Answering the following anonymous/DM request: "Hi again, this is a request for a friend who was nervous and got their phone taken away, so I decided to help them. She’s a fan of your Cecaelid ShojixSeal Reader, and wanted to request scenarios of Tigerfish Juzo or Lobster Kamakiri, mainly how they met, their moments, and when they're expecting (Goodnight, thx you and sorry to bother 🙏🏼)"
More mermay deets! Feat: Tigerfish!Honenuki Anomalocaris!Kamakiri
(I really enjoyed doing this structure and will probably use it for more mer-HCs)
Tigerfish!Juzo x Human!Reader
For Juzo, I'm trying a little merman X human action.
He himself is a hybrid of two entirely different species that are both called 'tigerfish'. His tail has coloration like a Siamese Tiger Fish, handsome dark stripes on gold scales. His body shape and (more noticably) dentition take after the Goliath Tigerfish. His teeth are huge, sharp, and jut out of his mouth freely.
He's a freshwater type who lives in the giant lake that you live next to.
Meeting
Juzo had the misfortune of eating a fish that had previously evaded a fisherman. The mer didn't realize his catch was hiding a hook until it lodged through his own jaw. He can't get it out himself, and the pain of it prevents him from eating.
He's clever though: he's spied humans removing hooks from their catches with tools, and decides that he may be able to 'borrow' something to help himself. He starts with a little cottage by the shore, which has a low profile dock he can easily get onto to search for a tackle box.
You are woken in the middle of the night by a motion sensor light going off on your dock. Against your better judgement, you go out to investigate.
Something has been on the dock, something big, judging by the huge damp spots on the wood. You follow them to the edge of the low dock, and peer over with your flashlight.
At first, you only see water. Then, a shape becomes apparent, the long, striped body of a massive fish. Suddenly, something looks up at you, making you jump, which in turn makes you lose your balance.
But before you hit the water, a pair of hands push you back. You land on your rear and find yourself level with a frightful face sporting long, protruding fangs. He grits his teeth when he asks, "you okay?", trying to move his injured mouth as little as possible.
You're a little shocked by what is very clearly a merman practically in your lap, but manage to nod. "Are you?" You ask in turn.
He hesitates a moment, then opens his mouth wide. You flinch, at first, then look closer when you realize he is not lunging. The ambient light glints off a bit of metal, so you use your flashlight to look closer.
The fishhook is lodged in his gums between two of those vicious teeth. But, somewhat fortunately, the tip is protruding out the other side. Cautious, you say that you think you can get it out. You ask him to wait, and he does as you go inside to grab heavy wire cutters and other supplies.
You return and sit, and he moves his head to your lap when you beckon him closer. He flinches from the pain when you cut away the barbed end of the hook, but doesn't snap or fuss. That proves to be the easy part.
You are nervous about reaching into his open mouth, past those awful jagged teeth that could take off fingers with ease. His eyes scrunch and his brows furrow, but he keeps his mouth open and still as you work the hook out. He even lets you pour hydrogen peroxide on the wound once you explain that it should help him heal faster and prevent infection. That makes him cry out, but not lash out.
Afterwards, he thanks you sincerely for the treatment, and slips into the lake again. You would have even pretended this was a particularly vivid dream, if the mer simply resumed his elusive lifestyle.
Moments
But Juzo does not make himself scarce. The day after the incident, you go outside to find a line of trinkets at the end of the dock. Shiny bottle caps, jewelry, particularly pretty rocks, even a pair of sunglasses you had dropped into the water several months ago and thought lost.
As you inspect the treasures, you hear a splash behind you. When you look, there is a new puddle under a plastic beaded bracelet. You go over, lay near the edge on your belly, and lightly tap the water.
Seconds later, Juzo's face emerges, close, too close honestly. But you don't pull back. You finally get a good look at his features, and find that, once you get used to the teeth, he's quite handsome. Not even in spite of the mouth; somehow, the fangs give him a beautifully unique appearance, other and dangerous, but oh so intriguing.
"You don't have to pay me back for last night," you tell him with a shy smile.
"I know," he answers. "That's not what the gifts are for." When you ask what they are for, he smiles pleasantly, moving just slightly closer. He tells you his name, and asks yours, and you can feel his breath against your lips. Your lips brush his fangs as you answer.
He comes around often to visit after that, always with a gift. Sometimes he brings more trinkets, sometimes fish. In turn, you start to bring him fish from the store, ocean fish and shellfish that he would never get to try otherwise. He considers this a very strong act of courtship, and responds accordingly.
You start noticing a sudden increase in lily pads and other flowering plants around your dock. Juzo does this not only to impress you, but also to make the area more hospitable for himself.
He nibbles to show affection. A lot. He's very gentle about it, of course; it tickles more than anything else. His favorite target is your legs. Any time you sit on the dock to dangle your feet in the water, there is a good chance of feeling his fangs brush over your calves or ankles.
Juzo is even worse about this when you go swimming, going straight for the thighs every time. In these cases, you jump, and start feeling anxious. Not because it hurts or you believe he'll bite you, but because it feels too nice.
Mates
All this courting and flirting finally culminates in a night that you go skinny dipping in the lake. Which is followed by many similar nights.
You aren't exactly careful; after all, you belong to different species. What you don't know, is that merfolk DNA is extremely malleable, as merpeople (including faux-mer and other adjacent sentient species) often find mates that don't necessarily belong to the same subspecies. A clownfish and a shark could never reproduce, but a clownfish mer and shark mer easily could. Even very different subspecies, such as an octopus and a selkie, could potentially have offspring, though it may be difficult.
So it comes as quite the surprise when you start feeling ill and missing cycles. After two months, you buy a pregnancy test, thinking it's impossible but it will put your mind at ease to eliminate the possibility. Then you buy several more, because clearly the first had an error. And finally, you're forced to face the reality of the situation.
Carrying Juzo's offspring is pretty nerve wracking. You can't really go for an ultrasound, lest the fetus have a fish tail. You can't even hire a midwife, let alone consider going to a hospital to give birth. In the end, you just research the hell out of water births, and hope that Juzo's kind are inclined to be loyal mates.
He listens calmly as you tell him, and seems pleased. He seems confused when you tearfully say you need him there to help you, with the birth and the baby and everything else. Gently nuzzling his fangs against your flesh, he shushes you, and tells you, "of course, I'll be right here for you, I promise."
You have to explain a lot about human reproduction. Juzo is unused to the notion of a single baby, though he has heard of certain species of ocean dwelling fishes and mer that give live birth as opposed to laying eggs. He determines that it isn't such a terrible notion. As opposed to making a slew of fry to increase the chance of success, you'll have a singular infant that will require full care and attention.
He fusses over you as much as he can. His favorite activity is giving you massages as you float or lie on the dock, easing the pains out of your body.
Sound travels differently in the water. One day while swimming together, Juzo starts intently circling you. When you convince him to come up, he excitedly reports that he could hear the heartbeat.
Not being able to be around you all the time is driving him absolutely nuts. Each morning you wake up and look outside to find him sunning himself on the dock, trying to be as close as possible.
Human childbirth is just about the most alarming thing Juzo has ever witnessed. The merfolk genes result in the baby being born earlier and smaller than expected, fortunately making things less dangerous for you. Even without the ripping, the sheer amount of blood and waste has him very shaken.
Still, he performs his combined duties of emotional support, doctor, and midwife very well. And after, he cradles you aloft in the water, so you can hold the baby close as its stumpy golden tail flaps gently against your belly.
Anomalocaris!Kama x Jawfish!Reader
Reader belongs to a subspecies of Blenny that lives in burrows, can have beautiful coloration and markings, and have a very interesting method of protecting their young.
Kamakiri has a long, plated tail, with two extra grabbing appendages where his humanoid torso meets his tail. He also has spiny mandibles near his mouth that help him grasp prey.
He is significantly larger than you, nearly twice your overall body length.
Meeting
You have lived in proximity with one another for some time; Kamakiri has tolerated you living in his territory without incident, and without much interaction aside from exchanged glances.
He sometimes stares at you intently, for seemingly no reason at all. In turn, you admire him from afar. You've never seen anyone else like him. The way he patrols his territory, massive and powerful and feared, makes you feel, funny. Like it might be fun to be chased by him, not as a hunt, but, something else. This is absurd, of course, so you resign yourself to staying out of his way.
However, when a larger predatory mer tries to make a meal of you, Kama unexpectedly intervenes. He was vicious in driving off the threat, and you honestly weren't sure whether this was a rescue to be grateful for, or an instance of two apex predators clashing over prey.
It did not help your perception when he scooped you up with his strange extra appendages and swam off for his den. You go limp; after all, if you did try to struggle, it probably wouldn't do much besides make him tighten his grip. He is unexpectedly gentle, and the spines usually used to clasp prey only lightly brush over your battered body; you don't care to find out how badly it might hurt if he squeezed.
You're shaking when he brings you into his burrow. Despite your expectations, he doesn't tear you apart to devour you, instead depositing you on the soft silty bottom before settling down closer to the entrance.
"How bad is it?" he asks gruffly. You're confused, but manage to stammer out that it hurts, badly, but you don't think it's too serious. He grunts, and moves to cover the entryway more. And you realize, he's not blocking it to keep you in; he's making sure nothing else comes in after you.
Not that he would need to block the tunnel to keep you inside. After rescuing you, he finds that you are most inclined to stay. Even after recovering and being able to leave, you still return to his burrow daily. And he lets you.
Moments
There aren't many like Kamakiri. Arthropod type faux-mer are rare enough; his ancient species is near extinction. His poor attitude is, in part, due to loneliness.
He most often likes to swim above you. It lets him keep an eye out for predators, but also, he likes the way his shadow somewhat aligns with your form. He can almost pretend the two of you are more alike, this way.
Kamakiri is a bit snippy about you instigating physical contact, at first. Mainly because he's not used to it, and it makes him feel weird in a way he has trouble describing. So he'll dart away like a minnow fleeing a shadow.
It's easier to initiate contact in his den, where he's in a more relaxed state. It starts with sidling up to him, brushing fins or gently nuzzling into his side. Once he's had enough of this, he grabs hold of you, and brings you under his massive body. Held loosely by his arms and spare appendages, you start to sleep together like that. There's no crushing weight, not underwater, just a sense of security as he broods over you like a hen.
Kama spends a good amount of time keeping himself tidy. He grooms his segmented plates and swimming flaps thoroughly. Eventually, he permits you to help with this, and returns the favor. Now that you know he isn't planning to eat you, it actually feels quite nice when he brushes over your tail and fins with those spiny appendages. It becomes a regular little ritual.
Being so used to living alone, Kamakiri is weird about you adding "personal" touches to the den. He watches you add stones and shells to reinforce and decorate the walls, and gets flustered by the notion that you could be preparing a nest.
After watching you for a while, he gruffly asks what you're doing. When you say you're just trying to make the burrow prettier and stronger, his mouth moves faster than his brain, and he blurts out, "for eggs?"
That surprises you, so you stop and swim over to him, gently tracing the plates of his carapace in an attempt to soothe him. It only makes him more fidgety, which only gets worse when you answer bluntly. "Maybe. I've thought about it... Why, do you want to?" He stares at you for a moment, then lunges with frightening speed. You giggle and shriek with delight as he grabs you, nuzzling needily against your neck. This time, when he holds you tight and brings you under his large body, it isn't for sleep.
Mates
Because you belong to very different species, it takes some work to successfully produce offspring. You produce a few clutches of empty eggs, and Kamakiri is very awkwardly soft with you after. He brings you food and cuddles you under his huge body in your shared burrow, promising that it will turn out okay.
You eventually lay a sizeable clutch of eggs. They are very tiny, but you can already see that these are fertilized, and the little twitching embryos within even seem to resemble Kama more than you. After hatching, they continue to have his body type, with most having coloration more a jawfish.
He is overjoyed. He is proud. He is mortified when you start popping those perfectly fine eggs into your mouth.
Jawfishes practice a behavior known as mouthbrooding, in which a parent carries the eggs and/or hatchlings in its mouth to keep them safe.
Kamakiri was not aware of this behavior, and thinks this is some kind of extreme postpartum psychosis. He jams his fingers in your mouth without hesitation, trying to rescue his babies, while you're like WHAT.
You clear things up quickly and explain what you're doing. As relieved as he is that you aren't attempting to cannibalize the kids, Kamakiri is still leery about you fasting while waiting for the eggs to hatch. He insists that you need to regain your strength after making eggs, and that he can help watch them (even if he won't do the mouthbrooding thing because he's too paranoid about accidentally biting down or swallowing).
Eventually, you compromise on leaving the eggs in his burrow, as long as one of you is around to watch them at all times, and only occasionally mouthbrooding. He gladly agrees to these terms.
Needless to say, Kama is viciously protective over his offspring. He watches over the eggs in his burrow, meticulously checking and circulating water over them to keep parasites away. You switch off hunting and egg watching duties.
He is even more territorial when he's got a mate and young to look out for. Any intruder that even remotely seems like a potential threat will either be driven off or eaten.
The latter becomes more common once the eggs hatch and he's got a couple hundred new mouths to feed. He loooves taking down large prey to watch his itty bitty hatchlings, no bigger than krill, swarm and try to devour it, even though their little mandibles are still too tiny to break through skin. He finds their ferocity very cute.
Just as you closely brooded them when they were eggs, Kama keeps close watch on the fry as they grow. He will do a shrimp-like thing where he gathers up the little ones under his armored abdomen to guard them.
~~~
Kamakiri, ecstatic: my species is saved!!
His beautiful mate, preparing to play nature's version of Chubby Bunny:
