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51lly-c3d4r · 16 days ago

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Day 2: Secure

(I'm still not two days behind no way) And here we are with a continuation of the borrower au!

Word count: 2.4k

CW: none!

I broke the one rule I had set up for myself when Kieran found me. That I wasn’t going to be around him all the time. A borrower had to be independent, after all. I had tried for about a week. Kieran didn't seem to care if I was talking to him or not. To be honest I didn’t know how to feel about that. Either he didn’t care about me as much as I thought, or he just wanted me to feel like I still had freedom around him. Every time I tried to go borrowing though, it just felt weird knowing that he knew I was borrowing from him.

So, after a week of mixed feelings of wanting to become friends with a very dangerous and erratic human, and not wanting to become friends, I finally realized that there were a lot more benefits to actually talking and hanging out with Kieran than there were disadvantages. It took a few days to actually work up the courage to be around him. And here we are now, breaking the one rule I had set for myself. Now I was just a weak, pathetic borrower who was practically being taken care of by a human.

I sat on the coffee table by the sofa Kieran was sitting on, watching the television. My bag was strapped around me. My clothes felt a little dirty, and usually I’d go and find a few clothes that the human had forgotten about, but since Kieran knows about me I was afraid he would get angry if I cut out a hole in one of his shirts. Not to mention that he seems to keep a strict wardrobe. He’d definitely get angry with me. Asking was way out of the question too.

“Why do you like watching this?” I nearly gagged at the screen that was showing a gruesome scene of someone being murdered. Kieran shrugged his shoulders, “It doesn’t even look real. I mean, how are you going to break someone’s leg that easily?” He gestured towards the TV that was literally screaming. I winced and turned away, standing up and hooking my paperclip to the edge of the table. What humans called… “Horror” movies were definitely not made for me. I don’t understand how someone could like watching something so scary. I shuddered, about to climb down the table before Kieran called my name.

“Where are you going?” he tilted his head. I could tell he was curious, but I knew he wouldn’t do anything to stop me. He hasn’t ever. Not even try to grab me. He mentioned to me countless times that he didn’t mind me walking around the place and if I needed anything he'd get it for me. I hated asking for help, but I would make the exception if it meant I could live to see another day. I haven’t missed a single mealtime because of the food he leaves out, and since I didn’t have to be cautious of him as much, borrowing trips weren’t hard at all.

“Just gonna get food,” I muttered, fidgeting with my hands before starting down the rope. He nodded his head and turned back towards the TV.

And just like that, he let me go. He didn’t seem to care if I didn’t come back either. Sometimes when I left without saying a word he’d just clean up whatever he was doing before heading to his room. I was still terrified to walk in, which was why I always left before he decided to go there. It was his own business anyway. Sure I may need a few things from there soon but I’m sure if I asked for a new piece of string and paperclip he’d be fine with it. Maybe. I was still unsure about asking him for things.

I rushed over to the counter again, seeing that a few small snacks were lying on the top waiting for me. Thanks to Kieran I had a full stomach every night. Something that was extremely rare. I felt bad for exploiting his kindness so much, but I’ve never felt this good in my entire life.

Once on the counter, I walked over to what he called a pop-tart and grabbed a small piece. It was sweet and extremely delicious. Like the rest of everything he’s left out for me. The jam filling was sticky and I hated it being on my hands but it was worth it for the taste.

I finished the small piece I grabbed and started down the string again. I’ve learned my lesson about trying to go fast, and frankly, I was too scared to try something like that again so slow and steady it was until I felt comfortable again. I winced at the awkward memory of getting tangled up and unavoidably getting untangled by Kieran. I’m still glad that he let me go. Sure I’ve been hanging around him more often than I had originally promised myself not to and kind of like it, I was still absolutely terrified of him. Not that I’d like to be, but it was just like my instincts didn’t trust him one bit.

I shrugged it all off, telling myself that one day I’d get over it. When I walked back into the living room, the TV was turned off. Kieran was putting things away and folding the blanket he had covered himself with. Even if it was summer and scorching hot, he claimed that it was still too cold for him. Again, this guy was crazy.

Kieran sighed before walking around the couch and stopped in his tracks when he spotted me. I gripped my bag strap tighter, trying not to make it obvious that he was intimidating. My heart started to race, calming down a little when he crouched down and studied me. Well, this was different. Usually when he spotted me on the floor he’d smile and go back to what he was doing until I decided to bother him. Maybe I should stop doing that so I don’t end up on the receiving end of one of his lashouts.

“Hey, how do you get your clothes?” He whispered. For someone with tons of extremely scary and intimidating jewelry all over his face, it was still a shock at how gentle and soft he could be when speaking and handling things. Though, the question had me stumped. Do I tell the truth? Will he think that I stole from him? But if I lied and he found out he might get angry… Well, I’d rather choose the safer route.

“U-um. Just o-old clothes that aren’t used.” I fidgeted under his gaze, a shiver running down my spine at the eerie silence.

“I can make a few clothes for you if you’d like.” He offered so casually. What? Make? Why would he go through so much just to provide for me? I could make my own if he gave me a little bit of the cloth and fabric he brings back home. Sure it’d be poorly made but at least it’d last for a while.

I didn’t reply, biting my lip out of nervousness. Kieran would really try to make clothes for me? Wouldn't it be hard because of how small I was compared to him? Maybe just barely two inches tall. I feel like it’d be a little too hard. What if he gets frustrated and gets mad? What would I even do then?

Kieran rolled his eyes, “C’mon you took too long to answer.” When his hand reached for me my instincts kicked in as I pointed my paperclip at him. We both paused, my chest heaving up and down rapidly at what I was doing. I winced and slowly lowered the paperclip as he flipped his hand palm up for me. My heart dropped. I didn’t mean to react that way. Now he was probably upset with me. The feeling didn’t sit right with me.

I very hesitantly climbed on, trying not to move too much in case it bothered him. He’s only ever held me one other time and that was when we first met. So this was new to the both of us. Kieran stared, a little bit of awe showing before he stood up carefully and started walking towards his room. I settled safely in the dip of his palm, watching what would’ve taken me five minutes to walk to only take a few steps for Kieran. Sometimes I wish I were human. He reached for the door handle with his free hand and opened the door.

The room I was so scared of before wasn’t nearly as horrifying as I thought it’d be. His bed was up against the corner with millions of posters lining the walls, even some on the ceiling above. On the edge of the ceiling, there were these tiny little lights that glowed. In another corner there was a large desk with tons of fabric sprawled everywhere along with string and tons of needles and a weird machine thing. What really caught my eye was the large rack and shelf filled with tons of supplies and different colored fabrics that all seemed to be different materials.

Kieran chuckled before closing the door behind him and walking over to the rack with what seemed like millions of fabrics.

“What’s your favorite color?” I jumped at how close his voice was, turning around and looking up as he scanned the rack for a few things.

“Purple.” I replied, watching as he reached for a small piece and a few others, and turned to me like he was deep in thought. I fidgeted again, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down, flinching when I was lifted a little bit higher.

“I… don’t have anywhere to safely put you. Would you be alright just sitting on my shoulder or something?” My entire body froze. Holding me was already a lot for me. Sitting on his shoulder willingly with barely anything keeping me from falling? That seemed a little too much. What if he moved too much and I flew backwards? I doubt he’d catch me in time before I go splat right on the floor. Or what if I accidentally slip? I was extremely clumsy.

My inability to say no had the better of me as I nodded my head and was very slowly tilted onto his shoulder. I yelped, my legs shaking the second I landed and grabbed onto the collar of his shirt tightly to make sure I didn’t fall off. I winced quietly, slowly starting to sit down, only then noticing his hand ready to catch me if I fell off. My heart warmed up at the gesture and trembled as I stared forward. The whole world seemed so much different at this height. It felt like I could take on the world, and yet somehow I couldn’t interact with any of it.

Kieran carefully walked over to his desk and sat down. My grip tightened on the collar of his plaid overcoat. When I looked down, I saw the drop and whimpered quietly, turning my head to face something else. I tried finding something. Anything, only focusing on the different colored fabrics being laid on the desk. The sharp objects. I swallowed hard before taking deep breaths. He wouldn’t use those on me.

“You okay?” Kieran asked, folding the dark purple fabric and grabbing a pencil. I nodded my head forgetting that he couldn’t see me from this angle.

“Uh- yeah.” My voice was quiet as I focused on his process. Drawing it out. Cutting, using needles to hold a few pieces together. Stitching up different colors and folding a few more. Struggling at some points when the needles wouldn’t cooperate with them. Everytime he sighed or groaned I’d flinch and I couldn’t help but catch the subtle glances he’d steal.

I didn’t know how long I sat there watching. My eyes grew heavy. I could barely hold them open anymore. Every time I closed my eyes I ended up letting go of his collar and nearly fell off if I hadn’t caught myself in time. It was late. Kieran was doing some final touches, or at least that’s what he had told me. But that was forever ago. I had no idea anymore.

My eyes started closing again, I felt myself slipping but I couldn’t grab on again before I was entirely falling. I yelped before I realized what was going on. Next thing I knew I was squished between Kieran’s hand and chest. My eyes were wide with fear, my own heartbeat ringing through my ears, my limbs shaking as I tried to push away. This was crazy. I was stupid to even stay. I should’ve told him I was tired or something. He would’ve let me leave. Right? He’s been so understanding so far.

“You’ve really gotta stop falling little guy.” He chuckled before scooping me back up into his palm. I grabbed a fistful of my shirt, trying to grab my heart. Everything was spinning for a moment before my vision grew back to normal. I groaned, laying down involuntarily. My body was too exhausted to stay up any later. I knew Kieran stayed up late most days, but it was hard to stay awake for him. I was too tired to even care that I was still being held.

“Oh.” He muttered faintly. His hand was so warm despite him saying that he was cold all the time. I could practically melt in it if I were able to. Something warm grazed my back gently. I flinched, but if I were being honest it felt nice. Just some extra warmth. I snuggled closer to his palm, unaware of the somewhat startled human holding me.

There was a quiet chuckle before the warm touch against my back returned. I flinched every so often, peeking my eyes out to blurrily see Kieran hold me a little closer, “Sorry for keeping you up, Devon.” He sighed through his nose.

I sighed, accepting my fate. Even if I asked to go back to my home, I don’t think my sleep-deprived body would let me. I’d collapse on the floor long before even making it to a hole in the wall. Now, it felt safe, warm, secure. And it wasn’t long before I fell asleep. I’d never trade this feeling out for anything.

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Trying to get through these prompts as fast as possible- it’s going great so far

Kieran absolutely loves making clothes and actually makes his own clothes! I thought it’d be cute if he made some for Devon :D

Taglist: @da3dm @dav8530

(if you would like to be added or removed please let me know!)

#AWWEEEEEEEE I LOVE THEM.

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51lly-c3d4r · 2 months ago

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Sleeping With Sirens (2)

I planned to make this wayyyy earlier but life happened. But it's here now! Enjoy some small fearplay and angst with my mer au

Word Count: 5.2k

CW: mentions of death, mentions of being eaten alive

If you had told me the day before that I would be willingly traveling with a leviathan, the scariest thing in the ocean, I probably wouldn’t have believed you in the slightest.

And now there was a huge sea monster waiting for me to catch up with them. As reluctant as I was about all of this, the promise of maybe finding my parents kept what little bravery I had intact so I wouldn’t swim away in fear. Not that I could escape this leviathan if I had tried.

It had only been about an hour since he had started guiding me to wherever he was thinking of. Whether it was just another hunting ground or not I just had to trust him. I could maybe make it across the trench, but there’s no guarantee that my parents made it across. They might just be waiting for me somewhere out here. If only we hadn’t been driven away from our home. Maybe things would’ve ended up differently. I wouldn’t be between life and death. Literally, or almost died countless times.

The leviathan never talked. When I grew tired of swimming and couldn’t keep up with him anymore he’d stop moving before he caught me in his hand that was trailing just behind. I think the only reason I kept going was because I was terrified of making him impatient. Who knew what he would do to me? The worst was being eaten alive, but I think being abandoned and left out in the open was just as bad. Hiding obviously didn’t work with what happened before. So I was just a snack to pretty much any and everything that lived here.

Even after traveling for a full straight hour, it was still open ocean and the kelp forests. My stomach grumbled from the lack of food, but I was too terrified to mention it. If I could even speak with my mouth practically glued together. This entire situation was terrifying.

The water grew darker, the clouds covering up the sun so the water didn’t look like its usual nice shade of pink. There was nowhere to hide so I could sleep, no sign of stopping to take a well-deserved break on my end, and there was no sign of life. At least not yet. My newfound fear of the dark crept up inside me as I very subtly inched closer to the leviathan. They didn’t seem to notice, and if they did they didn’t seem to care too much. A sigh of relief escaped me as I held my arms close and watched as the same scenery of kelp and loose gravel and sand passed by.

We continued for another half hour I would guess. Darkness settling in. I could still see a little bit out, but not too much. Better than the trenches at least. What I wasn’t expecting was for the leviathan to start glowing with a very dim but somehow vivid purple light. I yawned, tired from swimming nearly all day. It wasn’t surprising that the leviathan could keep on going though. They hadn’t even so much as complained either. Perks of probably being the biggest predator out here I guess. He had nothing to worry about. Though, there were faint scars along his arms and side. Meaning that there were some things out there that could hurt him. That just terrified me more. What could be capable of that?

I hadn’t realized I was trailing behind until I noticed the hand they placed behind me coming closer. I cringed at the sight of the claws before trying to swim up more, but I was too exhausted to keep pushing myself. My eyes threatened to close shut every time I blinked, slowly dozing off.

With a quiet wince, I forced myself to keep going, but it wasn’t long before my body was too exhausted to move anymore. As soon as I stopped his hand seemed to scoop me up, and that just terrified me even more. Was he going to yell at me for not being able to keep up? Well, yelling was the least of my worries. I was literally in his hand. In his complete mercy. Sure I was the second he laid eyes on me, but this was different. Making him angry or annoyed now was probably not in my best interest. Or life.

I held my breath as soon as he stopped and glared back. I didn’t dare make eye contact as my body trembled in fear. Breathing was all of a sudden a trivial task as I felt his eyes bore into me. In my mind all I could do was beg and hope that nothing would happen. Though, a very big part of me doubted it.

The leviathan hummed quietly before peering out in the distance to scan the area. Nothing but kelp, sand, and gravel. He let out an annoyed huff, his fingers slightly curling around my tiny frame. It took everything in me not to yelp or swim off. I’m sure I would be in even more trouble then. It felt like everything around me was getting closer as my chest grew tighter and tighter, cringing away every time his fingers would flinch. I didn’t like this at all. The fear and anxiousness were not a good combo.

They didn’t say a word before my world quite literally became a blur. I couldn’t react in time before being closed in a fist. It felt suffocating. Trapped. The first thought that came to my mind was that I was dead. So dead. It was stupid of me for even believe that they wouldn’t kill me. My heart rang in my ears as I felt the water rush. All of a sudden I just felt dizzy and too weak to attempt to escape. My eyes felt heavy and tired from the day that I’d had that it was practically an impossible challenge to keep them open for any longer.

Out of fear, I pushed against their fingers to try and get out, tears pricking the edges of my eyes. I didn’t want to die like this. How could I just leave my parents? They might still be out there looking for me just like I was looking for them! After surviving countless attacks and hiding and being as brave as I could this was how I was going to die?

I pushed against their fingers one last time, never noticing the gentle and soft grip they had around me before opening their hand. I took a deep breath for what seemed like the first time and coughed, now sitting in their palm. I was… alive? Intact?

My head perked up at the sight of a broken ship that was covered in algae, tiny pieces of coral and plenty of other plants. Some even looked edible. The wood looked like it would crumble at even the slightest touch, but it was huge. Well, at least to me. The ship itself could probably be carried around easily by the leviathan. It was terrifying to think about. My mind quickly changed over when I saw small schools of fish that swam by, finding this place to be a home. If I weren’t on the brink of tears from my earlier circumstances I would say that this place wasn’t bad at all. It seemed to have everything you would need. Food, shelter, plenty of places to hide. This honestly wouldn’t be a bad home. Though I was sure this place was empty for a reason. I just didn’t want to know why.

The leviathan let out a huff through their nose before cupping their hand around me and slowly bringing me to the entrance. I turned to look back, jumping when they lowered themselves to the ground to be at eye level with me. I gulped, staring at the vivid purple in their eyes that let off a small glow. He tilted his head as if asking why I wasn’t going in. If I wasn’t so scared of him I would’ve laughed at how clueless he looked.

I forced myself to swim in, taking small glances back at the leviathan as they pulled their hand away. He pushed himself off of the ground and swam around for a bit before laying down in a spot beside the ship I was in. There was a small crack in the wood that acted as a window between us that was as big as his eye, and now I could see why he chose that spot. He was making sure I wouldn’t swim off. Suddenly this place didn’t feel like a home at all. It just felt like a prison.

I ignored the thought as much as I could before studying my surroundings. There were a few coral pieces that surrounded the area I could probably sleep on. There weren’t any fish here either which was good for me. There were a few patches of seaweed on the ground along with tiny bits of kelp. I don’t usually eat them, but if it’s what it’ll take to not starve to death then oh well. As soon as the thought crossed my mind my stomach growled quietly. I sighed, grabbing a few pieces and eating them. Anything to survive I guess.

I swam around the place for a little and decided to sleep on a rock that was smooth and soft enough. I curled up onto it, my heart beating fast when I heard moving outside, the ship letting out a moan as the leviathan outside moved. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out the overwhelmingness of it all. First losing my parents, second being chased by countless monsters and predators, and now at the complete mercy of a leviathan that for some reason was helping me. Or maybe just saving me for later. I had no clue yet.

After everything went quiet, I yawned to myself, trying to fall asleep. It was hard to knowing that there was a leviathan much bigger than the ship you were in just outside but after a while I finally calmed down enough even though it was still nerve-wracking. I just shut my eyes, and finally fell asleep.

– – – – – –

When I woke up it was bright again, as if the storm and the clouds from the morning before had never happened. It was much clearer and warmer today which felt so amazing I didn’t even want to get up. It felt like absolutely nothing was wrong in the world. Well, at least it was until I opened my eyes and looked around.

This wasn’t home.

My eyes surveyed the area, finding small bright coral spread out across the place, algae and a few other plants that crawled up the walls of the torn-apart ship. A few small fish as big as I was came swimming out of anemones and some of the coral ready to start their day. As amazing and peaceful as it looked, I knew what was lying just outside the confines of the ship I was in.

I swam around a bit, eating a few tiny pieces of kelp before my day even started. The second that I shoved a few pieces in my mouth the place dimmed, something blocking the hole above. I tilted my head back and back until my eyes met one of his that peeked in. His pupils were slit as they darted around like he was trying to find me, his purple irises seemingly having a faint glow to them. Once he had his eye on me his pupils rounded, like he was relieved I hadn’t swam off.

Out of pure instinct my body began trembling, holding the few pieces of kelp in a fist as I stopped chewing. I dropped what I had and inched further away. It felt like I was just like some kind of… pet. My eyes widened at the realization. Was I being kept as a pet? Was this what was happening? It would explain why there hadn’t seemed to be any other predators here, but why go through all the trouble of keeping me as a pet? Just to observe me? I winced at the idea, staring down at the sand and seagrass that swayed with the small current. Anything to take my mind off of it.

There was a small huff before the light came back through the hole. I picked my head up and saw them move away from the hole. The wood creaked above as they moved to sit up. I swam cautiously closer to a smaller hole near the bottom and peeked out, watching as they yawned and stretched out all four of their arms. A shudder escaped my mouth just watching. They were horrifyingly big. Even more so now that I wasn’t right beside them. It made me wonder how I even had the courage to stay here anymore.

My eyes trailed their long tail lined with spikes and the same faint purple glow like it was dimming away. There were scratch marks and deep cuts all over and somehow it didn’t even seem to bother him. How was he not in constant pain even if they looked healed already?

A tiny gasp escaped my lips when they started moving, their shadow dimming the place just as quickly as it lit back up. I quickly turned to the entrance where the ship was split into half, my heart skipping a beat when one of their hands rested nearby, clawing at the sand slightly. Was he angry at me? This couldn’t be good. I bit the bottom of my lip as he lowered his head, pressing it up against the sand to peer inside. I swallowed hard, my heart ringing through my ears once again as he just stared and squinted his eyes like he was sorry for scaring me.

My breath hitched in my throat as they opened their mouth, revealing the sharp fangs that used to just barely peak under their lips. It took everything in me not to scream before they spoke, “Ready?” Although he tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible it still shook me to the core. He could’ve just grabbed me. His hand could fit in the opening. Maybe two if he really tried. So why didn’t he? Why wait for me to gather up whatever remaining courage I had left over from yesterday just to come out? I didn’t understand it at all. I thought leviathans were supposed to be blood-thirsty murderers. So why was he just waiting? He’s made me so confused about everything ever since he saved me.

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly swam forward. The leviathan just watched, his eyes wide with wonder for a split second. He was shocked I was willingly doing all of this, and if I were being honest, I was just as shocked by my own actions as he was. My parents would probably call me crazy for trusting a leviathan. They’d scream and try to get me to stay away, probably using themselves as shields. That’s just how protective they were of me. My heart throbbed just thinking of them. And I guess that’s why I had to trust the leviathan so that I could maybe reunite with them.

When I was close enough he lifted himself up slowly, taking a few glances before moving his hand a little bit behind me again. He pointed in the direction we were going, continuing on from yesterday. How far was he taking me? I was still tired from last night but there was no way I would go against the leviathan when I was completely at his mercy.

So I forced myself to keep swimming. The leviathan swam slower this time finally realizing why I was so tired in the first place. He was so confusing. He didn’t talk unless he absolutely had to, didn’t tell me his name, and for some reason didn’t even seem the least interested in eating me. It seemed like he was even protecting me from danger with how he insisted his hand stay behind me. Almost like it was there to grab me at a moment's notice if he sensed danger rather than it being there to catch me if I fell behind. Maybe… his intentions really were just to help me. Doubt washed away in me just a little, but it quickly came back just as fast as it came.

There was a quiet but low grumbling, and I could already tell what it was without even having to see the leviathan place a hand over his stomach, biting down so hard on his lips that blood came out. I stopped dead in my tracks, completely forgetting that his hand was behind me as his fingers came into view. I squeaked embarrassingly enough but didn’t move as he turned to face me, moving his hand away from his stomach. He was hungry. I was pretty sure I was one of the only living things out here for miles.

I shuddered, not daring to look him in the eyes. I didn’t want to die here. Maybe if I just didn’t look at him he wouldn’t think of anything? He’d leave me alone? Wouldn’t want to eat me? I felt the bile crawl up my throat at the thought, jumping and pressing my back into his palm when he opened his mouth, “I don’t eat mers.” He explained, fingers twitching around me like he was holding himself back. Or like he was just attempting to comfort me. Well, while it was doing the exact opposite, I was shocked to find out that they don’t eat mers. Grateful, but shocked.

I took a deep breath before very cautiously swimming forward and stopped, staring between his hand and himself, “Wh-where are you t-taking me?” I couldn’t help but ask, my voice trembling with fear. Both pairs of his eyes widened before he pointed out in the direction we were heading. Though, this time I could see a silhouette of what looked to be another ship. It looked dark and gloomy like it was haunted. I just gave off a bad feeling.

“I-in there?” I pointed, my arm shaking as I tilted my head back to watch them nod once.

“There’s a coral reef on the other side. I’d go around the shipyard but you’re already tired.” He shrugged. I rubbed my arms, staring off. Was there really a coral reef on the other side? It would make plenty of sense if my parents were there. They always loved the colorful scenery. They might’ve thought I went there to look for them. My heart pounded at the thought of seeing them again, sucking in a deep breath as I pushed myself to swim towards the shipyard. There were tons of them that either crashed into the sand or were torn in half. Some were huge, even bigger than the one I stayed in last night. Pieces lay everywhere, the only plants growing around was the seagrass that swayed with the subtle current.

I still couldn’t shake the bad feeling about this place. This place didn’t seem friendly at all. There was barely any noise. No colorful fish swimming around, and in the far distance you could see where the coral reef begins, the faint outlines of red, blue and pink in the background.

I bit the side of my cheek as I swam out, flinching when the ship would creak or if I caught some movement in the corner of my eye. Even if it was only a plant that was moving strangely. My nerves weren’t calmed when I turned to face the leviathan who remained swimming beside me, his eyes showing no emotion. Maybe it would be a good idea to have a conversation? He didn’t look like he minded. I just wanted to take my mind off the eeriness of this place.

“U-um. C-can I know y-your name?” I bit my tongue for stuttering, looking away out of embarrassment. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and sighed.

“Why?” His voice didn’t come out as harsh as I thought it would, but it did have an edge to it which made me doubt if I wanted to push more. Or even continue talking. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked even if I was curious. Well, at least his tone almost made me want to drop the entire thing altogether.

“You’re helping me. I-I’d like to know who you are…” My voice stopped working after a while like that was all I was able to say to him before fear took over and shut down everything. I still kept on swimming though, keeping my arms close and watching from the corner of my vision as his hand started to slowly come into view. He knew something was off about this place too.

He turned to look down at me for a split second like he was trying to see if I was lying, then turned to stare back into the deep ocean where the reef was just lying in the distance.

“Kieran.” Was all he said, his voice a little sharp but at the same time I caught a hint of happiness. Well, Kieran was extremely hard to read. I couldn’t tell if he just didn’t care at some times or if he did and just never showed it. I couldn’t tell if he had bad intentions, but I told myself to believe him. It was great to know the name of the person who saved me and then decided he was going to willingly help me get out of this place.

“I’m Devon. Um, th-thank you.” It wouldn’t sit right with me if I never thanked him for offering the help. I rubbed my arms and stared down, flinching when I heard another creak, but this time Kieran stopped, placing one of his other hands in front of me so I couldn’t swim further. Not that I could’ve swam too far from him with how fast he reacted.

My heart beat hard against my chest as I stared with wide eyes out into the shipyard. Nothing seemed to be moving. It was quiet. Too quiet. Not even the current seemed to make the seagrass that was lined all over the sandy ground sway. I let out a soft breath, eyes scanning the place for any danger.

“Yeah… sure.” He whispered, shaking his head and moving his hands away from me. Was there no danger? No other monster lurking in the shadows? Nothing waiting to pounce at me? I looked up to see what Kieran was doing, a tiny squeak being let out as he swam down towards a ship that looked worse for wear, stopping to wait for me as he nudged his head down towards it.

Down there? Was he leading me to a death trap or something? It looked dark and murky. A place I would usually avoid. I thought we were going to the reef. Why would he- My thoughts were interrupted when he rolled his eyes and his hand scooped me up, fingers curling slightly so that I couldn’t find a way to swim out. Breathing became hard when I was being brought deeper into the murky water, the ships somehow looking even more untrusting than before. The eeriness settled in even deeper. Something was wrong with this place and I was being forced into it. Nothing good could come out of this.

My ears couldn’t register noise anymore, everything muffled and cloudy as my vision blurred. The water was moving too fast around me. It was hard to keep up with anything happening. Even when everything had stopped and faintly glowing purple eyes stared down at me. My body was trembling and it felt like I was about to throw up the little bit of breakfast that I had.

It took a moment for my senses to come back to me. Kieran was looming above, a look on his face that screamed that he was sorry. It was still so strange to me that he wasn’t like how I pictured a leviathan. Maybe the other one that tried to eat me yesterday but for some reason the one that was easily much bigger than a literal kraken was the nicest person I’ve met other than my parents. I wasn’t complaining though. I’d much rather be alive than as a tiny snack.

I scanned the area now that my vision wasn’t as blurry, though my head started to hurt. It was dark. Colder. The ship sitting in front of us was absolutely huge. Kieran could still probably carry it effortlessly. That’s what scared me the most.

The ship was mostly intact with a huge hole on one side. The mast was broken in half. Indentured on either side of the ship like something was crushing it. Maybe a kraken used to live here? Or what if it still did? I sucked in a deep breath at the thought, staring up wide-eyed at Kieran who tilted his head, his two pairs of eyes staring right back at me with a hint of sympathy in them. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a sudden crash. Metal hitting metal. Which meant that something was here. Something big enough to move some parts of the ship that was coming off. Though, it seemed more like it was hiding rather than coming after anything. Hiding from the huge leviathan that was looming above the ship? Yeah, I’d do the same.

Kieran blinked, “I saw… something. You can look.” He pointed towards the hole and lowered himself to the ground, laying on his arms trying to peak in through another small hole. Me? Go in? What if it’s not another mer? I guess there wasn’t really any way to know unless I checked, seeing as he was too big to get even one of his hands through the hole and probably could barely see what was inside.

I swam closer and stood at the foot of the large hole and peered in. There didn’t seem to be anything but tons of metal parts thrown around everywhere. It just seemed like a dark cave from the inside. Though, there was another clang, making me cower behind the entrance. I peered in once more, terrified of what I might find, but there was nothing. Kieran gave up on what he was trying to do, now moving to check on me. He tilted his head again as I cowered by the entrance.

“I h-heard something…” and just as I said it there was another clang followed by a fast-moving shadow. I whimpered. Whatever was in here was fast. All my instincts were in full working motion, but I had to deny every single one of them. I couldn’t swim away. Kieran would just catch me by barely moving any of his limbs. If I screamed it would just alert whatever was in there, and there was no way I was going to fight it.

Kieran huffed softly, ruffling my hair a bit as he lowered himself to the ground. Was he annoyed? That wasn’t good for me. A shiver ran down my spine before there was a bright ball of light. It illuminated a small area, swaying with the waves. My eyes widened, swimming in just a little bit. Kieran squinted his eyes, trying to see what was going on. Then it all happened so fast. Next thing I know sharp fangs lunge right at me. I was barely given enough time to react to dodge, and luckily I did.

It was a strange-looking fish that was hell-bent on trying to eat me. I swam away, forgetting who was behind me when I swam backward. The second I did though, I rammed right into the bridge of Kieran’s nose, and I wish that I hadn’t.

He growled. Deep, and threatening. It rumbled throughout my entire body, with no control over my limbs anymore as tears pricked my eyes. It was amazing how only his voice could make anything tremble with fear. It all felt too much. Too loud. Somehow, his growling only grew deeper and louder. Like he wasn’t even trying before. I clasped my hands over my ears, wincing and just hoping that this would go away. Tha tI wouldn’t feel like my insides were shaking inside or that I was going to throw up my insides. It was terrifying that someone was capable of this.

When it didn’t feel like my insides were shaking anymore, I peered up, cringing away at the sight of him baring fangs that were sharper and deadlier than the strange fish that was trying to eat me. Kieran glanced down at me, letting out what I thought, surprisingly, was a sigh of relief. My breath hitched in my throat when he backed away further and stared back at me with tired eyes like nothing had happened.

My breathing quickened as I grabbed at my chest trying to calm my heartbeat, but that was no use. When his mouth so much as twitched, I bolted into the ship, pressing my back into the cold metal. Dead. I was so amazingly dead. There was no way I was going to survive. He was going to tear this ship apart and dig me out. No way out of this alive.

I heard him moving outside, a shadow covering up the entryway, but nothing happened. I whimpered, not expecting it to echo throughout the place. He for sure heard that, and in response he whispered softly, “Sorry guppy.”

And I didn’t know what to say. What could I even say? My breath became ragged as I peeked outside and just watched. Something was calming about it. Away from everything big and threatening. A sort of calm quiet without the eeriness of it all. Kieran messed with a smaller boat, trying to tear off the big pieces of metal. He looked so tired. There were small bags under his eyes from what I could only guess was from lack of sleep. Not to mention I knew that he was hungry, and I didn’t even want to think about what he could eat. It was just… so terrifying, but at the same time calming that someone was helping me. It was crazy but the truth.

With a shaky sigh, I swam over to a small rock and lay on it, using my arms as a pillow. It was dark and to be honest I think I’ve had enough of an adrenaline rush for today. This wasn’t a place I’d usually sleep in, but I had no right to complain. It was better than digging myself into the sand again only to be found by yet another hungry predator.

I sighed, trying to ignore the movement outside and how fast my heart raced. I’d just have to hope that he wasn’t angry. Or leave. I’ve been alone for a while. I guess it was nice to have any kind of company at this point. I shut my eyes, curling in on myself slowly and tried to keep a calm mind. Even though it didn’t work.

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Little cliffhanger even though it's not much, and I admit that this was a little rushed but it's in the spirit of mermay so that's okay! (I love mermay so much) Thank you for reading!

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#EEHEHEHE THIS IS AWESOME I LOVE IT >:333

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