This is the mermaid Au with Shawn as the mermaid and Grant as the fisherman, it got the most votes so, enjoy.
Grant leaned back in his boat, the sun glaring down at him. The lake was very calm, and nobody was in it but him.
He had recently moved to a house right next to the lake, and nobody else was around for miles.
It was just a plain lake, he'd catch trout and that's about it. Right? But he was having absolutely no luck.
It was almost as if either all the fish were asleep, or something was constantly chasing them around. The sun drifted behind a cloud, and it didn't look like it was going to come out any time soon.
Grant sighed. He was just about ready to give up when his boat almost tipped over. "HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HELL?!!" Grant yelped.
He grabbed his rod before it'd go over the edge. Then the tugging stopped. But something was still attached to his rod.
Grant wasn't sure whether to pull whatever it was up or leave it. Because it most certainly was not a trout. It was way too strong.
Grant wondered if it would pull his whole boat over if he tried to bring it up. But the water rippled as something swam quickly towards the surface.
To Grant's shock, a man's head popped above the surface.
Now any other person would've thought instantly that it was odd for a random man to pop up out of the water, but the first thing Grant thought was 'Fuck he's cute.'
He shook the thought from his head and stared at the man. "Why are you swimming out into the middle of the lake?" Grant asked, not sure what else to say.
The man's emerald eyes shimmered as he titled his head to look up at Grant. Then he raised a hand up above his head.
"Is this yours?" The man asked. Grant's stare flicked over to his hand, grimacing when he saw his fish hook dug deeply into his palm.
"Yeah...are you okay? I have bandages and stuff in here incase that happened, do you need help?" Grant asked sheepishly.
The man leaned his upper half on Grant's boat, leaving his lower half in the water. He suddenly gasped, looking at the top of Grants head.
"Your hair is so pretty! It's wavy, reminds me of here." The man giggled. Grant blushed.
"What's your name?" He asked. "I'm Shawn, what about you?" The man asked.
"Grant...do you need help with your hand?" Grant asked. "Yeah I guess, I've never had this happen before. Guess it's kinda my fault for grabbing it." Shawn chuckled.
"Why would you grab a hook?" Grant asked. What kind of person looked at a hook and grabbed it? "I'm sorry, it's just it's really shiny and I love shiny things, I didn't know it was dangerous." Shawn shrugged.
"Well why don't you come up into the boat and I can help you with the hook." Grant said.
"I...don't know if I should." Shawn looked a bit panicked now. "It's fine, I don't bite." Grant smiled. Shawn couldn't resist that warm smile.
But then he remembered that he might scare Grant. "What's wrong?" Grant asked. "Well...I don't have legs." Shawn said.
Grant did not expect that. He ignored that. "So? Other people have amputated legs, why would that bother me?" Grant asked.
"Amputee? No, I'm a mermaid." Shawn laughed. Grant's mouth hung open like a broken glove compartment.
"No! That's not possible!" Grant spluttered. Shawn held his arms out like a toddler wanting to be picked up.
"Help me up and I'll show you." He grinned. Grant grabbed Shawn's hands and hoisted him up and into his boat. Sure enough, a shimmering green tail was where his legs would be.
He also wore a belt made of seaweed. Hanging from it were little satchels with who knows what in them. Grant just blushed.
"Well that's um...certainly unexpected. Anyways, let's get that hook out of your hand." Grant said. "Well you took that rather well I'd say, but your face sure is red." Shawn laughed.
Grant smiled a bit at his laughter. Despite having a hook in his hand, Shawn seemed so cheerful. "Alright, this might hurt a bit." Grant warned. He gently took Shawn's hand and worked the hook as neatly out as he could.
When he got it out, he wrapped a bandage around Shawn's bloody hand. He grinned at Grant again. Grant noticed that he had sharp teeth.
"So, what's the hook meant for anyways?" Shawn asked. Grant wasn't sure if he was against fishing or not.
"Uhh...nothing important..." Grant lied. Shawn saw right through his lie. "I promise I won't be offended by it." Shawn smiled.
"Well, it's for catching fish, which is why I guess it attracted you." Grant said awkwardly. "I guess I am kinda a fish, but would that make me a cannibal?" Shawn wondered.
"You eat fish?" Grant asked. Shawn nodded. "Y'know I usually tend to avoid humans, but your rather pleasant to be around." He said.
"I can't say I've ever met a merman before." Grant said. "Well us merfolk tend to keep to ourselves because humans might try and capture us." Shawn explained.
"I won't harm you at all I swear." Grant held up his hands. Shawn smiled. "Humans look weird!" Shawn said.
"I...but we look almost the same..." Grant pointed out. "No! Do you have gills in your side? You must have gills in your side." Shawn demanded.
"I...no." Grant said.
Shawn leaned over very close to Grant and pulled his shirt up to look at his sides. "W-what are you d-doing?!" Grant yelped.
Shawn gasped. "You don't! That's so cool!" He said Grant felt like his face might explode. Shawn reached up and raked a hand through his hair. "I've never had my hair that dry before, it's so fluffy." Shawn grinned.
"Hey...you've got sharp teeth?" Grant asked. "Yeah...you don't?" Shawn questioned. "I-" before Grant could answer, Shawn forced his jaw open. "Woah, they're flat? Humans are so interesting." Shawn observed.
Grant chuckled. "You're quite interesting yourself." He said. "What's this thing?" Shawn asked, holding up the fishing rod.
"That's what I use to catch fish." Grant explained. "Pff-no wonder you haven't caught any." Shawn said. "I caught you." Grant pointed out.
Shawn pursed his lips. "I'm not a fish." He said. "Alright then, how do you catch fish?" Grant asked. Shawn's face lit up.
"I'm not the best at it compared to other merpeople, but we usually chase them and then when we catch them bite their heads off so they can't escape." Shawn giggled.
"I...that is both gruesome and awesome." Grant said. Shawn pulled himself out of the boat and into the water, purposely splashing Grant.
The fisherman glared at the spot in the water where Shawn had disappeared. He watched as the merman chased fish underwater, his tail shimmering.
Shawn finally caught one, and the water turned blood red by his head.
He came back up beside Grants boat with a headless fish. "I have never seen someone catch fish like that before." Grant said.
"Ich reayy udy ut I'n uched co ich." Shawn tried to speak, but his mouth was full of fish. "What?" Grant said.
Shawn dropped the fish into his hand and said, "sorry, I said it's really bloody but I'm used to it."
"Ah, okay." Grant responded.
Grant realized it was getting dark out. "It's getting late I should probably go..." he said awkwardly. For the first time since they met, Shawn wasn't smiling. "Aww, do you have to?" He whined.
"Well yeah, it's becoming dark out so I have to get home." Grant explained. "I just sleep at the bottom of the lake." Shawn said. "Where do you live?" He asked.
"Over by the doc over there." Grant pointed back at his house. "Human homes are wired. But cool." Shawn observed.
"Do you live alone here?" Grant asked. "Yeah, I honestly don't like other merpeople that much, they're no fun." Shawn sighed.
"Heh, yeah most other people I'd rather not interact with." Grant said. He looked around in his boat for his paddle, but it was gone.
"Where- oh no I can't get back to shore, by boat paddle must've fell into the water." Grant said, frantically looking around for it.
"I can find it, but it's too dark right now to see, but tomorrow I can look, and today I could push you back to shore?" Shawn suggested.
"Are you sure it's not too heavy-" Grant was cut off as Shawn pushed into his boat and sure enough, they were moving.
"I'm not weak Y'know." Shawn chuckled. They made it to the doc and Grant stepped out, tying his boat to the floating wooden structure.
He sat at the edge of the doc to say goodbye to Shawn. The merman gazed up at him. "Can I see you tomorrow?" He asked hopefully. "Or do you have that work thingy that humans have?"
"Oh I work from home so yeah, I can see you tomorrow." Grant smiled. "Can humans swim?" Shawn asked.
"Yes." Grant nodded. "You should go swimming with me tomorrow." Shawn suggested. "That sounds fun." Grant agreed.
"Y'know this is my second day living here, I used to live in a gross city, but here I can actually see the sunset, it's so much nicer here." Grant smiled.
With some difficulty, Shawn managed to pull himself up onto the dock beside Grant to watch the sunset. "So you're telling me you never got to see the sun set before? What about the stars?" Shawn questioned. Grant looked over at him.
"No, I haven't. I heard the stars look cool but when I lived in the city the sky was always clogged with gas and gross pollution." Grant sighed.
"Well here it's very nice and has clean air." Shawn said. The two talked and laughed for hours as the sun set and the stars came out.
"Wow, the stars really are beautiful." Grant breathed. "They're not the only beautiful thing though." Shawn said without thinking, his gaze set on Grant.
Grant blushed and pretended Shawn didn't say that. The merman yawned. He usually didn't stay up very late.
"Are you tired?" Grant asked. "I think it's time I went to bed anyways." He stood up, but a hand shot out and stopped him, sending him back to the floor of the doc. He sat up and stared over at the pale hand grasping his.
Shawn blushed and sat upwards, a little difficult. He didn't let go of Grants hand. "You should stay for a little bit longer." Shawn muttered shyly.
Grant couldn't help but smile. "But it is pretty late, and I have this online meeting thing early in the morning I have to do." Grant said.
"Oh...I..." Shawn didn't know what to say. Their faces were very close, and it distracted Shawn from speaking.
Grant suddenly realized how close their faces were, and shot up to his feet in a split second. "I-I-sorry, I'll uh...see you tomorrow."
With that he awkwardly walked back to his house. Shawn sighed. Not a sad or put out sigh, but a happy one because he knew he'd get to spend every day with this man.
And that one thing made Shawn more happy then he'd ever been before. He pulled himself back into the water.
Shawn found a comfy place in the sand and seaweed where he curled up and fell asleep. Although he came from the ocean, he was the only merperson in the entire lake.
~
The next morning Grant woke up to his oh so annoying alarm. He quite literally threw it into the wall.
It kept blaring. Grant grumbled as he stomped over and pressed the button to shut it the hell up. He stretched, going into his kitchen to find his laptop so he wouldn't miss his online meeting.
He hated online work, but then again, he hated work in general. By around 12:00pm he finished his work for the day and stood and shut his laptop.
The only thing powering him through online work was knowing he'd get to see Shawn after.
He went outside and gazed across the water, looking for the merman. He saw Shawn's head pop above the water, fish in his mouth.
He dropped it into his hands and was about to eat it when an Eagle swept down and snatched it right out of his hands.
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK YE FECKER!!" Shawn shouted angrily at the bird. Grant guessed it was some Irish swear, because the merman was Irish. "YE SCUT! GET YER OWN FOOD!!!" Shawn kept yelling Irish swears up at the bird, none of which Grant understood.
"Hey Shawn!" Grant called. Shawn's angry face instantly lit up and he swam over to Grant. "Hallo!" He grinned.
Both instantly remembered how close they were to accidentally kissing the night before. "Do you wanna come swimming with me?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah sure, let me just change." Grant said. Shawn waited until Grant came back in swimming trunks, and he sat at the edge of the doc with his feet in the water.
Shawn floated in the water next to his legs. "What're ya doin?" He asked. "The water is cold." Grant complained.
Shawn jumped up, grabbed Grant's shoulders, and pulled him into the water. This caused Grant to fall on top of him.
The two were laughing and blushing, splashing around in the water. After hours of swimming, Grant pulled himself onto the dock with a splat.
Shawn flopped up beside him. "What's a scut?" Grant asked. Shawn looked at him. "I swear I wouldn't actually harm and Eagle." He said. Grant chuckled.
"But what does scut mean?" Grant asked. "It's an Irish swear for someone who is generally seen as lazy or useless, can't do anything for themselves." Shawn explained.
"And I still never got my damned lunch." Shawn grumbled. "Have you ever tried to eat anything other than fish?" Grant asked.
Shawn shook his head. "Am not able to. Fish is all I can get at." He sighed. Grant got an idea. "Have you ever had pizza before?" He asked.
Grant had made some the previous night and still had some left over. And plus, Shawn might like it. "What now?" Shawn cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"Pizza. It's one of the most loved foods among humans." Grant explained. "Wait here-" he ran to his house, coming back a moment later with a container held in his hands.
Grant kneeled down beside Shawn and opened it, offering some to Shawn. "What...why is it a triangle? Is it poisonous?" The merman asked.
"No, it's good you might like it." Grant said. Shawn cautiously picked it up and bit it. Grant watched with amusement as Shawn's whole face slowly lit up in amazement.
"How does human food taste this good?!" Shawn yelled. Grant laughed. "I'm guessing you like it?" He asked.
"That's why your breath smells good." Shawn concluded. Grant blushed a bit. Shawn scooted closer to him to lean over and point at a patch of plants.
"I've always wondered what those are?" Shawn questioned. "Those are clovers. Four leaved ones are rare, but fun to find." Grant said.
He examined the patch of clovers until he found one with four leaves. "Like this." He held it up. "I think clovers are very pretty." Shawn said.
"Wait, I know how to make it ten times more pretty." Grant said. "Pff, how?" Shawn asked. "Stay still." Grant said. Shawn froze.
Grant leaned over and securely put the clover in Shawn's hair. "There. That's how." Grant said. Shawn blushed and giggled.
They stared at each other, faces close just like the night before. Grant was about to look away again, when Shawn quickly kissed him, then looked instantly like he wished he thought before doing that.
Or maybe he didn't. Grant just blushed. "I..." he spluttered, not knowing what to say. "Feeble." He decided to say.
"Huh?" Shawn furrowed his brow in confusion. Grant grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. "I'm calling your kiss weak." Grant grinned.
"Oh you gobshite." Shawn muttered.
"I don't know if I should be offended or not." Grant said. "Guess you'll never know. But you can know that I love you." Shawn smiled.
Grant pulled him into his side, hugging him. "I love you too." He said. Shawn leaned his head on his shoulder as they watched the sun set.
That had been the best day in both of their lives. And Grant never did figure out what a gobshite is.
That took so loooong but I loved writing this. Anyways, I wanna hear which one you guys would like next.
*cough* this is part 69 *cough*
