maybe this is insensitive of me but i find it really funny that the human behavioural response to being sufficiently bored and isolated is to devise increasingly creative ways to harm our bodies and risk our lives just to have something to react to. and no small amount of innovation has been achieved this way. yeah sorry but if you don't give me enough treats and puzzles i'm going to start hurting myself for fun.
it is mermay but i have seen a disturbing lack of mermaids so i wrote a little something with mershark!damon. reader/mc is loosely based off of betta fish.
art credits belong solely to @/inkly-heart or BlasticHeart, the creator of Broken Colors
the morning brought life. the coral reef swarmed with fish, ignorant to the fire coral's burn as they darted in and out of the twisted structures. octopi worked alongside groupers to catch stray fish wandering from their schools. crabs crawled along the rough rock, sliding into the swishing meadow of sea grass.
dolphins click and squeak as they herd their babies through the water up to the currents. when the sunlight bled into the waves, painting your den in a kaleidoscope of colors, and the water burbled with bustling life the water was warm against your scales.
the night made you cold. you had been taught, in the short time that you knew your mother, that while all of the ocean's creations were worthy of life the ones born in shadow only lived to kill. you feared the creatures that swam after the sun disappeared.
tucked away in your den from dusk to dawn, you hardly ever had to face them. a low growl reaching your ears as a shadow passed over the den entrance, too big to push through, and the dissected remains of a day creature found in the morning was how you knew they truly existed.
to see one in the day was sworn to be nothing but a bad omen. fish scattered in a panic as a shadow swept over the coral and the reef fell silent. whizzing through the water to any open crevice, ignoring enemies as lying beside them, the day creatures hid from the night.
you failed to notice the quiet fall, fingers splayed curiously over the twining tendrils of a growing sea anemone. in a few moths, the swaying flower would become home to millions. and when the shadow falls over you, laying at the base on the coral rock, there's no place for you to hide.
fins rising instinctively in protection, you slowly turn to face the creature that will bring your death.
dwarfing you in size, the stranger looms a few feet away. his skin is pale, a stranger to the burning star's glow while weeds are tied into his wild hair. the green ferns wind down the tough muscle of his arms down to fingers tipped with razor sharp claws.
tail twice the length of your own, you recognize the sleek shape of a shark. scars and nicks adorn his tail fin. tiger-like stripes run the length of his tail, the same dusky red as his hair.
you wished it had been an anglerfish, disoriented and turned around in the blinding light. a few slaps of your tail against it's tubby body and the blind creature would have returned to the shadows. this creature will not be dissuaded by a few weak slaps, eyes pinning you to the ground.
the sea anemone curls in on itself, pulling away from your hand. you spin away from the creature, propelling yourself across the grass with your tail pushing as fast as it can.
the creature immediately gives chase. your tail was not built for speed, large thin fins created for dramatic displays and mating, and you fear the creature will reach you before you can make it to your den.
you have seen typical tiger sharks on the hunt. eyes growing large and dark, they move faster than your eyes can track, snaking through the water to clamp down on their prey.
your pursuer proves to be no different. instantly cuts through the water after you, slicing through the still water. panic flares throughout your body. making a wide turn, you swim back toward the reefs, praying to the sun and moon that he will be too big to fit between the corals.
ducking your head, you flatten your dorsal fin to your tail and fly into a close knit structure of red coral. he may have wandered close to the reef, but you know this creature is more familiar with dark trenches and open water. he will not know to avoid the burning skeleton.
crashing into the coral, the shark growls, baring sharp fangs in a frustrated snarl as the wide base of his tail gets caught on the branches. dorsal fin scratching the bright skin, your attacker quickly learns the consequences of fire coral.
hissing and growling, he twists to snap the branches of coral blocking his way, yipping as his hand is scratched along the surface. you keep swimming, desperate to gain some distance between you before he frees himself.
flailing and snapping his teeth, the rumble of coral breaking roars over his struggling. you turn the corner just as he wiggles free, his tough skin is already raising with a dark rash, eyes tracking your billowing tail as you disappear around the rocks.
he's a fast learner, it slows him to keep close to the ground, swimming around the low hanging branches of coral, unaware of what will sting and what will not, but if he has to swim slower then so do you. persistence keeps him on your trail.
your den is small, with just enough space for you to tuck in at night, but just deep enough that he will not reach you. the shark is too great in size to bully his way inside and even his claws will not be able to reach you. regrettably close to the heart of the reef, you see the wide, terrified eyes of the reef animals as you swim past.
you hope the coral searing his skin will be enough to drive him off without a prize.
you scramble inside, using your hands to drag you through the tight rock walls, quickly drawing your tail in before he darts past. the shark growls, grumbling and hissing as he searches the bright plant life for you.
he can smell you, you smell like the sweet scent of land flowers bobbing on the waves near the shore. your scent hangs on every surface of the reef. this is your home.
sweetness filling his lungs, the shark returns to his careful stalk, slowly pushing through the water without so much as a sound. he does not care for the dull eyed prey watching him from shallow caves, they are not what he hunts.
slowing, the current brings him the freshest scent, swirling from a dark hollow in the rocks. swimming up to the entrance grant him another billow of fresh scent, lined with fear.
eyes squinting, he peers into the darkness. unlike you, he can see quite well in the dark and he can see you, pressed against the back wall of your bed.
chuffing, the shark takes a long look at you, tilting his head. you are quite a pretty sight. your fluttering fins are nothing like his sturdy tail and your colors are have more vibrancy than he could ever dream of getting. you were so pretty, did you have any idea how wonderful you smelled?
you hold the shark's gaze, petrified into being a statue. whatever anger he felt has receded, calmly bobbing at the mouth of your den. his tail is starting to blister, you know it probably hurts just as much as a fight with another shark, but his face remains carefully blank.
with a huff, the shark ends his low rumbles. he slowly slides forward, clawed fingers screaming danger as he glides into den. the walls of the den close around him, blocking out the light and shutting you into darkness.
blood rushing through your ears, your only hope is that once he has devoured you, he will leave the reef and never return. the shark grumbles as the rough walls of rock aggravate his hand, sending fire up his arm. it hurts, but the pain is unmanageable once the base of his tail gets stuck on the entrance.
neverending scorching heat burns through him, pain shooting to his heart as the blisters scream in agony. hissing, he quickly pushes back out, trying to deter the pain from spreading anymore.
regretful, the shark knows he will not finish this hunt today, no matter how much your scent lingers in his nose.
regretful, you wished you had never taken shelter at the reef. the fish wouldn't be hiding, terrified, and this shark, no matter his intentions, would not be suffering the consequence of fire coral.
the shark hovers outside, hands clenched as he waits for the pain to subside. he will not be able to make it home if agony continues to sweep through his body. he knows it and you know it.
cursing yourself, you dig through the collected plants of your nest, searching for the plant to aid him. certain types of algae grow best close to the surface, maintaining the sun's heat deep into the water. it helps you sleep during the cold months. it will help him now.
finding a cluster of algae that isn't too badly crushed, you toss it out of your den, startling the shark as he darts back, watching as the green matter falls to the ocean floor. the resounding snap and hiss tells you that the moray eel panicked and swiped it up.
you curse yourself again as you dig around, finding a slightly more crushed cluster. older, the algae isn't as warm, but it will help to relieve the pain regardless.
cursing your mother for leaving your hear, cursing the shark for coming out during the day, cursing yourself for caring about other creatures, you scoot along the den floor.
cautionary hand placed against the den wall to ensure he wouldn't drag you out without a fight, you reach a hand out, presenting the algae to the shark.
"it will help." you say lowly, voice weak with terror. "take it."
the shark cannot understand the low warbles of your voice, nor can he understand what exactly you're offering, but he can understand the plume of scent that rises to his nose.
unlike him, you have glands on the insides of your wrist, bared to him like a irresistible dessert. taking your wrist into his great hand, he has to be careful not to snap your bones like twigs.
he pulls your wrist to his nose, wanting to know every note of your smell. your warbles quickly grow loud as you slide further out of your nest, pulse jumping under his fingers. the shark pays no mind to your squeals of protest, doubting you will bring him any harm until you try.
your kind doesn't primarily fight with teeth like sharks do, your fangs are much smaller, tips rounded slightly from a life of living off vegetation. but you snap at him anyway, teeth snapping shut a few inches from his pointed ears.
your teeth don't make contact and even if they did, he doubts it would bring more pain than a pinch, but it startles the shark. he releases your wrist, turning to face you.
you think that there's nothing worse than being face to face with a shark, but he isn't snapping back, so you push through your fear before he returns to his senses and tries to bite your arm off again.
"you should know how to use this." you mutter, grinding up the algae in your hand and smoothing it across his rough skin. you didn't know shark skin could be so harsh against your palm as you slather it over the rash.
the relief is written across the shark's face. the tension in his shoulders drop, his hands relax, and his eyelids suddenly fall heavy, casting his eyes in a droopy stare.
"now go away. i have shown you how to use it. it grows up there." you say firmly, pointing up to the surface. the shark follows your hand before dropping his gaze back to you. "now go. leave the reef and go home."
the shark rumbles lowly, mimicking your tone, vocalizing something that sounds like go home. you don't think it's his intention to mock you.
"there's nothing for you here." you point to the open water past the reef. "go home, shark."
the shark's face twinges for a moment, shaking his head and casting his hair through the water. within a moment, his ironclad hand as returned to your wrist, each claw carefully kept away from your fragile skin. your heart races as he lifts your scent gland to his mouth once again, air freezing in your lungs as he murmurs a familiar word, one you understand through his rough tongue.
"sweet."
fun fact: shark mating behavior often involves biting and chasing the female after a male shark is attracted by her pheromones. another fun fact: apparently betta fish continuously release pheromones into the water. guess why damon was attracted by reader/mc
PSA: tumblr user littlefuckinmonster is stealing human bones from cemeteries in Louisiana. Please don’t let them get away with this and spread the word/signal boost!
For anyone who wasnt around when this happened, this was real. Littlefuckinmonster was actually stealing bones from cemeteries. She is the bone stealing witch. She was specifically stealing bones from poor people. She was arrested for it.
