Now, because the prologue for my mermaid au is finished, the first chapter is posted!
The reason I didn't compose the fic together is because the mermaid au was supposed to have multiple chapters but I used the supposed chapter 1 for SummerStobWeek
Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE)
Pairings: None
Characters: Mer!Rob
Warnings: Self harm, implied sudicidal thoughts
Summary: Dying alone and missing someone? Never heard of it
...
Or, that's what Ivo thought anyway
Back at it again with Crashing tides. Full fic on AO3 under the same name :3
Annoying kids, they’re no difference from the merkids.
Ivo rolled his eyes and sunk back into his pool, blowing bubbles under the surface and splashing around before sitting up straight again. The house was still empty and dark. Nothing was even remotely moved and the door stayed unlock since those kids didn’t try to lock it again.
Stone wasn’t home yet. The smell of salt clinging to his clothes didn’t fill the room, his insistence that Ivo didn’t harm him anymore out of pure surprise or shock didn’t come. Everything was way too quiet again. He was sure it was passed the hour when Stone would usually come back.
Ivo was forbid by Stone to climb out of wherever he was contained and drag himself around the house. But the human wasn’t here, who said he couldn’t?
Grunting as he hauled himself out from the side, Ivo didn’t expect the pool to completely flip over and unceremoniously drop him to the floor with a dull thud. His chest hit the wooden floor first before his face did, all his locks falling to the side. One of his arm was propped up by the elbow awkwardly while the other kind of supported his fall. The charm on his necklace pressed harshly into his collarbone, but he suppressed the grunt he was going to let out.
All the water spilled out of the pool and caused a minor flood in the room. Ivo swore under his breath and started dragging himself again, using his tail to get himself around a bit further.
He had observed Stone for long enough to understand how to do some things around here, such as how to make the room bright again. Ivo pushed himself up against the wall near the switch, breath slightly labored from dragging himself. He still couldn’t quite reach the switch. It wasn’t all the high and away from his reach, but considering his current biological anatomy, he doubted he could reach very far without support.
Sighing with frustration, he attempted anyway. The first few reach had his waist hurting and his gills stretching out, which only made him feel worse than he already did. He tried one last time, fingers straining and brushing against the frame until he got the pad of his finger hooked under the switch. With all the force left from straining himself, Ivo got the switch the flip the opposite way and the room was immediately filled with light. The merman hissed at the sudden brightness temporarily but regained his composure in record time.
Now that Stone wasn’t around, all Ivo could do was either sleep, crawl his way to another room to grab food from wherever Stone stored them or do some critical thinking to himself. He could plan an escape now or plan how he was going to depart with Stone once he was fully healed. What he would say to him, what he would give him, things like that.
Well, for once, Ivo did feel a sense of longing and dread. Thinking about separating from Stone made his chest tighten. All his brain could provide in those imaginary moments were ‘I actually tolerant you’ and ‘please visit me’.
It was weird. He couldn’t develop a normal relationship with literally anyone of his own people but he just decided to get attached to a human of all species. It had only been, like, four days? His brain didn’t need to be thinking about how to return to Stone after he fall back into the sea.
Ivo didn’t often think of how other people would think of him, but just imagine if this kind of gossip got out and traveled its way around the clans like fish stuck in high currents. He could just imagine them sucking it up like how whales suck up krill, all fast and greedy. They wouldn’t stop until all the details were filled out. He was sure the merkids would swim around him, ridiculing him all the way through his hunts. Or, if there were even nicer, politer ones, they would just ask him what it was like to interact with humans.
He wished that was the case, but if it was then it shouldn’t be so hard to come by. Yet, it was. The merkids were just disrespectful.
Ivo shook his head to clear the thoughts of visiting Stone by the caves he would hang out at, just basking in the sun’s glow or teaching him mer sign language. It wasn’t a bad mental image, per se, but if he kept thinking about it then he might purposefully harm himself again just to stay in his living space.
He wanted to go back to the sea, to feel the saltwater in his gills and over his skin, to feel each push and pull of waves and currents. He wanted to eat proper fish again, live ones that would swim away when he gets near and actually put up a fight to survive, not ones that are already dead and cold in his hands.
He wished he had never gone near that reef; he didn’t know that sharks were hunting there. The waves just had to not be in his favor during his most desperate times.
Sighing, Ivo dragged himself back to the pool of water and laid in it, tail curled and an arm tucked under his head. His other arm draped over his mid-riff, idly poking and picking at the old scar there. He temporarily forgot how he had gotten it but the thought came hurling back to him.
‘Of course’ He simply thought with distain, his lips curling into a slight snarl under his mustache.
His hair laid messily around him, stuck under his arm and neck, the rest flowing out freely and getting wet in the puddle. He reached up and pulled at a few strains, trying to get himself to feel something again with all this boredom weighing down on him. the sting was welcome, but it did nothing to make him feel less numb than he did before.
Usually, he wouldn’t indulge in it, but if pain would make him think clearer thoughts without Stone in them then he would do it. The first time he had did it was an accident, he had just tugged a bit too hard, the smell of his own blood made him uncomfortable. If he was still in the ocean right now, he would be biting random shells and cones laying around on the sandy sea floor.
Unfortunately, he was not. This was his last resort if he didn’t want to chew on his necklace.
Reaching down further than necessary, Ivo fingered random scales until he found one that he wouldn’t regret pulling. He glanced down and calculate whether Stone would be able to see the scar left behind or not. When he was sure the human wouldn’t, he positioned his grip on the scale and pulled. Hard. The pain radiated throughout his body, making him arch his back and screw his eyes shut. The warm flow of his blood dripped across the other scales, filling the own room with his own scent.
Ivo groaned and tried to wave away the smell after tossing the scale aside. He knew it was futile, but he tried anyway. The scar wasn’t very visible, which was good, but the execution was a bit sloppy. He might’ve tugged on the others surrounding it a little bit.
Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE)
Pairings: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone; Stobotnik
Warnings: None
Summary: Moving out from that bathtub would be a great change for Ivo, though Stone was aware that he would much prefer to be back in the ocean.
Hey ya'll, school's starting up in the next week so expect updates to be slower and less consistent (if there was any at all)
“Morning, Ivo.” Stone greeted the merman sleepily, a yawn escaping his mouth as he entered the bathroom.
The lights were still off and Ivo was still sleeping, his chest rising slowly with each breath. Considering the time that Stone used up to take care of him, he never once really stopped to admire all of his form and not just his tail.
Well, maybe there was a good reason why he didn’t.
Shaking his head mentally, Stone approached the sleeping merman and gently shook his arm, letting him stir for a bit. Stone took that time to go through his usual morning route, quickly stripping and changing before the merman opened his eyes.
“Oh good, you didn’t turn on the lights this time.” Ivo mumbled in his half-awake state, trying to roll over only to remember he was still contained in a rather limited space. The frown that appeared on his face was rather cute, not that Stone would ever say that out loud.
“Yup, now you better be awake now ‘cause I need to do something.” Stone stated, cracking his knuckles and stretching his hands out in front of him.
Before Ivo could ask or even get a noise of question out, Stone stuck his arm under his back and the other under his tail where, figuratively, the knees would be. An undignified squeak escaped Ivo as he wrapped his arms tightly around Stone’s neck, face buried into his shoulders as Stone hauled him out of the tub.
Stone grunted with effort and adjusted the heavy merman in his arms. Thank goodness for his military days and habits to keep him in shape. Ivo’s grip could have nearly strangled him had he not silently urged him to loosen up.
Ivo was quite surprised at being carried, his tail swaying as if it was still in water. Stone figured merfolk don’t usually carry their spouse or each other considering the water was already keeping them afloat.
“Christ, you’re heavy.” Stone commented jokingly, hauling the still shocked merman into his living room and lowering him into an inflatable pool. “Here, this’ll have to do for now. I don’t have a lot of things in my house to really accommodate a merman, you know,”
Despite already have been placed down into the pool that could accommodate his whole body, Ivo didn’t let go of Stone’s neck, intertwining his fingers together to keep them there loosely. Stone glanced at Ivo with confusion, but quickly lowered himself so that he didn’t have to bend over awkwardly for the merman to keep hold.
Stone was thrilled to see Ivo more relaxed than he had been in days. His tail was soaked just like his upper body, unlike in the tub. Ivo didn’t have to adjust his position too many times to make sure his body was equally wet. His brows relaxed and a content sigh escaped him as he sunk further into the inflatable pool. Stone hoped Ivo wouldn’t get too spooked otherwise his spine might pop the pool.
“Alright, I’ll go grab something for myself before I leave.” Said Stone calmly, slowly removing himself away from Ivo. Luckily, he didn’t protest as his arms slipped away easily.
Ever since Ivo had come to live with him, Stone hadn’t been able to make a latte with how much work he had to do. All he could brew up these days was just plain espresso. Taking his jet-black thermos out from one of the cabinets, he set it down on the counter before wandering back over to his espresso machine, going through all the necessary steps to brew it.
When he had hit the start button, Stone brought fish back for Ivo before he forgot to feed him. Ivo hummed in acknowledgement, quickly taking the fish by his teeth before hauling the rest into his arms. Stone couldn’t deny he hadn’t been staring at those teeth for a while now.
“What’re you doing, Stone?” Ivo asked from his place in the living room, snapping Stone’s usual focus. Now that he actually paid attention, Ivo had never once called him by his name. It felt nice.
“Just brewing coffee, Ivo.” Stone responded, pouring his steamed milk into the thermos before topping it with coffee. He screwed the cap back on and set it down, going to his fridge to find something to make breakfast with.
The way Stone had said his name sounded completely different from all the other times. It sounded more domestic, like he was answering his spouse who was sitting in the living room. Stone scoffed and smiled to himself. It was wishful thinking at best, Stone wasn’t sure if he would ever be mentally stable enough to go back into a relationship.
Even with how quiet Ivo was sometimes, Stone could hear him hum with curiosity. Of course he wouldn’t know what coffee is, but Stone wondered if he could drink it considering being half human and all. He wondered if he drank anything at all.
After whipping up a breakfast of pancakes with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs, Stone brought the plate out to the living room and set it down on the coffee table. His other hand carried his thermos so he was forced to hold the utensils in his mouth.
Ivo peered curiously at the food on his plate and sent a questioning look to Stone. The merman only ate raw and fresh things, so Stone wasn’t sure if he should be consuming cooked stuff. Well, maybe he might like it and Stone could finally use his groceries to make food for somebody instead of having to go out to the market ever so often to pick up more fish. This guy ate a lot so it should be good.
Using his fork to stab into a piece of bacon, Stone brought it over to Ivo for him to take a bite. Instead, Ivo opened his mouth and took the whole thing in, already start chewing it while it was still on the fork. There goes a piece of his breakfast. Stone quickly pulled his fork out and grimaced at it, quickly going back into his kitchen to grab a cleaner one. Ivo chewed the piece of bacon with consideration and intense focus, stalling enough time for Stone to pop a few pancakes, a small scoop of scrambled eggs and two pieces of bacon into his mouth before he asked for more.
“What is this?” Ivo asked quietly, smacking his lips a few times. Stone watched the way his tongue grazed over his sharp teeth, gathering what remained of the bacon and its flavor.
God, why was his face hot? No way he was thinking of that, was he?
…
Nope, he was.
“It’s bacon.” Stone said, voice sounding distant and unlike himself. “We got the meat from pigs.” He doubted Ivo knew what a pig is, since some of the only sea creatures that carried that name with it in the ocean were sea pigs. And they don’t even remotely look like pigs.
Before Stone could stop him, Ivo reached out and snatched the last piece of bacon off of the fisher’s plate, taking his time in consuming it. His eyes fluttered ever so often as he took in its taste, his mouth working slowly in order to savor the taste. Stone chuckled softly and scooped up a bit of eggs and handed over to him, waiting for Ivo to notice it.
When he did, he eagerly nibbled on it and hummed, a smile ticking up on his lips. Stone never thought he would enjoy feeding a merman before, but he would admit that it was bringing him joy just watching the way Ivo ate each piece.
“Alright, I’m heading to work now.” Stone announced as he passed his plate over to the merman, knowing he would probably want to lick the remains off. He did just that.
As Stone took the plate away from Ivo, his brain suddenly hit him with the moment from two days ago. The cold metal and the feeling of scales on his skin. The cold feeling of it, so unlike Ivo.
Jogging up his stairs and practically tripping to get back down, Stone clutched the item in his hand and sped walk over to Ivo who was still content with his new space. When Stone approached, Ivo stared at his closed fist and back up at his face, an eyebrow raised with amusement in his eyes. Before Stone could tell Ivo what had happened, the merman had already extended his hand out towards him, palm up and waiting.
Stone swallowed and handed the object over, fist slowly opening and then lying flat against Ivo’s hand, trying to remember how crawly his skin had felt. He had despised it at first, but now it felt more comforting than ever. Better than that mermaid’s hands, anyway.
“I assume someone gave you this.” Ivo said matter-of-factly, pulling his hand back and leaving Stone’s to hover in the air. The fisher pulled his hand back awkwardly, wiggling his fingers and rubbing a thumb over where their skin had come in contact with each other.
“Yeah, a mermaid, I think. Similar to you but not.” Stone responded after a while, crouching down to Ivo’s level to inspect the item as well. To be honest, he had completely forgotten about the object and never even glanced at it when he placed it on his work desk.
In Ivo’s hand was a small golden chain with a clear, plastic purple heart in the front. Or, at least Stone assumed it was plastic. The clasp attaching it together was bigger than the average necklace clasp but it wasn’t very significant. The more interesting thing was that the chain didn’t look rusty or damaged. Must be gold-filled, Stone guessed. But why display an assumingly plastic heart in front of a chain like this?
However, Stone didn’t question it out loud as Ivo unclasped the chain and placed it around his neck. The chain was long enough to sag down pass his gills, settling nicely on his sternum. The purple heart, despite being “plastic”, caught the light perfectly and made the whole chain more beautiful.
“That’s your jewelry, I assume?” Stone asked with a smile, hand twitching by his side to avoid reaching up to turn the heart in his fingers.
“Yup. One of the mer-children stole it from me a few days before I was beached.” Ivo explained touching the heart lightly with the pad of his finger. “I think the parents recognized you from that night.”
Stone tilted his head and tried to recall ever seeing any mermaids that night. No rushing of water, no sound of anyone jumping in or rising up, just ocean breeze and Ivo gripping onto that wooden plank for dear life. The fisher shook his head, denying that he had ever remembered seeing any other merfolk than Ivo.
“Of course you didn’t, you idiot.” Ivo said, flicking his finger against Stone forehead. “It was as dark as a moray eel cave. Your human eyes aren’t made for that.” Stone chuckled in response and apologized under his breath. Maybe Ivo was right, but it was surprising that they knew which boat he was on.
He couldn’t deny how beautiful the gold looked on him, it made him look exactly how they would describe mermaids in storybooks and romance books.
Standing back up and stretching himself out till he heard his spine and shoulders popped, Stone picked up his thermos and bid Ivo goodbye, watching the way the merman waved dismissively at him with no bite behind his words.
Stone closed and locked the door with his keys, making sure all windows were latched and the curtains were pulled shut. He made his way down towards the beach and greeted Shadow and Rogue on the way.
A/N: Adding two notes here this time. I just wanted to put more info out there (the second one is for Stone)
•His favorite hobby is human watching and crafting his own equipment from materials that humans throw into the sea
•Stone has taken coffee as an interest not because he wanted to make the perfect coffee but he likes having different milk alternatives put in there
Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE)
Pairings: None
Characters: Fisher!Stone
Warnings: Drowning
Summary: Stone didn't like storms, but does he have a choice to avoid it? Not really
I apologize in advance if this chapter doesn't seem to be as well written as the rest
The clouds drifted across the expanse of sky, lazily dissolving into each other or disappearing from sight. Stone grunted and sighed as he hauled up another net, taking his time to inspect all the fish inside before dumping them out.
His crew talked and bickered to each other, some nursing small shots in their hands while others nodded back and forth from lack of sleep. Stone took a deep drag of his second cigarette of the day and blew out smoke rings, listening to the quiet compliments from the newbies who just started smoking. The waves lapped at their boat gently, rocking it like a mother rocking a cradle. And, to Stone’s opinion, it seemed to be rocking some of his crew member to sleep.
“Anything been happening to you?” One of his closer mates asked, holding out his cigarette to him. Stone pulled out his lighter and light it with a shrug, twirling the lighter between his fingers a few times.
“Nothing much. Someone broke into my house though.” Stone replied, eyes focused on some figure in the distant. He wasn’t sure if he could rule them out as the merfolk he had been seeing or not, but he would like to take his chances.
Whoever broke into his house yesterday must be either stupid or oblivious. He was half-tempted to go down stairs with his gun, but it didn’t sound like they were stealing anything. He should probably check later when he gets back. There were at least three people in his house that night, but judging by how their shoes sounded against the floors, they were kids.
They were probably Team Sonic. Goddammit. He hoped Maddie and Tom would find out about this or else he’ll place matters into his own hands
Stone sighed and dropped his head into his hands, cigarette slowly slipping from his grip. His mate huffed out a small cloud of smoke and wandered back to the rest. Stone should probably follow along, he had a job to do after all.
Before he could even take his head out his hands, his cigarette slipped out his fingers and into the salty depths below. Stone could only stare after the last stick he had on himself, watching the way the last of the smoke evaporate into nothing, not even leaving a lingering smell.
Great, now he either ask anyone else for another or pay them for another. He didn’t even feel like paying a cent for one right now.
The fisher gingerly removed himself from the edge and gone back to the others, watching them trying to either haul up another net or haul each other into drinking. Stone let them place a small shot into his hand.
Today wasn’t going to be easy on him. he had Ivo to take care of, but then he also had those troublesome kids to deal with. Was Shadow and Rogue also involved in all of this? That would explain why they were staring at him weird when he left this morning. Rogue always had that girly poker face on, but Shadow’s poker face could be called a ‘resting bitch’ face. Stone wouldn’t tell the teen that.
Soon, the sky grew dark, the wind picked up slightly and the waves became more urgent. A storm was probably being blown in, and it was strange for this time of the day. Stone wasn’t sure what time it is right now, but it has to be getting late if the gray clouds were rolling in now.
Stone shook head and try to get those thoughts out of his head. He didn’t need to worry too much; the sooner he gets back the safer Ivo would be. Handing his mate back the empty shot, Stone lumbered over to assist the others. The leader of the crew suspected that they would have to move back in soon. With how dark the sky was already getting, he doubted they could stay out here for very long. Though, before they did that, they had to meet the quota first.
Everyone agreed in unison, all except Stone could feel dread curling inside his stomach. A storm out here is never good. He didn’t want to end up in those situation where the boat gets damaged and then they all drown. He understood that the quota needs to be met but their life is more valuable than a few dollar bills. Either his crew leader was oblivious or greedy, he wasn’t sure.
As soon as they were ready to pull back in, the rain poured down heavily. The drops were quite weighted and big, drumming harshly at the floor of their boat. Stone sighed and rubbed at his temples, watching his crew try to stir the boat back in. Rains like these don’t usually affect the waves or wind, but since Stone had predicted that there was a storming rolling in, the waves and wind were sure to pick up.
Stone clutched at the small railings his boat had, swaying just in time with the boat. His crew was a mess, to say the least. Some were freaking out; others were trying their best to not lose all the catch they had hours before. Stone shook rainwater out from his eyes and squinted hard into the distant.
Fish leaping out the water during rainy days weren’t rare, but these fish looked a lot bigger. Can’t be dolphins, they would’ve retreated back to a safer place. Were the waves pushing them out further into sea or was it his imagination? Stone wasn’t sure, but his mind was preoccupied with more important things like Ivo being alone in his house.
The boat continued to rock but it had lost all of its comfort. It tilted this way and that, making some who were more unbalanced slid across the boat. Stone could no longer make out the distant figures as his eyes became blurry with rainwater coating and dripping down his lashes. His crew leader screamed and rushed the boatmen to hold on and to steer back into the shore. But the more they tried, the more the waves pushed and pull. It’s like they’re fighting a losing battle.
Before Stone could remove himself from the railings, a loud thunderous noise rung out in his ear, temporarily deafening him. No way this storm was big enough for thunder, but it seemed like nature had something else in mind.
He wouldn’t die out here, would he? The waves were definitely big enough to topple their boat over with some more force and coupled with that the thunder. Stone’s heart thundered in his chest, blood rushing in his ears and his vision swim with the waves and fishes.
The thought of Ivo being alone terrified him, but the storm would definitely be keeping him back now. Stone continued to worry about the merman at his house, regarding his own survival and safety less and less by each passing minute. Ivo wouldn’t be able to always crawl around his house forever, let alone one day. He would be found one way or another and who knows what they’re going to do to him?
None of that suddenly mattered when his boat did indeed flip over, throwing everyone overboard and plunging them in the cold, salty depths. The net was still loose enough that any fish that was still somewhat alive swam away. Stone watched as some fish skipped across the surface of the water and dived down with one swift movement as if mocking him for having a heavy body. If he was above water right now, the fisher would scoff at such mockery.
But, unfortunately, he was not above water and was rapidly sinking due to his clothes absorbing the water. His crew members were as shocked and panicked as he was, waving their arms in a futile attempt to float above.
Stone wasn’t sure if he was trying to the same or he was just letting himself sink down. His mind was disorganized and yet way too calm. His thoughts screamed at him to keep himself afloat or to grab onto the boat, try dragging himself in or do something to stay alive.
His legs felt weak, his mind was still hung on Ivo and the distant leaping figures. Those were merfolk for sure now. There were myths that says mermaid could influence the weather to their liking. Sirens would do a more severe damage.
So, since school just started back up a few days ago, I haven't been able to update a lot on my Tumblr and ao3. Although there are some updates on there, most chapters are written in advance so it's not really anything new
Now, onto the thing I wanted to say: Crashing tides, although only have 9 chapters posted on Tumblr, now gained a chapter 10 and 11 on AO3
It's much easier for me to update there. All I gotta really do is copy and paste
Anyway, if you want to read the next chapters of it, you know where now!
Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE)
Pairings: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone; Stobotnik
Warnings: None I supposed
Summary: How high are the chances that you might meet a mermaid out at sea? Not very high, I supposed
Now that Stone had officially encountered a merfolk and had seen the way they move in water, to say his life was changing a little was an understatement. He never knew that the merfolks swam freely as human walked the streets.
There were loads of them when his crew managed to travel further out. Maybe there always had been. He always assumed those were really big fishes that they won’t ever be able to catch considering their nets weren’t always sturdy and big. Even his crew thought so.
But the pattern, the way they swim and avoid boats just like when Ivo comes over just to bite his nets loose made a lot of sense. They were mermaids after all, half fish and half man, of course they’ll still be driven by their own instincts but also have those of a human.
Stone didn’t realize he would be learning a lot right now.
At some point during his shift, some took a break and sat down with each other on one end, smoking and discussing about business. Stone took that time to really sort through what they’ve brought up, but he was met with disappointment. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but he was sure he was trying to search for evidence that these creatures were real.
Stone promised himself he would never tell anyone about the merfolks.
As everyone else continue to either do their job half-heartedly or continue gossiping about someone’s wife who was being accused of adultery, Stone picked up one of the fish that had fallen out and leaned over the edge of the boat, trying to catch for any glimpse of Ivo’s people.
It didn’t take him very long to finally spot a figure similar to Ivo. Long tail moved gaily with the waves and small, barely noticeable current. He couldn’t really make out their figure but he was sure he could see two arms there. There was no hair, though.
Stone didn’t toss the fish back down but rather let it slip slowly from his hand. He had learnt that being quick with fishes aren’t always the way to go. Just as Stone reached the tail of the fish, the figure that he had been eyeing stopped, and then started to move towards him, positioning itself right under the fish.
Stone did freak out a bit which loosen his grip on the fish, unpromptly making him drop it. Then, a very scaly and very webbed hand reached up to grab it, quickly pulling the barely alive fish down and swimming away. All Stone could do was watch.
Their skin didn’t look like Ivo’s. Those hands were covered in scales and their fingernails were sharp like talons or claws. Ivo’s fingers didn’t look like that. And the scales had color, like something that corresponds with their species. Ivo’s whole upper body was relatively human with exceptions of the gills on his neck and the side of his abdomen.
So, was Ivo a different kind of mermaid or was he just like them but vastly different in appearance? Maybe he was interbred and one of his parents was a mermaid born while the other was human. That was the only logical conclusion he could really make right now.
Before Stone removed himself completely from the edge and get back to work in order not to seem so out of place, a similar figure circled its way back to him. Stone was sure it wasn’t the same mermaid as before. Their hand was raised just enough that it didn’t broke surface but could still be seen, fingers gesturing towards his hand and asking for it. Stone quirked a brow and lowered his hand despite every myth in existence telling him not to.
When his hand finally and awkwardly hovered above the water, two webbed hands darted up and broke surface. One of the hands clutched something in its palm as the other moved to flip his hand over so that his palm faced up. The other moved to place something cold and metallic in before curling his fingers and darting off back into the water.
Stone couldn’t understand or comprehend the feeling when those hands touched him, but he didn’t like it. He almost felt repulsed by it. Those hands weren’t the same as Ivo’s, that’s for sure. It was like touching an alive fish if it had fingers instead of fins, and if it could understand him. Mermaids was different from humans, but that didn’t mean they didn’t share some attributes of each other. First on Stone’s list being able to give and receive.
He didn’t have a lot of time to really check what the merfolk had given him since he still had a job to get back to. Stone quickly shoved it in his pocket and rejoined the rest of his crew, pulling up heavy nets and making a rough approximation of their catch before the sky grew dark and the wind picked up.
Despite everything growing darker, Stone still kept his eyes out for more merfolks. He still didn’t have a lot on them, but the appearance of their hands and the way they could understand that he wasn’t so much of a threat provided something.
Unfortunately, the whole trip back to shore was uneventful. No merfolks swam by, no fish gathered in small schools looking for food. Every single one of them had retreated back to their homes to prepare for night fall.
“See ya ‘morrow, Stone.” One of his mates greeted him, slapping him on the shoulder with their wet, salty hand. Stone chuckled and returned the gesture, except he tried to elbow the person in the stomach.
Stone jogged back to his house after buying more fish, trying to stay away from the stalls he would usually buy from in case if they get suspicious of him. He had enough ingredients at home to make a proper dinner even if it was small. But, for the past day, his concern was mostly directed towards how Ivo entertain himself when Stone wasn’t home.
Maybe he could call in sick tomorrow to stay with him.
Upon stepping to his doorsteps, Stone questioned himself why he was waiting for a merman with far better survival instinct than most of the world to heal. He could’ve just drag the merman back to the sea and let the waves take him back to wherever he lived. But he didn’t. He wasted an hour taking a shortcut back to his house just because, what, he cared?
It didn’t make sense to him, but Stone was a far cry from normal.
Before Stone could actually enter the house, a child-like voice called out to him, loud and clear although it cracked at the end. Stone immediately turned his head towards the person who had screamed out his name to find Tails.
His actual name was Miles, and Stone often called the kid ‘Mil’. Sonic called him ‘Tails’ for reasons he still hadn’t figured out.
“Hey Mil, you need something?” Stone answered back, stepping off his porch and slowly jogged towards the direction of the blond-headed kid.
Miles eyes were bright with curiosity and excitement when Stone approached him. The fisher could spot Sonic and Knuckles standing in the distance, just a few feet away from Miles.
“We wanna go out to the beach tomorrow to teach Sonic how to swim.” Miles answered proudly, his hand clutching a small present box. “But our parents are busy tomorrow so we wanna ask you.” And then the blond kid handed him the box. On top was a paper tag, handwriting clearly from Tom thanking him for watching the kids.
Stone smiled warmly at the gift and slowly took it from Miles, reading the tag on both sides before patting the little kid’s shoulder. Miles beamed back at him and patiently waited for a response. Although Stone would really want to help Miles complete the objective he had given himself, the fisher still wanted to assure that Ivo doesn’t try to kill himself out of boredom tomorrow.
“Why don’t you ask Shadow and Rogue? I’m really busy tomorrow.” Stone said, his tone and eyes apologetic towards the young kid. Miles’s smile dropped and he propped a hand to his chin, clearly pretending to be deep in thought.
Luckily, Miles understood reason and quickly accepted that, yes, Stone would be busy tomorrow and that he should ask someone else. Shadow and Rogue seemed fine, though Rogue had a tendency to tease Knuckles and Shadow considered Sonic annoying. Miles got along with both just fine, and if he just tactically paired the two who are neutral about each other then everything would go fine.
Stone liked that Miles could be so strategic when he needed to. The kid was brilliant, in Stone’s opinion, but he didn’t receive a lot of credit for it because he was young. Miles accepted back the gift he had given Stone and trotted back to Sonic and Knuckles, explaining the situation to them. None of the older kids seem to really object against it.
Stone sighed fondly and made his way back to his front door, unlocking it and quickly slipping inside. He really hoped the kids didn’t view his denial as suspicious otherwise he would have even more problems on his hands.
Upon entering his house, Stone immediately dropped all the stuff he was holding and gasped in terror. To know that Ivo had just dragging himself around his house wasn’t something he had expected. The water trails were still visible where he had dragged himself and there were a few morsels of fish laying around as well.
For now, Ivo had his arms crossed on the couch cushion, his tail curled beneath him and his eyes closed. Either he was suffering from not getting enough water again or he just fallen asleep. By the way his tail was still moving back and forth, it was safe to assume he was still alive.
Stone didn’t bother picking up his stuff from the door as he dashed to the kitchen to fill a cup of water. He doubted he had enough energy to carry the man back to the bathroom right now. With how wet his floors were already, Stone didn’t try to be careful with it.
“Goddammit, Ivo, you’re either really stupid or just really bored.” Stone muttered angrily as he just dumped the full cup of water onto the merman. He needed to dry-clean his couch now.
Ivo immediately stuttered awake, pushing himself up as he frantically looked around. Unfortunately for Stone, he just happened to be standing right beside the merman’s tail. Shocking him awake didn’t like a very good idea now. Ivo’s tail, on instinct, swept across the floor and knocked into Stone’s legs, bringing the fisher down as he slipped. Luckily, Stone had his arms under him already so his head didn’t quite hit the floorboards.
Stone groaned and pushed himself into a proper sitting position. Now that he was actually paying attention, Ivo’s back was littered with scales, small patches formed from his shoulder’s down towards his tail where it evened out a bit.
Also, were those dorsal spine fin? Was he mostly lionfish and not entirely human?
Before the fisher could question, Ivo whipped his head back and let out a deafening whistle and tackled Stone back to the ground, his heavy tail pining the human down. Stone let out a short lived gasp as he fell backwards, the air practically being punched out of him.
The next few clicks Ivo let out sounded threatening paired along with low growls. He bared his teeth at him as the merman’s eyes stared daggers into Stone. Despite his lanky frame, Ivo was incredibly strong, just enough to overpower Stone.
“I’m sorry, okay? Let me go!” Stone begged as he felt Ivo’s fingers dug themselves into his shoulders again, the wound there reopening and dripping with blood. Stone winced at the pain and grunted, eyes screwed shut as he tried to buck the merman off.
After a minute or two of Stone trying to fight off the pain and Ivo staying immobile above him, the merman huffed out a breath and moved back, his finger retreating and tail being moved off Stone’s body. The fisher sighed in relief and sat up, one hand clutching at his bleeding shoulder.
“Thought you were dying, is all.” Stone muttered quietly, crossing his legs and glaring at the merman. “Can’t even help you without you trying to kill me.” Stone grunted and pushed himself up, heading straight towards the bathroom to retrieve the med kit.
Ivo didn’t respond, didn’t even turn his head to watch as Stone came back, one hand carrying a bucket full of water and the other the med kit. Even though Stone was on the edge of his patience with Ivo, he knew the merman still couldn’t go back to sea with his tail’s current condition.
When Stone used two fingers to push down on Ivo’s wound, the merman jerked away and attempted to swing his tail at the fisher again but failed due to pain. Stone sighed and removed his shirt, staring at the offending small puncture holes on it.
“Come here, I’ll help you too.” Stone offered, a hand laid flat out on the side of Ivo’s tail. The merman didn’t respond but shifted to get into a better position for Stone to help him.
A/N: Moving from his appearance to his lore
•He absolutely despises being a lionfish-born although he can't deny all the defense advantages he has
If anyone's wondering, all (and most) of his description is in the prologue and the two last points were in the previous chapters
Okay, Imma start doing my thing again (Chapter 1 on AO3)
Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE)
Pairings: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone; Stobotnik
Warnings: None I supposed
Summary: Being a fish ain't easy, but it didn't look like being human was any better for him.
Ivo didn’t know what to do while in this porcelain tub. There was nothing for him to do. Humans are unreliable as he had watched them fish up several different sea creatures and took them all back despite some carrying eggs.
He had spent enough time stalling around the caves closest to shore, listening between petty gossip and business discussion. Ivo was by no means unintelligent, but a lot of those humans would assume merfolks are dumb as rocks because they don’t approach shallow waters often.
Ivo does since there wasn’t really anyone around to stop him. He just swims and float by himself, occasionally coming by another merfolk but they would ultimately ignore him.
He didn’t expect himself to build a reputation besides being an invasive species. They stayed away from him because of his snappy personality and his mild obsession with the surface world. Down there, underwater, there really isn’t much to do other than scavenge around coral reefs for something interesting or watch the fishes do stuff that he couldn’t understand.
Ivo have taken a particular liking to watching damsel fish chase other fishes around. If there was a sea creature that Ivo would rather be born as, it would be an octopus.
He was already starting to yearn for the salt water again. It wasn’t like being in fresh water was a lot of problem, but it lacks taste and he had grown to like the salt that was always present in the waters he swims in.
Just as Ivo decided that he would climb out of the tub and drag himself around the human’s living space, the sound of something shutting pulled him out of his thoughts. On instinct, the spikes on his back and some on his tail tensed up, his teeth grinded into each other as he waited with bated breath.
Luckily, as soon as the entrance of the room he was in opened, Ivo relaxed a bit upon seeing the face of the human who claimed to have ‘rescued’ him. Stone was his name, if he recalled correctly.
The human’s hair was combed back neatly though a strand was tucked behind his ear. The clothes he was wearing were filled with colors and patterns Ivo hadn’t seen before. Strips and lighten tones, images stitched on his chest, just above where his heart should be. His beard was neat, to say the best. And although Ivo had wanted to grow one out himself, he had foreseen the disadvantages that would be mutually exclusive with it. No worries, he was still content with his own mustache.
“Hey, got you some breakfast.” Stone said with a smile, bringing in a bucket and placing it down mere inches away from the tub. He pulled out a stool and sat down, as if waiting for Ivo to take his pick.
Bending over to one side and heaving the bucket up towards him, Ivo settled it down on his lower abdomen and shuffled through the different options he was so graciously offered. None really caught his eye, but these catch were common enough that Ivo didn’t have a problem eating all of them. The smell of the salt still clinging to them made his mouth water, and soon enough he had gotten a fish between his razor sharp teeth, munching away at its flesh and gnawing on the bones.
Stone, ever the curious human he was, stared with fascination, eyes completely fixated on the way Ivo’s teeth and tongue worked around the meat and bones. And, for only a little while, Ivo liked the attention.
“You’re incredible.” Stone muttered, eyes blinking rapidly to tear his gaze away with a flushed smile. Clearly he has been staring a bit too intimately. Ivo hummed in acknowledgement, licking into the fish’s eye and pulling it out.
“Not a lot of people tell me that, but thank you.” The merman responded with a hint of amusement in his voice, crushing the tail bone in his mouth and swallowing the bones whole.
Ivo assumed the human was curious still, but felt like prying information out of him wouldn’t be very fitting for their current situation. Instead, both of them settled in comfortable silence. At some point, Stone pulled out a device that Ivo had come to known as a phone. The glass surface of the device is always pointed towards the user and the humans would use their fingers to do…something. Ivo still haven’t got an idea about that part.
Stone must’ve took notice to the way Ivo was staring intensely at his phone as he smiled and moved closer. Ivo himself tried to move closer but was stopped as he hit the tub. He grunted in the back of his throat and hauled himself forward, propping his elbows up and letting his tail be submerged once more. He still couldn’t get his caudal fin all the way in.
“I figured you’ve never seen a phone in your life before.” Stone chuckled as he handed the curious merman the device. “Don’t drop it in water, it’ll stop working if you do.” The warning was odd, as Ivo had witness many getting into the salty water with their phones, but he decided not to question. Not right now at least.
The glass screen was faced to him and the number of different images and shapes made his head spin in confusion. Ivo carefully tapped his finger against the screen, clicking into the different images to see what they contained.
Each of those icons or apps (as Stone called them) had names tagged under them. The colors were captivating, making Ivo want to see more and the different varieties there were.
Youtube
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Tinder
He didn’t fully understand each and every single one since their names seem to have an abstract meaning of sorts. Luckily, every time Ivo clicked into one, Stone was there to explain its purpose. He also taught Ivo how to exit the different apps, usually just by clicking the small circle at the bottom center.
“You use this to...?” Ivo trailed off as he pointed at an app in green with some weird shape on it. Stone hummed and took a closer look at the screen.
“That’s my phone app, I use it to call people.” Stone explained. From what Ivo could gather so far, the phone could be used to watch moments that had already been captured, things that are happening right then and there and pictures of others.
The human world was indeed fascinating and just so weird to the point Ivo couldn’t help but feel dreadful. The world underwater didn’t compare to this no matter how many ‘wonders’ were down there. Ivo wouldn’t know that himself, he only stuck around the sunlight zone after all. Some of the only moments where he had swim down to the twilight zone were near death experiences, but those moments were honestly fun.
Handing the phone back to Stone, Ivo sulked with his own thoughts while Stone rambled. He wasn’t the first human to try and capture Ivo and then display him, but he was the first to attempt to give him more exposure to the human world.
Ivo knew what a museum was because he had heard sailors and his previous capturers talk about it. A place to display the past’s wonders and achievement. If he wasn’t fast and witty, he would’ve been killed and dried, displayed in a glass case for all the other humans to see.
It was ridiculous. It was immoral.
Ivo must’ve zoned out too hard because he hadn’t realized that Stone had already left the room, closing the – Ivo just remembered – door and leaving him in the concealed room. Sure, this room had got plenty of water, but not a lot of moving space.
His tail still hurt when he moved it too much, so maybe this was Stone’s way of telling him ‘Stay here until you’re completely healed’.
He didn’t like how that sounded.
Turning the faucet back on, Ivo waited until the water overflowed the tub and sunk himself the rest of the way. The nictitating membranes didn’t conceal his eyes this time, but he could see just fine.
Ivo sighed into the water around him, letting out a low whistle before drifting off to an unwanted sleep before jerking back awake. Alright, looks like his body didn’t want to sleep right now.
Now to wait for Stone to come back. Ivo blinked rapidly under the water and one of his arms pulled itself out of water to retrieve another fish from the bucket, bringing it down to munch on.
His thoughts were deafening again, with no means of distraction like watching two mantis shrimp fight one another or spy on other merfolk activities. It was so quiet and yet so loud.
• The scales on his tail connect straight to his skin, being infused with them slightly. Although the rest of his body doesn't show visible traces of scales, his back is littered with patches of them (under his arms, near his shoulder blades, etc)
