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Chapter Text

The kicked up sand swirled around her feet. Cold water lapped at her calves as she made her way through the shallow river water. She neared the part of the river that abruptly dropped off and was deeper than she was tall. She sat carefully and gently kicked her legs. The feeling of water rushing past her limbs and swinging them about like individual pieces on a wind chime would never not be entertaining. 

Mackenzie’s head tilted back as her eyes closed. It was such a lovely day. Warm sunlight heated her skin, and the sounds of the water running accompanied with gentle splashes filled the air. Her brows furrowed. A fish perhaps? 

She didn’t open her eyes to check if she was right, though, sure that the fish would avoid her. Should she be worried about it suckling on her toes? She dismissed the stray thought in hopes of continuing to enjoy her day.

And then something smacked her leg. Assuming it was a stray piece of plant or trash, she straightened to grab it and toss it. She blinked at the strange yellow strand clinging to her leg. She plucked it off her limb and out of the murky water. 

Oh gravy she was holding a baby mer. Gently, carefully, she set the squeaking creature back into the water. It got flung away with the current. 

She watched him go before quickly standing and leaving the river behind. While she liked mythical creatures, mythical creatures were not prone to liking humans. She particularly did not want to deal with a grumpy mother or father of said mythical creature.

She put the event out of her mind as months passed. She avoided the river during that time, focusing on work and a new videogame she had quickly obsessed over. 

So she was a little surprised when she opened her front door and a slimy mer sat there. It was curled into a ball with its head nowhere to be found. Predominantly what she could see of it was a deep brown color with markings of orange and red.

  The mass shifted and a head peered up at her. Water dripped off webbed fins encircling its flat dinner plate head.

The creature held out its clawed hand. Curled fingers splayed out. On the hand wriggled a tiny yellow worm. It was bigger than it was three months prior. 

“I have come to return your child.” the large water creature rasped. 

She had yet to let go of the door. “I… Um, appreciate that, but I am human.” She nodded at the tiny mer. “Tiny child is not.”

The mer frowned. “This does not make you inadequate. I will help you.”

His offered hand insistently moved closer. 

She shifted. “But he is not mine.”

“You continue to deny?” He squinted at her. “My nose is not so broken as to not smell you on him. You are a most anxious mother, then. I must explain that his chances of survival are higher with you than alone, as you misunderstood.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t be able to win this argument, she gently scooped the yellow slug out of his hand. The child squeaked and clung to her fingers, but didn’t seem unhappy. Based on the gentle rumbling, almost like a purr, if the creature could be compared to a cat at all, he was rather content. 

She wasn’t sure why. 

“I know it is forward of me, but may I enter your den?”

“Uh, sure.” She smoothed her thumb over the baby mer’s shell. It was a pretty color. Was her proclaimed child a water snail, then? She wondered how it was he could breathe without dying. Perhaps he was a creature that did not breathe underwater? She had questions to google. Surely someone out there had had an opportunity to research these mythical creatures. Hopefully it was done in a respectful manner, seeing as they were rather human in ways of thinking. Conscious? Dude, she didn’t know the proper terminology. 

The mer tracked water over her floors and onto the couch where it settled. It smoothed its hand over some fins she assumed helped him swim before looking at her. 

“Like the child, I am able to go periods of time outside of water. However, I will have to visit the river daily. There I will sleep, too. I do not want to impose, after all. I can teach the child the ways of a mer. Of course, there will be things I cannot teach him, as he and I are different subspecies of mer. He will have to learn those things for himself. When he is older. For now, I believe the child is in need of a nap. He was excited to be reunited with you, and refused to rest.”

“Uh.” She glanced at the child already snoozing in her hand. “Should I… make up a bed for him?”

The mer tilted his head. “My kind let their child rest near one of our hearts. It is soothing to them. Do humans do differently?”

She hummed. “I think it depends on the parent.” she recalled a photo she saw of her little sibling sleeping on her dad’s chest and smiled fondly. “Sometimes, yes.”

“Would you like to sit while I retrieve food for the child? He is particularly fond of spiders.”

She refrained from making a face. “If you don’t mind.”

He smiled. She expected him to have sharp teeth, for some reason, but she was pretty sure he didn’t have teeth at all. Maybe he ate bugs too. “Not at all.”

Over the next three weeks, on top of taking care of the tiny snail, she’d been finding pretty shells all over the house. 

“While I don’t not appreciate it, what’s with the shells?” She asked as she folded her laundry. She’d needed jeans done, and had actually had the motivation to fold them for once. Usually she just shoved them into her dresser. 

Eclipse shifted on the couch beside her. “What do you mean?”

“Where do you keep finding them? Why are they all over the house? Are you just… decorating?”

He hummed as he petted a singular finger over the river snail’s back. “Your first mate continues to astonish me. Did they really never tell you the importance of exchanging a pretty shell?”

“There never was a first mate.” She explained. 

There was silence, a considering look on his face when she glanced over, and then he gasped. “I apologize for bringing up tender pains.”

She sighed. There really was no convincing this guy, was there? “Explain the ‘pretty shell’ thing, please.”

“Of course, star fish.” Maybe if she grilled him about the nicknames again, he’d actually answer this time, what with the bringing up ‘tender pains’. “Although, I hesitate on account of bringing up painful–”

“Just explain.”

“Yes ma’am.” his tail flicked. “Essentially, it is a nonverbal question. ‘Would you like to consider me for a companion?’”

She paused. Her eyes slid to him, though her head was frozen in place. “Huh?”

He smiled coyly. “Would you like to be mine? I to be yours? Might I be a suitable addition to your life?”

“Why shells?” She asked. 

He, not expecting this question, cocked his head. “Why shells?” He repeated. 

“Yes. Why shells?”

“Hm.” His golden and deep brown eyes slid to the child in his hand. “I’m not certain, really. Perhaps it is like how your humans dress in white because of one influential figure on their special day. Would you wear white, or should I?”

She tilted her head. A wedding ceremony with a fish would look so silly. “How do mers wed?” She thought of penguins exchanging a rock, then. 

“Once you have accepted my shell, you search for something of equal merit to give to me. Once I accept, the flames of the night sky bless our union themselves. If no stars flee the sky, we are not one. If two flee, we are bound. If three, we are blessed.” He smirked. “It is much better than signing a piece of paper, no?”

“Is that why I’ve found three shells each day?”

He beamed. “It is clever, is it not?” He looked to the side, attempting to look bashful or something not nearly so full of himself. “I mean to say—”

“It’s cute.” 

His fins perked up. He tried to smooth them back down with one hand, avoiding her gaze, but there was a smile tugging at his lips all the same. 

“Why me?” She asked. 

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve known me all of three weeks. Why choose me for a mate when you know so little about me?”

“You are kind and considerate. Astounding to behold. Sweet and darling.” He had a peculiar look in his eyes. She looked away, face burning. She folded the last pair of jeans and stood abruptly, quickly putting all the jeans back into the basket. 

“I’ll be in my room, putting these away.”

He watched her go with a smile, gently petting the back of the child snoozing on his chest. “I’ll be here,” He said softly. 

Chapter Text

The only problem, Mackenzie found, with accepting her stupid mer as a mate, was that she now had two slimy mers vying for her cuddles. The child (now the length of her arm from her elbow to her fingertips) at least had a good reason. His yellow arms were locked tightly around her neck, limiting her air supply. Taking up the spot of her lap was her embroidery project, and at the end of the couch was a watery-eyed fully grown man. 

She resolutely ignored him. Her needle punched through the fabric on her embroidery hoop. She had spilled paint on her nice jeans due to someone jostling her elbow, so she was taking advantage of it to practice her admittedly poor embroidery skills. She was pretty sure the bird was at least recognizable, though, so she was content. 

Her husband humphed. 

“Do you want something?” She asked dryly.

He bodily turned away from her, arms crossed. “No.”

“Alright.”

It took two minutes for him to crack. Her eyes flicked away from her wristwatch as he threw his arms up in frustration. “Alright, yes, I want something!” He turned to face her, grabbing the back of the couch to draw himself near. He loomed over her. “I would very much like to cuddle with you, please.” 

Her needle stabbed through the fabric. She didn’t need to look up to know the expression on his face. Something a little seductive, and 70% goofy looking. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but there were some things one should not take the advice of off of the internet. She steeled herself in preparation. She stabbed her needle into a pincushion that looked vaguely like a spider (a gift from her two boys) and set aside her project. It was carefully set on the ground, and then she looked at her husband, lips carefully pressed together to fight off the smile that already wanted to form. 

Eclipse’s pointed nose brushed against hers. He gave her a peck before dropping heavily into her lap, arms immediately wrapping loosely around her waist. His nails scraped pleasantly up and down her back. 

She let her head fall against the pillows propping her up. With the weight on her lap and chest, she could easily fall asleep. She stared at the ceiling. Unfortunately, the overhead lights were on. 

She squinted.