#merau

[uniformshark]

Cuddly fish hours

[kugelfische]

oyster man

i liked the idea of tiny merspock. ( click for better quality ;,) )

[purpleenma]

Doctor McCoy, merman Jim and marine biologist Spock proper merAU post🧜✨

New stuff coming soon ✨

[tumbleweedrider]

Doodle of Erasermic playing cards in my AU

Just while I get the motivation to actually draw

[hotpotatopotat]

"How It's Done" Kirishima Seal and Shoto Shrimp finally enact the plan to court Ochako. Bakugou mer is mad about it.

[junebright0]

Dofsan Day 5 : Mermaid AU Vice Admiral Doflamingo got a bit wet while "saving" Sanji from a net. Or it Looks like he's caught himself a pretty fishie. :3

This took so much lifeblood istg. I'm so tired. But yes description. Marine AU Doflamingo where he is a Vice Admiral with the same awful pink sense of fashion reaching out to untangle Mermaid Sanji from the net he got caught in.

Dof is partially drenched probably from the mermaid's splashing but he looks happy to be there. Sanji is draped in gold jewellery indicating some sort of mermaid Royalty? with a damaged tail fin while letting dof fiddle with the nets he's caught in.

[the-bluepoet]

wip

hmm I’ve been debating this all day but honestly y’all have been starving so here’s some food

back to my insanity of merau <3

I ALMOST FORGOT TO TAG GLAD THEY WOULDVE HUNTED ME DOWN @gladumf

[p-artsypants]

My Blood is Water (22) Earth Shattering

Ao3

Spring came as a relief to all. The snow melted, and a few flowers sprung up. First snowbells broke through the white sheets, and then Tulips brought their color to the world of bleak and gray. 

More importantly, Hiccup had his second prototype ready to test. 

He’d started from mostly scratch. The blueprint was good, but the materials weren’t quite right. 

He agonized over ideas, testing different metals in water to see how they tarnished over time. Iron? No, too rusty. Lead? Too heavy. Gold or silver? Too expensive. Copper? Too soft. Tin? Way too soft. 

He was starting to go crazy. 

Finally, he landed on bronze at Gobber’s suggestion. Of course! That’s what some ships used in their rigging! 

But bronze wasn’t a ready made metal. It was an alloy, so he had to find the right combination for lightweight, strong, and semi-flexible. 

His back room in the forge turned into a science lab, where he had several samples of different metals resting in jars of salt water. All winter long, he monitored the samples and evaluated the level of corrosion. 

One day, there was a new jar with a new sample set off a little from the rest. 

“Gobber? Did you add to my experiment?” 

“Aye! Been experimenting meself with that ore that Meatlug threw up. It’s lightweight, durable, and shiny! I was curious about how it’d hold up in water.” 

Hiccup took the sample out, as well as one of the bronze pieces. This new metal was a lot lighter than the bronze, but when he tried to bend it, it was solid. 

“I don’t know…it’s so lightweight, I don’t know if it’ll hold up.” 

“I understand your worries, but allow me to put you at ease.” 

Gobber produced a mace made of the same material, and led Hiccup along to a big stone on the cliffside. With a grunt, he smacked the mace against the stone. A huge chunk of rock cracked off, and Gobber handed the mace over to Hiccup to inspect. 

There were no dents or marks at all on the mace. 

“Wow…this is amazing!” 

“I call it Gronkle Iron! And I’ve already got a few orders for hammers and axes with it.” 

Hiccup looked up at his mentor. “I have to test how this holds up in water. Can you save enough for me to make a new tail with?” 

“Aye, boy-o! I had a feeling you’d ask!” 

—-

Now it was spring, and the new Gronkle Iron tailfin was complete. Hiccup sat in the inlet, making sure everything was perfectly secure. 

Toothless sat nearby, his babysitting duties mostly over. Tumble, Rumble, and Bumble were now the size of goats. Still small for dragons, but much less vulnerable and a lot more active. 

Hiccup was grateful for Toothless even hanging around him during the day. At night, his dragon was teaching his kids to hunt and survive. 

So having him here was nice, but Hiccup let him sleep on the sun warmed stones. 

They weren't alone though. Hiccup sat ramrod straight as Astrid sat behind him, Camicazi to his right, and Heather to his left, as Astrid gave an impromptu hair braiding tutorial, using him as the unwilling dummy. 

“I knew I should have cut my hair,” he muttered. 

“I offered! But you were too ‘busy’.” 

“Well, you can cut it later, when you’ve finished yanking on my scalp.” 

“Shush, you.” She tugged on his hair. 

“Ow!” 

“Now, once you get your three sections, you’re going to cross one over the other, and then the third between those two, always crossing over.” 

“Oh, I get it,” said Heather. 

“I don’t,” said Camicazi. 

“Shocker—ow!” Cried Hiccup, as his sister yanked on his hair. 

“Shush you,” Camicazi parroted. 

Hiccup grumbled to himself as he continued to stiffly fiddle with the tail fin. Once the girls got the hang of braiding, they took turns braiding each other’s hair instead, which was easier considering they had more of it. 

Hiccup sat nearby, just relaxing and enjoying the company. 

“Have you gone swimming since the kidnapping?” Camicazi asked Astrid. 

“You could have worded that more tactfully,” Heather chastised. 

“Vikings don’t do tact.” 

Astrid smirked a little. “I haven’t gone swimming. It’s been too cold for one, and for two, I actually can’t swim.” 

“Hiccup can teach you, right?” 

“Uh,” Hiccup began. “I mean, only if she wants to…” he trailed off. He knew that swimming was a sore spot for Astrid. Almost drowning, and then the kidnapping and stint with pneumonia…he wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to touch water again. 

“You could try,” Astrid laughed haplessly. “But I’ve never been successful before.” 

“Well, maybe when it’s warmer. The water’s a little too cold for a human.” 

“It should be fine for Astrid,” Heather corrected. “Since she has your breath, that means she can survive underwater. She can breathe, and withstand the cold and pressure of the ocean.” 

“Really!?” Astrid sat up, intrigued. 

“Of course, that doesn’t mean you could start a life down there. You’d get sick eventually.” 

Astrid turned to look at Hiccup, eagerness on her face. 

“Let me guess, you want to see Heartstone Cavern?” 

“Uh huh!” 

“Not today,” he said, sternly. “I have to get permission from Bertha.” 

Astrid sighed with a shrug. “Oh, I guess that’s fair. Fine, but don’t put it off!” 

“I’ll do my best.” He unfurled his prosthetic tailfin, finally feeling confident enough to try it out. “Okay, test number 2.” He glanced at Astrid. “Are you sticking around?” 

“Are you kicking me out?” 

“No no! Just—I have to get undressed.” 

She smirked slightly. “You know, I saw it all before.” 

He frowned in response. “What do you mean ‘all’? Like—everything?” 

“Yep,” she popped the ‘p’. 

“When!?” 

“When I discovered you were a merman. I watched your tail disappear and turn back into legs. And everything else that’s there.” 

He was keenly aware that his face was burning in embarrassment and shame. He didn’t know how to react to this knowledge.

“But,” she turned her back to him. “If it bothers you, just let me know when I can look.” 

“Wh-where were you? When…when you saw?” 

She pointed up to the ridge. “Behind that bush up there.”

He gawked. “That’s—you couldn’t have seen that much!” 

“I saw enough.” 

“I—! That’s–! Invasion of privacy–!” 

She laughed again. “I’m just messing with you, Hiccup. I was mostly fixated on your feet.” 

“Still…” he muttered as he took off his vest. “This curse would be so much easier if I could wear pants…”   

As he undressed, Camicazi commented, “ugh clothes. What a pain! I could never wear them for an extended time. Especially the wraps that girls wear? How do you breathe in those things?” 

“They aren’t that tight,” said Astrid. “Really, they just keep everything…secure.” 

“I suppose things flop around a lot more in the air. Especially that.” She pointed at Hiccup. 

“Can you not?”

Astrid snorted hard in an effort to not bark a laugh, but it wasn’t exactly subtle. 

“What? It’s human biology.” 

“It’s a taboo subject,” Heather corrected. “It’s why dad asked us to wear those tunics when we watched over Hiccup.” 

“I thought it was just because he didn’t want us to be cold.” 

“I’m sure there’s a little bit of that. But humans are more comfortable when they’re covered. Especially breasts and genitals.” 

“Can you guys have this conversation somewhere else?” Hiccup asked, folding up his clothes. 

“No.” Cami said bluntly. “Why the breasts? I can understand the genitals. If they’re vulnerable there. But why breasts?” 

“Human men like breasts,” Heather said. “You know that. It’s part of our reproduction process. You know, showing them off to lure men underwater?” 

“Ohh right. I didn’t even think about it, since that’s not how I want to have a pup.” She smiled. “I’m sure Tuffnut will be willing to help me in time.” 

Astrid gagged. “Okay, now I’m done with the conversation.” 

Hiccup slipped into the water as he left his leg on the ledge. 

There were some painful cramps, and he stayed submerged until they passed. Then he slowly and shyly surfaced. While Astrid had seen his tail before, this was the first time he’d see her reaction to it. 

It was mostly terrifying. 

He rested his arms on the ledge, keeping from the shoulders down hidden underwater. “Okay, you can turn around.” 

Astrid did so, and looked at him expectantly, then frowned when she saw him hiding. “You’re not going to let me see?” 

“…you already saw.” 

“Yeah, but not up close. We just had this conversation! Come on, don’t be such a chicken.” 

He pushed up on his arms. “I’m not a chicken. I just…it’s weird.” 

“Yeah, but cool. My best friend has a fish tail! It was legs a second ago.” 

“Leg and a half,” Camicazi reminded. 

“Gee, helpful.” He pulled himself fully out of the water, sloshing a wave onto the rocks, and sat down. Then he raised his tail just above the surface. “…ta da?” He squeaked. 

Astrid just scooted closer, and reached her hand out to touch where his thigh used to be.

Her fingers were warm against the ocean cooled scales, and she moved down carefully, but firmly, feeling the subtle pattern. 

He watched her face, for any indication of disgust or fear. There was none of that though, just concentration as she studied him. 

“I thought you’d be slimier,” she said at last. 

It made him chuckle, and some tension fled from his shoulders. “Despite how it seems, I’m not actually a fish.” 

“Fish-ish.” 

“Heh, yeah.” 

She continued her touch down the tail, then reached for the fins. “Bring ‘em here.” 

He sighed, knowing it was useless to protest. So he just curled his tail back so his fins touched his waist. 

That was the first sign of disgust from Astrid. 

“What?” He trembled. 

“The way your tail moves! Your bones are gone!” She grabbed the base of his tail and wiggled it all around, watching as the tail flipped and twisted this way and that. 

“I have bones! They’re just—different! Like your spine, but all the way down.” 

“How far can you bend it back?” 

This was certainly not the scrutiny he expected from her. But he still decided to indulge her, because it was Astrid, and she was interested. In him. In a way. 

He hugged his tail to his chest, the fluke curling over his shoulder. “I can get my knees to my chest normally, it’s just the upper part that’s all—” He gestured vaguely over his shoulder. 

She nodded. “What about the other way?”

Patiently, he rolled over onto his stomach and arched his tail back. His fins rested against the top of his head, but the tail curved all the way over, like a wide arch. 

Astrid took interest in his dorsal fin, apparently, he felt a gentle tugging on his backside. 

“Really?” 

“I didn’t notice the butt-fin before.” 

“It’s not a butt fin! It’s a dorsal fin!” 

“It’s on your butt.” 

“I don’t have a butt!” 

“Then what were you sitting on?” 

He rolled back over, away from her. “Alright, smarty pants. I think I’ve had just about enough of your examination!” 

She scooted closer again, undeterred. “Sorry, I’ll behave. Can I please see your tailfin?” 

“Well…only because you said ‘please’.” Again, he curled his tail back and brought it up for her to study. 

She delicately took hold of the edges and flexed the membrane in the light. Then she placed her hand under the fin to gauge how translucent it was. “It’s pretty,” she said softly, tracing the lines and fractals. “Like a sea bass.” 

He snorted. “Flattering.” 

“But this part,” she traced the edge of the fin, where it was red. “That’s more like—” She hissed and drew her hand back. 

“Are you okay!?” 

“Yeah,” she briefly sucked on her thumb. “I just pricked myself on…something.” 

Hiccup flipped his tail up to examine the edge. “I pricked you?” The edge looked soft to him, like the delicate petals of a flower. There were spines that ran the length of the tail, which gave it support. He glanced at his sisters, who had watched the whole thing in amusement. “Am I sharp?”

Heather shrugged. “Not that I know of. We aren’t.” 

“We have poisonous tails,” Camicazi added. “But only if you bite into them.” 

He looked back at Astrid, reaching for her hand. “Are you okay?” He asked again. 

“I’m fine,” she showed her finger. “Just a tiny prick. I’ve pricked myself on a dozen catfish. I’m fine.”  

“Yeah well…I’m still learning my biology. I’m not exactly the same as my sisters. Just…if your finger starts turning blue, let me know, okay?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’ll keep you updated.” 

“Great!” Said Camicazi. “Can we go now?” 

“One sec, I gotta put my fin on.” He grabbed his contraption and slipped it over the base of his tail. Then he buckled it in place and affixed the fin with wide but short clips. The first fin had long thin ones, and they were uncomfortable. He hoped the wide ones would fold with the fin better, instead of being perpendicular to the spines. 

Once it was in place, he slipped into the water and did a lap around the inlet. Then he surfaced and announced, “so far so good.” 

“Nice, let's get this show on the road!” Camicazi dove under, followed by Heather a moment later. 

Hiccup lingered, watching Astrid. She watched him back. 

“Will you be gone long?” 

“I…I don’t know. Maybe an hour or so.” 

“Okay,” she stood and dusted off her leggings. “I can find something to do in the meantime.” 

“I mean,” he began, not really thinking this through. “You could…” 

She shuffled her feet, raising a brow. “I could do what?” 

“You could come with.” 

He saw her mouth open, and her eyes light up, before she shook her head. “I can’t swim.” 

He kicked closer. “You don’t have to. I’ll hang onto you.” 

“I’ll slow you down.” 

“We don’t need to go fast.” 

“What if we get attacked?” 

“We won’t. We’ll stay around Berk.” He kicked right up to the ledge, using his fingertips to hold onto the rock. “Could I show you around? Berk looks really different underwater.” 

She looked down at him, her eyes intense and swirling with an unknown emotion. Had he gone too far? 

“I’d love to,” she finally declared. 

He smiled brightly, a warmth blossoming in his chest. 

Astrid started to strip, and he swiftly turned his head to give her privacy. Then she jumped in the water, clothed in her leggings and bindings. 

She surfaced floundering and sputtering. “I didn’t think this through! Gods it’s cold!” 

Hiccup swiftly swept her up into his arms, pulling her into a tight hug. “I got you.” 

She returned the hold, her arms around his neck. “Oh, and you’re warm.” 

“I think you’ll get used to it. It’s always a pain when I first get in.” 

She nodded. “I think it is getting better.” 

“Ready to go under?” 

She let out a trembling breath, but nodded. “Yeah. You got me?” 

“I got you.” He promised. Then he sank down, bringing her down to sit on the floor of the inlet, which was only a few feet deep. 

“Can you see okay?” He asked. 

Her eyes widened slightly as she heard his voice, then she nodded. 

“You can breathe. I know it’s weird, but just inhale.” 

She nodded again and let out a flood of bubbles, then winced before fighting through instincts and inhaling the water. 

Her next breath was less bubbles. “Wwgggppbbllleee!” She announced. 

“Good job!” He chuckled, and she looked at him flatly. “Okay, so you can survive underwater, but you can’t talk like us. Guess it’s down to yes or no questions.” 

She nodded. 

“Ready to go?” 

Nod. 

He adjusted his hold on her, hugging her by the waist as they exited through the hole in the inlet wall. 

When they emerged into the ocean proper, he let go. 

Astrid scrambled for him. 

“I’m not letting go completely,” he assured, taking her arm. “Just adjusting.” 

She awkwardly kicked, propelling forward slightly. 

“There you go. Now, use your free hand to paddle, like this.” He scooped the water. 

She mimicked him and seemed surprised that she was able to move. “Ggggwwwrraabbbppplll!” She exclaimed…happily? It was hard to tell. 

But she was smiling, so he assumed it was fine. 

He tugged her along, leisurely moving through the reefs as she got used to being underwater. 

Eventually, Astrid’s gaze moved from her own limbs to the environment around them. Her mouth fell open as she took in the swarms of shimmering fish all around. The sunlight danced on the surface of the water, sparkling in facets like a giant gem. 

Hiccup watched fondly. When he’d first swam these waters and saw these things, he’d been alone and scared, and uncertain if his transformation was permanent. 

But Astrid didn’t have those worries. She was free to just bask in the glories hidden just under their noses. 

“There you are!” Camicazi called. “What took you so—oh!” She halted as she saw Astrid. Then she grinned, wolfishly. “You sly dogfish!” 

“Don’t.” 

She scoffed. “Look at me. This is the second date I’ve interrupted!” 

“It’s not a—!” 

“No! Don’t try to make me feel better!” She dramatically placed a hand on her forehead. “I’ve crossed the line! I’m officially a busybody!” 

“Cami—” 

“Farewell, brother! I will tell Heather and the others not to disturb you.” 

“Weren’t we all going exploring?!” 

“Another day! Now I must go, before I ruin any more sacred moments!” And she darted off into the deep blue in a flurry of bubbles. 

Astrid gasped. 

“Fast, right?” 

Nod. 

“She’s apparently the fastest. According to her. She can outswim a sailfish.” 

A tilt of the head. 

“That’s the fastest fish. Still not as fast as a dragon in flight, but underwater everything is slower.” 

A nod. 

Without Astrid being about to talk, things felt a little awkward. He felt like he was supposed to say something, just didn’t know what.  

But she didn’t come down here to talk. They could do that in the forge. No, she came here to see. 

So he’d show her. 

“Come on, there’s a lot to see!” He pulled her along, glancing at her face between checking he wasn’t about to swim into the broadside of a tuna. 

Astrid continued to stare in awe, her eyes wide in excitement at the sight of all the life around them. 

Being a fishing village, Berk had brought back their fair share of fish. And they both recognized the species that they filleted for food. But there were so many other strange and wonderful creatures. Strange, alien, but new and beautiful in their own ways. 

They looped around to the Western side of the island, where the village was. The sandy floor was disturbed by anchor imprints, and there was a little bit of debris here and there. A lost net, an errant sword, a misplaced boot. Just touches of the familiar among the weird. 

Hiccup led her to the door within the cliffs. “This is the Haddock grotto!” He opened the door for her. “There’s a tunnel that leads back to our house.” 

She nodded again, likely remembering the secret tunnel he’d told her about. 

He slowly let go, but not until she was close enough to the wall to grab hold of something. She was able to push off of ropes and chains to move about the room, investigating. 

She pointed at the big net in the middle of the room. 

“That’s my parent’s bed. My dad sleeps down here sometimes. I don’t know how, I still haven’t gotten comfortable underwater.” 

Astrid laughed, a few bubbles floating from her lips. 

She explored, taking interest in the treasures his mother and sisters had collected over the years. 

“I think this is why my dad was trying to dissuade the others from the gold aspect of mermaid hunting. There’s enough treasure here to sustain us fine, but it would be suspicious if everyone knew about it. He takes a little at a time to trade for necessary items.” 

Astrid nodded in understanding. Then she looked to the surface and climbed the walls to get to the air pocket. 

Hiccup followed behind and surfaced with her. 

“Oh! And that’s the tunnel!” She pointed to the opening with the table in it. 

“Yep, and that’s where we have dinner together.” 

“That’s sweet. I’m glad you guys can do that.” Her face began to fall. “But you haven’t always, have you? You didn’t know about your sisters and mother.” 

“Yeah. They were…meeting without me for a few years.” 

Astrid pulled herself up to sit on the bench for a moment, resting from the swim. She likely was using muscles she wasn’t used to. “Why did they wait so long to tell you?” 

“Well, dad’s been working on getting the tribe to see the mermaids as more than…monsters. You know how kids are. If I had gone around telling people I had a tail, I could have gotten myself killed. There’s really no telling the fall out that could come from the tribe finding out my dad is married to a mermaid. They already believe he’s somewhat compromised. You even thought so.” 

“I guess. And I suppose you’re right. From what you said happened in the meeting with Dagur, people are still a bit too eager to go back to the old ways.” 

“Yeah. Exactly. I can hope that because they know me and helped raise me, that would change minds, but…there’s a history we can’t ignore.” He sighed, ready to change topics. “Ready to see more?” 

“Yep!” She jumped back into the water and he took hold of her arms again. 

They travelled out into the ocean proper, passing the docks. Astrid watched a ship go out, her lips screwed up as she observed. 

“Weird to see from this angle, huh?” 

A nod. 

“I thought so too. Camicazi said sometimes they break the barnacles off the bottom and eat them. Can you imagine eating a barnacle?!”

She shook her head no, and drew her finger over her cheek. 

“You’d get cut? Yeah, they’re too sharp and hard! Mermaids have that extra set of teeth though.” 

She pointed at him. 

“Me? Apparently I do too, but I haven’t figured out how to get them out yet.” He bared his flat human teeth at her. 

She chuckled. 

It was like a leisurely dance. The two twirled around each other in the surf. Hiccup held her arm, then both as he led them through a gentle spiral along a current. 

Astrid reached out and touched the creatures they passed. Turtles, seals, and all manner of fish large and small. 

She even got to pet a shark, which Hiccup hadn’t even been brave enough to do. 

All the while, she smiled brightly as she took it all in. 

A familiar seal nuzzled under his arm. “Oh! Hey Potato! How are you today?” 

The seal wriggled between them, asking for pets, while Astrid tilted her head in confusion. 

“Yeah, his name is Potato. He was the first friend I made when I transformed.” He placed her hands on the seal’s hide so she could pet him. 

She caught on quickly, and gave him rubs and scratches just as she did with the dragons. 

“I thought I was permanently transformed, like it was a curse from the gods.” He explained that day he’d first gained his tail. His thought process to caring for Toothless. The fear of never seeing home again. The sheer terror of seeing an Orca in the open ocean and being chased by a Red Mermaid. 

Her eyes lit up and she pointed at him accusingly. 

“What?” 

She pointed again, and then pointed at the surface. 

“You want to go up?”

A shake. She held up four fingers and pointed at him. 

“What? I don’t—Oh!” Then he burst out laughing. “Yes, you totally saw me that day.” 

She whacked him, but underwater, it was extremely slow, barely more than a touch.  

“Like I said, I thought it was permanent. I thought I’d never see you again.” 

Her expression softened then in understanding. She let go of Potato and reached for him. She squeezed his hand, as if to say, ‘I would have missed you.’ 

“Yeah well, you would have died if it had been permanent, because I wouldn’t have saved you from drowning. So thank your lucky stars it’s not.” 

Another slow whack, but followed by exasperated laughter. 

He pulled her along again, following the shoreline of Berk. He didn’t say much, just enjoyed watching her expressions as she took it all in. 

Eventually, her gaze turned to him. Her eyes were half lidded, and her smile was warm and tender. Affectionate, dare he say. 

“What’s with that look?” 

Slowly, she reached for him and placed her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and concentrated. 

“Happy,” her voice spoke through the bond. 

And he felt it. A wave of genuine affection flowed from her to him. 

He smiled back, gazing into her eyes with such intensity, there’s no way she’d think he was joking. “I’m happy, too,” he assured. 

Her hand cupped his face, her thumb drifting over his cheek softly, and she tilted her head. 

And kissed him. 

This wasn’t like the other kisses they had. It wasn’t sudden or short or innocent. It was intense and purposeful. Slow, but firm. 

Hiccup froze for a moment, surprised and unprepared. His hand lightly grasped her wrist, the only way he was touching her. 

But then she moved her lips and deepened the kiss, and he melted. He encircled her waist and pulled her closer. 

In turn, Astrid smiled into his lips and clung to him. Her fingers in his hair, her legs wrapped around his tail. 

He smiled back, almost ruining the kiss as his heart thundered in his chest. 

This was it! He was kissing Astrid! And she kissed him first! 

He was a merman, and she showed no disgust towards him! She eagerly pressed her body against his, and he savored the feeling of her bare skin under his fingertips, against his chest. 

He was so happy he could cry.

He lazily kicked his tail, letting them drift along the current as they got lost in each other. 

The points of contact between them were like scalding embers in the forge compared to the cold ocean water. 

It just made him want to get closer. 

Her fingernails raked across his scalp and shoulders, making him shiver and whimper. 

She smirked in satisfaction, before he growled and retaliated by teasing her lips with his tongue. 

Astrid moaned, and the sound set his blood on fire. 

This was dangerous. They were plummeting quickly into territory that mere friendship couldn’t survive.  

But Hiccup didn’t care. A hideous, nagging thought teased at the back of his mind, reminding him that this was all an illusion, but he stamped it away. He’d address it later, but he was fueled by hormones right now. Hormones, and a lifetime of longing. 

Astrid pulled away with a smack and a wide smile as she met his gaze. Her eyes were bright and shimmering, looking like the surface itself. 

“Wow…” he breathed, not even attempting to hide his goofy smile. 

Astrid went to reply, but her words came out garbled in bubbles. 

He barked a laugh at the comedic timing of it, and she pouted in mock offense. The look was so cute, he couldn’t help but kiss her again. 

She returned it with gusto, twining her fingers tightly in his hair. 

He shuddered and hoisted her legs up higher on his hips. She coiled herself around him like a snake, pressing impossibly close, like she wanted to consume him completely. 

He loved her. There was not a doubt in his mind that all he felt was deep, all consuming love. He’d liked her for years, but over the last few months of getting to know her better, he found that little crush growing leaps and bounds with each shared moment. 

He was gone. There was no hope for him. 

It seemed that while Astrid was the one that started this, she was the more level-headed of the two. She pulled away and skirted her hands down his arms. 

“Okay?” She asked. 

“Y-yeah! More than okay! That was–!” Amazing? Wonderful? Fantastic? “That was perfect.” 

She smiled broadly with her pretty teeth. 

They floated along, basking in each other’s companionship as sparkling fish swam by, unbothered by their presence. They shared a few more kisses. Some pecks, some lingering. Some on the lips, and some on the cheek. 

Astrid kissed his hand, and then the thin webbing between his fingers, and he thought he would burst from happiness.  

Then the cliff that the inlet was housed in was in sight, and a pit of dread opened in Hiccup’s stomach. 

He’d done a very very bad thing, and he’d have to own up to it. 

The temptation to do a couple hundred more laps around the island was strong. He could just continue this date and make it last forever. They could have their little bubble and live in it forever. This dream, this fantasy, would last. 

But he had to come clean. It was the right thing to do. The longer he put it off, the worse it would get. He should have told her before this point, but…

The closer they got to the hole, the grayer the world became. It was like reality was sneaking up on him, and forbade him to ignore it any longer. 

They arrived in the inlet, and Hiccup brought her to the surface. 

“Ah!” Astrid gasped as her lungful of water expelled. “Oh, that part is so weird!” 

Hiccup helped her up onto the shelf. “Yeah, the transition from water to land is always a little uncomfortable. I’m glad it doesn’t hurt though. If I go a long time without transforming, I get cramps.” 

“Not surprising,” she smiled. 

Her expression had changed. There was so much more fondness in the curve of her lips, the twinkle in her eye. Or maybe it was there for a while, and he was only allowing himself to notice now. 

He sat beside her on the shelf as she started to wring out her hair. “So…are we going to address the Gronkle in the room?” 

His heart clenched. “...and that would be…?” 

She gave him a look. “Are we doing this? Or are we going to sneak around for a while before making any declarations to parents?” 

How easy would it be to just say yes? To just go along with it and be happy? 

But how happy could he be living a lie? 

“Hiccup?” She frowned, no doubt picking up on his hesitation. “Did I…read this all wrong?” 

“What? No, no, that’s not…no. You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Then, what’s with the face?” 

His shoulders sank. That pit of dread crawled up and caused pain in his chest. “Astrid I…I have to tell you something.” 

“What’s wrong?” 

He swallowed. Where to even begin? 

“I…lied.” 

“About what?” 

He wanted to stand and pace. Then he might be out of range for her attack, but that wasn’t an option at the moment. Instead, he just smoothed his hands over his scales. “The reason we can talk inside each other’s heads. What that means.” 

She nodded slowly. “Okay.” 

“It’s not just something I can do. It’s because we kissed.” 

“...right. You said that.” 

“Yes but, the way…the purpose…gods, this is so hard!” 

“Why? Is it something bad?” 

“Yes,” he confessed, his voice hoarse. 

Her face fell, and she grew focused, but didn’t say anything. 

He tried again. “It happened the first time we kissed, when I rescued you from drowning. I gave you my breath, and ordinarily, that wouldn’t be that big of a deal but—”

“You saved my life,” she reminded. “That’s a pretty big deal.” 

He rolled his eyes. “What I mean is that if you had been anyone else the consequences would have been different, but because you’re you—” He bit his lip. 

“What’s wrong with me?” 

“No, that’s not–!” He pushed the wet hair from his face. “Astrid, please understand you did nothing wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve this.” 

She frowned. “I did go swimming when I shouldn’t have.” 

“Okay, well, besides that!” He cried, exasperated. 

“Sorry. I’ll stop interjecting,” she spoke calmly and gently. “Just say what you need to say.” 

He took a deep breath, gathering all the courage he could muster. “Alright…Astrid.” 

She nodded. 

“When I gave you my breath back then, it…it wasn’t a normal breath. I…I’ve been in love with you for a really really long time. I poured all my love into that kiss, desperate to save you. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was scared, and I had no idea—” he croaked, tears coming to his eyes. “I just didn’t want to lose you. Instead I…I…I enthralled you.” 

Her brows furrowed. “What?” 

“Like, literally. Think about it. Before I rescued you, you just kind of tolerated me. But after…you started having dreams about me, right? As a merman?” 

Her eyes went wide and her face paled. 

“What you feel for me? I-It’s not real, Astrid. You don’t like me. You don’t love me. All of it…it’s all a stupid illusion. I…I basically raped you.” 

Her face contorted into a mix of shock and anger, all those warm fuzzy feelings were long gone. 

But he blabbered on. “I-I-I didn’t mean to! I didn’t even know that I was giving you my breath! I would have never—! And I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you, but I just—how do you say something like that?” Tears freely fell down his cheek, as she jutted out her jaw in pure rage. 

She was shaking, and looked moments away from lunging at his throat. 

In a scarily even voice, she said, “are you going to undo it, then?” 

“I can’t,” he whispered. “I would if I could but…there’s no cure. I can’t…it’s permanent.” 

If flames could come out of her eyes, they’d rival the torches in the Great Hall. Her hands balled into trembling fists. 

Hiccup wasn’t a fool, but he was a coward, despite his best efforts. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed. 

Then he leapt into the water and swam away. Even as Astrid’s yell pierced through the surface, he fled. He didn’t look back. He didn’t surface a few feet away and try to calm her down. He just left. 

And underwater, he could cry and no tears were felt.

“Betrayal.” Astrid’s voice drilled through the bond, a stab of red-hot anger coming with it. 

“Sorry.” He thought back, pathetically. 

“Angry.”

“Justified.” 

“Coward.”

“Monster.” 

“Return.”

“Can’t.” 

“Hate.”

“Yeah.”  

He swam on, away from Berk as fast as possible. Astrid didn’t send words, just emotions, and they were volatile. 

He didn’t blame her one bit, but gods did it hurt. 

“Hiccup!” Camicazi chirped as she caught up to him. “Where’s your girlfriend? Take her home?” 

“Shut up!” He snarled. 

Her eyebrows raised, surprised, but strangely not offended. “What happened? Honeymoon over?” 

“I told her the truth! And now she hates me!” 

“I’m sure she—“ 

“She said so!” 

“She didn’t mean it.” 

“You weren’t there!” 

“I still know she didn’t mean it. You’re being so dramatic.” 

He halted his frantic path and glared at her. “You are so useless, Camicazi. I’m sorry that my love life is so annoying to you.” 

She smirked. “Yep. Dramatic.” 

“Leave me alone!” And he swam away. 

“No wonder she hates you, asshole!” 

A sob broke through his lips as he powered through the current. The way to Heartstone Cavern was fuzzy at best, but he was fairly certain it was this way. 

The towering coral reef emerged from the haze before him, and he followed the hidden route around to get inside and down to the entrance. 

There were a few mermaids loitering around, but they seemed surprised to see him. 

He didn’t greet anyone. Didn’t have the energy to. He just passed them all and went towards his cavern, the air pocket a previous chimera called home. 

The air was as musty as the first time. The only sound was water dripping off the stalactites into the fresh water basin. 

Peace. 

Hopefully enough mermaids had seen him retreat here that no one would be searching frantically for him. His mother would tell Stoick, and Stoick would lie to cover for him. 

He could hide here for a while. 

He used the swing to get out of the water, and sat near the heat vents to dry off. 

The red glow of the vents was almost calming. It was cool and dark in the cavern, secluded, and quiet. 

“Heartbroken,” Astrid cried at him. 

He hung his head, the tears starting anew. 

“Sorry.” 

“Return.” 

“No.” 

“Please.” 

There was no anger in her now. It was just sorrow and grief. She was coming to terms with it. 

Coming to terms with the fact that she was forever changed. Her mind wasn’t her own. Her feelings were manipulated. 

She might even be having an identity crisis. 

“Space.” 

“Stupid.” 

“Sorry.” 

She went quiet again, pulling away from the bond. 

And he was alone again. Alone in the silence. 

Hiccup was used to seclusion and isolation. He used to be ostracized by the village, and now, even when he wasn’t, he sought out solace fairly often. 

But not like this. He’d never been so aware of how alone he was. 

The only Chimera in the world. A monster. 

He buried his head in his hands and wept.