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"You are hereby sentenced to die, in dark water mountain."
Clark looks up with an empty expression so this is what he gets for helping people... he had been in the army for so long, never asking for a promotion, just wanting to serve the town but Clark saving a girl instead of an important envoy sends him into the very mountain they dump criminals to rot and die with no way out but murky waters.
He can't give up, even with the skulls greeting him at the bottom of the cave. He swims back up, gasping for air as he looks up at the hole they dump him in.
People say that screams can be heard from the mountain but there was no way out, not even a rope can save him because they say there is something in the waters here that possesses people.
Witches and spirits is said to have cursed this place. Clark sighs, swimming himself to shore.
He for one doesn't believe in witchcraft and spirits, all he saw was women of science and medicine, only wanting to help. Lois is a close witch friend of his... she will definitely save him.
He looks up at the steep mountain that makes it impossible to climb out, the land here is small and there doesn't seem to be a way out. But he enters the darkness of the walls, realising that no, there is another tunnel leading somewhere. It's not outside given there is no light and he didn't want to injure himself.
But days pass by and there is no fish here only seaweed and salty water.
Having no choice, Clark decides to make his way over to the other side, hoping that maybe there is some water and fish.
The other cave has no exit and is dimly lit by something in the water. He hadn't seen that maybe of seaweed before that could glow underwater but he sees... fish!
He is careful not to make too much noise. Is there only one? He looks through the water which is very clean save for maybe a patch of algae growing on the side. There is only one. Clark sighs, there won't be any use...
He goes back to the other side of the cave after finding that there is nowhere else for him to go. They were right about one thing, no one is able to survive here. Clark resigns to his fate, leaning beside a fire he didn't bother to tend to as he is also running out of dry twigs to set on fire.
He hadn't realised he slept until instead of sunlight, moonlight shines through the hole above him.
The fire beside him is still going even though it's small... that's weird, when he slept it was still morning, now it's night... how did the fire survive that long? And it seemed like there is even a plank of wood beside his twig stash and even hay?
It's damp but...
Clark goes back to the other cave, to find the fish gone.
Was there something else here? He waits for the fish to reappear but there is nothing.
His stomach growls embarrassingly loud and it echoes through the cave walls. He tries the water there, finding it to be sweet tasting. That's strange... no it was a taste that he seem to have before he drank the water.
Now he is suspicious, was there really something down here? It meant that someone could survive in this cave. But where? Other than a rock in the middle of the lake, there was nowhere for it to be. He doesn't want to dive in it again, not when the fire is dying outside, he could very well freeze to death instead of starve to death.
Something bubbles up to the surface, startling Clark a little. It seemingly swims towards him until he realise that it's someone's roast pig. How the hell did it even get in here?
He isn't sure if it's even safe to eat but his stomach was going to eat itself out if he doesn't get anything into his stomach. He tears off the piece of meat and hears a splash somewhere in the distance, more specifically the ripples come from behind the rock.
Clark perks up, but nothing came out of it. Maybe it was something from the ceiling that dropped so he made sure to keep his eyes on it as he chews on the pork.
He hadn't realise that he slept until he awakens to more food washed up on the shore, this time dry. He survived and he hadn't known how long he slept since there was no hole here but his eyes that had adjusted to the dark, notices something in the water that wasn't there before.
It looks like scales but it wasn't something that he had seen before. He notices that there is more fishes here too and their scales doesn't look like that green. It almost looks like pure jade.
He freezes, noticing something out of place upon the rocks, a tail with scales that looks a lot like the ones that are floating around the lake flops onto the rock, it shimmers and glows in the dark but that is not what that made his heart lurch into his throat, it's the fact that it's attached to a human torso.
It's reaching into the water trying not to move too much as it rummages through it, it seems to have grabbed something as he uses his other hand to reach into the water. He had heard of sirens which is the only creature he knew that lived in the ocean but it's not like the hideous and webbed like appearance they talked about in the books.
No, his skin is fair with pointed ears but other than that it's eyes are a pretty blue with long lashes and a cure smile as he seems triumphant in whatever it is he is trying to do. His human chest is well defined and strong, like a stead, without the tail he would have think of him as a knight.
It raises its head and Clark didn't scramble backwards or school his expression. The creature eyes widen, tail flipping in anxiousness but instead of screaming bloody murder, Clark enters the water, entranced. The siren isn't even singing like they say in the books. It seems like it wants to run until it seems to notice that Clark means no harm and is actually honestly curious.
Clark stops before his feet can leave the bottom of the lake and his chin touching the surface of the water, he didn't want to chase away the creature, though he half expects to be attacked for trespassing onto its territory. The siren flips itself into the lake and Clark was worried that maybe he wouldn't see him again but his head, like Clark's is half way out the water as he swims towards him with two strokes.
"Were you the one who started the fire?" Clark asks as if expecting the creature to reply in perfect english.
But it seems to understand as it nods. It swims around him, as if studying him. Clark can reach out and touch the tail if he wanted to, wondering maybe it's a costume but he doesn't keeping his hands to himself.
"Thank you... and the food..." Clark trails off.
"I took it from those camping on the side of the beach near the ocean just outside this mountain..." the creature smiles mischievously. "I didn't kill anyone or anything."
"You... speak...?" Clark asks in astonishment.
"Yes... you humans keep dropping down here through the centuries so we've learnt a thing or two from the nice ones."
It goes unsaid what he did to those who are not nice, the skeletons at the bottom of the lake is telling.
"So... you can escape?" Clark asks.
"Yes but... I suggest you don't... the last guy who tried that died all of a sudden... only I can go in and out fine."
Darn... so it is hopeless after all.
"But I've seen some of the humans leave... on the other side," the creature points to the other cave so he does need Lois to come get him assuming that she hasn't been caught and burnt at the stake for making another heist.
"I see... sorry are you a siren?" Clark asks. "And are there more of you?"
The creature frowns as if understanding what a 'siren' means. "No... I'm a merman and no... I'm the only one that lives here," he replies. Clark guessed that some people screamed 'Siren!' At him while the other nice ones gave him a different name since Clark couldn't see him as a siren at all.
He is the most beautiful creature he had seen in his years and if he had no tail, he would be a beautiful man as well, far prettier than the women he has seen as his years as a guard.
"My name is Lex."
He has a name too...
"I'm Clark."
Clark was straight he is pretty sure. He had a girlfriend before and Lois has always been the only one who hadn't tried to kill him even after he found out about her hobby but even now when there is a certain truth to magic and fantasy in the form of Lex, Clark is still hoping that Lois would come save him.
Lex had shown him the exit and Clark knew he wouldn't be able to hold his breath long enough to reach that, it's so far or small Clark didn't even know if he could fit through.
There was another hole however and it's not the one that led to the other cave.
"That's my home I guess..." Lex explains. "There is no air so you can't stay there for long..."
"I see... so do humans often jump down here?" Clark asks.
"Yeah..."
Lex doesn't seem to trust him, keeping his distance and giving him little to no answers. He could very well be a human in a costume, playing a prank on him or an assassin but the ears don't come off even as Lex dives back in and brings him food with his mouth instead of letting it float like he used to.
The scales continue to fall around him, he wanted to ask but decided that it might be too invasive. He tries to make himself seem small but he guessed that Lex was also bored and Clark was the only human who didn't try to outright kill him so he seems to correlate whining to summoning Clark from his hiding place.
Not that there was a huge space to hide himself in but Clark finds himself drawn to whenever Lex speaks and the whining is doing things to him. His mother would be horrified if he said those things out loud but he cannot help it.
He is straight yet Clark cannot stop staring at Lex as his lips moved, his voice enchanting and he finds himself looking more when he swims, the muscles in him flexing and pulling through the water like a graceful swan.
Clark has no idea how many days has past, he had moved all the twigs and planks into the connecting rocky hallway between each cave given there was nothing on the other side but a hole to tell him what time of the day it is. But in the cave where Lex is often in, there is food, wood and plenty of delicious water that is not at all salty thanks to whatever plantation was filtering it.
When Clark continues to not kill him everytime they meet, Lex becomes closer and closer to him. Poor thing must have met plenty of backstabbing humans given he doesn't trust even a slither of kindness from Clark.
"You are beautiful," Clark compliments one time and Lex narrows his eyes like he just said he killed Pepper, the cod that often lives with Lex and also comes to the lake often when he realise that Clark isn't going to eat him.
"I think you are amazing for surviving for this long..."
"Yeah well... I don't even know if there is anymore mermen out there..." Lex sighs. "Being great at surviving isn't always a good thing."
"Hey, if you hadn't survive... I wouldn't too so it's definitely a good thing," Clark smiles.
Lex didn't say anything about that and he feels like maybe he had said something wrong. But Lex doesn't show it on his face. When Clark wakes up after a nap, with the moonlight on the other side, he trudges over to the other side. He doesn't hear whining nor does he hear any splashing.
Maybe he was having a pretty long nap. But he doesn't appear, not even after a long time. He has enough food to last him the whole day but he had been worried about Lex so he dives into the water, checking deeper into the lake. The only place where he hadn't checked was Lex's home.
But he doesn't want to intrude, it was the one place unsaid between them that he did not go into, it's also the place where Pepper's family stayed, afraid of Clark. But Pepper seems insistent that he goes in if her bumping into his shoulder was anything.
What if Lex was in trouble? Or trapped between something? Fishing nets couldn't reach here but what if it had been a box or a trap?
Clark quickly swims inside. It was in a shape of a pouch the cave, at the bottom was huge pieces of seaweed, slowly swaying at the bottom. Clark couldn't hear anything other than water so he had gone closer, slowly so that he wouldn't suddenly scare him.
But Lex seems to have notice him and shrinks further into the floor of the cave even though there was nowhere else for him to go unless he can phase through the wall.
Concerned, despite Lex's obvious tensed pose, Clark swims to his side, pulling the merman onto his back. The first thing he noticed was the pink flush on his face then the hands that quickly flew to his tail. Clark is no stranger to animals so his mind immediately goes to 'heat' but the fact that the merman knew to cover his privates makes Clark embarrassed.
Clark leaves it for him to take care of it because it does seem like he is in a lot of pain but Lex had placed a hand onto his arm, shaking his head as if asking him not to leave.
Clark can't do this. He goes slowly, hoping that Lex would shake his head if he didn't want this and carries him out of the water.
Lex didn't need air to talk or breath but Clark needed to speak to him in order to know how to help. His question gets stuck in his throat when he sees Lex's genitals however as it's pulsating with slick and an organ like a tongue twitching and leaking with what must be precum.
"Is it your heat? Do you need my help?" Clark asks.
"Y-yes..."
Clark expects him to maybe ask for food or anything that might help but he hadn't expect the kiss from him. He hurries to pull him away. Lex is not in his right mind.
"Lex... we cannot do this... you..." Clark swallows, words heavy on his tongue.
"I've always wanted you... ever since you came in here..." Lex's voice is husky as he clings to Clark like he is his lifeline. "I've always wanted you but... I know humans are very fragile and never stay for long but... I want you to stay... you... you are different from the others."
"What?" Clark stares at Lex dumbly.
"You're nicer... even now... you don't want to take advantage of me... don't you? But I really need you... so please," tears trickles down Lex's eyes. It must really hurt.
Clark kisses Lex back onto the cheek before going down. Lex lets out a confused whine before it turns into pitched moans as Clark licks his entrance and his hand, gentle onto his dick, strokes it as he licks it from his vulva to his dick. Curious, Clark inserst finger into his slit. The canal is almost like an human female only it's wetter not from the lake and feels like it has more folds.
While exploring like a doctor, Lex is writhing with pleasure, his tail flicking in excitement.
Clark continues to suck and lick against his length, focusing on pleasuring Lex rather than the erection in his pants. He could have just used his hands but he wanted to get in there and taste the slick. It's filthy but Clark could hardly care not when Lex's voice is so cute especially when he climaxes. Clark hasn't tasted semen before so is curious to taste it as it splatters down his cheek.
Lex's eyes are glossy and is staring at him with so much lust in his eyes. It's not enough, his dick is still hard.
"Please..." Lex whines, "I need you inside of me."
"Are you sure?" Clark asks, worried.
"Yes... although you have to know... merman's eggs are compatible with humans... which means..." Lex's tail flops anxiously.
"You can..." Clark stammers as his hands hover over his belly.
"I can go..." Lex mumbles mistaking his frozen body for rejection.
"No... no it's just... I never thought of settling down any time soon..." Clark smiles sheepishly.
"Settle down?" Lex asks.
"Yes... it means having a family..." Clark mutters.
"Is that bad?"
"No it's..." Clark sighs. He guessed it didn't matter because all he wanted was Lex, all so intelligent and beautiful Lex. Clark this time initiates the kiss, mouth claiming yet gentle. Lex melts into the touch as Clark pulls down his pants with one hand. Lex looks down with wide eyes as Clark's dick was far bigger than what Lex had seen before. Lex moans into his mouth, eager to be fucked senseless.
Clark finally pushes in, filling Lex up in a way that he hadn't felt before, his dick pulsating and hitting a part of him Lex hadn't thought was possible. Then he starts moving, drinking in the sight of Lex's slick spluttering out with every thrust and each time Lex's moans become louder and louder.
"Clark..." Lex whines. The desperate sound wrangles Clark's orgasm out of him. Lex groans in surprise but his body thrills, after years of spending his heat alone, finally something to fill him up. It's so much more than Lex could have ever hoped for and Lex is sure that he would be pregnant now.
But that wasn't the end because Clark's dick is still rubbing against his walls and still hard... when Clark starts to move again, Lex's arm shoots up to wrap his neck to pull him into a heated kiss as Clark continues to fuck him through his slick and semen until the sensation is too much and his walls became overstimulated with orgasm.
Clark feels Lex's walls squeeze as slick squirts out like a jet along with semen that hits his still wet clothes and Lex's chest. It didn't take him long to cum again as Lex's pussy tries to milk his cock for more.
It's like thing has a mind of its own.
Clark buries his face into Lex's shoulder, both of their breaths heavy and out of sync. They stayed there on the shore of rocks, not the most comfortable place to have sex but Clark finds that he doesn't mind not when he believes that he is meant to be here, to find Lex during his mating season, to be able to find beauty when others find this ugly and wrong.
Nothing has ever felt so right for Clark.
"I want you to leave with me," Clark brushes his thumb onto Lex's cheek.
"W-what?"
"I want you to live with me and we can raise our child together... there is a lake behind my friend's house that is also this size... slightly bigger," Clark gestures to the water. Pepper, who to Lex's embarrassment, had been watching seemingly dives up and down in the water as if nodding.
"When people have children together... they usually stay together... I want to leave so that I can survive but... I don't want to leave you alone... so promise me?"
Lex looks up at him with sad eyes but Clark won't back down. "Promise me that you'll come with me..."
"What if... I want to stay here...?" Lex asks with a frown. "This is my ancestral home..."
"Then you stay here and we'll probably never meet again..." Clark replies. "I'm not threatening... it's just that it will be dangerous for you to be near humans... it'll be safer if we don't meet at the ocean..."
"Okay..."
Clark smiles, kissing Lex on the forehead but he should have taken Lex's unhappy expression as a hint as to what he is really thinking. Lex hadn't exactly promise him either.
So when Lois came with a rope and pull him out, he goes to the beach, he sees no sign of Lex. Clark would go back into the mountain if Lois hadn't pulled him away. She believes that he has hallucinated thing in there due to the strange aura around the mountain.
"No... you don't understand... he's real!" Clark exclaims.
Lois grumbles as she is unable to pull a two hundred pound male. She threatens to not rescue him should he return but Clark the stubborn mule, came back, this time with rope.
Lois has no choice but to follow him to make sure no one had the bright idea to tamper with the rope at least. This time she gave him mint leaves to chew on so he stays conscious.
Days past and Lex doesn't appear. Clark would have believed that Lex really wasn't real had Pepper not came over and greet him. She seems sad. But Clark had to leave as Lois is shouting at him that she senses people. It will take him a while to climb up so he needed to hurry. Clark looks back at the dimly glowing lake before running back up.
It's been five years, yet there were no signs of the merman. Some sailors says something about a siren and other than saving another woman from being burnt, Clark had nothing going on for him. Lois cannot stand him sulking around the house so demands that he go out into sea to find his beloved merman.
Even with the lucky charm she gave him, their boat were still attacked by the storm.
Clark was going to resign to his fate when he sees something move in the water. It was not just any fish. Clark had to rub his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. A small merman with blue eyes and black hair.
He didn't have time to think of where he had saw that face before when the part of the ship he was standing on was broken off by the mast and his body hits the water.
Clark splutters up at the murky waters, unable to see through the dark and strong currents. He cannot find anything that floats to grab onto. He sinks lower and lower the more he struggled. He gulps in a whole lot of sea water until air was passed to him through his mouth.
Clark opens his eyes in the water, blinking at the waves but he had to see who it was. It was Lex, kissing him like they were back in the cave again.
"Lex!" Clark exclaims underwater as Lex brings him to the surface for air.
"Hold your breath!" Lex exclaims through the sound of the storm.
"Hwld you bweath!" The small merman giggles behind him.
"Is that?" Clark asks.
"Hurry, you're losing energy," Lex's voice is annoyed that Clark isn't focusing. "Take in air, I'm going to get us to shore."
They were thousands of miles off land but Clark trusts Lex so he takes in a huge gulp of air and holds it in, ignoring the water splashing against his nose as Lex dives back in with Clark's arm supported on his shoulder, his tail kicks and they zoom through the water.
Clark's lung capacity was so good they only needed to stop three times before they reach an island.
"Why didn't you follow me?" Clark asks.
Lex sighs, diving back into the water. Clark would have believed that he would live him there alone had his child not kept him company until Lex returned.
"Your friend definitely didn't have glowshrooms in her house which is important for giving birth... it was important that Connor familiarise with his ancestral home too."
"And you didn't bother to tell me this?" Clark raises his eyebrows as Lex pulls out stuffed turkey.
"You couldn't live there forever... I was worried... well that you'd stay there had you known how important it was for our child to be there... but then I saw you barely came here despite me not going to shore so I thought... well you'd be better off without me..."
"No..." Clark sighs as he peals off the turkey and offers half of it to Lex who refuses it but Conner wants some so he gives it to him with Lex's permission of course.
"No Conner.... he needs to eat to survive..." Lex sighs.
But Conner looks like he was going to cry so Clark said he didn't mind. Conner's face lights up when he was given a big piece. Lex knew he was just doing it to manipulate Clark and wasn't actually sad. He really needs to teach him out of that narcissistic demeanor but then maybe he gets that from Lex's family side.
His father was a prideful one and very focused on tradition which means no going on land, no humans even though they can stay on land like the turtles and aligators and can speak human language.
Merman history insisted that they created language but the humans have further developed it given they saw more, understood more.
He would have hated the humans too had he not bump into nice humans... then there was Clark which he sure didn't care if he was a siren, he likes Lex so he is trusting him. He had waited for Lex for very long, Lex had watched him from a safe distance.
Of course Clark can't always come to the beach but sometimes, Lex will see him.
"Now that he's grown... will you come home with me?"
Lex frowns, laughing. "Why... why would you still want me in your home?"
"Um... because I want to raise Conner? Besides, I want to see you everyday... not just out here," he gestures to the endless body of water. It's Lex's home yet Clark fully expects him to abandon it for him and Lex would if there wasn't a voice at the back of his head and that sounds a lot like his father telling him that a human and merman would not work.
But they had and they have Conner who turns out fine and healthy.
Lex wanted to move them back into the water but Clark grips his wrist.
"Please... don't leave... I can't lose my family again..."
A nagging voice behind Lex head is telling him that it will not work, it will not work. But he is pliant when Clark pulls him into a hug. Conner, seeing this also wants in and jumps onto Clark's shoulder. Clark and Lex chuckles, Clark placing a hand onto Conner's back so he won't just face plant onto the sand.
"Let's go home."
Lex nods and hooking an arm underneath Clark's legs and his shoulder, they were back on the beach within a few push of their tail. The current is harsh but only lasted promptly a few minutes before he can breath again. His eyes closed, Clark has his full trust in Lex.
When they reach the shore however, they unknowingly waited on by a group of knights. A spear would have pierced through Lex if Clark hadn't noticed and instinctively pulled Lex aside and tanked it for him.
"Clark!" Lex exclaims in distress. Conner, seeing this uses his tail to swipe a rock at them, knocking them out like dominoes. That still wasn't enough however and it's not like Lex can go back into the water.
Before Lex had no choice but to make that decision, lightning strikes onto the beach, directly onto the knights charging at the front. Lex whips his head around to find a cloaked figure up on a hill and waving their staff.
The knights, unable to deal with witchcraft, retreats.
The cloaked figure pulls out their hood but Lex is busy trying to save Clark's life. There is a huge hole in his back where blood is flowing. Lex lets out a chirp of distress and Lois had frozen upon that sound but her friend was dying and she needed to act fast before he can lose too much blood.
"I'll take him, I'm a friend, don't worry." She raises her hand to show that she is peaceful.
Lex's tail swishes nervously because he has no choice, he knows nothing about human anatomy as a merman's body is still different if Clark had been in danger there was no one who can save Clark but another human.
"Head east, find the next river and jump into it, it leads you to the swamp behind my house," Lois replies as she supports Clark's body with her back and she teleports away.
Conner chirps in worry but Lex was too focused on Clark's promises on being a family he threw all logical thinking out of the ocean. He needed to know if Clark will make it.
Should he bring Conner along?
"If something were to happen... you run... okay?" Lex asks as Conner nods. It wasn't like he was going to let his dad go in alone anyway. At least in Lex's arms he can keep an eye on him.
Lex followed the human's instructions and it took them a while to find the river. With his last chance to back out far from his mind, he takes his leap of faith.
Clark finally opens his eyes, it's dark outside and the last he remembered was being at the beach when the sun set. Meaning a day definitely passed because his wound is all better now and it definitely didn't take him minutes to heal, no matter how good Lois' medicine is.
He knows he is saved by Lois as he recognises the room why its tree bark centre and wooden walls. It's dimly lit because the only window was small holes and there were no candles, not even a lantern.
Clark jolts up, remembering why he was injured in the first place. He didn't need to clamber far as Lois is just sitting outside, fixing his clothes.
"Where is Lex?" Clark asks.
"The merman?" Lois asks in amusement. "He's outside... I can't believe you fucked a fish."
"Half fish-" Clark grumbles and hurries outside, worried that Lex might be injured.
"He's fine... they probably went to explore the swamp... can't be pleasant swimming with the algae after all..." Lois muses. "I can't believe you convinced the guy to downgrade his house... what is this... baby trapping? Are you guilt tripping a creature of poseidon?"
"It's not like that!" Clark exclaims, embarrassed. What the hell is even 'baby trapping'? He has never heard of that term before. But then a creature of poseidon... it's definitely not what people describe a siren. So he should be safe... right?
Clark had been so caught up on getting Lex to stay with him he hadn't realised that yeah... the swamp is pretty much a downgrade from the ocean, covered entirely by algae when Lex's tail flops on the water surface, it seemed like the algae parts a little before returning back to position.
Lex didn't need to be out of the water to breath however so he can stay underwater where it's actually very clean but smaller and swallower than the ocean definitely.
Give Conner a week and he'll just eat everything.
Lex pokes his head out of the water when he sees Clark through the holes between the algae and rises out of the water with Conner sucking onto his head. Lex snorts before grabbing him and placing him back into the water.
"Hey," Clark unable to keep his grin from showing, partly in relief and endearment.
"Hey..." Lex's smile is more awkward given he is covered in algae. Clark jumps into the water, making Conner giggle and splash around like his dad. "You...!" Lex exclaims, worried that his injury might open with his stunt.
As if reading his mind Clark grins, algae stuck to his hair, it made Lex huff in laughter at least. "I heal fast." He reassures and it's true, although Lois would scold him later for wasting her perfectly good bandages, he finds that the smile from Lex and Conner's happy chirps worth it.