Moonlight's Secret (Ahkmenrah x Reader Oneshots)

(46) Fishing Line

Mermaid AU

You sit at the edge of the dock, dangling your bare feet over the edge. You could hear the gentle rippling of water as it hit the wooden support beams of the dock, sending a wave of calm over your body. It was the first day of summer vacation, meaning that you finally had three months of peace and tranquillity, away from your classmates and teachers.

You never fit in with the other kids back in the city, but out in the middle of nowhere at your grandparents lake house, you finally felt at home. You liked being alone by the water.

You close your eyes in content as a soft breeze ruffles your hair. You listened closely as the frogs began croaking, joining the choir of birds, announcing the arrival of dusk.

Your eyes fly open when you hear an unfamiliar sound: frantic splashing. You look around for whatever fish or bird was causing the ruckus, and notice waves coming from the opposite side of your grandfather's fishing boat. Quickly, you stand up and dart over to the noise. A faint gasp escapes your lips. In the water was a boy who looked to be around your age, staring up at you with his wide, worried, golden, eyes. He had light brown skin, and dark hair. After examining his face closer, you saw that his cheekbones slightly glimmered with a golden tint in the setting sun. The boy was actually quite handsome.

"W-Who are you? And why are you swimming behind my grandfather's fishing boat?" You ask, trying to keep your voice steady.

"I uh..." his golden eyes flicker down to the water. He dives under the water, to do what you assumed was escape, but cries out in pain and comes back up to the surface.

"Are you okay?"

"No...no I'm not." He says, wincing.

"Well what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

"I'm not sure if I can trust you. I don't know who you are."

You gently smile. "My names (yn)." You hold your hand out to the boy to help him out of the lake.

He stares at your hand, as though debating whether or not to trust you. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well now you know who I am. I can help you, but I can't do that if I can't help you out of the water."

The boy takes your hand, and you pull him from the water and onto the deck. You gasp once more.
"You're a...a..."

"A merman. I know." He looks down at his bottom half, where instead of legs, a glimmering, golden tail was sprawled across the dock. You couldn't believe your eyes! A merman, right in front of you!

"This can't be real! Mermaids don't exist! They're just mythical creatures!"

"I know, I know! I understand that it's hard to believe, but you can't tell a soul about me, (yn). Merpeople stay hidden for a reason, because it's too dangerous to be out and around humans. Please keep this a secret." The merman looks at you with pleading eyes.

You don't say anything at first, but then nod your head. "I won't say anything. I promise."

The merman let's out a sigh of relief. "So can you still help me?"

"Oh right! Of course, what's hurt?"

The merman points to his fins, which were completely bound and tangled in fishing line. A single silver fish hook pierced through the tip of his fin. "Oh my goodness..." you mutter in horror. "Was this from my grandfather's fishing boat?"

"Yes. I wasn't paying attention and my tail got caught. I tried to escape from the wire before someone noticed me, but you saw how well that went."

You kneel down beside his tail and examine the fishing line. "I'll need something sharp to cut this. I'll go get something from the house. Stay here, okay?"

"It's not like I can go anywhere..." the merman says with a chuckle.

"Fair point." You giggle. "Will you be alright out of the water like this?"

"Yeah. Merpeople can stay out a decent amount of time before our scales dry out."

"Okay, I'll be right back!" You say darting off towards the lake house.

:-:-:-:-:-:

You arrive back at the dock about ten minutes later, a first-aid kit in hand. You kneel down beside the merman again, and open the kit. Alarm floods the merman's face when he sees you pull out a shiny pair of silver scissors. "W-What are t-those?" He asks.

"These are scissors. I'm going to use them to cut the fishing line from your tail." You explain, hoping to calm the merman down.

He nods, and you begin cutting the line. It takes awhile, but you finally free his tail from the fishing line. You gently run your fingers along the bloody scars left behind from where the fishing line had been. You dig through the first-aid kit, and pull out a small bottle of ointment, cotton balls, and some bandages. You pour some ointment onto a Cotten ball. "I'm not sure if this with help you, but it's worth a shot." You say, and begin dabbing the Cotten ball to the merman's fin, causing him to wince from the sting. Apologizing, you continue cleaning the wounds, until you've finally covered them all in ointment.
You carefully wrap his fin in the bandages, and grab a pair of tweezers to remove the hook. "This might hurt..." you warn, gripping the metal fish hook with the tweezers. "One...two...three!" You pull it out.

The merman let's out a small yelp, but then examines his tail. He looks at you and blushes. "T-Thankyou."

"Of course. It's the least I could do." You place your hand on the merman's bare shoulder. "I'm so so sorry that you got caught up in all of this..." you look at his bandaged tail and cringe. You couldn't believe that just a few feet of fishing line caused so much damage. "Will you be able to swim again?" You ask with worry.

"I should, but it might take a couple of day of healing to be able to return home." The merman says with a sigh.

"Oh...you could hang out here until you feel well enough to swim again." You suggest. "My grandfather leaves early every morning on his boat and is gone for a few hours. If you hid under the dock while he departs and returns he would never know that you're here."

The merman ponders the idea before nodding. "I think that could work."

"Great!" You exclaim. You glance at the horizon to see that the sun has almost completely disappeared. "I need to get inside before my grandparents get suspicious. Do you need help getting back into the water?"

"I should be fine." The merman says, scooting himself to the edge of the dock. He dives into the water, splashing you in the process. You laugh as his head pops up from beneath the surface. He smiles at you and your feel the slightest bit of pink forming on your cheeks. "I'll be sure to come and visit you." You say, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

"I look forward to it."

"So do I. I'll see you-Oh wait! I never got your name!"

"It's Ahkmenrah, but my friends call me Ahk."

"Which would you like me to address you as?"

"I think that it is safe to say we're friends. You can call me Ahk." He says with a grin.

"Well then, Ahk. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I can't wait."