#mermaid reader

Coolio! I guess this can count as a prequel to the last mermaid one?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not sure how I feel about this one. Some parts are pretty good, but I feel like the pacing all wonky. Whatever, I’ll figure it out one day!

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Beaches weren’t ever really Jamison’s favorite. His peg leg made it near impossible to traverse, and is inability to swim only added to his distaste of the oceanside.

Still, he traversed the terrain with an overdramatic wattle, swinging his arms wildly in attempt to keep balance. Every so often he lets out a loud, tired sigh, to add to the overall annoyed air.

“You did this to yourself.” His companion interrupts his moody movement.

“You’re the one that wanted to go this way!”

“You’re the one who set the other way on fire.”

“……so….?” Roadhog stops, turning to tower over him. Junkrat looks away and sinks into the sand a bit, grumpy face still prominent.

Roadhog narrows his eyes slightly, growling at the childlike behavior.

A second away from another stern scolding, a shine near the water catches Junkrat’s eye. It moves, and he jumps.

He hobbles over, away from an increasingly angry partner. “Hold that thought, mate.” He raises his good hand up as he passes.

He approaches it, watching the slow line of black trailing behind the larger lump. He kneels down, hearing hog follow him, and brings his hand to touch the object on the side, wiping the dark liquid onto his fingers.

“Oil? Guess it’s an unlucky fish.” He stands and cleans his hand on his shorts. Roadhog eyes the few glimpses of shiny scales and nods, grunting in agreement. “It’s pretty big, don’t look like any fish I ever seen. Bet we can cash it in for somethin’ nice!”

He gives him a hopeful look, watching as the larger man hoists the fish over his shoulder.

Man, this sure is a funky fish.

It takes a moment, but it starts to struggle and gasp slightly. It’s no match for Roadhog’s strength, but still it persists wriggling with the little might it has left. It slowly stops, and if it weren’t for the steady heartbeat on his back, he would have assumed that it had died.

How long could this thing last without water? He doubted that it could breath in the water well to begin with- covered in all those layers of oil- but now that it’s out, it’s still truckin’.

Wild.

_____________

The smell of fire wasn’t one that she came in contact with often. Yet it was so strong in her nose and so warm on her skin.

Her eyes open with elongated difficulty, and the stars and trees above her are the first thing she really sees in what feels like days. The water around her is shallow enough for most of her face to be above it. Maybe she washed ashore right outside a forest? It’s possible.

Body stiff and achy, she rises from laying on her back with caution, resting on her elbows. Her tail flicks slightly as she realizes she’s surrounded by some kind of short, flexible wall. The water she sits in is foggy, and the clumps in her hair weigh her head down.

Glancing at her body, she noticed a wrap around her waist, and small scrapes on her arms.

The light of the fire draws her tired gaze to it. Flickering light over two silhouettes, who seem to be cooking over it.

Humans.

Her body jolts back, shooting pain up through her abdomen. The quick sharp intake of breath was enough to alert the bigger one, and his face shoots up to meet hers. She shuffles back, against the leaning wall behind her, ignoring the strain in her muscles as best she could.

The man nudges his friend, notifying him that the girl was awake and, in turn, still alive.

It felt like an eternity before one of them spoke.

“Hi.” The large man starts.

“……hi…..” Her voice was horse. She coughed slightly to clear her throat then continued. “I- what happened?”

She lowered her tail, acting as casual as she possibly could, in hopes that they hadn’t found out what she was yet.

The skinny one stands moving towards her in an odd way, setting her more on edge. His leg is….. a branch of some sort?

“Found ya washed up an’ thought you were a fish,” he approaches her tub and crouches over to pat the top of it, “saw you bleeding, fixed ya up, an’ here we are!”

She moved her eyes to the bandage incasing her. Did these humans hold no ill will?

“But, I’d be lyin’ if I said we weren’t thinkin’ of selling ya.”

There it is.

“I, um, I would rather you not…” Her stomach churned at the thought of becoming some abused carnival attraction. She’s heard the horror stories.

“Oh? You’d rather us not? Hog are hearin’ this?!” He turns to who is assumed to be Hog, who only grunts in response. The boy in front of her meets her eyes, “I don’t think you’ve gotta choice in the matter.”

“Wait!” She stops him as he’s leaving. “W-what if I happen to be in costume?”

“Well, it’s pretty convincing, mate. Mind taking it off to prove it?”

She freezes, “It, uh, it is stuck on with adhesive that…….that can’t come off without……special devises.” They’re quiet. “Sooooo, that means…..that means that you kidnaped me, yeah! That makes you criminals!”

There’s a pause, then they both shrug, unfazed.

“Not the first time.” He chuckles, “An’ certainly not the last!”

She’s speechless. These humans are criminals, actual criminals, and they want to sell her to god knows where.

Panic overwhelms her, and before she knows it, hot tears well up in her eyes and into the tub surroundings her person. Her wails of pain don’t effect the two men beyond making them slightly uncomfortable. However, the shift in her skin color does catch their attention.

It starts at the top of her fingers, swirling around her nail, flushing them a deep blue. It creeps up her arms in colorful cold shades, sprinkling around her body like rain drops. Her tangled hair shifts, starting to flow behind her, growing longer, and more sporadically as her cries grew more intense.

They watch in stunned silence, her unadulterated emotion sending powerful waves through their bodies, filling them with raw fear and pure sadness. The air was thick, and the thin man falls to the floor. He practically crawls to her, shouting at her to stop, increasing the power of her wails.

His face is wet, and he can’t tell if it’s tears or sweat or both. He turns to his partner, only to find him on his knees, covering his ears with his hands.

They don’t know how long the pain lasts, but it does eventually subside as she slowly regains herself. Wiping her eyes, and steading her breath. Both the men before her, on the ground, breathing deeply, near passing out. She watches them tiredly for a moment before looking away, heart empty.

There is a long silence, no one able to say anything. The men take their time getting up, minds filled with the aftershock of the intense emotions forced upon them.

“You…” The small one starts. “…..We should change those bandages of yours.”

“Alright.” She spoke, barely above a whisper.

The two work in quietly, cleaning her wound to the best of their abilities before wrapping it in new bandages.

“Thank you.” She dares not make eye contact with her comment.

“Y'know, we were thinkin’,” the thin one begins, “there’s a pond or somethin’ near by. Got a waterfall and everythin’.” She stares at her hands. “Probably nicer than this ol’ tub.”

“Probably.”

“We could take ya if ya want.”

“How- you two are not tricking me, are you?”

“Nope.” The second’s deep voice rang.

“Whadya say? Get out, stretch your, er, fins?”

“Why?” She moves a hair off of her face. “Do you pity me now?”

They don’t answer.

“I see.” She leans back, letting her head hang. “A pond would be lovely. When do we leave?”

“Dawn.” He extends his hand to her, “Name’s Jamison, an’ this ‘ere is Roadhog.”