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Between nets of salt and sea floating adrift… Hyunjin gasped, shattered, in an endless sequence, feeling his breath trapped in the rag painfully covering his mouth. His back, beneath his clothes, and the planks of the boat to which he was tied stung with blood and raw skin; the nine-tailed whip was the swift response to an act of humanity.
Now his lips tasted of iron and fear.
Whether in heaven or on earth, everyone knows. There are creatures under the sea older than memory.
ㅡStupid bratㅡThe old pirate laughed with lungs blacker than his heart, and surrounded by his indifferent sailors, they watched him from above with yellowish torches, giving them a hellish halo of light. They were his executioners, covered in filth and wielding long swordsㅡFeeding slaves while confined in the hold is prohibited. So you will be graciously condemned to be our spectacle and the food of... Aye...ㅡHyunjin writhed uselessly, refusing to give inㅡSea specters, devilish fish, always hungry for fresh flesh like that of weak deserters like you... Mermaids.
The ropes holding the boat trembled raspily in the waves, some rising, others falling, while the creaking metal of the pulleys kept them in constant motion. And as the seconds passed, Hyunjin could see the men growing smaller and farther away, the sound drowned out by the wind and water. He was descending into the dark ocean. Alone.
ㅡMan-made light, like an oil lantern or the flickering fire of a candle, draws them like moths to a funeral pyre. Few live to tell the tale!ㅡThe captain's sickly, amused voice rose; some men had left, abandoning the vision of punishmentㅡEntertain us, and let's see if you're still alive for dawn.
The boat lurched as it hit the restless tide, and Hyunjin looked at them with hatred and disappointment, feeling it in his gut. Deep down, he was a young seaman full of freedom at heart, his soul yet to be hardened by the cruelty of the ocean and man.
On a moonless, starless night, he decided to break an unwritten rule of the ship, and these were the consequences: They tied him up like an animal and threw him into one of the most rickety lifeboats, with a single, almost empty oil lamp lit. The waves rocked him as if the sea already tasted him, hungry as the ship hovered so far away and yet so close to witness his fate.
With his arms tied behind his injured back, wide from work, and his legs numb with cramps, he struggled to reach the knife hidden in his boot, but each attempt only deepened the wounds on his wrists and the lashings he'd inflicted. He screamed voicelessly, kicking the planks beneath his shoes, crying with his worn throat, his chest frozen, and his eyes burning. He was in mermaid territory, he knew. And there was no prayer that could save him.
Then, he saw it.
Silent from the water, a creature leaning with its arms crossed on the edge of the boat stopped time in an instant. He was beautiful in a supernatural and dangerous way, but there was nothing about him that even hinted at an attack.
He had blond hair tied in a wet, messy bun, freckles scattered like constellations across his face and shoulders. His eyes were a blue that was too light, too deep, and icy. He watched him as the tide moved them serenely, as if expecting something from him, without fear, and with an intense elegance in his gaze.
Hyunjin froze, his ragged breath rising and falling in his chest, thick tears rolling down his eyes. He tried to sit up, though his arms and legs ached and trembled with the effort. The creature didn't move. He rested his chin on his arms with a calmness that contrasted with the chaos pounding in his chest, filled with an attacking swarm.
Then the boat lurched sharply. Distant hisses echoed across the waves. He wasn't alone and his fate seemed sealed.
Without warning, the creature leaped into the boat and knocked it over. Hyunjin screamed against the damp fabric of his gag. The creature crouched over him, snarling and hissing, its sharp fangs bared to either side of the sea, its irises narrowed like those of a wild animal protecting its prey. And the sounds outside slowly faded as the boat balanced, respecting its strong hold.
Hyunjin trembled in anguish, tears running down his temples and through his long black hair. The fear running down his spine was as physical as the electric cold that was rapidly numbing him. And yet, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the mermaid. Something in him was trapped.
The creature looked at him again. Not with hunger or aggression like its competition, but with silent concern. They both stared at each other, and Hyunjin felt the arms behind his back, trembling and aching.
With slow movements, as if untying a wounded animal, the mermaid delicately slid her cold, clammy hands around Hyunjin's neck, causing him to twitch at the vast difference in heat, and loosened the cloth covering his mouth. As soon as it was free, he held it with one hand and quickly covered his lips with the other, anticipating his scream.
ㅡDon't raise your voice in vainㅡHe whispered, his tone soft but sharp, like crystal dipped in frost. Their voice was deep and velvetyㅡPleas draw us as much as light. So think carefullyㅡWarnㅡIf I were hungry... you'd be dead by now... After all, my nets are stronger than your weapons.
Their words seemed to move with the tide.
Hyunjin stifled a scream in his hand, feeling his chest crushed by the presence of the beautiful yet terrifying mermaid. And he knew it: many sailors feared passing through these seas due to the experience of survival.
They never joked when recounting how these supernatural beings were able to secrete from their arms woven like seaweed and scales, expertly imitating the fishing nets of the fishermen and hunters who mercilessly hunted them. And with these, they helped each other catch and drag the less awake to the bottom of the sea to devour them, thus avoiding the need to get too close to the boats for defense or food.
The creature raised both eyebrows in an unspoken warning and removed its hand from Hyunjin's lips, who swallowed hard.
His voice trembled raspily as he murmured:ㅡWhat do you want from me?
The mermaid didn't respond immediately.
Then something wet and slimy slid onto his lap. Hyunjin noticed with a start that something else had settled between his thighs: human, strong, and firm. They fit perfectly between his own; the tail of dark silver scales had dissolved into watery threads of silk that vanished in the air and the wood. Damp legs, knees, and feet replaced what had once seemed impossible. But the mermaid paid no attention to this transformation. Her eyes were fixed solely on him.
He tilted her head, letting the warm lamplight slide over his wet skin. The gleam revealed scales like silver sequins on their neck, with three gills on each side, well-shaped shoulders, and a forehead covered in golden locks.
ㅡYour origin...ㅡHe answered slowly, tasting the wordsㅡYou are different. Not human, not mermaidㅡHis voice sounded deeper now, more intimateㅡAnd I want to know... Why am I attracted to you?ㅡ. He leaned closer to his face. Nose to nose, feeling her water-dripping hair tickle and drip on his cheeks.
Hyunjin leaned back as far as he couldㅡIf you devour me to find out, I'll scream until my vocal cords tear outㅡHe said, threatening in a whisperㅡAnd I'll torment your people, and the men who watch over me.
The mermaid looked at him for a long time, her eyelids half-closed, filled with the compassion one only has for the dying who refuse to give in. In his eyes, Hyunjin was a stranded creature struggling to return to the home of salt and water.
ㅡYou're scared, thinking someone's watching what we do. And I understandㅡHe finally said, with distorted tendernessㅡBut what you don't know is that the ropes from the boat to the ship were never there to watch you be devouredㅡCradled both of his cheeks in his small hands, moistening them, gently wiping away the treacherous tears. They shifted more comfortably on his lap, sending chills through Hyunjin's nervous eyesㅡYou're so busy trying to survive, that you still believe the humanity of the sea shares your same faith.
And the mermaid pointed with her chin up, where the pirate last saw the imposing ship; now there was only darkness and the tide floating around.
«They're gone».
Hyunjin felt something break inside him, his chest heaving and his lungs stifling. There were too many layers of depth and abyss in this beautiful creature and his observations. Too many truths swimming beneath his voice.
The pirate sighed shakily, returning his gaze to the mermaid.
ㅡYou speak like one who has seen the worldㅡHe murmured, his eyes fluttering nervouslyㅡAs if you had scars that give you the right.
The being smiled sadlyㅡI saw you. You were the one who fed the chained... And I know very well what evil is capable ofㅡ. He replied with a shrug.
The silence thickened. The lantern flickered unsteadily in the wind. And it was then that Hyunjin finally realized the beautiful creature was naked, sitting intimately on top of him, revealing that he also had...
ㅡYour name?ㅡ. Hyunjin asked, almost breathless.
ㅡI'll give you mine... if you give me yoursㅡ. He replied, brushing his nose against his's again. Hyunjin didn't pull away, his full lips softening the rasp of her own in a cruel temptation.
ㅡHyunjin.
ㅡFelix.
They answered at the same time, and the sea breathed pure, salty air with them.
ㅡ…ㅡHyunjin moistened his lips, fearing that his boldness would cost him his life and the being's forgivenessㅡThere's something I don't understand about you... Why do you have... a cunt if your entire body looks like that of a man like me?ㅡHe asked hesitantly, as if curiosity burned on his tongueㅡAre you a man or a woman?
ㅡI'm a mermaidㅡFelix purred, narrowing his eyes, no annoyance or offense in her voiceㅡPirate, you'd better remember: It's not wise to apply your world as an absolute truth to another you don't know. Not everything needs a name or an explanation.
ㅡIt's j-just that I want to understand…
ㅡThen recognize meㅡThe mermaid sat up in his lap with an enthusiastic smileㅡLook at me as I am. The reality of other existences has always been here before your eyes.
Hyunjin admired Felix carefully and calmly. His eyes wandered between their beautiful face covered with a constellation and a button nose, his flat chest prickled by the cold, and her abdomen delicately fibrous from a lifetime of swimming. Returning to his face, he lingered on their glossy, full, pink lips, a cupid's bow defined by a slight, white, polished smile; it caught his attention and made one of the old tales come to mind like a drop in water.
ㅡIf this is your reality, then a mermaid's kiss really will save a life from drowningㅡHyunjin murmured, feeling for the first time that his pain was of no consequence. It was as light as a feather in the wind. Meanwhile, Felix raised an eyebrowㅡIt's an open truth between them and yoursㅡ. He explained.
ㅡA truth that comes with a price, and one you seem to feel you're not a part of.
ㅡYou called me not human not mermaid.
ㅡWell, isn't it obvious to you?ㅡFelix held her jaw and chin firmly, getting dangerously close to her tempting lips. His breath was sweet and inviting, his voice silkyㅡYou have the marks of my people's breathing. Here...
Felix caresses Hyunjin's ribs with his open palms. He never noticed when he unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his torso. It was probably in his desperate attempt to free himself. But the marks on them look like thick scars from vibrating gills.
ㅡI never knew who my parents really wereㅡHe confessed, captivated by the mermaid's calm caresses on his bodyㅡI was once told he was a decorated blue-blooded sailor, sometimes they said a fisherman; bonded to a strange slave who couldn't speak, or a dying prostitute. At birth, they both died, and I was abandoned in an orphanage near the beach. Where I learned about hunger, and grew up without fear of the sea or man, but of what lies within them.
ㅡ…ㅡFelix was silent for a moment. His breathing was calm, but his eyes shone with a suppressed emotion that wasn't human. He looked down at the marks on Hyunjin's torso, then raised her face, gazing into him as if seeing the reflection of an ancient legend taking shapeㅡYou weren't abandoned, just hiddenㅡHis voice didn't judge him; it sounded like a revelationㅡAmong us, there are forbidden stories... of children born from interbreeding.
Felix caressed him with his gaze, as if each word wove a warm, invisible blanket between them:ㅡThe sea doesn't forget those who are born and learn from pain. And it doesn't matter if it was a slave or a queen who gave birth to you, HyunjinㅡHis hands cupped both of cheeksㅡThe precious thing is that you grew up moving on your own instinct, despite the punishment... you grew up without enough malice.
The pirate admired the truth in her words, his gaze fixed on the ocean eyes that responded to him.
ㅡAnd now... the marks on you aren't scars: They're promises you haven't yet kept, a surge of freedom struggling to break outㅡHe leaned closer, and the air between them filled with something thick and salty, as if the tide rose just from his presence, enveloping them both in shelterㅡYou're not human, nor mermaid. You're a frontier. A border that bleeds for both.
Hyunjin swallowed. The silence pressed against him, until his voice emerged, low but firm:ㅡI won't settle for a kiss.
Felix looked at him, smiling with a mixture of desire, amusement, and sadness. He placed a palm on his bare chest, right over his heart, now calm from the men's abandonment.
ㅡThen prepare to shoulder the pact it entails. This is not a life preserver: It's an anchor, a compass, and an oath... We'll be tangled like snakes in a flood-tideㅡHis hand combed his dark locks behind the shell of his ear, sending soft shivers through himㅡA sacred guardian and an executioner coming as a blade. You won't be able to leave the shores, nor sleep peacefully if you leave me. Because if you do... you'll burn to foam and be nothing.
His other hand went to their own throat, where something shone beneath the skin, a creamy, whitish light, soft, like a living pearl.
ㅡBut if you take me with all your might... Fulfilling the holy duty of protecting my people from the hunt, of satisfying me devotedly as an equal... If you won't settle for a kiss, then demand itㅡHe whispered through half-lidded eyes, leaning closer to his face, brushing his lips one last timeㅡClaim me, Hyunjin. And the entire sea will bear witness, showing you what you've never been able to see until now.
Hyunjin admired him closely. His pupils vibrated, dilated by the reflection of the creature before him.
ㅡThen, show me the wayㅡHe lifted his chin, exchanging breaths, and Felix placed her hand on his throat, feeling where something more than life pulsed between his caresses: an ancient, vibrant forceㅡI'll do it. I accept it all.
Felix blinked slowly. Her lips parted in wonder and vertigo, as if he hadn't expected such direct surrender. But their eyes darkened with a desire that was no longer merely supernatural: It was physical, urgent, and hungry.
ㅡThen...ㅡ. Felix hugged his hard neck, pressing his mouth and body completely against it. It wasn't an ordinary kiss. Their lips met like waves crashing against a shore they'd been waiting for for years, their lips meeting intensely.
Hyunjin heard a wet crunch that shuddered down his spine. And feeling a biting tongue deep inside his own, the iron flooded his mouth, until the pirate swallowed it loudly like pure water. A black and blue drop rolled down the corners of his mouth.
The air around him changed completely with the first click, and with the second kiss: the temperature dropped and the moisture became thick, almost liquid on his skin. Hyunjin was rock on fog; he felt something burst in his lungs, and something was choking him and opening in his neck. It was a fiery expansion that didn't hurt, but burned like the truth. Something inside him expanded, filled with salt and echo.
His legs buckled, and his wrists behind his arched back contracted between the continuous, thirsty kisses. Felix held him by the nape of his neck and his hair, rubbing their hips against his in an almost animal-like sway. His lungs trembled, his insides twisted, settling between human and supernatural.
Then, with a loud click, their lips parted, and he exhaled the inky blood that stained his lips and Felix's.
ㅡNow... you can breathe underwater...ㅡ. The mermaid gasped deeply, admiring him dazedly, fondly caressing his cheeks and moving in his awake, clothed, and hardened lap. Feeling her bare pussy throb against the scratchy fabric of his pants.
And in that instant, the thirst was unbearable. Hyunjin tasted the mermaid's blood in his mouth, gasping, choked with his new lungs and the open gills on either side of his neck like those on his ribs.
The kiss didn't break for a long time; it overflowed. Felix's hands no longer knew any limits: he ran over skin, marks, muscles. He rubbed intensely. Felix pressed him against the wood of the boat, where the sea lapped beneath with a patient tongue.
Everything transformed into an onslaught of labored breaths, chins rising and falling sensually, tangled, wet tongues, and urgent hands. The wet rubbing of his large bulge against his aching cunt, separated by the thick fabric, had them both eager, dripping with arousal.
Hyunjin's body burned, not from fire, but from the sudden, warm moisture that seemed to emanate from every corner of Felix's skin.
The mermaid pulled away just enough to ease his shirt down to his shoulders. Hyunjin arched his back as he felt Felix's tongue on his open neck, on his sensitive, strong chest. Desire was no longer simple: It was hunger written in every cell of the new body he was awakening. The supernatural's mouth descended over Hyunjin's torso, lingering on the gill marks as if they were sacred. He kissed them one by one, with a slow, wet tongue.
Hyunjin's body trembled. Felix held him by the hips, reverently kissing the Adonis belt, pulling his pants down to mid-thigh, while his fingers trailed down to grasp his cock, stroking it with devastating intensity.
ㅡShould I release you?ㅡ. Felix rose over him again, his blue gaze drinking him in, as he pumped his precum-lubricated shaft up and down in a steady, firm rhythm.
Hyunjin licked his lips, twisting his wrists as he closed his eyes, letting the sensation take over:ㅡIn my right boot… there’s a knifeㅡHe moaned, feeling his hardness abandoned, and the mermaid deliberately dragged her nails down his firm, muscular thighs and ripped off his pants, sliding his hand inside his shoes, quickly finding the bladeㅡBut d-don’t untie me yet!
Felix raised an eyebrow, his gaze darkening with desire and wonder:ㅡSo needy…ㅡHe murmured, scraping the knife over one of his nipples, sending shivers of pleasure down his spine, stretching the delicious wounds in his restraints, and making Hyunjin arch up in search of more contact, adrenaline making him drunk with wantㅡAre you leaving your body completely at my mercy?ㅡ. He asked, gripping the hair at the nape of his neck tightly, drawing another loud moan from his, placing the blade gently against his throbbing jugular.
The mermaid was a master at making him lose his mind and fill with thirst.
ㅡYou have my body, flesh and bones. So, please... Take me over the edgeㅡHe invited him between excited gasps, his chest rising and falling with intoxicating speed as Felix grazed his other nipple and slowly lowered himself to his hard crotch. Hyunjin bit his fleshy lip with a moan as the supernatural slid the tip of the blade along his achingly sensitive shaftㅡOr maybe... Won't you show me what it's like?ㅡ. He hissed.
Felix closed his mouth in a strong, wet kiss, at the same instant he maliciously stabbed the knife into the side of his head. Hyunjin inhaled through his nose, feeling a strong throb in his cock that had him aching, throbbing and whining with pleasure on the other's tongue.
ㅡJust like that... Hyunjin~ㅡ. Felix moaned into his lips, pulling his dick firmly back in, now rubbing the head against her wet cunt, red clit, drooling and slicking, the liquid running in thick rivulets between his silky thighs, until it moistened Hyunjin's hard lap.
ㅡEven if it hurts me, don't ever untie meㅡThe pirate growled, clenching his jaw. Stretching the restraints on his wrists, they sent shocks of pleasure and a raspy texture through his pleasure-hungry bodyㅡNot until it's all overㅡFelix gripped his cock hard, making him moan loudly.
His eyes never left Hyunjin's as, with a wet, undulating motion of his hips, he took him inside him. Her body was too dilated to worry about the pre-stretching; he didn't want it. It didn't even hurt, it just made him shake all over and gasp intermittently with mouth open.
They both gasped.
ㅡThen feel it allㅡThe mermaid gasped, her arm rising in a motion to throw his nets at the oil lamp, knocking it over in a precise movement that left them both in the darkㅡFeel me.
Felix moved with the gentle tide, his movements slow and fluid, and the faint, unearthly gleam of his scales, barely perceptible beneath his skin, shook Hyunjin, who was barely getting used to the complete darkness.
Slowly, his other senses heightened, overwhelming him with excitement. The contrast between the wild and the sacred was exquisite. The sonorous blows were provocative and strong, making Hyunjin feel every inch of him wrapped in a tight, suffocating warmth and wetness.
He heard the skin hitting and rubbing, slippery with slick, Felix's moans echoing in his mind, and he felt goosebumps prickling his sensitive thighs, a stark contrast to the heat they felt from the litany of pleasure. Then the rhythm grew faster, deeper. Felix rode him with a wild, intense grace, amidst excited whimpers of madness.
The moans and gasps were lost among the waves. Hyunjin's blood groaned with a voice he'd never known.
Under the night, Felix's body seemed to slip between the human and the divine: scaly skin glowing with white bioluminescence, subtle lines of which adorned his flanks, and God, Hyunjin could taste her red, wet pussy, his swollen, sensitive clit throbbing with suppressed desire.
The touch of their bodies was sticky, liquid; The wet friction, and their moans mingled with the breeze of water and salt, their breath caught in the vertigo and the exertion of pleasure. Hyunjin felt intensely how Felix squeezed and released him at the same time while rolling his hips sensually.
ㅡYou're mine, and I'm yoursㅡFelix gasped, digging his soft nails into Hyunjin's chest, leaning down to exchange more deep, intense kisses with restless, silky tongues, still moving eagerly in his lapㅡYou were born for this.
Hyunjin arched beneath him, stretching his wrists one last time in the restraints, moaning brokenly, the kisses warm and a caress to his hybrid soul. The orgasm came like a sudden wave, deep, hot, filling him with everything in his womb. Felix followed, smothering his shaft hard, spilling over him as his body shook with a long, delicious jolt.
Their bodies remained entwined, wet with salt, cum, slick and breath. Felix leaned over him, exchanging a few more kisses, breathing intimately into him. He lazily began to caress his marked ribs, his cheekbones and cheeks, and tangled his fingers in his sweat-drenched black hair, combing it calmly.
ㅡYou won't be able to get away from the sea anymoreㅡ. He purred in his ear, his voice deep and husky, peppering kisses along his jugular vein, nibbling at earlobe.
Hyunjin, still panting, could only sigh exhaustedly into messy Felix's wet hair... Now he was a newborn creature of the foam and the night.
They spent some time like that, still in an embrace of cold sweat and slow breaths that warmed their souls. Then, Felix lowered her arms to surround his lower back, where he tenderly caressed the burning red marks around Hyunjin's bound wrists, who shuddered at the touch.
With a slow, almost ceremonial gesture, the mermaid took the knife still stabbed into the wood near Hyunjin's head. Then, he carefully slid it through the ropes, resting his chest against the pirate's, and the sound of the cut was brief and precise.
The bonds gave way with a sigh. Hyunjin stretched and let his arms fall to his sides, heavy as stones, still trembling, still warm, but now free.
Felix took his hands in his with loving gentleness, kissing the redness and bloody crusts on his wrists, circling them one by one between his lips. Hyunjin exhaled in ecstasy, feeling cared for like never before in his life. And then, Felix helped him slowly sit up, pulling them both into a sitting position. The boat creaked softly as their weight shifted.
They exchanged tired, intense glances, the black fading into the blue as the sky turned from darkness to celestial twilight.
ㅡComeㅡ. The mermaid murmured, his voice seeming to draw the ocean's tongue with every syllable. They took his hands firmly, urging him to approach the edge of the boat, and Hyunjin nodded calmly.
Without haste, they descended in a clumsy splash. The water welcomed both like a being that recognized them: warm, enveloping, salty.
Felix reformed her tail as he grew accustomed to sinking, leaving his legs behind to give way to the bluish silver. He hugged Hyunjin, submerging him head-down into the living body, causing him to inhale the water, allowing him to finally feel the pure breath of the sea. Meanwhile, his eyes adjusted to the vision of a world filled with colors and lights never seen on land, and he felt his body register the freedom of space, floating with his black hair, free.
And Hyunjin, his restraints released, with the ability to return to the boat, lovingly cradled Felix's cheeks in his hands. And they kissed again, deeply, eternally, laughing between gasps of air in the water, exhausted.
Bubbles and light kisses, their legs tangled in the tail that caressed their skin, still shivering from the encounter, and for the pirate and the mermaid, nothing felt more perfect.
Hyunjin let himself go, swimming alongside Felix, whose blond hair floated like golden threads beneath the surface. He looked at him and thought he saw the sea itself incarnated in his body: the scales shone, subtle but real, and his ocean eyes sparkled with a superhuman transparency.
They emerged together, and it was then, with the breath of air, that Hyunjin saw him.
The first rays of the sun filtered over the horizon, warm and golden. The shadows dissipated, and with them, everything old. The air was fresh, but the sun caressed his skin like the embrace Felix offered him. His body, exhausted and new, seemed to awaken to the world for the first time.
ㅡYou won't be able to leaveㅡ. Felix repeated, hugging him from behind, her arms wrapped around him with calm, almost feline strength.
Hyunjin rested his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes, exhaling deeply, relaxed.
ㅡNor youㅡ. He whispered.
And together, bathed in the salt, the foam, and the light, they floated above the surface like two creatures reborn from the night.