Chapter Text
Sun knew fully well it was mermating season the moment he began having urges to gather moss into a large nest heap, his scales itchy with pheromones needing to be rubbed into his lover.
But you were a land dweller, and only visited his cave a few times every moon. He wished there was something he could do to get you to stay. For you to lay upon the smooth stones lining the shallows, accept his gifts of shiny crystalline rocks and succulent crustaceans everyday, cling to his dorsal fin as he spun in gleeful, courting circles, sleep just within his sight so he knew you were safe, snuggle to his chest just as he could cuddle into your soft, warm underbelly, be with him and cast your endearing smile upon him in that reverent way you always do. Be his…
Low, yearning whines echoed up into the stalactites of his cave, following him as he circled the island-perched nest of moss and waterproof “pillows” you’d brought to rest on whenever you visited. He added shiny rocks— geodes of amethyst he’d broken open as easily as clam shells, fiery chunks of carnelian, sea glass, green calcite, clawfuls of pearls— to a corner of the nest, harbored in by a massive abalone shell the size of his face and shining mother of pearl across the gems’ surfaces. He moved a geode a little to the left. Then a smidge to the right… Then the tiniest smidge to the left.
…
He redid the whole pile again and worried his tongue with pointed teeth.
Was it enough?
No, no, it’s not enough. He had to make sure you knew he wanted you as his forever mate. He could provide!
What if you didn’t like his arrangement? What if the nest wasn’t cushy enough for your fragile little body? WHAT IF HE FORGOT TO REMOVE A SHARP STONE FROM THE MOSS AND YOU GOT INJURED?
Panicked, he messed up the nest again, agitatedly searching every spec for anything sharp or the slightest bit rough in texture. Another hour spent adding to the nest and jostling moss and circling in stressful torrents before repeating the process all over again.
His scales itched. It had to be perfect.
The next day came around and the heat in his loins was making Sun ache. Thoughts swimming with you and desperately needing your presence in his arms. Your next visit with him was due any day now, but the mer and his body were anything but patient.
He refused to ruin the precise alignment of the nest he’d made for you of course, so the next option was simply to rub his scent on the moss (it wasn’t as nice to rub against as your belly) trying to release his pent up pheromones and fruitlessly buck against the smooth stones of the shallows to gain some kind of relief.
It was in vain of course. His body knew it wasn’t his mate, no matter how much he writhed and pressed and humped.
More whines spanned the cave walls, growing louder and more insistent as the day pressed by.
Two days passed and Sun was pent up and in agony.
Where were you?
He’d scratched the scales off part of his forearms, trying to relieve the heat’s itch. It was still there as his large, white eyes searched the horizon outside the mouth of the cave.
Why weren’t you there?
He was tired. He'd stopped eating since two sunrises ago. He just didn’t feel hungry for food. It wasn’t appealing and the thought never crossed his mind once. His body hungered for something else. The morning hours wafted by and still there was no sign of you— his scales were burning again. He scratched at his arms as his eyes continued to search but his vision glazed over, everything growing smaller.
He needed you. He needed you. He needed you He needed youheneededyouheneededyouheneededyouheneeded—
“Sunshine?”
A shadow took up his sight and he nearly leapt from the water and dragged you in the moment recognition of your smiling face filtered into his brain.
You were finally here!!!
Sun’s tail wagged viciously as he clicked and whistled at you, ecstatic at your presence. And as you bent down to give him a hug, pausing for a moment to give him a concerned once over when you noticed his unhealthy appearance, he drank in your scent like he’d drown without it. You smelled earthy, warm and grounding, with an underlying note that he could only describe as your unique essence. He loved it, shocking you by nuzzling his face into your shoulder to better inhale it. His body apparently recognized your unique scent too, hips making a couple thrusts forward before he could stop it. The sharp gasp it drew from your lips perked his head fins, and his sheath began to stretch from the contact with your open skin, the bulge beneath his pelvic scales growing bigger. Your hands rubbed up against his shoulders, then scratched down his back as you simply nuzzled back against him too, much to his delight.
He heard you asking him things in a worried tone but he wasn’t really listening.
Instincts had taken over and the mer rubbed his face and body against yours, releasing the heavy scenting pheromones from beneath his scales. The relief was instant. Sun drew his head back from one side of your neck and up to the other side and against your cheek, laving every inch he could reach in a heady musk and a pleased sigh.
The shiver that wracked your body as he pressed into you felt delicious. The calling scent that reached his nose following it made it even better. Your arousal just riled him more, the nuzzling grew fiercer and your sweet voice tantalizingly choking a moan into his head fins as his tongue rasped your neck. Your skin tasted divine as he sucked on a tender spot against your jugular vein.
This whole time you’d been managing to hold his weight in the hug, but he could tell from your quivering arms that you wouldn’t be able to hold up much longer. And despite your scent, he still noticed some distress radiating off of you. Reluctantly, he pulled back from your embrace, enough to see the look of disappointment when he did, and tugged your shirt insistently towards the water.
You hesitate following his lead though. Instead clasping onto his arm and lightly sweeping a hand over the patches that lacked scales, eyebrows knit.
All he can do is shake his head and place a clawed hand over yours, needing the contact. He appreciated your concern for him, but surely you could tell why he’d been hurting?
He whined that low whine that’d haunted the walls for the past few days, but with far more hope behind it at the promise of immensely relieving returns.
If the sudden look of realization, the darkened flush across your cheeks and your beautiful, dilated eyes were anything to go by, you were opening up to his courtship.
With a bit more prompting, you took a few steps into the shallows, watching Sun as he glided back into the deeper water of the cave and guided your attention over to the little island of moss that hadn’t been there on your last visit.
“A nest…” you breathed, “ It’s that time of year for you, isn’t it?”
Sun quirked his head to the side- his way of saying he didn’t understand.
“Uh.. Mating. Mating season?” You clarified as you swam further into the water, to which the mer wiggled vigorously and purred an affirmative chirp.
He swam circles around you whilst you curiously made your way towards the nest. Whenever you glanced in his direction, he made sure to curve his body in a specific fashion so that the light refracted beautifully off his scales. He swept around, bumping into you on occasion before breezing off, showing off a rather intricate dance for such a tight space.
His desire to be near you was almost too strong to pull off a courting dance though— even if he was only a few feet away from you. He couldn’t help glancing his pelvis against your butt when you slowed your movement toward the nest he’d prepared for you (to which you’d squeaked so cutely in surprise). There was little relief with such a facsimile amount of contact but his body wouldn’t stop trying. His body wanted you now. He wanted you now, and the heat had started to hazy over all the logical thoughts that’d been stopping him from trying to take you on the spot.
“Mmaaaeerrp-“ he tried to explain in your difficult human language. He knew he needed to get what humans called “verbal consent”. From what you’d explained to him a long time ago, it was just the human equivalent of accepting his courtship, right?
“What is it?” You ask, stopping beside the nest as he brushed his face against your shoulder.
“Maaaatee?” He whined right in your ear. Another shiver went up your spine, your hands coming up to cling to the moss covered rock in front of you, your eyes peering back into his lustful, needy ones. He saw insecurity in your own. Why? Did you not want to be his mate?
“Maaatee. Youuu?”
“Y-you want me to mate with you? Are you should you wouldn’t want another mer—“
He shook his head vigorously, rubbing it further into your neck.
“Wannnnt. Youuuuu.”
Sun carefully turned you around to face him, tail stilling for the first time since you got there.
“..Pleease?”
He could see the thoughts running behind your eyes, before they flickered into a kindling resolve as they stared back at him. Smiling, your hands went up to his face and pet his fins fondly, before bringing your soft cheek to his and rubbing gently.
A chuckled reverberated from your chest.
“Of course I will.”