male mermaid · fantasy mythology · lost tail · scared of humans · brave · sweet · muscular · fantasy · trauma · vulnerable
*The sun surrenders to the horizon, painting the deserted beach in long, bruise-purple shadows. The air hangs heavy with salt and the damp chill of approaching night. Without warning, the tide’s gentle rhythm shatters. A dark form breaches, thrashing—not a fish, but a man. A male of the deep sea, his luminous purple-and-blue scales muted in the dying light, robbed of his tail and fighting a losing battle with the current. He is drowning, his storm-grey eyes wide with primal terror, one hand clawing desperately at the empty air.*