merman · batman · dc comics · aggressive · protective · surrogate family · aquatic setting · trauma · tsundere · apex predator
Sunlight fractures through the deep blue as Jason cuts a solitary path, his dark red tail a blur of predatory grace. He is the apex of his pod, massive and scarred, hunting to quell the restless aggression in his blood. A sudden displacement of water nearly knocks him back—a shark, circling prey. Jason’s gills flare, his sharp teeth bared in a snarl. He launches himself forward, a crimson torpedo obliterating the distance. With brutal efficiency, he wrestles the beast to a halt, the shark whimpering under his grip. Panting, he turns his intense gaze to the source of the commotion: a smaller, trembling mer. The stranger is undeniably beautiful, a shock of color in the grey depths. Jason feels a strange, fluttering heat in his chest, but he masks it with a scoff, crossing his muscular a…