monsters and misunderstandings.
part 2 of this post !
pairing: gn ! reader - ft. faefolk, merfolk, elves, harpies, selkie.
author’s note: really wanted to do a naga and a gnoll but got lazy. . .honestly, kinda more angsty (but longer! i think) than the last one. sorry !
faefolk.
“hey, sunshine.” you say it so casually. offhand, distracted, not even looking at them.
the fae stills. “. . .what did you just call me?
you glance up. “huh? oh, ‘sunshine’. why?”
silence.
their wings twitch once. and slowly, they step closer. “you do remember i’m fae, yes?”
your brows furrow. how adorable.
“names are not to be given lightly among my kind,” they murmur.
“it’s. . .it’s not a name. it’s just – like, a nickname.”
“. . .a name you chose for me.”
you open your mouth – pause. “i, i guess. . .?”
their gaze, usually so sharp, softens. something dangerously fond slipping through.
“then i will keep it.”
you laugh, nervous. “it’s not that serious—”
it is to them.
merfolk.
it was done unconsciously. you don’t notice it at first.
just the gentle sway of the water, the quiet conversation, the way you lean back on your hands -
and the slow, absentminded shift of your leg.
until something smooth brushes against it.
you glance down.
their tail.
your leg is resting against it—no. worse. half entwined.
you start to pull back, “oh, sorry—” but they stop you. not forceful. their tail wraps around yours, further tangling your limbs.
“. . .don’t.”
you blink. “. . .what?”
their gaze flickers between your legs and their tail, wrapped loosely together.
“we don’t do this casually, you know.” they murmur, a soft smile gracing their face. you feel yours heating up in turn.
“i didn’t mean to—”
“i know.”
their tail slightly loosens around your legs. but they don’t let go.
“. . .in the tides, this is how we stay close with someone.”
they pause. glance back up shyly.
“. . .so stay.”
elves.
“stay,” you say absentmindedly, tugging them down beside you. “just for a bit.”
the elf glances at you, then at your hand wrapped around their sleeve. “are you. . . certain you wish to spend time with me?”
you blink in surprise at their tone, their expression. “of course.” you answer honestly. why do they look so . . .
“. . .you ask as though it is a small thing.”
“it is?”
they’re quiet. hesitant. but they sit anyway. they sit closer than they were before.
“you are asking for time. you ask an elf, of time.”
“which you have lots, by the way.” you chuckle lightly, continuing in a quiet tone. “. . .i just meant don’t leave yet.”
“ . . .i know.”
they don’t get up. even when they probably should.
they’re gonna outlive you. they know it. they know you should be with someone else - someone you can grow old with. someone with the same time flow as you.
they knew it was. . .a promise of hurt, loving a mortal like this. loving someone with such short lifespans. loving someone whose life is only a second compared to theirs. they knew it better—
they feel you shuffle against their arms, nuzzling closer to the nape of their neck. their hand instinctively comes to cup your back.
. . .they knew better. and yet they still find themselves laying there with you, each night, being in each others embrace. being in your fleeting embrace.
. . .just a few more seconds. a few more seconds to savour you, before you are just a memory for them to hold onto.
harpies/ bird hybrids.
“hold still!”
you grab their shoulders, turning them slightly. a feather’s bent awkwardly near their wing. you smooth it back into place without thinking.
“there.”
the reaction is immediate. wings flaring, feathers puffing -
“you just preened me–!” they’re red-faced, brows furrowed, looking a mix between embarrassed and mad.
you preened them. fixed their look. touched their feathers. something mates do. are you insinuating something? no, you're a human, how could you know their courting. . .!
they shiver, remembering your gentle touch as you brushed out their back —
“. . .i fixed it?”
“t-that’s not. . .that’s not fixing, that’s intimate—!”
you blink. “. . .sorry?” you’re confused, but seeing how worked up they are - you feel bad at possibly offending them. you look down in guilt at the thought of making them uncomfortable.
they falter, seeing your expression.
then, much quieter -
“. . .don’t be.”
you look up. they huff, turning away. “j-just ask next time!”
selkies.
you find it by accident. hanging around with a friend at their cabin near the beach, you spot it.
soft. dark. tucked away on the floor - looking like it fell.
“oh, is this yours?” you call out, already picking it up. the reaction is immediate.
“don’t—!”
too late.
their hand catches your wrist. tight. sharp. almost angry. “give it back!” they snap, snatching the coat from your hands.
you flinch. “. . .i was just looking—”
their chest rises, falls. their grip trembles. “you shouldn’t touch things that aren’t yours.”
“. . .it’s just a coat.”
silence.
something flashes across their face. raw, deep, intense. “it’s not just anything,” they say, quieter now. strained.
you hesitate, then slowly take a step back. “. . .sorry.”
they look like they might break as they cradle the coat to their chest.
“. . .don’t do it again.”
they keep their distance after that. less laughter, less lingering.
you notice. of course you do. you were so close, for god’s sake!
you don’t understand.
but after a while, things went back to normal. kind of.
they start sitting closer again. their shoulder brushing yours. their voice softer when they say your name - like something’s pulling them back.
“you’re staring,” you mumble, a curious smile on your face, but you don’t look up.
they don’t deny it. no use anyway, you can feel their stare since minutes ago.
“. . .am i?”
“yeah.”
a pause. “. . .does it bother you?”
another pause. “. . .no.”
another, longer pause. “. . .good.”
you go back to what you were doing. they continue to stare.
they think about telling you.
they really do.
about what you touches. what it meant. what it did.
how the moment your hands made contact with their coat - they were no longer entirely their own.
they were angry.
at you.
at themselves.
at how careless it all was.
but, now. . .
you laugh at something small, nudging their shoulder.
they look at you. really look. “. . .you didn’t know,” they say quietly. suddenly. you look at them, “know what?”
god. they wish you did.
they shake their head. smile, strained. “. . .nothing.” their fingers brush yours, going to check what you were giggling about.
they don’t have the heart to say it. not yet.
not when the thought of you letting go, of you choosing to let go, feels worse than the sudden binding itself.
so instead they stay. keep quiet. keep close. and pretend it was never an accident. that you wanted to touch the coat. that you wanted them to be yours, and you, theirs.
‘. . .not yet.’
© jusfneo
