(I wasn't sure if I can combine prompts in art, but I most likely won't get my first idea sketch for tropics done in time, so I chose to use it here too, because it fit so well. If I can't use 2 prompts in one drawing, it's just Sapphic. ^^v)
Oh my GOD hello it’s been a minute. My apologies. However, I’m back with an art piece I did for the @stmonstercalendar ‘s Mermay bingo. My prompt of choice this time was…
HORROR
Warning: this art piece does contain gore elements (whale eye,) so please proceed with caution if this upsets you.
for @steddiemicrofic delay and @stmonstercalendar cecaelia week and yacht from my mermay bingo card
T | 408 | Steddie | Robin's POV, established relationship (of some kind), implied possessive and obsessive Eddie, Cecaelia Eddie, co-captains Stobin AU | Ao3
"We're waiting for the weather report," the deckhand explains to a passenger while warily observing Robin storm down from the upper deck towards him.
"And what's the real delay?" she hisses, despite already knowing the answer.
His face crumbles in distress.
"The captain's missing."
Robin growls. And starts stripping, handing him pieces of her clothing, which he instinctively accepts.
"Wha—"
"Give me half an hour," she says once she's down to a one piece swimsuit, and before he can react, Robin flips over the railing.
He runs up and watches her swim away for a moment before he goes to find someone to report that not only is the captain missing but also, his co-captain just jumped the railing.
====
Unlike some people, Robin never was on a swim team, let alone as co-captain. Playing the trumpet did help with lung capacity but she still hated Eddie's place. If she ever falls in love with a merlady, she's permanently moving into her place, because she's not doing a swim like this on the regular.
She's always dizzy and out of breath when she breaches the surface inside the cave, which is a good thing for Steve considering how much she wants to yell at him.
Pissed off and shivering, she walks by the smooth walls of stone, slowly not to slip on the puddles and algae under her feet. By now, the sight of the 'bedroom' shouldn't be bothering her, but she can't help the small tinge of anxiety by seeing her best friend in the arms of a creature that could easily snap him in half. (She once half-joked to him about it and got a dreamy sigh in response. Never again.)
Under, around, and over him, Steve is wrapped in an ever-moving mass of tentacles, one set of human hands cradling his face, and huge black eyes gazing at him with hunger that sends shivers down Robin's spine. He looks blissed-out, high out of his mind and content. She almost feels bad pulling him out of it.
"You lovebirds forgot the time?"
Eddie scoffs. He hates when she calls them that.
"Huh?" Steve reluctantly looks away from his lover.
"You have a yacht to co-captain?" Robin raises an eyebrow.
Slowly, the fog lifts from his eyes.
"Oh. Oh shit, I'm sorry—!"
She sees Eddie's grip tighten minutely, before slithering away from his body, letting him go with a soft yet possessive kiss.
We're going a little smaller this year, with 3x3 cards. Again, both writing and any form of human-made art is welcome! If you're a swarm of roaches in a meat-suit, please reach out to me to discuss what being human really means.
Important for last year participants: your unfilled prompts from the 2025 card can be transferred! That idea you had but didn't get to? Now is your chance!
Rules:
Minimum word count is 300
You can combine max 2 prompts, but then the minimum is doubled to 600 words
You can write/art any ship any theme any genre (Yes, even that one!)
Tag the ships or characters in your work
Tag mature and explicit content, and put it under "read more"
Use "read more" for longer works as well
Warn your readers! If you don't want to spoil your work, you can be vague or use "chose not to tag"
"Author chose not to tag" means there may be disturbing content so proceed with caution
Minors are allowed to join, but please respect others' DNIs
Tag this blog
Post to the Ao3 collection
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Schedule:
March 15 - April 30: Sign-ups. First cards will be sent out within a week and then as the sign-ups come. So the sooner you sign-up, the more time you have to prepare!
May: Posting time! Post before June 1st to be included in a masterpost.
December 31: Ao3 collection closes.
Indefinitely: Reblogs. Finish your card at your own pace and you'll be reblogged as long as this blog is running.
Don't hesitate to hit me up with any questions!
- Monstrously yours, CJ
Fulfills the "followed", "wounded", "lair", and "whump" Mermay Bingo fills for @stmonstercalendar
Summary:
When Captain Harrington's crew mutinied against him, they took everything and left him to drown in the uncaring ocean. But a curious merman has other plans for the beautiful "star-skinned human" he stumbled across.
Tags: Steddie, Pirate Steve, Pirate Billy, Mermaid Eddie, non-con touching (Steve/Billy), public humiliation/nudity, threats of rape/non-con, blood and violence, whipping, hurt Steve, hurt/comfort, healing, singing, magic, rescue, mildly dubious consent that turns into full consent (Steddie), confident Steve, hand jobs, courting rituals, weird biology, hand jobs, mating rituals, happy ending, alternating POVs
Please mind the tags. The unwanted sexual touching happens at the beginning of the story and could fall under the rape/non-con warning to some degree. If you want to avoid that described in detail skip from "are you happy now?" to "what, you want me to beg for my life?"
Entire story, author's notes, and bingo card are under the cut!
Steve
In the end, Billy didn't even let Steve have his dignity.
It wasn't enough to steal away his crew, his ship, his title as commander of their small fleet. No, Steve’s former second mate turned mutineer made sure he’d be forced to take every possible humiliation during his fall from grace.
Billy grinned as he stroked the cords of the cat, stolen captain’s hat perched high on those golden curls he was so damn proud of.
“You know boys, we really can’t afford to waste a good set of clothes. Take it all. Not like he’ll need it where he’s going.”
Steve got in as many punches and kicks as he could, but he was no match for the entire crew when they ganged up against him.
A dozen groping pairs of hands pulled off everything, even his smalls, leaving him bare and exposed on the deck. Tommy and Jason’s fingers felt like red-hot irons on his arms holding him upright.
“Are you happy now?” he spat out towards Billy.
The new captain gave Steve a once-over, from the top of his hair to the tips of his toes. Despite the warm sun beating down, he had to suppress a shiver.
“Oh, like you cannot possibly imagine, Captain. I used to look up to you, you know? Couldn’t wait to join Harrington’s legendary crew. But this past year’s been nothing but disappointment after disappointment. Who knew, the great King of the Sea turned bitch. Honestly it’s a pity how you managed to bury your head in the sand while I turned your crew against you. Practically rolled belly up and let me take over. But then, you never did learn to plant your feet while fighting, did you.”
Billy used the cat’s handle to lift Steve’s cock, lazily inspecting it for a long minute. It took all of his willpower not to squirm when he slid the handle down further to tap at his balls.
The attention, unwanted as it was, cut through the adrenaline and fear wracking his body. A flush grew hot on his cheeks, one he was helpless to resist. Billy’s grin turned sharp and feral as he watched Steve’s cock thicken.
“Then again, maybe you don’t need to die today. Pretty boy like you, shame to waste such a nice pair of holes.” Tommy sniggered at that, the asshole. “We could see just how loud you can squeal.”
“What, you want me to beg for my life? Fuck you Billy.” Steve spit for real this time. White-hot satisfaction surged in him as his spittle hit the mutineer square in the eye.
The satisfaction didn’t last for long though. Quick as a snake, Billy’s fist grabbed his hair and held him still with a knife at his throat. Steve squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the end.
“You think you deserve a quick death after that?” Billy’s voice growled in his ear. “We’re not done, not even close. Go on, hump the gunner’s daughter while you take it.” Rough hands shoved him over a cannon. The cat’s tails swished through the air.
And then, Steve knew nothing but pain.
He lost count of how many lashes Billy made him suffer. On his back, his buttocks, his thighs, even the soles of his feet. Steve’s throat had gone raw from screams ripped out of him along with his flesh, robbing him of even his voice in the end. Underneath the cannon, he slipped and scrabbled for purchase on the planks made slick with his own blood.
At long last, the whipping stopped. Over the ringing in his ears, he couldn’t make out whatever final taunt Billy left him with while he tied his hands and legs, before shoving him unceremoniously overboard.
The shock of salt water sending thousands of stabbing needles of pain into his wounds stole what little air Steve had managed to take into his lungs before the plunge.
It was too much.
A warm pair of hands encircled his chest. Delirious, Steve leaned into the embrace, as darkness closed in.
At least his final memory would be of a soft touch.
Eddie
Eddie never meant to stray so far from his pod, from the lagoon and reefs that kept them safe from predators both two legged and finned. But a ship on the horizon meant humans. Humans who could produce more of their wondrous music.
By all accounts, he should have hated the noises that humans made, when it lacked all of the complexity of mersong. They couldn't even make more than one note with their voices at a time, much less infuse it with any magic.
And yet, something about it captivated him. Once, he’d seen a human play a stringed instrument so quickly their fingers blurred, and Eddie had fallen in love, mimicking the melody over and over until he could recreate it and keep it for himself.
So when the largest ship he’d ever seen came into view, its sails billowing in the wind like they were clouds themselves, he knew he had to journey towards it.
Eddie followed from a distance for a while, but heard no music. Swimming closer, he heard shouts and laughter. He let out curiosity-song with a huff, wanting to know what the humans on this large ship could possibly be doing if it wasn’t playing music.
His hatch-father would have told him to leave, not stick his fins in their business. That the open ocean held nothing but trouble, and to stay within the reefs that surrounded the pod’s lagoon. Where it was safe. But Eddie had never been anything but a little reckless, and this time he’d be careful. What happened last time wouldn’t happen again.
Hauling himself out of the water was no easy feat, but he worked out a way to stick his claws into the damp wood to gain enough leverage. Eddie clambered into a swinging smaller ship hanging off the side, grateful for once that his scales were deep-sea dark. Sure, his pod may view them with superstitious concern, but unlike their bright flashy fins, his scales did allow him to hide away unnoticed in the shadows.
Peeking over the edge, he saw humans all gathered together on the other side of the ship.
One human in the center seemed to hold all of the others’ attentions. Even if it was carried by dull human voices, Eddie could still hear the excitement thrumming through the air as the others stepped forward and began to remove its brown and white outer layers.
Aha, so those coverings weren’t a part of human bodies, he’d told Dustin they couldn’t possibly be fins. Eddie hummed of satisfaction. Maybe this would get rid of that know-it all attitude the fry was so fond of adopting lately.
Once the final coverings were gone, Eddie couldn’t help but stare more. This human was a male probably if the claspers jutting out from his body were anything to go by. Eddie frowned at that. Why would humans leave theirs out at all times? That was just asking for something to come up and nibble on vulnerable dangling bits.
Still the weird claspers weren’t what held his fascination.
The skin on one of his podmate’s would speckle if she sunbathed on the rocks for too long, and next to the bare one, he could spy a human with the same type of patterning. But Eddie had never seen anything like those large brown dots that marked this human all over. They were beautiful, each one a different star on his skin. He quietly hummed wonder-song, fins flaring out as he gazed at those constellations.
A human with golden hair and a large crest on top of their head stepped forward. Eddie didn’t like the look on their face: cold and cunning like a predator. Golden Hair even acted like a predator, touching the bare star-skinned human all over without hesitation, even on his claspers.
He watched, humming to fascination as the claspers swelled and grew in size under Golden Hair’s hands. Maybe this was all a human mating ritual.
Star-Skin rejected the mating offer though. With a cry, he squirted water into Golden Hair’s face.
Before Eddie could blink, the star-skinned human was pressed against a metallic object. With a growl, Golden Hair raised something in their hands and brought it down against Star-Skin’s back.
Eddie’s fins flattened in distress from the sounds of pain that followed. Golden Hair was merciless, cutting across those beautiful starmaps and drawing blood over and over again before they were satisfied.
Eventually, the star-skinned human was bound and dumped off the ship, landing in the water with a loud splash.
No one noticed a twin splash from the other side of the ship.
A trail of blood, dark and metallic, was left in his wake as Star-Skin sank. The human was writhing in pain, air bubbles leaking out of his mouth. Eddie hissed of displeasure. How dare Golden Hair leave such a beautiful treasure to die like that!
He darted over, shooing away a couple curious sharks that had already gathered. Seizing the human in his arms, Eddie swam the two of them back to the surface as far away from the ship as he could go. When they breached the surface, he turned to see if Star-Skin was still breathing. Eddie sang relief-song to find him drawing breath, even if his eyes were closed now.
The journey back to his pod and their lagoon took him nearly three times as long as it should have. Unable to swim quickly with such a large deadweight, he went through several configurations before hissing angrily at the ropes around his human’s hands and legs. One swipe of his claws tore through them, letting him settle the two of them into a side hold position above the surface. Occasionally, Eddie stuck his head back down to screech out a warning to any fish aiming for a free meal. He’d worked way too hard for more of Star-Skin’s body to be hurt; this human was his.
At last, the two of them made it to the cave where Eddie often came when he wanted to be alone, the only ocean-side entrance big enough for anything larger than a crab naturally barricaded against nosy podmates by a length of sand bar. In the center was a small tidal pool that shimmered with motes of light peeking through from the ceiling as he heaved his newfound human into it.
Eddie carefully set Star-Skin down so that his face remained above water, then got to work covering those awful wounds with seaweed. All the while, he sang of healing-song, trying to imbue as much protection as he could into his human’s body. There wasn’t much he could do for a scar that circled around Star-Skin’s neck, it was too old. But for those newly gotten, Eddie’s magic would guide his human back towards health.
Throughout it all, Star-Skin remained fast asleep. Eddie’s fins flared with pride to see that his human’s face had calmed, and his awful keening whimpers of pain grew fewer and fewer as time went on.
His human’s wounds tended to, Eddie allowed himself a moment to stare again.
The sun’s late afternoon rays poked in through holes in the cave’s ceiling, lighting Star-Skin’s face up with a warm glow.
Eddie swam as close as possible, practically climbing on top of his human to get a closer look. Star-Skin was so pretty , flushed with red all over. Poking a claw into his pink lips, Eddie was delighted to discover humans had both flat and pointy teeth. He ran his other claw through the human’s hair. Out of the water, it flopped over his eyes instead of floating around like a cloud, but it was soft and fine under his fingertips. And he had that fine hair everywhere, even on his chest and belly. Eddie hummed fascination. Giving it a tug, he also poked at the two pink nipples sitting in the middle of it all. Much like his clasper had, Star-Skin’s nubs grew harder the longer Eddie prodded.
A twitch against his tail brought his attention further down.
This close, Eddie could now see the human had only one clasper sitting on top of two round squishy sacs. On their journey back to the lagoon, the swelling had gone down to leave it small and shriveled in the water.
But now, he watched as it slowly began to fill out again.
His fins flattened against his body as Eddie hesitated. Would Star-Skin accept a mating offer so soon? But, then, Golden Hair had immediately brought out his claws when rejected. He wouldn’t do that to his human. He’d make him feel good. Eddie would prove what a proper mate should do for someone so special.
His mind made up, Eddie gave into curiosity and gave a small tug on the sacs underneath. His human squirmed slightly underneath him and his clasper gave another twitch. Emboldened, Eddie tugged a little harder. With his other hand, he ran the back of his claws up and down the shaft. Before his eyes, he watched as Star-Skin’s clasper grew larger and larger, until it pointed straight out. A shiny red tip emerged from a flap of skin, dripping small amounts of something slippery over Eddie’s hand.
Humming of curiosity-song even louder, Eddie licked at the substance. Bitter salt flooded his mouth. The taste was...odd. He went back and forth on whether he liked it or not as he continued to play with Star-Skin’s clasper.
A moan left his human’s lips. Oh, what a lovely sound! Eddie hummed back in harmony and kept up his movements, right up until Star-Skin gave a large shudder and opened his eyes.
Eddie shifted to pleasure-song. Even his human’s eyes were pretty. He could see flecks of gold and green in among the brown.
For a moment all was well. Star-Skin made no move to squirt water at him. But then:
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Steve
In the darkness, Steve floated. Bobbing up and down with the current of the water, he didn’t need to swim; something solid and cool held him aloft. Time passed, lost to the haze of discomfort. Better to sink into this in between space than face that for now.
In the void, music reached his ears: someone was singing to him, sweet and low. Each note gently burst against his consciousness, sending relaxation down his spine and banishing his pain.
Eventually, he became aware of the touch of another. Steve couldn’t help leaning into the caresses. It had been so long since anyone had treated him gently. He hadn’t let anyone in since Nancy. And after leaving everything behind for the sea, he couldn’t afford to seem weak in front of his crew.
His crew…
Steve’s mind skittered away from his last moments on his ship. The here and now by comparison was leagues ahead of anything Billy had inflicted upon him. No, better to focus on following this swell to its peak, to—
He opened his eyes to find a monster smiling down upon him.
Steve froze.
The thing might have passed for human at first glance. With wide dark brown eyes, dimpled cheeks, and soft plump lips, it bore the face of an attractive young man. Its hair was worn loose, with many colorful trinkets braided in that tinkled against each other gently when it moved. The only hint of otherworldliness there was a subtle sprinkling of scales near its hairline.
Its chest and arms similarly evoked the look of humanity. Unlike its hair, these were bare of any ornamentation. A row of jagged scars lined one side, from the side of his neck all the way down to where human skin melded into a tail with scales the color of the nighttime sea. As the mercreature flexed its muscles, it caught the light and sparkled with iridescence.
Catching his eye, the mercreature’s mouth stretched wider, revealing- sweet Jesus -rows and rows of sharp teeth, and it let out a series of chirps and trills. The sounds pushed their way into Steve’s mind, echoing sweetly. Unbidden, his head conjured up sense-memories of dozens of small pleasures: the smell of dirt newly alive on a warm spring’s day, the tart taste of strawberries bursting across his tongue. A past lover’s lips upon his skin. This creature must have been the one singing to him before.
It still held a firm grip on his cock with a claw-tipped hand adorned with tarnished metal rings. Had been touching him intently for some time, judging by the ache in his balls.
“Wh-what are you doing?” he asked, trying to push back against the siren’s call in that enchanting music. Steve was surprised to find his voice returned to him, his throat no longer full of knives every time he swallowed.
“Mate, yes?” Sweet Jesus, it, he, could speak too. Like the notes before them, the words coming out of its mouth were a small symphony all their own.
When Steve didn’t reply in confusion, the merman let go.
“No?”
“You’re not going to eat my cock or something, are you?” The merman tilted his head. Some of the words must have eventually registered because his nose wrinkled as he let out a series of clicks and low notes. He pointed a claw at Steve’s chest.
“Mine. No-” The merman made a gnashing movement with his mouth. Trying with all his might not to flinch at seeing all of those teeth on display so close to his privates, Steve failed miserably.
At that the merman frowned. He let out a few sharp barks whose reverberations made Steve’s head ring. He winced and covered his ears against the noise, only for a pair of hands to slowly pry them away.
“I’m sorry, the song is loud. I won’t sing it again. Mates shouldn’t hurt each other, Only want to make you feel good after this.” The merman stared at him. Did he expect an answer?
“You can speak English now.” Steve said flatly. His supposed captor shrugged.
“I opened my ears to listen to your words, and set a spell-song to my throat, so my words can reach past what your human ears can hear.” Steve blinked.
“Um, okay.” Those beautiful dark eyes continued to stare, but the fins across his back and tail fell flat.
“Are your wounds still painful?”
It was at that moment that Steve became aware his back did not scream out in agony, and that his wrists and feet had been freed from the ropes Billy bound them in. Twisting, he could make out what looked like seaweed, covering him from his shoulders all the way to his feet.
“You did this for me?” The merman chirped once and nodded.
“Healing-song made them close faster.” Steve swallowed. He’d heard tales of sirens luring men to jump off their ships into a watery grave. But he’d been half-dead already when he hit the water, an easy meal for anything that swam. This creature had done just the opposite, had helped him.
“Thank you. Not that I’m ungrateful, but, why?”
The merman gave a low pitched hiss, fins fanning out once again.
“The other humans were hurting you. Ruined your constellations. Because you didn’t want to mate with the golden hair human. So I took you. Healed you as much as I could.”
“I. Mate?” Steve sputtered.
“Yes. I saw Golden Hair’s offer. Do humans always do it in front of others?”
“That wasn’t—no, we do any mating in private. Billy just wanted to humiliate me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe he did want me to become his whore, I don’t know.”
The merman’s brow furrowed.
“In private…” Suddenly, he chirped again, his eyes lighting up. “You mean alone! We are alone, no pod-mates will bother us here. No one else has seen your clasper expand, I promise.”
The merman pointed towards Steve’s cock, still somehow semi-erect and sticking out of the water, the traitor. Steve slapped his hands over it, only just now realizing how much of a show he’d been treating the creature to, allowing him to poke and prod all over like he was some sort of stallion out for studding.
“Look, mercreature—” The merman gave a harsh quick bark and shook his head.
“That is not my name, do not call me that. It is EdΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ.”
Steve felt the beginning of a headache form in his temples.
“I’m not sure I can pronounce that. Was there an ‘Ed’ somewhere in there?”
The merman growled, what Steve chose to read as frustration coming off him in waves. He made a slow lap around the pool, emitting a series of short trills and clicks as he fiddled with the trinkets in his hair. Finally, he returned to Steve’s rock.
“Not Ed. Eddie ,” he said with serious eyes and a firm voice. “Eddie would be okay for you to use as mate-name. But only you.”
Oh. Mate-name.
Oh.
The mercreature, this Eddie, he wanted to—
“Um, not that I am flattered,” Steve sputtered. “But did you not notice I have legs?”
Eddie smiled once more, the dimples back on display. He really was pretty, Steve admitted in the privacy of his own mind.
“Yes! You have legs and I do not understand how human claspers work but I want to learn. You...make pretty noises when you’re happy. And turn the colors of a sunset. Makes your skin stars stand out more. Want to make you happy. Will be a good mate if you want me.” He flushed green at the last sentence and ducked below the water so that only his eyes peeked out.
One of Steve’s hands strayed to the scar around his neck, a phantom rope choking him. “I haven’t tried to court anyone in a long time. It did not end that well when I did.”
A short dark claw touched him there, with more gentleness than Steve expected.
“Did Golden Hair give you this too?”
Steve shook his head and laughed without humor.
“No, no this wasn’t anyone on my crew. Just my own foolish decisions to blame for that one. She didn’t want me, in the end.”
He should have known that leaving Nancy behind to make a name for himself on the high seas wasn’t what she wanted. That she wouldn’t wait for him forever. That charm could make a privateer quite a lot of money and notoriety, unless he was captured by the wrong country’s navy. That his father’s patience and influence would only extend so far after saving him from the noose at the last possible minute. That Billy’s grumblings would turn dangerous, that Tommy’s loyalties could shift so easily. Eddie’s soft voice broke him out of his past bad choices.
“You can reject my offer.” He gestured to his scales. “My tail has no colors, bad luck. My pod says I was cursed at hatching. Now they don’t want me to be around any young ones after ChrΞΞΞΞ...she is gone now. Pod of the killer black-white whales hunted us down. Was an accident, but my fault. Understand if you do not want me, won’t hurt you like humans do when you reject them. Will bring you to other humans.” Crooning a soft mournful sound, Eddie jettisoned himself to the center of the small pool with a flick of his tail.
Steve hesitated to follow. There was nothing left for him back home. His own parents had made it clear they no longer saw him as their heir much less their son years ago, and Billy had stolen everything else.
And here Eddie was, right in front of him. He could have killed him while he was bound and helpless, and yet...he didn’t. The opposite in fact, the seaweed sticking to his back proof of that. When was the last time someone had cared about his well-being with no alternate motive, or wanted to make him feel good?
And well, he was already naked.
Shrugging to himself, Steve pushed off against the rock he’d been resting against and waded out to where Eddie floated.
“I don’t have a special name to give you,” Steve said. “But you can call me Stephen, if you want to use it.”
Eddie repeated it back to himself, the sound sending another pulse of happy sense-memories through Steve’s body. Slowly to not spook the merman, he reached a hand out to touch Eddie’s face, and slid his other hand into his hair.
Merfolk were warm, Steve was surprised to discover, and their skin soft. By contrast, Eddie’s hair, despite its uncanny appearance, was almost slippery. More like the seaweed currently plastered to his body than anything human.
Even while melting into his hands, Eddie’s big doe eyes went even wider. The merman let out a short squeak that sounded almost like a question.
“What you saw on my ship, what Billy did to me,” he murmured back. “That wasn’t how humans court each other. But this?” Steve pressed a kiss to Eddie’s pillowy lips, drawing back only just enough to whisper: “This is what humans do when they want to get to know someone better.”
Eddie gave a quiet pleased trill, before kissing Steve back. Well, tried to. It became rather apparent that merfolk did not normally do this, or maybe his merman in particular did not have any experience. Regardless, he more than made up for it with enthusiasm.
While they kissed some more, Steve trailed further down and laid a hand against Eddie’s back, just brushing the tips of his fingers against the edge of his fine silk-smooth fins. Underneath his lips, a shiver passed through Eddie’s body. His merman let out a little noise that went straight to Steve’s cock. He stroked against Eddie’s fins again more firmly this time, and rubbed his other hand on his merman’s hip, right where the skin melded into scales.
In his arms Eddie wriggled even more as he sang a fragment of another melody, whose deep notes fanned the fire coursing through Steve’s blood into an inferno.
“Backwards, move, please, Stephen,” Eddie gasped. “Want to—”
Steve looked down. Out of a slit in Eddie’s tail hadn’t even realized was there, he watched as twinned pale cock-like protrusions poked their way into the water.
“My claspers,” Eddie explained, his eyes glassy and even larger than before.
“Oh.” He could work his way around this. Steve experimentally dragged his fingers against them, causing his merman to moan and rut into his hand. He wanted nothing more than to rut back, but they needed better leverage.
Steve maneuvered (or well, closer to dragged) the two of them back towards the rocks lining the edge of the pool. Once his back was to them, he braced his newly healed feet against the floor and took both their arousals in hand. His cock fit snugly into the space between Eddie’s claspers, squeezing him in warmth with every stroke. The water, though it washed away any of his own, seemed to not be a problem for his merman’s excretions. It proved to be much more jelly-like, smoothing the journey of his hand.
Eddie squealed and shivered some more. his fins rustling rhythmically. All the while, he murmured a never-ending stream of “mate”, “mine”, and “treasure.”
It took very little time for his merman to reach his peak. His merman’s melodic whines and groans ripped Steve’s orgasm out of him, pushing him over the edge without warning.
As soon as they both caught their breaths, Eddie climbed into his lap, trills chirps and clear high notes bubbling out of his throat. The sound swept him away on a tide of joy, and all Steve could do was laugh.
His merman beamed back at him.
“My beautiful wonderful mate, such clever hands. I promise, I will learn. Will make you feel good, too.”
Eddie swam a lap around the pool before pausing.
“Oh! Forgot important part.” He sped back over to Steve and fiddled with one of the things in his hair, before presenting it proudly. “For you. So the pod knows you are mine.”
Steve took the offered trinket, a red triangular stone with a hole bore through the middle. Eddie had strung it onto a length of cord.
“Thank you.” He tied it loosely around his neck. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything to give you in return. Or anything else.” Now that the haze of want had faded, he wished desperately for a pair of trousers or a shirt. Eddie hummed thoughtfully.
“Yes, the other humans stole your coverings. Can find others for you but now—”
His merman dove under the water, resurfacing with an armful of the seaweed he’d covered his back in. He proceeded to wound it around Steve, until a barely passable loincloth was formed.
Eddie tilted his head considering, then ducked low into the water. He stared up at Steve’s privates and hummed, this time bringing a twinge of irritation into the air.
“Will add more. Your clasper is too exposed. Fish will bite.”
“What?” Steve protested. “I’ve never had that happen if I went for a swim, what kind of fish are you talk—”
“Pod shouldn’t see either.” Eddie flushed green again. “Not theirs to look at. You are not their mate.”
The possessive look on his merman’s face was well. Endearing . Steve didn’t object again, not even as Eddie wrapped seaweed over and over until the makeshift clothing came down practically to his knees.
“Good.” A wave of satisfaction rolled off him from a single chirp. “Now no one will know a human clasper looks like squirming worm-food.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Eddie pointed to a sea cucumber wiggling across the bottom of the pool. Much to Steve’s dismay, the thing was unfortunately somewhat fleshy looking. Rather than give his merman the satisfaction, he just crossed his arms and huffed.
Eddie giggled, causing more happiness to wash over Steve.
“Now can have you meet my hatch-father without pod-mates singing rudeness. He will like you. My pretty mate. Then we will find other humans and get coverings for you. Maybe steal Golden Hair’s crest off his head. Hatch-father is good at spell-songs, will know what to do.”
Steve found himself nodding. This was not the future he’d been imagining for himself last night, but he could easily see how much better the rewritten one could be. Taking Eddie's hand, he let himself be led out of the cave and into the sun.
Thank you to saradika-graphics for the divider!
Author's Notes:
-"kissing the gunner's daughter" was a real phrase used to describe how boys in the navy would take their punishments bent over a gun barrel, that we've had Billy adapt here
-Drew inspiration for this singing-based merfolk method of communication from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives, in which the Parshendi people attune to different rhythms that they can naturally hear to express their feelings to each other. Here I adapted this to have some magic infused into the words that may influence the listener's mood. This influence can be stronger on humans, which has contributed to the myths of sirens luring men to their doom
-In my head, Wayne is considered Eddie's "hatch-father" as opposed to his biological father. Mermaid eggs for this species are fertilized externally, so clutches aren't necessarily raised by their biological parents
-Eddie's genitals are a mix of shark and crocodile traits: male sharks have paired claspers to deliver sperm that look like modified fins on the underside of their bodies, and crocodiles are able to invert their penises from/retract them back into a pouch
That's a wrap on Mermay for me, had a lot of fun working on these <3
Fic for @stmonstercalendar #StrangerThingsMermayBingo2025
Using Prompts: Fashion/clothing, Yacht, First Kiss, Scales
W/C = 6K
TW: Canon-typical swearing, Blood (very minor), Head Injury (graze), Near drowning
Ao3 Link
He wasn’t supposed to, but he liked the humans. They had interesting things. More advanced than his basic materials, which were either natural or carved from what nature provided. By touch, he could tell they were derived, many times, from something natural, something from far into the earth, maybe even from beneath the sea. He knew it was dangerous if it spilt, but it also made things last forever. Most of it floated, but it could be weighed down. It was called plasteeque or something fancy like that, and on clean-up missions with his community, he’d sneak pieces back with him.
One of his favourite things was a large jackeet , or something, that was yellow. It made the rain bounce off and kept him warm and inconspicuous if he wanted to watch the humans from afar. He’d tuck his tail under it, and if anyone pointed at him, he just smiled and waved and picked up his fishing rod, with no hook or line, and they would wave back and carry on.
It had a little rectangular precious plasteeque brooch that had human letters on it. He knew a few, but not many.
As he saw the sun move in the sky, he knew it was time for one of his favourite humans. The one that brought the sounds he liked and sang like no siren he’d ever heard.
He tucked away his treasures into his bag, he’d heard it called that, which he tied around his waist and shoulders, and zoomed up to the surface, spinning excitedly through passing shoals and weaving through seaweed, until he broke the surface. He peered out carefully.
He didn’t like to be on land when this human was nearby. One, there wasn’t a surface in sight out here in the open ocean, and two, the sounds he brought with him made the water vibrate in ways that made him want to flip and twirl and dive, to them.
Regular as the currents, the boat turned up as the sun was setting, and already the sounds were loud. Some of it sounded like when boats scraped against rocks or their cages rattled in the storm. But it was the regular pulse he liked best.
And if he was honest, that wasn’t the sole reason he liked the human. He was handsome, too. He had long hair that flowed in the wind like the hair of his kind flowed underwater. He had big white teeth, but they weren’t scary or sharp. And he had big, round eyes, the deep colour of rich silt along river deltas. He would be a most excellent hunter. He sang along to the sounds, sometimes low, sometimes high-pitched like a whistle. One time, he screeched like a threatened gull.
Atlantis had music, but it was all voices in harmony and mostly for official ceremonies, or learning the Siren song. These sounds. This... human music was not like that.
He swam just below the surface so he wouldn’t be noticed. This time, he was on a yat , one of the ones with smaller sayuls . He must take care of boats, he always had dirt smudges on his face and hands.
He got close enough to press himself against the side of the boat so they couldn’t see him from above.
But today was a surprise. Today, the human wasn’t alone.
"You know, for an old-timer, you do waste a lot of your limited energy whining," his favourite human said, and he was carrying the silver box the sounds came out of. He felt so giddy he could flip.
"I dunno, Eddie. You sure it’s ok for us to be out here on this thing? It ain’t ours," the grey-haired human said. He seemed worried.
Eddie. Eddie. That was his name. He burned it into his memory. It was so simple, and yet it worked.
"Could you untangle your panties for, like, two seconds?” Eddie whined. “I'm looking after the yacht. I can't sail this particular thing alone. That's why you're here. And if you're doing a spot of fishin' or I'm relaxin' while things settle down from little repairs and whatnot, so be it. That's the beauty of the open sea, Wayne. No cops." His favourite human laughed deeply. Wayne must be the older human.
The sounds started, and they were ones he’d heard before. He swished his tail to the vibrations and got so into it, his tail made a big splash. He quickly dove down again.
"Whoa, did you hear that? Must be some bigguns ‘round here. You know how to pick a spot, I'll give you that," Wayne said excitedly.
He’d heard something like that before. His heart sank a little that his favourite human might be one of those cruel people with barbed hooks.
"If you wanted to do your gross fishing, you shoulda brought your gear," Eddie grumbled as he rustled with some paper. "The only thing I wanna catch out here are some rays, a buzz, and some z’s."
He relaxed. Favourite human didn’t like to hunt the sea. He went up a few notches in his estimations.
"You’re crazy. Only a madman would fish here. Everyone knows it’s cursed," the older human said, and he could hear the genuine fear in his voice.
Eddie only laughed. "Those old folktales are why I come out here. And as you can see, it's peaceful. No monsters from the deep, no sudden storms or rough seas."
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna stick to my book, smokes, and beer, and not tempt any bad luck our way."
Until the sun went down, there was music and laughter and food, some of which he got to sample because Eddie fumbled it while talking animatedly with his hands. As he listened, it became apparent that the older human, Wayne, was Eddie's guardian, sort of, because he also overheard that Eddie didn’t really listen to him. Wayne fell asleep way before Eddie joined him.
Steve enjoyed the music and the hotdaurg . He wondered what land creatures they had hunted for these and how odd they must look. Like sea slugs, but very plain, brown, and not as squishy.
He almost joined them in slumber, curled up around the chain of their anchor under the boat, whilst Wayne rested across the seats and Eddie on top of the yat , but the feel of something approaching in the water put him on high alert.
The Jerkskees .
That’s what Eddie called them. Loud humans. Fast ones. The ones who ruined the quiet with shouting and roaring machines. But right now, they were quiet in their approach, in a squidgy boat using only paddles.
He thought they would pass, but they didn’t. Eddie and Wayne didn’t wake, and he began to panic. Nothing approached anything so quietly and secretly without ill intent, even if only mischief. The little inflatable boat drifted toward the yacht. Steve studied the ropes trailing overboard, saw the limbs shifting just above the surface. Definitely headed to climb aboard.
Quickly, he swam up, rocking the boat and brushing his long tail across the clumsy limbs of one human, who froze and screamed. Gracelessly swimming back to the other Jerkskee .
"No fucking way, dude! There is something down there! And it's big! I'm not risking it. No way!"
The boat began to move away, but all the commotion woke Wayne.
"Hey, get outta here!" he yelled groggily at the Jerkskees . "Eddie, wake up! Someone's tryin' to board us."
The small boat hurried away. Eddie didn’t wake. Wayne kept shouting until there was a thud, a gasp from the small boat that suddenly picked up speed, and then a loud splash.
The old human was drifting down into the water, but he wasn’t swimming. His limbs only moved with the water. Steve saw the small red ribbon of blood floating up and dispersing. He knew that was unsafe in these waters and hurried to scoop the man and get him quickly to the surface.
With all the commotion, he was certain Eddie would wake, but he could still hear his snores as he surfaced.
With all his might, he tried to push Wayne back up onto the yacht, but it was almost impossible without throwing him. He could also sense predators approaching in the water. This wasn’t safe for him or the humans.
He grimaced at the unfortunate decision he had to make. He blew air into the human, held it in for him with his hand, held him close, and dove down before surging back up at speed. He twisted, then rocketed upward. They burst from the sea and landed hard on the deck in a wet heap.
He was certain that would wake Eddie, but all there was was a snort, a pause in the snoring, mumbling, “Yeah, mhmm, autographs, later,” and then it resumed. This human could really relax. He was excellent at conserving energy. Another thing that he would normally adore about him, but right now, he needed his help.
He turned his attention to Wayne and started copying some motions he’d seen many times on land or boats when humans were pulled from the water.
The older man beneath him spluttered up the water and began to breathe and cough. For a second, he relaxed and then realised his tail would give him away until he dried off.
Quickly, he opened up his bag and put on the yellow plasteeque body cover. Using all his might, he pushed Wayne into a seat, and then himself.
The man opened his eyes a few times but closed them again, and Steve could see the wound on his head was only a small cut, nothing serious. But the man was shivering. He moved close to keep him warm until he could do more.
As his legs began to take shape while he dried off, he finally felt safe enough to wake Eddie.
He clambered unsteadily up onto the top of the yat . His heart was hammering in his chest. He never thought he’d be this close to his favourite human. The closer he got, the more beautiful he became in his slumber. And for the first time, he said his name, and it was almost overwhelming.
"Eddie", he said softly at first, but when there was no response, he pushed him slightly. Though he wasn’t built like a merman, his body was pleasantly firm to the touch.
"Wh-what? Wayne? Who the fuck?" Eddie sprang up so fast, his arms flailing. He almost went overboard, too, but Steve grabbed him in time and got rapidly hit with open-hand slaps for his efforts.
"Ow! That hurts," he complained, surprised he could express himself in human language, and equally impressed by Eddie’s power.
Eddie picked up a glass bottle and held it out threateningly.
"Get off my fucking boat, man, or I swear to God I’ll end you... Steve ."
Steve? Who was Steve? He turned behind him to look for someone else, but there was no one. He turned back and followed Eddie’s eyes to the brooch and noticed he had one too. He recognised most of these letters. E…D…ah! Eddie!
He smiled hugely. The brooch had given him a human name.
"Yes, Steve," he said proudly.
Eddie frowned, but the bottle lowered a little. He looked confused.
"Ah!" newly named Steve said. “Your guardian fell in the water. I helped. He is wet and cold now. He needs more help.”
"Guardian?" Eddie repeated, perplexed. "Wayne?" he said suddenly, panicking. "Wayne!"
He dashed off.
Steve trailed behind, smiling brightly at having his first human conversation, as Eddie flew across the yat , yelling in panic.
"Oh my God! Ohmygodohmygod," he yelled, and Steve saw Eddie hurry faster than a marlin, darting back and forth.
"Well, don’t just stand there!" Eddie screeched in that familiar distressed gull tone, but the expression was different, and Steve felt weirdly pulled to action, and he scrambled after the towels Eddie threw at him.
Eddie worked quickly, undressing and drying Wayne, putting him in new, dry and warm fabrics. The whole time, his face was in deep distress, but his hands moved fast and purposefully, even though his breaths were shaky. Steve marvelled at him. Wayne must be very important to him. Eddie was a very good caretaker.
Eddie picked up Wayne with unexpected ease.
"You are very strong!" Steve said with a smile, and Eddie looked at him oddly as he took Wayne below deck.
Steve waited, listening. He could hear the older man was awake and thankfully talking, though it was in whispers.
"Now you’re all sorted, I gotta get rid of that lunatic in a yellow rain mac. Seriously, can’t take you anywhere," Eddie grumbled.
"He’s still here?" Wayne’s voice was raspy, surprised.
"Yes, crazy Steve is still here. Hey! Where are you- Get back here!" Eddie yelled, but Steve could already hear Wayne’s slightly laboured breaths approaching.
"You’re the young man who saved me?" Wayne asked, inspecting every bit of Steve, then looking out at the water.
Steve nodded. “Yes. You fell. I caught you.”
Wayne eyed him carefully. "You’re not one from the dinghy."
" Dingeee ?" Steve repeated curiously. Wayne’s eyes scanned him and then the water again.
"Where's ya boat?" Wayne asked, narrowing his eyes. Steve felt his stomach churn.
"Don’t hav-" he started, but was interrupted by Eddie pushing past him and fussing over Wayne.
"Will you sit down! You've hit your head!" Eddie huffed and forced Wayne to sit. "Of course, he's from the dinghy. There’s nothing else out here. You think he was just swimming randomly in the middle of the ocean at night? Probably felt bad you got hurt, is all. Not like the rest of his dickhead friends."
" Jerkskees ," Steve added.
"Oh, it was those guys, was it?!" Eddie said, still fussing with Wayne and wrapping him in a coat.
Wayne continued to eye Steve suspiciously. “Now, why would he call them that? That’s your name for ‘em.”
Steve watched in horror, as Wayne fingertips almost touched a few of his shedded scales on the seat next to him.
"What's got into you? Obviously, he heard me shout it at them on another day he was with them. Whatever the case, he stayed and saved your ass, if what you say is true. Though right now, I'm wondering if it is."
"It is true! I swam. Saved Wayne," Steve added.
"How d'ya know my name?" Wayne asked curiously.
"How hard did you hit your head? He’s been hearing me yell it at you. He probably knows my name too from you babblin' it when he was saving you or somethin'," Eddie said, his voice getting louder.
“Eddie,” Steve said with a big smile, then quickly covered his mouth. His sharp teeth might be frightening to a human. But Wayne wasn’t scared earlier. He padded over to a shiny bit of metal, saw his distorted face, and smiled toothily at himself. He saw that his sharp teeth were gone. He tapped their mostly flat replacements with his finger and giggled to himself. He still had four sharpish ones.
“See?” Eddie muttered to Wayne, exasperated. But Steve had already slipped from view.
Eddie looked around until he spotted him again. Steve turned his head and smiled widely, waving happily.
Eddie just stood there, blinking. His mouth opened and shut like a fish. Then, oddly, his face turned a little pink. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered something under his breath before turning quickly to Wayne, who had started talking again.
Steve tilted his head, curious. He rubbed the back of his neck, then checked his reflection for any pinkness of the skin. Nothing. He tried mumbling under his breath, too, but it didn’t seem to do anything.
Maybe it was a kind of warning. Or a defence posture? Either way, he should show Eddie he wasn’t a threat.
He stood a little straighter, tucked his arms behind his back, and tried not to smile too big just in case.
“Eddie, that guy was not on that boat. There were two people. Two left. I don’t know where he came from.”
"Do you know how crazy you sound right now?" Eddie said through gritted teeth and took a breath. "Look, maybe one slipped into the water before the other one did, okay? Maybe he's some crazy night swimmer, who you, by the way, are lucky to have met. Whatever the circumstance, he saved you. I'll get us back to the harbour, and we'll all go home."
"How many guys do you know that swim in a rain mac?" Wayne asked with a laugh. "And he's sayin' weird things. Things you say."
"You know what? Let's just hear it. Let's just hear this crackpot idea you’re dancin' around, okay?" Eddie sighed, slapping his hands against his thighs.
Wayne scoffed from his seat, still wrapped in many layers.
“I’m tellin’ you. I think he’s one of them merfolk.”
Eddie let out a long, tired sigh and rolled his eyes and looked to the sky. “Christ, Wayne.”
But Wayne didn’t back down, even as he went below deck.
“Don’t you do that. They ain’t just folktales. There ain’t no smoke without fire.”
Eddie shook his head and bent to gather Wayne's wet coverings up. Wayne stared at Steve for a long moment. He responded with a friendly smile and gave a small wave. Wayne sighed, then leaned back on what looked like softer seats.
“Well, alright. Fine. You win,” he muttered, settling deeper into the cushions. “He’s just some... stray fishin’ enthusiast with good timing and no boat. Nothin’ weird about that.”
Eddie stopped what he was doing. “I- I win?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re being real chill about this all of a sudden.”
Wayne gave a slow, crooked smile, closing his eyes.
“I’m old, not blind. You can figure the rest out yourself. Just maybe don’t let the pretty mystery boy distract you too much and steer us into a reef while you’re too busy starin’ at him.”
Eddie froze. “What? I’m not- shut up. You need rest.”
“Yup,” Wayne said, already drifting. “Gonna rest. You kids go play sailor.”
“But I need- ” Eddie started, then grunted in frustration.
Steve didn’t want to upset his favourite human further. Eddie was still rattled from Wayne’s fall, his movements quick and snappy, his voice tight with leftover panic. He wanted him to like him, and so far, the only thing Eddie had liked was that he helped Wayne.
“Steve, help?” Steve chirped, approaching slowly, hands still behind his back, smiling with a closed mouth.
Eddie turned to him and looked him over. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”
Steve clapped his hands and attempted to spin around with delight, like he would in the water, but lost his footing. He was ready to fall with a bump when he felt something else instead, warm arms wrapped around him.
“Easy there,” Eddie said, but it was different. His voice was much softer than usual, and he was looking right at him. It made Steve feel like a thousand wild seahorses were charging around in his stomach. Eddie steadied him and then stepped back fast, clearing his throat and looking anywhere but at him.
“So yeah, if you, uh, just take the helm,” Eddie said, looking away and waving his hand.
“ Huh-elm ?” Steve questioned.
Eddie’s head whipped around, squinting at him. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Steve shook his head. “No.” But he couldn’t lie to Eddie. “From under,” he said, shivering a little.
“Oh, you’re Australian!” Eddie said with some relief. “You don’t have the accent. I wouldn’t have known. Would explain the crazy night swimming, though.” Eddie stopped fussing with the boat. “Oh shit, sorry, are you cold? Uh, let me get you something.”
Eddie hurried away and returned with a bundle of human coverings. One was very familiar. He’d seen Eddie wear it. He grabbed the T-shirt with the lightning and chair on it and smiled hugely.
“Metallica fan, huh? It's a great album, though I’m starting to-” But Eddie’s words were cut short as Steve dropped his raincoat without hesitation and started pulling on the shirt. He got tangled, flailed briefly, then popped out of the neck hole, grinning at Eddie, whose mouth was wide open as he stared. Slowly, he offered the leg coverings to Steve.
They were so soft, Steve couldn’t help but squeeze them experimentally in his hands a few times before trying to remember how he had seen people putting them on.
“Guess Australians are a bit more, uh, free with their bodies?” Eddie cleared his throat again and turned in the opposite direction while Steve pulled on the soft clothing, stumbling a little. Then he returned to his friendly stance and waited for Eddie again.
Eddie eventually turned around, his eyes covered, and slowly parted his fingers.
“Well, they’ve done absolutely nothing to help.”
“Nothing to help?” Steve repeated, brows pushed together in deep concern.
“Oh my! Uh, uh...” Eddie seemed to be making short words, like he was stuck, or noises that Steve hadn’t heard before, then suddenly a whole bunch came out at once.
Clothes. Tight. He knew that one. From the ones that looked like big seals from below. Their coverings were tight. So clothes were coverings. Yes! Steve patted his sides and hips with a smile. “Yes, tight. Very good fit.”
Steve watched as Eddie rolled his eyes and bit his fist, then took a deep breath.
“Why is it always the crazy ones?” Eddie muttered. “Listen, it's clear maybe you are from down under, but there’s still some language barrier here. So, um, you go there and steer with the wheel, you know, the bit that’s round and spins.” He made a circle shape with his fingers in the air and pointed at the part of the boat where Steve had often seen Eddie.
Steve could hardly believe his luck. The excitement bubbled up in him.
“Steve will be Captain Eddie now?”
Eddie nodded, then smiled bashfully. “Yeah, Steve will be Captain... well, Captain Steve now.”
Steve laughed, punched the air, and tried to spin around again, but this time he stopped himself.
“Steve will not fall this time,” he said, raising a finger.
A beautiful laugh burst out of Eddie, and it was so pretty to Steve, though its volume seemed to startle something in the distance. Steve quickly made his way to where he had been directed, and Eddie followed him.
Steve took in the huh-elm . He’d seen things like this before, but much bigger, ornate, and ancient, in shipwrecks. He raised his eyes to look for Eddie and almost jumped. He was much closer than expected, and his eyes were looking right into his. It felt like the lightning bolts on the body covering had been absorbed into him. He froze in place. Enchanted. Bewitched. He swallowed nervously. He half expected Eddie to look or move away, but he didn’t. If anything, he leaned in closer.
“So, I’m guessing you haven’t steered one of these babies before, huh?”
Steve just shook his head, a little disappointed. He’d seen people use them but didn’t know how they worked.
“Well, lucky for you, you haven’t gotta do too much, okay? Just put your hands here and here.” Eddie took Steve’s hands and placed them on the wheel, and the warmth of his touch almost made Steve melt. “Just hold this steady, and as long as the stars-” he pointed to the sky, and Steve mouthed the word, “ stay where they are, you’re doing a good job, okay? I’ll do the rest, and once we get going, I’ll come and help out.”
Steve felt like he was in a dream. He had a new name, new human coverings, clothes. He’d done a good deed and pleased his favourite human, and they had touched.
He stayed exactly in place as Eddie busied himself around the yat , and not long after, he felt the boat move.
“Just keep her steady, okay?” Eddie’s voice rang out, and Steve gripped the wheel with all his strength. This felt important. Powerful. Like steering a coral chariot.
“Yes, very steady!” He called back, delighted to be in conversation with Eddie. But something was missing. This wasn’t quite right. Ah, the sounds were missing. They must be around here somewhere.
He saw Eddie disappear to check on Wayne and then return.
“Well, look at you! Looks like you’re about to sail this thing straight into a romance novel,” Eddie grinned, with his hands on his hips.
Steve felt proud, not knowing what Eddie meant, but he felt good. Standing tall, controlling a human device, wind in his hair, and the salty ocean aroma in the night air. The inky black waves shimmered beneath the brightness of the full moon.
“Steve is being like Eddie,” Steve beamed.
“Oh yeah? Maybe Wayne was right. Maybe you were spying on us.” Eddie smirked.
“No! Never a spy!” Steve said with a pout. “Didn’t want to scare Eddie.”
Eddie tilted his head and let out a little laugh as he folded his arms.
“You want me to take over, or are you enjoying being me? Because let me tell you, it ain’t no cakewalk!”
Steve looked for something that made the sounds. Then he saw the shiny box, found the button that looked the most used, and pressed it.
The sounds blasted very loudly, making him jump. Being that close was very different from hearing them in the water.
Eddie winced, rushed over, and turned a circle on the side.
“Jesus Christ, Steve, you tryin’ to wake up the entire ocean?”
Steve looked sheepish. “I like the sounds.”
“Yeah?” Eddie beamed at him. “Me too. But we don’t wanna wake any of Wayne’s sea monster friends now, do we?”
Steve knew what the sea was, but ‘monster’ he wasn’t sure of. “Monster?”
“Uh, like something scary and big.” Eddie bared his teeth in a deep frown and spread his fingers like they had webbing.
“Eddie is afraid of them?”
“What? Sea monsters? Nah.” Eddie laughed. “They aren’t real.”
“If they were? Would Eddie be scared?” Steve asked seriously, nervous that he was about to find out his true form was scary and disgusting to his favourite human.
Eddie’s face did something complicated as he looked at Steve, then below deck, then back again, before taking a seat.
“Well, that would depend. If they were trying to hurt me,” Eddie said, looking intently at Steve.
“No, they would never hurt,” Steve said defensively.
“Okay, well... something can be scary just ‘cause of its sheer size. How big are we talking here?”
“Steve size,” he said plainly.
“And do they look like Steve? Or do they look like, I dunno, a shark or octopus?”
Steve laughed incredulously. He gestured from his navel up. “Like Steve.” Then gestured from his navel down. “A mighty, beautiful tail. With very, uh, metal fins.”
Eddie narrowed his eyes. “I’m gonna need something stronger for this,” he muttered, pulling something out of his pocket and putting it to his mouth. He lit it, and it made the air smell sweet, like the usual smell from Eddie’s boats.
“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Why would I never have seen one?”
“Ah, very good at hiding. And smart. And fast.”
“Why would they hide? They’re beautiful and strong, right?”
“Yes. But humans hunt. Hurt for no reason.”
“Well, no arguing there. Some humans hurt anything. But what do these merpeople want with humans? Souls? Voices? Skin? Impregnation?” Eddie asked with increasing horror, and though Steve wasn’t sure what he meant exactly, it sounded bad.
“No! No. They look. Learn. And clean their mess.”
Eddie looked guilty. “Yeah, we do... do that, don’t we?” He said solemnly, his eyes still flicking over Steve. He got to his feet, tucking one thumb into the top of his leg coverings.
“What would a merperson find so interesting about me?” He asked softly.
It was easy to get lost, looking at him standing there, the moonlight highlighting his eyes and skin, the breeze moving through his beautiful hair.
Steve looked at him like it was obvious. “Because Eddie is good. Makes great sounds. No hunt. Laughs. Sings. When Eddie is happy, it makes others feel good too.”
Eddie’s eyebrows raised, “Someone would feel good hearing me laugh and sing? You sure they wouldn’t feel annoyed or want to throw something?”
“Oh no,” Steve laughed and shook his head, “Eddie is very beautiful when he’s happy, on the ocean enjoying sounds.”
Eddie stepped closer, a hard-to-read look on his face. It's not something Steve had ever seen before on a human. “You think I’m beautiful?” Eddie's voice dropped in volume and pitch, barely moving his lips, and so quietly, Steve was sure it was only for his ears. And then he realised Eddie had tricked him into revealing the truth. He felt his face grow very hot.
He looked at Eddie and felt he had been well and truly caught. “Yes. The most beautiful.”
“On this boat?” Eddie asked cautiously.
The warmth from his face spread down his neck as he shook his head, “Out of all humans, Steve has seen.”
“How many have you seen?”
Steve took a deep breath and looked to the sky and threw his hand up, and swept it across the view of the stars above him, “That many.”
Eddie’s eyes followed Steve’s to the sky, and he blew out an exhale from his pouted lips.
“Well, if it’s worth anything… You’re very, uh, beautiful too,” he added, his gaze lingering on the stars a moment longer.
If he were in the water, Steve would’ve leapt out of it and flipped over in a spray of ocean waves. He was giddy with excitement. Instead, he gripped the wheel tightly, a huge smile spreading across his face.
“Eddie likes Steve? Like Steve likes Eddie?” He asked excitedly and then almost jumped back at how fast Eddie’s head snapped around, eyes narrowed.
“…You really mean that?” Eddie asked. “That I’m…” He pulled a strand of hair over his mouth, and blinked his eyelashes, and anemone would be jealous of, “Beautiful?”
Steve nodded slowly. “Yes. More when Eddie laughs. Or when you look at Steve, like now.”
“You’re gonna kill me, man,” Eddie laughed softly, a little nervous, spinning on his heel in a full circle. “Wayne’s gonna have an absolute field day with this.” He ran a hand down his face, then stepped forward just enough that Steve could feel the warmth of him in the cool night air.
Steve tilted his head, waiting.
“What about beautiful merpeople? You got a merwife or merhusband?” Eddie asked, voice casual but curious.
“What is ‘mer’ to Eddie?”
“I mean, where you’re from, are there other beautiful people like you? That you like? Do you have someone to, um…” Eddie scratched his head, “Someone to hold? Or kiss?”
Steve thought hard. It was true that others like him were beautiful, but it wasn’t the same. And “hold”, he knew his family would embrace him. But “kiss”, he wasn’t sure of. He had heard the word shouted sometimes when people were pulled from the water, but he didn’t understand why Eddie was asking now.
“Hmmm. Difficult. Yes, many beautiful. Yes, to hold.” Steve watched Eddie’s posture sink. “But not the same. Only Eddie makes Steve feel good.”
Eddie brightened instantly.
“Kiss of life? Like for Wayne?” Steve asked, unable not to beam back at him.
Eddie laughed, and Steve couldn’t help but join in. Watching him smile, seeing his eyes sparkle, it was his favourite thing in the world now that he’d seen it up close.
“Sort of,” Eddie said, stepping a little closer again. “When people think they’re both beautiful, and both feel good, and both agree to, they can kiss. It’s similar to the kiss of life, but not the same. It’s not for drowning. It’s for… feeling good.”
Steve looked confused, and Eddie must’ve seen it because he tried again.
“I could show you?”
And for the first time, Steve hesitated. Something felt different between them. The air was charged, like just before a storm.
“It’s not dangerous. Promise.” Eddie reached out and touched his arm, and Steve felt like he became part jellyfish at the warmth of it.
He locked on to Eddie’s eyes, searching them, and it felt amazing for some reason.
“If it is a good thing… Steve will try.”
For a few moments, neither of them moved. Then Eddie leaned in, slowly. His eyes had left Steve’s and were focused on his mouth now. A shiver ran down Steve’s spine.
He stayed perfectly still, wondering what would happen, and then their lips met.
It was soft and warm and made Steve feel like he was floating in the most peaceful lagoon. His eyes fluttered closed so he could relish the feeling, holding the wheel tightly to keep himself standing. The world slowed. For a moment, all he could hear was the water and wind.
Then, all too soon, Eddie’s lips left his. All that remained was a small noise of complaint from Steve.
“You okay?” Eddie murmured.
“Yes. Okay. Very good. That was very good. Can I have another?” Steve asked quickly, and it made Eddie laugh adorably.
Leaning against the rail, arms folded, Eddie stood as if he had calmed the winds himself, and the music had faded to a gentle hum behind them. Steve was still at the wheel, looking impossibly pleased with himself.
“Well”, Eddie said softly, “I guess you don’t really wanna go back to the harbour now, huh?”
Steve turned, his smile gentle. “Steve can. Very good swimmer. And… hmmm… navigator.”
A huffed laugh from Eddie before stepping over to him. “Alright, Captain. Let’s take her home.”
They sailed under moonlight, trading kisses when Eddie wasn’t adjusting sails or keeping an eye on their heading. When he could, he stood behind Steve at the wheel, arms wrapped around him, his chin resting on his shoulder. Steve loved every second.
By the time they moored the yacht, dawn was just beginning to brush the sky. Wayne hadn’t stirred much, bundled up and snoring softly below deck.
The disappointed glance they exchanged spelt out that they both knew without words that Steve could not stay in this form much longer.
He slipped back into his yellow raincoat, the one with the old badge still pinned to the chest. Eddie watched him with his hands in his pockets, eyes soft.
“You gonna be out there tomorrow?” Eddie asked, nodding toward the water.
“Eddie’s place,” he replied with a sure nod.
A gorgeous, shy, dimpled smile spread over his favourite human’s face, “Good. Eddie would very much like that.”
Steve waved goodbye, smiling too, his heart full, as he slipped into the water and regained his form. He decided to pack away his yellow coat in his bag so he could show off flipping out of the water in a high arc and landing with a loud splash just for Eddie, who was still gazing out after him.
He didn’t know how a human and someone like himself could be together. He couldn’t explain everything that had happened or might happen, and he didn’t need to.
All he knew was that tomorrow, Eddie would be there. Sounds blaring through the water. Hair flowing in the breeze. A smile on his lips, just like always.
That was enough.
The next day and the one after that, Steve returned to the same place at the same time, and always, his Eddie arrived, looking out eagerly across the sea for him.
A towel and a pile of clothes at the ready. A set of tapes, and arms as open and bracing as the ocean herself.
Steve still didn’t know what the days ahead would bring.
But he knew this. Eddie would be there, and Steve would never hide again.
Last WIP Weekend was wild, I had so many asks about 💎The Cove with Pirate Eddie that the fic is almost 3/4 done ! But in the process, a (gulp) plot hole had been found, and now I have to fix this...
🦩The Pool was also quite popular, I'm so glad you like Tiny Mermaid Robin ! It's also almost 3/4 done, but unlike 💎The Cove, I didn't wrote the end in advance for this one... Here comes the hardest part !
Meanwhile, 🧚The Well is on standby because... I lost inspiration :O I know it's gonna come back, I just don't know when ! I need it to come back, I love Naiad-Robin and Faun-Steve !
🪸 Choose your favorite location🪸
You can send me an ask with any emoji you like, and I'll try to write at least 100w/emoji !
💎The Cove | Eddie's loot : Eddie/Merman, fighting or flirting ?
🦩The Pool | Steve's Afterparty : Steddie babysit Mermaid-Robin
🧚The Well | Robin's Curse : Naiad-Robin is so done with this
🪸 Help me figure out the next Mermay fic🪸
I have a few ideas but I can't decide ! Maybe you have a favorite ? :3
Rating : G (I may add a second chapter thats a little bit spicy but for now its soft and sweet)
Read on a03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65376085
Read Below :3
Billy was so happy to be back in California, he had been forced to join his father in Hawkins for years, but once he graduated he was able to return to the place he loved. His first goal was to get to the beach, he parked his car and ran towards the ocean. The water enveloped him, he dropped to his knees and let the waves wrap around him like a hug.
He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he thought about his mother. He missed her so much. Billy took to the water, paddling out on his surfboard, he let the waves take him wherever they wanted to go.
He laid back on his board, his right leg laying in the water while he looked up to the bright sky. The sun beat down on him, but to him it was the best feeling in the world.
Hawkins was cold, it was nothing like this.
He felt something brush along his leg and turned his face to the side. There was a gorgeous boy looking right at him. “Oh, hello. Sorry I should have been looking where I was going, did my board hit you?”
“No,” the boy smiled, “I just saw you coming..”
Billy smiled and sat upright, California was already treating him well. “What’s your name?”
“Steve, what about you?”
“Billy.”
Steve smiled, and rested his arms upon his board crossing them as he tilted his head to the side. “I haven’t seen you around here. I know most people who come to the beach.”
“I just moved back to California. How long have you lived here?”
Steve smirked, clearly the boy on the board hadn’t noticed something very obvious. “My whole life.”
“I was born here, but my dad married some lady and moved us to bumfuck nowhere.”
Steve snickered. “Sounds like a drag.”
“It was, but I’m here now. Seems I came to the beach on a great day, to meet you.”
Steve smirked and smiled. “Anytime you come to this beach I’ll be here.”
“Really, anytime?” Steve nodded and pulled himself onto his board, Billy went to scoot back before he realized half of this gorgeous boy was all green scales. “Y-you’re a.. You’re a m-.” He stumbled back falling into the water with a splash. Steve laughed and jumped off the board to join him in the ocean.
Billy resurfaced.
“Right, I’m a mer.”
The two were staring at one another, eyes locked. Billy couldn’t believe this, he had met a mer. His first day back in California and he was face to face with a gorgeous merman. “You’re real right? I didn’t drown and go to heaven?”
Steve laughed a bit, that was certainly not what he had expected for his first day back home. Not only did the beach and the ocean make him feel closer to his mother, but now he had this gorgeous mer to come back to.
Steve grinned as he leaned forward and kissed the human boy before diving under the water. Billy brought his hand to his lip, the taste of salt lingering, he climbed back on his board before the mer reappeared. “I’ll see you around?”
“Wait.”
Steve froze mid jump, he smirked at the human boy. “Yes?”
“How would I know to find you?”
Steve pointed towards a cove. “That's my home, come find me if you want to.”
Billy smiled, his cheeks bright pink, he watched as the bright green tail flicked and sparkled in the water. He sat on his board, smiling like an idiot before something came sailing towards his head. He yelped and caught the flying object, a pink shell rested in his hand. He watched the mer pop up in the distance, waving his arm before popping back under the water.
Billy held the shell close to his chest, looking down at it. The shell was pink with white spirals, he couldn’t wait to see the sweet mer again, and he hoped the next time they met he could get to know him more in depth.
