The Tide That Lead to You.
Pairings: Floyd Leech x Female! Reader
Synopsis: What starts as a quiet routine of collecting ocean treasures along the shore takes a strange turn when an unusually low tide leaves an unpredictable sea creature stranded on the rocks. Bringing him home was supposed to be a temporary fix to keep him safe from the brewing storm. You certainly didn't expect him to decide he's never leaving-- or that your home was about to become the epitome of a very loud, very magical hurricane.
Note: Helllooooo I'm thinking abt making this a 2 or 3 part little fic! It started as a oneshot buttt ya knoww aha! Hope u like itttt.
All you can hear is the sound of soft waves crashing against the rocky shoreline below your feet. The wind slips through the strands of your hair as you carefully make your way down the familiar path, a little bucket swinging from your hand with every excited step down the seashore.
Living on a separate island from the town sure has it's perks! You get your own part of the shore to explore with.
Today, the tides low, leaving behind deep, glistening rock pools filled with hidden treasures. You hop from one smooth stone to another, keeping your eyes open for any shells or smooth sea glass to add to your collection.
I wonder what else I can find.. You glance through the rock pools seeing how the waves are starting to rise higher. Oof. I should leave soon—
Suddenly, a bright flash of turquoise catches your eye near the edge of the rocky shore.
Curious, you jog over and peer into the water, waves getting a tad higher now. ….Huh. Wedged tightly between two mossy rocks is a glass jar, washed by the morning waves. Inside it, thrashing around with an immense amount of dramatic flair, is a creature you've never seen before. Eyes widening as a short gasp escapes your mouth.
It looks like a tiny slender moray eel, but its scales are a shade of teal, and there's a long dark streak running on its left side..? And most surprisingly, it has a pair of mismatched eyes— one yellow, and one olive— staring right at you. The sea creature should be looking panicked, but instead? The little eel presses it's face against the glass, puffing out his cheeks in what oddly looks like a pout.
You blink, deadpanned. "This is a tiny eel.. Pouting at me? Strange." you murmur, kneeling to the ground.
You reach down hands submerging in the water and carefully wigging the jar out of the rocks. The moment you lift it up to the air, the little eel stops thrashing. He floats upright in the jar, tilting his head as he stares at you through the glass. Then, a wide, sharp-toothed grin splits across his tiny face. He lets out a series of happy, bubbling squeaks and taps his tail against the glass, clearly delighted by his new audience.
You stare with a slight smile that eventually turns into a grin, "Hold on, let's get you out of here." You chuckle at his poor attempts of trying to squeeze himself out. "Okay little guy, how about you let me do it?" looking at how wide his grin became, you soon made it your course of action to succesfully take him out. It took a few minutes to figure out how to not harm this little guy. You finally got it! After filling up your bucket with water, you started grabbing the bottom of the jar and gently pulling out the little eel's tail, you managed to take the gleeful sea creature out with no damage done. A little plop! was made as the little eel happily submerged into the water, doing little spins out of joy.
"Chill little guy! You're gonna splash all the water out," you laugh, lifting the bucket slightly to shield your face from the miniature tidal waves he's making.
The tiny eel stops his frantic spinning and floats up to the surface, resting his chin right on the rim of your bucket. Heterochromia eyes blink up at you, completely devoid of any survival skills. Instead, he looks incredibly smug, as if he's entirely aware of how fascinating he is to you.
"Squeeeeeaaaaaak," he lets out a high-pitched, drawn out noise, his tail swishing lazily behind him.
You tilt your head, "You're definitely not a normal moray eel," you murmur, poking a finger gently toward the water.
Instead of darting away, the sea creature lunges forward with a sudden burst of speed. You flinch, but he merely presses the side of his slippery face against your fingertip, you think he's being affectionate until—
"Agh!" He bit you! Staring at your finger, with a tiny bitemark upon your skin— Damn, his teeth was sharp! Pretty sure he got a bit of my blood too…
"Hey, no eating the saviour!" you chide, slightly narrowing your eyes at him. Of course, he grins as a reply.
The waves are starting to crash harder against the rocks now, a spraying mist of saltwater reminding you the tide is coming back fast. You hum and look down at the bucket, then out at the vast, churning ocean. Leaving him here feels wrong, especially since he was trapped in a jar just moments ago. What if he gets stuck again? or worse, what if a bigger fish decides he looks like a snack!?
Who am I kidding? "Well… I guess you're coming home with me for the day," you decide, picking up the bucket. "Just till the storm passes, okay?"
The teal little eel seems to understand, letting out a delighted bubble of air as you quickly trek back towrd your humble abode. You have no idea what you're supposed to feed a magical pouting— yet cheeky moray eel, but judging by the way he's looking at the pocket you keep your afternoon snacks, you have a feeling your kitchen is about to be turned upside down.
Floyd doesn't understand why he likes you so much.
It's been a few hours since you've brought him in your house, he's found quite a liking to the aesthetics of your home! Another thing is, he's seem to have gotten larger! From a tiny bucket to the kitchen sink is.. certainly an upgrade. I guess. Floyd floats upside down in the kitchen sink, blowing a lazy stream of bubbles that pop against the porcelain. Human food is way better than anything back home. Sure' it's made of octopus, but it's not like Azul is actually here to find out. And even if he was, what's Azul gonna do about it? Probably cry. Ehe! The thought makes Floyd's tail swish with pure joy.
He rolls over in the water, his mismatched eyes locking onto you as you move around the kitchen.
He still doesn't really get why he likes you so much. Usually, things bore him almost instantly. If something isnt fun, he just leaves. But you? You're different. You didn;t run away when he bit you— even though he most definitely and totally tasted your blood. Instead, you just scolded him like a cranky shrimp, patched yourself up, and gave him a cozy place to swim anyways! (Like a sink is cozy enough to swim in aha..)
You're small, and you look kind of fragile, but you aren't boring at all.
Watching you wash a glass, a sudden wave of possesiveness enters his tiny little moray eel brain. He doesn't want to go back to the deep ocean. He doesn't want to go back to his brother, or to Azul's boring rules, or the the dark water of the Coral Sea! He wants to stay riiiight here! HE wants to wrap himself around your wrist, squeeze you tight, and see what kind of funny expression you make when he surprises you.
A strange tingly warmth starts to spread from his tail all the way up to his gills. It feels heavy, like his magic is bubbling right inside his body, trying to burst out.
Hey, look at me, Floyd thinks, swimmming aggressively towards the side of the sink closer to you and splashing water all over the back of your shirt. Look at me, look at me! I wanna play with ya out there. I wanna walk on those funny little legs you have!
The tingly feeling inside him intensifies, shifting from a warm hum to sharp, electric buzz. It feels exactly like the pressure right before a massive storm breaks over the Coral Sea. Floyd twists his slender body in a frantic circle, heterochromia eyes widened and locked onto your back. Why won't you turn around alreadyyyy? The glass you're drying is boring. He is way more intersting!
Ehh? Ah, whatever! If you won't look, I'll make you look.
Floyd pulls back, gathering magic right into the center of his chest. He pushes it outwards forcing it to his tail and out through his sides. It feels super weird! It stretching and cracking and pulling in ways his body never did before!
First, two little bumps sprout right below his gills. With a strange, squelching pop, they stretch out into chubby, pale arms ending in tiny hands with sharp, claw-like fingernails. He flexes his new fingers, utterly fascinated by how they move.
Woahhhh! This is funnn! Next comes his tail. The long, elegant teal fins split right down the middle, the scales melting away into smooth skin as his lower half reshapes itself into a pair of short, kicking toddler legs. The sudden shift in weight sends him face-planting directly into the stainless steel bottom of your sink.
Ouch. Walking in water is dumb.
Using his newly formed hands, Floyd clumsily scrambles up, his slippery skin squeaking loudly against the metal. He hoists his upper body over the edge of the sink, planting his small, webbed feet on the slippery porcelain rim. He balances there like a newborn bird, completely naked, rocking back and forth with a massive, triumphant grin that pushes his cheeks up into his eyes.
"Ehe~! Look, look! I did it!" he barks out.
Only, it doesn't sound like a squeak anymore. It's a real, human voice-— childish, high-pitched, and dripping with pure mischief.
Floyd sees you get startled, dropping your dish towel. Seeing you whip your head around so fast, eyes widening in disbelief as you take in the sight of a tiny, teal-haired boy sitting perfectly balanced on your kitchen counter. He laughs at you frozen expression.
Floyd knows why he likes ya.
Wooohooo part 1 outt hope yall like it and maybe ill continue aha!
