High school Mermaid AU because why not? Like, mermaid stuff, guys. Mermaid stuff, I haven't done too much with this but why not follow the crowd for once? Anyway, this is starting to be rant-y so I'm gonna just say enjoy! :D Hope everyone likes it.
Still own nothing so ya know~
Grimmjow fought against the urge to snarl at the many pairs of eyes trained on his body- his very human body. The merman's frown deepened as he remembered just how hard he fought against his mother at the prospect of going to a human school of all things! The demented cuttlefish only laughed in his face before telling him everything was already set up and forcing her dolphins to drag him to the beach that bordered their home. Grimmjow had been dumped, unceremoniously mind, on the coarse sand and left to bake in the unforgiving sun until a blond human happened upon him.
Kisuke Urahara, Grimmjow reminded himself. The man had the oh so glorious task of teaching him everything he would need to know about his new life on land and had kindly offered his home as refuge during the week. It was only after Grimmjow was dried to the point of uncomfortable that he realized his tail- his long, powerful tail- was wilting away to be replaced with...legs. The long appendages were entertaining with their small nubs at the end, but would be utterly useless in the strong currents of the ocean.
Kisuke had only laughed as Grimmjow grumbled about his new additions, instructing the merman on the finer aspects of walking before thrusting a coarse material into Grimmjow's face. The merman had never been forced into 'clothes' before, and he found them completely impractical and stifling to his motor skills.
Especially jeans. And, upon reaching Kisuke's home, Grimmjow realized the man had stocked up on plenty of those.
But as it stood, Grimmjow was able to spend a week acclimating himself to his new life before he was suddenly dumped into a human school with human classmates and a human teacher whose voice was more grating than a siren's.
"Now everyone, I'm sure you've all heard that we would be housing a mermaid," Merman, you vapid banshee, "for the school year and I want everyone to treat him as you would anybody else. Is that understood?"
Grimmjow wanted to roll his eyes at the collective affirmative to the teacher's question, but remembered that Kisuke would be sending his mother weekly updates on his progress in the human schools. And, loathe as he was to admit it, the woman was a beast and he wouldn't put it past her to leave the comforts of her castle and knock some sense into his head with the monstrosity she called a tail.
"Would you like to say a few things about yourself, Grimmjow? Maybe tell us a few things about your home." Grimmjow gave the woman a pointed look before shrugging, the action definitely strange without the press of ocean currents bearing down on him.
Grimmjow faced the class with a blank look before taking a deep breath, "My name is Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and I'm from the Las Noches kingdom. There's not much to tell, really. A ton of water, sea creatures, stupid dolphins…" Grimmjow scowled at the thought of the laughing creatures that kicked him onto the beach a week ago. Pushing his irritation back at the strange looks he was receiving, Grimmjow plastered on a confident smirk, "It was nicer there. Cooler."
"Wonderful, ! Just take any of the empty seats and we'll get started with the lesson." Grimmjow nodded before choosing a seat in the back row far from the windows. The seat was beneath a vent and, while considerably colder there than anywhere else, it didn't compare to his home under the sea.
Grimmjow found his attention dragged back to the teacher multiple times throughout the class. It was near impossible to avoid that grating voice on his ears, and when the bell rang, Grimmjow was one of the first to leave the class. It also might've been the wide girth students were giving him that attuned to that, but Grimmjow was too happy to be free to care.
The merman sighed as he dug his schedule from his pocket and tried to remember which direction his science classroom was in. Shrugging uselessly, Grimmjow picked a direction and started walking.
"You're the new student, right?" Grimmjow paused at the voice at his side and glanced at the short raven smiling encouragingly at him. The merman nodded mutely as he started walking again. The girl had to practically run to keep up with Grimmjow's long strides- the merman smiled as he compared them to the large swishes of his tail, "Well, I just wanted to introduce myself. Rukia Kuchiki, student body president and manager of the soccer team. On behalf of the student council, welcome to Karakura High."
Grimmjow actually stopped walking at the words, quirking a brow at the girl's small smile. His head tilted minutely as he compared her to one of his more hyper friends under the sea. The comparison was quite frightening.
"Uh, thanks." Grimmjow paused before brushing past the girl, holding his schedule out to her in question, "You know where this class is?"
Rukia blinked at the page before nodding resolutely, "It's a little further down the hall, take a right and it's the first door on the left." Grimmjow muttered a quick thanks before hurrying towards the classroom. He made it right before the bell rang and was left standing dumbly in the doorway as students took their seats. The teacher motioned him forward and Grimmjow was forced to give another short introduction before picking a seat and listening to the man drone on for fifty minutes.
By the time lunch rolled around, Grimmjow was beyond done with the novelty of human high school and ready to go for a good swim on his favorite ocean currents. Unfortunately, he still had three classes before his day was completed. The merman sighed as he tried to futilely ignore the glances of the entire student body.
He was just getting lunch and they continued to gawk at him like he was some stunted guppy! Grimmjow held back a snarl as he was passed a lunch tray from one of the lunch ladies, quirking a brow at the unknown food on the sectioned off styrofoam.
"What even is this?"
"Country fried steak. Not the best, but it could be worse." Grimmjow was hardly expecting anyone to answer and was pleasantly surprised to receive one. Glancing at the orange haired student behind him, Grimmjow was suddenly reminded of a crop of spiked coral near his home. "You do still have to pay for your food…"
Grimmjow blinked at the words before forcing himself to move. "What the glub is country fried steak?"
"Glub?" Grimmjow scowled at the amused chuckle at his brand of cursing, the merperson brand, he should say. Much better than these human words. "It's steak in breadcrumbs with gravy on top. Nothing fancy."
"Steak?" Grimmjow was mentally cursing his human guardian for not instructing him on the finer points of human food as he was met with a disbelieving look from the coral-headed teen before him.
"Ya know? Like meat? From a cow…" Grimmjow knew if his earfins were still in place, they would've flared in irritation.
"The glub is a cow?" By this point, Grimmjow had managed to pay for his lunch and was following the orange haired teen to a door that led to a small courtyard adjacent to the cafeteria. The teen just scoffed as he pushed open the door and strode into the midday sun. Grimmjow couldn't hold back a glare at the unforgiving sun as his companion picked a table in the shade.
"Oh, wait. You're the new student, aren't you?" Grimmjow nodded as he dropped his plate beside the oranget's own. He sat with a huff and immediately felt uncomfortable in the fresh air and light breeze, but the gawking eyes and thinly-veiled whispers in the cafeteria were worse. If only slightly. "Shit, my bad. A cow's like a big animal with spots that makes milk. The stuff in here."
The oranget picked up a small carton on his plate and shook it for emphasis. Grimmjow quirked a brow in curiosity before picking up his own carton and shaking it. The chill of the carton was comforting, as was the sloshing of liquid inside. Grimmjow smiled.
"Soo, what'd you come to a human school for?" Grimmjow shrugged as he set the milk back on the plate and picked up a utensil wrapped in plastic. He fought with the barrier holding the spoon/fork hybrid hostage before it was yanked from his fingers and deftly slipped from the clear confines by the oranget. He held it out to Grimmjow and the merman took in with a muttered thanks.
"Not my choice. Glubbing mom wanted me to 'expand my horizons' or some scrod like that." Grimmjow poked uselessly at his lunch, not at all enthused by the brownish grey meat. He gave up on trying to sample the delicacy and dropped his utensil on the plate in resignation, "I'd much rather be glubbing around in your sunken human ships."
"Like Ariel?" The orange haired human chuckled at Grimmjow's side. The merman was confused about who this 'Ariel' person was and if she had managed to break human/merperson relations before anyone was aware.
"Who's Ariel? Have you met her or somet-" Grimmjow's words were cut off as another tray was slammed on the table, followed by two extra bodies.
"Ichigo! You're so lucky your class is close to the cafe." Grimmjow didn't know what to think about this strange redhead who'd made himself comfortable across from him and his companion. Ichigo, apparently. Weird name. "Who's this?"
"New student." Grimmjow's attention was then brought to the quiet raven at the redhead's side. His glasses reflected the sun in an irritating way and his body language set Grimmjow on edge. The merman barely held back a hiss of discomfort as the teen smirked. "Grimmjow, correct?"
"What of it?" Grimmjow was met with an elbow in his side, glancing at Ichigo in question. The coral-headed teen only rolled his eyes before going back to his lunch.
"Play nice, guys. Lunch only lasts so long." Grimmjow pouted at the dismissal and looked down at his 'lunch'.
He'd be having some serious complaints for Kisuke when he returned home.
"Grimmjow!" The merman glanced up at the call of his name, abysmal lunch forgotten as he was faced with the raven haired girl from earlier. She was followed by a taller girl with orange hair a shade lighter than Ichigo's. "How're your classes going? Finding everything alright?"
Grimmjow was at a loss as the girl took a seat on his other side, the orange haired girl sitting next to the glasses wearing creep across the table, "Uh, it's fine, I guess?"
"Chill, Rukia. Try not being the President for thirty minutes, will ya?" Rukia scowled at Renji before flipping him the bird. Grimmjow quirked a brow at the gesture and stored it away to ask about later.
"Whatever, Renji. I'm just trying to be nice." Grimmjow almost smiled as he imagined Nel and Nnoitra in their places, a deep rooted pang going through his chest as he remembered his friends. He couldn't wait for a free weekend.
"So, Grimmjow?" The blue haired teen glanced at the orange haired girl across the table. She seemed nice enough, a little nervous and slightly awkward, but better than most. "What's it like? Under the ocean, I mean."
Grimmjow shrugged as he pushed his plate away and crossed his arms on the table. The merman closed his eyes as he recalled the soft touch of bubbles against his skin, the rough push of crossing currents, the gentle brush of sunlight that touched watery depths.
"It's better." Grimmjow opened his eyes a second later, eyes trained on the wall across from him as he remembered coral walls, shimmering tails, chirping sea creatures and home. "It's full of life and simplicity. Everyone is carefree and happy and open. Under the waves, it's nothing like it is up here."
Grimmjow's tone turned wistful as he thought on his home under the sea, a tightness in his throat as he imagined what his friends would be doing at that moment, wondered if his mother regretted her decision to send him away. His fists clenched his elbows as he shook off the depressing thoughts.
"It sounds beautiful." Grimmjow's eyes drifted to the girl and he was almost shocked at the honesty shining in her eyes. He managed a weak smile before his eyes were brought to his bare forearms.
God, he missed home.
"Where are you staying while here?" Ichigo's question caught Grimmjow off guard and he hummed as he thought on the eccentric man he now called his guardian.
"A guy named Kisuke Urahara. Out of his glubbing mind." Grimmjow scowled as he remembered the crash course on human etiquette, traditions, and school subjects he'd had a week before today. The man, crazy as he might be, was a genius. His wife might disagree on occasion, but his moments of brilliance were hard to ignore.
"Seriously? That's my uncle." Grimmjow hummed thoughtfully at this new bit of information.
"I can't believe you have to deal with him on a daily basis. The guy is insane!" Grimmjow shrugged off the redhead's words with ease. He already knew that, not like Kisuke was embarrassed about his special brand of weird. Quite proud of it, actually.
"He's not so bad when you're living with him," Grimmjow skillfully forgot to mention the amount of crazy scrod he'd had to deal with since moving in with the man. But, after a week of constant madness, it wasn't that big a deal anymore.
Whatever Renji might've said was cut off as the bell signalling the end of lunch rang. Grimmjow followed the grumbling teens back into the main section of the school and started heading for his class of the hour.
Just three more to go.
"Grimmjow!" The merman was accosted outside the front of Karakura high, Ichigo pushing through the crowd of students until he was standing before him. The oranget managed a smile through his strained breathing, "Wanna walk home together? I know Kisuke's shop is on the way and I usually stop there after school, anyway."
Grimmjow blinked at the question before shrugging, "Sure."
Ichigo's smile was small but genuine as he fell into step at Grimmjow's side. The merman rolled his eyes at the action, but continued surely towards Kisuke's shop.
"So, whatcha think about your first day here?" Grimmjow stuffed his hands in his pocket with a sigh. The action was met with a chuckle from Ichigo, "That bad, huh?"
"Why is there so much home work? And you said the lunches get worse. This doesn't make any glubbing sense!" Grimmjow took a deep breath before raking a hand through his hair. The stupid fruity shampoo Urahara forced him to use wafted to his nose and threatened to make him 'sneeze'. Stupid uncomfortable human body reactions. "And those teachers are glubbing useless!"
"Welcome to public school." Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo out the corner of his eye and managed to match the teen's cheeky smile with one of his own. Chuckling as the stressful day melted away, Grimmjow gave a pleased sigh.
"Yay me. I'm gonna see if Kisuke will let me go home this weekend to cool off." Grimmjow prided himself on being adaptable, one had to be living under the ocean, to any situation, but this was like a slap to the face from his mother's monstrous tail. He would never understand how the human world was so complicated for no reason.
"Lucky you." Grimmjow picked up on something in the oranget's tone and stopped. He faced Ichigo with furrowed brows, a question on his lips as the oranget sighed. Ichigo shook his head a moment later before continuing down the path, "Just rambling. C'mon, we're almost there."
Grimmjow kept silent as he followed his companion to the small shop his guardian owned. After a week of going in and out of the shop, Grimmjow was finally used to the bell that jingled as the door opened and didn't flinch. All too soon, the pair were accosted by a smiling Kisuke, fan spread wide across the lower half of his face.
"Well if it isn't my darling nephew and charge! How was school, my kiddies?" Grimmjow shrugged as he pushed past the blond towards the door that led to his home. Ichigo followed at a more sedate pace and somehow managed a conversation with the eccentric man. Kisuke's attention was returned to Grimmjow sooner than the merman thought and he was forced into giving a breakdown of his day.
Kisuke frowned at Grimmjow's mention of his lack of lunch, "We can't have that at all. Should I start making lunches for you?"
Grimmjow shrugged petulantly while dropping his backpack on the nearest couch and falling beside it. He felt more drained than the time he swam across the channel separating Japan from the mainlands, and that was saying something. The blue haired teen missed the concerned glance of his new companion and guardian as his eyes slid shut, a tired sigh passing through his lips.
"You can go take a nap, Grimmjow. The homework can wait for now." Glancing up at the surprisingly gentle eyes of Kisuke, Grimmjow managed a grateful smile. Pushing himself to his feet, Grimmjow nearly stumbled at the exhaustion that suddenly washed over him. The merman sighed as he waved off Kisuke's concerned gaze and headed towards his room.
He managed to keep the room in a relative state of cleanliness in the last week and was proud of himself for the small act. Grimmjow pushed thoughts of his room away as he fell on his unmade bed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.
"How did he seem at school?" Kisuke and Ichigo had moved to the small dining room table to discuss his young charge and how he was adapting to his new life on land. Ichigo shrugged across from his uncle, finger running around the rim of his teacup.
"As good as any new student, really. Kinda quiet, definitely homesick. But he was pretty curious about everything and not a total ass," Ichigo chuckled to himself as he remembered the looks Grimmjow was throwing Uryu and Renji at lunch. The teen seemed surprisingly alright in the company of Inoue and Rukia, which was a plus in Ichigo's opinion.
While Rukia was pushy and definitely overstepped her boundaries around those she considered close, she was a loyal friend that only had everyone's best interests at heart. And Inoue, sweet girl that she was, cared about everyone and everything- would even rush headlong into danger if she thought there was a chance she could help her friends.
"He just needs time. Maybe a few more friends, and definitely food." Ichigo fixed his uncle with a piercing look that was promptly met with a tender smile.
"Had I known school lunches had decreased in quality this much, I would've prepared earlier." Kisuke sighed before standing from his chair and approaching the door.
"Where're you going?" Kisuke hummed as he paused in the doorway, glancing back at his nephew in silent inquiry.
"To the beach. Watch him until I get back, will you?"
And with that, Kisuke left his stunned nephew in his home.
Next chapter is next and you guys can rate/review in the meantime! ;) also this was just a random thing I started and don't really have a plan for so updates will be super sporadic and probably few and far between. Aside from that, hope you liked it!