A/N: Hey, y'all! So… this is a Wolfstar merman!au, bc what sort of AU writer would I be if I didn't write one?

Word Count: 1009

Enjoy!

Sirius rowed out onto the black lagoon, determined to reach his destination despite the heavy rain around him. He was fuming; he wouldn't marry any of the women his parents presented to him, no matter how pressing the issue of an heir grew.

Somewhere, freedom awaited him. Somewhere, he wouldn't have to suffocate under his parents' rule. He wouldn't have to be unhappy for the sake of others.

Somewhere, nobody knew the name Black.

Sirius shook his long, black hair, but it stuck to the side of his face, heavy with water. He squinted through the rain, but it was impossible to see before him. He felt a rush of fear; maybe he should turn back. Maybe this rage-fueled idea hadn't been a good one.

He wanted to escape, not to drown.

The rain came down harder. Sirius called out, but his voice was lost in the wind. The waves picked up around him, and he yelped as the oars were ripped from his hands. This was a problem. This was a very big problem.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and Sirius gripped the edge of the boat in terror. He was going to fall, he realized with horror. He was going to fall into the water, and swimming lessons had never been on his parents' priority list.

He wasn't going to survive this storm.

That was his last thought before he fell overboard.

Blackness surrounded him, and icy water knocked any breath he might have had from his lungs. Sirius thrashed, desperate, but he couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. His grey eyes were blown wide with terror, and he only had time to regret that he hadn't been able to say goodbye to his brother before he felt unconsciousness coud his mind.

But then—a flash of light in the darkness. A brilliant blue streak, cutting through the black water. And it was coming straight for Sirius.

He didn't even have the energy to be afraid.

Just as the darkness claimed him, he felt something wrap around his chest and heave.

Something was tapping his cheek.

That was the first thing Sirius registered. He wanted to ignore the touch at first, but it grew more and more insistent. Finally, he cracked his eyes open.

"Oh, thank goodness," an unfamiliar voice murmured. "I was afraid you were gone."

Sirius groaned, unsure whether he was able to speak. "'M not," he managed at last. He tried to make out the person in front of him, but their face was cast in shadow. "Who're you?"

There was a hesitant pause. "Remus," the voice said at last. "Your boat capsized."

That got Sirius' attention. He squinted at the person before him, struggling to sit up. "Did you—did you save me?" he asked, some of his memory rushing back.

Remus nodded. "I couldn't let you die," he said softly.

Then Sirius sat up at just the right angle to allow light to splash across Remus' face, and his breath caught in his throat. Kind amber eyes were staring down at him, and Sirius took a moment to admire curly brown hair that he suspected was only so dark because it was wet and an adorably freckled face.

He was well-aware of how he must look—sopping wet, his hair a tangled mess—a drowned rat would make a better impression on this man. But he was Sirius Orion Black, and he'd flirt anyway.

"Well, I suppose it's good that I had an angel looking out for me." He flashed Remus a grin, his near-death experience now completely worth it.

Remus tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowing as though he was confused. "Oh, no, I'm not an angel. They rarely come down here, you know." He helped Sirius into a sitting position and nodded at himself. "My lower half is usually fairly self-explanatory."

There was a hint of mischief in those amber eyes that only made Sirius feel even more in love, but it prompted him to look at Remus' lower half.

And holy hell.

"You…" Sirius swallowed thickly. "You've… well, shit."

Remus smiled regretfully at him, nodding slowly. "You're stunned," he observed.

Who wouldn't be? Attached to the very attractive man before Sirius was a long, elegant, blue-scaled tail. All of a sudden, fairy tales were real. All of a sudden, Sirius couldn't breathe.

But Remus was backing into the water, preparing to leave the—Sirius looked around, taking in their surroundings for the very first time—cave off the lagoon. And maybe this was uncharted territory for Sirius, but he was strangely attached to Remus already. Somehow, he knew without a doubt that letting Remus swim away would be a mistake.

"Wait!" Sirius reached a hand out to Remus, and the merman—bloody hell, they were real—stopped and raised his brows.

"I…" Sirius floundered for something to say, something to make Remus stay. "I don't know how to get back home," he settled on eventually; it wasn't even a lie. "Can you help me?"

"The cave opens up to the beach," Remus informed him kindly. "Now, I'm sorry but I need to get going."

"Please don't go," Sirius said, biting his lip. "I… I…"

He didn't know what to say. What could he say to make this person—this mysterious wonder—stay?

"It's better if you don't tell anyone you saw me," Remus advised him. "They won't believe you."

"But will I see you again?" Sirius called out desperately as Remus began to sink below the water. All he could focus on was his desire to see this man again. He didn't know what it was about Remus, but the man had appeared just as he'd wished for freedom—that couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Surprise crossed Remus' face. He stared at Sirius curiously—no, longingly—for a second before shrugging his bare shoulders. "Maybe someday," was all he said before sinking below the waves.

Sirius watched him shoot out of the cave and out into the lagoon. Determination began to fill him; he wouldn't let this opportunity to slip past his fingers.