d be honored.”

The moment she’d lifted the glamour, Cerberus took off down the beach all three of his heads barking happily. Harry was thoroughly amused when he returned with a log hanging from one of his mouths and dropped it at their feet. He’d happily obliged and was in an endless game of fetch.

Despite herself, Macy found it terribly endearing.

Finally bored with their game, Cerberus started splashing around in the waves and Harry came back over and sat beside her in the sand.

“He’s incredible,” he said, his eyes still on Cerberus.

Macy smiled. “Thank you.”

“Such a shame you have to disguise him.”

“It’s either that or leave him at home,” she said with a shrug. “He gets anxious if I leave him too long.”

They fell into a comfortable silence and Macy watched the waves lap at the sand. The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon and she felt a peaceful calm wash over her. She couldn’t remember the last time she just sat and watched the sun set.

“You know,” Harry spoke softly from her side. “I’ve heard countless tales of the great Ruler of the Underworld, but you’re nothing like I’d imagined.”

Macy turned her head to look at him. “I take it that’s a good thing?”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. “A very good thing.”

“Well you’re exactly what I imagined the god of spring would be like.”

“And what might that be?”

Macy tapped her chin, pretending to think for a moment before smirking as she watched the sun finish setting on the horizon.

“Overly sunny, headache inducing optimism, childlike naivete, a fondness for brightly colored clothing.” She paused, turning her head to catch his smile. “Should I go on?”

He sucked in a breath and shook his head as he let out a chuckle. “No, I think you pretty much covered it.”

“It’d be endearing, if it weren’t so predictable.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “That was almost a compliment. I’m shocked.”

“I can take it back if you’d like,” she said.

“Now that would really make me a fool.” He reached out and touched her hand. “I’ve enjoyed your company this evening, Macy.”

Macy looked down at their hands, an unexplainable warmth filling her chest before she met his eyes again.

“And I yours,” she told him honestly.

He leaned closer, his breath mingling with hers. His gaze flicked to her lips and Macy closed the distance that remained between them. Her eyes fluttered closed and she lost herself in the feeling of his lips pressed against her.

His lips were soft and almost unnaturally warm as they moved against her own. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek as his lips parted, deepening the kiss for only a moment before pulling away. She bit her bottom lip to keep from grinning like a fool when she opened her eyes.

“I’m afraid I have to go,” he said softly. “But I’d very much like to see you again.”

Macy looked down to where his hand was still covering hers in the sand.

“I think that can be arranged.”

“Meet me for coffee,” he said and squeezed her fingers. “Friday, at noon.”

She reached out to run her fingers along his jaw before she nodded. “Okay.”

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers.

“I look forward to it,” he said and disappeared with a pop, leaving a cloud of flower petals in his wake.

Macy plucked one of the petals out of the sand and rolled it between her fingers. So theatrical, she thought, but a smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

#hacy #macy x harry #my fic #please enjoy :D #and let me know what you think

8 notes · View notes

arelya-andaria · 6 years ago

Note

For your very generous fic gift offer! E/C in the snow, any version you want :) Thanks!

Here you go! I had lots of fun with this one =D Thank you again for asking Jenny ❤

Escape to Lapland

They’d been married for many years now, and finding new ideas to travel had become increasingly hard. He’d gone and showed her so many things over the years, there were few corners of this beautiful Earth they hadn’t explored together.

Still, for their two-week holidays around Christmas time, she’d thrown the idea about going to Lapland.

“Wouldn’t it be nice?” she’d asked. “Imagine it. Just the two of us, together? Seeing the Northern Lights? A sleigh with huskies?”

So he’d agreed. With the cold, he could easily wear protection for his face and not frighten away the others on their travels. And it was somewhere he’d never been to yet. At heart, despite everything, he remained a child full of curiosity and wonder, always seeking more knowledge and discoveries.

They’d booked a nice hotel, a few kilometers away from the main city, where they could stay in small cottages. It was so cold outside, he’d been afraid of the damage to her voice, but it’d been cozy inside, and she’d loved it instantly. The big fireplace, toasty warm, the wooden panels all around, the nice hot Jacuzzi outside.

And snow, so much snow everywhere, she felt like a child back in Sweden, playing with it all day long, coming back home under a thick layer of freshly fallen snowflakes, her eyes bright from the excitement of the season.

They were in the middle of the forest, and the big pine trees were towering over their little cottage.

It felt as though they were lost in the woods, alone and at peace.

That first night, he tucked her into bed, and held her through the night, in their little cottage. He’d never seen such a dark sky, void of any light pollution. The stars were clear and bright, a tapestry older than the Sun.

The next morning, they got up and had breakfast and then they were off to spend a day in a sleigh pulled by huge dogs.

It was still dark, so close to the Pole their day was a few hours long, but to them, it didn’t matter.

The woman in charge was petite and her smile bright as the never setting sun of their summer. She rode behind them, urging on the dogs.

He was afraid, a bit, at first, even though he’d tried not to show it, but his wife hadn’t been fooled. Still, she’d held his hand tighter in her gloves, and curled against him as the wind whipped what little exposed they had.

It was a wonderful experience, sliding on the fresh snow, feeling cold and yet warm beneath their blankets, and the soft noise of the dogs’ paws hitting the snow, their heavy breathing, and the tongue commands of their leader. Deeper into the forest they went, and it seemed never ending. The trees were massive, high and old.

It smelled fresh and cold and clean.

After a few hours, they stopped to rest and feed the dogs.

In an endearing laugh, Christine fell down into the snow, and he was by her side in a heartbeat.

“What happened?”

“I’m just enjoying this. We’ll create Angels in the snow.”

“Angels?”

“It should fit you, shouldn’t it?”

He seemed at a loss, so she demonstrated, waving her arms up and down deep in the layers of snow, and slowly, he could see the shape of an angel emerge from under her.

“Oh. I see.”

“Come and join me, Erik.”

“I…”

“It’ll be fun! You’ll see. Trust me!”

He could never resist her eyes, so lovely, so bright, her enthusiastic smile.

So he sat down near her, and let himself fall as she’d done. It was strange, that feeling of cold underneath every muscle, but his clothes were protecting him well, and he didn’t feel wet or unbearably cold.

“Good. Now wave your arms. And your legs! We’ll take a picture together.”

Now that was what he would have liked to avoid, but she had a fierce, unbreakable mind. (And to have her face frozen in a photograph for the rest of eternity, well. Why would he ever say no, even if he was there to darken it?)

He followed her commands, and her soft laugh was the most exquisite sound he’d brought out of her throat.

When she got up, she still had some snow on her head and shoulders, and he gently brushed it off of her.

She kissed him then, couldn’t resist it. Lips that cold were an interesting experience for both of them. He would be sure to replicate it when they were home.

“Oh, look at him!” she said as she approached the leader of the dogs. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

He was huge and with bright blue eyes, his tail waggling wildly. She took off her gloves to run her fingers through his fur, loving how thick it was.

“That he is.”

“Come and pet him. He’s the nicest dog ever!”

She was already cuddling with the dog, his big warm head on her lap, as he tried to lick her face.

“I’m not sure it’s the best idea.”

“He wouldn’t hurt a fly, now, would you, big boy? Such a good boy!”

He approached her. It’d been a long, long time since his first friend and dog had appeared and then gone from his life. Afterwards, the heartache had prevented him from caring for them. But it was coming back.

He sat down, and she gently took off his glove to rest his hand underneath hers, petting the dog.

“See? Isn’t it nice?”

“Yes, indeed. Very nice.”

The way that dog looked at him, it melted a part of his heart. Full of trust and love.

True, animals had never cared about his face. And dogs were not always mean to him, either.

“I wish we had a bigger home and garden to get one of these magnificent softies,” she sighed.

“We already have a cat, and she’d be furious to know we’ve replaced her.”

“Oh, Ayesha wouldn’t mind. She’d be home in her basket, and he would spend days outside, running through the fields.”

“They need a cold climate, and much running, my love”

“I know. Still, it’s a nice fantasy, isn’t it?”

“Of course, my dear.”

A soft, warm sigh.

They got up, and returned to the sleigh for the other half of their journey.

*-*

Afterwards, she was feeling a bit restless from staying seated all along, and a bit playful too.

What better then than a malicious snowball fight?

“I hope you don’t plan on doing that, my dear.”

“Oh, come on, Erik! You know it’ll be fun.”

“I refuse. You’ll be drenched, catch your death and break your voice.”

She pouted, and then came to his side.

“Very well,” she said, grumpy.

“We’ll do something else, my dear. How about I…”

Splash!

He stilled.

Felt the cold of the snow ball slowly wet the back of his neck, sipping through his clothes, and turning his blood to ice.

“Got you!” she exclaimed, a cry of delight on her face.

He closed his eyes to escape from the absolute freezing cold, and smirked as well.

“You will be sorry you ever attempted that, my sweet.”

Gods, how she loved the hint of threat and wicked pleasure in his voice.

“Come and get me!” she called out as she ran away to hide behind a tree.

Still, he was fast, and lithe and quick on his feet, and a master at throwing, she found out.

He was never vicious, though, and kept his hands filled with ice to come and touch her delicate, warm cheeks. He threw with accuracy, but never too hard.

Despite it all, he was laughing, and she was laughing, and by the end, they were both wet, freezing cold, and yet red from laughter.

“You win,” she conceded, out of breath as she went back inside.

“It was an even match,” he admitted, joining her in the bedroom where they quickly dried themselves and changed clothes. “You have a very decent curve ball.”

“You surprised me a few times, and you’re bigger than I am, makes for an easier target.”

She went back to the living room, and sat down in front of the fire.

“Still, my dear, I had fun.”

He turned the fire up a little more and held her close on the sofa.

“So did I.”

A snowball fight. Here he was, past forty, discovering something all children had done at least once, in their lives, if they had access to snow. And not bad at all.

One day, perhaps, he would stop feeling so amazed at all the things she urged him on, at all the things he never thought he’d love, and then in fact he did.

*-*

“Join me for a swim?”

“You will not swim much in that pool, my darling.”

“Oh, you got what I meant. Will you?”

“Of course. Go ahead, and I will be right behind you.”

She smiled, and kissed him again, her hand soft as a feather against his scarred cheek. Her eyes burning as the warm embers in their fireplace.

“Don’t be too long, my love.”

There was a little shed next to the Jacuzzi, where they could take off their clothes.

The cold bit her skin every step between the shed and the warm, nearly too hot water, but the sigh of pleasure she let out when she was soaking all good and relaxed in the water was worth it.

Oh, to always feel this warm, the water so delicious against her skin, her face immune to the cold outside.

And she heard him, the rustle of clothes methodically taken off, about to join her, and she was burning again.

No matter how long it’d been since they fell in love, since they made love for the first time, since she saw his body and loved his body with all that she was, she was still this mixture of nervousness and excitement when she knew he would be with her. Her heart beat fast, and her skin was hot from both the water and the passion running inside her veins.

“You’ve kept me waiting,” she purred as he climbed inside the big tub, without the mask or anything else.

“I am so sorry, my dear. What shall I do to be forgiven?” he purred back.

“Mmm.”

He put his arms around her, and nuzzled her neck, lips both warm and cold against her fevered skin.

“Like this, perhaps?”

“Don’t be such a tease,” she moaned, closing her eyes as she gripped his hand, found support on his back.

“I am yours to command, my dear.”

“Be mine,” she whispered.

“As you wish.”

*-*

That night, after their lovely bath, they returned inside to cuddle in front of the fire. She was warm and pleasantly tired, her limbs heavy from exhaustion in the most delicious way.

“I think I’ll go to bed now. Join me when you’re ready.”

She kissed him, slow and lingering, the hint of more lovemaking to come.

“Don’t be too long,” she whispered against his lips.

“I promise I’ll be there in a minute.”

She smiled as she retreated to her room, her sleepy form as always soft and delicate in the firelight.

He settled back with his book, a melody floating inside his brain.

And then the light changed. A whisper outdoor, and he was drawn to the window.

One look, and he was striding to the bedroom, gently tugging her shoulder.

“Come, my dear. I think you’ll want to see this.”

“What?” she whispered as she got up, pulling her night robe over her pajamas.

He took her hand, and pulled her in front of the window.

“Look,” he whispered with a fevered delight.

She did, and held her breath.

Northern lights. The sky full of green and pink, waves of colors striking the deep dark blue.

“We need to go outside. To really see this.”

He nodded, and helped them both getting dressed for the cold.

Hand in hand, they stood right in their meadow, looking at the sky.

It was the strangest feeling, looking at what they’d hoped to find coming here. It was beautiful in pictures or videos, but they could never capture the feeling of it. They both knew very well what it was and why it was that way, but no matter how intellectually they’d researched it, the feeling was more than that curiosity. They couldn’t look away.

To see it with their own eyes, the wind and cold on their cheeks, as they got lost in those gentle rays of colors, the solar wind pulling at the magnetic field of the earth, green and pink and so many nuances, hints of red and blue and purple, in the entire sky overhead, so large and moving fast.

“It looks like the sea, in a way,” she whispered. “If you saw it with color filters.”

“Or the desert and dunes moving.”

She nodded, hugging him tighter. And it wasn’t silent at all, they heard something, like voices, both very high and very low, a chorus whispering only slightly out of reach, like a fevered dream.

Green waves, moving like wind made colors and flesh, and a whispering, the echo of forgotten times. Here time had no emprise, here it seemed nothing had changed for thousands of years.

Humans had been observing them for millennia, and would still marvel about the phenomenon long after they were gone.

“I didn’t think it would feel like this,” she whispered against him.

“I know what you mean”, he said, holding her tighter.

He could understand why people had come here before, and been awed at the display of lights and nature in its most impressive sight.

It truly was magnificent. Something was rising inside of him. It was tugging at their hearts, that melody, aching to be released, but she was the first one to join the heavenly choir; her voice reaching out to grasp at the stars and the beautiful green and purple lights.

And he couldn’t resist himself, his music pouring out of him as the feelings were too strong to be contained.

Communion of minds, bodies and souls, hearts entwined, under these Northern Lights.

Mystical and lovely, ancient and timeless.

They sang for a long time, keeping their eyes of that beautiful landscape, uniting their song in rhythm to the ancient one that had been sung here in this place since the dawn of time.

*-*

An hour later, it was over. The sky had returned black and heavy, filled with stars, galaxies moving across the sea of blue like slow comets waving them hello.

And their hearts were their own again.

For a while, they were silent again, ears still echoing of the beautiful sound.

“I can’t believe we saw them,” he whispered. For once, he was too shaken not to speak first. “It was mesmerizing.”

“I will never get over this experience. Never.”

She stepped back, to return to their house, her hand in his. And after a long wishful look, they went back inside, each carrying a tiny piece of that Art inside of them, inside their hearts, bearing the mark of such a show.

Sprinkled with starlight, it felt. Protected and cherished by an extraterrestrial wind. Reborn out of green lights diamond dust.

*-*

Turning to his books, he began reading to her, entwining one hand in her hair, beautiful golden locks shining in the firelight, the other holding the book. She had her head in his lap, her favorite position, nose in the shirt he’d put on.

She loved nuzzling near his chest, near his heart. Loved to finger the hem of his shirt and play sometimes with the soft hair underneath.

At times, of course, it became too hard to resist, and he would pull her up to kiss her. Most of the time, though, she was the one to throw the book away and pull him down to her lips. Safe to say he never resisted the appeal of his lovely, deliciously sensual wife.

A continuous honeymoon, no matter where they were. A snowy paradise was theirs this year, and they loved it.

“It’s much better than Tahiti, right? At least here we’re never too warm. And no mosquitoes, that’s perfect.”

He wouldn’t contradict her. His life with her was perfect.

And she echoed his feeling.

“Does it get any better than this?” she asked.

She would have cried, from how perfect she felt. How happy, plain and simple.

He felt his heart beating in the same rhythm as hers, her hair soft against his chin. At peace, too.

“I love you,” he simply said.

And she closed her eyes, burning with tears of joy, hugging him just a little tighter.

I hope you liked it!

27 notes · View notes

kyufiber-moved · 6 years ago

Text

siren!san

member: san / ateez

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 3k

summary: you keep dreaming about the same boy, but is it really a dream?

You keep seeing a boy in your dreams.

It’s always the same.

You’re on a rocky seashore. The wind beats waves against the shoreline, spraying water across the rocks, and you can smell the salt in the air. And yet, despite the heavy sea foam and pounding waves, you can see him. Just below the surface, he’s suspended and staring up at you; blinking. His eyes are deep brown, wide with curiosity, and his hair is the color of faded seaweed, strands floating around his face like a watery halo.

As soon as you try to move closer or speak to him, you wake up, there’s cold sweat running down your back and the smell of salt water curiously lingering in your bedroom.

Curiously, because you live at least twenty miles inland.

You attribute it to your overactive imagination.

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve had the dream, and thoughts about the dream have all but left your mind, instead replaced with those of the daily routine.

Until last night.

It — he — is all you can think about after you wake up.

No matter how much Febreeze you spray in your room, the scent of salt water finds its way through, invading your senses.

“Grandma,” you speak in a low tone, almost hoping she doesn’t hear you from where she’s rocking on the other side of the porch.

“Hm?” she responds absentmindedly, hands busy with crochet needles.

“I had the dream again,” you start. “but it was different this time.”

You’re on the same rocky shore, and the waves are battering the rocks more aggressively than ever. You see the water spraying up at you, but you feel nothing besides the breeze running its fingers through your hair.

Your eyes know where to look. He’s always there; this time isn’t any different. But usually, he stays there.

You don’t dare move or speak, not wanting to dream to end so soon.

Something in the back of your mind registers that something is off. Maybe it’s the colors or the waves. Something is different.

The foam clears for just a moment, and there is he, just below the waves.

And then, almost as if in slow motion, he begins moving. Up, up, up, until he breaks the surface. Water droplets cascade in all different directions, slipping down his face and down his bare chest, to his—

The shock almost knocks you off your feet.

He has a tail; a watercolor blend of blues and greens, creating a formless pattern that vaguely reminds you of a messy tie-dye.

You shouldn’t be as dumbstruck as you are, since — you keep telling yourself — this is all just a product of your subconscious. Surely, that’s what it is.

You’re so focused on his tail that you hardly notice he’s moving closer, not until his hands are on the rocks near your feet. You crouch down, your body moving on its own, and find you can’t help but stare at his features up close and not distorted by water.

His hair is dark green, darkened by the water, and every feature seems too perfect to be human.

He reaches for you, fingers trace the side of your cheek, and his touch is startlingly cold.

He draws back.

And then, he’s extending his open hand to you; an invitation.

You know you should be scared, but you aren’t. His eyes fill you with warmth, and so you take his hand.

In a split second, he tugs you into the water, and then you awake with a gasp.

Your grandma pauses to look over at you, eyes serious. “Different how?”

Your hair was soaking wet when you woke up.

“Just... different.”

She sees right through you.

Slowly placing her half-crocheted scarf on the table beside her, she beckons you forward. “Come here,”

Cautiously, you do.

“Don’t listen. Resist the call. They’ll try their best to entice you, but you must resist it, do you hear me?”

You frown. “It’s just a dream, Gran.”

“No, no. You don’t understand, pumpkin. It’s far from being just a dream. You’re having physical responses to your dream you can’t explain, correct? For example, your room smelling like salt water when you wake up.”

A knot of fear twists in your stomach, and you hope she’s pranking you. “How... did you...?”

“It’s real,” she squeezes your hands, and you can see the worry in her eyes. “Whoever you keep seeing. They’re real.”

You shake your head vigorously. “This is ridiculous. How can that be true? Mermaids aren’t—”

“Not mermaids,” she cuts you off, voice quiet. “Sirens.”

The word itself causing the knot to twist even further, and you feel faint nausea tugging at you.

“Y/n, listen to me,” her voice is urgent. “You have siren blood. They always find their own. But absolutely, whatever you do, you cannot give in. Promise me.”

Your thoughts return to that of the mysterious boy — or rather, siren — and how deeply brown and magnetic his eyes were, and the unexplained warmth you felt when you looked into them.

You nod. “I promise.”

Intending on holding to the promise you made to your grandmother, you’ve tried the past few days to distract yourself. And — for the most part — you have.

The buzzing of your phone gets you out of your head.

wooyoungie — 12:12 PM

have u checked the gc??

to: wooyoungie — 12:12 PM

no should i have

wooyoungie — 12:13 PM

yes smh

mingi invited a bunch of us to his family’s beach resort

you in?

You look up from your phone, your eyes glancing off in one direction as your thoughts begin to race.

It’s just a trip with friends that happens to be at the beach, one voice whispers. It’s not like you’re seeking the siren out.

Another, more sensible voice pipes up the back of your mind. This is blatantly breaking the promise you made to your grandmother, it says.

It’s not hurting anyone, and you can’t let your friends down...

You’re putting yourself in danger and breaking trust while you’re at it.

Another ding from your phone jolts you back into reality.

wooyoungie — 12:15 PM

y/n??

Without hesitation, your fingers glide over the keys to form your response.

to: wooyoungie — 12:12 PM

i’m in.

When she asked where you were going, packing up your small suitcase, you told the truth. Well, most of it.

You are going on a trip with friends, and you are going to Mingi’s family resort, but that resort is not in the mountains like your grandmother thinks.

Lying now, are we? The sensible voice speaks up, and you stamp it down, silently justifying that it’s not like you’re seeking the siren out.

Wooyoung nudges you from the adjacent van seat, and you turn from the window to look at him.

“What’s got you all in your head, huh?”

You flash him a cheeky smile. “Just thinking about how I hope I don’t get stuck in a room with you,”

He scoffs, plastering a pout on his face. “Rude. I’m a very good roommate, thank you very much. You wish I’d be your roommate,”

“Sure I do,” You roll your eyes, the corners of your lips quirking up. “I love being woken up at 4 in the morning by your earthquake snores.”

“I don’t—!”

“We’re almost here!” Yunho cuts in from the front, presumably not keen on hearing the two of you start bickering again. “Who’s excited?”

The distraction works, and Wooyoung’s attention flips off of you like a switch.

“Mingi, is the food good? Can I be your roommate? Are they any cute girls? Do our rooms have good views? Are our rooms close to each other?” The questions shoot out of his mouth, rapid-fire.

“Yes, no, ye—”

“Why not?” Wooyoung whines.

“Because,” Mingi coughs, staring out the window. “y/n wasn’t lying when she said you snore,”

“I do not—!”

“Oh, look a cute girl!” Yunho interrupts again, and every one of the other boys’ heads swivels to look out the window.

You can’t help but let out an exasperated sigh.

After what seems like too long, the van finally comes to a stop and the several of you in the car pile out.

You hear Yeosang murmur something that sounds like an awed, “wow,” and the rest of you mimic his sentiments.

Towering palm trees dot the ground, and the landscaping is immaculate, with perfectly trimmed bushes and tropical flowers. Small paths of rocks lead around the sides of the building and straight up to the main entrance. The resort is gorgeous, and you haven’t even seen the inside yet.

Mingi grins, hauling some bags out of the trunk. “Go check in at the front desk and tell them you’re registered under Song Mingi.”

Later that night, you lose the game of rock-paper-scissors and end up sharing a room with Wooyoung, much to your dismay. That being the reason you’re the only left awake, unable to sleep due to the loud grunts and snores coming from Wooyoung’s bed.

After far too long of staring up at the dark ceiling, you finally slide the covers off your bare legs.

Your eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room long ago, so you navigate to the door with ease. Each room is a small hut lining the edge of the beach, and so when you slip out the door, your feet hit the sand.

The moonlight illuminates the shoreline, bouncing off the waves as they ebb and flow. You’re mesmerized for a few moments.

You blink out of your trance and pad quietly down the beach. Your mind wanders, and you don’t even realize you’ve walked at least a mile down the beach until a sound pulls you out of your thoughts.

A splash. Not the gentle lapping of water against sand, but the splash of water spraying against rocks.

You blink and raise your head.

It’s the same beach as the one in your dreams.

You swallow. Partly in fear, partly in disbelief. You must be dreaming; you must be.

Closing your eyes, you squeeze them shut for several seconds, but when you open your eyes, the beach is still there.

Unthinkingly, your gaze wanders to a familiar flat spot just beside the shore. As soon as your eyes find it, the force pulling you forward is stronger than any willpower you have.

One, two, three steps forward. Four.

You can’t help yourself.

There’s an invisible force drawing you closer and closer, and you can’t do anything about it, even if you wanted to.

As you near the rock, a pang of fear grips your chest. One that whispers, if you stand where you stood before, will he be there?

Four steps away.

Will he be there?

Three steps.

Waiting for you?

Two. One.

The hair on your neck stands up straight, and a shiver runs down your spine. Your foot rises, and as soon as it lands on the dark rock, everything goes black.

Your eyes fly open.

You sit up, only to find yourself back in your bed, with the gentle morning sunlight streaming in through the curtains.

Wooyoung is dead to the world, tangled in a heap of covers in his own bed.

Your heartbeat speeds up as the memory of what feels like only moments ago hits you. You aren’t sure if it was a dream or if it was real.

It’s only then that you notice something.

Your own, sandy footprints leading from the door to the bed where you now lay.

Your heart stops.

No matter what you do, you can’t forget about the events of the night before. It seems like a distant dream, and yet everything is so incredibly vivid.

The guys have noticed your change in demeanor; your distance and absentmindedness, and so when you state that you’re going to bed early, none of them stop you.

Knowing that your roommate stays out late into the night, you have no worries of him finding that you aren’t in your bed.

You head straight for the dark beach, purpose in your stride.

You need to remember. You must.

Something is going. It’s right there, and you’re reaching for it. It’s brushing your fingertips, but when you get too close, it’s ripped away.

At first, it was simply curiosity. Now, it’s a hunger.

Why can’t you remember anything from the night before? Who is the boy you keep seeing? Can you even call him a “boy”?

You’re so lost in your thoughts, you don’t realize you’ve reached the rocks until you’re nearly on top of them.

There’s nobody there, just the smooth stone and the faint moonlight peeking between the clouds.

You hesitate, worried that if you take another step forward you might wake up in your bed again.

It’s a battle with yourself, logic battling curiosity. Just as logic is winning, a voice rips you out of your thoughts.

“You’re back.”

Your head shoots up to see someone sitting on the edge of the rocks, staring at you. Him.

You’d recognize his features anywhere, but the voice isn’t quite what you expected. You aren’t sure exactly what you expected.

“You’re probably confused,” he murmurs, eyes wandering. “it’s for your own good. You shouldn’t even be here.”

“What happened last night?”

It bubbles out of your mouth before you can stop it.

“I sent you home. You shouldn’t be here.” He repeats, his eyes steady and unblinking.

“Why shouldn’t I? You’re the one that’s been invading my dreams.”

“It’s my nature. Sirens need their soul partner to keep them alive.”

“Your... what?”

“Soul partner. The human equivalent would be soulmate. For every siren, there’s another siren whose soul is half of theirs. They share one soul, and without their other half, they wither away and die. The only way to find your partner is through dreams.

“But I’m not... I mean... I’m not a siren... right?”

“No. But you have siren blood, meaning you have a siren soulmate.”

Your head reels from all this new information coming at you.

“My—my grandma...” You rub your temples. “she said sirens are dangerous and that I should stay away from them. Why?”

He casts his eyes sideways towards the choppy sea. “Because once you bond with your soulmate, you can’t return to your old life.”

“Then... then how do I have siren blood?”

“Sometimes— very rarely— sirens join their human partner on land.” he murmurs. “They tend to die young, however, as their bodies need the sea.”

A sudden memory washes over you, one from your childhood.

“What happened to Daddy?” a younger you asks, staring up at your mother.

She smiles wistfully and brushes a strand of hair out of your face. “He was sick, baby. He died before you can remember.”

You swallow. “Oh,”

It comes out as a whisper.

“Now, do you understand? Why you should stay away?”

You set your jaw. “Will you die if I do?”

The boy— the siren— studies you, his eyes twinging with something that could be exasperation.

As you two stare each other down, something twinges in your chest. You aren’t quite sure what it is.

Maybe it’s the distant look in his eyes, or the way his damp hair lies on his forehead, or the sharpness of his jawline when it’s set.

“Why do you care if I die?”

“I care about people’s lives,” you reply.

“You’re lying,” he sniffs. “Why do you care if I die?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, the words rise out of your throat before you can stop them. “You’re my other half, and I can’t explain it, but I’m drawn to you. And I don’t know what would happen if you faded away.”

“I do,” he says stubbornly. “You’d get to live a normal human life.”

“You’re acting like you want to die,” you huff, irritated. “I understand the risk perfectly well.”

“Fine.” This time, any trace of teasing is gone. He’s dead serious, and you can feel it. “Come here.”

You quail at the sudden firmness of his voice, and your confidence trickles away. “What’s going to happen? When I... bond with you?”

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not anything like that. You’re going to get into the water and the process will begin. You’ll become a siren.”

“Sirens don’t.... eat people or anything, right?”

He glowers. “Do you want to do this or not?”

You nod.

“You’re sure? You’re leaving behind everyone and everything you know and understand.”

“To save your life.” You nod again.

“You’re lying again,” he shakes his head. “Come here, and get into the water.”

You do.

A hiss escapes your lips at how cold it is, but you’re distracted when the boy appears inches away from you.

“Soon, the cold won’t affect you.” he murmurs, taking a hold of your neck.

His lips touch yours, and although the cold shocks you at first, the feeling that comes after makes you forget everything.

A sense of peace washes over you, and within a split second all the turmoil in your mind floats away. The cold water begins to feel like a warm blanket wrapping around you, swaddling you, and the air begins to feel much too dry on your skin.

An odd feeling begins to take over your legs, making them tingle, and it vaguely registers that you must be becoming a siren.

Your chest feels heavy, the air in your lungs dry. You need water.

And then, the kiss deepens and all of his— San, is his name— memories wash over you, like dreams. An odd feeling takes over your chest; one you can’t pinpoint or name.

After what could be hours or seconds, San pulls away.

You blink, staring into his brown eyes.

He holds out his hand, and you take it. And then you both disappear below the surface.

A newsreel plays on the TV in the quiet grocer. The blonde announcer is saying something about a missing girl.

“—disappeared without a trace on a beach vacation with her friends. Sources say that her behavior had been off before her disappearance, with no obvious reason to why. Police currently have no new leads, but don’t believe there to have been foul play involved— ”

An elderly woman stands at the counter, staring up at the television with a blank stare.

“Ma’am?” The cashier prompts gingerly.

The woman’s attention is shifted from the screen, and a polite smile is plastered onto her face. “Oh, I’m sorry. Just these, is all.”

305 notes · View notes