Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Seaweed shifts between the waves as light filters through the surface water. You relax in the shallows, sand swirling around your caudal fin. You frequented the shallows quite often, as the food was plentiful and the sights glorious. Currently, purple and yellow fish dart in and out of the corals, the surrounding christmas tree worms hiding in their holes as creatures pass. A nurse shark chills in the sand as the sun ripples across its face. It was nice. So, so nice.

Most of the time you were alone. Many days and nights were spent basking by yourself in the reef. You were well acquainted with the local fauna, and you’ve made the place more of a heavily protected territory after getting attached to it. The occasional visitor swept through from time to time, but they always left as soon as they arrived. You don’t blame them. An orca siren is a very, very large danger in these waters. Sometimes it takes them a moment to realize that you are an orca. Your coloration is different, to say the very least.

The black sections of your body are actually a light tan color, as your body lacks the means to produce much melanin. Some sirens or mers mistake you for a porpoise or dolphin, the horizontal caudal fin queuing them in on the subgroup you’re in. They start catching on once they see the size you are. Large, imposing, and “strangely relaxed” - the stigma of chill orcas actually being calculative psychopaths is so real.

So… you remain alone. You don’t fit in with the other orcas, and you aren’t accepted by other species either. What’s the point? The reef likes you just fine, the little fish floating along your back like hovering jewels. A scuttling crab gives you the side eye before shoving sand in its mouth. Towering corals paint the walls in color like a living castle. A blowfish scans the sands for clams. A moray eel gulps its mouth out, looking oddly cute. All of them are dear to you. Except for the pearlfish. Those suckers are weirdos.

You sit… and watch… and observe… all day, every day. The sun warms your back and arms while the current cools you at the same time. The rocking waves soothe your mind, and your eyelids fall. Little disturbances from small fish swimming about can be felt along your skin. The sands warm your belly better than any man made pillow.

You fall asleep.

When you wake, the warm sun has been replaced with a gray sky. You can hear the droplets plop against the surface. The water has significantly cooled, but your warm patch of sand stays constant. However, you push off the sea bed to take a well-deserved breath of air.

The rain patters against your wet hair as the crisp cold enters your lungs. The shoreline can barely be made out on the horizon, but the land is irrelevant to you. You dunk back under.

As you careen through the corals, a group of dottyback fish swish away and out of sight. You snag a trespassing starfish and eat it. You don’t allow them near your reef. They eat the corals. No one eats your corals.

Keeping an eye on the health of the reef was your job. You kept an eye on everything, keeping away parasitic species from your sanctuary and getting rid of invasive critters with no mercy. Gray corals, half-eaten fish remains, and odd behaving fish all got thoroughly taken care of. Nothing went unnoticed by you. Including that brand new burrow settled in the sand.

You swam down to the hole. It was dug in the sand under a thick rock, purposely leaving any surrounding fauna alone. You hovered over the entrance a moment before peeking in, excited to see if a new species moved in.

It was a mer… A tiny mer. He looks like a snowflake eel with a skeleton torso, huddled back in his hidey-hole. His eyes were wide in shock, clearly not expecting to be found so quickly, if at all.

You felt a little territorial anger creep up, but you squashed it down for everyone’s sake. He looked hurt with bite marks and scratches littering his arms. You assumed he fled into a more deadly predator’s territory to flee from his attackers. You maneuver around the rocks to rest on the sand in front of his newly made den.

“What are you doing down there?” You coo, trying not to scare him. You are deeply aware of the mistrust mers hold towards sirens.

He curls more up in the back of his sand den, using his tail to shield his face from you. His petite body is significantly smaller than you, but his long eel tail makes him around half your length. All that tail, all curled up in a tight ball in an attempt to hide.

“You don’t need to hide. I’m a nice siren.” You say gently.

* * *

He highly doubted that. A siren’s opportunistic tendencies were far too strong for him to be comfortable with. He was desperately trying to figure out what species you were in order to think of your preferred hunting style, but your body was confusing to puzzle together.

You were a peach color, with a white underbelly. It was a fairly uncommon color out in the ocean blue. The shape of your fins suggested a dolphin. He’d believe it. River dolphins are funny colors, but then you wouldn’t like being out in the ocean waters like this. You were more heavy set, but he didn’t want to believe he was dealing with an orca. An orca could easily kill him, and he didn’t want another fight to be involved in.

He would surely lose this one if he tried.

But you loomed closer to the entrance of his hide.

“Don’t be afraid.” You cooed to him in your musical tone all sirens are known for. “I don’t bite. You’re too small to eat.” You tried to convince him.

“What are you..?” He asked. If he was going to be killed, he wanted answers before he died.

The terrifying beast sighed and smiled gently at this, as if expecting it. “It’s ‘Who are you?’” You corrected.

He scowled. He didn’t like these games. He didn’t like being small and scared. However, he complied in hopes to ward off any anger you might hold. “Fine. Who are you?”

You chuckled, saying your name. He made a mental note of it, if only barely. He was more interested when you actually told what you were. “An orca. Albinism changes things a lot. Well.. Kind of? I may be leucistic… piebald?” You seemed confused yourself. He didn’t blame you. Your bottom half was affected, but your torso wasn’t. He didn’t quite care, even if it was an incredibly rare occurrence, but he now saw an opportunity.

“Is your fluke affected?” He asked, leaning to the right and peering back for effect. You tilted your head, bending your back fin forward and looking at it. He instantly took his chance.

He darted out of his den, shooting off into the tight-nit corals. He looked back as he swam, through the cloud of sand he kicked up.

He saw what he would describe as the most terrifying thing in his life…

You, staring right at him, while your eyes dilated.

* * *

You watched him shoot off in an attempt to run away. Your chest tightened, and you instinctively gave chase. He tried squirming between gardens of the living reef, but your approaching form seemed to scare him from what little cover he found.

You couldn’t help but feel worried. Corals were delicate, and his panicked flailing could break off pieces of your precious sanctuary. You felt a little hurt, as you believed that he had calmed at least a little bit.

Apparently not, judging on this chase.

You rifled through dunes of sand, gently lifted rocks, and parted vegetation every time you found him. It was an attempt to not make him more afraid, but he was really pumped up with adrenaline.

He apparently touched an unfriendly creature, as he yelped and curled in on himself in pain. You quickly caught up and surveyed the situation.

A little anemone was nestled on a lovely purple giant clam. Those things hurt for sure. You knew from first hand experience. So, you floated over to his squirming form and grabbed him. You made sure to get him around the mouth, as mer bites hurt despite their small size, and then gently coiled the rest of his long tail around your arm.

He looked freaked. You didn’t blame the poor guy. Probably thinks you’re going to eat him.

“Don’t bite me.” You say sternly. “I won’t hurt you, and you won’t hurt me. We go on the golden rule terms, yeah?”

He stares for a moment, but eventually nods.

You let go of his face, keeping a hand gripped on his waist to keep him from running away. A soft yellow was spreading across his cheeks.

“You never told me your name.” You pry.

He hesitates, then gives into fate and flops into your arms. “Conger...” He mumbles.

You tilt your head. “You’re not a conger eel?” Him being named after a type of eel shouldn't be surprising, but congers were a gray-brown color. Far from his beautiful black and white.

He glares at you. “I know that.”

The water goes silent for a while. You weren’t the best with awkwardness. Your mind wandered to how lonely you were out here, all alone. He was… irritable, but you chalk that up to him being afraid of you. A smile dawned on your face as you thought. After all, he’d be safer here.

“I think I’ll keep you…” You drawl, softly poking his yellow spots.

“What?” He tensed in your arms.

“Yes, and you’ll be safe and fed here. No running from threats anymore. Just stay here where it’s warm.” You dipped into your siren tones while you spoke. You knew it was manipulative, but at least you weren’t lying.

He slowly relaxed as you sang the promises you’d give. You held him gently, making your way to a lovely coral growth you frequented. It was like a tiny cove - perfect for him to stay in.

You set him on the soft sand inside, arranging seaweed around him. You then settled in front of the structure, head resting in your hands.

You were so going to spoil him.

Chapter Text

In the village of Albimium, life was fairly easy. Plants flourished, animals thrived, and there was never a drought. The only problem was there was never a dry, sunny day. 6 out of the 7 days of the week it misted and rained, and on the 7th day, it stormed. Bronchitis was common because of the constant wet environment. It caused the population to stay very low. The people blamed it on the weather, and while they were partly right, the source of the problem was lurking in the river waters west of the village.

In these waters was a god. It resembled the mermaids of human culture, except that the human half was replaced with a skeleton. When it was asleep, it misted, and when awake, it rained.
Boredom would make it summon a storm for entertainment, as it's flooding waters washed various trinkets into the river. While the humans next door were oblivious, the god was well aware of the settlement. It didn't mind their presence, and even enjoyed watching the smaller ones frolic a bit too close to the river bank. It liked the humans funny little village, up until the it gets a bit too big and starts polluting the river.

After all, that's how the first settlers of Albimium disappeared.

Chapter Text

He saw you, and gods, were you interesting. A little human, oblivious and still on the bank of his river. He lurked below you and stared at your gorgeous face that he found so infatuating. You were better than any passing human, any lovely raindrop hitting his stream, or even any trinket he had ever picked up. Oh, and you visited so often.

Every evening after work, you would sit by his life giving-river and simply relax.

He wondered why.

Why did you insist on teasing him with your presence?

The only reason he had not shown himself by now was because he so deeply feared your small body would give out in fear at the sight of him. He could be seen as a beast, terrible and devouring, here to swallow you up and spit out your very bones. But he could never…

Oh, how he could never. You were so sweet. That would be like crushing a butterfly who had mistaken you for a flower. But you may think he could…

That is what kept him away. He was always trying to come up with ways to meet you without startling your poor mortal form, but his constant fear always persisted.

But he was getting braver.

When you’d leave, he’d peek from the surface of the water to smell freshly baked goods in the air. He was convinced you worked at one of those human pastry shops. You smelled so sweet and warm…

He just wanted a quick sniff when you came and sat down, but the image of you fainting at the sight of him would crush his soul so harshly he might as well die.

A beast… perhaps a deity, but what is a deity but a beast with great power? He was monstrous, a great catfish tail replacing his legs. Not even his top was inviting, as it was as skinless as a corpse. No human would find bones friendly or inviting…

His tears would fall if not for the river dragging them away first. The river that was his self-given job to take care of. He took care of it so well just for you, making sure to keep the tide high enough to touch but low enough to not flood your town.

He can’t even imagine flooding your town now, not with you in it. He had done it before in the past, washing out the inhabitants that killed his creatures and made his water dirty. But now you were there! He could never now with you living so peacefully.

He’d somehow have to think up another way to punish the town if they ever got out of hand again that didn’t involve harm to you.

He thought a lot, being all alone. Thought about how beautiful you were, about the status of the town, about how the creatures were leaving the closer the humans got, he thought so, so much…

He wished for you to hold his head and tell him it’s all alright.

Oh, but what if you held his skull and became disgusted!

It plagued him.

You were so delicate.

He feared the moisture his powers caused would give you great sickness like other humans he had seen, but you seemed to rather enjoy the weather he caused.

Sprinkling rains with minor fog was your favorite. It would make you walk along the bank and collect sticks you found adequate for keeping. He’d slowly follow along in the river.

Once he’d found a lovely rock at the bottom of his river and brought it to the bank for you to find. You kept it, and that was such a joy he spun around many times clutching his chest.

Oh, how he wished to keep you…

Then, the thought of your dead eyes in the water shook him so deeply he didn’t rise to the surface for a week.

After that, he made a rule that you were absolutely never allowed in the river. It was dangerous. Your delicate human lungs could never in a million years last in the raging depths. So, he watched over you whenever you walked along his river.

You were so interesting to watch, picking up feathers, waving at rabbits across the bank, and maybe climbing a tree or two. He worried when you were up there. He could not save you up there. It was not his domain. You had only slipped once, and it was close to the ground. He had nearly fainted himself when he saw it. You shrugged it off easily and continued climbing from time to time, now with him even more scared of it.

Sometimes you collected moss, though he never knew what you did with it once you returned home. Other times you’d build mini stick fortresses, or even big ones if you found enough branches. And times like right now, you’d crawl over the rocks on the bank and peer at hiding minnows and crawfish.

He stared at you currently as you did that, your gorgeous hair glinting in the cloudy gray light. You bent, picking up a yellow leaf caught between two rocks. His heart melted, as you were always so interested in the smallest things.

He jerked violently from his spot as he saw you fall right in, the deep river swallowing you up instantly.

He panicked, scrambling and kicking up bubbles in an attempt to get you.

You were easily caught from the current’s grasp, lifting you high out of the water as he headed for the bank.

He set you on a low rock, desperately looking your body over for injury. You gasped and sputtered, your tiny ribs expanding and contracting where his hands held you. You quickly wiped your eyes and… saw him.

He braced for it, the fear in your eyes, the fainting as you witnessed his terrible form.

You did not faint.

You did not even scream.

Your eyes widened at most, which still racked his body with immeasurable fear.

And then he saw you smile.

How that melted him…

That sweet smile, directed solely at him.

Your hand reached up, and he was surprised as something was placed upon his nasal ridge. He cautiously removed a hand from your soaked body to look at it. He picked it up and turned it in his hands. It was that little yellow leaf you had grabbed.

Oh, how you fascinated him…

Chapter Text

The town had never been your favorite place. People always bustled through the dirt paths and noise was always buzzing around your head in the streets. It was overwhelming for a hermit like you. Unfortunately, financial problems forced you to live in a dingy, rat infested apartment instead of a lone cabin like you dreamed of.

Adulting was hard…

So, you searched for areas in town that acted as a more quiet, and cleaner, spot than you stayed. You managed to find a few: an abandoned park that was better for drug deals than for actual children, an alley behind the barber shop that had a lovely bench stored there that you could sit on, and a long lost pool area that had been drained years ago. However, your favorite by far was the baker shop downtown.

You sat there now, quietly scribbling on your iPad, working on a commission that was going to help pay your rent this month. The reason this place was so amazing was because no one came here. Bad for business, but wonderful for you. The reason most people left this place alone was because of the shopkeeper. To put it simply… he was scary to look at.

You had seen your fair share of monsters, but none were quite like him. He was truly massive - a giant next to even the tallest people around here. His skeletal form loomed like a great redwood. His size wouldn’t seem so bad if his stare wasn’t so off putting. A bloated red eye light floated in his skull like a pool of blood. It was the only thing pulling attention away from the jagged cavern bludgeoned into the top of his head. These all culminated into the perfect beast that made people keep their distance.

The plus side of him? He was quiet…

Docile, too. He seemed rather peaceful despite his gory appearance. You knew better than to underestimate him completely. After all, the whole monster population was victim to the ravenous famine in the underground all those years ago. The mere mention of it sours the atmosphere.

You shake your head and get back to work in order to rid the thoughts from your mind. Besides, you’d dare to say you’ve taken a liking to the hulking skeleton. You got to watch all the baking processes happen, as it was an open kitchen. You’ve come to learn that he’s clumsy due to his wounded state, and you’ve seen him drop many spoons while making batter. He always stared at them, his eye light dilating and contracting as if he was confused on why gravity dared act on his utensils. He would also sometimes get lost in his thoughts and not see how much time has passed. One time you saw him knead bread dough for over an hour as he just stared at his hands move about like he was spectating everything happening.

It hurts your heart sometimes to see him in such a condition, but it’s not like you could change it.

Sometimes you wanted to help him along with his work. Baking always seemed fun, yeah, but your anxieties prevented you from putting in a proper application. So, you sat in your usual booth every day the shop was open. You’d stay for hours in your little corner. It felt more like home than your real one.

Except, some changes made you nervous as time went on.

Instead of staring at his hands, he’d stare at you.

You wouldn’t have minded normally, but the red glow of his eye made you feel like you were being eaten alive. Your commission work served as a small distraction, but his gaze was always burning a hole in your head that made concentrating hard.

He had quickly caught on that his stare was making you uncomfortable, so when he knew you were looking, he’d give a timid smile and wave. One day he had quite a lost look in his eyes while looking at you yet again. When he finally came to, he flushed such a brilliant red that it matched his eye.

That made you start to really like him…

So, one day when going up for a usual order of tea and a roll, you dumbly stood there. He seemed unfazed at first. He knew what you wanted, and he went off to fetch it for you. However, you continued to stand even after receiving your order. He looked concerned as you looked away to speak, “I… I wanted to ask…”

Your stupid little brain couldn’t scramble together the words to ask him on a date. Not to mention that you just standing there made it so much worse. He didn’t make a move either, but his cheekbones were starting to shift colors again. He knew, you knew, but neither dared open their mouth to progress the situation. You were like two flowers in a field hoping a wind would push you a little closer together.

Oh, what you would do right now for a hurricane to come by to pick you up just to throw you into the stratosphere…

He slid his hands forward slowly and cautiously across the counter towards you. Using two index fingers, he brought them together side by side.

It clicked to you that he was asking if this was a question of a date himself - if only silently. You nodded almost frantically, unable to make eye contact with him. You could see him flush even deeper in color within your peripherals. He nodded and quietly went to stand by the coffee maker to keep himself busy. It was a clear distraction, but you were more than happy to end the “conversation.”

As you fled for your seat, his rumbling voice carried through the empty dining room, “Tomorrow..?”

“Sure..!” You squeaked out, barely audible as you hid your body within your booth.

Awkward, terrifying, anxiety inducing success!