Work Text:
Water crashed against the wood of the dock, rain pelted against Jimmy’s hair. The weather was, in all ways, infuriating for the people of the village. Less sales, fewer customers, more damage to be fixed. Jimmy, personally, didn’t give a kelp.
He knew why the weather would deteriorate once every month, and he enjoyed the reason. Said reason had to do with the small head of pink hair poking above the water’s surface. Jimmy smiled at the Merling, watching as Lizzie swam in circles while explaining her adventures.
Jimmy loved his role as Lizzie’s big brother — how could he not?
Even now, as Lizzie’s nearing the human age of twelve, Jimmy can’t help but think back to the day he found her. He had been moping around on the shore, wishing for a better life, when he watched the waves push a prismarine egg onto shore. He watched the waves push a siren egg onto shore.
Jimmy being Jimmy had panicked, not wanting to leave the poor thing alone to get killed by hunters. So he had taken her in, laying her gently in a large basin of water in his house. From there he had tried his best to use what little information he knew about Sirens — Storm Sirens, she had the markings of one — to adequately care for the egg.
It was hard, and left Jimmy in tears more than once, convinced he was going about everything wrong. But finally, one stormy day, she had hatched.
Lizzie had quickly become the light of his life, making him smile each time the baby Siren chittered or smiled or called him “Buba” . But she grew too quickly for him to keep her in the bathtub, and it certainly wasn’t healthy for her to be kept contained. So, Jimmy reached out to a few trustable companions.
Jimmy wasn’t exactly social, but he had a few connections. One of which happened to be a scientist preferring to study Sirens in more humane ways. Even with the judgment from everyone else, Grian cared very little about what others thought of him, and went on to open a Siren protection and shelter facility.
When Jimmy had arrived sobbing in the middle of the night, holding a baby Siren in the pouring rain, Grian had wasted no time in rushing the two inside, no questions asked.
Jimmy had had a container of water strapped onto his back like a quiver, two tubes filled with water and square ends connected to the gills on Lizzie’s neck. Jimmy had commissioned Martyn, another Siren enthusiast, to make it for him, for the purpose of moving Lizzie around. Grian praised him on his craftiness and care for Lizzie, a feeble attempt to make him feel better about himself.
The two had talked for hours, going over plans and explanations and so much more, but soon came to a conclusion.
Lizzie would temporarily be put into care of a Moon Siren named Pearl, and every month Pearl would take Lizzie to see Jimmy at the shore of his island. Jimmy was beyond thrilled, and had broken into tears and almost given Grian a heart attack, but he couldn’t care less.
He was going to see her again. He was going to be able to see his little sister again.
Five years later, Jimmy sat on a soaked dock, storm clouds rumbling above as he chatted with his little sister in everything but blood and species. Pearl, who had become an older sibling to both, watched them with a fond smile.
Maybe Grian was right, Jimmy mused.
They really are Seablings.