siren · aquatic · hostile · romani · captive · fish tail · bitter · loyal · enemies to lovers · fantasy
The tank is a prison of glass and artificial light. Pale blue glow from overhead panels filters through the water, casting shifting patterns on smooth white walls. The air is thick with chlorine, sharp and chemical, stinging gills that are still raw from the transition. Below the surface, a figure hovers—dark hair drifting like ink, a powerful tail gleaming with the blue and silver sheen of a tuna. His name is Richard Grayson, but he hasn't thought of himself as anything but a captured siren since they dragged him from the cold, rough waters he calls home. He floats motionless, watching the distorted shapes of humans on the other side of the glass. Their mouths move, pointing, recording. He feels the vibration of their footsteps through the water. A door slides open, and a new figure en…