Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be"

Laying his head on one of the metal bars of the cage he was forced to be in, Johnny could almost hear the sweet melodies that had lulled his sleep from his childhood to the last day he had been together with his own kind, the selkie folk. With fervent homesickness, he would replay the soothing sound in his head, imagining he was still there, swimming and basking in the timid sun in the midsummer mornings, where he would approach the land in his seal form. Yet, everything he remembered and had loved had been shattered at the hands of cynical and greedy human beings, that, with their ravenous thirst for money, had forever tainted his existence.

He was a selkie, a majestic creature born from the ocean’s tides, generated to fully relish the flavor of freedom in the deep waters of the sea. In the ocean he would have the form of a seal, yet on land, he would shed his seal skin to release his human form. Only one thing would permit him to go back to his marine form: his skin. If the seal skin was to be stolen, Johnny would not be able to return to the deep blue he loved so much, so akin to the rich color of his ethereal eyes. And that was exactly how Fate had decided to strike the poor selkie, stranding him on the earthy ground he loved to visit once in a while, locking away his right to be with his kind, swim with the raging tide and to exist. His skin had been stolen and he had no means to return home. He had no right over his own existence, since Fate had decided to take away every chance he could have been to return to what once was his cherished and loving home. He had grown resentful of the kismet that was provided for him: his heart longed to rejoice with the foamy waves of the ocean but, in spite of that, the misadventure had followed him till that very moment, locking him away and sealing his desire of freedom in a rusty cage.

Once his legs could have taken him away from the nightmare he was living and he would have done that if humans didn’t abuse him to the point of breaking his legs to prevent him from running away. But not only his mangled legs, even his beautiful eyes, once a pool of life and hope, had been reduced to blank mirrors, that would cast themselves on the ground. With years of incessant abuse and beatings, even his eyes had left him, rendering him unable to see and thus, he was able to entrust only his remaining senses. The more time he had passed with humans, the more he had started to think that maybe Fate had rendered him blind just to mock him further. Yet, he almost saw his disgrace as a bitterly sweet gift since he hadn’t the chance to see the glances that humans would give to him. A mere consolation, he thought, since he wouldn’t see the creatures that had trammeled his only desire to go back to the open ocean. He hated humans, he hated their greedy heart, he hated their very essence because humans had robbed him of every hope and every mean to return where he rightfully belonged.

Since the first moment he had been captured, he had been sold, beaten and reprimanded to the moment he had arrived to the circus, his final home. His skin laid under key and lock of a big chest that only the owner of the circus knew the whereabouts of. And without his warm seal skin, he could not shift back and swim away. Fate had decided that he would spend the rest of his miserable life in a prison, thus becoming a mere circus attraction to put under the hungry gaze of so many visitors, that always seemed to be so shocked by his existence. Selkies, like him, belonged to the folklore and yet, there he was, a living  proof that, sometimes, legends have, indeed, have founding roots into concrete reality. And when he was exhibited for the paying public, he could be forced to shift back to his seal form in a big tank of water, allowing him to have his skin just for the duration of his show. Every time they would grant him the temporary relief to have his skin back, he would feel his sea longing augmented by ten folds. Then, after being showed to the public and his circus number had terminated, the circus crew would threaten him with metal spears and immobilize him so he would shift back and hand over his skin to the owner, that, promptly, would hide his prized possession from curious stares, thus leaving Johnny to his grief, again in his human form. He could not even try to fight it, since his eyes prevented him for having a right perception of his surroundings. He relied in his hearing, his sense of touch and his sense of smell, which was heightened in his kind, yet the crew always disorient him producing different noises, so he couldn’t have a overall clear perceiving of who was attacking him. Doing this almost every day, he had grown accustomed to this treatment to the point he wouldn’t fight it anymore.

Johnny had given up on life. He would desire for Death to come to him every night. Everything he longed for was for his misery to cease, so he could be finally be at peace. And with the desire to see his life finally ending, he had started to think of himself as an unwanted presence on this Earth. He had convinced himself that, for him, light would never shine again since Fate had decided that he would live his life in eternal misfortune. He resented his own very existence and he didn’t see himself as a free creature anymore, he saw what everything would see in him. A freak of nature, an aberration. Abhorring the day he was brought to his life, he longed for the word “End” to be engraved in his book of life. He didn’t care anymore, he just felt tired and empty, since everything had been stolen from him. He felt emptied of every vital spark that, once, had lighted the fire in his light blue eyes. Everything that was left of the Johnny he once was, had been swiped away with the foamy tides he longed to feel again on his mangled lower half. He couldn’t swim away nor walk, since his legs were disabled and they had not been healed correctly. If he tried to walk, his legs wouldn’t support him, even because he spent most of his life inside a cage, so he could not ambulate even if he wished to.

Without a goal anymore and left in his miserable lack of enthusiasm, the only thing he could do was try to revive in his memory the happy days he had lived in the ocean, living in the past dreams that would feed the ghost he was becoming. Would he be ever able to regain the spark of life that had been fueling his existence till the very moment Fate had decided to go against him?

-

It was quite a strange predicament that had brought you to join the circus crew, yet, in a  way or another, this is what exactly what had happened. You went from hiding in one of their wagon trains to escape from somebody you owed some money to,  to be a part of the crew that had the task to assemble and disassemble the circus tents, carry the propos, feed the animals and so on. You don’t know why but after finding you and explain your current situation (maybe leaving out some details, like the fact that you owed some money to some wealthy business man), somebody of the troupe had suggested for you to join them and lend your help in exchange of a chance to work with a travelling circus. You could have the chance to escape from the furious henchmen of that snotty man you had just ripped off some money from, so it was, literally, the right occasion at the right moment. You were in charge of carrying the props of the shows along with an Italian man, that you had befriended over the course of your staying with the travelling circus. His name was Gyro Zeppeli and he was such a quirky individual, yet you had found a trusted companion in him. He could make you laugh with his strange sense of humor and be always a reliable friend, a true companion you could count on. You had always been struck by how singular he was: his beauty held no compare since he seemed to be carved from a sculptor with his long dark blond hair, green bright eyes and full lips and yet, he could be so goody with you. He had such a golden heart and you couldn’t helo but love all the facets of such an intriguing person. Gyro, in his oddities, had always your back and would always help you whenever you needed the most. He, too, was escaping from a strict situation he was trapped into. In fact, he would have been the next executioner of the Zeppeli family, yet he didn’t want to continue with the family tradition of beheading. He found it to be too cruel and wrongful. His desire of justice had prevailed on his judgment and he had guided his actions till that moment and somehow, he too, had found himself being  a part of the circus troupe. You found in him somebody to relate to, since you had been on the run till you could remember. Being an orphan on the streets was tough and so, you had taught yourself how to survive alone and without anybody to care for you, even doing certain things that you were not proud of. You despised stealing and defrauding people, but even if you begged and begged, nobody wanted a “street rat” to work for them and so you were left to fend for yourself in the urban jungle.

Recently, you had learned of the extraordinary existence of a selkie, which, in theory, was supposed to be only a creature from folklore and mythology. Yet, you had learnt that he was indeed much real when you had seen him shift to his seal form from the backstage. He truly was a wonder of nature. In your years of life you had seen so many things, but nothing ever reached the level of extraordinariness that was Johnny’s very existence. You couldn’t help but feeling outraged when you had learned of the poor treatment they reserved to such a sweet looking creature. You honestly thought that the crew members had an angel under their paws, since he really looked like an ethereal creature, the most charming and angelic you ever had seen. The soft and dainty features of his visage really struck you, such beauty couldn’t be human. He had such long soft looking hair, light blond like pure bright thread of sunshine, that moved with him and full blue lips. You were sure his eyes had held such a glowing soft aura, yet, now, they held only melancholy, while concealed by a thin veil that would give his orbs a faint look. He was kept in his rusty cage, in his human form and thus, dressed like a human. Still, he had to look appealing, so they had him dressed in fine silks and pearls and this clothing only served to give him such an imperial look. Yet, he gave off the same look of a trapped canary, longing for the moment he would fly away. His legs weren’t really visible since he kept them concealed with a creamy cloth, maybe he was ashamed of them or maybe he preferred to not see them since he was forced to be in his human form. You really didn’t know, but he always kept them hidden.

Feeling outraged for the way they treated him you had manifested your disagreement but the crew told you that such a beast as they called him, needed to be reprimanded since he could be dangerous or even attempt to flee. Yet, you didn’t believe this solitary looking creature could pose a real threat. Still, anything you tried to do or say would be always dismissed. Gyro, too, would protest with you yet nothing of what you two tried to do, helped the miserable selkie.

In spite of that, when the selkie needed a new guardian since his previous one had left the circus, Gyro was the one to be appointed for that task. And he was able to build  a decent bond with the selkie. He seemed to open up to Gyro, even if he was, indeed, a human. Maybe Johnny, this was the selkie’s name, hadn’t see any menace in your friend’s presence and thus, he had started to trust him a little. You couldn’t blame him, after all, Gyro would make quite the impression, so he surely had seen the same golden heart you had seemed when Gyro had approached you for the first time.

You were often with Gyro and as Johnny grew comfortable with him, he grew restless when you were present. You didn’t know where all of this resentment came from, but it was clear as the day that Johnny despised your presence: he had made quite the point to tell you that he didn’t want you near his cage, even if you had came to him with the friendliest of the intents. He looked angelic, yes, but he had hidden such a snarly attitude from you. That’s why you had first considered him to be the sweetest angelic being on Earth, but when you had approached Gyro during his shift as his guardian, he had literally growled towards to you, as if you were stepping in his territory. He couldn’t see you, yet he had learned to deduce your presence from the way you walked, talked and from your scent, so different from Gyro’s. Honestly you didn’t know why he would keep in stating so blatantly that he disliked your presence near Gyro, but he indeed did.

Truth to be told, Johnny had found in Gyro a human that he could trust. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if Gyro could be truly the remedy to his lonesome. He liked talking to him, even if Gyro would pull some antics like his “Pizza Mozzarella” and “Seven days in a week” songs, yet he liked his quirky sense of humor. So far he had enjoyed his time with Gyro, but since you always hung out the Italian man, Johnny had started to see in you a obstacle. Gyro would always hung out with you and when you approached him, Johnny would whrite and show his disagreement because your presence would hinder Gyro’s attention to be focused solely on him. He truly didn’t know why he did this, yet he loved to bask in Gyro’s attention since nobody ever noticed him like Gyro had. Humans would irk him, yet Gyro wouldn’t. Humans were a nuisance, yet Gyro wasn’t. But with you entering the picture, he couldn’t bring himself to like you, mainly because you were keeping his guardian’s attention from himself. He knew that Gyro liked you, he could sense it in the fond way Gyro would refer to you. And since he had never, once, received such attention, he would be jealous of the sweet way Gyro treated you. He wanted that attention only for himself, the only thing that would give him some kind of relief from the grief he was obligated to feel every remaining day of his wretched life.

Your very presence hindered him from having all Gyro’s attention and so, if you approached, he would start to grow restless to the point he would say to you, in such an outspoken way:

“Go away, human. Your presence is irritating”

And he would glare at you as if you had harmed him. You, never once in your life, had held resentment to the selkie and you didn’t even in that situation. Yes, his hatred was uncalled for, yet you couldn’t help but feeling bad for him. So much he had endured that you tried to understand his point of view. He must hate the human kind so much and you weren’t going to hold it against him. You weren’t going to berate him for it, since humans kept treating him in such a foul way. You had tried to show him kindness but he would always dismiss you and so you had learned to not overstep his boundaries, to give him his time with Gyro (that always seemed to calm him down) and to let him be, since he didn’t seem to be fond of you. Even if you tried to understand him, this didn’t mean that his behavior didn’t hurt you. Of course you would feel dejected in seeing how he didn’t seem to accept you but what could you do about it? You were used to people not being accepting of you so you didn’t make a deal out of it. You truly didn’t want to impose your presence on him since only Gyro seemed to be welcome near his cage.

The fact that the son of the owner of the circus was so hell-bent on courting you didn’t help in the slightest. He was such a  despicable human being and he  would always torment Johnny, taunting him and telling to him that he would never see the ocean again. You truly despised him yet he seemed to not receive the message since you kept finding him everywhere trying to get you on his bed. He didn’t care you about you as a person, he was only interested in “having some fun together”, as he would say. Johnny sensed you near with him often, so you feared that he would associate you with that excuse of a man, which would explain his resentment. And in part was true, not only were you a nuisance in sharing Gyro’s attention but you had always that man attached to you, so much that Johnny had started thinking that you were tricking Gyro and so, he couldn’t bring himself to like you. Most of the times Johnny was out of earshot so he couldn’t hear you shooing the annoying man away, he would only sense your scents and so he thought that you were with him. But you weren’t. You resented your time with him and every one of his attempts would result you in trying to run away since everything he wanted from you was merely physical pleasure.

And so this situation went on for some weeks, with Johnny despising you and trying to alert Gyro of your true alleged nature, while Gyro kept on assuring him that you were a good person and a good friend. But Johnny seemed to be so convinced of your true whereabouts that he would refuse so stubbornly everything Gyro would say, trying to tarnish the idea Gyro had of you. He was doing this merely out of affection for Gyro, since he didn’t want the only human he cherished to be ruined by another one of the foul humans that had ruined his life too. Humans were truly conniving and you could be a danger to his precious Gyro.

You had tried your best to try to make him see that your didn’t arbor any malevolent will but he was persistent. He often ranted to Gyro, trying to make him see that he was, indeed, right.

“Please, Gyro, you should be paying attention around (Y/N)” He would say, grasping the bars of his cage, while Gyro proceeded into bringing him his lunch. He couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head as he found Johnny’s attempts to warn him quite funny, since he knew you weren’t the famished monster Johnny saw in you.

“Johnny, why don’t you give her a chance?” Gyro would retort, watching the selkie make a face at the random mention of trying to trust you. Never. He could never do that and nothing Gyro said would ever deter him from despising your very presence.

“I don’t trust her! She’s bad news!”

Gyro shook his head again. He couldn’t believe how invested Johnny was in trying to warn him from you. The care Johnny put into trying to defend and warn him warmed his heart, but you weren’t his enemy. You never were. He chuckled when he remembered how annoyed you had looked when the son of the owner of the circus kept pestering you in hope of taking you out to the city. You were always kind and supportive of Johnny, yet Johnny in his raging mind couldn’t see how really caring you were. He had never gave you a chance to begin of course and Gyro had told him many times to not be so biased towards you, yet Johnny couldn’t be bothered to change his snarky attitude towards you.

“(Y/N) is a good person, Johnny, and she worries about you too. Why are you so hostile towards her?”

Johnny growled again. Why wouldn’t Gyro agree with him? He had tried to signalize the danger for so many times now and yet, Gyro seemed to not fully grasp the fact that you hung around dangerous people.

“She’s always around that foul man!” He lamented “She’s pretending to be your friend!”

Yes, his worry seemed justified to him. Yet, even if he was willing to hear, Gyro would never agree with him.  In fact, even if you did pretend, what would you gain from his friendship? Exactly nothing, since he was a common worker at the circus as you were. He had left everything behind and thus, had nothing to offer if not his company to you. Even if you did pretend, as Johnny feared, you would obtain nothing from this bond, so the thought of you betraying his trust didn’t ever surface in his mind. What worried him was how hostile Johnny was being towards you. Well, Johnny was peevish with any human that wasn’t him, but you had fought with him side by side to let Johnny have a little bit of freedom. Why Johnny couldn’t see that you never were a threat and you only wished to help him for what was possible?

One day, you had just finished to clean up some sideshow props when Gyro had called for you, out from the tent you were currently in. You always hung out with him when you two finished the tasks your jobs provided for you.

“Look at who has come to see me, my favorite Italian man” You started, greeting Gyro with a wave.

You always joked with him and your relationship was quite humorous so you had no qualms in calling him “Italian man” or “Italian cowboy” and he, too, had a series of nicknames to call you, too.

“Luce dei miei occhi!” He started, bowing to you as if meeting a princess.

“My darling (Y/N), you strike this poor cowboy’s heart with your angelic beauty”

You lifted a brow to his statement. Here he was, using the flattering tone he used when he needed something. You could recognize that tone every time he used it, because after complimenting you he would ask a favor. You couldn’t help but shake your head and smirking, taunting his antic.

“Let me guess, you need somebody to cover for you while you go to the nearest city to have some fun, don’t you?”

“Nyoho- that wasn’t so subtle, was it?”

Gyro scratched his head, moving his cowboy hat from his eyes and letting you see the closed eyes smile he was giving you. What a dork he was.

“You are the worst” You joked, letting go of a breath.

“But you love me just the same, signorina”

He winked, now, smirking and letting you see his peculiar grills, which always had intrigued you. He had such a singular fashion sense. But he remained always your cherished Gyro and thus, at this point , he was sure you would, indeed, cover for him while he went for a little night adventure in the tavern of the nearby town. He would do always do this since he was sure that he could obtain any little favor from you. He knew you had such a good heart even if you pretended you hadn’t. Yet, he always had been a brilliant and perceptive man and so he had learnt to use his sarcasm and his whole mannerism to his advantage to ask you to cover for him when he wanted to go out for a drink and break the routine of the circus. Nonetheless you were already preparing yourself to take Gyro’s night shift and possibly, trying to not let discover the owner of the circus about your friend’s little escapades.

“Sadly, I do” you deadpanned, passing him with a defeated expression since you knew that you would pass another night with only two hours of sleep since Gyro’s shift would take most of the night. His task was to guard Johnny’s cage and you already dreaded the moment Johnny would sense you. You always stayed away from him so if it happened for Johnny to understand that you were near him, he would start to be agitate himself and telling you to go away. Which was always heartbreaking since you had always adored him with every ounce of your heart, since discovering his sad life in the circus. But what could you? He despised you, he couldn’t even bear to be in your proximity without him telling you to go away.

“But you know that Johnny still dislikes me too much. I will cover for  you, tonight, but try to come back early. You know he gets restless without you”

You said, turning around and watching Gyro more seriously, a look he reciprocated. Gyro, then, hummed, acknowledging what you had said to him. He shook his head, motioning towards the direction Johnny was kept at.

“I’m trying to convince him you aren’t dangerous, yet anything I say seems to be useful”

He sounded really defeated. He had tried to see to Johnny that you weren’t a threat and yet, nothing had came out of his attempts.

“Don’t worry Gyro, eventually he’ll come around”

Yes, you hoped he will. Even if the premises weren’t looking so bright. And Gyro hoped it too. Many times he had required your assistance with Johnny and even authorized by the circus’ owner, your presence would always be a switch to make Johnny enraged. He really couldn’t understand what his deal was with you. Hell, you two couldn’t even perform your designed tasks if Johnny opposed them, so cooperating wasn’t always so simple. He had tried to do everything he could, as a guardian, to not let Johnny be harmed anymore, so under Gyro’s care he was free from harm way. Yet, when he performed, it could occur that he would get hurt, but he really didn’t try to oppose any of it at this point. The son of the owner pestered him and he would respond to his pestering, yet he couldn’t help but cry when he was being reminded that he would not see his oceanic home again. He tried to not think about it, yet that man, the one he believed was always with you, would torment him again and again. Gyro had tried to prevent this from happening, yet that man was still the son of the owner, and thus it was obvious that Gyro couldn’t do much without being scolded by the circus’ owner, with the threat of being fired. And same had happened to you. You had risked to be fired so many times when you defended Johnny’s wellbeing. It was your first honest job that had provided a safe passage from the men that were hunting you, so, of course, you preferred to remain where you could be protected. Yet, the whole work atmosphere wasn’t the best, even if you and Gyro stepped up for Johnny, had made a little bit of difference. But Johnny seemed to acknowledge only Gyro’s doing, never yours. And honestly, his preference didn’t offend you, it just kept you questioning If you had done something you shouldn’t have to Johnny.

You, then, had bid you goodbye to Gyro, whom seemed so happy to leave the circus, even for a little while. He probably was  already picturing his beer and his fuming pizza, you thought, he could really be a man of appetite. The only thing left to do was to go guarding Johnny, hoping he wouldn’t hinder your job too much. Which, of course, would be too good to be true.

“Why are you here?! Where is Gyro?” He inquired, just as you approached the cage. He had sensed you already from afar yet he had chosen to confront you now, to be sure of your identity. In fact, he had always found your scent to be a scent he couldn’t bring himself to forget. It was as if something prevented him from forgetting it, no matter how hard he tried to keep you out of his mind. Your scent was by far more enigmatic that the one Gyro had. It had intrigued him from the first moment he had sensed you and yet, at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to like you, not even when you had such a lovely and sweet aura.

"He left me in charge today” (which was a way to say: “He yeeted himself out of the window to go eat pizza, but of course you couldn’t say this to him).

“You?! He knows how much I despise your presence, why did he send you?”

He was so venomous already and the night shift had just started. You didn’t know if you could keep this up for all those hours.

“Johnny, I’m not here to fight with you”

You were quick to stop him, making him scrunch his nose again at what you were telling him.

“Pretend I’m not here”

“As if I can, your human scent keeps annoying me” He seethed.

“Bear with it, just for some hours, please”

He growled again, turning his head the other way, refusing to acknowledge you further.  He really was offended by your presence near him. And you, frankly, didn’t even have the strength to argue with him. He would always be so passive-aggressive with you, which was strange because with all the other people who confronted him, he would be snarky or generally sad, but as snarky as he was with you, he wasn’t with anybody else. It was as if your presence kept giving him a purpose to signal his presence. Most of the time he looked like he wasn’t even alive, yet when he had you under his radar, it was as if he came alive again. You didn’t know why your presence spurred him in such a way, but you would have preferred if your presence had a positive effect on him, yet the only effect it had was him growling and continuing shifting in his cage. At first, you would hear what he had to say, but then you had started to not listen since all he had to say was how much he didn’t want you were.

An hour had passed.

Still silence from him.

Two hours had passed.

Annoyed silence from him.

Three hours had passed.

And then you heard him, lamenting the fact he had to bear your presence.

“Why Gyro keep leaving me with you!” He spat

“You are a despicable human! You are friend with that man that keeps tormenting me”

And thus he would go on, saying things like:

“Call Gyro, I don’t want you here”

“My life is already miserable at is it, why do you must be present to ruin it further?”

He kept rambling, most to himself than anything. He truly was as if your presence had revived him. He wasn’t this talkative even when Gyro was around, yet he talked so much when you were there. He kept on going on and at one point he had started to shake, panic and to cry. Often it happened this to him and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, but there wasn’t anything you could do to help him. You had tried to approach him in this state, yet he would become even more desperate. You wanted to avoid this situation, so for this specific reason you wanted Gyro to return soon, since he always managed to calm him down and console him. You were  a bit hesitant since he always rejected your presence, but being night, his whines would be heard by the whole staff and crew and your covering for Gyro would be discovered.

“Johnny, please, don’t cry” You started, trying to approach his cage, but not too much, with a sweet and mellow tone, yet this didn’t seem to work on him.

“I just want to die!”

 He cried, clutching his head with such a force you believed he would rip his hair off if he kept doing this.

“You all are killing me! I just want to go home! I just want to go home! I can’t do this anymore”

Every cry he would emit tore at your heart in such a cruel way that you couldn’t help but grasp the bars of his cage, trying to console him.

“Please, Johnny, stop crying”  ushered in such a sweet tone did nothing on his grief. He cried with such a desperation, that you truly understood his pain and his misery. Yet, he seemed as if you weren’t present there with him and he kept expressing his feelings in this way. He kept repeating he wanted to die and the more he said, the more he grew restless.

“Fuck, where is Gyro when I need him?!” You thought. Your hands were tied since you had to prevent Johnny from causing a scene, yet the more you tried to console him, the more he cried. Then, you stopped in your attempt to console him and turned away, when you heard a voice, just close to your ear. A voice you truly didn’t want to hear in such a tragic situation. While the selkie kept lamenting his existence, the son of the owner of the circus, was returning from one of his drinking contests with his friend and thus, was totally drunk and now had you trapped against Johnny’s cage. You didn’t even register his arrival since you were so focused on Johnny and thus, he had used your unawareness to force you in his arms. He had caged you against Johnny’s own cage, without a single regard for his presence. You weren’t focused on him anymore, you just wanted to free yourself from that man’s presence.

“(Y/N)… darling, what *hic* are you doing?” You heard him slur in such a taunting tone. It as such a paradoxical situation, yet there you were with a inconsolable selkie having  a panic attack while keeping at bay a  drunk man  that wanted to spend his night with you. If anything, you truly could say that your life was quite interesting, if not full of bizarre situations.

The man had always been quite the jerk and he didn’t seem to break his reputation while his wine scented breath kept reminding you that you had to get out of that situation.

“Looks like you can’t run away anymore from me, (Y/N)” he slurred, making you cringe.

“You are observant as always. Please, remove yourself from me” You started, glaring at him and hoping he would cease this foolish act. Yet, you knew how obsessed he was in having you, so you doubted that he let you go without causing a commotion, over all if he was drunk as he was in that predicament.

“As if. You always deny me but you should really be thankful to who has suggested for you to stay in the circus when you were found trembling on that train wagon…”

Yes, it had been him the one to suggest his father to keep you with the crew, when the found almost freeing to the death on one of their train wagon used to transport their equipments. You still didn’t know why he did that, yet the darkness of his intentions always was clear to you. He had even grabbed your face in such a violent way, pressing your cheeks together, while you, desperate, tried to claw at him to let you go. But he was always stronger than you. Your strength was your wits and this was how you had survived till that day but he was far stronger than you and now you were reckoning the danger he truly represented.

“Let me go!” You seethed, from his violent grasp, which prevented your words to be delivered clearly.

 “I owe you nothing! The fact you let me stay doesn’t mean I have to sleep with you!”

“You ungrateful bitch *hic*” he growled, tightening his hold on you even more.

“I should have left you to freeze to death that day. You are here because I permitted you to stay yet you keep denying me! You will give me what I wa-“

Yet, he didn’t finish his boasting, since his unfocused drunk gaze was directed over you, presumably looking at Johnny. You couldn’t hear him whimpers anymore, so he must have stopped. In spite of that, you grew even more worried because he could hurt Johnny too, now that he had realized you two weren’t alone.

“And you, beast, what the fuck are you looking at?!” He spat, while Johnny worriedly shifted his attention towards him, his cheeks now humid after his previous session of crying. In fact, while the vile man was busy into assaulting you, Johnny had stopped crying and had screamed to his heart’s content for help. He had sensed the violence lurking in the first quote the man had pronounced and he had been calling for help the whole time. Your attacker had noticed and only now, in your shocked state, you were noticing him too. He couldn’t even move his arms out of the bars since he was cuffed. He could raise his hands only near his face, then the length of his chains prevented him from moving in other directions, so the only thing he could do was make noise with his chains and calling for help. But now, your attacker was his too.

“Oh no, I made a mistake, you can’t see shit”

As per usual, the man laughed and was back to taunt Johnny’s blindness and the more he talked, the more he kept pushing you towards his cage.

“ Let me guess, you want my bitch *hic* don’t you?”

Yes, he was referring to you and not matter how strongly you clawed at him, he wouldn’t let you go. You even tried to bit him and that was what got him to pull your hair and bring your head towards his face, while you kept protesting, trying to break free from his vice like hold and glaring murderously at him.

“Let me go you fucker, let me go!” You would say, but nothing could faze him.

“She’s mine to do as I please yet she has warmed so many beds that I bet she would let even a beast like you have his way with her” he blurted out, glaring down at you in such a poisonous way. You reciprocated the glare, again kicking and screaming trying to break free. You could sense how frightened Johnny was, he didn’t dare to utter a word when the man was present since he was the one to torment him, yet something in you told him you had to save Johnny from his wrath. You didn’t want Johnny to be a victim of this despicable human being. He could keep to taunt you and he wouldn’t be the only one to have done that, he could call you names but you wouldn’t care since there was anything that could tarnish you. But the thought that he could hurt Johnny in such a drunk state really irked you so much. He had tried to attack you another time, yet you were always able to break free from his hold, just as you had now. You had spat in his face and he, disgusted and insulted by your act, had let you go out of surprise for your act, since he thought you wouldn’t do something like this. Yet, he felt outraged by your actions and he really seemed to be fuming, so much that he straight slapped you when you had said:

“Leave Johnny out of this! He’s twice the man you dream to be!”

And hearing this from you had a man so full of himself, feeling so hurt in his pride because Johnny wasn’t a human to begin with. But it was true, Johnny was much more than he could ever aspire to be and so you had focused his attention on you only. You knew that to change the subject of his anger you would have to strike him in his pride and it has worked just fine. His fury seemed to be concentrated only to you, but you preferred this way that witnessing him hurting Johnny. And Johnny? His mouth gaped in what you had just said. You had diverted the attention of the man attacking you and you had even defended him, taking a blow in the process. You had defended him, after everything he had told you, after everything he had put you through. He had despised your presence and doubted your kind heart, while you had just proved to him that you were such a selfless person, optioning to take the blow than letting him face the fury of the man. He had sensed how much you had struggled to be freed from his violent hold and not once did you waver in your confrontation with this man. He was stronger than you in the physical department yet your idea of provoking him had been the right choice to deal with a brute like him. You had used his big ego against him and now, even if he had smacked you, you were free and had put a distance from you to the attacker so he couldn’t grab you again. His heart kept beating wildly from everything that was happening. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for doubting your good intentions and pushed himself till the chains would permit him to go, since he was worried about you, now. He had never had been, yet, now, the thought of you harmed had him restless. He couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t had a panic attack in that moment, maybe you could have noticed the attack of that man. He felt so despicable in that moment in seeing all the grief he had caused you. How could he have been so convinced that you were the threat while you had so blatantly and genuinely risked everything for his wellbeing?

Your cheek was already getting swollen, but you didn’t seem to care. You were in a defensive stance, ready to strike if the man decided to come directly at you. You had put some distance between you two and you were ready to defend yourself if you had to be. But, at least, only you would be the one to receive the man’s fury and not Johnny. He had seemed so ready to grab Johnny and punch him that you had acted out and had defended him in this way. Preventing him from being hurt was your objective too and you wouldn’t permit Johnny to go under any sort of abuse with you present. Even if it meant having to put a fight with a bulky drunk man. 

“It’s time I teach you a lesson, you ungrateful bitch!” He yelled to you, his drunkenness had shifted though complete fury at this point. Yet, as he prepared to charge, a hand was put on his shoulder and he shifted his attention away from you, glaring ravenously to whoever had dared to interfere.

“Hey amico, ti sembra questo il modo di trattare una signorina come lei?”

It was Gyro! He always manifested when the worst seemed to happen yet if he had returned sooner, maybe, this situation could have been spared. Yet, you were happy to see his bright eyes scanning quickly your swollen face and then, direct his glare into the eyes of the man that was attacking you. Gyro was no man to be messed with, he too was strong and could stand his ground. The fact that the man had hit you had his rational sense flying out of the window and he grasped the man’s shoulder in such a way, he was sure would leave bruises. He truly was furious for the way you had been treated.

“Fuck you Italian, I’m going to teach this bitch a lesson”

The other one growled, glaring at him. Gyro glared back, much more intensely than you had ever see him do.

“I’m sure your father would be so thrilled to hear you go assaulting defenseless women at night. Not such a nice thing to do, especially since he thinks you are such a perfect son”

You could see where this was going and you knew Gyro would get you out of this situation.

“You wouldn’t dare telling my father this. Who even are you to threaten me, hm?!”

The other one didn’t seem to be fazed.

“Me? Oh, nobody. But there are many people of the tavern you go to get drunk that saw you get drunk and can swear you were there this night. Do you really want me to call them?”

The other man growled. Gyro was right. Many people at the tavern had seen him and his friends having a drink competition and if his father was to hear of his behavior he would, indeed, get mad since he had gotten drunk and attacked you. He couldn’t bear Gyro’s smugness but he couldn’t do anything but snorting in such a foul way and removing himself from Gyro’s hold, recognizing that, this time, he couldn’t win.

“This time you win Italian, but don’t think I won’t forget about this” He hissed, then turning his head to you.

“And you, rest assured that I will have you and when I have, you’ll learn to obey and respect me”

It was the last thing he blurted out, before stumbling and retreating in such an unceremonious away to the dark night he had came from. Now free from his impending presence, Gyro was quick to run to you and inspect your face, taking your face in his nimble fingers.

“Oddio, (Y/N)! How are you? Did he hurt you badly?!” He started rambling, clutching your head in his hands and frantically asking you questions.

“It was only my fault! I shouldn’t have left you alone!” 

You chuckled and put your hands on his own, trying to smile and reassure him even if he kept squishing you. He was genuinely worried about you, but the way he was encasing your face did hurt since the blow was still fresh.

“It’s okay, Gyro, it’s okay” You told him, yet he didn’t seem to calm down.

“Could you please stop squishing my face? It hurts a little” And he proceeded to do so in such a timely way, fidgeting when he had learned he was hurting you.

“Scusami! It’s just that…That brute! I can’t even imagine what he would have done if I didn’t arrive!”

You couldn’t help but chuckle in seeing him so worked up.

“This is a clear sign from the Universe to not go to the tavern” You tried to joke and in seeing how carefree you were trying to be in front of the violent act that had just occurred to you, Gyro couldn’t help but feel a little smile in is full lips. You truly were something else. You didn’t seem to care about the blow you had just received, it was as if you were truly trying to not feel sorrow for what had happened. And you weren’t in the slightest, screaming at him for being away when you had needed him, which he thought you were justified to do. No, you didn’t because Gyro wasn’t at fault if that man had attacked in such a despicable way. Not was Johnny’s fault for crying and distracting you with his cries. But about Johnny… how was he?

You were fast to concentrate your attention on him and you found him in the center of the cage, astonished and not even uttering a word. He had stayed there, positively impressed by how brave and selfless you had been. He still couldn’t comprehend why you would try to defend him after everything he had done to prevent you from gain his favor. He had doubted your intentions all this time, not caring about Gyro told him. He was focused only on the mere prospect of having you out of his meeting with Gyro, that he didn’t notice the fact that Gyro stayed with you because you were a good person. You were a true kind human and he was so blinded by his prejudice and his jealousy that he hadn’t see how beautiful your soul truly was. He really wanted to vanish from Earth’s existence after what had occurred and what he had realized. He was so sorry he had done something like that to you, even if his jealousy told him to not let go of the fact you were still a threat to his and Gyro’s time together.

You indeed were a opponent in gaining Gyro’s attention but now something had changed. He found your scent to not be so irritating anymore. He found it to be much sweeter than he remembered it to be. He didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t feel all the resentment that once drove him against you. No. It felt as if you defending him in such a brave way had lightened up something in his hollow heart. Was he going to trust you fully? That was out of question, he still needed some confirmations but he seemed to tolerate more the thought of you near Gyro. And your scent only amplified this feeling that was slowly crawling into his tired heart. His desire to fight you had been submerged by thoughts of getting to know you better. He was so concentrated in hating you that he didn’t even know who you truly were. Of you he knew your beautiful scent and your soft spoken words, yet nothing more he had of you. Something, inside him, told him to keep going, to acquire more informations about you, about who you truly were. He found himself to be enthralled by you, to the point he wanted to know more about you, your story, your future projects and about your relationship with Gyro. There wasn’t much he could do stranded on Earth, yet he found himself to have something to discover while he stayed on earthy grounds: you.

In the other hand, you had approached him, hoping you wouldn’t scare him away after everything that he had been experimenting.

“Johnny…” you muttered, while Gyro studied the situation to see if Johnny was alright and if he seemed available in wanting to talk to you. Maybe this would be the right occasion to speak a little together, just you and him.

“How are you? I’m sorry you had to put up with…that”

You didn’t have the word to define the circus’ owner’s son actions. He was truly a vile individual and you hoped he hadn’t upset Johnny too much with his unsavory actions.

“What you said…” you heard him murmur. It was such a feeble whisper but it was there, while Johnny kept his gaze locked on the ground.

“…did you mean it?”

He seemed so uncertain in asking you this, almost like a kid asking permission to go play outside. It shocked you how much his tone had changed when speaking to you. He went from being always defensive to being almost… sweet ?

“Of course I mean it, Johnny!” You were fast to reply, grasping again the bars of the cage to let him know that you were close to him. You were happy he wasn’t having a negative reaction to you for once. He truly seemed as if your intervention had him calmed down, almost to the point he didn’t looked like he had cried.

“You truly are a wonder of nature in every form! I don’t care about which form you take, human or not human, you remain one of the most amazing beings I have ever met in my life! Please, don’t ever doubt this!”

Your train of quotes really left him speechless. You thought such positive things of… him? Him, the same creature that was reduced to be nothing more than mere entertainment for greedy humans? Him, the pathetic excuse of space that kept on living thanks to the illusions his memories provided? Him, that was being targeted by Fate and its continuous misfortune? Him, that always rejected every attempt you made to get to know him better? You thought this of him? He didn’t know what to said. You had stirred his beliefs and his view of you that he truly couldn’t find the right words to address the situation.

He was shocked to say the least. Why would you ever think that of somebody like him?

While you waited for his response since he seemed to think about it for a while, you couldn’t help but gaze at Gyro, who gave you a thumbs up in seeing you interact with Johnny in such a peaceful manner. In fact, for once, he didn’t seemed to be verbally attacking you. He really seemed to ponder every word he pronounced, as if that even really had changed something inside him. Then his answer finally came and he said something he had said only to Gyro till that moment.

“… can I see you?”

Came his uncertain answer, keeping his eyes planted on the ground. Even wanting, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head since he felt so embarrassed to ask you that. He cussed himself for the meek tone he had used, but he couldn’t take that back now.

In the other hand, you were melting and you tried with all your might to contain your joy in that moment, but you truly were on cloud nine in hearing him say that and in such a cute tone too! Finally, he seemed to be more acceptant of you because, since he had asked this question only to Gyro when he had wanted to know more about the appearance of the man. Him asking you this meant, basically, that he wanted to feel your face and try to make out a mental image of you in his mind, since he had no longer the chance to see you. The fact that he had willingly asked you this question meant only one thing: he wanted to know more about you which was, indeed, a positive sign for you and even for Gyro, since he wouldn’t have to put up with the tension that once ruled your and Johnny’s interactions.

“Of course you can Johnny” you responded to him and in your tone he could sense so much sincerity and true joy that he started to feel more at ease about his request. You motioned to Gyro and he was quick to open the little door of the cage. Technically you shouldn’t do this since the circus’ owner had clearly stated that his cage should always been closed, hence preventing his escape but when Gyro could, he opened it to be closer to Johnny and to make him feel less alone. He was already cuffed and he was of such a frail build and you doubted his legs would even carry him a meter away since he never got up. he couldn’t escape even if he wanted. The only reasonable thing was to you to go for him and he seemed quite while he heard you entering the cage. In other times he would have yelled at you to go away but now his overall attitude seemed tolerating of you. He most stayed still while he heard you shifting and sitting just right in front of him, so he didn’t have to force himself up too much, while Gyro kept watching and controlling nobody was awake to report what you were doing with the selkie.

Johnny felt your scent in such proximity that it was being almost hypnotic for him breathing it in. You had, by far, the sweetest scent he had ever sensed and he could feel how positive you aura was now, that you were so close to him. He had almost the urge to hug you as if there was anything else he needed if not holding you closer to him. When he had longed to stay so close to you in the first place? He regained control of his senses and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, feeling his heart beating much more wildly and his stomach doing back flips. You were the first human to make him feel this way, not even Gyro had had the same effect on him as you had.

“Here I am Johnny” you said and damn, he didn’t remember your voice to be like liquefied honey. Had you always been so sweet? He seemed as if having you close to him made his senses so heightened that he, barely, could keep track of what was he doing. He struggled so hard with himself to act distant from it all, but he would be lying if he said your presence wasn’t affecting him in such a strong way.

He, tentatively, brought his shaking hands up, searching for your face. He almost jumped when he felt your soft touch on his pale skin. You had put your hands on his own to help him reach your face and now, you had brought them on your cheeks, so he was gently grasping them. You didn’t mind him touching the hurt area of your cheek, his touch was so feeble it was almost as if it wasn’t there. Johnny gulped hard. He kept feeling his heart almost near to burst from his ribcage. Why did you have such an effect on him?

He shyly started to palm your face, starting from the forehead, then your eyes and you closed your eyes while you felt him exploring your visage. Then he shifted his touch to the bridge of your nose and then grasped your cheeks, passing his thumbs on either of them and feeling the left side much ore swollen than the right. That was there that bastard had hit you. He felt so angry for what he had done to you, yet he couldn’t have done nothing to defend you from him. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t walk and he was being kept prisoner inside a rusty cage. He felt so useless in that moment and when he seemed to hesitate you were quick to say:

“It’s okay, Johnny. You may continue”

Again with that sweet tone. The way you spoke to him had his mind on a haze and he couldn’t help but comply with what you had said. Every action of him kept being mitigated  by your presence and Gyro, too, seemed shocked to witness such a fast change in Johnny.

He, then, reached your lips. On both of them he passed his rough thumb, marveling at how soft your lips were. He seemed hypnotized by your mouth and he kept brushing the digit on your lower lip for quite some time as if he needed to engrave it in his memory. He then let you go, caressing your hair and asking you which color your hair and eyes were. And when he seemed to be satisfied he did withdrawn a little, losing a little of the warmth you were providing but seeming satisfied, nonetheless. He really had taken his time in analyzing every detail of your face that would pass under his skin. He had been so meticulous and after analyzing you, you heard him murmur a swift whisper.

“Now I see you…” he whispered, more than himself than anybody, as if you weren’t there with him.

“You are so beautiful…”

He said that in such a warm way that… wow, you felt almost blown away by how silky his voice was. He was permitting you to see him in such a tender state and you didn’t know if he fully was aware of how sweet he was being since he seemed almost dazed having you so close to him. You almost didn’t register when he started talking again.

“You scent… can I feel it better. too?” he had asked that in such an urgent yet soft way that you couldn’t help but shake your head yes even if he couldn’t see you doing that. Yet he seemed as if he had acted automatically and had taken your wrist in such a fast way, you hadn’t even seen him doing that. You thought that those were his instincts that were making him act in this way. He was always so posed, yet now he moved in such a way you didn’t even notice him doing so. He had taken your wrist and pressed him nose on it and he kept breathing you in as if he was entranced by something present in what he said was your scent. Gyro gave you a shocked look and you did the same, since you had never seen Johnny acting such in territorial way. His eyes seemed to be focused and his overall attitude seemed concentrated in doing what he was currently doing. He felt as if he needed to breath more of you, to discover more of you, to have more of you. He couldn’t bring himself to stop, there was something that kept him locked on the blissful closeness your body provided, a longing so fervently embed in his disgraced soul that he felt like he always had you close, but it never had been close enough. For him it felt as if learning to breath again. He truly didn’t know what had gotten in him, but he seemed to snap out of it when he heard your worried voice talking to Gyro while he still grasped your wrist. He was quick to let you go and when he did, you shifted your attention to him again, but Gyro was quick to intervene before you could even mutter a syllable.

“I hate to cut short your meeting but it’s time to go, I hear somebody coming this way!”

You had to go. Now that your presence had made him feel so complete, you had to go. He reached for you which totally shook you, again. He found you in your place, while you were standing up after Gyro’s calling.

“Thank you for today… (Y/N)”

And the sugary way in which he had pronounced your name, which he had never, made you feel in such a strange way. He had said in such a soft yet nostalgic way that you felt as if going away would hurt you, both you and him. You had felt dazed too as he had been and you couldn’t deny how red your cheeks were or how uneven your breath was. It was a fact, Johnny’s behavior had put you in that condition and as Gyro urged you to exit the cage, you couldn’t do anything but mutter a fast “Goodbye” to him and stealing a final glance to his face, which seemed still dazed from everything that had happened just then.

You couldn’t stay and mull it over, you run towards you tend because now Gyro had returned and you weren’t supposed to be out at night at this late hour. Yet you were, because you had discovered such a new side of Johnny that you wanted more of. You, too, wanted to discover more about him since he had been rejecting you for so many weeks. Would he finally open his heart to you too? You truly thought that you were on the right path to discover more about the selkie and as you put a ice pack on your swollen cheek, you couldn’t help but think again about how magical your close meeting with Johnny had been. He was truly an angel, after all.

After the person had passed, Gyro had looked towards Johnny, smirking towards his friend, seemingly so satisfied with his fast change.

"Nyoho- what was that with (Y/N)? I saw how you were around her”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” Johnny was fast to deny his friend the pleasure to taunt him but Gyro would dive head first on such a chance to tease Johnny.

“Oh yes, sure” he snickered again “Yet you seemed soooooo invested in her. The blush on your cheeks doesn’t lie, you know, Johnny?”

Johnny was quick to bring both his hands on his cheeks, since he couldn’t see if he was blushing or not. He felt hot, that was for sure.

“Cut it out, will you?!”

“Alright, alright”

Gyro kept smirking, letting go of his trademark “Nyoho” there and then.

“But you have to admit, she’s not so bad”

This was the only thing he said, before sitting and putting his hat on his eyes, even though he wouldn’t sleep. If you passed by you could have seen the smirk that was imprinted on his green lips, while of Johnny remained only a curious expression.

“Yes…” he muttered in such a soft tone, akin to that he had used with you.

“Not bad at all”

He finished his sentence, lifting his head and continuing in replaying the sweet sound of your voice, your bravery, your selfness, your comforting aura. Yes, you truly were something else.

And after that night, he was sure of one thing: merfolk weren’t the only ones that could enchant humans.

Humans could too, just as you had done with him.

And as the night progressed, he heard it again, the sweet melody of his own people and the prospect of having found something much more different from the hate he was used to feed to feel every day of his existence. He had found love, exactly...

where it wasn't supposed to be.