#merman!michael

[deadacclolz]

a Mer-Michael for mermay,,,,,,,

[phoenix-flyin-high]

Get yo damn ads of my blog please

[clumsy-hood]

imagine merman!michael spending most of his days in the rarely trekked depths of the ocean - his inky black tail lithely whipping against the currents and his pale skin like sheer porcelain with intricate swirls that emit a hazy green - whilst his emerald eyes glowed and flickered through the waters as he pushed himself to dive deeper, hoping to find solace and solitude where no one could find him - his own little happy place - but finding his chest tighten from the pressure exerted on his body until his lungs felt as though they were ready to burst so he stopped and stared at ebony ocean, admiring the small bubbles that fled his lips and reflected the hues gleaming from his irises, until he felt like he could breathe once again. 

[malumshighlight]

Merman!Michael Part 3

Merman!Michael AU A/N: This is the last part in the Merman Michael series by kittencliffoconda and I! We're so glad you all enjoyed it and I can’t wait for you to read what’s next! :)

|Part One|  |Part Two|

_____

You tasted the way the being at the beach felt on a warm summer’s day. Michael could feel your revival as he continued to kiss you, almost as if his own energy was flowing into you before suddenly, you pushed him away. “Michael no.” You sobbed. “What have you done?”

“It’s okay baby, you’re okay now.” He soothed you.

“No Michael it’s not ok!” tears cascading down your face, “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Yes. And I don’t care about the consequences. I couldn’t let you die and now we can be together.”

“Michael you don’t understand, you say you’re doing this to be with me but you’ll be miserable in the ocean. You’ll end up resenting me.”

He reached up to cup your face in his damp hands, “I won’t end up resenting you. I could never resent you. And there’s a bright side in all this, we just don’t know it yet.”

“Do you realize you may not ever be allowed back on land again? What about your family?” You were so worried about him, but he reassured you.

“I’m not worried about that. My past is gone now. You’re my future.”

You couldn’t help but sigh, “I mean I guess what’s done is done.”

You both floated in silence for the next few minutes thinking about what had just happened. Michael has kissed you, in order to save your life. And now he was going to suffer the consequences of becoming a mermaid. Or a merman in his case. Would he able to adapt to the way you’ve always lived? You were so afraid he would regret his decision and resent you. He had a right to, this was all your fault. You had saved him. You would never regret saving him. But you half wished you had just left him there on the sand and swam off. It was all happening so fast. All within a timespan of two days and with your coronation tomorrow it was all so stressful.

“Y/N?” Michael asked breaking the silence, “When am I gonna… you know became a mermaid?”

“I’m not really sure. This doesn’t happen very often. Never in my time really I-”

Before you could even finish your sentence the water beneath Michael’s legs began to bubble. Within a few seconds his legs were gone and in their place was a bright, long, red tail. “Holy shit! This is so cool!” Michael’s how face lit up as he stared down his new tail. You weren’t really sure what to say. He may be excited now but you couldn’t find a way to calm your nerves. Michael sensed your discomfort and swam as best he could in front of you, your eyes meeting with his.

“Hey I know you’re nervous but everything is going to  work out. I promise. You have no reason to worry.”

“No reason to worry? Michael you’re a fish now! And look at you, you can barely keep afloat.” You watched as he struggled to keep his head above water, having to paddle back to the shallows to keep his balance.

He chuckled, “Yeah I know, but you can teach me. And I have no regrets. I couldn’t let you die. I know you see this as a bad thing and you’re worried how about how I’m going to feel but think about how I would’ve felt if you had died. That would’ve destroyed me. I would’ve never forgiven myself if I had had the chance to save you and I wasted it because I was selfish. I had to let you live, not just because I love you but because you deserve to live.”

You listened to his words and couldn’t help but allow the ghost of a smile to flash across your face. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close and rested his chin on top of your head, “Think of it this way, now we can be together without anything else coming between us.”

You pulled back a from him a little. “Michael you don’t understand, there is so much more you have to learn about this. I wasn’t even supposed to save you, let alone come on land and talk to you. I’ve broken so many rules being with you and there’s no way my father would allow me to be with someone like you I can’t just-”

“Someone like me?” A look between hurt and anger flashed across his face. “Y/N I just threw my whole life away to be with you.”

“Nobody asked you to do that.” Tears began to fall down your face. You wanted to be with him so bad but there was too much you had to think about. You were a princess of the ocean and he was a human turned merman. It just couldn’t work.

“Don’t say that to me Y/N, don’t you dare say that.” His face was flushed as he argued with you, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“It’s forbidden Michael. My father would never allow it.”

“To hell with what your father says. You told me you loved an adventure? Here’s one for you. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” Michael took a deep breath before diving under the waves, his red tail slapping against the surface. You rolled your eyes, smirking before ducking under the water and swimming after him.

He hadn’t gotten far when you caught up to him, tugging on the fin of his tail to alert him of your presence.

“One with the water remember?” You teased him, showing him how to move in the water like you did.

You were genuinely impressed with how quick he caught on, and by the time you had made it to the palace, he was doing flips and spins in the water as you laughed, kissing him on the cheek as you swam next to him.

But all too soon, you had reached the perimeter of the beautiful underwater castle that for all your life you had called home. You could tell that Michael wasn’t nervous at all, but you were sure that the nerves were absolutely radiating off of you. Just before you entered the golden gates you stopped, turning to Michael with a worried expression.

“I just want you to know that whatever happens right now that love you too. And to thank you for saving me.” You looked up to gage his reaction, but you were met with a look of pure adoration as he beamed and hugged you into his arms, long tail wrapping around your own.

“I’ll always be here for you okay? No matter what happens.” He smiled before swimming through the gates, with you following close behind.

The inside of the castle was exactly what Michael thought the inside of a mermaid castle would look like. In fact he would have thought it looked like a cliche under the sea themed prom had he not known better. Of course you fit right in here. With your long golden tail and beautiful hair flowing behind you, Michael instantly knew that you belonged in a palace. He followed you through the halls of the castle, avoiding the blatant stares from the merpeople they passed by until finally you arrived at the doors of the grand throne room. You nodded to the guards, signaling that Michael was with you, and immediately they opened the doors. You gave him a small look of reassurance before swimming into the throne room as the entire audience of the king stopped to greet you.

“Y/N!” The voice of your father boomed. “Where have you been? The coronation is a day away and you disappear? Sometimes I wonder why I’m allowing you to take the throne at all!”

“Yeah you and me both father.” You mumbled under your breath and it went unheard by your father who too much in a state of alarm to hear anything you were saying. “There is so much to do and think about and you’re off galavanting Neptune knows where!” I won’t have it, I simply won’t have it.” He paused for a moment taking in your presence before continuing. “Now dear, you know I’m glad to have you back but there is-” He stopped short, suddenly noticing the presence of the brightly colored merman behind you. “Who’s this?” He gestured to Michael.  

“Father he’s my-”

“I’m her boyfriend. “Michael spoke with conviction, causing the entire court to gasp not only at his words but at the sheer fervor of them. And to the king no less.

“You better watch your tongue boy before I cut it off.” Your father threatened, the entire throne room pin drop silent, as he turned to you. “Y/N is this true?”

“Y-Yes father.”

“And how did you come about this…this commoner.” Your father spat in clear distaste.

“She saved me sir. And I saved her in return. I was a human and I kissed her to save her life.” Your father was silent, his expression full of disbelief before the water around him began to boil.

“You were human?” You had never seen your father so angry before. “You went to the surface? Threatened our entire existence to save a…a mere human! And then you lead him straight to the palace?” He fumed.

“Father it’s not like that he’s different he-”

“Humans are all the same. He is not to be trusted. No daughter of mine is going to be with a human.” All of a sudden he signaled to the guards and they pounced on Michael, holding his arms behind him and began dragging him from the throne room. “To the dungeons with him!” He roared.

“Father, no! Please! Michael!” You yelled before swimming to Michael and trying to pry the guards off. But there were too many and it was all you could do to watch as they held you back, two of the gripping your arms so you couldn’t flee as the rest pulled Michael away from you as he struggled in their grip. If you hadn’t been underwater you knew that tears would be flowing from your eyes as you looked to your father in disgust.

“Take her to her chambers.” He instructed the guards before turning and talking to you. “You better be ready for your coronation tomorrow. If you step another fin out of line, he will be executed do you hear me?”

It took everything in you not to scream at him, but for Michael’s sake, you held your tongue and nodded solemnly before allowing the guards to escort you away.

__

It had only been a few hours since Michael had been taken away from you and sent to the dungeons. You paced, swimming back and forth in your large room wondering how you were going to remedy this situation. Despite the fact that you would be queen tomorrow, your father would have final authority over you until his death, which since the lives of merpeople were often at least three times longer than the average human, would not be for awhile. You only had one option and that was to sneak down to the dungeon and free Michael yourself. You knew that the guards changed positions once at noon and once at midnight, meaning you only had a few precious moments to get in and then back out again before the new guards assumed position. It was risky, but it was your only shot at freedom for both of you.

By the time you had reached the dungeons, it was about three minutes to midnight and you could just make out the silhouettes of two of the guards, their gold breastplates glinting in the dull lamplight. You watched as they began to look around for the guards that were supposed to relieve them of duty before one of them spoke.

“They’re late.” The one on the left grunted.

“I have things to do, I can’t just sit here. He’s in chains anyway, there’s no way he’ll get out.” The second guard spoke, hanging up his spear and swimming the opposite direction. The other guard shifted his eyes around the dark hall before sighing and following the first guard down the dungeon hall, leaving the door to Michael’s cell completely unoccupied. You silently thanked Neptune before retrieving the keys and unlocking the door.

Michael’s wrists were chained above him, his head hanging low and bobbing in the gentle current. He looked slightly bruised since you last saw him, but his tail was the same glorious red color that it had been since he changed.

“Michael?” You whispered to him through the dimly lit cell, and he lifted his head the same look of adoration in his eyes as he realized it was you.

“Baby.” His voice was raspy, and you could tell that the guards had done little more than to give him quite the beating.

“Michael what have they done to you.” You were by his side in a flash, struggling to undo the locks around his wrists. After a few minutes of tugging and untangling you were able to set him free. Immediately he took you into his arms, the coolness of the dark water and the warmth of his body a nice contrast.

“I’m so sorry Michael I should have known he would react that way. I shouldn’t have let you come here.” You sobbed, your voice shaking.

“No, it’s not your fault. I insisted, you tried to stop me, don’t think it’s your fault.” He cooed.

“We have to get you out of here before the other guards show up.” You reached for his hand and tried to pull him out of the cell, but he stayed put.

“Where are we even going to go Y/N? Obviously I don’t belong here.”

“We’ll go someplace far from here where no one will know us and no one can tell us what to do.”

“I can’t let you do that Y/N. This is your home, god, you’re a princess I can’t just drag you away. I’m nothing, I don’t deserve you I-”

“Michael don’t talk that way.” You cut him off. ”You’re worth more than any merperson I’ve ever met. I don’t care about any of this stuff. I’ve never wanted it, it’s just not the life I want. But when I met you, I knew exactly that you were the adventure I’ve been looking for.”

“You really want to do this? Be with me and be on the run? Or on the swim I guess.” He chuckled.

“Yes. As long as I’m with you I’m up for anything.” You smiled up at him before he pulled you in for a passionate kiss, the water flowing through your hair and encompassing the both of you before Michael pulled away with a smirk.

“Now, let’s get out of here.”

You took hold of his hand again and you both swam out of the cell and out through the dungeon. You were almost out the of first hallway when you heard a stern voice behind you.

“Y/N!” You whirled around the saw your father bobbing up and down. Two guards beside him. And he looked pissed. “What you didn’t think I knew you would try and come for him?”

“You can’t take him away from me!” You yelled and the anger on your father’s face turned into pure fury.

“Your coronation is less than twenty-four hours away I will not allow you to pull a stunt like this.” He growled, looking like he wanted to kill Michael, but looked at you only with disappointment.  

“I don’t want to be queen father. In fact I never wanted to be queen in the first place and quite frankly I didn’t appreciate you just springing this on me three days prior. I’m tired of living under your thumb!. I want to be with Michael that’s the only thing that matters to me anymore and I don’t care about what you have to say I would rather live as a commoner than be forced to stay here without him.”

“You speak as if you have a choice in the matter my dear.”

“I always have a choice. And I choose him.”

“You know what will happen to you if you leave don’t you? You’ll be banished forever, never to return to this kingdom again. You’ll have no place to call your own, no family, no one and nothing.” He stated with a smug grin as if these factors would immediately make you reconsider.

“I don’t care.”

“She’ll have me.” Michael piped up for the first time. “No matter what you take away from her she will always have me.” Michael thought he had lost you once, he was not going to go through that again.

“Consider this carefully Y/N. Everything you’ve ever known, the title you were born for? Or this human hybrid?”

You paused, but only for a second before taking Michael’s hand and wrapping your tail around his in an act of defiance, shocking both the guards and the king as his eyes turned dark.

“Very well.” Your father spoke solemnly, distressed at having lost his only daughter to a human boy.

“It doesn’t have to be with way.” You whispered. “Don’t be blinded by your hatred father, please just give him a chance.” You sobbed.

“Don’t you understand why I cannot? You were born a princess of the sea you cannot fall in love with a human. The ancient laws forbid it.”

“Just because it’s what always has been done doesn’t make it right and you know it.” You challenged, but the sadness in your father’s eyes did not change.

“I’m sorry Y/N, it is the law. I cannot disobey.”

“Yes you can! You’re the king of the ocean you can change the law! Please father I beg you, just give him a chance!’ As you pleaded you began to see the smallest bits of change in your father, like he was finally considering what you were saying. “I’ll become the queen, I’ll take all the responsibilities, I’ll behave and be the proper young queen you’ve always wanted, just please let me be with him. Please.” The last plea came out as a whisper as you gripped Michael’s hand, waiting for your father’s response.

“I have always wanted to see you as our queen.” He whispered, almost to himself. “It was the only thing your mother wanted. She wished so desperately that she could’ve seen you on coronation day.” He gave you a small smile and you could finally see the goodness in your father you always knew to be there finally shining through. “You love him enough to go with him whilst not having a single ounce to your name? You would go with him and face the wrath of the seven seas without me to protect you? You would risk everything just for this human boy?”

“He’s not a human anymore father. And yes, I would sacrifice everything.” You looked at him, the boy who had saved your life not once but two times. The bright haired boy with an even brighter smile who you had fallen in love with so easily. You loved him so much, enough that you would happily give up your crown to be with him. The boy who looked at you like you hung the stars in the sky, whose kiss made you feel whole again.

“It’s what your mother would have wanted.” He sighed, realizing that this was his only option of he wanted to keep his only daughter. He nodded to Michael, as if to give him his approval before turning and swimming back down the hall with a final glance at your beaming face.

I love you, you mouthed at him, warming his cold heart enough to allow you to be with who you truly loved. Turning away, he left you and Michael in the dungeon hall to finally be together.

“Y/N you’re amazing!” Michael cried, swooping you into his arms and holding you tight. The armband tattoos flexing as he pulled you into his chest. “I love you so much, my beautiful girl, my beautiful mermaid.” He relished in your presence, not able to get enough of you, before he pulled back, resting his forehead against yours and staring deep into your eyes, his own green ones twinkling in delight.

“You were willing to give up everything for me.” He breathed. “Why? You have everything here and I’m just some boy.”

You smiled at him, placing a chaste kiss on his lips before answering. “Because I love you Michael. From the moment I saw you, I knew that the tide would not rest until we were together. I love you and I would give up the entire ocean to be with you.” You sighed before leaning in to kiss him again, the salt water pungent on his lips. He had saved you and you had saved him in return. He had given up everything to be with you and you gladly could’ve done the same. Your love was written into the wind and tide, but the noble sacrifice by each of you had sealed it together. Michael loved you, and you loved him. And today, that was enough to keep the entire ocean at peace.

____

Masterlist

[malumshighlight]

Merman!Michael Part 2

Merman!Michael AU

|Part 1|

A/N: Part 2 in the Merman Michael series by kittencliffoconda and I! Thank you to everyone who requested this part. Hope you enjoy!

_____

“C’mon Michael it’s not hard!” You yelled at him from inside the water. Michael stood shivering on the edge his swimming pool in a pair of swim shorts as you bobbed up and down in the water. It had been a few hours since the incident with Jonas and Michael had decided to bring you back to his house for awhile, where he had inadvertently told you that he had never learned how to swim. To say you were shocked was an understatement, though it made sense seeing as though you had saved him from drowning the day before.

“We weren’t all born with fins Y/N.” He protested, but you only laughed at his hesitance.

“I won’t let you drown Michael I promise.” You cooed, though he still looked visibly scared. “Just jump.” You reassured him and with your support, Michael closed his eyes, took a deep breath and pushed his fear to the back of his mind. He wasn’t going to drown with a mermaid in the pool right? Taking one more look at you gave him the confidence he needed as he leaped into the deep end of the pool. Once he was completely underwater, he opened his eyes and was met with your own striking irises staring back at him. Your hair gracefully floated around your face and Michael hadn’t seen anything so elegant in his life. You were a picture of beauty and looked like a true mermaid under the water. After a few moments, his lungs began to plead for oxygen and though he could’ve stared at you forever he needed to breathe. Resurfacing, he gasped for air, flailing his arms back and forth in an attempt to keep his head above water. With a flick of your tail you were by his side, your arms wrapping around him to help keep him afloat.

“I’ve got you Michael.” You whispered in his ear. “Just move with the water. It’s your friend, you don’t have to be afraid of it.” He nodded and slowly, you released him from your grasp, moving just slightly away from him and giving him space to move. He began kicking his legs and treading his arms in the most ungraceful way you had ever seen, but he was still floating. “You’re doing it Michael!” You squealed with joy as he turned to float on his back.

“This feels amazing.” Michael hummed as you laid yourself out on top of the water next to him and allowing the rhythm of the pool water to flow around you both.

“Look at you, you’re a natural.” You purred as he continued to swim around the pool, ducking under the water every so often to sneak a glance at your long tail drifting in the water. Suddenly, he swam over to the steps, sitting on them as he looked at you pensively.

“I’m sorry about last night.” He deadpanned.

“Sorry for disappearing on me?” You raised your eyebrows but he continued to look confused.

“No, for the other thing. You know…” He trailed off, but you still had no idea what he was talking about.

“Michael I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sorry for trying to kiss you.” He hung his head in shame, unable to meet your eyes when you suddenly understood.

“Oh, no Michael don’t be sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad I just…” You thought of a way to explain why you couldn’t kiss him like you so desperately wanted to. “I don’t want to do that to you.”

“Do what to me? Make me fall in love? Because I already have.”

“Michael I-”

“I don’t care if you don’t feel the same, you just have to know. I’m falling in love with you and I don’t want to ever lose you.” He swam closer to you, his face mere inches from your own.

“You have to understand Michael, there are things you just don’t know about me. I don’t want you to get hurt.” You began to feel a burning sensation in the corner of your eyes that you had never felt before as you tried to explain why you couldn’t be with him. Mermaids and humans could not be together and that was that. If you stayed on land for too long then you would dry out, and of course Michael would never last in the ocean either. There was only one way for you to be together, but you would never ask Michael to do it, no matter how in love were.  

“Then make me understand.” He reached up to touch your face, staring at you with his big green eyes that were so full of hope and wanderlust it caused droplets of water to leak from your eyes.

“I think you should go back inside.” You dipped back under the water, squeezing your eyes shut as you heard him plead with you from above the water. After a few moments, he evacuated the pool, leaving you alone to grieve the loss you knew was inevitable.

If only Michael had looked up for a moment to see the tall figure lurking behind the fence, eyes wide from the sight of a human boy and a mermaid playing in the water. He had followed you here to try and make you see reason. To prove that Michael was just a loser and that you could do better. How was he to know that you were just as much of a freak as Michael? But this gave him a great opportunity, Jonas thought, to ruin both Michael’s life and the only girl that had ever rejected him as well.

_

 You sank to the bottom of the pool in despair. You never meant to hurt Michael. You truly did love him back, but there were just too many setbacks. Perhaps you should just tell him why. Maybe then he would understand and he would let you go. Deciding that was the best option, you proceeded to go in and talk to him. He at least deserved an explanation after his confession. Though he would never fully understand you felt it was better than leaving him completely clueless. You hoisted yourself from the water grabbing the towel you had brought out for yourself earlier rubbing it on your tail drying it off completely. Thankfully when you had jumped in earlier you had been wearing Michael’s clothes so you were already dressed. As you crossed the patio, all of a sudden you were grabbed from behind.  

“Hey there fish girl” A menacing voice sounded in your ear. His hands gripped your shoulders as he spun you around to face him and you gasped at the sight of the boy you had met earlier, Jonas, an evil grin spread across his face.

“W-What are you doing here?” You managed to sputter out.

“Originally I thought I’d come here to talk some sense into you but then I discovered your little secret so I decided to have some fun.”

Your eyes widened as you tugged yourself out of his grip, trying desperately to get back inside.

“MICHAEL!” You screamed as Jonas continued to get closer.

Immediately, Michael appeared on the pool deck after hearing your cries. He spotted Jonas and in an instant was in front of you.

“What are you doing here? I thought I told you stay away from her.” He snarled.

“Well after your little stunt earlier today I decided you needed to be taught another lesson. And after finding out that your little friend’s an even bigger freak than you, I just couldn’t help myself.” He grinned.

“Well you can help yourself by leaving. You’re not wanted here.” Michael spat, trying to appear confident. But Jonas wasn’t buying.

“I don’t need your attitude Clifford. Now get out my way.” Jonas let go of you for an instant, swinging his arm back and delivering a brutal punch to Michael’s face before grabbing your arm again and forcefully dragging you away. Michael went down instantly, his body unmoving on the wet floor. You pleaded for him to get up, but he was out cold. You then tried to run, but you still weren’t used to operating on human legs and so you were helpless as Jonas dragged you towards his car. Ignoring your cries, he threw you in the backseat before speeding off leaving an unconscious Michael behind.

You begged Jonas to tell you what he was doing with you the entire car ride but he only laughed, ignoring your pleas.

“I gave you a chance sweetheart, you were just too stupid to take it.”

“Please, you don’t understand I need to get back to the water.”

“Oh, I’ll give you water don’t worry. I’m going to keep you as my little pet from now on, what do you think?” He chuckled as the car came to an abrupt stop in front of a large building with huge pillars of smoke coming from the chimney.

You could feel the burning sensation pricking your eyes again as Jonas hauled you out of the car and dragged you towards an unsightly looking puddle of water with a black sheen coating the top of it.

“Take a good look sweetheart because this is your new home.” In one swift move, Jonas picked you up and threw you into the murky water. The moment you hit the water, you could feel your legs begin to transform back into the tail you were so comfortable in as the toxic water filled your lungs, burning as it went down. You could feel the rancid water poisoning you as you struggled to breathe. You couldn’t see anything through the darkness of water as bits of grime and dirt found their way into your eyes. You were beyond disgusted and incredibly uncomfortable and you knew right then that you wouldn’t survive in this excuse for a pond. The only hope you had now was that Michael would come and save you. You knew with Jonas watching your every move was there no chance of escaping on your own. You could feel the weight of the dirty water begin to take it’s toll as the energy left your body. Attempting to lift your head above the water to take in some clean air, you could hear Jonas’ laughter as you struggled.

“This is great!” He cackled. “My own personal mermaid here for me whenever I please. Tell me, can you do tricks?”

You hissed at him, using all the energy you had to rasp out a threat.

“Michael will find me. You can’t just keep me here forever.” You glared up at him, but Jonas just rolled his eyes.

“Please, Michael can’t do shit for you. Not once has he ever tried to fight me, what makes you think he’ll come for you now?”

“Because.” You rasped, your breathing short due to the disgusting water. “He loves me.” Your reply only made him laugh.

“That’s real cute.” Jonas knelt down and took your face in his hands. “But there is nothing that loser can do to stop me from having all the fun I want with you.”

Defeated, you sunk back into the toxic water, fighting to stay conscious. You could feel yourself starting to shut down and knew you wouldn’t last much longer in this horrible environment. So you closed your eyes, slowing down your breathing as you floated in the muck and hoped for the best.

__

Michael didn’t know how long it had been before he came to, but it didn’t take him long to realize that you were gone. Michael felt sick. He had promised to protect you and couldn’t believe that he had failed. A wave of nausea washed over him as he realized where Jonas was taking you. Mr. Hansen owned the refinery in town and he knew that out back was a small pond where Jonas often threw parties. The pond was full of toxins from the refinery, but Jonas was too stupid to consider your health. Michael knew you wouldn’t last long in a place like that. Obviously, being in toxic chemicals would kill you and he wasn’t about to let that happen. He needed to get to you before it was too late.

Hopping into his old Pontiac, Michael drove faster than he ever had in his life, speeding down the backroads of his neighborhood.  His heart pounded at the thought of having to face Jonas again, but he knew you were more important than his fear of the large bully. He was going to do whatever it took to save you, no matter how terrified he was. Love was about sacrifice and Michael knew from the moment he saw your sunlit face shining above him on the beach that he was in love with you.

It took him twenty minutes to reach the oil refinery and sneak around towards the back of the building to where he knew the pond was, and by that time the sun had set and he could barely see through the darkness. He could just make out Jonas’ silhouette kneeling before your now sickly form. Michael could feel his blood boiling at the sight of Jonas’ proximity to you. He didn’t deserve to be that close to you, let alone breath the same air and he wanted nothing more than to pull Jonas away from you. But he was forced to lie in wait, knowing he would never be able to take on Jonas and get you out of there at the same time.

Finally, he watched as Jonas walked back into the refinery building, leaving your rotting body in the water. Seizing his chance at getting you alone, Michael bolted through the grass over to you. He took you in his sight and was almost sick to his stomach to see you such in an unhealthy state, his heart breaking to see you in so much pain.

“Y/N” He whispered only loud enough so you could hear him. He barely recognized you with your once glowing skin caked in black tar, your tail just barely visible under the dark water.

“M-Michael.” You breathed, relieved to see him once again. Your head dipped under the water for a moment, but he reached in to pull you back out again.

“I’m here now and you’re going to be okay. Oh god, I can’t believe he did this to you. I’m getting you out of here.” He spoke with authority, something you weren’t used to hearing from him.

“M-Michael you can’t be here, Jonas will see you and try to hurt you and-”

“I couldn’t give a shit about him. All that matters right now is that I get you to safety.” He gripped your underarms and pulled you out of the water. You were still dripping wet, your long tail cascading behind you, but there was no time for Michael to try and dry you off. With all his might he lifted you into his arms, your whole body slick with oil.

“Now let’s get you out of here before that dick comes back.” Michael whispered, carefully carrying you over to his car and laying you in the backseat. Your tail drooped onto the floor of his car, and he was just about to buckle you in before he heard a yell behind him. Turning around he realized that Jonas was running full speed towards him. Terrified, Michael jumped into his car and started the engine, just in time for Jonas to run out in front of him, blocking his way.

Taking a deep breath, Michael did something he never thought he would. He revved his engine, chuckling to himself as he saw the color drain from Jonas’ face. Stepping on the gas, Michael turned the wheel, and hit Jonas straight on sending his large body flying up and over the hood of the car, landing on the pavement behind him.

“Oh Shit!” Michael yelled, laughing as he watched Jonas struggle to get up. “Holy shit oh my god I cannot believe I just did that! Shit, fuck, balls!” He smacked the steering wheel, feeling pride in himself that he had just run over his lifelong bully with his car, mixed with the guilt that comes with hitting someone with a car. Accelerating further, Michael sped away from the refinery and back towards his house until he heard your weak voice whisper.

“Ocean. I need to go to the ocean.” Of course you needed to go to the ocean, Michael mentally kicked himself before rerouting to the shoreline.

It was a forty minutes drive, but Michael made it there in fifteen. Gingerly, he cradled you in his arms and made his way towards the vacant beach. He could see the webbing between your fingers starting to dissolve and the scales on your tail drying out from lack of nutrients. Your skin was ghastly pale and your hair was thinning. Michael didn’t realize all this could happen just being out of salt water for so long. Plus he imagined that the poison from the pond didn’t help the process at all.

“Stay with me Y/N. Please.” He begged, but he could feel your body becoming physically lighter.

Finally, Michael could feel the surf of the ocean hitting his feet as he waded into the water with you in his arms. He waded through the water until he was up to his chest and your body was almost completely submerged, but the color of your tail was still fading. He gently released you from his arms, allowing the waves to sweep you away, but still you were motionless.

“Y/N tell me what to do. I don’t know what to do.” He pleaded with you as you bobbed in the water.

“I need to tell you something.” You whispered, barely audible over the crashing of the waves. “Why I didn’t kiss you before…” Your face dipped under the water for a moment so you could mask your tears. “There’s a reason why…and it’s not because I didn’t want to.” You stuttered as he listened intently, his eyes scanning your face. “It’s because, when you kiss a mermaid…you become one. And with that kiss, the physical ailments of both parties are healed.” You whispered, unable to meet his eyes. You fully expected him to turn away from you and run as fast as he could, leaving you to die which is why what he did next was just as surprising.

Without a second thought, Michael took your face in his hands, staring deep into your eyes, the gold flecks outlining his green irises prominent in the moonlight, before smashing his lips to yours in what would be the kiss that would save your life, but end his.

__________

Part three

Masterlist

[malumshighlight]

Merman!Michael

Merman!Michael AU

A/N: This imagine was written by kittencliffoconda and I. 

Summary: Michael was an ordinary human plagued by ordinary problems. But when he meets a mysterious girl who saves him from the ocean, his life begins to change drastically. 

___

You floated into the large throne room at your father’s request, your amber tail propelling you forward through the castle corridors. It was not rare for your father to demand your presence in the royal hall. He always told you that someday you would have to fulfill his place as ruler of the ocean and since you were mere moons away from coming of age, your father was insistent that you learned everything there was to know about being queen. The guards bowed as you entered the throne room, their gold plated armor a harsh contrast to their sleek silver tails.

“Your highness.” You nodded curtly as you entered and immediately your father stopped his conversation and turned to you.

“Y/N! My lovely daughter I have splendid news!” He smiled cheerily and you groaned. The last time he had ‘splendid news’ you had to cancel your birthday party in order to attend a royal peacekeeping ceremony.

“What is it this time father?” You sighed, flicking your hair out of your face and sending it floating in the opposite direction.

“We’ve moved your coronation date up. I know you weren’t expecting it for another six moons, but my health is not deteriorating faster than my physicians expected. You are to be crowned within the week.”

You couldn’t believe you ears. You were absolutely dreading the day they crowned you queen. You weren’t ready to rule when all you wanted to do was explore the ocean and the world above. There was so much of the world you hadn’t seen yet, you didn’t want to give it all up now.

“But father! That’s so soon I can’t-”

“You can and you will. This is what you were born for you cannot refuse. You are to be queen in three days.”

Your blood was boiling, as if the water around you was rising in temperature. “Three days?”

“Yes. And you better be ready.”

You hated this. You lived for adventure and freedom and living every moment like it was your last. You hated the idea of being forced into a position you had no interest in, but unfortunately there was nothing else you could say to make him change his mind. You were the only daughter of the King and you had to fulfil your responsibilities no matter how much you resented it.

But that didn’t mean you couldn’t use your last three days of freedom to do what you have always wanted: visit the surface world. And as fate would have it, you were destined for one more adventure.

___

Michael felt two strong hands shove into his back, sending him spiraling to the ground.

“Watch where you’re going freak.” The voice of none other than Jonas Hansen spat from above him.

“Sorry.”, he mumbled from the ground, scrambling to get up and away from Jonas and his friends. They had been making his life a living hell since freshman year while he just sat around and took around took the abuse. He was the never kind of person who was known to fight back. Especially up against the toughest guy in school. Jonas was incredibly ruthless and no dared to cross him and unfortunately for Michael, Jonas had made him his prime target for reasons unbeknownst to him. Michael had gone down to the beach directly after school like he always does before he was pushed. Michael’s mum use to take him there all the time before she passed away when he was only eight years old. It was a huge tragedy for his family, especially him and his father. Michael was incredibly close with his mum and missed her dearly everyday. Every morning they would go out to the shoreline and Michael would collect seashells while his mother explained to him the different kinds of kelp and fish that she saw. She had been a marine biologist and was absolutely fascinated with anything to do with the ocean, a trait she had passed on to Michael. Ever since she passed, he had just kind of closed up, unwilling to talk to anyone about his grief. He still adored the ocean, but he would never step foot in it. While his mother had loved the sea, it was the very thing that took her from him. She had been out searching for a new species of barnacle when she had been caught in a riptide and swept out into the ocean.

Michael scurried past Jonas, making his way up to the high rocks and taking a seat on one of the larger boulders before reaching into his backpack and taking out his phone. Michael plugged in his headphones, pressing shuffle on his music. While his music played, Michael looked out into the horizon watching the waves crash on the shore. It looked so peaceful and he couldn’t help but wonder what else was out there. After what seemed like hours Michael began to pack up his phone and headphones and put them back in his backpack. He got up from his rock and began walking back down by the shore.

“Yo Clifford!”

Oh crap.

Michael whirled around and saw Jonas once again standing above him.

“W-What?”

“Don’t use that tone with me, if anyone deserves to use attitude around here with anyone it’s me with you.” He smirked down at him.

Michael was so tired of this back and forth with Jonas. He just wanted this to be over.

“Look, I’m sorry can we just-”

“I think it’s time you learned a lesson Clifford.” Michael took a few steps back, but Jonas only advanced further moving him further towards the edge of the rocks. With a chuckle, Jonas lunged forward and shoved Michael in the chest causing him to lose his footing, sending him over the edge of the rocks and into the ocean below.

He hit the water hard, the weight of his backpack pulling him down to the floor causing him to sink faster. Because of his mother’s death he had never learned how to properly swim, so he thrashed his arms wildly, unable to keep himself afloat. Water flooded his lungs as his eyesight became clouded. He couldn’t believe it was going to end like this, meeting the same watery grave as his mom.

A dark shape coming towards him caught his attention before the lack of oxygen made his vision go completely black.

__

A large splash in the water diverted your attention to the underwater cliffside. You could see a figure of a human waving his arms as the current dragged him into the depths. You watched as his long limbs flailed, quite ungracefully, in the clear blue water. Clearly he was unable to breathe underwater, and it looked like he was dying. Suddenly, his whole body began relax as he floated down to the ocean floor. Without a second thought, you torpedoed towards him and wrapped your arms around him, yanking him up towards the surface. Using all your strength you flipped your tail hard, shooting both him and yourself upwards. Moments later, the two of you broke the surface as you searched for a remote location to bring him so that you wouldn’t be seen.

Finally, you got him up onto the sand, brushing his damp hair out of his face. He was gorgeous. You had never seen a human this close before, but you were sure that he was the most beautiful one out there. You really just stared at him for a few seconds until he began to cough up sea water. As he began to move, your first instinct was to flee back to the ocean, but once his eyes flew open and met yours you were instantly mesmerized and couldn’t move from your spot. His beautiful green eyes instantly locked with yours and then were glued to your tail. His eyes widened at the sight of you, his mouth gaping open before he quickly moved back away from you in fear, unsure of what you would do to him.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” You giggled at his uncertainty.

He looked at you again, this time looking confused.

“Y-You speak English?” He stuttered and you nodded,

“Yeah. I speak every language known to fish, crustacean and man. What can you speak?”

“Uh… I got a D in French?”

You laughed, continuing to stare at him and he took the moment of silence to really take you in. You were absolutely beautiful. A kind of inhuman beauty he decided. Your eyes were bright, adorned by long lashes that drew attention to the sunspots you had around your eyes. Your long hair was decorated with long strands of seaweed braided in and held with small white shells. Your torso was bare, your breasts covered only by your hair that was thick with sea salt. Your slender torso stopped right below your belly button where your golden tail began.

You curiously reached up to touch his face, wondering if his skin felt the same as yours. His eyes widened at the sight of the thin webbing between your fingers and he flinched a little as you rested your hand on his face. “You’re so warm.” You sighed as you continued to touch his face all over and he laughed. “You’re my first human you know.” You told him.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the first human I’ve ever touched. Or talked to. Or even seen up close really.” You ran your fingers through his hair, mesmerized by him.

“Well you’re my first mermaid.” He smiled as he tried not to sneak a peek of your uncovered breasts while you felt him.

“What’s your name?” He asked you.

“Y/N, princess of the southernmost region. What’s your name?”

“Uh, Michael...of the outskirts of Sydney Australia.” He blushed.

“Are you the prince of Sydney?” You cocked your head curiously.

“Well, I like to think I am. But no, I’m just Michael.” He paused before continuing. “I suppose I should thank you though, uh, your highness.” You cringed at his name for you. “For saving my life. I thought I was a dead man.”

“You should have been. I’m not supposed to interact with humans. None of us are. But when I saw you under the waves I...I couldn’t just let you drown.” You explained with a frown before you gave him a worried look. “You’re not going to tell anyone about me are you?”

“N-No. I mean, not if you don’t want me to. We can keep this our little secret.” He grabbed your hand that was resting on his cheek and took it in his hand. “I’ll keep your secret.” He spoke sincerely and you smiled.

“You know I’ve never been on land before. I’ve always wanted to, but I’ve been too scared. So I guess I should thank you for forcing me to surface.” You smiled at him.

“How long can you stay out of water?” He asked.

“Well we can grow legs whenever we want to I suppose, but none of us really have ever wanted to. But now that I’ve met you I feel like I should.”

“Really?” He asked.

“Yes, but I have to stay dry.”

He nodded his understanding. “I can show you around if you want. And of course I’ll protect you as best as I can.” His eyes pleaded with you to stay.

“I mean I feel like I should but to be honest I’m really nervous. None of us have been on land before.”

“Well don’t worry land isn’t all bad.”

“Like I said I wouldn’t know. I mean you seem wonderful, I just because I’ve never met another human besides you before you could say well… I’m scared.”

He frowned looking concerned for you, “You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll be there to protect you.” He squeezed your hand tighter for reassurance and your tail flipped a little in excitement.  

You two talked for a little while longer about your lives both on land and in the sea.

“So you’re getting crowned queen in three days?”

You nodded, “I am. Though I wish I wasn’t.”

“Why’s that? I would think that being the ruler of something would be totally awesome, especially of the whole ocean.” Michael exclaimed.  

“No not really. It’s a lot of responsibility. Responsibility that I’m not ready for. All I want to do is explore everything the ocean has to offer, but instead I’ll be chained to a throne.” You frowned as you cast your gaze out to the vastness of the sea.

“That sounds terrible.”

“It is. But unfortunately my father insists that I take the throne now.”

“I’m really sorry.” His face showed much sympathy.

“Yeah it’s not your fault, I mean what can you do?” You shrugged it off, “I really should get going. It’s getting late and the guards will be wondering where I am.”

Michael gently grabbed your arm, “Wait. Don’t go. I thought this was your act of rebellion? You know being on land and everything.” Michael thought for a second, “My dad is always out of town for his job. You could stay in our pool maybe? It’s very private, our closest neighbors are at least a mile away.”

“I don’t know....” You trailed off, unsure of his offer.

“It’s really no problem. I promise no one but me will know you’re there.”

You thought for a second, you knew if you went back in the ocean you’d really have nowhere to go but back to your palace and that wasn’t an option due to the circumstances. And you really did want to get to know Michael.

“O-okay, I’ll go with you.”

“Ok well here”, Michael pulled off his now dry t-shirt and handed it to you.

“What’s this for?”

“I mean you’ll be… you know once your tail is gone.”

You stared at him, confused at his embarrassment. Nudity was not a problem for your people and you didn’t understand why he made it one. Though nonetheless, you took the shirt from him and he got up from the sand, walking so he was hidden behind the rocks.

Taking a deep breathe, you began to dry yourself off. Would the transformation hurt? Would it be permanent? You were terrified at the possibilities as you ran Michael’s tee shirt over your scales. Moments later your tail had disappeared and two long legs were in their place. You stared at them in awe before pulling Michael’s t-shirt over your head. You stayed sitting on the sand, unsure how to stand. You called for Michael. “You can turn around now.”

“Wow” He stared at you in awe.

“Yeah I know it’s a bit surprising for me too. Anyway do you mind helping me up? I don’t think I’ll be very good at walking quite yet.”

“Oh yeah true, okay.”

He came a bit closer to you, scooping you into his arms and lifting you onto your feet. He wrapped his arm around you for support.

“My house isn’t far from here. Just up the beach a bit. You can stay in the pool or in our guest bed, whichever you’re most comfortable with.” He rambled and you giggled at his awkwardness.

The moment you began to walk with him, the once clear blue skies turned dark. A loud clap of thunder sounded off in the distance as large waves crashed on the shore threateningly.

You gasped as you realized what this meant.

“What is it?” Michael looked concerned at your obvious worry.

“There’s a storm coming. I think it may be my father sending me some kind of warning.”

“What do you mean by warning?”

“I think he knows I’m no longer in the ocean.”

“Oh. Does this mean you have to leave?”

“No. I want to stay with you.”

Michael smiled, happy with your answer. He then scooped you into his arms, lifting your feet off the ground. “Well then we better get you out of here.”

He carried you through his house and out the back door, leading to the small pool he had in the back.

“You’ll be safe here. Our neighbors are old as shit and can’t see anything. Besides, we have a fence so no one’s going to see you okay?” He reassured you, before gently dropping you into the pool. Immediately, your legs turned back into a tail and Michael watched, mesmerized as you ducked under the water and swam a lap around the pool before resurfacing and pulling yourself half out of the water to meet his gaze.

“I know it’s not an entire ocean, but it’s all I’ve got.” He kneeled down so he was eyelevel with you.

“This is nice. Thank you.” You smiled at him and Michael swore you looked so beautiful with your wet hair slicked back and your bright eyes shining.

“You’re welcome.” He whispered. Michael could feel the chemistry between you two like it was a tangible being. He wanted to kiss you so bad. To feel your soft lips on his own, locked in a tender embrace. Slowly, he began leaning in and you did as well. He cupped your face in his hands, and you rose out of the water more to reach him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere the skies opened up and rain began falling hard down on you. You reared back, moving swiftly through the water and ducking under so you were safe from the storm.

Michael however, took this as a sign that you didn’t want him to kiss you. Embarrassed, he ran back inside and out of the rain, leaving you by yourself.

Moments after he disappeared, you resurfaced once more only to find yourself alone. Sighing, you disappeared back under the water, the chlorine in the pool water irritating, but not unbearable.

You had almost let him kiss you. As much as you had wanted to feel his lips on yours you knew that under no circumstance could you allow it. Terrible things happened to men who wound up falling in love with mermaids and you would not let that happen to Michael. Closing your eyes, you drifted to sleep, the sound of the rain hitting the water above lulling you to sleep as you thought wistfully of the beautiful boy with the colored hair.

__

The morning after the storm had passed, Michael decided he wanted to show you the places where most land people hung out. At first you were nervous because you weren’t sure how you’d fit in with all them, but Michael reassured you that everything would be fine and that he would be with you the entire time. Deciding to leave the awkward almost kissing moment behind him, Michael had given you a pair of his skinny jeans and a loose fitting tee shirt to wear out. He lead you down town, walking closely next to you as you took in the sights and sounds of the human world.

“What’s that?” You pointed at the large green sign with the picture of a mermaid on it and Michael laughed.

“That’s Starbucks.” He laughed, but you were still confused.

“What’s a Starbucks and why is there a picture of one of us on it?”

“I don’t know actually.” Michael hummed. “But you have to try it, humans go crazy for it” He pulled you into the line of people, and you blushed as his fingers intertwined with your own. He ordered you a pumpkin spice latte and grinned, handing it to you. “It’s all the rage, I promise.” You took it from him, staring at it questioningly before you took a sip. You coughed, sputtering it out of your mouth while Michael continued to laugh at you. You could feel your cheeks heating up as he took the cup back from you.

“Don’t worry, not everyone likes coffee.” He laced his fingers with yours again and pulled you out of the coffee shop as people stared in your direction.

You walked hand in hand along the row of shops for a while until suddenly Michael heard an all too familiar voice yelling behind him.

“I thought you were sleeping with the fishes Clifford.”

Michael’s arm wrapped tighter around you, pulling you behind him.

“Not now Jonas. Haven’t you messed with me enough?”

“Oh, the loser grows some balls.” Jonas chuckled, before laying his eyes on you. His whole demeanor suddenly changed as he noticed your appearance.

“And who are you?” He charmed.

“She’s not your concern.” Michael snarled, a new sense of confidence overpowering him with you by his side, but Jonas only rolled his eyes ignoring him.

“So what’s your name doll?”

“Y/N.” You stuttered out. “Who are you?”

“Jonas Hansen. But I think the real question is what are you doing with this geek? Come with me babe, I’ll show you a much better time.” He grabbed your arm and tried to pull you towards him, but you snatched yourself out of his grasp.

“Don’t touch me.” You snarled. “Besides, I think he’s doing a fine job thank you.” You stuck your chin up at him. You weren’t used to being treated in such a crude manner.

“Aw baby don’t be like that.” You began to get scared as Jonas stared down at you, lust evident in his eyes as he made a move towards you. But quicker than lightning, Michael was in front of you again. With more force than he thought he was capable of, he shoved Jonas in the chest causing him to fall and land directly on his ass. He grabbed your hand again and began to run away, pulling you behind him and leaving Jonas cursing and yelling behind him.

Once you reached the pier Michael stopped running, gasping for air as you laughed excitedly.

“That was great! What was that!?’ You spoke excitedly.

“That was called running. And we are not doing it again.” Michael heaved. “Though I have to say, never in my life have I talked to him like that. I thought I was dead for sure.”

You stopped laughing, staring at Michael incredulously. “You know, you shouldn’t let him treat you like that. If someone spoke to me like that back where I’m from he could be put to death. You can’t let him do that.” You mused, and Michael chuckled darkly.

“Yeah, well we’re not all royalty Y/N.”

“Michael I didn’t mean to make you upset I just think you should do what you did back there more often. You were very brave you know.”

The corners of his lips tugged upwards, and you bit your lip. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. “I just want to protect you.” He rested his chin on the top of your head. “I feel a need to protect you and I couldn’t let him hurt you. No matter how tough or strong he is.” He explained and the more he thought about it, the more he realized the impending truth. He couldn’t help it, you were just so beautiful, inside and out. Michael was falling in love with a mermaid and he could only pray that you felt the same as he did. But little did he know, that your appearance in his life would change his life as knew it forever. Because as the legends would have it, nothing good ever came of men who fell in love with mermaids.

____

Part 2

Masterlist

[malumshighlight]

Also, merman!michael imagine is being posted tomorrow :)

[fairy-changeling]

Oh god Matt is so gorgeous and I literally can't see him without remembering that mermaid pic he did

And now I can’t stop thinking about Michael as a merman, coming up from the depths to abduct pretty mortals. *inset your favorite mortal here*