#mer!derek

Derek jerks awake with a gasp, drawing in greedy breaths of air as if he is half afraid it will disappear if he waits too long, a sharp pain once more settling in his chest as blinks the water out of his eyes.

He’s pushing himself upright despite the sudden flash of nausea, his body feels like one giant bruise again, and the headache that had only just faded is making its home behind his right temple, so he can be excused for taking a few waves to realize that he’s breathing in air instead of water…

It’s also around that time that he realizes that he’s spread out on a sandy beach, part of the reason that his body feels so sore, and that he’s completely naked, two legs in the place of where his tail used to be attached.

Now, Derek knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep his tail on his journey to the Land Above, that Stiles’ potion would give him the legs that Humans needed to make their way around, but it was a whole lot different between thinking about it and actually seeing it come to be.

It also explains why the panic that had gripped him the first time he had been hit with Stiles’ magic is gone; he had an idea of what would happen, so it wasn’t as much of a shock this time around, although there is a sense of unease at the fact that he cannot see Stiles anywhere along this beach…

Hoping that Stiles has not abandoned him to the cold and wind, instead has simply gone looking for some help, Derek decides to distract himself by examining his new limbs.

Reaching out to run a hand along one of his legs, Derek chuckles a little at the feeling, the small amount of hair covering it an interesting texture against his fingers. His hand travels further up and he gets another surprise when he widens his legs to see if the hair covers the entire extremity:

He has a strange tentacle between his limbs, slightly smoother and warmer than his normal genitals, its sensitivity making him wonder why Humans did not have protective pouches to keep them in as the barest brush seems to send an interesting, but not unpleasant, spark throughout his entire body…

So intrigued by his new appendage and the sensations that he’s experiencing, Derek doesn’t realize that he has company until he hears someone coming over the sands right in front of him, their voice muttering along ahead of their feet.

“I really hope that you’re awake now and not just lying splayed out on the sands like some sort of cor- Holy Mother of all the Oceans and Seas!”

Derek’s head jerks up at Stiles’ voice and his mouth drops open at the sight of a long, lean body and leagues of pale skin that is still decorated with the speckled coloration that Stiles carried as an Aquid before he is turning on his heel, showing Derek his back.

His new genitals seem to like what he sees as well, because it gives a little twitch in his hand, making Derek let out a soft gasp that has Stiles turning toward him in concern before pulling his gaze away again with a muttered curse.

His legs are slightly smaller than Derek’s own, muscled and lean as the rest of him, and his shoulders look broad and strong; Derek can’t see if Stiles has the same kind of tentacle as he does, because the sea witch is determinedly facing away from him, but that does show off a rather nice backside to Derek’s gaze…

It makes his genitals twitch again and stiffen in his grasp, Derek’s gasp is slightly louder-as well as longer-this time, which in turn makes the muscles in Stiles’ back tense.

“While I did say that you could explore your new body when I first talked about all of this, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t do it now, where anyone could walk up on you and I need to be more worried about the fact that you were knocked unconscious again instead of-”

Stiles cuts himself off and runs a hand over his face in a move that seems to drain all the tension in his body, his shoulders dropping as if there is a weight on it that is too heavy for him to carry.

Derek removes his hand guiltily, feeling slightly sick that what he was doing was making Stiles so uncomfortable, so much that he seemed unable to even look Derek in the eye.

“I’m not… I’m sorry, I was just…” It was just that the sensations were so new and nice, Derek wasn’t trying to make Stiles feel uncomfortable and with the way that he seemed to be falling for the sea witch despite only spending a few tides with him…

It does not bode well that everything he has done has either upset or made Stiles uncomfortable and Derek cannot help but think it might have been easier if he simply listened when others told him to stay away from the sea witch.

Stiles mutters something before finally turning around, revealing a pile of cloth in his hands that cover his front and his eyes pointed looking at a spot just over Derek’s shoulder, which just makes that hole in Derek’s stomach stretch all that much farther.

“It’s alright, I get that it was a lot of new sensations all at once and you got…uh, distracted.” A red flush travels across Stiles’ cheeks and chest, something that Derek finds extremely endearing before he remembers that Stiles is uncomfortable and he drags his gaze away. “Anyway, I got some clothes and figured we could try seeing if we can get you on your feet.”

Derek nods, head still turned away and hands as far away from the tentacle that started all of this trouble, and listens to the rustling sounds of the clothing as a pair of feet walk up to him, pleasantly surprised by a hand on his chin, gently guiding his face up so that he can meet Stiles’ eyes.

He was half afraid that Stiles would just dump the clothing in his lap and leave him to figure out everything on his own, so he is more than willing to listen when his fellow Aquid speaks.

“I’m not mad at you, Derek, far from it.” Stiles’ voice is as soft and soothing as the waves that flow through his home, making muscles that Derek didn’t realize were tense relax, his body leaning even more into Stiles’ grip. “I just wasn’t expecting to come around the bend and see you… well, exploring your new body like that… after everything that happened.”

The flush is back again, but this time it spreads even further than before, Stiles eyes wide and darting downward like something is drawing them there, making Derek struck with a sudden realization that makes him smile at the Aquid above him:

Stiles wasn’t embarrassed by what he saw, he liked it.

But if he liked it so much, why did he turn away?

Maybe he thought Derek wouldn’t appreciate him ogling his body?

But why would Derek take pleasure from his perusal of Stiles’ body and not allow Stiles the same courtesy?

Perhaps Stiles has had an unpleasant interaction with a different Aquid-a thought that makes Derek bite back a growl and something pinch tight against his chest-and that made him think that Derek would react the same? They do not know each other all that well, after all…

“I didn’t mind.”

“Hm?” Stiles is now looking at the clothing in his hands, separating them into piles that he either places on Derek’s lap, effectively covering up the strange tentacle between his legs, or across his own arm.

“That you were looking at me. That you want to look at me… or, at least, wanted to look at me.” Derek can feel his own face heating at the end of that confession and he once more dips his head so that he does not meet Stiles’ gaze.

There is a sharp intake of breath beside him, a sudden shifting of sand, and then there is a line of warmth all along his side as Stiles leans close enough for his breath to drift across Derek’s face when he gets close enough to whisper Derek’s name…

“Stiles!”

The Aquid pulls away from Derek with a yelp, leaving Derek to feel wrongfooted and slightly lightheaded, a clamoring of some sort coming from the same direction the call had come from.

Derek feels another growl building in his throat and he starts to shakily try to make it to his feet before he sees the look on Stiles’ face:

He looks absolutely remorseful, eyes darting away as soon as he realizes that Derek is looking at him, even as he lets out his own gleeful cry of “Scott!” echo across the clearing to where a man is dismounting some sort of creature to run to Stiles and wrap him up in a hug that is uncaring of the bareness of the other man.

Derek is glad that is already laid flat, because the stabbing sensation he feels would have surely dropped him; it doesn’t matter if Stiles liked what he saw or not, he was right to turn away. Going by the way the two of them were embracing and talking in tones too low for Derek to hear, it was obvious that the pair in front of him were intimate in the way that Derek had been hoping he and Stiles could be.

Derek lets out a deprecating huff as he remembers Erica’s tease of him finding a nice Human to bring back home. Well, it looks like Stiles is way ahead of him in that regard…

“Greetings.” So wrapped up in his thoughts, Derek didn’t even realize that the other male had walked up to him; looking over the boy, Derek can see why Stiles would be enamored with the Human:

He had soft brown hair, wide eyes, and a crooked jaw that bent into an expression of innocence when he smiled; where Derek rarely ever smiled when it wasn’t around his family or his friends, he had hair the color of squid ink, and there were thousands of corals the exact same shade of his eyes.

Yes, it was very clear why Stiles had chosen this one.

“Stiles has told me that you are a friend of his from the Land Below,” The boy says with a smile that, strangely enough, doesn’t reach his eyes as he holds out a hand in greeting. “I am King Scott of the Delgado Kingdom and I have been friends with Stiles for many a year, so any one he claims as friend can say the same of me.”

Derek so badly wants to refuse the hand being held out to him, wants to get to his feet under his own power, but he can’t for two very important reasons; the first and foremost is that he’s not sure he can get up on his own, and the second…

The second is that Stiles is looking between the two of them with such an expression of hope and nerves that Derek would feel like a right kelp brain if he refused something that was obviously so important to his fellow Aquid.

So, setting aside both his pride and his feelings, Derek accepts the hand that King Delgado offers him, holding the clothing in front of himself so that there is no unwanted baring of skin. He only sways a little before his legs seem to seamlessly understand what they need to do and he steadies himself enough to stand without leaning too much on Scott.

Who, apparently, is also a King.

Is there nothing that Derek is better than this boy at? He is merely a Prince, albeit a Crown Prince, but this child has already made himself a ruler!

Mentally shaking his head, Derek chides himself for acting so uncouth when he has barely known Stiles for a twofold of the tides changing, and he has not made any declaration of his intentions.

Not that it would have done him any good…

Giving his head a real shake this time, Derek bows as well as he’s able to in his current situation and responds with, “Greetings, King Scott. I am Derek of the Hale pod, son of Talia, and Crown Prince of the Waters of Pacifica. Thank you for welcoming me to your kingdom and I return your well wishes with all the strength of the Summer Tide.”

He grew up with manners, alright? You gave a fellow royal the proper greeting no matter how you felt about them in the moment, for there are those that would take a minor insult and turn it into a call for war.

The King, for his part, does not take offense as he stares opened mouthed at Derek the entire time through his customary greeting, and still stares for a few moments afterward. Derek turns his gaze to Stiles, who is staring at him as well, but he’s wearing that same fond look he wore in his cave before blushing and getting to work on some sort of fastening at the front of his clothes.

Which just serves to remind Derek that he is, in fact, still nude and that there seems to be some sort of Human custom that is touchy about the nakedness of a person.

He pulls his hand back from King Scott so that he can get to work on his own clothing, which seems to shake the man out of his stupor, and the King finally gets around to how he managed to be on the shoreline the same time that Stiles and Derek surfaced from the Lands Below.

“I had just been filled with an urge to go riding, which you know is something that I don’t really like to do more than I really have to, seeing as the horses don’t really like me all that much-here, that goes the other way ‘round-”

Derek corrects his garment while Stiles chimes in from where he is petting said ride, already fully clothed. “It’s because Roscoe can smell that you’re afraid of him, Scotty! You just need to relax around him and you’ll be fine!”

“It’s a bit hard to relax around an animal that nearly bit my fingers off!”

Stiles just laughs at this and Derek clears his throat in an attempt to get the story back on track, which causes King Scott to start guiltily as he gives Derek an abashed grin.

“Anyway, I had managed to saddle Roscoe without the beast biting off any important parts, probably because he knew that I was heading over here in the hopes of seeing you-”

“Aw, is that true, big guy? Where you so happy to see your favorite Aquid that you held off nibbling at the King’s toes?”

Derek chuffs out a snort, he can’t really help it; the sight of Stiles nuzzling at some large beast that looks like it could crush him easily like it was a threefin was too adorable not to coo at.

King Scott gives him a knowing look before putting his hands on his hips and exclaiming, “You know, he’s supposed to be my horse!”

“You have thousands of horses, Scotty! This one is mine, he likes me better!”

Derek can’t help it, he lets out an honest to Poseidon laugh at hearing that; the pout on Stiles’ face just made the whole thing too ridiculous, and when he settles down enough to meet the pairs’ eyes again, it’s to find both staring at him in matching astonishment.

“What?” Self-conscious at the attention, Derek runs a hand down the clothing he was given, worried that he had somehow managed to scuff them up in some way despite just finishing putting them on.

“Nothing!” Stiles interjects just as King Scott is opening his mouth, giving his friend a look that Derek can’t read and that the King huffs at, his head shaking like this is something he has to deal with on a constant basis. “It’s just that… you look different when you smile. Not a bad different! Just… you know, different.”

Stiles is blushing again and Derek is pretty sure that he is as well, but thankfully Scott saves them both by clapping his hands together and announcing, “Alright, now that everyone is dressed and upright, why don’t we make our way back to my castle? There is much that you and I need to discuss, Stiles, and so much that I want to ask of you, Derek! What do you say?”

After a quick glance Stiles’ way, Derek nods at the question and makes his stumbling way to where the animal King Scott rode in on is waiting, where Stiles takes one look at the beast and then turns to his King with a disbelieving snort that immediately draws attention.

“How are we going to get back to the castle? I know Roscoe is a hell beast when he wants to be, but I sincerely doubt he could carry all three of us…”

“Well, it seems like Derek is still getting used to his legs, so I thought that he could ride and we could walk back-”

“If you are walking, then I am walking.” Derek directs his statement to Stiles, pleased at the surprised blush that he can see forming, ignoring the way that King Scott raises a brow at his claim.

He may be having a bit of a problem walking, despite his legs seeming to know how to balance without much input from him, but he is not going to ride on some beast while he makes Stiles walk however long it is to this ‘castle’ place.

Derek’s feelings must show plainly on his face, because Stiles is quick to suggest that King Scott simply ride back as he rode in while Stiles and Derek walk beside him.

“What if his legs give out and he falls?” The King’s face is twisted in an expression of worry, and Derek would be touched if his tone did not make the former Mer feel like he was merely a summer old.

“Then I’ll catch him.” Stiles response makes Derek feel a little better, as well as the way that he sends his fellow Aquid a smile before continuing, “And he also happens to be right there, so if you have any other concerns, why don’t you just ask him?”

With that last comment, Stiles crosses his arms and turns so that his complete attention is on Derek, a tilt to his brow that dares anyone to make a comment on what he just said.

“Well, Derek? Do you feel up to walking to the castle? I know the transformation was a bit jarring, and it would be perfectly understandable if you wanted to take a break before doing anything else, so if you want to rest for a few-”

“I can walk.” Derek insists, half to cut off the stream of words that he is starting to realize is Stiles’ way of showing that he was nervous, and half because he knew that if they did not get moving soon, that he would certainly fall flat on his face.

Scott still looks like he wants to argue, but resigns himself to their verdict with a heavy sigh as he swings himself up to the beast he rode in on, giving Stiles a look that has a deeper meaning than Derek can decipher, because Stiles is almost immediately glaring back at him and mouthing something like suspiciously looks like ‘Later’ before turning back to Derek with a grin.

“I’m glad that your legs aren’t giving you any trouble, I was a little worried with what had happened before…”

“I’m sure that was my own fault, after all…” Derek insists, explaining to Stiles his thoughts that his fellow Aquid’s theory of his magic trying to protect him seemed much more plausible after feeling the gentler effects of the potions transformation of his Human form.

His quip about the sensation still being one that he’d rather not repeat any time soon has Stiles throwing back his head in laughter, the sound seeming to travel the entire length of his frame before making it to his mouth.

“It takes a bit to get used to, trust me on that.” Stiles’ expression seems to suddenly get serious with his next question, even drawing King Scott’s attention from the terrain around them, “Did you… was there anything different when you woke up this time?”

Derek debates with himself for only a moment before nodding and telling them of the memory of wanting to protect someone, a faint shadow of movement to go along with the memory, which leads to another one of those strange looks; only, this time it’s Stiles that glances at King Scott, and the younger man rolls his eyes back at him.

The exchange lasts for maybe a few moments, but Derek is once more reminded of the fact that these two seem to be a lot closer than mere friends. While it would make sense, that Stiles would find company in the Land Above when the rest of the inhabitants of their home simply fear him on a good day, it sours Derek’s mood to see the easy way Stiles and King Scott interact when he still has a hard time speaking to Stiles the way he would like to.

Sighing, Derek simply keeps quiet for the rest of the journey, allowing the conversation between the pair beside him to flow over his head like a soft current, instead focusing on his feet and keeping them under him on the uneven path.