Always remember that the EU did a study in 2013 about the effects of piracy on media publishers and found that there is no correlation between piracy and sales! (And then they tried to hide that study bc that's not the result they wanted)
So piracy is at worst not even a problem, and at best it's free advertisement.
Source: (the link to the actual study is in the article)
In 2013, the European Commission ordered a €360,000 ($430,000) study on how piracy affects sales of music, books, movies and games in the EU
Always remember that the EU did a study in 2013 about the effects of piracy on media publishers and found that there is no correlation between piracy and sales! (And then they tried to hide that study bc that's not the result they wanted)
So piracy is at worst not even a problem, and at best it's free advertisement.
Source: (the link to the actual study is in the article)
In 2013, the European Commission ordered a €360,000 ($430,000) study on how piracy affects sales of music, books, movies and games in the EU
headcanon that started as a joke and is now too elaborate for its own good:
for various reasons, not the least of which is the anniversary of the KaibaCorp takeover and Gozaburo’s death, Kaiba does not care to make an occasion out of his birthday. so what if he’s a year older? entropy is irreversible, no one escapes the arrow of time, etcetera. only nerds care about this
But one year, with Mokuba’s help, Yugi tries to take Kaiba out for a surprise (and very low-key) birthday dinner, but Kaiba catches wind of it about five minutes before Yugi arrives (Yugi sent a snapchat from the subway and Kaiba’s internal alarm bells immediately started to ring) and he fucking vanishes. just nopes out. his NOT-FRIEND??? on his BIRTHDAY? absolutely the fuck not! when Yugi and Mokuba get to Kaiba’s office, it’s empty. there is only an abandoned folder of marked-up duel disk schematics on the desk and a flurry of confused messages on the KaibaCorp internal chat channels, leaving a breadcrumb trail of fleeting, cryptid-like Kaiba sightings throughout the KaibaCorp campus (marketing intern: hey Kaiba just told me this press release needs more dragons? how do I do that, it’s a press release?) With these clues in hand, they find him an hour later, sitting under a desk in the R&D department with his laptop, and like the ungracious loser he is, he bitches for ten minutes before Mokuba makes him go out for birthday dinner.
next year, Yugi is prepared for Kaiba to refuse birthday dinner - Mokuba gives him a key card that lets him search most of KaibaCorp, and access to Kaiba’s calendar a week in advance - and Kaiba is prepared for Yugi’s preparations. he filled his calendar with fake meetings. his three assistants have each been told something different about his ~REAL~ schedule for the day. However, he leaves Yugi two (2) clues: a math problem, which is a red herring that takes Yugi to the R&D department again (Kaiba isn’t dumb enough to hide in the same place twice, which is what he wants me to think, which is why he’s probably there – ) and a word problem, which leads Yugi to the legal department, where Kaiba is on a conference call in a broom closet. it takes Yugi two hours and 43 minutes to find him. Kaiba, recognizing that the jig is up and Yugi rose to the challenge as usual, grudgingly goes out to birthday dinner.
the same thing happens the year after that, and the year after THAT, to the point that Kaiba’s birthday is no longer just “Kaiba’s birthday” but the Annual Hunt for Kaiba, a non-lethal Greatest Game where both of them start making preparations weeks in advance and Mokuba flips a coin to figure out whose side he’s on THIS year. Kaiba has handicaps like “you can’t leave KaibaCorp, you can’t take the elevators, you can’t make any of the interns lie for you” and he crashes the chat channels to prevent people from leaking his hiding place and Joey and Tristan have kidnapped Mokuba at least once to blackmail him into putting trackers in Kaiba’s coats but Kaiba knows they did it so he kept a change of clothes hidden in his office but Yugi flipped Roland a week before the Hunt so he knows what the new outfit looks like and on and on and ON, to ever-greater levels of scheming, and by Year 5 some new employee is like “hey… I think the boss just rappelled past the window” bc someone leaked Kaiba’s hiding place on the 11th floor and Yugi’s on the way and someone else is like “oh it’s his birthday” and the new guy is like ……?????????
Anyway, that’s how Kaiba’s birthday stops being a miserable anniversary of bad shit and instead becomes an advanced, high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of hide-and-seek with Yugi & Friends that he somehow loses every year, after which he is dragged out to birthday dinner. He claims to hate the whole thing (what a waste of time!!!) but when he sends Yugi a text in July asking for this year’s handicaps, that’s when Yugi fucking knows he’s lying. got ‘im
HIHIHI!!! I've been loving your Simon fics (especially the ones with Maris!!) and I was wondering if you could possibly do a oneshot where Maris and Simon are both mutated fishies completely :D
Just like extremely fluffy stuff with like Maris AND Simon being ultra excited they can speak to each other and understand the other completely, with Maris like showing Simon the ropes of how to deal with the blood ocean, like keeping hair untangled and how to catch fish and other basics and such :)
I imagine Simon grows in size but is still smaller than Maris and his hair only grows like a wee bit and not like suuupper long like Maris'... also Simon keeping his legs but having a tail, just to have some variation from Maris :P
I also imagine that at the very beginning its a bit angsty because Simon is like panicking because now he's a giant merman and also like the excruciating pain of having his tailbone elongate into a tail until Maris chirps at him and it just sounds like english to him and he realizes he can understand her (already said that but whatevers)
so sorry for spamming u with notifs (i liked some of ur posts and commented + reblogged) and also sorry if this is too complicated or confusing!!!
Cheers, ur writing my fav fic rn <3
A Second Chance
Simon (The Convict) x Mermaid/Sea Creature!Reader
Requested
Type: Hurt/comfort, fluff
Warnings: Religious themes, panic attack, mutation descriptions (poor Simon is in agony at the beginning but then it's all fluff)
A/N:
(Ik this was before my Mermay event, but I've been itching to write it and it's for the AU, so I figured it was alright to start it off with this request huehehe)
Helloooo! I'm so happy you've been enjoying the fics with Maris!! <3 And I've been waiting for someone to request for Merman!Simon, I'm so excitedddd :D We love the fishies 💚❤️
And no need to apologize!! I know it's been a bit since you submitted this, but I was so happy to see the spam on my posts, truly made my day I appreciate it sm 🥹
It was pitch black, the cramped metal box Simon had become accustomed to vanishing from his sight, and the eerie sounds of the blood ocean fading to silence. The last thing he remembered was the frantic voice of that C.O.I. woman over the intercom, though she sounded more worried over the state of the mission, rather than his inevitable death. She never cared from the start, none of them did.
He figured that was the end, sharp pain blooming from every section of his body, unbearable to the point he passed out before suffocation could take him first. The ocean dissappeared around him, leaving him suspended in warm, thick blood that began to stick to his form like a second skin, searching for open wounds underneath layers of cloth.
He was dead, or he assumed he was. The fact that he was able to think that, that his brain was processing anything at all, had him second guessing that horrifying conclusion.
Despite his religious upbringing in Eden, he didn't believe in an afterlife—in the promise that once their decomposing bodies became one with the soil, they'd pass on and experience a true life of peace. He had long accepted the fact that death would be similar to being lost in the endless void of space. No body, no senses, no thoughts, no sights. Absolutely nothing, a dreamless slumber that lasted forever.
Not like he would've gotten into an afterlife if there was one, with the unforgivable acts he committed in their name.
This wasn't either of those possibilities. While his mind struggled to process whether he was dead or not, physical sensations were slowly returning to his body. Part of him wished it hadn't, because the pain from earlier was returning tenfold, excruciating enough to jolt his entire system awake in an instant.
Simon's eyes shot open, choking on a scream while his body folded in on itself. Every part of him was ripping and cracking in the worst way possible, the flesh and bones of his person shifting into a new length. There were new sensations, parts of himself he felt but couldn't identify—not that he could focus on that detail when he was in a fit of panic.
When he finally took in the sight around him, he instinctively slammed his mouth shut. Nothing but the deep red of the ocean surrounded him, although now he could see through it, like his eyes had adjusted to the new environment. It was similar to looking through clear water, except with red tints and shades to it rather than green-blue.
He'd been holding his breath after that realization, only to notice his lungs didn't feel like they were about to collapse from lack of oxygen. He was perfectly fine, save for a sharp sting along his neck and ribs, similar to salt being poured into fresh slits. A glance downwards showed what appeared to be gills opening and closing, allowing him to breathe effortlessly.
Maybe that should've been comforting – he wasn't going to drown to death – but it only freaked him out more.
What the fuck was happening right now?
Then he noticed a scaly tail swishing up between his legs – the main source of his endless amounts of pain – and he nearly fainted from the agony and shock combined. Seeing what he could from his view of his own body, he barely even saw a human anymore—crimson scales lining his paler, gray toned skin, spined fins sprouting from various limbs, razor sharp talons extending from his webbed feet and hands.
That's only from what he could see, too. Trying to imagine what his face could have possibly morphed into made his stomach lurch.
Panic consumed him whole, chest constricting, heart pounding and head throbbing, nothing but mental and physical anguish wrecking his body. He curled into a weak, trembling ball, a futile attempt to ease away the torment he was experiencing. Unknowingly his clawed fingers dug into the skin of his biceps, digging and ripping with a desperation to wake up from this nightmare he found himself in. The pain that flared up there barely compared to his every nerve ending burning with white-hot agony, to the point he swore his insides were melting.
He was screaming, yet the noise was muffled to his own ears. There was an urge to thrash around, to exude the useless adrenaline coursing through his veins, except his body refused to move. He was paralyzed in place, squished into himself as tightly as the position would allow, his tail subconsciously curling around him as extra protection.
It was too overwhelming, unable to focus on anything else as he went back and forth between the extreme pain and panic. He couldn't fathom how this was possible, nor could he decide if he was relieved to be alive, or would rather have this torture kill him for good this time.
The noises of the ocean were drowned out to Simon's ears, despite how loud everything sounded. He tried to block it out by covering them, only for that action to worsen his breakdown when he felt smooth fins beneath his fingertips—the reason he could now pinpoint frequencies that were undetectable to the human ear.
Had he not been lost in his own hysteria, then he could've used that sensitive hearing to locate the creature rushing in his direction. He was unable to recognize another presence nearing him, the excruciating pain taking over his body both inside and out. How desperately he wished he would pass out and not feel anything again.
His brain barely noticed the feeling of something long, smooth and scaly sliding against his curled up form, fear piercing his heart for an entirely different reason this time. His muscles tensed up with a sharp ache that followed it, and his non-existent breath ceased out of habit. He couldn't bring himself to take a peek at what it was, leaving his head bowed down and buried against his knees while his eyes screwed tighter.
Not only did he have to deal with the horror of becoming this, but there was also a crucial, terrifying aspect of this new form—he no longer had the barrier of his metal vessel. He was stranded in the middle of the blood ocean, exposed and vulnerable to any of the other creatures down here.
As the creature slithered further around him, he hoped whatever it was would put an end to his misery. It was all too much, tears unknowingly pouring from the corners of his eyes and mixing with the thick, red liquid surrounding him.
The body of the creature began to wound around him, engulfing him with how small his form was in comparison. He braced himself for the worst outcome, yet honestly, he didn't think the pain from being attacked could be any worse than the hell he was experiencing with his physical adaptations.
Maybe this was his true punishment, the final consequences of his past actions. Deep down he knew he deserved this fate, this non-stop torment, but it was unbearable.
'Please, make it stop!' His mind screamed and pleaded, incapable of withstanding the crushing strain his body was experiencing. 'Make it stop! I'm sorry, I'm sorry—!'
Pain never came, no razor sharp teeth sinking into his flesh, nor any knifelike claws slicing through him like butter. The creature wrapped around him didn't constrict like a snake capturing their prey, if anything they were carefully cradling him against their chest. A light weight settled on top of his head, joined by a pair of arms slipping around his waist, his abdomen arching inwards when pointed talons scraped across the skin there.
Simon froze up, terror bleeding into confusion as he held his breath, still waiting for some kind of piercing, burning sensation. His mind was torn, struggling between identifying the source of the threat, and blaring alarms at the waves of pain that kept coursing through him. A whimper slipped past his lips, raspy and weak from the rawness of his vocal chords.
Subconsciously he pressed himself closer to body wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, as if it'd be able to ward off the non-stop pain buzzing through his nervous system. Almost instantly a rumbling sound filled his ears, a deep, reverberating purr that aimed to do just that, along with some affectionate nuzzling on top of his head.
The prior action was distinctly familiar from his time in the submarine. At first he didn't believe it, but truthfully, why else would this creature not have torn him to shreds yet? There was only one creature down here that hadn't shown him hostility.
Was that really..?
As if reading his mind, a light hum reached his ears and her tail curled tighter, pressing him closer. "It's okay, Simon." It was a coo, soft and melodic to his ears, the type of voice that could've only come from something otherworldly. "I know it hurts, I'm here. I'm sorry there isn't anything I can do to help with the pain."
Wait...
He could understand her now?
Rather than those familiar chirps or trills, he was met with fluent English, spoken with a mesmerizing, feminine voice. It made him wonder if she had been responding to everything he said in the submarine.
The discovery left him dazed, his brain struggling to keep up with everything that was unfolding. "M–Ma... Maris..?" Each syllable scraped against his vocal chords, his voice riddled with pain as he choked out that name, the one he had given her.
Simon figured that's who it was, because any other creature around that size would've had him as a meal by now. Yet at the same time his brain couldn't believe it, couldn't comprehend that this bizarre situation was his new reality.
How was any of this was real? Why wasn't he dead? Maybe this was another hallucination from that monster, toying with his mind until he inevitably woke up. He'd still be stuck in that blistering, metal death trap with that incessant alert of a hull breach blaring into his ears.
Unfortunately, the claws biting into his arms from his own two hands felt too real to be written off as a hallucination. Same could be said for the rest of his body that continued to writhe in agony.
"Yes, it's me!" Her response was more chipper than before, clearly pleased with his recognition of her. Then she lowered her volume back down, her cheek rubbing against the top of his head, all too aware of the inner turmoil he was having. "Don't worry, I've got you. The pain will pass, you'll be okay."
At her consolation, the anxiety bursting at seams of his person began to slowly settle. Hearing her speak eased that dread lingering deep inside of him, a single horror beyond the many he had upon waking up—complete and utter isolation, akin to another cell in spite of the vastness of this space.
This one creature, who treated him more like a human than those of the C.O.I. did, was still here. Only now, he could finally comprehend her words, could finally feel her against him rather than pressed against the metal hull. The contact filled him with warmth, replaced any remaining traces of panic with a newfound longing.
In a way, his hope for a new life, free of the consequences of his past, had been answered. He was finally free, and that thought alone helped his body relax further into Maris' body.
He was in pain, but alive. He was going to be okay, even if it took a while for him to adapt. He trusted Maris to help him through it.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Hours passed before the pain subsided to a tolerable amount. Apparently when he woke up, the adaptations to his body weren't finished growing. That'd explain why he felt like he was being torn apart, his flesh, muscles and bones still rearranging to accommodate his new size—thankfully it wasn't much bigger than how he was as a human.
If this is what Maris went through and she ended up that size – cause god, he just realized just how fucking big she was compared to him – he couldn't even fathom what she had to endure. Though he chose not to bring it up, unsure if his own curiosity was crossing a boundary.
Not once had she left his side, remaining protectively curled around him, cooing soft nothings into his ears and nuzzling against him. He couldn't recall the last time he received such affection, but it was more than welcomed when he felt like he was dying that entire time.
That, and a part of him forgot how nice it felt to have company that treated him like he was worth something. He knew he didn't deserve it with all he had done, but he let his own selfishness win him over this time and basked in the warmth her presence brought.
Now that his physical torment was over with, he had to focus on a new problem—learning to swim with his new tail and his webbed hands and feet.
Even though he naturally floated amongst the sea of red, his balance felt off, the weight of the tail noticeable and causing his body to tilt. It was frustrating, especially since he had no clue how to control the fucking thing. How does someone learn to control an appendage that wasn't there before?
Maris was drifting nearby, watching Simon with sympathy swirling in her dark gaze. Upon him feeling well enough to move, she had excitedly suggested to show him to her cave—aka her home and resting spot. Except now she could see that would be a bit of a problem.
"Here, let me help." She suggested, her tail and arms gliding through the ocean with far more grace than he had at the moment, flailing around helplessly. "I'm not sure how different it'll be since you have legs and a tail, but I'll try my best."
Simon huffed at that, more so to himself than her. Of course he got the short end of the stick with these mutations, that's just his luck. However, he wouldn't be faring any better without legs, if he were honest with himself.
As she brushed up beside him, his face began to flush in embarrassment. "I, uh, I don't know how to swim. Was never taught to..." He trailed off, brows furrowed as he tried to recall the fuzzy memory, his brain slowly running a blank. He brushed it off for now. "Either way, this tail isn't fucking helping in the slightest."
While listening to his complaints and watching him squirm, some laughter rang out from her. "You aren't exactly trying, either." She pointed out amusedly, seeing as he had yet to move from the spot she'd found him in. "How about I guide you while you figure it out?"
Simon let out a sigh, visibly deflating as defeat set in. "Yeah, I guess that's better than... whatever I'm doing." He agreed with a grumble, knowing he was going to set off his own anger if he kept turning in circles.
Maris gave a hum, swimming above him and holding her hands downwards. For a split second he simply stared, mindlessly noting how long her claws were in comparison to his, before reaching out to carefully grab onto them. He wasn't sure how this was going to work, but whatever she had in mind would be far better than his ideas—in other words, kicking around until he miraculously got his body to move and his tail to cooperate.
God, he had a whole tail. It'd take a while before he fully came to terms with that, but that could be said for this entire situation.
"Are you okay, Simon?" The concern in Maris' voice had him glancing upwards, those void-like eyes already watching him closely. He liked the way his name sounded rolling off her tongue. When was the last time someone called him that? "Are you still in pain? Do you need more rest?" She tilted her head, observing every inch of him as if it'd help her find the source of his stress.
He found himself slightly shrinking under her intense gaze. When he was in the submarine, she wasn't nearly as intimidating, likely due to the fact there was a thick wall of iron between them. Now however, all he could think about was how she completely dwarfed him. Though, the intimidation he felt wasn't threatening, rather something else that made his heart skip a beat.
He swallowed thickly, gripping at her hands a little tighter. "N–no, I'm fine. I mean, I'm a bit sore, but I'll survive." Somewhat a lie, cause his body was still sending unpleasant shocks through his nerves, but it was bearable.
Her eyes narrowed a fraction, yet otherwise she didn't comment on it. "If you say so. Let me know if you need to stop." After that she perked up again, mindlessly swaying their interlocked hands through the liquid blood. "First things first, can you move your tail?"
Simon blinked, sparing a glance backwards at said appendage. "I can try." He mumbled with uncertainty, putting all his concentration towards that. He wasn't expecting anything to happen, flinching on instinct when his tail swished to the side, following the movement his brain signalled to it.
Well, that was a feeling he wouldn't get used to anytime soon. Even now, he wasn't entirely convinced this whole thing wasn't some kind of fever dream. At the same time, the small, eager wiggle of the creature above him made him hope it wasn't.
"Good! Now all you need to do is sway it back a forth, like this." She demonstrated with her own, the long, winding tail swishing up and down through the liquid to propel them forward. Then she paused, face scrunched up in contemplation while looking at him. "Your legs are in the way... Maybe side-to-side would be better? Try that."
Simon didn't question it, following her instructions to the best of his ability. She was correct to make that assumption, the latter method allowing his body to glide through the ocean. The entire time their hands remained interlocked, with her swimming slow enough to match his pace.
He wasn't moving very far, yet Maris looked more than proud, a delighted chirp slipping from her lips. "You're doing good! Keep going, just like that!" She glanced down, squinting at his legs like she wasn't sure what to do about those. "I think you can kick your legs if you need more momentum?"
Once again he didn't think about it, simply doing whatever she suggested and using her praise as encouragement. The webs on his feet helped propel him, enough to push him forward until his tail could guide him with the speed he picked up. Soon enough, he was swimming through the ocean faster than he could've imagined.
He didn't even notice when she let go of his hands, allowing him to swim on his own while she trailed behind. Excitement replaced any remnants of frustration, his tail cutting through the blood quicker and quicker, the sudden rush of adrenaline through his veins drowning everything out.
Maris easily kept up with him, happy chitters ringing out while she twirled and twisted her body around his in circles. It reminded him of what she'd do around the submarine, how he'd hear her circling the vessel while making all sorts of sounds to communicate with him despite the language barrier.
At one point she moved below him, facing upwards to flash him a sharp-toothed grin that he couldn't help to reciprocate. Then she swam up in front of him, forcing him to come to a halt, his legs and tail curling upwards with the movement.
He was breathing heavily, nothing but pure exhilaration in his expression as he gazed up at her towering form. Without thinking twice he leaned up, gently bonking his forehead against her own. She'd often do that against the window of the submarine, along with smushing her cheek there, as if she were desperately trying to get closer.
Her reaction was immediate, a high-pitched trill leaving her while she lightly bonked his forehead back. His body was swiftly scooped up in her arms, keeping him cradled to her front while she swam on her back, starting to excitedly talk about everything they could do together now.
Simon rested against her, listening to every word that fell from her lips. She was like a puppy, bursting at the seams with excitement as she swam them towards the direction of her cave, never once letting go of him—not that he was complaining.
The blood ocean was far more interesting than he anticipated. Now that his panic had subsided, he could finally focus on the scenery passing by them.
Along the floor of congealed blood there were various sized bones emerging, chunks of flesh and tissue layering different spots, and lots of veins tangling together to create what looked like a reef habitat. It kept shifting like the ground itself was breathing, changing the scenery every minute to become something new.
There were also other creatures, swimming in and out from the reefs and into the cave systems of flesh. While some held an appearance closer to a fish – minus the deformities, with bulbous tumors and wriggling veins growing out from them – others were unrecognizable to his eyes, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
As disturbing as it was, it was also fascinating. How had the C.O.I. never found any of this? Or was this entire ecosystem yet another thing they were hiding from him?
He didn't let the bitterness of that thought seep in. Instead he focused on the cave that was now in front of them, his head raising from where it previously rested against her chest.
"This is where you sleep?" Simon hesitantly asked, looking around the space while she carefully glided inside. It was spacious enough, empty as any cave would be, save for the various bones sticking out along the floor.
Even if it wasn't much, it was hers—that's more than could be said for the cell he was left to rot in. He didn't have a home anymore, hadn't for a long time.
Until now, hopefully.
Maris perked up, keeping him in her arms even as she shifted her body to sit upwards. "Yes! Though your submarine was a nice change. It's a little difficult to sleep on a surface that's constantly moving." She commented with a puff of air, a couple of bubbles forming from the action. "But I have these bones to keep me in place most of the time. You can sleep there."
The bones she gestured to looked similar to a ribcage, far larger than herself to create a stable resting spot. It was only natural for him to feel uncomfortable at the idea of sleeping on that, yet he tried to sound grateful of her offer. "Oh, uh, thank you..?"
It sounded more like a question, though she didn't seem to notice. "Of course! Whatever you need to feel comfortable, let me know." She cooed, finally releasing his smaller form from her hold. "You should rest. You've been through a lot."
Simon glanced at the 'bed', then towards her, his finned ears falling a little. "Wasn't there a bunch of other stuff you wanted to teach me?" He didn't want this to end yet, his heart still pumping from a combination of exhilaration and something else he couldn't pinpoint.
Maris' scaled features softened at his disappointment. "I will, don't worry. I want your body to fully recover first." She explained, swimming around him so she could nudge him towards the bed.
She had caught onto his lie from earlier, then. Guess he should've expected her to be highly observant.
Simon complied, awkwardly laying himself across the row of bones. It certainly wasn't comfortable, and he didn't enjoy the idea of laying on bones, whether they were formed by the ocean itself or remnants from a giant creature. At least it was solid and wouldn't bury him underneath a layer of congealed blood, so he'd take what he could get.
While he settled onto his side, he noticed Maris turning around towards the entrance. Panic seized his body, shooting up from his laying position without thinking. "Wait, where are you going?" The question left him in a rush, his voice shallow and muscles tense.
The creature spared him a worried glance while her arm reached outside. "I'm covering the entrance so you can sleep." She responded soothingly, doing exactly that with a layer of thin tissue.
His breaths were uneven, gills stinging with each unsteady puff as he struggled to calm himself down. She maneuvered herself back towards him through the now dark cave, to which he noticed the spines and patterns along her body were faintly glowing.
For a second she hovered nearby, debating in her own head. Then she wordlessly swam closer, wedging herself between the wall and his body, only to curl around him like she had earlier. "I'll be right here if you need me."
That was the only confirmation he needed, burying himself into her embrace once her arms slithered around him. His own latched onto her, a little tighter than he meant to, as if the minute he let go she would dissappear—that he'd wake up back in that forsaken sub, all alone.
A low vibration came from her chest, the sound a mix between a soft, hypnotic melody and a gentle, relaxing purr. Almost immediately he felt his worries wash away, his grip loosening as he became lax in her hold. Any thoughts vanished with it, leaving his mind blissfully blank and unaware to everything except her warm presence.
Simon nuzzled closer, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath while he began to doze off.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Turns out he was completely exhausted. It must've been the rush of excitement that kept him energized, cause once he fell asleep, he was out cold for a couple of hours.
After his rest, the grumbling of his stomach demanded attention. There was a food bar on the submarine, one he hadn't bothered to touch, so he didn't know when the last time he ate was.
Where had he been before he was placed inside that submarine? He couldn't recall exactly, only knew it was unpleasant and no longer important.
Which lead to where they were now—prowling the blood ocean's reef for fish.
Maris had caught a couple, making it look easier than it was. The speed at which she moved was startling, enough to make him flinch the first time she demonstrated how to catch one. One moment she was next to him, the next she had a fish captured in her wide, razor-toothed maw—a bit terrifying, if he was honest with himself.
The idea of eating those mutated fishes was less than ideal at first, until she made him reluctantly take a bite out of the one she caught. His taste buds must've changed as well, because as a human he was one-hundred percent certain he would've gagged from that, even if he was starving to death.
It wasn't anything extraordinary – it's raw fish – but it wasn't bad, either. Not to mention it was the only option he had, so might as well get used to it.
Now came the difficult part of him needing to learn how to catch them, because Maris already caught and ate seven of them, and he had absolutely nothing except that one bite. She tried to offer one multiple times, but he stubbornly refused each one.
Once again another fish darted away before he could snatch it between his clawed hands. A string of curses left his lips, anger practically boiling over at this point. "Shit, I can't– How the fuck do you do this?" He growled, kicking away some of the fleshy reef below him.
Maris was by his side in an instant, looking simultaneously amused and pitiful. "You're too clumsy." It was blunt, not meant to be taken as an insult, yet he glared anyway. She was unfazed, circling around him in a lax manner. "If they can see and hear you approaching, they're not going to stay in place."
He wanted to argue, to mention he was the most skilled... in... in what? It had something to do with stealth and attack, but when he tried harder to think back on it, nothing popped up. If anything he was giving himself a headache, so he dropped it.
Simon huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, so how do I not do that? It's fucking impossible." Right after he said that she sent him a look, one that made his face heat up in embarrassment. "You don't count! You've lived down here for, what? Your entire life?"
That made her pause, her expression almost pained as she tried to recall. "I don't know how long it's been." She mumbled to herself, before quickly shrugging it off. "Regardless, I had to learn like you did. Try to be more stealthy, have patience."
If he still had his irises, he would've rolled them. "I'm not a patient person." He gruffed, tone bitter from his lack of success. Yet once he spared a glance at Maris, pleading eyes and pouty lips, he let out a long, begrudging sigh. "...I guess I'll try one more time."
She lit up at that, a pleased chirp leaving her lips as she moved out of his way. She remained nearby, floating a little ways behind him to observe. "Try using your mouth instead of your hands." She added on as some last second advice.
Simon's face burned red and he gave an awkward clear of his throat. "Uh, yeah... Sure."
Truthfully, as he lowered his body to be hidden amongst the fleshy reef, he felt like this was pointless. He couldn't move nearly as fast as her, nor did he have the experience, so this would end just like the last few failed attempts. However, she had been so excited to show him, and he'd admittedly been the same at first—guess there was no harm it giving it one more go with her advice.
Simon lay in wait, hidden between hard bone and swaying veins, searching for the perfect opportunity. The frustration briefly faded from his body, replaced by a newfound determination. He wanted to prove he could do this, that he could fit into this new life with her.
When a decent sized fish eventually emerged, oblivious to his presence, he didn't think twice. He lunged forward, maw splitting wide open to sink long, piercing teeth into the small creature. He was expecting an empty mouthful of blood when he bit down, but was met with rough scales and soft, meaty flesh.
Like the flick of a switch his mood shifted from its previous gloom, quickly turning around to show off what he had caught. Immediately his gaze connected with hers, who had been watching the entire time. The area around her eyes crinkled, both pride and a little bit of, 'I told you so,' in her countenance.
From that moment on, catching fish was a breeze for him. Granted, he only had three total before he was full. Not nearly the amount Maris required, given her being around three times the size of him—he was thankful for that since his luck streak would've ran out by then.
After their meals, he was presented with a new issue. As a human his hair was already a bit lengthy, dark, messy waves reaching down to his shoulders. In this form his hair had grown some, the crimson stained ends flowing around his head, and unfortunately tangling together from the way the thick blood mixed between the locks.
Unlike Maris, there wasn't as much hair to get knotted and twisted, so he figured it wasn't a big deal. That was, until she pointed out how easily it can become matted if not regularly combed out, the blood surrounding them practically a hot, sticky glue.
"You have shorter hair, so it shouldn't be too difficult to maintain." Maris pointed out, currently searching through the many bones sticking out of the ocean floor.
Simon hovered nearby, eyeing the mass of hair that flowed behind her. "And yours? That's a lot of hair." He'd never seen any creature with the amount of hair she had, and he could already see the knots from the strands tangling this way and that.
She could only shrug, concentrated on finding the perfect sized bone. "I try to comb it out as best as I can. It can be a little exhausting, if I'm honest." She murmured mindlessly, before perking up when she found what she was looking for. "Here, this should be perfect!"
Simon rose an eyebrow as she effortlessly pulled some bones from the congealed ground. She swam back towards him, half a ribcage in her hand, small enough that it could be held and used as a comb.
For a second she simply floated in front of him expectantly, until her tail slithered around his body to gently nudge his back with her bottom fins. "Turn around." She insistented softly, the scaled appendage already trying to maneuver him.
Oh, she wanted to do it for him?
He complied once he realized, turning around until her tail rested along his stomach. His arms went to lay on top of it, unbothered when she reeled him in until his back was against her front. He welcomed the contact, already accustomed to her affectionate, touchy behavior—he never noticed how much he longed for it until he was in her hold again.
He felt her slip off the tie keeping his hair in a bun – how that stayed in place this entire time, he had no clue – before starting to comb out the locks. The edge of the bones lightly scraped against his scalp every now and then, cautious to avoid catching on the finned ears on either side of his head, and so she didn't accidentally nick him with her claws.
Each stroke was impossibly gentle, as if she were afraid to hurt him. There was a tug every now and again when she had to get out a particularly bad tangle, but other than that, it was soothing. That familiar rumbling purr met his ears, and it took him a couple seconds to realize it was coming from himself.
When she spoke, he almost didn't catch it, each scratch against his scalp turning his brain to mush. If she wanted to brush his hair more often, he certainly wouldn't be opposed.
"You can use your claws if you can't find a comb." She mentioned, voice hushed so she wouldn't disrupt his lax, blissful state. "But I'd try to avoid it if you can. They're sharp and might cause a cut or two."
A hum came from his larynx, low and content, half-paying attention to her words. "Hm, sharp claws, don't want to accidentally stab myself. Got it."
A small, amused noise escaped her at his mindless response. After that she didn't say anything else, continuing to gently guide the bones through his hair, until every clump was separated. Once those messy locks were smoothed out, she took the time to carefully redo the bun in his hair. It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed.
With a light pat to his head, she released him from her hold. "There, all done." She chirped, clearly happy with her work—seeing him practically turn into a puddle in her hold was a bonus, too.
Simon's eyes fluttered open, yearning for her touch the second it left him. "Thank you." He murmured, tender and wholly genuine. With his webbed feet he swished around to face her, staring up at her dark, squinted eyes and upturned lips. "Can I brush yours? I mean, if you need help with it."
Despite how uncertain his voice was towards the end, she lit up at the offer, a pitched trill emitting from her. "I'd love that! But it can be tedious with the length... and it might be hard for you to reach." Now that she thought about it, it might be harder for him to do so than herself.
Yet he remained unfazed by her words, already stealing the comb from her hand as he glided past her. "Not like I have anything urgent to get to." It was half-joking, half-bitter, directed at the fuzzy image of a woman's face looking through the sub window.
Maris remained where she was, shifting her body into more of a sitting position amongst the reef. "What about your damaged submarine? Weren't there people waiting for you?" She asked, confused by the hostility in his tone.
He remained silent for a moment, trying to gather her scattered locks of hair into one spot. "Those people didn't want me to return. To them, I was better off dead." He couldn't remember the exact reason he was sent down here, but the resentment was ever present, festering inside him.
A short sound came from Maris' larynx, between a huff and a growl. It took him aback, having never heard her make any sort of aggressive noise up until that point.
"Then they didn't deserve you." She grumbled, sounding genuinely upset by what he said. He didn't have the heart to tell her how that statement should've been reversed, that he didn't deserve anything, especially not her. "For what it's worth, I like your company. You can stay with me if they don't want you."
The mix of indignation and remorse churning inside him faded away, replaced by a warmth he felt guilty to indulge in. "...Yeah. I'd like that, Maris."
She was quiet after that, but he could see her finned ears raise back up, indicating her satisfaction with that answer. Not wanting to ponder further on the topic, he got to work on untangling her hair, his grasp on the comb awkward due to his claws. After a minute or two, he got used to it.
Maris was enjoying every second of it, purring like an engine while her tail swayed happily against the ground. If possible, he swore she'd get louder everytime he scraped the comb directly behind her ears—he made sure to do so more often.
She wasn't lying when she said it was tedious, his body perpendicular to her own, cradling what felt like endless amounts of hair in his lap. Yet he took his time, as delicate as she had been with his hair.
During this time a mellow tune emitted from her, switching back and forth between humming and random, melodic syllables. He hadn't felt this at peace in years—funny that he found it at the dark depths of a blood ocean he swore he would die in.
The longer he spent brushing her hair, listening to her enchanting voice, not a single worry left to be found, he decided he was perfectly fine with this second chance at life.
A/N:
I love our fishies sm <3
I made a little sketch of Maris and Mer!Simon for this, but it will be a minute before I get to it :') But I imagined Simon looks similar to the Merman drawing I did of him, just with leggies now
@markiplier is a silly boy! I love these shots of him in between takes just having a good time. It kind of embodies the vibes on set. #markiplier #ironlung #ironlungmovie #specialeffects #specialeffectsmakeup
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