Work Text:
If there was anything Nashi's dad taught her, it was this.
It was her mom that had sat her down and told her about how she couldn't play with the other mermaids and the do's and don'ts and safe spaces and creeks that reeked of danger and bad merfolk. Nashi nodded half-heartedly, too upset to barely talk back like she usually did.
But Nashi's dad, bless his soul, beckoned her to him one fine day and said, "No matter what you are and what you can do, don't hide a single part of you. Fight for what you want and what you deserve no matter how ridiculous it looks in the grand scheme of things. We'll always be here," he poked at her chest, "supporting you. Always."
Of course, turns out it was regarding a 'big, juicy mackerel' he lost to a 'dumb, fucking orca of all fish', but she liked to think it applied to other aspects of her life too.
The mer peered at the children giggling and trying to outswim each other across the reef and sighed.
As amazing as living in a volcano was, it sure was lonely sometimes.
Magma merfolk had several restrictions because of the seething temperatures their bodies possessed. Basically, if she touched a mer, they'd get burnt (super bad). It wasn't like there was a chance of that happening anyway, considering how scared merfolk were of them.
Pearl (a curious whitefish she'd come across on one of her hunts) swam in circles around her, obviously in a playful mood. She slightly smiled and brought a finger to her lips.
The children screeched as they spotted her swimming rapidly towards them and scattered away. The pinkette chortled at them.
"You'd think they'd have learnt by now, eh, Pearl?"
Pearl made a noise of delight, wading amongst the reeds. She huffed. "I knew you were hungry, you silly little fishy. Which reminds me, I have a date with destiny!"
Her best friend clicked. (Sorry hun, a mermaid has needs. Sweet, sweet protein; sign her up please!) She squinted, scanning the waters for her next meal. Her eyes registered a faint figure.
Tapping her tail thrice to get Pearl's attention, she swam ahead at a careful pace, ducking behind giant kelp to get a closer look. The figure continued its path, paying her no notice. Which was when she realised what it was headed straight for.
Pearl.
Her heart beating violently, she let out a war-cry and flexed her tail harder. Her vision saw red as she rammed into-
"WHAT THE FLIPPING HECK?!"
Both the bodies crashed into a boulder and Nashi let out a small groan, her sight blurry. Blinking back into consciousness, she tilted her head up.
She wasn't going to lie, the first thing she saw was his jaw filled with sharp canines. Her blood ran cold as she slowly, carefully, looked up only to gaze at perfect cerulean blue eyes.
She blinked. He blinked. Then the screaming ensued.
"WHAT'S A SHARK DOING IN MAGMA REEF?! AM I GOING TO DIE?! HOLY FLIPPING MAVIS-"
"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TACKLE ME LIKE THAT?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH, YOU CRAZY MER?!"
6 minutes later, Pearl floated by, unimpressed by their shrieking. The shark-guy (shark-man, shark-douche, whatever) reached out to grab her and Pearl and Nashi collectively squeaked, the later smacking him at the back of his head. He snarled.
"I'm trying TO CATCH MY NEXT MEAL! DO YOU MIND?!" He yelled.
"YES, I MIND! PEARL IS MY FRIEND, NOT FOOD!"
"Oh dear Triton, she's one of the vegan loons...." He muttered under his breath. She clicked her tongue.
"Even if I am, that doesn't explain the fact that YOU'RE ON MY TURF!!" She retorted, and he flinched at her tone.
"I DON'T SEE A SIGN ANYWHERE!!"
Nashi growled at him, "You have 7 seconds to run before I burn you to ashes!" Which is when she noticed that she was still on top of him.
"Wait, you aren't- what?" She furrowed her eyebrows and inspected him. "You're- wha- how?"
"What is it?!" He frowned. "It's considered rude to sta- HEY!"
She frantically patted and touched his chest and arms for something, anything and let out a breath of bewilderment. "You're- You don't feel anything?"
"Well, you are a little warmer than the others," he admitted. The shark raised an eyebrow curiously, "Uh- why?"
Nashi blinked out of her stupor, then pointed at herself, "Magma mermaid."
"Oh." He blinked back. "You're not as scary as they make you out to be. Unless," he held her shoulders and scanned her (Uhhhhhhhh....) "You're a baby!"
"WHAT! NO, YOU DUMBASS!"
"So you're saying that you're old?" He teased.
"I'm the appropriate age!" She huffed back.
"Appropriate age for?"
"Uh, stuff?"
"Yeah huh."
"YEAH HUH!"
He bit his lip, fighting back a smile. "Now, what am I going to do about lunch?"
Nashi's eyes widened. "Kelpsicles, I have to hunt too!" Both met each other's gazes before he shrugged. "Truce?"
"It's Nashi, actually," she smirked.
"Cool, I'm Storm."
............
An hour later, Storm managed to piss her off again.
"What do you mean you don't like burnt fish?! It's flipping amazing!"
Storm sighed (The audacity!) "Have you even tried raw fish?"
She spluttered, "Of course I have-" At the disbelieving look he shot her, she mumbled, "Not."
"Open up then."
"Excuse me?!" She shrieked indignantly. "I barely know you! You could've poisoned me for all-" she choked as he shoved a piece in her mouth mid-sentence.
"I don't wanna hear it," he interrupted her before she could yell at him, "So? How's it taste?"
"I still like burnt fish." She mumbled, flustered.
"D'aww, is the iddle widdle mermaid embarrassed?" He cooed. "How ador-" Now it was his turn to choke as she shoved the entire fish down his throat.
She snorted, "Now that's peak humour." He shot her the middle flipper.
.............
"Damn, the humans are at it again."
"What's new?" Storm grumbled.
Nashi's grin widened, "Wanna check it out?"
"I don't know Nash, this bunch looks- Nash?" He groaned at her figure wading upwards, "Woman, get back here!"
Nashi was too busy taking in the sun's warmth to pay him any attention the first time. The second time however, she swivelled around only to register his panicked look. The third time, she found her tail stuck. In a net.
"STORM!! FLIPPING- HELP!!" She screeched, pushing, propelling herself out, trying anything, everything. She was getting dizzier by the second.
A giant thud resonated from behind her, and the net shook back and forth but she waddled undeterred until Rip! She was free!
"Oh thank Triton!" She gasped, trying to catch her breath. The humans were yelling but she didn't want to stick around and find out.
A pair of arms wrapped around her making her flinch. Storm had a dark look on his face as he pulled her against him and swam forth, not uttering a word.
He'd rocked the boat. He'd- he'd saved her from-
"Don't ever leave my side again." He murmured against her hair.
.................
"Nash, stoppppp," Storm whined, "It's only 15 minutes awayyyyy."
"You said that 15 minutes ago! And what's the big deal anyway?" She snickered, reaching out for his fin again, only to be swatted again, "Ticklish?"
"Very much so." He raised an eyebrow, daring her to try again. "You can't stay one minute without trying to feel me up, can you?"
She spluttered and even Pearl (dumb fish!) joined Storm as he chortled at the indignant face she made.
"We're here!" He cheered, only to be tackled by a bunch of sharks. Nashi felt her breath quicken.
"Storm?" She blinked. The group turned to stare at her in awe.
"STORM BROUGHT A GIRL HOME!"
"SHE'S PRETTY!"
"ARE YOU TWO MARRIED YET?!"
"Uhhh..." What was happening again?
Storm laughed at her confusion. "I figured you'd be lonely up there so I thought you'd like to stay with my family for a change. Don't mind Kai and Gale," he shot them a look. "They're dumbasses."
"If you won't date her, I might," Kai smirked at her. She nervously smiled (sort of?)
Storm growled, "Back off, she's mine!"
Nashi choked. Even Pearl cheered as they proceeded to carry her into their coven? Cliff? Ridge maybe....
"Since when am I yours?" She inquired, bewildered.
"We'll work on the specifics later. For now," he wrapped an arm around her torso and grinned at her, "Yeah, you're mine."
.................
Bonus: (that no one asked for)
"Sing it with me, River! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK!"
Storm grumbled, "If his first word is baby, it'll be your fault."
Nashi shrugged, "As long as it's not Daddy, I don't mind at all. Say mommy, sweetie! Mo-mmy! See!"
The tiny shark ("He loves raw fish! He's a natural predator!" Storm cheered, making funny faces at his giggling son) paid no heed to his parents, distracted by Pearl swimming in circles around him.
"Pearl, you're going to make him take his first paddle before he says Momma at this rate," Nashi warned.
"You mean Dadda."
"Momma!"
"Dadda!"
"Momma!"
"Dadda!"
"Ma- da," River giggled, clapping his hands. Both of them blinked at him.
"Well that solves that," Storm smiled.
"Yeah...." Nashi sighed. "Who's a good little sharkie? Yes, you are!" She cooed, carrying him in her arms. "I love you!" She poked at him.
"What about me?" Storm pouted. She rolled her eyes and pecked him on the lips. "I love you too, Snarky."
He flicked her on the nose.
.....................