Ocean's apart
The ocean was such a wonderful place. It's deep trenches and exotic fish, and an endless stretch of blue, with a new surprise along the way. Everyone loved the ocean... right
Well, you didn't. You had lived there all your life, constantly being watched by the other merfolk, being judged by your mother for every movement you made
'a future queen does not hunt'
'a future queen needs a mate'
It was always the same, future queen this, future queen that. But you didn't want that. Your mother wanted it. She was the current queen of Atlantis, it was HER domain. She was the alpha that everyone bows down too
Your father was much nicer. He had been the one to take you out of Atlantis and explore the rest of the ocean. He was the one who helped you save the little purse of shark eggs. He swam by your side as you raised them, despite your mother's strong disliking of the shark pup. Your dad had managed to persuade her into keeping them
As long as you made a promise
To never go above the surface.
And at the time you agreed stupidly, after hearing terrible tales of the monsters that WALKED up there. The air they breathed was polluted and their buildings were in ruins.
That Generation of humans had been by far the worst. The ones you met before were much nicer and ready to help. Your mother had a treaty with them, we would give them fish and great food from the ocean. And they would not approach Atlantis
But in recent years, by recent you meant 200 years ago when you were 1500 years old (15 in human years). The Humans changed and began to develop uncanny abilities. They turned on one another, there was only a short amount of time before they turned on the merpeople
So your mother made sure to hide us, and not contact the world above. You were all forgotten, it was nothing but history.
But you missed the world above. When you were little, around the age of 500 (5 in human years), everything was so... different. When you were made to promise not to return, the ocean became as dull as your existence
Each day you would be woken by the maids, and sent to classes. You would be trained in wielding the trident. Your gifts would be sharpened as you learnt how to bend the water at your will along with other gifts.
It was all done, in the lead up to your matching ceremony
The worst day of your life
Many Mermen had come forward, most of them being Omega with the occasional Beta. No mer Alpha existed, that role was strictly for your mother and yourself. Along with your future daughter.
The ceremony had begun, the loud music sending vibrations through the water as the candidates all lined them selfs up. All 9 men, each bear 3 things.
A favourite meal (type of fish)
A lucky Item (often a clam or seashell)
And finally
A gift
They would present their food to you, and you would eat it. The three you enjoyed the least would be disqualified. Next, the Lucky Item would be handed over to you, and you would choose the three which you liked the most. And lastly the gift
You were sat at your throne, besides your mother as the first merman with the breed of half eel mixed with mer, with a small shy smile on his face came up to you. His tail was beautiful and very delicate. In his hands he held a necklace, made of teeth of a Nurse Shark, they were known for being very gentle. And often lost a lot of teeth easily.
Your own pet shark lay in the sand beside you. The tiger shark named Atlas was more joyed by the gift than you had been. Yet you strained a small smile in appreciation and he blushed
The next merman was more confident, his tail was a breed of octopus. Which isn't very uncommon as one would think. His big brawl chest puffed out as he handed you a crown, Made of beautiful coral. It was strange since Atlantis was miles from the nearest coral reef. He must have gone far to get this
You let the mer put the crown on your head. It was much nicer than the shitty uncomfortable tiara your mother made you wear. He bowed before you with a cocky smirk which somewhat made you smile. You liked strong mermen, it was a competition for dominance. It had your cold blood running hot
The last Mer was nonchalant, almost as if he had been forced to be there. He didn't make eye contact with you as he came forward, you noticed how his tail would reflect and change colour in the light adjusting its camouflage. Some kind of mutation probably
he opened up his hand revealing a mermaids purse. You took it carefully and opened it slightly. Only for the pup of a great white to float out, his small tail pushing his body forward and into your face. His little nose hit you as he looked at you. His slow eyes blinked (Idk if sharks blink) and he swam across your cheek, nuzzling it slightly. Your hand came up and took him into your hand softly as you looked back at the male mer. He was looking somewhere in the distance, trying not to make eye contact as he blushed slightly.
You smiled to your self and he went back into the line
"It's time to choose..." your mother turned and you swam up from your thrown.
You looked between the Mermen, your heart pounding against your chest
"I-"
The water was pushed from your lungs as someone pushed you out of the way. You were confused until something in the water exploded, you looked up. Noticing the odd-looking fish coming down
"EVERYONE EVACUATE" your mother swam as fast as she could to the group, making sure everyone was okay. Yet another explosion rattles the water, the structure of the temple crumbling. Thousands of years word of history were destroyed by the blast
The three mermen swam right to you in order to protect you, but another explosion blocked their path and blew them back. Your head smacked off the hard rock. Slightly concussing you. You hear someone or multiple someones in front of you trying to get you to stay awake
It was the three omega men, besides them Atlas and the new pup that clung to him swam up and nudged them out of the way. You grabbed onto his fin as he began to lead you away to a safer area
Your mother was bending the water and trying to contain the explosions. You and the three mermen looked back but only sand and dust could be seen beyond the occasional explosion that put your people in danger
You had made it outside of the city, but you couldnt see anyone else
You had been too distracted by looking for the group of merpeople, you didn't notice the explosive coming right your way from a big metal fish.
One of the Mermen pushed you out of the way and Atlas swam as fast as possible, everyone was scattered in the explosion and your head began to pound harshly. As Atlas swam deep into the ocean you passed out on his back, with a grip on his fins
///
The next morning you had woken up, the air hitting your lungs and making your body shiver
WHAT
AIR
Your eyes shot open where the sky sat above your head. The sun rising and filling it with its beautiful colours. A sight you hadn't seen in centuries. You sat up, trying to be rid of the sand that clung to your soaking body and looked around
The water was so far out, it would take some time for it to come and get you. Or you could crawl
You lay on your front and tried to push yourself off, but your tail twinged in pain. Looking over your shoulder you noticed an item made of metal wrapped around your tail, its wire digging into the scales of red and purple. The fin of your tail was stuck beneath a metal item. You tried to tuck it but pain sprang through your body forcing you to scream out in pain
Tears left your eyes as you tried to pull again but it was no use. The wire digging into your tail stopped you from moving. Even if you managed to get back into the sea you would be stuck to the floor
You wanted your mother to come help, you cried for her but she didn't come. Memories flash back to you of the events before causing anger to strike through your body. Those explosives had been made by man, and you knew it. What you couldn't wrap your head around was why, after all these years would they attack your kingdom.
You attempted to lift the metal box off your fin but it was no use, you panted heavily. Wit lung full of air it wasn't used to breathing, the hot sun began to beat down on your body. Making you hot and exhausted
You passed out halfway through the day and woke when the ocean bent around your body, filling it with salty moisture. The night came and your body was sitting at the bottom, with the water just a few feet above your head. This was the time to attempt to remove the object that had trapped you. The will you had wasn't enough, your head was pounding as you tried to bend the water as you had done many times, only this time it failed. At least Atlas had managed to smell your blood and locate you, he too attempted to move the object but joined you in his failure. He soon left to find you some food so you wouldn't die from starvation, you had been out for a couple of hours before you woke up on the beach that morning.
The next day you worked out that no humans occupied this beach, which was good for you since you would be killed if spotted. That what your mother had told you anyway in order to stop you from visiting the surface
You managed to untangle most of the wire from your tail, occasionally cutting our hand on the barbed part of it. Making you cry more tears at the pain and lose more much-needed water from your body.
You were supposed to be the strongest.
'Future Queen's do not cry'
Your mothers face filled you with more anger before, which allowed you to rip the wire from where it had pierced your tail in a swift movement. Your scream was heard from across the entire beach, the vicious pounding of your hear against our ribcage was louder in your ears though
"fuck.. okay. It's okay" you repeated to yourself as you watched blue blood leak from the wound. It was going to be wasted in the sand which caused you to panic
Mer blood was valuable to humans, your mother told you. Its scent is sickly sweet, and its power is beyond human knowledge. BUT Royal Mer blood was on a different scale. It could heal, with the exception of another Royal.
The pain had caused you to pass out for an unknown amount of time. When you were awoken in the water of the night by Atlas who had caught some fish for you to eat so you wouldn't starve, you were grateful that you wouldn't have to spend these hours alone "good boy" you stroked his stomach affectionately. Until a little nip at your shoulder took your attention
"ah... It's been two days and I haven't named you. Sorry, my baby" you brought the little shark pup into your hands. Flipping them over to check for their sex.
A girl
You put her up to your face, waiting for inspiration to strike
"Abia?" The little shark pup swam into your face again "Abia it is then. It means Great" you butted her with your nose and she swam into your warmth
//
You were woken the next morning by someone shouting "DON'T GIVE UP NOW, YOU'RE SO CLOSE AHAHA" the large man shouted, he was sitting across the beach on top of a big bunch of metal. Picking yourself up you tried to pull your tail but failed again, you REALLY needed to getaway. If you were seen you would be killed. Your kingdom would have no heir.
You tried to tug harder but there was no avail, and you were punished even further. You had torn your fin.
You had to cover your mouth to hide the scream that ripped your throat. It caught some attention but you were able to hide behind some of the other rubbish. You managed to wrap some of your tail in seaweed to stop the bleeding.
But it hadn't been enough
A boy with green hair was jogging along the beach, panting in exhaustion. He took a short break, bending over to catch his breath. His eyes focused on the sand below him. That's when he spotted it. The thick blue liquid that had settled in the sand, smelt like burnt sugar
He looked around slightly, and between the rubbish on the littered beach For someone. You hid behind the large metal box trying to conceal yourself. You were sure he could hear your own heavy breaths and throbbing heart
He tried to shrug it off and continue his run before his mentor shouted at him again. He ran past a certain lump of trash and something caught his eye.
Pink and Purple swirls.
He turned to the view and spotted something, he was sure it was something. Maybe someone had left a towel.
No that's wrong. No one comes here. But yet again he was wrong there WAS someone there
A young girl sat up against an old lump of metal that seemed to look like a large safe. Her breathing was ragged. But he didnt focus on it. he was too entranced by her tail
You noticed the boy catch you in his view and begin to slowly approach him. You hissed a swung your hand at him with sharp nails. He couldn't get any closer. You tried to tug at your tail, you couldnt allow yourself to get caught. You would remind yourself that until you were free from this trapped place
He saw the strange coloured blood that sat in a pool around you while your fear shifted into anger, taking it out on your tail. He wasn't sure if he heard you whimper or growl, it was somewhat in between
"d-do you w-want some help", you jumped at his voice and hissed again in defence. "Your tail... is stuck"
you wanted to roll your eyes at his word 'no shit sherlock you wished you had said but you couldnt talk to him. It would make the situation worse. He would leave you alone right. He wouldn't hurt you, he wanted to be a hero, and save people. But you didn't know that. Only that he was human
And humans KILL mermaids
He took another step closer, being sure to stay out of your reach in case you tried to attack him. He began mumbling beneath his breath until he was hit with a lightbulb. His face lit up in joy and he bounced over, forgetting that you would swipe at him again. You managed to catch some of his trouser legs and rip it, causing him to jump back in a flinch
"shit.. sorry. I'm Izuku Midoryia. I want to help you" you glared at him slightly. Why would a human want to help you, shouldn't he be trying to kill you?
"do... you .. understand .. me?" he gestured with his hand like you were a child. This time rolling you rolled your eyes
Of course, you understood him, you were almost 1700 years old for fuck sake, you know every language there is. How else are you supposed to understand the merfolk from different cities? Idiot
You opted to nod instead of reply
He walked around you and you covered yourself slightly from him. He only now noticed how our top half was naked, besides the two clams you had over your breast, other than that you only had hair to cover the rest of your naked boy
Izuku blushed furiously and covered his eyes with his arm "I'm so sorry I didntevennoticethatyouwerenakedididn'tmeantolook" he was speaking too fast for you to understand and you wanted to pull out your own hair from how long he was taking to compose himself
Once he calmed down he dumbed down his plan, he was going to dig out a small hole for him to fit some iron beneath. And using his strength. What there was of it. He would push the Iron down and lift the safe up enough for you to slip your tail out
It seemed simple enough
///
The boy was incredibly weak
You sat up with your hand behind your back for support as you watched the boy pant for his breath. He's been trying to lift it for hours but it was too heavy. he collapsed onto the floor some more breath and you sighed heavily
To think you thought he was going to be able to hurt you when he's just so weak
He opted for a break and sat up a few feet away from you with some food in front of him from the shop on the corner. You eye him up cautiously as he ate. It looked so weird. How was he enjoying it?
He felt your gaze on him and choked on his food "ahem... *cough* *cough* ... would you... want to try some" you lifted a brow at him and he motioned to eat the food. This liked how he tried to make you understand even though you were perfectly capable of doing so. He just looked stupid, how could you not?
But he still gave you the food
It was fucking amazing. Your shop teeth are buried into the sandwich and bit through the meat inside easily before chewing with your cheeks full looking like a pufferfish. It really did taste good
You took another bite and looked up from the food, Izuku was too busy writing in his notebook to notice. He was trying to draw your tail and its pattern. When he looked back up to get another reference his eyes caught yours. He took the chance to scan your face, being sure to capture every detail. From the colour of your eyes to the sharpness of your canines
He only then blushed to notice how it probably looked like that one scene from titanic, not that you knew what that was anyways
"young Midoryia... I FOUND YOU-AHHHH" Allmight screamed noticing how close his student was to you. You jumped back, dropping the food and hissed at the new person. He was big and buff, he would most undeniably be able to kill you easily
You tried to tug your tail stupidly, seeing if maybe this time it would miraculously budge
But no
"ALL MIGHT!" Izuku shot up from his seat and ran to his mentor "her tail" he pointed to the safe "ah it seems she stuck... is this where you have been all day" Izuku nodded and looked between your feared expression and All might's soft one
The boy turned to you and approached slowly, kneeling down and ignoring you swipe at him. You had thought he betrayed you and gotten the other human to finish the job
"it's okay. He's a hero and wants to help" he motioned between your tail and the heal safe. You glared at Izuku and the man before covering yourself, again making Izuku break out in a blush
Allmight used this as a distraction to lift the safe and throw it elsewhere. Your Fin had been free. The water was coming in soon and you will be able to leave and go home
You lifted your tail up to your chest to cover yourself and overcheck how bad the damage was. It had been torn worse than you thought and would take some time to heal. The two men watched as you removed the seaweed from your trail to observe your wounds
Shit that looked bad
They wouldn't tell you that of course, but they shared a knowing glance. They both knew you weren't going to be able to swim far. Your constant glances to the ocean and back at your tail were evidence enough that you were piecing it together. you really needed to get home. Your people needed you
It wasn't the first time you actually thought about your future, you had excepted that you were... one day going to be queen. It was inevitable, and a role you needed to play. You knew the people in the city like the back of your hand. You had spent so many years with them after all. They were YOUR people
All might's hand came down on Izuku's shoulder, ushering him away slightly so he could talk to him
"do you think her quirk will wear off All might?" The boy asked with genuine curiosity. It made All might freeze, he wasn't stupid. He knew who you were. Maybe not YOU precisely, but he knew of your kind "did.." he paused trying to find the right words to get his point across "did your school... ever taught you about what lives in the Ocean" great, that's one way to go. The long way
"of course. I don't understand why you are bringing it up", this was the moment that Yagi had wished that Izuku had a mind-reading quirk, or at least the smarts to put the pieces together "no" he shook his head "like what lives in the deep" his tone was serious
"like aquatic life?"
he was getting somewhere but not where Yagi had wanted him to be
"young Midoryia" he sighed. The school system once again failed the new generation. When he was young he could remember to countess conversations he had amongst friends about the possibilities of what lay beneath the surface. At first, it started as a joke about the Megaladon. But during their next class, their topic changed
"Mermaids," he said simply, with pleading eyes "w-what?"
"you mean. They're real, I thought it was just a myth but I do supposeitispossibleforthemtostillbearoundsincemostoftheoceanisstillundiscoveredandwiththisdayin-" Yagi shook him slightly to snap him out of his mumbling
"they have been around much longer than you would think. Long before quirks" he spoke up, Izuku's jaw dropped open as he looked up at his mentor. Finally piecing it back together "so you mean to tell me", he didnt need to finish the sentence Yagi just nodded
"she's a Mermaid" Izuku shouted in a whisper from his shock. He just thought it was part of your quirk, like that TV show when those three girls turn into mermaids when they touch the water. Although the actresses were in fact sisters who had that quirk, Izuku must have thought you were distantly related to them. They were Australian, but you didn't look Japanese so he couldn't put it past you. You also didn't speak the same language. To his knowledge anyway
While the two strangers conversed, they had been too distracted to keep an eye on you. Which you found to be the perfect time to move. The sea wasn't too far out, if you could just use the power of the Queen to bend the water it could pick you up
Doing so, you had to be sure to be sneaky about it, since you were sure the buff man would notice some flying water right behind him somehow. So you kept it low, making it run across the sand and appear that a large wave had just crashed.
Once you managed to get on your front, you began to drag yourself through the sand. It wasn't very... how to say it. Elegant. You looked like a fish out of the water, without the flopping about. It was just too unnatural
By the time Yagi had finished his brief recovery of the history of your people and turned around, you hadn't been where they left you. For a moment panic-struck until they noticed your damaged fin go under the water.
Izuker released a disappointed sigh as he hadn't been able to see you leave, ask any questions. or even say goodbye
Yagi thought it was for the best that you managed to get back in on your own. He doesn't have enough energy to pick you up and put you back there himself. Not that you would allow him to come in a 3-foot radius of you anyway
///
You knew your tail and fin would take their time to heal, so you weren't able to leave for home right away. you could have imagined the chaos back in the city. If you could even call it that anymore.
There had still been a piece you didn't understand, why those explosives had rained down on you as they had. How did anyone know you were even there. If none of that happens you would be wed by now with your new mate. Not that you even knew which one you would have to choose, despite all the time you spent alone in the past days, you hadn't thought about it once
Would it be bad if you were glad that you didn't have to choose? You weren't ready to be wed, or be queen. How could you ever live up to your mother, she had been the one to find the city and start a new life for the merpeople, she created it with her own two hands. not the city of course, that had been there long before her. But she made that place a home and a sanctuary for everyone
You thought about how only the humans were capable of doing such things, but that brought you back to the point of not knowing who it was that told them you were there. the city had been undisturbed for centuries. why that day. WHY?
Were all humans like this? No, you couldnt think that. that Green haired boy had helped you, or tried at least. But he didn't know what you were, from what you heard of the conversation. For people trying to be sneaky, they do a pretty crap job about it. Not that you were complaining since you were now back in the water applying some sea moss to your wounds.
Atlas and Abia had managed to smell your blood from where they had been hunting for food for you all to eat. You made a strict rule about them not going near the humans, despite the hypocrisy of the situation. But they managed to manoeuvre around it
///
You made sure to keep in the water for the next couple of days, you still couldnt swim away, your tail had only just begun to heal. it was a long process, but at least it wouldn't you were somewhat safe now.
the shallow part of the water was where you were to stay you could poke your head above the water every now and then to watch the other world. It was interesting you would admit. The different kinds of humans baffled you
But only one had your sole attention
Each morning without fail the same green-haired kid... Izuku Midoryia as he had introduced himself, always came and cleaned the beach. which you were grateful for since you had noticed how much rubbish had been in the water, it seemed to be getting clearer.
As he cleaned he always felt like he was being watched, and made sure to do a better job of himself. The exams were coming up soon and he needed to pass, he could already feel his body changing. Puberty had hit I'm at a good time. But back to the point
You were watching him, every day in the morning and then at night when he went off on his run. You couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, it was a lot different to swimming.
he only occasionally managed to catch you until your head dipped back underwater. No matter how long he stared at the spot you never resurfaced in the same place. It was safer that way
After beginning to catch you multiple times he figured that you still weren't able to leave yet, your tail was still too damaged. He hadn't known how long you had been stuck there. probably since the thunderstorm that rolled in a couple of days before he saw you
He could only wonder how you managed to get caught up in it. All might have explained to him, whilst out exercising and training with him. The history he could recover of the Merpeople, which allowed him to have a better understanding of you. he managed to even find a dusty untouched book in the library about it. But the first page wasn't very welcoming for him
"IF SPOTTED. KILL ON SIGHT"
he had to put the book down for two days to get over the 5 words. No wonder why you were so afraid of him and all might. The book had said that mermaids hadn't been spotted in over 200 years. which in your terms would feel like 2, but still. A lot has changed and you must have been scared
//
During one of his morning run's he decided it was best to grab some breakfast while out instead of putting his mother through the effort of making him some. He found what he wanted and 'accidenatlly' bought extra. After wandering to the beach and sitting on the sad he gazed out over the horizon, feeling familiar eyes on him
he made sure to carefully leave a packet of the food on the edge of the water but not so close that it would get caught up in the small waves washing over the beach. He turned his back to walk away and heard a loud splash, causing him to flinch but not turn around until he had sat down again facing the water
The food he had placed was no longer there, and beyond the shallow end, he noticed small bubbles floating to the surface. But below, and out of the view you stared at the odd thing inside the wrapping, the water almost immodestly attacking it. as you ate it still tasted the same, only with a slight bit of salt that you have become accustomed too
Once you had finished you made the water push the rubbing back the surface, Izuku watched as the plastic wrapping was carried by the small wave until it met his feet. A small shadow of a smile on his face, you were still there.
//
Over the next couple of days, he had repeated this, bringing you food. and occasionally dinner and leaving it at the side of the water. each time it was a different type of food and you were more amazed than the last. not that he knew
His mother had asked him why he had been taking such frequent trips to the beach and tried to confront him sweetly about perhaps having a meet up with someone. It ended in him blushing madly and mumbling until she back off and laughed at him angelically "well whoever it is, they seem to make you chipper to get up, you should bring her or him by for dinner" she suggested and he felt his stomach immediately flip
How would that even be possible? He hasn't even spoken to you face to face for many weeks. he hasn't even SEEN you.
That night he went out again, and waited upon the pier, with his feet swinging in the water. You could smell him from your usual waiting spot and slowly made your way to him, being sure to tell your pet sharks to stay behind so he didnt soil his pants. That would be the last thing you wanted in the water you breathed
His soft hums of melody echoed from the deep water as you approached, seeing his feet in the water you could help but snicker to yourself.
You made sure to come up from beneath him so that he wouldn't see you in the darkness of the water, he had been too busy looking up at the stary sky above him with his head tilted back in joy.
Until he felt something touch his feet. will a small eek he tried to pull back but your hands held him there, he looked down fearfully finally noticing your head still under the water. only your hands slightly poking out where you had moved up to hold his shin.
Through the ripples he had caused from his jump fight he managed to make out your face, your e/c looking at him and smile on your face. Only faintly he could see your tail subtly trying to keep you moving
Your head poked out for the water, holding his legs to keep you still
"hello" you spoke
"WHAT"
Your pleasant laugher followed after his scream, calming him down from the sound of your voice, your smile even wider in joy "y-you CAN understand me?" you nodded still smiling.
"my people are taught to speak many tounges," you replied with perfect pronunciation. He would skip over the fact you had worded it as 'my people', which only prove All might be correct about you
"h-how old are you?" he questioned and your face fell into one thinking. your grip on his leg loosening before fully letting go. Your body fell back and floated on the surface as you placed with the water "I think I'm 1700 soon" you replied as if it was nothing
"how old are you" you sat up and pushed yourself over, eager for the conversation you have been waiting weeks to have, you had plenty of conversation with a large patch of seaweed that you pretend had been him. The colour matched his hair so what was the difference. You had to admit, he was more fascinating, and you wanted to learn more about the boy
"I just turned 16" you tilted your head
"like 1600... or 16?" your eyes blinked confused. You never managed to wrap your head around the short life span of humans. Not that you were supposed to know
"j-just 16" your eyes widened slightly "so I'm older" you smiled happily and pulled yourself up slightly using his legs "so you are" he couldn't help but smile at your childlikeness
"oo... one second" your body disappeared beneath the surface making Izuku sit forward in confusion about your disappearance. He only just got to speak to you, after weeks of just sitting and watching.
A few seconds later your head popped back out of the water, sightly throwing Izuku back in shock. You lift your hand out revealing a large Tuna fish being held at its tail, you held it up for him in a proud matter. You had caught it yourself while out hunting, without the help of your pet sharks. he looked at you confused for a moment before accepting it. Only release how big it was once it was in his hand
He placed it down beside him carefully and turned back to you. But you were eating the second one you caught. Izuku managed to catch another glimpse of your teeth, they were much sharper than he had thought. He must have been looking at you too long since you innocently bat your eyes at him "sorry" you apologies, lifting the fish higher "did you want some" you smiled kindly
"n-no thank you", your smile faded and you took an angry bite of the already dead fish, taking your anger on it. Izuku felt bad for saying no, due to your reaction, having somewhat offended you in a way "a-actually" he gulped "I will"
you seemed to cheer up at his words and lifted the fish towards him, with th extra boost of you using your Queen heritage to manipulate the water to lift you until you were head-on with the boy. You didn't dare let him take it from you, instead of your hands as you held it in front of his face proudly in a proposal to feed him. He looked at you confused, and you looked back expectantly shifting your eyes from him to the fish
He took a deep breath before taking a big bite of the Tuna, and you smiled in happiness that he accepted your offering. In his opinion it didn't actually taste too bad, he really liked it in fact
That night you spent talking and learning for him, and he did you. Until some weird device started ringing and he had to leave with the promise of returning
///
So you waited till the next week when you spotted his feet in the water one again. Only this time he had come earlier in the day when the sun had still been out, he was able to notice your approaching figure from beneath the surface. Your head popped out and looked around for anyone else, once noticing no one was there you pushed yourself out of the water and gracefully landed by his side, with your tail still in the water
"how's your tail" he looked down at your scales, overlooking the damage of the barbed wire, it seemed to be healing better. But the same couldnt be said for your fin "it's getting there, just waiting on my fin" you lifted it out of the water to show him and he oh so badly wanted to touch it. You seemed to notice so you brought it all the way out and planted it on his lap
he was surprised by how heavy it had actually been, and that was only 1/3 of your tail. No wonder why you struggled to get back in the water with the weight of it.
His hand came down gently on your tail making you exhale heavily, it was pretty sensitive. but he didnt seems to take notice. You managed to cover your blushing face as he slid his hand up and down your tail, entranced by the colour and feel of it. It was just so beautiful to him.
"wow that's amazing-" he looked up at your face. Only now seeing how flushed you were "sorry" you breathed out, his hand was resting a little high up, close to where ... well you know
"it's a little sensitive"
"sensit-" the word stopped falling as he processed what you said, immediately removing his hand "I am so sorry, I really didn't know I promise" your same cute laugh stopped his apology, you found it cute how innocent he was "it's fine... just be careful" your eyes never lost contact with his, he had to suddenly swallow as he found his throat dry
you picked up your tail and put it back in the water before pushing the rest of yourself in only to emerge a second later with your wet hair "would you like to swim?" you asked him with a tilted head. His eyes widened noticing what you had said
"y-yeah let me just" he pulled his top over his head swiftly, you didnt fail to notice how defined his muscles had been getting. Without hesitation, he took his shorts off, showing his swimming shorts beneath. he hadn't even noticed you watching him strip with no shame. After all, all the mer fold were always half-naked
Before he had the chance to say anything or realise what he just did he found himself being wrapped in water like a snake around its prey, lifting him up and gently putting him into the cool water. He released a shaky breath as he adjusted to the temperature
Looking down into the water he saw your tail swiftly move from up close as you swam closer to him. Your hands went to his shoulders "take a deep breath" you warned and he did. He found you pushing him down into the water, he couldnt exactly open his eyes, and you only just realised that
However, you had a way to solve this problem
Your mother had told you many centuries ago, about the full give of a Queen.
Firstly She was able to send out calls to the other merfolk, like a sound wave through the water.
Secondly, she was able to force water the water and weather to bend at her whim
Thirdly, she was able to overpower and control the merfolk by releasing her Alpha pheromones
And lastly, she would be able to allow humans to breathe and see underwater as well as form a temporary tail for as long as you had wanted them to. It was a technique that worked both ways, which was how your mother would exile a mer if they were to go against her. Banishing them to the surface of hell.
Each lesson you sat through, every boring training session and trip you had to learn how to harness these abilities, led to this moment. Although you haven't been able to test out all of your abilities, since your mother had a strict rule about humans.
But you didn't care because she wasn't here
Izuku felt a soft pair of lips on him, kissing him softly. His eyes shot open in shock, ignoring the fact that they hadn't burnt or that his view was crystal clear as it was when he was on the surface.
But he didn't push you away, his eyebrows relaxed from their shock as he felt his body calm itself, as if it had been ordered to. Your pheromones had made sure that he wouldn't panic. he felt your head twist to the side to get better access and he allowed it.
Your tongue swiped over his lips for entry and he didn't hesitate to let your wet muscle past, your kiss lasting long and soft. He exhales and inhales before snaking his hand up to your face to pull you close to him. He felt his legs being pushed together and wrapped up like a tight blanket, his body adjusting to the new pressure that he hadn't even taken notice too yet
wait
he just breathed
he can see
HIS LEGS
He pushed back from you in shock, taking an experimental breath. you looked at him with a proud smile, he was too busy fawning over where his legs had been, instead, a Betta fishtail, identical to yours except for it was a dark shade of faded green "come one I want to show you something" your hand took him and he felt himself being pulled through the water. he tried his best to adjust to his new tail as he tried to swim. Again breathing normally. He brought his hand up to his neck, feeling the new set of gills on either side that was allowing him to breathe like you. But not wanting to ruin your fun with his endless questions and rambling he saved his thoughts for later
You swam out further into the sea until you reached a large coral reef. Many schools of fish swimming past and taking notice of you, they see to all go towards you as you let go of his hand and move away
"Hello, hello" you greeted them, gently stroking the ones that wanted attention. His body relaxed and his posture softened watching how you interacted with the aquatic life. He slowly approached you, finally getting the hang of how to move through the water
You spun to face him and wrapped him in your arms, pushing your chest up against his causing him to breathe out in shock "do you like it?" you questioned pulling back and looking down at his tail his eyes following yours "it's amazing... you're amazing". It was safe to say he was falling over you, in the short time he had spent with you he was afraid to admit it since you would always be worlds apart. But this... it was proof that it was possible. his green eyes shot up to yours looking into them before a sudden rush of courage overcame him and his lips came back onto yours to express this feeling
You held him tighter with your arms wrapped around his neck securing him in place. You pulled back from him and let his chin rest on your shoulder as he pulled himself together. He looked out into the fast sea, barely making out the movement coming towards you. He thought it was probably just a fish and ignored it
Until it got closer and he finally saw what it was, he jumped slightly and tried to make you swim away but you looked at him confused "what's wrong?", you were slightly hurt by this. Did he not enjoy the kiss, was he having second thoughts? He couldn't even look at you, instead, his eyes were trained elsewhere on the movement in the water "w-we need to go" he tugged on your hand but he hadn't been able to move. You held him there waiting for an explanation
When you felt a familiar presence from behind, you finally followed Izuku's gaze and looked over your shoulder at the movement and a small smile broke out on your face, you let Izuku's hand slip from yous. Defensively he turned around only for rit to be too late
The shark was right in front of you
"ATLAS" you jumped on the tiger shark and engulfed him in a big tight hug and stroked his stomach as he continued to swim, and carry you in circles. "who's my good boy" you cooed slipping off the shark and kissing him on the nose. Izuku stared in shock, unable to process what was playing out in front of him.
"oh right sorry" you turned to Izuku and held out your hand. he hesitantly took it and you pulled him over with raw strength "Izuku, this is my precious Atlas" you rest his hand on the shark's nose, he couldnt help but tremble as he fell the smooth surface. you left his side and he gulped heavily "h-hi"
You reappeared from behind the large shark with something in your hand. You held it out like a prize, shoving a now slightly (a lot) bigger Abia in his face
"This is Abia, she's a great white. Isn't she so cute" you kissed her on her nose like she was a pet dog, before letting her go again. She circled Izuku a couple of times before swimming into his face, he flinched thinking she was going to bite him but soon felt as if she was nuzzling his cheek "she likes you" you swam closer and around him
Izuku never thought he would get this close to a shark, or multiple. But he also never thought that he would ever meet a mermaid, let alone fall for one. He watched with loving eyes as you interacted and swam him around in eager to show him what life was like underwater. You went on about your city, but he saw the pain before your eyes
"What... happened to your city", he was sitting beside you on a bed of sand where you had taken up as your home for the time you had been spending your time away from your home. Your eyes wouldn't meet his for a moment and he felt a pang in his chest. His hand reached out and took your chin, and if the two of you hadn't been underwater. Which he still couldn't believe. He would have known for sure that you were crying
"We were attacked during my mating coronation"
three words stuck in his head after hearing your confession. Attacked. Mating. And CORONATION. He wanted to ask so many questions. SO MANY. But he didn't know where to start or how to ask. You were able to smell his stress in the water
"so... you're a princess?" he questioned finally. You nodded your head slightly and were ashamed "future queen" you sighed and lay back in an attempt to relax "I was supposed to choose a mate, then I would have been crowned" you explained and he lay back with you
He felt the water move slightly as your head tilted to the side "I wasn't ready to be a wife. OR a queen" you confessed, waiting for him to say something. You expected him to argue or shout at you since it was so dumb, your mother would have shouted at you.
But he didn't. Instead, he snaked his hand into your and laced your fingers
"it sounds like a lot of responsibility" his eye searched you and you calmed slightly and sighed again "it is. Atlantis is a big city, with a lot of people. I wouldn't be a good wife either. I don't even know who I would have chosen" his hand squeezed yours accidentally. He knew he shouldn't be relieved that you didn't choose a 'mate', he was being selfish. But you didn't seem to care
"you could always... come live with me" your eyes widened at his words. He hadn't even meant to say it, it just slipped out. But he knew he wanted it
"I- really" you pulled him closer to you, lips inches away from his. Izuku didn't trust himself to speak, his lips inching in on your painfully slow
"Y/N" a loud voice echoed through the clearing pulling you away from Izuku. Your head spun round to the source but no one could be seen. You felt drawn to the voice.
Izuku was frozen. He only know did he had realised.
He didn't even know YOUR name
"m-mother?" you shouted, sitting up and swimming up slightly. The voice called you again and you felt it come from a few metres in front of you. Izuku finally sat up and made his way over to you, only able t catch up as you start swimming in the direction. He wanted nothing more than to take your hands and persuade you to come with him, he had it all planned out. You wouldn't have to go back. You wouldn't have to be wed to someone you didn't like. You didn't have to be queen
You could be his
"y/n" the voice cracked as your body came into view. Izuku stop in his place and watched as your body collided with the much larger woman, her muscles were sharp and defined and held very proudly by your mother, His hands came up to your face, checking you for any injury
Now he knew you were crying, he could hear it.
"your beautiful tail. What happened" your mother looked for your tail and to your face. "I washed up on the beach, and it goes caught in some metal, my fin was stuck under a heavy piece I couldn't move" you still cried as you explained, your mother held you close and stroked your back in comfort
"How did you escape" she felt your body tense and pull away. For that moment you had let Izuku slip from your mind. And it all came crashing down. Turning slightly, she finally noticed the boy with a green tail. His Betta pattern symbolising royalty like yours and your mothers
"Izuku. He helped me", she looked at you and the boy. And closer. Her eyes were intimidating, and he tried to hold himself together "you're human?" were her first words to him. And he panicked.
You swam between him and your mother, being sure she wouldn't hurt him with the Trident she held in her hand "he helped me. Saved me, mother, please don't hurt him" you were begging her with everything you had to offer
"Is this true?" she asked Izuku and he took a deep breathe "y-yes" shit he stuttered, making him look more weak and vulnerable than he already was in front of the Alpha's
"I see" she hummed and looked back to you "we must get you home" she took your hand and began to swim but you pulled back in denial "but what about-"
"The human has his own life. Let him go" her tone was cold again. Not love as it had been minutes ago. Your eyes widened. what were you thinking? That you would be able to bring him, he has a life, a mother, a promise to be the next Number one hero. His dreams
Izuku noticed your shift in demeanour. He wanted you to stay, but he could never as that of you. You had been waiting so long to go home, you had a family, a kingdom, a throne and a duty to fulfil. A purpose
"y/n" he spoke your name for the first time, and it made his heartbreak. You swam back over to him, with eyes trained on the sand below, your mother huffed and gave you some privacy. At least she was nice enough for that.
His hands took yours and he kissed your knuckles, making you look at him "I know you're going to be a great queen. An amazing one. Your so brave, strong and loving. No matter what happens in the future... on the day I know we will meet again. I promise" his eyes were kind and soft, something you had grown accustomed to. They felt like home
"Live a long life Izuku, become the Hero you want to be. Become MY hero" you spoke softly and brushed a piece of his hair and cradled his face in your hand. He pulled you in one last time and kissed you. It felt like it had lasted an eternity, just how he had imagined it. Like how he imaged a future where he would meet you again. No matter how long it would be, years, decades he knew it in his gut this wouldn't be the last time. He was too solely focused on the warmth in his chest he didn't care about his legs being unwrapped, his eyes were burning and he felt the pressure on his chest
Your lips parted and you pulled away. Immediately using the pressure of the water to send him back to the surface
He gasped heavily for air and tread the water to stabilise himself. He didn't give a single ounce of care towards the pain in his eyes as they searched the water below him for you
But you had already left
////
That day Izuku Midoryia had vowed to himself, for you, that he would never give up. Never give up on him, and never give up on you. He trained harder than ever, and only got better
Once he go into Yuuie, he had faced many hardships, but the thought of you in the back of his mind never failed to push him forward. To be better. To be worth YOU
His classmates never failed to notice how much he would put into himself, how hard he pushed himself. He only ever improved and refused to fail.
In their third year of Highschool, they finally asked how he had become first in their class. The ALPHA of their year. And he told them. He spoke of the mysterious girl he had met on the beach that day, he told them how he tried to save you, and he somewhat did. He spoke of the days he spent waiting to see you again, never communicating or seeing you. Only the thought and knowing that you were there drew him back to that beach every day without fail
They didn't believe him when he told them. They thought it was a joke, but he didn't laugh. He only smiled and continued to talk. He went through each and every detail he remembered of you, showing them pictures he managed to sneak of you when you weren't looking. Then they believed him
He continued on about the last day he spent with you, it sounded like a sappy romance story and that was how it felt. The feeling of his body morphing into another, the way his lungs welcomed the water. How he melted into your touch and your kiss. They could see just how deeply in love he was with you
After that, he didn't speak of you again. But he never forgot. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't have thought of you in his head. You were his motivation to always be moving forward, to be stronger.
The day he became a man, was the day the Hero charts had announced he was the Number one Hero. That was a great day for him. one of his favourites
Only second to the day he met you
His entire class came together and congratulated him. They held a party in his honour that stretched on into the night. They had set up a bonfire on the beach, drinks were cooled in ice and food was cooked on a barbeque.
"hey Deku!" he was standing by the edge of the sea. Staring off into the horizon as the sun painted the sky with its beauty. Ambers of Pinks and Purples on a blue canvas, painting it with elegance
A large hand came down on his shoulder, making him turn to look at the owner. His long time childhood friend looked back at him sympathetically. He knew what the number one hero was thinking
The entire class watched the two walk back slightly. They all gathered together waiting for him.
"so... we have something for you. A present" Uruaka smiled at the Green haired man with hope.
"you guys didn't have to get me anything" he laughed lowly and rubbed his neck, now feeling shy of a sudden "shut up nerd" Bakugou rolled his eyes playfully
One of his classmates stepped forward from the group, he was a grown man that was as still quiet as he was back in high school. Which was now around 15 years ago, making the group 28 years of age
"I hope you like it," Koda said quietly and smiled
Izuku was confused for a long while, trying to understand what this gift had been
Slowly some water came beneath his feet. Its cool temperature sent shivers across his body. His hair on the back of his neck stood up abruptly, feeling a pair of eyes on his back
His eyes blew open in shock before he slowly turned round
A few feet away, a body rose from the water. It wrapped around it softly and pushed it forward
Your tail was more beautiful than he had remembered, and much bigger too. By your side, a large trident was held in your larger hands. Soft wet curls fell down your body from beneath a bright golden crown that sat at the top of your head, the light reflected from the last of the sun
A soft smile on your matured face as you looked at the man in front of you
Izuku was sure he was dreaming, he was positively... most absolutely sure he stopped breathing. Especially when he saw a leg slip past the barrier of water that now began to mould into an ocean blue dress that clung to your body with each step you took close to him
He could feel the warmth of your body near his as you stood slightly below him with great posture.
'My Queen'
////
When you went back home, you found it in the rubble. But you weren't going to allow it to stay that way.
That day you found a part of yourself. A leader. The people didn't ask any questions or argue when you had politely ordered them around. You were sure to help and offer your strength to rebuild Atlantis. Your home
It took years, long slow and painful years to rebuild the city. You had made sure never to stop moving forward, always making improvements and being sure that everything was perfect. It hadn't been the same, and you didn't want it to be.
It was a rebirth
Your mother and father were so proud of you, and the merfolk all agreed it was time. They knew where their respect and trust lay and it was with you
Your coronation was more than beautiful. The night was filled with joy and colour as you were prepared for what was ahead of you. Your mother had declared outright to the merfolk, that you would only be choosing a mate if you had wanted. It was a much-needed lift from your shoulder, and she knew that too. As much as she knew about the love you had for the human boy.
She asked you to speak of the time with him just before the ceremony, with each word story and syllable she started to see it from your eyes. Something she had never done before. She understood the pain it had caused you to choose the city, people and .... well THIS. over the boy you loved. It was a sacrifice you made.
She had seen a part of herself in you, how you took charge and put the merfolk first like how she had done when she had become queen. You pushed down everything and appeared strong, no matter how weak you felt. This was when she knew it was the right time
So she was more than happy to stand down from her title. To retire and hand over the crown to you. You had done more than proved yourself to her and the merfolk.
The second you became queen. The simple touch of the crown being laid upon your head, was when your true self-ad awakened. Your abilities heightened and you were filled with more power and more responsibility. Your body matured immediately to the point where a Queen would remain that age until she wished to go to heaven, your 1700 (17) old body turning into the beauty of a 3000 (30) year one, the peak maturity. In admittance you were afraid, it was a big change not only physically but mentally.
But you knew he would be proud of you.
Like he had told you in his last words. You made a great queen, his force was in your head helping to guide you. To help you think straight and wield the strength to protect your new kingdom. He never left you, a part of your mind was solely dedicated to him
The merfolk listened to your dedicated oath. A speech of sorts. You spoke about him so greatly, and it made them so grateful for him. He had been the one to save their queen, to be the one to help you in your time of need. To support and make you happy while you were injured and unable to come home. He had been the one to let you go. To them, he was as much as their savour as you had been to them
So when word came into the courtroom, from a mermaid who had the ability to talk to the other inhabitors of the sea. She spoke of a request that had travelled across the ocean
You couldn't deny
You watched in the water from afar. Eyes trained on the great fire that sat on the sand, observing those that danced and sang around it.
Un failing to detect the mature man that stood at the water's edge, his seaweed coloured hair was shorter but look just as soft. His body was large and muscly, some patched of sun-kissed skin and freckles had obvious scaring. You knew the celebration was for this man. Yet he looked so calm, so sad
You looked down to your side, now back in the water. Two large sharks accompanied you as they rubbed your side in support before swimming away to deliver their message of your arrival.
You watched the two men make their way back to their group of cheerful friends and took many deep breaths being sure to put your hair, crown and trident in their perfect places
It had to be perfect
And it was
His face may have been older and more mature, after all so was yours. But his eyes remained just as soft and welcoming as his scent. The pounding of your heart was loud against your chest like it had been the day you first saw him. Only this time it didn't beg that he stay away
It called him closer, and he followed it.
'My Hero'