Work Text:
Lin Ling glided through the water, a streak of gold and blues as he rushed away from the city. Moon and Wreck would worry about him later, no doubt, but he couldn't help it as he rushed through the open seas. Lin Ling could never understand the merfolk who preferred to stay within the safety of the city's gates.
Ever since he was a guppy, Lin Ling had found himself enamored with the open ocean. Of course, he wasn't nearly as brave as Moon, where he'd choose to turn back at the first signs of predators. She charged forward, braving danger and death for the freedom the ocean provided.
That shared love of the ocean was what had drawn the two together in the first place, and it was that same love that led them to the final part of their trio, Wreck.
A shark attack had separated him from his pod during a migration. Wreck had been injured during the attack, a shark managing to bite a chunk out of his tail. The young merman hadn't been able to swim properly, hiding himself away in a cave as the beast hunted him down.
That was until they arrived, a much younger Moon hadn't been able to stand the sight, and before Lin Ling could stop her, she was rushing in to distract the shark so Lin Ling could get Wreck out. The shark chased the three all the way to the city's edge, where it was bested by the Royal Guards.
Since then, the trio had been inseparable.
Lin Ling sank low against the sand, running fingers through the ocean's floor, giggling when a cranky crab tried to pinch him. With a powerful sweep of his tail, Lin Ling was sent racing forward, sand flying in his wake. With barely a flick of his tail, Lin Ling turned onto his back and slowly glided down until he was lying on the seafloor.
Staring up at the distant light that shone through the ocean's surface, Lin Ling felt his body relax. This was his favorite spot in the whole ocean, towering reefs of coral surrounding him, and the way the ocean seemed to sparkle when the light from the surface hit it just right. Lin Ling was certain there was no place more beautiful, not in the ocean and not on the surface.
Just as Lin Ling started to relax, a streak of light caught his attention. Floating around the edge of his reef was a small silver fish; he couldn't have been larger than one of Lin Ling's fingernails, and even that seemed like a bit of a stretch.
The fish swam closer, its movements jerky like it wasn't used to its own fins. As the little fish got closer, Lin Ling noticed that it didn't actually have any fins; instead, it had two stubby little legs that it was using to swim towards him, his beady little fish eyes trained on Lin Ling as the silver hair on his head swayed gently in the sea currents.
Lin Ling was almost certain he was having a strangely realistic dream as the not-quite-a-fish swam towards him, its stubby little legs pushing harder as it began swimming circles around him, and despite how hard he tried, Lin Ling couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up inside him from escaping.
The fish seemed to droop and come alive at the sound of Lin Ling's laughter, doing these strange dance-like movements as it dipped and swam up in quick succession. Unable to help the coo in his voice, Lin Ling reached out to hold the little fish in his hands.
"I'm sorry, you were just so cute I couldn't help myself." The fish in his hands gurgled, blowing bubbles in his direction before stopping his tiny feet on Lin Ling's palms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed, you're right."
Lin Ling reached out to brush the hair floating around the little fish. Surprisingly, it seemed to be attached to the fish, like he was growing it somehow. The little fish pressed against his finger, the movement far too ticklish.
"Haha," Lin Ling pushed the little fish away slightly, "stop that, I'm trying to figure out what you are."
The fish didn't seem to care, seemingly much more concerned with eliciting another laugh out of Lin Ling. Finally, having had enough, Lin Ling dropped the fish, watching as it floundered for a moment before righting itself and beginning to swim towards him once again.
"What is with you?" Lin Ling couldn't help the smile spreading across his face at the sight of the little thing. With a flick of his tail, Lin Ling moved farther away. It was only a small distance, but the little fish was forced to start kicking its legs harder to keep up.
"Why are you following me?" Lin Ling glided to the side, watching as the fish turned to follow him. With a swipe of his tail, Lin Ling arrived before the tiny fish, enclosing it between his hands, taking a moment to feel it squirm before releasing it. "You didn't even bite me? Seriously, what's up with you?"
The fish, for his part, did nothing more than flop uselessly around his palm. After a moment, the fish seemed to right itself, using its two tiny legs to walk across his palm. The fish looked around before jumping to the seafloor.
Lin Ling watched it curiously, slowing the sway of his tail to not disturb the tiny thing. The fish stumbled for a moment before righting itself and swimming, or more like running, towards a small alcove that Lin Ling hadn't noticed before. The fish disappeared into the hole for a few moments before reappearing, a metal ring in hand.
Kicking its tiny feet, the fish began making the slow ascent towards Lin Ling, feeling a little bad for the tiny fish. Lin Ling reached out a hand and pulled the creature towards him. The fish settled calmly on his palm until he was face to face with Lin Ling, well face to fish snout, before turning around and racing over to Lin Ling's finger.
The fish jumped lightly, swiveling its body with far more grace than Lin Ling expected and managing to slip the metal ring onto one of Lin Ling's fingers before kicking its little legs to land on Lin Ling's other palm.
Extending his hand in front of him, Lin Ling let the water carry the ring snugly onto his finger. Smiling, he turned towards his new fishy friend.
"I've heard humans promise themselves to each other with rings. I guess that means you were someone's pet?" Lin Ling chuckled at the mental image of this strange fish in one of those little bowls humans liked using. "Are you trying to ask me to marry you?"
Surprisingly, the little fish nodded.
"You want to marry me?" Lin Ling asked ludicrously, watching the fish nod its head again before throwing his head back with a cackle. "That's sweet, you're really funny."
Smiling at the strange fish, Lin Ling gave the idea a little more thought. It wasn't like he'd never had anyone offer to be his mate; Lin Ling just hadn't been interested in them, which brought up the question, why not?
It wasn't like Lin Ling had anyone he was waiting on.
"Alright." Lin Ling settled the little fish on his rock before glancing around the clove, spotting a broken fish net. Lin Ling swam over and picked it up, swiping a handful of coral from the floor. Lin Ling settled the fish net onto his head and swam back. "Let's get married then."
The fish wiggled happily in place as it swam it's way up to him, settling back onto his rock with a smile Lin Ling held his coral bouquet out.
"Since it's just the two of us, I guess we can do it the human way," Lin Ling strained his brain to remember what exactly he'd heard about human customs, "I, Lin Ling take um…" Lin Ling blinked. "I don't know your name."
That wouldn't do, names were very important in these kind of ceremonies.
"Hmm, how about Nice? Since you've been such nice company." Lin Ling watched the fish, Nice, swim around excitedly for a moment. "Haha, ok then. I, Lin Ling take Nice to be my husband, do you Nice take me to be your husband?"
Nice's only answer was a quick turn in a circle and nodding his head very quickly, something Lin Ling didn't know fish could do.
"In that case, we may now kiss."
Without another word Lin Ling shut his eyes and pressed his lips to Nice's, pulling back with a smile Lin Ling opened his eyes only to come face to face with a very drowning humans.
The human had pure white hair and eyes the color of the sky. Lin Ling had only ever seen the sky once as a guppy, he'd gotten lost from the pod and managed to get so turned around he'd breached the surface. Seeing the sun, the sky in all its glory was a day he'd never forget.
Before he could even register what was going on, Lin Ling found himself once pressing his lips against this strange humans, holding his face still Lin Ling forced his mouth open, feeling the human go still as their tongues met.
Lin Ling felt the humans hand brush past his gills, nipping at his lip one more time Lin Ling pulled back, pushing the human away when he tried to follow.
"Stop that." Lin Ling pressed a webbed hand over the humans mouth. "You can breath now, right?" Lin Ling waited for the human to nod before continuing. "In that case, how did you get down here?"
"Witch," the human muttered, eyes transfixed on Lin Ling's form, "and marriage now I guess."
"You're married?" Lin Ling felt a strange striking feeling in his core at the through of this human being claimed but he quickly pushed it down. "No, that's not important, how-"
"It's very important," the pretty human interrupted, looking strangely upset as he held Lin Ling's hand in a lose grip, "Lin Ling, don't say you hate me now?"
Lin Ling flinched, curling away at the sudden use of his name. "How did you know that?"
"Know what?"
"My name! I never told you that!"
"Yes, you did," the human covered Lin Ling's mouth before he could interrupt, "just now, during our wedding."
"Our wedding? I did not just marry you-"
"You kissed me, Lin Ling!" The human leaned in, looking desperate. "What, you suddenly don't like me because I'm human?!"
"I never said I didn't like you?!"
"You're breaking up with me, why do that if you like me?!"
"We aren't together!" Lin Ling tugged his arm away from the human. "I married Nice!"
"I am Nice!" The human hissed, tightening his grip on Lin Ling's arm. "You guessed my name, you kissed me, you married me less than five seconds ago!"
"No, I didn't and you are not Nice, Nice is a-"
Before Lin Ling could finish his sentence the current suddenly sped up, blocking Lin Ling's sight and swallowing the human before him whole. Once it finally died down all that was left of the human was a strange looking fish.
A very familiar strange looking fish with beautifully luscious hair.
"-fish, you're a fish. Oh, Neptune's beard you're Nice?!"
Nice's only response to his growing panic was to let out a long a string of bubbles.