Day #4: Merman
Ripple
(Rated T)
Sherlock was fourteen years old the first time he saw the human prince. He had been spending the day in shallow waters, enjoying the warmth on his tail, when he saw the boy strolling along the beach, blond hair glinting gold in the sun. It wasn't as if Sherlock hadn't seen other humans, for he had, and he had discovered that they were all dull. Really, he had no desire to talk with the boy, and he would have left without so much as a second thought if the boy hadn't been alone.
"Do they let you out on your own, or did you ditch them?" Sherlock asked when the prince had gotten to where Sherlock was lying. His tail was hidden under the water and sand, but his torso lay on the sand, small waves lapping at the skin on his back. The boy jumped when he spoke, dark blue eyes searching for the voice, even though it had clearly come from below him. Dark blue eyes met light grey, and the human boy smiled pleasantly.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He asked politely.
"Your body guards. Do they let you out on your own, or did you ditch them?" Sherlock asked, smirking at the look of shock.
"I…I ditched them. How did you know that-"
"You were a prince?" Sherlock asked. "I didn't know, I saw. It's obvious; you hold yourself quite stiffly, even when you're in a relaxed environment. You've been taught to hold yourself that way since birth."
"I never said I was a prince." The blond said defensively.
"Again, it's obvious." Sherlock waved his hand in dismissal.
"That's incredible!" The boy burst out. Sherlock looked up at him, surprised to see that the prince wasn't teasing.
"You think so?" Sherlock asked.
"Of course I do! That was brilliant…can you do it with anyone?" the prince asked excitedly.
"Obviously." Sherlock grinned. "My name is Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes."
"Prince John." The blond said in reply, a matching grin on his face. "Nice to meet you."
The next time Sherlock saw John, they were sixteen, almost two years had passed since their first meeting. Mycroft had been insufferable, keeping him away from the shore, claiming that humans were cruel. Not that Sherlock believed John was capable of hurting him, but then again, John didn't know about his tail.
He had managed to get away from his annoying brother one afternoon, swimming in the shallows when he spied John strolling on the stand, his trousers short, showing off his tanned legs. Sherlock rode a small wave to the shore, a small grin on his face.
"John!" He called, pleased when the prince turned toward him, grinning back.
"I haven't seen you for years." John said with a shake of his head. "I tried to find you in the village, but you were nowhere to be found!"
"I'm not from your village." Sherlock admitted, his tail swirling in the water.
"Where are you from, then?" John asked, a frown of confusion on his face.
Sherlock splashed the water gently. It hardly mattered if John shunned him for his tail, so it wasn't as if he were nervous. Not at all.
"Sherlock..." The prince said, his confusion growing. "What was that?"
"I am a merman." Sherlock said stiffly.
John stared at him open-mouthed for a half minute. "Show me."
"Excuse me?" Sherlock said, surprised by his reaction. He had expected disgust, denial, or even anger. Not this blatant curiosity.
"Your tail. Can I see it?" John asked softly this time, as if afraid of offending the merman.
Sherlock stared at John for a moment before swinging his tail out of the water. The scales were the same colour as his eyes, shimmering against the sun as if made of precious jewels.
"Gorgeous." John breathed, causing Sherlock to flush in pleasure. The blond looked at him as if asking to touch his tail, which Sherlock agreed to with a small nod.
Beaming, John reached down to stroke the scales, fingers dancing along the edges. He touched the soft webbing of Sherlock's fin, causing shivers of pleasure to race up the merman's spine.
"May I?" Sherlock asked John, gesturing to the man's legs. John barely noticed the gesture, so engrossed was he with the juncture of scale and webbing. He gave a curt nod however, so Sherlock began to explore.
He discovered that John was ticklish on his feet, squirming whenever Sherlock explored there. He drew small circles up his leg's, fascinated with the coarse hair that grew there. Sherlock spend a lot of time on what John identified as 'knees', feeling the complexities of the joint.
Sherlock's fingers trailed up the upper part of John's leg, the hair growing finer the farther up he went. He was curious about the junction between the two legs, but John seemed unwilling to show him, squirming away when Sherlock tried to push aside the ridiculous fabric that covered the area.
"Ah…probably shouldn't do that." John said, his face flushing red.
"Why not?" Sherlock asked in confusion. "I merely wished to see where your legs became conjoined."
"It's not exactly for the public eye." John explained, "A bit of a…erogenous zone."
"Ah." Sherlock nodded wisely. "Is that why your trousers have started to bulge in the front?"
John coughed, and the merman noted that the human was uncomfortable. Sherlock offered up a small smile, trying to let him know that there was nothing to be uncomfortable about. It was a long while before John regained the ability to speak.
The merman and the prince continued to meet each other weekly, sharing stories of family, friends and adventures, but it wasn't until they were both nineteen years old that John asked about the Song. It was a well-known legend in the human world that merpeople had the power to seduce the humans with their Song, dragging them to their deaths. John had been loath to bring such a subject up to his friend, but curiosity got the better of him.
"Is the Song real?" John asked, and Sherlock stiffened in surprise.
"Yes." He replied, watching the prince warily. "What do you know of it?"
"I've heard you are able to seduce humans with it…" John replied, looking away from Sherlock.
"Yes, that's very true. Occasionally, some of the idiotic members of my species will down a human. I've never done it, however."
"You've never sang the Song?" John asked.
"I've sang it, but not with the intention of drowning a human." Sherlock clarified.
"Sing it to me." John insisted, causing Sherlock to chuckle. "What?"
"You want me to seduce you, Prince John?" Sherlock asked, causing the man to flush.
"No, that's not…what I meant was…"
"Because I will, if you so desire."
"Sherlock!"
"But I have a stipulation."
John stopped protesting, eyeing Sherlock before crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh? And what would that be?"
"You would have to kiss me first." Sherlock stated simply.
John leaned over, pressing his lips against the merman's gently, not so much a kiss as a mere touch of lips. Sherlock smiled into it, however before pulling away, John falling against him when he lost his support. Scrambling upward quickly, the prince ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed.
"So…will you sing for me now?"
Sherlock smiled at John once again before opening his mouth and singing.