#romora

Namora definitely sings, she is a siren.

Okoye is a dancer, interpretive dance combined with folklore storytelling.

Attuma definitely knits in his free time or weaves baskets.

Namor makes handmade jewellery. Personalized rings and necklaces.

M'baku loves to cook. He'll spend time in his kitchen baking cakes and icing them.

Ross is an astronomy geek. He slips away at midnight to see the stars.

Shuri likes to dabble with fashion design. If she's not making tech gear, she making a couture gown.

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Pairing: Namora x Ross

Word count: 3300 (as unhinged I am, this is for all Romora stans 💖)

Warnings: none

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Chapter 40

Namora knew of his daily schedule, that now she hid in an anclove waiting for him to be dispersed from the meeting he was in currently. The doors slowly creaked open and from within it people from the two courts emerged. Her eyes didn’t have to strain too hard because the moment she saw his moonlight hair, she felt the smile expand on her face. He would have to pass by her if he was to take a turn towards leaving the tower. So as she tracked him, she waited, with every step he took, he got closer to her. He had his nose buried within his folder, going over scripts and documents that he held in his hand, only making what she was about to do so much more easier.

She timed it right, in one quick motion she got a hold on his shirt and pulled him into the shadows like he was an oblivious fisherman now toppled out from his boat and entangled in her arms. She clasped her hands over his eyes to prevent him from seeing her.

“Tell me you missed me.”, she whispered, her translator changing it’s modulation based on her volume. He stopped squirming and stilled under her hold, his fingers hovering over hers as he chuckled.

“I missed you so much I was counting the seconds in that meeting.”, he peeled her hands away from his eyes to kiss her palm. But as he was about to drop her hand, he stopped to hold it in the light. His thumb caressing her wrist as he whispered her name in surprise. He brought her to the front so she couldn’t hide behind him, his eyes taking her in from her exposed calves, midriff, shoulders and finally catching her gaze.

He noticed the upgrade to her mask, that was now wrapped around her neck over her gills. Mesmerized, he sunk deeper into the anclove his hand looping around her waist as he pulled her in with him. The world seemed quiet as he took in her beauty without any hindrances. Registering her big eyes, the rise of her cheeks and her sharp cupid’s bow, from which the arrows that were to be unleashed would surely make him fall in love with her all over again.

“What?”, she looked away, her cheeks growing flush with colour as she hid her face in her hands.

His gaze looked lethal, her kind of danger. His ocean eyes boring into her features as he admired her true form. That in this second, neither the sea nor history could point out their differences, she felt human. So she hid behind her hands, another second longer and her instincts would pounce out, making her want to devour his lips, the only thought that had been running in her mind from the moment she put away her old mask.

“Shhh. Let me look at you.”, he pulled away her fingers as they both giggled like school kids hiding behind trees to escape from going to their classes. His voice like water ripples getting her to do his bidding as she let her hands fall away to his touch.

“You’re beautiful. Have I told you that?”, he asked sweetly and her insatiable appetite for his kindness and attention grew.

“Many times.”, she leaned into him, his body an indentation in which her’s fit perfectly. He hummed, his tone turning into a rough grumble as though he wasn’t happy with himself.

“And somehow that isn’t enough.”, her insecurities vanished, she fell into his embrace wholeheartedly that from having been to always stay rooted in her self worth to now having him admire her, it was intoxicating. That for all the years of her life, she was convinced she was too hard to love and yet here he was, making it all feel achievable and meant to be.

“Shut up and kiss me”, she leaned in and he did the rest.

All the passion like the night of the festival, was there, making the fireworks go off in the back of her head but now there was that cozy warmth, like he was her favourite place to be in. He held her as though she was this priceless element he had spent years trying to dig out, as though he was a lonely sailor obsessed with finding the treasure his heart alone believed existed out there. Or maybe it was a simpler reason, that he too knew of his worth and was searching for someone to value it. So she did.

“Have I told you, how special you are?”, she asked and he stopped to see her, his eyes softening as they caught their breaths.

“You don’t have to say it. The way you treat me tells me everything I need to know.”, he sighed and she could see through the wounds in his heart, his kindness had been exploited before just like how her strength was. So this trade was for the best, because it led both of them to heal. She will hold him up and he will kiss her to sleep. That all his pain and her vengeance had somehow combined together to become their safe haven, where she only wanted to fight to protect the ones she loved and he stayed put because now he didn’t have a reason to run away.

“Do you want to come home with me?”, he asked her, his eyes darting away in uncertainty. No one else had given her a choice, no one ever asked what she wanted. So she gazed up at him to try to find the stars in his eyes like that night and in the faint light, she still caught their hidden shimmer. She could make a choice because he was giving her one. To stay hidden in the alcoves, to live with stolen moments or to walk home with him. Him, the one everyone wanted but whose eyes seemed to only find her.

The time for her brother to leave was coming soon and the nervousness within her system only began to peak with every thought, that she could not accompany him and the princess. That she could not protect them any longer and can only sit down to wait. His steady hand around her waist and his pleasant smile made him the only person that she wanted to wait this out with, because to all her storms he answered it with little bottles of peace.

She nodded in response to his question and the edges of his eyes crinkled as his smile reached its maximum width.

He couldn’t go back alone, he had never asked for anything before. But ever since he caught a glimpse of Val showing up where she wasn’t needed, to come back and haunt his life. Being alone only meant he paced the room with paranoia, in the fear that if he walked to his kitchen, she would be there making herself a salad to ruin his life again. And the life he had made for himself here, he didn’t want to lose it. But when he saw her nod her head to his request that was disguised as a question, it kicked his heart out to the sea like a boat to bask in the golden sunset. He wrapped his fingers around her hand and led her out.

She couldn’t focus on the murmurs that swirled around them because she could only listen to the sound of her heart in her throat, thumping loudly as she followed him. The world and the people she knew were on the brink of a collapse, the veil was going to be pulled from over them. But even in that shift, he led her on like the northern lights she watched diligently every night when the ocean was her only home. The blues and the greens dancing softly in the sky above telling her that even though she be ancient, she can still move forward.

They passed through the village and the thoughts in her head reminded her that this was the first time she was about to enter a man’s house. Having heard the rumours about it, she had worked through an aesthetic in which he might have been living in so far. All the advisors from the Wakandan and Talokan court had similar residences, all in sleek modern towers closer to the throne. But with the path that he was taking, his place seemed further away from all that.

The sparring pits were full of the warriors taking turns to practice their skill when, by the fences, she noticed a familiar figure who was busy with instructing a young Talokan’s stance.

“Oi, Attuma.”, she called out from where she stood and it caught her brother’s attention.

“What do you think about the new look?”, she asked as realization dawned on his face, he moved away from the kid he was tutoring with only one goal.

“Don’t be selfish and tell me where you got it.”, he demanded. She smirked.

“Not until you return the dolphin you stole from me.”, she raised her brows.

“I found it first!”, he held on to the wooden fence.

“Then I can’t tell you.”, she shrugged her shoulders.

“I feel sorry for you, Attuma. Atleast I get to greet my boyfriend like this.”, she turned to Ross and kissed his cheek, his hand tightening around her's as he chuckled.

“First of all, Ew. But second – she didn’t let him finish as she took of running with Ross in tow.

“Ey, stop!”, he yelled.

“Ask the princess, whale head.”, she shouted over her shoulder as they disappeared by the bend in the road.

“Shuri’s going to have a lot of demand for that new mask.”, Ross added as they slowed down, he walked into a lesser known path that led them towards the river. When she caught his gaze, he wiggled his eyebrows.

“So…boyfriend huh?”, he was trying to contain his smile but the butterflies in her chest reemerged.

“Where is that house of yours?”, she felt her cheeks grow warm as she changed the topic.

He chuckled as they emerged out to a clearing, the sun beginning to set over the mountains on the other side. “There it is.”, he said and it was unlike anything she had imagined.

It was built on top on a raised platform, the façade looking quite similar to the houses that were near the market. A small stairway led them up to a deck that looked out to frame the view of the river and through the entrance, the atmosphere within was homely. Compact and decorated quite differently with only commodities that were needed. It was a contrast to what she was always used to, the places she had been in were decked up with wall paintings and artefacts. His place was warm with wooden furnishings and soft carpets.

The golden sunlight bled through the windows making the dust float around look like glitter. No wonder the people loved him and wanted him to represent them in political issues. There was no unnecessary fuss with him, he didn’t parade around on a high horse. It was refreshing to be in a place that was minimal and yet displayed his soft personality. There was a big rectangular screen in the middle wall and a plush seating in front of it. The walls were decorated with a couple pieces of art work and pictures of men in a uniform kicking a ball. It reminded her of her favourite game as a kid, the one she used to play with the others near her childhood home.

“Make yourself comfortable. I need to get out of this.”, he huffed as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt after he put away the documents onto his desk. There were only two other rooms with the kitchen adjacent to the central space she stood in. So she wandered about taking in the lack of pictures that belonged to him. There were no personal artefacts on display or anything about his life. But as she got closer to the mantle beneath the rectangular device, there was a frame with a badge in it.

It had his name on it and the agency he had worked with before. But apart from that, nothing. As she put back the frame, she realised that his bedroom door was slightly ajar. But through the crack, she saw him move around. She had to move away, instead she froze and continued to stay in front of the hearth. Her eyes back on the object in front of her. She too was a only a mortal being with weaknesses, her focus slipped back in between the crack to find his back facing her.

In a fluid motion he pulled away his shirt exposing his skin and well built body, taking her back to the night that she reminded herself of often. The golden light skimming down his back making her heart beat faster. Her throat ran dry as he fiddled with his belt buckle, this won’t do, she glanced away. But the click of metal brought her attention back to him, as he pulled away the object around his waist, his pants sinking lower to expose his waist. His fingers worked with the pant button as he leaned to pick something up and she forcefully dropped to the ground, because some part of her wanted to walk in and peel the layers away. She clasped her mouth as she sat on the carpet. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.

His feet padded across to her and only then did she look up at him. “I wasn’t doing anything. I saw nothing.”, she raised her hand and he noticed the flush in her cheeks. So instead he chose to join her to sit down on the carpet next to her.

Who gave him the right? To look so divine. The fabric of his shirt contouring his body perfectly that she wanted to glide her palm over his chest. His hair wasn’t combed back and his waves were let loose. His eyes tracing her every move. He was dangerous, he was her only weakness, she bit down on her bottom lip and veered her head to look away.

“So what do you want to do?”, he asked, the space around them so quiet she was scared he could hear her thoughts, because if he did, he would know she wanted to do many things.

Change the topic, don’t look at him, move away.

Instructions her mind was telling her to follow.

“You have nothing about yourself on display.”, she commented.

“We decorate our homes with paintings of our family stories. I don’t see any stories here.”, she found his gaze, already breaking her second rule.

“My stories aren’t great enough to be displayed.”, he said quietly.

“Ok, why is that there?”, she pointed to the players.

“Oh, they are my favorite team.”, he told and she got excited.

“See. What else do you like from your past?”, she asked him and he reclined his head in thought. She was trying to know more about him. And suddenly all her questions and curiosity became admirable, that she wanted to invest time in trying to understand him.

So he got up and led her to the couch, once she was comfortable he pulled out his phone. He didn’t use it anymore but all his pictures were stored in it. As he scrolled through his camera roll to find the right pictures, he felt her lean over his shoulder, her hands wrapping around his arm and he forgot what he was searching for.

She broke her third rule. She couldn’t move away. All these pictures on his device he moved through, she wanted to see all of them. He stopped on one, him and his kids holding sparklers.

“That was the year before I moved away. They live with their mother now and visit me when they can.”, he put the device in her hand and all she could focus on was the smile on his children’s faces. They looked a lot more like him, or maybe they had just inherited his way going smile.

“They like you.”, she told him and he huffed.

“I like to think that. But I’m sure with how I disappeared on them, they are so much more likely to just hate me.”, she caught a glimpse of the sadness in his voice and probably that’s why he kept all these stored away. These stories only caused him pain rather than stir his joy.

She scrolled to the next one and this one was him with a four legged animal, it’s coat furry and golden. “That was my dog. He passed a while ago.”, the animal was on top of him as they laid sprawled out on the grass, in it’s mouth a ball that it held out to him.

She flicked through his phone and somehow with every picture she saw, she grew sad too. All things he loved were lost now.

“Sorry.”, she gave him back his device. “It was rude of me to ask about your stories. I didn’t want to make you feel sad.”, she pulled away. A new thought plagued her, she didn't have any form of artefacts or paintings that she could share with him, to tell him of her past.

“No one’s even painted me into their stories before.”, she sunk back into the sofa.

“Only my brother. But apart from him, no one else.”, she spoke her thoughts, that her existence had not been given the privilege to be remembered.

“So I guess we’re even.”, she pulled her feet up with a small smile.

He had managed to ruin the lightness with which they had first arrived and it caused him to be annoyed with himself. So he got up with the aim to make this evening enjoyable, “Your people sell corn often in the market place. Ones you’ve grown underwater.”, he ruffled about in his kitchen and she grew curious as to what he was doing.

“Yes, it constitutes a huge part of our diet.”, she watched him pick up a packet.

“Then you’ll love this.”, he told her as he hurried around the counter.

A few seconds passed when she heard popping and then the air smelled heavenly with an aroma that was new. He opened the device he used to heat the bag to quickly retrieve it and dump it’s contents inside a bowl. Tiny little spheres that looked golden toppled in. She had never seen anything like this before.

He brought it to her, and placed the warmed ceramic bowl within her hands. “I present to you”, he paused as he took his seat, “Popcorn.”, he smiled and she inspected it first.

He took a tiny remote and press a button, the action awoke the black screen, bringing it to life with larger pictures. She looked at it, not really sure what it’s purpose was. But he turned to her, waiting for her to try the treat he had made, so she picked up one golden piece of popped corn and put it in her mouth. The rough texture softening the moment it touched her tongue, it’s flavour a mix of sweet and sour. Her eyes widened but when she looked at him, he held his little device towards her and then she heard a soft click. She froze as he turned it for her to see.

“Now you have a picture of yourself. In my story.”, he smiled but she blinked away the tears that wet her eyes.

“I want one with you.”, she said quietly and his smile faltered, his gaze turning affectionate. “Sure.”, he took the device, she got closer to him to hug him from the back. He clicked the button and there it was, their first picture together to have for all of eternity.

“Can I ask you why you chose to live here?”, she sat back to enjoy this new form of corn, he looked away towards the river.

“Who wouldn’t want to?”, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Tell me the truth.”, she pursued her lips and urged him. He sighed.

“Fine.”, he admitted his defeat as he rested his head on his hand, his gaze focused on her making his cheeks turn pink.

“I would from time to time see you by the river and I..I don’t know.”, he mumbled the last bit as though he had his reasons and that they were valid enough to choose to live here. But it only proved to her that he had been only thinking of her ever since their first meeting and if only she had turned to gaze up from the river, she might have seen him sooner.

She put away the bowl on her lap and moved closer to him, “I’m most certain.”, she whispered as though she had come across a dilemma.

“that I’m falling in love with you.”, she said slowly. His eyes widened.

"Oh.", He held his hands together, suddenly turning nervous that she thought she had said something wrong.

"I've been in love with you from the moment I first saw you.", his cheeks were red, so was the tip of his nose and ears but it was the way he said it. Like he didn't want to demand her love but was willing to give his freely, without any strings attached. That he would be willing to be around her and torture himself with his feelings than have her be his by force. She pushed away the hair on his forehead as he leaned into her touch. He was the one for her. She kissed his cheek and everything in the world was right.

He put on his comfort movie and they watched it together. The popcorn bowl was empty and she laid on his chest. His paranoia vanished, that even if Val showed up in his kitchen this instant. He will show her the door and get to the woman who was seated on the couch. That all his biggest fears and failures seemed small and insignificant compared to this moment. His fingers played with the ends of her hair as they watched Baron Von Trapp find Maria in the garden.

She inhaled the scent of his t-shirt and wrapped her arm around his torso. Her eyes focused on the moving pictures on the screen, watching this story of these two people in the mountains. She wanted to go there, if ever she could. To the place where the hills were alive. The lady began to sing a new song now,

"Perhaps I had a wicked childhood, perhaps I had a miserable youth.", the words translated and it struck her right down to her bone as she remembered her past.

"But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past, there must have been a moment of truth.", the scenes on her coming to Wakanda, the day she saw him.

"For here you are, standing there, loving me. Whether or not you should.", Something within her shifted, all the ache set free to run through her veins, because he was here, loving her, even when her whole life she had only dreamed of destruction and chaos.

"So somewhere in my youth or childhood,I must have done something good.", But to think she had done something right, the tears ebbed on their own, soaking his t-shirt. He whispered her name and she couldn't hold back.

"Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could. So somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.", She sat up and he followed, with concern in his eyes.

Something good.

Her life here was just that. The anxiety that she kept within herself broke free. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to move around or be signed up for another war. She didn't want to have to worry about things beyond her control.

"I don't want to leave, Ross.", she sobbed and her held her in his arms, as though he could take all her weight that rested on her shoulders.

"I don't want this to end.", she wiped her tears as he kissed her forehead.

"It's going to be fine.", He pulled her in, holding onto he tighter.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily.", he laughed softly and so did she as she buried her face in his chest.

And maybe that's where the stayed or that time seemed to run past them, because somewhere in the middle of the night she woke up to see him fast asleep, his arms still wrapped around her. She settled next to him, his chest rising and falling slowly. If she had never done anything right before and still wound up here, next to him. What did she have to worry about? She closed her eyes, the smell of his cologne and his warmth encompassed her.

She had nothing to worry about.

.

.

.

Namor and Shuri were about to leave the lab, to get dressed before they had to leave. But the princess turned to him when a large figure emerged through the door, his chest heaving, his eyes in search of something.

"Where is it, brother? Where is that new mask?", Griot translated as he held onto the door frame.

Shuri snickered and Namor rolled his eyes.

"Don't be dramatic, the princess has made one for you too.", Namor told him and Attuma marched towards Shuri.

"Thank you, princess. You are so much more cooler than him.", He shook her arm energetically. Namor stood there, his flabbergasted expression causing her to laugh.

Attuma took his new mask and began to rush out the door before he stopped.

"Oh I forgot you were leaving today.", he walked towards him to embrace him.

"Listen to what she says. Don't make a fool of yourself and please come back in one piece.", Attuma instructed him to which Namor patted his back reassuring him that he will.

"Now I've got the biggest prank planned. Okoye will not see this coming.", He flashed his canine teeth in a wide smile as he hurried out the lab.

Namor folded his arms. "This is why I never leave those two alone and take them everywhere I go. I take my eyes off them for a second and it's chaos."

Shuri led him out her lab as she urged him it was going to be alright. But just for precaution and for her peace of mind, she locked the doors to her lab.

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Ross loves quality time and a movie night hehe

Also Attuma needs a babysitter because he is a problem child, chaos follows him 🤣

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Pairing: Ross x Namora

Word count: 5k

Warnings: hehe making out? 😌

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Chapter 29

Ross was known best for one of his qualities, his patience. He would lie in wait on his stakeouts, luring the criminal out while he stayed camouflaged in his environment, in any scene, no one knew he was there. He was very much top of his food chain, just like her. His methods however differed from her tactics. She was a great white and he was a mountain lion. But now he felt the weariness of being hidden in bushes, of lying in wait, he tapped his fingers against the hardwood arm rest. He was surrounded by the elite of the society he found himself to be in. His status had been catapulted over a couple weeks, the very same individuals who kept him at a distance, now wanted to cozy up to him. All of it a façade, a make believe, except her.

She gave it to him as it was and so his eyes roamed, from one face to the other. Searching and pining, for a glimpse and a glance. He was losing time. He wanted to see her, to ask her if he should bid all of this goodbye or if he could embrace her one last time.

“You seem tense, my friend.”, M’baku observed him.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind, my king.”, he gave him a lop sided smile, his fingers fidgeting, his mind trying to find the reason she was keeping her distance. It was not because of the man he had met before, so then what was it?

“This is a time to be merry”, M’baku topped his glass with wine.

“I order you to misbehave.”, he laughed whole heartedly.

He had to be level headed and he wasn’t one to let loose. He sunk into his seat, his decision still looming over his head. His last day, if he wished it. He spotted Okoye leaving with her Talokan friend and it only made him jealous. Because he was trapped here, when he should be down there, scourging through the crowd. The wait had now become unbearable, his patience running low. His eyes yearned for orange.

The Wakandans finished their demonstration which was quickly followed by another program by the Talokans. He took it in, the vibrance of culture around him. It made more sense, her hesitancy and what he represented in the position he held. He played a pivotal key in representing both these nations to the world outside if the time arose. The seated crowd was now dismissed to enjoy their time, he flipped his wrist to see his watch. He retired to his quarters by this time. But those were on regular days and this was no normal day. He looked at the wine glass that remained untouched. He took it in his hand, he needed courage, that much was remained to be seen. But as he rotated the stem of the glass in his hand, he knew he couldn’t show up drunk, begging at her feet.

No, today he needed to show her he was just as capable as she was. He put down the glass and exited the room, his hands grabbing away the screens, leading by his instinct, trying to pick up a scent in the crowd.

He seemed to be failing, the throngs of people around him all in blue and silver and their masks making it difficult to identify their faces. There was no sign of her. As he navigated through the celebration and the jubilious environment, he stumbled into a dancing crowd of Talokan women. He stopped, he expected them to move away, his translator picking up words and phrases, instead he realized he had become the latest attraction. His new found fame and fourtune had established him as a eligible catch.

“It’s him.”, they fawned as arms snaked around him, slipping around his waist, over his chest attempting to pull away his buttons, fussing with his hair and cupping his cheek. It was a trap, they were trying to make a fool out of him. His heart stuck in his throat, a blip in the radar within his mind. He turned to the stall in the distance, and there she was. Her eyes trained him like a shark on the prowl, her expression unreadable as though she was assessing her competition. He grew angry. She was toying with him, like he meant nothing to her.

And if he did, why did she stand up for him?

He grew irritated, he didn’t like this version of himself, one that lived on an impulse just like now, when he ran his hand over the ones that held him, playing along in their revelry. Pulling them away slowly to kiss their fingers, indulging in their giggles and joining in the dance. But in everything he did, his eyes didn’t leave her. He was vicious and he needed to her to know that. If she cared, she would lure herself in. He continued to test her, to track her, when she looked away, a fire flickering on.

She downed the drink in her glass as she walked towards the madness, towards him. It was just as he had predicted, the fish scattered when she swam close. The women around him fled as he stood catching his breath.

“Ah finally she decides to join the fun.”, he remarked with a sly grin, it only ignited her fury.

It was only a ploy to find more time, to gather his senses and calm his nerves, because she stood in front of him. Her hair let loose as it swayed till her waist and framed her face. She didn’t wear her fins, instead she had threads of silver run down her sleeves of a blouse she wore. Her midriff exposed, her blue skin gleaming in the moonlight. Her skirt translucent, fitting her figure, giving him glimpses of her form beneath the fabric. She was an illuminated jellyfish and he wanted to get stung. The fury in her eyes were palpable, he needed to know why.

“They only want you for your newly acclaimed status. You were nothing before.”, she remarked.

Blatant honesty, he walked away from her and so did she, two predators circling each other. He fixed his sleeves and slicked back his hair. He didn’t care about all that. He only cared for her opinion.

“And you?”, he asked. To which she remained quite, he stayed calm. He knew all the buttons to press.

“Do you want me?”, he asked and the people jeered him on. All this was new to him, he had spent most of his time trying to get over his failed marriage that chasing feelings felt out his comfort zone.

She stopped mid way as she laughed, bold and certain. “The advisor thinks too highly of himself.”, she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

But as she smiled, it was clear, she had something on her mind, a challenge set to taunt him.

“Your fancy titles don’t impress me.”, she cocked her eyebrow. His grin spread like that of a wolf, titles always impressed Val. He took a step towards her, she was nothing like his past. He wanted to take her hand and run away, far from the crowd. He wanted to stay in this free floating sensation longer, just him and her.

But the crowd engulfed them, Mayan sounds resounding in the air when a drum rhythm began to settle and grow stronger. The Talokans stepped back to clear the area around him and her, forming a circle around them. She smiled, he looked around unsure of what was transpiring.

“How well equipped are your feet?”, she jested, as she fell into the rhythm, her feet moving in a pattern. It was a dance. She was luring him now.

This was a rite of passage. They would do this when someone became an official part of a tribe. The only way she could boost his morale amidst her people was if he showed traits that proved he could embrace her culture. So she began the dance, walking around him, watching him figure it out.

His eyes fell to her feet, mapping out the coordination as he joined her. He was hesitant at first but in the high of the moment, time slowed down, he caught her eyes and instinctively knew. He mirrored her movements, making their way closer to each other as the music progressed. She traced his silhouette, his shirt hugging all the right places, her mind a whir, intoxicated with the sight of him. She had never taken into account that he could be a dancer, so as he moved with her in perfect sync, something felt right.

Meters turned to inches and now she could hear his ragged breath, as he inhaled and exhaled, his gaze turning darker as she turned to face him. The final bit was her own inclusion, when she watched the other women try to proclaim him as their own, it stirred a righteous anger within her. And maybe that was her volatile nature but she felt territorial. A realization she had after he spoke to her. He was hers.

She slid her hand over his arm, his blue eyes snapping to hers and it reminded her of everything she loved, the ocean and her home. She hooked her finger into his belt loop, like a fisherman reeling in his catch. She tugged him towards her, a sly smile spread across his face, his cheeks turning red. That was a reaction the others didn’t get.

“Why are you doing this to me?”, he whispered, his hands coming around to catch her face.

“To test your limits.”, she escaped his hold, putting their backs together. He laughed, an unsatisfied hunger in the myrrh on his voice. Danger. She felt the rush in her veins. She was free to choose now, the warrior she had been with before had told her she could never fulfill his desires. She didn’t want him, not like how she wanted the man she was dancing with.

But as the music began to fade, the reality of the situation settled. As much as she thought of him as hers, he could never belong to her, it was all one-sided. He already belonged elsewhere. She stepped away, the intensity of the moment too much to handle, the crowd and noise beginning to feel overwhelming. She finished the dance with a bow which he reciprocated and with it the scene changed, people ran up to him to congratulate and the rift between them grew. So close to hear their heartbeats, now they were only bodies in a group. He called out to her but she turned away. She can’t put her heart at risk again. So she ran.

“You are now a part of us.”, a chieftain patted him enthusiastically as he put a beaded necklace around his neck. It hit him only then, her whole challenge was meant for his acceptance by her people. And now she had disappeared on him again. He wanted everyone to stop, for time to pause, so he could go after what his heart was telling him to do. He thanked the chief and escaped the clutches of the hands that were trying to grab him, to get him to stay with them. He had only one motive on his mind. He only had one place to be.

So close, his lips hovering over hers, his breath fogging her mask. He huffed, as he searched the crowd, like a man in the dessert. That was the last straw, her teasing and her games. He was only human. He prowled, opening the top few buttons of his shirt, he needed respite from the weather and from her. Yet his eyes continued to search, his mind unwilling to take no for an answer. As he walked down the busy street, he came upon a hidden trail and beyond the dark, he could see the glistening waters that rested peacefully. His feet carried him towards it, it’s cold wind whispering secrets and fantasies. A voice in the dark singing a melody that enchanted him. His broken heart beginning to mend, giving him a relief he never knew he needed.

She sat on a fallen tree, the only way to realign her mind was through song. Her song. One of loneliness and pain. The moon was full tonight, it’s beauty always standing out to her. It’s light embracing her, making her feel loved. Nothing could compare. Except his eyes. She stopped. This will not do, she had to leave.

Goosebumps beginning to pop up at the thought of the softness of his skin, the redness in his cheeks, her voice grew softer. This song was about longing. She stopped to heave a sigh.

Many of her friends had once fallen in love with men on land, they would wait till they got into the water. Approaching them with their songs, full of love and hope for a future, unknowingly they cast a spell. A spell that led these men to die right in their arms. She would spend weeks consoling them, ever since then, it had become a cautionary tale. He and her could never actually be together. She had to swallow the tough pill. Kill it before it could take over her entirely but having always ever lived in the depths of life, it was nice to take flight.

“You need to stop running away.”, she heard him. He was being relentless, his dexterity seeping through. All the qualities she thought he didn’t have, now she had been proven wrong. He was perfect. Which made all this all the more unbearable.

“You need to stop coming after me.”, she got up. She didn’t want to meet his eyes, knowing well she will change her mind.

“This might be the last time.”, he huffed. She looked at him, confused, trying to understand his statement.

“You are leaving?”, she asked. To which he shrugged his shoulders.

“I could.”, he met her gaze, his thoughts asking her a question, asking her to tell him to stay.

She turned to leave, this was one fight she didn’t want to stay for. “Namora.”, he called for her again. She walked faster.

“Namora.”, there was a growl in his voice, like he was tired, she wanted him to drop all of this. She heard his footsteps and then his hand got a hold of her wrist. Pulling her to him, her pulse quickening.

“Stop.”, he said softly, his eyes pleading. It hurt her, that she was hurting him.

How do you love when you’ve never truly witnessed it yourself?

She was being kind to him, because she was sparring him from the pain she was feeling.

“You need to leave.”, she said without a beat, without emotion. He stopped.

“Is that what you truly want?”, he asked and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Why was she pushing him away?

“Tell me that is what you want and I’ll leave.”, His heart was a grenade, all she had to do was pull the wire. She grew silent. The defeat in her eyes unlike anything he had seen. His presence causing her all this pain.

“Why are you keeping me at bay?”, he asked. Her black eyes found his. She was mystical, drenched in moonlight.

“You wouldn’t understand.”, she bit back her anger.

“Then let me try, tell me what it is.”, he was at his wits ends, this was the one case he couldn’t crack. She slipped from his hold, walking into the tree cover.

“Is this about your fiance?”, he followed her, frustrated.

“We all can see you don’t like him.”, he commented which got her his attention.

“And does that make you an expert on everything I feel?”, she turned to him, fury in her eyes.

“No, but I’m the only one trying to understand you.”, he threw open his arms in defeat, the desperation in his voice breaking through the silence.

“Why?”, her eyes widened.

“Why do you keep trying?”, she was in his personal space. Her eyes now holding a glimmer of bewilderment. It struck him then, that all her life no one had tried to.

“Because.”, he stopped. Bottled up frustration seeping through as he held himself back. He needed to sort out his thoughts.

“Now let me put this to rest. You need to go home.”, she held his arm. Her voice turning soft.

“You have your kids and your life there.”, she was trying to convince him. His bottle of frustration broke. He did have all that waiting for him. But as he searched the landscape around them, his eyes landed on her, his mind feeling crystal clear. He didn’t want to go back because..

She was pleading with him, and she didn’t do that to anyone. She felt unlike herself, being vulnerable. Her anger could only hold up for so long when she knew there wasn’t a proper reason for her to be angry with him. He had only been good to her in all of this. She held his exposed arm, purely because she was wanted to. Her complexion a stark contrast to his, reminding her of their differences, of his ultimate doom if he chose her. The life he will be throwing away if he continued to be on land. He will grow bored of her.

“You are trapped here are you not?”, she asked and he cupped her cheek, holding her in place.

“And yet I haven’t felt more free.”, she froze.

“Now I want you to listen to me.”, he looked into her eyes, she only wanted to draw nearer, lose herself in the warmth of his arms.

“I only want you, you are all that matters.”, where he found the courage would always be the question of his lifetime. But it must have been her hand on his arm, steadying him or the clarity in his mind. Either way, he had to let her know. He had enough of this goose chase.

So before she could run away again, “Whatever you’re trying to convince me of, its not going to work.”, he said slowly, his focus shifting to her lips behind her mask, one obstacle after the other.

She shook her head, he let go. The conflict in her gaze was real, she fought back tears, struggling to break free.

Show me the nets that are holding you back, he searched her gaze. I'll cut them to set you free.

“No, you cannot want me.”, she raised her hands in defense. She felt unworthy of his admiration, that he was only giving it to as a consolation prize. But instead, her words elicited anger from him.

“You can’t tell me how I need to feel.”, his light eyes shined in the dark. He shook his head in disbelief, his anger sobering down to display something else, an emotion she had never witnessed from someone else before.

“I want you to tell me off when I’m wrong.”, he paused.

“I want you to hear your opinions about everything.”, he took a step closer, she took a step back.

“I want to see you stand taller, with your orange fins and your spear.”, he got closer and her back hit the tree.

“I want”, he paused, searching for words.

“I want to just be by your side.”, he brows knit together.

“Why are you making this hard?”, he whispered and she wanted to rest her forehead on his, the only gesture of admiration she learnt from her brother.

The annoyance got through to her, “Because you have a wife”, she grit her teeth.

“And a family.”, she gasped, the reality of where she found herself, her reputation on the line.

“I will not break that.”, she searched for a way out but this time there was none. His gaze locked onto hers, his eyes widening upon her hearing her reason. A second passed and his lip tipped up in a half smile.

“She isn’t my wife.”, he said softly and when she failed to meet his eyes, he tipped up her chin to do so, to then repeat it again. The tension she felt in her chest seized to exist. But as she stood in the possibility of being the beholder of this man’s love, the true fear was the day that he will choose to leave because her point had been proven right. That they were too different for any of this to work. So she needed another reason.

“We will never work out”, she huffed.

“You can’t meet my needs.”, panicking, she threw another urgent reason as she shrugged her shoulders but ever since he told her he wasn’t married and that all along he liked her because of his own volition, not fueled by his need to revamp his life. That he liked her as she was. Her mind was working against the her desire to accept it all.

“And why is that?”, he narrowed his eyes, as though he caught onto her schemes.

“You’re too sweet.”, she told him but it came out with a smile.

“Is that all?”, he chuckled. Her insults were only sounding like compliments.

“You cannot match my speed or intensity.”, she told him but he hummed in response noticing her frantic gestures. He didn’t give her an answer, he only got closer as though he knew the true thoughts running in her head.

“Stop this.”, he chuckled taking her hand.

“Be kind to me and afford me the truth.”, she felt his warmth encase her hand. The truth. The truth was that he felt like a home she never had. His hair illuminated by the soft light, his skin pale even in the darkness and his eyes, he was the moon in the form of a man. His gentle touches and sweet words. She knew she was lying and he had caught on.

“This is our reality.”, she pointed to her mask.

“I am not a part of your world and you are not a part of mine.”, she said quietly, his eyes tracing her features.

“It has never been done before.”, she placed her hand over his cheek. If she’s afforded a few minutes in paradise, she might as well enjoy it.

“All the more reason to try.”, he was different in this setting. His gentleness still his foundation but on top of it, a tangible intensity, a hot blaze of passion. For the very first time, she was the one who felt like sinking.

“You don’t back down easily, do you?”, she asked, her desire taking over her actions. His words, his marvelous grin as he said it. He wanted her and her alone. No one had the guts to say it before.

She found the edges of his collar to fix a folded seam, but that was only an excuse. Her hands travelled over his exposed skin, the nape of his neck, she watched as his breath hitched in his throat. All she ever saw in the eyes of the men who had once held her were fear and intimidation but now, his eyes glimmered with awe. Like he was in a daze just like her. He laughed quietly, his voice hitting a new low.

The decision had already been made, long before he arrived here. He only needed proof and now he got it. His new life, was here. She was here.

“No.”, he whispered, to which she rested her head on the tree trunk, her eyes never leaving his. A smile spreading on her face as she came to terms with it, the idea of him. A man falling in love with a mermaid.

“There’s no going back once you win, Advisor.”, she teased. Her hands creeping around his waist like ivy. Like a jellyfish reeling him in. He didn’t want to go back. He leaned closer as she pulled him in, his arms resting to her side. The almost silent night engulfing them, the air filled with magic.

She felt encased by him, she wanted to feel his touch, to break this barrier that life had put between them. All this forbidden love, making the high of his whispers and warmth all the more enticing. No one here to judge her or tell her what to do. Like the only two people on the planet. She was free. Not tied to duty or the need to protect.

He wanted to protect her heart, assuring her and consoling her in any manner he could. Everybody wanted him, but his eyes only found hers.

“You can’t understand me without that device.”, she pointed to the device. It was their only bridge, without it, she would have never met him or have spoken with him. This was her final attempt at pushing him away. But he held her gaze, his fingers finding the translator that lined his ear. He didn’t have to think much about it. This was her final reason on her list.

He pulled away the device. His eyes communicating everything. He got closer, she didn’t move away. Trailing his finger down the length of her arm, his gaze soft but scorching. He caught a hold of her wrist and brought her hand up to hold the side of his face, his eyes never leaving hers as though they could read every thought. She was in no position to escape, she didn’t want to.

She remained confidant, her water mask will hinder his advances, throw a final hurdle in the game. But he placed her hand over her head. His other hand pining her other arm next to it. She grinned and it darkened his gaze. He dropped close, his lips finding the crook of her neck. This heat was different. He let go of her wrists, only for his hands to find the curve of her waist. He pulled away, his fingers sizzling with the hum of a storm, the prime condition she felt alive in.

His eyes soft and yet fierce, he tipped up her chin her gazing falling to his lips, he smiled, as though he was telling her there was more to him. There was. She wanted him to show her his new limits. He began to step away, cool and collected as if he had proved his point. But the game wasn’t over yet, she caught a hold of the collar of his shirt again, tugging him closer, in a way to tell him that he couldn’t leave now.

He couldn’t step away, she wouldn’t let him go. There was no going back from here, Advisor.

He grinned. Beneath his sweetness resided his intensity, the chaos and the danger. A zone most women wanted to break but as he watched her siren eyes, he had a feeling that’s where she thrived. And that’s where he felt truly alive.

She pushed him back, as she ran to the water, laughing, her hair free with the wind, her fins no where in sight. He followed her, moonlight illuminating his skin as he unbuttoned and pulled away his shirt, dropping it behind him in the sand.

Her dress spreading out, like shimmering strands of starlight. He waded towards her, his arms flexing, this intensity on him was her favorite quality. They were magnets, so she waited. The moment he was near her to reach for him, she caught him in her arms, her legs winding around his torso, her arms around his neck. His skin smooth like a pearl as he held her, her hands gliding over his shoulder muscles. Her gills were now submerged in the water, her mask was not needed anymore.

He gasped as the blue in her skin slowly faded, the water letting her breath. He watched in stunned silence as she removed the mask that separated them. The final layer that physically kept them apart. If he was a sailor, he would have jumped in just so he could behold her beauty in this state. Her fingers slowly reaching to touch his lips, his hands travelling up the length of her legs she had wrapped around him. This defied reality.

He was a warrior, he was built like one, the beads around his neck displaying the fact that he was now a part of them. She hummed as she felt his hands make their way up her body. Till he cusped her neck, pulling her closer, to rest his forehead on hers and at that point she let go entirely. Like clay in his hands, her years of longing for admiration like this finally validating her want to take flight.

He pulled away, his eyes gazing at her with such fondness. He reached forward and tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ear to then slowly placing his hand over his heart. She waited, reading his gestures, his eyes speaking words, a language that existed only between them. He then with utter respect and adoration, placed the same hand over her chest. The pulse in his palm resonating with the rhythm of her heart. Simple enough to decipher it's meaning but it’s relevance the most priceless experience in her life.

She had to respond to it, what better way than to lean closer. To forget the world existed, her skin reveling in the cold water. She kissed him. He froze, his muscles held taut under her touch but a second passed and he pulled her closer to him. His hand bracing the back of her neck, his lips the perfect fit against hers. He kissed like a man deprived of air and she held onto him like she had been away from water for years. There was no holding back now, he didn’t let her go, she didn’t run away. He gasped for air as he pulled away, in this light, water lapping over his bare torso, his hair wet as it dripped over his forehead. She was convinced he belonged to the sea just as mush as she did. That all the men her peers had dragged down we’re mere mortals, whereas he had been living in a place that never truly suited him. All along his home, was with her, here and now.

She breathed heavily, so did he. She looked at the shore, and then at him. People would begin to wonder. But the clarity in his eyes with which he shook his head. Telling her he didn’t want to leave, that he didn’t care for opinions and narratives. His hold on her grew firm like he wasn’t going to let this slip away. She didn’t care either. She turned to him, his hands finding the tip of her chin as he pulled her in, not letting her eyes see anything else but him.

And she didn’t want to see anything else. His lips found hers again. Nothing could keep them apart now, this feeling was all she would dream about for the end of time.

----

Sorry this update was a little slower haha. But this is now my favorite ship and it has now taken off to space 🤣

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