Chapter Text
“You can come out, darling,” the melodic voice danced across the rippling water. “I won’t bite.”
Bow startled. He almost sank back beneath the waves and swam away. They saw him? How? It was the middle of the night. Only pale slivers of moonlight illuminated the small beach situated at the edge of the island. The ocean air blew across the sand, speckles of light occasionally twinkling along the ground.
He shook his head. It would be rude to just swim off without saying anything. If the lone, strangely alluring sailor had spotted him, then this was the perfect opportunity for a friendly chat.
The water splashed lightly around Bow’s shoulders as he swam closer to the jagged slab of stone jutting out of the water just a few feet away from the shoreline. Red and gold scales adorning his tail glinted in the light. The lithe figure seated gracefully on top of the stone eyed him with a playful gaze. They didn’t look scared of him at all.
Bow swallowed. There was something about this person that was just so hard to explain. He couldn’t stop his eyes from running over their features. Pointy ears covered in piercings, a dangerous grin revealing sharp teeth, pale blonde hair floating behind them in such a way that it almost looked like they were underwater. And he couldn’t forget that voice. The sailor had just finished singing one of the most enchanting songs Bow had ever heard. And that was saying something. He almost mistook them for a siren.
But they were clearly human. Two legs, check. Zero fins, check. Smooth, brown skin devoid of any scales, check. They did have those pointy ears and teeth, but those could easily be explained away by… make up? That was something humans did, right?
“Keep staring at me like that,” the figure suddenly purred, “And I’m going to have to charge you.”
Bow stopped. Oops. The edge of the slab was only a foot away now. When did he get so close?
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. After spending so much time swimming back and forth in his room, agonizing over this mysterious figure (and surviving Glimmer’s teasing about some crush she thought he had), his chance to find out more was finally here. He needed to know why this mysterious person gave him these weird feelings.
Bow rubbed his neck. “Oh, sorry.” He nervously laughed, voice starting to crack. “I didn’t mean to stare. I just heard you singing and couldn’t help but listen.“ He smiled. “You have an amazing voice.”
The sailor tilted their head. “You don’t need to tell me twice.” They put a hand to their chest. “I get to hear that reminder every day. What I’m interested in is why a strapping figure such as yourself was out in the water in the first place.”
“Oh, um,” Bow stammered. It almost felt like he was starting to sweat, until he remembered that he wasn’t human and that those were probably just water droplets.
“If you were out here just to get a hint of my next song, then I don’t blame you. And I don’t mind giving it a test run for an audience of one…” Their gaze trailed over him. “Especially in front of such a lovely view.”
Heat rose to Bow’s cheeks. He had to stop himself from sinking back down into the water.
The singer continued, “But a performance like this doesn’t come for free.” Their playful smile was still there, but a sense of danger began to surround them. It flitted between their fangs, like a trap that had already closed around him.
Bow’s lips parted. There was that feeling again. Not the sense of danger, though that was a little worrying. There was something else, too. A feeling like… like something was calling to him.
He blinked. Wait, why was he drifting closer? He floated only an inch away from the edge of the stone surface now, which the singer rested a foot on as they sat on the higher slab of rock above. Bow had risen up out of the water so much so that he was up to their knee.
He stopped himself. Were his fins showing? He couldn’t turn to check but… no, okay, they were still underwater. He was fine.
Before he could sigh in relief, the singer leaned closer. Their poofy, white shirt wrinkled as they did. Bow’s gaze quickly jumped up past their glistening skin until it stopped at green eyes that shimmered in the moonlight.
“Um,” Bow tried to speak. His voice cracked, which was embarrassing. He didn’t know why that mattered in a situation like this but-
Cold. Surprisingly sharp nails trailed up Bow’s neck. He nearly let out an “eep” at the touch. The singer’s face was less than a foot away.
They purred, “It’s flattering to see how hard lovestruck fans try to get a glimpse of me out of the stage lights.” They tilted Bow’s chin up and leaned closer. “What isn’t as flattering is when those ‘fans’ go so far as to follow me all the way out to a part of the island that’s supposed to be deserted. Especially when my crew and I have just come back from getting our biggest haul yet.”
Bow found himself rising further out of the water.
The singer’s soft voice cut through the air as they whispered, “Want to tell me why you’re really here, sweetheart?”
Strands of blond hair drifted in the wind. Some of them settled on their shoulder, which was bare after their shirt had shifted to the side with their movement. A glow settled on their features, and the stars above seemed to dim in the singer’s light.
Wow, was all Bow could think.
They were really pretty.
The wind came to a standstill. Even at this distance, Bow almost missed the singer’s eyes widening by just a fraction.
Oh.
Oh no.
Did he say that out loud?
That sense of danger surrounding the stranger completely vanished, replaced by an unreadable emotion that flitted across their face for just a second.
Yup, he did.
“Ahoy!”
A voice from the shoreline broke the stillness between them
It took a moment for Bow to snap out of his stupor. He shook his head and leaned an inch to the side to see a figure standing on the beach. The mustachioed man waved at his new friend, the red cloth around his neck and his blue jacket standing out against all the green foliage. “Are you going to come back anytime soon? The crew and I are about to start our arm wrestling contest! And nothing enhances a high-stakes competition better than beautiful music!”
Bow’s eyes widened. No. Way. Was that Sea Hawk?
The stranger turned their head and yelled back, “Rehearsal is not something to be rushed, darling! I’ll be there when I’m ready!”
Sea Hawk—the Sea Hawk himself—seemed satisfied with their answer. It didn’t look like he’d seen Bow either. He headed back into the recess of the forest.
When the stranger turned their glowing eyes towards him again, goosebumps rose on Bow’s skin.
They hummed. After a few tense seconds, they said, “You truly don’t mean any ill will, do you?”
“Not at all,” Bow quickly said. “I really just wanted to hear you sing.”
The change that came over them was instant. A gleeful smile replaced their suspicious look. “Well then, I’m glad to hear it! I’d love to play for you some more,” they purred. “And for you to give me more compliments like that. But I have somewhere to be soon.”
“Can I come see you again sometime?” Bow blurted out. “I-I mean, if that’s okay with you.” Was that too forward? It was, wasn’t it? Agh, Glimmer always told him to just follow his instincts whenever indecision clouded him, but this felt like a really big leap.
To his immense relief, the stranger laughed. “Of course you can. I would never deny an audience member the chance to gaze upon my talent.” That contradicted what they'd said about not performing for free, but Bow couldn't find it in him to bring it up. They looked him over. “I’ve heard that mermaids have quite the singing voices as well. Perhaps we could perform a duet the next time we meet.”
It was only because of their offer to sing together that it took Bow longer than normal to realize the thing they’d said right before that.
“Wha- I-” He floundered. His tail was fully underwater, and his gills and ears had to be at least somewhat hidden in the dark. Bow waved a hand and let out a flustered laugh like a pufferfish releasing air. “Pfft. Me? A mermaid? That’s hilarious! I, um, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just out here for a midnight swim. Y’know, as humans do.”
The stranger flipped their hair back, causing Bow’s heart to skip a beat. “Oh don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I can keep a secret.” They gestured back at the shoreline. “Why don’t we meet here, same time tomorrow night? I’ve only had this crew to perform in front of for the past week, and I would love some fresh eyes and ears to critique my performance.”
“I- yeah, sure!” Bow beamed, too caught up in their agreement to fully register the fact that they knew he was a mermaid. Although… they didn’t seem that fazed by it. At all.
“Marvelous.” They glanced back at the beach one more time before adding, “Oh. You probably know this already, but I go by Double Trouble.”
Bow lit up. “It’s nice to meet you, Double Trouble. You can call me Bow.”
“Short, but sweet.” They smiled and tilted their head. “Until we meet again, Bow.”
As much as he wanted to stay and find out more about this alluring sailor, it wouldn’t be right to impose. And to be honest, he’d embarrassed himself too much already. It was time to get away and get a better hold of his senses before he blurted out anything else he’d regret.
He tore himself away from the cause of his muddled mind and sank back underneath the ocean. The waves rippled around him, and his hearing and breathing adjusted within seconds after submerging into the cozy warmth of the sea. Through the dark, rippling water, he could see the sailor turn around and move away from the edge of the rock they’d been sitting on.
Bow wistfully sighed. Bubbles rose from his gills. Until tomorrow…
Tail swishing behind him, Bow headed back to the castle. Double Trouble’s captivating voice and appearance stayed at the forefront of his thoughts.
Okay, so: Bad news, he’d gotten too close to a human and revealed his mermaid nature. He was going to have to unpack that later. Good news, they had agreed to meet with him tomorrow! Bad news, Glimmer was probably right about his feelings towards this singing sailor. Good news… Well, there wasn’t really anything else. Still, that one good news trumped all the other stuff.
Oh, wait. More bad news, Glimmer was so gonna tease him about this later.