Mer AU 1.1
Here’s the mer au!! I switched perspectives towards the end and I hope everyone enjoys it!
Some people who wanted to read this! @beckyu and @brick-a-doodle-do !
TW: Fear, Dehumanization (calling someone ‘it’), vore mention, mouthplay, intentional to unintentional fearplay, fear of dying, fear of being eaten
Word Count: 6.7k
Veiled Curiosity 1
A flash of emerald green scales darted through the reeds at the base of the reef, zipping around to collect whatever interesting shells he could find. The rather bubbly merfolk flitted about curiously, enjoying this brief adventure away from the other merfolk. He’d always found that place so…crowded. It was fun to make new friends, don’t get him wrong, but it could get overwhelming. Somewhat boring, too. Honestly, they wouldn’t like that he was away from them, out in the open gathering items the others thought were useless. He’d be told things about the shells and rocks not being necessary to his survival. Did he care? Nope.
What he so loved about these things was their individual uniqueness. Not a single one was the same, just like how every mer had a different tail and coloration. He couldn't possibly get over it, and so what if it filled his home with useless items? It was always so much more beautiful than leaving it blank, so much less lonely. Of course it always made him receive the strangest looks, bringing back a bag full of stones and shells, but it kept him out of trouble. Thinking back, the only reason they didn’t use more force in stopping him was that he used to prank everyone as a child and only stopped when he started collecting these things.
Today there didn’t seem to be many new ones in this reef though, which was quite disappointing. Usually the changing tides and storms would move the sand and bother the animals enough to bring some out, but he couldn't find very much. Not all too pleased, he swam more to the top and to the side of the reef, skirting the edge before finding a good piece of coral that let him hang his bag. He smiled and left it there, then turned to head down, sparing only a single glance at the trench nearby. It was somewhat of a threat, but he didn’t see any glow and he had no intention of going too close.
Rather, he simply swam to the sand and used his tail to brush at it, hoping to maybe unbury any cool new shells or pebbles. He’d learned this trick for hunting with small sea creatures, but he never really used it for that. Sure, every now and then, but never anything all that important. The action of this however, didn’t quite get a reaction he wanted. A ton of silvery fish darted out of the sand, their swarming spinning him, then dove into the trench along with several items he’d been looking for. He gave a whine and reached a hand out but didn’t dare actually approach that darkness.
That was the world of the leviathans, and despite being curious and explorative, even he knew better than to swim right into certain death. With a pout he instead settled down on the sand, sitting as he used his hands to now lazily search. He was quiet for a while, every now and then finding his eyes trailing back towards the trench. It was a tug of curiosity, urging him to investigate, but…if he went down there, too many things would go wrong. If he was attacked no-one would help him, and even if he came back fine they would never accept something so risky. What if he led a leviathan to them all?
He noisily sighed with his lips making a fun bubbly sound before he let himself fall sideways. His bright green eyes traced the edges of what might as well be called a death trap while he went limp on the sand, only the water currents moving him around. The sand shifted around him as it made his fins sway and he watched it, but was easily growing bored. He frowned and closed his eyes to get at least a little bit of rest. His pod had only just come back from the trip to warmer waters and he hadn’t gotten much rest. Most of it was his fault for swimming all over the place, but hey, he had fun.
Not much time had passed but he must have fallen asleep, because it seemed not even seconds had gone by before something heavy slammed into his head. He gasped in both pain and surprise, his hands going to clutch his head with a groan as he curled up, laughter serving as the background to this agony. Them?? Again??? What was so amusing about throwing rocks at someone?! It was his own bag, sure, but they full well knew what was inside it! He grit his teeth and took a deep breath before he pushed himself up slowly, only sparing a glance at his bag and its now scattered contents.
Putting on a mask of a smile, he looked at them while rubbing where it hit him and acting like it was the joke they thought it was. “O-oh hey! What are you guys doing out here…?” He didn’t really like acting so weak but at the same time, he didn’t want to cause more trouble. In the first place…there were three of them and one of him. Mainly only two really harassed him, but the third was almost more irritating with how they hid in the background smirking all the time. Honestly, he really didn’t hate a lot of things, but these three were an extreme exception. It was hard not to.
The one that always overtook the others so loudly, boldly approached him with crossed arms and an irritating smirk he wanted to slap right off their face. “I should be asking you that, Varazae.” He tensed just slightly at his entire name being used with that tone…especially since he preferred Vara. Just when you thought you couldn't hate someone more than you already did… “You're not supposed to be out by the trench. You reek, it'll bring all those predators right to us.” For someone supposedly worried about dangerous predators, the guy really didn’t seem all that bothered being close to the hole himself.
Vara eyed them but kept up that behavior anyway, wanting to just be released and allowed to slip by them all. “Oh, of course! I should've known better. I apologize.” He didn’t really like saying that either, but it wasn’t wrong. The creatures in there probably could smell him just hanging out up here like some sort of fancy treat offering itself up for dinner. Except when he moved to grab his bag, scooping everything back inside, a hand darted out and snagged the incredibly precious bag from him. Well that immediately got an honest response out of him and he jolted, reaching for that bag. His parents made that!
He received mocking laughter and froze, a pit forming in his stomach over what he’d just done. What would they do now? He’d just given them the exact response they wanted! The bigger mer twirled the bag haphazardly before taking a look inside, face twisting with disgust. “Geeeez, you really do only gather useless junk! And what’s with this bag?? It’s freaking ancient!” He shut the bag, tying it shut tightly, then hoisted it above his head. “Thought you might've at least had something extra in here…oh well, trash goes into the trash dump!” Another thing he hated were the nonsense insults, but he was distracted by something else.
The mer pulled that arm back, grew tense, then chucked it towards the trench. Vara didn't hesitate to shove himself away from the sand and swim after it, his arms outstretched to catch it…and he missed. Horror filled his every inch as he witnessed the most valuable thing in his life, sink into the trench. Obviously, he should leave it and live. Clearly. He dove. Speeding downwards to the tune of their laughter and taunts, he began to curse his horribly weak body, already feeling all kinds of aches. The only silver lining was seeing the strap just barely get caught on a shelf jutting out from the trench wall.
He beamed with relief and went right towards it…until a giant squid pushed itself out of one of the many gaps and tried to grab him. He tried to dodge, unable to retreat at first until he was then backpedaling. Even so, he kept one eye on his bag, searching for an opening, any opening, to get it…and the squid dislodged it from the wall. He cried out wordlessly as it sped into the darkness, but he couldn't chase after it anymore. Instead, he had to refocus on getting out of there! The tentacles were reaching for him and he was already struggling, so he hurriedly just grabbed one and proceeded to bite as hard as possible.
His teeth, sharp like every other merfolk’s, sunk into the soft flesh easily and the creature spasmed in pain momentarily, providing just barely enough time to race right back out of the trench. Of course those guys were still laughing, but he just bit his lip and soared out of the trench, rushing right past all of them. He’d made it mad and was being followed…wasn't hard to guess that much when he heard screams of fear but not pain even as he was passing the reef. Maybe biting it wasn't his best decision? Well he didn’t want to be eaten! Still, it seemed an awful lot like he was leading it to the rest.
When that occurred to him he sucked in a sharp breath and his brows furrowed in concentration. If he fled to the pod…he’d be in trouble. They’d punish him! He glanced back only to see the squid trying way too hard to chase him and regretted looking. Paling, he opted for trying to fit through small gaps, using his extra small body to his advantage and hiding every chance he got among the coral. Of course, he got cut and even zapped a few times, but like usual it was only light sensations and not enough to stop either side of the chase. This wasn’t improving his situation.
In the end, more afraid of being torn apart for a meal, he took some more narrow trips to get close to the pod but not enough to put them in danger. Now he inhaled deeply and shouted, “Help! A squid left the trench!” He needed the guards to help him! It was only desperation that was keeping him going as his breathing steadily became a harsh wheeze and he got slower. He’d always had a weak body, but now he was genuinely despising it for the first time in his life. No wonder they were always so mad at him for not trying to strengthen it! All of that wasn’t even the worst part of this considering the thing made no sound.
By either pure luck or worst nightmare, the guards intervened. They had spears and utilized the special mer magic they'd been training for years, one of them catching Vara tightly. He knew they were mad from the grip alone, but he could help but to turn and watch the fight, feeling a pang of sympathy for the creature as it got hurt. And yet when it escaped alive, he was disappointed. It had taken his bag! He could've gotten it back if that thing didn’t show up! Both his heart and mind were screaming even while he could hardly keep himself up, grief the only thought dominating his head.
The last connection to his parents. His parents who disappeared and no-one would say where. The only two people that hadn’t hated him for just being himself…and he’d lost it today. Never in his life did he think those guys would go as far as to throw something of his into the trench of all things, but…lesson learned. On that note, when he caught sight of those three perfectly unharmed, his blood immediately boiled. It was them. It was their fault. Tossing aside all fear of punishment, he lurched forward despite the iron grip on his arm, snarling and hissing as he swiped at them the moment they came close.
Everyone there was shocked by the usual docile mer trying to attack someone, but not so much as when he spat, “YOU! It was YOU! YOU did this! That was MINE! You KNEW that was mine! Give it BACK! I NEED it! I HATE you!” Vara wasn't the type to explode on anyone. Yeah he’d play tricks, but he wouldn't outright declare his hatred for someone and threaten their life so vehemently. This was the only time Vara wished he hadn't dulled his claws, desperately wanting to tear them apart…but mainly the one who actually did the deed. He was never going to forgive losing that bag.
The guard holding him eventually yanked him back and retrained his arms behind his back even as he writhed, growling with his now bloodied teeth bared on full display. “Varazae, what actually happened?” They sounded concerned, but he knew they'd ask the others the same thing and go by majority. It wouldn't matter to them that he’d lost something like that.
Even so…he hissed out, “He threw my parent’s bag into the trench! And the squid attacked me because of it!” There was still that desperate, shining hope that maybe…maybe they would give him his bag back? Surely, the guards could venture down after it and—
A sigh interrupted his thoughts. “I’m sorry Varazae, you need to let it go.” The guard looked at the other three, everyone there remaining way too calm for his liking. “And you three will be explaining why you thought that was a good idea. Now let’s go, none of us have finished settling back into the area, we need all the help we can get.” He felt empty. When the guard let go of him, he just stayed there, his tail hardly twitching enough to keep him there before he sank. He knew it. Material possessions were always seen as useless and something to abandon…clearly nobody would help the misfit get one back.
Everyone else just left him there, at this point used to not trying to force him to participate in working. He should just be grateful they feed him, really. And protect him. But if they really wanted to protect him, they would have gone into that trench for his bag…because now he was broken. His shaking hands rose to his chest, fingers interlacing as he bit back tears bitterly. Vara’s mind was a maelstrom of emotions, with absolutely none of them going in the same direction and dangerous thoughts building up. Something so simple shouldn’t have caused so much damage to him, but it had.
He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, his entire body being wracked with grief and real rage. Except…he didn’t just remain there. After a time, he pushed himself back off the sand and made his way to his personal shelter. When he swam inside, it…looked exactly how he left it, but with more sand scattered about and some of his shells broken or missing. Usually he’d feel relieved by the sight and rush to relax on his bed while dusting off shells with his tail, but right now? He just felt so painfully empty. It wasn’t fair, they knew it wasn't too, but it didn’t matter. An item like that had no real survival value, and so it was to be abandoned.
くコ:彡
It wasn’t even an hour later and he was at the trench, hands clenched and gaze sharp as he glared at the darkness. He was shaking. This was the place always made to be the most hostile of them all, why wouldn't he be? The only thing keeping him here, at the edge of doom, was his own despair. He didn't really have anyone important to him in the pod or the kingdom, no-one ever bothered to get to know him, and he would rather be somewhere else than trying to blend in with all their strange rules. So honestly? What did he have to lose after that one precious item being ripped from him?
Truthfully, he was on the verge of backing out when he heard something weird down there, but a water current pushed him forward until he wasn't over sand anymore, but a seemingly bottomless pit. This made him quite tense, but he merely took a deep breath and went for it, diving towards certain death for an inanimate object. No wonder the other merfolk thought he had problems. Still, he kept going, keeping his arms tucked in close while venturing into the darkness. It was hard not to outright flee back to the relative safety of the reef, considering this only looked like a death pit to him, but backing out now would be even worse.
The way down was slow and risky, with him keeping distance from the space that squid had appeared from earlier but sticking somewhat close to the wall. He didn’t need to add getting turned around to his list of problems. It was easier said than done as everything began to fade out, his own coloring slowly turning dull as the light that was supposed to be above him slowly vanished. This was…creepy. It matched the stories of the trench, of how it would drain all color and light from the world to trap you within its depths. He tried not to dwell on that too much though as it started to spook him.
Still…how was he supposed to find his bag in this darkness? He had to be getting deep enough to be at risk of meeting an adult leviathan at this point, right? Not the best thing to think of, but was his entire mission doomed from the start? His thoughts were spiraling only to be thrown out in an instant when the water shifted, pressure from something massive pushing him around roughly. He bit back a yelp, hands flying to his mouth to keep himself silent as he scanned the area desperately. Something was nearby! He had no clue what, but this wasn't the sort of movement he’d ever felt before, even with that squid earlier.
The water became displaced again, almost seeming to spin him as another motion took place underneath him. A dreaded thought entered his mind—he was being circled. Whatever this creature was had already found him. A shiver ran down his spine, but so much as when a deep growl vibrated through the entire area, shaking his entire body with the force. It was too hard to place the direction it came from, making his heart race as his breathing became short and shallow, tail flitting from side to side as he made attempts to flee only for the water itself to push him away.
Then a white glow lit up the area. It was a dim pulse at first, only to come back again and remain solidified. Before him were towering fingers tipped with claws that could skewer him without a second thought. They curled in towards him as he spun around…only to come face to face with a leviathan. He could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, one of his hands raising to his chest defensively as he tried to back away. His try at leaving was stopped in an instant when he bumped into those fingers. Vara jolted away from the touch, his eyes instead locking with the ones far above him.
Nothing happening for so long might have made Vara question if he was actually in danger, but the massive creature had such an intense and unsettling gaze that he couldn't imagine it ever being kind. Then the fingers behind him flexed before attempting to close in on him, drawing a gasp out of Vara as he bolted upwards. Somehow this made it even worse, as he was brought to eye level with the constant angry glare…and a snarl that bared the sharp teeth leviathans shared with merfolk. He couldn't tell if that look was more frustration, anger, or hunger, but he wanted none of them.
He started to swim backwards at the same time it moved, rushing towards him with their jaws opening wide. Vara yelped, scrambling to avoid being eaten and assisted by the water displacement this time. He gasped a few times as he felt a rush of adrenaline, head spinning to try and find the giant, who kept turning their glow off. It was both frustrating and terrifying to be toyed with this way, treated as if this was some kind of sick game only meant to draw out the most fear possible. If he wasn't so panicked, he might have even gotten mad over it. But again, he felt the water move before ever seeing the danger.
A smaller glow lit up above him in a red color, and another one, a greenish tone, came from beneath. The white glow of his original pursuer pulsed again, almost like sending a message without words, and the other glows left. He didn’t exactly want to study that, but their scales lighting up made his head snap to it before he could even think it through. This also revealed another thing—there were more leviathans. This wasn't the only one hunting him but it looked like it was currently the biggest. Should he be comforted that it was claiming him from the others, or more scared?
He wasn't given much time before he saw the light pulsing once more, but coming from beneath him. The fang lined mouth was wide open underneath him as it gave another charge. Vara couldn't find a good way to escape the threat, the bright golden eyes narrowing as it got closer. But as if by magic the leviathan was slightly off and the water tugged him down, sliding right past the face as the eyes kept tracking him. He tumbled down its back haphazardly, trying to find purchase or at least remove himself from the current the large body created. With them going this fast, he was much too close.
But the leviathan changed directions, diving down with the glow only dimming rather than shutting off completely, and…he saw it. His bag! On one of the many spikes lining this massive creature, his bag had gotten solidly hooked, almost like it had been tied there. He would have celebrated, but now there was a fully different problem. Vara needed to leave and let it have his bag, or…risk trying to take it while avoiding being eaten. The decision seemed to have been made for him when it tried to come from under him again, using too much speed just like before. As much as he wanted it to shove him out of the trench…it was only tugging him down further.
Except this time when he went down, he tried desperately to take his bag back…but it was on the side fine, creating a battle against the currents he just couldn't win. He was too small, his body too weak. He began to curl up into himself, slowly just wanting to get out of this without being tossed around so painfully, for the leviathan to stop pushing him deeper. All of that was fine and dandy until it seemed to get the same idea and came charging down from above. Vara yelped again and tried to dodge the pull of the water, but his body was sore and definitely going to bruise…if he survived, that is.
The problem this time? The angle did pull him towards the surface, but it also yanked him directly into that massive mouth once combined with his struggling. He fought back a scream, his arms spreading wide in hopes of becoming too inconvenient to eat as the currents shoved him all the way back where he slammed into the throat. The leviathan made a choked sound, their mouth snapping shut and sealing him inside. Not too long after, Vara found himself being slammed against a hard surface by something much softer. The force made his vision swim, close to blacking out if this continued.
Whatever was pushing him—the tongue, he realized with a jolt—released him for a second only to shove him somewhere else. In this darkness he couldn't even tell where he was…until his hands slipped over an eerily smooth surface that his mind immediately registered as teeth. A chill went through him as he was fully pinned against it, only able to think that he was going to be bitten—torn apart while alive and turned into nothing but a snack—then it shoved him a bit harshly again. It hurt—every interaction with the levithan had only hurt so far and that was all he could focus on even when the pressure lightened.
Then a new development took place, a glow starting in the back of the mouth, from the throat, to illuminate the space he was in. He felt his heart skip a beat at being shown such a thing, eyes skipping all over the place. The glow was both comforting, as he could see what it was doing, and yet made it even worse. At the very least, it showed him that he was being pinned to the side of its mouth, the dangerous throat to his right while the deadly teeth were pressed against his back and his other side. Just lovely. Nothing like being trapped in the same place food went. At least the space was still full of water.
Although…with nothing happening for this long, he began to wonder what it was doing. He could feel the giant moving, but had no clue why he was still alive. What, did it not like his taste? He probably did taste more sandy, but he doubted that was a reason. The dark colored tongue then suddenly moved some, the apparently partially forked end wrapping around him and removing him from being along the side. He stiffened some and struggled just a bit, but he didn’t have any high hopes of being able to fight his way out of this. That didn't stop him from squirming when the muscle, somehow still slick in the water, started moving all over him.
He whimpered slightly and tried to push it away from him, this almost searching action making him feel way too much like he was being tasted of all things. It was unsettling him all over again, but he really didn’t have enough strength to even try to resist, and he was all too aware of this. His situation was made worse when the leviathan suddenly hummed, the tone unusual and borderline sounding like a wordless question, but his head was too busy spinning from being too close to the loud noise. They didn’t control their volume at all! The fact a thoughtless hum hurt him brought on another quiver.
This carried on and he failed to notice the pressure changes before the mouth cracked open. Fresh seawater and light flooded around Vara along with it, both trying to shove him deeper inside and pull him out. In the end the latter won as the tongue pushed him out a bit roughly, sending him tumbling through the water with his arms flailing weakly. He was started by this action and glanced around, but he was so drained that his movements were way too slow. His body felt heavier than it should and the world wouldn't even stop spinning…he should be happy he was out, but he hardly felt awake.
The leviathan seemed to have the same sort of thought, the hands raising back up underneath Vara. The mer stared down at those hands before simply closing his eyes. So it was done toying with him? Did it just want to better see what he looked like when torn apart by using sunlight? He just gave up and kept his eyes closed, going limp even as he came into contact with the huge hands. Except…he could have sworn he felt the limb jolt under him. He could feel the hands moving but didn’t register any pain. This brought him to slowly open his eyes just to make sure, and found something strange.
In this light, the giant didn’t seem near as terrifying. The gaze was still just as intense, as if studying every last motion down to a strand of hair, but he could properly see the face without the shadows. Was it possible he could see concern? No, that wasn't right. It had tried to eat him. He couldn't have been released so simply, it wasn't possible. This leviathan must be planning something…right? He flinched when it opened its mouth, expecting to be shoved inside and finally slain, but instead words flowed out smoothly, “Are you dying?” It took him aback. There wasn't any worry in the tone at all, more bored, but the eyes had changed slightly.
Vara quivered, debating whether or not he should answer before it became too overwhelming and he just curled up tightly, his tail wrapping around his as his arms covered his head. It was still speaking too loud. It could still dominate him with a single finger…it didn’t even sound concerned with that question. Was it possible the thing just wanted something to mess with and he might get out alive? Or was this simply another part of the game? It must have started to become impatient, as a huff came from above him and the hands around him began to move.
“Fine, don't talk.” Vara almost screamed when the hands cupped around him next, expecting to be crushed or impaled…but instead found himself being half tossed away from the trench and towards the reef he’d started all of this from. He tumbled through the water yet again, trying to right himself but too dizzy and crashing into the coral instead. As he sunk, he gazed weakly at the leviathan to find it was out of the trench from the shoulders and up, those harsh eyes still on him. “...stay out of the trench.” The sound made him flinch again. “Something that isn't even a snack should know better.” The tone was still…so strange.
He was silent, but the leviathan took their anger with them as they turned and headed straight back down into the darkness, leaving Vara stunned, in pain, and alone. His mind raced. Did he seriously just survive that? It brought him back out of the trench? Why?? It made no sense! Even if he wasn’t enough to be a snack, like it had so rudely pointed out, even merfolk would eat the tiny crabs and fish the size of their fingers! He almost felt insulted, but…he was mostly unharmed and it hadn’t actually done anything to him. Did the leviathan…? He froze, a different thought interrupting him as he remembered something important. That JERK took his bag!
くコ:彡
This day chose to be very strange. He was just minding his own business in the dark, trying to avoid the two young ones that had been following him lately, when something chose to smack his face. Usually he would have just let it keep sinking, but a flash of color from inside of it caught his attention, bringing him to gently reach up and catch it in his far too big hand. Well, this was strange. He’d never seen something like this before. It held what looked like miniscule seashells and rocks, but unless he risked breaking or losing it, he wouldn't know for sure. Did a mer lose this?
He was curious, swimming a bit higher in the trench that day…but he didn’t get all too far before several near accidents with the tiny item occurred. Giving a heavy sigh, he opted for very carefully tying it to one of his spikes, hoping it would stay there. He might have stored it if he wasn’t worried about accidentally eating the thing without noticing. Still, he continued upwards, spending just a little bit of time in thought. He’d been told of merfolk before…that they were fish with hair and hands. Honestly the description didn’t make a lot of sense, but he couldn't remember if he’d seen one when young.
Another factor…was everyone always told him they tasted really good. That when you see one, keep your lights off and eat it before it can bit back. Apparently, the tiny creatures were supposed to have some sort of power and would fight back. Honestly, it only reminded him of all these irritating squids. The creatures made him wish he’d stayed in colder waters, missing the orcas and occasional penguin if he left the trench…but down there, there weren't really any mer. All these other leviathans kept insisting he travel and find some, and so he’d left…but only to shut them up. He didn’t want to hunt a mer, and he wasn’t going back…he just wasn’t interested.
His thoughts were disturbed when he realized that there was a strange motion in the water, heading his direction. When glancing towards it tiredly, it was for his eyes to lock onto what must have once been a bright green tail. At first he was just going to leave it alone, wondering if it was a young leviathan…but it stopped swimming and started looking around way too strangely. It drew his interest. He quietly changed directions, slowly building up to be circling around the smaller, curious about them not seeing him at all. All leviathans could see nearly just just down here…so what was this about? He gave a quiet growl to question, but only got panic.
He got closer, even bringing his hands up under the small creature to find that even then, he went unseen. Now mildly concerned along with being curious, he made his lights pulse, trying to silently ask a question…but he got fear in response and no glow. Only when he watched how they reacted to his hands, and then turned around, did it fully register what this was. He’d just found a mer. No, that couldn't be right. He knew he was frowning and was probably looking like a threat, but he didn’t necessarily care. All those leviathans…had eaten these? Sure, it was bigger than a penguin, but…they looked the same as them.
It took him a moment, but before too long he faintly realized that it must be quite dangerous for them down here. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly before gently trying to close his hand to grab them. There was a good chance if he didn’t, they'd die. But…the little thing bolted away from his hand, only striking frustration in the leviathan and making him scowl, gritting his teeth in a half growl. Irritated beyond belief by what was honestly a natural reaction, he gave up out of annoyance and forced himself forward instead, pretending to hunt them. Maybe he could just get the thing to go up to the surface on their own and be done with this.
He curved around to do it again when it didn’t leave like an idiot, only to catch sight of the familiar lights of the two that had been messing with him lately. Rather possessively, he flashed his lights in warning, claiming what he’d found and outright threatening them to not come closer. He was satisfied to see their lights vanish as the two left. He grumbled and dove underneath the mer this time, letting his lights pulse in warning so it could avoid him before he actually caught them. Except upon approach…their desperate movements did nothing to help them escape. Was it not scared?
He tilted his head slightly to avoid catching them, watching as it slipped past his face and out of sight down his back. Deciding this thing was rather incompetent, he kept his glow on, but dimmer than it had been. Maybe if it was aware the entire time, he’d be avoided? He tried it again, wishing it would just go up…but when he actually saw how the water forced them downwards, he groaned inwardly. Of course. Smaller creatures had a hard time swimming around leviathans…how he’d so easily forgotten that was a mystery, but at least he now had a general idea of what to do.
This time he came down from above, hoping the water would pull them again, but upwards instead…and that did happen…but not the way he wanted. He could see them struggling and wanted to hurry, but then they just disappeared? He didn’t realize what happened until he was suddenly choking. Well that happened. He coughed to get them out of his throat, but closed his mouth. Obviously attacking with his mouth would end this way…but he’d been trying not to touch them after how scared they’d been. He just wanted to chase them out of the trench, not actually eat them.
Still, to quell any movement that might cause an accident, he pinned them to the roof of his mouth and hurriedly switched directions, wanting to rush them out of the dark area. With that done, he went ahead and stopped pinning them…only for him to just slightly get a taste and immediately shove them away. Well he hadn’t been expecting that. It was actually quite pleasant, but…he pushed them a little, wondering why he wasn't getting any reaction. Usually you'd struggle, not just lay there…right? He lessened the pressure he was using, wondering if that was the problem, but nothing changed.
Was it confused, maybe? He went ahead and lit up again, knowing it would also bring light to the inside, hoping to help somehow. That still didn’t get a reaction. He stopped changing things for a little bit, but with still no change, he half mindlessly wrapped his tongue around them, curious about their somewhat unknown taste, but also hoping to be shown it was still alive. Well, considering it started to squirm, it at least wasn't dead…yet. Had he hurt the small thing? He was feeling just a tad guilty, but was also unable to stop licking at the mer. He knew why the leviathans would eat them, but didn’t understand it.
When it started to grow much brighter he lessened the amount he was pushing them around and hummed questioningly. Why were they so limp? He moved them around only a tiny bit more before he was at the top of the trench and chose to just push them out and take a look. It would suck if he’d scared them to death when he was actually just trying to help them. Seeing how weakly they moved, he reached over to catch them so they wouldn't sink back down…but they looked so lifeless. He found himself flinching against his will when the limp body touched him, but suppressed it quickly.
It was still alive, right? He moved his hands to bring the mer a little closer and inspect them, only to find the bright green eyes meeting his. After what felt like a staring contest, he calmly asked, “Are you dying?” He was concerned quite a bit, actually. It wasn’t unusual for him to do something stupid when frustrated, and this was definitely one of those times again. Although…they just curled up and wouldn't answer him, only sparking that frustration once more and making him cup his hands both under and over the mer. “Fine, don't talk.” He weakly tossed them towards the reef, not expecting them to tumble so badly.
He felt a twinge of guilt over how they stopped, but focused on being sure they were still opening their eyes. When the little green orbs locked onto his again, he decided to warn them, “...stay out of the trench.” He had no clue he was talking too loudly, but knew they were still scared. Maybe a joke would help? “Something that isn't even a snack should know better.'' He got nothing from it even after waiting so he turned away with a shaking head, diving back down into the trench. Why did he even try? Except as he was drifting back to his home in the dark, he had a new thought. Maybe he should have given that mer the item he’d found? Oh well, not like that’s why they were in the trench.
—
End
Voila!!!
First time creating an actual au instead of a book! Also, first time I've done any mouthplay/vore writing so be kind to me QnQ
I'll either post the next chapter or do a diff au, depends on what my headache decides it can write :P