#cod pirates

Pirate!Captain John Price x Mermaid!f!reader

|| Part 2 ||

<<< read part 1 || part 3 coming soon >>>

Summary: The mermaid visits Captain’s ship and reveals her secret to him in exchange for a memory.

A sailing ship could travel the vast oceans, far and wide, but it could never uncover the mysteries it hid in the depths. There was no fighting what lived beneath. One could only pray to be blessed or fear the curse of the creatures who guarded the vast blue.

Mermaids were often seen as the gentlest of what the ocean gods had to offer. Maybe it was due to their playful nature, but in truth they were as dangerous as any other creature of the deep. A horde of mermaids could compare to a Kraken. With the strength of their tails and voices a sailing ship or two was no real obstacle.

Their singing was known to lead sailors to their doom for centuries. Any man that escaped their snares and lived to share the memories of their striking voices, or better yet, heard their song while passing a lagoon at the time of their leisure, said it was the most beautiful sound the world had to offer.

Many things have been said about them, but no one truly knew what they were like. Everyone believed what they wanted, but there were only a few who honestly knew what these creatures were like. They also knew when to shut up about it. Some memories weren’t meant to be shared.

The mermaids were mostly solidary creatures that lived in packs. They hunted together, feeding off fish and some corals. Although their favorite snack would be pearls, which gave them the unique shine, and their favorite pastime revolved around singing, relating stories or just making themselves beautiful. They’d braid their silky hair and decorate their bodies with ornaments made by hand with the pretty treasures provided by the sea as well as the jewels found on human wrecked ships.

One of them found herself wandering off alone again, her mind above the waves, as she was focused on the memories from a few days ago. She would never accept the fact that getting caught in those fishing ropes was her own fault. After all, she was injured. Even mermaids happened to be hostile towards each other and fought for territory. Even if the pirates didn’t let her go she’d just sing till their ears bled and their brains turned to mush. What kept her so absorbed with the situation wasn’t the danger she was in, but rather how she didn’t need to fight for her freedom…

It was given back to her.

A scenario impossible to imagine in this world, let alone live through, albeit being acknowledged by a mermaid, was unheard of, not to mention being gifted anything by one. She didn’t know why she did such a thing. The fact that she allowed him to look at her should be a gift in itself. She had to admit, having her power recognized was as rare as it was pleasant, and maybe she was just feeling generous that day. Perhaps she was feeling benevolent again as her mind stayed stuck on the human captain.

His eyes, their kindness and brightness, looked almost uncanny on a mortal. Shen wanted to look at them once again.

And so she found herself beneath the familiar ship. The muffled footsteps and other noises resonated through the ship’s hulk, echoing in the deep, endless blue beneath it. She circled the ship a few times. The sailors on board were clearly in a festive mood judging by their laughter and singing. There was hardly a night on a pirate ship without celebrating the day’s labor in the mess.

The mermaid had jumped out of the water to one of the tiny windows in the ship’s lower deck. It wasn't a big jump thanks to the heavy load the ship was carrying, making it sink slightly deeper. She looked over the man inside. None of them were the one she sought. She submerged again and jumped to another window, now met only with a corridor.

She swam to the back of the ship and once again jumped out of the water to look inside. This time she met with a larger, more spacious room. There were cabinets against the walls, paintings and loose papers attached to the wall with knives, rum bottles, and weird trinkets she didn’t recognize. In the middle there was a big table. She couldn’t see what was on it. In front of the window she spied through was a chair and a table. It seemed like the Captain’s quarters.

The mermaid got startled. Sudden movement of the captain's office door opening caused her to flinch. She lowered herself, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed, half of her tail under the waves. Her eyes followed the figure through the dirty window. She could feel the momentum of footsteps vibrating through the wood. Whoever was inside made their way to the desk by her window. They pulled back the chair and sat by the desk. They worked something in their hands until light illuminated the dim space.

The light blinded her for a second, her eyes used to the darkness of the deep. After her eyes got used to the brightness, she looked back to the person behind the distorted window.

It was him.

He extinguished the match after lighting up the lamp on his desk and then studied some papers. He took off the pirate hat that distinguished him so much from the rest of his crew.

She took her sweet time to observe him in silence. The dirty glass ruined her viewing experience. As her patience ran low, she decided to make her presence known, and she knocked on the glass two times.

The sound made Price stop in his tracks. The pen he was holding dripped fresh droplets of ink. He turned around to the window. At first he didn’t notice anything unusual, but after a moment he noticed a familiar glow, it made his heart jump a little. He took a steadying breath and ran his hand through his short, disheveled hair. Once he felt ready to meet her again, he stood up from his chair and opened the window, crouching before it.

And there she was. Big eyes that captured the ocean’s eternity as well as its bright purity. John had a feeling it’ll be her, but just the mere sight of her made him forget how to breathe. As if just her presence made his body prepare to dive in and drown.

„Hello, Captain.” Her voice was unforgettable. John heard it in his dreams, sometimes the gutwrenching screech and sometimes the melodic whisper. Right now her voice was like the soft push and pull of waves against the shore, a beautiful, calming sound.

„Here I thought I’d seen the last of you. What brings you here my dear?” John sat down on the floor next to the window and leaned her way, ending up closer than he intended. Just a few centimeters away from her. She didn’t back away, a little red flag flapped in the back of his head. He wondered if she’ll grab him and pull him into the darkness below them.

„The ocean currents, of course.” She gave him an innocent smile, her intention remaining hidden to him. She climbed up a little closer to him. Their noses were barely 10 centimeters apart. She tilted her head curiously.

„Then, I’m lucky to stumble in their path,” he said, with a smirk creeping on his lips, more than happy to encourage the mermaid’s little game. No matter if it was just her whim or just circumstances, to him, meeting her still meant a blessing, as well as a pleasant encounter.

„Why aren’t you with your man?” She inquired, her eyes glued to his, studying him as if he was the eternal creature and not her.

„Could ask you the same thing,” John spoke with a low rumble in his voice, his mustache curving with his grin. It was pretty well known that mermaids moved in packs, yet here she was alone. With him. Again.

”Where are your manners, Captain?” She said with a light giggle that sounded like soft bell chimes. Despite the brightness in her voice, her sharpened gaze warned him not to go into that territory.

”My apologies, won’t happen again.” He lowered his head and put his hand on his chest in an apologetic gesture. This seemed to satisfy her, judging from the way she straightened her back, extending her neck pridefully. Moments later she climbed a little higher on that window to look around the room. John moved aside for her to observe freely, her curiosity making the corner of his lips move upwards slightly. Creatures like her hardly ever showed interest in humans and their lives. Having her here looking around interested was fascinating to John.

Her eyes scanned the room, her mouth opened slightly in awe at the intriguing human-made items. Some she was familiar with, and others she saw for the first time in her life. She wanted to ask about them, see them up close, touch them, but she didn’t. The fact that she was here by herself, getting friendly with a human, was questionable to say the least, so she kept some of the inquiries to herself and just kept on eyeing the area until her gaze fell on a small opalescent orb sitting on Captain's desk in a small ceramic tray. Her body froze and her heart skipped a beat. She never felt something like this. She once again captured his gaze, surprise creeping up her delicate features.

„You kept my pearl…” She stated quietly. She wasn’t sure why this small act moved her. It’s not like the pearls were particularly rare. She had thousands of them in her lair. She expected the pirate to exchange all of them for money, yet he chose to keep it instead of enriching himself.

„One of them, yes. I have made use of the rest, but this one… She’s my favorite, just had to keep it.” He looked back at the gem as he explained. Price wasn’t a superstitious man, but when the ocean whispered, he listened. If you are gifted anything by the ocean, you cherish it, and you keep it. No other way around it.

„Why?” A simple question laced with emotions never before seen on a mystical being like her.

John went quiet for a second, debating his answer. Explaining to her the full extent of his beliefs about her kind would be pointless. She knows what she is, she knows how the survival amongst those waves looked. It’d be like instructing the sun on how to shine. So he settled on a simpler, yet equally sincere answer.

„Humans like to… collect little things to celebrate memorable moments.” He murmured. The gruff voice sounded like a distant storm, familiar in an unusual way. There was a glint in her eye and a soft smile blooming on her pretty plum lips.

„How will you remember this moment if there’s nothing for me to give you?” She feigned concern in her voice. Something more playful returned in the place of her earlier startle.

„Give me your name, and I'll remember more than just this moment.” John lowered his face to her, his words steady and calm, not demanding, but confident. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. The sweet smile spread on her features. His boldness entertained her.

„You want to know my name?” She repeated, intrigued. Any other mermaid would have been offended, but not this one. She wanted to have more fun with him.

„Mhm.” The low affirmative hum made her stomach flip excitedly. She ignored the foreign feeling.

„What will I get in return? A mermaid’s name is far more precious than any treasure. I hope you realize this, Captain,” The mermaid warned him, yet her tail splashed the water beneath them eagerly.

„I do. What can I give you then?” Price knew what she meant. A mermaid's name spoken above the water was rumored to have a stronger effect than any sea witch's spell. He didn’t really plan to ask for such favors, but she seemed to enjoy it and that satisfied him more than any pearls or gold.

„I doubt any of your human possessions could satisfy me. Besides I’m not sure what I want in return just yet,” The mermaid’s voice was overly sweet as she spoke, which got a low chuckle out of John and a smile from her in return.

„Know my generosity. I’ll give you my name, and when the time is right, I’ll come back to collect your debt.” She moved closer to him from where she propped herself on the open window.

„Well you can bargain,” He commented, with recognition for her.

„I wasn’t born yesterday,” The mermaid retorted.

„It’s a deal then.” Price agreed to her condition. He had no concept of what this ocean nymph could want from him in return, it could be anything. Ranging from his life or his crewmate’s lives to a sparkling trinket in his office. Even so, he chose to agree. Throwing caution to the wind, just to see her again.

The smile that she gave him melted his heart. Honest, bright, and enchanting, far more dangerous than any Lethaiathan or ocean dragon.

She leaned closer to him, her skin glittering with the light the lamp inside illuminated. Half of her face was visible as his shadow cascaded on her figure. When there was barely any space between them left, she quietly sang three perfectly in tune notes. Her melodic voice made his head spin. The sound was so irresistible it was suddenly clear to him why countless sailors willingly jumped into the water to meet their doom. He’d probably do the same if she asked. The mere melody of her voice, three inconspicuous tones putting him into a trance.

She moved a few centimeters away and locked eyes with him, for the last time that night. Her lips agape as she searched his face curiously. After a moment, she seemed to have found whatever she was looking for and started to back down into the water.

„I will see you, Captain,” Her murmur swayed with the wind, her tail and torso submerging.

„John,” The pirate spoke suddenly, making her stop mid motion, only tips of her shoulders above water now.

„The name is John Price,” He announced his name in return before she left.

”I know.” She didn’t meet his eyes again, just smiled and slipped into the black ocean of the night.

Taglist: @thoughts-of-bear-undercovers @lolgossipgirl @kawaiipeanutbutter

Notes: This chapter at first was just an excuse to write mermaid lore I came up with, but the flow came to me. Reading your comments made so excited to write more! So thank you so so much for your kind words! I already have some dialogue drafts for the next chapter hihi