Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You loved the sound of the ocean, even if you wouldn’t set a foot in it unless absolutely necessary nowadays. You eyed the seaside cabin with maybe more trepidation than the little home deserved, but in all honesty, it looked as you had expected. Usually, seaside cabins were filthy expensive, especially around tourist towns or other beautiful spots. Even when paying rent, one paid more for the location than the cabin itself.

This one however had been left empty for two years. Its owner, an old fisherman who had moved to live with his family in a nearby coastal town after breaking his hip, had sent someone to look after it then and again, but occasional care hadn’t quite helped stop the tooth of time.

The place had electricity and running water and while there was no heater, a fireplace was supposed to keep the cabin warm during the colder months. Aside from that, however, it was a rundown place with thankfully no leaking roof but a myriad of other things that would need fixing and upkeep.

In all honesty, you wouldn’t have moved in here even if you hadn’t been scared of being close to the ocean, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. You were grateful enough that your aunt was willing to let you work in her seaside shop, selling overpriced trinkets to tourists and she had chatted the aforementioned old fisherman up for you, who had been willing to let you live here for free - as long as you fixed the cabin put and took care of it properly. Apparently it had been a wedding gift from his father when he had married and he had lived here his whole life and he wanted to see it restored to its former glory.

You were never so glad that your DIY enthusiast father had dragged you into multiple repair and building projects around your childhood home during your time growing up. Without doing most of the work yourself you wouldn't be able to feasibly fix this place up with your current finances. You’d still need to hire help if something was wrong with the plumbing or electricity, but you knew how to fix walls and nail down floorboards and take care of a leaking faucet and things like that. That and your father had thoroughly taught you the questionable joy of looking up tutorials on youtube and copying what people did there with moderate to great success.

It was easy to see however, even after being uninhabited for a while, that this place had been loved. There were intricate carvings along the wooden beams holding up the roof of the small porch, a garden bordered with carefully places stones was at the side and while entirely overgrown with weeds it was built well enough that you were sure with a few days of love, you could grow things in there again. Well, at least the sort of plants that survived being this close to saltwater.

This area of the coast was said to be ignored by the resident mer pod, which was also about the only reason you weren’t choosing to sleep in the backroom of your aunt’s shop. Mers were frightening and you had already made and paid for the mistake of getting close to one.

The path to the cabin was a bit overgrown with grass and weeds as well but you could see that someone had been by yesterday to clean up a bit, considering you could see the path in the first place and the porch looked freshly swept.

There was a big, rusty key for the cabin door, the sort of key that would make any burglar crumble in a wheezing fit of laughter, but it wasn’t like there was anything to steal here. Stepping inside, you saw that whatever kind human had bustled through here before you had cleaned up inside as well. The air didn’t even smell stale.

The wooden boards of the porch groaned just the faintest bit beneath your steps, a soft little melody to accompany you. The front door opened up right into the small open living room and joined kitchen. The windows were a bit bigger than you had expected and let in a nice amount of sunlight. You left your shoes by the small entrance area and set your bags down, wandering about.

The oven was old but clearly well cared for and would need wood to cook your food, the cabinets and sink were in good condition and looked like they had been expensive once upon a time. Now they just looked really old and were a weird cream color, but as long as everything was clean and in working order you were happy enough.

While faded, there were beautiful painted flowers along the wooden cabins, the sort of decorations people used back in the day, before things became sleek and modern. You kind of liked it, though you weren’t sure if you were going to still have the same opinion five months into your stay here.

The short hallway led to a bedroom, storage closet and bathroom. The bathroom was small but offered all amenities, though you eyed the toilet and bathtub with a skeptical eye. They looked old, but okay-ish and you were going to scrub everything down thoroughly. Just in case.

The bedroom was empty of furniture and shared a wall with the living room where the fireplace was, so the heat would seep through the back and in here.

The place needed some work put into it, that much was clear. The walls needed some love, the outside needed fixing and you were sure there were some other problem areas around in here. But…it honestly could’ve been worse.

You glanced out the windows onto the waves and found yourself tugging anxiously on the scarf around your neck. There were no mers, you told yourself firmly. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to be scared about.

Taking a deep breath, you turned to your bags and began to rummage around for the cleaning supplies you had packed in advance. Your aunt was going to drop by later with some friends to deliver the rest of your boxes and some furniture she had gotten second hand. It was so damn kind of her to look after you like this.

You were just about done with scrubbing the bathroom until it looked like it was about to sparkle, when you heard the sounds of pickups rolling up.

Watching four big cars trying to make the small space work for them was just a wee bit amusing and you perked up when your aunt killed the engine of the first one and climbed out, a cheerful grin on her face.

She called out your name and it took a few large steps to be swept into her arms. "It’s so good to see you," she said, slightly muffled against your shoulder. "Did you find here okay? What do you think?"

"It’ll take some work, but I think this place is fine, thank you."

She pulled back and grinned, clapping you gently on the shoulders. "Atta girl. Alright everyone, meet my niece!"

She introduced you to her friends, people whose names you were desperately trying not to forget right away again. You helped carry things inside and soon found your new home bustling with activity. A bed was brought in in pieces and set up by a wiry guy with battery run equipment. A dresser followed and then a couch came in and a few things for your bathroom and soon you found yourself standing in a partially furnished cabin, everything kept away from the walls for now to allow you to work on them without needing to sleep on the floor for weeks.

You stared at your proud looking aunt with wide eyes. "How much did that cost?"

She paused. "Will you be terribly upset when I tell you that I paid nothing for most of these?" At your disbelieving look she shrugged. "I asked around when you agreed to come here and there were some people who were looking into getting rid of their old things. So, you know, nothing fancy or special, but it works, right?"

You pulled her into a tight hug and she hugged you back. "Thank you."

"Always, sweetheart." She paused. "And, you know, maybe you’ll get back into diving and then you can bring me all the pretty thing from the ocean floor without me needing to pay too much to get them from the fishers."

You felt yourself tense and you pulled away with a forced smile. "I’ll think about it."

She patted your cheek. "Do that. And now, let’s eat!"

With those words, coolers were brought in from the shade outside and you dug out cutlery and dishes from one of your two boxes in the kitchen and everyone sat gathered around, chatting and eating and drinking. It was both a little strange and nostalgic to be back here. You had spent two weeks nearly every summer with your aunt growing up and you kind of looked forward to staying here for longer. People had always been kind, if a bit gruff at times.

The coastal town was small and rustic, with just enough charm and a rather famous spa to pull in tourists and it helped that things had been peaceful here with mers in the past. Apparently, the residing pod wasn’t causing much trouble as long as their rules and regulations were adhered to. Which was kinder than elsewhere in the world.

Mers were powerful and big creatures, predators with a sharp, intelligent mind and opposable thumbs to go along with it. When humanity had tried to take control of the ocean a few decades ago, it had resulted in a bloodbath. Chemicals and plastic being dumped had resulted in a near world wide attack on trading ships and soon the governments had buckled and agreed to the mers collective demands. There simply weren’t enough planes in existence to transport that amount of goods. It had however, resulted in a big change in how the environment was treated, resulting a huge green wave across the world, governments investing in renewable energy and many a different thing to keep the ocean clean, from banning certain chemicals and pesticides to regularly cleaning up beaches to try and get rid of the plastic that they had dumped into the ocean in the past.

It was a nicer side-effect to a horrible war that had resulted in thousands of deaths across the world, fishers loosing their income and many a desperate person getting drowned for trying to get food out of the ocean. Even now there were areas in the world that struggled heavily to recover.

You had been fascinated with mers once upon a time, despite the stories surrounding them, just like you had loved the ocean. Though the latter you still loved and sometimes you laid awake, staring at the ceiling while being gripped by a sad, mournful longing. But the water simply wasn’t safe and you weren’t naive anymore. The only water you now swam in occasionally were swimming pools and artificial diving pools, though you couldn’t dive deeper than a foot and not for more than a minute or two without descending into a panic attack.

You knew your aunt was kind of joking with her remark about diving, she’d never push you into something you weren’t ready for, but you could have helped her shop out. She liked to make the jewelry and many a different thing herself and never out of plastic or cheap shit. She took what the ocean offered and what was washed ashore after storms or tides and made something pretty and unique out of it. It was one of the reasons why her shop was rather popular with tourists. Well, that and her knack for social media that made people order things from her online.

You had been a great diver once and you knew to respect ocean life, to not take what another creature needed and you had brought back many a pretty seashell and dead, whole sand dollars that you had collected to bring to your aunt once summer had rolled around. Your aunt still sighed playfully about the things you had given her at the start of every summer. Sometimes it had been two full suitcases full of things collected over the course of a year.

You had never been on a dive here, since the pod in control of this territory tolerated absolutely no divers or swimmers in their waters. They tolerated a certain number of fishing boats and let the occasional tanker through, but that was it. Even if you hadn’t been scarred, you wouldn’t have set a single toe into the ocean.

Your aunt’s friends left a bit after eating dinner and they waved and told you to call if you ever needed anything.

"Man I love these guys," your aunt mused with a smile, throwing and arm around your shoulders and you sank against her side. She placed a kiss on the top of your head. "You’ll be safe here, I promise. Come by the shop on Monday, two hours before opening and I’ll show you around and teach you everything you need to know."

"Thank you," you whispered back, once again touched at her care and that she was so willing to help you.

"Of course, hun. Now go and get some rest, I know the journey here was long. Oh, do you want me to show you around town tomorrow?"

You shook your head, knowing she used the weekends especially to catch up on orders. It made you feel less like a charity case to know she would have hired help for the shop anyway, since she needed more time to make things. Besides, you did like exploring and it would take your mind off the damn ocean if you had to pay attention to where you were going and how to not get lost.

Your aunt left with a jaunty wave and you watched as she carefully turned around in front of the house, probably running over a flower or two that wasn’t a weed while driving off.

You still had things to unpack, though you thankfully didn’t have to get it all done this evening or anytime soon really, as long as you had to fix things. It was strangely quiet and you opened the windows to let in the sounds and smell of the ocean. You took a moment to close your eyes and breathe it in. You could almost feel it, the coolness of water, the weightlessness, the joy and curiosity and never ending awe of exploring a world so different from your own.

You shut down those thoughts before it could inevitably flash to how it had all ended and returned to puttering about. The roiling of the waves and squawking of the seagulls was a comfortable background noise and one you knew all too well. You took a shower, the noise of the old pump audible through the walls, though your aunt had mentioned that someone had been by to check it out and had said that it should keep working for the foreseeable future.

The bed was unfamiliar and the sights and sounds were as well and you stared up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Slowly, steadily, you fell asleep.

The next days that bled into weeks passed in a flurry. You were busy fixing the place up and learning the ropes around your aunt’s shop and you unwound a little more with each day that nothing happened. No creature rose from the waves, no calls kept you awake at night, no flash of scales that didn’t belong to quick fishes in the water. The mer pod really didn’t come here. Which made sense, they didn’t obsessively patrol along the shoreline constantly.

Biking home on your slightly rickety bicycle, because owning a car or motorcycle was too expensive and the trip wasn’t too far anyway, you decided that maybe coming here was the best decision you had had in a while. There was a certain peace here, even with the subtle, constant danger living in the water.

You were tentatively hopeful and even cheerful to live here now. The cabin was getting cozier and better with every bit of work you got done and you decided to explore the thick forest that began a few paces after the cabin’s small property ended. Or well, it had at one point, since two years of absence had meant the forest had slowly started to claim the space.

You had just finished painting the last wall after getting it fixed up and you left all the windows and door open to air the space out. You had, so far, spent all your earnings that you didn't need for food on tools and supplies to fix the cabin up, since your aunt paid you in advance with a little extra on top, because she was too damn nice, to help you get started. You had some savings left, but you’d prefer to leave them untouched, in case something big happened, like the ancient fridge dying or something else more serious that needed a bigger amount of cash right away.

Now that the inside was mostly fixed up, you only had some floorboards to replace, all that was left was the porch outside, which would be a bit of a bigger project, since one of the support beams looked like it was rotting. But for now you felt good about your work and you deserved a break.

There were hints of an old, over grown path that led through the woods and you carefully picked your way across roots and through the undergrowth. It was a warm day, summer slowly approaching and the shade provided by the trees was pleasant.

You had some nuts and a pouch of bird seed shoved into your pockets to leave here and there for the woodland animals, be they birds or squirrels. You had liked doing that back home, a habit you had learned from your grandma and grandpa, and you were hoping to maybe lure some birds to the bird feeders at your cabin. Mornings would be even more pleasant if you could watch birds flit about as you got ready for work.

It wasn’t until the woods grew light at one side and revealed a stretch of sandy beach that you saw something entirely unexpected. Tiny turtles were wriggling their way into the water, most already there but for one straggler. And one very hungry, very insistent seagull. Ah, shit.

"Shoo!" you burst out of the trees with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm, most likely giving the seagull the fright of its life and briefly making you feel like movie serial killer, but the bird dropped the tiny turtle it had grabbed and flapped away with startled squawks.

The turtle was on its back, tiny legs paddling slowly and helplessly. With careful fingertips you righted the turtle and, keeping an eye on the circling seagulls above, of which there were a few, you dug out the pouch. Tossing nuts out and bird seeds you kept crouched over the turtle protectively as it slowly shuffled forward.

Those seagulls must’ve been familiar with getting food from people, since they began to land and pick at the offerings, blinking eyes fixed on you and your tiny charge. You kept tossing out food intermittently, keeping the birds distracted until the first wave rolled over your shoe and the tiny turtled dove in and paddled away swiftly.

Looking up with a smile, you froze in place, heart lurching and stomach turning to ice, when you looked straight at a mer. He had black hair plastered to his forehead and clinging to his cheeks, sapphire blue eyes staring intently. He looked terrifying and beautiful and was surrounded by an adult turtle and numerous tiny ones, the last straggler zooming over to join the rest. The mer briefly reached out a hand to gently guide the little one to its parent, never dropping eye contact with you. He didn’t look aggressive or angry even if the turtle and its possible offspring clearly were something he cared about. Some mers were friends with other ocean animals, or so you had heard.

You didn’t dare breath, panic squeezing your throat tight. The mer inclined his head the slightest bit and gave a surprisingly soft nudge to the turtles before he dove seamlessly beneath the waves. You caught a glimpse of a gleaming white tail speckled with black, reminding you a little of harbor seals. Just without the cute factor. How had you not noticed the mer? Shit, you were so stupid and here you had thought you had learned a damn thing.

Skittering away on unsteady legs, you hurried home, tossing out the last of the bird seeds and nuts in your pockets. Any exploring urge was swiftly killed off and you holed yourself up in your cabin, breathing through a panic attack.

Nothing had happened, you told yourself as you sat curled up on the couch, door and windows firmly shut and old curtains that you still needed to replace drawn shut. Everything was fine. Nothing had happened.

That night you dreamed of dark, murky waters and clawed, webbed hands too big and too strong to fight against and you woke up gasping desperately, realizing belatedly that you had held your breath in your dream until it had forced you awake. You sat trembling and sweating and shivering and wondered if therapy could help you fix yourself.

"Are you alright?" your aunt asked when you showed up a few hours later, having skipped out of more sleep and instead you had begun the process of fixing the floorboards. It wasn’t like you could upset any neighbors with the noise after all. You also would have to replace some of the lightbulbs, because one had already died and another two were flickering just a wee bit too much.

"Yeah," you said, plastering a smile onto your face. It was fine. Everything was fine. You threw yourself into work, though as you left, your aunt imparted a warning.

"Be careful around the waters, there seems to be a fight amongst the pod," she said. "Some kind of battle for dominance or territory, we don’t know but some fisherfolk spotted a fight that resulted in a dead mer."

That was frightening and would ensure the mers were in a foul mood, but it also kept them busy. You nodded and went shopping for new floorboards to distract yourself. You didn’t have the money to replace them all at once, but you could start with the worst ones and slowly work your way onward with every paycheck. It wouldn’t look pretty, but it wasn’t like you had many visitors over either and your aunt knew what was going on, so all she did was offer you more money, which you refused. Even she had only so much to spend and you had the sneaking suspicion that she had already dipped into her own personal funds for you.

Prying up floorboards was a tasking enough job that it entirely distracted you from the mer you had been far too close to. He could have dragged you under. The only way to stay safe was by keeping several feet between yourself and the water’s edge, even if it was on a beach. Mers didn’t need much to drown you. All they had to do was grab you and roll you under them in the surf and -

You hissed as a large splinter dug into the side of your palm. Pulling it out wasn’t hard but annoying, your hand now pulsing with irritated spikes and blood was starting to bead and run down your skin by the time you found a bandaid that covered it properly. Lovely.

A sudden sound traveled through the open window, one that did not belong to the everyday noise surrounding your cabin. You straightened, listening intently and slowly inching towards the bat you kept in the living room. It had been a gag gift years ago when a friend had jokingly said your tomboy tendencies needed a bludgeoning device to go along with it. The noise came again and you realized two things at once, it wasn’t a human that made it and it came from the ocean.

Oh hell no. You weren’t a goddamn moron.

You quickly closed the window and decided that your hands were too unsteady to pry another floorboard up. It was fine. Everything was fine. The mer would move on, would grow bored. Everything was fine.

The noise died out, audible even through the window, though far more muffled, but something about it made you uneasy in a different way. That hadn’t sounded like a mer growing bored. That had sounded like a mer too exhausted or too hurt to keep going. Fucking fuck.

No, no, this was none of your business. None at all. You didn’t care about mers. They were dangerous and volatile and you did not want to get drowned or shredded or anything like that. It was fine. Just fine.

You found yourself poking a head out the door a few moments later, cursing yourself out thoroughly. You were just going to check, you told yourself. Maybe the mer was fine or others had already found it, so, you know, you could scuttle back inside and ignore them until they were gone again.

But when you carefully stepped past the shrubbery separating the driveway of the cabin from the small strip of dirt that faded into rocky outcroppings which the waves lapped up against, you saw something horrible. There was a mer and he was injured to shit. A large hook produced from his chest, the sort that was as big as your head and thick and sturdy enough that a mer wouldn’t just simply snap or bend it.

You rapidly remembered the apparent fight amongst the mers and that kind of hook was hard for humans to get into mers unless they had netted and captured them beforehand, which worked rarely enough as it was. Another mer must have jammed this one in.

Dark blood was pooling and mixing with salt water and the mer had dragged himself up against the rock a bit, breathing heavily and staring at the waves with half lidded eyes. He looked limp. He looked like he was dying.

There were some institutes that helped injured mers, but they were far and few in-between since mers very rarely let themselves seen hurt never mind letting someone care for them. The nearest institute was a couple of hours away and even if they had a helicopter, the mer didn’t have that kind of time. He’d bleed out until then.

You stumbled back inside, grabbing your phone and dialing the nearest hospital’s number. It quickly became clear that people were not only incredibly reluctant to help, many had no idea what to do and neither had they the means to just take in an injured mer.

A vet, when you looked for another place to call, ironically had advice. He was currently a few hours away, having cared for an emergency, but he was willing to talk you through the process of helping.

Which…you were going to do now, apparently.

Grabbing your first aid kid you edged your way outside again. The mer was still alone, lying limp and still. Now that you weren’t just staring at the hook, you saw longer silvery-white hair plastered to his face and neck and the tail told you it was some shark type mer. Those mers bit the worst but didn’t have as much tail power as the others, at least as far as you knew. It would still be plenty enough to murder you.

The mer didn’t react to your approach and you heard the vet’s reassuring voice through your in-ear earphones. It kept you calm and focused enough to not run away in a panic. He was so big, upper body large enough to cover you entirely and that didn’t even count for the tail long enough it rested in the water.

The mer did react when you kneeled down by him, twitching and hiss-snarling, terrifying teeth bared at you. He immediately fell limp with a wheezing noise when he tried to move and the hook shifted in the wound.

"I’ll help," you said, voice just a little shaky. He glared, eyes stormy but unfocused and after a long moment, he closed his eyes and let his head drop again. You got the impression that if he had been capable of doing something, he would have, even if it was just swimming home.

"What do I do, doc?" you asked and quickly set your phone to video, letting him see the damage. The problem was that it was a big hook and it was shoved in quite a bit. Not big enough to have punctured a lung or the heart it seemed, which raised the mer’s survival chances, but he had lost a lot of blood already, red pooling below him. Or at least you thought so who knew how much blood mers could afford to loose.

"Alright miss, here is what you do," the doc's slightly tinny voice told you calmly and reassuringly what would happen next and you set to work, preparing your first aid kit and laying everything out, then you had to go for the hook.

Getting the hook out was a work and a half and you were honestly surprised that the mer wasn’t getting his claws into you when you finally got it out and he made a horrible noise. Dropping the hook, you hurried to patch the injury up and by the time you were done, blood flow staunched and wound dressed, you were feeling wrung out. You had no idea if you had done a good job, but the doc had a great way of explaining things and you hoped it was enough.

"Good job," the doc said. "I can drop by after working hours, but I fear that’s all we can do for him without a recovery facility." You thanked him shakily and he hung up, promising to remain available should anything else happen.

Watching the mer warily, you noticed that his breathing had evened out a bit and he was staring back, eyes half lidded.

"Better?" you couldn’t help put ask inanely and his sharp eyes narrowed slightly, before he offered the barest incline of his head. Polite enough, surprisingly. He lifted one hand to carefully feel along the covered wound and you realized with a start that he couldn’t get back into the water with this. The sticky sides of the dressings would peel off at record pace and leave the wound exposed again. You could wrap him in cling foil, but you doubted it would work properly if he even allowed that.

You were more than aware of the fact that he could grab and drag you into the water and even as injured as he was he could kill you before you even managed to get free. There were some safety measures against mers, but they were rarely deployed to avoid drawing their wrath and most were too big to just carry around casually. Besides, you had nothing on you aside from some more bandages and a pair of scissors anyway.

You caught a flash of scales from the corner of your eye and flinched back just as a mer lurched out of the water, teeth bared and eyes stormy and angry. There was no way for you to run. You tried to anyway, only to get pushed aside by the injured one, who let out a sharp noise, making the other mer twist to avoid falling on and clawing into you. They conversed rapidly in a language you had no hope to understand or replicate and the new arrival, short black hair plastered to his face and black eyes no longer as stormy, was quickly checking the other one over, who seemed less than enthused about it.

They both turned to you and you inched back further, heart hammering and the sides of your neck began to ache and you really wanted to run away.

"Grazie," the newcomer said with an unexpected smile. "You saved my friend’s life."

"You’re welcome," you whispered back and inched a little further away, making both mers pause and the newcomer looked a little sheepish now. "Um, take care. The bandages will unstick when you go into the water, just so you know."

Snatching up your phone and first aid kit, you skittered back further and hurried home when they did nothing to stop you. You shivered just a little apart with leftover stress and fright and couldn’t help but check your neck and left side, as if you’d find blood there, but the only red that was on your hands was from the mer. Getting up you washed it off and shoved your head under the faucet, letting the cold water drag you back to some semblance of control and calm.

Alright. You hadn’t been killed or maimed or nearly drowned or anything. Yay. Hurrah. Now you really had to stop meeting mers, it shouldn’t be that hard, right?

The shark mer was gone when you peered over the next day, the only trace of his presence dried blood on the rock and some soaked, reddish wound dressings. The hook was gone as well and you hoped this would be it. No more mers.

You biked to work and belatedly remembered to call the vet. He was happy to hear that the mer was most likely alright and told you to call should anything like that happen again. Which you hoped wouldn’t.

Work passed like usual, with some people dropping by and your aunt warned you that with the rising temperatures more tourists would start showing up. Her place never got quite as busy as the restaurants along main street but she said there were a number of sales nearly every day, since people were looking for souvenirs and gifts for family and friends back home.

When you biked home, a little bag of food dangling from the handlebar, you felt a little lighter. That was squashed immediately when you put your bicycle away and saw a mer flagging you down from the ocean. For a second, you remained frozen in place. Was it better to ignore him or to approach? You didn’t want to risk being rude with mers and hesitantly stepped forward.

The mer waving you over was blond, hair put in a thick braid and his eyes were emerald green. His face was the sort of gorgeous that made you wonder if he had some siren in his blood or if he was just one of those that simply looked beautiful.

You caught a glimpse of golden scales, the edges hued in sunset pink. He was big you realized, the closer you walked. Sitting up from the water he reached to your collarbones and you cautiously stayed out of lunging reach. Mers were fast, if this one wanted to drown you, you weren’t going to give him the chance to. Who even knew if this mer belonged to the same pod as the shark one or if he was here to attack and take vengeance for a botched murder.

"Ciao," he said, voice pleasant, but then again, most mers voices were nice and the loveliest voices belonged, of course, to sirens. "May I have a moment of your time?"

Polite and nonaggressive, you could appreciate that through your painfully pounding heart. You still weren’t going to get any closer.

"Sure," you said, tongue a little numb.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my friend’s life," he said and reached into the water to pull something up. "Please accept our pod’s gift."

You stared at a makeshift net filled with a couple of things, as if the mers had gone hunting across the ocean floor and grabbed whatever shit had been lying around. Which didn’t mean he was offering you a net full of trash, mers had far more pride than that, but it was a bit of an assortment. You spotted some really nice looking sea glass put in a dinged up metal tin, some bigger seashells ranging from whelks to conchs and cockles. And topping it all off was a big sponge. The sort one paid half a fortune for in stores.

"Thank you," you said, looking back at the mer who seemed to have studied your reaction closely. "That is very generous."

A small furrow appeared briefly between his brows and smoothed over again. He held the net out and you found yourself torn between just not moving or risking life and limb, literally, to accept a net full of stuff. After a moment he leaned forward as much as his position allowed and gently set the net down.

The mer inclined his head slightly. "Stay out of the waters, they’re not safe."

"Sure, not hardship." Not for you, not anymore. And the very last thing anyone with a functioning brain should do was go take a swim in the middle of a turf war.

The blond mer nodded and smoothly dipped back into the water with barely a ripple and disappeared in a flash of gorgeous scales. You sagged a little with a shaky exhale and cautiously picked up the net. It was dripping wet and slick with some sort of algae, which told you they hadn’t just snagged a bit of netting off of a dock but had found it somewhere on the bottom of the ocean.

You headed back home, mind spinning a little. Mers did occasionally thank people for help, though some considered not killing humans as gratitude enough. Apology gifts were incredibly rare and the last type of gift was for courting, though you knew of only a handful of cases where that had been offered between humans and mers.

You had no dining table yet so you took the net over to the kitchen counter and carefully took everything out. The sponge was as big as your two hands stretched out side by side and you boggled at it, wringing water out carefully over the sink. It felt kind of perfect, to be honest. You set it aside to dry after caring for it and spread out the rest of the net’s content for drying as well.

Beautiful shells and glass pieces, smoothed over by the ocean tide and you stared at them, knowing that your aunt would lose her head with joy over these. Not even the fishers and kids scouring the beaches after storms often brought back things like these. The sort of beautiful stuff you only found when diving. The sort of things you used to bring home.

You weren’t sure what to do with those and you tossed out the tin can, since there was really absolutely no use for that. Once everything had dried, you put all things but the sponge away for now. The sponge you set down in the somewhat dingy bathroom and stared at it, feeling a bit lost.

You took off your scarf belatedly and hung it up beside the numerous others you had gotten after getting discharged from the hospital. Scratching along the scars on the sides of your neck you puttered around restlessly. The floorboards. Right. Better finish those.

You saw no mer the next day or the day after, but they might as well have been busy with whatever turf war was going on.

Days bled into a week and then two and you heard through the grapevine that apparently the old pod had gotten mostly killed off, the rest fleeing and a new on was in control. People were negotiating and residents were banned from being on beaches or anywhere near the docks if they weren’t workers needing to make a living.

Negotiations were over days later and slowly, cautiously, things returned to normal. A new normal, because apparently, the new pod weren’t massive assholes and a big cove near the harbor was getting netted off for people to swim in safely. Apparently, researchers were even welcome in certain areas and as long as they didn’t stray from said areas nothing would happen to them.

It sounded almost too good to be true.

People were slowly and carefully testing the new rules and you eyed your aunt worriedly as she walked out on some flippers, chattering a mile a minute about the many great things she’d be able to find at the bottom of the ocean and if you weren’t willing to help.

"You know, because you’re so much better at this than I am, you’re the one with the license and all," she said with a cheeky grin and you turned from her to the rolling surf and the colorful floaters of the net quite a little ways back. It honestly did not look safe. Any mer could jump this without the slightest issue, if not slide just right over or shred it or lift it from the bottom and swim through -

"Hey, hun, no, I’m sorry," your aunt said, drawing your attention back to her and you realized how tense you were. "I’m sorry, I’ll stop asking." She smiled and it looked so sad you felt your chest squeeze. "I just want to see you happy again, you know. You always love the ocean so much."

She looked at the water wistfully and you took a deep breath and walked towards the water. You wouldn’t be able to dive, you knew that. You were already half worked into a panic as was and you stopped about knee deep and eyed the water sharply. No flash of scales, no shifting movement deeper down. Maybe no mer was in here.

"Hey, it’s alright, you don’t have to push yourself." Your aunt waddled up to your side with her flippers, snorkel and goggles in hand. "I’ll stay within view, alright?"

You nodded and watched your aunt waddle in further until she could start swimming properly, her flippers allowing her to swim faster. She was a good swimmer and a decent diver and you bit your lip a little harder than intended, feeling a lingering sting as you carefully walked further into the water.

You weren’t wearing swimming clothes of any kind, but that was alright. Wet pants weren’t as bad as waterlogged shoes in your opinion and the day was warm enough. The water lapped at your naval when you found you couldn’t move forward any further. You breathed carefully in a way a nurse in the hospital had taught you when you’d wake up in a panic. After a few long minutes sloshed your way back out again, heart pounding and yet…you looked back at the water, that constant soft longing under your skin soothed.

Nothing had happened to you. It had been nice and there were children giggling and teenagers splashing and your aunt resurfaced, waving something and throwing her arms up in a victory pose, briefly dipping under the water again. People were happy.

Your pounding heart slowly calmed back down and you sat down in the sand, letting the waves roll over your toes. Tense muscles uncoiled and you almost could pretend you were normal, that the constant scarfs you were wearing were a fashion choice and not to hide from startled looks and pitying glances. It was enough that you knew they were there.

Your aunt returned an hour later, exhausted and satisfied with a hip pouch full of beautiful little shells and whelks. She got up after a few moments of calming her breathing and started picking through driftwood. Another hour later you left with her, arms filled with driftwood she was going to decorate and carve and create other things with.

"Thanks, hun," she said and ignored your protest to shove a crisp bill into your hand. "Go and get yourself a nice dinner, alright?"

You knew people better by now and stopped by one of your favorite food trucks run by an elderly man and woman who made the best traditional food. They conversed kindly and cheerily with you and waved you off before greeting the next customer, friendly as always though a little less familiarly than with you.

You sat outside this evening after devouring your delicious meal, watching the beautiful sunset and enjoying the warm early summer air. A bit of mosquito repellant kept you safe from the persistent blood suckers, which was about the only reason you could sit outside without turning into a human windmill. Maybe…maybe you could go for a swim soon. Somewhere in the shallows of the netted off cove, so you had a better chance to run if something did attack.

You felt a little frozen in place at the thought, caught between the longing desire for the ocean and the deep rooted fear that came alive in your bones at the thought of mers. Surely, one bad experience wasn’t reason enough to give up diving forever. You’d just have to keep working on it, maybe get a therapist too and one day you’d be back to swimming without choking on a panic attack. Which was a surefire way to drown, especially diving below the surface.

The candle you had brought outside with you winked out in a particularly strong gust of wind, but you were alright with that. Dark was settling over the coast as the last ray of sunlight disappeared and slowly, gently, the noises of night were filling the air. The ocean looked pitch black like this, terrifying and yet it still fascinated a part of you. There was so little humanity knew about it due to the mers viciously and jealously protecting their territories and very few were granted the privilege to conduct research over any length of time.

You even dared to walk a little closer to the water’s edge, past the underbrush to the rocky outcroppings on bare feet. A slim path led past some big rocks where you had saved a mer’s live a little while ago and it followed along the shoreline from here. You weren’t going too far and you were going to keep enough of a damn distance to not be grabbed and dragged into the water right away.

You may feel comfortable at the moment, but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t be cautious.

Carefully picking your way past uneven rocks you managed to find a rather beautiful spot to watch the moon rise, its light making the ocean surface shimmer like countless silver coins. It was so dark here, a little distance away from the main town that you felt as though you had found an undiscovered piece of wilderness, unexplored land that laid in wait with a dozen secrets to unravel and treasure to find.

You had loved treasure hunting and adventure stories as a child, had devoured games like that in your youth and you had even dreamed of wreck diving after getting your license. There were, after all, a few wrecks the mers had no interest in and they left people alone as long as they didn’t stray into their territories. Well, mostly. Accidents happened every couple of years and newspapers liked to hint at it being an attack provoked by humans to keep people calm.

Carefully inching a little further, you kept a close eye on the waves and inhaled the ocean air. Which, granted, wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but you found you quite liked it, especially after having gotten used to it early on.

The sudden lights flashing further down the shoreline caught you entirely off guard. It wasn’t even a question if humans or mers were responsible, since mers weren’t exactly known for throwing rave parties at the bottom of the ocean.

As far as you knew your cabin was the last building on this particular edge of the coast, a thick forest between you and the next fisherman’s abode. Maybe some kids were having a little party, teens in these small cozy towns were rarely afraid of the surrounding flora and fauna and knew the area like the back of their hand.

You were about to edge back and return to your cabin, anxious that the light may draw mers to the surface, when you heard it. A sort of high pitched ringing that barely reached your ears and that you knew from experience to be horrifically loud up close. Close enough that people had gone deaf in the past after prolonged exposure.

It was also used to disorientate and keep mers at bay, since their sensitive ears made them scatter and stay at a distance unless they already knew how to deal with Howlers. Shouts traveled closer next, words indistinguishable due to distance, but it was clear something big was going on.

You caught on the moment you saw the ocean surface churn and another Howler getting deployed, the high-pitched noise growing a little louder.

Some fucks were actually catching a mer.

It was so incredibly stupid your mind briefly went blank with disbelieving incredulity. Catching a mer was not only so dangerous people rarely survived it, it also ensured the wrath of the entire goddamn pod. Some fools tried anyway since a live captive mer in good heath was worth billions on the black market.

You stumbled back, heart racing and hands and knees trembling, until a thought made you freeze in place. If a mer did get caught and dragged away, it was your new home that was going to suffer. Ships would get capsized and people drowned and everything within reach destroyed until the mer was returned or retribution offered. Your aunt would suffer, the people you had gotten to know would suffer, only because of some money hungry pieces of shit.

What was more, the mer would suffer horrifically. You might be scared shitless of them and would be happy to never cross one’s path again, but that didn’t mean you wanted a mer tortured or ripped from its home to be shoved into a bathtub. There were horror stories about mers in captivity and that some rather killed themselves than keep enduring being shoved into a glass container. No one should have to go through that.

You stared at the surface still churning and swallowed, your mouth painfully dry and forced your unsteady feet to carry you back home long enough to grab your diving knife and strap it to your thigh before you left again, instead of huddling beneath the blankets like you wanted.

You drew closer and closer, feeling as though you moved glacially slowly and far too quickly at the same time. You got a better look at the current situation now and there were two motorboats in a tiny cove and three Howlers were bobbing on the water’s surface at the entrance, the noise being blasted both above and below the waves and twelve men were struggling to keep a very much caught mer entangled in their nets.

Holy fucking shit. What incredible morons. And you would be even stupider.

"Hello," you called out towards the water, forcing your voice to remain steady and not betray how scared you were. Mers responded better to a calm tone in most situations. "I can help?"

That got a reaction. The water before you shifted and a furious mer surfaced, black hair plastered against his forehead and cheeks, blue eyes dark as a storm and fangs bared. It was the turtle herding mer. The bared fangs disappeared, but the very clear air of deadly anger was still thickly surrounding him.

"How?," he said in a voice that sent a shiver down your spine. He very clearly noticed your knife, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Because I can get past the Howlers," you said, curling your hands into fists to hide their shaking. The cove was too small for the mers to find a way to dive past the infernal devices. "And in return of me freeing your pod mate, you won’t attack the town back there."

His eyes narrowed and he dove beneath the waves. You waited, shuffling back a few more steps just to be on the safe side. The mer surfaced again.

"Do it," he said, brisk and to the point and disappeared once more with a last glance thrown your way.

Swallowing and taking a bracing breath, you walked further along the shoreline, utterly unwilling to get into the water right away. The chances of you surviving the treck while swimming seemed a lot lower this way.

You managed to climb all the way to the back of the boats by clambering up some rocks and squeezing past shrubbery and trees, scratching up your arms, though you barely noticed it over the pounding of your heart.

The men seemed to have the mer trussed up now and were discussing how to remove it, the fucking morons seemed to only have some half backed bullshit plan. You held on to a branch and slowly lowered yourself to a tiny outcropping before the water. Timing it with a renewed effort of the caught mer, you let yourself drop into the waves and found the small cove to be quite deep, since your feet weren’t even brushing the bottom.

You once had been able to hold your breath for a few minutes in the past, had reported every new record proudly. None of that training remained now, but you were confident enough to manage a minute or two if you really, absolutely had to. It had to be enough. You had to make this work.

The men were so focused on their catch you were sure you could have brazenly sat down in one of their boats and they wouldn’t have noticed you right away. This close the Howlers were hurting your ears, but not as much as the mers ears must be.

Taking a few breaths the way you had been taught, you held your breath and dove beneath the waves. The water was murky and dark and the only reason you saw anything at all were the two construction lights the morons had lit for their task.

The mer was easy to spot, thrashing in its nets and you caught a glimpse of mostly black scales with some orange flashing through, but mostly you noticed the blood clouding the water. Fuck. The pod was going to murder everyone in the cove. You bit back rising panic by the skin of your teeth and kept swimming forward, low enough to remain unnoticed.

The mer, however, clearly noticed you, hiss-snarling and baring its teeth and the only reason its fins didn’t flare was because of the nets. You ignored it, you couldn’t hold your breath long enough to both communicate and cut it free.

Instead you drew your knife, causing the mer to thrash more, but it was too tied up be able to hurt you. Otherwise one slam of that tail would’ve been enough to crush your ribcage. This mer seemed smaller than the others, which meant it was still a lot bigger than you, but it didn’t look as large as the one who had spoken with you previously.

Grabbing one strand of the net, you let yourself get dragged by the mer’s movements, though it stilled the moment you set your knife to the task. Which was good, because you would’ve nicked it otherwise. Wide purple eyes as bright as gems stared at you. Your knife was sharp, one of the things you took great care of and the piece of net snapped quickly. The mer stared at you as you kept on cutting along the bottom of it, staying out of sight of the assholes above and you tried not to think of the pod that waited just beyond the Howlers.

If the Howlers were going to deter them any longer that was. Once they figured out a way to take them out without getting too close, those things would go down faster than you could hope to paddle to safety.

Your lungs burned, but you had almost gotten the tail free, cutting fast and precise, which helped due to the mer holding still now. Maybe it had caught on to what you were doing or it was biding its time, but either way it made your work easier.

Until the fuckers began to try and haul the mer up. It thrashed and you just barely avoided nicking it near the dorsal fin, getting dragged through the water as you held on. Shit, you were so close!

You dared another cut, fast enough between bouts of struggling that you managed to cut two more bits of the net. Almost. The mer was almost free. In a fit of panic, you smacked it on the tail and it stilled, craning its head to stare at you with too wide eyes. It was scared, even you could tell and you set to sawing through the rest of the net quickly.

Just as its upper body was being hauled up, the last strand snapped and the mer slid out near effortlessly. There was a moment of panicked, rushed movements that dragged you further down and you lost not a second of time to swim away, terrified yourself.

You surfaced by the shore, gasping for air and the noise getting lost over the screams of the morons. When scales brushed your legs, you bit back a scream by the skin of your teeth, dragging yourself out of the water so quickly you felt something pull in your shoulder. Breathing hard, you stared down at the water, feet muddied and leaves sticking to them due to your mad scramble.

The mer surfaced, hands clapped over its, no, his ears. You could see his face better now.

"You helped," he said, wincing a little with pain. "I can’t get past the Howlers."

Shit. He was trapped and would get caught again if he remained.

"Dive to the bottom," you found yourself rasping out with a shaky voice, heart still racing and hands clinging so tight you weren’t sure you could let go with the mer right there. "Churn up silt to hide and stay there until the noise cuts off. Alright?"

The mer nodded and disappeared so swiftly and fluidly there wasn’t even a stray splash of a droplet. You waited a long moment and forced yourself back into the water, your stomach churning hard enough to make you nauseous.

You were not going to die. It was going to be alright. They had promised. But, then again, was the word of a mer worth anything? You still had to do it, though. There wasn’t really a way past it.

The men were frantically looking around, moving the lights until one stopped them and began to rummage around to look for some sort of equipment. Probably the same that had allowed them to locate the damn mer in the first place for the catch. It was your chance though. While the men kept a careful eye out, weapons at the ready to defend their boats, you skirted along the edges of the cove and closer to the Howlers, wincing as the noise grew in volume.

They were horrible and the closer you got the worse the noise became until a headache started to pound along with the ache in your ears. Howlers thankfully were easy to switch off, mostly because no one wanted to fumble eternally with a device that had caused people to go deaf in the past. Usually, Howlers had a timer that set them off and one that caused them to shut down again.

A single glance at the Howler showed that it was going to stay active for another hour. The switch was easy to spot and you sagged with relief when the device fell silent, but the other two were blaring loudly.

The men hadn’t noticed the first falling silent and they weren’t noticing the second either, at least not right away.

"Uh, boss?" One called out, but by then you were at the third and last Howler since they were grouped close enough together to reach with a few quick strokes. The third cut out to a sudden, ringing silence that you noticed even over the pain in your ears.

You swallowed, keeping your thumb over the switch of the Howler. Maybe, if they attacked you, you could be fast enough to get it working again and buy yourself an escape option.

Nothing gave the mers away until both boats suddenly shook viciously and screams filtered through your ringing ears. Squeezing your eyes shut, you tucked yourself tighter to the Howler, knowing there was nothing you could do. Nothing at all.

A tug against your pant leg made you choke on your breath and a mer surfaced, eyes emerald green and blond hair plastered against his forehead and neck. The one who had given you the thank you gift. His body curved so you felt just the faintest brush of shifting water against your back. He wasn’t touching you, but he was definitely between you and the guys getting murdered. Fins flared slightly, not so much to convey aggression but enough to cut off your view of the wildly swinging lights and horrible noises.

"Can’t you swim?" he asked and nodded towards the shore. "You don’t have to stay and listen to this."

They were letting you go? Either that or it was going to be a hunt and you were getting chased down. "Okay," the word came out sounding a litte off and the mer frowned. Was that concern? Who knew, it was too dark and you were too terrified to know for sure.

"Thank you," you said, forcing stiff and aching limbs to uncurl from the Howler, you watched the mer frown a little more as he watched you. "Your friend will be alright?"
His face softened the slightest bit. "Yes, thanks to you."

You offered a small shrug, unsure how easy it was to see through the water, unsure what to say. You had just done what any decent person would have. "Glad I could help."

His head tipped a little to the side, something shifting in his eyes and you felt a brush of displaced water against your feet, as though his fin had almost brushed you. "Go," he said, voice softer than before. "Get home safely."

You wobbled your head in a vague nod and paddled backwards, out of his reach and he watched you as you kept swimming away. Nothing happened and you flinched when you met wet stone and pulled yourself on land, clothes dripping wet and by the time you looked back, the cove was silent. Nothing was left of the horrible scene aside from two half shredded motorboats half pushed on land so they wouldn’t get dragged out to sea, a single light remaining and flickering like it belonged in a horror movie.

Inching back, you found yourself hurrying back home, ignoring the occasional sharp rock beneath your bare feet and when your cabin came into view, barely visible with the moonlight, you felt a sob catch in the back of your throat.

Throwing yourself inside and using the shitty lock, you slid down and shivered, tears pricking. You took deep breaths until the shivering stopped, the last of the fear fueled adrenaline draining out of you.

You dragged yourself to your feet, hissing at the cuts you had gotten on the way back and your aching shoulder. Dropping your still wet clothes into the bathroom sink, you took a quick shower and crawled into bed, thoroughly exhausted.

It still took you a while to fall asleep, screams ringing in your ears and the phantom sensation of scales brushing your legs, claws tracing the sides of your throat, about to dig in. You curled up and squeezed your eyes shut until you finally drifted off.

Chapter Text

You honestly hadn’t expected for anything to come from the harebrained rescue operation last night. You certainly didn’t want anything to happen because of it. As long as things could be peaceful and quiet once more you were not going to complain. Though, after last night, you doubted you were going to feel the same sense of calm again and any thoughts of maybe visiting the netted off cove again had disappeared entirely after a night of nightmare fueled sleep.

You dragged yourself out the door the next morning for work and the world was quiet and peaceful, as if last night’s happenings were as far removed from current reality as many of your murky dreams.

Work was fine, your aunt wasn’t in since she had to finish some orders and you put on a smile for the customers and kept everything clean and tidy. Your shoulder still ached a little, but not in a way that worried you. Probably just a pulled muscle, it should be fine if you were careful and took it easy for a few days. Your feet were sore, but nothing a bandaid and some carefully selected shoes didn't fix.

Biking home your mind was drifting ahead, planning what you could do tonight without straining your shoulder further. You were, therefore, entirely unprepared for the trill that reached your ears the moment you stopped in front of the cabin.

Staring over at the ocean, you saw the netted mere from last night, grinning and waving in big motions as though he was worried you wouldn’t see him over the shrubbery otherwise.

"Hello, lady!" he called out. "Do you have a minute? Come over here!"

You stared at him as though he was the worst anglerfish you had ever seen and you felt once again torn between just leaving and approaching a mer to see what he wanted. You were tired and you had had a horrible dream, so you put your bike away, carefully approaching the mer. He was more liable to leave you alone if you listend to what he had to say. Or so you hoped.

He chirped a cheerful noise, leaning on his hands to push himself further out of the water. He was big too, not as big as the other mers you had seen but still quite a bit larger than you were. You couldn't spot a single cut either from last night's ordeal and while you knew that mers healed pretty quickly, that sort of rapid wound closure hinted at the aid of a siren. They had songs for all sorts of occasions. At least according to legend.

"Thank you for helping me last night," he said, briefly dipping back into the water to pull out a net filled with things. "Here, this is for you."

You stared at the dripping net containing another tin container filled with shells and sea glass. On top of that were beautiful, near perfect pieces of dead coral, the sort your aunt would have immediately grabbed and topping that all off was a seaweed wrapped little stack of coins.

Were those real gold coins? The sort that were ridiculously expensive? And hundreds of years old from a bygone pirate era? Or even older than that? Or were they just junk coins this mer had accidentally found?

The mer’s face fell a little. "Did I choose wrong? I wanted to bring food, but Fugo said it might go bad."

"No, no, it’s, um, great," you said a little lamely, feet feeling rooted to the ground. "Thanks."

"No need, I’m the one saying thank you." The mer waited, a confused tilt to his head until his face lit up suddenly and he leaned forward with a small noise of effort and set the net down as closely to you as possible. When he straightened again, his face was a little more solemn. "I promise I won’t hurt you."

Mers could lie, many in fact had done so in the past. You offered a smile that must have looked as bland and empty as it felt, since the mer deflated a little, sinking to the shoulders into the water.

He offered a small quirk of a smile. "See ya, miss."

With those words he disappeared and you exhaled heavily, watching him dart away below the waves, still close enough to the surface that you could track the flash of black and orange scales for a few moments.

Picking up the net, this one slick with algae as well, you headed back inside, spreading the gifts out to dry them. You took a close look at the coins and booted up your old laptop to look them up. You quickly realized they weren't nearly as old or sought after as you had hoped but if you ever found yourself in a serious pinch, these could help you out a little.

You hid them carefully in your sock drawer, only to remember it was kind of unnecessary. No one knew you had those coins and people were aware of the fact that you barely had any funds to speak of and you figured your life out paycheck to paycheck. No one would come here looking for treasure.

Putting the dried shells and coral into the same box as the last ones, you wondered if you should give these to your aunt. Would the mers be upset about that? Or if you sold the coins? Maybe it was alright as long as you kept one of each? You had no idea and an hour long stint on the internet had no further information either, at least not really. There were gifts meant for the entire family at times, but nothing on what happened if you gave stuff solely gifted to you away.

Maybe you could make decorations for yourself with the shells and glass? The cabin was a bit barren and it could use some livening up, especially since you were going to stay for the foreseeable future. Who knew how long, really, it wasn’t like you had any plans for future jobs anymore. It would also give you something easy and light to do while you let your shoulder heal.

Two days later, you had some decorations on windowsills and some hanging from nails in the wood of the windows left by the previous owners. While your creations were nothing particularly special - anyone could put some shells on a string - it looked nice enough to make the living room better than before.

Maybe you’d look through your aunts shop yourself sometime, find something pretty to add or maybe you could get one of those window glass figurines that cast rainbows across walls once the sun shone through.

Since your shoulder was better now you decided to start poking about the porch the next evening. You just had pulled yourself on the railing at the side to examine a part that looked not so great, when you heard a shout.

"Hey, lady!" The loud shout came straight from the ocean and startled you badly enough that you lost your balance, slipped and landed in a pile of leaves and branches you had planned on removing later.

Groaning you sat up, already feeling the bruise that was going to form on your hip. There was a sudden, strange hush from the sea and you took a moment to press your forehead against your knees, wondering if you had majorly offended some sort of god or if some higher entity was having fun at your expense.

"Yes?" you found yourself calling towards the fishy, murderous nuisances.

"Oh, you’re not dead?" someone shouted back and you scrunched up your face, feeling slightly offended despite the nerves jittering up your spine at the mere thought of facing mers again. Though, then again, people had died falling from lesser distances, so maybe it wasn’t an entirely unwarranted question.

Getting up with another small groan, you peered over the shrubbery to see two mers leaning on the stony outcropping, necks craned to stare back at you. It was the mer you had saved from being netted and an entirely new one, blond hair plastered against his face and you caught a flash of spring-green scales in the water.

"Can you come over here?" the black haired mer asked, still shouting and you wondered if you should ask for their names just to have something to call them in your head.

"Why?" you couldn’t help but ask, still rubbing your sore hip a little.

"We can keep shouting if you want," the mer answered loudly and you grudgingly walked towards them, stopping at a careful distance.

"Is something going on?" You couldn’t imagine any other reason why these two would seek you out.

"Fugo here wanted to meet you," the black haired mer said and perked up. "Oh, I’m Narancia. Nice to meet you."

You hesitantly offered your own name. "And hello, Fugo."

Fugo was watching you, bobbing in rhythm with the push and pull of the waves and therefore looking like he remained perfectly level. "I am Pannacotta Fugo, thank you for saving this moron’s life."

"Hey, it wasn’t my fault!" Narancia glared at him, teeth bared and big fins rose a little out of the water, making the slighter mer suddenly look a lot larger, while your heart lurched hard and icy in your chest. "They were really quiet."

Fugo didn’t look the slightest bit concerned about the, from your point of view, slight threat display and turned to you instead. "Why did you choose to help?"

"Because I know what happens with caught mers," you found yourself saying. Those that were too injured to sell were killed and their scales got ripped off to be made into pretty jewelry for people who paid exorbitant prices. "And I wanted my town safe."

"I see. You must be a recent arrival then, this place has been empty for a while," Fugo remarked, head tilted slightly to the side and too sharp eyes watching you closely.

"Who cares, hey, lady, want to go for a swim?" Narancia offered with a big smile that displayed all his sharp teeth. "The waters are great today."

"No, thank you." The words must’ve gotten out as tight and terrified as you felt, since both mers blinked and Narancia looked disappointed and just a tiny bit sulky.

"I guess I get it," Narancia said with a great reluctance and a honest to god pout on his face. His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, you do know how to swim right?" He seemed genuinely distraught at the idea that you might not know how to thrive in the waves.

"I’m good," you answered, feeling a little bit faint at the mere thought of dive-bombing into the water right now.

"Oh, good, we could have totally taught you though." Narancia nodded, as though he had any idea on how to teach a human how to do anything. Not that you were going to say as much, but you’d rather learn from a dog than from a mer how swimming worked for humans.

Suddenly Narancia’s face lit up and he made a noise, coupled with a strange gesture, before he disappeared hurriedly beneath the waves. Fugo stared after him, then looked back at you and you wondered how this was your life.

"You really can swim?" Fugo asked after a moment and you nodded.

"I’m decent enough." Enough so that you had a diving license and before the whole horrible mess that caused you to end up in the hospital, you had been looking into traveling to wrecks you hadn’t dived at yet and you had had a whole list of jobs that would allow you to keep diving.

"Hm, if you do swim, avoid the coast a mile down the shore." He vaguely pointed in the direction. "We’ve been dealing with some mers trying to poach our territory."

"Alright, I’ll stay away." Not that it should be a worry of his, you didn’t even have reason to travel that way.

"But this area is safe," Fugo tacked on, motioning at around himself. "Don’t worry, we’ll keep threats away."

That strangely enough sounded like it was supposed to be reassuring. And it kind of was, a little, since you’d rather deal with mers that hadn’t hurt you so far compared to others who’d drown you no questions asked right off the bat.

"Good to know, thanks." This whole conversation was a little bewildering if you were being honest. Then again, the last time you had spoken properly with a mer you had been lied to so much you had done something stupid and it had nearly killed you.

He nodded and was about to say something when Narancia resurfaced with a cheer of victory, holding up his hands and presenting a wriggling, big, fat fish.

"Hah!" he grinned at Fugo. "Told you I’d get to present food!"

With those words he turned to you, still grinning. "My gift didn’t feel complete, to be honest, but now it does!" He lifted the fish, claws imbedded firmly enough that it couldn’t escape only to pause, looking at your hands. He then glanced at his own and swiftly killed the fish and tossed it towards you. "There you go!"

"Thank you." You just barely avoided making the words into a question while you caught the fish. Why was a mer giving you food? The fish was wet and slick and had quite a bit of heft to it. It would keep you fed for two days, maybe even three depending on what side-dishes you made, so that was nice. And it would mean you could save a couple of bucks to be spent on something else. Like fixing the cabin.

Narancia seemed to puff up a bit, smiling proudly. "You're welcome." His face brightened and he leaned forward, slightly bloody fingertips pressing into the stony outcropping. "Hey, do you have chocolate?"

"Narancia." Fugo’s voice was chiding.

"What, like you don’t want to try it too!" Narancia cast you a hopeful look. "We never had it but we heard about it, it’s supposed to be super great!"

You stared for a second, wondering if mers could even digest chocolate and why was he asking you that in the first place? "I don’t have any around." Sweets were expenses you currently couldn’t afford willy nilly.

Narancia’s face fell and he looked genuinely sad and disappointed. "Aw. Okay."

Fugo sighed discreetly and then snapped straight, Narancia doing the same, both looking over their shoulders. You followed their line of sight and saw a flash of something large, white scales speckled with black, further back in the water.

"Sorry, we gotta go," Narancia said. "Take care of that fish before it gets bad!"

He waved as he pushed off and disappeared in a backwards bend. Fugo gave you a nod and slipped below the waves, both were gone at a speed you would never in a million years manage yourself, either on land or in the water.

Still confused you brought the fish back to the cabin and set about cleaning and gutting it. You did know how to do that, though it wasn’t something you liked very much. A little while later, you had a lovely baked fish. It was one of the best you had ever had and you put the leftovers into the fridge.

You were still confused about the whole thing when you went to bed and later when you grabbed quick bite of fish for breakfast.

Work was uneventful and your aunt was too busy to talk, though she muttered a vague greeting and goodbye when you came and left.

You were still trying to figure out the porch situation without inevitably thinking about the mers too, but all that was shot to hell when you arrived at home and you caught a motion from the corner of your eye. Your name was called as you looked over and you saw a tall mer, having pushed far enough out of the water that he could see you over the shrubbery.

"Good day, is everything going alright?" the mer asked, voice raised to be heard easily, his black hair a little tousled which told you he had been out in the sun long enough for the tips to dry. It was the mer who had almost attacked you when you had removed the hook from his buddy.

"Yeah," you answered with cautious confusion. What was going on here?

He waved you over and you wondered what was it with mers asking you to approach and you stupidly doing it. Well, as long as you kept enough distance to stay safe, you could humor them a little. And, in all honesty, despite still being very worried, you were no longer as scared. As long as they didn’t touch you or you weren’t in the water, you were doing...okay. There certainly hadn’t been any panic attacks the last two times you talked with one of the pod members.

"I didn’t introduce myself last time," the mer said with a smile and you wisely didn’t mention that mers generally didn’t introduce themselves. They either drowned you or they didn’t. "I’m Guido Mista."

Since he already knew your name, most likely from either Narancia or Fugo, you inclined your head politely. "Nice to meet you."

He laughed at that, looking a little sheepish. "Yeah, I guess I didn’t make the best first impression, but you helped us a great deal when you didn’t have to." He didn’t seem to doubt you, which meant the pod either believed you that you had been genuine, if terrified, when helping them or he was good at hiding what he thought.

"I wanted to let you know that there is a huge storm coming," he said, thumb pointing over his shoulder. "And sometimes homes like yours get in trouble."

That was really good to know, actually. You hadn’t been checking the weather forecast the past two days. "How far out is it?"

He tipped his head in thought. "I think it should reach the coast sometime at night. It’s approaching fast and the sea will get stormy soon."

"Thank you for telling me." Though…why did he?

"Of course, you helped us too after all."

You felt yourself frown a little. "But you already thanked me?"

He blinked, surprise and understanding flashing over his face. "Oh, no, I mean yes, we said thank you, but that doesn’t mean we’re still not grateful."

You had thought that gratitude gifts were supposed to ensure the matter was done and dealt with. "You don’t have to be," you found yourself saying, feeling a little awkward. Mista gave you a look like he thought you were speaking nonsense.

"You saved the lives of two of my friends," he said, having grown serious and just a little grim, his fins flaring just a tiny bit. You resisted the urge to shift uneasily. "Don’t assume we take that lightly."

What were you supposed to say to that? You honestly just wanted some peace and quiet. Mista eased up again, fins disappearing in the waves. "So, if you ever need help, shout and we’ll swim right over."

That was just bizarre, you couldn’t help but think. Did these mers feel indebted to you? No, that couldn’t be, according to all the internet articles you had shuffled through, thank you gifts were to absolve them from any sort of perceived debt. That was why they usually took great care in putting them together.

"Okay," you nodded when Mista waited expectantly for an answer. The chances of you needing the pod’s help were slim to none, but the offer was…unexpected. "That’s, um, nice. Good to know."

He smiled and perked up. "Oh, that reminds me, wait a moment!"

He disappeared in the waves and you watched a flash of red and blue scales move out of sight. Peering out across the water, you noticed that the waves were indeed a little choppier, but nothing that would have worried you and the sky was a little cloudy. Mers probably had a far better idea how the ocean shifted before a storm and could sense it, or they had seen it coming, depending on how large a territory they covered.

Glancing back at the cabin you eyed it critically. It had withstood years of seasons and the weather that came with it so far and it was soundly build, so it should be fine, right? Well, maybe you could cut back that one tree, if one of its bigger branches fell onto the roof it could cause quite some damage along with water leakage and you really didn’t have the funds to repair that in the time it needed to be done to avoid getting more damage and mold.

Mista resurfaced just as you wondered if he’d come back again at all and held up a big, lovely fish.

"Is this one good?" he asked and you couldn’t help but offer a bewildered nod. The fish certainly looked fine enough, not that you were an expert or anything.

Mista smiled and, like Narancia before, swiftly killed the animal and tossed it to you. You almost dropped it accidentally, but managed to get enough of a grip on slick scales to not let the poor thing splat onto the dirt.

"Um, thank you?" Why had you gotten another fish? The first one was only half eaten and was currently having a grand old time lying around in the fridge.

Mista straighten, pushing himself a tad further out of the water. "I made sure to pick the best one I could see."

Which explained why he was gone for a bit, but not why you were getting the fish. Why did he go through all that effort? How could you ask without sounding like some ungrateful degenerate?

"Thank you, it looks great." You shifted your grip on the fish, feeling a little awkward.

He grinned. "You’re welcome." He pushed away from the stone, a wave washing over his shoulders as he sank back down. "Be sure to stay safe!"

With those words and a wave he was gone. You stared down at the fish. Well, now you really didn’t have to worry about food. This would last you the rest of the week.

You took care of the fish and after depositing it in the freezer, you called your aunt to warn her about the storm. She liked keeping baubles and things outside to decorate her balcony and shop entrance.

"Oh, I already know, hun," she reassured you. "Didn’t you?"

"Oh, sure, I did," you lied through your teeth. You really needed to pay more attention to things and panic less over mers. "Just wanted to make sure you’re alright."

"That’s sweet of you, but make sure you’re alright too. This one’s going to be rough and don’t even think about coming in tomorrow!" She disconnected the call after one last check to make sure you were going to be fine and a cheery 'see you on the other side!'.

You headed back out to try and make your cabin just a little more storm proof. Though, admittedly, you were a bit reckless trimming back the tree and you almost fell off the cabin roof, regaining your balance at the last moment. Putting the branches aside as much as possible, you grabbed twine and secured your bicycle, just in case. It may be rickety, but it was reliable and currently your best way to get to work and bring your shopping home.

Dinner was leftover fish with salad and you sat on your couch, squinting at your laptop to watch a movie. You could hear the wind picking up and the waves crashing harder and peered out the window. Alright, the weather was definitely getting a lot worse.

The ear-splitting crash and rumble of thunder startled you awake in the middle of the night and you could hear the storm raging now, winds howling and the ocean rumbling like a massive, ancient beast. Peering out the window you saw nothing but darkness and the flash of lightning. Rain was drumming against the glass in thick drops and if the whole thing hadn’t unsettled you just a little, you would have liked the weather.

There was nothing to do now and you crawled back into bed, listening to nature howling wildly and slowly you fell asleep again.

The next morning the thunder had calmed, but rain was still coming down hard and you saw that the small yard and driveway were nothing but one big muddy sludge.

Well, with two big fish, one still untouched and frozen and enough of the first one left to last you today, you were going to be just fine until the weather blew over.

It was the laziest day you had had in a while. There was nothing to do aside from some cleaning and you took a long, hot bath and spent a few hours bumbling around the internet, catching up on some things and answering emails to old acquaintances from the diving club. The contact was slowly but surely dying down. There was little to talk about when the biggest thing that had connected you to them was now something you utterly stayed away from.

The day passed, the first fish was eaten entirely now and the next day the weather had calmed enough to take a look around. The cabin looked fine, as was your bike. The yard however…well, you now understood why it looked the way it looked. Someone must have only occasionally looked after it, though it hadn't been enough to keep nature from merrily making a mess of it.

You poked around for a bit, grabbing broken off branches and kicking stones back to the side of the path. It wasn’t until you checked the shrubbery that you started to feel uneasy and looked up to find that you had company. The shark mer was watching you putter around and you bit back a flinch of surprise by the skin your teeth.

"You survived," he remarked and you couldn’t help but gesture at the obviously intact cabin. What was it with mers and thinking you were going to die?

"It’s solid." Did he need anything? Was there another hook incident? Though you were sure the mers knew how to take care of that themselves and that your help wouldn’t be needed outside of highly unusual circumstances.

The mer said nothing for a moment, only to slap a big wriggling fish onto the stone. That was so weird and so confusing, but most of all, that was way too much fish. Your freezer was tiny as well and you couldn’t eat nothing but fish every day for the next week.

The mer frowned. "Is something wrong with it?" It sounded just a little confrontational and you resisted the urge to step back.

"It’s, er, too big," you ended up saying lamely and one tiny voice in the back of your head that retained a sense of juvenile humor cackled despite the situation. "I can’t eat that much fish."

The mer’s frown deepened and he tossed the wriggling fish back into the sea and disappeared wordlessly. Shit, had you upset him? You had accepted all the gifts so far, mostly because you had no idea what to do and because they weren’t giving you junk. Nervous now, you stepped back from the shrubbery and instead squelched through the mud to check the path leading to your cabin. There were some branches and you cleared them away, though otherwise the path was fine.

As you headed back to your cabin, a whistling noise caught your attention and you looked over to see the shark mer back. You hesitantly stepped towards him and this time, he slapped a far smaller fish onto the rock.

"Here," he said in a voice that held a hint of a challenge. Was that to tell you to accept it and be grateful for it? Or to check if he got one in a better size? Why was he even giving you one? Was that a pod thing?

"It’s perfect, thanks." It was a fine size and would keep you fed another day but not three like the big fish would have. Oh god, hopefully they would stop brining you fish all the time, otherwise you were going to have to go sell them or toss them at your aunt and some other people around.

He looked marginally happier about that and nodded, killing the fish and leaving it where it was, before disappearing into the waves again.

"I am so confused," you whispered to yourself, waiting a long moment before cautiously approaching the water’s edge. If this mer toyed with you, you were at least going to shove the fish down his throat while he was drowning you.

Snatching the fish up, you quickly backed away and stared at the still choppy waters. You hadn’t read anything about this behavior online, at least not during your search about mers and gifts and solitary mers were usually the ones who at times tended to try and court humans. This thing here however felt as though the mers were trying to feed you or something else bizarre.

Seriously, what was going on here?

***

You saw your aunt again the next day and she was very happy about the cooked fish you brought to lunch for both of you.

"Man, this must be the best fish I’ve eaten in ages," she muttered around a mouthful. "Where did you find it?"

"I was lucky at the market," you answered. There was no way you could tell her about the mers. Your aunt's reactions could range from her hiding you away in her backroom for months to tossing rooks into the waves while shouting threats at the pod.

"Buy one for me too if you find more of these," she remarked and shoveled the last bite into her mouth. "That was really good."

"Thank you." You hadn’t brought any homemade food to work before and your aunt was usually too busy to do the same, so you had bought lunch from surrounding places.

You were starting to feel like you owed the mers one, which was stupid, because no one had forced them to do this and you hadn’t wanted them to constantly approach you either.

"That reminds me, did you see anything before or after the storm?" your aunt asked as you cleaned up. "A few fishermen disappeared, they were supposed to be on a small overnight trip together but never came home and yesterday they found two empty, dinged up motorboats."

You stilled, empty containers neatly packed away. That sounded suspiciously like the men who had been killed by the pod. "Um, no." You technically hadn’t seen much, thanks to big blonde, but you certainly had heard more than enough. Shit, should you say something? You couldn’t keep it secret, but if you told your aunt you had doomed men to death by setting a mer free, you had no idea what would happen. "But I saw some mers in the water and they looked agitated."

"Damn." Your aunt sighed, pressing her palms over her eyes. "I thought the new pod was nicer."

"They’re still merfolk," you couldn’t help but mutter, then bit your lip. They had been kind of nice to you and while you didn’t buy into that for a second, you had to admit they hadn’t harmed you so far. "Who knows what happened, if the fishers made them angry."

"Maybe. God knows I can think of five people off the top of my head who would do something really stupid if given half a chance." She got up and stretched. "I’ll head back to work, lock up the shop when you’re done, please."

"Of course." You thought back to that night as you returned to the shop to resume your regular work day. It didn’t feel like you had made a wrong decision in cutting Narancia free, but you did wish you could have kept those men from dying. That night was going to show up in your nightmares sooner or later, you were sure of it.

You mulled over that all the way home, only to hear a mer call rise over the wind. It would have made you nope out of the situation right away today if it hadn’t held a strange note of urgency. Pedaling on you reached the driveway of your cabin and looked over to the ocean. The mer who had herded the turtles was there this time and he called out your name.

You approached carefully, only to see that he was hunched over something to shield it from the light rain, arms wrapped carefully around a shivering bundle.

"I saw it fall into the water a little further up the coast," he said, uncurling his arms to reveal a soaking wet kitten. "It couldn’t get out and I saw no one else around looking for it."

"It might’ve gotten in trouble during the storm." You quickly stepped forward before you knew it, every inch of you wanting to bundle the kitten away somewhere warm and dry. To your surprise, the mer pulled back, putting space between you two while you swiftly picked the kitten up and it pressed close immediately, making you wince as cold fur met your cheek. You quickly lifted the collar of your rain coat to bundle it beneath.

"I’ll take care of it," you told the mer, who watched you closely. "And see if it has an owner looking for it."

He nodded and you hurried back inside, quick to grab a towel to dry the kitten. It looked like a normal house cat with stripes along its back and you dialed the vet’s number.

A few moments later you were biking away again, a kitten securely bundled into your open backpack with a couple more towels. You held your umbrella carefully so the little one would stay dry on the ride over.

The vet was swiftly taking care of the kitten and found out that it had a chip while it rested on blankets and a hot water bottle. "Looks like Leo has a home," he said, looking at the file the chip number matched up with. "I’ll go call the owner, she must be sick with worry."

You were a little relieved that you wouldn’t have to foot a veterinary bill in your current situation, but mostly you were glad the little guy had a loving home and hadn't been abandoned. You biked back home, relieved and ready to call it a day.

Only, the mer was back. Though if anyone deserved to know what had happened to the kitten it was the one who had saved its life in the first place.

"The kitten’s fine," you told him as you stepped past the shrubbery. His face eased a bit, a soft expression of relief at those news. "Thank you for saving him."

"It was pure luck I passed by when he fell," the mer said and rose a little out of the water, resting his arms on the rock in front of him. "I’m Bruno Buccellati."

You had a real collection of names by now.

"I know the others brought you something the last few days," he said and dipped one hand into the water, pulling up a net full of crabs and knowing the mers they had been killed recently. "I thought I might change it up."

Even more food. You had to admit that you hadn’t eaten crabs yet though and were curious about it. "Thank you." You couldn’t help but ask, however, "Um, why me?"

Bruno set the net down as far from himself as possible. These mers were strangely aware of how uncomfortable you were with close proximity. He seemed to think over his words as he straightened back up. "You helped us and many of us like you, so we decided to get to know you."

Through the means of food, it seemed. Not that you were complaining, it was a rather good idea all in all. "I see."

"I would have dropped by earlier if not for territory disputes," he said, settling down a little. "You faced no trouble for freeing Narancia?"

No, because everyone involved was dead and you hardly thought the mers would have let even one man escape. You wondered how long search parties were going to scour the coast for these men until they were proclaimed dead. Or maybe the corpses would show up. Mers, contrary to some persistent stories, did not eat people. They killed and drowned them and usually left them floating for whatever other predator came along, but they did not eat them.

Still, netting a mer was considered the height of stupidity and was a surefire way to get killed by a pissed off pod. People had started to just shake their heads if such a thing happened, though they still got angry if people got killed off for no reason at all. There were mers who hunted humans for sport and entire stretches of coasts where it was forbidden to even set a single toe into the water.

"Everything is alright." You couldn’t help but frown a little. "How did Narancia get caught?"

"As far as I understand it he had fallen asleep in that cove looking for something and these…" He made a low, rough noise that made a shiver crawl down your spine, your heart lurching in your chest. "They kept their boats silent and moved slowly enough that Narancia only would have noticed them if he had been awake. We were looking for him, but we didn't reach him in time and without you, it might have been too late."

It really had been nothing but dump luck - or misfortune in the end - that these guys had managed to not only find but also net a mer. On the other hand, there was really no good reason to sneak around in the dark with your motorboats turned off. Maybe they had been looking for a mer the moment they had set out to sea.

"Why do they try to catch us?" Bruno asked and you found yourself in the uncomfortable position to explain human greed. Which you managed to do more or less succinctly and greed didn’t seem to be an unfamiliar concept to the mer either. "Ah. I see."

"People can be pretty horrible." And mers, you didn’t say, but it seemed to hang unspoken in the air anyway.

"What about you?" he asked, leaning a little more comfortably against the stone. "What is it that you want?"

"In life?" you guessed and at his nod you resisted the urge to sigh. "I don’t know, I’m figuring it out." You gestured back at the cabin. "For now I’m fixing that up and then I’ll see."

Your aunt paid you fairly and while you didn’t know if you wanted to stay and work in her shop for the rest of your days, it was a safe and welcoming environment. It was as good a start as any to try and figure out what you wanted in life now.

"Is that process going well?" He seemed genuinely interested, which was unexpected.

"Yes, I only have to figure out the porch. How, um, are things going for your pod?" It seemed polite to ask him things in return.

"Better with every day," Bruno said. "Some other pods challenged us, but we are holding the territory we gained. You don’t have to worry, the waters around this area are safe."

Ah, yes, the waters you would totally jump into and frolic around in. What was it with mers and suggesting you go take a swim? You weren't that stupid.

He quirked a wry smile. "Though I believe you won’t take us up on the offer." It was an offer?

"I’m not comfortable in water." You were skirting around the truth a bit here.

"And us," Bruno added easily and well, there went your efforts to be diplomatic. "We noticed." At your grimace he made a low noise that sounded strangely reassuring. "We don’t blame you, we know what sort of reputation we have."

It wasn’t just them, but the mere thought of talking about what had happened made your throat stick closed and your tongue turn to lead. Your stomach churned icily and you exhaled long and slow. You were fine. You had survived.

"For what it’s worth, you won’t have to worry about anything with us," Bruno said, letting go of the outcropping to sink down to his shoulders into the water. "You won’t come to harm." He offered a small smile. "It’s alright if you don’t believe that now."

You heard a noise from farther away and found yourself glad for the interruption. What could you have said to that?

"Apologies for the sudden departure." Bruno offered a little wave in parting. "Arrivederci."

And he was gone. You picked up the net with crabs and wondered at your life. And for a brief, traitorous moment, you found yourself glancing at the water, noting how easy it would be to jump in and climb back out, to feel the push and pull of the waves, the weightlessness. A sudden shiver made you step back and hurry inside. Contemplating the thought to dip in was utter madness.

Besides, you needed to figure out what to do with the crabs.

***

It was quiet for a few days, which was thankfully enough time to make a dent into the food the mers had handed over. You had looked up a few recipes since you couldn’t keep baking everything, no matter what other side-dishes you made along with it.

You had figured out a way to tackle the support beam issue without causing more damage and you were carefully propping the roof up with extra support, when you caught movement from the corner of your eye. There was a mer, again, and this time it was big blonde who had ushered you away from the fight. He seemed to watch for a moment as you shuffled around and adjusted your things until you gave up and faced him.

"Can I help you?" you ended up asking loudly and he straightened a little, waving you closer. Ah, well, here you went again.

"Hello," he greeted you with a small, soft looking smile and you still had the suspicion that he had some siren in him. Whether or not that was true or if he had even inherited the ability to sing was another matter.

"Is everything alright?" you asked. The fact that mers showed up so often was still bewildering.

"Everyone is well," he answered, voice calm and smooth and without much preamble he held out a thin, tightly woven net full of shrimps. Actual shrimps. "For you, if you’d like."

"Um, yes? Thank you." This was so bizarre.

"I’m Giorno Giovanna," he introduced himself as he pushed himself up with one hand, beautiful scales shining and he leaned forward to gently set the net down. He let himself sink back into the waters again with nary a sound. To your surprise, a turtle appeared and seemed content to stay floating at his side. "Ah, thank you as well, for helping little ones like him."

"Of course, turtle babies don’t have it easy." That really hadn’t been a hardship and turtles had become rather endangered in most places, since people could get at the eggs and hatchlings without having to content with mers in most cases. People had also learned to be sneaky enough to get away with it until it had become so glaringly obvious that turtles were now under protection.

Giorno offered a quiet, agreeing hum, one hand gently brushing over the turtle’s shell. It paddled closer and he lightly scratched it, face gentling a little further. It was unexpectedly…cute.

"Would you be willing to do so again?" he asked, glancing up from the content looking turtle. "We try, but we’re not as versatile on land."

"Sure, just let me know when and where." You meant it too, it wouldn’t be a big hardship to take a day or two off and escort some teeny tiny turtles to the ocean.

He offered a small smile and the turtle swam away after a long moment of enjoying careful scratches and smoothly dipped under the waves to leave.

"I know the others already told you," Giorno spoke up in that pleasant voice of his. "But as the don of our pod I would like to let you formally know that you are welcome in our waters." His green eyes were sharp as he looked up. "We would not betray your trust."

You looked away, feeling a small itch along the scars on your neck. You had believed that once, that you were safe. That you wouldn’t get hurt.

You looked back and offered a tight smile. "Thank you. I’ll be sure to remember it."

There was a small furrow between Giorno’s brows, though he nodded once in understanding. A sudden flash of scales caught your attention and a moment later, a pink haired mer surfaced, curiously eyeing you and dipping her head briefly in a greeting.

"Trish, is something the matter?" Giorno asked and her face gave a small twitch that told you how unhappy she was about something.

"Dispute with that pod from two days ago," she said. "They demand to speak with you."

He sighed and turned to you. "I fear I can’t stay much longer, but I am sure we’ll see each other again."

Apparently so. The mers certainly had proven that they were, for some harebrained reason, curious about you. Trish offered a small nod in parting and dove down, Giorno following after with a little wave goodbye in your direction.

Picking up your shrimps, you watched as they disappeared out of view and slowly wandered back into your cabin to take care of the seafood. A look at your fridge let you realize that, damn, these mers really had provided you with food. You’d only have to buy some things to make side-dishes and maybe for a different meal here and there so you wouldn’t start to hate the taste of fish.

Everything cleaned up and a dinner later, you found yourself looking outside to the ocean, the setting sun casting beautiful colors over the still somewhat cloudy sky and gentle shift of waves. And for just a moment, you felt a little like you had before the attack, before the horribleness. Light hearted and in awe with a deep yearning to dive beneath those waves to explore a world so very different from your own.

Somehow, you weren’t even surprised when the next evening as you arrived at home after work, Trish was waving you over, presenting you with a couple of freshly killed and pre-cut calamari.

"They’re good for you, or so I heard," she said with a small shrug, leaning forward like the others had and setting them down on a strip of seaweed she had tossed onto the rock. She briefly tapped it with a clawed fingertip. "That’s edible too, if you don’t mind the dirt."

"Thank you." It felt like you were saying that a lot recently and you even meant it. Still, this whole situation was utterly bewildering.

She looked pleased enough with that response. "I do have a question, though," she said.

"Alright?"

"How do your toes work?" She cast a glance at your flip flops. "I mean, what do they do?"

"They help me walk." You did faintly remember that details about toes. "And I can pick things up with them."

Her brows rose in surprise. "Really?"

You slipped out of one flip flop and picked up a small pebble with your toes. "As long as it’s not big or too heavy, I have a decent grip. Most people do, as far as I know. That’s what lets us climb well too."

She made a low noise of understanding. "I always wondered about that."

"Some people are good enough to paint with them as well," you said, dropping the pebble again and slipping back into your flip flop.

"Paint?" She tipped her head slightly to the side and you found yourself explaining the concept as humans understood it.

At one point you sat down and used a piece of the seaweed and a pointy bit of rock to better show what you meant.

"And people can draw anything?" she wanted to know.

"As long as they can see or imagine it." You gestured at your stick figures. "I never had much interest in drawing and didn’t put much effort into learning so I can’t do it well. At all."

"Does it work under water?" She eyed some of the rocks with a contemplative look.

"I don’t know about paint." Especially ones that were filled with chemicals that should not get into their environment. "But if you want to try it out, you can start by drawing in the sand?" It wouldn’t work particularly well, but if she really was interested, she could later find a rock wall and carve into that. Or one of the other mers could do so. By now you were reasonably certain they were big gossips, since they seemed to know what was going on after every time you talked to one of them.

"Hm, perhaps." A low hum traveling through the water made her glance back and push off of the outcropping. "I don’t have much more time," she said and actually seemed a little reluctant to go. You wondered just how curious these mers must be about you to actually take time out of their days just to drop by.

"Take care." The mers really seemed busy, but if they had to defend their recently gained territory it made sense that they kept leaving rather quickly.

She huffed softly, looking faintly bemused at the idea of having to be careful. "You too, I heard humans get hurt easily." She disappeared with those parting words and you found yourself rolling your eyes. Humans weren’t that fragile.

Your fridge certainly was going to overflow if they kept that up, since it wasn’t really particularly big. As you cooked some crabs along with two small calamari you realized the last few meetings with mers had been close to calm for you. Huh.

You told yourself it was that reason and a bit of wayward gratitude and nothing else, when you picked up chocolate on your way home the next day. Narancia had mentioned he and Fugo were curious about it and maybe others were too. It was the least you could do, really. You really hoped that it wasn’t going to turn into some kind of big mistake if you reciprocated a little. But just a little. And carefully. You really didn’t need more scars.

No one was there when you arrived and you set the two boxes of pralines down near the water. They were the cheap kind, since even with a bit of saved food money you still didn’t feel comfortable buying the more expensive stuff, but you liked them and there was a bit of a different filling in most of them, which might be a fun taste experience.

You thought about leaving a note, but ultimately didn’t, since you weren’t sure if or how well mers could read.

You were busy taking care of last nights dishes, left in the sink out of laziness, when you heard a trilling sort of noise that eased out into a calling kind of song. Ah, someone was here. You kept scrubbing, only for the noise to rise again, this time more insistent.

Pulling off your gloves you poked your head outside to find Narancia had risen so far out of the water that half his body was visible above the shrubbery and he waved one pack of chocolate around. In all honesty his position seemed to be precarious, as though he could fall over at any moment.

"Is that for us?" he shouted.

"Yes!" you shouted back. "It’s chocolate, but I don’t know if sugar will be good for you!"

"Who cares!" he laughed and whooped, dropping out of view with a big splash. Ah. Well. The packaging should survive a bit of soaking if he took it out again right away.

You returned to scrubbing dishes and contemplated your dinner choices. Was it the last of the fish or seafood again? Maybe you should pick up some fruits tomorrow or bake something or your diet was going to become rather one-sided very quickly.

The was a brief bit of commotion outside but it died down before you could start to worry. You only realized that you had started to smile a little when you scratched your chin. Huh. When a new voice called to you, it was in a softer, longer tone that was kept up long enough for you to poke your head outside again.

"Join us?" Bruno asked, pushed up enough to be visible over the shrubbery. And, well, why not. You’d keep your safety distance and you’d get a first row seat at seeing the mers reaction to chocolate.

Slipping into your flip flop you shuffled over and saw that the whole gang seemed to be present this time. The two packs of pralines suddenly looked like maybe too little, especially considering how big they were. You found yourself hesitating and you took a deep breath as you sat down where you usually stood. Shit, they were all taller than you now and your heart beat kicked up, utterly ignoring the fact that they were far enough to be no danger to you.

The mers eased up from leaning out of the water as much and Bruno carefully fiddled with the pack of pralines under the watchful eyes of everyone else, yourself included and you realized that he was figuring out how to open it. Before you could tell him, he had already managed it and set the pack down. Everyone leaned in a little and you saw Narancia leaning on Mista’s shoulders to peer over his head.

"Is there any difference to them?" Giorno inquired and you leaned forward a bit to point better.

"Those are regular ones, those are nougat, um, some hazelnut, pistachio and strawberry." At their somewhat blank faces you realized that they probably had no idea what most of those things were, or if they did, what they would taste like. Maybe. You genuinely had no idea how much mers had eaten or tried or knew beyond having overheard people talking about it.

"Start with the ones on the left." You nodded to the second pack. "The same thing is in that one, so you should all get to eat one of each." With one praline of each flavor left over.

"Would you like to have some as well?" Bruno asked and you shook your head.

"It’s for you guys."

Bruno carefully distributed the first row of sweets once the second pack had been opened by an enthusiastic Mista. You held your breath a little as they took their first bite, only to watch as their eyes lit up.

"This is the best!" Mista decided and, simultaneously with Narancia, shoved the rest of his piece into his mouth.

"Sweet," the shark mer, whose name you hadn’t gotten to know yet, decided and took the daintiest nibble you had ever seen. They all quickly realized that chocolate melted in their hands, though a little slower than it would in yours. Mers ran a tad cooler than humans, as far as you knew.

"Nougat, was it?" Bruno confirmed with you as they went for the next row. Narancia and Mista leaned forward, anticipation bright on their faces. They all, in fact, seemed to look forward to more. You covered your mouth with your hand to hide the small smile that began to bloom and the nervous pounding of your heart slowly began to calm.

The mers ate their way through the pralines slower than anyone else you had ever seen. The taste seemed entirely new to them, which didn’t really surprise you, if chocolate fell into the ocean it either dissolved before they could get to it or it would have a really…interesting taste. They seemed to enjoy most of it, though Trish did pass on her hazelnut to Narancia and the shark mer seemed to be on the fence with the pistachio one, but ultimately finished his piece.

"This was very good," Giorno said at last with a soft smile caught you off guard and Fugo reached over to smack Narancia’s hand when he tried to grab the last pieces. You watched with a bit of fascination as they distributed the last pieces fairly, though you saw Narancia nabbing the strawberry piece while no one was looking, grinning happily.

"This was quite lovely," Bruno said, smiling at you and resting easily against the stone.

"Yeah," Mista chimed in with a smile of his own, leaning onto his elbow while Narancia was poking at the packs as if more chocolate might appear suddenly. "We’ve wanted to try chocolate forever."

"Well, if there is anything else you want to eat, let me know and I’ll try to see what I can do." As far as your budget allowed, at least.

Mista perked up and you noticed that the other mers were also paying close attention. "Really? That’s sweet of you."

You had no idea what to say to that and ended up offering a small, slightly awkward shrug.

"We’d be happy to try anything you bring us," Giorno said with a smile that softened around the edges.

"Do you have any allergies?" you asked, since the last thing you needed was to piss the entire pod off by accidentally making one of them choke horribly on their food.

"We shouldn’t, at least not that we know of," Bruno answered, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Do you have any preferences for food we could get you?"

"Some mussels or clams, maybe. I haven’t eaten those yet." They were a bit rare and too expensive for you to afford most days and people were largely growing them in tanks to avoid tangling with mers as they poked about the ocean. And if you didn’t like them your aunt absolutely would.

"Done and done," Mista said with a charming, cheerful grin. "We’ll be sure to get the best."

And the strangest thing was you believed that. There was something honest about him and a warmth to his dark eyes that took you by surprise.

Bruno agreed with a warm, low hum and actually, now that you took a closer look, the entire pod looked satisfied, like big cats lying in the shade after a great meal. They almost looked like they wouldn’t harm a fly.

"Well, I’ll leave you to it," you said, getting to your feet and patting some stray bit of dirt away from your bottom. This time it was your turn to leave it seemed. "Goodbye."

"Arrivederci," Bruno said and the other mers echoed it. "Can we see you tomorrow?"

They hadn’t asked you that before and it made you just a little confused. "Sure, I’ll be back from work around the same time."

"We will be here." He sounded strangely like he was promising it. Mista and Giorno hummed a note human voices couldn’t hope to replicate. That was weird, but then again, so far everything about this whole situation was just a little weird and boggling.

"Sleep well!" Narancia shouted in parting and you waved at them, stepping back and heading into your cabin.

Your stomach was growling heavily by the time you had your dinner cooked, only for you to abandon it for a moment to quickly head back out and collect the empty praline packs. You were the last person to litter and you didn't like the thought of trash ending up in the ocean.

To your surprise there were three beautiful, perfect pearls waiting for you as well and since they were inside one of the packs you couldn’t help but think they were meant for you. You stared at the pearls for a long moment. They were clearly some kind of gift, but why hadn’t they just given it to you? What did it mean? Was it more gratitude?

You cautiously picked out the pearls and tucked the empty packs under your arm to throw away later. Those were the sort of pearls people paid a nice bit of money for. A small sliver of unease crawled down your spine. The food you had been able to explain away, but treasures of the ocean felt like more than just tossing some fish at your head.

You’d ask them tomorrow, you resolved. Surely there was a good explanation for this.

Chapter Text

Work the next day was quiet, though you couldn’t get the mers out of your head. You didn’t doubt that they were going to show up, not after the past couple of days, though it was puzzling. And a little worrying, but not quite as much as when you had first met them.

The silver chime of the bells your aunt kept at the shop door caused you to look up with a smile and a cheerful greeting. An older woman stepped forward, dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes and her gaze was what made you pause most of all. It was dark and angry.

"I heard you may know something about the disappearance of my husband and his friends," she said, voice rough like sandpaper. "You said there were mers?"

Had your aunt told someone? If she had, rumors sure traveled fast around here. "Um, I live near the coast and I saw some disturbance along the shore," you ended up saying, avoiding her gaze and nudging a little stand with seashell bracelets to be perfectly symmetrical. Shit, how could you look her in the eye, knowing what you knew? "I didn’t see anything else, I don’t know if your husband was out there as well." Which was the truth. Kind of.

She stared at you for a long moment, then offered a slow nod. "I see. If you remember anything else, or see anything else, call me." She pulled out a card and set it down on the counter, a phone number scrawled on haphazardly.

"Of course, I will." You carefully pocketed the card. The woman nodded again, frowning at you and turned around to leave without another word.

You watched her walk away through the shop windows and sagged a little, pressing a hand against your nervously pounding heart. You let your head sink against the counter next, taking deep, measured breaths. Shit. What were you supposed to do?

You could ask the mers if they knew where the bodies were. Or what was left of them, and bring them where they could be found. Maybe that would give their family members some peace. You still didn’t regret saving Narancia. Not after getting to know him a little and not since it meant your new home was safe, as was your aunt and the other people you had met and who had helped in making you feel welcome here.

You straightened, rubbing a hand over your face. You really had to speak with the mers about this. This way at least you might find out what had happened to the men. Good thing they wished to meet you today.

The rest of the day passed agonizingly slowly and you felt nervous and a little queasy as you biked home. The mers weren’t there yet and you put your bike away and puttered around inside restlessly, finding things to clean or rearrange as you waited.

Finally you heard a chirring-chirp sort of a call and swallowing past your dry throat, you wiped your hands against your shorts and went outside. As promised, Giorno, Bruno and Mista were present, though you couldn’t spot the others anywhere.

You stuck to your careful distance and after a moment of waffling, sat down. Mista seemed to perk up at that and slumped a little against the stone, greeting you with a cheerful, gentle smile. Bruno offered an elegant bow of his head, clawed fingertips briefly resting over his heart, a warmth to his eyes. Giorno leaned slightly against the stone with one arm, smile soft and a calm peacefulness seemed to radiate off of him.

You had no idea what to do with that or the strange feeling that stirred alive around your heart for a moment, only to die down as you remembered what you wanted to ask.

"I hope your day went well?" Bruno asked and you wobbled your head in a vague nod. A faint frown appeared on Bruno’s face and Giorno seemed to pause.

"It was fine, nothing particularly special. Um." You hesitated and the mers seemed to straighten a little, their gazes sharpening as their attention focused on you. Your heart beat faster nervously. "May I ask you something?"

"Anything," Mista seemed happy to promise. As he smiled wider, you saw the fangs peek past his lips. "We’ll do our best to answer."

Alright. "Um, what happened to the men that tried to net Narancia?" Their expressions shifted to grim and just a little dark and you focused on Giorno’s earrings, pretty gem things that shone in the light. A part of you wondered if mers had made it or if he had found it somewhere sunken to the bottom of the ocean and had figured out how to wear them. "I’d like to know because people are looking and if they were found they would stop searching."

If the bodies were found and it became clear mers were behind the attack, that case was getting closed. Mer attacks were handled much like shark or mountain lion attacks, even if there was occasional discontent with the populous about it. It was kind of hard, though, to make mers stick to the judicial system as humans knew it.

"I see." Bruno’s face was serious with an apologetic lilt to his voice that caught you by surprise. "We will deal with it to ensure it doesn’t cause you any further trouble."

You weren’t going to protest, though it was more human decency that made you want to give people at least some kind of closure. There was no way to connect you to what had happened and you highly doubted the mers would just go and tell any random passerby what you had done.

"Thank you." You allowed yourself to exhale a little heavily, feeling some tension seep out of you. You had asked and even gotten a positive, helpful answer. That was good.

Mista’s smile was a little rueful. "No need to thank us, we honestly didn’t think any further about it."

"Is there anything else?" Giorno asked in that pleasant voice of his and you noticed an errand strand of blond hair sticking to his cheek, a little hint of imperfection that made him a little less imposing. No less deadly of course, aside from death, next to nothing could make a mer less deadly.

"Oh, no, that was it." You resisted the urge to fidget. "Was there a reason you wanted to speak with me today?"

The mood shifted and there was a suppressed, subtle sort of excitement in the air. They all kept a close eye on you, as though to see any movement, any twitch of your expression. It made you wary and nervous in return and as soon as you felt your shoulders rise a little, they eased up again.

They almost simultaneously pulled something from the water. Mista offered what looked like a bone comb delicately decorated with shining pearls that formed a little flourish on both sides, a beautiful thing that you would never dare use for fear of accidentally breaking something. Bruno presented you with a carved stone statue of a cat with a few tiny in-set gems to accentuate its features, while Giorno set down a mosaic plate covered in mirror shards and colorful tile pieces, which formed a truly fascinating, shimmery pattern.

"You may refuse, of course," Bruno began, which was a great and absolutely not at all nerve wrecking beginning. He took a slightly deeper breath and leaned forward a little, hands pushing him a tad out of the water and you looked up from the beautiful gifts. "I may be the first to ask, would you be open to courtship?"

For a second, the words felt like they were just kind of floating in your head as though they had been spoken in an unfamiliar language. Then they registered and you felt like a floundering fish, shock coursing through you strongly enough to render you speechless.

"What?" the word finally tumbled out a little gracelessly. "What do you mean?"

A slight furrow appeared on his brow, a worried pull to his mouth and Bruno eased back a little. "Apologies, we did not mean to be upsetting."

Oh fuck. "Um, no, I just…what do you mean?"

They exchanged a quick glance and Giorno leaned closer, placing a hand on Bruno’s shoulder and he shifted himself up a little to look like he was leaning slightly over the other mer. "We would like to ask if you would consider the idea of courtship with us," he said, soft and calm and steady. "There is no need to answer us right away, we merely wished to offer."

Offer courting. There was a bit of faint ringing in your ears. Courting. Your neck began to itch. "Oh. I see."

Mista seemed a little more worried than nervous now. "Hey, no, we don’t have to." There was a sadness to his words that brought an unexpected amount of focus back to you and all three looked sad but resigned to rejection.

"But you don’t know me." The words escaped you without much thought. "Why would you even be interested?"

They looked surprised and Mista moved his head a little to meet your gaze better. "We have gotten to know a part of you and in strenuous circumstances no less, and what we see points to you being a great person. We like what we got to know. Besides, that is what the courting process is for. To see if we’re compatible beyond that first interest."

"We would take courting seriously, of course," Giorno added. "But if it doesn’t work out, there will be no hard feelings."

"And as I said before, you can always say no. It would be alright, we won’t mention it again," Bruno tacked on, voice soothing and a smile on his face that looked like it was hiding some kind of quiet ache.

What were you supposed to say? Courting mers was a bad idea, though in all fairness, they didn’t need to go that far just to fuck you over, you had the scars to prove that. They seemed…they actually seemed sincere. You had no idea what to say. How was this going to work anyway if you were scared of getting within touching range?

"How about this," Bruno said, drawing your slightly scattered and jittery attention back to him. "We can take this offer back for later and in the meantime, we can work on gaining your trust."

That…sounded like a plan that saved you from the anxiety of turning them down, for a little while at least. And maybe they’d realize that you were a bad choice and move on without mentioning it again.

"I’m alright with that," you said, your nerves calming down a little bit. You wouldn’t mind that, maybe, not as you would have before saving Narancia and interacting with the pod. Still, you found yourself tacking on a slightly chagrined, "I’m sorry."

"No need, we’re big guppies," Bruno said and it sounded like a gentle joke, enough so that the corners of your mouth twitched up a bit. "Thank you for being honest with us." He glanced down at his gift and then carefully picked it up to set it down closer to you, a soft quirk of a hopeful smile gracing his face. "Would you still accept it?"

"Mine too, if you’d like." Mista gently set the comb down as far towards you as his arm could reach. He offered a charming little grin.

Giorno set the mosaic plate closer as well. "Make that three."

This was genuinely, unexpectedly touching. It felt like…care. Like they cared. It was strange. The thought of refusing didn’t sit quite right with you, even if it made you nervous.

"I’ll accept," you said, carefully testing the words as you said them. They all perked up a little at your words and you had no idea what to do with they way they looked at you. Soft and gentle, things you would not have thought about when it came to mers. Not after everything.

"Thank you," Bruno offered a small bow of his head without breaking eye contact. "We should take our leave now and we’ll be back soon, if you want."

"I could drop by tomorrow," Mista said with a small wriggle of his clawed fingers. "How does tuna sound?"

A wobbly and probably a little crooked but unexpectedly real smile tugged on your lips. "That would be great, thank you. Is there something you guys want to try?"

Mista thought for a moment and his eyes lit up. "Strawberries, I had one ages ago and it was amazing."

Your smile was a little bigger this time. "Consider it done."

"Nice." He grinned, a spark of joy to him that made him look rather lovely in this moment. "See ya!" He slipped beneath the waves.

"Sleep well," Giorno said and followed below with one last of those soft little smile of his.

"Thank you, for hearing us out," Bruno said, though you had to admit that you were a little baffled at their easy acceptance of things. Grateful, yes, but baffled. You had met other humans who had gotten a lot more twisted up about anything that wasn’t an immediate yes.

Bruno paused for a moment and looked as though he thought something over for a moment. He glanced up at you again, waves washing over his shoulders and wetting the ends of his hair.

"If we overstep at any time, let us know," he said, a serious earnestness to him. He softened up a moment later. "Believe me when I say we’d like for this to work. Have a good night."

He disappeared with a small ripple of water amongst the waves and the last thing you saw was the arch of his tail and fins as he dove deep.

Breath rushed out of you heavily and you sagged a little. Your mind felt both empty and stuffed full but when you pressed a hand to your chest you realized your heart wasn’t beating hard enough to pound against your ribs. It was a little faster and you were a little nervous, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been when you first met the pod.

You stared at the gifts and boggled a little at them. Why did they like you enough to offer this in the first place? It wasn’t like you had been particularly charming or anything. You had just been…well, yourself. Scared and fumbling and a little weird maybe. Sure, you knew plenty of people who had started dating for less, but you had always been just a little too awkward for it. And too busy diving and not many people outside the diving club had shared your enthusiastic love for the ocean and what might be found inside.

Rubbing a hand over your face you noticed a fine sheen of sweat thanks to the heat of the day. Temperatures had been rising ever since the storm and summer was truly in full swing now.

Getting up, you walked forward and crouched down by the gifts, picking them up carefully one after another. They were beautiful and looked like treasures the mers had found somewhere, albeit ones that had been cleaned thoroughly.

Carrying them back to set them down on your kitchen counter, you took off your scarf and flopped onto your couch.

After staring at the gifts over the backrest of your couch, you decided that the mers would soon realize that you were a poor choice for anything and whatever had caused them to like you would poof away. Infatuation was like that. If it didn’t get fed, it would disappear on its own.

You sagged back against the cushions and stared up at the ceiling, mind churning. You kind of wanted to give them something in return as thanks, but you were wary of encouraging anything. And, well, if you didn’t reciprocate the gifts, aside from sharing some food, which you were more comfortable with, they’d probably get bored of you as well.

You reached up to press a palm against one scarred side of your neck, jagged lines easy to distinguish from the rest of your skin. They had been deep and rough and along with the wound at your side had almost done what the drowning had failed to do. The only reason you were alive at all was because of a nearby brave fisher and his daughter carrying a Howler and tossing it into the water when they saw you getting dragged under without surfacing again. The fisher’s daughter had even jumped in to drag you back out.

You had asked for their names, once you had woken up again, until another fisher had visited to gently inform you that the Howler had been illegally owned and they would get into a lot of trouble if the law found out who they were. The man had passed on your heart felt gratitude though.

You glanced back at the counter and the gifts and felt a frown pull at your brows. You hated being scared and you hated what that mer had done to you and your dreams and your love for the ocean. You sat up, letting your hand fall away. No matter if you were scared or not, you would be polite to the pod. You weren’t going to be an ass and you would try to not let your fear take over too much.

And sure, maybe you were never going to dive again, maybe you were scarred for life, maybe the relationship with the pod was a temporary thing or maybe they were really on some absurd long-con to trick you into something, but maybe it didn’t have to be horrible either.

You weren’t going to be stupid and you knew better than to swim with mers or even to get within touching range, but maybe you could get to know them, just a little. Maybe they could tell you about the ocean and the wrecks and all the other things you were never going to see. Maybe they could give you a piece of that shattered dream back.

Straightening and ignoring the nervous flutter around your heart and the anxiousness that always sat in the back of your head nowadays, especially when it came to water, you opened your fridge to make dinner.

And if they killed you…your hands stilled for a moment and you took a deep breath. If they killed you, there was nothing to be done about that. You had no chance against a single mer, never mind a whole pod.

You would haunt their asses from the afterlife, though. That thought made you quirk a wry, shaky smile. You took another deep breath and dared to be a little hopeful. Not too much, not to the point of being stupid, but a little.

A gentle little mote of hope that maybe this wasn’t going to end horribly. Maybe this could be something good, no matter how long it would last.

***

The thing was, mental pep-talks were fine and all, but reality was its own kind of beast and this one had its claws in deep. The day was hot and you had sweated through your collar already, courtesy of your scarf. Actually, even your scarf felt sweat-damp.

You nervously stood in your usual spot, a bag of food clutched in both hands as you stared at the water. You hadn’t gotten too much, there was no way you had the sort of funds to feed seven fully grown mers, but a few small things were within your budget.

The quicksilver flash of black and orange scales was all the warning you got before Narancia popped up with excitement and energy and you found yourself flinching back several steps, heart lurching.

"Oh." He sagged a little, grin replaced with a sheepish smile as he ducked a little lower. "Sorry for that." He did perk back up again, though. "Did you bring strawberries?"

There was a whistling-song noise and Mista surfaced to push Narancia below the water, the other mer sputtering as his head disappeared. "Those are for me, ask for them yourself next time." He looked up at you, a warm smile appearing on his face that looked genuinely sweet. "Hello, how was your day?"

"Um, good." You heart was still pounding and you were gripping the bag tightly. "I got your strawberries."

His face lit up and he leaned forward a bit, only to pause and lower himself back into the water so only his face poked out, hands holding onto the stony outcropping. Narancia surfaced at his side, eyes bright as they both tracked your hands as you reached into the bag.

"Here. I cleaned them beforehand." As you looked up, you saw that both mers had backed up a bit and while it was still dangerous to get close, you felt safe enough to set the crinkling plastic container down within arms reach and back up again.

Mista snatched the container up with impressive speed once you were back in your spot and Narancia peered over his shoulder as he fiddled the top off and picked up the first fruit with careful claws. You had removed the green stem and leaves on top as well, just to make sure he didn't accidentally eat it. Both you and Narancia were watching him closely as he took his first bite. His face immediately looked pleased and awed.

"These are great, thanks!" he said and when Narancia inched closer, he held the container out with a fond eye roll. "You get three, the rest are mine."

Narancia of course selected the biggest ones, ignoring Mista’s sputtering and you found a smile tugging at your mouth as the mers bickered while eating another piece, only for both to fall quiet as they chewed.

"This is really good," Narancia said, shoving the last two strawberries into his mouth and turned to you. "Can I have some too in the future?"

"Don’t talk with your mouth full," Mista chided. "But I agree, these are great!"

"I got some other stuff as well," you said to which both turned eager, expectant eyes to you. "For all of you, if you want."

"I’ll go get the others." Narancia disappeared with a splash and took off at an impressive speed.

Mista kept on munching his strawberries happily and you cautiously settled down cross-legged, keeping the bag in your lab.

"How was your day?" you found yourself asking when he ate the last piece, the container carefully set down where it couldn't fall into the water.

"We still have some trouble with one pod," he said with a small shrug. "Nothing to worry about and it is all part of gaining new territory, though we expect things to be settled soon." He glanced over with a smile. "But we can always make time, don’t worry."

That was an unexpectedly sweet sentiment, though you didn’t see yourself taking the mers up on it. Besides, you had no idea how to contact them if they weren’t already nearby.

Movement in the water alerted you to Narancia’s return and he had Trish at his side, who tipped her head in greeting. The rest of the pod surfaced mere moments later, with both Bruno and Giorno offering you a smile.

"Here." You reached into the bag and pulled out three other containers, one with blueberries, the other with melon pieces you had cut for them and the last was marshmallows. "Some sweet fruits and sugary sweets."

The mers gave you some space to lay everything out and you felt a little like a curious scientist as you watched them distribute the food and try it, gaining a multitude of responses. You seemed to have chosen well, since all three containers were left empty, though the mers had been particularly curious about the consistence of marshmallows, squeezing the little things and pulling them apart until they ripped. They were also fascinated at the way blueberry juice stained their fingertips a deep purple-blue.

"This was lovely, thank you," Bruno said, the others echoing the sentiment with words and hums. Mista made a quick motion that you interpreted as him asking you to wait as he disappeared swiftly.

"I hope your day went well?" Giorno asked and you nodded.

"It was fine, thank you." You were quiet for a moment. "I heard some pod still gives you trouble?"

"Nothing we didn’t expect," the shark mer chimed in with a careless shrug. "They will calm down soon."

Was it rude to ask for his name? Though, then again, if he hadn’t volunteered it, maybe he just didn’t want you to know.

"Don’t worry, though," Fugo chimed in with a reassuring smile. "This coast is safe."

How big of a territory were they covering? Then again, you had to admit that you understood little about how pods split up territory and how they protected it or how it was taken from others.

"That reminds me, there is a fruit I’d like to try," Trish spoke up, leaning forward to rest her chin on her arm and she tilted her head enough to look at you. Like this she looked as though she’d never even bother with ever lunging your way. Strangely enough, it settled your nerves further. "It’s red and the inside his red and weird. I saw a picture of it once."

…was that a pomegranate? Or something else?

"I’ll see if I can find it." Pomegranates weren’t hard to come by thankfully, if that was the fruit she meant.

"Oh, can we make requests?" Fugo asked and you offered a shrug-nod.

"Sure, I’ll try to get it, but depending on what you want, it might take me a while." Especially since you only had so much money to spend.

"That’s fine," Fugo said and looked a little hesitant for a moment. "I’d like to try noodles, is that doable?"

That was easily done. "Blank or with sauce or something else?" At his confused look, you offered, "I can make a little something you can dip the noodles into and you can see if you like it." With gentle seasoning though. You weren’t the sort of asshole to toss chili at the pod and wait for the inevitable reaction.

"I’d like that," Fugo agreed with a polite nod and smile.

"Can we get more chocolate?" Narancia asked. "Those were amazing."

"Sure, the same stuff or new ones?" Considering how his eyes lit up, you could imagine it was the latter.

"New chocolate. Please," he tacked on after getting a look from Fugo.

"How about we only ask for a few things at a time," Bruno chimed in, offering you a smile that made you feel a little warm and nervous at the same time. "Thank you, for your generosity."

You shrugged, feeling a little awkward. "To be fair, you guys started it."

He laughed at that, a pretty sound that made the other mers smile, even the shark one.

Mista chose that moment to resurface, holding up a wriggling, fat tuna fish with triumph. "How about this one?"

"It’s, um, perfect, thank you." He swiftly killed the fish and tossed it to you, once he had made sure you were ready to catch it. You laid the fish on the plastic bag and realized you were going to be fed for two days easily with this one.

"Oh, I’ll get you something too, tomorrow," Narancia said and Trish made a considering face, then hummed softly in agreement.

Your fridge was really going to get stuffed to the brim if they kept this up.

"Nothing too big," the shark mer said to your surprise. He glanced at you, eyes sharp. "Right?"

"Yes, please. I can only store and eat so much." At the way they blinked, as though they hadn’t thought of that, you realized that the pod probably had no idea how much people could eat. Sure, you could stuff yourself for a whole day to try and choke the tuna down as fast as possible, but that was hardly healthy and would ruin your appetite for fish in the process as well.

"I hadn’t thought of that," Mista muttered and gestured at the tuna in your lap. "How long does that fish last you?"

"Two days. Three if I make enough side-dishes." At your words they all looked surprised. You found your curiosity taking over and asked, "How much do you eat?"

"That is, like, one meal," Narancia said, eyeing the fish with a bit of bafflement. "Then again, we’re a lot bigger."

They were indeed. And a lot more active as well, probably.

"Knowing that, we can adjust accordingly going forward," Bruno said and offered a regretful smile. "We will have to take our leave, may we return tomorrow?"

"Sure." They weren’t the worst company and you weren’t as scared in their presence anymore either. It also helped that they weren't hanging around for too long, allowing you to get used to their presence bit by bit.

"I’ll find some really pretty, not too big fish," Narancia promised and waved as he let himself flop backwards into the water, waves briefly getting churned up by his tail and fins as he zipped away.

Fugo offered a polite dip of his head and sank under the surface soundlessly. The shark mer slipped away without a sound and Trish seemed to look you over thoughtfully, then left as well.

"Thank you for the strawberries, they were delicious," Mista said and tapped his claws briefly on the stone he leaned against. "Say, is there something else you’d like?"

"From the ocean," Giorno clarified. "We'd be hard pressed to get you things from anywhere else."

Secretly you wanted everything. All the sights and wonders and the indescribable feeling of being surrounded and held by water. The peace you had once found below the surface.

"Maybe you can tell me about it," you found yourself saying and at their surprised faces you elaborated, "The ocean, I mean. What is down there, what life is like, what you’ve seen, things like that."

For a second it looked as though Giorno was going to say something, only to close his mouth and he offered a nod. "We’ll tell you anything you want to know."

"Gladly," Mista tacked on. "Would you mind answering our questions about your world?"

"Not at all." You had a decent memory for things and anything you didn’t know you’d be able to look up.

"Thank you for today, it was nice to see you again," Bruno said with a small dip of his head, clawed and webbed hand briefly resting over his heart.

"Ah, you too," you answered and the mers disappeared, leaving you with your thoughts and empty containers.

You leaned back a little once they were gone and looked down at the fish. You still had no idea which fish were considered prime catch, but it seemed to be healthy and perfectly fine.

Getting up, you collected the containers and once again gutted and cleaned the fish, briefly wondering if this would become routine. Well, it would depend on how long the pod was going to stay around or how often they brought food.

You found yourself staring out the window and at the gently rolling waves once everything was put away. A bit over a year ago you wouldn’t have hesitated to go for an evening swim. At least as long as the reigning pod allowed such a thing and considering how often you had been invited by the pod it seemed like you could have freely gone for a dip.

You opened the window instead and let the sea breeze cool you off, the scent of the ocean filling the cabin and you started making dinner to the sound of the waves and a few seagulls squawking in the sinking sun.

This really was a beautiful spot and you realized that you not only started to think of this cabin to be your home, it slowly started to feel like one too.

***

"Excuse me." The unexpected voice behind you made you jump and whirl around, almost dropping the sea-scented candles your aunt had gotten from somewhere. The woman from the previous day was back, looking tired and angry and grim. "Can I have a moment of your time?"

"Oh, sure, of course." You offered a smile that hopefully hid how much she had startled you, nervous energy jittering under your skin for a long moment. You weren’t great with scares ever since the mer attack. "What are you looking for?"

"I’m not here for trinkets." The woman grew grimmer, if that was possible. "You said you saw some mers, what did they look like?"

"I didn’t get a good look," you lied. By now you knew exactly what the pod looked like. "Why, if I may ask?"

"My husband’s body and those of his friends were found last night."

You blinked in surprise. "They were?" You hadn’t exactly doubted the mers, but this had been faster than you had thought. Especially since the storm might have dragged the bodies all over the place.

"Mers killed them." The woman was silent for a long moment, the sort of silence that was filled with seething hatred. "So I need to know which ones."

Oh no. You knew that look in her eyes, the desire for vengeance being the only thing that kept her on her feet and from collapsing with grief. "I’m sorry," you said, sincerely and with a quietly aching heart. "But it was pretty late and they moved too quickly."

"I see." The woman stared more intensely. "Are you sure? You’re the only one who saw them. Can you at least tell me where?"

You weren’t going to lead her straight to your home, where the mers would show up tonight or during future evenings. But if she asked around, she’d figure out where you lived and might start looking there. "I was on a bit of a walk near the netted off cove." Your aunt had taken you on hikes around that area in the past. "I was up on a cliff when I saw them pass by."

She frowned and her eyes narrowed, only for her to bitterly press her lips together and look away. "Thank you for your time."

"I’ll call if I remember anything else," you said in the vain hope of cushioning the blow her hope must have taken by you offering next to no useful information.

"Call me if you see the mers again," she said over her shoulder as she walked away. "That’s all I care about now."

That sounded ominous. And like a surefire way to die. Shit, you had no idea what to say though, there were no words to soften the blow of grief, at least none you could think of. You watched, feeling a little helpless, as the woman left again, her eyes filled with dark, determined hatred.

You rubbed a hand over your face and wondered why this had to happen. Had the fishermen needed money so desperately that they had thought their only chance to gain it was to capture a mer? Or had they just been greedy morons? You had no idea what to do with the vague guilt you felt either. You felt guilty for their deaths, but knew that they would have died anyway due to Giorno and his pod being pissed off. They would have hunted relentlessly to get Narancia back.

You finished taking care of the candles and returned to your spot behind the counter, greeting customers as they entered and left, some buying things and others not, but it took your mind off of matters for a little while.

You headed to the market on your way home, buying three pomegranates, a pack of noodles and one of those gift-box chocolates, the sort where you got eight or ten different flavors in flat squares roughly the size of your palm.

Cooking up a little bit of sauce was easily done too and you let it cool a little in small dishes before heading out. The mers were already there when you arrived, their chattering dying down as you showed up.

"Good evening," Giorno greeted with a soft smile and you wondered how much of that was because he appeared to like you and how much was just him being polite. "I hope your day went well?"

"It was fine." Aside from that lady. Should you mention her? You had no idea if asking the pod to not kill her was a thing they’d listen to or if they would end up killing her anyway because the woman would absolutely kill one of them instead if given the chance. "One of the wives of the dead men wants to take revenge."

"Wives? Oh, you mean his mate?" Narancia made a bit of a face. "But it was their fault."

"Grief isn’t rational," you said, the mers backing up a bit to let you set down what you had brought today. You had even cut open the pomegranates already and dug out the seeds of one half, leaving the other half as it was. "Only eat the red seeds," you told Trish, who approached with visible curiosity once you sat down in your usual spot.

Narancia immediately went for the chocolate, while Fugo carefully poked at the noodles and eyed the two small dishes of sauce.

"Will you be in trouble because of us?" Bruno asked with a concerned frown and you shook your head.

"There is no reason for her to think that I was involved." As long as you didn’t mention anything else. You hoped the woman would give up on her idea of revenge soon, if only to avoid more tragedy.

You did find yourself muffling a chuckle against your palm as Mista sweet-talked and annoyed Narancia in equal measure into sharing a bit of his chocolate, draping himself dramatically over the slighter mer and making him sputter as he almost dipped below the water with his prizes.

Trish meanwhile was sharing the seeds with the shark mer and Bruno, all three using their claws deftly on the fruit halves you had left untouched, while Giorno was trying noodles along with Fugo.

"Such a strange texture," you heard Fugo mutter as he chewed thoughtfully. "But it tastes good, doesn’t it?"

Giorno hummed in agreement and glanced at you, offering one of his smiles again and, curse everything, it did make him look sweet. You hesitantly smiled back a bit and his gaze grew a little more intense, his smile wider. Ah, mers. Even while being sweet there was a part about them that remained a terrifying predator.

It was genuinely a calm evening and you realized you did find a bit of joy in watching the mers try things for the first time. There was an innocence to them you didn’t get to see otherwise.

"This was really good," Narancia said happily once he had eaten his way through the chocolate and you wondered if he was going to get a stomach ache later. That was a whole lot more than he had had last time. He made a sudden clicking noise. "Be right back with your food!"

"Ah, me too." Fugo swiftly dipped below he surface, leaving the last two noodles for Giorno.

Trish tipped her head, glancing at the fruit she was still carefully picking at and you offered her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, I’ll have more than enough with whatever those two bring me."

"Hm, tomorrow then," she decided and returned to delicately picking out seeds to chew. When Giorno leaned forward a bit on the rock, your gaze fell back on him.

He looked serious as he said, "If you want help for anything that might happen, let me know."

"Yeah, we’d hate to see you get in trouble because you helped us," Mista chimed in, revealing that he had hidden a piece of chocolate from his friend under a piece of rock and was now happily pulling away the used wrapping to take a big bite.

"I’ll be fine." You would be careful and take care of yourself as much as possible.

Mista offered a smile that showed a hint of his fangs. "Good, I’m happy to hear that."

Giorno nodded, his seriousness shifting back to a lighter expression.

"I have a question, if you don’t mind," Mista said. "How flexible are your legs? I saw this lady doing some insane things before running, so I was wondering."

Ah, right, for all that their tails were powerful and beautiful, they didn't have the sort of flexibility human legs could have.

"I’m not that flexible, because I don’t train enough," you said. There was no way you could just do a split without needing a doctor afterwards. "But I can do this."

You showed off some stretching exercises you had done more frequently before the accident and found that you were still decent at it.

Mista looked impressed, even Trish and the shark mer were watching you avidly and Giorno had a curious air about him, as though he was trying to figure out how you did it. Bruno had a smile on his face that made you feel a little warm inside, to your surprise.

"Can you do anything like that?" you found yourself asking and Mista perked up.

"I can touch my head with my tail flukes," he said and shifted, bending his back and water sloshed off him as he arched himself until his massive tail flukes more or less slapped on top of his head. "Tada!"

It honestly looked ridiculous and fun enough that you found yourself laughing. "That’s quite impressive," you hurriedly tacked on with a chuckle, hoping that you hadn’t hurt his feelings, but one look at Mista’s face showed that he was grinning, looking happy and excited and a little awed. At what you had no idea, but Giorno and Bruno were watching you as well and you ducked your head a little, suddenly feeling shy.

Narancia and Fugo returned in that moment, glancing curiously between you. "What did we miss?" Narancia asked.

"Mista showed off his tail trick," Bruno explained.

"Ah, I see." He lifted a wriggling fish the size of his hands out of the water. "I made sure to pick a small one!"

Good to know that Narancia thought a fish big enough to feed you for a day was small. "It’s good, thank you." He swiftly killed the fish and threw it to you, while Fugo offered a fish the same size and tossed it over after killing it. Catching two fish was a little harder, but you managed it, cool ocean water slipping down your wrists as you held them.

The shark mer made a low clicking noise that got their attention. "I think we have to go." He glanced back towards the water and Bruno’s eyes narrowed while Giorno looked serious now, an edge of danger appearing around him.

"I can hear their calls," the shark mer said. "We’re getting challenged."

"They should learn their lesson soon," Narancia said, letting go of the outcropping. "They’re the last idiots still challenging us."

Mista hummed in agreement and they all glanced back at you one last time, waving their goodbyes before they left.

You collected the chocolate wrapping and dishes and leftover, gutted pomegranate fruits. Trish and the shark mer had picked them perfectly clean. Bringing everything inside, you once again took care of two nice fish and managed to squeeze them in the freezer.

You stared at your fridge for a long moment and realized that, yes, you absolutely had to give your aunt something, not only for all her kindnesses, but also because you’d soon have no space left. Not with the other food you had to make side-dishes and the occasional meal with that wasn’t seafood.

You used the last light of the day to work a little more on the porch. If you didn’t want the rot cause more problems, you had to get this done soon.

It was a calm evening that turned into a calm night and for the first time in over a year, your dream of the ocean was peaceful, a soft weightless blue with dolphins chittering in the distance and a sunken ship waiting for you to explore.

***

You hid a yawn behind your hand as you sat in your aunt’s shop, tugging on your scarf to get some air on your sweaty skin. Today was a slow day and you genuinely spent more time listening to the music playing softly over speakers and bumbling about the internet than doing anything else. Your aunt wasn’t in today, busy collecting new material and working on her projects and you had free rein of the shop.

The shelves were stocked and you had cleaned everything before opening hours. It was nice, though, to have a calmer day after things had gotten busy with the tourists had shown up, especially since there was now a netted off cove to swim in. You had even seen people take a dip elsewhere during your lunch break. You had no idea if that was dangerous or not, but despite all your wariness and clinging bits of fear, the pod hadn’t struck you as particularly cruel or tyrannical. Then again, maybe they were on their best behavior around you, it was hard to tell if you only met them for a bit of time in the evening.

Under any other circumstances you would have said you were slowly becoming friends with them, but you were hesitant and wary to use the word in connection with the pod. Mers might have a different understanding of the word or what qualified as friends. Maybe you were just the curious, weird human they got food from in exchange for some fish they tossed.

Your musings were interrupted as the bells at the door chimed and you looked up with a polite, friendly smile, only to see the widow was back. You kept the smile on your face with a bit of effort.

"Good day and welcome to Ocean’s Treasures," you greeted her as she walked up to the counter. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Maybe," she said, dark shadows beneath her eyes, making them look as though they had gotten bruised. Her gaze was dark, an edge of grief fueled danger to her that immediately made you wary and worried at the same time. "The mers, I wanted to ask if you’ve seen them again."

"Oh, no, I haven't. I’m sorry." You hoped she gave up soon and, most of all, that she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Her eyes bore into yours and you resisted the urge to fidget uncomfortably.

She was silent for a long moment, eyes dark and seething. "Would you mind showing me the spot where you saw them?"

There was no way you’d be able to say no without sounding like either a massive ass or like you were hiding something. "I can’t just leave the shop, so, um, that would have to wait."

"Are you staying until the shop closes?"

You weren’t getting out of that one, were you. "Yes."

"I’ll be back later, then." With those words she turned around and left and you sagged the moment she was gone. You buried your face into your hands and sighed heavily. What a mess. Hopefully this wouldn’t end badly.

Your thoughts kept circling around the woman and the mers, especially since there were only a handful of customers to distract you momentarily until you closed up the shop. Still, you took your time sweeping and putting away the money and making sure everything was locked up tight.

The woman waited outside, as she had promised. "Why do you wear scarves in this heat?" she asked as she fell in step with you and you grudgingly, worriedly, headed towards the cove. There were cliffs rising a little further back and you could show her to a spot and go home afterwards. You needed to warn the mers of her presence so they hopefully avoided her and she’d give up in time.

"I like scarves," you answered, the sort of practiced bullshit you had started spouting once people were weirded out about your constant fashion choice.

The woman cast you a dubious frown, but said nothing else. An uncomfortable, tense silence spread between you two as you led her, pushing your bike as you walked. As much as you understood her grief, you were too nervous to hang around once you showed her the cliff. Unless she was open to a conversation that allowed you to help, even if it was just a little.

"It’s not far from here," you said once you reached the cove and gestured at the woods on the other side of it. The land started to rise here and you saw a few well-trodden paths for those who preferred hiking to swimming.

The woman said nothing and let you lead the way. You remembered this path, mostly because of the hikes your aunt had liked to take you on when you were younger. Still, you found you felt unsettled, the evening sun casting a golden light that caused the shadows to grow a little darker, creeping further across the path.

"Are you sure?" you couldn’t help but ask. "How do you even plan on taking on the mers?"

"That is none of your concern," she said, curt and sharp and you pressed your lips together. You had no idea how to leave, though, without giving something away.

You bit back a sigh and walked on, your bike rattling a little every time it rolled over a root. Finally the cliff came into view, a spot with picnic benches and an overflowing trash can. It offered a beautiful view of the evening sun and the vast ocean.

"We’re here," you said, stopping beside the path to let the woman walk past you. She stepped right up to the edge and stared out at the water in silence.

"Where did you see them?" she asked without turning around. "Show me. Please."

There was a roughness to her voice caused by deep grief and burning anger and you felt yourself cave. It wouldn’t help the woman much in the long run, but you found you couldn’t just leave her there, standing around for hours. You leaned your bike against a tree and joined her. The cliff wasn’t particularly tall, but there were rocks at the bottom and no one was dumb enough to try and jump off of it.

"Um, over there." You said, pointing along the coast in a random direction. "I was here pretty late, so I didn’t see much."

"My husband’s boat was found far from here," she said. "These weren’t his fishing grounds either."

"I didn’t see him or his friends," you tried to remind her. "I only saw mers and who knew if they weren’t fighting one of their own."

She was quiet and you saw her hands slowly ball into fists, an intense anger crossing her face that was so deep and vicious, a hatred so strong she looked like she was choking on it.

"He was a good man," she ground out with a low, furious voice. "A good husband. And these monsters killed him." She whirled towards you, hands gripping your shirt in tight fists and you jerked back in startled surprise, eyes widening.

"And you know something!" she snarled into your face. "I can tell that you’re lying, so tell me! Where are they? How many are there? Did you see them kill him?"

You gripped her wrists, pushing her back a bit, mind frantically trying to figure out how to calm her back down. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, I told you everything I know!"

"Liar!" she screamed and threw her entire weight forward and you stumbled back a step, right to the edge, one foot nearly slipping off. You desperately grasped at the woman as you tried to regain your balance.

"You had to have seen something!" she howled, tears spilling down her cheeks. "He didn’t just die, he was killed! I have to know!"

Your eyes were wide and you felt fear claw its way through your lungs as you tried to push her back enough to get back from the edge. But fury lent her strength your fear didn't and you you felt a piece of stone break off beneath your flip flop, leaving you standing precariously, one foot almost slipping into nothing.

"I saw nothing -" you tried to say.

"Stop lying!" she shouted, shaking you and your foot slipped off entirely, her eyes grew wide the second you started to fall and you tried to scrabble for purchase, a mad dash of you both fumbling as cloth ripped, your stomach dropping as you groped nothing but empty air. The woman screamed, hand reaching for you and missing.

You slammed onto rocks a second or two later, feeling something crack and pop along your shoulder and side and water soaked into your back as you stared up, gasping desperately for air. You saw the woman look around frantically, shouting and peering down, gripping her hair wildly until finally, she ran away.

A thin, ready call left your lips, nowhere near enough to be heard over the whistling wind and lapping waves. It was low tide, a distant part of your brain realized, so you weren’t in danger of drowning. Not yet.

You had to leave. You carefully shifted, only to give up as intense pain radiated through your entire left side. Shit. There was no way you’d make it anywhere like this. You were going to drown. You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment, fighting off a panic attack.

You had to try. You slowly moved your good hand, trying to ignore the way it sloshed through water to grip algae slick rock. You managed to drag yourself for just a split second, then had to give up as the pain made you cry out. Tears were falling now and you did your best the breathe shallowly through the pain. Even breathing hurt.

Maybe you could wait. If the tide could lift you a little off the rocks, you could try float-paddling with your good arm. At least a little. You had to try. You couldn’t just die here. Or maybe someone would come for you. Maybe the woman was getting help.

You held still, trying to ease the hurt a little by focusing on something else, but all you could feel was the pain radiating and you realized that no one would know where you were if the widow had just run home. At most some people at the market noticed that you hadn’t shown up today, but that was hardly out of the ordinary and since you headed home after work, the only ones who might wonder where you were, were the mers. And who knew if they came by before you died.

You closed your eyes and bit back more tears, water soaking you through and the waterlogged scarf felt too tight now, but you had no strength or enough reach to do anything about it. Slowly, the pain numbed down a little, but you didn’t know if it was because the water was leeching your body heat or shock setting in. Maybe both.

The sky was growing darker above, stars slowly appearing as you floated in more water than before. Waves lapped against your face when you heard a sudden, unexpected noise. A whistling song and you managed to move your head enough to catch the barest glimpse of something zipping towards you.

Mista surfaced with a horrified expression and you were too relieved to see him to even worry about how close he was.

"What happened?" he asked, quickly maneuvering around a bigger stone to lean over you. "Shit, can I pick you up?"

"Hurts," you wheezed out and his dark eyes grew darker. He leaned back a bit to let out a piercing, whistling noise that echoed a little in your ears. "Get Giorno!" he shouted and you saw a head above water disappear, but couldn’t tell who it had been.

"What happened?" Mista asked, voice turning softer, even with worry bleeding through. "Can I at least help you keep your head up?"

You grit your teeth through a tiny nod and a big hand slipped into water to cup the back of your head ever so gently. It hurt to move, but it helped that you weren’t scared of waves washing over you anymore. A part of you realized that you were damn lucky you hadn't fallen onto your head, or you would have been dead.

You only realized that the waves had stopped lapping at you when you glanced over, to see Mista had coiled around you as much as possible, fins flaring and settling again and again, as though he was agitated. He felt warm to you and you found yourself shifting your good hand a tiny bit towards him. He leaned in to let you press it against his side, soaking up the bit of gentle warmth he gave off.

"I’ll be fine," you managed to get out past gritted teeth. "Just need a doctor." If you hadn’t died yet due to your injuries, you should recover as long as you managed to get out of the water and into a hospital.

"It’s okay," Mista crooned, a big, clawed thumb gently brushing against your neck. "Giorno will help, you’ll be alright, I promise."

As though summoned, Giorno surfaced, looking a little out of breath. You hadn’t realized mers could do that.

His eyes widened as he saw you and he leaned over Mista’s tail immediately. "I can help," he said, urgency filling his voice. "Let me heal you."

So he had siren blood, you had had your suspicions for a while now, but this confirmed it. You swallowed and nodded, ribs hurting far too much to take a deeper breath.

"Yes, please," you whispered and palpable relief was visible on both their faces. Mista let Giorno brace himself on his tail to lean closer and a song began to fill the air.

You couldn’t even say what he was singing or what melody it was, only that it was without doubt the most beautiful one you had ever heard. You sagged into Mista’s hold, eyes falling closed as pain slowly, truly eased away. You heard something crack and pop, felt something shift along your shoulder and spine, followed by a sudden relief that made you inhale deeper and without hurt flaring. You noticed Bruno appear from the corner of your eye and that he spoke with Mista, but you didn’t even hear a whisper of their voices. Only Giorno’s song truly existed in that moment.

When Giorno let the song fade out, closing his mouth to look you over with a grim frown, you felt tired and you ached, but compared to the agony of broken bones, this felt more like deep bruising.

"Thank you." You tried to move, only to find yourself dizzy and cold and there was no way you’d be able to swim anywhere on your own.

"Let us help," Bruno offered, with such a gentle, reassuring voice that you caved. "May we bring you to shore?"

At your nod, you felt Mista adjust his grip to move you. Panic slammed into you despite your exhaustion the moment his arm clamped down to gently pull you backwards, water sloshing over your hip and you threw yourself against his grip, surprised when you were immediately released, falling back against stone.

"Sorry, sorry, did I hurt you?" Mista asked and you wheezed out a trembling no.

"It’s going to be alright." Bruno’s soothing tone drew your scattered, shaky attention. His blue eyes were earnest and serious. "We won’t hurt you or drown you or anything else you’re scared of."

Mista flinched at his words, looking stricken. "I would never do that. None of us would."

You closed your eyes, dragging a deeper breath into your lungs, fighting the panic back until it simmered low again. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be." Giorno dipped his head to meet your gaze better. "We’ll take you back safely."

"Oh, I know, you can hold onto my back," Mista offered. "That should work better, right?"

You blinked, your mind clearing a little. You did feel better at the thought of not being grabbed. "Yes." You hoped you had enough strength to last you until you were back home.

Mista shifted, careful to not knock into you and presented his tanned back. There were a few faint scars, possibly from fighting with other mers. "Where do you want us to take you?"

"Home." You just wanted to go home. You wanted your bed and warmth and to stop moving.

"Of course, we'll bring you back." Bruno’s voice sounded calming as he pushed away from the rocks back into water and Giorno did the same.

Mista’s shoulders were wet and you felt muscle shift under your palms as you held on, fingers trembling only a little.

"Ready?" he asked quietly and at your nod began to move. You were pulled along effortlessly and took deep breaths as he slid off the rocks and into deep water. The scarf still felt tight, but you were too worried to let go and adjust it. The water made you float a little and you hid your face against Mista’s neck to avoid looking at where you were. It helped a little with keeping you calm.

"I can sing," Giorno offered and you shifted your head enough to glance at him. He looked concerned and caring and kept a bit of careful distance to you. "If you’d like. It could help you stay calm."

Knowing he could do that much was a little frightening, but then again, sirens weren’t feared for no reason. But he’d never once used his powers against you even though he could have and your heart was beating hard enough you were sure Mista could feel it.

"Just a little," you whispered, voice cracking slightly from dryness and exhaustion.

He offered a small nod and began to sing. Immediately you felt tension ease out of you, your heart rate going back down to normal levels and your breathing began to smooth out. Your mind even remained largely free of the song's influence, only a tiny bit of haze spreading that you knew you could break out of any time you wanted. Giorno was doing only as much as was needed.

"I’ll move now," Mista said over his shoulder and you nodded, tightening your grip when he began to swim. He made sure waves didn’t wash over your face and kept a steady, slow enough pace that you had no trouble holding on.

At one point you heard hum-singing from the water and Bruno disappeared with a whistle-clicking noise. The scarf was getting a bit tighter with the drag of water, but you still didn’t dare let go. You worried you’d sink the moment Mista wasn’t there to keep you above the surface.

"We’re almost there," Mista said and you perked up a bit, peering over his shoulder. It was almost entirely dark now, but you could see enough of the coast to notice that you had passed the harbor. It wasn’t far now.

Tired and calm and aching, you let yourself sink more against him and felt him shift to peer back at you. "Are you alright?"

You hummed a vague affirmative and noticed Giorno drift closer for a moment to get a better look at you. He slowly let the song peter out and you realized that the panic didn’t return. There was that bite of fear, but…they hadn’t done anything. All they did was what they had promised and even your anxious, scared brain couldn’t quite convince you that they would turn on you. Not after all that effort. And you were so tired.

Bruno resurfaced again and cast a worried frown your way. The mers said nothing as they continued swimming and you were ready to cry with relief when that familiar stretch of the coast came into view, the rocky outcropping and you could even see the outline of your cabin in the growing dark. There was still last glow of summer light across the sky, a tiny bit of light that would fade away any moment now to let night take over entirely.

Mista swam up to the outcropping and, to your surprise, pulled himself up and out as far as possible, bracing himself against stone and pulling you along with him. All you had to do was let go and roll off and you’d be mostly back on dry land. You carefully shifted off of Mista’s broad back, biting back a groan at the ache that still lingered as you moved your sore, heavy limbs.

You could finally adjust the scarf as well, pulling it apart to no longer be as tight around your throat, fingers fumbling and a little numb. You realized too late in your exhausted state that the thoroughly waterlogged, once light scarf had turned into one thick strand that covered fuck all once moved. Mista sucked in a sharp breath of air, mer eyes good enough to see the scars in the dark. You slapped a hand over the side of your neck, shrinking into yourself a little.

"Who?" the dark tone in Mista’s voice sent a shiver down your spine and you glanced back to meet the furious, grim eyes of the mers around you.

Your voice wobbled as you said, "I don’t know." You bit back a sudden, unexpected sob by the skin of your teeth and whispered, "I don’t know who he was."

He had never even given you his name, had made it sound like a fun game for you to find out and you had been foolish and stupid and naive and you should have known better than to trust a mer, no matter how pretty, no matter how much he lured you with promises of showing you the ocean.

"If he lives around here, we can take care of him," Giorno offered and his quiet voice held a thread of something dark and vicious. "You won’t ever have to worry about him again."

You shook your head, pulling your lower legs out of the water, the limbs feeling heavy as lead. "I lived elsewhere before. Far from here."

Mista opened his mouth, but Bruno settled a gentle hand on his tail, quelling what he wanted to say. "Get some rest," he said softly. "And if you want, you can tell us more tomorrow, so we know who to keep an eye out for, should we hear of that mer somewhere."

"Right, good idea, will you be alright?" Mista turned to you, looking concerned and you shifted to your knees. "Here, allow me?"

You swallowed and accepted his help, finding yourself hoisted to your feet with no apparent effort at all. Big hands let go the moment you stood, no matter how wobbly and Mista sank back down into the water.

"Thank you." Your voice was crackly and rough, but earnest. "I would be dead if not for you."

All three made a noise that sounded surprisingly soft and sweet. "Good night," Giorno said. "We’ll be by tomorrow, if you’d like."

You nodded absentmindedly and dragged yourself towards your cabin, a bone deep relief filling you as you managed to get inside. You used the last of your strength to get rid of your dripping clothes and drink a bit of water from the faucet, before you fell into bed, curling up into a small, shivering ball.

When you fell asleep, to your surprise, you dreamed about nothing.

Chapter Text

You woke when you heard the rattle of your front door and a moment later, your aunt’s voice called your name, sounding worried. You felt horrible. There was a vicious pounding in your head, your entire body felt like one big, dark bruise and the moment you tried to call out, it felt like a knife lanced down your throat.

"Oh, hun." Your aunt’s hand brushed over your forehead and felt blessedly cool. "You caught a nasty bug, didn’t you."

You managed a horrible noise that hurt and she shushed you gently and bustled away. She returned with hot water and it took you a second to realize you hadn’t gotten around to buying tea or honey or anything yet. It still helped quite a bit.

"Don’t worry about coming to work today," your aunt said, placing a pitcher of steaming water at your side. "Have you been getting sick these past few days? I never noticed anything."

You should probably tell her, you realized sluggishly. You didn’t want to get tossed down a cliff again, no matter how accidentally. "Pushed off the cliff," you rasped out, taking another few sips of hot water to help your throat. The mug felt ridiculously heavy.

"Pushed?" your aunt asked after a heavy second, a strange note in her voice. "Hun, can you please tell me what you mean?"

You managed to choke the story out with as few words as possible and your aunt was visibly angry by the end. No, not just angry, she was about to descent into a terrifying rage.

"That woman," she snarled, getting up, only to still. "Shit, do you need me to call the hospital? Did you break anything? Oh, silly question, of course you got hurt!"

"Was lucky," you rasped out. Even with your brain barely functioning enough to let you form a thought you knew you couldn’t mention the mers. "Caught myself on a rock halfway down, dropped the rest into the water."

Your aunt made a sympathetic noise, pressing her hand against your forehead again. "I see, thank god for that. Alright, I’ll go and call the police and afterwards I’ll get you something for your fever and throat. You’ll be right as rain soon, don’t you worry."

You had been in the water too long, most likely. Your eyes felt heavy and you didn’t resist when your aunt took the mug to set it down beside you. The last thing you were aware of were her fading footsteps.

You woke a little while later again to two police officers, both rather patient and they kept the questioning brief enough. Your aunt shooed them out the moment you told them all and you barely remembered to tack on to look for your bike. It should be somewhere to maybe support your story.

"We’ll look into it," the taller officer said. "This is a rather serious offense."

"Accident," you whispered, speaking still painful. "She didn’t meant to."

"It still wasn’t reported to us, if it’s true," the smaller one said and your aunt rounded on him angrily. "Please excuse us."

"They better find the one who did this," she muttered and bustled over to make you take medicine before she allowed you to sleep again.

The next day wasn’t much better, but you felt marginally more human on the third. Your body had stopped hurting by then too and you realized that, despite feeling bruised, there wasn’t a single bruise or even slight swelling on your skin when you checked woozily in the bathroom. Even carefully prodding where you knew something had broken yielded nothing, not even a twinge of pain. Siren songs really were something.

You stumbled back to bed after grabbing the soup your aunt had left you. She had been looking after you showing up before and after work and had even fielded a call of your parents for you. They had been quite worried, but you were alright. Put through the wringer, but alright.

Your aunt showed up that evening with another Tupperware of soup and when she sat down beside you on the bed, face solemn and grim, you knew something had happened.

"The woman who attacked you, Miri Bridgerton, she left an apology letter," your aunt said, voice careful. "She thought she had killed you. No one knows where she is, but it doesn’t sound like she wanted to come back. They’re still looking for her, don’t worry."

You closed your eyes. There was only one place you could think the woman would go in her grief. The ocean. To hunt the mers. She was most likely dead already.

"They found your bicycle too," your aunt said, as though to try and distract you. "It had been tossed down the other side of the cliffs." Huh. Strange, you hadn’t noticed that. Then again, you had been in a lot of pain. "They’re getting it out and I can pick it up tomorrow. I hope it still works."

"If not I can fix it," you rasped out. Video tutorials would help with what you couldn’t figure out yourself and bicycles weren’t the most complicated things, thankfully. As long as you could replace any broken parts and as long as the mainframe wasn’t bent out of shape much, it should be doable. Hopefully.

"If not, let me know and we’ll figure something out," your aunt said and offered a small smile. "I’m glad you’re doing better. And that nothing happened to you, I was quite worried when you didn’t show up to work. Be sure to get plenty of rest, I can take care of the shop for a few more days if need be."

You nodded absentmindedly, determined to head back to work as soon as possible.

In the end it took a week until you were healthy enough again to stand around the shop for hours. It had been quiet in your cabin, though sometimes, when your window had been open to let in fresh air, you had heard something from the ocean, like song-whistling or something similar.

You were still pretty tired after your first day back at work and you walked back home after a quick pitstop at the market. Your bicycle looked fixable when your aunt had dropped it off and now that you were better again, you would try to see it done. And the porch roof, that was another project you had to get done before it became a real problem.

Shuffling home took longer than biking and you blinked out of your absentminded, slow thoughts when you heard two voices. Sounded like Narancia and Trish. You stepped up to the shrubbery and were surprised to see Narancia doing his best to drag Trish, who had, for some reason, solidly beached herself. They both stopped and their heads snapped up at your appearance. They relaxed simultaneously and while Trish had a miffed, faintly embarrassed look to her, Narancia perked up.

"Hey, lady, do you think you can help us? I don’t want to end up hurting her."

"Why are you out of the water?" you couldn’t help but ask and while Trish looked away, Narancia helpfully pointed at the flowers that bloomed on one of the bushes.

"She wanted to get one of those, we would have asked you, but we had no idea if you’d show up today." His smile revealed sharp teeth. "I’m glad you’re alright."

"I got sick for a while," you answered, setting down your things to take a closer look. Narancia, from the looks of it, had managed to drag Trish a bit back, but it hardly could be comfortable, especially with all the rocks and pebbles and whatnot. There was a reason you had one designated spot where you sat down when meeting them.

The thing is, and you could admit that to yourself, a week or two ago you would have excused yourself and gone your way. You would have been far too terrified to even consider the thought of reaching out to her, no matter how sorry a part of you might have felt. But now, well, you weren’t just going to walk away.

You were still scared though, your heart beat starting to pound and your lungs felt a little shivery but you did want to help.

"Um, how can I help?" You eyed the situation. Honestly, the only thing you could do to help was grab Trish and help her back into the ocean. Which meant getting real close. Which meant going right up to the water. Right.

You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"You don’t have to," Trish said, surprising you. "We’ll figure it out."

"No, no, I want to help," you said, wiping your hands nervously on your shorts. Your neck was itching a little again, but you were more clearheaded than in the past. Well, for now at last. "How about I grab you under the arms and lift you?"

You could shuffle her about a little, like you did with big furniture. As long as the stone didn’t end up hurting her, that should work.

"Careful with the fins," she said and, oh, right, you had forgotten about those.

You approached nervously, feeling much like you were going to try and touch a lion or tiger something. Only worse, because neither lions nor tigers had tried to take a chunk out of you before.

"I won’t hurt you," Trish said quietly when you stopped at her side. She looked at you, straight up and honest and with a clear, steady gaze. You believed her.

Your body and memories still made it hard. You carefully hooked your arms under hers and lifted her up. She was heavy, which made sense considering the fact that she was bigger than you, but her skin was dry and she must’ve been outside the water for a while now.

"Can you help with her tail?" you asked Narancia, sounding only a little strained. When he nodded and flopped himself up onto the stone as much as possible, hoisting her tail fins up, you shuffled over towards the ocean.

You had to set her down three times to catch your breath, but finally you were right at the water’s edge.

"You can let go," she said and you carefully lowered her onto the rook. She pushed herself off, slipping into the water with an honestly awkward looking flop-wriggle of her tail and fins. Mers always looked awkward out of the water though.

You quickly backed up a few steps again, peering into the water and she surfaced a moment later. You noticed that she looked a little relieved and there was some lingering redness on her shoulders and back. Most likely a bit of sunburn.

"Thank you," she said and Narancia chirp-whistled an agreeing noise.

"Did you bring anything?" he asked, pushing out of the water eagerly and, well, you had brought things.

"I have," you confirmed. "Only a little though."

"I’ll get the others," he said and cast you a hopeful smile. "Save me the biggest piece?"

"Sure." You’d be able to do that.

You watched as Trish brushed a hand over her scales, most likely making sure nothing had gotten stuck beneath one. You wondered if it felt the same way when something got stuck beneath your nail, or if their scales were softer and more flexible or sensitive than that.

"You are well now?" she asked and you nodded.

"Just a little tired now." You pointed over your shoulder to where you had left your things beyond the shrubbery. "I’ll go wash the fruits real quick."

She watched you leave and you dropped your bag and keys and wallet off in the cabin, taking everything to the sink. By the time you headed back outside, the pod was already there.

"Welcome back," Bruno greeted you and you didn’t miss the way he cast a quick glance over you, as though to ensure you were alright. "We haven’t seen you for a few days and I heard you were sick?"

There was the hint of a frown on Giorno’s face and you wondered if sirens could sing even illnesses better. You knew about injuries, some were even powerful enough to bring people back from the brink of death, but you had never heard about someone singing a cold away.

"I was in the water too long," you explained, the mers shuffling aside to give you space to set down todays spoils. You had brought them a plate of freshly cut pears, carrots and apples, sour and sweet alike. "At least that is what I think, I got too cold."

You sat down in your spot and the mers descended on the food, though you did catch the tail end of an unhappy expression that flit over Mista’s and Bruno’s faces, while Giorno’s lips thinned for a moment.

"Oh shit," Narancia exclaimed, who had grabbed a piece of carrot first and found it crunching between his teeth. "This is fun!"

Fugo leaned close to snag a piece himself and the carrot plate was emptied first, everyone curious about it.

"It’s a little sweet," the shark mer mused, a thoughtful frown on his face as he crunched through another slice. "But mostly it’s weird."

You almost had to laugh at the puzzled way they finished off the carrots. Your guess would be that the crunchiest thing they found in the ocean was fish bones.

The pears were devoured promptly as well and while the mers were all appreciative eaters, Narancia didn’t seem overly enthused about them. The apples were fun too, as they traded bites when they found the slices tasted differently. It was strangely fun and calming, to sit here and watch them discover something new. Almost child-like.

You were more relaxed than before, in the pod’s presence, still not stupid about things, but you could admit that you were less immediately worried about getting drowned or mauled after the rescue a few days ago.

"Would you like anything in exchange?" Giorno asked and after he healed you, you were no longer surprised at how pleasant his voice was.

"No, thank you. I still have what you got me."

"Then what did you eat?" Mista asked and suddenly looked worried. "You didn’t go hungry while being sick, did you?"

"Oh no, my aunt made me soup, but that meant I didn’t get around to eating what you brought me. I’ll get started on that tonight." Since that stuff was frozen, it should be alright. Though, you probably would have to throw out the one half fish you had in the fridge that you had wanted to cook up before getting tossed down a cliff.

"Ah, that’s good." Mista smiled, sweet and earnest. "But I’m glad you’re alright, we got a bit worried when you didn’t show up."

That was honestly nice of them and after everything, you found you believed what he said. You remembered what your aunt had told you about the widow being gone and wondered if you should say something. If the pod had found her, she’d be dead already. If you said something, you were sure she was going to die soon, just alone on the offense of wanting to hurt the pod.

"You seem pensive," Bruno spoke up, a questioning lilt to his voice and you realized you had started to frown. "Is there something you’d like to talk about?"

It was probably best to find out if the pod had seen the woman. "The woman who pushed me off the cliff," you said and were surprised at the shimmer of anger that flit through Bruno’s eyes. Giorno’s face turned eerily blank and Mista looked ready to bare his fangs. "She has left and no one knows where, but I suspect she’s trying to hunt for you. Have you seen a lone woman anywhere, she’d either be at shore or on a boat."

You tacked on a quick description of the woman and from the thoughtful, questioning way the mers glanced at each other, it was clear they hadn’t. She was still alive then. Maybe the police could find her in time.

"We haven’t," Bruno answered. "But we will keep an eye out." He tipped his head slightly to the side and his hair had dried enough in the sun that it wasn’t stuck to his cheeks and jaw anymore. There was a sudden sharp shine to his eyes, that made your breath catch in your throat. "Would you like us to get rid of her?"

"No, no, um, as long as she’s no danger to you, I’d rather you wouldn’t." While you knew that you weren’t at fault for the men who foolishly decided to net a mer, you still felt guilty. You didn’t want to be responsible for another death.

"Then we won’t seek her out," Bruno promised and you relaxed a little. He frowned. "Though, if she leaves our territory, she might not be so lucky, not all of the surrounding pods are pleasant ones."

You bit back the words that most pods weren’t particularly pleasant. They were especially prissy if someone entered their territory uninvited and many responded violently to such an offense. Whether or not they killed or just stuck to some maiming heavily depended on their mood that day.

You found yourself tugging at the ends of your scarf and quickly stopped when Bruno’s gaze fell to your neck. You didn’t want to talk about it and you were glad when he didn’t ask.

"But she won’t attack you again, right?" Mista asked with a frown.

"I don’t think so, that I fell was an accident in the first place." You didn’t particularly feel like talking about that either. Your nightmares certainly had turned into foggy mess of falling and drowning, but maybe that had been the fever. "How have you been, these past few days?"

They allowed the less than gracious change of topic and Narancia grinned. "We won against the other pod, so they’re going to leave things be. For a while at least."

"Are there a lot of territory disputes?" You hoped not. The last thing you wanted was for the pod to get chased off or some strange mer to pop up out of nowhere.

"Not very often," Bruno answered. "There are some disputes at times, but the sort of full territory claim that we performed is rather rare."

"Why did you do it?" you found yourself asking, feeling curious. "Was this your home before?"

Bruno offered a gentle hum. "We were a fringe group, one of those who are friendly with other pods and are therefore welcome to protect territory borders in exchange for shared hunting grounds, and we weren’t happy with how they ran things."

"The old don was awful," Mista agreed, crossing his arms on sun-warm stones. "To everyone, so we banded together and took over to make things better. Most of the old pod died in the fight and the few that survived fled."

You hadn’t known most of these things and you leaned forward a bit. "You’ll be safe from those who survived?"

"Oh, yeah, it would take them quite a while to put together another pod to try and attack us." Mista grinned, but where it had been cheerful and light before, it was now a baring of teeth, something dark enough that it made a breath of fear claw into your chest. "We’re strong."

"That’s good." You didn’t dare move until he eased up again, though you did notice the way Bruno watched you closely. He had probably noticed your reaction, no matter how subtle it might have been. "That’s, um, good."

Mista, who seemed to have noticed your reaction as well, eased up near immediately, offering a closed-lipped, apologetic smile.

The shark mer huffed. "We’re strong enough that no pod anywhere near our territory could take us out." He leaned against the rocky outcropping, head tipped back a bit as though he enjoyed the sun. "And the other powerful pods are content with their territory. They’re not dumb enough to leave it just to tangle with us."

That was good to know. Not that you were in danger of traveling around and meeting said pods, but you’d hate for your newfound…where they your friends? You’d hate for your new maybe-friends to get killed.

"You said you had questions about the ocean," Bruno spoke up. "We could tell you all you’d like about our territory."

"Or we could show you," Narancia offered, perking up from where he had leaned against Trish, only to pause. "Wait, can humans dive that deep?"

"If they have these breathing bottles I think they can," Trish answered and you watched as the mers mused back and forth on the human ability to dive deep and how long those bottles might last. And, well, it was a little hard to be scared, aside from that first flash of bone deep panic, when you listened to how they valiantly, and entirely incorrectly, tried to guess at diving equipment.

You ended up answering their questions, from how deep an experienced, healthy diver could go to how long the oxygen lasted and what the clothes were made of and what those artificial fins on the feet were.

"You know quite a bit," Giorno said and you forced a very familiar smile onto your face before you could stop yourself. It was the same smile you had given your parents and friends from the dive club whenever the topic came up and you desperately wanted them to stop talking about it. To stop making you talk about what was wrong with you. To stop them from looking at you with these wounded, worried expressions.

"I’ve dabbled a bit," the lie came easily and smoothly and you refused to think about the box of diving equipment you had dragged with you but left unopened in the storage closet.

"You’re not diving anymore?" Fugo asked, who had remained largely quiet up until now and you noticed how the mers were watching you with curiosity.

The words tasted like ash on your tongue as you said, "Oh, um, no. I don’t."

Fugo’s head tipped slightly to the side, eyes sharp and you were suddenly reminded of the fact that you were talking to a bunch of predators. Highly intelligent predators, no matter how much their silly antics and enthusiasm for human food had shown a different side. You shouldn’t forget that.

"If you ever want to try again," Bruno offered, voice just a hair gentler than before, enough to make you glance at him and feel a little less on edge. How he managed to speak like this without making you feel pitied you had no idea. "I’d like to again extend an invitation, you are welcome and safe in our waters."

Giorno hummed in agreement, the sound melodic and carrying a ring of indisputable truth, while Mista nodded encouragingly.

After seeing the scars on your neck, those three probably had a good idea what had happened. You wondered if they had told the others, you hoped not, it was bad enough that they had found out. You took a deeper breath and some tension seeped out of your muscles, leaving you more tired than you had previously been.

"I’m no longer allowed to, actually," you forced yourself to admit with a smile that was probably more like a grimace. "Panic attacks. If I get them underwater, all the fancy equipment won’t save me from drowning."

They looked concerned and there was an unexpected edge of sadness to Bruno’s eyes. Narancia looked a little confused and the shark mer frowned up at the sky. You quickly found yourself in the position to explain just what a panic attack was, though you edged around the reason as to why. You weren’t ready to talk about it.

"Oh, but Giorno could help," Narancia offered. "I’m sure he could sing to you, right, Giorno?"

"Of course," he answered, golden sunset scales shimmering a little as he shifted his tail to stay in place. "I’d be willing to help."

You blinked, feeling a little dumbfound. Despite his aid after your fall off the cliff, you had not thought to ask for his help while swimming or diving. And despite everything, the thought of being surrounded by mers or just even one, while below the surface, was making your muscles lock up with fright.

"I’ll, um, think about it," you offered hesitantly.

"Take your time," Giorno said reassuringly, a patient gentleness in his words. "We’ll be here either way."

You had no idea how to respond to that, but somehow you felt better anyway.

"And we can bring you stuff that’s too far down to reach," Mista offered. "There are some things we don’t know what they are in those old ships."

You couldn’t help but lean forward a little, perking up. You loved the idea of sunken treasure or even just the idea of old things down there, waiting to be discovered. "I’d love that. Oh, but be careful, some things don’t survive being moved."

"Yeah, we noticed." He offered a wry smile. "They just disintegrate into tiny pieces."

You were struck with the sudden idea to teach the mers how to use underwater cameras and asking them to record some things for you. You had no idea if it would make the ache and sadness for the ocean worse or better, but you yearned for at least seeing those things again.

You still had your camera somewhere, you knew that much, along with a bunch other other things you had gotten either yourself or from friends. One of your friends had even given you a bunch of stainless steel hair clips, after you had gotten a rather unfortunate haircut once and growing that mishap out again had been hugely annoying, especially when trying to wrangle everything under water.

"I have an idea," you said and the expectant silence of the mers kept you talking. "I have a camera you can take under water to record what you see, if that is, um, something you’d be interested in doing."

"If you show us how to use it, I don’t see why not," Bruno offered and you found yourself smiling, a little relieved, a little hopeful and a little sad maybe too. But mostly you were glad and the answering smile he gave you was small and genuinely sweet.

"I’ll have to charge the battery over night, but I can bring it to you tomorrow," you said and he nodded.

"Is there something you’d prefer to see?" Mista asked. "Because there is a lot we could show you. The cliffs, the wrecks, the reef, the caves, we could even show you the pit."

"The pit?" That sounded ominous.

"A fissure in the ocean that goes down really deep," Mista explained. "We wouldn’t be able to go far, because at one point you can see nothing at all."

Just how big was their territory? Or any mers territory in fact, if they had so much to show off? Then again, people hadn’t had much opportunity to explore this coast and beyond due to the previous pod consisting of a bunch of assholes, so who knew what was down there.

You were going to find out what was down there. A sudden excitement, light and fresh and hot like sunlight spread through you like a tidal wave.

"Show me everything," you ended up saying, a little more intently than you had wanted to, but considering the way Mista grinned, and Giorno and Bruno’s eyes brightened, that was hardly a bad thing.

"Then we will," Giorno promised and you felt a growing restlessness inside of you, an urge to go now and prepare everything for tomorrow.

"I’ll get everything ready." You shifted a little in place, not wanting to be rude by just taking off, but Bruno chuckled softly, a truly lovely sound and gave you a gentle look that made a different kind of warmth suddenly and unexpectedly spread through you.

"Don’t let us keep you, we probably should get going ourselves. Can we see you again tomorrow?"

You nodded, already getting up. "I look forward to it."

"As do we," Bruno answered and one by one, the mers waved and slipped below the waves. Even the shark mer inclined his head in parting.

You rushed back home and dragged the large box out of it’s corner under some storage shelves. Ripping the duct tape off, your breath caught for a second when you saw your wetsuit, your weights, the two different masks because you hadn’t been able to choose between the yellow and teal one. All your things, neatly packed away, looking as though they were just waiting to be used again.

You reached past your buoyancy compensator for the tin container beneath. Inside was the camera, the computer and a compass, along with a plastic box with the aforementioned hair clips. They were simple and unadorned and you pushed them aside to grab the camera’s charging cable from beneath.

Everything was quickly set up, the box once again shoved in its corner and you really had to throw out the fish in the fridge. It was no longer edible and you made yourself a sandwich, putting out one of the frozen fish for tomorrow.

When you slept, it was a murky mixture of something dragging you deeper and your gaze snagging on reefs, on a gorgeous wreck, on something shiny in the sand, while you struggled to reach the surface again.

You woke up thankfully feeling better and you even saw Trish and Fugo on your way to work. They waved at you, but otherwise seemed to be in deep conversation, Trish pointing out the flowering bush again and Fugo nodding along with a thoughtful expression.

Your aunt wasn’t in today, but she had left some food for you and a note to take it easy if you were still feeling unwell. She really was too kind.

It was a good day at work, people were mostly pleasant and while there was a bit of a stressful hour at one point when a bunch of tourists showed up, the rest of the time was calmer.

You locked up the shop once you were done with taking care of everything and mopping the floor and you passed through the market again to pick up some more food. And this time, your gaze snagged on a stall you had mostly passed by absentmindedly before. An elderly woman with laugh lines sat there calmly, surrounded by artificial flowers and embroidered skirts and aprons, a little plague on the table claiming everything to be handmade.

"Um, excuse me," you approached her and she looked up, quickly pulling out some glasses so she wouldn’t have to squint up at you. "Are those flowers made of plastic?"

"Oh no, they’re silk flowers," she said with a smile. "An old trade, I know, but one I learned in my youth and I’ve never quite lost the love for it."

Silk flowers would loose their color in water at one point, but they were better than polyester. "May I look at some?"

"Please, feel free."

Some weren’t quite as petal soft a real flowers, but they were beautiful and artfully made and soft to the touch. "Um, how much for this one?"

The prices were a bit…well, they were entirely fair for handcrafted flowers of such fine material, but at most you were able to afford one. You decided to go for it, selecting the prettiest one and paying the woman.

"Have a nice day," she said and you returned it, heading home with even more purpose than before.

"I’ll be over in a minute," you called out to the mers as you passed the shrubbery and hurried inside.

It was a quick thing to get the food ready you had brought and then you hurried to the storage closet, digging out one of the hair clips and you went for your sewing kit. It wasn’t particularly big, but it had a thread in a close enough color that you could ever so carefully sow the flower onto the clip. It fit, it looked nice and you were rather proud of how it had turned out.

Only for you to stare at the flower for a moment, realizing that you were doing more here than just exchanging food. Shit, you were getting invested.

You shook the thought off and grabbed everything you needed. The mers were still around and perked up when you appeared.

"Sorry for the wait." You set down the bowls you had brought today, one with different small hard candies, the other with raspberries and the last with some chocolate on crackers sweets. "Um, Trish? I got you something."

She blinked and leaned closer and her eyes widened when you showed her the hair clip.

"It’s not a real one, but you can put it into your hair like this and it should stay. If it comes loose, I can fix it." You gently set the clip down with a little click and the moment you sat down, she had snatched it up, a shine of excitement on her face and she offered you a real smile.

When you looked at the others, you saw that they all looked happy, even the shark mer had a downright gentle expression on his face. Trish carefully touched the flower with her clawed fingertips and then put the clip in her hair with an expression of utmost concentration.

"How do I look?" she asked and Narancia grinned.

"Great, it suits you," he said and she looked happily satisfied.

"Thank you." Trish turned to you, a small, lilting trill accompanying her words.

You shrugged a little, settling the camera down in your lap. "I saw you eyeing the bush and thought this might’ve been a good idea. Though I can get you one of those flowers too."

"Hm, no, this is better," she decided. "But maybe you can get me one of those?"

You glanced at where she pointed to a truly unruly hibiscus plant further back and blinked. "Sure, I can do that."

You got up to pick the prettiest one, while the mers, to your surprise, patiently waited for your return and until you had handed the plant over, before they descended on the food.

"Oh, this is weird," Mista laughed, having tried one of the small, hard candies. "It tastes funny."

"Orange was never my favorite either," you agreed and helped them identify what tasted like what, though you stressed that the flavors were all rather artificial.

Narancia had almost eaten the chocolate-cracker bowl by himself unnoticed, before Fugo realized it and there was a sudden churning of waves as Mista smoothly saved the bowl and the two mers disappeared in a flail of fins and a truly funny 'eep' sound Narancia had made.

Mista calmly kept eating the sweets and when Fugo surfaced again, face falling a little, he showed that he had saved enough for his friend. You resolved to get more sweets for Narancia at one point, since he really seemed to love it.

Everything was eaten, even the orange hard candy that none of the mers were particularly fond of and they turned expectant eyes to you and you suddenly realized a big flaw in your plan. In order to show them how to operate the camera, you’d have to get closer. Showing it from a distance was hardly going to work well.

Your heart beat kicked up, hands suddenly feeling a little unsteady and you tried to remind yourself that nothing would happen to you. They weren’t going to drown you - probably, a small, scared part of you hissed, the one that flinched at shadows and loud noises and wanted to curl up and cry after nightmares.

You shoved that part as far down as possible and drew back your shoulders as you shuffled closer. The pod looked surprised and they were kind and gracious enough to give you some space, spreading out along the outcropping further as to not crowd you. It made it easier, especially when Mista, Giorno and Bruno where the ones closest to you when you leaned forward to show them the camera. You were within arms reach, easily so, and your neck ached, a phantom prickle of pain spreading along your scarred side.

"You switch it on like this," you started, forcing yourself to focus on the camera and not the mers that had to lean close to see what you were doing. Close enough that one could take a bite out of your throat easily. Some mers were capable of unhinging their jaws like snakes, which was a terrifying thing.

You showed them how to operate the camera and you stressed the importance of leaving it in its protective casing and to pay attention to the battery symbol. When you looked up, you found Giorno maybe a hand’s width away from your elbow and your breath caught. He glanced up at you and the patient steadiness of his eyes allowed you to breathe again. He wouldn’t hurt you.

"Here." You held out the camera, ignoring the phantom tightness along the skin of your neck that appeared sometimes when you got stressed. "And, thank you."

Giorno accepted the camera carefully, claws never once so much as brushing your skin. It had already been small in your hands, but in his it looked almost tiny. Could they even press the buttons properly?

As Giorno experimentally fiddled with some settings you realized that, yes, they could.

"We’ll bring it back tomorrow," Giorno said and tipped his head slightly to the side. "If it’s not rude to leave, I can get started now."

"Oh, yes, there is a great spot when the sun sets," Mista chimed in. "We’d best head out to catch that in time. We’ll see you tomorrow?"

"I’ll be here," you found yourself promising, already looking forward to what they would bring back. The mers left swiftly and you watched the colors of their scales shimmer as they zipped away.

You found yourself exhaling heavily, pressing a hand against your pounding heart and you stared at the water, your body catching up to the fact that nothing had happened to you. You had been close to a mer a second time since the attack and nothing had happened.

It made it easier to believe that nothing would keep happening.

You were restless the rest of the day and the next one, straightening things around your aunt’s shop as you worked and getting quite a few things done between customers showing up and you cleaned up faster than ever before once you closed the shop. You used the rest of your check to buy what you needed to fix your bike back up and two bags of chocolaty treats.

The mers weren’t there yet when you showed up and you got the bowls with the sweets ready and settled into place, as you sat down to wait. They showed up shortly afterwards and you found yourself muffling a giggle as Mista and Narancia mock-fought while Fugo calmly grabbed the bowls, handing one to Bruno and the shark mer and sharing the other with Trish and Giorno. Trish was wearing the flower clip, the silk flower looking waterlogged, but you could imagine how easily it floated prettily under water.

Narancia and Mista caught on to what was happening with squawks of dismay and now you were muffling a laugh, feeling more at ease in their presence than ever before. Still not entirely unafraid, still not entirely unwary, but more at ease. More willing to trust them.

Giorno set down your camera, along with a net of mussels.

"You did ask for them, if I remember correctly," he said, tilting his head slightly and you realized that he was checking back with you if you still wanted the seafood.

"Yes, thank you." You honestly had forgotten about that with everything that had happened. This time, when he set it all down as close to you as possible, you were a little less afraid to reach out before he had fully settled back into his previous spot. The tiny, warm quirk of his lips that he offered made you smily shyly back.

You were working on it. A little. And honestly only because of them. If they hadn’t decide to bother with you, to keep bothering with you, you would have stayed afraid. You certainly wouldn’t have approached them yourself outside of strenuous circumstances.

You cradled the camera close, drops of ocean water dampening your shirt and you settled the net down by your knee.

"I hope we managed to use it well," Bruno said. "We tried our best to keep it steady like you said."

"To be honest, I think I’d be happy eve over shaky footage," you found yourself admitting openly. You wanted a taste of the real thing, of something that was right there, out the door and across some dirt and stone.

The chocolate was devoured in record time and since you’d get a new paycheck soon, you could ask them if there was anything they wanted to try.

"To be honest, I’m really curious what you do with the fish we bring you," Mista admitted. "If I get one now, are you willing to bring us some of your food?"

"Of course, it will just take me a bit to cook it." You were going to serve it fresh if they already went through the trouble of catching food for you. Mista promptly slipped beneath the waves and you found yourself biting back a small smile. "Does anyone else want anything?"

"How about you bring us some of your favorites?" Bruno offered and you had no idea why, but you thought that was sweet.

"I can do that." Your aunt would be in tomorrow and maybe you could get off work an hour early for this. Or the mers would have to wait a little longer, but you were sure you could make it work. "Any preferences towards sweet or savory foods?"

The mers glanced at each other and Giorno leaned forward a little. "Maybe one of each?"

"Alright, I’ll pick something." You were decent enough at cooking and baking that it shouldn’t turn into a disaster. Your fingers fiddled with the camera again and you were almost tempted to go take a look now, but you held back. You were going to watch it on your laptop as soon as you could.

"Has the widow bothered you again?" the mer shark asked and you blinked a little in surprise. You honestly hadn’t thought much about her, your mind had been too caught on tonight.

"No, did you see her?"

"No, at least not on our patrols," he answered and there was a sharpness in his eyes despite the calmness of the rest of him. "I’m Abbacchio, by the way. Leone Abbacchio."

You had no idea what had prompted him to say something, but at least you had something to call him now. "Nice to meet you."

He quirked a wry, brief smile at your words, which honestly were a little redundant after having met him a few times, but you had no idea what else to say either. He already knew your name after all. You did catch the fond, amused glance Bruno gave Abbacchio, who slightly lifted one eyebrow, an amused tilt to his mouth.

You caught movement beneath the surface and Mista appeared a few seconds later, proudly presenting a truly marvelous fish. You probably would have to squish this one a bit to get it into your fridge.

"Does this one work?" he asked and, well, since it was the fish you were going to cook up for them - and hopefully to their taste, you’d hate it if you messed it up - you nodded.

Mista swiftly killed the fish and when he looked ready to toss it, you set the camera down and held out your hands. It was pretty heavy.

"I’ll get this all taken care of," you said. "Unless you wanted to talk?"

"We can talk tomorrow," Bruno said reassuringly. "I understand that you’re eager to get going."

You offered a smile, your excitement showing through. "I’ll have more time tomorrow."

"Maybe we can eat together, since you’re already making food for us," Bruno suggested and yeah, that was a pretty good idea.

You nodded, piking up the camera and net and flopping the fish across your forearms. You rose and dipped your head in parting, laughing a little at the slightly over the top bow Mista sketched and you felt your smile turn a little shy at the gentle smiles Bruno and Giorno offered. Narancia waved cheerfully and Trish offered a smile. Fugo dipped his head politely and even the shark mer flicked his fingers in a vague wave.

You forced yourself to take care of the fish and mussels first, preparing them and leaving them in your fridge for now. You really did have to squish in the fish and you’d have to clean up that shelf tomorrow, but you were willing to leave it like that for now.

Hopping onto the couch with your laptop and camera, you quickly set everything up and the familiar window of the recording popped open, a blurry half of Giorno’s face visible. You hugged a couch pillow to your chest and pressed play.

Giorno frowned in concentration and his expression cleared a moment later. He looked satisfied and shifted the view of the camera around. There was a blurry view of blue water and finally, cliffs filled with caves that Giorno swam past. You heard it, ever so gently, the drag of water and he moved slowly enough that the recording was only a little shaky here and there.

"These are almost all connected," he suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying differently under water. "We haven’t entirely explored all of them yet, but maybe I can show you some tomorrow when there is more light."

You listened as he told you about the surroundings, voice quiet and melodic and you sank a little more against the backrest of the couch, watching the underwater world pass by with a rising, strange feeling inside. The rest of the pod met up him at one point for a bit, since you heard the whistle-song and melodic humming of their conversations and caught a hint of movement at the edge of the camera.

It wasn’t until he reached a wreck and this one hadn’t sunk far below the surface, the ocean floor rising up for a bit again and the golden rays of the setting sun touched upon it and waves made the light dance.

It looked gorgeous and wonderful and you burst into tears, barely hearing Giorno talk about the wreck and what was inside. You fumbled until you hit stop and buried your face into the pillow, crying so hard you were desperately gasping for air.

It hurt to see this, more than you had ever expected, because you were still, deep down, so damn fucking terrified of the very thing you still loved with all your heart.

Chapter Text

You stood at the netted off cove in the early hours of the morning, feeling exhausted after a horrible night and the skin around your eyes felt tight and hot from how much you had cried. No one else was around at the moment, aside from that one lone jogger who had gone up the hiking trails and was unlikely to be back anytime soon.

You had even dug out your swimsuit and swimming trunks, since you had wanted to cover up as much as possible while doing this. Taking deep breaths, you stepped into the water, sand a familiar sensation beneath your feet, waves rolling past your ankles.

You had loved this so much. No, you still loved this, under all the fear and terror caused by one massive monster, your love remained.

You had so many good memories of the ocean. The wonder you had once found down there. Back in your teenage years, you had escaped to the ocean every time things had become too much. Down there, you had felt removed from the world above, freed from obligations and stress and expectations. The ocean had been your safe place, as stupid as that had been considering what lived in it.

You had always been in here and now while being in the water, your mind clearing and your anxiety calming. You had once found peace below the waves and along with it, a deep hunger to explore, to find all the secrets and treasure lurking there, like heroes and pirates in daring stories had. As a child, when your mother had read you those books as bedtime stories, you had imagined yourself in the shoes of those adventurers, afraid of nothing and sailing freely, diving deep as though the water was part of them.

Your father had joked that the saltwater had lived in your blood from the moment you had been born, that even as a toddler you had always gone towards the waves if they had let you. Your fascination with the ocean had been one big thread that had wound itself through your life for as long as you could remember.

You had felt at home, swimming and diving and meeting fishes and crabs and even the occasional shark who had swum by calmly. You had been so unafraid once, eager and happy and excited. You had laughed at the dumbest ocean jokes and joined removed plastic and trash from the beach whenever you saw some lying around.

You couldn’t stand the thought of never getting that back. You had no idea how to get it back either, but you would try.

Taking another deep breath, you took step after slow step into the waves. It helped, a little, that you doubted that the pod would hurt you, no matter how loud that terrified part of you was. They had been too…accommodating to make you feel like you were in any immediate danger.

However, you found that even that didn’t help much with the memories. The deeper you waded, the more you felt like you could sense his presence in the water, no matter how nonsensical, a shapeless dread that circled below with a razor smile and enough patience to wait until it could get you. You managed to get in until water lapped at your chest, when the panic started to overtake.

Your breathing was getting faster and harder, your heart beating against your ribs as though it wanted to bruise everything and your hands were entirely numb, your knees trembling hard enough that they shook under your weight. Heat and cold rolled over your skin, leaving you hot-faced and shivering in turn.

You only managed another two steps, water now lapping up at your throat and the panic crashed over you. You ran from hands that wanted to grab and drag you down, a vicious voice snarling 'I’ll teach you how to breathe' into your ear.

You waded out fast, stumbling and gasping and shaky. You sat down hard once you were far enough from the waves, forcing your hands behind your head, pulling your elbows back as much as possible. You managed to count your breaths after a few broken inhales.

It took you a long time to calm down, water dripping off your skin and it took you a moment to realize there were tears too. You closed your eyes, forcing your breaths to smooth out with every inhale and exhale.

Gathering your things, you dried off and slipped on your shirt and wrapped your scarf around your neck again. Your swimming trunks were good enough by themselves, especially as they were dry by the time you arrived at your aunt’s shop. Today was shaping up to be an impressively hot day.

You were glad that your aunt was too busy with making new things to sell to pay close attention to you. You felt tiny and wrung out as you slunk around the shop and it felt like it took all your energy to get through the day and pretend like everything was fine.

To your surprise, you didn’t have to ask your aunt if you could leave early, since she locked up the shop an hour before closing time.

"I hope you don’t mind, hun," she said. "I’m having a meeting tonight with some people and I know you’re still feeling a little under the weather, so head home early tonight, alright?"

"Sure, thank you." You accepted the quick hug she offered and then she was bustling away. You wondered what the meeting was about, but you hoped it was something good. She’d tell you soon enough and your thoughts were already wandering to what you had planned.

After a quick trip to the market for some last minute ingredients you headed home to start cooking. Baking one of the fishes certainly made sure you didn’t have to care much for that one, but the other one was too big to fry in one piece, but you were more in the mood for a fish stew anyway, even if it was disgustingly hot. It also gave you the chance to put in the shrimps you still had left over.

You were bustling about, making a third dish that did not involve fish and it only didn’t feel wasteful to make that much food because you knew the mers could easily eat it all. If they liked it. If not, you’d have a lot to eat.

You startled hard, therefore, when a sudden piercing whistle cut through the air. The food was mostly done so you left it simmering on low heat and stepped outside. To your surprise, Bruno was there and his face was serious.

"Apologies for the disturbance," he said and there was a lurking lilt of urgency in his voice. "Would you be willing to help a young dolphin? She beached herself and it would take us far longer than you to get her out."

"Oh, yes, of course. I’ll be right back." You ran back inside to eye the food critically for a second. It was best to kill the heat entirely rather than return to something burned to shit.

When you came back out, Bruno led you along the coast at a fast pace, past the cove where Narancia had been netted and to a stretch of beach that was rather wide and one you hadn’t known about before. There was indeed a young dolphin and she had absolutely beached herself quite thoroughly.

Usually, in these circumstances, you would quickly call the proper authorities for this process, but with Bruno right there and knowing what Giorno could do if the dolphin was hurt, your first priority was to get the young one back into water as swiftly and painlessly as possible.

Since you still wore your swimming suit beneath your shirt, having been too busy to change, you took your shirt off to soak it in a wave and put it over the dolphin as much as possibly, quickly digging some grooves for her pectoral flippers to take some of the weight off of them. Bruno and the dolphin were talking back and forth and that was probably the main reason why she was so calm. You spotted a few more dolphins from the corner of your eye, surfacing again and again to see what was going on.

Then came the hard part, because dolphins were far from light creatures and Bruno would have to wriggle up onto the beach for a minute to get within reach to help and even then it would be a very awkward and slow affair for him to keep wriggling along back into the water.

If you managed to this on your own, it would be faster.

"Can I move her without hurting her?" you asked Bruno, who whistled back and forth with the dolphin, then nodded. Taking a bracing breath, you got your hands under the dolphin and lifted her with a grunt.

She was heavy.

You were entirely out of breath, arms hurting and you were more shuffling your feet than walking, but the dolphin held still and you finally could set her down in the waves, far enough that you could keep your hands under her and help her along until she started swimming off by herself.

Bracing you one hand on your knee you fumbled to grab your floating shirt, still catching your breath. Damn you were out of shape. A soft splash made you look up and you found you were a little surprised that aside from a tiny jolt of your heartbeat, you otherwise didn’t react badly to seeing Bruno nearby.

Though, in all fairness, the water was shallow enough here that he wouldn’t be able to lunge for you anyway, he had kind of wriggled up onto the sand to even be where he was now. This was probably about one of the only disadvantages to his size, he was unable to swim in shallow water like this and had to pull himself along with mostly his upper body strength. Which was still very impressive, you’d never win an arm wrestling match against him.

"Grazie, she can return to her family now," he said with a soft, sincere smile and you smiled back, sweat sliding down your temples and soaking your scarf.

"You’re welcome," you gasped out, arms sore but it didn’t matter because the feeling of having helped, the victory of having been successful in getting the young one back to sea, was far more powerful. "I’m always willing to help."

"You really are." Bruno leaned his elbows into the sand and let his chin rest in his palms, looking rather content. "We’re quite lucky to have met you."

"Uh, well." What were you supposed to say to that? "Thank you."

Waves rolled past your knees and you noticed that your heart wasn’t racing like stupid and you didn’t feel like anything was going to happen to you. This was, somehow, going much better than your attempt this morning. The distraction of helping the dolphin absolutely had helped a lot, but…you were starting to really trust these guys.

"Does that happen often?" you asked, gesturing around.

"On occasion, the young ones sometimes aren’t experienced or careful enough," Bruno answered and blinked, a brief flash of pleased surprise flashing through his eyes as you slowly folded your legs to sit down in the waves.

Ah, there was the discomfort again, but it genuinely could have been worse and as long as no water ended up anywhere near your neck and nothing dragged or pulled you, you should keep a tight enough grip on yourself to not start panicking. You had never thought that you’d be like this one day, that the very sensation of waves could bring up the worst memories of your life. Though, in all fairness, you hadn’t thought that anyone would genuinely try to kill you either.

Still, your shoulders and back were tense and you kept your breathing carefully regulated. Right up until Bruno made a soft noise and slowly turned over, lying on his back, arms stretched a little to the side to keep his face above water. He looked up at the sky, slowly changing color with the sinking sun and you knew that you’d have to go back soon to finish cooking the food and present it to the pod.

But…maybe you could stay like this for just a moment. You were less tense now again and you allowed yourself to tentatively lean a little back into the water, brushing your fingers through sand instead of gripping your knees tightly to try and ground yourself.

"Would you tell me about you?" you found yourself asking, watching the beauty of the sunset and listening to the gentle rolling of the waves, the coolness of ocean water soothing the heat of the day. It was genuinely the best you had felt while being in water for a long time.

"What would you like to know?" Bruno asked, still watching the sky, his black hair floating around his head and a soft, content look on his face. Like this he didn’t look dangerous at all. Like this he looked…sweet and pretty and lovely and something about him helped you feel a little daring.

"Anything you want to share." You found a tiny shell in the sand and fiddled with it between your fingers. You were nowhere near ready to dive, but this was good. It was almost enough.

Bruno hummed thoughtfully, the sound very pleasant and you were sure he’d have a wonderful singing voice. "I was born a little further to the south to a small pod. We didn’t have a lot of territory, but we took good care of it." His voice held a soft wistfulness, but you could detect an undercurrent of pain, something old that would never be forgotten. "At one point, only I was left."

You pinched the shell between two fingers, wishing you had the guts to reach out and offer comfort. It wasn’t clear if pods stayed together all their lives like whales and dolphins seemed to, or if the children split from their parents at one point to gain territory of their own.

"I joined up with the old Don afterwards," Bruno continued before you could figure out what to say to express your sadness over his loss. You might be avoiding your parents a little at the moment, but you loved them dearly. The thought of losing them was horrible. "He took over our old territory when I did and I was glad for his kindness and I was happy to serve him. For a time."

Considering how they had spoken about the old Don previously, you suspected that something must have happened or come to light to change that. Bruno stared up the sky with a faint line of tension touching the corners of his eyes and mouth, a remembered unhappiness and injustice he recalled in this moment.

"How did you meet the others?" you asked and something soft returned to his features.

"Their stories are not mine to tell, however, as much as I was able to help them, they gave me back what I had lost." One hand rose to rest over his heart. "I always knew myself and who I was, but I had been alone for some time when I met them. My life has been better ever since."

He had found family with them. You watched him smile in genuine, quiet happiness. The sort of happiness that wasn’t exuberant joy, but a warm, slow spread throughout the body that made people feel like this was be best that had ever happened to them.

"And then Giorno showed up." He chuckled softly. "This lone mer no one had ever heard of suddenly appeared in our territory and bit by bit, he won us all over." The mirth slipped to be replaced with something more solemn, something grateful. "Without his songs, we would not have succeeded. Or if we had, there would only be few left."

Bruno tipped his head back enough to look at you, blue eyes gentle and clear and you found yourself unable to look away. "And thanks to you, you helped us even though you had no reason to."

You didn’t feel like you had done much, but you still found yourself smiling a little, ducking your head and adjusting your scarf. "Well, I’m glad I could help."

Bruno smiled back and looked at the sky again, making a soft noise that you’d never be able to replicate in any capacity. "We’re going to make things better around here." His voice grew a little quieter as he said, "I enjoy having a home again."

You really wanted to reach out and instead buried the shell back into the sand where you had found it. "I understand." And you did, in a way. You had felt adrift after the attack, unsettled and crushed, your dreams shattered and your nights filled with nightmares. Coming out here, settling down and meeting the pod…you hadn’t felt this close to normal in a long time.

You swallowed and admitted, "Meeting you guys, it’s helped me. I’ve been getting better."

"I’m glad to hear that." His voice was gentle and honest and when you glanced at him, you met his blue eyes, finding nothing understanding in his gaze. There wasn’t an ounce of judgement.

It made you brave enough to say, "I don’t want to be scared anymore."

"Then you’ll find ways to not be," he answered, a steadiness in his voice as if he truly believed it. Believed in you and you found that made you feel a little stronger in turn. "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"This helps," you admitted and hesitantly, you asked, "Maybe we can, um, do this again."

He looked lovely and kind as he offered a smile. "Of course. I’d be happy to."

You found yourself smiling a little and tugging at the ends of your scarf again, the one that was floating in the water. Your neck wasn’t even itching.

A companionable, comfortable quiet fell over you as Bruno and you watched the sunset and you found another shell in the sand that you put back in its place after running your fingertips over it. This was the closest you had been to your old self in a while, to enjoying the presence of the ocean and the gentle roll of waves.

Right up until you remembered the food you had entirely forgotten during your conversation and quickly moved to get up, drawing Bruno’s gaze and a curious, questioning look.

"I’ll have to go back and finish cooking," you explained, for once not quickly wading out of the water because you were panicking. "I’ll meet you back at my place?"

"Certainly." You watched as he turned onto his belly again and began to shuffle-drag into deeper waters where he could swim again.

You swiftly returned home, flip-flops squelching a little with how wet your feet were, but you felt great overall. Downright chipper.

The food was done soon afterwards and you made up a few plates and bowls, finding the mers waiting as you carried out the first armful. They were waiting more or less patiently until you had brought out everything and sat down in your usual spot, explaining the stew and baked fish with a slice of lemon besides in case they wanted a little extra on it and lastly you had made fried rice, though you had still been gentle with the seasoning all over. You had brought food for yourself as well and watched as the mers approached curiously.

It was admittedly a little funny to watch them try to handle spoons and they listened when you warned them that it was still hot and demonstrated how to blow on it before taking a bite.

"Shit, this really is hot," Narancia declared, sucking in air and scrunching up his face. "But I like it."

You ate quietly, watching as the mers tried their way through the prepared meal and muttering amongst themselves, talking about taste and texture and they seemed unable to decide if they liked baked fish or not, while they seemed fine with it in the stew. They did like cooked shrimps, though.

"It has crunch without the shell," Fugo explained and briefly adjusted Narancia’s grip on the spoon to look less like a toddlers. Weirdly enough, you found yourself reminded of the eating scene in the movie Beaty and the Beast and you hid a smile by shoveling more food into your mouth.

"There is more if you want seconds of anything," you offered. Especially with the big fish you had been able to make quite the amount.

They did want seconds, even from the dubious, baked fish and soon the food was gone and the mers looked content, even Abbacchio seemed happy to lean against one of the stones, relaxed and at ease.

"Did we manage to record things well?" Giorno asked as you had bowls and plates stacked up beside you, ready to be brought in and cleaned.

"Ah, yeah, you did." You still remembered how hard you had cried and you had finished watching the video, even if it had kept hurting. You wanted to be down there, not just see it through a screen. But you had to admit that you wanted more still. Something about it made you…maybe not braver, but it made you determined to go back to the thing you loved so much. To one day, if the invitation wasn’t withdrawn, see that beautiful wreck and those caves for yourself. "I’ll have to recharge the battery and I can give you the camera again tomorrow, if you’d like."

Giorno dipped his head in agreement, looking near regal and you realized you were at ease like never before in the pod’s company. Maybe this really could work. Maybe you’d really be able to get pieces of your dream back if you tried hard enough. Good thing that hard work had never deterred you from anything and now you were motivated too. It gave you the strength necessary to look the most horrible thing that had ever happened to you in the eye and try to fight it into submission.

It was later, as you worked on fixing your bike with a flashlight propped up on the porch, that you realized you had started to believe in yourself again, even if it was just a little.

***

The next day was very busy in your aunt’s shop. A new wave of tourists had shown up and especially now that the rules regarding the ocean were a little more lax, the island saw more traffic.

You were happy for your aunt, she deserved all the success she could want, but you had to admit that you felt a little wrung out at the end of the day. Though, maybe part of your exhaustion was because you had worked long into the night to finish fixing your bike. It was even more rickety than before and made a bit of a rattling sound, but it worked again and once the roof was fixed, you’d look into replacing some parts to make it run smoothly again.

Still, you were glad to have a few days off soon, since a bigger holiday was coming up, along with a celebration that had been tradition for the past hundred years or so and you looked forward to it a little.

You dropped by the marked quickly to pick up some fruits and the you heard some whistle-singing from the water shortly after you arrived at home and had gotten the fruits cleaned up and prepared. Since you didn’t want to risk that they might choke on something, you removed the pits from the peaches and plums.

To your surprise, however, not the entire pod was here today.

"Is everything alright?" you asked as you set the bowls down. Trish, Abbacchio, Giorno and Bruno were gone and the rest looked a little tense and restless.

"We’ve maybe ventured a little too deep into the caves," Mista said with a smile and a wince. "And we maybe pissed something off down there."

You blinked, feeling baffled. "Wait, what is down there?"

"A massive electric eel. Like, ridiculously huge," Mista answered, holding his arms out wide and considering that he was a pretty big mer, it gave you quite an idea of what he was trying to describe. "We hadn’t known they get that big near shores."

"It might have been the old Don’s pet," Narancia mused, shoving a slice of peach into his mouth and immediately looking delighted. "Giorno and Bruno are trying to talk it down with Trish’s help, but Abbacchio is there as backup in case something goes wrong."

"We’ll have to leave soon tonight," Mista said with an apologetic look and you quickly waved him off.

"I entirely understand and if you don’t mind the fruits tasting like the ocean, take them and go. You don’t have to sit around and worry."

Mista looked a mixture of relieved and a little guilty and Fugo wasted no time scooping all the plums into his palms, while Trish grabbed the peaches. She still wore the flower hair clip and it made you want to make another one. You could even offer to make the others hair clips and if they brought you shells or pearls you could glue those on too. You absolutely weren’t a master of the craft, but what you made didn’t look ugly either. If it was good enough for them, you were happy to do it and if you really botched it up, you could ask your aunt for help.

"We should have dealt with it within a few days," Mista said, lingering for a moment while the others disappeared with waves and goodbyes. His claws briefly tapped stone and he looked as though he was bracing himself for something. "And if you’d like, we could spent some time with each other too, on occasion."

You blinked in surprise. "Oh, um, yeah, I have some free days coming up and I’d have time."

He perked up, looking pleasantly surprised and offered a charming smile. "I look forward to it. Let me know when you want to meet and I’ll be there."

He disappeared with a wriggle of his clawed fingers in your direction and zipped away at rapid, impressive speed.

You hoped they would be alright and you couldn’t help but wonder what other huge creatures existed out there. If the kraken of legend was real too. You’d have to ask them about it sometime.

You had to admit that you were a tad nervous about spending alone time with Mista, but that was for once not because he was a mer, but because, well, you were at times a little awkward when really spending time with someone for the first time. Before there had always been something else going on when you had met Mista or the pod had been around to bring noise and conversations.

You did want to meet with him and spend time with him though, so the little twinge of nerves wasn’t going to stop you.

You had no idea if you’d ever be interested in the mers in return, but you were glad they hadn’t brought it up again and you found you…enjoyed getting to know them. You were happy enough to become friends with them for now.

You worked on the porch again and even took off your scarf, because it was hell in this weather and the mers weren’t around and, well, three of them already knew.

You made yourself a quick dinner in-between getting frustrated with the roof. Even with tutorial videos and a bit of carpentry experience you had to admit that you were struggling a little. But it was doable. It had to be doable because you absolutely did not have the funds to hire a professional and you weren’t going to try and pawn off one of the gifts the mers had given you. At least not yet, you hadn’t reached the point where you absolutely needed that money as quickly as possible.

The mers were gone for the next few days and you finally managed to eat the rest of the seafood they had brought you. You made some progress on the roof and felt tired at the end of each day, a combination of work and customers and the summer heat. You were honestly looking forward to some storms and autumn, when things would finally really start cooling down again.

You spent your first day off cleaning the cabin, something you had admittedly neglected a bit with everything that was going on and you spent the afternoons lying around like a vegetable to avoid the worst of the heat and the rest of the time you cursed at the rotting beam of the porch as you worked on fixing that mess.

The sound of a whistle-song made you perk up and look over the water, seeing Mista who had risen far enough out of the waves to look over the shrubbery. He laughed as he said, "You show that wood who’s boss!"

It made you laugh before you knew it, the frustration that had gripped you slipping away. Setting your tools aside, you greeted Mista, stepping past the shrubbery.

"I take it everything is alright?" you asked and he made a vague noise.

"We had to chase the thing off, but now the caves are safe and we didn’t get hurt much in the fight."

The other members of the pod weren’t around and you sat down in your usual spot, leaning forward a little. It was only then that you remembered that you had genuinely forgotten about not wearing a scarf and your shoulders came up, your hand tugging the collar of your shirt up.

"It’s alright," Mista said, a soft hum slipping into his words. "I won’t ask and I won’t stare, I promise."

You found yourself grimacing a little. "I don’t like it if someone sees them." Even if Mista already had. It made you self-conscious and having eyes on the scars reminded you of how you had gotten them, which was not a memory you needed popping up right now.

"Alright, I can understand that." Mista tapped his claws against rock and said, "How about making it even? I can show you one of my scars people rarely get to see."

"You don’t have to," you said right away. "Don’t make yourself uncomfortable on my account."

Something about him gentled and he shook his head. "It’s not like that, believe me. I’m not ashamed of them, but they’re not pretty either." He then tipped his head and moved his clawed hand up, parting the hair enough at one spot to reveal a nasty cluster of small scars. As if someone had tried to crush his skull by digging in their claws as hard as possible.

"I nearly died," he said, letting his hand fall away again and the wet strands settled back into place. His voice had grown quiet and grim, "Without Giorno, I would have and Bruno has saved my life a few times as well. Most of us wouldn’t have made it without Giorno’s songs."

It made you realize, more than before, that this fight against the former Don had been brutal. No matter how fine they were now and how fine they seemed to be, they had absolutely fought for their lives down there.

"I was saved by a fisher and his daughter," you found the words slipping out, looking away and hunching into yourself a little further, your voice dropping to a whisper. "Otherwise I’d have died."

He made a soft, crooning noise, one that made you uncurl a little and glance over. "You don’t have to talk about it," he said. "But if you want to, I’ll listen."

You hadn’t even told the police and coastal guard the entire story. It had been enough to know a mer had mauled you and to see the wounds left behind.

"I was stupid," you said, your voice cracking around the words. "I…" Your throat closed up and you shook your head.

Mista offered a small, solemn nod and you breathed easier when he changed the topic. "I don’t think the others are going to show up today, we’re all a bit tired after getting that eel to leave, but if you’d like, we could, how do humans say, hang out a bit."

"Sure, I have time." The frustrating porch problem could wait.

Mista crossed his arms on the outcropping and pillowed his cheek on his arms, looking relaxed and calm, tail shifting just enough to easily keep him in place. But now that he said it and you took a closer look, he did seem a little worn out.

A sudden thought bubbled up in your mind and you found you were nervous, but it was nowhere near as bad as it could be. As it used to be. And if it was just the two of you for now…

"Would you mind staying like this for a bit?" you asked because this worked best if he didn’t move around a lot.

Mista looked curious and nodded and you got up, walking closer and sitting down on another piece of outcropping beside him. You could even put your feet into the water if you wanted. Which you weren’t comfortable with yet, not with the dark depths right there. His eyes had widened a bit, but the smile that he offered, the genuine joy, made the last nerves and apprehension face like smoke in the wind.

You smiled back, small but honest. "I’m working on it."

"You’re doing great," he said, utterly earnest and it made you feel lighter and warm in a way that had nothing to do with the heat of the slowly setting sun. "I’ve always thought that you were made of tough stuff."

You were sure your surprise was openly visible. "I’m not particularly tough, though."

Mista shifted just enough to tick off his fingers. "You freed Narancia even though you were terrified of us, you kept talking to us even though you were scared, you let Giorno heal you and allowed me to take you home when you got hurt and you’re sitting here with me now." He tipped his head to look up at you, gaze utterly steady. "You are brave."

You felt stunned and flattered and a little humbled and ducked your head, reaching up to tug at the collar of your shirt again. It had slipped and your scars must’ve been easy to see, but Mista really wasn’t looking at them.

"Thanks," you whispered after a moment and he nodded, apparently satisfied that you weren’t protesting his words. You hadn’t felt brave before. You had been terrified and scared and panicked, but you had never once felt daring to yourself. But something about his words struck a cord in you and you felt a little less ashamed, a little less lost and gripped by the jaws of a past terror.

"I know it’s not easy," he said, pillowing his cheek on his arms again, head lolled to the side enough to look up at you. He looked cute like this and as harmless as a mer could. "I still don’t want anyone touching my hair, though I enjoyed that before. I’m getting better, but there are still days where I don’t want anyone near my head."

You realized that he understood, really understood. That he had his own demons living in his head. You noticed you had stopped trying to keep the collar tugged up enough to cover at least some of the scars.

"We can cheer each other on," you offered with a smile and he chuckled, his seriousness shifting to something lighter.

"We absolutely can." He smiled. "Who knows, we can even help each other. We all have shit to deal with, so it’s good to know we’re not alone."

You pulled your knees up to your chest and hugged them, pillowing your cheek on one knee as you looked at Mista. "I haven’t really spoken with others who have…"

"Fought and survived monsters?" Mista suggested and you nodded. There were few mer survivors and after the attack you had been so closed off to the topic of talking about it that you hadn’t wanted to attend any PTSD meetings or therapy groups.

"We’re going to be fine," Mista said with steady confidence and you found yourself unwinding a little further. You had no idea how to get to being fine, but you had heard once that wanting to heal was the most important step to eventually finding your way.

You sank into companionable quiet with Mista and it was almost easy to feel better, to find gentle contentment curling through you. You even grew comfortable enough to let one leg stretch out and dangle down, your water lapping up at your ankle.

"If it helps," Mista said quietly, hair starting to curl up at the ends as it dried in the sun. "I can tell if another mer is nearby and I could warn you or ask them to leave."

To your surprise that did help. "Please inform me," you said and for once didn’t feel the need to explain yourself.

He hummed in agreement and settled down more comfortably, looking as though he was quite content in this moment.

"I’ll have to head back," he murmured as the sun began to kiss the horizon.

"Tell the others I said hello." You watched as he pushed off the outcropping and slid back into water, waves lapping over skin that had gotten dry.

"I will." He offered a smile. "I’m sure you’ll see them again soon. Have a good night."

You waved him goodbye and as you watched him disappear in the deep, you realized you hadn’t even removed your foot from the water.

Maybe this really could work. Maybe you really could dive below the waves again one day. You returned to the cabin with a smile and not even the sight of the infernal problem with the porch could dampen your mood.

Damn, you hadn’t felt this light and positive in a long while.

***

The following evening, the pod was all too happy to tell you how they had chased off the eel, a combination of Giorno’s song and clever maneuvering.

"We didn’t want to kill it," Narancia said while poking at the pudding you had made last night. His face lit up when he cooped up a bit and popped his finger into his mouth. "Oh, this is amazing!"

"It’s not an evil creature," Fugo seamlessly took over the storytelling. "But it has its loyalties and it was unwilling to tolerate us. We’re certain it will find a new cave elsewhere."

While you personally had absolutely no desire to meet ocean creatures that big, you did enjoy hearing about their exploits. It felt like, with every conversation you had with the pod, your understanding of the ocean grew a little as did your longing.

You weren’t ready to take a swim yet, not by yourself at least. You had been playing with a thought since last night and you were ready and willing to at least try. You trusted the mers enough to try, which wasn’t something you thought you’d ever do. You weren’t going to jump into the deep end either, but maybe, little by little, you could find ways to get better.

"Um, Giorno? Can I have a moment of your time?" you asked when the mers had finished eating the desert you had made and had started to depart to return to their underwater life and duties or just to rest for the night.

He paused, leaning back on the stone he was about to push off of. "Certainly, is everything alright?"

"Yes, I’m fine." And you really were. These past few days you had felt better than you had in the entire months after the attack. You had no idea how long this streak was going to last, but it made you so damn hopeful for the future. You had even found yourself dancing and singing in the kitchen to songs on the radio as you had been making the pudding. You hadn’t done that for months either. "I wanted to ask you something."

Giorno settled down, waiting for you to speak.

"About your, um, your offer to sing to me." It hadn’t felt like such a hard thing to say when you had prepared your words earlier in your mind. "I don’t think I’m ready to just dive in, but if you’re still willing, maybe you could be around when I try to get used to the water again?"

"Of course," he answered without hesitation, words steady and with an undercurrent of gentleness. "Let me know what you need and I’ll do my best to fulfill it."

"It wouldn’t be anything fancy, but there is a beach a little ways that way, where Bruno found a beached dolphin." You pointed down the coast. You could sit in the water there without having waves lapping at your throat right away. "And I thought if you want to spend an evening with me doing nothing much, you could tag along. Help me from choking on water if I do get a panic attack and start flailing."

He offered a small smile, one that made any hesitancy about offering poof away. "I’d be honored."

You found yourself smiling back. "Great, then, um, maybe tomorrow? And you could tell the others that I’ll show up with food later than usual?"

He dipped his head in agreement. "I will." The tips of his claws briefly tapped stone. "Would you like to receive fish and seafood from us again? We weren’t sure if we hadn’t overwhelmed you with our offerings."

"I have space in my fridge again," you said. In fact you had nothing left since last night, when you had cooked up what had been leftover. "If you want to share something with me, I’d be happy."

He nodded and offered a soft little smile. "We will, worry not."

It was easy to smile back and when he didn’t leave immediately, you found the courage to sit down near him like you had done with Mista and Bruno.

"I haven’t been this hopeful in a while," you found yourself admitting and Giorno shifted to look at you, leaning comfortably on the stone and you watched the shimmer of his scales below the surface. Briefly, you wondered what those scales might feel like under your hand.

Giorno made a quiet, encouraging sound and his gaze on you was focused and while it was clear he’d listen, you didn’t feel pressured to share things if you didn’t want to. Maybe it was because the mers hadn’t gotten upset yet when you had refused them or maybe it was because he was so calm, but whatever it was, it helped.

"I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get to this point again." You gestured at the water right in front of you. "I was, I still am scared, but speaking with you, seeing the recordings, and getting to know the pod, it’s…made me better." You looked back at him. "You um, you helped me be braver."

His green eyes were bright and under the calm steadiness of him, there was something softer, something kind, something that made you feel like you didn’t have to be ashamed of yourself. You had been ashamed for a long time, for being stupid and naive, for not being stronger than the nightmares and fear. You still felt shame over getting attacked.

"Was it my fault?" the words tumbled out clumsily and you looked away, vaguely motioning to the scarf around your neck. "That, um, that this happened."

"No." It was a simple word, all in all, but spoken with such conviction you found yourself staring at Giorno, who held your gaze unflinching, shoulders back and spine straight, looking tall and regal. Looking like the Don of the pod. His eyes were intense yet he wasn’t angry. "It wasn’t."

"He lured me closer," you admitted. "It wasn’t just once that I saw him."

"His actions are his own and the blame is his to shoulder," Giorno said, clearly weighing his words. "Trust is no weakness and his decision to abuse that isn’t an reflection of on your character. Leave the blame with him, where it belongs."

"Oh." You honestly hadn’t seen it that way before. You weren’t sure if you would see it that way soon, the shame and pain sat deeply, but his blunt, direct words helped.

Giorno was quiet for a moment. "I didn’t have the best upbringing," he admitted and you focused on him. He stared off into nothing for a second. "It took me a while to truly understand that the failure of my birth pod was no fault of my own. I understand that it’s not easy to let go of blame, especially when someone was unjustly unkind to us." He tipped his head to look at you and his expression softened a little, "But this is not on your head and it’s alright if you need time. Take as much as you need."

You blinked a sudden, unexpected prickle of tears back and offered a shaky smile. "Thanks. I, um, I’ve always wondered if I’ve done something to provoke that attack."

"With how careful you are, I highly doubt it." Giorno leaned onto his elbows and you noticed that his skin had dried under the shine of the evening sun. He was quiet for a moment. "Did you enjoy diving much?"

"Yeah." The truth came out as a whisper. "Yeah I did. I do."

He hummed a gentle tone. "Would you tell me about it? What were you dreaming to see one day?"

You found yourself laughing briefly. "Only everything. Well, as much as I could see and now that I know that some massive sea creatures exist, I have no desire to meet those, but…I wanted to see everything else. Reefs and whales and fish and wrecks. Wrecks especially." You found yourself smiling, a mixture of aching wistfulness and genuine joy. "I’ve always wanted to be a bit of an adventurer, to find something no one had seen in centuries and be daring."

Giorno had a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I think you’re two thirds there already and if you want, we can provide you with all the wrecks in our territory."

You blinked and shifted to face him more fully. "You’d let me?"

His smile grew and he huffed a soft noise. "We would be happy to show you." He held your gaze, eyes clear and bright. "Our invitation to join us in the water isn’t something we extend lightly and nothing we’ll take back without good reason. You’d be welcome by us any time."

"I want to get there," you said. "You’ll just have to be, um, a little patient. Or a lot of patient."

"I don’t mind." Giorno settled back a bit again, relaxing against the stone. "When you’re ready, we’ll be there."

You had no idea what to say, so you nodded and got more comfortable. You felt no need to leave and it seemed Giorno didn’t either.

"I can stay a little while, if you’d like," he offered and your heart felt light in your chest.

You smiled and leaned back a bit, getting comfortable. "I’d like that."

You didn’t have to speak and that was just fine with you, your mind going over what Giorno had said, while his presence seemed to help keeping you bit grounded. You found yourself watching the shimmer of his scales again, the gold and pink looking like darker and deeper colors in the setting sun. You noticed, almost absentmindedly, that the terrified, paranoid part of you had gotten really quiet since helping the dolphin. At least when it came to this pod, to the mers who had, well, had seen something in you that had made them stick around until now. Who had treated you with more understanding and respect that you had ever expected.

And now that your past few days had been such good ones, you wanted to be truly happy again. Even if it was only occasionally, you wanted to bring genuine joy back into your life. You had no idea if your plans and ideas were going to work, but you had gathered enough courage and determination to try.

Chapter Text

You stood by the shore, waves lapping across your feet and you realized you weren’t quite as nervous yet as you had been before. Maybe it was because you had tried this a few times already and your brain and body weren’t quite as ready to descend into panic immediately. This was still a big step forward. Before moving to live here, just alone the thought of letting the ocean touch you had been both frightening and filling you with longing.

Taking a deep breath and smelling the sea, a thing not every person enjoyed but you had always found you liked it, you watched as the sun slowly moved towards the horizon. Giorno wasn’t there yet and it made you a little fiddly and fidgety, but you were surprised to realize that you weren’t…scared. You were nervous to try this, sure, but you weren't scared. Because you trusted him, how could you not after everything and you found the hope in you had grown stronger over night.

Taking another step forward, you felt the next wave roll over your shins, the water cool and for a moment, you could imagine just diving in. To return to that world you loved so much, the peace and calm you found there on the days you needed the world to be quiet, the joy and excitement when you saw something new, when you could watch the quicksilver flash of fish swimming in rays of sunlight.

You managed another two careful steps into the water, when you saw Giorno appear. He wasn’t hard to spot, not when the water was near glass-clear today and there was no seaweed or large stones or anything else to hide his presence. He made no effort to either, that fact obviously clear when he surface to greet you with that song-whistle you had heard so often from the mers by now.

As he swam closer, you watched as he reached the point where the waters became too shallow for him to keep swimming comfortably and he used his arms and small shifts of his tail to pull himself along further, churning up a cloud of sand and silt in his wake.

"Good evening," he said once he came close enough that he didn’t need to shout. The water was shallow enough that parts of his tail emerged from the water and you watched a brief flutter of the dorsal fin that, compared to the short one of dolphins, seemed to stretch along most of his tail, tapering off near the tail fins. It was pressed flat now, but you remembered from the night you saved Narancia that he could flare it at will.

"Hello, Giorno," you answered and shuffled towards him. You were still nervous, but not by that much, which was a relief. You really wanted this to work and now that Giorno was here, you felt a little steadier.

The thought made you draw up short for a moment. You really, truly trusted him, didn't you? You trusted that he wouldn't drown you or use his song against you, that he'd do exactly as he had said. Water washed past your knees and you still weren’t about to descend into panic. Your heart was beating a little faster than usual, but that was almost normal now when you confronted yourself with water.

"How would you like to do this?" Giorno asked, braced on his elbows to look up at you. In all honesty, the only reason why it wasn’t an absolutely uncomfortable position for his neck was the fact that he, like all mers, was pretty big and he didn’t have to look up much in the first place.

"Let me get a bit closer," you answered, which was a sentence you had never thought you’d say to a mer after the attack. You were wearing a scarf still, though one of the shorter silk ones that you had tied like you belonged into some sort of old western movie. It was barely big enough to cover the scars, but it worked and the ends wouldn’t end up dragging through the water.

Giorno waited patiently for you to wade close, taking things slowly so you wouldn't make things worse for yourself. Rushing was probably not going to help and you managed to reach where he was waiting and with a deep inhale and slow, careful exhale, you sat down, water lapping past your shoulders now. It touched your neck with a slightly bigger wave rolling past, making your shoulders hitch up.

"Um, could you, uh, sing, maybe?" you found yourself asking hesitantly after a moment and feeling your back grow tense despite your best efforts. "Just a little."

"Of course, let me know if you need me to do more or less." He took a slightly deeper breath and began to sing. A slow, low melody that you couldn’t place, but for some reason it reminded you a little of old movies, where the singer was providing quiet and soft, pleasing background music.

Your shoulders began to relax again, the rigid tension of your back easing to something more natural. Your hands, which had clung to your swimming trunks, slowly opened back up, your fingers no longer like claws around the fabric. Your next breath came easy and you barely felt Giorno’s song, just the faintest hum along your senses. You could break free, if you wanted to, but you didn’t fight it and after a moment, the song was like a caress, like a warm blanket on a cold day.

After a few long minutes, you stretched out your legs, digging your feet into sand and leaned back onto your hands. A glance at Giorno showed that he was watching you, an unexpected softness to his eyes and he had settled down comfortably. Even the way he sang felt like he did it with great care.

A sense of daring rose in you, cloaked in sweet, gentle calm as you were and you allowed yourself to sink back, until water lapped up your back and over your shoulders and finally, your head sank into the waves, slow waves lapping up to your cheeks and chin and the world grew quiet, narrowing down to just this moment, just you and Giorno and the waves and that sense of near weightlessness that water always brought.

You glanced over to find that Giorno had moved with you, having ducked beneath the surface and, oh, that was why you kept hearing the song so clearly. And yet, there was a rising edge of unease as the scarf around your neck got soaked and grew tight and heavy over your throat, making you reach up and tug at the fabric. You had to undo the knot entirely so it stopped making you feel like it was going to suffocate you. Sitting up again, water dripping off your chin, you held onto the scarf for a long moment, keeping your neck covered.

He’d already seen the scars. If anything, Giorno knew all your weak spots as well, he was here after all, helping you deal with your darkest memories. Taking a deep breath, you tugged the scarf to lay loosely around your neck. You couldn’t quite bring yourself to remove it entirely, but this was, this was fine. This was okay.

Giorno’s song slowed to a stop and you glanced over to find him watching you closely, emerald green eyes bright and his tail shimmered beautifully in the sinking sun.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Is it working like you hoped?"

"Yes. It’s um, it’s perfect, thank you." You smiled hesitantly and he offered a soft one in return.

"Should I continue?" he asked and you wondered if his throat could get sore like a humans or if he could sing for as long as he liked with ease.

"For a little bit, if it’s alright."

He nodded and sang again, a slight change in cadence that had you feeling more light-hearted than before. It reminded you of the way you felt when filled with joy and hope on days where you had smiled and danced and sung. Days you hadn’t had again, not quite, since the attack.

But now, surrounded by ocean water and with a mer maybe two arm's length from you, you felt your hope billow up, stronger than before. Maybe you had gotten hurt and maybe you had lost something to that horrible mer and maybe you’d never be able to do this without Giorno offering his help, but…diving wasn’t entirely lost to you. Your joy and love for the ocean was suddenly so close again and you closed your eyes and took a deep breath and pinched your nose shut.

You let yourself sink back into the water, not quite fool enough to actually let yourself fall, and you pushed your head beneath the waves entirely this time. The panic was muted, though not muted to the point where it was nonexistent. You still felt the grasp of icy, spindly fingers around your heart and squeeze, but you were calm enough to not immediately lose yourself to memories of drowning and large, clawed hands dragging you deeper and deeper, your ears popping painfully with the sudden pressure.

You managed another second before you had to sit up, gasping and breathing a little too fast. Giorno sang slightly louder and you quickly spoked up, "No, wait, give me a moment."

His song fell quiet again, quieter than before and you were breathing hard and staring at the water and your heart was racing, but…but you had done it. You had dunked your head and you hadn’t lost yourself to the memories to the point where the world around you disappeared. And maybe that was entirely because of Giorno and his song, but it, shit, it helped so much. It felt like there was a realization spreading your very brain, a slowly forming and solidifying idea that maybe, maybe this didn’t have to be terrifying. Not for forever.

With enough time and practice, with enough exposure, carefully done of course and with Giorno’s help as much as he was willing to give it, you could do something about this fear.

You could heal.

You lifted your head to stare at the horizon and the gorgeous play of colors in the sky and the shimmer of light across the water and a sudden bone-deep desire gripped you. To swim out there, even if the waters were dark below the golden shimmer of the setting sun. To swim and dive and live again, untouched by terror.

One day, you vowed silently to yourself, slightly shaky and determined all at once. One day you were going to get back what that bastard had done his best to claw from you.

You had no idea how much of your core-deep determination was you feeling just how deeply tied you were to the waters and your dream of exploring it, and how much of it was Giorno’s song, keeping you softly cushioned from the fear that always gripped your around water now, even if it had gotten less. But, truth be told, it didn’t matter. This had been something you had needed desperately. A moment where you felt astonishingly clear-headed despite the song’s influence and where the past felt less like a monster and more like a mountain you could climb.

"Let me know when it gets exhausting or if you’re getting bored," you told Giorno who offered a nod and smiled briefly, before he continued his song.

It was easy, almost too easy, but that was the nature of siren songs, to sink into this moment and this feeling. To let yourself relax and almost grow sluggish with how comfortable you felt the longer the song surrounded you. The idea of diving again one day, with Giorno’s help, didn’t sound so farfetched now, even if you wouldn’t be ready for that for a while yet.

The song began to drift off to silence as the sun was nearly gone, only a bit of golden glow still peeking above the horizon.

"How are you doing?" Giorno asked and you found yourself smiling, easy and happy, the way you used to smile before the attack and there was a sudden shine to his eyes as he straightened a little.

"Happy," you answered honestly. And you were happy. Even the bit of fear and worry that had clung to you at the beginning had disappeared with how peaceful this was. Nothing had happened to you and you really, truly believed that nothing would. "I’m really safe with you, aren’t I?"

The words had come out unintentional, but when you saw the softly happy surprise on his face, the soft smile that followed, you found you didn’t want to take it back.

"Of course," Giorno answered, steady and true, pressing a clawed and webbed hand over his heart. "I vow that you always will be."

The way he said it was so unexpected and so sweet you felt like your heart had gone a little tender and soft and…safe. A shy little smile snuck onto your face and you ducked your head a little, feeling a different kind of happiness hug your chest.

"I believe you," you answered, because you did. And something about it felt freeing at the same time. You had always been fascinated with mers and having met one who lured you in to attack you so viciously and with such killing intent had been crushing in so many ways. Meeting the pod and spending time with them and now sitting here in the water with Giorno felt like it was mending a nearly shattered part of yourself, sealing cracks back up.

"I think we should head back," you said reluctantly, glancing at the sky once more. "I don’t want the others to think I forgot about them."

He laughed briefly, soft and quiet. "They wouldn’t, but if you wish we can return to your home."

You almost didn’t want to, but now that the song was over and the fear still wasn’t coming back, which felt like a miracle, you knew that it was getting late. Still, you savored the moment a little longer, fingers and toes playing a little with the sand.

"Thank you," you said at last, shifting to get ready to get up again. "You have no idea how much this helped."

He offered a gentle smile. "Knowing that I did help is enough for me and we can do this again any time."

You were about to stand up, when you saw him begin to move, the last bit of sunlight just barely enough to catch the flare and shift of fins, the strain of powerful muscles and the arch of his back and tail. There was a quiet, gentle revelation unfolding within you as you realized that the bite of worry and that edge of fear you had experienced around mers, even Giorno’s pod on occasion, wasn’t present. Though, it was hard to fear someone who had just sung to you for at least an hour just so you could enjoy sitting in the waves.

Sloshing back to shore, you watched Giorno pull himself out of the shallows and disappear beneath the waves with nary a sound. You had admired that silent, awe inducing grace in mers before and you found that you did so again. Now that you learned you could trust them, your curiosity and questions began to resurface again.

Hurrying home with a spring in your step and a smile on your face and the itchy sensation of saltwater drying on your skin, you waved at everyone as you hurried into your cabin. After quickly donning a dry, light scarf, you brought out a little lantern to illuminate the outcroppings and went back one more time to fetch the food.

You had pre-prepared the food in advance and you brought out two big bowls and a large plate, carefully balanced and you were glad you had walked this path often enough that you didn’t stumble over anything.

It was only when you set everything down and looked up into the surprised faces of the pod, that you realized you hadn’t even waited for them to pack up like usual.

Bruno offered you a lovely little smile and Mista grinned, happy and sweet and you couldn’t help but smile back at them. Narancia looked excited and Trish offered you a tiny hint of a smile. No one moved until you sat back down and told them what you had brought, before they descended on the pudding, the salad and the fried rice.

The pudding was very well received and the fried rice made them mutter curiously amongst themselves, while their reactions to the salad almost made you laugh.

"It tastes weird, but not bad weird," Narancia muttered, thoughtfully chewing a leaf, while Fugo speared a pice of tomato with one claw to pop into his mouth, brows furrowed.

"I can try different dressings, if you’d like," you offered. Salad dressing played a big part in whether or not salad tasted either great or like a mistake. In all honesty, you had just made the salad like always without thought, since you had been too focused on your meeting with Giorno.

"Sure," Narancia agreed with a shrug and handed another piece of leaf to Abbacchio, who looked bewildered the moment he began to chew. You hid a smile by covering your mouth.

When Mista ate a piece of salad right after eating the last bite of his pudding, you couldn’t help but laugh. That must be a cursed taste combination and his face said it all. You were a little breathless by the time you stopped and realized that the mers were watching you, while still poking about your salad.

"Sorry, my apologies," you said, grinning despite trying to calm down. "Your face was just too funny. I’ll get a different dressing next time, I promise it tastes great if you get it right."

About the only one who seemed to decide he liked salad was Giorno, who kept picking different pieces from it to eat, leaning easily onto Mista as he did. The mers were a little crowded together to reach everything and seemed comfortable with each other and the proximity.

"We brought you some food, too," Mista said after they were done eating. Even most of the salad was gone. He briefly disappeared in the waves and then, after a long moment, resurfaced with a net holding a couple of crabs. "We made sure to pick only a few and they’re freshly killed."

You almost waited for him to lean out of the water and set the net down like always, but you felt daring tonight. Daring and buoyed by how well the evening had gone and determined to get better and you weren't afraid of them, not anymore. And you trusted him, too, the mer who had held your head so you didn't drown and had brought you safely back home, so you leaned forward to meet him halfway.

His eyes widened slightly, surprised and then a little awed and it made you both shy and proud. Your fingers brushed his ever so softly as you took the net and he was careful about not getting his claws anywhere near you, a few drops of ocean water hitting your hand. He sank back into the water, still with that happy-awed expression on his face and you couldn’t help but smile at him and he grinned back, bright and cheerful and there was a little chirp-hum in the air that he must’ve made unintentionally, for he looked a little bashful afterwards, rubbing his neck as he sank further into the water.

"Thank you for tonight," Mista murmured, voice warm. "It was great."

"Yeah," Narancia agreed, clawed fingertips holding onto some grooves in the stone as he leaned forward a little. "You always bring us such great stuff."

"You do too," you answered, because they really did bring you the best seafood you had ever had. Considering that mers were so protective of the ocean, fish was on the more expensive side and good fish, the sort they handed over like it cost them nothing, was even more so. You wouldn’t have bought fish for yourself at all with your currently limited finances. "I really enjoy it."

The mers collectively perked up at your words, even Abbacchio did it slightly, though you had to admit that ever since he properly introduced himself, he didn’t hold himself apart as much. He was a little closer, grabbed what he wanted of the food right away and altogether looked more at ease.

You found yourself taken by a sudden yawn and it was only then that you realized that you were more tired than you had realized. The elation of the successful try with Giorno had definitely given you a boost of energy that had now turned to satisfied exhaustion.

"We’d best take our leave, I think," Bruno said, with that soft smile, pushing off of the outcropping. "I wish you a restful night."

"Thanks, you guys sleep well too," you said, moving to gather the dishes, only to find that Narancia, Trish and Fugo had picked them up already, holding them out to you. You accepted them, noticing how they made sure their claws never came near you.

"Would you like to meet again tomorrow?" Giorno asked and as much as you wanted to say yes immediately, you really needed to work on this godsforsaken porch.

"I need to get the repairs done before another storm hits," you said with an apologetic smile. "If everything goes well, I’ll done with it soon and afterwards, I’d be happy to meet again."

"Can we still visit?" Narancia asked and you nodded. Eating dinner with them would be more fun than sitting home by yourself.

"If it’s for dinner, then I don’t see why not." You picked everything up, the crabs included and got to your feet with a small groan. Maybe you should go buy a pillow so you could sit on something more comfortable. "Good night."

The mers answered with noises you had no idea how to replicate, but they sounded nice and friendly and chirpy and one after the other, they dove beneath the dark waves and disappeared. Giorno, Mista and Bruno lingered for just a moment, sending you smiles in parting and you found yourself returning them, your heart feeling light and warm as they dipped below the surface.

Cleaning the dishes in your kitchen, you set them out to dry and took a quick shower to get rid of the saltwater. Falling into bed, you felt content and happy and got comfortable, wriggling about until you felt cozy.

When you closed your eyes, you dreamed of drifting along the surface, calm and waiting, water cool against your skin and unfathomably deep below you. When clawed, big hands reached up to grasp you, it was to hold you up, not to drag you down.

***

You exhaled with relief as you finally managed to remove the cursed support beam, dropping it off to the side where it hit the ground with a dull, loud thud. Today was hot, the hottest one so far and the weather forecast warned that it would only get worse until the weekend, when a storm awaited. Sadly, it was still the height of the tourist season, so you knew your aunt couldn’t just close her shop to wait out the temperatures and you weren’t going to complain, not after everything she had done for you.

You could do without having to do repairs in this heat, however. Wiping sweat away, you grimaced at how much worse it was with a scarf on. But the mers might show up any moment now and you still didn’t like anyone looking at them, no matter if they already knew or not. Though, after getting to know them better, you got the impression that Bruno, Mista and Giorno wouldn’t have gossiped about this with their friends. Not when it was so private and reminded you of nearly dying.

"Good evening, is everything going well?" Bruno’s pleasant voice came from the ocean and you looked up, finding him rising far enough from the water to easily look over the shrubbery. Maybe you should trim the bushes back. You weren’t going to remove them entirely, especially since they were rather pretty, but you could make it easier for the mers to check if you were out and about.

"I’ve never done this before, so I sure hope it’s going well," you answered honestly, with a last baleful look at the roof. Ugh, on second glance, it looked like you should replace some wood on the roof as well, just to be on the safe side. Great.

Picking up your water bottle, you decided to take a break and wandered over to where Bruno was leaning on the outcroppings. To your surprise, he was alone.

"How are you?" you asked as you stepped close and you were about to sit down in your usual spot, when you paused and instead took a step forward. "Mind if I sit there?"

Bruno looked positively surprised and he quickly shifted a little to the side to give you a bit more space, crossing his arms on the stone he leaned against. It was only when you sat down that you realized he had sank further into the water, making himself as small as was possible for a mer. You could see the faint shimmer of his scales below, their pretty pattern almost impossible to see in the water.

"I’m doing well," Bruno answered your question, offering a smile. "It’s nice that we finally get to set things to rights around here and it’s already more peaceful than before."

"What was it like?" you asked hesitantly. "You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to."

His expression grew solemn and serious, making the angles of his face stand out more, his blue eyes a little darker than before. "Things weren’t good," he answered after a moment. "Our old don allowed the practice of death matches amongst mers, even the young ones."

Your breath caught for a moment. Children fighting to the death? And for what, recognition? A pouch of pearls? Your stomach turned and you swallowed, your mouth feeling dust dry.

"I’m glad you took over," you answered in a whisper and Bruno inhaled and exhaled deeply, not quite a sigh but close.

"As am I," he answered, offering a sad smile. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but things are already getting better."

"Are there other mers in your territory, then?" you couldn’t help but ask, your heart lurching unpleasantly at the thought. You were fine with the pod, but the idea of more mers lurking in the waters nearby was…very unsettling.

"Not around here, don’t worry," Bruno answered, voice calm and reassuring and you felt the worry and beginning fear dissipate again. "But there are other pods under our protection now, further out. Our territory is big, and the fringe areas are home to smaller families and we’ve managed to make a pact with another powerful pod in the east. No one should come here, however, unless we explicitly invite them."

"Let me know when you do," you said, though you found you already trusted that they would.

"We will, though it will be unlikely," Bruno promised and you shifted your legs a little, leaving the flip flops to let your feet dangle down. The tide was higher right now and so the waves lapped up to your ankles. And though, for a moment, the worry popped up that something might rise from the deep to drag you down, the image in your mind scattered to nothing again.

Because Bruno was here and you now trusted that nothing would happen to you. Below the surface you saw the shift of his tail, the flare of fins as they curved slightly to change position. With soft, quiet surprise you realized that his tail and fins were now covering you from below. You had no idea if it was an instinctual or intentional move, but either way it, well, it really made you feel a lot better.

"You’re really nice to me," you found yourself saying, glancing up to meet his blue eyes. "And very patient."

"Of course," Bruno said, his voice earnest and gentle and his gaze on you was warm and soft. "I care about you, after all." He lightly tilted his head. "And you’re kind to us in turn, so I hope our company is enjoyable."

"It is," you answered honestly. "I’m glad that you kept showing up."

"Even though we scared you?" His voice was quieter now and when you glanced at him, his blue eyes were steady and focused on you. "I doubted for a time that it was a good idea. That we were upsetting you too much."

"I’d lie if I said I wasn’t unsettled in the beginning. But…you are kind and respectful and you saved my life." You shifted a little to face him more, pulling one leg up, your foot dripping water. "I trust you. And spending time together is fun, so thank you."

His eyes seemed to grow a little brighter and he smiled, sweet and charming and lovely and you couldn’t help but smile back.

"I’m glad," he said, a soft noise underlining his words, something utterly mer and rather than unsettling the part of you that was traumatized, it made you feel a gentle kind of warmth. He leaned a little more onto the stone, his back muscles flexing as he got comfortable.

A soft quiet settled between you, one that didn’t need words, though it felt like conversation would be welcome if either of you decided you wanted to talk. But this was nice. You leaned back onto your hands, staring at the sky and the slowly setting sun.

A thought surfaced and kept niggling at the back of your mind like a loose tooth. Bruno, as well as Mista and Giorno, had offered to court you, which implied clear interest. They hadn’t said anything about it since and you didn't feel like they were trying to put some kind of silent pressure on you or somehow cajole you into giving them a chance anyway. You were reasonably sure that they wouldn’t bring the topic up again unless you did it first.

You hadn’t dated in a long while. Romance had been far from your mind after the attack and even before that you had been too busy and too focused on other things to start dating. Well, no, you had gone on a date or two, but it had never grown to be more.

Were they still waiting for you to answer them definitely? You should, it would be unkind and unfair to let them wait, since you hadn’t told them no outright. Only, now that you thought about it, the immediate 'no' that had wanted to escape you back then was gone.

Slowly, you sank back, letting yourself lie on the stone a bit over an arm’s length from Bruno and you stared up at the sky, briefly reaching up to remove a small pebble from beneath your arm. Both your feet were dangling in the water again, the cool ocean a stark contrast to the heat of the evening sun.

What was your answer now? It’s wasn’t a no anymore and that was telling enough, wasn’t it? You no longer wanted to reject them, but was the slowly budding affection within you enough for a yes? The mere idea of dating a mer, never mind three, was still a bit mind boggling. How was that going to work anyway? And what if it didn’t work? What if you realized that the difference between hanging out and dating was still too much for the trauma that haunted your bones? You were only just in the bare beginning stages of healing. What if you took too long and by the time you dared to say something, they had moved on? And if you were afraid of that already, didn't it mean that you, well, you were growing interested in them in return?

"Is something on your mind?" Bruno asked and you moved your head to look at him. His hair was drying in the warm sun, no longer sticking to his cheeks and forehead. "If you don’t mind me asking."

"I don’t." You bit your lower lip and hesitantly asked, "When you asked me about, um, about courting…are you still interested?"

He seemed to straighten a little at that, immediately focused on you. "Yes, I am," he answered, simple and direct. "If anything, spending time with you has only made my interest and feelings grow." He offered a little smile. "I won’t bother you, however, do not worry. None of us will."

"That’s not what I meant." Your voice came out a little quieter than you had intended. "I, um…How does it work? Being with you and courting?"

Bruno leaned back down onto the stone and looked thoughtful. "There are probably going to be differences how we do things. With mers, courting means you show the one you are interested in that you care about them and who they are. You get to know each other and most of us enjoy showing off or proving we’re capable providers."

"Is that why you like to give me food?" you couldn’t help but ask and he offered a slightly crooked smile.

"Yes and no. I like knowing you won’t go hungry, but that is only partly because I wish to court you, mostly it is because I care about you as a friend."

That made you feel a sudden flush of tingly warmth and you whispered a soft, "Oh." You were quiet for a moment. "How does it work with more mers courting the same person?"

"If you decide to accept all three of us, which you won’t have to, we’re not going to be angry, jealous monsters." He leaned onto his folded arms, head tilting slightly to the side as he grew serious. "I once saw a human nearly kill who they loved because they got jealous. None of that will ever happen with us."

That was good to know, though in all honesty, you couldn’t see yourself rejecting one and accepting the other two or the other way around. Were you…not only thinking about this, but really considering what they had said? Were you, now that you were no longer scared of them and had grown to care about them instead, considering what they were offering?

"Take your time," Bruno said, warm and gentle and without an ounce of judgement. "And even if you say no or it doesn’t work out, we gain a wonderful new friend, wouldn’t you agree?"

Oh, you hadn’t thought about it like that. "Can it be that easy?"

Bruno hummed softly. "I don’t know how it is with humans, but it is amongst us merfolk. Once we care, we care and if a romantic love isn’t welcome, why shouldn’t it grow to become platonic? It takes a while, we're a bit of a persistent lot, but we don't just stop liking someone when they say no to things."

You were sure most humans would struggle with that idea. You yourself needed a moment to wrap your head around it, but somehow, with those calm, easy words, you suddenly felt lighter.

"I’m…complicated," you found yourself saying, though at this point he already knew. "What happened to me messed with my head."

Bruno was quiet for a moment and his gaze was solemn. "I understand. And I myself have dark memories to fight. I almost would have lost my entire pod if not for Giorno’s song and your aid when you helped Abbacchio." He looked down at his hands, flexing them slightly. "I sometimes can’t sleep if I haven’t checked on everyone to make sure they’re doing alright and sometimes I wake up with the taste of blood in my mouth."

Your heart went out to him and you wondered how bad the turf war had been. Biting your lower lip, you slowly stretched out your arm, silently offering your hand. You had no idea if gestures of comfort were the same for mers as they were for humans, but when you saw Bruno’s face soften, losing that grim edge it had gained, you wriggled your fingers a little in invitation.

He shifted a tad closer, enough to reach back without straining himself. His hand was damp and a little cooler than yours. It was also bigger, easily encasing your entire hand and you didn’t even feel a hint of his claws, the webbing a curious texture against your skin.

"I’m glad you’re all alright," you found yourself saying. "And if Abbacchio wouldn’t have made a noise, I wouldn’t have noticed him."

"Still, that you helped was your choice to make." His fingers lightly flexed around yours. "My darkest memories may look different from yours, but I understand fearing for your life and the shadows it leaves on the mind and soul."

You gave his big hand a gentle squeeze. His hand looked elegant and slender and the only reason why it was bigger than yours was because he was so much bigger than you. You realized you hadn’t thought about that in a while, that his sheer size could easily become dangerous in itself. Now…now the way he looked was just normal to you.

"You’ve been helping me a lot," you found yourself saying. "If there is anything I can do to help you as well, let me know."

Bruno fell quiet, looking thoughtful and his thumb lightly brushed over your knuckles. "Talking about it helps, if you don’t mind. And maybe the occasional reminder that I don’t have to worry as much now. We survived, it’s over. Sometimes my brain just needs to catch up to that fact."

"I understand." And you did. There was still a very real possibility that the pod might accidentally trigger you and you had no idea how you’d react if they ever looked aggressive around you for one reason or another. "Feeling safe again is hard, when it’s been taken away before."

He hummed in soft agreement. "That won’t stop us from getting better, however."

You felt yourself smiling. "Yeah, it won’t." You rolled to your side, a slightly less comfortable position but it made it easier to look at him. "And thank you, for trusting me."

He made a quiet noise, one absolutely not human, but it was nice anyway. He carefully shifted your hands until he managed to press the pads of his fingertips against yours.

"I like getting to know you," he said at last. "Complicated sides and all."

You pressed your fingertips a bit more firmly against his. "The more I learn about you and get to know you, the more I like you," you confessed, glancing up from your hands to meet his eyes.

His blue eyes looked like sapphires in the light of the setting sun and seemed to almost glow and shine with the way he smiled.

"I’m happy with everything you decide to share," he answered, making you duck your head a little, a shy smile appearing on your face before you knew it. He then blinked and glanced over his shoulders. "The others are coming."

You thought about getting up, about pulling your legs from the water and maybe taking a step or two back, but that wasn’t really necessary anymore, was it? You only sat up far enough to greet them properly, legs still in the water and when Mista surfaced first, he took one glance at you and Bruno and smiled, bright and glad.

"Good evening," he said, smoothly swimming closer with a questioning glance. You merely gestured at the space on your other side and he leaned onto the outcropping beside you without hesitation. "Did you have a good day?"

"Work was a bit stressful, but I finally defeated that support beam." You pointed over your shoulder and he rose from the water far enough to glance over the shrubbery. Water trailed down his skin and you got a better glimpse of his scales, smaller where they faded to tough skin and they grew larger and looked robust further down. You still wondered if they felt like fish scales or were made of something harder. "How was your day?"

"Pretty calm," he answered, sinking back down. "We’ve been fixing up a few things around our new home."

Fugo and Trish surfaced next, with Narancia right behind them. Trish was still wearing the flower clip, which made you pretty happy. She seemed to have tried a bit of a different style today, pinning one side of her hair up and back a little.

Abbacchio and Giorno appeared last, a bare second later. While there was a flash of surprise, no one said anything about you sitting right by the water. And maybe your heart gave a nervous squeeze and maybe there was a moment of anxiety despite everything, but…you trusted them. And you had gotten to know them enough to know this wasn’t some kind of ploy to lure you into a false sense of security. They weren’t going to hurt you. If anything, they had done nothing but been careful and respectful since the first day they met you.

"Is there anything you’d like that I can get you?" you asked the pod at large, though you immediately bit back a wince. Your current finances were already stretched thin with the repairs, but afterwards, once you were done with the porch, you’d have a bit more left over. Enough to get them a few gifts. "I maybe won’t be able to get things right now, but I can look around."

"We’ll think about it," Giorno answered, leaning slightly onto Mista as the others settled around you as well. Though you did notice that Fugo and Trish cast your toes curious looks as you curled them in the water. "Thank you for the offer."

"Let me know when you come up with something." You shifted your legs out of the water. "Since you’re all here, let me go get dinner."

This time, you sat among them as they tried the newest things you’d brought. You had to go easy on the food, since you didn’t have too much money to keep spending on sweets, but cooking extra when you made food for yourself was doable enough.

It was a pleasant affair, you loved seeing their reactions, the child-like joy and curiosity and the way they spoke with each other, discussing flavors and texture. You even found yourself laughing as Fugo recounted a tale about a misadventure he had gotten into with Narancia, who blustered and splashed water at his friend, but looked like he was fighting back a grin of his own, utterly unrepentant.

It was growing darker and yet you didn’t feel like leaving. You hadn’t hung out with people in a while. Your friends from the diving club had tried after you had gotten discharged from the hospital, but back then you had been twitchy and paranoid and terrified and shaky and just alone the thought of the ocean had almost made you get a panic attack. Maybe you should write them sometime, let them know you were doing better.

When Trish and Narancia began to yawn, Bruno gently ushered them off to get some rest. Fugo and Abbacchio decided to accompany them back to wherever place they lived at.

"I’ll patrol the area," Abbacchio said in parting. "You can just go to sleep when you come back down."

Bruno was possibly not the only one who had taken to watching over the others in response to what had happened during the turf war. You still didn’t know much, but what they had told you so far had been bad enough.

You were left in the company of Bruno, Mista and Giorno, who didn’t look like they were ready to follow their pod mates quite yet. You sat with them in comfortable quiet for a moment, only the gentle push and pull of the ocean and the seaside breeze creating a soft background noise.

"I wanted to say thank you," you said, looking up at the sky and the first star appearing. Summer really lent itself for the prettiest, longest days. "For helping me. The ocean’s meant a lot to me ever since I was little." You looked at them, three pairs of eyes focused on you without even a hint of judgement. If anything, they looked understanding.

"It is beautiful down there," Mista said with a crooked, kind smile. "We’ll make sure to keep the best spots pretty for you."

You had no idea why those words were so touching, but suddenly you were caught between grinning and crying and ended up doing a weird mix of the two. "I’ll be sure to hold you to that."

"Good." Mista ducked his head a little to look at you better, his face turning worried. "Oh no, did I make you cry?"

"Those are happy tears." You wiped across your eyes, still smiling and sniffed. "Thank you, I look forward to seeing everything and to swimming with you."

Following an inner impulse, you found yourself holding out a hand. Mista reached back after a look of pleasant surprise crossed his face, his cool and wet hand closing around yours with great care. It was bigger than yours and his fingertips traced your knuckles slightly, his claws never touching your skin. They were all so careful with you, respectful and kind and they made you laugh and helped you with the worst parts of your mind.

They had worked so hard to make you feel safe around them and you did. You weren’t ready yet to just jump into the water, the aggressive drowning attempt was too vivid in your mind to not immediately trigger a flashback, no matter whose company you were in. However, you found you wanted to get closer to them, that you liked them and who they were. Something about them drew you in like the tide itself.

You thought about things for a moment, carefully and intently and then you decided to follow your heart. You held out your other hand and Giorno and Bruno moved a little closer, both clasping your hand between their big, cool and wet ones.

"Do you, um, remember when you asked to court me?" you asked, meeting their eyes. All three mers had gone silent, utterly focused on you now. "I’m saying yes, if you still want me."

There was a sharp inhale and the hands around yours tightened slightly, followed by a moment of stillness.

Giorno leaned forward a little, green eyes bright and intent. "We do still want you," he said, voice a little softer. "And we can take things slow, there is no need to rush."

"Yeah." Mista nodded, his thumb brushing the back of your hand and you realized that he was close enough that your hand was almost cradled against his chest. "There is no need to hurry. We want you to be happy and comfortable."

"We can keep going like we are now," Bruno offered with a soft smile. "And when we’re ready to take the next step, we’ll talk about it."

That sounded like a great plan. "I’d like that."

You got three smiles in return, ranging from sweet to lovely to happy and you felt yourself smile back. You were a little excited-nervous about this change, but…yes, there it was, a strong curl of happiness.

This had been the right decision, even if you didn’t know if it was going to work out or not. They were worth it to at least try.

When you suddenly found yourself biting back a yawn, Giorno gave your hand a gentle squeeze. "We can talk more tomorrow," he offered. "There is no need to rush anything."

As much as you were loathe to just leave, you were getting tired and you had another early morning tomorrow. "I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"We can drop by a little earlier than usual, if you like, to spend time with you," Bruno offered and you nodded. You’d ask your aunt if she could take over cleaning so you could leave work exactly on time.

The mers let go of your hands and you found they felt strangely cold now. And damp. That was probably something you should get used to, considering who they were. It was a good thing that you liked water so much, at least when you didn’t fear drowning in it.

"Until tomorrow, I hope you have a good night," you said and smiled when Mista offered a cheerful, happy wave before he let himself drop back to disappear in a smooth backwards arch. Giorno hummed a soft note that made your heart feel warm and fuzzy and light and he dipped below the surface with a last, warm look in your direction. Bruno smiled so sweetly your face grew a little warm and he left with a respectful dip of his head.

Gathering everything, you went back home with a smile on your face and it was only when you closed the door behind you, muffling the noise of the ocean, that you realized you were humming a happy melody. You were almost loud about it too. How long had it been since you had last done that? Before the attack, that was for sure.

Reaching for your phone, you put on some music and before long, you were singing along, feeling happy enough to giggle to yourself.

This easy happiness was the most beautiful thing.

You went to bed, looking forward to tomorrow and you fell asleep quickly, your dreams a little jumbled but calm for the most part.

A sudden, strong rapping on the door made you jerk awake far earlier than usual. Squinting blearily, you saw the sun rising outside, the warm glow just beginning to illuminate the sky. Was that your aunt? It should be, no one else really had reason to visit you. Worry immediately gripped you. Had something happened to her or the shop? Did she need help?

Getting up, you hurried to the door, throwing it open. A shocked gasp got stuck in your throat and your eyes widened as you looked at the grief-worn face of the widow that had nearly killed you. She stared back at you, eyes a little wild around the edges. She looked like she had roughed it for a little while, most likely since she had disappeared after shoving you off a cliff.

"I thought I killed you," she choked out, voice catching in her throat. "I wanted to apologize, bring flowers to your home. But what do I see instead?" She was shaking, you realized, hands in trembling fists and her lips curled back to bare her teeth.

"Instead," she snarled, voice nearly inhuman with grief and hatred. "I see you with his murderers." She took a sharp step forward and you stumbled one back before you realized it. "How could you? How dare you?"

Chapter Text

You swallowed hard as the woman took a step forward, angry and grieving and there was an edge of danger to her that made you immediately reach for the door to slam it closed. Only, she wasn’t alone. A guy stepped up from beside your cabin, the sort of rough and rugged that told you he led a hard working life, grief and anger bright in his eyes as well and you realized with a start that this was an ambush.

The widow’s hand met your door as you tried to close it and she swiftly took that one last step needed to wedge herself in the way of the door and she threw her weight against it, forcing it back open. Her gaze fell to your uncovered neck and she frowned darkly.

"We’re not going to hurt you," she bit out, hands shaking and breaths coming a little harder as she fought to push you back. "We are not monsters, but you will help us."

You warily backed up as she wedged herself inside enough that you could no longer close the door. For a split second you considered running to your bedroom to grab your phone from the nightstand, but that was a dead end and the window opened only with a strong jerk and you doubted you had the time to grab your things and run as well.

Instead, you edged to where you kept your baseball bat hidden behind long scarves, as well as your rain coat and two umbrellas in an old umbrella stand. You’d be able to take them out if you were fast enough, right? Shit. Fuck. Your hands felt unsteady and your knees weak and your heartbeat was pounding hard and fast against your ribs.

"What do you mean?" you asked, trying to buy time, because the guy was stepping into your cabin too now and you were the dumbest fuck that ever lived for not checking who was knocking at your door and for forgetting that a vengeful widow was out for blood. At least your voice was steady enough.

"You’ll be our bait," the widow said and you realized that she had stopped walking, hanging back while the guy was coming towards you. Your fingertips found your bat, hidden where it wasn’t immediately noticeable, your rain coat crinkling a little. "For the murderous fishes."

Inanely, you couldn’t help but think that mers didn’t fall into the category of fishes even though they had gills. They were their own category among the many aquatic species.

"Don’t fight," the guy rumbled in a low, warning voice. He honestly looked like shit, skin sallow and eyes ringed with dark circles and thick stubble. He looked like he had grieved for his dead friends and had barely looked after himself. "They were doing something stupid, I know that, but my friends didn’t deserve to die."

You knew that. You hadn’t wanted anyone dead, but Narancia hadn’t done anything to them either, not to your knowledge at least and you knew what sort of wrath an angry pod brought. The fishers would have doomed everyone else if you hadn’t done something.

You gripped the bat tighter and with a shout that was more fear than anything else, you pulled it free and swung it. It was a bad swing, you knew that right away, because it merely clipped the guy’s head and you realized that having a bat for defense was utterly fucking useless if you didn’t know how to use the damn fucking thing properly. You were also bizarrely worried about hurting someone, even though you really needed to knock them out and get away.

The widow shouted in high-pitched alarm and the man stumbled back and you held the bat in front of you, warding and warning at once, heart beating as fast as when you had been dragged into water by a mer.

"Miri, help me grab her," the guy said, lowering his hand to reveal and angry red mark and growing bump on the side of his head.

The truth was, you had no fighting experience, the mer attack notwithstanding and that had been more a frantic struggle to survive rather than you actually fighting back. You could hold yourself well in friendly armwrestling matches and you knew how to fight off sharks if anything happened and how to gut and prepare fish, but none of that had prepared you for angry humans lunging for you.

However, you had survived horribleness before and suddenly you found yourself far more terrified of the idea of what would happen to you than of the thought of hurting them. You were never again let anyone hurt you the way that mer had hurt you.

This time, the swing of the bat cracked against the guy’s side with all your adrenaline driven strength, hard enough that he fell right against Miri like a sack of bricks, causing the slighter and slimmer woman to stumble and buckle beneath his weight. It was enough chaos and offered enough of an opening that with one big leap you jumped over the groaning heap of two humans, faster than you had ever jumped before and then you were running.

Their car was parked right outside, a big off-road jeep and you already heard them scramble to get up behind you, shouting for you and you couldn’t make it into town in time, they’d catch up immediately, especially in the car.

The waters were calm and steady when you found yourself running along the outcropping instead, hoping to shake them in rougher terrain, hoping they knew less about the immediate surroundings than you did. Your grip on the bat was like iron and your mind blank beyond the overwhelming urge to run until you were safe and you barely felt the pain of sharp rocks beneath your bare feet.

They were fast, however. Miri was faster than the guy and you caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of her eye, she was catching up too fast and the expression on her face was genuinely frightening.

You ran faster, gaining a bit of extra distance, lungs heaving for air and you no longer cared if you ripped the soles of your feet open, all that mattered was getting away. Scrambling around a corner, you managed to climb and then jump over some big rocks, when you suddenly reached the end of the outcroppings. All that was left was either the ocean or somehow getting up the steep terrain and into the woods.

"This way!" Miri called as you were looking around in a panic. "She can’t be far!"

Your foot slipped as you scrambled to look for where else to go and you felt something give in your ankle, your leg buckling enough to send you careening into the water.

Surfacing with a big gasp and panic a visceral thing that tried to claw you down into nightmarish memories, you still found yourself instinctively pushing away from the stone, from Miri who jumped over the big rock and abruptly skidded to a stop to stare at you with wide, wild eyes.

"We said we won’t hurt you," she snapped, out of breath and so angry her words were a snarl. "I can’t understand how you could possibly - I hate them! So much! But you’re human, so we won’t hurt you. You didn’t do anything to us, so come out of the damn water!"

She didn’t jump after you and neither did the guy who arrived a moment later, clutching onto his side and his most likely cracked if not broken ribs with a grimace. You found you hopped is ribs were broken. The bat was gone from your hand, you realized, dropped where you had fallen and it was entirely out of your reach. Not that you could have properly swung the thing while swimming.

"Do we really need her?" the guy asked, warily casting a glance around the water as you did your hardest to swallow down your panic.

You had no idea if the pod was anywhere nearby, they most likely weren’t since you had agreed to meet in the evening, but they didn’t know that. That lack of knowledge might be your only hope. Without hesitation, you began to swim, ignoring the searing pain in your ankle. You could see more outcroppings after that steep bit of cliff ended and you could - you would have to make it there before them.

You were sure you couldn’t run, but you had to try anyways, because the alternative was worse than the pain.

"You agreed to this, Trevor," Miri answered sharply, glaring around the waves as well. "But you can still leave. As long as I get revenge, I don’t care about anything else. And come back here, you little bitch!"

Like fuck you were!

"I’ll go get here," he said, though his breathing was labored. He wouldn’t be able to move well with his injured ribs and you had been a really damn good swimmer back before the attack, you had been fast and you had the stamina to keep it up. Your stamina wasn’t what it used to be and you were hurt, but you were still fast and you were still a really damn good swimmer…as long as the panic stopped chocking you.

"Careful," Miri hissed, though you barely heard her over the pounding of your heart and your frantic strokes. "Besides, we’re faster on foot, give me a boost up here."

Shit, shit, shit! Your swimming was a little too akin to hectic flailing, your breathing too fast and there were tears and saltwater burning in your eyes, but you were getting farther and farther away and Trevor cursed.

A quick glance over your shoulder let you see the tail-end of Miri scrambling to climb the steep incline, then you were too far along the small cliff-side. You couldn’t climb up here, the stone was too slick and too smooth and you were deeply grateful for the calm waters today, otherwise you really might have drowned due to panic.

You caught movement below the waves from the corner of your eye, something so gray and subtle it almost escaped your notice and you really did swallow a mouthful of saltwater when a sudden flash of terror gripped you. It was the wrong color, you knew, this could never be the mer that attacked you, but you still reacted to the idea, the possible threat, of a mer you couldn’t immediately identify as safe.

Abbacchio surfaced a little bit away and you felt a sudden relief so potent it made you briefly light-headed. Even if you didn’t know Abbacchio as well as the others, you were somewhat used to his presence and he’d been appreciative of the food and you were sure there was a solid understanding of not messing with each other. You hoped so.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, a confused and vaguely concerned frown on his face. "You’re bleeding."

Right, shark-mer, he could smell blood for miles if the conditions were right. Since no one else seemed to be with him, he must’ve been on a solo patrol or something. More tears blurred your sight.

"Help," you found yourself choking out, still paddling in a way that was more disgraceful for a former professional diver than anything else.

In less than a second he had bridge the distance and you choked back a noise you wasn’t sure would have been terror or relief when his big hands grabbed your sides and effortlessly hoisted you up so your shoulders were easily above the waterline. You gulped down air and were only vaguely aware that you were clinging to his lower arms with all your might.

"Shit, what happened?" he asked, a scowling frown on his face. "You reek of terror."

Hah, he could smell that, what new information. You stared up at the sky because that was easier and helped and you flinched when you heard Miri call out to Trevor to hurry up.

"They’re after me," you choked out and Abbacchio stared up the cliff, frowning and a grim scowl tugged at his mouth.

"Can’t help you up there," he said and yeah, mers were next to useless on land if they didn’t have some kind of ability or were really damn good at throwing rocks. The fact that he wasn’t even attempting to get Giorno right now meant the don was too far to help.

Abbacchio glanced down again and you noticed that he was carefully holding you a little bit away from him, not crowding or overbearing and his head was a little lower than yours, most likely an attempt to make you feel a bit bigger.

"I can help you down here, however," he said, head tilting as though he was listening to the two humans stomping along the shoreline above. He flicked his tail so the tips of his slightly jagged dorsal fin brushed the surface. "I blend in easily, if you think you can hold your breath for a minute."

It took your mind a moment to catch on to what Abbacchio meant. There were rocks down below along the cliff-side and he was gray enough to blend in easily, especially if he didn’t move much. The water would do the rest in hiding him.

If you were willing to let him pull you under. If you were willing to let a mer hold you down while you held your breath.

"She can’t swim forever," you heard Miri’s voice, fainter but still there and you closed your eyes and nodded, because you didn’t know what else to do, short of letting Abbacchio drag you out into the open water until they either gave up or he could pull you elsewhere you were safe. If they didn’t grab a boat with a switched on Howler and went after you.

But if you trusted him enough to not let you drown, you could do this. You had to.

"Okay," you agreed, voice trembling a little. You just wanted to escape, to get away long enough to make it somewhere safe and call the police.

"You have to hold still," he said and that made you swallow, but you wobbled a jerky nod anyway. "Hey, look at me."

You peeled your eyes open and he looked up at you, serious and solemn. "I’m not going to let you drown, alright? If this doesn’t work, I’ll fight them."

That was unexpectedly touching and honestly calming and you took a few deep breaths and nodded. "Okay, I trust you."

Abbacchio pulled you a little further up against the cliff to make it harder to get a good look from above.

"We’ll dive before they approach to look," he said, head tilting slightly to listen again. "I can hear them just fine, don’t worry."

You focused on calming your breathing and all the deep-diving exercises and tips you knew. You had been good at this once upon a time and you knew you could still hold your breath for a minute without it getting serious. A minute was long enough, especially if they thought you might have tricked them to swim back where you had come from to run for your cabin.

Which you would absolutely do if your ankle didn’t hurt with every movement, even something as gentle as the drag of water made by Abbacchio’s tail.

But you could do a minute.

"They’re coming," Abbacchio murmured after too long and too short a time and he watched you take a breath and hold it, before gentle, big hands used their hold on your sides to drag you under.

The saltwater stung in your eyes, but you had to keep looking, because Abbacchio was grey and looked nothing like the mer who had tried to off you.

"Easy," he murmured, voice the faintest bit distorted below the waves. "You’re safe, here, count with me. One, two, three…"

His fingertips tapped your sides, slow and exaggerated along with his quiet counting and you counted in your head along with him as stone pressed against your back, which was strangely helpful, because there had been no stone when you had been attacked. Nothing but open water to push you deeper into.

You counted to forty-three when Abbacchio eased you up again and you sucked in a deep breath, finding yourself hoisted up once again so your shoulders were above the waves. Water ran down your face and you were shivering and trembling, but you had made it.

"They’re leaving," Abbacchio said, head shifting to listen better. "They plan to wait by your cabin for a bit, but they’re arguing. The guy wants to leave now."

You found yourself sagging in his hold, relief replacing the fear so suddenly it left you a shaky, weak mess. Abbacchio blinked up at you, then he asked, "Want me to take you somewhere you can get out of the water?"

"Please," you rasped and grimaced as your ankle hurt when he started moving.

Abbacchio brought you to the outcropping you had hoped to reach before Miri and Trevor and you found yourself hoisted out of the water and set down on stone. A bit like a child was getting set down on a bench while the adult checked them over. Abbacchio was definitely eyeing your bleeding feet and considering the way his nose scrunched slightly, he wasn’t too fond of the sight.

"I’ll go get the others," he said and you reached out to grab his arm before you could stop yourself. "…or I’ll stay here. They’ll come looking soon enough anyway, I suppose."

"Thanks." The idea of being alone right now terrified you and you slumped onto the stone like a wet sack, staring up at the sky.

Abbacchio pulled himself out of the water a little, just enough to lean his upper body comfortably on the stone as well, folding his arms to rest his chin on them.

"Who were they anyway?" he asked and you closed your eyes, exhaustion spreading through you now that the adrenaline began to fade.

"That widow I told you about and a friend of hers," you answered, staring up at the sky and the slowly rising sun. You wanted to crawl back into bed, only what if your home wasn’t safe until Miri and Trevor got arrested? They knew where you lived and had angry determination to spare if they had decided to come after you for some kind of plan of theirs.

Abbacchio hummed in understanding, a low, deep note and he fell quiet afterwards. You felt the drag of water caused by his tail as it swished lazily and you knew no matter how unconcerned he seemed now that the danger had passed, he was still vigilant.

You wondered if you should try to move your foot, see if it would allow you to at least limp into your cabin if Abbacchio was willing to help you swim back, when he lifted his head.

"Trish," he said a few moments before the other mer was surfacing, a small frown on her face.

"I smelled blood," she said and her gaze zeroed in on your feet, her eyes darkening a little. "Who did this?"

You honestly hadn’t quite thought the mer could sound this dark and growly, which was dumb because all mers could sound terrifying, but she was always so calm and didn’t bother to raise her voice, so it was still a little surprising.

"Later," Abbacchio said. "Can you get Giorno?"

"Of course." She nodded and cast a last glance your way, clearly checking to make sure you weren’t injured otherwise. Which you weren’t. Your feet were the only casualties.

She slipped away soundlessly and you felt better knowing that the others would show up soon.

It felt like mere minutes later, when Abbacchio tapped the stone with his claws to get your attention. "Bruno’s here," he said and you struggled to sit up, still feeling exhausted and wrung out.

You saw the flash of his scales a mere second before he surfaced, his hair a bit messy where it was plastered to his cheeks and forehead and he looked worried and tense.

"What happened?" he asked and despite the look in his eyes, his voice was gentle and calm. You tapped your other side and he leaned on the stone right away and you felt a second drag of water, this one bigger though and the faintest brush of scales against your good ankle as his tail curled a bit around you. Must be a mer thing. You saw his fins shift a little in agitation.

"I got attacked by the widow," you murmured. "I ran away and Abbacchio saved me." You blinked and looked at the bigger mer. "Thank you."

He looked faintly surprised, then shrugged and lifted himself up to slide back into the water. "I’ll go check the perimeter," he said, glancing at you, as though to check that you were fine with him leaving.

With Bruno now here, you no longer felt the overwhelming need to cling to whatever security he brought and he dipped below the waves when you offered him a small, thankful nod. Bruno leaned a little closer and you noticed that he kept a careful bit of distance between you. His expression was worried now, blue eyes soft and concerned and caring.

"How are you?" he asked, voice gentle and you blinked against a sudden rush of tears.

You just shook your head, too tired and still shaken by what had happened to want to talk. You’d probably just start crying anyway. Bruno looked unsure for just a moment, before he offered his hand.

"Would that help?" he asked. "Or do you need me to give you some space?"

In all honesty, you wanted a hug. You wanted to be held and to feel less like you had gotten a horrible scare. You had never had to attack another human to defend yourself because they wanted to hurt you. No matter what Miri had said and promised, there was no way forcing their way into your home would have ended well for you.

"Can I get a hug?" you ended up asking and Bruno’s face softened as he nodded.

"Of course." Somehow, there was a brief fumble because he intended to pull you towards him and you wanted to do the same. In the end, Bruno followed your lead and you found yourself with a big mer curled around you as much as possible. Your hurt ankle had gotten jostled and you had bitten back a hiss of pain, but now you could press your face against his shoulder as his arm cushioned your head.

His arms came around you slowly enough for you to protest, holding you with the utmost care. The tears pricked at your eyes again and you closed them, your curled up hands pressing slightly against Bruno’s sternum. He was cooler than the average human, but he was solid and big and you heard his heartbeat and he was safe. You felt safe.

You sagged further into his hold and a moment later, one of his hands rose to brush over the crown of your head ever so gently. It was nice, even if you were still damp all over and he was rather wet from the ocean himself. He said nothing when your breath hitched a little and a few hot tears fell despite your best efforts.

Bruno tugged you a little more against him, your head beneath his chin and you made sure to not accidentally press against his gills. A soft chirp-whistle made you peek past his arm to see Giorno surface.

Giorno did not look happy, worry and something dark warring on his face. The worry won out a moment later as he set his hands on the stone Abbacchio had vacated.

"May I heal you?" he asked, green eyes bright and concerned and there was a lilt to his voice, an edge of siren, that told you he was just barely holding back doing it without checking in with you first. You nodded and immediately he sang, soft and crooning.

It was a little strange, that painless feeling of something in your ankle righting itself and the pain drained away as swiftly as water in your sink. The fainter burn of your bloody feet disappeared as well and Giorno was leaning over your legs, checking if everything was alright.

"What happened?" he asked, voice soft and you were too tired to repeat yourself again. Instead, you wriggled one arm free, Bruno loosening his hold to make it easy for you and you waved him closer.

Giorno pushed himself out of the water and with a small shift of his strong tail, he wriggled far enough onto the stone to lean a little over you, water dripping down. Shifting your no longer hurting feet, you tucked your legs a little more against Bruno’s tail and you wanted Giorno close now too.

He easily acquiesced, his arm slowly curling over your side, his claws carefully kept away and his chest touched your back. A small tug on his arm later and he was pressed close, his face tucked against you, his nose a gentle bit of pressure just behind your ear.

You heard Bruno explain what he had found out and you heard his voice hum in his chest. Giorno held you a little tighter, still without being restricting or too tight. It was just right and bracketed between the mers you felt like nothing and no one could hurt you now. All that was missing was…

Mista’s voice drew your attention as he arrived, worried and agitated, asking why your blood was in the water. He was quickly caught up and, settling his hands on Bruno and Giorno’s tails, he pushed out of the waves far enough to meet your gaze.

"Hey," he said, soft and quiet. "Can I help you somehow? Bring you something?"

You wriggled one hand free to wave him closer and Bruno and Giorno caught on quickly, shifting their hold a little and soon Mista was draped over your legs, careful not to rest his full weight on you, his chin propped up on your hip. It was a bit of a tangle of limbs and Mista was still a little heavy and you knew your legs would be asleep sooner rather than later and the stone was hard and cold, but it felt like finally you fit back into your skin again, that last shaky skitter leaving your bones and you felt yourself relax fully.

"They’re gone," Abbacchio said just as your legs did start falling asleep. You didn’t see him surface, but his voice didn’t startle you either. "Should we head back?"

"Yeah." Your voice surprised you a little bit with how raspy it was. You sat up, Giorno and Bruno easily adjusting their hold to support you instead and Mista slid back into the water, his palms resting on your knees.

"Would you prefer to walk?" Bruno asked and you blinked, then shook your head. If they were hiding in the forest, somehow having evaded Abbacchio’s notice, you didn’t want to run into their arms. Besides, the mers would help you get home faster.

Mista turned around to present his back and you slowly, carefully, slipped into the water, your arms settling around his neck. His skin was warm from the sun and your mostly dry clothes clung to you with wetness again. It was only now that you realized that the scars on your neck were entirely uncovered, had been the entire time.

"I’ll head back to the others," Abbacchio said. "Let them know what happened." He glanced at you and his usually serious expression was a little softer. "Should we show up tonight?"

"Yeah." You would like to see them. Maybe bring them something special as thanks for their help. "Any food you want to try?"

Abbacchio was quiet for the longest moment, before he muttered, "Maybe some pizza, it looks really interesting."

Pizza was easily done. You offered a tired, weak little smile and nodded. Mista craned his head to glance back at you and you offered another small nod. He moved forward at a gentle, steady pace while Bruno and Giorno flanked you the entire way and Giorno kept a close eye on you to ensure you didn’t need him to sing.

Either you were too exhausted for bad memories to cause trouble or you trusted them to the point where you didn’t freak out as much anymore, but you were glad you felt only a little unsettled.

The jeep was gone when you arrived back at the cabin and Giorno, Bruno and Mista promised to stay and to holler if you needed them. When you warily stepped inside, the door ajar, you found your place thrashed. Some plates were shattered and everything had been dragged out of its drawers and cupboards. Your seashell decorations were smashed into tiny pieces and any and all ocean decor was in shards as well.

Carefully edging towards your bedroom, you stepped over some strewn about diving equipment and you were glad to see that intact still, at least. Not only because it was expensive, but also because…you still loved it.

Your bedroom was a mess as well and one glance at the strewn about socks told you that your little emergency stash of coins was gone. As was your phone.

Worry and a small flutter of fear curled through you as you headed back into the living room to find your laptop gone as well. A peek outside showed that your bike at least was still there. Could you bike into town? Was that safe? Or were they waiting to intercept you along the way?

"Is everything alright?" Bruno called to you and you realized that you had stood still for longer than intended.

"I can’t call for help," you said, walking back to them and wrapping your arms around yourself, shoulders hunching a little. "I don’t know if I can just bike to get help either."

As though the heavens themselves were willing to no longer torment you, you heard the sound of a car a split second before your aunt’s familiar automobile came into view. You sagged with relief and moved towards her, tearing up once again.

"What happened?" she asked as soon as she parked and got out. "I’ve been so worried for you, why didn’t you show up at the shop?"

You managed to get the words out without crying, but it was a lost fight when she pulled you into a hug, muttering angry threats mixed with reassuring promises. She pulled out her phone as soon as you had calmed back down and called the police.

Two officers showed up soon enough and considering how your place looked and the large tire tracks and that Miri was still missing at large, they seemed to believe you.

"We’ll do our best to apprehend her as soon as possible," they said once they had brought you back to the station to write down your statement. "Please call us immediately if you see her again."

"You can stay with me," your aunt offered when she accompanied you back out of the station again. It was a tempting offer, especially since you knew you’d be unable to sleep in your cabin as long as Miri and Trevor and whatever other friends they might have were still out and about.

"Thanks," you answered and she drove you back to help you pack an overnight bag.

"I’ll clean this up a bit," your aunt said, shooing you away from the broken things. "Take it easy, alright?"

You heard the faintest chirp-whistle noise and slipped outside while she was distracted.

"Did everything go well?" Mista asked, leaning forward and peering at the cabin. "Who’s that?"

"My aunt, I’ll be staying with her until this situation is resolved." You glanced back before you sat down beside him, legs crossed. Bruno and Giorno had left and when you cast him a questioning glance, he grew serious.

"We’re looking for them as well," he said. "I’ll go join them soon, we just wanted one of us to stay behind for a bit to ensure you were alright."

"Thank you." You reached out and he met you halfway, gently taking your hand into his. It was quite a bit bigger than your own, cool and wet and you carefully brushed a fingertip over a bit of webbing.

"Of course, you can always count on us," Mista promised. "Let us know if there is anything we can do for you, alright?"

"I will." You bit your lip and did your best to summon a little smile. "I’m afraid though pizza will have to wait."

He chuckled softly. "We’ll be patient, even Narancia. Besides, there is this saying amongst our folk that every meal tastes better with a bit of anticipation."

You heard your aunt call your name and you gave Mista’s hand a small squeeze before letting go.

"I’ll be back soon," you said and you hoped it was true. You hoped Miri and Trevor were caught within the next couple of days. "I don’t know if I can visit, so please look after yourselves. Don’t get caught in any traps, they’re after your heads first and foremost after all."

"We’ll be careful," Mista promised and with a soft chirp-hum, he departed. He was gone just in time, as your aunt poked her head out of the door.

"You alright?" she checked in and you nodded, wiping your hand on your pants. You were still in pajamas.

"Yeah." You cast a last glance over your shoulder and saw nothing but gentle ocean waves. You wanted to be back soon, to bring pizza and spend time with the three mers courting you. To chat with the pod and maybe you could even show them a movie if the police managed to get your laptop back.

For now you returned to your cabin, your still slightly damp hand feeling warm and you weren’t as scared as you would have been had you been by yourself. Because there was an entire pod looking out for you and they’d be there, ready to welcome you back, once this entire nightmare was over.

"I hope they catch them soon," you whispered beneath your breath.

With a bag packed and your cabin mostly restored to some sort of order again, partially due to you not owing a whole lot of things, you left with your aunt. The shop was closed today and tomorrow and she reassured you that she’d handle the shop herself if you needed some more time to yourself.

By the fourth day you were glad to return to work, to distract yourself, even if most people showed up to bring you their condolences, as though someone had died, and others apologized, promising that the citizens of this region were usually calm and friendly. You kept a smile on your face by the skin of your teeth and by the end of the week, the worst of the gossip mill had passed through the shop and things calmed down a little bit.

You missed the mers. Your aunt was good company of course and you enjoyed watching movies with her while eating junk food or ordering in, but it was a little cramped in her little apartment and you missed the quiet of your cabin. The whistle-song of the mers and bringing them food to try.

Finally, during the weekend, the police called.

"They have her," your aunt said after hanging up, relief bright in her voice. "They caught her and two others hiding in a cave by the water. Apparently head had a lot of illegally owned Howlers and traps ready for mers."

You closed your eyes, exhaling heavily. "Is she in custody?"

"She is and it looks like she’s on her way straight to prison as well. That Trevor guy too, it looks like, but the others are going to get away with a fine, most likely." Your aunt didn’t sound particularly happy, but if the other two weren’t dangerous to you, you were just glad to finally consider the matter done and dealt with.

The next few days passed in a flurry of activity. There wasn’t a whole lot of crime happening here, in this sleepy, lovely little coastal town and the surrounding areas, so the court date came up rather soon.

You showed up to say your bit in the witness stand, unable to look at Miri and her tears and her helpless, seething anger. Within a couple of hours, the matter was done. Miri and Trevor would go to prison, while their friends got away with a hefty fine and community service rather than heading to prison as well.

You could finally go back home. Even if you weren’t sure if you’d feel entirely safe again for a while, you did look forward to it and maybe the pod was willing to drop by more often than usual, or in the morning and evenings, so you’d feel a little safer before going to work and after coming home.

"Are you ready to go back?" your aunt checked in with you, helping you stow the stack of pizzas you had ordered on her backseat. "That’s a lot, are you planning on not eating anything but pizza for the next couple of days?"

"Something like that," you answered and she cast you a side-glance, but let the matter drop.

"You call immediately if something happens," she said after dropping you off at your place, all your clothes in the duffle bag freshly washed and warm cartons with pizza in your arms. "I’ll keep my phone on me at all times and I’ll put the volume up before going to bed. I’ll come right away if you need me."

That made you feel a whole lot better, if you were being honest. "Thank you, I will. And…thanks again, for everything."

"Aw." She leaned in to pull you into one last hug. "No need to thank me, though. I care about you and I promised your parents I would look after you. Now, get enough rest, I’ll see you tomorrow at work."

You waved and watched her drive off. Tossing your bag into your home, you headed for the outcropping first. On second thought, maybe you should have gotten the pizza after meeting the pod again and agreeing to meet the next evening.

Your worries about ending up with a stack of cold pizza quickly proved itself unfounded, as Narancia surfaced, accompanied by Fugo.

"You’re back," Narancia said with a cheerful little chirp. "You are, right?"

"Yeah, I’ll be around again," you said and presented the boxes. "If you get the others, I have new food to try."

Narancia disappeared in record time, while Fugo clearly scented the air for a moment and carefully leaned on a stone near you.

"You are safe now?" he checked in and you sat down, setting the boxes down around you.

"Yeah, the others were caught and hopefully no one else should be after me now."

"Good." He offered a small nod and settled down more confidently, curiously eyeing a box. He waited, however, until the rest appeared.

It was nice to be welcomed back so warmly and after reassuring the pod that everything was fine now and you were safe, you opened the boxes.

"This is pizza," you said, though you were sure most had at least some idea of what it might be. You pointed out the different toppings and told them to go wild.

Their reactions were honestly a delight. They were very surprised at how chewy the entire thing was, more so than the other stuff you had brought them. The taste got them as well and you watched with a smile as the chattered, trading bites and quickly shuffling around who liked what until everyone was satisfied.

They certainly ate the pizza rather slowly, clearly still baffled by the thick dough and the plentiful toppings. Maybe you should bring them other, similar stuff too soon. Something fun to try. You briefly wondered how they dealt with cold dishes, like ice cream.

Mista tapped the stone beside your knee and you glanced at him, feet idly swishing through the water as you moved them a little.

"Can I lean on you?" he asked and you were briefly surprised before you nodded. He brightened and a moment later, you had his shoulder pressed up against your lower leg, while his head came to rest on your thigh. You felt the faintest bit of movement, the gentlest push and pull, as he used his tail to stay in place near perfectly.

You hesitantly reached out and after getting his attention and a happy nod, you carded your fingers through his hair. It had started to dry a bit during dinner and you felt a brief shiver go through him, then his cheek pressed against your thigh a little more firmly. One of his hands came up to rest on your foot and you found yourself smiling a little.

Glancing up, you saw Narancia draped over a stone of his own, looking sleepy and satisfied. Trish was still nibbling on a slice that had mushrooms on it, clearly fascinated by both taste and texture. Abbacchio had ended up eating an entire pizza margarita by himself and looked rather like a well-fed lion, all lazy grace.

Fugo was looking at the carton of one of the pizza boxes, carefully mouthing words to himself. You wondered how well he could read and if he’d be interested in lessons or if you should bring out towels and books for him to enjoy. Maybe some of the others would like that as well. You’d ask tomorrow.

Bruno was leaning on the stones on your other side, eyes closed and a soft, faint smile on his face. He looked like he was dozing, but you were sure he was just enjoying the moment. Giorno was currently stacking the empty boxes together, transferring any leftover slices, of which there were only three, to the carton in front of Trish.

Once he was done, he joined you and Mista and Bruno, one of his sweet smiles lighting up his face. You found yourself smiling back and when he looked ready to pick a stone for himself to lean on, you offered your free leg.

Due to the mers being rather big, they all ended up rather close together, but didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Mista simply draped his tail over Giorno’s with a mischievous, but sweet little grin and Bruno hummed a lovely little tune, his shoulder pressing against Giorno’s.

When you lightly brushed your free hand over Giorno’s hair with a questioning noise, he easily tilted his head into your touch.

If this was what being with them was like, you were all the more happy to have agreed to letting them court you. The easy acceptance of the moment, the care they had for each other and you, it was good. It made you feel happy.

You removed your hand from Giorno’s hair at one point to offer the same to Bruno, who tipped his head in your direction. Even while still mostly wet, all three had really nice hair. Slightly different from yours, a little thicker, but clean and soft even with salt drying on the tips.

"We’ll start courting your properly tomorrow," Mista murmured, sounding as though he was half asleep. "We have to catch up on lost time."

"Indeed," Bruno added, while Giorno hummed a soft melody in agreement, moving his head to blink up at you, looking relaxed. You couldn’t help but feel this fuzzy warmth wrapping around your heart ever so softly at their words and the way they looked at you.

Now that the threat had finally been dealt with and you hopefully didn’t have to worry about anything like vengeful, grieving spouses again, you could focus on repairing the cabin and replacing lost things and healing and…them.

You still had no concrete idea what courting was going to look like, but you trusted them and you definitely liked them and maybe, yeah, there would be more soon. You looked forward to it, to being with them and learning more about them and figuring out how you all might fit together.

You smiled down at the mers, only to break out into a sudden guffawing laugh when Narancia managed to steal the last slice and cackled as Fugo chased him about, trying to shove as many big bites as he could into his mouth before either the ocean or his friend could take the slice from him.

"I look forward to it," you found yourself saying and meaning it.

Chapter Text

Your first night back at the cabin was a bit restless, though it could have been worse. You were nervous being by yourself, but it helped to know Miri couldn’t hurt you anymore and hopefully no one else was after your ass now. None of her friends had been able to so much as look at you during the trial, postures guilty and small and unbearably sad.

You were still careful when you got up the next day and you peeked out the windows first, just in case. The sky was light enough to let you see by, the driveway was empty and nothing untoward seemed to be going on.

When you left to get ready for work, you heard a chirpy song-whistle and looked over to see Narancia push out of the water in one big upwards motion to wave with both arms, before he splashed back into the ocean. You found yourself breathing easier and waving back.

"Have a good day," you called out and Narancia leaned on the stone, his head just barely peeking over the shrubbery.

"You too," he called back. "Can you bring back cherries?"

You couldn’t help but smile, "Of course!"

Grabbing your bike while he whopped, you went to work with a light heart and a smile on your face. Your aunt was, as always, happy to see you, though you found your relieved mood tested and nearly ruined with all the people that dropped by to gossip. You hadn’t seen your aunt’s shop this full before and after the third hour of people poking their heads in to ask you for all the juicy details, you did your best to talk them into buying things. If they were here to get entertainment at your expense they might as well ensure you could keep paying your bills.

"Remember," your aunt said when you clocked out and she looked up from the shells she was gluing onto driftwood with utmost care. "If you ever feel unsafe or need to crash at my place, let me know. I’ll pick you up swift as the wind."

You leaned in to hug her. "I’m fine, I promise."

She looked at you for a moment, a little more solemn now. "It’s okay if you’re not, you know that, right? I’ve been so happy to see you getting better since you came here, I’d hate for you to feel unsafe again."

You didn’t know what to say. You couldn’t just mention the mers, not when your aunt was more than wary when it came to them and after your attack she had been very clear on always, always staying away from them. You had no idea how she’d take it if you just mentioned hanging out with the resident pod, never mind getting courted by them.

"I’m really alright, I promise. And if I need you, I’ll be sure to call you."

She nodded after a moment, satisfied with your answer and you left with a last goodbye. The market was bustling when you arrived and you picked up a nice amount of cherries as well as a huge pack of chocolate. You still wanted to thank the pod for all the help they had given you.

You were about to leave when something caught your attention. You hadn’t gotten any courting gifts yet, even though you had gotten some money from your parents after the nightmare that had been Miri’s harebrained, grief fueled plan. After they had heard from your aunt that your place had gotten thrashed, they had decided to help out, which was very appreciated.

Though, you were reasonably sure they would not be happy about that money being spent on mers, even if it was just a little.

Weaving around a dithering couple debating if they wanted to get takeout for dinner or if they should eat at their favorite restaurant, you approached a smaller stall. A tired teenager sat behind the goods, hair cut messily and nail polish starting to chip off at the tips. He didn’t even react to your approach, far more engrossed with whatever riveting text conversation he was part of, fingers tapping away on his phone rapidly.

"Um, how much for these?" you asked and he didn’t even answer or look up when he lifted a hand to tap the sign behind him. Leaning a little to the side you could read it properly and the prices were fair, especially since the jewelry had been hand made by locals.

Looking down you reluctantly ruled out any necklaces, even if one of them had caught your attention in the first place. You had no idea if the mers could wear them without causing issues with their gills. Rings were impossible due to the webbing, but there were some other pretty things to consider.

In the end you picked out a beautiful, delicate silver bracelet made of blue rhinestone flowers. The clasp was solid enough and it looked to be able to withstand a little bit of rough handling.

The second thing you chose was a small golden hair comb inlaid with emerald green stones to form a swirling, shining pattern. It was the kind one could leave in their hair, the teeth long and robust enough to not let the comb fall out easily. Especially with how thick mer hair had turned out to be, this might be a fitting gift.

The third gift was something you dithered over for the longest. It was a beautiful, dark purple brooch in the form of a cat. It looked absolutely lovely in the light. Only, how could the mers wear this?

You still ended up picking it, mostly because you couldn’t stop looking at it and it just looked so nice.

And then you saw the cute little cake charm on a simple bracelet and you couldn’t help but reach for that as well. Only, now that you had something for Narancia, you wanted to get something for the rest of them as well. Especially Abbacchio who had saved you and stayed with you.

The teen took your money with a mumbled thanks and as soon as he had handed over the change, he was back to tapping away at his phone. You couldn’t help but smile a little, remembering the boring shindigs your parents had dragged you to and how you had been glued to your phone as well.

You started wandering across the market looking for more gifts, finding a cute little glass flower for Trish a few stalls down. You honestly had no idea what to get for Abbacchio or Fugo, right up until you saw a bracelet made of cute little frogs and, well, frogs weren’t really known for diving into the ocean, so maybe Fugo would like it. You hoped he would, if not, he could always refuse and you could wear it instead.

On your second circuit you had to walk around a chattering group of excited friends, which brought you close to a lady selling scarves and shawls and the like. You spotted a dark purple sash trimmed with gold thread and you couldn’t help but stop and reach for it.

There were some subtle, darker purple patterns woven in and it was large enough to be tied around the waist of a mer. It was perfect for securing the brooch and when you asked what it was made of, the woman admitted that it was synthetic. It should, therefore, last a while in the ocean. Hopefully.

Maybe you should start googling about fabrics and metals and whatnot and their longevity in salt water.

"I’ll take it." Now you only needed to figure out what to get Abbacchio, who you honestly didn’t know very well at all.

You were sorely tempted to just buy a blank mug and write 'World’s Best Rescue Bud' on it with a sharpy. Though, on second thought, a mug might as well be the most useless thing to a mer, unless he had things he wanted to put into it.

Right then you walked past a stall selling ceramic and you saw the painted tiles they had on display. The one that made you slow to a stop was painted to show a sunny field of purple flowers, tiny blue butterflies rising from them, the sky a beautiful sunset purple-gold. You picked it before you could second-guess yourself, though you decided to visit the stall again sometime. Maybe the mers would like things to decorate their homes with that they couldn’t get otherwise.

Realizing just how much time you had spent looking for gifts you hurried home, finding the mers already waiting. They perked up when you arrived and you saw some tense expression ease, worry melting away.

"I got stuck at the market for a bit," you explained, grabbing the bags and speed-walking towards your cabin. "Sorry for being late, I’ll be right with you!"

"As long as you are alright, that’s all that matters," Bruno called with a smile and you found yourself smiling back.

You washed and put the cherries in a bowl in record time and you joined them with your bagged gifts in tow. You kept the chocolate hidden for now as a little surprise and you watched as Narancia gleefully descended on the fruit. There was a bit of playful and not-so-playful scuffling where Fugo at one point simply dunked Narancia and flopped across him to keep him down long enough to grab a fistful of cherries himself.

You couldn’t help but smile at them, your feet getting cooled by the waves that lapped past your ankles. Summer would pass soon and it was only now that you realized how many days of heat and warm water you had missed due to Miri. You would have to get out your thermo wetsuit halfway through autumn if you didn’t want to get sick while getting used to being in the water with mers.

Mista leaned onto the stone beside you, tail swishing lazily through the water, his scales bright and beautiful and he smiled up at you, charming and sweet. When you silently offered your hand, he took it, curling a little closer and when he pressed a soft, short kiss to your knuckles, you felt your heart go all gooey in your chest.

"I got you guys some things," you said once the last cherry had been devoured and Fugo and Narancia had made up again, Bruno gently ruffling both their hair. They glanced at you and you slipped your hand from Mista’s to reach for the bags.

"So, um, I hope you like these," you said and started to distribute the gifts.

Narancia loved his little cake bracelet, as Trish loved her flower, both showing each other what they had gotten. You were relieved when Fugo looked pleasantly surprised and seemed be fascinated by his frog bracelet. Abbacchio accepted the tile with careful hands and stared at it for a long moment, before he glanced up and his gaze was warmer and less guarded than before.

"Thank you," he said. "I accept your gift."

You couldn’t help but smile, relieved and glad and you turned to the mers who wanted to court you. And which you’d like to court in return, no matter how clumsy those attempts might be. Reaching in to pull out their gifts, you suddenly found yourself more nervous than previously.

"Um, so, this one is for you." You said, holding out the wrapped blue bracelet first. "It’s my courting gift, if you’d like."

Bruno accepted it with the sweetest smile, gaze gentle and warm and he carefully unwrapped it. The bracelet looked downright dainty in his hand, but considering the way his eyes shone you had chosen well.

"I love it," he decided and fiddled with it to put it on. You were quick to help him when he struggled to handle the clasp one-handedly. You always taped one side down yourself so you had it easier.

It was only when you glanced up, his hand in your lap, that you realized how close he was. The smile on his face made a flush of warmth spread through you and your answering smile was unexpectedly shy. As he pulled his hand back to admire the bracelet, his fingertips brushed along the inside of your wrist, ever so careful so you barely felt the tips of his claws.

Giorno and Mista were waiting patiently when you looked up, Giorno smiling that soft smile of his you liked so much and Mista grinned happily, his tail flicking up a bit so there was a small splash of water. Bruno showed off his bracelet and Mista chirp-whistled in appreciation, while Giorno hummed a lovely, honey sweet tune.

Giorno was next and when you waved him closer, he seemed curious and there was a glint of hopeful anticipation in his eyes. "This is my courting gift for you," you said, offering the comb. "I hope you’ll accept."

He pulled out the comb and his curiosity morphed to understanding as he turned it over in his hands, his touch gentle.

"I could help you put it on?" you offered and he held the comb out to you.

"Of course," he said and there was a subtle purr in his voice that made you feel like a glowing burst of starlight had spread beneath your skin.

You waited as he shifted closer, turning around so his shoulders bumped your knees and he tipped his head back a little, his thick blond braid spilling into your lap. Your shins were lightly pressing against his flanks and you felt the subtle shift of his muscles. As you carefully got the comb situated, you saw his tail move a little to keep him in place, one of his arms stretched to the side so he could hold on to the stone.

You were half tempted to tell him to just hold on to your feet, but you were worried getting grabbed the way that awful mer had grabbed you might ruin the mood. You’d have to work on that too, even if you trusted them, you had no idea what your mind would do, what your memories would do, if something triggered them.

As your hands fell to your sides once you were done, Giorno easily shifted away, turning so the others could see what you had done. Bruno leaned close first and he made a sound you had no hope of replicating, something that resonated a little deeper and made his eyes and smile a little brighter.

"Oh, it looks really pretty," Mista said with an appreciative chirp and when Giorno glanced at you, one hand reaching up to carefully feel where the comb was and he offered you a small, lovely smile.

"It’s perfect," Giorno said in a way that made you feel wonderful all over, more siren in his voice than usual and you couldn’t help but grin, happiness making your heart feel light as a feather, feet swishing through the water.

"Mista," you called the last of the trio, who leaned back onto the stone again, expectant and hopeful and excited in equal measure.

"I found something a little different for you," you ended up saying and he craned his head as you reached into the bag to get a better glimpse at what was left. You pulled out the sash and unfolded it to show the brooch you had found, explaining how it was worn and how a brooch worked. "If you’d like, I offer this courting gift to you."

"Yes," he said without an ounce of hesitation and you were sure the only reason he wasn’t leaning closer still was because he wouldn’t encroach on your personal space willy-nilly.

Mista immediately hoisted himself out of the water until he had wriggled far enough onto the rock to make it easy for the sash to be tied, pushing up on his hands to keep himself propped up far enough.

Since he couldn’t really do it himself, you offered to do it instead. Mista couldn’t exactly go and sit like a human, their anatomy wasn’t made that way, you leaned close once again. This close and with his entire upper body out of the water you once again realized just how big mers were.

You were honestly hugging him when you put the sash around him, his shoulders broad and sun kissed and you saw a few fine scars along his lower back you hadn’t noticed before. Instead of the worry that had come up weeks ago, all you suddenly wanted was to ask for a proper hug. To maybe get some comfy pads and see if you could have a proper cuddle out of the water.

You tied the sash at his side before you pinned the brooch in place, briefly tugging at everything to ensure it sat comfortably. When you pulled back, Mista made the softer little sound, almost like a cat purr and when you glanced up, he was rather close, smiling so sweetly you couldn’t help but duck your head a little, smiling wide.

"I love it," he said softly and you felt giddy with joy and relief. Mista slipped into the water, sash immediately turning darker as it got wet and chirped to get Giorno and Bruno’s attention to show off his gift.

Mista was downright preening as they admired it and as the rest of the pod drifted closer upon their invitation, he was absolutely preening while showing off. Even Bruno held a happy, content air and Giorno bent his head to allow Abbacchio and Trish to inspect the comb.

It made you feel unexpectedly proud, for having chosen well. Proud and glad and you were happy you had made them happy. You had, as far as you could tell, done everything right with presenting your first courting gifted ensuring they knew you were interested in them in return.

"Who wants chocolate?" you asked after the gifts had gotten sufficiently admired and the mers settled down again.

You pulled out the box and presented it as all eyes focused on you. Narancia barely managed to open his mouth, happy surprise on his face, when Fugo shoved him down to snag some pieces for himself. You couldn’t help but laugh as the box was emptied in record time.

You soon found yourself surrounded by happy, satisfied mers as the sky grew dark overhead and stars began to appear, the sea turning pitch-black. You had rarely gone night diving before and the time the awful mer had dragged you under, it had been very late. Honestly, the only reason you had known what he looked like had been because you had seen him previously. And when he lured you in, you had foolishly and naively trusted his words, the sweet honey to catch the fly.

It had all, of course, been a farce. A lie.

You didn’t like thinking about it, or remembering what had happened, but tonight the memories were a little…muted. Less like they were going to drag you under like you had once been dragged below the waves, helplessly trying to kick free or claw your way back to the surface again, lungs screaming for air and blood clouding the ever deeper and darker waters so you couldn’t even see his face anymore.

A soft hum drew your attention and you blinked, tipping your head to look at Mista, who was casting you a questioning look. A little further away, Abbacchio was helping Trish wrap her glass flower in some seaweed he had gotten so she could rest it on the stone while they were here.

"You seemed lost in thought," Mista said and you noticed how his tail had curled in front of your legs, not touching but there. It felt like he was offering wordless protection. "Not the best kind of thoughts."

"Is a three-color combination normal color among mers?" you couldn’t help but ask.

"Three different colors or shades of the same or similar colors?" he checked and you paused and for the first time, you forced yourself to try and remember your assaulter in more detail.

"His tail had this red-green down the middle and some kind of purple on the sides," you admitted at last.

Mista was quiet for a moment, brows furrowed in thought. "Those kinds of combinations more common a little further south or east, but I’m sure you noticed how most of us have some kind of mixing or blending colors." He flicked his tail towards the pod.

He glanced up at you. "But if you want to know if I know any mers like that, then yes, I’ve met one or two. One of those was one of our enemies during the turf war. Don’t know if he died or managed to get away."

"Have many of your opponents survived?" you couldn’t help but ask, a pinch of worry niggling in your gut.

"Most of them did and others might have died later," he answered, crossing his arms on the outcropping and resting his cheek on them. "But some could have made it, yes. They weren’t in charge around here however, and they’ll either join up with another pod or slink away to an unoccupied corner to claim territory of their own."

He offered a small, near lazy smile. "We’re strong, they wouldn’t think about taking us on again."

That was good to know. You suddenly had to bite back a yawn as that niggling of worry disappeared again. It was getting late, but you were honestly a little reluctant to go to sleep.

Mista was soon distracted by Narancia, who wanted to learn the tail trick and Mista laughed, saying his genetics simply allowed him to be more flexible than others, but he’d show him anyway.

You were starting to actually doze off when you swayed and jerked awake as you almost fell, blinking in bleary surprise. The soft call of your name made you glance at Giorno, who drifted a little closer. Behind him Bruno served as a rest for a dozing Trish. It was getting late for them as well, it seemed.

"I think I need to go sleep," you mumbled and he tipped his head a little to the side, to better meet your gaze. "I kind of wish I could stay, though."

A small, soft smile appeared on his face. "I understand, maybe we can organize something someday. There are some caves with pools inside that could serve this purpose." That sounded really nice.

This time you couldn’t hold back a yawn. When you blinked your eyes open again, he was offering his hand and you took it, his skin cool and smooth and yet feeling a lot tougher than yours. The webbing between his fingers looked delicate but you knew it was hardy. You had dug your nails into the webbing of the mer who had dragged you under and you had barely managed to make him hiss.

"I look forward to it," you said and brushed your fingertips along his palm, mapping out the lines and grooves, the scars you could feel, even if they were small. You wondered if there was one mer who wasn’t scarred. It honestly made you feel a little less bad about yours.

"I’d like to pick up our sessions again, if you’re alright with it," you said. "I’d like to swim with you one day."

The soft noise he made was utterly and completely siren and made you feel nearly boneless with how nice it was.

"Of course," he said and gently slipped his hand out of yours, tapping your knee with his fingertips. "Go rest, we’ll see you tomorrow."

You pulled your feet from the water, drawing the attention of the rest of the pod. Even Narancia looked like he was getting tired. He was half draped over Fugo, who was studying the back of the chocolate box. It seemed his sight was good enough that he could read just fine, though he did have a nice bit of moonlight to see by.

"Good night," you said, getting answers and chirps in response. You couldn’t help but smile at them and left with a wave. By the time you stood on your work-in-progress porch and looked back, the mers were gone. Aw, shit, you had forgotten the trash.

Trekking back to pick up the big cherry bowl and chocolate box, you finally went inside your cabin, put everything away and flopped into bed, falling asleep within minutes.

***

Bruno was greeting you as you left your cabin to get to work and to your surprise, he waved you over. To your delight, you saw that he was still wearing the bracelet, the stones shimmering in the pale morning light. You were really happy that he liked your gift enough to keep wearing it.

"We might be a bit busy the next couple of days," he said, sounding a little regretful. "We’ll have visitors from a powerful pod from the east and if all goes well, we’ll have an alliance."

That sounded like a good thing. "Don’t worry about it," you said, unthinkingly reaching out and he easily met you halfway, a wet, cool hand taking hold of yours. "I’ll just finish that damned porch."

The good news, you should be done with this soon, unless you messed up. The bad news, it would still need some finagling to get details right.

"I’m sure you’ll emerge victorious," he said, a playful tilt to his smile. Then he landed forward, tilting your hand gently to press a kiss to your palm. "I will see you soon."

What was it with these mers and their utterly charming behavior? You would grin like a loon, especially with all the sweetness from yesterday still buoying you as well.

"I look forward to it." You gave his fingers a squeeze, then you let go and he sank back into the waves.

With a last glance back and a quick, lovely smile, he dove deep and swam fast, disappearing from view swiftly.

You went to work in a very good mood and your aunt was a little puzzled but very happy. You probably should think about how to tell her about the mers sooner or later, especially if this courting thing turned into something really serious.

You had absolutely no idea how to tell your parents. Your relationship with them had turned a little stilted, though not bad, after you had left the hospital. They had tried hard, but ultimately had struggled with knowing how to help you and, in all honesty, you hadn’t exactly been forthcoming either. Mostly you had just wanted to forget it all and you hadn’t been able to talk about it without immediately choking on your words.

Coming here really had been the best choice.

Work was a little taxing, since people still wanted gossip or were trying to wheedle more information out of you now that it was a new day. You looked forward to the day people stopped asking you about it as much. Of course your case was currently the hottest topic everywhere, considering that few bad things really happened in this nice little seaside town. The worst they got were drunk tourists and every ten or fifteen years or so someone really awful was revealed.

Your aunt left after lunch to attend a business call and you locked up the shop in the evening. After sweeping everything you grabbed your leftovers from lunch and picked up a little something from the market. The mers weren’t there when you came home, as you had suspected, so you got comfortable with your re-heated food and afterwards you went outside to use the long summer days to keep working.

You had made decent progress on your porch when you decided to call it quit. You still saw no one by the outcroppings, but in case one of them dropped by late at night or in the early morning, you went and grabbed the packed candy bars you had picked up.

You just put them down where they’d be safe from the water, but close enough for the mers to reach them, when you heard a little splash.

"Hello there," the unfamiliar voice made you flinch back so hard you slipped and your knee cracked onto the ground. The fact that the voice had been rather young only registered when you had already scuttled back a bit, heart pounding.

The startled face of a silver-gray haired child looked back at you, hair looking almost white in the moonlight.

"Oh, my apologies," he said, small, clawed and webbed hands holding onto the outcroppings. "I didn’t mean to startle you."

"Who are you?" you rasped out, hand pressing over your pounding heart. You tugged in your legs a little further, though you weren’t as much on the run as you would have been a few weeks ago. You were still wary and you were out of his, admittedly short, reach, but you found yourself doubting that anyone bad would have made it past the pod.

Especially children.

"Oh, I’m Koichi, it’s nice to meet you." He offered a disarming, sweet little smile. You couldn’t quite bring yourself to return it, though you did try. He ducked his head, sheepish now and rather apologetic. "I meant no offense, I was just curious when I saw you leave things by the water. Do you know Giorno’s pod?"

"I do," you answered carefully, torn between treating him like any other kid, because he had this innocence about him and warily edging back a little further. You stayed where you were and you were secretly a little glad when he remained where he was. "Do you know them?"

"I’ve met them today," he said, brightening up a little. "They seem to be better than the last don."

"They’re really nice," you couldn’t help but say, willing to defend them. They had been among the kindest people you had ever met. "They’re trying to make things better."

Koichi nodded, "That’s why we’re talking with them."

He glanced at the candy and you found yourself blurting out, "You can take one, if you like?"

He perked up. "Really?"

"Just one." You watched as he reached out to carefully pick one and he was honestly, now that you had gotten over the shock of his sudden appearance, a rather endearing kid. Very well spoken and while he seemed innocent, he did not seem stupid or naive.

Koichi also seemed to know what kind of candy this was, since he peeled the wrapping away expertly and happily took a bite.

"I’ll better get going," you said and suddenly found yourself awkwardly wondering if the kid needed an adult to get back to wherever he was staying. Not that you could take him of course. Should you treat him like a human kid and wait until his guardian or parent or older sibling showed up? Or was he old enough to be fine? Mers might have to get self-sufficient early on, so you really had no idea.

The decision was taken from your hands when a second mer suddenly surfaced, previously unseen and unnoticed. He rose fast, as if he had been traveling quickly, nearly leaning over the kid and casting you a sharp glance, nearly a glare.

He was also absolutely fucking massive, bigger than any mer you had met before, bigger even than Abbacchio and before you knew it, you had scrambled away, nearly falling through the shrubbery in your haste to get away.

The kid had stopped eating, looking startled and the other mer was frowning now, which honestly made him look even scarier. Your fight or flight instinct had kicked in hard in a way it hadn’t when confronted with a child. But now that you were a very safe distance away, your mind cleared again, faster than it would have before you had met Giorno’s pod. And as your breathing slowly calmed, so did your heart ease a little.

You were still staring at him with no idea what to say or do. The massive mer opened his mouth, just as Giorno and Abbacchio surfaced as well, both casting you quick glances, before turning to the two newcomers.

"We’d appreciate it if our friend is given some space," Giorno said, a soft lilt to his voice that settled along your nerves like the softest blanket in the world. You felt yourself relax and the kid cast you a guilt look.

"Apologies," he said again and addressed Giorno as well, "I was out for a bit of an exploratory swim, I didn’t know this area was off limit and Jotaro here accompanied me."

"No harm done," Giorno said, though you noticed the way he had angled his head slightly to be able to glance at you from the corner of his eye. "Now you know and it’s best if we head back. It’s getting late."

Abbacchio and the kid were first to slip beneath the waves, the kid softly saying goodbye and shoving the rest of the candy bar into his mouth. The massive mer glanced at you, then Giorno, lightly tipped his head and disappeared about as silently as he had appeared, his hulking figure swallowed by the black sea.

"Are you alright," Giorno asked softly and you sagged, exhaling heavily. Dragging a hand over your face, you nodded. Looking back at him, you saw that he was still wearing the comb you had gifted him, though it had been put in anew, showing off a slightly different style to his hair. The gold looked almost pale in the moonlight and it made you happy to know you had chosen well.

"Better than I thought I’d be," you admitted, offering a wobbly smile. Your knees honestly felt a little wobbly too. "Thank you, for showing up."

He shook his head. "We apparently weren’t clear enough with describing which area was off limits, my apologies for that." He sounded genuinely regretful. "They shouldn’t show up again."

It honestly could have been a lot worse. If anything, now that the situation was over, you were honestly surprised at how you had handled it better than you would have a few months ago.

"It’s alright. Are things going well with them so far?"

He tipped his head thoughtfully. "I would say yes. Their don, despite his looks and occasional roughness is the good sort. It would be a good thing for us to make this alliance work." You had only noticed that you had walked towards him when his hands came to rest on the outcroppings and you were about to sit down in front of him. "They’ve asked for our help to deal with the murder of a small pod halfway between our territories. They haven’t managed to find the attackers and they didn’t want to look threatening when their search brought them close to our territory."

You couldn’t help but frown in worry. "Be careful, promise me that."

He smiled and hummed a soft noise, just enough hint of his siren voice in it to make it feel like a faint, reassuring brush along your senses.

"We will be. We’re a strong pod and we have made a few smaller pods allied to us who’d be willing to help." That was good, very good. He glanced back over his shoulder. "I should get going. We’ll visit again once talks are over, if you’d like."

"I look forward to it. Oh, and tell the others I left candy out," you said, gesturing at the candy bars. You would let him take them along if they wouldn’t start dissolving the moment they were out of their wrappers.

"I will." For a moment he looked as though he was going to say something more, then he offered one of those sweet smiles that you were growing very fond of very swiftly and slipped below the waves.

Exhaling and shaking out the last, remaining tension, you went home as well to settle down for the night, hoping that the troubles the pod faced would be resolved soon. And, more importantly, that none of them would get hurt.

Chapter Text

You stared up at the porch, relieved and proud and glad, that it was finally, finally done and dealt with. Fixed and ready to withstand storms and seasons for the foreseeable future. It also meant you were done fixing up the cabin. Everything was functional and practical, if old.

You could finally start saving up money again and maybe you’d buy a pretty thing or two, some framed posters for the walls and a new rug. A TV too, so you wouldn’t have to sit hunched over your scratched up laptop like you were practicing for a Gollum cosplay.

You snapped a quick picture, sending it to your aunt and after a moment of hesitation to your parents with a small caption. You stared down at your phone and wondered if your relationship with them would stop being stilted if you pretended to be fine. If you pretended like you still didn’t sometimes have nightmares, like you simply liked scarves and unusual amount instead of hiding your scarred throat.

You pocketed your phone with a sigh and stretched, glancing over at the ocean. The mers were still busy with their diplomatic visitors. And one of them was ridiculously huge on top of that.

You had left more packaged food for them last night, along with a container for the trash and everything had been eaten, with small gifts left behind. You could make yourself some seashell decorations again if you wanted. Maybe you would do so tomorrow, on your day off.

Tonight you left some more food as well, this time it was granola and muesli bars, along with some caramel candy. The waters were dark, the last rays of the sun casting long, black shadows. Nothing moved below the waves, so you stepped back again. Returning home, you finished watching a show you had started a little while ago and nodded off, curled up on your couch.

You slept in a bit the next day, since there was no need to get up early. Your aunt had sent a few party emojis in answer to your picture, asking if you’d like to get dinner with her in celebration.

You typed an answer while opening the windows to let in fresh air and biting back a yawn. The trilling whistle-chirp got your attention the moment your window swung open and you looked up, a smile spreading across your face the moment you saw Bruno across the shrubbery.

"I’ll be right out!" you called back and he whistle-chirped again, sinking out of view and back into the waves.

You threw on some clean clothes and quickly freshened up in the bathroom before you hurried to meet him.

"I won’t be needed for a while," Bruno said with a smile. "And I remembered that today is your day off, would you like to spend some time together?"

"Of course." You had no plans, if anything, you had intended to have a lazy day to yourself, to putter around the house and listen to music. At most you were going to get some cleaning done. "Did you have something in mind?"

"We could stay here," Bruno said, leaning against the stone and his smile turning soft and sweet when you joined him. "Or, if you’re in the mood for a bit of hiking, I believe you humans call it, I could show you a pretty spot. One no one else should know about, I believe."

That sounded very interesting and you found yourself perking up at the idea of seeing a new beautiful place. "I’ll go get my hiking boots."

You hopped to your feet and you quickly gathered everything, along with a backpack so you could take a towel, water and some snacks along. Summer would soon transition towards autumn, but that didn’t mean today wouldn’t be one of the few remaining hot days.

"Lead the way," you said and Bruno pushed away from the stone, leading you along the shoreline. He didn’t seem to mind that you were at times slower than he was, especially if you had to climb over rocks or wriggle your way past thick shrubbery. Where no people went there were no paths either after all.

He kept up light conversation, answering all your questions about the visitors and listening as you talked about your joy to finally be done with repairs.

"We’re almost there," he said a good hour or so later. By now you were sweaty and sticky and you were very, very reasonably sure that nothing about you looked attractive anymore. Or rather, you did not particularly feel attractive at the moment. You’d probably have to content with muscle ache tomorrow as well.

Bruno lead you around a bend and through an incredibly thick overgrowth, before your boot nearly met water and muddy sand. Looking up, you saw that you had reached a sort of overgrown alcove with cliffs rising across from you.

"You can walk through here at this time of day," he said, having drifted close enough that he could push himself out of the water by planting his hands against the ground. He pointed ahead and after a bit of squinting, you saw a very, very well hidden opening across the stretch of water where the cliffs rose high. "It’s right in there."

You took off your shoes and socks to slosh through the water and as you reached the opening, you saw Bruno duck below the waves and disappear into deeper waters. He was gone very swiftly and you carefully stepped through the opening, a bit of wet sand lining the bottom.

It was utterly dark inside. Fumbling out you phone, you switched on the flashlight and leaned forward a bit. There was enough space for you to walk through, though you’d have to stoop low and duck around some rocks here and there. It looked damp and there was algae growing along the bottom stones.

"Bruno?" you called out, your voice echoing.

"Down here," Bruno called back. "Keep going!"

Inching forward, you hugged your shoes against your side with one arm, peering around curiously. You had to admit that you kind of really liked this. It felt adventurous, even if all you did was step into a damp cave.

Sweeping the light around a bit, you peered closely at your surroundings as you slowly stepped forward, cautiously placing your feet. You should dig out your diving socks after this, just in case the mers took you to other places like this one. It would certainly keep your feet protected.

The glow of light behind you had just vanished as you inched around a bend, when you saw light appear ahead of you. Curious and with rising excitement you walked on and you emerged in a place you honestly had only seen in movies before.

Water lapped against stone and light fell in through holes along one side and at the front was a large, wide opening leading out into the open ocean. Light reflection from the water danced across the ceiling and walls and the water was a beautiful green-blue and crystal clear.

You could see the stones and rocks that protruded from the fine sand at he bottom and it was damp along the walls, algae clinging to stone and showing you exactly where the water stood during high noon.

Bruno was waiting in the shallows, body half out of the water and the small waves softly washed up against his tail. You saw where he had dragged himself further up, silt settling again around his form and small claw marks were left in the algae covered stones.

"It’s one of my favorite spots along the shore," Bruno said, lowering himself a bit to rest on his lower arms and take the strain off of his lower back. His tail was barely moving now that he was lying so solidly on the ground. "What do you think?"

"It’s beautiful." You had wanted to discover places like this one since forever. "How did you find it?"

"Entirely on accident," Bruno said with a soft, amused huff. "I heard a curious sound and investigated and it was the wind whistling through the passage."

That could sound very strange indeed. You dropped your shoes on a rock, stuffed the socks inside and walked over. Bruno’s pushed himself up a tad further when you joined him, the water lapping pleasant against your legs in gentle, tiny waves. You had entirely forgotten just how sweaty you were after this impromptu walk and the ocean felt really nice.

Bruno’s scales shimmered prettily in the light and he smiled, sweet and lovely. His smile widened and his eyes seemed bluer than ever before when you decided to sit down beside him in the water. Your pants would dry again without issue, but maybe you should invest in some swimming trunks for situations like these.

Or some sort of swimming leggings, once it grew colder.

"Does the water still scare you?" Bruno asked, propping himself up far enough on his elbows to look comfortably at you. Or, as comfortably as possible. Mers didn’t have the sort of anatomy that allowed them to sit like a human.

It wasn’t like you were still scared like you had been at the start of all of this, but there was a thread of anxiety that remained. So far, only Giorno’s song managed to make that disappear entirely.

"I trust you," you said, curling your toes as cool waves rolled past your shins. "I don’t think I would be able to do this if I didn’t."

The fear of drowning was a lot less suffocating, wasn’t actively gnawing on your mind, with him there. Because if anything should happen, he’d be right there. He wouldn’t let you drown and that, well, that made the fear nearly gentle.

"I’m glad that I can help," Bruno answered, his eyes soft and understanding. "Oh, I made something for you. Let me go get it."

He didn’t go far, just ducked below the surface and you pulled your legs in tight to avoid getting bumped in the shins by his tail. After shifting around for a moment, he emerged again after having stuck his hand between two rocks, hair dripping seawater. Anyone else probably would have looked kind of funny, maybe a tad ridiculous, but a mer’s hair was slightly different.

Instead of looking like some kind of flat coconut replica, his hair honestly looked more like one would expect to see it on TV during some kind of commercial or pool scene. It was a wee bit unfair to see him be so effortlessly pretty. On the other hand, you absolutely understood those siren fairy tales and stories even more than previously.

He got comfortable and leaned his weight onto his elbows, letting his hands rise above the water. In his webbed, clawed hands he delicately held a pearl and coral necklace. The pearls created a beautiful contrast to the blue coral.

It must’ve taken ages to gather those pieces and to string them up so wonderfully. You would absolutely believe that he had made it himself, maybe he even traded something for the coral if it wasn’t native to these waters.

"Would you accept my courting gift?" he asked and you couldn’t help but smile, a giddy, happy feeling rising and curling through your insides.

"Yes, absolutely." You leaned forward, dipping your head to make it easy for him. It was only when he leaned forward and slightly over you, one hand bracing him to push him up further, that you realized your nose was nearly brushing the water surface.

Your anxiety made your heart jump and a little shiver skittered through your limbs. You took a steadying breath and closed your eyes, ignoring your dry mouth.

It would be the easiest thing in the world for Bruno to clamp a hand on the back of your head and push. To push and keep holding until you stopped struggling, until you had drowned in salt and silt water.

And while your heart was beating faster, rising anxiety making your shoulders hitch a tad, you found you weren’t truly worried. Scared, yes, but that was because of the past, not because of the present. You really believed you had nothing to fear from your current company. The necklace bumped your temples, as Bruno settled it around your neck with minimal trouble.

You felt his fingertips briefly brush your jaw, cool and damp, with a hint of claws, as he pulled back.

"Beautiful," he said when you looked up, his eyes a vibrant blue and he was so close, a bare hand’s width away. Waves lapped against your ribs and your heart was beating faster for an entirely different reason now.

His fingers curled slightly and slowly enough you could refuse or move away, he let his fingertips brush your chin, still cool and damp. His fingertips shifted up to trace along your jaw, mapping the shape of it, feeling the softness of your skin.

When they brushed along your cheekbone, you tipped your head a bit, meeting his touch. His palm cupped your cheek and there was a quiet sort of awe and adoration in his eyes. It wasn’t hidden in the slightest, Bruno held no shame for the way he felt and he willingly let you see it all.

You had no idea what your own face showed, but considering the smile spreading on his face, bordering on a small, happy grin, he could see how taken with him you were in turn.

"How lovely you are," he murmured, sweet as honey. "I am honored that you said yes."

You fought against ducking your head a little, suddenly feeling shy, as well as very touched and flattered. You had flirted before, plenty of times even, but somehow this made you feel like it was the first time someone truly liked you. Bruno was being unfairly charming.

"You’re sweet," you couldn’t help but say. He was also kind and patient and you felt very comfortable in his presence by now. "I’m honored that you want to court me."

His smile showed an edge of teeth, sharp canines to make it easy to tear into prey. It was a happy expression, his thumb lightly brushing your cheek. The webbing was a curious texture and while it looked fragile at first glance, it was very sturdy.

"How could I not?" he murmured. "When you saved members of my family, I decided you would be a friend of ours. And then I spent time with you and despite everything, you started to trust us." He leaned in slowly to gently touch his forehead against yours, a drop sliding from his hair to brush your skin.

"I know what courage and determination, what dedication, it takes to overcome fear and to continue overcoming it. What it takes to hold onto kindness despite past pain." He spoke softer now, almost a whisper. "You fascinated me from the moment I met you. You and your wonderful heart."

He really was stupidly charming, you didn’t even know what to say. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken to you like this. As though there was something wonderful about you.

You kind of really wanted to kiss him right now.

"I don’t know everything about how humans court each other, though I tried my best to inform myself," he continued, still in that soft, murmuring voice, his forehead gently touching yours. "Let me know if I do something confusing or I’m moving too fast."

Yeah, you were going to do it. "Can I kiss you?" you murmured, shifting your weight slightly to free one hand. You placed your palm over his hand, water dripping down, the sound almost loud between you two.

He smiled wider for a moment, before he leaned in, his eyes closing. Yours closed as well when his lips brushed yours, soft and a tad cooler than a human’s would have been. He lightly adjusted his angle, as did you and your next kiss was just right.

There was a faint saltiness to him and it felt a little as though you were kissing the sea. The kisses were chaste and yet you found yourself smiling by the third and you felt him do the same, the kiss turning a tad silly in the best of ways.

When he pulled back, you found you were straight up grinning and Bruno’s eyes were bright with joy, a smile revealing the sharp edge of his teeth once more.

"I take it I’ve done everything right so far?" he asked and you couldn’t help but laugh a little, happy and giddy and you gently pressed your forehead against his, moving your hand to cradle his cheek as well.

"Yes," you answered, feeling his smooth skin beneath your palm, feeling him tip his head into your hold, sweet and trusting. Your heart felt like it had grown two sizes. "You’re wonderful, don’t worry."

Bruno made a soft, low noise, one you were sure you wouldn’t be able to replicate. It seemed to hum a little through the air, pleased and happy. You decided, in this moment, that you’d get to the point where you could go on proper swims with him and the others. You wanted to be a part of their world as much as you could.

Until then and afterwards, he was welcome to bring you here anytime. You then noticed that he was still keeping himself pushed up as far as possible with one hand. While it didn’t look incredibly uncomfortable, he might feel some strain, especially in his joints.

So you let go slowly and regretfully pulled away from his grasp. "If you want, I could, um, hold you?" you offered tipping your head to the deeper parts, where you’d still be able to sit on a stone and he’d be more comfortable. "If you’d like."

"Absolutely," he agreed, not even a second of hesitation.

It took some maneuvering and Bruno’s face lit up when he understood that all he had to do was turn on his back. You shuffled a little further into the water and he leaned his head against your shoulder, floating comfortably so his dorsal fin was just barely brushing the bottom.

He was pretty big, like nearly all mers and like this you noticed it once again. When he reached up, your hand at his side was entirely covered by his. It was nice, though. What would have scared you in the past was now something you rather liked. Slowly, you linked your fingertips together, careful of the webbing.

Maybe, one day, if he was comfortable with that and you were comfortable with it, you could lean on him and drift in the open sea, enjoying the coolness of the water and the heat of the sun.

***

Bruno and you had ended up spending some time in the well hidden cave, talking about this and that. You learned a bit more about his family and that he had lost his small birth pod member by member when he had been younger. His mother had left to join another pod and his father had died a few years ago.

You revealed that you didn’t know how to speak to your own parents since the attack, how awkward and tense things had become. They just wanted you to be alright and you tried to pretend, to fake it whenever they were around. It was exhausting, however.

And at the end of the day, it was all just a fancy little lie. You still wore scarves and sometimes your scarred sides hurt and there were days when you could barely stand to shower, never mind take a bath. So talking with your parents had become awkward and stilted and had now reduced itself to a call once a month and occasional chat messages.

You soon spoke about places you had seen and Bruno described the coast he had once called home, with a tiny fisher village built there. How he had watched humans and even talked with a few fishers out at sea. You in turn told him about the town you had grown up in, how you had set foot into the ocean every chance you got.

It was nice to just speak about things, letting the water drift past you in small, gentle waves while light fell into the cave. It really was a beautiful place.

At one point, however, even the warmth of the day couldn’t quite combat the coolness that started to creep into your limbs, the water slowly but steadily zapping your body heat. You regretfully pulled back, but since you didn’t want to get sick, there was precious little to do.

"I’ll dig out my thermo suit," you told Bruno as you squeezed water out of your clothes as much as possible. "Then I can stay in the water for a long time."

"I look forward to it." There was something warm and relaxed and utterly comfortable about him right now. As though he too could have stayed there a while longer, resting his head on your shoulder and letting the ocean carry him, talking and laughing over stupid childhood stories. You wondered if he’d still taste like the sea now if you kissed him again.

"I’ll accompany you back," he offered and you gladly accepted. While you knew all you had to do was follow along the coast, it was still nice to have a bit of a guide.

Your clothes had mostly dried by the time you were back home, stiff with salt and sand and now sweat was causing some areas to stay damp.

"Thank you for today," you said, crouching by the outcropping. Bruno gestured you closer and when you leaned forward, curious, he pushed up, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek.

"Thank you for coming with me," he answered. "We could go back to the cave again some time, if you’d like."

Yeah, that sounded really great. Bruno was about to pull back, when you reached out, framing his face with your hands.

"I really enjoyed today," you said, a smile tugging on your lips. You leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his forehead and he sank back into the waves with a smile of his own.

"I’m glad. I’ll look for other beautiful places," he said. "I’d like to keep surprising you."

That did sound really nice. He couldn’t stay much longer, however and after Bruno said goodbye, you watched him dip beneath the waves. He disappeared with one last flash of white scales dotted with black, shimmering like fresh snow and polished onyx.

You couldn’t help but grin to yourself, giddy and happy, reaching up to toy with the necklace with your fingertips. You had to look for more courting gifts yourself. Even if you couldn’t offer the mers actual treasures, you still wanted to be thoughtful. You wanted them to feel that same kind of giddy happiness that you just did.

You were in a really good mood for the rest of the day, humming as you cleaned the cabin and cooked food. Time and time again your hand found its way to your new necklace. It was beautiful and probably would fetch a fortune on the market. Not that you were going to sell it. Or parade it around town, you didn’t want people to get suspicious, wondering where you could have possibly gotten it.

Especially coral was stupidly expensive, at least the pieces usable for jewelry.

Tonight only Fugo and Narancia visited, though they happily tried the roasted potatoes and fish you had made.

"I’ll go catch you something nice," Narancia promised after licking his fingertips clean, disappearing beneath the waves with nary a splash.

There was a brief moment of silence, since you honestly didn’t know Fugo very well and if he liked to be quiet, you didn’t mind. He leaned onto the stone, peering up at you.

"I’m glad that you make each other happy," he said, giving your necklace a significant glance. "You seem like a good addition to our pod."

It was the biggest sign of approval you had gotten from him so far. You smiled at him and were surprised when he smiled back a little. Fugo seemed more relaxed after that and started asking you questions while you waited for Narancia’s return.

He had a bright mind and was visibly eager to learn anything and everything. "I can teach you how to read," you offered. "You could read books whenever you visit."

His eyes visibly brightened at that and you saw the way his fins simultaneously shifted. A sinuous ripple of his tail that seemed to let you know that he very much liked that idea.

"Hah!" Narancia surfaced with a triumphant shout and wide, toothy grin. He swiftly killed the wriggling fish and presented it to you proudly. "I picked the best one I could find."

"Thank you." You leaned over to accept the fish, hesitating for a moment before ruffling his hair. "That’s very kind of you."

He visibly preened, a happy, warbling little chirp filling the air. "Oh, can you make that baked fish thing again? The one with the spices?"

"Of course," you agreed, just as Fugo gave him a shove, dunking him below the waves.

"Idiot, ask that before you go hunting." He glanced back at you. "We’ll get you more fish, if you’d like."

"Bring enough for all of you," you decided on a whim. "We can make a big meal out of it."

"We have guests, though," Narancia said after popping his head up again and casting a calculating side-eye at Fugo.

Ah. Yes, the frightening, massive mer and the silvery little kid. "Well, invite them too." Even if you immediately regretted the offer, you didn’t take it back. You wanted to be brave, to be more than your trauma.

You’d just…keep your distance. There was no need to be all cozy, right? And if the mers trusted the guests enough to invite them into their home, maybe you were safe too. You certainly believed that they would help you should anything happen.

Fugo eyed you for a moment and Narancia looked contemplative, before he smiled, "Sounds good, we’ll tell them."

"We’ll need a bit to round up enough fish," Fugo said. "Are you willing to do so much work?"

"I’ve cooked big meals before." And you certainly had helped out during festivals or big family dinners. "It’s fine, don’t worry. Call for me when you get back, I’ll leave a window open."

It was then, that you remembered that your fridge was probably far too small to fit a number of fish. "On second thought, maybe bring them to me the morning of the meal. Or can you keep them in baskets here at the outcroppings, so I can pick them up?"

You could go and get some traps if necessary. You were halfway through offering, when Fugo waved you off.

"We’ll take care of it, don’t worry. The fish will be here, alive I presume?" You nodded and he dipped his head in parting. "We’ll let you know in the morning when you can expect us."

They turned to leave and you found yourself biting back a bark of laughter when Narancia waited until Fugo had his back turned, before he pushed up out of the water and flopped over like a whale. The last thing you heard was a startled, affronted noise, cut off by the waves.

The mers were tussling as they swam away and you couldn’t help but smile fondly.

Then you took a deep breath. You had to prepare yourself, emotionally most of all, for being around unfamiliar mers.

***

You decided to wear the coral necklace Bruno had given you on the evening of the big meal. You had asked your aunt if you could leave early ahead of time and she told you to take the evening off.

"You need to relax too sometimes," she had said. "I’ll close up shop, don’t you worry!"

Now you stood in your kitchen, sweating a bit from the heat and you were rather satisfied with how the cooking was coming along. Trish was already there and didn’t mind both killing the fish wriggling around in the baskets in the water and taste-testing anything you offered her.

It was nice to have some company, even if you didn’t talk much. But Trish enjoyed the sun and you had helped style her hair a bit once it had dried enough, putting the flower in.

The meal mostly consisted of fish, though you had made different side-dishes as well and you had bought plenty of pudding for dessert. The fish you presented baked, fried, cooked into a stew and you had even gotten a few smoked pieces from the market.

Some of the fish ended up kind of cold by the time the mers arrived, but that was fine. It would still taste nice and they could eat with gusto without running the risk of burning their mouths.

Mista was already present, chatting with Trish and Narancia had flopped over to lie across his back, splashing with his tail fluke, when you stepped outside. They all perked up and happily lent a hand to spread paper plates.

"Pretty necklace," Mista said with a sweet, slightly mischievous grin when you handed him bowls for those who wanted stew. "Almost as pretty as you."

You couldn’t help but laugh, charmed and as well as flattered and amused at once. "Thank you." A thought came to you and you waved him closer. As he leaned forward, curious, you pressed a quick peck to his cheek, making him smile wide. "You’re really pretty too, you know?"

"I know." He preened a little, visibly showing off as his fins flared a little and he swished his tail so his scales shone in the sinking sun. Strangely enough, he briefly reminded you of one of those colorful birds who tried to impress potential mates. "You look happy today, I’m glad."

You were. Despite the anxiousness of having to interact with mers you didn’t know, you did look forward to this too. To spending time with the entire pod again and enjoying a nice evening. You had eaten a couple of meals by yourself now and while some quiet was nice, you did miss the company.

"I am. Just don’t let anyone drag me under," you half joked, half seriously requested. The words kind of tumbled out unbidden, your worry needing to be voiced. No matter how much you knew, intellectually, that most likely nothing would happen to you, your heart needed a little reassurance.

Mista grew a little more serious, offering a nod. "I won’t. None of us will."

You gave him a thankful smile and got up to fetch the food. As you walked in and out of your cabin, more and more mers showed up. You waved hello to Fugo and Abbacchio and at last, Bruno and Giorno emerged with the two guests in tow.

Koichi greeted you with a smile, while Jotaro looked you up and down and then eyed the food. He was still intimidatingly big. Bigger than Abbacchio, who was already the largest mer of the pod. No one seemed to be worried about his presence however and he didn’t loom like he had back when you had met him.

You still kept a bit of a distance as you sat down on a pillow and pointed out the dishes, before telling everyone to dig in. Dinner was a lively affair and while Jotaro said rather little, Koichi seemed happy enough to chat. They both ate well, so you were relieved that they liked what you had prepared.

You relaxed a bit the longer the mood stayed light and easy. No one talked about why Jotaro had shown up in the first place and he kept a bit of distance to you, which made you feel comfortable enough that you laughed at one of Mista’s jokes.

The plates and pots were emptied, not a crumb left behind. Mers really had a large appetite, which made sense considering how much they must be moving around all day, patrolling their territory and taking care of things.

As you went and got the pudding, you couldn’t help but glance out the window. Jotaro was leaning against the outcropping beside Abbacchio, both watching silently as Mista showed off his tail trick to make Koichi laugh. Fugo shoved Narancia below water as he began to shred the paper plates, looking excited for the desserts.

What a wondrous, marvelous thing, you couldn’t help but think. That you were here, with a mer pod and their visitors and your fear was a quiet thing. Your anxiety and worry might spike here and there, but you settled down quickly again. Far quicker than you would have in the past.

As you piled the pudding onto your sole tray, your mind wandered to the locked away diving equipment.

Maybe…maybe you could start unpacking it. Not tomorrow, maybe not even next week, but you found you wanted to.

This, you decided as you stepped outside, was the greatest gift anyone could have ever made you. That you were excited at the prospect to getting back into the water one day. That you wanted to keep trying and working hard so you could be back in the waves.

The mers had given you hope, had helped build a platform for you to stand on to breathe and actually heal.

When they looked up as you stepped past the shrubbery, you found a bright smile on your face. Mista straightened, his face brightening, while Giorno’s eyes seemed greener than ever, watching you with quiet intensity, before he offered a smile, sweet and small. Bruno looked happy to see you happy and a soft hum and clicking sound filled the air, from more than one throat.

"Who wants dessert?" you asked, setting the tray down. "Don’t worry, I’ve got some more in the kitchen."

Right now, all seemed bright and good and hopeful. You felt happy and light and you felt as though, no matter what hardships waited ahead, what struggles you might have to worm your way through, it would be worth it.

And more than that, it would keep getting better. It felt as though your dream of exploring the oceans was nearly back within reach. As if your fingertips were about to brush the very edges of it.

As if your dream was no longer a shattered shadow of the past, of the person you had been before violence and the brush of death had stamped terror into your bones.

Chapter Text

"Sooooo," your aunt’s cheerful, mischievous voice made you glance up from where you were sweeping the shop, the door already locked for the day. "Is there something you’d like to talk about?"

Feeling a bit baffled, you eyed her. "About what?" Had you forgotten about something? It couldn’t be anything bad if she was that jovial.

"Oh, I don’t know." She lounged against the counter, smirking. "How about that someone’s been catching your eye? Am I right? Please say I’m right!"

Oh. She had noticed. To be fair, while you were a rather startled and utterly unprepared for the topic, you weren’t all that surprised either. You had been in an incredibly good mood recently, had asked for time off and, well, you probably hadn’t been as subtle as you would have liked.

"Um…" There was no way you could tell her about the pod. Not like this. No, you’d have to broach that topic carefully and over time and get her used to the idea of friendly mers who would not try to drown you. "I mean…yes?"

"I knew it!" she cheered, fist-bumping the air. "Never lost my touch for noticing that kind of thing." She grinned at you, "I’m happy for you. So, do I get to meet them? Who are they? Do I know them?"

"Um, no, you don’t." Also, there were three, not one, which was another topic you’d figure out how to talk about later. Your aunt was very open, but would she be that open? "And it’s still pretty new, so…" You gestured helplessly.

"I understand." Thankfully she looked like she really did. "You guys have fun getting to know each other and when it’s something more serious, I’ll organize a dinner, how does that sound?"

"Great, thank you." You’d lay all the groundwork before she met the mers, that was for sure. Besides, unless you dragged the mers out of the ocean and across town to her apartment, there was no way you’d get to have dinner at her place with them.

You couldn’t help but glance at the clock. Today you were meant to meet Giorno for another session in the water and you didn’t want to be late. He was pretty busy investigating the killed mers and had organized a free evening just for you.

"Go," your aunt said with a grin. "I know that look. Go see your lover and have fun, alright? Oh, but be responsible! I think your parents would skin me alive if you got knocked up unintentionally."

You couldn’t help but sputter at that, feeling heat rise in your face. "We are not - there is no - don’t worry," you ended lamely. Besides, mers and humans couldn’t have offspring together, studies had proven that already. Sometimes, depending on the size difference and mer species, they couldn’t even have penetrative sex.

Not that you were…damn, now you were thinking about it. Ducking your head and scuttling away while your aunt couldn’t help but laugh, you were more than glad to get out of there.

You were still feeling flustered while you picked up some food to share with the mers. For the first time in a long while, you were glad that none of them were waiting for you when you came home. Stashing the food in your kitchen, you grumbled to yourself about meddling aunts.

You got changed into swimwear and you pulled the necklace Bruno had given you from beneath your shirt. You didn’t dare wear it openly, too worried about the questions people would ask, but you didn’t have those same concerns at home.

Giorno wasn’t there yet when you arrived at the cove, but you still had a bit of time before it got dark. You would make the most of this evening, no matter what foolish thoughts had bloomed to life in your head just a little while ago.

Kicking off your flip-flops, you reached up and hesitated, before you untied your scarf. It would only be troublesome in the water. Since you had made sure to dress in swimwear, the trunks falling to your knees, you splashed a bit into the water.

Not too far, of course, but it made you smile when you realized how much less afraid you were. You kept an eye out for him, for the glimmer of his beautiful scales. That was why a golden shine in the sand caught your attention. Bending down with a curious noise you retrieved a cold coin.

It looked like the ones the mers had gifted you. You had never gotten the coins back after the widow had ransacked your home and since you had no feasible way of explaining why you had had those coins in the first place, you hadn’t mentioned them to them police either.

You cleaned off the last bit of sand and turned the coin between your fingers. The ocean must have washed this one ashore. It happened sometimes. You pocketed the coin and glanced up, only to spot another golden shine in the sand. Two coins? Today seemed to be your lucky day.

You stepped forward and picked the coin up as well. This time, even as you straightened, you noticed a third shimmer of gold a few steps away. This time you paused, flipping the coin between your fingers. You slowly approached and picked up the coin, this time keeping an eye out.

And there, now you spotted it, another two coins leading down the shore. There was no way Mother Nature had deposited all those coins there, not like this. So who? The sand gave away no clue, if there had been any trails or evidence of another’s presence left behind, the waves had washed those away by now.

But the coins were left in the shallows, the water rising no higher than mid-calf and they had all been visible enough for you to notice them. You played with the third coin, then exhaled, the beginning, creeping wariness falling away again. You could guess to who had left the coins here for you to follow. Only one person knew you had intended to come here today after all.

You picked up the coins and soon you were searching for the next one. This time you found an old, pretty key chain, tarnished by time and you happily pocketed it. After that came an old silver flask and buttons made of bone.

It wasn’t always easy to find them, but it was genuinely fun. It you of the treasure hunts you had gone on as a kid on birthday parties. Your mother especially had had fun coming up with little puzzles and riddles, easy and simple enough for children to solve. As an adult, you had loved finding things while diving. It had made your entire month whenever you had rediscovered something lost.

The trail led you to a boulder jutting out of the water and as you peeked behind it, you saw a small chest, half buried in the sand. It looked old and heavily waterlogged, the wood looking slick with algae.

"Giorno?" you called out, hopeful and curious. "Did you leave all this?"

He must have been close enough to hear you, if not within sight, because he appeared swiftly, scales shimmering as prettily as ever in the evening sun.

His smile was lovely when he surfaced, fins flaring slightly in a beautiful display. His siren blood absolutely showed and whenever you saw him like this, looking like a vision from a dream, you absolutely believed that sailors had tossed themselves to their death in times past. Still did today if they weren’t careful, especially once they heard that magical singing.

"I thought you might enjoy a little adventure hunt," he said, settling comfortably into the shallows. "Was it a good idea?"

"Yeah." You found yourself grinning at him. "It was a lot of fun, thank you."

His tail swished a little in a pleased manner. "Good. If you’d like to accept, my courting gift is inside the box."

You felt your smile soften. "You guys are too sweet. You know you don’t have to get me things, right? Neither you nor Bruno or Mista."

"We know." Giorno’s voice was calm and certain. "We want to. Not only is it custom among our people, we’d like to show you our care and consideration in whatever ways we’re allowed."

You felt your face heat a little, leaving you feeling a little flustered a second time today. "Then I will gladly accept. Thank you."

He watched as you picked up the box. It was rather heavy and almost slipped from your grasp. It took more strength than you had expected to pry the top lid open. In all honesty, you were sure the only reason you got it open at all was because Giorno had clearly done so beforehand.

Inside the box, laid neatly on damp seaweed, reminding you of the satin pillows jewelers used, laid a bracelet. It was made of gold and was studded with stones the color of Giorno’s eyes.

"It’s beautiful," you said softly.

"I fixed it up," he said when you set the box down on the boulder and waded towards him. "It was kind of broken when I found it, but I could tell that it was beautiful."

"It is." You ran your fingertips over the metal and gem stones. "You did an amazing job. This must have taken a while, how did you find the time?"

"I found it a while ago and knew I wanted to gift it to you if you let me." His fins shifted a little in the water. "I worked on it when I had some free time."

He must’ve been working on this for a while. Just like you suspected that Bruno had spent a good amount of time picking out the coral and pearls for your necklace. Really, they were far too sweet.

It took a bit of fiddling with the clasp and the bracelet settled cooly around your wrist. It was just the right size.

"I hope you had a good day?" Giorno asked, while you eased down to sit beside him, water lapping past your shoulders. You noticed that his gaze briefly snagged on your bare, scarred neck. His green eyes darkened, his expression turning very blank, but as soon as it had appeared, his strange mood left again.

"After your surprise, it’s been the best day," you said with a smile and his answering soft smile made you feel all warm and giddy inside. "How was your day?"

"We’re making progress," Giorno answered. "Bruno and Abbacchio caught a trail near our territory and they’re investigating it with Jotaro."

"That’s good, I hope you’ll catch the ones responsible soon. But, please be careful." You frowned at the idea of anyone in the pod getting hurt. You had grown far too fond of them to lose them.

"Don’t worry about us," Giorno reassured you with a small smile and added, a special lilt to his voice that made your shoulders relax, "Should anything should happen, I will be there. I’m the don, I protect my pod."

He leaned a little closer, slow waves washing over the bulk of his tail. That he continued to drag himself into shallow waters, nearly beaching himself, wasn’t lost on you. Sure, he could wriggle back into deeper waters again, but it would be a slow process. That he was willing to make himself more vulnerable for you all this time was…really damn touching.

"Would you like me to sing again?" he asked and you took a deep breath, before nodding.

His voice was so lovely. You sank into the soft song, allowing yourself to be mesmerized by it for a moment. More than you had ever dared to before. When you opened your eyes, realizing that you had closed them without conscious thought, Giorno definitely had noticed. His eyes were bright and focused, something like pride and a warm thread of awe in his gaze.

You smiled, unable to help yourself. "You’re too sweet."

His song mellowed to a hum as he smiled back, before he picked it up again. Slowly, you let yourself sink into the water bit by bit, feeling a little floaty within the comfort Giorno provided. The secure safety.

Shifting to sit loosely cross-legged, you watched the sun play across the surface of the waves, the gentle push and pull of the ocean lapping up your shoulders.

You kind of wanted to hold Giorno’s hand.

His song made it easy to feel so relaxed and at ease, you didn’t think twice about offering your hand, reaching out and tipping your head to look at him. You had no idea what you looked like, if all those soft, wonderful feelings within you were reflected on your face, but Giorno’s song shifted.

Just a little. Not by too much and it didn’t take away your agency, but suddenly you felt unspeakably valuable and wonderful. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes before you knew it as he reached back, his fingertips brushing your knuckles. You almost didn’t notice the faint scrape of claws against your skin.

In the back of your mind, the part of you that had learned very intimately just how dangerous, frightening and lethal mers were, knew that if he wanted to he could tear you apart while you kept smiling at him. He could sing and apply enough pressure so his claws split you open like sharp knives. The ocean would cloud a vivid red around you and all the while you’d love him for it because of his song.

But that part of you was very, very quiet, it was more a brief, idle remark. Because you were safe here, with him. You let him press his fingertip into the space between your fingers where he had webbing and you not. You let him trace the lines in your palm, noticing how careful his touch was. The tips of his claws were almost tickling you.

"I’d like to get my entire head below water today," you said quietly when his song softened to the sweetest hum, your hand still held gently in his. "I’m just…maybe a little worried it won't go well if I'm not careful."

You knew you had dipped your head below water before and nothing had happened. You knew that. You had even let Abbacchio push you down without losing your shit. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline back then and there being no good alternative, but it had worked. That meant it had to work again.

Right now, everything was soft and calm and, stupidly enough, your brain decided that for some reason, now was the time to be insistently anxious about fully submerging yourself. As if you had to re-teach yourself to not fear every single thing when it came to being in water.

You held Giorno’s hand a little tighter and he leaned forward a bit, his chin brushing the water's surface and he let his song peter out for the moment. Without it, the anxiety racked up a notch.

"Want me to sing more?" he asked, voice free of judgement.

"Yes, no…I want to be able to do it myself." You stared towards the horizon, your heart beating a little faster and your stomach feeling a little, unpleasantly wriggly. You pressed your lips together. "I don’t want to be scared anymore. I want to be able to dive again."

It was the first time you had said so out loud. Previously, it had felt like your tentative dream of diving again had been more fantasy than reality. You knew you still had a long road ahead of your, that you’d probably panic without Giorno there to hold your hand when you went dove down. If you panicked away from the surface, you didn’t need a mer to drown. Your body would take care of that all on its own.

Giorno was quiet for a moment, one of his fingertips lightly tapping your wrist and he delicately brushed over the bracelet he had gifted you. "You don’t have to force everything to happen right now, but I understand the desire and the frustration." You glanced at him and his eyes were kind and captivating. "I have an idea."

He leaned a little closer and you found your gaze captivated by his. "We could dive together." He lifted your hand to settle it lightly on his shoulder, near his gills. "You decide when, push and I’ll yield."

Oh.

It felt like he had stolen your breath a little. Logically, you knew that you couldn’t drown a mer in their waters any sooner than you could suffocate someone by having them sit down comfortably.

But he was giving you control of the situation and his trust at the same time. The same quiet voice that had noted how easily his claws could slice the flesh of your bones, now noted how close your fingers were to his gills. That you could dig your nails in and have him writhing in pain.

Giorno’s shoulder felt solid and strong beneath your palm, skin warmed by the sun. It made you notice once again that he was quite a bit bigger than you. You were sure, if he pushed himself up as much as possible, he’d be able to lean over your sitting form.

"Whenever you’re ready," he reassured you quietly and began to hum again, a light melody that eased the lingering worry from your bones.

You inhaled deeply before deciding to take the plunge, metaphorically and literally. All it took was a light bit of pressure and Giorno easily let you push him below water and you made yourself follow. In hindsight, you maybe should have angled yourself better, because now you were hunching forward like some awkward, cross-legged gargoyle. With a pretty, pretty mer blinking up at you with a proud smile.

Giorno’s hum was still perfectly audible and for a split second, you swore you could see the effect of his siren blood in the very water around you. Like a golden shimmer that briefly brushed over everything.

You didn’t have to go too far to submerge your entire head and while your heart was pounding, but you remained in full control of yourself.

You pulled your head up again, blowing water away as it ran down your face and you pressed your free hand to your chest. Your heart was racing, but it wasn’t just fear. Giorno let himself drift up again when you removed your hand. He glanced at you, a question in his eyes. You couldn’t help but smile.

"Thank you." You had done it. You had gotten all of yourself below the surface and while it hadn’t been as peaceful an experience as in your earlier memories, it hadn’t been bad at all either.

It meant you could improve on that and one day, you could have that joy back again when you got into the ocean. It could be fun again. And you were really, really grateful for Giorno’s help. You wouldn’t have gotten the courage without his aid, not for a long time at least.

"No need for thanks," he said, quiet as the waves that lapped up against the shore. "Seeing you happy is all the reward I could ask for."

At this you couldn’t help but duck your head a bit, feeling your face warm. A soft, crooning noise made you blink in surprise and his hand came up to gently touch your cheek.

Then his gaze fell to your scarred neck again and you just barely resisted the urge to hitch up your shoulders and turn away from his touch. His gaze had darkened a bit, suddenly reminding you of the deadly depths of the ocean. He looked like he was cataloguing the scars, as though he was gauging how they had been made. As if he was trying to figure out by whom they had been left.

Your hand rose without thought, dripping water as you covered his hand and your fingers felt only a little unsteady when you gently moved his hand to touch the side of your neck.

He stilled, that depthless gaze snapping to yours and he blinked, his gaze gentling. "You don’t have to," he said, quiet and as steady as the tide. "I would never want to overstep."

"I’m offering," you whispered. "Besides, I’m feeling kind of brave right now."

He must be feeling your pulse pound beneath his fingertips, you certainly felt it in your chest. Ever so gently and carefully, he shifted his fingers the slightest bit, until they aligned with the scars.

You knew exactly what they looked like. How they had looked freshly stitched up, red and a little swollen, your body working hard to heal. You knew exactly how deep the mer had gouged into your skin, that he had nearly cut into your windpipe and through your arteries. It had been nothing but sheer, dumb luck that he hadn’t clawed so deeply to seal your fate.

Giorno moved his hand to cup your cheek, solemn and serious. "This will never happen with us," he vowed.

"I know." And you did. You leaned your cheek into his touch. "I would not be here otherwise."

You were here because you trusted him. You trusted all of them. They had done more for you than they probably realized, you thought. Not only was Giorno helping you retake your dream tiny step by tiny step, the entire pod had done something else for you.

After fearing the sight of water ever since the attack, they had given you back a sense of safety. You no longer watched the surface for danger, but for signs of your friends. And that…that was worth more than any jewelry, any material gift in the world.

"Just alone for this," you said, using your other hand to gesture at the water all around you. "And for everything else, none of you would ever have to give me a single courting gift."

His gaze warmed. "Then let this not be a contest. These gifts are meant to be tokens of love, nothing more and nothing less. Will you let us care for you?"

You felt your face heat again and you were sure he could feel your skin warm beneath his hand. "So long as you let me do the same."

"Gladly." He offered a small smile, then tipped his head at the waves. "Would you like to try again?" he asked and you took a deep breath, lifting your head and straightening your back from your slight hunch.

"Yes." You sounded as certain as you felt in this moment and his green eyes looked brighter when you held his gaze. "Together, again?"

"Always," he said it softly and certain.

You were still smiling when the waves rolled over your head once more.

***

You were in good spirits the next day, happy and still proud that not only had you repeatedly dipped your entire head below water, you had managed to do so for multiple seconds at the end. You had left the session with Giorno feeling as though you could do anything. He clearly had liked seeing you walk so tall and with confidence, his gaze had been on you all evening when you had eaten with the mers. Bruno and Mist had similarly seemed unable to look away.

"Oh, that’s really pretty," your aunt said and you startled out of your daydream. It was only when you stopped that you realized you had been trying to hum the song Giorno had sung yesterday. "I never heard that melody before."

"I’ve been listening to some youtube videos yesterday," you lied. "I don’t know what the name of the song was, but it stayed with me."

"Let me know when you find out," your aunt said. "I would love to listen to it myself." Her gaze fell down to your wrist and a shiteating grin spread across her face. "Sooo, last night went well, I take it?"

You instinctively covered Giorno’s bracelet, searching for words. "Um...yes."

Your aunt looked very proud and happy for you. "I’m glad to see you found someone who appreciates you the way you deserve. That thing looks really expensive, they must want to impress you."

"That’s definitely mutual," you answered with a lopsided smile.

Your aunt’s grin softened with understanding. "I’m sure you will knock it out of the park. But don’t spend too much money on them, alright? You need to take care of yourself as well. Tell them to do the same if necessary."

There was no way you’d be able to afford to buy the sort of things the mers found in shipwrecks. But…that wasn’t really the point either, you thought. It wasn’t about giving each other the most expensive thing you could possibly afford, but instead the goal was to be thoughtful. To find things that made the other person happy. That showed your consideration and care for them.

You were about to move on, when you hesitated. It might be a good idea to tell your aunt a little, to try and figure out how she stood on certain topics.

"What if it was, um…" You fiddled with one of the display stands. "What if it was more than, like, one person?"

Your aunt paused. "…as in, you’re seeing more than one person?" At your nod she looked puzzled and then a little concerned. "I know you’re a good person, so it’s not cheating. Not from their end either, right?"

"No, no, everyone involved is very much on board." You forced yourself to stop fiddling with the stand. "We made sure to talk about that."

"'Everyone', huh?" She settled back against the counter, looking thoughtful. "And you like them? This isn’t something you got talked into?"

"I was absolutely not talked into this. I might be, well, I might be well on my way to falling in love with them." It was hard not to, when every time you saw them they were just…honestly wonderful.

Your aunt smiled again, looking relieved. "Well, then I’m happy for you. Do you want to tell me about them? How did you meet?"

"On a walk," you said after a moment. "I was exploring some old trails behind the cabin and they were hanging out by the water. We kept meeting a few times and then they asked me out."

You didn’t dare say more or be more descriptive for fear of giving anything away. You were deeply relieved, however, that your aunt didn’t mind the fact that you were currently dating more than one person. Courting more than one. Did courting count as dating? Or was that some kind of pre-dating phase? Did mers have any concept of dates?

Though, did it matter what they called the time you spent with them? No, it didn’t. Whether it was courting or dating or another term, you enjoyed being with them. You enjoyed falling in love with them. And that was all that mattered.

"Let me know when I can meet them," your aunt said, pushing away from the counter with a smile. "I like seeing you happy, you know? If they bring joy into your life, I already like them. So don’t keep them hidden from me forever, alright?"

"Alright, I won’t." You didn’t want to either. It might take some time, maybe even quite some time, for your aunt to come around to the idea of you being with mers, but you hoped she would be supportive then.

"Have you told your parents?" your aunt asked and you paused. You hadn’t thought to inform them. Not yet, at least.

Your parents would absolutely not react well if you told them that you were getting courted by mers. Even if things between you were a little bit rocky at the moment, you knew they would fly in without a second’s hesitation. They would try to convince you to pack your bags and usher you to safety. They certainly would do their best to keep you safe and you doubted that they would listen to anything you had to say. Not at first and especially not if they found out that Giorno had siren blood.

You would figure out how to tell them later. Way later.

"Not yet," you answered after a moment.

"I see." Your aunt mimed zipping her mouth shut. "I know of nothing, then."

You gave her a grateful look before she returned to your work. After cleaning up the shop and locking it, your aunt still bent over a new creation of hers, you headed home for the day.

The mers were still busy, but you perked up when you saw that three of them had made time to drop by anyway. Narancia waved, while Fugo peered past the shrubbery and Mista greeted you with a charming grin.

"I’ll be right with you!" you called out. After grabbing a quick snack for everyone, you sat down on the outcroppings, feet dangling into the water.

The mers were quick to catch you up on anything new that had happened since the last time you spoke. Things had gotten even busier after a new pod had shown up this morning to everyone's surprise.

"Apparently they’re hunting the same killer as we do," Mista said. "They were once allied with the old don we took down, so we don’t really know if we can trust them. They had a bit of territory nearby and they're trying to negotiate to get that back."

"I thought all allied pods sought you out after you took over?" you asked and he hummed in agreement.

"They did. But apparently the old don killed two of their own in some kind of power display and they left. When we attacked and he called for them, they ignored him. I don’t think they want to ally with us either necessarily, but they’re willing to work together with us this once. Their don said he would, at the very least, agree to a non-aggression pact between our pods, should we be willing to let them settle in their territory again without a fight."

"They’re dangerous," Fugo joined in, face more serious than you had ever seen it. "They are what we would call a kill-pod. They travel where they are needed and take care of the mers that -"

"Absolutely looost their shit," Narancia cut in, making a big gesture as he spoke. He accidentally ended up smacking Fugo in the face, who already looked irritated that he had gotten interrupted. A moment later, both mers were wrestling and grabbing at each other with irate hisses and sharp clicks.

"Careful," Mista called out with a frown when you nearly got smacked by an errant tail, a wave of water sloshing over your lap and leaving you drenched from the middle down. He shooed them away, grumbling that they had too much excess energy to burn and he cast you an apologetic look.

"You alright?," he asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I’m fine," you answered with a smile, even if you could have done without the drenched shorts. Fugo and Narancia were not, in fact, graceful fighters when they were frustrated with each other and their wrestling had looked rather amusing if you were being honest. It had involved a lot of shoving and dunking and one memorable hair-pull.

When you gestured Mista closer, he readily complied, a smile appearing on his face.

"Enough talk about work," he said, his hands gently settled on your knees. "Could you stay a little later today?" he asked and you nodded, casting him a questioning look. "Great, I have a surprise I’d like to show you."

"Oh?" Now you were curious and he offered a jovial, secretive smile but said nothing more. "I look forward to it."

"Great!" His fingertips lightly tapped your knees so carefully you didn’t even feel his claws. "Wait here, I’ll go and get everything ready. If Narancia and Fugo annoy you, just tell them to leave."

You nodded and with one last glance back he disappeared below the waves, diving deep quickly. Fugo and Narancia returned a moment later to finish the rest of the snacks. At last a bowl of cracker were left and they didn't much like those, describing them as too bland.

"You don’t have to eat them, you know?" you said and Narancia shrugged, nibbling at the last cracker like a particularly bored, unenthusiastic party guest. It made you bite back a laugh.

"So," Fugo spoke up and when you glanced at him, you noticed that he was focused on easing out a pebble that had gotten stuck in a crack in the stone. "Could I ask for something?"

"Sure." You hadn’t spoken much with him before, he seemed to be rather reserved, much like Abbacchio, so you were admittedly curious.

"Do you have any books?" he asked and at last glanced up at you. It took you a moment to decipher his expression to see beyond the guarded careful blankness. He was hopeful but ready for rejection.

"Of course." You leaned your elbows onto your knees as something clicked in your mind. "Would you like to read them?"

You doubted that mers had an easy time reading books, they’d fall apart very quickly in water after all and stashing them somewhere on land would only work for so long.

Fugo hesitated for a moment, mouth opening and closing before he said, "I know some writing, but not everything. Would you teach me?"

"Of course, though I don’t know if I’d be any good at it. I’ve never taught anyone anything." Well, aside from giving some newbies diving tips.

Fugo relaxed a bit, the tension around his eyes easing. "I’m a quick study. As long as you show me, I’ll remember it."

That would indeed make it very easy. You offered him a small smile. "Any preferences on what sort of books I should bring? I can always pull up some texts on my laptop as well."

Oh, you’d have to show them the internet at one point! That might just blow their minds, never mind all the stories and movies and other things you could share with them.

"Something with short stories to start with, if possible," Fugo said after a moment and you noticed that he had stopped picking at the pebble, hands no longer needing to keep busy. "I’m interested in everything, really."

"Oh, can I join?" Narancia asked, letting himself flop hard onto Fugo, who nearly ended up smacking his chin into the rock. With a snarl that startled you, the mers were gone, Narancia tackled into the deep, dark waters, leaving you dripping anew from the large splash they had created. Now you were drenched entirely.

Wiping water from your face you shook your head in fond amusement. Those two could be so much trouble at times. You gathered up the empty bowls and brought them inside, changing out of your thoroughly soaked clothes.

You left your scarf behind as well while you were at it and when you returned back outside, the last shine of the sun was slipping away. More and more stars appeared above and you saw no hint of Fugo or Narancia. You grabbed a pillow to sit on in case you’d have to wait for a bit and settled down at the water’s edge.

The moment the sky was completely dark, the waters pitch-black, you noticed something deep down. Leaning forward, you sucked in a soft breath of surprise when you saw small glowing blobs appear. No, not blobs. Those were jellyfish! You watched in awe as they drifted up, dozens upon dozens of them of varying sizes. They glowed a soft, pale blue and purple and swam along unhurried.

You spotted Mista a moment later, gracefully weaving his way past the jellyfish without touching them and gently herding them along. They came up far, all the way to the surface where they bobbed calmly, illuminating their surroundings enough for you to see the outline where the rocky shore disappeared blow.

Mista surfaced with nary a splash. "Surprise!" he declared, cupping his hands as a tiny glowing jellyfish swam up to him. His face softened into a sweet little smile, tough he was still careful not to touch the little one. "I’m pretty lucky, these guys are rather fond of me and they were willing to put on a show for me tonight."

"They’re beautiful." Your voice was a soft whisper of awe.

There were scientific studies on jellyfish of course and you had seen the sole four clips that existed of glowing jellyfish online, but it didn’t compare to the real thing. Not at all. It didn’t even come close.

"Can you speak with them?" You asked as you shuffled onto your knees, hands braced on the outcropping to lean forward.

Mista moved one hand to make a so-so motion. "Not quite. It’s more like…energy, I suppose? Most ocean life can’t communicating with us, only a small handful are capable of that. Even then, I’m the only one in the pod who has the patience for these guys. They can be quite excitable."

Excitable? You’d take his word for it, but from here the jellyfish looked very sedate, slowly bobbing up and down in their spots.

Mista brought his hands a little closer to the surface, making it easier for you to see the little one drifting above his palms. "I thought you might enjoy seeing them. I know you like the ocean, so I hoped this might be a good surprise."

"It is," you reassured him with a smile and he grinned back happily. "They’re beautiful."

"But quite venomous, it’s best you don’t touch them," Mista hurried to tack on. Not that you would have touched them, as a diver you knew very, very well to keep your hands to yourself when it came to jellyfish.

You couldn’t help but chuckle a little. "Most beautiful, vibrant things in nature shouldn’t be touched." You sat down more comfortably, watching the gentle bob of the glowing sea creatures. "Don’t worry, I’m quite content with watching."

Mista lowered his hands again and gently guided the little jellyfish to the side. "I have a gift too, if you would accept it."

You looked at him in surprise. "But you already showed me them."

"Is that a no?" he asked, a small, teasing smile appearing on his face.

"No, of course not." Your fingertips fiddled with the edge of your shorts. "But I hope you know that this sight alone would have been enough."

Mista scoffed with a smile. "Good enough she says. As if I’d settle for 'good enough'." He dipped below water, carefully maneuvering around the jellyfish. They glow they cast made the colors of his tale near glow.

Mista returned as quickly as he had left, carrying something hidden in his hands. "I found this when we were looking for places we could film for you," he said. "I hope you like it."

Lifting his hands out of the water, he opened them to reveal the most beautiful ring you had ever seen. It looked like it had come straight out of a fantasy movie, the white-gold shining in the glow of the jellyfish as though it was enchanted.

"It’s beautiful," you whispered and when he offered the ring on his palm, you gently picked it up. After figuring out on which finger it fit best, it slid onto your index finger as though it was always meant to be there.

Mista leaned forward a bit. "May I see?"

You held out your hand and he took it gently, turning it a little this way and that to watch the glow play across the ring. Then he looked up, his dark eyes seemingly even darker than before. "Beautiful."

You got the very distinct impression that he was not talking about the ring. Feeling your face warm, you found yourself smiling shyly.

"Flatterer," you said and he smiled wide enough to show a hint of his fangs. He placed a hand over his chest.

"I’m only saying the truth, amore, wouldn’t want you to think I’m a liar." He spoke in mock-affront and you couldn’t help but chuckle. The mers had been very honest so far, you had long since stopped thinking that they were going to lie to you.

"I would never," you answered. "I hope you know you’re quite beautiful yourself."

Mista preened at that. "Now who is the flatterer?"

"Only saying the truth," you answered, feeling your smile turn mischievous. "Amore. Wouldn’t want you to think I’m a liar."

He laughed and let go of your hand to reach up and cup your face with both of his, face bright with mirth and something soft and warm. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yeah," you answered and leaned down to meet him halfway, so he wouldn’t have to strain himself.

Instead of kissing you on the mouth like you had expected, Mista began to pepper light kisses across your face, your cheeks and forehead, your jaw and the tip of your nose, making you laugh quietly and when you grinned, he kissed the corners of your mouth, as though he was trying to taste your joy.

It was sweet and lighthearted and almost simple and you loved it all the more for it. When he pulled back, grinning with satisfaction, you reached out to cup his face. "My turn?"

He perked up and leaned in, closing his eyes expectantly. You kissed him a little slower, pressing lingering kisses to the corners of his eyes, between his brows and on his cheeks. Lastly, you brushed one across his lips. He hummed happily, kissing back.

You felt light with joy and, yes, love, when you pulled back. You resisted the urge to run your hands through his black hair, to see if it felt as silky as it looked. After he had shown you his scars and had shared some of his personal demons, you would never be the kind of asshole to just touch his head.

"I know it’s getting late," Mista said. "But could you stay a little longer?"

"Of course." You would gladly be tired tomorrow at work if it meant spending some more time together. He smiled and when you sat up a bit, your back protesting being hunched over, you ended with him leaning on your knees.

You talked quietly with each other, still surrounded by glowing jellyfish. At one point Mista ended up happily draped over your lap as you massaged his shoulders. He became so relaxed you wouldn’t have been surprised had he fallen asleep.

But he reluctantly pulled back after a few minutes, blinking as though emerging from a haze. "That was the best thing ever," he decided with a little chirp in his voice. "I wish I could stay, but I don’t want to keep you up any longer. I’ll see you again soon?"

"You know where to find me," you said with a smile.

"I certainly do." He sank back into the water, his hands briefly trailing down the outside of your legs and he held your gaze a moment longer before glancing at the jellyfish. "I’ll bring these guys home as well, they’ve been really patient."

"Good night," you said as he pushed back from the outcroppings.

"Sweet dreams!" he called back, just before dipping below the surface, the jellyfish following him steadily.

You watched him guide them a moment longer, before your exhaustion caught up with you and you hid a yawn behind your hand.

You looked forward to tomorrow, but for now you really needed to go to sleep.

***

You set down a book with fairytales on top of a stack of towels, in case the mers wanted to touch the book, eyeing the water attentively. Fugo wasn’t there yet, but you spotted Narancia a moment later. You had agreed to meet up with the two mers today and read them stories and you rather looked forward to it. You were very curious what they would think about the fairytales.

"Hi," Narancia chirped as soon as he surfaced, face brightening when he saw what you had brought. "Oh, I can’t wait to hear human stories! Whatever tidbits I caught before sounded so strange."

The fairytales probably would be rather strange to them and you might have to explain some things. You had looked up a few more stories and books online during your break at work, to try and figure out how to best approach this. Though, once Fugo had a good enough grasp on the written language, you could probably just let him read on his own.

"Fugo got held back," Narancia said. "He sent me ahead to let you know he’ll be late. That pod that was once allied with the old don is still around." His lip curled, showing off his sharp teeth. "They give me a bad feeling, but they didn’t come with aggressive intentions so Bruno says we got to be polite. At least until they end up causing a fight."

"But you are safe?" you asked, feeling yourself frown.

Narancia blinked, then scoffed. "Of course. We won against the old don, don’t underestimate us. They’re nothing. Oh, and they’ve been firmly told to stay away from here, so don’t worry. You shouldn’t have to meet them." He leaned onto the outcropping, giving you a big-eyed look. "Did you bring any sweets?"

You couldn’t help but laugh. "I did, but they’re for later." He pouted and slumped onto the stone.

"That’s basically forever," he sighed, then peered up at you. "Can we at least do something until Fugo shows up?"

"Like what?" You suddenly found yourself curios towards what kind of games mers played. Did they play catch or hide-and-seek?

Narancia’s brows furrowed as he thought. "Well, we can’t play in the water, so I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?"

Right, because you were scared of going in. You paused just as you had been about to start suggesting the first thing that had come to your mind. Sure, there were plenty of games you could play without you getting so much as a toe wet, but you felt safe and your last session with Giorno had gone amazing. Were you ready to try it without him there? You wouldn’t be alone and Narancia wouldn’t let you drown, you knew that. If you didn’t have to put your head below the surface, you should be alright. ...right?

You wanted to try. You wanted to find out if you could do this.

Instead of answering, you kicked your flip-flops to the side and stretched your legs into the water. Narancia’s eyes widened when you slipped into the water, keeping a secure grip on the stone.

"Are you alright?" he asked immediately, looking half worried and half astonished.

"Yeah," you said and a grin spread over your face when you realized that, yes, you actually were fine. Your heart was pounding a bit, but that wasn’t just fear. It was excitement too. "I can’t go under yet, though."

"Still, that’s great!" Narancia said with a cheerful grin. "Oh, if you’re okay in the water, let me show you something!"

He swam ahead, looking giddy and you followed after a moment. Narancia kept close to the shore so that helped, drifting more than anything else. All it took for him to move forward at a pace you could follow was a small flick of his fins. It reminded you of birds gliding through the sky, only occasionally beating their wings.

He didn't lead you too far either, showing you a spot up the shore towards the direction you usually biked to get to work. You hadn't explored this part yet, since there wasn’t a path on land you could have followed. He stopped, excitedly pointing down.

You grabbed a nearby, algae-slick stone that was jutting out of the water to steady yourself, though there was no way you could climb out here. Peering down, it took you a moment to see what he meant. A crack about as long as your lower arm went through the stone, revealing something shimmering inside.

"Do you know what that is?" Narancia asked. "I only noticed this recently and you humans have names for every kind of thing, right?"

"I’d have to see the stone up close," you answered. "And even then I might have to look it up."

"I’ll go get one!" He dove down eagerly and you felt the drag of water as he passed you by.

You watched him maneuver nimbly, clawed fingertips reaching into the crack to break off a piece of shimmering rock. Between one second and the next however, he suddenly jolted around, his tail smacking into your lower legs and you hissed in surprise, nearly dipping below the surface as the force of the movement made you lose your grip on the slick stone.

Narancia had whipped around, fins flared higher than you had ever seen, body a line of tension as he stared past you with teeth bared in warning. The bulk of him was firmly placed in front of you now.

"Back off," he snarled, no longer looking like an excitable, friendly mer, but dangerous and furious, eyes dark and his frame filled with battle-ready tension. "You are not supposed to be here!"

You turned around and as soon as you saw who was there, you felt as though all air got punched out of your lungs.

You saw brick-red scales that shifted to a darker, almost mossy green and lastly there was a shade of darker, almost pink-ish purple along the fins. Colors that had once reminded you of those small beautiful aquarium fish you had seen.

There was no way you would not recognize that pattern, nor the face that emerged from the water, head tipped to the side. The friendly smile that had been part of the trick to lure you into the water was nowhere to be seen at the moment, instead there was something like morbid curiosity. But that didn't matter when all you could feel was a sudden, overwhelming wave of terror.

You had never once forgotten what the mer who had tried to kill you looked like.

Chapter Text

You were drowning, pain carving a fierce, burning path into your neck and side. There were claws and a malicious grin and the surface growing further and further away. You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t fight. Your desperate grip slid off of smooth scales, fingernails breaking while barely scratching water-slick, tough skin. The mer laughed, dark and amused and excited.

There was water everywhere, you couldn’t move well and you couldn’t breathe. Your lungs burned and your neck felt like it had gotten clawed apart. Your side was torn, the sting of salt water making it all so, so much worse. There was an animal terror searing through you, swallowing any rational thought and leaving nothing but desperate, mindless scrabbling for survival behind.

There was an attempt at a calming croon, sounding almost far away, as you tried to fight, to get to the surface, to breathe. There were hands on your waist and splashing and a panicked voice and you couldn’t breathe.

At last you were hoisted up so harshly, limbs knocking into rock so sharply, that you jolted out of your terror and sucked in a great heave of air that left you dizzy. You felt as though you hadn’t breathed properly, drawing in ragged, hitching inhales that were too short and too shallow. You were clinging to water-slick wrists and you blinked, staring down at Narancia’s horrified face. His mouth was moving.

"Breathe," you finally heard him say, as though from far away. "Come on, just breathe. You’re okay. Nothing happened, I won’t let it. Breathe."

Almost immediately you moved your head, even if it felt heavy and loopy all at once. Your body was both buzzing and yet you felt heavy and weak and you were shaking all over. The mer was gone. He was gone, but you couldn’t stop scanning the waves over and over, looking for that flash of color. You almost flinched when you saw movement, only to exhale in a tremble when you noticed that the mer approaching had a spring green tail.

Narancia noticed Fugo as well and immediately let loose a string of whistle-chirps and something sharp that was almost a hiss. Fugo left immediately, zipping away faster than you had ever seen him swim.

"Keep breathing," Narancia said, looking back at you and still holding you so far up you were only in the water from your thighs down. If he was straining to do so, you didn’t notice. "Come on, a little deeper."

You stared at the water, trying to breathe and feeling too wired and too scared. You wanted out of the water immediately, but you didn’t want Narancia to let go. You didn’t want to be lowered back into it and you knew that he’d have to in order to haul you back to land. You didn’t want to lose contact with the stone either, to risk going further into open waters where that mer could be lurking.

When you finally managed to drag in a mostly proper breath, even if it ached, you saw another shape in the water. A familiar one, even if your heart instinctively lurched in your chest in fright. Giorno surfaced and one look at your face was all it took for him to sing, the magic of his voice stronger than ever before.

You relaxed immediately, your breathing evening out and Narancia looked deeply relieved himself as he exhaled heavily. You were slowly lowered back into the water and you barely took notice of it. It didn’t matter anymore.

Narancia hurriedly said something, but you didn’t pay the noise any mind. Not when there was a beautiful siren right there, leaning closer to you with careful, concerned caution. When Giorno reached out, Narancia transferred you easily into his grasp.

You were fully relaxed in Giorno’s arms, dazed and surrounded by wonderful, floaty pleasantness. Almost like cozy warmth on a chilly day while you were about to doze off. You easily leaned against him, this beautiful siren who had captured you so thoroughly. He could keep you, as far as you were concerned. You couldn’t imagine anything better than being held by him, listening to him for forever.

You didn’t notice that you were moving until you were hoisted up onto rocky stone and the song slowly faded on a last, gentle-sweet note. Blinking, it took you a long second to fully emerge from the haze and when you did, your heart rate was normal, your breathing had settled, but you felt weak all over. As if there was a faint tremble caught inside your bones.

Your name being said softly brought your attention to Giorno, who watched you with concern and an edge of grimness, while Narancia peered anxiously over his shoulder. The past few minutes caught up with you. The flashback, the panic attack, Narancia’s desperate, a little clumsy attempt to help you. Which had helped, without him there you had no idea what would have happened.

Without him there you might have died. The mer might have finished the job he failed to do previously. The tremble that shuddered through you was remembered fear and stress and you realized that your hands were starting to shake.

"Look at me," Giorno said, quiet and calm and you dragged your gaze to his green eyes. "Breathe with me."

He took exaggerated breaths and you tried to match him, but your thoughts kept skittering away. Kept skittering back to that mer. Your gaze slid away from his, scanning the water again.

"He’s not here," Narancia said, leaning in a little, still looking a bit startled by everything but mostly he appeared very worried. "He left, he’s nowhere near." His gaze grew cold and darkly vicious. "I can go kill him right now. Do you want me to?"

You almost said yes, mouth already falling open. You almost said yes, because there was a part of you who wanted to stop being afraid so very desperately. Who thought that, if that mer was gone, then you could finally stop being scared. But your voice caught in your throat.

You didn’t want to endanger Narancia and you had no idea if this mer was alone or had a pod. If he was part of that kill pod, then he must be incredibly dangerous.

You pulled your legs out of the water and stumbled to your feet, barely noticing the two concerned mers. Narancia made little click-whistling noises and Giorno had released a calming croon, but you barely registered it. You almost tripped over the books as you backed up.

"I have to go," you choked out, no longer able to remain near the water, still staring at the waves, looking, always looking for that flash of colors. "S-Sorry."

You hurriedly left, shaking and dripping wet and felling chilled to your core. You shook apart inside your cabin, feeling like you had back before you had come here. Before you had befriended the pod and slowly lost your fear. You felt as small and weak and terrified as you had back when you had sat in the hospital, stitched up and nightmare plagued.

You broke down into tears, a ragged, almost keening sort of sob wrenching out of your throat.

You had thought you were getting better! You had come so far and it all had shattered like thin glass just by seeing that mer. You curled up, burying your face into your couch pillow and feeling like your insides had gotten scooped out, leaving something aching and scraped empty behind.

You stayed there until your limbs started to go numb and by then you had slowly stopped shaking. You still felt like you were tethering on the edge a little, as if it didn’t take much to tip you back over into panic.

You didn’t go outside again. You didn’t look out the window and neither did you go near it. All you did was take a shower when you could stand the thought of water for a little bit and curling up on your couch again. You had no appetite whatsoever.

You were exhausted down to your core, but that didn’t stop you from struggling to rest or from having nightmares. You dreamt about drowning and claws and blood in the water. Your dream twisted the events and instead of that horrible mer, it was Giorno. His face was too blurry to make out, claws scraping across your throat. You didn’t even fight back, his song pulling you down, down, down into a lightless, suffocating death.

You woke up with a panicked gasp, drenched in sweat and your body felt weak and trembly, struggling to free yourself from sleep’s grasp.

You left your aunt a voicemail in the middle of the night, saying you didn’t feel well. Your voice was shaking a little and you were fumbling your words, almost stuttering as you apologized, saying you needed a day off.

You dozed off fitfully afterwards, waking up once again when dawn brightened the sky. You stared at the ceiling, while soft, murky twilight ever so softly began to illuminate your cabin. And all of a sudden you got very angry.

Tossing aside your blanket, you got to your feet and marched to the door, shoving your feet into your flip-flops as you yanked the door open. You had come so far. You had come too fucking far to let this be your ruin. You refused to. You wanted to swim again, to dive and feel at home in the water as you once had. You wanted to be with your mers and the pod.

You faltered, your fury evaporating when you stepped onto the porch, gaze falling to the ocean, waters still dark in the twilight of early morning. You craned your head to look past the shrubbery and you saw the entire pod by the outcropping.

You stared at Fugo draped over one rock, Narancia slumped against his back with Trish held in his arms. You saw Mista leaning against Giorno’s shoulder, who seemed to be asleep as well, arms folded over a smooth bit of stone.

Only Bruno and Abbacchio were clearly awake, speaking softly with each other. They must have noticed you then, for they looked up, only for both of them to fall still and quiet. Waiting for you to decide what to do.

You felt a little chocked up, disbelieving and touched by their care and suddenly exhausted all over again. You wanted to be with them. You no longer wanted to feel scared and you really wanted a damn fucking hug.

Walking over, you left your flip-flops behind at the porch, not wanting to wake the others with the noise.

"How are you feeling?" Bruno asked quietly when you approached and you couldn’t help but scan the waters again. They were too dark to see much.

"We sent the pod out of our territory for now," Bruno said, noticing your paranoid, sweeping gaze. "They’re miles from here. All of them."

You forced yourself to take a deep breath, holding it in a moment and exhaling slowly, like you had learned at the hospital. It didn’t make the fear go away, but it helped center you a bit. You sat down ever so slowly, even if you couldn’t bring yourself to stick your feet back into the water.

Bruno kept a little bit of distance, not moving closer and his hands were visible at all times. Abbacchio hung back, a frown on his face and you noticed concern lurking in his eyes, his face serious.

"I’m…better," you settled on saying, voice rasping in a way that made you wince. You had sounded about as great as you felt. "Can you, um…" You wet your lips. "Can I have a hug?"

Bruno’s face softened immediately and some kind of subtle tension went out of Abbacchio’s shoulders as well.

"Of course." Gliding over smoothly and slowly, with barely any movement from his tail, Bruno braced his hands onto stone and you shifted to make it easier for him to push up and then you wrapped your arms around him.

It was a far heavier hug than you were used to when his arms rose to wrap around you in return. He had to lean on you, his weight resting against your chest, but it felt good. It felt as though his weight was helping you settle down inside your own skin, giving you something to focus on. It was reassuring.

Your forehead dropped against his shoulder and you didn’t care that you got saltwater all over your shirt, that it was dripping from the ends of his hair onto your shoulder. All you cared about was that finally, after a night of restless fear, you started to feel safe again.

When you blinked your eyes open, you saw that Giorno and Mista had woken up, both remaining where they were, but watching you closely. Mista was openly worried, while Giorno’s face seemed carefully neutral, with a small furrow between his brows. You felt a stab of guilt for the way you had fled yesterday.

"I’m sorry," you whispered and Bruno’s embrace tightened a little, while both Mista and Giorno looked ready to object.

"Don’t," Abbacchio was first to cut in, casting you a frowning, thoughtful look. "I guess something set you off?"

Your mouth dried and your breath hitched a little and you clung to Bruno when he tried to pull back. He settled against you again, one hand rising to cup the back of your head gently. It was big and damp and you managed to slow your breathing again.

"Thank you, for yesterday," you said, addressing Giorno first. "And, sorry, for running. I, um, I needed a moment to cope." Or rather, to fall apart before you could even start to piece yourself together again. You had needed away from the water as well.

He tipped his head in understanding, his eyes softening. "My song can’t heal wounds of the heart," he said quietly, clearly considerate of his still sleeping pod mates. "I was only trying to help, I hope I didn’t overstep."

You doubted you would have made it back to land with anything less strong than what he had offered. In all that mess yesterday, not once had you been worried about Giorno’s song and his capabilities. Not once had you felt like he had ruined or stolen your agency.

You shook your head. "You did the right thing." Then you swallowed, clinging a little more to Bruno, who tucked you firmly against his chest, leaning up a bit further, his weight settling all along your front, until you felt even safer.

"I saw the mer who had-" Your voice broke, so you let go with one hand to gesture at your neck with shaky fingers.

Giorno’s eyes grew cold and Mista’s darkened, his friendly face looking like it was carved out of stone. You felt more than heard the dangerous rumble in Bruno’s chest and you closed your eyes, feeling exhausted and relieved in equal measure. Now they knew.

"Do you want us to kill him?" Giorno asked and the tone of his voice was different. Subtly but clearly, he sounded less like the mer you were falling in love with and more like someone powerful. Someone who knew he could and would do whatever he deemed necessary.

For a moment you almost said yes. You wanted the mer gone. You wanted to know this nightmare of a creature could never come back to finish what he had started. But you weren’t a fool. You knew what this request would bring, that it meant war with another pod, a very dangerous pod. Considering how Narancia had reacted to the mer’s presence yesterday, he had met him before. There was only one group that had recently shown up and been warned away from you.

You didn’t want Giorno’s pod to get hurt. You didn’t want to find out one of them had died because of you or that someone had been severely injured.

More than that, you knew killing the mer wouldn’t make the nightmare go away. You would still be scared of the water and terrified of drowning. You’d still carry the scars and wear scarves and long enough shirts to hide them. You might always need Giorno whenever you dunked your head below the surface.

"I don’t…yes. No. Maybe." You hid your face against Bruno’s shoulder. "It won’t erase the past."

"Maybe, but you can’t go wrong with a bit of revenge," Mista said and you peeked at him.

Revenge…you wanted to pay back the pain and terror you had to admit. Or rather, you wanted to give the pain and terror back. As if it was a too heavy backpack someone had dropped onto your shoulders and had quickly run away before you could protest. Like your trauma was something you had hauled along against your will and now you could just simply drop it off with the original owner, dust your hands and leave.

"Let’s talk about it later," Bruno murmured when you had no idea what to say. The hand on the back of your head moved to gently rub your back. His hand was big and he used just the right amount of pressure to help your tense muscles relax a little.

"We will keep you safe," Giorno said with an undertone of siren. He sounded as sure as the waves and as inevitable as the tides. "You have nothing to fear."

In a big exhale, tension seeped out of you and you managed to reach a hand out to them. When you made it clear that you wanted both Giorno and Mista, they didn’t waste another second. Giorno’s hand clasped yours, as Mista and he shifted close to the right and left of you until you felt shielded and protected from all sides.

Mista leaned his temple against your right shoulder, his arm wrapping around your hips and Giorno’s chest pressed against your left arm, forehead resting against your jaw and almost nuzzling into the crook of your neck. His hair was perfectly dry, letting you know that he had been at the surface for hours, waiting for you. They all had dry hair, you realized.

Bruno’s cheek came to rest against the top of your head and you took a moment to just breathe and slowly you stopped feeling like any wrong move or word was going to shake you apart like a badly done jigsaw puzzle.

You closed your eyes and you realized how exhausted you were. You felt as though you hadn’t slept at all and you didn’t want to go back inside the cabin. But this wasn’t too comfortable for the mers either and while they didn’t complain, they couldn’t hold you like this for too long either. Not for the amount of time that you wanted to just stay like this.

You reluctantly pulled back, taking a slow breath so deep it made your chest ache a little. It trembled faintly on the exhale, but you felt…not quite better, but maybe a little steadier. A little less high-strung and ready to descend back into a panic attack.

Bruno sank back a bit, water lapping at his chest, while he looked at you steadily. Mista drew back, dark eyes worried and Giorno shifted to lean more against the stone, quietly waiting. Even Abbacchio was lingering in the background, almost managing to act as though he wasn’t carefully keeping an eye on everyone.

"Are you very busy today?" you asked quietly and their faces softened.

"We will make time," Giorno answered just as quietly, but his tone was certain. "We can keep Jotaro and Koichi informed and decide how to deal with La Squadra."

Was that the name of the kill pod? Did you want to know who the mer was who had attacked you? A part of you did, this human desire to put a name to a terror and try and de-tooth it that way. To make it less scary by gathering knowledge. But the rest of you had no desire to know more. The rest of you just…wanted to forget.

You gave a small nod and reached up to rub a hand across your face. You wanted to sleep and at the same time, you just wanted to sit very still and not move for a small eternity.

"Can you send them away?" you asked after a moment.

"We already did," Giorno said reassuringly. "They’re currently waiting at the edge of our territory to discuss things further." He tipped his head slightly and his eyes went flat and cold. "They have expressed confusion over our reaction."

There was the subtlest shift in Giorno’s voice, creating a tone that would have terrified you back when you had just met him. Now it felt unexpectedly reassuring to see him get angry on your behalf.

Then you frowned. "He doesn’t…he doesn’t remember?" You vaguely flapped a hand towards your neck, slightly hunching over the side where he had left deep claw marks behind, jagged lines that traced along your ribs. The doctors had said had his claws not run along bone, but slipped between, or had it been a little lower, he would have injured you far more severely. You might not have survived at all.

Giorno turned utterly expressionless, but his eyes seemed to blaze, while Mista bared his fangs in a silent snarl and Bruno looked furious.

"He doesn’t," Giorno answered, soft and steady and quietly terrifying. "He seemed puzzled at best as well. He might have remembered by now, however."

You had no idea how to feel about that so you tried not to think about it. You tried not to consider what it meant for a mer to forget someone they had tried to kill. If murder was just so normal for this La Squadra that they didn’t even bother to remember faces and events anymore. Or if you had been so unimportant, so…so bland, that he hadn’t been able to recall the event. An event that had ruined you and the thing you loved most.

You pressed your face into your hands and leaned forward until you curled up into yourself. The mers were quiet, but you sensed their worry. Giorno and Mista were right at your sides and you closed your eyes and your breath hitched on a sob.

Immediately, soft croons filled the air, not to make you stop and swallow the grief, but to let you know you weren’t alone. They were there. Before you knew it, you were sobbing, crying out all the pent-up emotions, the fear and frustration, the helplessness and pain.

"Can we hold you?" Giorno asked and you nodded, wiping away tears and sniffling and your breath caught on another sob.

You didn’t startle when you felt their hands, because it was them and you knew they were there and would reach out. Because by now you trusted their hands, always gentle and kind and considerate. Always so good to you.

You tipped a little forward and to the side, leaning against Bruno and Giorno, while you tugged at Mista’s shoulder until he draped himself half over your side and one leg, his weight reassuring and familiar and you felt his croon rumble in his chest.

"Can we join?" Trish’s voice made you look up and you noticed that everyone was awake now.

Narancia’s eyes were big and worried and there was a concern on Trish’s face, while Fugo hung back with Abbacchio, frowning as he helped keep watch. You wriggled an arm free and you had no idea how the heck this was going to work, there was only so much damn space, but you wanted to hold them all.

"Thank you," you sniffed as Narancia swam closer and you managed to ruffle his thick, air-dried and a little salt-crusted hair, while the mers tried to sort themselves out. "Thank you."

He perked up at that, the worry not lessening but he did offer a small smile.

The hugging did not work out, but Narancia and Trish seemed to feel better after they got to check you over and they brightened when you pulled them into tight hugs before letting go again.

"You saved me, you know," you told Narancia as you pulled back.

"Of course, I’ll always have your back," Narancia said with a small chirp in his voice. Then he grinned, bright and cheerful. "You’re one of us."

You wiped the last of your tears away, a small, tired but real smile starting to tug at your lips. "Thanks." Your cheeks felt hot and your head was aching a bit now, but your heart felt a little lighter.

The fear was gone, for now, as if you had cried it all out. Now you kind of really wanted to lie down and sleep, but you still didn’t want to be alone. Maybe you should drag some pillows and all your blankets out here to curl up right here.

You briefly looked at the water and when a shiver threatened to curl down your spine, you viciously reminded yourself that you trusted these mers. That you trusted them to know what they were doing and that nothing and no one would slip past them while they were here. If they didn’t worry, neither had you reason to be concerned.

And somehow, for this moment at least, the water stopped looking like an endless, dark death. It just looked like the ocean again, like something you would get back into, one way or another. Just…not now. Not now.

You did manage to relax enough, however, to stretch a bit, your lower legs dangling into the water. Within moments, you ended up in a cuddle pile, lying on your back while Giorno and Mista hugged your sides and Bruno was lying on your middle. Not so far up as to make breathing hard, but he had his arms folded on your belly, his cheek cushioned on them.

It was peaceful and calm and you actually started to doze off a little again as the sun rose, safe and held and unexpectedly comfortable despite the somewhat rough stone beneath your back.

The rumble of a car later in the morning made you flinch upright, startled and confused and the mers all straightened, relaxed atmosphere immediately replaced with protective tension. You were easily given space as you got to your feet and you spotted your aunt’s car approaching swiftly.

"My aunt," you said and hesitated. "She, um, might not react well to seeing you, after what had happened to me."

"We’ll stay nearby," Giorno said as the pod began to slip beneath the waves with some reluctance. "Call if you want us to return."

They were gone just in time for your aunt to stop sharply. She got out of the car without bothering to kill the engine and rounded it with fast steps.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking you over. You had no idea what you looked like, only that you were reasonably certain you still looked exhausted as as though you had been put through the wringer. "Oh, sweetheart."

You teared up again before you knew it and she pulled you into a hug, letting you hide against her shoulder. You didn’t want to cry again, but a tear or two still squeezed past your closed eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, gently rubbing your back. "Has someone threatened you? Did you get hurt? Do you need me to call someone?"

You shook your head and held on to her for a moment longer. You had no idea how to explain everything, but your mind was less of a muddled mess than it would have been without your mers. Without being welcomed and cuddled by them.

"I-" You started and stopped, feeling conflicted. Then you took a deep breath and pulled back. You wanted to tell your aunt the truth. You weren’t ashamed, not in the slightest, for the ones you were falling in love with. You wanted her to get to know the pod and know that not only were you one of them, they were yours too.

Along with that, you hated lying to your aunt, who had done so much to help you. She had gotten you this place, furniture, a job and was nothing but supportive. If there was someone who had cheered you on throughout recovery and getting back to your feet physically as well as mentally, it was her.

She had closed her shop for weeks to stay with you and your parents when you had been in the hospital. Afterwards she had contacted you a lot, distracting you with countless phone and video calls. She had rambled away and gotten your opinion on her newest creations, holding them up to the camera to the point where you hadn’t been able to see much of anything.

You were a little scared of her reaction, though. Aside from your parents, your aunt had been the one who had seen the aftermath of the attack in detail. She had been there when you had had panic attacks just by seeing the ocean, when you had cried and couldn’t calm down after nightmares. She hated the mer who had done this and she had gotten a very vicious opinion of mers in general afterwards.

But, at the end of the day, you loved and trusted her and that she would trust you in return. You took a deep breath and brushed a stray tear away. "I need you to be very chill about what I’m going to tell you."

She blinked, then frowned, confused. After a moment’s pause, she said, "It’s not drugs, is it?"

"What? No." At your words she looked relieved. "You, um, you know about the mers who’re living around here, right?"

Your aunt gave you a look. "Just about everyone does. We live at the coast, only a moron of the highest degree doesn’t know about them."

You tangled your fingers together nervously. Your eyes felt a little swollen from all the crying. "I befriended them."

Your aunt’s brows rose sharply. Then she frowned. At last she looked aside, her expression complex as she kept silent for long seconds. "Why? You - with everything that happened - how?"

"They’re the best." You found yourself smiling a little despite everything and immediately got more nervous at the next part of what you were going to say, "And, um, you know…" You gestured helplessly and said everything in one big, fast rush, "I am falling in love with three of them."

You found yourself cringing a bit preemptively as your aunt’s mouth opened and no sound came out. She looked deeply conflicted, kind of horrified, very confused and massively concerned. She inhaled sharply a couple of times as though she was going to speak, only to stop again.

"I think we need to talk," she said at last with a too steady voice. "Because I heard one of them is a siren."

"He wouldn’t," you answered immediately, a little sharper than intended. At this her expression pinched with badly hidden doubt and concern and you took a calming breath. "He wouldn’t. They kept me safe from Miri and they’ve been bringing me food and gifts and they make me laugh."

"Then why are you in this state?" your aunt asked and your mouth immediately grew dry.

"I saw him again." Your voice came out a bit off, cracking a little. "The one who, who tried to kill me." Your voice turned into a near silent croak at the end.

Your aunt immediately tugged you a little further away from the water, scanning the ocean with sharp eyes. "Where?" She sounded tense and a little scared, but at the same time determined to keep you safe.

"They chased him away," you said, hesitantly putting a hand on her arm. "I’m safe."

Your aunt closed her eyes for a moment, taking a calming breath. "We’re going inside," she said, putting her hands on your shoulder, looking at you intently. "And you’re going to tell me everything."

***

Your aunt had her face buried in her hands, while you sat in the opposite corner of the couch, resisting the urge to pick at a loose thread. The entire story had tumbled out of you a little gracelessly, but your aunt had listened with only a few questions here and there.

"How can you trust them?" she asked, letting her hands fall to lay limp on her legs as she sat up a bit to look at you. "How can you be sure the siren didn’t spell you?"

You were unsure how to convince her. "They have always been respectful," you said, a little helpless. "They always ask if I’m okay with something. They have been respectful even when they didn’t really know me."

"They are dangerous," your aunt said and you knew they were. There was no way they weren’t. Not when they had killed before and might kill again.

"If one person knows how dangerous mers are, it’s me," you found yourself saying with a bit of a bite to your tone. "I never forgot nor will I ever forget. But…they’re not like that. They make me feel safe when I’m with them. I’m - I’ve been getting back into the water."

Your aunt stared at you in genuine surprise at those words and you looked back, desperate and determined and clinging to the edge of your dream with cold, shaking fingertips. Your dream didn’t feel shattered anymore. Broken, maybe, and in need of serious repair, but you could get it back. You wanted it back more than anything else.

"Giorno’s been helping me a lot, they all are," you continued, unable to stop the words from tumbling out. Everything you had kept quiet wanted to be known now, wanted to be put into words and spoken into existence. "I’ve never felt so hopeful that I can get back into the ocean. Back into diving."

"Your panic attacks-" She stopped herself, looking conflicted. You knew what she wanted to say. She knew how badly you had reacted back when you had tried to go swimming again in a perfectly safe, utterly mer-free artificial pool.

"I’m working on it," you said, hands gripping your pant legs. "And I’m getting better. I’ve been happier, you know I have been."

Your aunt’s shoulders slumped a bit and she looked a little helpless herself now. "I know." Her gaze fell to your jewelry. "They gave you that?" At your nod she huffed a small, wry noise. "That explains why their gifts are so incredibly expensive."

"I don’t care about that," you said and your aunt gave you a glance that told her she knew. "They’re good to me."

Your aunt leaned back against the couch cushions and sighed heavily. She stared up at the ceiling, then looked at you.

"I trust you," she said at last. "Sorry if it sounded like I didn’t. And you have been happier. I just thought it was this place, being away from home and building a life you wanted that did it."

"That too, that played a big part" you hurried to reassure her. "Coming here has been the best thing I could have done. It would have been whether or not I had met the mers. They just…made it better. They make everything easier."

"I’m glad you’re happy," your aunt said quietly. "And that you’ve found someone special, or, three someones. But I will not give you my blessings without meeting those mers first."

You blinked in surprise as she got to her feet. "What?" she said, attempting one of her usual smiles, even if it was a little tense around the edges. "I can’t allow my precious niece to fall into the hands of tempting, half naked fish-men without making sure their intentions are pure."

You couldn’t help but snort and she offered a small half grin in return. "Alright," you said, getting to your feet. "They said they would stay close enough to hear me if I called for them."

Your aunt looked briefly nervous, but she squared her shoulders and nodded for you to go ahead. You led her outside to the outcropping you usually met the mers. The books were still there, though someone had used one of the towels you had left to wrap them up, an attempt to protect them from the elements. It made something warm curl through you, an affectionate fondness that chased some of the lingering nerves away.

"Um, guys?" you called out, your aunt cautiously hanging back. "My aunt would like to meet you, if you’re alright with that."

You spotted them drifting up from below a moment later. Their pace was a little slower than usual, a careful ascend that told you they were trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible.

Giorno and Bruno emerged first, both offering you a small, sweet smile. The others followed within a second. Abbacchio and Fugo hung back the most, watching with wary eyes, while Trish peeked around Bruno, hands clinging a bit to his fins. Narancia looked unabashedly curious and Mista offered one of his friendly, bright smiles.

"Um, please meet my aunt," you half turned to introduce her and she stepped forward with a bit of trepidation and quite a bit of courage. She certainly looked like she hadn’t expected to see so many mers. "She wanted to meet you after I told her about you."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Giorno Giovanna," Giorno said, then introduced everyone else.

Your aunt looked conflicted for just a moment longer, then she lifted her chin mulishly and you got to witness the most thorough questioning you had ever seen. She grilled the mers on absolutely everything and once or twice you felt utterly flustered and a little embarrassed by what she was saying.

At one point, Abbacchio ushered Narancia, Trish and Fugo a bit further away, murmuring a quick something about keeping a perimeter. To be fair, Narancia had stared to look very bored, Fugo appeared affronted by some of the things your aunt was saying and Trish seemed a mix of curious and befuddled.

The look Abbacchio sent you was a little exasperated and you couldn’t help but smile back, a little helpless but fond of everyone around you nonetheless. His expression softened the slightest bit and with a sigh and a flick of his fins he smoothly dipped below the waves.

"Hm," your aunt said at last, looking grudgingly impressed and no longer as guarded. "I guess you’ll do." She glanced at you. "They’re charming fuckers."

You couldn’t help but snort and a crooked but genuine smile was on your face. "They’re very sweet." You glanced at the mers, who were leaning against the outcropping to make things easier. Their hair was starting to dry again in the morning sun and they looked patient and a little satisfied.

Your aunt had a helpless, fond expression on her face when you looked back at her. "You really like them, huh?"

"Yeah." You felt the urge to reach out to the mers, but held back for the moment. "They’re wonderful."

"I suppose I see what you mean," she admitted, then sighed. "Alright, you have my blessings."

You felt relieved at that and were about to speak up, when your aunt stilled and her eyes widened. "My shop!" she stepped back with a curse. "So sorry to bail on you like a lunatic, you’ll be fine? I can come back right away if you need me to."

"I’ll be alright," you said, watching fondly as your aunt hurriedly walked backwards to her car, still looking at you and nearly tripping onto her ass when she encountered the shrubbery. "We can talk later."

"I’ll hold you to that," she said, rounding her car. "I especially want to be kept up to date on the situation with the mer who, you know." She gestured at her own neck. Your smile slipped and you nodded.

She got into her car and with a last wave, hurriedly drove away. You turned back around to the mers, who watched you attentively.

"How did we do?" Mista asked with a smile. "I think we did pretty well."

"You all did amazing," you said, stepping up to them. They made space for you to sit between Bruno and Mista, Giorno leaning on Mista’s tail, who supported him easily. You sat down cross-legged, then you shifted to drop your feet into the water again. You were safe, after all. "Thank you, for answering all her questions."

Bruno chuckled softly. "It was no hardship. And knowing what we know, her concern is justified."

"Yeah, well…" You trailed off, shrugging a little helplessly. You found yourself looking at the water again. You bit your lip, glancing at Giorno, the previous good mood evaporating. "I’m sorry, I don’t think I can go back in. Not now."

Giorno’s expression gentled, warm with understanding and calm. "We’ll do things at your pace. When you’re ready, I’ll be there."

"I can always bring up the jellyfish again," Mista offered with a sweet smile. "And we could bring you other things to look at. There are a lot of strange things in those wrecks and we’re quite curious about the use of some of them."

You were so touched it felt as though your chest was filled with bright warmth. They were so kind and lovely and patient and you wanted to cry and laugh a little all at once. You had no idea what expression was on your face, but there was an immediate, gentle sort of croon. You had no idea who of the three had made the sound, only that they all leaned a little towards you.

"Can I have another hug?" you asked and three sets of arms wrapped around you without hesitation. There was a moment of bumping and you nearly got pushed over to the side, a hiccupy sort of laugh escaping you, before all managed to figure out how to do this.

You let your head drop against Bruno’s shoulder, one arm around Mista and Giorno respectively. They were quite a bit bigger than you, so you didn’t manage to wrap your arms around their shoulders entirely and you had ended up inching forward more until only your butt was left on the rocks to give them more space. And yet, this time it wasn’t enough.

You wanted to be with them, in all the ways that mattered. You wanted to be back in the water and be held fully by them. You wanted to see what else they could show you. How you might be with them, rather than always sitting on stone, while they slowly got dry in the sun.

You didn’t want to be scared anymore. You wanted back what you had before that mer had shown up, that pride and bright hope and that daring readiness to try more. To push yourself further.

"I don’t want him to win," you whispered after a moment. "I want to care as little about him as he cared about…about hurting me."

Their arms tightened for a moment, then you took a deep breath and pulled back, looking at Giorno.

"Forget what I said before, I want to go back to our beach and try again." When he looked more serious, you added, "If you are willing to sing for me."

His expression eased. "Of course." His fingertips skated along your hip, a light, soft touch that made your skin tingle a little. "Right now?"

"Yeah." Fuck that stupid mer, you decided. Fuck him and his cruelty and his complete and utter disregard for the pain he had caused. You wanted to be done with it, with him. And if you had a powerful siren right there, ready and willing to help, you would stomp your memories of that monster into the dirt as many damn times as it took for it to stick.

"Would you accompany us?" you asked Bruno and Mista.

While Mista nodded, Bruno looked regretful. "I would join you later, if you don’t mind. I’ll go take care of our guests for a bit." He reached out, gentle, big hands settling on your knees. "Unless you need me, then I will be there."

You covered his hands with yours, tracing his knuckles briefly. "I’ll be happy to see you later. Don’t let me keep any of you from the things you need to get done."

"You’re important," Bruno said immediately. "Never doubt that. I’ll wrap things up as quickly as I can."

He slowly pulled back, blue eyes gentle and you smiled at him, quickly reaching out before you could stop yourself. He stilled when your hands cupped his cheeks and you leaned in to brush a light kiss against his lips.

"Take care of yourself," you whispered. "And say Koichi hi from me. He seems to be a sweet kid."

"He is." His fingertips brushed your wrists, holding them gently as he smiled at you, his voice a murmur, "I’ll see you soon."

You nodded and watched him slip below the waves with enviable elegance and only a small ripple against the gently lapping ocean. He disappeared with a last glance back, faster than you could ever hope to swim, even with flippers.

You looked back at Mista and Giorno. "I’ll meet you there?"

They nodded and Mist looked a little excited, while Giorno was calm and collected, but you noticed the small smile lurking in the corners of his mouth. They both had a proud shine in their eyes and you got to your feet, watching them dive into the deep.

By the time you reached the isolated little beach you had had enough time to start doubting and worrying again. You weren’t ready for this on all accounts, but this time you weren’t alone. This time you had something wondrous on your side: a siren.

Knowing that, it was as though the fear had a harder time holding on to you, slipping away again and again while trying to crawl into your veins. Mista and Giorno were already there, the former floating on his back in the shallows, looking like he was soaking up the sun, while Giorno occasionally flexed his fins to create small waves that washed over Mista.

They both looked up the moment you started to walk across the sand. It was determination that carried you into the water, but your heart began to pound harder with every step you took. You started to feel a little shaky and your breathing was going a little faster.

"Could you sing?" you asked Giorno when you stopped near them, but found yourself unable to sit down in the surf like usual. "Please."

Mista rolled onto his front while Giorno nodded. A moment later, the lightest, softest song filled the air. You barely felt his influence, but it was enough to get yourself to sit down, even with your heartbeat pounding in your ears. Your shoulders were hitched high and your back was tense, your hands clutching your knees.

"Can I come closer?" Mista asked and you jerked your head into a small nod.

In all honesty, watching him wriggle his way closer to you took the edge out of the situation further. When he made a triumphant little noise, grinning sunnily at you, your shoulders lowered, your back relaxing. You managed to wobbly smile back.

"It’s warm here," Mista said, while Giorno pulled himself a little closer as well. "We rarely spend much time in the shallows. It’s usually not the safest thing."

That made your breath catch a little. They were willing to go out of their comfort zone for you, to go and do what left mers vulnerable: they were far enough in the shallows that they could not get away easily. They had somewhat beached themselves.

"I won’t let anything happen to you," you found yourself saying fiercely. No fucking way. No one would touch them. It didn’t matter that this beach was secluded and you heavily doubted that anyone knew about it, what mattered was that they knew.

Mista’s grin turned into a charmed, warm smile. "I know," he said without an ounce of hesitation.

"As do I," Giorno murmured and it was then that you realized he had stopped singing, his faint influence faded and gone. When you looked at him, he smiled, proud and sweet. "You are strong, we all know that."

Strong enough to sit in the shallows the day after coming face to face with your personal nightmare. You reached out to cup Giorno’s cheeks in your hands and his green eyes were intense and he never once looked away from you. He saw you, for who you were.

"You can do this," he said, quiet but utterly certain. "You don’t need me either, you can get back into the water all on your own, but I’m honored that you trust me to help. That I can make it easier."

You had no idea what to say to that, so you leaned in to gently press your lips against his cheek. He hummed a soft tone, tinged with enough of his siren abilities to make a pleasant shiver rake down your spine. You pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, then his jaw and at last you kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you," you whispered. "For believing in me."

"You have a good, strong heart," he said and shifted his weight onto one arm to free up the other. His fingertips and then his palms pressing to the spot where your heart beat, the rhythm slower and less intense than before. "Never doubt that, not when we all would fall in love with your heart over and over again."

You ducked your head a bit, pressing your forehead against his and you couldn’t have stopped the smile from spreading on your face even if you had wanted to.

You pulled back after a moment, to find Mista watching the two of you with a painfully fond and sweet smile, his fins swishing a little in the water, looking content and happy.

"I’m not always as good with words as Giorno is," Mista said. "But I love how you light up when you talk about the things you love and I see the way you look at the ocean. You would have found your way back into it, whether you had met us or not." He leaned in a bit, his smile widening into a little grin. "Would you like to hear a secret? The ocean likes you too."

As though to support his claim, a gentle little wave rolled past your chest, water warm and clear. "Is that so?" you said and Mista hummed, a low, long tone you doubted you could ever replicate.

"Absolutely," he said with a confident nod. "I made sure to ask."

It was the sweetest kind of silly and you found the last of the tension melting away. An idea struck you and you gestured the mers closer. After a bit of shifting and a brief bumping moment, you leaned back against Giorno’s chest, with Mista draped across your front. They were big enough that the surf didn’t bother them, nor did you have to worry about them struggling with air when they dipped a bit lower into the water.

But here you were, the ocean gently lapping against your neck, strong arms securely wrapped around yourself and you inhaled deep and exhaled slow. This was one of the things what you had hoped to gain by getting back into the water. To be held by this.

You let your head loll back against Giorno’s shoulder, who had his eyes closed and looked content, soaking up the sun, a few stray strands of gold-blond hair stuck to his cheeks. Mista looked cheerful and briefly reminded you of a very comfortable cat, which had just found the perfect spot to curl up in, his head pillowed on your sternum.

Giorno’s free hand rose and a moment later, he gently, carefully massaged your scalp with his fingertips, the tips of his claws creating the faintest, most pleasant sensation.

Like this, the other mer seemed far away. Like this, it really felt as though what he had done to you didn’t matter as much anymore. As though, for the first time since the attack, you had actually managed to…let go. Let go of the pain and fear and constant hyper vigilance the moment you waded into water.

You traced your fingers over Mista’s shoulders, who hummed in a pleased manner, making you exert a bit more pressure and you immediately felt him melt entirely on top of you. These mers were so damn sweet.

At one point, Mista lightly tapped your side with one palm. "Bruno’s coming," he murmured against your shirt, still looking boneless and very pleased with his lot in life.
You moved your head enough to spot Bruno when he emerged, his expression fond and glad when he saw you all tangled together.

"I took care of things for now," Bruno said quietly as he joined the three of you. Since he was a little bigger than both Giorno and Mista, he had to use a bit more strength to shift himself along the shallows. "We have most of the day to ourselves. Abbacchio and Fugo are patrolling, while Narancia and Trish are keeping an eye on your home."

"Thanks," you said, voice heavy with gratitude. You had to get these mers something special to properly say thank you. You reached out when Bruno was close enough, tracing the shape of his jaw and cheek bones for a moment, before tucking his hair behind one ear. An ear that was a little different to yours, it certainly looked more flexible when it shifted a little against your fingertips.

"Want to join us?" you asked and he offered one of his wonderful smiles.

"I would be honored to," he said and before you could even start to shift and figure out where he fit, he curled along your side. Hie head came to rest on Giorno’s chest, black hair splaying out a bit, while he draped his tail over Mista’s, who opened one eye, smiling back lazily.

Bruno’s arm came up to rest over Mista’s back, making sure not to disturb the wandering path of your hand. A moment later, he tucked his face into the crook of your neck, humming a soft, content noise.

You couldn’t even feel the shift of the ocean anymore, not with three big mers right there. You shifted your head enough to press your cheek against the top of Bruno’s head. You had no idea why exactly, if it was because with all of them here the deep, vast ocean suddenly seemed far away, or if you really had come farther than you had expected, if you were stronger than you had thought, but you no longer could find any fear within you.

Not in this moment, not when you felt…loved and cherished and important. Not when these mers were so gentle and careful and made you feel joyful and happy. When the ocean, the thing you loved most, was so calm and quiet around you. When any concerns about dealing with your nightmare-mer and his pod could be pushed far away for now.

Fear had no place here, not right now. Not among all of you tangled together like this.

"Hey," you whispered, eyes closed against the bright shine of the sun. Bruno and Mista made a little chirp-hum noise to show they were listening, while Giorno’s came out more melodic, a soft little thrill of his siren song woven in. "You guys are making me thoroughly fall in love with you, do you know that?"

Bruno pressed a smile into your shoulder, one big enough to probably look very happy and perhaps a little smug. Mista grinned openly at you, eyes opening enough to look at you with warm joy.

Giorno’s hand moved from your head to your face, tracing along your nose and briefly brushing your lips, before he moved it to brush the back of his knuckles over your cheek.
"Good," Giorno said and you felt his voice rumble in his chest beneath your back. "We’re doing everything right, then."

"Yeah," you murmured. "You absolutely are."

You felt them curl a little closer now, arms tightening around you and quiet croons filled the air for a moment. And for just this little sliver of time, everything felt right and good, everything was warm and bright. You embraced this moment, this happiness, for you had no way of knowing how long it would last.

Chapter Text

You found yourself taking a deep breath as you reached into the big bag you kept your diving suits in. As you pulled your favorite one out and held it up in front of you, you were filled with an almost aching longing. Only, when in the past you had felt hurt and sad and defeated and miserable and bitter, now you felt hopeful.

Hopeful and there was this downright steely thread of courage that made you stand taller even as your heart began to pound just a little.

Gripping the wetsuit tighter, you gathered it up a bit and shuffled off to the bathroom before you could change your mind. Putting on a swimsuit first you then wriggled into your diving suit. Zipping it up along the back, you gave an experimental stretch, the feel of it and way the fabric didn't have much give was achingly familiar.

It still fit as well as the last time you had worn it and it filled you with the itching desire to get into the water. It felt like standing at the door to a second kind of home, as if you were about to step into a place you loved and adored and had visited as often as possible in the past.

You had split from the mers a little while ago to get lunch done and you were going to meet up with the pod in a little bit to eat together with them. It gave Giorno and Bruno the chance to check in on things and Mista had gone with them to help with patrolling.

While a part of you was still a little unsettled by what had happened, you no longer felt shaken up. If anything, enjoying the sun and the heat of the day while lying in the surf with three mers cuddled up around you as much as possible had done wonders for your mental state.

You were doing a lot better than you would have, had you been on your own, that was for sure. Without them, you wouldn’t have set foot into the water for weeks, maybe even months at a time. Now you were even getting into your wetsuit.

Not that you were thinking about joining the others in the ocean while you ate. Well, a part of you was, but you had no idea if you could actually do it. Just alone the fact that you could put the diving suit on at all already felt like a big step. Like there might not be much left before you would go on your first little dive again.

With Giorno’s help, of course, you were under no illusions that it would end badly if you attempted that on your own. For all your progress, you were certain that you shouldn’t risk slipping below the waves unsupervised and alone, where your fear and trauma could prey on you uninterrupted and unimpeded. You still vividly remembered the panic attack back in the pool after you had attempted diving after you had healed up. Another diver had to help haul you out before you choked on water and it had taken you minutes to calm down enough to get up and walk out, feeling the searing burn of shame and a terrible, grieving sadness.

That had been the last time you had attempted to so much as swim a bit, at least until you had come here. You had inched closer and closer to the ocean ever since the mers had slowly but steadily, carefully but consistently, earned your trust. And now you were filled with love and hope and determination and also a sort of prickling, lingering fear that didn’t manage to overwhelm you anymore, even if it made nervousness gnaw along the edges of your senses.

It burned within you, more than ever now, to not let that terrible mer win. To get back into the ocean, the place you had loved so very much for longer than you could remember. You stared at yourself in the mirror, seeing a familiar view, a version of yourself you had spotted numerous times in the past. The suit fit comfortably, just like you remembered and you realized you had no desire to take it off yet. Maybe there was a part of you that wanted to continue to be daring, to keep taking steps forward, no matter how small or how insignificant they would have been in the eyes of other people.

Your alarm ringing made you jolt and you quickly hurried out of the bathroom to get the lasagna out of the oven. It looked like it had turned out just perfect. Along with the lasagna you had made some pudding and a number of dips that could be eaten with slices of freshly bought baguette. 

A bit fancier than other dishes you had made in the past, but you wanted to say thank you to the pod and you were glad you had quickly dipped into town for fresh ingredients after returning home.

Plating everything you started to carry the food outside to place it on the part of the outcropping that was mostly flat. Narancia and Trish appeared first and they eyed your getup curiously, before their attention was captured by the food. By the time you brought the last two, big plates out, the entire pod waited for you. You told them what each thing was and set them loose.

It was a joy, as always, to watch their faces as they tried new things, the way they brightened with delighted surprise when they found something they liked. The lasagna and dips were a great hit and Narancia and Fugo had a moment of curios fun when they squeezed the baguette slices to make the crust crunch and crumble, before they ate them.

Before long the plates and bowls were emptied and after you had stacked them off to the sides, you grabbed one of the books you had left at the side. Fugo was first to reach you, gaze bright and quietly anticipatory as he held onto the ledge, gaze glued to the book. You shifted so he could see the pages properly and he leaned up and forward to peer past your arm.

You spent a good hour reading them fairy tales, moving your finger along the lines so Fugo could follow along, before they had to leave again. Reluctantly, almost all of the mers slipped away. Even Giorno and Bruno had to go in order to speak with their guests and deal with the kill pod still lingering at the edges of their territory.

"We’ll let you know why they insist on staying," Bruno promised, a furrow between his brows. "I can visit you again later?"

"I'll be home, just call if I’m not outside," you answered and he smiled, warm and sweet and dipped below the waves. Giorno left with a soft hum-click that made your smile widen and then you were left with Mista for company. Not that you were complaining. Far from it, actually.

"So, it’s just the two of us," Mista said with a cheerful, charming little grin and you couldn’t help and smile back, a light, happy and a little flirty feeling unfolding within you.

"Seems like it," you said, inching a bit closer to the water to let your legs dangle into the gentle waves. You leaned forward a bit as he joined you, face lighting up when you waved him closer, his hands touching your knees. "Do you, coincidentally, have any ideas about what me might do?"

He laughed and pushed up, hands bracing heavily against your knees and you reached out, your hands cupping his cheeks as he pressed a sweet, quick little kiss to your lips. "Hm," you mused. "That's indeed a good idea."

"There is more where that came from," he murmured and this time you leaned down to kiss him, tasting salt and a hint of tomato sauce on his lips.

You felt the faintest hint of a smile against your lips before he deepened the kiss, shifting his grip on your knees to keep himself up with one hand, raising the other to brush his fingertips along your jaw and neck. Anyone but Mista, anyone but he or Giorno and Bruno, and you would have flinched back, your skin crawling at having your scars touched, but you trusted him.

Your scars tingled a little, but they didn’t ache with remembered pain and terror, the kiss pulling you in in the best of ways. It was the sweetest, most encompassing way to get your attention captured fully and you were held like you were precious. Like he couldn’t get enough of you.

Sitting hunched over, however, quickly became uncomfortable and you knew he must be straining a bit as well to keep himself up and out of the waves. When you gave his shoulder a soft little push, he immediately leaned back, dark eyes searching yours as though he was worried he had overstepped. You could already hear the question, the gentle inquiry if you were alright and you didn’t allow yourself to think.

You pushed off of the outcropping and into the water, your hands pressed to his shoulders to stead yourself and he easily and readily caught you right away, hands coming to rest against your waist as he effortlessly held your head and shoulders above the surface. His eyes were wide with surprise and then awed pride and you found yourself grinning back.

Your heart was pounding, the water felt almost cold compared to the hot sunshine and you still wanted him closer, wanted to be as close to him as humanly possible. As if an invisible string had wound around you and him, gently pulling tight.

A part of you was afraid, was always afraid now when it came to the ocean, but Mista was strong and solid under your hands, not even a strain his arms as he held you and you felt the gentlest brush of scales against your feet as he moved his tail.

"Alright?" he asked quietly and your heart melted and the fear quieting into a kernel of anxiety that niggled but didn’t threaten to overwhelm. You touched your forehead to his and he smiled, sweet and adoring and charmed and you knew your heart was a lost cause.

That was alright, his hands were safe. Always safe.

"Yeah," you whispered back. "A little nervous maybe, but…I’m okay." For now. You were determined to hold onto that feeling for as long as you could.

His smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle. "You’re amazing."

"So are you," you answered with a quiet little laugh. "I can only be this brave because I have you with me, you know."

He pressed a kiss to the corner of your mouth in response, letting it linger sweetly. You reached up to cup his jaw in one hand and he pulled back enough to turn his head and press another kiss to the palm of your hand, his gaze holding yours.

"I don’t think you know how breathtaking you are," he murmured, breath warm against your ocean-wet palm. "If you let me, I’d like to show you."

Your mouth felt dry and your heart was not just beating from nervousness but also something else now. Something warm and adoring and exciting and there was too much distance between you two.

"Yeah," you breathed and there was a fluid motion as he pulled you flush against him, still carefully held above the surface. Before you knew it, your legs wrapped around his sides and you felt more than heard the pleased hum-click he made, one arm wrapping around your back to support you.

Anyone else would have been in danger of getting drowned by holding you up with no ground to stand on, but he was more than strong enough and you felt the flex of his muscles as his tail swished gently and steadily to keep you easily afloat. The next moment you were guided into another kiss and it started sweet and almost chaste, before it grew searing and so thorough and all thoughts vanished.

Your skin tingled and a pleasant shiver ran down your spine that made the hairs on your neck stand up in the best of ways as you pressed closer, entrusting yourself fully to his hold and his strength. Tipping your head slightly to the side, the kiss became even better, your fingertips sliding into his hair, the texture thick and silky and you poured all the care and love you felt into your every touch.

When Mista pulled back, you found a small, involuntary noise slipping past your lips and your thumb brushed along his cheekbone. He grinned at you, giddy and happy and you felt flush with joy and excitement and tingly emotions in return. A soft little laugh slipped out and you leaned closer, cradling Mista’s head between both of your hands now and he easily went, tipping his face up so you had an easy time pressing soft kisses to his forehead, the tip of his nose, his cheeks and the corners of his mouth.

He was making quiet, low noises, a sort of mer croon that was so very charming. He was sweet and kind and considerate and a truly amazing kisser. You loved him for all that and for the fact that even now you didn’t even feel a hint of his claws against your sides. For the fact that no wave had so much as rolled past your shoulders to reach your neck.

"Hey," you whispered and he grinned, bright and cheerful and where the sharp fangs would have once looked scary, now it was part of his charm. A little bit of an edge to his sweetness, an almost absentminded reminder of the predator that lurked under his skin, but one you’d never, ever have to fear.

"Hi," he rumbled back and gently nuzzled his nose against yours. "You are still alright?"

"Yeah, I’m fine," you answered. "Possibly even more than fine."

Outside of Giorno’s song, you hadn’t felt this comfortable within the water since you had started to try and get back into the ocean. Mista looked very happy and quite glad about that, a bit of a proud preen to him and you felt the brush of fins against the back of your shins as they flared and settled in a smooth arc.

"Nice to know my kisses are magic too," he answered with a cheeky and endearing little wriggle of his brows. "Giorno better watch out."

You couldn’t help but laugh, his voice nothing but warm and filled with kind joy. He hugged you a little tighter, big hands holding you securely and like it was the easiest thing in the world. You had never felt so weightless in your entire life. Your face was aching with how big your smile was.

Mista’s expression softened a little. "You know, sometimes I think about all the spots I want to show you when you can go diving again," he murmured and your heart felt like it suddenly got squeezed in a way that both ached and made you feel warm all over. "I want to show you all of my favorite spots. And there is a ship wreck close enough to the surface that you can watch the sunbeams dance across it, I think you'd love seeing that."

You indeed wanted to see that very much. You wanted that more than anything, to let him tour you around the places he was excited to show you, to watch him fully in his element, not half out of the water like he had to be up here, just so he could spend time with you.

You could almost see it within your mind’s eye, old memories of previous dives emerging to help visualize things. You remembered the reefs people had been allowed to visit and where you had seen so many colorful fishes. The lakes you had explored and the coasts you had traveled along. You had visited as many official diving spots as possible before the attack.

There was a part of you, the part that yearned and dreamed and missed the depths, the feeling of diving, the gorgeousness of the underwater world, that strained like a leashed beast. With mers at your side, on your side, you could go anywhere you wanted within their territory and maybe even some spots outside of it. At least, you were certain that you could, unless they’d warn you if some spots were too dangerous for one reason or another.

"I will get back into diving," you answered, a bit intensely, a promise that felt like you were etching it against the inside of your ribs. A bright feeling of fierce hope and determination filled your heart. "And then I want you to show me everything."

"I will," he promised, pressing a kiss to your cheek that was so gentle and loving it almost made you want to cry a little.

Fuck that mer who had hurt you. You were not going to let him stand between you and your passion, your love and your dreams any longer. You held onto Mista a little tighter as you opened your mouth. You wanted to be daring. You wanted to push, you wanted to grow and heal and take back what had been ripped from you with blood and terror and nearly dying.

"Hey," you whispered. "Can you pull me down a little?"

Mista paused, gaze searching yours, but you were still more determined than afraid. You still felt more love than fear and you held the image of being below the surface with the ones you loved close. 

What would it be like, you wondered, to have the mers around when they could move freely? When they didn’t have to either beach themselves for your comfort or spent time partially outside the water. You knew getting too dry wasn’t very comfortable for mers and they could get sick if they were outside of the water for too long.

"I trust you," you whispered, his face still cradled between your hands. "And I want to win against my memories. Against the monster out there."

He smiled at you then, a predator edge to it that made you smile a little fiercer in return yourself and it made you feel like you had teeth sharp enough to sink them into your fear and force it into submission.

"I love you," he whispered and your breath caught for a moment. "You’re amazing, you know that?" You had to kiss him for that, pressing as close as you could, letting it linger before you pulled back and he murmured, "Tell me when you’re ready."

"Ready," you answered and took a deep breath.

It was less like the sort of downward-shove, that wobbly bobbing, that you would have expected with a fellow human. You felt the tension and flexing of his muscles against your thighs and chest as Mista leaned forward a bit to smoothly slip below the waves with you cradled close, fins flaring and shifting to help with the smooth descent.

You had instinctively closed your eyes and blinked them open now, ignoring the familiar sting of salt water. Your vision was blurry, but you still made out Mista easily enough, how he watched you closely, ready to help at any moment. His short hair was floating around his head, shifting a little in the push and pull of the ocean in a way that made you reach up and run your fingers through it.

He tipped his head into your touch and you focused on him, on how his hair felt even softer and silkier now, his gentle but firm hold and the shimmer of his scales from the corner of your eyes, the little movements of his tail and fins to keep the two of you in place.

You knew you were only a mere couple of inches below the surface, which was reassuring, though your heart still lurched for a moment when you noticed the way the open ocean turned into a deep, dark blue from the corner of your eye.

As though noticing that you grew nervous now despite your best efforts, Mista croon-hummed, a noise that sounded slightly different below the surface and that made tingling Goosebumps break out across your skin as a small and utterly pleasant shiver gripped you.

Oh. Oh shit, yeah, that was amazing. Nice, actually. Really damn nice and you wanted to hear that noise again. You wanted to hear all the noises that got a different pitch down here than above the surface.

You gave him a light tap and between one blink and the next you were hauled back up and you exhaled, letting go and reaching up to wipe it away from your face. Mista held you securely, just like you knew he would and you realized that your heart was pounding and a part of you actually was a little scared, but the rest of you…

The rest of you was elated. You felt excited and alive in a way you hadn’t since the attack. The yearning for the ocean had gripped you tightly and a giddy little giggle slipped past your lips.

"I can do this," you whispered, breathing going a bit faster than it should, nervousness prickling over your skin along with a deep, all-encompassing joy that started to unfold like a massive flower.

Mista laughed softly, looking like he couldn’t have been prouder of you as he placed a kiss to your shoulder, the pressure a little firmer so you felt it through the tough fabric of your wetsuit. You wrapped your arms around him to hug him tightly and he squeezed you until all the jittery, good and also a little nervous feelings settled down again.

"Want to try again?" you asked, because you were still feeling brave and elated, emboldened by that little success just now.

It wasn’t much, in the grand scheme of things. Just a little dunk, a handful of seconds below the surface, but to you it felt like you had at long last won an important battle. You had done this without immediately panicking or needing to scramble out of the water afterwards.

"Of course," Mista answered, smiling encouragingly and still so very damn proud. "It’s your call when." 

It would always be your call, he didn’t say, but he didn’t have to. Not when the unshakable knowledge that you could trust him no matter what was wrapped around you. That anything you said would be respected and that you would be listened to.

Feeling daring, heart still pounding, you pushed at his shoulders and Mista easily shifted with the pressure, letting you push him under and a moment later you followed after him.

He grinned up at you, bright and beautiful and there was something about seeing a mer fully in his element, below the waves, that drew you in as irresistibly as the ocean itself.

There was salt in your veins, your parents had said that once as a joke, but it had never felt more true than now. This was your second home and you would rebuild your place within it, doubly so now that you had people who wanted to share it with you.

And when you felt nerves prickle along your spine, you leaned in to kiss Mista, who used his hold on you to tug you close and there was something about the wet, slick slide of lips that fully distracted you.

When you surfaced again to take a breath, you found yourself laughing and Mista grinned brightly at you and he made a low, happy noise when you leaned in to kiss him senseless. You were filled with gratitude and relief and joy and adoration and a hope strong enough to move mountains.

And your fear, your terrible memories, the terror that had lurked in your mind for so long, felt very small and far away compared to all that.

*.*.*

You had just finished a long overdue call to your parents when you heard a familiar mer-call from the ocean. Your parents had been genuinely happy for you and the home you had made for yourself here. That you were doing better and better, though you still had heard the guilt in their voices. 

They hadn’t known how to help you after you had gotten released from the hospital and at one point you hadn’t been able to endure the wounded way they had looked at you anymore. Your aunt’s offer to join her and work for her had been godsend.

Setting your phone down and pushing your somewhat complicated relationship with your parents aside, you poked your head out the window to see Bruno, who had pushed himself up and out of the water enough to look over the shrubbery.

"I’ll be right there!" you called out and you heard his wordless answer, a sort of whistle-trill that made you smile.

Shoving your feet into your flip-flops you left the seaside cabin to join Bruno at the water’s edge. You wore your usual clothes again by now, your wetsuit drying in the bathroom, though you had left the scarf behind, even if it made your neck feel unexpectedly naked. You had spent so much time hiding the scars, the easily, openly visible evidence of your near-death experience.

But you didn’t want to hide anymore, not from your mers at the very least. You didn’t want to be ashamed of what had happened to you, even if a part of you still thought that you shouldn’t have trusted that mer, shouldn’t have let hime lure you into the ocean. It was a work in progress, like everything else.

You were quickly distracted from your thoughts when you noticed that Bruno seemed a little tired. There was a serious, almost worried furrow between his brows and you quickened your step, slipping out of your flip-flops to sit down at the edge, letting your legs dangle into the water.

You reached out to him and Bruno softened and relaxed a little as he readily let you pull him closer, his arms wrapping around your middle while you spread your legs further to fit him comfortably between them.

"Is everything alright?" you asked quietly and his expression grew serious again as he sighed. His eyes closed when you weaved your fingers into his hair, gently dragging your nails along his scalp. A low, pleased mer-hum filled the air and he sank a little against you, entrusting a bit more of his weight to you.

"Apparently the don who was in control of this territory before us had a brother," Bruno answered. "One who got away and he plans to kill us all and get his brother's old territory back."

You stilled, worry swiftly squeezing your heart tight. "Did the kill pod tell you that?"

Bruno hummed, the noise rumbling in his chest, but this time it sounded downright grim. "They gave us the last clue we were looking for. The kills we’ve been investigating and that brought Jotaro and Koichi here, it’s all connected to him." You must’ve looked as worried as you felt, for his expression gentled. "It’s going to be alright. Once we figure out what exactly he is planning, we can stop him."

"Can I help somehow?" Not that you were going to play bait or anything stupid like that, you were nowhere near dumb enough to suggest that or to risk your progress by potentially getting a second dose of trauma. But if there were other things you could do, you’d like to lend a hand.

Bruno looked like he was going to decline, before he paused. "These loud machines, Howlers I think they are called, could you get one?"

Illegally, sure. Howlers were only officially handed over to companies or organizations who worked either at or on the water. A number of fishing boats had them equipped, just like tankers and scientists usually did. Coastguard, marine welfare and rescue boats had them as well. There was no way you’d get one legally when you worked at a souvenir shop and had no reason to get into the ocean, even if you lived at the coast.

With how loud and dangerous Howlers could be, they had some hefty regulations attached to them. Not that there weren’t plenty of people who owned them illegally anyway, but as long as they weren’t used a lot or around police officers, there usually were no repercussions for having them hidden away either.

"I can try," you answered. "I’ll ask around and see what I can do."

"Thank you." He moved his head to the side to press a gentle kiss against the palm of your hand. You found yourself smiling at him and you resumed your gentle scalp massage. "Though, maybe avoid going into the water unless one of us is with you. We already warned the fishers that the netted off bay is off limits until this problem is dealt with."

Warning the townsfolk was a good idea and it warmed your heart that they had thought to say something. They cared so much and it was clear that Giorno was a good don, if he felt responsible for the safety of the people he allowed into part of his territory.

You cupped his cheeks in your hands and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. "I don’t think I could go into the water without one of you around." At least not unless it was an emergency. "But I promise to be extra careful regardless."

Bruno whistle-hummed gently and you kissed the tip of his nose, which made him huff softly in charmed amusement. "How was your day?" you asked as you straightened up again.

Bruno told you what he had been up since you parted ways, the organization and careful diplomacy that went into having guests and another pod at the fringes of their territory. Apparently, the kill pod wasn’t just going to leave now that they had said what they wanted to say. They wanted to work with Giorno’s pod to hunt down the other dangerous mer before he built up enough strength to become a problem for everyone.

Thinking about your attacker being somewhere out there caused your stomach to cramp up in cold fear, so you quickly shoved those thoughts away again.

"The kill pod isn’t dangerous for you guys?" you couldn’t help but ask, however, and Bruno shook his head.

"They’re only after mers that slaughter their own kind. Seeing them still isn’t great, but they’re keeping certain problems in check and it would be helpful if they’re willing to patrol along our territory to help watch out for our enemy," he answered and then grew more serious. "If you want them gone entirely, however, we will send them away tonight."

You bit your lower lip and after a moment of thinking, you shook your head. If this enemy mer really was so dangerous, if he was out for revenge, you wanted them to have all the aid they could get. "Just continue to keep them away from here," you answered quietly. "And once the other mer is dealt with, they can go immediately."

Bruno offered you a reassuring hum-click. "Of course, we’ll be sure to tell them as much when we meet them tomorrow." His smile grew a little then. "I heard from Mista you went into the water with him?"

A happy grin appeared on your face and you felt a bit of giddy joy surface within you as you gladly changed the subject. "Yeah, it was amazing."

Bruno got comfortable with an expectant look and you chuckled briefly, before you told him about it. About feeling daring and knowing that nothing would happen to you. About how it felt like a massive victory to dip below the waves a couple of times without getting swallowed by fear and the smile Bruno gave you was so happy and heart-meltingly sweet it made your chest feel like it was overflowing with emotion.

"I want to kiss you," you murmured and he moved his arms from around you to brace his hands on stone as he pushed himself up. You guided him close, your hands back in his hair and you happily kissed him, sweet and lingering, hoping that all the wonderful things you felt could be conveyed at least a little with your touches.

"You’re one of the bravest people I know," Bruno murmured against your lips when he pulled back and he pressed a kiss against your cheek. "I am so happy for you."

You had to pepper light, chaste little kisses all over his face in response to that and there was a warm noise rumbling in his chest as he pliantly leaned into you, a soft smile on his face.

"Hey," you whispered when you pulled back, gripped by that gritty, hopeful daring again and wanting to share with him what you had shared with Mista this afternoon. The sun might be starting to sink, but there was still enough light that you felt comfortable with the thought of slipping into the waves. "Let me join you in the water."

Bruno pulled back, gaze searching yours for a moment and when he sank down and pushed back from the outcropping a bit to make space for you, the way he looked at you stole your breath away. It made you feel like you were both in the safest hands possible and like you could conquer anything.

Bracing your hands against cold stone, you pushed off of the edge and his arms were there to catch you and ease you down so there was barely a splash. You felt the shift of his tail as it briefly bumped against your toes.

"Alright?" he asked, his hands on your hips, steady and gentle and he was watching you closely, looking ready to haul you back out at the slightest signal that you wanted to go.

"Yeah," you answered, your hands resting on his shoulders and you had to resist the urge to let them trail lower, over his chest and arms. This really made for more comfortable face-to-face interactions. No one had to crane their heads, he didn’t have to push himself up just to get close to you and you didn’t have to lean down. You didn't have to content with cold, hard stone either.

You still felt that little zing of nervousness at the edges of your senses, but it was downright weak now and you felt emboldened by that. So you reached up to gently pull Bruno in and as he went with you, you leaned back. He caught on quick, his grip on your hips tightening slightly and you found yourself pushed below the waves, though it felt as though you were also pulling him with you and his lips found yours now, gentle and soft and water-slick.

His hair brushed your knuckles as it floated slightly, silky and thick, and you couldn’t resist tangling your fingers into it carefully. He kissed you again and then again, one big hand rising to cradle the side of your face, his skin tough and yet it held a certain softness and the webbing felt like smooth silk against your cheek.

You only had to gently press against him and he surfaced with you, a fluid little upward bob that let you know he had only pushed you down a few little inches. Barely anything, and yet it felt like victory all over again.

You found yourself laughing as he wiped water off your face, careful with his claws and he was smiling at you, looking proud and so terribly smitten you had to hide your face against his neck for a moment.

He hugged you close, clearly content to just float comfortably in the water with you, his tail easily keeping the two of you above the surface and right by the spot where you had sat only moments ago.

This was really nice. You shifted your head to pillow your cheek against his shoulder and a calm, content feeling settled around you to the point that not even the niggling bit of worry in the back of your mind could shatter it. Because…you were safe. Completely and utterly safe and back in the wet embrace of the thing you had loved since the day you had laid eyes on the ocean for the first time.

This was where you were meant to be, you thought. With a cozy home mere meters away from the water’s edge and a mer who held you like you were precious and irreplaceable. Who held you like he loved every part of you, who was patient no matter what. He and Giorno and Mista, the mers who hadn’t so much as stolen your heart as holding it gently whenever you entrusted them with it.

Closing your eyes and smiling, you enjoyed the moment, the arms holding you securely without ever feeling constricting or too tight, the gentle lap of waves and the lingering warmth of the setting sun.

"You have come so far, I hope you know that," Bruno murmured. 

"I didn’t make it this far alone," you whispered back. "Thank you, Bruno, for everything."

His muscles shifted and tensed slightly and his spine arched a little as he bent down to press a lingering kiss to the top of your head.

"Always," he promised, quiet but steady and unshakably certain. "No matter what, I will be there for you. I am so very happy for you."

"You’re the sweetest, I swear," you answered. "I hope you know that you can always count on me as well, no matter what."

"I know." He said it so simply and with a surety as though he really already did know. It filled you with warmth and a glad kind of pride. "And once you’re ready to go diving again, I’ll be sure to show you the most beautiful view around here."

"I can’t wait to see it," you answered, that feeling of billowing hope and anticipation gripping you once more. To see all the things the mers wanted to show you, to visit their home if they wanted you to come around and to enjoy the very thing you had loved for so many years. That you still loved.

Bruno leaned his cheek against your temple and you listened to the gentle roll of the waves against the shore, feeling the way his chest rose and fell with his breaths and the occasional, light brush of his tail against your feet and knees. 

But the sun soon shone golden at the horizon and the ocean grew dark. Too dark for your comfort, so you pulled back and you didn’t even have to ask, all it took was a glance and you found yourself effortlessly hoisted out of the water. You were back on the out stony cropping, your clothes soaking wet and while it was far from pleasant now that you were back on land, you found you didn’t care.

"Let’s do that again," you said with a smile and Bruno trailed his fingertips down your cheek and jaw, gaze soft and warm.

"Whenever you want," he promised, then tipped his head apologetically. "I’ll be quite busy tomorrow, I’m afraid, though I have some time to myself during the afternoon, if you’re free?"

"The shop’s closed tomorrow since it's a holiday, so I have all day to myself," you answered and he hummed in understanding. "Do you want to drop by around lunch?"

"Gladly," he said and leaned up to press a lingering kiss against your lips, his hands braced beside your thighs and he murmured, low and pleasant, "I look forward to tomorrow."

You found your smile widening, your heart beating a little faster at his tone and you nodded as he sank back into the waves. "Sleep well," you said, reaching out to give his hands a parting squeeze.

"You too," he answered and picked up one hand to press a kiss against your knuckles and with a last glance that made you feel both heated and like your heart turned to goo, he vanished below the waves.

"Charmer," you said and you swore you heard a bright whistle-click in response, which made you laugh.

Getting to your feet you shuffled back to your cabin, taking off your sopping wet clothes as soon as you could and gathering them up to wash them. All the while you were smiling, feeling filled with joy and love and a soaring sort of giddy pride that almost overshadowed the part of you that still felt a bit shaky, a bit nervous, from being in the water so many times today. But you had done it. You had done it without feeling like you were going to fall apart at any moment.

It made you so damn hopeful that you felt yourself tear up.

Was this what healing felt like?