Chapter Text
Today was the day! Xingqiu could barely contain his excitement as he swam back and forth in front of the divider. Just on the other side, in the neighboring habitat, his future mate resided.
For years now, Xingqiu had been waiting for the right mate. Too often the other mer he was introduced to were not interested in him or were incompatible. But this time, Doctor Baizhu said the stud in the other tank was a perfect match.
A soft thumping splash echoed from the surface. Xingqiu rose through the water gracefully, his shimmering blue scales and translucent golden fins catching the light brilliantly. Surely this new stud would find him attractive.
"Good morning, Xingqiu," Doctor Baizhu greeted as Xingqiu popped his head out of the water.
"Is it time?"
The doctor, his long-time caretaker, chuckled warmly. "Eager as always. Try not to scare this one off with your excitement."
Xingqiu huffed, pouting his lips and crossing his arms while his tail continued to wade water to keep him in the same spot. "I'm not that bad." Then softer, he added, "Am I?"
"No, no," Baizhu's gaze softened. "I truly believe this stud is your perfect match. He's a bit shy though, so take it slow."
"A shy stud? That's unusual," Xingqiu cocked his head. "What's his name?
Most studs he'd come across both in the wild, and after he was brought to the sanctuary, were haughty, aggressive mer who only wanted to fight or fuck. The first stud he'd been introduced to here by his caretaker was a boisterous mer with lots of muscles highlighted with red markings and two sharp horns protruding from his temples.
Xingqiu shook his head to dispel the memory. Things had not gone well back then.
"His name is Chongyun, and you'll do just fine," Baizhu smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Are you ready?"
The mer's answered grin was all the confirmation the doctor needed before he was moving toward the dividing door to open it.
Xingqiu was already there, waiting for the gate to lift. He ran his fingers through his hair and checked that he'd done enough scale pruning over the last few days. No dull spots anywhere!
With a buzzing noise from the surface and a low clank of metal as the gears began to twist inside the walls, the gate parted. Xingqiu's heart pounded with excitement as he eased through the space and into the neighboring habitat. It was set up differently from the last stud he'd met here.
Now, there were tons of rocks and alcoves to hide in, and plants to camouflage and lurk between. Doctor Baizhu had said this stud was shy, after all. Xingqiu hoped he wasn't some weak scaredy cat who wouldn't even be confident enough to at least put on a display to woo him.
Sea grass danced in the current and bubbles rose up in the distance from one of the filters. Xingqiu's golden eyes scanned the area for any sign of Chongyun. He frowned when his chosen mate didn't show himself.
"Hello?" he called. "Anybody in here?"
A gasp from a nearby coral display caught Xingqiu's attention. His head snapped around to try to catch sight of the stud Doctor Baizhu wanted him to meet… but there was no one.
Shoulders sagging and lips turning down, he slowly glided through the water toward the reef. Xingqiu also had something like this in his habitat. Although, the colors were much more monotone here with shades of blue and green. He was certain it was so the mer who lived here could camouflage.
Something shiny caught Xingqiu's eye and he headed for the curious object.
"What's—" he yelped, cutting himself off as a large mer shot out from under a rocky overhang and across the tank. "W-Wait!"
Pumping his tail hard, Xingqiu chased after the other mer. By the size of the mer, it didn't look like he could move so fast or turn so quickly, but Xingqiu found himself constantly trailing behind. A sudden thought struck him as he remembered Doctor Baizhu's words.
Don't scare this one off with your excitement.
Right, Chongyun was skittish. Xingqiu slowed to a stop, sapphire tail swaying back and forth slowly to keep him hovering in place. His heart ached, wondering what could have happened to make this mer so scared of his own kind.
"I'm sorry, Chongyun!" Xingqiu called. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
A slight trill of anxiety echoed from under the rocky overhang. Ah, it seemed this mer had a favorite hiding spot.
Xingqiu made his way over, trying to keep himself calm. He was curious and very interested, especially since what he'd already seen was nice. A pale blue tail accentuated by translucent opal fins and hair the color of glaciers. He was pretty and Xingqiu wanted a better look.
The stud was curled in on himself, face hidden beneath his gorgeous fins. His entire body trembled and Xingqiu reached out a hand, wanting desperately to comfort him. Chongyun flinched and let out a pained noise.
Xingqiu backed away quickly, heart racing. He'd ruined another match.
Swimming as fast as he could, Xingqiu returned to his own tank through the gate that had remained open. He choked on a frustrated, angry noise, hating that he'd scared his "perfect match," as Doctor Baizhu had described Chongyun.
His own hiding place was in the kelp forest near the back corner of his habitat. Xingqiu dove into the fronds and curled around himself protectively.
"Stupid, worthless," Xingqiu hiccupped. "Just like father always said. No mate will ever want me."
A sad song trilled in his throat, vibrating his gills. A dull pain reverberated in his chest from the old injury inflicted during his first matching that went wrong.
On the other side of the glass, Baizhu watched his mer with a sympathetic expression. He scribbled a few notes, pushed his glasses up his nose, and left the viewing room.
"Well, that went about as well as I expected," Miko sighed, looking up at Baizhu when he entered the office. "It's too bad. They seemed like they'd be such a sweet pair."
"We'll give them time," Baizhu told her. "I'm not willing to give up yet. Or ever, for that matter."
Miko sighed again, her eyes watching him with an unreadable expression. "I still think my dear Itto would have made a good alpha for your little mer."
Baizhu frowned. That gigantic mer had been a horrible match for Xingqiu. Too boisterous, didn't know his own size, too aggressive.
"Absolutely not," he huffed. "Xingqiu was recovering for months after the damage to his gills that Itto inflicted. Even if it was an accident, they were not a good match."
Miko pursed her lips and turned away. She ran her pen across the notepad in front of her and Baizhu was certain she wasn't actually writing, but doodling.
Sure enough, as he walked around her chair to get to his desk, he spotted some sketches of spider lilies in the margins of her notes.
"This was an… unfortunate turn of events, but I am still confident that with time, Chongyun and Xingqiu will warm to each other," Baizhu said as he began writing up a report to send to the Sanctuary's CEO.
The mer breeding program had only been in effect for a little less than a decade, and while it had been successful in many cases, Xingqiu was still struggling. Baizhu remembered the day the young abandoned mer came to the sanctuary. He was small, and scared, having been left behind by his pod. Barely able to fend for himself, the poor creature was skin and bones. Baizhu had been in charge of the young mer's rehabilitation and after only a year, he had bonded with him. It was probably not the best for one of the mer to feel that Baizhu was a parental figure, but Xingqiu was not fit to return to the wild. There wasn't much harm in continuing their familial relationship.
Chongyun could potentially return to the ocean, but his condition was concerning. The glacial mer had been brought to the sanctuary almost two years ago after a terrible run in with poachers. His entire family had been killed, and he was chased for miles, wounded with harpoons and other sharp weapons. Baizhu was unsure how he escaped, but it was possible that adrenaline played a big role in his survival.
From what Baizhu had seen of Chongyun's personality, the mer was reserved and skittish. But the rare moments when curiosity and excitement took over were magical. He was certain that Xingqiu could bring Chongyun comfort, and vice versa, if only their introductions could go smoothly.
"It was inevitable that something was to go wrong," Miko spoke, pulling Baizhu from his thoughts.
"And why is that?"
Miko hummed, "Xingqiu was too excited. You know how he gets. And Chongyun was already wary of meeting another mer. It was bound to be a disaster."
"Then," Baizhu sighed and took off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose, "we try again."