Chapter Text
Large, billowy clouds filled the sky; a storm was looming on the horizon. Meng Yao swam silently behind the ship that had weighed anchor in calm waters, waves beating gently against the vessel. With a flick of his wrist, he used his meager power to let the water carry him up to the window of the captain’s cabin, where he sat on a swing of thick rope just outside. Peering in through the window, he made out the shape of his prey. The man was tall, broad, and muscular - truly a credit to his species. Long dark hair pulled back with a silver ornament revealed a stern, handsome face, with a strong jawline and brow that were so unlike Meng Yao's own softer features. Meng Yao watched as the man knelt beside the bed in his quarters, where another smaller human was tossing and turning.
The smaller human groaned, burying his face in a pillow.
“Get a hold of yourself, Huaisang. I am going on deck,” his prey said, harsh words contradicting the gentleness with which he pushed the boy’s damp hair away from his face.
Meng Yao was the picture of lethal grace, watching the humans silently, noting the sheathed weapon on the taller man’s waist, the confident way he moved about the room. It was not the first time he had crept upon the man’s ship to study him.
From his intelligence gathering, he had learned the following: The man’s name was Nie Mingjue. He was the captain of this ship, and the sect leader of the neighboring land. His vessel, the Saber Spirit, frequently sailed their territory. They had killed at least ten mermaids and mermen in his father’s legion. The smaller boy was Nie Mingjue's younger brother and his biggest, and possibly only, weakness.
His father wanted Nie Mingjue dead. And Meng Yao would be the one to kill him.
Nie Mingjue exited the cabin, and Meng Yao leapt back into the water, the crashing waves masking the splash. He swam to the bow of the ship, to where he was certain Nie Mingjue would emerge. And as expected, there he stood, alone, gazing into the open water.
At the end of a long day at sea, Nie Mingjue always took time alone to meditate by the water. The waves soothed his restless spirit. Meng Yao knew this, which is why he had selected this particular means of attack.
Positioning himself in front of the ship, he began to sing. The melody blended with the coursing waves, indistinguishable to the human’s ear.
Gaining access to siren songs was difficult enough, the music kept closely guarded by their clans. Very few mermaids knew the songs, much less how to sing them effectively. But Meng Yao had gone one step further and adapted a song. It had taken weeks to compose the music, but he had finally done it. Now instead of immediately ensnaring a human, his song slowly affected the mind, weakening and poisoning the listener over the course of months.
Nie Mingjue had impeccable instincts and combat skills, and was no stranger to encountering sirens and mermaids in the sea. He was well-trained in detecting classic siren songs and counteracting them before they could take hold of his senses.
But Meng Yao was clever, and nothing if not patient.
It would not be long now before the man threw himself into the sea.
Nie Mingjue’s brows furrowed, and he raised a hand to rub the unnatural stress from his temples. Below, Meng Yao hummed the song with glee.
When Nie Mingjue’s body fell, Meng Yao would drag him into the depths of black icy waters, and present his corpse to his father. From that moment on, a crown of jewels and pearls would adorn Meng Yao’s head, his father finally acknowledging his son with pride.
The first clap of thunder interrupted his song, and with a sigh, Meng Yao accepted he would have to cut his poison early today. The song was useless if the thunder distracted the captain from listening.
Minutes later, the sky darkened, and the waves grew violent, aggressively rocking the boat. Meng Yao released the rope he was holding onto, slinking a small distance away to avoid being thrown off. He watched Captain Nie shout demands to his crew, as they tried to steady the ship and redirect away from the storm.
Meng Yao was about to dive below, with a plan to return the next day, when his eyes caught something strange on the deck of the ship. The boy, Huaisang, had left the Captain’s quarters and was now standing by the starboard side. He had terrible sea-legs, and was swaying dangerously with each motion of the ship.
Captain Nie caught sight of his brother and fear flashed across his face.
“Huaisang! Get below this instant!” he roared from the ship’s wheel.
Meng Yao watched as the boy tried to turn around, but at that moment, several things happened at once.
A loud clap of thunder, following a sharp flash of blue lightning, startled Huaisang into losing his balance. At the same time, the ship hit a particularly high wave, and tilted slightly to the right. Meng Yao felt his heart stop as he watched the boy fall overboard.
Captain Nie ran to the spot where his brother had fallen, one foot already on the edge of the ship to dive in after him
His men grabbed his arms and chest, three of them straining to stop their captain from leaping to his death.
“Release me! Release me now!” he struggled against the men’s hold, knocking his head back in a move that broke one man’s nose.
But even if he jumped now, Meng Yao knew Nie Mingjue would not find his brother. Nie Huaisang had disappeared under the dark waves.
Meng Yao hesitated for a moment, before diving below, tail flipping up as his body surged underwater. With clear vision, he was able to follow the currents to where Huaisang was sinking slowly. With an arm around the boy’s waist, he easily pulled them both to the surface.
“There! Lower the dinghy!”
Meng Yao at once realized the consequences of his impulsive action, and contemplated letting the boy drown after all. But Nie Huaisang was not his target, and watching someone so young and innocent drown in front of his eyes when he could save him...it was an unnecessary sacrifice.
The small boat was lowered quickly to the water, and Captain Nie and another sailor scooped Huaisang out of Meng Yaos’ arms. Without a second’s glance at the merman, Nie Mingjue immediately began pressing down on his brother’s chest in a curious manner. In just a few seconds, the boy coughed up a lungful of water, gasping for breath.
Meng Yao did not wait to see the rest, immediately turning to dive back under, when a hand gripped his arm forcefully.
Fear took hold of his heart, and Meng Yao immediately began to struggle. But he was small and weak compared to the human - the man could break his arm if he so wanted.
“Let him go.”
Meng Yao was so startled to hear Nie Mingjue speak that he stopped struggling.
“But sir, it’s a-”
“I will not repeat myself!” Nie Mingjue snapped, cutting the man off before he could utter another word.
The man reluctantly released his arm, and Meng Yao lurched back out of reaching distance. He met Nie Mingjue’s eyes warily, shaken by the raw power in his gaze. But Nie Mingjue did not attack, and his eyes held no malice or greed when they looked upon him. With strong arms holding his shivering brother, he only spoke two words before calling for the dinghy to be pulled up.
“Thank you.”
Meng Yao disappeared under the waters, a sliver of unease worming its way through his heart.
~
That night, Meng Yao dreamt of his mother’s smile, and the way she would gently brush his hair with her fingers while singing songs to lull him to sleep. He wondered if she would be proud that he saved Nie Huaisang, or disappointed that he had failed at his chance to win his father over.
It was a foolish question. One he already knew the answer to. Meng Shi was too kind to wish death upon any creature, even a human.
The thought brought him some measure of comfort as he contemplated his colossal failure.
The operation would be riskier now. Captain Nie might expect him to return again, and if he were caught performing the song it would jeopardize a plan that was months in the making.
He waited a week, following the ship from a distance so that he did not lose track of it in the meantime.
Oddly enough, it did not make port during that time. Instead, it lingered in the same place, aimlessly circling around the water, as though in search of something.
Meng Yao tested his luck, swimming closer and closer everyday after that, but only ever under the guise of darkness.
After another week had passed, the ship finally returned to land, and Meng Yao felt a wave of relief at the return to normalcy. He vowed to continue his song once the ship went out on its next voyage. It would have lost a bit of its effectiveness by then, but that was his own fault for involving himself in matters he had no business meddling in.
So focused was he on Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao made the crucial mistake of forgetting there were other predators besides himself lurking in the sea.
A net. Of all things. Buried below the sand on the seafloor so he could not see it until it was too late. Meng Yao thrashed, his tail fighting against the confines, scales cutting through the ropes but not fast enough to stop the sharp, jerking pull to the surface, the rough drag on the sandy shore.
Men dressed in the grey uniform of Nie grabbed him, laying their filthy hands on his scales, pulling his arms back so tightly he thought they might break under pressure.
He snarled and struggled the whole way, carried through a dank passageway into the palace he had been spying on, where he was thrown into a metal cage. A sharp prick on his arm caused his limbs to fall numb within seconds. To his horror, he realized he could no longer move his body from below the neck.
“Can you believe it! Finally caught ourselves a live one!”
“It’s kind of pretty looking for a fish, isn’t it?” Another man leered, gazing down Meng Yao’s bare chest and sleek yellow tail in a way that made ice flood his veins.
“Don’t even think about it. Wen Ruohan has offered a fortune for a live, undamaged one, and I’m not risking a single speck of gold just so you can get your dick wet for two minutes,” the first man scolded.
At once, Meng Yao realized why he was so familiar. This was the man from the ship - the one who had grabbed him. The men bantered back and forth, discussing his fate as though he were nothing more than a prized pet to be sold and bred by the highest bidder.
“See you tomorrow, sweetheart,” the second man said with a disgusting smirk and a mocking wink. Meng Yao wanted to claw his eyes out and make him eat them. They locked the door behind them as they slunk away.
Alone and caged without a drop of water, Meng Yao slammed his head back on the bars in frustration. This can’t be how it ends. I was so close…
His father would not even notice his absence. No one would.
I am sorry, Mother.
Not much time had passed when the door opened again. Meng Yao would have tensed, were he able to move.
But it was not the men who kidnapped him, but a boy who entered.
Huaisang?
Nie Huaisang spotted Meng Yao in the center of the room, and with quiet footsteps he rushed to the cage, observing the creature within.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to get you out,” he promised, showing none of the nervousness Meng Yao had come to associate with the younger Nie brother. He pulled out a key from his pocket, and slid it into the lock.
“How do you plan on getting me out of the room?” Meng Yao asked, speaking at last.
Nie Huaisang yelped at the sudden voice, shocked to see the merman’s lips hadn’t moved.
“Are you...talking to me in my head?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Huaisang nodded shakily, opening the door and looking around the room. He spotted a barrel in one corner, and a wooden dolly in the other.
Meng Yao followed his eyes and caught his drift.
“Can you move?” Nie Huaisang asked, observing the merman's motionless form.
“No. They pierced me with something sharp and I can no longer feel my body.”
Nie Huaisang did not look discouraged though. He arranged the barrel on top of the wooden dolly, and with both hands, and a strength he did not know the young boy possessed, dragged Meng Yao into the barrel. If it hurt when he fell in, at least he could not feel it.
“Where are you taking me?”
“My room. I can get you in water there until you can move around again. Then I’ll take you to the ocean,” Huaisang said quietly, checking through a crack in the door to make sure the coast was clear.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Da-Ge told me you saved my life.”
“What makes you think that was me?” Meng Yao was genuinely curious.
“He um...gave a pretty thorough description,” Nie Huaisang said awkwardly. Meng Yao had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but stayed quiet and let the boy focus on navigating through the halls.
Finally, he felt the pushing stop, and the sound of a door shutting. Then, water pouring. The sound was music to Meng Yao’s ears.
Huaisang lifted the lid of the barrel, and with a quick apology, promptly tipped it over.
With a yelp, Meng Yao found himself submerged in water in a small basin. Scrawny arms pulled him up so he could sit somewhat comfortably, the end of his long tail hanging out of the tub.
Even though he could not feel it, he knew the water was soothing his dried out scales.
Nie Huaisang’s eyes were focused intently on his tail, admiring the way the water glistened on gold.
“Thank you,” Meng Yao said sincerely.
“Ah! It was nothing,” Nie Huaisang said, waving his face with a curious object.
Unlike his father, Meng Yao did not necessarily think (or preach) that all humans were inherently evil. They were no better or worse than many merpeople he knew. The human men who had imprisoned him, the mermen who had beaten and shamed his mother. It was all the same.
In a way, this kind boy reminded Meng Yao of himself when he was young. Young and naive. He wondered what he would turn into once Meng Yao killed his brother.
“HUAISANG! Get out here at once and finish your practice! Don’t think I didn’t see you leaving!”
Meng Yao and Nie Huaisang’s heads swiveled, and to their shared horror, they saw the door begin to open.
“Wait! Da-Ge I-”
But it was too late. Nie Mingjue had entered, eyes fixed on the merman in the tub.
Shocked beyond belief, he sputtered, “What is the meaning of this?!” turning towards Huaisang, who began crying as if on demand.
“They were going to hurt him, Da-Ge! I just wanted to save him, I was going to put him back in the ocean once he could move again. Please don’t hurt him!”
He coupled his words with a theatrical tumble, clinging to his brother’s robes as he sobbed into his chest. It was an impressive show to say the least.
Captain Nie looked like he was trying very hard not to explode in a raging fit, and in any other circumstances it would be rather amusing to watch his face purple down to his neck. With an experimental push, he twitched one of his fingers under the water, relieved to see the poison the men had used on him was losing its potency.
“Go outside, Huaisang. Pick up your damn saber. Now,” Nie Mingjue demanded.
“But-”
“Now!” he roared, and with a frightened eep! Huaisang was gone without a backwards glance.
Shutting the door behind him, Nie Mingjue approached the merman slowly, eyes focused on his face. He pulled out a chair and drew it to the edge of the tub.
“Can you speak?”
Meng Yao contemplated not answering - it seemed the man did not know much about merpeople after all. Well, aside from how to kill them.
“Yes.”
Nie Mingjue flinched in surprise, and a small smile pulled at Meng Yao’s lips.
“You can read my mind?” He seemed alarmed by the idea.
“No. I am only projecting my thoughts to you. I can not ‘read your mind’ as you say.”
Nie Mingjue relaxed again, which for him meant his hands unclenched and the tick in his jaw lessened ever so slightly.
“My name is Nie Mingjue. What is yours?”
“Meng Yao.”
He could now flex his entire hand under the water.
“Why are you here?”
“Two of your men trapped me in a net outside your palace, and poisoned me so I can not move or feel my body. They said they were going to sell me to someone called Wen Ruohan tomorrow.”
Nie Mingjue’s fists clenched again, rage painted across his features. If Meng Yao could read his mind, he was sure he would hear a litany of curses.
Through his anger, he seemed to notice the way Meng Yao studied his reactions with intense focus, and forced himself to relax. He would deal with those men soon enough.
“What will you do with me?”
Nie Mingjue sighed in frustration. “I will take you to my rooms until you can fully recover. It will be safer for you there.”
“And then?”
“Then I will put you on my ship, take you wherever you want to go, and throw you in the water of your choosing.”
Meng Yao was surprised. Telling his subordinate to release him after Meng Yao had saved his brother in a storm was one thing, but offering to sail him home? Surely, the man knew the value of his kind.
“A debt repaid. Understood?” Nie Mingjue said.
“Understood.”
“Good. Now then,” Nie Mingjue said as he promptly reached into the water, lifting Meng Yao into his arms as though he weighed no more than a paper doll. Water splashed all over the floor and Meng Yao would have flung himself out of his grip on instinct, if he could only move his tail.
“Relax. I won’t drop you,” Nie Mingjue ordered, sensing his unease.
The intimacy of human hands touching his tail was almost too much to bear. But it seemed he had no choice but to bear it regardless.
Carrying him through the empty hallway, Nie Mingjue kicked open a pair of double doors, which led to a grand bedroom. However, he did not linger there, and instead kicked open a second door within that room, revealing an empty rectangular well dug into the ground, large enough to fit twenty humans inside. It was lined with green tiles and Nie Mingjue placed him down carefully on one of those colored steps. His yellow tail touched the bottom of the empty well, and Meng Yao was pleased to note he could feel their coolness touching his scales.
With the pull of a lever and turn of a dial, the well filled with water. Meng Yao could adjust his body temperature to adapt to any body of water, but he was grateful that the water pouring in was cool and refreshing, in accordance with his preference.
Meng Yao let out a purring noise involuntarily at the pleasure of finally feeling water against his skin and scales. Realizing that he had made that sound out loud, he turned to see Nie Mingjue looking at him with a curious expression on his face. Mouth parted and eyes widened ever so slightly.
Interesting…
If Nie Mingjue thought he was being subtle in his gaze, he was sorely mistaken. Meng Yao felt the human’s eyes on his body, traveling from his face, down to his smooth bare chest and trim waist. His eyes lingered on the golden scales of his tail, before finally ending their appreciation on a gossamer fin.
Perhaps...perhaps his plan was not lost. It merely needed to be adapted again.
With an arch of his back, Meng Yao flicked his tail in the water, causing a curtain of water to fall across the pool.
“You can move already?” Nie Mingjue asked with surprise.
“The water is helping immensely. I should be fully recovered soon.”
“I will not be able to get my ship out to sea until tomorrow. My crew has to be given notice to prepare for an unexpected voyage,” he explained.
Meng Yao allowed himself to openly appreciate Nie Mingjue’s body in return. It was something he had become quite familiar with while spying on him in the past year. He could not deny the human’s handsome face and muscular form was pleasing to behold. Nor could he deny how traitorous visions of admiring and worshipping that body more closely, being held down by those hands, pressed up against that broad chest, had haunted his dreams of late.
“That is fine. Perhaps we could get to know each other better in the meantime, Captain.”
Meng Yao coupled the words with a coy close-lipped smile, hiding the sharpness of his teeth underneath.
Nie Mingjue narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
“Join me for a swim?”
Nie Mingjue scoffed. “Do not underestimate me, merman. If your plan is to drown me in my own bathwater, you will find yourself sorely outmatched."
Astoundingly, the one time Meng Yao was not trying to drown him happened to be the time Nie Mingjue chose to be suspicious of his motivations. Perhaps a more direct approach was required to convey his intent.
He swam to the edge of the pool where Nie Mingjue sat on the ledge, legs submerged in the water. Eyes watching Meng Yao’s graceful motions, he showed no fear as the merman approached.
Slinking between spread thighs, Meng Yao placed both hands on the muscular flesh, feeling tension rise underneath his webbed fingers.
“I assure you that is not my intention,” he whispered, peering up at the man underneath long wet lashes, dark gold eyes meeting amber.
Nie Mingjue grabbed Meng Yao’s hands abruptly, and for one terrifying moment Meng Yao feared he had horribly misjudged the situation and Nie Mingjue’s interest in him.
But an attack did not come. Instead, Nie Mingjue simply removed the hands and pushed Meng Yao back far enough so that he could slip into the water with him, clothes and all. Then, with both hands he grabbed Meng Yao around his slim waist and pulled him in close, leaning down to capture his lips in a fierce kiss.
Meng Yao let out a noise that resembled a moan into his mouth, and melted in his arms.
Nie Mingjue ran his tongue across the merman’s lips, slipping it inside his mouth to taste the ocean on his tongue, mindful of the sharp teeth he knew awaited inside.
Meng Yao had never been kissed by a human before. To be more accurate, he had never been kissed by anyone before, and he could not help feeling drunk on the sensation of lips pressing against his own, soft pants of breath filling the spaces between where their mouths met. The hands tightening around his waist were strong enough to leave bruises, which only made him crave the man more, aroused by his raw strength.
This must be what it feels like to drown.
Months of observing and studying the man - his speech, his behavior, his strengths, his weaknesses. It had led Meng Yao to a begrudging admiration. But he would not confuse admiration for affection.
He felt a hand shift below his waist, touching the scales on his tail - smooth and slippery, but stronger than they appeared. The man’s other hand slipped between their bodies, groping his toned, but slim chest. Meng Yao squirmed in pleasure when two fingers began to pinch his left nipple, teasing the raised nub until it grew red and sore. Without stopping his teasing ministrations, Nie Mingjue leaned down to an ear, sucking it into his mouth, grazing the soft flesh with his teeth in a move that had Meng Yao pushing his tail between Nie Mingjue’s legs, grinding up against his groin in the water.
“I’m going to fuck you open on my cock,” Nie Mingjue said softly, intensely.
Nie Mingjue’s tongue licked up the shell of Meng Yao’s ear while he spoke, and the merman shuddered in pleasure at the lewd promise in those words.
“Don't hold back, Captain.”
Pushed onto his back on the wide, shallow stairs of the pool, the scales of Meng Yao’s tail shimmered and shifted to reveal a curved, slim cock, and below it, wet folds and a slick pink slit. Chest flushed, hands buried in dark hair, Meng Yao screamed in pleasure as Nie Mingjue ate him out, sliding thick fingers inside alongside his tongue to stretch his hole open. When he was able to fit three fingers inside, he started to mouth at Meng Yao’s cock, swallowing it whole. Meng Yao cried out sharply in Nie Mingjue’s mind, back arched in pleasure as the man held him in place with one hand to keep him from thrashing around. He came for the first time that night in Nie Mingjue’s mouth, hole tightening around fingers that did not relent in fucking him through his pleasure.
Meng Yao panted for breath, gills fluttering in the air as he came down from the high.
Nie Mingjue shed his clothes while Meng Yao recovered, revealing a sculpted chest, and a thick, hard cock nestled in a bed of dark hair. Meng Yao suddenly understood why Nie Mingjue had spent so much time working him open, staring nervously at the impressive length between the man’s legs.
Once he was fully naked, Nie Mingjue leaned over Meng Yao’s body, positioning a leg on either side of his tail, trapping the mer’s lower body between muscular thighs.
“Do you want my cock in you, Meng Yao?” he asked, rubbing Meng Yao’s quivering entrance with the head of his leaking cock.
Meng Yao hesitated, embarrassed at being asked to beg for it out loud.
Seeing Meng Yao’s hesitation, he continued, “If you do not say the words, I will stop.” And the serious, non-teasing tone of voice, coupled with a finger brushing his cheekbone softly, suddenly made Meng Yao realize Nie Mingjue was not asking this of him to embarrass or demean him. He was asking for his permission to continue.
Nie Mingjue had just begun to pull back, when Meng Yao spoke quickly, “Yes. I want it.”
When Nie Mingjue finally sunk his cock inside, he was surprised to feel Meng Yao’s insides suckling his cock, pulling him in deeper and deeper. The tightness was incredible, and Nie Mingjue had to force himself to relax lest he come immediately.
Meng Yao himself was overwhelmed by the feeling of a thick cock stretching him open impossibly wide around its girth. He looked down his body and nearly came again at the sight of that cock disappearing inch by inch inside of him.
“Ah! P-please move,” he whined, clinging onto Nie Mingjue’s broad shoulders.
“I like the sound of your begging,” Nie Mingjue said, buried to the hilt in that wet warmth.
Meng Yao’s expression shifted into annoyance - so much for not trying to embarrass him - causing Nie Mingjue to let out a deep chuckle.
“No need to make that face at me,” he said, and pulled his cock out to the tip before roughly shoving back inside.
Meng Yao’s mouth fell open and he let out an inhuman whine, gasping at the rough motion. Nie Mingjue started a brutal pace, fucking into Meng Yao with no remorse.
Every thrust was electricity shooting through his veins, setting his body alight. Meng Yao pulled Nie Mingjue’s head down to meet him in a kiss, the end of his tail thrashing in the water.
“Beautiful,” Nie Mingjue whispered reverently, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses on his neck that made the merman shudder. Meng Yao let out a yelp when those kisses ended with a possessive bite at the juncture between his neck and shoulder. It would no doubt leave a mark.
“Ah! Mingjue, don’t stop, I’m so close!”
With a hand Nie Mingjue reached down and firmly stroked Meng Yao’s cock to bring him over the edge.
With a silent cry, Meng Yao’s inner muscles squeezed tight as he orgasmed for the second time, painting his stomach in clear ropes of come. At the same time, the suckling sensation peaked around Nie Mingjue’s cock, and led him to release deep inside Meng Yao with a low groan. The sensation of hot seed spilling in him, coating his insides… it made him feel filthy and used. What was even worse was how much he liked that. Meng Yao’s hole sucked every last drop of come out of Nie Mingjue’s cock before it could slip out.
With a satisfied grunt, Nie Mingjue lay beside Meng Yao in the shallow water, chest rising and falling with every deep breath. Meng Yao was feeling similarly shaken, not to mention sore from being fucked roughly on the hard pool stairs the entire time. After most of the seed inside had spilled out into the water, he slid his scales back in place to cover his cock and abused hole.
“Well, you certainly delivered.”
Nie Mingjue laughed, a deep, warm sound. Meng Yao noticed his eyes were closed, an impressive show of vulnerability. Or rather, a show of confidence in his own abilities to counteract any half-assed post-orgasmic drowning attempt.
“How does sex with a human compare to that with merpeople?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Meng Yao replied honestly.
Nie Mingjue raised an eyebrow. “You only mate with humans then?” he asked curiously.
Meng Yao shifted uncomfortably.
“I suppose that is true now.”
Understanding set in, and Nie Mingjue felt a rush of guilt. Had he known it was the merman’s first time, he would have gone easier on him.
He sat up and tugged on one of Meng Yao’s arms, moving to pull him close.
“Come here. Sit on the step below me.”
Meng Yao winced at the sudden movement, but sat up where directed, too tired to protest. He was instantly relieved by the feeling of strong hands massaging his shoulders and back, working out the knots and tension that had formed while lying on the pool floor.
The purring sound Nie Mingjue had heard when Meng Yao had first settled into the water started up again, reverberating from the gills on Meng Yao’s neck.
Nie Mingjue felt his cock twitch at the sound, but pushed down his own desire to focus on tending to his partner’s care.
Meng Yao himself was pleasantly surprised that Nie Mingjue was being so gentle and attentive with him, hands moving firmly over his back to ease his aches, lingering in the spots where Meng Yao let out a hiss or a moan.
Not that he hadn’t enjoyed the roughness of the sex - he had thoroughly enjoyed it in fact. It was exactly how he imagined the man would take him, although he never imagined that his fantasy would ever come true.
But this sort of touch...it almost made him feel like he was someone precious. A lover, rather just an easy, exotic fuck.
It was dangerous.
Dangerous like the kiss Nie Mingjue pressed against his neck, over the bite he had marked him with, that caused Meng Yao’s breath to hitch and gills to flutter.
“I will return shortly. I have to speak with Huaisang about the men who did this to you,” Nie Mingjue said.
Meng Yao tensed under his hands.
“Don’t worry. He will be able to identify them. You’ll be safe here, no one else has keys to my room,” he promised.
Meng Yao grabbed a hand over his arm as Nie Mingjue tried to leave, panic written all over his face.
Nie Mingjue paused, “Would you prefer I send for Huaisang to come here instead?”
Meng Yao gave one sharp, quick nod, hating himself for feeling so weak, but also knowing that the pity he invoked might play to his advantage later.
“Alright. Wait here.”
As if I have a choice…, he thought sardonically.
Nie Mingjue got out of the water and walked back into his bedroom to get redressed. Through the sliver of the doorway, he could hear Nie Mingjue send a servant for his brother. Content that the man was not leaving him to fend for himself, Meng Yao contemplated his next moves.
Obviously, he could not act against the man here. He would have to wait until he had returned to the ocean, so that he could escape unharmed, and ideally take the body with him. His siren song scheme turned helpless mermaid long-con would drag things out, but would be just as effective in the end.
Meng Yao sunk to the bottom of the pool, visualizing the scene as though it were happening before his eyes.
He would lull Nie Mingjue into a false sense of security, convince him to join him in the sea for a swim. Perhaps a visit to the jeweled cavern, the one filled with sapphires that lit up the walls in a soft light. Meng Yao would draw him into a kiss, bringing them into the center of the pool, slipping his tongue inside the other man’s mouth as he pulled him under the surface. By the time Nie Mingjue realized his intent, it would be too late. The last face he would see would be Meng Yao’s, before darkness swallowed the light in his eyes.
He tried to imagine the sensation of drowning, and imagined it felt a lot like betrayal. Suffocating, cold, lonely.
The door to the bath reopened, and Meng Yao swam back to the surface, pushing his dark, wet hair back out of his face.
“I have sent guards to apprehend the men,” Nie Mingjue announced when he walked back in the room.
“Thank you.” He pushed down the discomfort from his musings under a gracious smile.
“There is no need to thank me. What they did is dishonorable and despicable. Kidnapping and smuggling people to those Wen-dogs. Such heinous crimes are not tolerated in my sect.” Nie Mingjue’s voice grew more incensed with every word he spoke.
Meng Yao’s eyes widened. ...People? Nie Mingjue saw him…as a person?
He tried to control his expression, but it was too late. Nie Mingjue had seen the slip of his smile, the raw vulnerability in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Nie Mingjue asked, approaching him quickly, leaning over the side of the pool.
He quickly covered his face back up, smiling ever so graciously at his unwitting host.
“Nothing. I am just relieved they will not be able to do such things in the future. I appreciate what you have done for me. Your brother, too.”
“You should tell him that when you see him tomorrow. It’s the first time he’s actually volunteered to go to sea with me,” Nie Mingjue shook his head in disbelief.
“He is kind-hearted and soft. It is no terrible thing.”
“It is when assassins and enemies threaten you at every opportunity. He needs to learn how to defend himself, or at least how to swim,” Nie Mingjue countered.
Meng Yao felt guilt burn like bile in his throat.
“Speaking of Huaisang and that incident, I have been meaning to ask you why you were following my ship that day. Or the months prior to that day for that matter.”
Meng Yao was shocked to his core for a second time. He knew? All this time? Meng Yao was thankful Nie Mingjue at least did not know his reason, or he suspected he would be dead by now.
“Humans interest me,” he said neutrally.
Nie Mingjue snorted, and Meng Yao shot an offended look his way.
“If you knew I was there the whole time, why did you not kill me?” Meng Yao asked in an attempt to turn the tables.
“You gave me no reason to kill you. Unless I consider spying on me when I am alone in my cabin a crime,” Nie Mingjue said with a cocky smirk.
Meng Yao flushed. He had been spying to learn his weaknesses! But he could not exactly admit the truth out loud, so he was left blushing like some sort of pining mermaiden instead of the assassin that he really was - or was supposed to be anyway.
He flipped his tail in the water, sending a powerful splash towards Nie Mingjue, soaking him from head to toe. Meng Yao smiled playfully up at the scowling man, who leapt into the pool to exact his terrible vengeance.
~
Nie Mingjue kept his word. Meng Yao was smuggled aboard his ship the next morning, and a skeleton crew sailed them out to Jin waters.
He had the crew vacate the deck before Nie Mingjue carried Meng Yao out, and placed him on the edge where he could jump off into the water. Meng Yao looked down into the crystal blue, and unease filled his heart at what little awaited for him under the surface.
“Nie Mingjue.”
“What is it?”
Meng Yao brought his tail up, and with a shimmer, his scales hardened like diamonds. He dug his thumb and index finger underneath a scale, and pulled hard. Nie Mingjue took in a sharp breath.
“What are you-!”
“It is alright.”
A trickle of blood fell from the place where his scale had been plucked.
Meng Yao turned towards Nie Mingjue and took one of his hands, placing the golden scale in his open palm.
“A mer scale freely given has unique properties. Its edges are strong enough to cut through any material.”
“Why are you giving this to me?” Nie Mingjue said hoarsely, brows furrowed together. He ran a thumb gently over the scale’s surface. It was as smooth as a polished diamond.
“Something to remember me by,” Meng Yao said with a shy smile. He made to jump off the ship.
“Wait.”
Meng Yao turned, and Nie Mingjue pulled Meng Yao into a hungry kiss, needing to taste those lips one more time. Meng Yao had been expecting such a move, and surged to meet his lips with equal passion. Hands cradled the back of his head, keeping him firmly in place as the man ravaged his mouth. Meng Yao knew it was only lust, but he had never been so desired in all his life.
He was not sure if Nie Mingjue knew the specific lore behind the gesture of the scale, but the man was astute enough to gather it held deep significance. After all, mermaid scales were incredibly rare in the human world.
Once a scale was removed by force, it would never grow back.
A small price to pay for the trust he gained in return.
Nie Mingjue broke the kiss, and Meng Yao chased after his lips. The affection was intoxicating, and he was touch-starved for more.
“I will be sailing this way often, should you find yourself in want of human company,” Nie Mingjue said against Meng Yao’s lips, taking the plump lower one between his teeth and giving it a gentle nip.
The act caused a rush of heat to travel down to his tail, and Meng Yao pulled back, lest he do something foolish.
“Until we meet again,” Meng Yao studied Nie Mingjue’s features, cementing them to memory, and dove into the sea gracefully.
Meng Yao swam deep and far, past familiar corals and reefs to treacherous depths below. But no matter how far he swam, or how cold the waters grew, nothing could change how the boundless ocean felt more like a cage than the small pool in Nie Mingjue’s rooms, where the man had held him in his arms.
Miles away, on the bow of his ship, Nie Mingjue stared into the open sea, a golden scale enclosed in silk cloth tucked safely in his breast pocket. The sunlight reflected on the water’s surface, and the memory of a coy, dimpled smile and golden scales lingered on his mind.