BNHA One-Shots and Short Stories (x Reader)

Deep Blue Fantasy : Merman!Tamaki Amajiki (Part Four)

Author's Note:

And here we have part four. 

Let it commence, I hope you enjoy.

-Sugar

✤✤✤

Tamaki followed you out of his room, keeping close to your side in case he stumbled. You were both alone in the hall, your footsteps echoing off the high stone walls. Tamaki marveled at the architecture, noting how intricately placed each stone brick was.

He'd been to various parts of the merpeople empire, witnessing incredible underwater palaces, but he was used to the simpler practice of living in caves or small houses formed from the muck on the seafloor. Tamaki loved seeing the attention to detail in each of your walls; windows perfectly spaced and letting the sunlight warmly spread across the floor. He couldn't help but wonder if all human homes looked like this, but a part of him figured they didn't.

His mind also began to question why you lived in a place like this, and had what you called a handmaiden like Brianne. Were you important in some way? Was it your father? You had mentioned him a few times. Maybe you happened to be from a very rich family. Tamaki felt a slight lump form in his throat. Of course, he had to fall for someone who seemed to be more and more out of his league with every new piece of information he found out about her.

Just what was a princess? Tamaki felt like he might have heard the term before, maybe in some kind of legend or story, but he couldn't remember where. The not-knowing nagged at the back of his brain, but he was determined not to ask in case he insulted you.

You led him through a big room with a large table, guiding him towards a door in the wall, which was nearly hidden against the cool tones of stone. The door swung open, and Tamaki found himself looking down at a flight of steps leading down into a warmly lit room.

You showed him the rail, letting him cling to it as you assisted in making your way down the small number of steps. Miraculously, Tamaki survived, and he felt very proud of himself for not tumbling down the stone stairs on his first try at them.

You confidently strode around a bend and excitedly led him towards a burly man who was washing dishes in the sink with his back turned to the two of you.

"Gabriel!" you called out. "There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

The man turned. He looked to be about in his forties and sported a brunet mustache, his eyes twinkling when he caught sight of Tamaki.

You pulled him closer to the new man, beaming excitedly. "Tamaki, this is Gabriel, our cook. He's very very sweet. I'm sure you'll also be interested to hear that he was the one who rescued you off the beach."

"Please tell me you didn't go there on purpose? The water there is dangerous." Gabriel's voice was gruff yet somehow smooth, words reverberating in his chest. Tamaki allowed the sound to resonate in his mind for a minute, savoring how it sounded so different from the women he'd heard before. It vaguely reminded him of the lower pitches of whale song he'd hear when the large mammals would migrate north in the spring and summer; when the waters would warm and the currents would slow.

He barely had time to nod before you jumped in at his silence. "He's a castaway. Apparently his boat went down out at sea and he happened to wash onto our shores." You turned and grinned at him. "You're not a complete idiot after all."

"I knew I didn't recognize him," Gabriel said, looking into Tamaki's face and making him go back to being generally uncomfortable. "It's rare for me not to know a fellow islander. I see pretty much everyone when I go off to market. Feeling better, son?"