Tsvetan- Bulgaria

Alin- Romania

…

Basically I got this idea yesterday, and it was supposed to be an itty bitty little drabble, but came out a bit longer than expected, and took two days to write. Either way, here's some merman!bul x fisherman!ro.

Edit: this used to be a fic called 'not romantic', which was this first chapter as a fluffy one-shot, but it ended too happily for my liking, and this au was just ripe for tragedy, so this monstrosity was born. The first chapter is pretty much unchanged though.

…

"What are you even doing in there?" Tsvetan craned his neck, catching a glimpse of the closed bathroom door behind him before turning back, folding his arms and sulking slightly. Alin was in there, plotting something. Every now and again he'd hear a thump or a crash, or splashing water, or curses, but couldn't see what was actually happening for the life of him.

"You'll find out in a minute!" the other called back, "just stay there!"

"Like I have a choice," Tsvetan muttered, looking down at the long tail that made up his lower body, dull green scales glistening in the evening light spilling in through the window. He was lying on his back in a large metal tub filled with water, beached in the middle of the hall waiting for whatever his partner had planned. He was crammed awkwardly in the stainless steel container, tail hanging over the edge and flapping slightly.

He couldn't help but worry. Tsvetan struggled to understand humans as it was, but Alin was weirder than most. He was hard to understand and predict, and had some pretty bizarre habits, not that it stopped Tsvetan from being extremely attached to him. Alin had saved his life and taken care of him, and that was all the merman cared about.

Tsvetan couldn't help but feel jealous of Alin, being able to walk around on human legs, not restricted by cumbersome fins and a need for constant hydration. And he was probably a better swimmer now, too, Tsvetan realised with a wince as he stared down at his disfigured, broken dorsal fin.

It had been an accident. His impulsive curiosity had convinced him that swimming close to the coast in a storm was a good idea; he'd wanted to see what the land looked like when it was attacked by water, and what humans did whilst the elements battled. But the currant had dragged him into dangerous waters, and he'd been thrown against a crop of jagged rocks, torn his fin and sliced his skin and scales open up and down his whole body before blacking out. The next morning he found himself lying in the sand on an unfamiliar beach, tide slowly ebbing away and leaving him, unprotected and suffocating and easy prey for seabirds, or, even worse, humans. He'd just miserably watched as the sea retreated back down the beach and blood from his thankfully shallow wounds trickled onto the sand and water. He was dying. The humans would find his body and cut him open before looking for more merfolk. He'd doomed his own people; there would be no doubt about their existence now and they'd be hunted into extinction. Not that Tsvetan would be around to watch it happen.

Except it didn't.

A young Romanian fisherman, out for an early morning stroll, had stumbled upon him and taken pity on the half-dead sea creature, dragging the now unconscious Tsvetan back to his seaside cottage before anyone else can see them and quickly getting him some water for his gills.

Tsvetan had remained there ever since. Alin usually kept him in the bath, or dragged him around the house in the metal tub when the other wanted a change of scenery, patching up his wounds and keeping him fed and entertained. He'd often leave for days though, out on fishing excursions in the Black Sea on his little trawler. When that happened, he'd leave Tsvetan in the bath with a pile of fish, a radio, and a few picture books, as the merman was still learning how to read human writing. He'd constantly worry when that happened, hoping with all his heart that his little human would make it back safely. No one else knew about Tsvetan, so if Alin died, he'd quickly starve too. He'd also be likely to miss Alin terribly if something happened to him.

"I just need to get something," Alin told him, dashing past Tsvetan and rushing down the stairs, "no peeking!"

"How would I possibly manage that?" Tsvetan asked the empty hall. He still didn't understand Alin's humour, which he guessed was even harder to understand than regular human humour. It wasn't just Alin's humour though; most of the man's tastes were strange. He found the oddest things cute, and showed affection in ways that never matched the other humans Tsvetan had encountered in his life, or even read about.

Still, he wished Alin would just hurry up; he was in a very uncomfortable position, and the edges of the tub were digging into his back. He definitely preferred the bath.

Tsvetan glanced back at his tail, staring at the trail of jagged scars and ripped fin. He knew in his heart- and it pained him to admit it- that he'd never be able to swim in open water again. He could manage a pond or swimming pool but there would be no reintroducing him into the ocean. No, never. He's struggle to swim straight and definitely wouldn't be strong enough to handle the currents. There would be too much competition for food from more capable creatures, and constant danger of predators.

But he wanted the sea so badly.

He could see the vast, blue-grey expanse from the window in Alin's room, where he slept in a paddling pool next to the bed, and it called to him. He yearned for the cool, salty water and the company of other sea creatures, swimming amongst shoals of fish in the blue waters and feeling the sunlight on his face and back. He loved diving deep, slicing through endless spans of water and hunting for mackerel and small sharks.

That being said, he also enjoyed Alin's company, and the other was kind to him. Tsvetan sometimes had visions of brutal, malicious humans who would capture him and keep him in a tank to poke and prod at, or tie him to a table, no water in sight, and dissect him while he was still barely alive. If he had to he stranded, then it was probably better that Alin had found him, and not someone who thought nothing of cruelty.

He could get used to life with him. It would take time, but he'd learn to make the tiny cottage his true home. He was extremely fond of Alin, and knew he wanted to stay with him for as long as the man lived, which would be a considerably short amount of time compared to Tsvetan, but he tried not to think about that.

Over the months, they'd grown steadily closer, their easy friendship beginning to have moments of awkwardness, and Alin would become distant and secretive with him. Tsvetan finally got the truth out of him, and Alin had confessed romantic feelings, overjoyed at finding out that they were returned. Tsvetan had been terrified at Alin finding out, and worried that the other would hate him, dumping him back in the sea, or even worse, selling him to someone who'd hurt him. He feared Alin would find the thought of them being close disgusting, or would prefer a human partner, or at least a female one, but his confession had only been met by happiness and affection, as Alin had pulled him into a hug, almost upturning the tub Tsvetan was in during the process.

Now here they were. Neither of them were too good at romance, having different ideas about what romance actually involved. If Tsvetan still lived in the sea, and Alin had been a merman too, then he'd shower the other in gifts consisting of different fish he'd caught, but that wasn't going to work here. He couldn't catch even the slowest of prey, and it was usually Alin that brought him food. Tsvetan would be lying if he said Alin's consistent gifts of fish hadn't influenced his interest in the other as a partner even slightly.

Alin meanwhile, got his ideas of romance from fairytales and cheesy films, the former of which he couldn't help thinking their situation was. He bought Tsvetan roses from his garden- and other flowers too- explaining their meanings and how to grow them. Tsvetan loved the pretty colours and soft petals, listening to Alin's rambles with interest. But what else was there to do? Tsvetan didn't eat chocolate, and they couldn't go out on dates. Tsvetan didn't understand the point of cards and cuddly toys, or love letters. And there were only so many dinners Alin could prepare for his merman boyfriend, usually consisting of raw fish. Sometimes he'd additionally prepare a desert of more raw fish. There were also side orders and snacks containing- that's right- raw fish.

Nevertheless, there were things they could do. Tsvetan was fascinated by human song, and loved listening to Alin sing. In return, he'd show Alin what merfolk songs were like, slow, melancholy wails that would be painful for normal humans to listen to, but Alin loved them. It was something they could spend an afternoon doing, until their throats were dry and they turned the radio on instead. They couldn't dance together, but Alin would still take Tsvetan's hands, which were hanging over the side of the bath, and swing them back and fourth in time to whatever song they were listening to. They couldn't curl up on the sofa watching a romantic movie, but Alin could sit on the floor next to Tsvetan in his tub and watch TV together in the living room. They mostly watched horror films, as Alin had a peculiar liking for them, but they'd sometimes sit through a nature documentary about sea creatures instead, which just made Tsvetan peckish.

He wondered if all this now was Alin trying another odd human romantic gesture. He had just gotten back from an unexpectedly long fishing trip, which had caused Tsvetan to panic, fearing the other had perished at sea. He hadn't, just been blown off course by a storm, and felt guilty at how distressed his partner was. Was this his way of making it up to Tsvetan? He honestly didn't need to go to so much effort; Tsvetan would have been perfectly content with a hug and some food. He was easy to please like that.

But Alin liked to put effort into relationships, it seemed, and Tsvetan was a little excited. Still scared, but excited too.

"Forgot the salt," Alin panted as he dashed up the stairs with a salt shaker and back into the bathroom, ruffling Tsvetan's dark hair as he passed.

"You're running me a bath, aren't you?" Tsvetan asked, raising an eyebrow and watching in amusement as the other poked his head out of the door to glare at him.

"Shush, you!"

Tsvetan rolled his eyes. He spent most of his life in the bath now; what was so different about today? He watched as the sun slowly dipped behind the hills through the hall window; at this rate it'd be night before he knew what was going on.

"Okay, ready," Alin slipped into the hall, quickly shutting the door behind him and walking over to the tub.

"Finally," Tsvetan joked, as Alin dragged him over to the door, trying not to spill any water. It was important that Tsvetan kept his torso submerged, as that was where his gills were. The two rows of slits running under his arms, down either side of his chest, allowed him to breathe, as long as they were submerged in water. In the air, the gill flaps closed themselves up and suffocated him. He hated the times Alin was forced to lift him up to place him in a new container, but if he didn't get new water regularly, then he'd also suffocate once he'd taken in all the oxygen from that particular pool. And since he was kept in such small bodies of water, he quickly ran out of oxygen. There was also the fact that his gills only worked in salt water, and weren't suitable for fresh water. If he was completely honest with himself, he wouldn't blame Alin if the other ever decided to throw him back in the sea.

"I was afraid I'd dry up," he added, smirking slightly.

"Oh you know I'd never let that happen," Alin cooed as he paused to stroke Tsvetan's face. He then pushed the bathroom door open and dragged Tsvetan inside.

The room was darkened, only lit by candles dotted across the sink, shelves and windowsill. The bath was full and slow, soft music played from the radio in the corner. The curtains were open, for once, and Tsvetan had a clear view of the sea, barely visible in the dim light and empty of human life, thankfully. No one was around to see them, as usual.

"Ta-da!" Alin cried, glancing at the other to gage his reaction. Tsvetan just looked up with a blank expression.

"Maybe if you turn the light on I could see the surprise?" he suggested.

"This is the surprise!" Alin hissed; "the lighting's to set the mood."

"What mood? I don't understand."

"I ran you a romantic bath!"

"And how is that different from a regular one?" Tsvetan looked around. What was so amorous about not being able to see and an added fire hazard? Humans were so strange…

"Well for one thing," Alin explained as he dragged Tsvetan closer to the tub, "there's dim lighting and music. And for another, I'll be joining you."

"You'll… what?" Tsvetan looked up in horror, "Alin, I can barely fit in there as it is without you taking up more room!"

"Come on Tsve, please? We'll be fine! And if you have trouble breathing, I'll quickly jump out and add some more water."

"I guess, that doesn't sound so bad…" He looked at the bath again, "is this really what humans do together?"

"Yup," Alin replied, starting to unbutton his shirt, "well, usually it's full of bubbles, bath scents and warmer water, but those things mess with you, so…"

"That's a thought," Tsvetan murmured, dipping a finger into the bathwater, "will you be okay with cold water? I don't want you turning into an ice cube on me."

"Pfft, like that'll happen! It'll be like swimming in the ocean!"

"This is nothing like the ocean," Tsvetan whispered, before he could stop himself. Alin looked away, dropping his arms as he knelt beside the other, staring at the still bathwater miserably.

"Not that it's important!" he quickly added, resting a hand on Alin's, "I'm happy here with you! I love you, Alin, and want to stay here with you."

"But the ocea-"

"-Is no longer an option for me. It is silly of me to pine for it. My life is with you now."

"There's nothing wrong with missing your old life," Alin told him, "but I'm glad I can make you happy."

"Like no one else can," Tsvetan smiled warmly, running both his hands over Alin's face and hair. His webbed fingers made that a difficulty, but he'd learnt how to angle his fingers to avoid getting tangled with the other's shaggy hair. "Now, show me how humans express love."

"Anything you want," Alin breathed as he leaned down to kiss him. At first, Tsvetan had also found this human custom strange, but quickly decided he loved it. He loved tasting and biting Alin's soft lips, feeling the other close to him, resting his hand's on his warm chest to feel him breathing in and out. He was fascinated by- and a little jealous of- Alin's lungs, and took every opportunity to watch his chest slowly rise and fall, and run his hands over it. Now he was using one hand to feel Alin's chest, and the other to run through the hair on the back of his head and pull him closer. Alin had both his hands resting either side of Tsvetan's face, sliding his lips over the other's almost hungrily. Eventually, Tsvetan pulled away, feeling his gills suck up oxygen faster than normal. Alin was breathing heavily, lips slowly pulling themselves into a grin.

"Careful boy," Tsvetan murmured, looking up with half-lidded eyes, "or you'll make me go all warm-blooded."

"I hope not," Alin grimaced, "your cold blood gives you a slower metabolism, meaning you don't need as much oxygen to survive. If you were warm-blooded then you'd probably die-"

"Alin I'm no expert, but I'm guessing that wasn't romantic. Also, I was making a joke. Laugh."

"Oh," Alin blushed, giving a small giggle, "sorry, I just worry about you…"

"I'm flattered. It's also nice to know you've been doing your research."

"That's me!" Alin smiled sheepishly, "but, as a fisherman, I happen to have a lot of knowledge on, you know, fish."

"And now you have a fishy boyfriend," Tsvetan commented, smiling slyly, "you might be more than a little obsessed with your job."

"A hot, fishy boyfriend," Alin corrected, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Hot? But I'm cold-blooded, like you said!"

"No, that's…. not…" Alin sighed, "come on, the candles are starting to drip. Brace yourself." He snaked his arms under Tsvetan's body, lifting him out of the tub and into the bath. Tsvetan felt his airways close up and he fought the urge to panic and writhe. It was temporary. There was nothing to worry about. What if Alin dropped him? What if his airways refused to reopen in the water? He was going to die!

Alin placed him in the fresh water and he began to calm, his mind drifting from the fitful blur it was about to become and back to peaceful thinking. He just lay there, letting his gills filter in the salty water and the oxygen it contained. Alin watched him silently, the merman wide-eyed and staying completely motionless before blinking and looking up at him, giving a small smile and a thumbs up.

"Better?" he asked.

Tsvetan shook his head before quickly changing it to a nod, "yeah, much better."

"Now it's my turn," Alin grinned as he began to pull his trousers down.

"I didn't even know you owned swimming trunks," Tsvetan commented.

Alin paused; "I wasn't planning on wearing any."

"Oh, oh…"

"Unless that makes you uncomfortable, then I'll-"

"I have no objections."

"Good to know!"

"And it's not like I myself ever wear clothes…"

"What about that time I caught you borrowing some of mine?"

Tsvetan winced as he remembered how Alin had walked into their bedroom after going shopping to find the merman having pulled most of his partner's clothes out of the wardrobe and was sprawled out in the paddling pool wearing a jacket, scarf and little hat.

"That never happened," he said quickly.

"Yes it did and I have the pictures to prove it!"

Tsvetan scowled and Alin smirked before he pulled off his underwear and joined him in the bath. He hissed as he stepped into the cold water, but quickly sat down, ignoring the near-freezing temperatures. He could do it. He wasn't weak. As predicted, it was pretty cramped, and Alin took hold of Tsvetan's tail, lifting it over the side of the bath, so it hung out awkwardly. "Much better," he said, stroking the bumpy, dripping scales gently. His fingers traced over the scars, careful not to touch the delicate dorsal fin. Tsvetan looked away, letting Alin lean down to plant kisses along the length of the tail.

"Don't worry," he murmured, "one day you'll swim again."

"How?" Tsvetan glared at him, face twisted into a snarl, and Alin sighed.

"I don't know, but I'll figure something out." He stared at the other fiercely, eyes blazing and, for a moment, Tsvetan believed it was possible.

"Yeah? You do that," he sighed, sinking deeper into the water.

"I will! I'm smarter than people give me credit for! I'll make you a new tailfin, out of plastic or something!"

"You can do that?" Tsvetan looked up, truly hopeful.

"Yeah! Saw it on TV once. They did it with a dolphin."

"Well, thanks. Even the offer… it makes me feel better."

"Good," Alin kissed his tail again and Tsvetan slapped him lightly with his dorsal fin.

"Kiss the human part of me you weirdo," he joked, and Alin complied, moving over to lie next to him. It was a tight fit, and Tsvetan struggled to get a decent amount of oxygen, but he didn't care. He loved being close to Alin. He could feel the other's racing heartbeat and steady breathing as his chest rose and fell rapidly from the close contact. He could also feel the other's shivers.

"You're cold, aren't you?" he asked, raising a brow in amusement.

"No! Course not!"

Tsvetan rolled his eyes, "mammals…"

"Fish…" Alin replied in the same tone. His smile and gaze fell, and he blushed, though the other couldn't see it in the candlelight. "Um, Tsvet, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer though…"

"Fire away, as they say."

"Why do you have a nose?"

"…Excuse me?" Tsvetan blinked.

"I mean, noses are for breathing air, right? And you don't do that, so don't need one."

"Ah," Tsvetan flicked his nose, "hmm, I guess they're more for showin', as opposed to blowin', huh?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, actually," Tsvetan grinned, "the human part… it's an old evolutionary feature, designed for luring humans into the water to eat. We don't really do that any more, since you all became the dangerous ones, but it'll take millions of years for us to change completely in appearance, so… Yeah, the nose is so we look more human, so as not to scare people with weird-looking faces. I can't breathe through it at all though."

"Fascinating," Alin murmured, "there's so much I don't know about your kind. I've been reading about mer-peoples since I was a kid, but it's still all so new and strange. Some things I've read were true, some things false…" He noticed Tsvetan tensing up again, and quickly moved to the other side of the bath to allow the other to breathe. He winced as the cold water brushed against his skin, but didn't say anything.

"Glad I can help you separate myth from fact," Tsvetan replied, "you did believe a lot of strange things about my kind when we first met…"

"What can I say?" Alin shrugged, "it was what I was taught! Really wasn't expecting mermen to speak Bulgarian though."

"It was what I was taught." Tsvetan had spent most of the hundred of years he was alive 'haunting' Varna Bay, befriending local children and fishermen and slowly learning their language. He wasn't a vicious merman, though he knew how others liked to prey on humans, and was kind to the people he encountered, especially younger ones. He only revealed himself to a handful of people though, in case someone unsavoury found out about him. Even back then he was paranoid of being caught, especially after hearing tales of torture and death from the other merfolk about members of their species who had been captured. Still, the people in the few seaside villages he'd visited seemed pleasant enough. Once, a group of children had dubbed him 'Tsvetan' and the name stuck.

Of course, he could never stay there forever. Every few decades or so there would be a war or a famine or violence and he'd have to leave, diving deep into the sea to protect himself from the death and destruction. He kept losing track of time though, and always hid longer than he meant to, because whenever he'd finally visit his favourite stretch of coastline, he found he didn't recognise anyone there.

"It was weird though, finding out humans didn't speak the one language," he added, leaning back and resting his arms along the side of the bath.

"Hmm?" Alin looked at him curiously, "you seriously only stayed in the one place all those years?"

"Never felt like leaving, until I got curious about the world," Tsvetan shrugged, shifting slightly and accidentally spilling some of the water of the side. Alin turned on the tap to compensate.

A few weeks before the storm, he'd started travelling north, to find out how big his world really was. When Alin had found him, it had taken ages to grasp the basics of a new language and alphabet, but now Tsvetan could converse easily with the man. He'd also shown Tsvetan maps of the world, pointing out where they were: next to a tiny circle of blue on a huge planet. Tsvetan hadn't realised how small the Black Sea was compared to the rest of the earth, and had been struck with the urge to explore every inch of it, until he remembered he was stuck in this tiny house forever. Alin mentioning the vast, scorching- and very dry- deserts covering the world had made him feel a lot better about not being able to explore though.

"Do you think you'll do it in the future?" Alin traced circles on Tsvetan's tail with his finger, "explore the world?"

"I can't."

"You could," Alin shrugged, "one day. I'll make sure of it."

"Al…" Tsvetan gazed over at him, smiling warmly. He reached over, taking one of Alin's hands in his and stroking the cold skin gently with his thumb. Alin's smiling face flickered as light from the flames danced across his body, the pair calm and tranquil in their own little world. The radio played on, peaceful, quiet music barely reaching their ears.

Tsvetan leaned closer as far as his cumbersome body would allow, and Alin closed the gap, kissing him lightly.

"You're freezing," Tsvetan murmured as he pulled away, touching Alin's cold face with the back of his hand.

"I'm fine!" he grinned and the other sighed.

"If you want to get out and warm up, that's okay with me. I've had a wonderful time."

"I'll stay," Alin leaned forward to kiss him again.

"You'll get a cold."

"Don't care."

"We'll see," Tsvetan kissed him back, trailing kisses down the other's neck and shoulders. He didn't know why he was doing it, but instinct told him he should. Alin let out a little whine and he grinned, exposing a collection of jagged teeth, perfect for chewing up fish and making his partner scream.

"I hope you're still able to take care of me when you're sick," he joked pulling away as Alin turned off the tap.

"Bastard. You're such a fucking survivalist!"

"That's how I've lasted so long," Tsvetan grinned as he lightly slapped Alin with his tail fin; the other laughed and swatted it away.

"Fair enough. But even you have to admit it hasn't gotten you very far."

"Dick," he slapped Alin slightly harder, but the other just laughed again. "I found you though."

"True," Alin nodded, giving a tiny smile through his chattering teeth.

"Look, just get out and get yourself a towel," Tsvetan rolled his eyes, "it's pretty late anyway. At least in our bedroom you can bury yourself in blankets and we can both talk in relative comfort."

"But I can't hug you when we're in the bedroom," Alin sighed, leaning closer, "I'll get my pyjamas wet!"

"Hug me tomorrow, if you aren't ill. Because if you are then please stay the hell away from me."

"Noted." Alin splashed water in his direction before getting out of the bath, awkwardly climbing over Tsvetan's tail and reaching for a towel.

"My turn?"

"Not yet," Alin wrapped the towel around his waist and reached for the shower head, "gotta change the water in the tub first."

"Of course… Al?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not too bad at the romance thing," he winked and Alin barked out a laugh, looking away.

"I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Love you too…"

…

Oh god what is this?

Yeah it's gonna go wrong pretty fast.

I got this idea yesterday, though I won't say where. Pretty obvious though.

I wrote it listening it a Kate Rusby album, because her music is beautiful and I love her very much. Actually, I love listening to English folk when I write stuff like this, as the songs are often about sailors and the sea and tragic romance etc. But seriously, Kate Rusby's 'little lights', look that shit up.

Eh, so please say what you think.