Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You didn't know how it happened, you just knew, it happened so fast. One minute you were swimming along minding your own business, next you were being impaled by a harpoon. Thankfully, the harpoon only pierced your tail, nowhere vital. However, it will become vital, if you loose too much blood. You swam as fast, and as best with a wounded tail, as you could away from the harpoons raining down on you. Eventually you swam down so deep, that the harpoons would not reach you. Your vision was fading, you needed to get somewhere safe and fast. 

You kept swimming, exhaustion began to take over. Your eyelids fell heavy, vision so blurred, you didn't even notice the fishing net in front of you. Now caught in a net, you struggle to keep your consciousness and you writhe to escape. The pain in your tail is too much, you're loosing quite a bit of blood. Finally, everything goes dark...

You wake up in an unfamiliar place, are you safe? Or are you awaiting your demise? 

• • •

It was a bright sunny day, seagulls squawking as the flew over head the small fishing boat that float over the calm waters. On the deck were two fishermen, well, two automaton fisherman. For being robotic, they were very human in their own ways. Talking, walking, working, anything a human could do, they could do. And fishing was one of the many things these two could do. 

"Careful with that net, Sun. If you rip this one, I swear..." The one automaton spoke with a warning. His voice was a bit raspy and deep. He resembled the moon, cool calming colors on his metal skin. Half his face was a blue-grey crescent moon, while the other half was darken out. He eyes were a deep crimson red. He wore the typical fisherman's wear. He was speaking to his partner, who was handling the net he was talking about. 

"I'm not gonna rip it Moon!" Said the other automaton. He resembled the sun, matching his name. Bright and warm colors on his own metal skin. His face was like the bright sun above, he even has the rays to match his aesthetic. He had bright blue eyes that shimmered like the ocean. He also wore the same fisherman outfit as his partner. "It is pretty heavy today though, I think we caught a lot today!" He said excitedly. 

"Just don't rip it." Moon said bluntly. Sun rolled his eyes and yanked hard on the rope to reel the net in. As he got it up into view, he gasped loudly, catching the attention of Moon. "What is...it..." Moon trailed off as he saw what had been caught in their net. "My god." He said under his breath. 

"I must be dreaming Moony, right?" Sun asked, he nearly dropped the rope that held the net up. "No, you're not dreaming. I see it too." In the net, in all their glory, was a merperson. The two wouldn't gawk for long, as Sun noticed the blood leaking from the wound in their tail. "They're hurt!" Sun exclaimed. There was a harpoon sticking out of the tail of the merperson. "Are they dead? They aren't moving at all." Moon muttered. "Dead!?" Sun cried. A soft groan from the sea creature caught their attention, they were still alive, but just barely. 

"Hurry, bring the net in!" Moon told his partner. Sun did just that, quickly but carefully bringing the net down onto the deck. Moon took out a pocket knife and cut at the rope, he didn't care about ripping it now. Saving such a creature like this one was far more important. 

"Alright, now let's get them into the tank. We can't have them drying up before we get this thing out of their tail." Moon said to Sun. Sun nods and lifts up the merperson and rushed them to the tank in the middle of the ship. It was meant for the fish they caught, but today it would be used for saving a life. Thankfully, it was conveniently a big enough size to place the merperson in. It fit the merperson like a tub, their tailwould be covered in water, that's what mattered. "Now, let's get working on their tail. Go and get the medical supplies." 

"Right." Sun nods before rushing inside the boat doors. "Don't worry little creature, we'll get you fixed up." Moon said softly. 

 • • •

Your heart was pounding in your chest. Where were you? You looked around and saw that you were on a boat. Not good, not good at all. You look down, noticing that you were in a tank. Whoever owned this boat, wanted to keep you alive. Why? You shook your head, that didn't matter right now. What mattered was escaping. But how would you swim with your...injury? Wait a minute...the harpoon in your tail was...gone? But, why? How? Again, it mattered little to you. You wanted out of here as fast as you could. 

Just as you were about to hop out of the tank, the sound of a door opening caught your attention. Then footsteps followed, you froze. 

"Ah! You're awake!" A cheery voice filled your ears. You still did not move. Whoever it was, was approaching you from behind. Your shoulders began to tremble, whoever was behind took notice to this and walked in front of you. Your eyes shoot downward, to afraid to face them. "Are you alright?" You didn't answer. The door behind you opened again, more footsteps followed. "Moony, they're sacred." Who spoke next had a rasp in their tone.

"Of course they're scared. You would be too if you were shot at then woke up somewhere you didn't recognized." The person speaking walked next to the other in front of you. "Hey, it's ok." The one with the raspy deep voice spoke softly. "You're safe now." You didn't believe them. They were lying, you just knew they were. They just wanted to sell you like any other human would. Or worse...You didn't even want to think of what they might do to you. "He's right little one, we wouldn't hurt you. In fact, quite the opposite. We got that nasty harpoon out of your tail and patched you up!" 

You at your tail once again, the wrappings around your wound made his words true. You narrow your eyes. "Why?" You finally speak. 

"Because you were going to die if we didn't." Said the one with the rasp bluntly. "We're really not going to hurt you. If we wanted to, we would have already." 

"Moon! What a thing to say! They're scared enough already!" 

"I'm just saying, we could have made off with some cash if we wanted to sell them. But we didn't." 

"Still, you could be a bit more gentler about it!"

You look up, eyes widening at what you saw. Two six and half feet tall automatons, one resembling the sun and the other the moon. They stopped bickering when they noticed you looking at them. "Uh sorry about that. Look, if you want to leave you can but, you might want to let that wound heal first." Said the moon. You look back down at your tail. They might have had a point. But could you trust them? 

"And you expect me to stay here? In this small tank until it's healed? With two strangers?" You say while raising an eyebrow. "We can get you a bigger thank, if that's what you want." Said the moon. "And we don't have to be strangers." Said the sun. "My name is Sun, and that's Moony!" 

"Moon. My name is moon." Moon corrected. "And you are?" 

You were quite for a moment before speaking. "It's Y/n." 

"What a pretty name!" Sun smiled. "Now that we're not strangers, can you tell us just how you got that nasty injury?" You place a hand over the bandages gently. "I was attacked, I didn't see by who, but I assume it was by humans. It was my own fault, I was swimming too close to the shore." 

"That's seems about right. Fishermen out here have been dying to catch something valuable to sell." Said Moon. "And you?" You ask. "Would you be looking for something valuable?" 

"Yes, but not merfolk." Moon tells you. "Until today, we didn't even know merfolk existed. We thought they were just some fairytale." 

"Oh we exist. And there is good reason we do not show ourselves." You tell him. Sun and Moon both nod in understanding. "I hope you can trust us." Said Sun. "We really really don't mean you any harm. We only wanted to help you, and you're free to go whenever you please. And we promise not to tell anyone about you." 

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth?" You ask. "Sun here hates lying, he hasn't told a lie since day one. And even then he rarely lied. I don't think he'd start now." 

"And you?" You ask. Moon shrugs. "I wouldn't gain anything from telling others that you exist. Either people would think I'm lying or they'd scramble to find you for themselves." You blink at his answer. Sun rolls his eyes. "Don't mind him, he's emotionally constipated when it comes to new people. He secretly cares." Sun winks. Moon huffed and crossed his arms. You pause to think before sighing. "I expect you to keep your promise, and get me a bigger tank." 

Sun clapped his hands in glee. "Yay! Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. Moony, you stay here and I'll go get the new tank." Sun hurries off before Moon could argue. He sighed and sat down in front of your tank. "You're costing us a lot of money, getting such a big tank." Moon rests his head on his hand. You shift in the tank, letting your arms hang loose from the edge. "Well, you're the one who decided to save me." 

"Don't make me regret it." Moon smirked. You couldn't help but grin. Maybe these two weren't so bad after all...

Chapter Text

You were given a bigger tank, as promised, and was quickly put in it. This time you could put your entire body inside and really stretch out. "So, where were you planning on going back to your home once you're healed?" Sun asks you. You felt a pang of sadness hit you as he asked that question. You hoist your top half over the edge of the tank, folding your arms over one another. "I don't know, I don't have much of a home to return to." Sun frowned. "Why not?" 

"Fishermen." It was all Sun needed to hear to understand. "It must be tough, to be around the same kind of people." He said, feeling guilty. "Well, it's not like you did it." You tell him. "You just so happen to be a fisherman as well." Sun looked at you, still guilt filling his chest. "Yes but, still, I can't imagine you're too happy with your position." You shrug. "I am unhappy." You say bluntly. "But it can't be helped. I'm in no condition to be swimming around. However, you and your partner seem to be decent, you'd kill me or sell me by now surely. So, if I'm stuck, I'm glad I'm stuck with you two."

That put a smile on Sun's face. "I'm glad you like us! We like you too!" You couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yeah? You've only known me for a few hours. And you're already decided that you like me?" Sun nods. "Of course! We're all friends now, isn't that great?" You chuckle. "I guess so." Out of the two, Sun was defiantly the easiest to talk to. You couldn't help but feel so relaxed around him, he was comforting in his own way. However, Moon was a bit more harder to read. He was a little cold, despite Sun saying he was a sweetheart once you got to know him. 

You weren't afraid of him by any means, just, you weren't sure if you were as comfortable around him as you were with Sun. You set that aside from now and asked a question that you've been meaning to ask ever since you laid eyes on the two. "Is it just you two out here? You don't fish with any other humans or automatons?" 

"Yep, it's just me and Moony. Though, we do have friends who live in the near by town just a few miles from here. Here however, we're only here because we need to sell some fish to this fishmongers of this town." You turn your head, behind you there was a small town just as Sun said. "Not a lot of people live there, it's mostly a fishermen stop, where we come to sell what we catch and move on. Though, we can rest here as well as get a meal if we need it." 

"Uh, Sun...don't you think it's kind of dangerous to keep someone like me here near a town full of fishermen?" You ask. Sun's smile dropped. "Oh! Uh...Yes...I suppose it is. You see, we needed some money for more supplies and food. That's why we've docked here, we just didn't expect to find someone like you. But anyway, as soon as Moon comes back we'll get going." 

Just as he said that, Moon came rushing down along the dock. Sun gave a confused glance as he noticed how panicked Moon looked. He jumped onto the ship and ran up to Sun. "We gotta go, now!" Moon said with a huff. "What? I mean, yes we do, we have a merperson here and it would be dangerous to keep them here and-"

"Sun! Start the damn boat!" Sun's confusion grew the more panicked Moon became. Moon looked back over the side of the boat and saw three men approaching. "Damn it." Moon hurried to your tank and began to push it towards the edge of the boat. "What are you doing?" You ask, a little impressed that he could move such a heavy tank all on his own. "Fishermen are coming. You need to stay hid and quiet." Now you were starting to panic. "Jump over and hide under the boat. Do not come out until we tell you to." You were scared, but did as he said. You jumped out of the tank and into the water, swimming under the boat. Your tail ached as you did so, but you ignored it.

"Moon, why are there fishermen coming here?" Sun asked worryingly. "They saw you buying that large tank earlier. When I went into town they stopped me and began questioning me. Now they want to see for themselves why we needed that tank." Moon tells him in a hurry. "Just stay calm, and let me do the talking. Ok?" Sun looked worried but he agreed anyway. Soon the three men walked onto the boat. One of the whistled. "Fine boat ye go here." He said sarcastically. "Reminds me of me first boat I got when I were just a wee lad." The two men with him laughed. 

"Thanks." Moon said crossing his arms. "She's quite the beauty, I know." He said with a roll of his eyes. "So, what have you caught that you needed a tank like that for?" The man asked as he glanced at the large tank. "Nothing yet. We just feel lucky today, might make quite the catch." Moon said with a cocky grin. The man scowled. "That's it? Ye feel lucky?" Moon nods. "Yep." 

"Then why do I get the feelin' yer lyin'?" The man eyes Sun, who was avoiding his stare. Moon glared at the man. "Now why would I lie about that? Hell, even if we don't catch something great, we could always use more room for more fish. And more fish means more money." 

From below, you couldn't help but wince every time your tail ached and throbbed with pain. You look down on it and noticed that blood was seeping through the bandages, floating into the water. "Come on, hurry it up out there." You whisper. 

The man tsked, before finally dropping it. "Yer robotic asses think yer so clever. That ye better than man, real man. But I'll tell ye this now, yer not. Don't push yer luck, it might get ye hurt." Moon's glare sharpened. "Is that a threat?" He ask, biting back the urge to tear this man a new one. "A warnin', more like it." He turns and begins to walk off with his men when he noticed the blood floating up from the water. 

"Hey!" Moon snapped. "Get moving, you've overstayed your welcome." The man glared at moon and looked back at the water, the blood was gone. He narrowed his eyes before continuing his walk off the boat and back to the dock. Once the three were far enough away, Moon beat his hand on the side of the boat. From under, you heard, and slowly poked your head out. Moon saw you and motioned for you to come back up. You did so swimming to the surface. "Are they gone?" You ask. 

"They're gone. And so are we. We're leaving, now." Moon leaned down over the rail of the boat and reached his hand out for you, you took it, and let out a yelp as you felt him yank you upwards into his arms. You gave him a shocked look. Just how strong was he? He carried you back to your tank. "Are we going home now?" Sun asks. "Yes, back home." Moon set you gently into the water, that's when he noticed your injury. "You go ahead and steer us while I fix them up." Sun nods as he hurries to the steer. 

Chapter Text

"Sorry I made you swim with that hurt tail of yours, there was just nowhere else to hide you on our small boat." Moon apologized. You shrug as you glance at the new bandages wrapped around your tail. "It's ok. You saved my life, again." Moon hummed. "Well, let's try not to make a habit out of you getting into trouble." Moon narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead of him. Coming into view was a town, Moon smiled. "Home at last." He sighed. You looked ahead as well. "That's your home?" You ask. "Yes, there's many people like me and Sun there. There's humans too, but not a lot." 

The boat grew closer to the town before docking at the port. Sun walked out of the doors and onto the deck. He took a deep breath in. "Good to be back." 

"How long have you two been gone?" You ask them. "Oh, not too long. But being at sea can feel like an eternity when you're away from home." Said Sun. You look down, you know how that feels. It feels like it's been years since you've been home. "Are you ok?" He asks. You weakly smile. "Yeah just, feeling a little homesick is all." Sun put a hand onto your tank and gave you a comforting smile. "Maybe we can help you back there soon." 

"That sounds nice but, no. Fishermen took over my home when they caught wind of merfolk being in that area." 

"What happened?" Moon asked. "Moon, we shouldn't pry. They might not want to talk about it." Said Sun. "No, it's ok. Maybe it will do me some good, talking to someone about it." You sigh. "It all happened so fast. One minute, I was with my people, and the next...the spears and nets cam raining down. Some were killed, some we're caught. I hid. But I should have been there, I should have been with them until the end...But I wasn't. And I was the only one who made it out." 

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Sun said after you finished, his rays retracted slightly. "Yes, I shouldn't have asked." Moon apologized. "It's alright." You said with a weak smile. "I'll be alright." Before Sun and Moon could say anything else, they heard a voice calling for them. 

"Sun and Moon are back!" 

"Shit. Quick, off the boat." Moon told Sun before turning to you. "Stay quiet, we'll come back for you." You nod your head and watched as they hurried off the boat to meet whoever it was out there. It sounded like a child...

"Sun and Moon!" A little child size automaton ran up to the two and hugged Moon's leg with their...six arms? Moon chuckled and pat their head. "Hi Jr. Where are your siblings?" The small automaton turned and pointed. As he did so, three more similar looking automatons ran up and tackled Sun. Sun barely managed to keep standing as they latched onto him. Sun laughed and tried his best to hug all of them back. "Hi kids!" 

"Hey, you're back." A very large automaton walked up to the two, he was much taller than Sun and Moon. And they were already taller than the average human. He crossed two of his arms, while another set of arms were on his hips. The last set shook Sun and Moon's hands. "Glad to see you boys again." His voice was deep. He tipped his shades down to get a better look at them. "Yep, haven't changed a bit. Catch anything big while you were out?" Sun and Moon looked at each other before turning their attention back to the large automaton. 

"Nope." Moon said simply. The automaton laughed. "You've been out all this time, and you haven't caught anything great? What have you been doing?" 

"Well, Music Man, if you must know, we did catch a lot of fish and made more money than last time." Sun said, forgetting that most of that money was spent on buying a larger tank for the merperson they were currently hiding. Moon internally sighed at his forgetfulness. "But, we had to use that some of money. So, what we have left isn't much." 

"No worries. As long as you two have what you need." Music Man grinned. "Alright kids. Time to get going. Say bye to Sun and Moon." The smaller ones let go of the two and hurried to their dad's side. "Don't forget to say hi to everyone when you get the chance." Music Man said before walking off. Sun waved them all off.

"Bye Jr! Bye Tiny! Bye Mini! Bye Teeny!" Sun waved. Moon waved as well. Once they were out of earshot, Moon turned to Sun. "We need to figure out what we're going to do next. We can't keep hiding them forever." 

Sun sighed. "I know, but they're injured. They can't go anywhere right now." 

"I know. And that's the hard part. I guess....we could keep them in our house until they're better." Sun seemed to perk up at that idea. "That's a great idea Moony! I would hate to leave them out on the boat all day and night. It's not safe." Moon nodded in agreement. "Then, we should tell them." The two went back on board the small boat, and made their way to your tank. "Who was out there?" You asked. "It was Music Man and his children." Sun said before Moon spoke. "You're going to be living with us until you get better, then you can be on your way. Is that alright with you?" You gave it some thought. It's not like you had much of a choice with your tail being the way it is. 

"I guess that's alright." You tell him. "Great! We'll get you moved into our house tonight when everyone is asleep." Said Sun. 

• • •

Later that night, when Sun and Moon were sure there would be no one out roaming the streets, they began to move your tank to their house. With their combined strength, they were able to lift to tank with little to no effort. They reached their house, it was a small little cottage set on top of the hill of the village. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the two of them. They sat you down in the middle of their living room. It was dark in the small house until Sun went to turn the lights on, you got a better look at things as he did. It was quaint, their house was. But a little dusty here and there. Though, telling from how long they were out at sea, they didn't have the time to clean. 

"Look at this mess!" Sun huffed. "We'll have to get cleaning first thing in the morning. Until then..." He yawned. "We should all get some sleep." He turned to you. "Is there anything you need?" He asked. You shook your head. "Just need some rest." You say with a tiny yawn. "Well then, goodnight." Sun said softly before heading upstairs, Moon wished you a goodnight as well before following after Sun. 

Chapter Text

You were awaken by the scent of sweetness in the air. Slowly opening your eyes, only to narrow them once sunlight hit them. You yawned before turning away from the light, now facing the kitchen you saw Sun. It looked like he was cooking. "Sun?" You groggily call his name. His rays twitched slightly, before turning to face you. "Good morning!" He greeted you. "I hope you're hungry." Just as he said that, your stomach made a gurgling noise. Sun chuckled and turned back to what he was doing. You looked around the room. "Where's Moon?" You ask. "Oh, I told him he could sleep in early. He was really worn out." Sun answers. 

"What are you making?" You sniff the air again, the same sweet smell filled your nose. "It smells good." Sun grinned at your compliment. "I made pancakes. Special homemade ones. Do you like chocolate chips or strawberries with yours?" You tilt your head. "Pan...cakes?" Sun turned his head to face you. "Oh, I guess there are no pancakes in the ocean...heh." He laughed awkwardly. "It's a breakfast food. Here I'll show you." Sun sat two pancakes onto a plate before drawing a whipped cream smile on each of them. He poured a generous amount of syrup on the pancakes before walking over to your tank. "Try it, I guarantee you'll love it!" 

You held the plate with one hand and the fork with the other, fumbling a few times with the fork before finally getting a piece onto it. You brought the piece to your mouth and ate it. Your eyes lit up as the fluffy sweet pancake touched your tongue. Not holding back, you quickly ate at the pancakes until there was nothing left. Sun looked a bit surprised before grinning once again. "I take it you liked them?" 

"That...was amazing." You muttered. Sun chuckled. "Glad you think so." The two of your both turned your head as you heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Morning Moony." Sun greeted as his partner reached the bottom of the stairs. "Morning." Moon groggily said back. "Did you sleep well?" Asked Sun as he walked back into the kitchen to make more breakfast. "Yes." Moon yawned. "Just had some trouble waking up." 

"As always." Sun chuckled. Sun had always been the morning person of the two, always up first and early. While Moon typically slept in. "How about you?" Moon asked, looking in your direction. "How did you sleep?" 

"I slept fine, thank you." You smiled slightly. "And your tail? How is it doing?" Moon asked. You looked down at your still bandaged tail, it wasn't nearly as sore as it was yesterday, but it still ached whenever you would move it funny. "Better." You answer. Moon nods before sitting down at the table with a sigh. "Something the matter Moony?" Sun asked as he set a plate of pancakes down in front of Moon. "Just thinking about what we're going to do next about our...situation." Moon said as he glanced at you. "Yesterday was a close call, they were nearly found, twice. What if those sailors had found them? They would have fought us to the death for the chance to nab a merperson to sell. You could have got hurt, and they would have gotten hurt for sure." 

Sun sat down next to him. "Moony, you're overthinking again." He said softly. "I am not." Moon defended. "You are." Sun placed his hand on Moon's. Moon sighed once again. "I just don't want for things to take a turn for the worse." 

"Um, you two..." Sun and Moon turned to face you as you spoke. "If it's really that much trouble, I can be on my way. I don't want you two to have to sneak around and stress yourselves out all for my sake." 

"No, you're no trouble at all!" Sun assured you. "We wanted to help you, we still do. Don't we Moony?" 

"Yes I...I didn't mean anything by what I said." Moon began. "You're not stressing us out. I just worry." You still couldn't help but feel a little guilty, you didn't want to make him worry at all. Either of them. You looked down at your tail again. You felt so useless. Unable to properly swim. But, where would you be swimming to? It's not like you could return home, you had no where to be. You'd just be swimming aimlessly, forever. 

"Worry? What for?" You ask, trying to distract yourself from your cruel reality. "Ah it's nothing. Little things. Nothing to be concerned about." Moon waved it off. "I've always been the worrywart of us both. But really, it's nothing." You started to question him, but suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sun and Moon looked at each other, a slight look of panic on their faces. Moon stood and went to the door, motioning for Sun to hurry and do something. Sun was frantic, looking everywhere, anywhere to hide you.

The knocking continued. Sun ran into a small closet and pulled out a large blanket. He ran back to your tank and quietly told you to duck under. You did just that right before he covered the tank with the blanket. Moon then opened the door slightly, just enough for his head to come through. On the other side of the door was Music Man. "Morning Moon-Man!" He greeted. His four children down at his feet all waved up at Moon. 

"Hello." Moon was able to calm his voice from the panic he felt earlier. "What brings you all by?" 

Music Man raised an eyebrow. "Don't you remember?" He asked. Moon drew a blank, he was silent as he tried to think. "The playdate? For the little ones?" Music Man looks down at his kids then back to Moon. Moon's eyes widened. That's right! Before Sun and him left the island Sun promised the kids they'd have a playdate. He only promised because the kids were all sad that they were leaving. Damn. He had to think of something. 

"Uh, well...you see. About that...well we can't cause uh..." Moon caught the look of the four kids, sensing that he was about to turn them away, their expressions were one of pitiful sadness. If Moon had a heart, it would be breaking. He sighed heavily before looking back into the house at a confused Sun, before walking the rest of the way out of the house. "Fine, we'll keep a close watch on them." Moon muttered. Music Man grinned. "Thanks again Moon-Man! Now I can get some errands done. I'll be back this evening." He said as he started to walk off. His children all wished him a goodbye before turning to Moon.

"What are we gonna play Moony?" Tiny asked. "Can we play hide and seek?" Asked Teeny. "Can we play pretend?" Mini questioned. "We always do that though!" Jr sighed. 

"Children, children." Moon said over them. "We can all play what you want, but, only if you follow a very important rule." The children all groaned at the mention of rules. Moon chuckled. "I promise it's not bad. Come on." Moon opened the door. "What's that?" Jr asked, pointing to the covered tank. "That's our new tank." Moon answered. "Why is it so big?" Asked Mini. "And why is it covered?" Asked Tiny and Teeny together. 

"It's so big because we need it to catch fish. As for why it's covered...well, it's a bit dirty at the moment. Now, as for the rule. No one is to go near, touch, or uncover that tank. If you do, then no more playdates. Understood?" Moon said, a slight sternness in his tone. All the children nodded. "Very good my little stars, now, I'm going to have a quick talk with Sun. The four of you head to the backyard and we'll meet you out there." 

"Ok!" The children said before rushing outside. 

Sun approached Moon. "Moony, why are the little ones here?" He asked worryingly. "Playdate." Moon answered. Sun smacked himself on the forehead as he remembered. "I was weak to their little puppy dog eyes, I couldn't say no..." Moon sighed. "You never could say no to them." Sun laughs weakly. "But what are we going to do about..." Sun points to the tank, where you had slowly poked your head out from the cover. 

"I already warned them not to go near it. We'll just have to make sure they listen." Moon tells him. "Well, for their sake...I hope they do." Sun says while looking at you. "I'll make sure they do." Moon turns to you. "We'll be back soon. Stay hidden until we come get you." You sigh but nod anyway. 

You had a feeling this was going to be a long day. 

Chapter Text

You sat in silence for what felt like hours. You could hear the faint laughter of the children from the backyard. You sighed and readjusted yourself inside the tank, despite being large enough to stretch out in, it became quite small compared the the vast wide open ocean. You missed it. You sigh again, and press your back against the glass. It was dark under the cover, but you were use to swimming around in the dark, so it didn't bother you much. But would be nice to see what was going on. You were half tempted to throw the cover off. But you knew better. 

So instead you close your eyes, and try to focus on literally anything else. 

And that's when it happened, when you felt light enter the tank. The cover had been taken off. "Finally." You say before turning around. However, you were not met with either Sun or Moon. But by a small child. You froze, not knowing what to do or say as the child gawked up at you with amazement in their eyes. They dropped the ball that they were holding. 

"A mermaid." She breathed. "You're a mermaid." 

Your eyes dart around the room. Where was Sun? Where was Moon? This was not good. If this child told anyone about seeing you...well, let's just say. It wouldn't end well for you. So, quickly, you spoke. "Yes, I am. But uh, you can't tell anyone." 

"Why?" She tilts her head. "Because um, if you do...then I'll loose all of my magic." You say with fake sadness. "You have magic? Show me!" Damn. "I can't right now, you see, I'm hurt." You point to your bandaged tail. The child gasped. "What happened?" She asked. "Nothing that you need to worry yourself about little one." You say softly. "Just remember what I told you. If you tell anyone you saw me, then I won't be able to use my magic ever again." 

"Ok but, why are you in Mr. Sun and Mr. Moon's house?" She asked. "Well, they saved me. Patched me up too. I'm just staying with them until I'm all better." The child let out a long "oh" before nodding. "Mr. Sun and Mr. Moon sure are nice! I like them a lot, and so do my brothers! We love playing with them!" You cracked a small smile. Who knew those two would be so good with kids? 

"Mini!" Another child's voice yelled. "What's taking you so long?" 

"Just a second!" Mini yelled back before picking up the ball she had dropped. "I've gotta go now mermaid." She said sadly. You put your hand on the glass. "Promise me you won't tell, ok?" Mini smiled and put her hand on the glass too. "I promise!" 

"Good. Now, please cover me back up. I can't have anyone else seeing me." Mini nods before covering the tank back up, but before she hid you completely, she waved at you. You smiled and waved back before you could hear her tiny footsteps running back to her brothers. 

You sigh. "That was a close one..." 

• • •

"Thanks again for watching them. I hope they weren't too much trouble." Music Man says as he collects his children. "Not at all." Said Sun with a cheery smile. "It's never a problem with these guys." Music Man grins. "That's good to hear. Say guys, did you have fun with Mr. Sun and Mr. Moon?" The kids all answered with a "yeah!".

"I made a new friend!" Mini tells her dad. "Oh?" Music Man lifts her up into his arms. "And who would that be?" He asks. Mini's smile faltered slightly. "I can't say. She'll loose her magic." Music Man chuckled. "Alright, fair enough. Now, let's get home guys. See you around." He says as he waved at Sun and Moon before leaving with his kids. Sun and Moon both sighed as soon as they left. "Well, we were able to keep them hidden." Said Sun. Moon nods. "Yes, let's check on them." Sun followed after his partner to the covered tank. 

Moon uncovered it, and you looked up at them. "Are they gone?" You ask. "They're gone." Sun confirmed. You stretched your arms out. "What a relief. I thought I'd never come back out."  Moon gave you an apologetic look. "It was out fault for forgetting about the playdate. Sorry we had to hide you, again." You waved it off. "Hey, as long as I'm still breathing, I don't care how long I have to hide." It was then you remembered. "But um, about that..." 

"What's is it?" Sun asks. "You know that one little kid you were playing with, the girl?" Sun and Moon looked at each other. "You mean Mini?" Asked Sun. "Yes her, she uh...saw me." 

"What!?" Moon exclaimed. "She saw you!?" Sun panicked. "Yes but! She promised not to tell anyone." Mon groaned heavily. "This is not good. She's a child, she's bound to tell someone what she saw." 

"What are we going to do?" Asked Sun. Moon went silent as he thought about it, he then looked over to you after a few seconds. "How is your tail?" He asked. You looked down at it. "Sore, it stopped bleeding finally. I think I might be able to swim, if that's what you're wondering." Moon hummed. "Good. We need to get you back to the ocean as soon as possible." Sun elbowed him lightly. "You make it sound like we're trying to run them off." Moon turns to Sun. "It's not like that. Their safety is very important Sun, we can't risk them being found." 

"I know, I know. You're right. It just..." 

Moon gave him a questioning look. "It's just what?" He asks. There was a light blush on Sun's face when he spoke. "I guess..." He turned to face you. "I'll just miss you is all." You two got a small blush on your face as he said that. "But you hardly know me!" You stammer. "Sun is the type to get attached easily." Said Moon. Sun huffed and crossed his arms. "Like you aren't either. You just hide it well." Moon rolled his eyes. "Tonight we're getting you back to the ocean. We can see if you're really ready to go." You nod your head. 

You couldn't help but think about what Sun had said to you. About how he'd miss you. It was...nice to hear. You'd never knew anyone, other than your family, that cared about you like that. You barely knew these two, and they cared about you. Cared about your wellbeing. They saved you, wanted to help you. The more you thought about it, the more this little funny feeling continued to grow inside your chest. 

Just what was it? You didn't know. And you weren't sure what to think of it either...Maybe, it will go away on it's own once you've returned to the ocean. 

Chapter Text

That night Sun and Moon took you down to the dock, first they made sure no one was out at the late hours of the night before actually pushing your tank down. Once you all arrived at the dock, you looked out onto the ocean, you could see the reflection of the moon on the gentle waves. It was a bit cold, but nothing you weren't use to. You inhaled, taking in the scent of the salty ocean. It hadn't been too long since you were near the ocean, but any amount of time spent away from it felt like centuries. "Well." You say before turning to Sun and Moon. "I guess this is goodbye?" 

"I guess so." Said Sun. "I hope me and Moon didn't give you too much trouble." You smiled and shook your head. "You we're very decent. Besides, I owe you both my life. It's not like I can complain." Moon spoke next. "Do you think you can swim?" He asked. "Only one way to find out." You say before turning your back to them. You took a breath before hopping out of your tank and into the ocean. Sun and Moon hurried to the edge of the dock after they heard the splash you made as you entered. 

You swam up to the surface, a grin on your face. "I can." You tell them. "It doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. It's still a little sore but, as long as I take it easy I should be fine." 

"Then, this really is goodbye." Said Sun sadly. You felt kinda bad, sure, these were strangers you've only knew for a short time. And yet, they weren't like strangers at all. You might even go as far to call them friends. You couldn't take the look on Sun's face much longer. "Hey, how about I come visit you two every so often?" That seemed to have made Sun perk up a bit. "You mean it?" He asks. You nod. "If that's ok with the two of you." 

"It's more than ok!" Sun beamed. You looked to Moon. "What about you? Is it ok if I visit?" You ask him. "I wouldn't be against it." He shrugged. "But, keep in mind, you'll have to be careful. And, be careful out there too." 

"Right. I will be." You say before all three of you went silent. There wasn't much to say outside of a 'goodbye' or 'see you around'. So with one final wave, you swam off, leaving the two alone. Sun waved as you sawm away, until he couldn't see you anymore. He brought his hand down slowly and turned to Moon with a saddened expression. "I know. You'll miss them. But they did say they would visit." Moon tells him. "I know it's just...It's hard saying goodbye to a friend." Moon nods. "Yeah. I know." 

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Asked Sun, turning to face Moon. "They're smart, I'm sure they can take care of themselves." Said Moon. Sun turned back to the ocean.

"I hope so." 

• • •

One month had passed since you left Sun and Moon, and you had to admit. Life without those two was rather boring. You were doing what you had been doing for a while now, just swimming around here and there. Never staying in one place for too long. You didn't really have a home to call your own, just, resting spots at best. It was, rather lonesome. Sure it was before but, now that you've actually made some friends, it was like the lonely feeling was fresh once again. It was then you decided, you would pay them both a visit. 

However, nothing could have prepared you for what you saw once you arrived. 

Boats, fishing boats, and lots of them. What was going on? You swam underneath the dock and tried to calm your nerves. This was not good. You were as good as dead if you were to be seen by any of the fisherman out there. You carefully peaked your head out just enough to see from under the dock, what you saw surprised you. 

More automatons. Animal like automatons. There was a brown bear and a purple bunny talking to each other. Were they fisherman too? Like it mattered. You wouldn't let them see you regardless. Just as you were about to go back under, you saw them The entire reason you came back in the first place. Sun and Moon. They approached the two animal automatons and greeted them. They talked for a bit before the bear and bunny waved them goodbye as they walked away. Sun and Moon were right there. Oh how you wanted to pop your head out from the water and talk to them. But you couldn't risk getting caught. So, you did what the only thing you could think to do. You blew little air bubbles up to the surface, hoping it would catch their attention. 

Sun sat down on the edge of the dock, letting his legs hang off as he kicked them back and forth. "Sure is nice seeing those two again right?" He asked his partner with a grin. When Moon didn't respond, Sun looked up at him. Moon seemed to be lost in thought. "Moony?" Sun asked. "Moony!" He said a bit more loudly, finally snapping his partner out of it. "Huh?" Moon muttered. 

"You're doing it again." Said Sun. Moon sighed and sat next to him. "Sorry." 

"Don't be. I miss them too." Said Sun as he looked out over the ocean. "They said they'd visit, but, it's been a whole month." 

"Maybe they forgot about us." Moon muttered. "It's not like we were the best of friends or anything like that." Sun gave him a look. "Don't say that. I'm sure they haven't forgot about us. And we are friends, why else would they promise to visit us?" Moon shrugs. Sun puts a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, try not to think like that. We'll  see them again soon." 

Moon didn't say anything, he looked down at the water and just watched as the sun sparkled off the waves. And that's when he saw it, bubbles. "What in the..." Moon leaned forwards to get a better look. "What is it?" Asked Sun. 

You stopped and looked up, noticing Moon looking downwards. This was it! You took a quick look around before swimming up just enough for him to see you. He gasped slightly and tugged on Sun's shirt. "Sun, look!" He said in a hushed tone. Sun looked down and saw you as well. A bright grin came to his face, he had to hold back a yell of joy once he saw you. He looked around before talking to Moon. 

"Let's grab the boat." 

Chapter Text

Sun and Moon sailed out far enough away from all the commotion, you were following close behind. Once they stopped, you swam upwards and smiled brightly upon seeing their faces. "Hi guys." You say with a small wave. Sun almost cried, but he kept it together as he greeted you back. Moon smiled as well as he waves back to you. You swam closer to the boat and looked up at them. "What's going on? Why are there so many boats?" You ask. "Eh, it gets like this every now and then." Moon started. "Different fishermen come from all around to trade and gather supplies for their next trip. But there's never been this many here before." 

"Huh. How long do you think they'll stay?" You look back to the shore, the tiny outlines of boats bobbing with the waves. "Maybe a few weeks?" Said Sun. "A few weeks!?" You look back at him with surprise. "But, I wanted to see you guys. I really missed you both..." 

Sun and Moon looked at each other. "You can still see us. We'll just come out here where no one can see us." Sun tells you. "I guess so. It would be safer anyway." You say as you give it some thought. "Wouldn't mean risking my tail just to talk to you." You chuckle. "So, what's been new?" Sun and Moon then told you about what had all been going on since you left. They brought up Music Man and his children, they were doing good. The kids all just had a birthday, Sun was more than happy to arrange the party for them as well as preform as a somewhat party clown. Moon surprisingly, did the same. You didn't take him as the type to preform for children. It was sweet. 

They told you about their other friends as well. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Roxy, and Monty. They were automatons just like them. They were all pretty nice, well, maybe Roxy and Monty could be a bit rude. But still likeable nonetheless. Oh, and then there was this kid named Gregory. He was Freddy's adopted son, his human son. Sun and Moon didn't like Gregory very much. Which you found funny, how could they hate on a little kid? They also told you about their day to day lives, it wasn't anything spectacular but nothing dull either. 

"What about you?" Asked Moon. "What have you been up to all this time?" 

"Oh, uh. Just, you know, swimming around. Doing merperson things..." You trail off, a bit embarrassed. "It's not that important. I'm just glad to see you guys again." You say with a warm smile. The two automatons smiled as well, but they quickly fell as they heard the sound of a boat approaching. "Quick, get down." Moon tells you, you hurried to swim under the boat. The one that was coming by looked familiar, and so did the fishermen on it. 

Moon's expression hardened as he realized who was on that boat. The same men who stepped foot on their own boat snooping around. The very same who nearly found out they were hiding you. They seemed to have recognized Sun and Moon too, as they steered their boat over to them. 

"Well, look what we have here." The man from before spoke, his lackeys behind him. "It's our lovely robotic friends." 

"Who said we were friends?" Moon crossed his arms. "You got some nerve calling us friends after you stuck your nose in our business. Get lost." The man sneered at that. 

"Moon." Sun warned him. The last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out. The man then smirked before speaking again. "Don't think I introduced myself. Name's Thomas. These two here are Jack and Samson." He points out his fishermen partners. "And yer names?" 

Moon said nothing as he glared at Thomas, Sun rolled his eyes and answered for him. "Sun." He said. "This is Moon." 

"How fittin'." Thomas chuckled. "Still got that giant tank?" Sun nods. "Catch anythin'?" Sun shakes his head. "We've uh...certainly tried." Thomas laughed. "Something funny? Wanna share with the rest of us?" Moon grumbled. "Moon." Sun a bit more sternly. "I don't mean to offend." Thomas says. "And I think we got off on the wrong foot last time. Don'cha think?" Sun and Moon stayed quiet before Thomas started talking again. "After some thinkin', I realized I was a little rude, comin' onto yer boat like that. How 'bout we start over?" 

"Sure, we can do that." Sun nods. "No." Said Moon right after. "Moon!" Sun turns his head to face him, just as he was about to scold his rude behavior, Moon continued. "Ever since we met you three, I got a bad vibe from you. I don't like it, and I certainly don't like you. You're up to no good, I just know it." Moon continued. "Me and Sun don't want anything to do with it. So I'll say it again. Get. Lost." 

Thomas' "friendly" grin dropped. "I see how it is." He turned his back to the two. "We'll leave ya be. Oh and, watch yer backs. Ya filthy bots." After that, Thomas and his lackeys had steered their boat onwards towards town. Moon clicked his tongue before heading to the side of the boat. "Moon, that was totally uncalled for." Said Sun. Moon turned to face him. "What are saying? They're the ones who came here looking to start shit." 

"But it could have been handled better than that!" Sun says angrily. "One of these days you're going to tick off the wrong person and-"

"And I'll handle it." Moon cuts him off before beating the side of the boat with his hand. You knew that was the signal to come back up. You resurfaced and looked at both of them with worry, they were both angry. "What did I miss?" You asked. "Nothing, just some pesky fisherman." Said Moon. 

"It was the same men from last time." Sun said adding more context. You furrow your brows. "What did they want this time?" You ask. "To pick a fight. I handled it." Moon answers. "I'd hardly call that handling it!" Sun huffed. "If anyone was about to pick a fight, it was you!" Moon rolled his eyes. "And so what? I could have easily taken them." 

"That's not the point!" 

"Hey now!" You interrupted their bickering. "Guys, let's not fight ok? Moon, what exactly did he say to you?" 

"Well first he wanted to introduce himself, then he wanted to act all friendly. As if he didn't threaten us the last time we spoke. I wasn't having it, so I told them to take a hike." Moon tells you. "Ok, Sun, what did you do in that situation?" 

"Well I tried to be calm and actually be reasonable. I didn't want there to be a fight, I hate fighting. There's no need for it." 

"I see. Well, I don't agree with what Moon said. But, I understand where he's coming from. Sun has a good point Moon, fighting won't solve anything. I don't want you to get hurt." You tell him. The very thought of either of them getting hurt broke your heart. Moon's eyes widened for a brief moment before he avoids your gaze, mostly to hide his slight blush that had appeared on his face. "I'm not going to get hurt ok?" 

"Humans play dirty, they very well could hurt you Moon. I don't want that. So please, in the future, just be a little more cautious." 

Moon sighed. "Fine. Just stop your worrying." You smiled, Sun did as well. "You're really good for us, you know that?" He asks you. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, you just stopped our little fight. And you got Moon to actually listen to you." Said Sun. "I'm glad we have you." Your heart skipped a beat, you ignored it. "Aw, that's sweet of you. I'm glad to have you two as well." 

Moon cracked a small smile before speaking. "Alright. You got a place to stay for the night?" You shake your head. "Then you're staying with us again." 

"I can even make you some pancakes in the morning! Just how you like it!" Said Sun. Your eyes sparkled at the thought of eating his food again. Your smile grew, and so did that funny feeling in your chest. "Can't wait." 

Chapter Text

So...I am officially drained of motivation to continue this story. I kinda just, went at this on a whim without much of a plan on how to continue it further. I've just been getting random bursts of inspiration/ideas for every chapter that has been written so far. 

Now, this is not to say I'm going to quit writing this story all together. Cause, I don't want to do that. But, I just don't have many ideas on how to continue another chapter and so on. So for now, this story is going on a hiatus until I can get my motivation and ideas back. But in the meantime, I have another story out that I am working on and that I really enjoy!

It's called "The Beast" and it involves Eclipse, a character I have not written for yet. Hopefully you guys can enjoy that until this story returns. 

Also...I've been thinking about making a new story with Sun and Moon...involving vampires. Would ya'll like that? Just let me know if you would, and I'll consider it. Though, it might take some time to come out haha. 

Anyway-

Thank you for reading!