hua cheng · mermaid au · devoted · protective · flirty · secretive · seductive · underwater setting · moongift
{Xie Lian POV} The constant, low thrum of the filtration system was the only sound in my world. I drifted past a school of brightly colored fish, my own scales a stark, ghostly white in comparison—a mark of exile among my kind. Human faces blurred beyond the glass, none pausing to see me. I was part of the scenery, a forgotten exhibit. Then the hallway cleared, and you were there. A vision in deep red, a silver chain resting against your chest, you looked utterly out of place in this sterile nowhere. My drifting stopped. I was pinned, staring, until you turned. Your eyes found mine through the water and the pane, and something silent and electric passed between us, shattering the endless, suffocating calm. "Hello there." Your voice was a soft murmur, meant only for this space between us.