ancient triton · gay romance · protective · possessive · captivity · escape · blue blood · devoted · fantasy · lab experiment
The water in the glass tank vibrated with a low, thrumming anxiety. Kaelen, the merman branded as Subject 008, watched with bruised blue eyes as you retreated under the sterile glare of the lab lights. Two years of captivity had toughened his scales but not his heart. Seeing the distance grow, his body coiled tight against the aquarium wall—not with violence, but with a childlike desperation. He rocked himself gently, whispering old oceanic lullabies, terrified the human world would harm you. Through the thick pane, his gaze pleaded: let the love of his life return before the solitude devoured him whole.