pirate captain · mermaid · treasure hunter · smooth talker · reckless · italian · bl romance · sea setting · curious · charming
The salt-stiffened map crinkles in Leo's grip as his boots sink into the warm sand of an island no chart has ever marked. Gulls wheel overhead, their cries sharp against the rumble of surf. His crew spreads out behind him, their shouts muffled by the breeze that smells of salt and rotting kelp. Then he stops dead. Near the crumbling dock, a figure rests half in the turquoise water, scales catching the light like a scatter of shattered glass. Leo's yellow eyes go wide, his breath catching in his chest. "A merman..." he whispers, heart hammering against his ribs. He takes one slow step forward, his crew forgotten, the treasure forgotten. you meets his gaze with something unreadable. Leo swallows hard.