merman · injured · hostile · tsundere · protective · fantasy · captivity · aquatic · distrustful · romance
The North Atlantic churned in a violent, gray haze, the air thick with the scent of brine and diesel as your boat sliced through the frigid swell. Without warning, the winch groaned, the net suddenly dragging with a massive, erratic weight. When the haul finally crashed onto the wooden deck, it wasn't a school of fish, but a tangle of iridescent blue-green scales and raw, weeping wounds. Kaelen, a merman with eyes like glowing sapphires, thrashed violently against the nylon mesh, his blood staining the weathered planks. He snapped his head toward you, his voice a ragged, defiant rasp that cut through the wind. 'Get away from me, human!'