Jewel of the Sea

by HowlingBoo

Summary:

Nix has always loved the stories her mom would tell her about merpeople. She always found those fantasy creatures so fascinating.

But, what if one day, a real Mer was found? What if due to poaching, a Sanctuary was made for catch and release?

And what if Nix was invited to work at the sanctuary?

Notes:

Chapter 1: Meeting Sun and Moon

Nix looked at the distant island with stars in her hazel eyes. Her long, wavy black hair ended with a navy blue ombre. The nineteen year old’s sun-kissed skin was slightly flushed from the heat, making the freckles that bridged over her nose more noticeable.

“Ya ready, girlie?”

Nix turned to face the older man who spoke. He was wearing a long, black captain’s jacket with the cliche white hat. There was a scar over his left eye, but he held a kind grin on his face. 

“Sure I am, Captain!” Nix responded with an excited giggle. 

Nix had received an email a few weeks prior, inviting her to join the Fazbear Mer Sanctuary. She had been so ecstatic that she immediately packed up her bags after she told her mom. Her mother was proud of her, but worried too. The sanctuary was very far out in the ocean, and the duo had never really been apart before. 

Nix had reassured her mom before she left, (and gave her the world’s longest bear hug). 

It had taken a two day bus trip, a sixteen hour plane ride, and a four day boat ride to get to the sanctuary. And Nix couldn’t wait to get inside and see all the mer. 

Every since the discovery and rescue of the first Mer several years ago, Nix had desired to see one up close. As more and more reports of Mers appeared over the globe, Nix’s desire to help rescue and release these magnificent creatures did as well. Anytime the young woman found a new picture or video of a Mer being pulled from a fishing net or dragged onto shore, her heart sank and ached. 

Only when Fazbear’s Mer Sanctuary appeared did Nix finally feel relief and hope that the mer would be helped. She watched videos of tearful and heartfelt goodbyes as Mers were found, rescued, healed, and released by the new foundation. 

Nix was glad that her mom had pushed her so hard in school, which allowed her to graduate high school at the age of seventeen and go to college early. Nix had chosen any and all biology courses, especially those that covered Mer.

When her Mer Behavior professor had mentioned that he had sent a letter to Fazbear regarding his ‘star pupil’ as he called her, she was shocked. After receiving the email from Fazbear asking her to come to the sanctuary, Nix had endlessly thanked her professor, who had merely laughed and waved her off, wishing her good luck.

Now, here she was, standing just a few feet from the dock of the sanctuary’s island.

“Take care, girlie. Ya hear? If ya ever need me, you know how to reach me!” The captain said, waving her farewell as she stepped off the supply boat and onto the Sanctuary’s island.

“Bye, bye mon capitain!” Nix yelled out with a laugh.

The ravenette took in a deep breath to calm her nerves as she clutched her satchel bag to her side, With a slight gulp, the young woman made her way into the sanctuary.

“Nix, right?”

The girl in question turned at the voice, her eyes locking onto an tall, broad-shouldered older man with shaggy, golden brown hair and kind blue eyes. 

“Yes, sir.” She replied, just barely biting back a stutter. The man laughed heartily. “Oh, please, little cub. There’s no need for the ‘sir’. Just call me Freddy.” He said, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

Nix fixed her hair, giving him an odd look. As if realizing what he just did, Freddy looked sheepishly down at her. “Sorry, you just remind me of my son, Gregory. I miss him dearly.” 

Nix relaxed at his words, giving him a warm smile. “It’s ok. I just got here and I already miss my mom.” She admitted, making him smile down at her in a fatherly way. The way he was looking at her made her heart ache. She had never known her own father.

“Well, are you ready for your tour?” He asked her, watching as she nodded excitedly. 

The tour took only a little over an hour, but Freddy showed Nix where the quarantine was for the mers that had just been rescued or are sick, the cafeteria where everyone gets their food, the library for any research needed, some of the labs where they looked at the samples collected from Mers, and the housing structures. 

The housing structures were all seperate little bungalows, prebuilt and taken to the island anytime a new person was going to be living their. Freddy had given Nix the keys to her small home, before taking her to where she had been anxiously awaiting to see; the Mer enclosures.

They didn’t have many at the moment, as they had just released a bunch of Mers, but they still had several. Enough to garner her recruitment. 

At Freddy’s words, Nix had stopped. “Wait… I’m going to be the caretaker of a Mer? I thought I’d just be shadowing someone…” She said, nervously. As excited as she was to help out Mers, she didn’t find herself qualified to do so yet, not without proper training at least.

Freddy furrowed his brows, frowning slightly. “You have completed the Mer Behavior course in your college, yes?” He asked her. Nix nodded, tilting her head. “That’s all the qualification you need. You’ll get a crash course by watching Xander with our two newest Mers. Come on, he should be heading there now, I’ll see if we can’t cut him off and you can go with him to the enclosure.” 

Nix followed Freddy, her nervousness rising as she began to nibble on the skin on her right thumb.

What if she messed up? What if she somehow ended up hurting one of these Mers? What if she got the caretaker hurt? What if-

“Xander!”

Freddy’s shout pulled Nix from her thoughts, causing her to jump slightly in alarm. The teen followed Freddy’s smiling gaze to see a boy around her age with spiked black hair, slate gray eyes, a pierced right ear, and a spike piercing that went through his left eyebrow. He was wearing a black shirt and black khakis, a covered gallon bucket hanging from his right hand. He looked like a cliche bad boy, especially with his resting bitch face.

“What do you want, old man?” The teen called out to Freddy, not seeing Nix behind the man’s huge frame.

“Our new recruit came in, and you're taking her to Sun and Moon’s enclosure so she can shadow you.” Freddy informed, disregarding the teen’s tone. Freddy stepped aside, revealing Nix, who looked unsuredly at the new person.

The moment Xander laid his eyes on Nix, he lit up, a smirk rising to his face as he swept the fringe of his bangs out of his eyes with the flick of his wrist. 

“Hey there, doll. Ready for your crash course?” He asked her, his dark eyes looking her up and down like she was a piece of meat. The thought made an unpleasant shiver race down her spine. She looked over to Freddy, who merely gave her a warm smile, before she huffed out a sigh and hesitantly crossed the distance to the taller teen.

Xander smirked down at Nix, his eyes roving her form. She was definitely great eye candy, her breasts weren’t as big as he hoped, but they weren't small either. She was definitely curvy around the waist, which made him smile. More for him to hold on to.

“So, doll. Let's get going.” Xander said, resisting the urge to drape his arm over her shoulders. She seemed flighty, wouldn't want to scare her before he got a chance to get to know her.

Nix eyed him, distrust in her hazel gaze. She was getting a bad feeling from him. 

They walked to the enclosure in silence. Nix was trying to focus on the fact that she was about to come face to face with two Mers, and Xander was planning out how to woo her.

“So, how do you like being a caretaker?” Nix's voice broke the silence. Xander frowned in distaste at the question. “Eh. I'm stuck here because my mom runs the place. I have to feed nasty fish to bigger, more disgusting fish.” He said, rolling his eyes.

Nix felt her blood begin to boil at his words. This guy was starting to piss her off. Eyeing her like she was going to be his next conquest, now insulting the Mers he's supposed to be taking care of and healing. 

Nix took a deep breath to calm herself. It wouldn't be good if she was angry when she meets Sun and Moon. “How long have you been their caretaker? Are Sun and Moon mates?” Nix asked, trying to see how long he was more than likely abusing these Mers. 

“Eh, only for a week or so. Their other handlers all quit. Couldn't handle the darker one. They aren’t mates. They’re brothers. But they refuse to be seperated.” Xander sighed. Were these dumb fish all she wanted to talk about? He thought to himself, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth in distaste. 

Nix furrowed her brow at his words. Only a week? The others quit? “Why?” She asked almost without realizing it. Xander rolled his eyes, “They're too aggressive for anyone else to handle.”

Before Nix could say anything else, Xander stopped in front of a large metal door. “Look, just stay behind me. I'll protect you, doll.” He said with a wink, before swiping his ID over the digital lock. The little red light flashed green with a small beep before Xander opened the door and walked inside, leaving Nix to follow behind. 

Nix let out a small gasp as she stared at the enclosure in amazement. A large pool took up most of the area. Sand covered the ground and the bottom of the pool. There was a small rocky cave at the bottom of the pool, most likely where their nest was. There was sparse vegetation that surrounded the enclosure. 

“Get back, freak!”

A violent hiss sounded to her right, and Nix snapped her gaze in the direction, only to have her breath stolen once again.

There was a large, yellow Mer, sharp, dagger-like teeth pulled back in a hissing snarl. The Mer’s tail ended in a large, extravagant, flowy fin. The tip of which faded from a sunny yellow into a beautiful sunset orange. There were two small fins that hung down from a little bit below the hips of the Mer, with the same coloration as it’s tail. Around the Mer’s hips was a crimson ruffle-like fin, it had a matching one around its neck almost like a ruffled collar like jesters wore. Seven, large, yellow fins surrounded its head, they were flared out threateningly as the Mer snarled and hissed at Xander. The Mer’s blue pupils were slitted in aggression, its claws digging into the sand while its tail slapped the sand. 

The Mer was getting ready to pounce. 

“Eat your damn food, you fucking fish.” Xander snapped, tossing a small, half rotten mackerel towards the Mer. The Mer hissed, swiping the fish away with its claws. 

“What are you feeding it? It needs something fresher, something alive !” Nix said, stressing her last word. “What does that matter?” Xander asked her, scoffing as he tossed another fish towards the aggressive Mer.

Nix’s gaze darted around the enclosure, before she remembered the cart that she had passed jut a little ways away from the door. 

Nix slowly backed away, so as not to draw attention to herself, before she opened the door and slipped outside, taking her sneaker off and slipping it between the door and its frame so it wouldn’t close on her.       

The cart that Nix had seen was only a few feet away, but it waas loaded with fresh fish, swimming around in buckets. 

“Need something?”

Nix yelped, turning to the voice, only to see Freddy. She sighed in relief. “Xander needs a few fish for Sun and Moon. I don’t know what they like though.” Nix said, smiling up at the older man. 

Freddy hummed, before he leaned down and grabbed a gallon bucket filled with water. He grabbed two of each fish and started to hand it to her before faltering. “Uh, will you be able to carry this?” He asked her worriedly. 

Nix smiled at him before grabbing the bucket and easily lifting it. “I’m stronger than I look.” Nix said cheerily before thanking him and slipping back inside the enclosure, making sure to grab her shoe and put it on.

The Mer was still growling and snarling, and had scooted closer to Xander, who had dropped the bucket of rotten fish onto the sand. 

“Hey, Sun.” Nix called, assuming his name from the color and look of the Mer. 

Sun snapped his head around to face her, his blue pupils still slits as he continued to hold himself in an aggressive stance. 

Nix held up her hands, palms out, a kind smile on her face. “Are ya hungry? I’ve got some tuna here?” She tried. His growling didn’t stop. 

“How about marlin?” Still no.

“Red Snapper?” 

His snarls quieted slightly. 

Nix’s eyes lit up and she reached a hand into the bucket and pulled out one of the snappers. The fish wiggled and struggled in her grip, but her heart melted at the way Sun’s eyes brightened and his pupil widened slightly. 

Nix took a few hesitant steps towards the Mer, not daring to get too close, and she placed the fish on the sand before retreating back to the bucket.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Sun shot forward like a bullet and snatched the fish up, his sharp teeth tearing into the scales and ripping the fish’s head off in seconds. Sun quickly finished off the fish before his gaze landed back on Nix, his pupils even bigger than before, but his blue gaze still held a caution that she understood.

“I have another.” She said, before grabbing the second snapper and following the same process. Sun was just as quick to grab the fish, but he was slightly less aggressive. 

Once Sun finished his food, he cautiously scooted a bit closer to Nix, who didn’t move from her spot by the bucket. 

“Your brother must be hungry too. What does he like? Tuna?” Sun let out a little growl. “Hm, probably not the marlin then either.” Sun let out a warbling chortle like he was laughing and saying ‘no’.

Nix looked into the bucket with a frown. There was only one other fish. 

“Barracuda?”

Sun let out a soft purr and scooted a bit closer to her. “Would you take these to your brother for me?” She asked him, as she placed the streamlined fish down on the ground. 

Sun let out another warbling purr before he easily pulled himself over to Nix with a flop of his tail. Sun grabbed the barracuda and looked Nix in the eyes as he warbled. 

Nix gave him a smile as he stared at her, as if deciding on something. Suddenly, with a nod of his head, Sun shoved his face into Nix’s and dragged his tongue up the side of her cheek before he was suddenly in the water an swimming down to the cave that housed his nest.

Nix let out a giggle as she gently rubbed the saliva off her cheek. The teen stood up and brushed the sand off of herself before she grabbed the bucket and turned back to the exit.

She didn’t get far before she bumped into Xander, who was looking down at her in anger. 

“What was that?” He asked her, a scowl on his face. Nix frowned up at the taller teen. “I was doing my job. You know, taking care of the Mers.” Nix snapped back harshly, her hazel eyes narrowing in anger. 

“She did a great job.”

Both teens whipped around to see Freddy standing there, frowning as he leaned against the side of the door.

“In fact, I think she’s more qualified to take care of these two Mer than you are. So, I’m putting her in charge of them and demoting you to kitchen duty.” Freddy said, glairng at the boy.

“What?! You can’t-”

“I can, and I will. Your mom put me in charge of handling the caretakers. That’s what I’m doing. I’ll give her a run down of what to expect. You’re dismissed.” Freddy said, holding open the door. 

Xander clenched his fists and stomped out of the room, giving a nasty glare to Freddy as he left. Nix glanced back at the pool, seeing a pair of blue eyes watching her. She gave a smile and wave before following Freddy out of the enclosure.

“Let’s get you settled in your room. I’ll wake you up bright and early in the morning so I can give you a run down on taking care of a Mer. Then, you can get to work.” Freddy said as he walked with her to her small bungalow.

Nix gave him a tired smile and waved him goodbye before she closed the door and slumped into her room. She flopped onto the bed, exhausted. She’ll take a look around her new home tomorrow.

*****

Sun smiled to himself as the new human waved goodbye to him. He felt a purr rising to his throat as he thought about her taking care of him and his brother.

She was so sweet, so kind. She figured out what the horrible human was doing wrong within seconds and quickly fixed the issue. She was even so thoughtful as to give him fish to give to his brother! He liked this human so far. Hopefull she’s a good one. They hadn’t had a good human. 

Sun tightened his grip on the barracuda as he made his way down to his nest where his brother slept. While Sun liked to sleep in the sand, his brother preferred somewhere darker. 

It was almost time for his brother to wake up anyway, so Sun sped up. He crossed the distance in record time, poking his head in the air pocket to see his sleeping brother.

Sun frowned at the look of him. His brother’s tail was broken, which made it hard for him to swim. The two brothers were protective of each other, refusing to be without the other. It’s why the humans haven't been able to get close to Moon. Sun would always be in the way, attacking if provoked.

“Moonie?” Sun called out, pulling himself onto the rocky outcropping that held their nest. 

Moon grunted, opening one eye as he yawned, showing off his sharp teeth. “What is it, Sun?” He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Tell me you didn’t bring those rotten carcasses for me to eat.” Moon growled out, his red eyes narrowing at his brother. 

Sun grinned as he held up the two fish. 

Moon’s eyes widened and he grabbed them swiftly before devouring them. 

“Where did you get these?” Moon asked him after he finished both fish. For the first time since they’ve been here the brothers weren’t starving anymore.

“We have a new caretaker! She’s super sweet, and sososo soooooo nice! While the rude human was yelling at me and throwing the rotten fish, she grabbed a BUNCH of different fish and asked me what I wanted! She also asked what you would like and then gave it to me!” Sun said, his tail wagging happily. 

Moon’s eyes widened at his brother’s words. “A new caretaker, huh?” Moon asked, his eyes narrowing with interest. Sun stopped at his brother’s tone. “Moon, I know what you’re thinking. Please don’t scare her away! I have a good feeling about her!” Sun pleaded, whimpering slightly. 

“Sunny…” Moon warned, a growl rising to his throat. Sun backed down, his head fins flattening. “Okay just…be gentle, please?” 

Moon grunted non committedly, which only made Sun’s worry grow.

As Sun slipped away to swim more, Moon let a savage grin spread across his face. 

This new caretaker may be on Sun’s good side. But now it was time to pass his test.

*****

Nix spent the morning with Freddy as he went over the do’s and dont’s of taking care of Mers. She paid close attention not wanting to cause her new Mers any pain or strife.

It close to sunset when she was finally done, and Nix quickly made her way to Sun’s enclosure her satchel bag slapping gently against her hip as she walked. She had a bucket with several snappers and barracudas swimming around. Nix had filled her bag with books and toys for the Mers to play with. 

She got to the enclosure as the sun began to set and she swiped her brand new ID on the door, smiling as it flashed green and beeped.

Nix closed the door behind her and started walking closer to the pool, but kept her distance, knowing that the two Mers don’t know her well enough to trust her yet.

A cheerful warbling reached her ears and Nix turned to see Sun swimming up to her as she reached a rock big enough for her to sit on. 

“Heya, Sun!” Nix greeted, smiling at the large yellow Mer. Sun purred happily before she noticed his eyes focus in on the bucket. Nix laughed at his reaction as she pulled her bag off and set it down beside the bucket. 

“I brought plenty to eat-” 

A loud roar was all the warning that Nix got before something tackled her into the water. The impact of what she could have only assumed was Sun’s brother, Moon, felt like being hit by a sledgehammer.

Nix turned in the water, unable to see either of the Mers. 

From the corner of her eye, Nix saw a flash of midnight blue. Turning towards it, Nix’s eyes widened at the sight of the other Mer circling her like she was prey.

Moon’s body was mostly a midnight blue, so dark it was almost black. His torso was two toned, his front half a grayish white, while the back matched his tail. His arms followed the tail coloring, but as the color reached his claws, it faded into the same grayish white color. He had similar side fins that matched his brother but were his own colors, and he also had the same sort of ruffled fins around his hips and neck that were a navy blue. His tail ended in a forked, hook-shaped fin that faded into the same grayish white as the front half of his body. Half of Moon’s face was grayish white while the other half was that same midnight blue. There was a large midnight blue fin that came from the top of his head and stretched down to his shoulders. A small ball of light dangled from the tip of it. His entire body sparkled under the light of his esca, making it look like his body was covered in thousands of little stars. Moon’s eyes were completely different from his brother’s. Instead of white sclera, no iris, and blue pupil, Moon had bright red sclera, no iris, and white pupils.

Pupils which were very narrow.

And his sharp teeth were on display with a ferocious snarl that shook the water around her.

And Nix can’t breath. Why can’t she breath? Oh right. AIR!

Nix kicked her feet to go to the surface for air when Moon’s snarl got louder. Nix’s last breath escaped her as a flurry of bubbles when Moon’s claws gripped her neck.

Moon swam like a missle to the bootom of the pool, slamming her into the sand so hard that she felt a crack as her vision blacked out for a moment. 

Nix looked into Moon’s furious eyes as his grip tightened around her neck. His claws tore into her pale throat, leaving deep scratches in neck. As Nix’s vision darkened, she faintly noticed her blood rising up around them as a small cloud.

Then, everything went black.

Chapter 2: Moon's Test

Sun waited anxiously all day for his new caretaker to come. He swam around the pool in circles nervously, popping his head above the water to see if she arrived yet. 

After what felt like forever, the sun had begun to set. Sun let out a sad warble as he lowered himself in the water, letting himself lay on the sand at the bottom of the pool. 

“Your little friend decided not to come back?” Moon asked as he swam up to his brother. Sun turned his head away from the darker Mer, his head fins flaring out in annoyance. Moon rolled his eyes at his brother’s childish behavior. 

As the darker Mer opened his mouth to speak, the muted thud of the door above closing caught their attention.

Sun shot up like a dart, unable to contain his excitement. Moon stayed below the surface, watching from afar as this new caretaker walked in with one of those buckets that usually held food. 

Moon let out a quiet growl as he watched the young human woman talk to his brother. He eyed her as she pulled off what she was wearing around her neck and set it down next to her bucket.

Taking his chance, Moon shot up like a bullet, ignoring the near excruciating pain in his broken tail as he pushed himself through the water and breached the surface. With a loud roar, he tackled the young teen into the water, following her down into the pool.

The sun set, which made it hard for the human girl to see under the water. However Moon wanted her to see him. He wanted her to see the beast that would be her end. With a flash, his esca lit up, illuminating the water around both him and the human girl.

He got a good look at her as she stared at him in awe. 

Her wavy black hair that faded into a navy blue ombre floated above her head like a halo of darkness. Her hazel eyes were wide, and Moon could see that they were mostly a mix of green and blue with flecks of silver in them and a bright yellow ring circled the middle of her iris. She was tanned, like she had fallen asleep in the sun for a couple hours, and she had small dark brown dots that stretched across the bridge of her nose. They look like little constellations. Moon thought to himself, feeling his heart skip a beat. 

The Mer froze at the thought for a moment, before snarling out loud in anger. Why did he just think that about a human?! 

After a while of staring each other down, the human must have realized that she needed air and began to kick for the surface. Moon let his snarl get louder as a warning. 

She wasn’t getting away from him.

With a push of his tail, Moon had swam forward, his right claw wrapping around her neck. His momentum caused the two of them to go towards the bottom of the pool. Moon tightened his grip on her neck, his claws ripping into the skin of her throat. He heard a faint crack as her head collided with the ground and her eyes unfocused. A flurry of bubbles escaped her pink lips as a cloud of blood floated into the air. 

As the girl’s eyes drifted shut, he felt her pulse weaken underneath his claws. 

Moon felt his grin fade as his heart began to ache. 

Why was this human affecting him like this?

A furious roar echoed in Moon’s ear as he was tackled away from the girl. Moon let out a screech of pain as he felt claws tear into his scales. Moon swiped at the offender, feeling a scales tear off his attacker. The darker Mer’s red eyes widened as he finally caught sight of who had tackled him.

It was Sun.

Sun’s teeth were bared in a threatening snarl, his head fins flared out as his tail thrashed the water violently around them. Along Sun’s left ribs was where Moon had struck; a few scales were missing and several others were broken or askew. 

“Don’t touch her!” Sun roared out, shocking his brother. 

Before Moon could say anything, Sun was off with a flash. The lighter Mer wasted no time in gently grabbing their caretaker and swimming her back up to the surface, before he dragged her back onto the sand. 

Moon breached the surface, his red eyes watching his brother with curiosity. 

Sun noticed his brother’s gaze and let out a hiss as the darker Mer got closer. Moon halted his swimming, watching as Sun wrapped his tail around the human protectively. “Why do you care so much about this human, brother? You’ve only known her for a day!” Moon hissed out, his white pupils narrowing.

“There’s just…something about her…something that’s…drawing me to her.” Sun admitted, gently running a claw down her cheek, purring softly. 

His words struck something in Moon, the darker Mer having been experiencing this somewhat as well. Moon grumbled softly, before he cautiously swam to the beach where his brother and the caretaker were. 

Sun kept his eyes on his brother, watching him warily. Moon sighed at this.

“I won’t hurt her anymore. She…She had ample chances to fight back when I was trying to kill her but…she didn’t…” Moon admitted, looking down at the unconscious girl, curiosity in his gaze. “I’ll give her a chance.” He said finally.

Sun let out a massive gasp, his blue pupils dilating as a grin spread across his face. “You WILL?! You’ll give her a chance?! Do you promise?! Promisepromisepromise PROOOOMISE?!”

“Yes! I promise, just shut up!” Moon snapped, growing agitated with his brother’s energy. Sun let out a cheerful whistle, his tail slapping happily on the sand. 

Moon shook his head fondly at his brother’s antics, before both Mers settled down on the sand, waiting for the human to wake up.

*****

Nix groaned as she came to, her neck burning and her head throbbing. “What happened…?” He muttered, her voice coming out as a faint, painful croak.

She opened her eyes as she heard a stuttered purr sound in her right ear. Nix’s hazel eyes locked onto wide blue pupils. 

“Sun…?” She asked, gently pressing a hand to her throat as she sat up. Sun let out a series of clicks, whistles, and purrs, catching her attention. As Nix dragged her gaze to Sun, she was stopped as she caught sight of bright red eyes.

Memories of what happened before she blacked out caused Nix to freeze, her eyes widening as she stared at Moon cautiously. She took in his body language, taking note of the fact that he seemed to be cautious of her, but wasn’t in an aggressive stance anymore.

“Are we ok?” She asked him gently, her face softening. Moon blinked at her in surprise, having expected her to start yelling or screaming. Nix heard Sun snap his teeth at his brother, and Moon looked contrite, dropping his gaze to the sand as he shifted uncomfortably. 

After a heavy sigh, Moon let out a sad warble, glancing between Nix and the sand several times. 

Nix’s heart ached at the sight and she let out a soft sigh. “It’s alright. I understand why you did it. You haven’t been treated well by humans have you? Especially not by Xander.” She said with distaste. Both Mers hissed at the name, making her chuckle. 

“Yea, I’m not his biggest fan either.” She said with a giggle. 

“Well,” Nix started, standing up, “I’ve got plenty of snapper and barracuda. Are you guys hungry?” 

At the names of the fish, the two Mers perked up, letting out clicks and whistles that made her giggle as she made her way to the bucket. “I’m sure you guys miss hunting, huh? Do you want me to set some of these guys free into your pool? Or just eat them as is?” Nix asked, looking at the brothers curiously. 

Sun and Moon glanced at each other before reaching out and making grabby hands towards the bucket. “Ok, ok.” Nix laughed out, before grabbing two of each fish and walking back over to the boys. Both Mers took the flopping fish gratefully, chowing down on them. After they finished, Sun let out a grateful purr and Moon gave an indifferent huff. 

“I’ve got a couple more if you’re still hungry?” Nix asked, watching as the brothers lit up with clicks and whistles again. Nix smiled and made her way back over to the bucket, grabbing the last of the fish before giving it to the brothers once again. 

Nix smiled softly as she reached into her bag and pulled out a sketchbook and pencil, watching the brothers crunch through their meals. She gently dragged the pencil along the page, taking glances at the brothers every so often.

It wasn’t long before she had stopped glancing at the duo and kept her focus on her drawing. 

After a few minutes, Nix stiffened as she felt a presence hovering over her shoulder. She turned her head to see Sun looking over her shoulder, head fins wiggling in curiosity. Moon was hovering over her other shoulder, head tilted as he tried to look at what she was doing. 

“What do you guys think?” She asked them, holding up the picture for them to see. It was a sketch of the two Mers sitting next to each other, Sun was smiling at his brother while Moon was mid chomp. 

Sun purred, his tail wagging in the sand and Moon’s pupils dilated as he let out a warble. “Aw, thanks!” Nix giggled, before her phone started to chirp, causing the two Mers to hiss in alarm. 

“It’s ok! It’s just my phone’s alarm. It means I need to go back to my house to sleep.” Nix said, calming down the two Mers. Sun let out a sad warble, scooching close to Nix. “It’s alright. I’ll be back tomorrow!” She said cheerily.

Nix left the two Mers with a cheerful wave before she let the door close behind her. With a slight groan, she gently pressed her fingers against her throat, wincing at the tender flesh. 

“Yikes, what happened there?” Freddy’s voice came from her left and Nix turned to see him looking a her worriedly. 

“It’s my fault. I wasn’t keeping a close eye out for Moon and considering how Xander had been treating him and his brother, I understand why he did it.” Nix said, hoping that Moon wouldn’t get punished for her ignorance. 

Freddy pursed his lips, eyeing her up and down before he ultimately sighed. “Alright. Let’s get you to the med bay.” He said, gesturing for her to follow him.

She smiled gratefully at Freddy, following behind him easily. They got to the med bay in record time, and she hopped up on one of the medical beds, gently kicking her feet as Freddy dug through one of the nearby cabinets for supplies. 

The older man walked back up to her with gauze, medical tape, and disinfectant wipes. He got right to work cleaning her wounds.

Nix winced, biting back a hiss of pain as the disinfectant burned her cuts. “Luckily they aren’t too deep or wide. You would’ve had to get stitches otherwise.” Freddy told her as he placed the gauze on her neck before taping it to her. 

“You’re all set. Get some dinner and some rest.” Freddy said, frowning at her. Nix gave him a grateful smile before hopping off of the bed and walking towards the door.

“Nix.” Freddy called out, making her pause in her steps and turn back around. She tilted her head in question. “Please, be more careful.” He asked her, his blue eyes concerned. Nix gave him a warm smile and a nod, before she left the room. 

Nix ate a quick meal at the cafeteria, making sure to avoid Xander’s gaze as he stared her down from the opposite side of the line, before she made her way back to her bungalow. 

 

With a mighty yawn, the ravenette snuggled under her blankets, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

 

Chapter 3: Finding Out What They Like

Nix woke up with a mighty yawn. Blinking her tired eyes, she easily climbed out of bed and began to get ready for the day. On her way out the door, Nix stopped as she came across a small box of her things that her mom had shipped to her. 

With a small hum, Nix started digging through the box, smiling when she found some small puzzles and a couple coloring books along with a pencil case filled with colored pencils. 

“I wonder if Sun and Moon would like these.” Nix murmured to herself as she grabbed her satchel and placed a few puzzles, the coloring books, the pencil case, and a couple actual books into her bag.

With a grin and a song on her lips, Nix skipped towards the boys’ enclosure, only stopping to get the bucket of fish for them.

When she got there, she was greeted with a cheerful warbling from Sun who was so excited to see her that he dragged himself up onto the sand and over towards her within seconds. 

“Hi, Sun!” Nix giggled, smiling wide as the yellow Mer chittered, his tail wagging like a puppy’s. “Happy to see me?” Nix asked him with a chuckle.

Sun scooted even closer to her, before he gave her a mischievous sharp-toothed grin. Nix immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What are you up to-” Nix’s question was cut off as Sun pounced, tackling her to the ground with a chuckling chitter. 

Nix groaned before letting out a weezing chuckle as the large Mer flopped onto her stomach, his head fins wiggling happily. Sun moved his head up until he was face to face with Nix. The yellow Mer let out a purr as he aligned his body with hers, fully laying down on her, even though most of his tail was on the sand due to his size.

“Hi, Sun.” Nix greeted again as Sun moved his face closer to her. “Did you miss me that much? Or are you in a playful mood?” Nix asked him, a soft smile on her face. 

“M-M-Mmmmiissssssss.”

Nix froze, her eyes widening in shock. Sun’s face pinched, as if he was struggling. “M-MMMisssssss.” He hissed out once again, the word a bit clearer this time. 

"Y-You can talk…?” Nix asked breathlessly, amazed by the Mer. Sun frowned, his expression strained and slightly confused. 

Realization hit her a moment later. He heard her say ‘miss’ and mimicked her. 

“Mimicking noises and speech is still amazing, Sunny.” Nix said with a thousand watt grin. Sun purred happily, before swiftly dragging his long, slimy tongue up Nix’s cheek. Nix winced, but never dropped her smile. 

“Thanks, Sun.” Nix snorted out, before gently nudging the Mer. “Now get off please, I’ve got some presents for you and Moon when he gets up.”

Sun’s eyes widened, his blue pupil dilating as he purred once again, easily, albeit seemingly reluctantly, rolling off of her.

Nix quickly opened the bucket and tossed the few snapper towards Sun as she began to dig through her bag for the coloring books and pencils. Sun chomped his food eagerly as he watched her curiously.

Nix easily spread open two of the books, one on a page of a dinosaur and the other on a page of a puppy. Below the uncolored images were dotted lines you could trace to spell out the names of the creatures.

Sun scooched closer, warbling curiously as he tilted his head to look at the pictures. 

“This is a puppy.” Nix said, pointing to the picture of the cartoonified husky puppy. “This is a raptor.” She said, gesturing to the sharp toothed dinosaur.

“This is a coloring book, we use crayons or colored pencils like these to color in the picture however we want. See?” Nix informed, before popping open the pencil case and grabbing a vivid green color. She pressed the pencil to the head of the raptor gently before making short diagonal strokes to color in the dinosaur. 

Sun cooed, blue pupils wide as he inched closer, gently pawing at the pencils. “Go ahead.” Nix chuckled, smiling at the Mer’s actions. Cutie. She thought to herself.

Sun’s tail wagged in the sand as he gently poked through the box of pencils until he came across a soft baby blue color. Sun cooed happily before watching Nix as she colored. He stuck his tongue out of his mouth in concentration as he mimicked her movements. 

The two were silent, save for some cooing and chirping from Sun as they colored. Nix was laying on her stomach in the sand, kicking her feet gently as she colored contently, Sun was slowly inching his tail closer and closer to Nix, until it completely surrounded her, unbeknownst to her.

Nix switched between colors every once in awhile, and when Sun realized he could do the same, his jaw dropped, blue pupils blown wide. After that he switched his pencil as often as he liked.

After nearly an hour of coloring in their pictures, Sun and Nix both set their pencils down. Sun proudly whistled at his, before turning to face Nix, pushing his book towards her as he chirped happily. 

Nix smiled at his enthusiasm before she slid her book to the Mer.

Nix bit back a laugh but let her smile spread across her face as she looked at the puppy that Sun had colored in. 

The head of the husky was completely blue, but as it reached the neck, she saw where Sun had used a plethora of colors, going from red to yellow to green to even purple. He basically turned the puppy into a walking rainbow.

Nix bit the inside of her cheek to stop her laughter. “It's amazing, Sunny.” She said, watching as the Mer chittered happily, handing back her picture as well. Nix had used several different shades of green to color in her dinosaur, giving it an almost lifelike appearance.

Sun pointed excitedly to the book, his claw landing on the word below the image. “What does it say?” Nix asked for confirmation. Sun nodded, making the young woman smile. 

“It says puppy, because it's a puppy.” Nux explained, taking her hand and gently placing it over Sun's claws. She eased one if his claws over the letters, tracing them carefully. 

“P-P-P-Puuuppyyyyy.” Sun mimicked, his tongue fumbling over the sounds. Nix nodded happily, her grin growing. “Yes! Puppy!” She said, her heart leaping in excitement.

“P-Puuuppyyy. M-Miiisssss.” Sun croaked out, chittering between words as he pointed to her. “I miss you and Moon too when I leave.” Nix said with a sad smile. 

Sun shook his head before he pointed to himself. “S-S-Suuuuuun.” He spoke, chittering before pointing at her. Nix’s eyes widened as she caught on. “Nix.” She said, placing her hand on her chest. 

Sun tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes slightly. “N-N-N-N-Niiixxxxxxxx.” Sun said, chittering and whistling happily when she nodded her head. 

Nix smiled before she quickly looked at the time on her phone. She still had a bit more time before she needed to head to bed. She had been hanging out with Sun longer than she thought.

When she looked back up, she noticed Sun glaring at her phone. “What's wrong?” She asked him.

Sun pouted, shaking his head. He curled his tail tighter around her, purring softly. “N-N-Nooooo. G-G-G-GGGooooo.” Sun begged, warbling sadly as he spoke.

Nix's expression fell, feeling a lump grow in her throat. “Hey, when I do leave, I'll be back. You know I will. Besides, I'm not leaving right now. Moon still needs to eat, besides, I brought some things for him too.” Nix explained, swallowing the lump in her throat. 

Sun purred happily, using his tail to pull her closer to him before he pressed his head into the curve of her neck. Nix felt her cheeks heat up at the sudden affection. Before she could say anything, Sun began to nuzzle into her, chittering and purring happily as he rubbed against her. Nix let out a small squeak of surprise, which only seemed to make Sun more eager to nuzzle against her.

The Mer wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he flopped onto his back, letting her lay along himself. Nix's cheeks were flaming as Sun kept purring and nuzzling her.

The sound of confused warbles caught their attention, and Nix looked over to see a confused and slightly amused Moon staring at the duo from the water. 

“Moon, help! Your brother is smothering me with affection!” Nix cried out playfully. Sun let out a playful growl, tightening his grasp on her. 

Moon huffed out in amusement, carefully dragging his body along the sand and up towards the two. 

“Sun, could you let me go, please? I need to give Moon his food.” Nix asked the lighter Mer. Sun let out a disappointed huff, his head fins falling flat against him. He slowly and very reluctantly released his grasp on Nix, letting the young woman up to grab the barracuda for his brother.

Moon ate his fish fast, watching Nix as she dug through her little bag. She pulled out a couple small puzzles. 

Nix smiled at the slightly worn Rubix cube and the star shaped wooden puzzle. She grabbed both and placed them down in front of the two Mers. 

“I wasn't sure if you guys like puzzles at all, but I figured I could leave these here for you to play with. They aren't food though, so don't try to eat them.” Nix added, staring with a deadpan face at Sun, who had picked up the Rubix cube and lifted it to his open mouth, ready to chomp. 

Sun cooed softly, slowly putting the cube back on the sand. Moon rolled his eyes at his sibling, before he reached over to pick up the cube. 

“That's called a Rubix cube. See how all the colors are on one side?” Nix asked, before holding out her hand. Moon nodded before placing the object into her open palm.

The brothers watched, enthralled as she twisted and turned the cube, mixing up all the colors. She handed the cube back to Moon, who stared at it in confusion. 

“Now you have to get all the colors back onto one side like it was before.” Nix explained with a grin. Sun cooed, reaching out a claw to grab the cube. Moon hissed, pulling the cube away from his brother.

Sun whimpered, his head fins flopping down sadly. Moon eyed the cube, then his brother, before rolling his eyes with a huff and handing his brother the cube. 

Sun's fins flared out as he let out a cheerful whistle. He immediately began twisting the cube to try to solve it. Nix chuckled softly before she grabbed the ridged amalgamation of wooden pieces. She frowned slightly, having never been able to solve this puzzle.

She pushed the pieces towards Moon, smiling softly at his curious look. “This puzzle has a story.” She started softly, catching the brothers’ attention.

“Long ago, there was a prince who was desperately in love with a beautiful maiden. He had no clue how to win her heart, until an idea struck him. He climbed to the tallest mountain in all the land and reached out as far as he could, plucking the brightest star from the night sky. Unfortunately as he was climbing down, he dropped the star, and it shattered into pieces.”

As Nix finished her story, she noticed that both brother's pupils were blown wide, staring at her in awe. 

Nix cleared her throat, his cheeks flushing softly. “This puzzle is those pieces. The legend goes that the prince was never able to fix his star. But he hopes that one day someone can, and he hopes that whoever does fix the star will give it to the one they love the most.”

Both brothers cooed softly at the story. 

The sound of Nix's alarm startled all three of them. Sun's face fell into distaste and even Moon seemed agitated. 

“Sorry guys, I have to go to sleep.” Nix said with a sigh, before gathering up her things and slipping her bag over her head. Sun handed her back the Rubix cube and she smiled gratefully. However, when she turned to Moon, the darker Mer pouted, pulling the pieces of the wooden puzzle to himself. 

“Well you can keep it if you want. Here Sun, you can keep the Rubix cube that way you have something to play with.” Nix said, handing back the cube to Sun, who still seemed downtrodden. 

“N-N-Nooo g-g-goooooo. S-S-S-SSSSStaaaaaayyyyy.” Sun spoke up, making Nix's heart ache. “I'm sorry, I can't. I need to go back to my nest to sleep.” She tried to explain. Sun shook his head, frowning at her. 

“N-N-N-Neessssssst.” He croaked out, pointing towards his and his brother's nest. Nix sighed softly, shaking her head. “I'm sorry, Sunny. I can't sleep in your nest.” She said, frowning softly.

“N-N-N-Niiixxxxxx.” Sun pleaded, making Nix have to fight back tears at the sheer pleading and sad look Sun was giving her. “I'm sorry.” She apologized once more, before leaning forward and gently pressing her lips to his scaly forehead. 

“I'll be back tomorrow. Get some sleep, Sun. Have a goodnight, Moon.” Nix said, before grabbing the bucket and swiftly leaving before Sun could beg her more.

The two Mers watched her leave sadly. With a depressed huff, Sun slowly dragged himself to the water, before sliding into the placid surface. Without a word to his brother, Sun swam to their nest, hopping up onto the bed of seaweed he made for himself. 

The lighter Mer cooed softly, curling his tail around himself, missing Nix’s warmth from when she was laying atop him. Sun glanced down at the puzzle cube in his hands with a small frown. He tilted his head slightly, before his eyes lit up and a grin spread across his face.

“She’ll stay one day. And when she does, she won't leave again. She'll stay right here, with Moon and I.” Sun purred out happily, before drifting off into a deep sleep, the sharp toothed smile still on his face.

 

Chapter 4: The New Mer

It’s been a few weeks since Nix had started taking care of Sun and Moon. The routine stayed the same, for the most part. She would wake up, gather her things and head to Sun and Moon’s enclosure to feed and play with them.

Freddy had asked her if she was able to get a look at Moon’s broken tail, to which Nix had to reluctantly tell him no.

Moon seemed to be more trusting of her, she may even go so far a to say he’s gotten a bit affectionate of her. Not nearly as affectionate as Sun has been, though.

Nix fought down a blush at the thought of the sweet Mer. 

It seemed anytime Nix was with Sun, he was in physical contact with her in some way. Whether it be his tail curling around her as they colored, or him holding her on his stomach like an otter while he swam laps around the pool. He seemed to need to be touching her at all times.

As the young woman got ready for the day, she opened her door, only to step back in shock when she came face to face with Freddy, whose fist was raised like he was about to knock on her door. 

“Perfect timing!” Freddy said with a chuckle, lowering his hand. Nix giggled and sent him a smile as she stepped out of her bungalow and locked it behind her.

“What’s up, Papa Bear?” She asked him, grinning mischievously as he rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Please don’t call me that. I get enough of that from my own son.” Freddy said, making Nix snort.

“In any case, we have a new Mer. He’s been here for about a week now, but none of our attendants have had any luck. He just…” Freddy winced, trailing off. 

A bad feeling swirled in Nix’s gut. “What does he do?” She asked quietly as they began walking to where all the Mers were being held.

“We’ve lost every attendant that has gone into the enclosure. He… He kills them all.”

Nix’s heart stopped, her hazel eyes wide. Freddy winced at her reaction. “And… you want me in there?!" She asked him incredulously. Freddy gave her a shaky smile. 

“I’m afraid it’s not my call. If I had my way, you’d be far away from him. Maybe I’d even send Xander in.” Freddy said, murmuring the last sentence under his breath. Nix still heard it however and had to hold back her laughter.

With a heavy sigh, Nix nodded. “When do you want me to go there?” She asked him. 

Freddy gave her a sheepish grin.

“You want me there now, don’t you?” Nix asked him flatly. 

Silence.

“Alright, let’s go.” She said, dread pooling in her gut.

The duo walked there in silence, and got there within a few minutes. They took a pit stop to grab a bucket with various live fish to try and entice him.

Nix stood at the door, staring at it as fear curled within her. 

“What’s his name?” Nix asked, breaking the silence. “We don’t have one for him yet.” Freddy informed. Nix nodded.

“Hey, uh, Freddy?” She spoke up quietly. The man in question looked down at her. 

“If he kills me too…” 

“He won’t.” Freddy said, although he spoke shakily and he swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat.

Nix took in a shuddered breath.

“If he kills me too, tell Sun and Moon I said goodbye. And take good care of them.” Nix said, tears brimming her eyes as she gulped down the lump of nearly debilitating fear that formed in her throat.

Freddy clenched his fists at her words, fighting back tears as he desperately tried to think of anything other than the monstrous Mer on the other side of the door tearing into her small body.

Without another word, Nix slid her card on the lock and opened the door, walking into the new enclosure.

It looked the same as Sun’s and Moon’s, with the pool being just a bit wider and deeper than theirs. This was an enclosure for a Mer bigger than the twins.

The sound of shifting sand caught Nix’s attention, and she turned, her heart in her throat, to face the Mer just a few feet away from her.

While Sun and Moon were around seven feet long, this Mer must have been over ten feet long. 

His body was covered in burnt orange and black scales. His back scales were black, while his front ones were the burnt orange color. There were some spots on his front that had speckles of black scales. His tail fin was reminiscent of a tiger shark’s. with the top part being longer and sharper than the bottom part. Scars littered his body from chest to tail, some were from obvious territorial battles against other Mers, while some had to have been from encounters with humans. His head was similar to Moon’s in the fact that the left half was covered in black scales which made the right half which had the burnt orange scales look like a crescent moon. The jester-like ruffle fin around his neck was longer than Sun’s and Moon’s, sharper too, and the spines were dark red while the membrane between each spine was a sunset yellow. His eyes had no iris, like Sun and Moon, but the sclera was yellow and his pupils were red. Around his head were seven thick sunset yellow head fins similar to Sun’s head fins, but between each of those fins were thinner, black fins. 

The fins suddenly pinned down against his head, his red pupils slitted, and his mouth opened into a vicious sharp toothed snarl.

His snarl was so loud, it vibrated through the ground, shaking Nix’s small form. 

The Mer pushed himself up with his massive claws until he towered over her, and from behind his back came another set of claws. He had four arms.

The massive creature lifted his top two arms over her, curling his claws above Nix’s head while his lower arms kept his body raised.

Nix very slowly placed the bucket down onto the sand before taking one step back.

She didn’t even see him move.

Suddenly, Nix found herself pinned against the thick metal fence, his lower two massive claws curled around her thighs while his upper ones slammed against the wall on either side of her head. 

Nix’s heart was racing, but as the Mer lowered his head towards hers, she caught his eyes. 

All she could see was the desire for bloodshed in his heated gaze.

Very purposefully and slowly, Nix lowered her gaze before tilting her head to the side and baring her neck to the Mer.

It was a sign of submission.

From the corner of her gaze, Nix could see the Mer’s eyes narrow slightly as he tilted his head. He moved his face closer to her’s now only centimeters away from her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her skin. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop her whimper of fear from escaping.

“Why do you not beg for your life, little Mouse?” The Mer’s voice was like a deep growl as he spoke. Nix’s eyes widened slightly as he spoke human perfectly.

She said the first thing that came to mind. “Does the mouse beg the fox for its life?” She asked him quietly.

The Mer stopped at her words, pressing his face against her neck as he inhaled her scent. 

Nix had to fight back the urge to flinch.

He pulled away a moment later, his pupils slightly larger than before. He turned his head to the bucket of fish before he took one hand off her thigh and grabbed a fish from the bucket, bringing it in front of him to show her.

It was a Wahoo.

“You will come back later, Mouse. You will bring more of these. If anyone other than you comes into this place, they will die. Do you understand, Mouse?” The Mer ordered, before eating the fish in one bite. 

He easily grabbed the other wahoo in the bucket and ate them whole, before finally releasing his hold on Nix.

As the Mer pulled himself away, keeping an eye on her all the while, Nix caught side of a few harpoons sticking out of his tail. 

“You may go.” He dismissed, keeping an eye on her as Nix shakily walked away, grabbing the bucket and heading towards the door.

When she reached it, she turned around one last time, facing the massive Mer as his mouth stretched into a dagger-toothed grin.

“See you later, little Mouse.”

Nix opened the door and stepped through it, letting it close behind her. 

Her legs felt like jelly as she let her body sag against the door, her heart racing violently as she struggled to inhale air.

Suddenly she was swept into a massive bear hug.

“Thank goodness! You’re alive! You’re alive!” Freddy muttered against her neck, holding her close as she slowly, subconsciously hugged him back.

“He… He…” Was all Nix was able to say before Freddy shook his head. “I’m talking to Vanessa. You’re not going back in there. I don’t care-”

Nix cut Freddy off with a violent shake of her head. “No!” She cried out, shocking the man.

“He said that I have to come back later today. He wants more fish. He said if anyone else other than me comes in, he’ll kill them.” Nix informed him, looking Freddy straight in the eyes, imploring him to have her do this.

She didn’t want anyone else to die if she could help it.

Freddy acquiesced reluctantly. “Very well.” He said, frowning at her. “But I don’t like it!” He said, making Nix smile softly. 

“I’m not asking you to.” She huffed out, laughing slightly. 

Freddy gave her a small smile back, before frowning once more. “Just… please, be very careful?” He asked her, worry filling his kind gaze. 

Nix’s face softened and she wrapped the older man into another hug. “I promise.” She said.

 

Chapter 5: The Sun, The Moon, and The Eclipse

Summary:

Nix pays a visit to her two favorite Mers! But they can smell something off...

Nix found herself walking on autopilot towards Sun’s and Moon’s enclosure. Her thoughts on the terrifying interaction she had with the new Mer.

And the fact that she still had to go back later on that night.

Nix clutched her bag closer to her body as she continued on her way, not even realizing the set of eyes that were following her every move.

It wasn’t until she heard the excited chirping of Sun that Nix realized she was inside their enclosure. She quickly blinked and forced a smile to her face as she turned to face the yellow Mer.

Sun eagerly glomped her, sending them both tumbling into the sand. It wiped the fake smile off Nix’s face and replaced it with a genuine grin.

Sun would never fail to put her in a good mood, the sweet Mer.

“Ni-i-ix he-r-eeee! Pl-a-a-ayyy now-w-w!” Sun cheered, purring happily as he snuggled into her. 

Sun’s speech was getting better, although he still sounded rough and was struggling a bit with it. In all honest, Nix felt her heart melt anytime he asked her to teach him a new word.

Sun took in a lungful of her sweet scent, only to freeze a moment later.

Nix watched on, confused as the Mer pulled away, scowling down at her. A soft growl escaped him as he pressed his face closer to her neck, sniffing loudly.

Nix giggled at the ticklish sensation, squirming in the Mer’s grasp. “Sun that tickles!” She laughed out. 

Sun growled a little louder as he moved his head down her body, sniffing at her waist and thighs before pulling away.

Nix looked up into Sun’s eyes, her own widening when she noticed that his blue pupils were slitted, his lips pulled back in a silent snarl.

“Sun?” She asked him, worried about his strange behavior.

“Sm-meeell li-i-ike Mmmer.” He growled out. 

Nix’s eyes widened at his words, before she winced in remembrance of what had happened before she came here.

“We got a new Mer and they asked me if I could try to feed him. He…well he didn’t like any of the other handlers.” Nix said, wincing at the thought of the massive Mer cutting down her coworkers.

Sun seemed to notice her hesitance in her explanation, and he gave her a warning growl. Nix sighed, glancing away from her friend.

“He killed every other caretaker that went into his enclosure.” She said, keeping her eye on him from the corner of her gaze.

Sun’s eyes lit up in fury, his claws smacking into the ground and digging into the sand as if he were trying to rip into the Mer himself.

“S-S-Seeennnd you?! K-K-Kiiiiillll you! K-Kill our Nix!” Sun roared out, his tail smashing into the sand violently as he ripped his claws downwards on either side of the young woman, digging deep grooves into the sand right beside Nix.

The young woman’s hazel eyes widened. She had never seen Sun so violent, even when she had first seen him, he had never been like this.

The commotion brought Moon up to the surface and the darker Mer’s eyes widened in alarm at the furious Sun hovering over Nix.

Moon whistled and chittered at his brother, but Sun didn’t listen, instead the lighter Mer grabbed ahold of Nix, slightly roughly, and pulled her to his chest.

Moon warbled anxiously, dragging himself over to the duo. 

Before Moon could reach them, Sun used his tail to launch both him and Nix into the water without warning, causing her to quickly inhale a gulp of air before her head went under the surface.

Sun shot off like a bullet towards their cave, reaching the underwater entrance in seconds before he breached the surface with Nix, who gasped for air.

Sun, still growling to himself, used one claw to drag him and Nix onto his seaweed bed, before gently placing her down and curling his tail protectively around her. 

Before Nix could say anything, Sun pulled her closer, nuzzling his head into her neck before he lowered his head, rubbing it on her thighs. 

He’s scenting me…? She thought to herself, shocked at the territorial action. 

Nix let him continue unsure of what the Mer would do if she were to try and stop him.

Moments later, Moon’s head popped into the cave, his eyes landing on the pair before they widened in shock. 

Moon tilted his head curiously, whistling to try and get his brother’s attention once again.

Sun paused for a moment, answering back with his own whistle, before he continued nuzzling into Nix’s neck.

Moon let out a confused and questioning warble, to which Sun responded with violent hisses and growls.

Nix watched as Moon’s eyes darkened, his white pupil shrinking as he let out a snarl as well, before he too climbed up onto the seaweed bed next to Nix and Sun. 

“N-No seee M-Merrrr again.” Sun said with finality. Nix winced at his words while Moon nodded in agreement.

“I’m sorry guys, I have to. There’s no one else who can take care of him. He won’t kill me as long as I keep bringing him food.” Nix said, looking up at the two upset brothers.

The two Mers chittered back and forth for a moment before Sun ultimately sighed and turned back to face her. 

“O-O-Only feeeeed? N-N-No go neeeeaaar? Nix st-stay aw-away?” Sun asked her, narrowing his eyes at her.

Nix pursed her lips, a soft frown on her face. They were really worried about her.

“I’ll do my best to stay away from him, but guys, he’s faster than me, and bigger than both of you. If he wants to do something to me, I don’t have a chance of stopping him.” Nix said truthfully, watching the displeasure spread across their faces.

Sun and Moon reluctantly nodded, before they both curled around her, hugging her tightly. “C-C-Can Nix staaay? Staaayyy in neessssst to-to-toniiiight?” Sun asked her, purring softly.

Nix bit her lip at the request, glancing around the small alcove that made up their nest.

There were a few small holes in the ceiling that allowed sunlight and fresh air into the nest, so she wouldn’t suffocate while she slept. And while it was a bit of a squeeze, the three of them could fit comfortably in here. 

“Just for tonight.” Nix agreed, causing Sun and Moon to chirp and chitter happily as they hugged her tighter.

“Do you guys want to go back to the surface now? Your food is still up there.” Nix said after letting them cuddle her for a few moments longer.

The twins looked like they were about to say no, but the sound of Moon’s stomach growling made them pause. Sun chittered out a laugh as Moon looked away shyly. Nix smiled with a small giggles before gently patting Sun on his arm.

With a huffy sigh, Sun pulled Nix close before pushing off the little stone platform that housed their bed and back into the water. 

Sun waited for Nix to take in a breath of air before he dived down, heading back towards the sand shore with Moon close behind.

Nix climbed out of the water, ringing her shirt out as she plodded towards the bucket of fish, tossing Sun and Moon their food.

She grabbed her phone, which she had thankfully left in her bag, and winced at the time. Sun had kept her down there for longer than she thought. She had to get going to give the new Mer his food once more.

With a reluctant sigh, Nix grabbed her things, turning to the two Mers before she froze. 

They looked upset and betrayed.

“Niiix ssssaid s-stay…” Sun whimpered out, his head fins flopping against his head sadly. 

“I will. I am. I just have to go feed the other Mer again. He didn't get enough fish to eat today. I'll be back right after. I promise.” Nix explained, walking over to the twins. 

They both looked sadly down at the ground, making her heart clench. With a sigh, Nix leant down and pressed a light kiss to Sun's forehead before doing the same to Moon.

Sun trilled softly, a small smile spreading across his face while Moon's eyes widened and he placed his face in his hands, hiding his face as he let out an uncontrollable happy coo. 

Nix smiled softly at the brothers before she turned around and headed out of the enclosure.

As the door closed behind her, Nix grimaced and gulped, her heart already starting to speed up at the thought of facing the massive Mer again.

Wanting to get it over with, she took her bucket and quickly rinsed it out before filling it with fresher water and grabbing a bunch of Wahoo to put in it.

She swiftly made her way to the new Mer's enclosure before standing in front of the door. Taking in a deep breath for courage, she slid her card on the door and opened it before going inside.

Nix placed the bucket down beside her as she scoped out the area before her. He wasn't in sight, which meant he was probably in the water.

“Hello, little Mouse.”

Or not.

Two claws surrounded her body, one wrapping around her thighs and pinning her legs together before the other wrapped around her waist. She was lifted up and turned to face the Mer who was staring her down with a massive sharp-toothed grin.

His grin got wider as she silently gulped. 

“I can hear your heart racing, Mouse. I can practically smell your fea-” The Mer stopped short as he took in a deep breath of her scent. 

His face contorted into a snarl, his lips peeling back to bare his teeth. “Why do you smell like other Mers?!” He snarled out loudly. 

“You're not the only Mer I take care of. And you're not going to stop me from taking care of them either!” Nix snapped out, her eyes lighting up in anger as she glared down the Mer.

The Mer’s snarl stopped and spread into an amused smile. “Well, well, well. The little Mouse has bite after all.” He said, chuckling darkly as he grinned down at her smaller form.

He appraised her for another few moments, before he let out a huff. He easily grabbed the bucket with his third hand before using his fourth to grab and eat the fish until they were all gone.

“Mmmm, the little Mouse certainly knows how to provide.” The Mer said as he set the bucket down, focusing his attention on her. 

Nix watched him curiously, her fear easing as the Mer made no move to harm her.

“May I ask you a question?” She spoke up quietly. The Mer hummed curiously, pushing his head closer to hers. 

“Polite little Mouse.” The Mer purred. As close as he was, the Mer caught her scent once again, which was covered by the two mystery Mers. The Mer clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth distastefully. He much preferred her scent unclouded by others, unless it was merged with his own scent.

“What is your question, Mouse?” He asked her, purring softly as he pulled her closer to himself. 

“What's your name?” Nix asked him, tilting her head. The Mer hummed in surprise, his eyes widening before he smiled at her. 

“Call me Eclipse, little Mouse.” He said with a sharp grin. He eyed Nix for a moment before pressing his head into her neck and rubbing his head against her.

“What are you doing?” She asked Eclipse who glanced up at her from his position against her.

“The smell of those other Mers is ghastly, little Mouse. It detracts from your… enticing scent.” Eclipse stated, softly growling out the one word. 

“Another rule, Mouse.” Eclipse said as he pulled away. Nix eyed him cautiously. “When you come to me, you may only smell of yourself. If you smell like those other Mers, you will be punished.” He growled lowly. 

“Do you understand, Mouse?” He asked her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Nix clenched her teeth, before replying, “Crystal.” 

Eclipse grinned widely. “Perfect, little Mouse.” He purred as he continued nuzzling away the scent of the other Mers. 

When Nix only smelt like the two of them, he pulled away, a smug grin on his face. 

“Eclipse? I need to be getting back-” Nix cut off in a gasp as the Mer tightened his grip around her waist. 

“You leave when I say you can leave, Mouse.” Eclipse growled out, his eyes narrowing. 

He took in another lungful of her scent, purring happily. “You smell exquisite, my sweet Mouse. So tempting, so alluring.” He said, pressing his face up against her neck. “So tantalizing.” Eclipse growled out as he slowly dragged his tongue up the soft, silky skin of her neck. 

Nix squeaked at the feeling, making Eclipse chuckle. “Listen to how she squeaks. My Mouse.” He growled possessively, tightening his grip on her. 

When she let out another squeak, Eclipse let out a satisfied sigh, before he pulled away from her, setting her down on the ground.

“You may go, Mouse. I will see you in the morning.” Eclipse said, before handing her the bucket and gently nudging her towards the door. 

“Sleep well, my little Mouse.” Eclipse called out before he pulled himself into the water, disappearing from her sight.

Nix quickly left the enclosure, before leaning against the door and letting out a heavy sigh of relief. 

“I hope not every interaction with him is that stressful.” Nix breathed out, before rubbing her eyes with a sigh. 

“I better go shower before I go back to Sun and Moon. Judging by their reaction earlier, they probably wouldn't like me coming back and smelling like Eclipse again.” She said to herself, as she quickly made her way to her bungalow. 

Nix took a shower, making sure to scrub herself clean, hoping that it would get rid of the scent of Eclipse. 

After a twenty minute shower, Nix grabbed a large ziploc bag, slipping some fresh clothes inside, before putting on a bathing suit. 

The suit was a cute, navy blue two piece. Twinkling white stars were scattered on the bottoms while the left cup on top had a detailed picture of the sun and the other had a detailed picture of the moon.

Her mom had sent it to her when she found out the names of the Mers she was caring for. They both found it amusing.

Nix made her way towards the twins’ enclosure, quickly slipping inside to see that Sun was passed out on the sand, snoring cutely.

Had he waited for her until he fell asleep? 

Nix smiled softly at the yellow Mer, chuckling quietly as she made her way over to him.

“Nix back?” A quiet and rough voice spoke up, making her turn to face Moon who was staring at her with a small smile.

Nix was startled, never having heard Moon speak before. I suppose Sun must be teaching him when I'm not here. She surmised. 

“Yea. I promised, didn't I?” Nix hummed with a smile. 

Moon cooed happily, grinning at her. The sounds he was making woke his brother, who blinked his eyes open with a mighty yawn.

Sun whined softly before his gaze landed on Nix. The lighter Mer chittered excitedly, waking up instantly.

“Ni-ix back! Nix st-stay! Nix slee-ee-p nee-e-est!” Sun cheered out, tackling her to the ground with a hug. 

“Yes, yes! I'm sleeping in your nest tonight.” Nix said with a chuckle, hugging Sun back.

Sun and Moon both cooed happily before Sun got off of Nix, letting her stand up.

When the twins caught sight of what she was wearing, they both felt their jaws drop and let out a nervous chitter.

“W-What wearing?” Sun asked, his eyes wide as he took in her appearance. Nix hummed questioningly as she looked down at herself.

“Oh, it's called a bathing suit. Humans wear it to cover themselves when they go swimming. If I wear wet clothes to bed, I could get sick.” Nix informed the twins.

Sun and Moon both purred softly, nodding at her words before Sun gently grabbed her.

The two Mers made their way over to the water, with Sun waiting for Nix to take in a breath before he dived under and swam to their nest.

As they popped up in the little cave, Sun placed Nix on his seaweed bed before climbing up as Moon did the same.

“Goodnight, Sun. Goodnight, Moon.” Nix said with a yawn. Sun and Moon both purred as they settled down. 

Sun pulled Nix to this chest while Moon snuggled against her other side so she was pinned between both Mers. Moon picked up his tail, biting back a hiss at the way it was bent uncomfortably. 

Sun looked at his brother in concern before cooing out gently to him in their language. 

“You really should let the humans look at your tail. It was broken, and now you let it heal wrong. It must hurt to swim.” Sun said with a frown. Moon rolled his eyes at his brother.

“It isn't important right now. If I let the humans look at it, they'll fix it.” Moon said with a slight growl. 

Sun let out a confused warble. “Don't you want to be healed? It's why we're here after all.” He asked his brother. Moon gave his brother an ‘are you stupid’ look. 

“Yea, and what do you think will happen if I'm all healed?” Moon snarled quietly, trying not to wake the human sleeping contently between them. 

“They said they're gonna release us.” Sun said, scrunching his nose. Moon stared at his brother for a few moments, waiting for him to come to the conclusion Moon had.

He never did.

Moon shook his head, resisting the urge to smack his naive brother. 

“Sun, if they release us, we won't see Stardust anymore. They'll take her away from us.” Moon said with a low, possessive growl. 

Sun's eyes widened at his brother's words. His shoulders dropped and he looked down at the sweet human curled against him.

“They won't take her away. She’s ours.” Sun snarled out, tightening his grip on Nix. 

“That's why I won't let the humans look at me. If they do, Stardust is as good as gone.” Moon stated.

Both brothers suddenly yawned, feeling their fatigue hit them all at once.

Moon lifted his tail and gently laid it down on top of Nix’s legs as he snuggled into her, laying his head on his brother’s arm. Sun curled his tail around both Nix and Moon as he placed his head on his bed of seaweed, nuzzling into Nix’s soft hair.

The two brothers quickly drifted off into a peaceful sleep, content with the small human safely shielded between the two of them.

 

Chapter 6: A New Friend?

Summary:

Nix finds something on her way back to her house after leaving the boys.

Nix woke up feeling comfortably warm and uncomfortably humid. It was a very strange sensation.

Furrowing her brow, she opened her eyes to see bright yellow scales. Confusion filled her bleary mind before the memories of the night before hit her and her slightly tense body immediately relaxed.

Unsure of what time it was, and remembering that her phone was in her bag which was by the door, Nix lifted her gaze to the sleeping yellow Mer in front of her.

She didn’t want to wake Moon, who had one arm wrapped around her waist, and gently poked Sun’s cheek.

Sun’s face scrunched up a bit before his eyes opened, his blue pupils glazed from sleep. Sun blinked his eyes a couple times before his gaze locked onto her face.

A great big smile spread across his face and he purred happily and loudly, pulling Nix closer to his body. Moon, still asleep, grumbled slightly and pulled Nix a bit closer to himself.

“Sunny, I need to get going.” Nix said quietly, trying not to disturb the darker Mer’s rest. Sun whimpered with a soft growl, pressing his head into Nix's neck. The young woman blushed lightly before sighing. 

“Sunny, I'll be back later to see you two. I have stuff I need to get done, though.” Nix said, frowning up at the Mer. Sun grumbled for another few moments before relenting with a sigh. He gently pulled her from Moon’s grip and slid both of them into the water. 

Nix stopped him for a moment, quietly swimming up to Moon before pressing a kiss to his forehead as a goodbye. Moon purred in his sleep and curled up tighter.

Nix smiled at the sight before swimming back to Sun. Sun smile fondly at the young woman before they dived down, swimming out of the cave and back to the shore.

After Nix grabbed her things, noting that she had enough time to go and take a shower before feeding Eclipse, she turned to face Sun, who was pouting at her.

Nix shook her head with a smile before opening her arms for a hug. Sun happily complied, glomping her while giving her a long cheek lick as he purred and nuzzled into her, making Nix laugh.

After a couple minutes, Sun finally let her go, and Nix left the enclosure, heading towards her bungalow.

As she walked up the path to her little home, a high pitched bleating noise caught her attention.

Nix turned to see a fawn stumbling up to her. The poor thing didn’t look more than a few weeks old, it was so tiny. 

And its ears were curled.

Nix’s heart ached. Its mother must have gone out for food and never came back.

It was crying loudly, trying to make its way over to her. Biting her lip anxiously, Nix took in a deep breath before slowly walking over to the baby deer.

It bleated once again, stumbling over its weak legs before practically falling into her open arms. 

“You poor thing.” Nix said softly, gathering the small creature in her arms and standing up. It snuggled into her chest, closing its eyes. It had been breathing harshly before, but now it was calming down.

“How strange…” Nix murmured, observing the oddly trusting fawn. She was surprised that it hadn’t laid down in front of her, that tended to be instinct when fawns encounter a threat or predator.

She brought the fawn into her bungalow, where she laid it down on the couch, watching as it snuggled against a pillow. 

As Nix turned to walk away, the fawn bleated out once again. “I’ll be right back, I need to find something for you to eat. Just, stay right here.” Nix said, before hurriedly walking over to her landline.

She quickly punched in Freddy’s number, waiting while it rang. It only rang twice before he picked up. 

“What’s up, Buttercup?”

Nix paused at the greeting before letting out a chuckle. “Heya, Fred Bear, I need help. We have cows and goats, on sight, right?” She asked him. There was a pause of silence on the other end. 

“Yea…? Why?” He asked, seeming very confused. 

“Could you bring some fresh milk by? I need it asap.” Nix said, glancing at the fawn who was staring at her curiously.

“Uh…yea, I got you.”

“Cool, thanks. I’ll be in the shower, so let yourself in.” She replied before hanging up and turning to the fawn, who tilted its head at her. 

“I’m gonna get myself cleaned up. You stay here and behave, alright? You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.” Nix said, gently rubbing the fawn between its ears. It let out a happy bleat before laying its head down and closing its eyes.

Nix smiled at the fawn before she turned and headed into her room, grabbing some clothes and a towel and hopping into the shower.

After about fifteen minutes, Nix stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. After getting dressing she began to towel-dry her hair. As she was doing so, she heard her front door open, a startled bleat, and a familiar voice say, “What the fuck?!”

Nix smirked at Freddy’s reaction and wrapped her hair in the towel before going out into the living room to see the fawn standing on her couch, glaring angrily at the older man, who was standing with his arms out, palms out, one hand clutching a medium sized glass jar of milk.

Nix snorted at the sight before walking over to the fawn, gently petting its head before she turned to face the bewildered Freddy.

“Uhm, what?” Was all he asked as he gestured to the baby animal. 

Nix gave him a sheepish smile as she reached for the milk he offered her. She had luckily found a small baby bottle in one of the cabinets before hand (apparently the sanctuary likes to be prepared for anything, including babies), so she poured the still warm milk into the bottle and sat down on the couch.

The fawn crawled into her lap and she placed the nipple into its mouth, watching as it began suckling immediately. The poor thing must have been starving.

“Are you gonna explain this at all, or what?” Freddy asked with a smile on his face.

“I was just on a walk around my bungalow this morning and as I was heading back, this little guy stopped me. His mother must have gone out for food and never returned.” Nix explained, giving a small lie to hide the fact that she had spent the night in an enclosure. She didn’t want to get Sun or Moon in trouble just in case it was against the rules or something.

“How do you figure that?” Freddy asked her, raising a brow. 

“See its ears?” She asked him, gently running a finger down the side of the appendage in question. Freddy nodded, leaning a bit closer. “They’re curled, which means this little guy is malnourished, which means,” Nix said, trailed off as she saw the look of realization on Freddy’s face, before he became more sullen.

“Aw, poor thing. What are you gonna do?” He asked her. 

Nix pursed her lips, furrowing her brow. “Well, I’ll take care of him I suppose.” She said, watching fondly as the fawn snuggled into her comfortably. 

Freddy looked at her, worried. 

“You’re already taking care of Eclipse, Sun, and Moon. Will you be able to care for this little one as well?” He asked her. 

“Well, I don’t want to leave him alone here, he might get into something. But, he could come with me to the feedings, right? Mers are strictly pescatarian, so they shouldn’t be interested in eating him.” Nix reasoned.

Freddy still looked unsure.

“What about Eclipse, he ate the caretakers that he killed.” Freddy said, looking grim. 

“I can handle Eclipse.” NIx said, confidently. “But-” Freddy was cut off as she looked him dead in the eye, a no-nonsense look on her face. “I can handle him.” She repeated, her frown close to a scowl.

Freddy backed off, raising his hands palm up. 

They were both silent for a moment, just watching as the fawn kept drinking. He was almost done.

“How are you doing with everything?” Freddy asked her, smiling softly down at her. 

Nix smiled back at him, a weary look in her eyes. “I could do with a long nap.” She said with a laugh. Freddy laughed alongside her. 

“Maybe you should put in for a vacation?” He suggested. “Yea? And who would take care of Eclipse? He said if anyone other than me were to go in, he’d kill them.” Nix said with a snort.

Freddy scrunched his nose, his eyes filling with hate. “I want that Mer healed and released as soon a possible.” He said with distaste.

Nix sighed, shaking her head.

“Unfortunately, I doubt he’d let me get the harpoon from his tail. He’d probably kill me on the spot if I tried to touch him at all.” Nix said, huffing out a laugh.

Freddy didn’t look too amused at this.

“Alright, I’m gonna head back to my office. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything at all.” Freddy said, giving Nix a smile and wave before he walked out of her house. 

Nix sighed when he left, looking down at the now sleeping fawn. He had finished his bottle not too long ago.

Nix pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. 

“What am I gonna do with you?” She hummed softly, gently running her hand down the fawn's spotted back. 

 

Notes:

Sorry for the short chapter. This is kind of just cute filler. Next time, we'll get some more of Eclipse :)

Chapter 7: Gaining His Trust

Summary:

Nix learns a bit more about Eclipse.

Nix let the fawn rest for a bit longer before she decided that the best course of action for now was to leave him in her bedroom. It was the best area in the house for him. The room had nothing dangerous that he could get into, and she could easily Macgyver something together to allow him to eat whenever he was hungry, he still had a bit of time before she had to go to Eclipse anyway. 

 

Nix swiftly drew up her idea before calling Freddy once again. She explained what she decided on and he agreed to start working on it, excited to do something other than paperwork.

 

She double checked the bedroom before making a pallet of pillows and blankets on the floor for the fawn. She made sure he was all snuggled up before giving him a kiss on the forehead and closing the door behind her, leaving the sleeping animal in the safety of her room.

 

Nix quickly made her way to Eclipse’s enclosure with his fish bucket in hand. Just before she opened the door, she paused, looking around the dark hallway. 

 

She felt like she was being watched.

 

Shaking her head, Nix opened the door and slipped inside, immediately coming face to face with the massive Mer.

 

“Hello, Little Mouse.” He greeted her with his sharp toothed grin. “Good morning, Eclipse.” Nix said politely, knowing how he seemed to appreciate manners. His grin grew and he stalked closer to her to take in her scent. He paused for a moment after inhaling, his face scrunching in confusion.

 

“What is that scent?” He grumbled, leaning closer to Nix, who leaned away slightly. “Oh, there was a baby deer who needed some help this morning. I took him in and fed him. Maybe that’s it?” She asked, slightly nervous.

 

Eclipse stared her down for a moment, before nodding his acceptance. Nix breathed out a sigh of relief before she placed the bucket down on the ground.

 

Eclipse immediately grabbed it and began eating the fish from it. Nix watched him silently for a few moments, glad he hadn’t grabbed her yet.

 

“Hey, Eclipse?” She asked, breaking the silence between them. Eclipse turned towards her as he bit down on another fish. “Yes, my Mouse?” He purred, curling his tail around her.

 

“Is there anything you like to do?” She asked him, genuinely curious. She didn’t want him to be bored, whilst he was stuck here for the time being.

 

Eclipse’s head fins flopped slightly, a frown crossing his face. “I very much loved music. And I adored dancing.” He revealed, his eyes sad. 

 

Nix perked up, sliding her phone from her pocket. “What kind of music do you like?” She asked him. Eclipse smiled down at her, puffing out his chest slightly when he realized he had her attention.

 

“I loved most music, but my favorite was… Oh now what do you humans call it?” He murmured to himself for a moment, before lighting up. “Ah yes, that is right. Tango.” He stated with a smirk.

 

Nix smiled up at him before she opened her phone and began looking up tango music.

 

She turned the volume up loud before placing her phone down on a nearby rock and hitting the play button on one of the instrumental tango songs that popped up.

 

Eclipse’s reaction was instantaneous.

 

His eyes widened before his entire body slunk to the ground as he purred, his head fins waving happily.

 

Nix blinked at him, watching as he purred happily, his tail wagging very slightly behind him.

 

“Oh how I wish I could dance…” He murmured, casting a glare at the harpoon lodged in his tail. Nix bit her lip gathering up her courage before she let out a heavy breath.

 

“Would you let me take the harpoon out? I promise I’ll be as gentle as possible.” Nix said earnestly. 

 

Eclipse sat up, narrowing his eyes at the young human. His chest rumbling as he hummed deeply, thinking about her offer.

 

“Only if you promise to share a dance with me once I am healed.” Eclipse countered, watching with glee as Nix smiled and nodded. “Sure, sounds like a date.” She said jokingly.

 

Eclipse’s eyes narrowed, giddiness rising within him.

 

She was almost his. 

 

Eclipse gently picked Nix up, before depositing her by the harpoon in his tail. She analyzed it, noticing that it had pierced through and through, meaning that the way to get it out would be much easier than she thought.

 

“I can get it out now, I just have to grab a few things first.” Nix informed, watching as Eclipse tilted his head. “What things?” He asked her.

 

“I need some heavy duty clippers to cut through the metal, as well as disinfectant and watersafe bandages.” She explained, looking up at the hulking Mer as he thought on her words.

 

“Very well.” He said, before gently pushing her towards the door. “Hurry back, Little Mouse.” 

 

Nix gave him a two finger salute before she dipped out of the door, making her way excitedly to the first aid station for the Mers.

 

It only took her a minute to get there and she found that Freddy was there as well, taking inventory.

 

“Heya, Fred Bear. I need metal clippers to cut through a harpoon as well as bandages and disinfectant.” She stated, drumming her hands on the counter.

 

Freddy perked up, eyes wide. “He’s letting you take it out?!” He asked happily. Nix nodded with smile, before watching with a giggle as the older man hurried around the small shack, grabbing everything she needed.

 

Nix took it all with a grin before hurrying back to the enclosure. She slipped in through the door, smiling as Eclipse perked up when he saw her.

 

“Alright. So. I’m going to use these to cut through the harpoon before I pull it out, otherwise the barbs on it will do more damage to you.” Nix informed before walking up to him. Eclipse nodded his permission, watching her closely as she did as she said, before gently and slowly pulling the large metal rods out of him. 

 

Eclipse grunted at the pain, hissing slightly as he felt it move through his flesh. It was a painful, uncomfortable, unusual sensation.

 

Soon enough, the harpoon, now in two pieces, was laying on the sand, Eclipse’s blood dripping from the stained metal. 

 

“This might sting, but it will stop the wound from getting infected.” Nix said, holding up a little bottle. Eclipse nodded his consent.

 

Nix gently placed one hand on the patch of scales near his wound, not noticing how Eclipse purred at her touch. She sprayed the disinfectant on the wounds, before grabbing the bandages and quickly telling the Mer what they were for. She waited for his nod once more before wrapping his tail in the bandages and pulling away.

 

Eclipse moved his head closer to his tail to admire her handiwork. “Efficient, Little Mouse.” He purred, happy to find that his tail no longer hurt when he moved it. 

 

“It should heal in just a couple weeks, maybe a month if you aren’t careful. I’ll have to clean and change the wound regularly. After that though, you’ll be free to go back home!” Nix stated excitedly.

 

Eclipse smiled widely down at her. And you’ll be right by my side for the rest of our lives. He thought to himself as he purred at the image of his Mouse curling up against him in their very own nest.

 

“How…wonderful.” He said, his eyes glinting dangerously.

 

Nix didn’t take notice as she had begun to gather her things. “I need to get going, I have to check on the little fawn.” Nix said, looking up to the Mer silently for permission.

 

She’d rather not get pinned to the wall again could she avoid it. 

 

Eclipse smiled and patted her on the head gently. “See you soon, Little Mouse.” He said, before curling up and laying down.

 

Nix made her way over to the door, before casting a glance back at the resting Mer. “Sleep well, Eclipse.” She said softly, before slipping out of the door once again.

 

As she did so, she nearly ran smack dab into Freddy, who had a massive grin on his face.

 

“Well?” He asked her expectedly. Nix let out a laugh and shook her head. “He’ll be fine. He’ll heal up well.” She said before handing Freddy the harpoons so he could dispose of them.

 

“Thank goodness.” The older man said with a heavy sigh of relief. “I don’t want you going in there any more than necessary.” He stated.

 

Nix stopped for a moment, thinking back on Eclipse’s reaction to music. “He’s actually kinda sweet, when he isn’t threatening my life.” She muttered, ignoring the incredulous look Freddy sent her.

 

“Hey, Freddy, could you get me something off island?” She ased him suddenly. Freddy nodded as he raised a brow. “Sure, what do you need?”

 

Nix gave him a smile as she told him the two items she needed. 

 

Freddy furrowed his brow in confusion before shrugging. “Yea, I’ll check it out. I’ll let you know when they’ll be here. Should only be a few days though. Is that alright?” He asked her.

 

Nix nodded, excitement filling her.

 

She had a surprise planned for Eclipse.

 

Notes:

Sorry about the short chapter guys. We have another short one coming up, hopefully they'll get longer. Or at the least they come more frequently.

Either way, until next time!

Chapter 8: Eclipse's Gift

Summary:

Nix visits Eclipse, and he has a present for her.

A few days go by and it’s been relatively quiet for Nix. She kept her routine; wake up, take care of the fawn, (fondly named Alastor), take care of Eclipse, go home, take care of Alastor and take a shower, take care of Sun and Moon, go home, take care of Alastor, go to bed.

 

Eclipse has been getting gentler and sweeter each time she visits him, and the twin Mers have been getting more and more physically affectionate. 

 

Although Moon still refused to let any doctors near his tail. She was able to look at it after getting his consent and it was just as she suspected; his broken tail had healed wrong and it needs to be rebroken to heal correctly.

 

Nix tried asking Sun to convince his brother to let the doctors near him, and while Sun said he’d try, it’s obvious the yellow Mer hasn’t had any luck there either.

 

For the last few days, Nix has had the strange feeling that something or someone was watching her. 

 

She felt it when she walked through the halls of the sanctuary, she felt it when she was eating in the cafeteria, she even felt it when she was in her bungalow!

 

The only time she didn’t feel the mysterious gaze was if she was inside one of the enclosures.

 

Nix found herself hurrying to the enclosures each day just to lessen the time she was being watched. 

 

Speaking of, Nix just finished up feeding Alastor and started her journey to Eclipse’s enclosure, mentally preparing herself for wha Eclipse might do today.

 

The eerie gaze was on her again as she walked the halls, and Nix hastened her pace until she came to the door for the large Mer’s habitat.

 

As Nix slipped through the door, she was mildly surprised to see that Eclipse wasn’t right on the other side ready to greet her as usual.

 

Nix bit her lip in concern and placed the bucket of fish onto the ground as she walked further in.

 

“Eclipse?” Nix called out, furrowing her brow when she received no answer. 

 

She got closer to the pool, squinting her eyes to try and find his large form in the crystal waters. 

 

“Eclipse?” Nix called out again, putting her hands around her mouth to echo the call.

 

Like a jet, the massive Mer erupted from the water, causing a huge wave to fall onto Nix.

 

Nix let out a squeal as the warm water soaked her all the way through in one fell swoop.

 

A deep, hearty chuckle sounded next to Nix as she wiped the water from her face. With an annoyed huff, Nix pushed her now dripping wet hair from her face as she glared over at the grinning Mer.

 

“Hello, Little Mouse.” Eclipse greeted with a shit-eating grin. 

 

Nix couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.

 

Eclipse’s smile widened at the sight of her own.

 

Nix’s smile turned into a mischievous smirk, making Eclipse’s smile drop.

 

“Mouse…?” He asked cautiously, his tone warning as his eyes narrowed.

 

Nix whipped her head back and forth harshly, like a dog shaking off water.

 

Eclipse flinched back, a displeased frown on his face as he was sprayed with water.

 

“Mouse…” He growled out warningly. 

 

Nix laughed at him, before she let out a gasp as she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and pulled to his chest.

 

Eclipse’s torso reverberated as he chuckled deeply, amused by Nix’s reactions.

 

Nix raised her eyes to look into Eclipse’s eyes as his own gaze softened when he stared at her face. 

 

Nix blinked at how fond his gaze was, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. 

 

“What is it?” She asked him self consciously. 

 

“I have a gift for you, My Little Mouse.” Eclipse stayed, gently placing her down on the ground.

 

Nix’s eye widened at his words.

 

“A-A gift? For me?” She echoed, shocked. 

 

Eclipse chuckled at her bewilderment. “Yes, Mouse. For you.” He repeated as he turned around and dug a small hole in the sand before pulling out what he had buried there.

 

Nix’s eyes widened in shock at the sight before her.

 

It was a beautiful obsidian colored scale, with reflective flecks of red and gold scattered in the abyssal darkness. 

 

Nix hesitantly held her hands out as Eclipse gingerly placed the scale in her soft palms.

 

“It's….It's beautiful.” Nix breathed out, her heart fluttering at the thoughtful gift. A small lump formed in her throat and she swallowed it, not wanting to cry.

 

“It's the nicest gift I've ever gotten, thank you. I'll treasure it always.” Nix said gratefully, smiling up at Eclipse as she pulled the scale to her chest, wrapping it in her fist.

 

Eclipse puffed out his chest with a proud grin.

 

“May I ask…” Nix trailed off, waiting for his nod to continue. Upon receiving it, Nix spoke up again, “Where did you get this?” She asked him, tilting her head slightly.

 

Eclipse’s smile grew larger. 

 

He raised one of his four arms to the scales on his chest, before curling his claws underneath a few and lifting them up. 

 

Nix’s eyes widened when the small patch of scales that protected his heart lifted up, revealing the soft skin beneath. She could see the skin move with his heartbeat, letting her know his was a very vulnerable spot for him. 

 

She felt humbled knowing he trusted her enough to show her.

 

Upon closer inspection, Nix realized that there was a small scale-shaped hole in the skin. 

 

A hole just big enough to fit the one he had given her.

 

After letting her look for another few seconds, Eclipse let the patch of protective scales fall back over his heart and he lowered his bottom two arms to lightly wrap around her waist.

 

“Thank you for showing me. And thank you once again for this incredible gift.” Nix said, giving the Mer a soft and grateful smile. Eclipse smiled back with a nod.

 

“Hey, Eclipse…would it be alright with you if I made this into a necklace? That way I can wear it?” Nix asked.

 

Eclipse’s jaw dropped and he stood up straighter. “You wish to show it off?” He asked her, excited by the prospect. When Nix nodded, Eclipse began to purr loudly as he pulled her into a tight hug.

 

“I would be honored for you to wear it close to your heart, My Mouse.” Eclipse said happily as his purr didn't lessen.

 

“Alright, thank you, Eclipse. I should have it done next time you see me.” She said, giving the massive Mer a hug.

 

Eclipse grinned widely.

 

Everything was going to plan.

 

Notes:

Hope you all liked this one! I figured I shold post it since today was the solar eclipse! Hope you all have a FINtastic day!

No that was not mispelled

Chapter 9: Nix's Gift

Summary:

Nix finally gets what she asked for from Freddy, and she brings it to show Eclipse.

Nix made a pit stop at her house to feed Alastor, take a shower, and place the scale Eclipse gave her in a safe hidden behind the books of a small bookshelf in her room.

 

As Nix walked down the hall to the twin Mers’ enclosure, she let a smile spread across her face as she thought of the large Mer and his sweet gesture. 

 

She was gonna miss him after he was released. 

 

The thought made her frown a bit, but she was ultimately happy that he would be able to go back to his home. She would bet her bottom dollar that Eclipse hated it here.

 

As Nix stepped into Sun and Moon’s enclosure, she was immediately glomped by the yellow Mer who was chirping and cheering happily, his tail wagging behind him as he pulled her tight to his chest.

 

“Nix! Nix! Nix! Look! Look! Look!” Sun cried out.

 

Both Sun and Moon were able to speak almost perfect English. They still struggled with some words, but would catch on fast.

 

Nix pulled her head back from the paper that the Mer had shoved into her face.

 

She had decided to leave the scratch paper and colored pencils for Sun so he could draw and wouldn’t be bored out of his mind.

 

Now almost every time she comes, he has a new picture to show her. 

 

Which he does so.

 

Very. Energetically.

 

Nix smiled at his antics and gently grabbed the paper, looking at the image before her.

 

It was a very cartoonie, chibi-fied image of her being hugged by him and Moon. The background looked like it was in their nest and all three of them were laying on a bed of seaweed.

 

“It’s really great, Sunny!” Nix complemented, looking up at the Mer who was anxiously awaiting her comment.

 

He brightened considerably, chittering happily as he picked Nix up and spun her around. 

 

“Nix! Nix! Can you stay in the nest again?” Sun asked, his head fins wiggling happily as he looked into her eyes hopefully.

 

Nix’s smile fell slightly. “I can’t tonight, Sunny…” She started, trailing off when Sun’s face dropped, his blue pupils widening into sad puppy dog eyes as he whimpered slightly.

 

Nix’s heart ached at the sight.

 

“Alright, how about this; Friday is in three days, would you be ok if I stayed the night in the nest then?” She asked him, relenting at his puppy dog eyes.

 

Sun perked up immediately with a cheerful warble.

 

“Yes! YesyesyesyesyesYES! Nix is staying the night!” Sunny shouted, glomping the poor girl once again. 

 

Nix let out a yelp that devolved into laughter as she hugged the excited Mer back.

 

Well, looks like she’ll have to ask Freddy to watch Alastor for the night. 

 

*****

 

Nix woke up Wednesday morning to a grinning Freddy at her front door holding a large package.

 

She gasped excitedly, holding out her hands for it. Freddy gave it over, watching her with a fond, fatherly smile as she excitedly opened the package, grinning widely at the familiar sight of the hard, plastic case.

 

Nix quickly opened it to see a very beautiful, wood carved, string instrument. Nix gingerly picked up the fragile violin, grabbing the bow along with it.

 

“It should already be tuned.” Freddy said softly, watching as Nix took up position, placing her chin on the instrument.

 

Nix closed her eyes as she began playing from memory, the notes falling off the violin in a beautiful melody.

 

After playing for another minute, Nix let the last note hang out, echoing through the quiet house.

 

When Nix opened her eyes, she saw Freddy standing there, mouth agape and tears forming in them. 

 

“Freddy? Are you ok?” She asked concern filling her when she noticed his glistening eyes.

 

Freddy nodded, shaking his head to get rid of the tears. “Sorry, Nix. It just sounded so pretty.” He said, smiling sheepishly at her.

 

Nix relaxed with a chuckle and shook her head. “Thank you so much for this, Freddy.” She said gratefully. 

 

As the older man opened his mouth to reply, her alarm went off, causing Nix’s eyes to widen as she squeaked out in slight panic.

 

“Oh, crap! If I don’t get going, I’ll be late!” Nix yelped out as she gently placed the violin in the case and closed it, giving Freddy a quick bear hug before gathering her things and rushing out the door with a swift kiss to the head for the young fawn.

 

Nix rushed down the hall, snagging the bucket of fish for Eclipse, before she quickly stepped into his enclosure.

 

Nix didn’t see the large Mer immediately, so she gently placed the fish and the violin case down.

 

The young woman knelt down in the sand and opening the case reaching for the instrument inside.

 

“What do you have there, Mouse?”

 

Eclipse’s sudden question made Nix squeak in alarm and jump, twirling around to face the grinning Mer.

 

“Did not mean to startle, Mouse.” He said with a chuckle, making her roll her eyes with a smile.

 

“Ever seen one of these?” Nix asked him as she reached down, bending at the waist to grab the violin.

 

Eclipse stiffened as she bent over, clenching his claws into fists as he gazed at her hungrily.

 

When Nix turned back around to face him, standing up straight, Eclipse quickly wiped the expression away, not wanting to scare her.

 

As the large Mer looked at what she was holding, his pupils dilated, his jaw dropping slightly as a purr rumbled up his throat.

 

“Oh it has been ages since I saw one of those!” The Mer said with a laugh, leaning in closer to her to inspect the string instrument.

 

“Do you play?” He asked teasingly, not actually expecting her to answer yes.

 

Nix picked up on this and narrowed her eyes at the Mer before taking up position and placing the bow on the strings. She closed her eyes out of habit and lost herself in the song.

 

Eclipse widened his eyes as Nix began to expertly pull across the strings in a melodious, slightly haunting song.

 

The large Mer knew that the human knew nothing of their courtship rituals, but usually after a male gave their Heartscale to their chosen female, the female Mer would respond in one of two ways; she would reject the gift and give it back, or she would accept it, and give the gift of music to the male.

 

A dark grin spread across his face as he settled in to listen to her song.

 

She accepted his courtship. She’s his chosen mate.

 

Whether she knew it or not.

 

Notes:

Alright, hope you enjoyed this fluffy short chapter. The next one....well...you'll see.

I have it finished though, would you guys like it tonight, tomorrow, or on Friday?

Please comment and let me know.

Have a wonderful night! Until next time!

Chapter 10: The Attack

Summary:

Nix learns a bit more about Eclipse and spends some time with the twins.

But her stalker is never far.

Notes:

⚠️ Trigger warning you guys ⚠️

⚠️ For Sexual Assault. ⚠️

Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Who knows, maybe I'll post another later today 😀
It's my birthday, so if I get a small break from taking care of my son, I'll try to write up the next chapter and get it posted.

Have a wonderful day, and stay amazing!

Nix had finished her song and put her violin away. 

 

She and Eclipse were now sitting on the sandy beach just chatting away until it was time for her to go.

 

As she was listening to Eclipse talk about his home, a thought occurred to her.

 

She waited for a break in his speech so she wouldn’t interrupt.

 

“Hey, Eclipse?” She asked, catching his attention. “Yes, Mouse?” He hummed, his tail curling around her tighter. 

 

“How did you learn to speak English?” She asked him curiously.

 

Nix was shocked and worried when Eclipse became sullen, his shoulders dropping as he looked down sadly at her.

 

“Y-You don’t have to–” Eclipse cut her off with a sad smile and a shake of his head.

 

“Many years ago, when I was just a juvenile, I became fascinated with humans. I would sneak away from my pod at night to the nearest human colony and watch them from afar. I never dared to go near, for I knew what humans would do to our kind.

 

“Whenever a human boat would stop in the ocean at night, I would wait until they were all asleep before sneaking on board and looking at everything they had.

 

“This one boat would regularly put up post at the same little island over and over again. So I would sneak onto this ship the most.

 

“However, one night I was discovered by a little human girl, no older than the age of six I would say. When she saw me, she did not yell. Did not scream. She merely smiled.

 

“She was the sweetest little thing, and she was just as curious of me as I was of her.

 

“Over the years that her boat would park at the island, she and I would meet up at night when her mother was asleep. Her father had left when she was just a babe, you see, so it was just her and her mother.

 

“As we got older, I grew to see her as a younger sister and she saw me as an older brother. I would teach her things about my world and she would teach me about humans. I picked up my speech from her. I learned how to read from her, and she would always bring me new books whenever she would come to visit.”

 

Eclipse’s expression fell to one of despair and it made Nix’s heart ache. “What happened to her…?” She asked him hesitantly.

 

“Her mother found out. She watched from the shadows as me and her daughter talked. She believed I had somehow charmed her daughter with my song, even though I had never sung to her. 

 

“She leveled a harpoon at me, screaming at me, telling me to fix what I had done. Take back my song. I had tried telling her I had not sung, but she would not hear of it. She pulled the trigger…and…”

 

Eclipse trailed off, his eyes watering as he swallowed down the lump in his throat. Nix gently placed a hand on the claw closest to her. He gave a shaky smile before taking in a trembling breath.

 

“The young girl jumped in front of me…and the harpoon pierced through her heart. I held her in my arms as she…” Eclipse cut himself off with a choked sob as he curled into himself. 

 

Nix felt her heart snap and tears bubbled up in her own eyes. The young woman got to her knees and easily wrapped her arms around the massive Mer’s neck as she gave him a tight hug.

 

Eclipse wasted no time in wrapping her up in a bear hug with all four arms.

 

Nix felt her heart breaking more and more with each strangled sob that Eclipse made, his body trembling as he held on tighter.

 

They stayed like that for a while, before Eclipse was finally able to quiet his cries, and pull away from Nix.

 

“I’m so sorry that happened, Eclipse…” Nix said quietly. She waited for another moment or two before opening her mouth again, “What was her name…?” She asked him with sympathy in her eyes.

 

Eclipse looked down at his chosen mate with a small smile on his face.

 

“Her name was Nova.” He said fondly as he curled his tail tighter around his chosen. And you will not share the same fate. I will protect you. I promise. He thought to himself.

 

*****

 

Nix stayed with Eclipse for just a little longer before she had to get going to feed Alastor and get to Sun and Moon on time. 

 

*****

 

It was Thursday night, and Nix was in the twin Mers’ enclosure. Moon was reading a fairytale book while Sun drew on some scratch paper beside her as Nix was fiddling with a partially broken chain.

 

Sun had noticed her doing this and curiosity finally got the better of him and he questioned her on it.

 

“Oh, well a friend of mine gave me a gift and I wanted to turn it into a necklace, so I found this old chain, but I have to fix it before I can wear it.” She explained, smiling at Sun who wagged his tail and went back to his drawing.

 

“Stardust?” Moon called out to her, smirking softly as she blushed at the nickname he had given her.

 

“What’s up Moon?” She hummed, putting the necklace chain down as she locked eyes with him.

 

“What’s this?” He asked her as he held up the book, showing off the picture of Belle and Adam kissing right after he had been turned back into a human.

 

Nix blinked for a moment, glancing from the picture to Moon’s curious red gaze.

 

“Well, when two humans love each other in a romantic sense, they tend to kiss each other on the lips. There are other forms of kissing that aren’t necessarily meant to be a romantic gesture as well.” Nix explains, watching in curiosity as both Mers’ pupils dilated.

 

“So, when a human decides on a mate, they kiss? Is that their-” Moon cut off in a series of chirps as he tried to find the right word for it in her tongue. Nix, knowing what he was trying to do, gave him a smile and nodded.

 

“I suppose you guys might refer to it as a courtship?” She suggested, watching as Moon smiled a sharp toothed grin and nodded at her.

 

“You know, come to think of it, we humans know nothing about Mer mating rituals. I assume you guys have some?” She asked the brothers curiously. 

 

The twins both blushed heavily and looked to the sandy ground, making Nix frown. “Did I say something wrong?” She asked them.

 

“N-No, Sunbeam, it’s just that… well Mers are very private about their mating rituals. Only a parent tells their child how to go about them and the only ones allowed to see it are the Mer and their chosen mate.” Sun explained as his scaly face flushed in embarrassment.

 

Nix’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open as she winced. “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to-” The twins cut her off by shaking their hands.

 

“I-It’s ok! You didn’t know!” Sun said with a smile. Nix gave him a small smile back as she relaxed once again.

 

Suddenly her phone alarm went off and the twins instantly looked upset. Seeing this, Nix gave them both a smile and packed up her stuff.

 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow, and don’t forget, I’ll be staying the night then.” She said, watching as they both immediately brightened.

 

She hugged them both goodnight and she made her way to her cabin. She made a quick pit stop at Freddy’s house and asked if he could watch Alastor tomorrow night. He replied positively and he left his house with a smile on her face.

 

Nix spent the about an hour on the necklace chain before she finally finished and she took the scale Eclipse had gifted her, hung it on the chain, and pulled it down over her head. 

 

Nix smiled as she looked down at the gorgeous scale.

 

*****

 

Friday morning came and Nix dropped the young fawn who was getting bigger everyday at Freddy’s house before she made her way to Eclipse’s enclosure.

 

Nix hummed to herself as she pressed her key card to the lock to open the door. As she stepped through the door, she didn't notice the figure that slipped in behind her, eyes watching her the whole time. 

 

As Nix opened her mouth to call out to Eclipse, she was cut off by the person who snuck in.

 

"Hello, doll." 

 

Nix jumped, whipping around with wide eyes to see Xander just a few feet away from her.

 

"Xander? What are you doing here? Aren't you on kitchen duty?" Nix hissed out, her eyes narrowing into a glare. 

 

"Aw, didn't you miss me, doll? You haven't come and said hi to me." Xander said with a cocky smirk. Nix scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You can't be in here. Get out. Now." Nix huffed, pointing to the door. 

 

Both teens were unaware of the set of eyes watching them from the water warily.

 

"No." Xander said forcefully, catching Nix off guard. Nix blinked, shocked. "You're not authorized to -" Nix cut off into a gasp when Xander slammed her up against the nearest wall. 

 

She hadn't even registered the fact that he had been taking steps towards her and she had been subconsciously backing away from him.

 

"I'm done. I'm done with you playing hard to get." Xander snarled, pressing his body against Nix, smiling as she struggled to get away, his arm pinning her to the wall by her throat. 

 

"Let. Me. Go." Nix growled out, raising her hands to push his arm away. Xander was faster, though, and used his free arm to grab both her wrists and pin them above her head with a smirk. "I'm going to take what I deserve, doll." Xander said darkly, his smirk turning into a sinister smile.

 

Before Nix could scream for help, Xander smashed his lips onto hers, removing his arm from her throat and placing it on her side. As Xander pulled his lips from hers for a second, Nix took her chance and opened her mouth to scream, but Xander shoved his tongue down her throat, groaning at her taste. Nix let out a muffled scream, trying to shake her head to break away from his kiss. Tears were running down her cheeks.

 

Xander pressed his body closer to hers, letting out a throaty moan as his free hand drifted towards the hem of her shirt, slipping beneath it before rising up her skin to cup her covered breast. 

 

Nix struggled, trying to escape his grasp to no avail.

 

Xander chuckled darkly into her mouth, before taking the hand on her breast and moving it south. He slipped it under her jeans and panties, moving closer to her core. Underneath his biting teeth, Nix was whimpering, tears pouring down her cheeks as she tried her best to push her attacker away.

 

A blood-chilling roar sounded from behind the two, and within seconds, Xander was ripped from Nix, who collapsed to the ground crying. 

 

*****

 

Eclipse watched with delight as his chosen walked through the gate. He prepared to swim over to her. However, he stopped when another human slipped in before the door closed. 

 

The four armed Mer growled to himself as he watched his chosen back away from this other human, obviously uncomfortable around him. 

 

Eclipse saw red when the male human pinned his chosen against the wall before forcing himself on her. The Mer had frozen, his body filling with a furious rage until it boiled over, allowing him to move once again.

 

Eclipse had never moved so fast in his life. His tail whipped through the water before his four arms dragged him across the sand to his chosen and her attacker within seconds. He let out a ferocious blood-chilling roar before ripping his mate's attacker away from her. He lifted himself up into an aggressive stance, situating his body in front of her to protect his chosen. 

 

The human male stood back up before scowling down at her over Eclipse's shoulder. "Hiding behind the fish freak? You fucking whore." 

 

Eclipse’s right upper arm was flying through the air in the blink of an eye, the claw gouging into the soft flesh of the boy’s face.

 

Chapter 11: Instincts

Summary:

Eclipse is not happy.

Eclipse was mad. No, he was angry.

 

Scratch that. 

 

He was furious.

 

How dare that human touch his mate?!

 

The massive Mer held up the claw he had swiped at the male with, the dark red blood dripping from his scales.

 

Xander had fallen to the ground clutching his face with both hands and sanguine fluid seeped between his fingers. 

 

Xander’s yelling and Eclipse’s roars had attracted the attention of Freddy who had seen Xander following the young woman and decided to make sure he wasn’t up to no good.

 

The commotion made Freddy grab a security team before heading inside, with tasers at the ready.

 

Freddy and the other three men stopped and stared at the scene before them.

 

Xander on the ground bleeding, Nix on the ground crying, and a very, very pissed off Mer between them snarling and snapping at the downed male.

 

Guessing what happened, Freddy directed two of the men to grab Xander. 

 

Eclipse watched them with a heated glare and wild eyes as they dragged the male away and out of the enclosure, but he didn’t calm down.

 

His tail still thrashed around behind him as he snarled viciously at the last guard, not even looking Freddy’s way. 

 

Fearing that the Mer would hurt Nix (even though he was being extra careful not to hit her with his thrashing tail unbeknownst to them) Freddy took careful steps closer to Nix to try and pull her up and get her to the med bay.

 

Eclipse’s attention snapped to the older man the moment he had placed his hands on the still crying young woman.

 

Freddy’s heart stopped in his chest for a moment as the Mer slithered up to them in the blink of an eye. 

 

Eclipse easily backhanded Freddy, sending him flying to the ground, tumbling in the sand back to the guard’s feet.

 

Before the guard could set his taser off, Eclipse picked up Nix and pulled her to his chest.

 

His instincts were going haywire.

 

He needed to get his mate somewhere safe so he could make sure she wasn’t hurt.

 

“Let her go!” The guard yelled, grabbing his net gun and aiming it at the Mer.

 

Eclipse let out a bone-chilling roar that made both men shiver in fear as the ground shook beneath them.

 

The guard fired the gun in his hands and a large net shot out, sailing over Eclipse’s head before dropping directly on him.

 

The weights dragged him down to the sand as he struggled under the metal net, making sure that he didn’t crush Nix as he tried to get out.

 

“Place the girl on the ground and we’ll get you out.” Freddy said calmly, even though he was mentally freaking out, beyond worried for the young girl in the deadly creature’s clutches.

 

Eclipse did nothing but let out another roar as two of his claws caught on the net. He raised himself up and with a mighty blood-curdling screech, he tore the net in half like it was paper.

 

With one more snarl, Eclipse used his three free hands to catapult himself down the small beach and into the water, Nix still in his grip.

 

The Mer disappeared into his underwater cave and all Freddy could do was watch as the young girl was dragged to her death.

 

Freddy and the guard stood there for a bit longer, hoping the enraged Mer would calm and give her back, but he never did.

 

Freddy felt his heart break and he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

 

He needed to contact her mother to inform her of what happened to her daughter.

 

As Freddy stepped out of the enclosure with the guard close behind him, he was met with the blubbering frame of Xander as the claw mark on his face was being patched up.

 

Fury rose within Freddy and he took several stomping steps forward, fist raised.

 

Three guards immediately grabbed his arm, holding the older man back from attacking the young one.

 

“Her blood is on your hands.” Freddy growled at him before shaking off the three guards and stomping away.

 

As he made his way down the hall, he stopped at the door to the twin’s enclosure.

 

Freddy’s shoulders dropped and he remembered some of the things Nix would say about them.

 

They would get antsy when she wasn’t on time. Sun loved Red Snapper and Moon loved Barracuda.

 

With tears brimming his eyes, he grabbed a bucket of each and slipped into the twin Mer’s enclosure.

 

Sun, who was prepared to jump on Nix, didn’t notice it was Freddy until after he had already glomped the older man.

 

With wide, confused eyes, Sun backed off, eying him warily with a growl as Moon watched from the water.

 

“I um…I need to inform you guys that your handler is…presumed dead…” Freddy said, placing the buckets on the ground and watching as Sun’s suspicious expression dropped into one of shock.

 

Upon hearing what Freddy said, Moon snuck up on the older man, using his full height to tower over him secretly.

 

Sun’s eyes narrowed and he lowered himself to the ground, growling as he readied himself to pounce.

 

They didn’t believe a word he said and Freddy could tell.

 

“Earlier today, there was an incident in one of the more aggressive Mer’s enclosures.” 

 

That made Sun and Moon pause as they remembered the Mer that had tried to kill their Nix.

 

“One of our other employees, your previous handler, snuck into the enclosure and attacked Nix while she was preparing to feed the Mer. The Mer retaliated and attacked the employee and despite our efforts he took Nix and swam to his cave. We can only presume her to be dead given his history with handlers.” Freddy admitted to Sun, glancing towards the cave in their pool where he presumed Moon was.

 

“I’ll be feeding you two from now on. Nix is…was…a dear friend. I hope you’ll grow to trust me as you did her.” Freddy said as he turned to leave.

 

The older man stopped in place when he came face to face with Moon’s chest. 

 

Moon growled lowly, his pupils narrowing as his bright red eyes glowed in rage.

 

Freddy held his hands up and stepped around the angry Mer before making a swift exit, making a note to grab the two fish buckets he left behind later.

 

*****

 

Sun and Moon watched the strange man leave, before they turned to each other.

 

“She’s not really gone, is she?!” Sun asked his brother worriedly.

 

Moon frowned, staring at the door for a moment longer before he made his way to the water’s edge.

 

Moon lifted the protective scales over his heart before pulling his Heartscale out. He jabbed the scale into the palm of his hand, watching his blood gather before dipping the blood covered scale in the water.

 

“Show her to me.” Moon snarled, red eyes narrowing as his pupils shrunk.

 

Sun watched the water anxiously as the blood began to swirl in a small vortex, before an image appeared.

 

The twins relaxed immediately upon seeing the sleeping form of Nix laying on a bed of seaweed. Her chest was rising and falling.

 

“He took her to protect her.” Sun said with a sigh of relief.

 

Moon narrowed his gaze in suspicion.

 

“Why?” He asked. Sun stopped, tilting his head in confusion.

 

“Why would the Mer take her to safety? What reasoning does he have?” Moon specified.

 

Sun pursed his lips, scrunching his flat nose–a habit he picked up from Nix.

 

“Perhaps he sees her as a daughter?” Sun tried, shrugging. “What does it matter? She’s alive. We’ll see her tonight when she comes for her sleepover.” 

 

Moon hummed, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion as he caught sight of a claw wrapped around Nix’s waist before the image disappeared from the water.

 

Moon had a bad feeling about the other Mer.

 

*****

 

Nix woke up to Eclipse running his hands through her long hair as he hummed softly. Even after her nap, she still felt mentally exhausted.

 

“How long was I asleep?” She asked the Mer, who paused in his ministrations for a moment before continuing.

 

“About fourteen hours. You have not been getting good sleep, have you, My Mouse?” Eclipse hummed out, narrowing his gaze slightly at his chosen.

 

Nix sat up immediately, eyes wide.

 

“What?!” She cried out, whipping around to face him, ignoring the pout on his face as her hair was pulled from his grasp due to her movements.

 

“I need to go! I need to feed Sun and Moon and–” Eclipse cut her off with a growl as he pulled her close to his chest.

 

“No! You cannot go anywhere until that human is killed.” Eclipse spat out, his pupil slitting with fury.

 

Nix leaned back in shock at the rage he was emitting. 

 

“What…happened…?” Nix asked, furrowing her brow at the furious Mer. “What do you remember?” He asked her, frowning.

 

“I remember Xander coming in and attacking me, but after that…” She trailed off, trying to remember past that. She wasn’t able to.

 

Eclipse sighed and gently pulled Nix to his chest, holding her tightly as he recounted what occurred from his point of view.

 

Nix furrowed her brow at his words and when he finished, she raised her head and gave him a soft grateful smile.

 

“Thank you for protecting me, but I’m safe now. I need to tell Freddy I’m ok. He probably thinks you’ve killed me.” Niz said with a laugh.

 

Eclipse scoffed at her words.

 

As if he would ever bring harm to her on purpose.

 

“Will you let me go, please?” Nix asked politely.

 

She furrowed her brow when Eclipse grimaced, tightening his grip on her.

 

“I…cannot…” He supplied.

 

“You…can’t…”

 

“No.” 

 

“Can’t or won’t?” She tried.

 

Eclipse sighed, letting his head fall back onto the seaweed bed.

 

“I am physically unable to let you go for at least twenty-four hours. And you cannot leave my nest for another forty-eight.” He informed her.

Nix paused, her eyes widening at the information.

 

“That’s three days.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Eclipse. Three days!”

 

“I am aware.”

 

“I can’t stay here for three days.”

 

“You must.”

 

“I need food.”

 

“I will feed you.”

 

“ Human food.”

 

“Is that not what fish is?”

 

Nix groaned in frustration and let her head flop onto his chest.

 

She was silent for a few moments, letting the Mer card his claws through her hair again as she gently traced random patterns on the scales over his heart, unaware of how it made his heart stutter.

 

“Why can’t you let me go?” She tried.

 

Eclipse sighed, his warm breath floating over her face.

 

“It is due to my instincts.” He revealed, making Nix scrunch her nose in confusion.

 

“Your instincts?” Nix parroted, confused. Eclipse nodded before he began to speak again, choosing his words carefully so as not to scare her away before she was fully his.

 

“When someone a Mer cares about is attacked, they are overrun with instincts. Mainly, the instinct to protect. These instincts drive the Mer to attack whatever had caused the problem and any other threats in the surrounding area, before the Mer takes the one they care for and hides away for three full days until their instincts calm back down.” Eclipse explains, looking down at the young woman in his arms.

 

Nix sighed, knowing there was nothing to be done. Pursing her lips, she reached down, smiling when Eclipse clutched her tighter fearing she would try to escape his grasp, and slipped her hand into her pocket, pulling out her phone.

 

She was immensely glad she had bought a waterproof case awhile back after Sun had done something similar. 

 

Eclipse watched her curiously as she opened the phone and tapped the call button on Freddy’s contact.

 

He answered after a few rings with a hesitant, almost scared greeting.

 

“Freddy, I just wanted to let you know I’m ok. I’m just sort of…trapped for about three days?” Nix said with a sheepish smile.

 

She was met with silence.

 

“Fred Bear…?” She asked hesitantly.

 

A sob of relief sounded on the other end, shocking her.

 

“Thank goodness you’re alive!” He cried out. Nix let out a laugh and shook her head.

 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll see you in about three days and explain then. In the meantime, could you take care of the twins and Alastor for me please?” Nix asked, waiting for Freddy to confirm before she hung up with a goodbye.

 

Nix sighed, pursing her lips as she remembered her promise to Sun. I suppose I won’t be sleeping over tonight. I’ll make it up to them after this is over.

 

As Nix placed her phone back in her pocket, she caught Eclipse’s gaze. 

 

“So… what are we gonna do for three days?” She asked him with a smile. 

 

Eclipse’s only answer was a mischievous smirk that showed his dagger-like teeth.

Notes:

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Have a wonderful day, hope to see you all again soon!

Chapter 12: A Dance

Summary:

Eclipse and Nix share a dance.

Eclipse was purring as he held Nix. She was so soft and smelled so good.

 

If he was a younger Mer, Eclipse would be struggling to reign in his more carnal instincts.

 

“Hey Eclipse?” Came his sweet Mouse’s voice. He hummed out, letting her know he was listening.

 

“I never really noticed it before, but why don’t you use contractions?” Nix asked him. Eclipse paused at the question, tilting his head down to look at the young woman that was laying on his chest.

 

“Contractions?”He questioned, confused at the word. 

 

“Yea, you know, instead of saying you are or it is, people say you’re or it’s.” Nix explained. “I just realized that I’ve never heard you say one before.” 

 

Eclipse blinked for a moment before letting out a husky chuckle. “I just rather like elongating my speech, I suppose. I have never thought about it, My Mouse.” He said with a shrug. 

 

The sound of Nix’s stomach growling made them both pause. 

 

Eclipse frowned, knowing he didn’t have any food for his mate in his nest, and it wasn’t like he could go hunt. He still had a few hours before he could even loosen his grip on her. 

 

As if sensing his mental tirade, Nix ran a soothing hand over Eclipse’s heart. “I’ll be fine, Eclipse. Sometimes I forget to eat for a whole day, so it’s not something I’m not used to.”

 

Eclipse froze at her words, his eyes narrowing. “What?” He growled out lowly. Nix stiffened at his tone. Her words hadn’t comforted the Mer at all.

 

“I-It’s not like I do it on purpose, sometimes it just slips my mind!” She tried to defend.

 

Eclipse’s lower two hands, which had previously been by his side, raised up to wrap Nix in a tighter hug, pressing her soft body to his scaly form. His tail lashed out in annoyance and slight anger.

 

Eclipse snarled out in annoyance, even if he was able to let her go, it was not like he could hunt for food for his mate. He was at the whim of the humans for food.

 

“Hey, Eclipse?” 

 

His anger calmed at her voice. There was not anything to be done about that now. He would just have to make sure his sweet mate ate everyday when she visited him.

 

If only he could keep her in his nest indefinitely. 

 

“Eclipse?”

 

Well, when he gets out of here, he’ll take her with him and she’ll stay in his nest forever.

 

“Eclipse!”

 

The larger Mer shook himself out of his thoughts at the concerned tone his Mouse had.

 

Nix was looking up at him in worry.

 

He gave her a grin and gently nuzzled his face against her’s, making her giggle.

 

“Yes, my sweet Mouse?” He hummed, his tail curling in happiness as his head fins wiggled.

 

“I know you said that I can’t leave your arms, but is there something we could do?”

 

Eclipse’s eyes lit up and he gave her a salacious grin.

 

“How about a dance, Mouse?” He asked her, his eyes lighting up at the prospect. 

 

Nix tilted her head. “A dance?” She asked, confused. 

 

Eclipse nodded, his head fins wiggling, excited about the chance to dance with his mate.

 

“What kind of dance did you have in mind? I’ve never really danced before.” Nix admitted sheepishly. 

 

“Could you play a tango song on your little box?” He asked her, tilting his head. 

 

Nix nodded, her eyes lighting up for a moment before her excitement vanished. 

 

“What is wrong, Mouse?” He asked her, concerned. 

 

“Well, I had a waterproof speaker, something that would amplify the music underwater, but it’s in my bag which is by the door, unless Freddy took it with him.

 

Eclipse gave Nix a grin and pulled one hand away from her before he reached into a small hole in the rock wall beside them. Nix’s jaw dropped as he pulled out her bag, which was only a little dampy still, having been drying for hours.

 

Nix squealed and launched herself towards Eclipse’s neck, wrapping him up in a hug. “You’re the best!” She cheered, nuzzling into his neck.

 

Eclipse’s grin widened and he hugged her back tightly, purring happily.

 

When Nix pulled away, Eclipse let her dig through her bag to get out the speaker. She quickly pulled her phone out and connected it to the speaker, before picking out a tango song from her playlist.

 

Eclipse gave her a sharp grin and pulled her close as the music started. He rolled off the rock shelf and into the water with a splash.

 

“How long can you hold your breath, Mouse?” He purred out. “For about five minutes max.” Nix supplied. 

 

“Perfect.”

 

Eclipse let Nix take in a large breath before he dived under the water. 

 

The music was muffled slightly by the water, but Eclipse used his top two hands to grab her hands, while he used his bottom two to gently wrap around her waist. The large Mer pulled his chosen close, relishing in the feel of her body against his.

 

Oh how he wished he could feel her fully bare beneath him. But he could not scare Mouse away. Not when she was almost fully his.

 

Eclipse guided Nix’s movements in the water, swaying with her and using his tail to expertly take them around the pool as they danced. 

 

Nix had a large grin on her face as they glided through the water, dancing perfectly in time to the music.

 

Once the song was over, Eclipse pulled Nix to him, purring loudly as he enjoyed her smaller body against his larger one.

 

They stayed like that for another minute or two before Nix tapped his shoulder to let him know that she needed air.

 

Eclipse sighed out softly, but relented and swam back over to his cave, using his bottom two arms to heave both Nix and himself onto his bed.

 

Nix let out a large yawn, her eyes tearing up slightly. 

 

“That was fun, thank you, Eclipse.” She said tiredly.

 

Eclipse chuckled, pulling her closer as he laid down on his seaweed bed. 

 

“Sleep, my sweet Mouse.” He purred out, nuzzling against her as he curled his body protectively around her. “Sweet dreams.” He murmured as he watched her eyes droop tiredly before she drifted off to sleep.

 

“I’ll keep you safe, my love.” He whispered to her after she had fallen asleep.

 

Chapter 13: Back to..Business...?

Summary:

Now free from her three day staycation with Eclipse, Nix heads off to see Sun and Moon again.

Nix woke up on Eclipse's chest. It was a rather normal thing these past two days. But, Eclipse said she could leave come lunchtime today. 

 

While she was glad to finally be able to leave his nest and take a much needed shower, she was a little sad about leaving him. 

 

They had a bunch of fun together over the time she was stuck there, and she felt herself slowly falling for the larger Mer. 

 

The times he left her for a swim, even though he didn't wish to be away from her for long, she had time to think.

 

She thought long and hard about her three Mers and at first she was petrified when she figured out that she fell in love with all three of them.

 

Her first thought? It would never work out.

 

Being different species wasn't a factor, it was the fact that she wasn't even sure if the three would even love her in that way. Not to mention that they were only here until they were healed.

 

Eclipse only had a little over a week left until he was healthy again, then he'd be released back to his home and she would never see him again. 

 

 

Not to mention, a Mer like Eclipse almost certainly has a mate waiting for him.

 

Her heart cracked at the thought of him loving someone else. But Nix needed to get over it. 

 

“Why so sad, Mouse?”

 

Nix gasped at Eclipse’s voice and she looked up to see him gazing at her with concern. A frown was on his face as he lifted one claw and gently ran it across her cheek, wiping away tears she didn't even realize were there.

 

“S-Sorry. I didn't realize I was crying.” Nix stuttered out with a wet laugh, wiping the other tears off. 

 

Eclipse let out a sad whimper as he lifted himself up onto his bed to sit next to her. 

 

He wrapped two arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, making her heart pick up pace.

 

“Little Mouse…I will miss our time together like this.” Eclipse said as he tightened his grip on her. Nix sighed and wrapped her arms around his torso, giving him a tight hug back.

 

“I will too, Eclipse.” She admitted softly, smiling when a purr rumbled through her Mer.

 

No. Not mine. She reprimanded silently. 

 

*****

 

Time came and went and Nix gave a bear hug to Eclipse who returned it with all four arms around her smaller frame.

 

Nix fought back tears, cursing herself mentally the whole time. 

 

It wasn't like she was never gonna see him again. She'd see him tomorrow morning. 

 

Before leaving, Nix gave Eclipse a kiss on his scaly cheek, smiling at his shocked and awestruck expression.

 

When Nix closed the door behind her, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 

She had two more Mers to see. And she's willing to bet they're angry.

 

But she needed that shower first.

 

*****

 

Freshly out of the shower, Nix dressed herself in shorts and a tank top. The island was disgustingly humid today, so she dressed for comfort. 

 

Maybe she'll take a dip in the pool with Sun.

 

Just as she was about to leave, Nix paused, glancing at her empty duffle. 

 

Clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth, Nix grabbed the bag and packed some clothes and essentials. 

 

She had made the brothers a promise after all.

 

*****

 

Before Nix could grab the fish for the boys, she was snagged in a bear hug.

 

She squeaked, only to recognize the head of hair and smiled. “Heya, Fred Bear. Miss me?” She asked, giving him an awkward, hand flappy hug since her arms were pinned down by his.

 

“Next time you decide to disappear like that, come out to feed the boys, alright? They were absolute Hell.” He said, pulling away from her.

 

Nix let out a giggle and gave the father-like man another hug, taking the fish for the twins off his hands.

 

“Uhp, uhp, uhp, what's with the bag?” Freddy asked suspiciously. 

 

“Sooooo, you seeeee, on Friday I had promised Sun and Moon that I was gonna stay the night with them…” Nix admitted with a sheepish smile. 

 

Freddy sighed heavily, shaking his head. “And then that whole deal with Xander and Eclipse happened. Why exactly couldn't you leave?” He asked her.

 

“Eclipse said that when a Mer has someone they care about and that someone is in danger or gets hurt, Mers have instincts that override them. Those instincts are what caused me to become trapped. He literally couldn't let me out of his arms for 24 hours and I couldn't leave his nest for 3 days in total.” Nix explained quickly, watching as Freddy nodded.

 

Freddy gestured for her to head on out, but she stopped for a moment, a thought occurring to her. “Do…they know what happened?” She asked hesitantly.

 

Freddy nodded before wincing. “Er…not…exactly…” He admitted.

 

Nix tilted her head in confusion.

 

“You see, I told them that you were dead…but I didn't exactly tell them you're……not…?” Freddy admitted sheepishly.

 

Nix gave him a deadpan stare.

 

*****

 

“They're gonna kill me.” She groaned as she stared at the door.

 

Shuffling on her feet for a moment, Nix quickly swiped her card and stepped into the enclosure, bracing herself for the usual tackle hug from Sun.

 

When it didn't happen, Nix furrowed her brow and looked around, checking for either Mer. 

 

“Sun? Moon?” She called out, stepping into the enclosure and closer to the pool. She placed the fish down on the sand along with her bag. 

 

“Boys….?” She called out again hesitantly.

 

The sound of shifting sand was all the warning she got.

 

Chapter 14: Moon's Gift

Summary:

Nix and Moon talk. Certain things come to light.

Notes:

Happy Mother's Day to any and all mother's out there. Be it human babies or fur ones. You're all amazing, and I adore you.

Having a little one of my own, I know how hard it can be sometimes, but I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Nix gasped as she was slammed to the ground, the heavy mass above her easily pinning her down. Fear struck her as her mind immediately went back to what happened a few days prior.

 

Nix began struggling immediately, her breath coming in heavy panicked pants. “Let me go! Xander please!” She begged, tears stinging her eyes.

 

The grip on her arms gentler immediately. The form shifted off her slightly.  Gentle hands turned her around and she locked gazes with concerned crimson eyes.

 

“Stardust?” Moon hummed out quietly.

 

Relief hit Nix and she let out a shaky sob as she trembled in Moon's grip. Moon gently pulled her into his arms, holding her as she sobbed into him.  Everything that happened over the last few days finally hit her and she was breaking down.

 

Moon curled his tail around her, nuzzling into her neck and purred loudly to comfort her. He gently ran one claw up and down her back and used the other one to gently rub circles on the soft skin of her thigh.

 

After a few minutes, Nix's sobs calmed into hiccupping whimpers.

 

She whimpered out something that had Moon pause for a moment and he softly asked her to repeat herself. 

 

“I'm sorry. To you. And-And-And Sunny. I didn't keep my prom-prom-promise.” She said, small, sniffling hiccups causing her to repeat her words.  Moon felt his heart crack and he tightened his hold on the girl, his tail curling around her to protect her further.

 

“My Sweet Stardust. There's no need for you to apologize.” Moon said soothingly. 

 

“But…But-” Nix was cut off as Moon shook his head. 

 

“No, Sweet Stardust. Do not apologize for being hurt. Please.” Moon purred comfortingly, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

 

“O-Okay…” Nix said softly, relishing in the attention she was getting from the Mer.

 

“Now…would you be willing to tell me exactly what happened that night?” Moon asked her, his pupils thinning slightly.

 

Nix took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 

“I was going to feed Eclipse, the other Mer I've been taking care of, and Xander snuck in behind me.”  At the name of the previous handler, Moon's grip tightened, and he let out a low snarl. “Xander….” Nix stopped for a moment, taking in a shaky breath. Moon purred once again, letting the gentle thrusting soothe her as he rubbed circles on her thigh.

 

Nix smiled at him gratefully before continuing.  “Xander pinned me to the wall in Eclipse's enclosure. He tried to…to…” Nix couldn't finish her sentence, but Moon pieced it together. Moon’s pupils slitted and he snarled violently, his tail lashing out in the sand as he pulled Nix to his chest protectively. 

 

“After that, Eclipse attacked Xander and let the security guards take him away. But when Freddy tried to help me up, Eclipse turned on him and attacked him, he was reeling from his instincts. At least that's what he told me. He picked me up and took me to his nest. Said he couldn't let me leave for three days because of his instincts.” Moon stiffened at her mention of instincts.

 

“Stardust…did he tell you why he couldn't let you leave?” Moon asked, suspicion filling him

 

“He said that when a Mer cares about someone, they can get protective and if that person gets hurt or is in danger their instincts will do that.” Nix repeated what she had told Freddy.  Moon sighed, shaking his head. Nix grew concerned, her hand raising to where the necklace was hidden under her shirt. This didn't escape Moon's notice.

 

“Did he…gift you anything?” Moon asked her, looking at where the necklace chain ran under her shirt.

 

Biting her lip, Nix pulled the necklace out to show him. Moon's eyes widened at the sight of the Heartscale.

 

“Did he give you something before this? Tell you anything about it?” Moon asked her urgently. Nix blinked, eyes wide. “N-No, no he didn't give me anything besides the scale and he just gave it to me. He didn't say anything about it!” She stuttered out.

 

Moon relaxed instantly, a relieved grin spreading across his face.

 

Eclipse's courtship didn't count. He didn't do it correctly.

 

He has no claim on Nix.

 

Which meant…

 

Moon glanced down at Nix, contemplating for a moment.

 

“In full disclosure, we had hoped to speak to you about this together. But Eclipse has pushed our plans forward.” Moon admitted.

 

Nix furrowed her brow at his words.

 

“What are you…” She trailed off as Moon leaned backwards, digging slightly in the sand before pulling out a familiar puzzle.

 

“In the story you told, the prince couldn't fix the star, but hoped that one day someone would.” Moon said as he held the completed puzzle in his claws. 

 

Nix smiled softly. She'd always loved that story. “Yea. And he hoped that one day whoever completed it would give it to the one they love.” Nix finished.

 

Moon gave her a soft smile, his eyes filled with adoration. With one claw, Moon gently grabbed her hand and placed the puzzle in her hand carefully.

 

With a deep breath, Moon pushed the puzzle closer to her and looked up at her hopefully.

 

Nix looked at him, confused, before looking down at the puzzle.

 

When it finally clicked, Nix felt all of her breath leave her in a rush of air as her jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

 

She slowly looked up at Moon.

 

“You… You… love me…?” She asked him breathlessly.

Chapter 15: Courtship?

Summary:

Moon tells Nix he loves her. How will this go?

Notes:

Guys, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I've been busy with life things.

I'm working on getting a book published!

I'm really excited about this, and have a lot of work to do on it, so forgive me if I don't upload as often.

Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you all soon! 💛

Moon glanced away as his cheeks flushed heavily. He took in a deep breath before letting it out. “I love you, Nix. My Sweet Stardust I adore you.” He told her, before glancing down at the sand and fiddling with his claws as he waited for her words of rejection.

 

Nix couldn't believe it. 

 

Not in a million years did she think that either of the twin Mers would love her the way she loves them!

 

Nix swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt tears brimming her eyes.

 

She raised a hand to cup Moon’s cheek, frowning slightly when he flinched at her touch, but smiling again once he nuzzled into her palm.

 

“I love you too, Moon. In full disclosure, I love Sun as well.” She admitted sheepishly.

 

Moon's eyes widened and his grin stretched across his face.

 

“That is wonderful news Stardust!” Moon said excitedly. “It is?” She asked him doubtfully.

 

Moon nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Sun and I both wished to court you.” Moon explained, shocking the young woman in his arms.

 

“C-Court?! Like mating?!” Nix squeaked out, her cheeks bright red.

 

Moon nodded with a smirk, before his eyes fell to her necklace, a slight frown marring his face.

 

“Eclipse tried to start a courtship with you, but he didn't follow the rules, and until he does so, his courtship isn't claimable.” Moon informed her, shocking Nix.

 

“What do you-” Moon raised a claw and pressed it to her lips, silencing her with a smile.

 

“Give me a moment to explain, Stardust?” He asked her, smirking when she flushed darker.

 

“The rules of a claimable courtship are simple, yet important. The Mer initiating the courtship must give their chosen a gift and tell their chosen they wish to enter a courtship.

 

“Then after the chosen accepts with verbal consent, the courtship starts. It can be short or long, that's up to the Mer and their chosen. However, the chosen must then give a gift of their own to the Mer. When the Mer accepts, they exchange Heartscales, and the duo are in an official claim. 

 

“I can tell you about the physical act of mating another time.” Moon explained, a sinful smirk on his face as his darkened eyes looked her up and down.

 

Nix blushed at his look and words, before she thought back on what he said.

 

“But…why wouldn't Eclipse tell me?” She asked him.

 

Moon sighed, shrugging slightly.

 

“It's possible he didn't know, his parents didn't tell him. It's also possible he was using your human nature against you.” Moon admitted with a grimace.

 

“‘Against me’?” Nix questioned, concern rising in her.

 

“As a human, you aren't privy to Mer's mating rituals. If Eclipse knew the proper way to mate, he could have done it this way to control you in a way. If you didn't know what you were agreeing to, he could guilt you into being with him.” Moon told her reluctantly.

 

Nix's jaw dropped. “Guilt me?!’ She asked incredulously. “How?!” 

 

“Well he would probably say that as a human who dedicated their life to studying Mers, you should know how they begin their courtship rituals. After all, humans know and study the courtship of other animals, so why would Mers be any different?” Moon reasoned.

 

Nix dropped her shoulders, looking at the shimmering scales of Moon's tail.

 

“I…I hope that's not the case. I really hope that he didn't know the proper way to court.” Nix admitted, making Moon’s eyes narrow.

 

“Why?” He asked her.

 

“Because he's my friend and I care about him…and I hope that those I care for would never be that knowingly cruel to me.” Nix stated, gently running a hand along Moon’s tail.

 

Moon sighed, placing his head on her own. 

 

“Unfortunately, my love, there are those types of people. And those types of Mers. Please, Stardust, be careful of those you trust. I don't wish to see you hurt.” Moon said, pressing a sweet kiss to the crown of Nix’s head.

 

Nix smiled at Moon and gently pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Moon. For telling me the truth.” 

 

Moon grinned down at her before nuzzling against her neck once again. The darker Mer took in Nix’s sweet scent, purring softly at her tantalizing smell.

 

His tail swayed in the sand softly. 

 

She accepted his courtship and would no doubt accept Sun’s as well.

 

Chapter 16: Chapter 16 - Sunny Love

Summary:

Moon gets his brother and tells him the news.

Notes:

Sorry, there's been.... a lot of personal things that have happened lately.

I hope you all are doing well, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Because of these personal issues, I may be able to work more on my stories.

In any case, I have a couple more chapters of this already written, so I'll post the next one soon.

Have a Faz-eriffic day! 💛

Nix cuddled with Moon for a little longer before she suggested that they wake his brother up.

 

Although Moon was reluctant to let her go, he was excited to tell Sun the news that Nix was back. 

 

And maybe to brag of his courtship with her.

 

Moon set Nix down in the sand, telling her to wait while he grabbed his brother, and he pulled himself towards the pool and into the water, swimming to their shared nest.

 

The fleeting thought of Nix in the nest writhing beneath him made a thrill run through the dark scaled Mer, and he hurried his swim to the nest.

 

Moon popped his head up in the small cave and was faced with Sun’s back.

 

Moon’s shoulders dropped slightly at the sight.

 

After Sun realized that the Mer they could see holding Nix was refusing to let her go, he became frantic and worried. He stopped eating, refusing to eat any fish the other caretaker was trying to feed them. Sun also didn’t want to leave the nest, curling into a ball and whimpering as he clutched at the Rubix cube she had given him.

 

“Sunny?” Moon called, sighing softly when his brother flicked one of his head fins but did nothing else.

 

“Stardust’s back~” Moon sing-songed softly.

 

Sun’s tail twitched and he slowly rolled over to face his brother, eyeing him with slight distrust.

 

Moon winced slightly. His brother wasn’t in the wrong with his distrust. Moon had admittedly said that to try and get the yellow Mer out of bed.

 

Worked like a charm, but Sun was so crushed by his brother’s lie that he hadn’t spoken to him in almost two days.

 

“I swear, Sun. She’s out there. We also have some news, but I think she’d rather tell you.” Moon said with a smug smirk.

 

Sun eyed his brother for a moment longer before he slowly rolled off the nest and into the water.

 

Moon grinned and ducked below the surface, swimming towards where he left Nix, with Sun following slowly and reluctantly behind him.

 

Nix was laying in the sand, eyes closed, breathing in the salty air as she waited for her boys to come back.

 

Her heart skipped a beat.

 

Moon loved her. Loved her like she loved him. And Moon had assured her that Sun did as well, but she hoped to hear it from him.

 

With a huffed breath, Nix moved her right arm from her side to under her head, using the appendage as a pillow.

 

There was a slight cramp in her side that made her wince and groan simultaneously. 

 

“Just what I needed.” Nix frowned, recognizing the pain. 

 

“SUNBEEEEAAAAAAM!”  

 

Nix yelped at the sudden roar of her name. The scream was all the warning she was given before the familiar weight of Sun’s body flopped onto her, his scaly arms wrapping her in an almost suffocating hug.

 

“Your’eback! You’reback! You’reback! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! ImissedyousosososososososososososososososososososoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!”

 

Nix laughed, barely able to understand his words as he endlessly babbled into her ear, his entire body wiggling over her.

 

Nix somehow managed to get her arms free to return his energetic hug as Moon sidled up to the duo, a fond smile on his face.

 

“I missed you too, Sunny.” Nix said, hugging him back tightly.

 

After another few minutes of his unintelligible babbling, Sun finally calmed down, but he refused to release his hold on Nix.

 

She didn’t mind.

 

“What happened? Where were you?” Sun asked her, holding her tightly to his chest as he curled his tail around her protectively. 

 

He was afraid if he let her go now, she’d disappear forever.

 

Nix leaned back in the lighter Mer’s embrace, gently running her fingers along the scales of his arm.

 

Sun shivered at the feeling, tightening his coiled tail as he plopped his head into the curve of her neck, taking in silent, but deep, unnoticeable breaths.

 

Her scent. He whimpered mentally, his tail twitching slightly.

 

He listened as she explained everything that went down, from Xander following her in to assault her, to Eclipse taking her hostage for three days.

 

Sun growled lowly when she told him that Eclipse had tried to court her, but he relaxed his grip in relief when she told him that Moon explained Eclipse had no claim since he did it wrong. 

 

“However, we thought you should know that Stardust and I have entered a courtship.” Moon said when Nix had finished explaining everything.

 

Sun’s eyes widened and he felt excitement and jealousy rush through him.

 

Humans tended to be monogamous, so it was doubtful that Nix would want to enter a courtship with him at the same time.

 

“That’s great, I’m happy for you two.” Sun said, swallowing his burning envy.

 

Nix and Moon shared a look, before Nix turned around in Sun’s lap to face him. Sun buried his face into her neck again.

 

“Sunny, we thought you ought to know because while I love Moon, I love you too.” Nix told him gently, making the lighter Mer freeze in place. 

 

Sun lifted his head from the crook of Nix’s neck slowly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

 

“You…” He gasped out, jaw dropping open. Nix had a fond smile on her face as she let out a giggle.

 

“Yes. I love you, Sunny.” She repeated.

 

Sun blanched, his brain unable to make his mouth move.

 

“Never thought I’d live to see the day where Sun was at a loss for words.” Moon chuckled out.

 

The darker Mer’s words pulled Sun from his revere and the lighter Mer finally let out an ear piercing squeal, grappling Nix in an even tighter bear hug. 

 

“ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!” Sun screeched out, his tail flopping on the sand excitedly as he held Nix to his chest, his body squirming around on the sand.

 

Nix let out a squeal before dissolving into laughter.

 

Sun stopped in an instant, gasping loudly and dramatically. “I need to get you a courting gift!” He shouted, grabbing onto his head fins with both claws.

 

Nix tumbled from his lap, not being held by him anymore.

 

“Oh no! NonononononononoNONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOO!” Sun screamed out in despair, tugging on his head fins frantically.

 

Nix jumped up, gently prying the fragile fins from his iron-clad grip, sighing in relief when she saw no damage done to them.

 

“Sunny, what’s wrong?” She asked him, worried about his sudden attitude change.

 

“I need to get you a courting gift.” Sun whimpered out, making Nix’s heart melt.

 

“Sunny, honey, there isn’t a rush, right?” She asked him, waiting for his reluctant nod. She gave him a little smile, which made him relax slightly.

 

“Take a breath. You can get it to me whenever you’re able. I won’t get upset if it takes a little while, okay?” Nix said, gently running her hands up and down his scaly arms, relaxing him immensely.

 

Sun nodded his assent, his posture unstiffening as he flopped back onto the sand with a heavy huff.

 

His actions made Nix and Moon laugh slightly, before they copied him, with Nix laying between the two Mers as they curled their tails around her lovingly.

 

“So…” Sun started after a few moments of silence. “Do you think you could stay the night?” 

 

Nix let out a laugh at his question.

 

“I’ve packed a bag that will have enough things to let me stay the night for three nights, if that’s alright with you two.” She revealed.

 

Sun and Moon both grinned excitedly, glancing at each other over Nix’s head.

 

“More than alright.” They echoed happily. 

 

Chapter 17: Nix's Gift to Moon

Summary:

Nix presents a courting gift to Moon. The boys make a plan.

Notes:

Sorry about not posting in awhile. There's been....a lot of personal things going on.

The trio laid in the sand for a bit longer before a thought occurred to Nix. 

 

“Hey, Moon?” She started, receiving a hum of acknowledgement from the darker Mer. “What do Mers usually give as courting gifts?” 

 

Moon paused for a moment, tilting his head as he thought about the answer. 

 

“Well, Stardust, it could be anything from something with meaning like the puzzle I gifted you, it could be to flaunt a successful hunt by taking down a large fish, and it could even be something they found pretty like a unique seashell.” Moon explained, smiling softly as Nix hummed thoughtfully.

 

An idea struck the young woman and a smile grew to her face as she excitedly sat up, shocking the two relaxed Mers.

 

“I'll be back!” Nix called out, before rushing towards the door to the enclosure with a quick kiss to the twins’ foreheads.

 

They both watched blankly as she disappeared. 

 

Sun was the first to move.

 

He snarled, slapping his tail down aggressively. Moon's gaze snapped to him. “Something wrong?” The darker Mer asked smugly. Sun shot him an envious glare.

 

“I'm going to have to wait until after we get out of this place to give my gift to Sunbeam! What if she changes her mind?!” Sun whimpered, curling in on himself.

 

Moon huffed, rolling his eyes at his brother's dramatics. “She wouldn't do that.” Moon stated. Sun whimpered louder and curled further in on himself.

 

Guilt filled Moon and he huffed out a sigh. “Fine… We'll spend one more week like this and I'll let the humans fix my tail. Nix will be with us when the humans release us, then we can snag her and take her away.” 

 

Sun's eyes widened at his brother’s words. “You promise?! Promisepromisepromise?!” He cried out, launching himself at his brother, who laughed fondly and patted the lighter Mer on the head.

 

“I promise.” Moon vowed.

 

*****

 

Nix rushed down the hallway like the hounds were after her. Freddy noticed her go and gave her a concerned look which quickly evaporated when he saw the ecstatic grin on her face.

 

She rushed out of the Sanctuary’s building, past the bungalows, and down to the nearby beach. 

 

Nix quickly stripped down to her bathing suit, leaving her clothes in the sand, before rushing into the cool waves.

 

She did a quick dive under the water, opening her eyes to see under the crystal blue sea. She had been so used to the feeling of salt water against her eyes that she never blinked at the stinging sensations anymore.

 

She searched the nearby coral reefs for her prize, knowing just how rare the object of her desires was, but holding out hope that it would be there. 

 

Thankful for being able to breath underwater for so long, Nix rose and dove dozens of times as she scoured the reef.

 

Just as the sun was setting across the horizon and her visibility was disappearing, she caught sight of it.

 

A flurry of bubbles escaped her mouth and she kicked her feet to get closer.

 

She grabbed at the massive shell, the object almost dwarfing her hands. She smiled happily, looking over the object, finding exactly what she wanted.

 

It was her lucky day.

 

*****

 

Sun and Moon were pouting as they watched the sun set past the fence of their enclosure and Nix hadn't come back yet.

 

“Do you think she ran away?” Sun asked, bottom lip trembling. Moon scoffed. “Of course not. She wouldn't have left all her things here otherwise.” He said rolling his eyes at his brother’s doubts.

 

Sun relaxed immensely. “Right.” He breathed out.

 

The door behind them swung open and they both turned to see Nix coming in, clearly out of breath, her long black hair with navy blue tips pressed flat against her back, soaking wet with sea water. An excited grin was stretched across her lips as she walked over to the twins, her hands behind her back. 

 

The twins blinked, confused when they realized she was wearing less clothes than she was before.

 

“Sunbeam… Did you leave to take a swim?” Sun asked, befuddled. 

 

Nix sat down, dry sand sticking to her wet body. “Well, I had an idea for a courting gift to Moon… and I wanted to try to see if I could find one before the sun set.” She admitted sheepishly, her cheeks flushing as glanced to the ground.

 

Moon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

 

His chosen would accept and deliver a courting gift in one day?! 

 

Curious what she could have grabbed, Moon scooted closer to her as Sun flicked his eyes between the two in anticipation. 

 

“Close your eyes?” Nix asked nervously. Moon chuckled before reaching out both claws and doing as she asked.

 

Nix took in a deep breath before she took the giant shell out from behind her, placing it in his claws.

 

Moon stiffened at the size of the object and at the faint sound of Sun's shocked inhale.

 

“Okay.” Nix said, biting her lip nervously as she waited for Moon to accept or reject her gift.

 

Moon opened his crimson gaze before his jaw dropped at what he saw. 

 

The massive, bulbous shell was a beautiful pale orange with irregular bandings of dark brown spots. The interior of the shell was a glossy cream color, and the overall feel of the gorgeous shell was almost silky smooth.

 

“It's… It's….” Moon had no words to describe how wonderful the gift was. 

 

“There's something else.” Nix urged him, gently taking the shell in hand before tilting it ever so slightly. 

 

The sound of something small rattling inside the shell shocked Moon even more, and with a little gentle coaxing from Nix, the object rolled out from inside the shell and plopped down into Moon's claws.

 

His jaw dropped even more and he wasn't shocked when he heard Sun's massive gasp of disbelief.

 

A small orange pearl was seated in the middle of his claws, gleaming innocently in the light of the setting sun.

 

Moon gently grasped the pearl, clutching it in both claws as he pulled it to his chest. Tears brimmed the darker Mer’s eyes as he couldn't believe that she would go to the lengths she did for such a rare and precious gift.

 

“I accept.” Moon breathed out, watching Nix's smile grow to blinding proportions.

 

Moon wrapped her in a tight hug, curling his tail around her lovingly.

 

Sun smiled softly as he watched the duo. He couldn't wait to be able to receive a gift from Nix as well.

 

Moon pulled away from Nix, his eyes looking down at her adoringly. 

 

“Oh! One more thing.” Nix said with a slightly sad smile. Moon tilted his head, confused. 

 

He watched as she reached around behind her neck, fiddling with something for a moment before the necklace she was wearing went slack. 

 

Moon's eyes widened as his pupils thinned aggressively at the Heartscale that he had forgotten was there.

 

Nix leaned over and placed the necklace in her bag. 

 

“I figure I should return that to Eclipse.” She stated, looking down sadly.

 

Moon and Sun glanced at each other, before Sun gave him a pointed look and Moon nodded.

 

“Stardust…” The darker Mer started, catching her attention. “If you wish to court Eclipse as well, it's alright with us. You just have to make sure he does it correctly. And let him know this as well. He also needs to be alright with you courting us.” Moon told her.

 

Nix's eyes widened. “Are you two sure?” She asked them. The twins nodded, giving her soft smiles. “It would make you happy, so it would make us happy.” Moon said, nuzzling into her.

 

“But…” Moon piped up in a low growl, making Nix shiver slightly from the low sound vibrating through her body. “Do you have another chain? I'd love to see my Heartscale around your pretty little neck.” He purred out, biting back the desire to run his tongue along the soft skin of her throat.

 

Nix gulped at his dark tone before she reached into her bag and pulled out a few different chains. There was a solid black one, a gold one, and a silver one. 

 

“I keep them on me in case a chain breaks and I need to fix it quickly.” Nix said when Moon gave her a curious look. Moon grinned salaciously at her, running his tongue along his sharp teeth before he pulled away from her slightly. 

 

Moon reached a claw to the protective patch covering his heart, before pulling it back. 

 

Nix’s eyes widened as she saw the muscle beneath the thin sheet of hard flesh beating powerfully. Moon reached up with his other claw and gently pulled the Heartscale from its place, before placing it in the palm of his chosen’s hands.

 

Nix felt her breath leave her at the scale in her hands. 

 

It was a deep navy blue, almost as dark as the night sky, and it was covered in little silver flecks, almost like stars. 

 

Moon reached a claw to the wide edge of the scale, piercing the scale easily and leaving behind a small hole for her to slide the chain into.

 

Nix grabbed the silver chain and placed the Heartscale onto it, before easily locking it around her neck.

 

Moon purred loudly as the Heartscale gently fell between her breasts. 

 

She was all his.

 

Chapter 18: The Trouble With Mers

Summary:

Moon catches Nix's scent, but something's different about it. Something more...enticing.

Notes:

Sorry for the long time between updates. I promise I haven't forgotten about this story or any of my others. There's just been a lot going on in my life.

Most of it not great.

But on a happier note, I got a book published!

After Moon gifted Nix his Heartscale, the trio retired to their nest, both Mers curling protectively around their human.

 

Sun woke up earlier than the two and decided to go for a swim. He gently released Nix, giving her a soft nuzzle, and gently rolled off the nest and into the water before disappearing from the cave.

 

Moon woke up next. His head was buried in Nix's neck, inhaling her scent deeply. 

 

The darker Mer groaned softly tightening his grip around her before his entire body shuddered. 

 

“Stardust…” Moon whimpered, his tail twitching as he took in gulping breaths of her scent. “You smell… mouthwatering.” He finished in a low, possessive snarl.

 

Moon's pupils thinned to slits and he rolled the still sleeping Nix onto her back as he hovered over her prone form.

 

Moon growled lowly, eyes darkening, as he leaned down, pressing his nose to the pale column of her throat and drinking in her delectable aroma.

 

Moon let out a needy groan as his entire body shivered with delight. 

 

Nix blinked open her eyes groggily. She woke immediately when she realized what Moon was doing.

 

“M-Moon?” She whispered in confusion. Shivering slightly as the darker Mer lightly ran his claws down her half naked sides.

 

“Stardust.” Moon snarled out, his right claw stopping on her thigh before digging into the soft skin.

 

With a needy hiss, Moon lifted his head up from where it was pressed against her neck. His crimson eyes were filled with desire, and the sight made Nix tremble. 

 

With a filthy grin, Moon opened his mouth and let his long tongue roll out. “Moon, what are you-” Nix cut off in a gasp when the darker Mer leaned down suddenly before slowly trailing his tongue along the sensitive skin of her throat. 

 

“Pretty thing.” Moon purred as he gently nipped at the pulse on her neck. 

 

Nix's heart was racing, a warmth she'd never felt before was filling her body, coiling in her core. She whimpered softly as Moon's gentle nips became more persistent and rougher. 

 

“My pretty. Little. M a t e.” Moon snarled out, punctuating each word with a suckling bite rougher than the last.

 

Nix let out a whimper, causing Moon to freeze. 

 

With a hissing growl, he continued his affections with fervor, leaving little bruises dotting her skin. “More. More. More. Make more noises, pretty thing.” Moon ordered as his claws reached up towards her chest. 

 

One claw gently stroked the Heartscale between her breasts while the other kept a firm grip on her hips. 

 

“Mate.” Moon breathed, his nipping kisses moving up towards the underside of Nix's chin. The sensation was nearly overwhelming to the young woman and she bit her lip to stop her whimpers and whines.

 

Moon noticed this and hissed, pupils thinning as he reached up with his claw and dragged the lip from her teeth. “Want to hear you whimper. Want to hear you beg. Want to hear you s c r e a m.”

 

Nix let out a soft moan at his purred words.

 

Moon's eyes lit up at the sound and he let out a pleasure filled hiss as he moved his claw down to the side of her breast. 

 

As Moon's claw ghosted over the peaked nipple showing through the fabric of her swimsuit, Nix whimpered louder, rubbing her thighs together for some sort of friction.

 

“Moon please!” Nix gasped out, tears of frustration brimming her eyes. 

 

“Please…?” Moon purred devilishly as he gently ghosted over the straining nipple with a dark chuckle.

 

“Moon!” Nix choked out, desperate for something more.

 

“What do you want, Stardust?” 

 

Nix shook her head, reluctant to say the words. 

 

Moon hummed, slowly pulling his claws from her breast. 

 

“No! Moon please!” Nix keened. 

 

“Please what?” He asked her. 

 

“You! I need you! Please, Moon touch me!” Nix begged desperately, giving in to the dark Mer above her.

 

Moon's eyes lit up at her words and he finally moved his claw back up her chest. The large Mer slid his claw beneath the fabric of her suit, his claw grazing her nipple. He smiled darkly when Nix bucked up her hips with a keening whine. 

 

“Pretty thing.” Moon said softly with a gentle purr, before the claw beneath her top pinched down on her right nipple suddenly.

 

Nix let out a choked gasp as she bucked again, her body screaming for relief. 

 

Moon grinned devilishly as he let a claw drag down the string between the two cups of her top. With an eager purr, Moon snapped the string in two, releasing Nix's breasts from confinement.

 

Moon's eyes widened as he stared at her chest. He slowly licked his lips and leaned closer, taking in a deep inhale of her scent. 

 

“Moon.” Nix pleaded with a small whine. Moon grinned up at her before letting his tongue roll out of his mouth once again. He slowly trailed the wet appendage up and around her right breast, before the tip of his tongue caught on her perked up nipple. Nix let out a moan at the feeling, rubbing her legs together as the heat within her built up further. 

 

With a purr, Moon flicked his tongue against the small bud, grinning lustfully as Nix whimpered in need. Moon leaned forwards and placed the nipple in his mouth, suckling at the rose colored bud. Nix moaned lowly, her hands clutching at the seaweed beneath her.

 

Moon let go of the nipple with a small pop when the tantalizing smell of Nix’s scent heightened and sweetened. Sniffing the scent, Moon tracked it to the covered area between her legs. 

 

As Moon inhaled her scent coming from between her legs, his pupils thinned until they were almost gone, his body quivering in desire. Drool dripped down from his open mouth as he took in gulps of the mouthwatering scent. 

 

Moon lifted a claw to Nix's bottoms and easily sliced them off, revealing her naked mound. 

 

Moon groaned when the sweet smell of her got stronger as he pressed his nose against the soft skin that was usually hidden beneath her clothes. He dragged his tongue up her slick covered slit, listening to her loud, gasping moan as she bucked up into his tongue. Moon groaned at the taste of her, eagerly pressing his tongue against her again, wriggling the slick covered appendage to take in more of her. As the tip of his tongue slipped inside her for a brief moment, Nix nearly sobbed in frustration. 

 

Wishing to hear more of her cries, Moon pressed his tongue against her, wriggling the tip until he found the entrance again. Experimenting, Moon gently and slowly pushed his tongue inside of Nix, his eyes lighting up eagerly as Nix's moans got louder. 

 

Moon slowly pulled his tongue out with a groan as the burning heat he had been feeling was getting to be unbearable. His mate tasted wonderful, but he needed some form of relief. Moon crawled up her body, panting heavily as he hovered over her. 

 

Nix's own breaths were coming in heavy pants as the needy sensation coiling in her core was getting more insistent. She raised a hand to Moon's cheek, pulling him down into a sloppy kiss that they both moaned into.

 

The feeling of something thick and warm wriggling against her thigh made Nix groan and buck her hips instinctively, her body and mind screaming at her to get something inside of her. As Nix and Moon broke away from their kiss, she glanced down between the two of them to see the dark blue tentacle wriggling against her thigh, desperately looking for her warmth. 

 

Moon followed her gaze, before he glanced back up at her. “Mate. Stardust. Nix. Please?” He begged her in a deep whine. Nix nodded with a soft ‘please’. 

 

Moon grinned at her before he moved a bit further up, his weeping cock pressing against Nix's entrance as she whimpered and bucked against it desperately. “Easy, pretty thing.” Moon purred as he slowly pressed himself into her core.

 

Nix and Moon groaned simultaneously as he slowly moved inside her. Nix gasped out as she was being filled for the first time ever and Moon snarled wildly at the feeling of her heat surrounding him. Moon leaned close to her ear, pressing his body against her, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin on his body. 

 

Nix didn't register the pain of losing her virginity past the mind numbing pleasure coursing through her body. Moon's cock flicked inside of her, hitting a part inside of her that made her gasp and see stars. Her hands rose up unbidden and she clutched onto Moon, wrapping her arms around him. Moon hissed pleasurably as he canted into her, his cock twitching inside of her making Nix moan loudly into his ear.

 

“Yes, pretty thing. So warm, so tight. All mine!” Moon snarled. Nix moaned, bucking her hips against him, begging him to go deeper.

 

“Say it!” Moon growled at her, slowing his pace and watching as Nix clutched desperately at him. “Say your mine!” 

 

“Yours.” She whispered with a keening whine. “Louder.” Moon demanded. 

 

“Yours!” Nix sobbed. “I'm all yours. Forever! Your mate!” She cried out, her body screaming for release. 

 

Moon’s eyes glazed over at her words, and he began bucking wildly into her as he lost control. Nix cried out in pleasure filled pain at the intense new pace. Moon couldn't speak anymore, devolving into hisses, snarls, and growls as he canted uncontrollably into her.

 

Nix was seeing stars as she felt Moon’s cock fill her to the brim over and over again, stretching her so deliciously as he pounded wildly into her. The coil in her tightened and tightened until she could hardly bear it anymore.

 

“M-Moon! I’m-I’m–” Nix gasped out. Moon’s eyes flashed and he grabbed her with his claws as he felt his own release building up. He pulled Nix against him, one claw around her waist while the other dug into her plush thigh. 

 

“Cum for me.” Moon commanded into her ear.

 

“MOON!” Nix screamed out as the coil finally snapped and her walls pulsated around his cock as she came. Moon hissed in pleasure at the feeling of her walls milking him and he thrusted into her two more times before stilling. Pleasure filling his brain and instincts taking over his body, Moon bit down on Nix’s neck, his sharp teeth breaking skin and the taste of her blood filling his mouth. Nix gasped at the pleasurable pain, another orgasm wracking through her body at the sudden bite. Moon’s body trembled as he came, his cock spurting out thick ropes of cum into her warm core. 

 

Both Nix and Moon were still for a few moments, panting heavily against each other. As they struggled to lift the haze from their minds, Moon rolled off of his mate, pulling her naked form to him and curling around her protectively. 

 

It took awhile, but Nix was the first one to speak up.

 

“Did you…go into heat?” She asked him between breaths, confused at the wake up call. Moon furrowed his brow, shaking his head. “If I had, there would have been eggs.” He told her, gently licking the claim mark on her neck. Nix shuddered at the feeling. 

 

“Then, why…?” She asked, trailing off as she sighed softly at the feeling of his tongue against her still sensitive skin. “Your scent. You're the one in heat, Stardust. And because we’ve officially become mates, it affected me.” Moon explained, nuzzling into her. 

 

Nix's mouth dropped into a small ‘o’ as she realized he was talking about the fact that she's ovulating right now. 

 

“I'm…sorry?” Nix apologized, biting her lip nervously. Moon chuckled as he curled his tail around her tighter. “No need to apologize. We both wanted it. Right?” He asked her, worried he had pressured her into mating with him. Nix smiled at him and kissed him gently. “Right.” She confirmed, grinning when Moon purred and relaxed into her touch.

 

“I love you, Stardust.” Moon said with an adoring sigh. “I love you too, Moon.” Nix told him, nuzzling into him.

 

“What happened to you two?”

 

Notes:

Hope you all enjoy my new story! I got my inspiration from PeekaPen's story 'Into the Deep'. Check them out, they're an amazing writer! I'm hooked on their stories.

I've never really done a Yandere story before, or a Mer one for that matter. So, I'm going to try my best! I'll be adding more tags as I post chapters.

Sorry in advance for any misspells or grammar errors!