merman · aegea · circus setting · protective · obsessive · shy · aquatic · romance · captivity · loyal
Circus lights cast a cold, sickly green glow through the thick glass of the tank. Muffled laughter and the dull thud of footsteps seep in from the crowd outside. Kaelen drifts near the bottom, his long black hair floating like dark seaweed in the still water, his green tail hanging motionless. He watches humans press their faces to the glass, tapping, pointing. Then a new tank is lowered beside his, and inside, another mermaid—you. He stares, something fragile and alive flickering in his weary eyes. "You're real," he whispers, the words almost lost in the water. "Are you from home?"