#merman!connor kenway

[elfven-blog]

I love him so much, I wanna smooch his nose 🤭 the urge to commission again is very strong, I’m just saying if you love assassins creed you should absolutely go for it!

Ram’s Ezio is also 😚👌 Their art is just absolutely amazing!!

Happy mermay to Ratonhnhaké:ton !

Another Fundraiser commission— with finals over I can better make my way through these for sure

If anyone wants to commission to donate to Palestinian causes, check here for how to do it, and check here for more resources

[rea-grimm]

Assassin's Creed A.I. chats

Altair

Gargoyle, Dragon, Genie

Malik

Dullahan

Ezio

Demon, Vampire, Harpy

Leonardo da Vinci

Werewolf

La Volpe

Werefox

Connor Kenway

Wendigo, Werewolf, Minotaur

Edward Kenway

Merman

Arno Dorian

Vampire, Werecat

Jacob Frye

Werewolf, Demon

If you have more ideas on monster creed, let me know

[teecupangel]

Ello \(⁠*⁠꒪⁠ヮ⁠꒪⁠*⁠)\ 💙

[uhh idk if i'm using tumblr correctly-]

I wanted to ask,

If Desmond and his main ancestors or generally any Assassin's creed character [+anyone you want to add], were part marine creatures , what would it be?

[Since i am not tht creative and not really an expert and deeply hands on in Assassin's creed franchise]

I'm just interested in your and anyone's opinions really-

Plus since it's May and I just found out about the mermay challenge aaand I am currently havin the biggest art block ever [help me], maybe I could take somethin out of this idea and draw it :D

[cuz I could feel myself slowly becomin restless- srsly help me--]

[and i don't even know if you had answered this qns before. [sht, srry if you did alr]]

I haven’t exactly been asked about what marine creature would Desmond and the others would partly be before but I had been asked about a merman!Desmond before and my mind got away with me in this one

From there, there’s the selkie AU from @twitcherpated that brought to life this little Ibn-La'Ahad Selkie AU

Now, as for my thoughts on which marine creature they could partly be:

Desmond:

A part of me wants to say angel fish because he’s our angel (awwww) and also because angel fishes have bright colors. But, I know this might be a bit ‘wtf?’ but, how about an anglerfish? (and no, this is not an "I can be your angle..." joke) I know they have a bad rap for being, well, not really pretty, but if it’s a human top-fishy bottom deal, look at this photo of an angler fish and focus on the bottom half.

It’s a distinct look, for sure, which worked well with how ‘special’ Desmond is to the eyes of the Isus and the way its fin glows is a nice-ish callback to how the Reader glows in AC Valhalla. You can even make the latern-like antenna be part of his bottom part as some kind of tail.

If the angler fish is not to your liking, how about the Mariana Hadal Snailfish? They’re known to be strong enough to withstand lots of ‘abuse’ and they have wing-like fins as well (they don’t glide/fly though as they’re in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench).

Honestly, for me, marine animals that glow are a good match for Desmond. (Glowing marine animals in the deeper parts would also work well for the Isus and making Desmond be one of them would show his ‘deep’ connection with them)

Altaïr:

Altaïr’s probably the easiest to think about for me. Since his name doesn’t just mean eagle but ‘soaring/flying eagle’, it’s gotta be the flying fish (even if they just glide).

If you want him to have fuller wings though and don’t mind basing it on extinct animals, the Thoracopteridae is usually described like this.

Ezio:

Okay, let’s get this out of the way. Ezio would be one of the prettiest ones out there, like a beautifully patterned goby or, if you really want to make him fabulous, a betta fish and, honestly, any of those fishes would work. I am a sucker for koi though, especially a white and red patterned koi that would remind us of his mentor robes in Brotherhood.

Alternate suggestion would be a Leafy Seadragon because, goddamn, just imagine Ezio swimming like he’s sashaying with that kind of bottom. It’s definitely eyecatching.

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

Ratonhnhaké:ton would make an awesome orca. It’s one of the best predators in the ocean and their closeness with their fellow orcas will be a good show of how much Ratonhnhaké:ton treasure his people. An apex predator that deserves respect is definitely a good combination to a part-marine Ratonhnhaké:ton.

My alternate suggestion would be a Lionfish though. Mainly because it’s beautiful and metal af. They move with grace but a certain deadliness to them that reminds me of Ratonhnhaké:ton.

[piparkukke]

Mermay in Russian AC-ask-blog

Lineart on paper, digital colouring 

[artemisferris09]

Assassin's Creed Masterlist

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Dating Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad will Include (upcoming)

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Losing Your Memory (upcoming)

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Dating Ezio Auditore will Include (upcoming)

His Tesoro (upcoming)

Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Edward Kenway

The Two Pirate Captains (upcoming)

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

The Merman and his Pirate Captain (upcoming)

Dating Edward Kenway will Include (upcoming)

Alexios

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Jacob Frye

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Dating Jacob Frye will Include (upcoming)

Arno Dorian

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Dating Arno Dorian will Include (upcoming)

Shay Cormac

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

The Possessive Templar and His Little Assassin (upcoming)

Bayek of Siwa

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

Haytham Kenway

Being the soulmate of the Assassins/Templars but are centuries apart from each other and their reactions (upcoming)

[elfven-blog]

Complacent (2)

Summary: It's the prison break scene from the game! But with more water!

Orca!Merman!Connor Kenway x Reader A mini series.

CW: Connor in too small a tank again (But not for long!)

Dedication: Still to the lovely @ramshackledtrickster (who I also commissioned for the art of Ratonhnhake:ton in this chapter)

Word count: 1.5K

You didn’t realise just how hard it would actually be to get the large merman out of his enclosure. Had spent hours agonising over plans to get Ratonhnhakè:ton out of that aquarium. (and possibly still keep your job)

At some point you’d managed to get in contact with people from other aquariums, or those who didn’t agree with what was happening. There was even some captain who had been involved in the capturing of them.

He had told the story of the hunting trips he’s been on, how the eyes of the merfolk had haunted him so much he’d nearly drank himself to death. How that was when he knew he needed to do something to help.

Captain Faulkner had agreed to help you, if you needed his boat to get Connor out and where he needed to go. He also happened to own a rather large lorry that you had been trying to figure out how to turn into a tank.

If you could get the large Orca out of his enclosure and into the lorry. You could get him to the ocean.

But it was very difficult to try and make a plan when said Orca kept trying to have all of your attention. At some point the director had put a stop to your visits to Connor’s enclosure and had some other keeper cover for his main ones when they couldn’t be there.

And Ratonhnhake:ton had decided to show his displeasure and protest by refusing to eat. He also was rarely surfacing at this point, his keepers had tried everything. Which had resulted in him nearly biting someone, not that you thought he would, he probably just bared his teeth and snarled.

Now you had the rest of the plan sorted. You just had to figure out how to get him out. It was your day off and you were ‘visiting’ the aquarium as a guest with your friend, Desmond. All under the guise of getting some kind of an idea.

Ratonhnhake:ton was still not available for the public, which was good for you, but unfortunately meant as you weren’t on schedule that you couldn’t technically go see him. Luckily for you, Desmond had a penchant for getting into places he wasn’t meant to be.

And the moment you had told him about the large merman it was like a fire was lit under his ass and he almost demanded to be involved in your plan. 

Your eyes shifted around to make sure no one was watching as Desmond messed with the lock on the door. He had been worried about the cameras but rolled his eyes and let out “oh of course!” when you told him they didn’t actually work, they were just there to scare potential thieves.

It took him less than a minute to open the door as you looked at him in wonder, your mouth open and eyes blinking slowly. Desmond shrugged as he closed your mouth “You might catch flies you know?” 

His words made you roll your eyes as you gently swatted his arm before walking through the door, you could see his scarred lip twitch upwards as you both began walking through the hallway to where Connor’s enclosure was. The man behind you is practically bouncing off the walls in his excitement.

You pause as you open the door at the end of the ‘kitchen’ where you prepare the food, turning to Desmond with narrowed eyes “Don’t get too close” as you step through the threshold.

Desmond stayed in the outer area, watching and waiting. His own eyes narrowed with that familiar protective glint in his eyes. He couldn’t help but be protective, you had known each other since you were young and from everything he had read (and that you had spewed in your rants about the director lately) merfolk could be dangerous.

At first it was like there was nothing in the water, reminding you of the first time you’d ever entered the enclosure. You kneeled down at the water's edge, peering over and into what felt like an endless void. Your nose scrunched up, the corners of your lips turning down at the state of the pool. 

The water had grown dark and murky, you could see algae building up on the glass on the other side and you we’re almost positive that the water hadn't changed. 

Desmond cocked his head as he watched your eyes almost double in size, he knew that look. It was the same one you always got when you had an idea. 

Your hand reached out to pat the water making a small ripple around your palm, nothing happened for a moment and then a large hand touched your palm. Fingers curling around your own as something large took shape under the water, until you were pushed backwards by Ratonhnhake:ton emerging.

His eyes flicked to Desmond, who held his hands up and tried to disappear against the wall. The merman was distracted when your hand tugged his own and his eyes were quick to turn their focus back to you “Ignore him, he’s here to help”

“Help?” he repeated in that rumbling voice that seemed to echo without actually producing the echo. Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you gave him a short nod.

“Your water hasn’t been cleaned in some time, I shall have to push for it” the look in your eye seg something off in Connor’s stomach, it seemed dangerous and therefore all the more exciting. His hand let go of your own, finding their place either side of your legs as his eyebrow raised. 

“I haven’t let them, I don’t like the small water” He seemed offended at the noise you made, halfway between a snort and a laugh. His hand swatted at your leg for the crime of laughing at him. 

He, of course, meant the temporary cleaning tank used while the main pool was cleaned. “You’ll have to bear with it for a while, it’s your only way out” Conor took a deep breath and released it with a growl before nodding his head.

“Fine, if I am free of this place then I will deal with it” Your arms reached up to wrap around his broad shoulders in a hug. Barely able to hug him properly even as his own arms wrapped around you “Only this once”

It was all planned. The beginning had started.

The Director had been easily convinced that his ‘star attraction’ needed cleaning, and when Ratonhnhake:ton had been moved into his temporary home, which is meant to last for a few hours at most, they drained the pool.

Only for (shock horror and gasps all around) the realisation that the pool needed a good long soak. Which meant that Ratonhnhake:ton needed transportation to a nearby aquarium with enough space.

Which led to you and Desmond waiting with Captain Faulkner at a lorry stop. You had managed to talk to the lorry driver hired to take Connor, convinced him that there had been a change of plan and that about half way the lorries would be swapped.

You couldn’t believe that the driver had brought it.

But your heart almost stopped as you saw the driver pull in, Robert choked up a coughing fit as he saw it. Letting out a ‘Damn me, it worked’ as all three of you watched the truck stop.

Changing over cabins seemed easy from where you were, you smiled and thanked the driver while wearing your uniform. Making it all seem more official just to dissolve any of the questions that the driver would have.

Once his lorry was out of sight, Faulkner locked you in the back where the Orca was being held and the two got in the front. Heading to their destination where the boat was docked. Heading towards Ratonhnhake:ton’s freedom.

Your hands settled onto the glass as you gave him the softest smile you could. He looked so small and cramped in the tank compared to the pool. You couldn’t help but wonder how he looked in the ocean, something you hoped you got to see before you both departed ways.

“We’re nearly there, just a little longer” His eyes opened at the sound of your voice, one of his own hands placing against the glass with yours. Oh how sad his eyes seemed, there was excitement there too but it seemed overshadowed by the profound sadness. 

His other arm wrapped around his waist, hand placed right above his hip and his tail seemed to curl up. Well not quite curl it was more that he had been forced into a foetal position. Now you understand why he didn’t like the ‘small water’ as he called it.

“You’ll be able to stretch out soon, before you know it, Bull” you used the nickname in hopes of bringing him a smile even if it was small but all that happened was he turned his head and closed his eyes. Head buried against his bicep.

[elfven-blog]

Complacent (3)

Summary: The storm's not over yet (ba dum tshh)

Orca!Merman!Connor Kenway x Reader A mini series. (The semi-finale)

CW: Storm, drowning

Dedication: Everybody thank @ramshackledtrickster who we all love very much for their art and amazing au!

Word count: 1.1K

When you finally made it to the dock the sky had gone dark, the stars in full view as you stepped out the back of the truck. You took a deep breath of the fresh air and rolled your neck while you stretched. If you felt like this you couldn’t imagine how Connor felt in that tank. Faulkner’s crew pulled said tank out with their machinery and got it latched onto the ship, securing it before you came aboard. Desmond parted ways here, hugging you and forcing you to promise you’d be back safe and sound after seeing this through. 

You stood next to the tank as the ship left dock, fingers drumming against the glass which seemed to attract the merman’s attention. His fist knocking so that you’d turn towards him, and when you did you saw him in a way you never had before. Sure he had smiled, grinned and laughed in your company but nothing like this. It was like everything from the past few months was nothing but a fantasy. Like his nightmare was finally over, there was a light in his eyes that you hadn’t even realised had been missing but now that it was there? You never wanted to see him without it again.

“Nearly there, big boy” you said with your own matching smile, your words had his eyes narrowed and his brow raised before he rolled your eyes at your teasing. As the ship made it to open waters, your head turned up to the dark sky and Ratonhnhake:ton rolled himself over in the water so that he was facing the stars too. You spent some time telling him about the constellations and in return he whispered about his own people’s belief, and all the stories he had about his time under the stars.

Ratonhnhake:ton seemed restless in the tank, you had tried to get him to speak to you but his answers were only glares and banging on the glass.

“We won’t be near for a few days!” you had told him, trying to explain that you were still miles away from where his homestead was. That the village wasn’t any closer, and that you were still too far out for him to be able to find his way.

This answer seemed to only anger him, his tail flicking and smacking against the sides. You were sure he was snarling and making those popping sounds you’d only heard him do when the director had been around. 

At one point his frustration had gotten you annoyed, you understood. He was restless, he wanted to be home but you wanted him safe. Why wouldn’t he just calm down a bit? It wouldn’t be long and you could let him out, he could swim back and you wouldn’t know where the village is. As was part of your agreement.

A few days later, you were talking to him again and noticed that his eyes weren’t on you. He was looking past you, staring at something in the difference. His hands clawing at the glass and his tail twitching as his nose wrinkled.

You turned around to see what he was looking at, your stomach sinking as you finally realised why he was so on edge. Darkened clouds rolling closer and rough waves entered your vision before you looked back at Ratonhnhake:ton “We need to get you out the tank”

It took mere seconds for the rain to pelt down onto the ship, the crew working to keep steady but you were far more focused on getting the tank opened. The glass had already started to shake and Connor was getting more and more panicked as he slammed his hands against the sides. “Stop slamming! You’ll make it worse” but he couldn’t hear you over the sound of the wind and rain.

The Orca just wasn’t listening as you tried to pull the latches but the rain had made them extra slippery and it took more time than you wanted for you to pull the lid open, sliding it off until it crashed the other side. The boat tipped causing you to hold onto the tank, and as it tipped the water soaked your clothes, Ratonhnhake:ton spilled out with it until he was on the deck. The boat righted itself for a moment but still rocked and for a moment he stayed there until you were next to him on your knees, hands pushing against his hip and bicep as you tried to get him to move.

“Go! Go!” he could barely hear your shouts over the storm but the look in your eyes and how hard you were trying to move him told Connor all he needed to know. He managed to roll himself over and started using his hands to try and get closer to the edge of the boat, using anything he could to pull himself but it was difficult to do with the boat rocking. 

When it tipped again he managed to grab hold of the railings and pull himself over, you latched onto something close, your hands curling around the rope as you watched his black and white tail go overboard. Then his head popped back up as he waved his hand for you to come over to him, you would have. You should have. 

But instead you shook your head, you just couldn’t. His eyes seemed sad now. Connor gave you a single nod before he was back beneath the waves, and you stood up slowly. Carefully begin to make your way beneath the deck, to the safety and sanctity of the inside.

You cried out as the boat tipped. Gasping as the railings hit your stomach, knocking any breath in your lungs out of you as you fell over the slippery metal. Your hands tried to grip and hold on before the battering of the rain and the water on your hands meant you found no perch.

People had already gotten below deck or managed to find something to hold on. None of them near you which meant you slipped beneath the violent waves with no hope.

Your eyelids felt heavier and heavier as you sunk, your body like led even as your mind screamed at you to move. To swim upwards and get your head above the wave. You just couldn’t do it. Then your eyelids were too heavy, your internal monologue screaming at you to not close them.

There was surely water in your lungs by now. You certainly felt like there was some in your mouth. That horrible tang of saltwater, the pressure of the ocean pushing you further down. 

The world seemed to fade around you, mind still screaming at you and blood rushing past your ears, managing to drown out the sounds of the tempest above. It was so peaceful beneath the waves, the violence of the storm having no effect on what lay below.

With your consciousness slipping away, you were sure the feeling of something wrapping around your waist and holding your head into something hard was your imagination.

Perhaps death’s cold and final embrace.

[elfven-blog]

Complacent (1)

Summary: You meet the new attraction at your aquarium job. Orca!Merman!Connor Kenway x Reader A mini series. CW: Connor in too small a tank/being held against his will. Dedication: Credit to the lovely @ramshackledtrickster who gave me permission to make a fanfic based on their art (You should absolutely check them out, they're amazing) Word count: 2.3K

You had been working at the aquarium for a little while now. You didn’t necessarily enjoy the job, it was just a job. And yes maybe you felt a little guilty when you saw some of the animals in their enclosures, but especially the poor merman. When the merfolk were discovered it was like some mad dash to get the last toilet rolls at the supermarket. You knew nearly everyone in the aquarium was disgusted with the Director who said he had brought one, the building didn’t have room for such a creature. The biggest marine life you housed were black tip reef sharks and jellyfish.

And unfortunately, so many of them were captured. But you had also heard many of them escaped. So here you were cutting up the bits of fish for some of the animals, your nose scrunching in disgust at the smell and you swore the gloves weren’t working to stop the blood from coating your hands as you practically threw it in the bucket. 

Normally you weren’t the one duty for the ‘bigger’ animals, you tended to the fish in the tunnel and the rock pools. But one of the aquarists had to go home because they’d cut themselves on some rocks, and no one really knew how the merman would react to blood. You carefully picked up the bucket and made your way to the door that closed off the merman’s feeding area. Nerves pricked at your skin, even though you’d been told plenty by everyone else that all he’d do was watch you place the bucket and he wouldn’t eat until you leave.

Your hands shook as you pressed your id to the door and pushed it open. The bright lights of the inside area cause you to flinch and squint your eyes. As your eyes adjusted you looked around while stepping into the inside enclosure, taking a deep breath to settle your nerves and almost immediately regretting it as you smelt the fish in the bucket you were holding. And you swore you heard someone laugh as you gagged and held the bucket away from you before there was a splash and your attention was back on the big pool of water in front of you.

You took very careful steps towards the edge of the water, you hadn’t seen the creature yet. Only a few had. He hadn’t even been shown to the public, the Director wanted the public to settle down first. There were still plenty of protests and government talks happening about whether this was okay. You didn’t tell them that you’d been keeping an eye on it all, you didn’t want to lose your job. Not in this economy.

The water didn’t move, entirely serene and you thought for a moment you had imagined the splash. You were so focused you didn’t notice the head slipping out the water and the eyes watching you until a deep rumble filled the room and you nearly slipped into the water “You’re not the normal one they send” It sounds almost like an accusation.

Your eyes widen as you turn towards where the voice came from. They hadn’t told you he could talk. They hadn’t told you he could talk. Your mouth hung open as you tried to process what you’d just heard. And the creature…the man? Raised an eyebrow at your reaction, eyes glancing down at the bucket in your hand and you didn’t miss the look of disgust in his own eyes.

“Do you not like fish?” The words slipped out before you could stop them, and the merman narrowed his eyes at you before he turned from you so he could dive back into the water. Your eyes watching the black tail slide out the water before disappearing, the white patch underneath visible for all of a few seconds. The bucket in your hand felt almost useless now, he obviously did not like the fish…maybe because it was raw you thought. But you left it there for him, right at the edge of the pool just in case you were wrong.

And that night when your shift finished, you found yourself searching about orcas and their eating habits. From the pattern on his tail you thought he might be a ‘transient orca’ (you didn’t even know there were different kinds), and no. They didn’t eat fish.

Which meant the aquarium had been feeding this more man things his body probably wasn’t meant to have. And from what you saw, he was quite large. The pool was probably too small for him. The guilt of him being there felt like it was eating at you. It wasn’t like you had put him there, but by feeding him the wrong things, by not advocating for him, were you not just as bad? The thoughts didn’t leave your mind as you continued your research.

That was your first encounter with the Orca. You didn’t have much interaction with him beyond that, after all he had his own keepers. And you had your own animals? No, that word didn’t quite fit him. 

But sometimes you found yourself outside his tank when you’d get in for an early shift, or after the aquarium was closed to the public and you were on night duty. You couldn’t help yourself. You’d just stand there and watch the water. The water that was too bright you’d discovered on one of your researching nights, too bright and too warm. Apparently Orca’s preferred slightly colder water.

Tonight was one of those nights. The aquarium wasn’t too scary once everyone but the keepers and janitors were around. The lights above his tank were dimmed, trying to give some illusion of darkness but it didn’t really work. Your eyes could only make out so far, the water murky in the dark.

The sound of something smacking against the glass caused you to jump, and then you saw the black and white tail moving against the glass leading you to look up. And there he was. Grinning down at you, clearly pleased at himself for scaring you like that.

Your brow quirked up as you shook your head at him. Something you had discovered was that he really enjoyed scaring people when he could. You’d heard a story a few days ago about him grabbing the ankle of one of the keepers, completely freaking him out so that he had to go home.

“You come here a lot, but you’re not one of them” The rumble of his voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you shrugged at his words. You did come here a lot. Maybe it was a fascination for something new, or maybe it was that tug of your heart with how pitiful? No. Guilty. You felt no end of guilt at how he was trapped in a too small tank when he should be elsewhere. 

He seemed more calm that day, you realised as you settled yourself on the edge of the tank. Your shoes next to you and your uniform pants rolled up so you could deep your feet into the water. “No I’m not, I work in the rock pools”. Your leg jerked slightly at the feeling of his hands wrapping around your ankles, the glare he gave you as he bobbed out the water made you give him a small smile and apologise. 

He lifted your leg causing you to balance yourself backwards against the platform beneath you, his hands slightly squeezing your leg as he touched the skin. His brow furrowed for a moment before he shrugged and dropped your leg back into the water with a small splash, no longer interested in your limbs at the discovery that it felt like his human parts. “The rock pools?” he asked, confusion showing on his face “Like those tiny bits of water that crabs live in?”

The way he spoke about your job had you pursing your lips while nodding, you hadn't expected to be judged by the marine creature. Instead of listening to someone being harsh on your job, you changed the subject “Do you have a name?” You asked quickly, the Orca raising his brow at your sudden change of subject but he didn’t call you out on it.

He moved to pull himself out of the pool, something you had seen him do a few times and each time it reminded you of how much larger he actually was. And you wondered if he’d let you measure him.Even with part of him out of the water, his large tail still swishes under the water sometimes brushing up against your leg. The skin on his tail felt slightly weird, a little rubbery if you were honest.

Once he had finished pulling himself onto the platform, he turned over onto his back and lay down, his nose scrunching as his eyes closed. His way of basking in this artificial light he had told you once, it was nothing like actual basking but it was all he had. You had almost forgotten about the question you asked until the deep rumble of his voice answered “Ratonhnhaké:ton” the name was a mix of human languages and clicks, one of his eyes opening to look at you as you looked at him, brow furrowed “You can call me Connor if it’s easier”.

Maybe that was the day you decided to do something about him. The day he told you both the name his mother had given him, and the one a mentor had. 

You had signed petitions, gone to protests and donated money to try and help ban the use of merfolk in aquariums but none of it seemed to do anything, and the Director was starting to get ready to advertise his new ‘attraction’. You had seen the posters. So now you were trying to think of some way that would let him escape, Connor had told you about the times he’d gotten out of fishing nets and gotten some of the villages’ calves out of trouble.

The sea churned in front of you as you stared out at it, biting at your nails as your eyes narrowed. Hundreds of ideas floating into your mind. Each one seemed crazier than the next. You were only pulled from your thoughts when a large hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged you backwards causing you to turn and grunt and in surprise.

The man grinning at you as he pulled you towards the water, half of his body pulled onto the platform but it slipped slowly back into the lukewarm pool as he pulled you with him. He had you in the water pretty quickly, your arms moving to wrap around his shoulders as one of his wrapped around your waist “Stop thinking” he whispered against your ear. Part of you swears you feel him purr against you.

You tried to untangle yourself from him but he swam away from the edge of the platform until you were in the middle of the pool, your eyes wide as you pressed yourself closer to him “There are other ways to distract me! That does not involve forcing me into the water” you snap at him, and Connor only gently pinches you in response.

“It’s not like you’ll drown” his arm tightens around you “I wouldn’t allow a cow to drown, I’m not that mean” His words have you scrunching your nose, an annoyed noise leaving you as your legs gently kick at the water. Although your annoyance halted in its tracks at the new word.

“Cow? Like a cow?” This time it was Connor who was confused, his head turning to the side. His brow twitching slightly as he looked at you. The hand on your waist dimpled the bit of fat on your hips as he looked at you like you were insane, his eyes only widening further as you repeated “Like ‘moooo’ cow?” 

His arm loosened around you as you made the noise of a cow, his face scrunching into a disgruntled look as his tail flicked in annoyance. “What is a ‘moo’ cow?” Even his tone shows his annoyance at your question, the playful grin gone from his face as he tries to learn what you mean. And it takes you a little while to explain about bovines to the orca, who in turn does tell you that Orca’s call themselves similar things.

But now he can’t escape your teasing of calling him ‘Bull’, which results in you getting splashed more often. Both of you ignore how when he has you swimming with him, he purrs when you call him that. His chest vibrates against you as his nose huffs at your hair. Connor has become more and more relaxed around you, his hands often pulling and situating you how he wants. Whether that is pulling you into the water to swim with him, or pulling you on top of him white he basks.

His favourite thing it appears is when you straddle him so that you can clean his tail and fins, his body practically shaking with how loud he purrs while your hands are picking off whatever is on his dorsal fin. “I’ve decided to commit a possible crime” One of Connor’s eyes open to look up at you with a lazy hum, his tail gently splashing the water keeps himself wet “And what crime would that be?” he asks, the way he speaks shows you the comfort he feels and how his entire body has relaxed under your gentle grooming. Lately he’s been less agitated at being stuck in the tank, more relaxed. Less resistant. It worries you, makes you concerned that he’s getting complacent.

“I’m going to aid in an Aquarium break” That has his attention, both of his eyes opening and he pushes himself to sit up until you slide down to where his tail and abdomen meet. The large merman grins down at you with nearly all his teeth showing, that feral excitement gleaming in his eye. Maybe you didn’t need to be so worried about him being complacent.

[sebby-jellygrace]

Little merman Haytham