Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or any of its characters. The Femslash February 2021 prompt list I am following is by femslashfeb of Tumblr. Making a small drabble this time because I desperately want to curb my want to make everything longer than it needs to be.

((Warning: The f-word is said four times and mainly is there to show panic. It isn't in the story much else, so I will make this T-rated for safety.))

Lost in Her Ocean Eyes

(Femslash Febraury 2021 Day 6: Mermaid AU)

She didn't look forward to it.

When the marine biologist came to visit her in the small ocean shallows Ivy had claimed for her own, Ivy didn't leap out of the water the moment she heard the wonderful voice. She didn't feel her heart rocket to her throat or flutter when she saw the doctor's smile. She didn't gaze longingly at the doctor's body—covered in a beautiful red ruffled blouse, black slacks, and a pearl-white lab coat—wishing she knew what it was like to hold the other woman in her arms.

She didn't do any of those things, because she definitely wasn't in love with the woman that was picked to study her.

"Heya, Red!"

It felt like a punch to her chest, the way her words stole away Ivy's breath.

Ivy leaned back on the smooth rock she was sitting on. Her fingers spread against the curve behind her, and her poison-green-scaled tail relaxed and curled. She kept her face expressionless. "Hey, doc."

Harley beamed, and she scrambled down the side of the rocky shallows. The bright pink sneakers she wore with her usual professional garb lit up with flashing lights with each step. "Just here for a quick check-up on your health! I know the Arkham Aquarium owners have a lot of sea creatures under their ownership, and it's best if I keep checking on you to make sure you're doing okay in your containment."

The fact that she cared, unlike almost every other doctor that Ivy had been studied under, warmed Ivy's heart in a way that she couldn't handle.

"Yeah, yeah," Ivy drawled, letting the sun's rays feed her body. "Everything's peachy keen, or whatever you humans say." Her head flipped her wavy red hair back. "Nothing new since the last time you came around or whatever."

Was that enough to think that she didn't care about Harley, or did she come off too strong?

Harley's mouth curled wider into an absolutely angelic grin. There was a touch of danger to it, like the woman had a crazy side hidden under the square glasses and the manicured hair twirled up into a perfect high bun.

"Perfect!" the blonde cheered, clapping her hands together. Harley shoved a hand inside her lab coat, reaching into a pocket to pull out a well-worn notebook and pen from a pocket. "Now, is there anything else you could want that can make your habitat better?"

More plants? Sunlamps for cloudy days? Better fish for when she needed solid food?

What the hell would be a better excuse to fill in for what she actually wanted?

You…

"I dunno. Maybe more plants?" Green eyes rolled, and Ivy huffed a sigh. "Not like you haven't already given me enough, doc."

Harley cocked her head to the side, lips twisting into a frown. "No, there's something else you want…"

Fuck.

"What?!" Ivy's mask shattered in a fraction of a second. "What? No. I literally- There's literally nothing else I want-" Her eyes looked away from Harley, and it took everything in her power to soften the pounding heartbeat in her chest.

"No, no, no, you always play the 'more plants' card when you don't want to tell me something."

The mermaid lifted an eyebrow. "But there was a time when I actually wanted more plants."

"That was different." Harley ran her fingers along the side of her head, tucking back a lock of hair behind her ear. "That was back when I was just starting to get to know you and you had so little plant life in your containment shallows that it classified as inhumane treatment."

Ivy bit her lip. "I don't know, doc. There's not really much else I could want."

A part of her brain, the one that had been dwelling on the thought all day, asked what Harley's lips would taste and feel like under her own. How she would smell with that oat milk soap she always used and the coconut shampoo…

"Seriously, doc, I'm good."

Harley tucked the notebook back in the pocket before settling her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed. "Then why won't you look me in the eye and say that?"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck-

Ivy steeled every nerve in her body and turned her gaze back to the blue eyes that were softer in color than any water Ivy had ever been in. "I… want… you know… just…"

Did she want to just reveal it all here? Throw in the towel and just admit that Harley was probably the greatest person Ivy had ever met? The Joker monster was the one that Harley had her eyes on, and there was so little of a chance that Harley would ever love her back that Ivy would just be hurting herself if she said anything.

Then again, Harley was wicked smart. Did she already know?

"I think I know what you want…" Harley tapped a finger to her chin. "You don't want to say it around me because you don't know how I'll react."

Great, she already knew…

Ivy was so screwed.

"God, alright, you got me." Green hands pushed against her face, massaging her eyes and forehead. This was the part where she was going to get hurt again, all because she let herself feel something. "I want… I want-"

"…your freedom…"

Harley's soft-spoken words surprised her, but gave her such a sense of relief that Ivy nearly fell off the rock.

"Yeah. Yeah! Yeah, exactly!" Ivy dropped her hands back to the rock. "Yeah, you got me, doc. I… you know… just miss the open ocean… a ton…" She rolled her eyes and forced a laugh.

The way Harley looked at her—with soft, understanding eyes and sympathetic body language—made her ache in pain.

"Oh, god, Ivy… I'm so sorry." Harley drew in on herself. "I… It's like the only thing I can't give you…" Suddenly, she brightened, her face slowly changing from sorrow to hopeful. "Wait. I think- If I talk with Gordon and the Warden, I might be able to convince them to let you swim out in the open ocean for a short time on terms of good behavior."

Red hair dripped down her right arm as Ivy tilted her head. "Wait, seriously? You think you could do that?"

"Well, it'd probably be like an hour every…" Harley wiggled her fingers as Ivy watched the gears in her brain turn "-week at first, but if you keep up good behavior, they may let you out for an hour every day." The blinding grin with the slightest touch of danger came back full force. "If not, I'll see what I can do to get that smile back on your face. As your head researcher, there's gotta be something I can do to get them to do something for you!"

God, Ivy was so in love with her it hurt.

The mermaid shrugged her shoulders, schooling her face back to being expressionless. "Yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat, doc. I doubt you'll get anywhere with those morons, but if you think it's worth a shot…"

Arms shot around Ivy and squeezed her so hard the mermaid let out a pained squeak of shock.

"Of course, Red! I'll do it! Anything to get that smile back on your face!"

Her blonde hair was so soft against her green skin, and the coconut smell filled Ivy with so much life the mermaid could have swum the entire ocean without breaking a sweat.

"Yeah…" Ivy's hand reached up, hesitantly, to pat Harley's head. "Thanks, doc."

"You know, Red, you can just call me Harley. I told you before that I'm okay with you calling me by my first name."

"Ye-yeah…" Ivy took a deep breath. "Thanks… Harley."

And as the blonde squeed and hugged the mermaid tighter, Ivy prayed to every deity in the universe that Harley couldn't hear the drumbeat her heart pounded to.

She was so screwed.

Song Inspo: "Killshot" by Magdalena Bay

God, I need to write more Harlivy because I keep forgetting how much I love their relationship together. Nonetheless, this was such a fun prompt fill to work on, and if I ever decide to work in this AU again, I'm definitely going to write both Mermaid!Ivy and Mermaid!Harley being together.

Thank you all so much for reading and supporting! :D