- Sliding in right at the end of the month with some Mer Team Free Will 😁
Fun fact, this was just supposed to be a quick little doodle so I didn’t look up any references, just started drawing and hoped for the best… aaaaaaannnnnnddd that’s why I redrew Sammy’s face 6 times (but I also wanted him to have long flowing seaweed hair and all I kept going overboard on the hair 😂). Also Dean decided to be an annoying big brother only after I started drawing 🤷🏻♂️ but what am I gonna do about it? Gotta follow the muse 😁. And if you are interested, Cas is some electric eel variant and he is bioluminescent in the dark 😄
Timelapse painting video. Drawn in procreate 4hrs 30mins (not such a quick doodle 🤷🏻♂️😄).
Rating: Gen | Word Count: 607 | Pairing: Sam & Dean
Sam’s body drifted in the gentle current as he hid amongst the kelp. Trying to keep his giggles to the bare minimum so Dean wouldn’t have a trail of bubbles that would lead directly to the little merboy. Sam flicked his tail, as he tried to maintain his current position, while he and Dean played his favorite game, hide and seek.
Sam looked around his world with wide eyes, just before he ducked behind a thick cluster of seaweed that slightly swayed to and fro, his tail swishing as he kept himself hidden from view. Little hands reaching out to steady himself, grasping at the coral that had grown up from the sunken Spanish Galleon, a long-forgotten remnant of the humans of old. A means to move about what they considered a rather hostile environment, but one that Sam called home.
A school of purple basslets erupted out of their hiding spot and swam past Sam, causing a burst of delighted laughter to push up and out. Sam watched as the bubbles swirled towards the surface, and he realized his error. He quickly dove further down into the seaweed, hoping to avoid detection. But alas, he was caught.
Hands reached out to capture him and gathered him close, just before Dean’s chuckle surrounded him. “Heya Sammy.” Sam giggled, as his small arms wrapped around Dean’s neck, just before he made his long-standing request.
“Up! Up!” Sam’s giggles turned into bouts of joyous laughter as Dean cradled him close and then shot towards the surface, not stopping until he erupted out of the sanctuary that the sea afforded them. The bright sunlight glinting off all of the myriad scales that covered their tails. The iridescent coloring came to life as Dean twisted in a spiral, while he held Sam close. Sam’s little hands clutching onto Dean’s neck as they dove, Dean’s form gracefully arching as it cleanly broke the surface, and they drifted back down, his tail being used to guide their descent.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon that way, Sam trying to hide, but always being caught when he would marvel at the natural beauty that surrounded them. Dean holding him tight as he would give Sam all that he asked for, and rocket them up, until Sam was red-cheeked from laughter. As the water grew darker when the night settled in, Dean steered them towards their home, a large cave at the foot of the coral reef in which they wiled their days away.
Dean held Sam close, rocking him gently as his tail swished back and forth, while he told him an inspired bedtime story. A fantastical tale where they grew up and got their legs. How they would emerge from the sea and walk upon the land. Helping those who needed their assistance. Sam always tried to stay awake, some nights he managed to, but other nights he would immediately drift off to sleep and awaken in his half of the giant clam shell that served as their bed. His seaweed blanket having been tucked carefully around him by the brother that he loved with all of his heart. The one who would protect him, guide him, and ensure that he grew up to be big and strong.
Yes, Sam loved his watery world and all the games that he could play every single day, but he could hardly wait to grow up.
But for now, he would learn, and frolic in equal parts, while he reveled in all of the glorious bounty that surrounded him. Knowing that as long as Dean was near, he was safe.
And would remain so, forevermore.
Art by Threshie that inspired this joyous fic
@threshie Thank you for your wonderful gift to the fandom!
Dean’s never seen anything like this creature before.
The being is long, with strong limbs propelling its body through the water. Dean drifts lazily below, admiring the way the sunlight filtering through the ocean surface highlights powerful muscles and long brown hair. It’s male, as far as Dean can tell, with definite genitals between the two longer limbs that seem to take the place of a tail because, from the waist up, the creature looks like he could the same species as Dean.
Intriguing.
Dean swims a little closer right as the creature turns his head. Strange dark eyes go wide and the creature inhales sharply and then jerks, body curling in. He doesn’t know how he knows but Dean instinctively propels himself upward, grabbing the creature and dragging him towards the surface. He shoves the creature up into the air, holding him afloat with his own head still underwater as he keeps the creature steady. He heaves in Dean’s arms, coughing up water and then drawing deep breaths of air before finally turning hazel, fox-tilted eyes down to the ocean below.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Dean says even as the creature jerks away.
He immediately bobs beneath the waves again before coming up once more. His two tails kick, keeping him afloat as he stares at Dean.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Dean repeats with hands outstretched, palms up in what he hopes is a placating gesture.
The creature isn’t swimming away, which is more than Dean had hoped for.
Dean eyes the surface for a moment before carefully lifting up so his face is above water but his gills aren’t. The air is cool on his damp skin and the sun is bright, almost blinding. He squints against it, head cocked to the side as he studies the being floating about two arm lengths away. The creature doesn’t seem frightened but clearly still wary, poised to flee if Dean makes a wrong move.
Should he introduce himself? He should introduce himself.
Dean presses a hand to his own chest. “Dean,” he says carefully, drawing the word out a little.
There’s a moment of hesitation before the creature repeats back to him, “Dean.”
He grins, tail flicking happily, and pats his chest. “Dean.”
The creature points at him, “Dean,” and then points to himself. “Sam.”
Sam.
It’s simple and short and perfect for the stunning creature running a hand through the water-darkened hair that’s plastered to his cheeks and neck.
“Sam,” Dean says, feeling the way it rolls around his mouth and off his tongue. “Sam.”
Sea green scales slide against Sam’s bare thigh as Dean’s tail coils beneath him, keeping them in place as the cool ocean water surrounds them. They’re only a few feet below the surface, close enough to Dean to get them there with one powerful flick of his tail when Sam needs air again. He’s able to hold his breath a lot longer now than he could when they first met, though, a fact he loves to show off to his merman lover every time he gets the chance.
Sam smiles and oh just when Dean thought he couldn’t possibly get more beautiful.
---
Underwater make-outs aren’t something he would have ever put on his list of “things to enjoy” and yet here they are.
Dean’s hands are gentle on Sam’s face, thumbs rubbing along the lines of both cheekbones as deep green eyes study his own. Even now, Dean looks at him with the same level of wonder and curiosity he wore on his face that first day. There’s a tenderness to his expression now, tho, that Sam’s never seen on the face of any lover before. Like Sam is something precious Dean would defend with his life - knowing Dean, he probably would.
Gonna stare forever? Sam asks with a quirk of one eyebrow and Dean rolls his eyes before leaning in to press their lips together. He tastes like salt and seaweed and something fishy but not unpleasant. Sam still doesn’t know exactly how Dean keeps his teeth so clean but he’s not complaining. Not when that perfect mouth lines up against his, plush lips sinfully soft.
Fuck, Sam’s missed this.
He hadn’t intended to be away as long as he was, drawn from his coastal home by a conference on the other side of the country. Dean had pouted when Sam explained the trip to him. It was only going to be a weekend. Three days, two nights, and two very long flights, but bad weather turned that into four days, then five, and then day six finally found him racing down the path to his little section of rocky shore, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake. Dean had been waiting, just below the surface as always, and Sam knows without being told that his lover had feared he would never return.
Dean hasn’t stopped touching Sam since their reunion and Sam doesn’t mind. He relaxes into Dean’s hold and allows him to support them in the water as warm hands draw him in for another kiss.
Dean pushes them to the surface and Sam tilts his head back as they break through into cool evening air, drawing in a deep breath. Dean’s hand settles on his chest, feeling the rise and fall as he holds them there at the surface. Sam blinks saltwater from his eyes and lowers his gaze from the sunset sky to the brilliant green of Dean’s eyes.
“Stay,” Dean whispers, the English word still awkward and unfamiliar on his tongue even after all this time.
Sam wraps his arms around Dean’s shoulders, bringing their bodies even closer together. “Are you seeing anyone?” his colleagues had asked. “You don’t have anyone special in your life? You’re not settling down?”
“Always,” Sam murmurs against Dean’s lips, the merman’s native tongue still equally awkward in Sam’s own mouth. “Always.”
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POV: Marinebiologist!Cas gets summoned to the coast to help release a local merman who’s beached himself on purpose for the 754237458724th time this season and will only accept assistance from the “hot nerdy little guy” who at this point can only sigh and groan in exasperation while secretly loving it
ie: Someone asked for Mer!Dean on twitter in the Fish Out Of Water AU style and my hand slipped
I had this idea running around in my head for ages and it wouldn’t go away so I drew it...Mer!AU in which Dean is hurt by members of a rival clan while he and Sam try to get away, and ends up stranded on the beach that belongs to Cas’s property. Cas, of course, finds and saves him and I guess we all know where it goes from there ;P
The story of a merman named Dean who got caught in a fishing net, and the human named Cas who saved him. (This is the audio version of my fanfic Seashell Hearts, read by me!)
Podfic, Destiel, Length: 0-10 Minutes, Fluff, Feels, Merfolk AU, Hurt Dean Winchester, Human Castiel, Merman Dean, Baby Merboy Sammy
IT’S MER-MAY Y’ALL, did you really think this undersea crack wasn’t gonna happen?
This was a HUGE experiment for me in terms of colouring, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out! I humbly present, FlyingGurnard!Cas and *snort* SquirrelFish!Dean.
Marine biology nerdery below the cut, for those interested!
In the meantime, if you like this work, please leave me a tip and receive my eternal gratitude (for real, you folks are awesome and it genuinely means the world!!!)
---> Please do not repost!!!!
My big dirty secret is that I’m a marine biology nerd. I adore flying gurnards because they cruise the bottom with their fins fanned out like they’re on f*cking DragRace AND they have little “claw” fins on their underside that they use to “walk” the sea floor. It’s a creature caught between two worlds, and I daresay it was perfect for Cas.
And the squirrel fish... well sheesh, not only does it exist, but it’s this feisty, spiky little guy and honestly, couldn't have asked for a more perfect fit for our Squirrel. Also like... did they base Magikarp on squirrelfish because... look at those colours!!!
(Images from Justfortestshots on Flickr AND reef guide.org.)
