Disney: "[Name], do you really think Father needs our help?"

Amber's Attic: mermaid!au

Lyric Alley: I'm not scared to be seen

Arcade, Sindel: purple, screaming, long hair

Auction: Wolfstar

Snape Appreciation, Skele Gro: Write about an injury

Word Count: 1278


"Sirius, what do you think you're doing?" Regulus demands.

Sirius swears softly under his breath. He had hoped his brother would be asleep by now. "Reg…"

A thousand excuses cling to his tongue, desperate to escape. How can he tell his little brother the truth? They come from a long line of pirates. He's supposed to be proud of his heritage. But he can't do it anymore; he wants out.

"Father said—"

"Regulus, do you really think Father needs our help?" Sirius asks dryly. "Come on. No one will miss me."

Regulus tugs at his long hair, biting his lip. "I will."

Sirius can feel his heart breaking. It's almost enough to make him stay.

But he can't. This isn't the life he wants to live.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Sirius whispers, patting the younger man's cheek.

Sirius is far out at sea when he hears the screaming in the distance. They know of his betrayal.

Maybe it isn't too late. He could turn back, and everything will be okay.

He doesn't. He has made his choice, and he will stick with it.

Remus knows he shouldn't follow the small boat, but curiosity gets the best of him. It doesn't matter that his last encounter with a human had left him scarred. He needs to know why this man is out here in such a small boat.

His father will lecture him when he returns. Remus is still a cautionary tale among the merfolk. Everyone looks at him as a reminder of why humans cannot be trusted.

But Remus doesn't care. They're fascinating creatures, and he needs to understand.

Keeping a safe distance, he emerges, his tail swishing back forth, propelling him forward slowly.

The handsome man doesn't notice him.

Somehow, it's almost heartbreaking.

Remus follows, his curiosity only growing stronger. They are so far from land.

Does the human know? Does he care?

Part of him knows he should return to the kingdom beneath the water, but he can't. He feels drawn to the human, and he knows he has to keep him safe.

Sirius doesn't know how long he drifts. It feels like an eternity. The one small mercy is that grey clouds have covered the unforgiving sun. At least he won't burn up today.

He is too many other things to worry about, though. His meager food and water rations are quickly depleting. If he doesn't reach land soon, he will probably die.

With a sigh, Sirius lays back in the boat. An almost manic laugh spills from his chapped lips.

It doesn't matter how miserable he is, or that he is almost certainly a dead man. At least he will face death as a free man, a man no longer bound to his criminal family.

He closes his eyes, and he's almost certain he sees a figure poking out of the water in the distance. The thought quickly fades from his mind when the first raindrop hits his skin.

This isn't just a quick shower. The water grows choppy, and Sirius screams as his boat his tossed amongst the waves, as though he is nothing.

As a wave rips the boat apart, Sirius is thrown overboard, his head thudding against the wood. Slowly, the world grows dark.

Remus hesitates. He knows be should let the man drown, but he can't bring himself to do it. The vow of secrecy means nothing to him now.

Remus swims against the raging water, diving and retrieving the man from the water. There's a nasty purple bruise on the man's forehead, and he seems to be unconscious.

"Hey," Remus says softly. "Wake up. I need you to stay with me."

He doesn't know how similar humans and merfolk are, but be hopes for the best. He remembers being young and hitting his head on a rock. His mother had stressed the importance of keeping him awake.

"Stay with me," Remus repeats.

The man opens his eyes, groaning. "Who…?" But he doesn't finish. He falls slack, but his grey eyes remain open.

Sirius doesn't understand. There is a man with him, but that's impossible. He's in the middle of the sea, and yet…

"I'm dead, aren't I?" His words are slurred, and his head pounds. The storm rages on, but the other man seems to swim with little difficulty.

The man is cute. A cute man in the middle of the sea.

Sirius laughs. "I'm dead, and this is Heaven."

"I don't know what Heaven is," the other man says, "but you most certainly are not dead."

Sirius isn't quite convinced. But maybe the other man is right. After all, angels are supposed to have wings, but this one has a tail.

"Mermaid…"

Remus rolls his eyes. He could be pedantic and explain that he is a merman, that mermaids are female, but he doesn't bother. "I'm called Remus."

"Sirius… Sirius Black."

"Your boat was destroyed."

It seems ridiculous to say. Surely Sirius knows that already. There's no way a boat as small as his could have survived.

Sirius just laughs. "So much for escaping."

They talk. Sirius tells him about his life as a pirate, his desire to live an honest life. Remus talks about the laws of the sea, how contact with humans is forbidden.

"But here you are." Sirius wonders if he should feel special.

Remus chuckles. "Here I am," he agrees.

They talk as Remus carries him through the water. Sirius shivers and aches; it's only a matter of time before shock sets in.

The storm has long since passed by the time silence hangs between them. He's surprised that it's such a comfortable silence.

Why does Remus feel an attachment to him? He ought to be afraid. There's a reason his kind are meant to stay hidden.

But he isn't scared. After talking to Sirius, he feels something, but he can't explain what.

Sirius shivers, his teeth chattering. Remus swallows dryly. Humans are not meant for these temperatures. Sirius will die if he doesn't reach shore soon. It would be so much faster underwater, but Sirius is not equipped to breathe beneath the surface.

All Remus can do is duck his head and force himself to move faster. It's exhausting, and he feels his energy depleting, but he knows that stopping or slowing down would mean certain death for Sirius.

By the time Remus slows down, Sirius is in and out of sleep. He jolts awake, curling his toes, trying desperately to feel his feet.

"This is where I must leave you," Remus says.

It takes several moments for Sirius to realize that they're in shallow water, that land is only a moment away. It should be good news, but he feels his heart breaking. "I…" He turns his gaze to Remus. "I don't want to go."

"You have to."

Sirius is trembling, gripped by a chill he can't seem to shake. He pulls Remus close, kissing him with every ounce of energy he has.

"Thank you," Sirius whispers.

Remus doesn't want to look back as he swims away, but he can't resist it. When he turns, he sees Sirius on the shore, his knees drawn to his chest, still staring at the horizon.

With a sigh, Remus forces himself forward, diving beneath the waves.

He's encountered humans twice in his life. The first, a man aboard a ship called Greyback, had captured him in his net and left his body scarred.

Now, one who had been so kind, so good has left Remus with a broken heart.

Perhaps there's a reason his kind are not meant to interact with humans.