Chapter Text
Bloody hell, John thought to himself, shocked. He had been debating with the possibility all day, but never once had he imagined he would actually be confronted with proof. Not really. Slowly the creature, rose just above the surface of the water, waves gently lapping at his collar bone. Male, John’s mind supplied helpfully as he gazed over the railings unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Dark curls the color of ink tumbled down to kiss the tops of his ears, each of which was pointed, a thin layer of webbing peeking through the midnight curls. grey eyes were tinged with the many colors of the sea, each one flickering through it's depths before disappearing, only to be replace by the next. currently those eyes were raking up and down John's face, seeming to lay him bare, the icy gaze ruthless.
Afraid to say anything lest he scare off the creature , John merely stared back seconds slowly turned into minutes as both remained silent. Finally John's had enough of the stalemate and slowly reached for the creature, careful to keep an eye lest he scare it away. Inch by inch his hand grew closer and never did the other move, instead starting staring intently at John's face, brow furrowed as though trying to figure something out.
Just as his finger was about to brush one of the curls on the creature's forehead it disappeared. Startled, John pulled back looking around for where it had gone, only seeing the ripple it had left behind in it's haste. Growling in John let his head sag down to the railings, eyes still fixed on the water just in case it appeared again.
There's no way I'm dreaming this John thought himself, only half convinced. After a few more moments he saw the inky curls emerge again, this time well out of arm's reach.
He couldn't help the broad smile that split his face when he saw the creature once more, and a hysterical giggle erupted from his mouth. his mind raced with the implications of this. If mermaids were real, why not the rest of the stories. Hell, why not a kraken!? he thought to himself, not entirely sure that it wasn’t within the realm of possibility at this point.
The creature looked reproachfully at him, the effect only slightly ruined by the obvious curiosity still lingering in it’s gaze. After a few moments it swam a bit nearer, beginning to smile up at him. encouraged, John grinned down at it. “That’s right, not gonna hurt ya.”
Before he could say anything else the creature opened its mouth, a row of razor sharp teeth peeking out from behind full lips. Startled John froze, not sure whether he should try and move back away from the railings now that he saw how much damage the thing could do. The creatures teeth were thin, and smooth; distinctly predatory, but not all too different from a humans.
Struggling to keep himself still and not give into the instincts screaming at him to run John waited to see what would happen. It hadn’t tried to hurt him so far, so perhaps the teeth were just for grabbing fish, not for eating people.
The creatures face seemed to soften slightly as it looked at him, almost smiling though it’s eyes remained distant, seeming to take in every detail at once. Tilting its head slightly it began to speak. Or, sing John quickly realized. The melody was instantly recognizable as the song he had heard the other night, only the lyrics were different.
“One day as I was swimming
Through the ocean blue...”
Leaning down a little bit John was rewarded with a small smile as the creature came closer still, it’s song never stopping.
“I saw a jolly sailor
With eyes that sparkled true”
They were nearly close enough to touch now, the blown out pupils in the mermaid’s eyes clearly visible at this distance. John had to work hard to tear his own away, something about the situation seeming off.
The creature seemed to sense his hesitation, its song speeding up slightly as distress flickered over it’s face.
“His hair is touched by sunlight
His eyes like gemstones shine”
The words almost seemed pleading now, as though begging him to stay where he was. Just a few inches now separated them. The entreating expression on the creatures face seemed to slip slightly, triumph shining through and giving John a slit seconds notice.
It reached its arm up, hand extended to John, beckoning him closer as it lowered it’s voice to a whisper. Tempted to lean in and hear the rest of the lyrics John hesitated a moment, oddly compelled to lean in the last few feet.
It seemed to realize how close John was to closing that distance because the creature suddenly smiled, a brief flicker of satisfaction crossing its face. The flash of white teeth reminded John of how dangerous the creature was; after all, he had searched it out under the assumption that it had eaten one of his crew mates.
He pulled away, stepping back a few feet until he was securely on the deck. Just as he moved the merman surged up, fingers barely scraping John’s wrist as he reeled backwards. Shocked, all John could do was stare at the creature as it sunk back down, glaring resentfully up at him.
Just then John heard Wiggins calling for him, voice muffled. “Over here.” John called, taking his eyes off the creature. When he turned back it was gone, a few ripples all the remained of the merman.
Pausing a moment John waited to see if it would emerge again before heading back to the cabins, handing the lantern off to Wiggins on his way.