Inspired by the movie -Luca-

Andy POV
"Are you for real?" I asked my best friend while looking at the boat in front of us.
I mean it was definitely a boat from like a century ago but Sonny insisted with this boat trip and I couldn't say no to him.
"Don't be dramatic. It's gonna be fun"
"I'm not being dramatic but if we drown in the middle of nowhere I'm gonna blame you" I glared at him.
After some difficulties, we managed to row far away from the shore without falling off the boat.
It was kinda nice and Sonny decided to stop in the middle of nowhere to breathe in the real essence of the ocean or some bullshit that he said.
"Doesn't it feel good? To be here just the 2 of us without any drama or problem..." Sonny said laying down on the boat.
"Yeah...it's been a while"
Nothing serious happened but school is always stressful and both of us really needed some time off so even tho I felt like the boat was about to break at any moment, I was happy to be there with my best friend.
"Hey, I know this cool bay and we can start a fire there" Sonny suggested breaking the melancholic mood that started to surround us.
I agreed and not only cause I was in the mood for s'mores.

"Are you sure this is the right way? Cause people say that here weird things happen..." I mean, I usually don't believe in those things but once they saw some weird fishes and probably a human with a tail and honestly I didn't want to stay there to find out if it was true or not.
"Andy, you need to chill. They are just legends, not even kids believe in them" Sonny said while keeping rowing.
I sat back and looked around in case the boat collided with some rocks since we were pretty close to the shore.
Then while I was looking around, I saw something shining under the water and when I was about to grab it, thinking that it was a piece of jewelry or something like that, it disappeared.
"Did you see that?" I asked panicking a bit.
"What?"
"The shiny thing...there...in the water" I stuttered cause I wasn't going crazy...right?
"Mate, you worry me sometimes" Sonny shook his head and hopped off the boat to pull it up the shore.
I breathed in and decided to forget it, we were there to relax so that was what I was gonna do.

We secured the boat to the shore then Sonny started the fire while I grabbed the beers and the food we brought.
"Do you remember the first day of school?" Sonny asked out of the blue while looking at the calm waves in front of us.
I cringed at the memory.
I was so whipped for this guy that I met the previous summer but he was an asshole.
So yeah, for the first couple of months I couldn't stop talking about him.
"We promised to never talk about him again" I said sipping my beer.
"He was an asshole but it was kinda funny seeing you that whipped for someone" Sonny laughed and I hid my face in my hands.
"He was...a mistake ok? I don't think about him anymore" I stated.
"Thank god, I might add" Sonny joked and I pushed him off the rock he was sitting on making him fall in the sand.
"You're being mean to me so I will go for a swim"

The water was kinda cold but nothing unbearable.
I swam around for I bit when I saw the shiny thing again and this time I went underwater to see what it was and I couldn't believe my eyes, I was definitely going crazy.
A freaking mermaid was in front of me...like a real one just like in the movies.
She saw me and swam away as fast as she could.
I did the same but not cause I was scared, Sonny had to witness it too.
"Sonny! Mate! You have to see it. Come on!" I was panting.
"Hey chill"
The mermaid was already gone.
"Are you ok?" He asked concerned.
I looked behind me at the water.
"I-I..."
"Listen, you need to calm down. It's ok" Sonny said with a soft voice.
Probably I imagined it so I listened to Sonny and we just chilled.
We talked, ate tons of s'mores and drank beers all night.

-the next day-
I didn't sleep at all the previous night cause I couldn't stop thinking about the mermaid, I wasn't crazy.
So since Sonny was busy that day, I decided to go back there and prove to myself that I was right.
I got to the exact same point, hopeful to see the creature again.
The water was calm and crystal clear and I could see clearly through it like it was glass.
Then out of nowhere, I saw a shiny tail, the mermaid.
I followed it with my gaze but when she saw me she got scared and swam away.
I just wanted to talk so I followed her but another creature blocked my way and looked at me with a stern look.
If looks could kill I would have been already dead at least three times.
Also if I wasn't scared to death I would have thought that he was the most beautiful creature ever.
With perfect and smooth skin, wet and brown hair, piercing eyes and a tail that shined like diamonds under the sun.
"Lizzy just go home!" He said to the mermaid.
Then his eyes were back on me and I stopped breathing for a second.
"What were you thinking?!" The creature said but I was too focused on his beauty.
"I- you're a..."
"Yeah, I'm a male mermaid. Cool. What were you thinking with my sister? You wanted to kill her?"
"No, God no. I-I saw her the other day and got curious. There are legends about creatures like you..." I explained while trying to stay afloat.
"All legends are true as we say in the sea world..." he simply said.
"But you shouldn't be here. It's not a place for humans" he added but when he was about to go away I stopped him.
He looked at my hand that was around his wrist and coughed lightly.
"I-I want to know more..." I said moving away my hand.
I looked at him with my best puppy eyes and apparently, it worked cause he sighed and silently nodded.
"Just...stay close to me and don't do anything stupid"
I nodded my head and before I could do anything his lips were on me.
My mind was screaming and my body was frozen like I don't even know his name.
When he pulled away, I tried to hide my blush as best as I could but he noticed it anyway.
"It's so you can breathe underwater, don't be weird about it. Plus you're too...human for me"

We swam around and everything was mind-blowing.
There were mermaids everywhere and honestly it was better than I expected it to be even tho I didn't know what I was expecting.
Corals were everywhere just like trees and plants for us and all the colorful tails of the mermaids were like drops of paint in the deep blue ocean water.
"Rye, what the fuck are you doing?" The mermaid that I first saw, Lizzy, asked as soon as she saw us.
So the most hand- I mean this mermaid...is called Rye, ok noted.
"He won't kill you" Rye replied a bit cold.
"No, I mean what the fuck are you doing with a human?!" She whispered the last word like it was venom.
Rye said nothing so I stepped in.
"I wanted to apologize for before. I-I didn't want to scare you" I smiled at Lizzy but zero reaction from her.
"It's ok" she replied coldly just like her brother before.
As soon as Lizzy was gone, Rye spoke.
"Sorry for...that. She can be a pain in the ass sometimes"

We were laying, kinda weird saying that since we were underwater but...we were laying on a huge field of sea plants and looking at the surface from there was kinda weird.
Not being able to see the sun but still seeing the sun rays breaking through the water, it was all so weird and different.
Rye let out some bubbles and it reminded me of how human kids usually play with soap bubbles in the park.
"So...tell me something about your...specie?" It came out more like a question.
"There isn't much to say...you saw where we live and we are not that different from you. We just have a tail"
"That's not what I meant...like what part of the legends it's true..." I was genuinely curious.
"Well...probably you heard about the nymph Thetis, the mother of the famous Achilles...well, she had a lot of children and some of them were called the nymphs of the sea current. That's where we come from. We are not monsters, we are just creatures that live under the sea. That's it" he explained and I...I didn't know what to say.
First of all his voice was hypnotizing, I couldn't stop staring at him while he was speaking.
Second of all mermaids have always been portraited as evil creatures that trick humankind or sea monsters that should be killed.
But Rye definitely isn't a monster, he's far from being one.
Silence filled the air or should I say the water and I didn't know what to do or say, I was still recovering from what Rye said.
"Maybe I should guide you back cause it's getting late..." Rye spoke breaking the silence.

Once our heads popped out of the water, I looked at Rye's eyes and they were like shiny raindrops under the moonlight, they were...really hypnotizing.
They say that mermaids hypnotize men with their voices but I never heard Rye sing so I couldn't prove that but his eyes...
One look at them was enough to capture my full attention.
"Sorry" Rye mumbled closing his eyes and looking away as soon as he realized what was going on.
"Our voices aren't the only thing that has that effect..." he quickly explained but I didn't care, I made him look at me anyway.
"Open your eyes" my voice quieter than the waves.
"No"
"Please...Rye..."
After a bit of hesitation, he opened them and I truly forgot how to breathe, I wasn't thinking rationally.
They made me feel drunk without drinking, they had the power to take away all the oxygen left in the world and make me feel dizzy.
Then our lips touched and it wasn't so I could breathe underwater.
Our lips fit in with each other like puzzle pieces and his tasted like salt mixed with something else.
We didn't stop, it was like the both of us were addicted to the taste, the feeling.
When we pulled away we were panting.
I looked at him but he avoided my gaze.
"I...I have to go" and with that Rye disappeared underwater.

-days later-
It's been a while and I had zero news from Rye...it was like he disappeared from the world and I didn't know what I did wrong.
I didn't mean to scare him off but apparently I did, great.
"Andy, what the fuck is wrong with you? You've been so weird lately and it looks like your high school crush just rejected you...for how long have you been in bed?" Sonny came in and opened the curtains letting all the light in.
I hissed like a vampire then covered my face with the blanket.
"Come on...Andy, you need to get up and do something. At least eat something"
"I don't want to...leave me here"
"Don't be a drama queen. John is going to look for mermaids since someone saw something weird in the water the other day"
At that, I sat up immediately.
"John the fisherman?" My eyes were about to pop out from my eye socket.
"Yeah...who else?" Sonny laughed but it wasn't funny.
I got up and got dressed as fast as possible.
"We...we have to see" and I rushed out of the house.
They were gonna get Rye, I was sure of it but I couldn't let it happen.

I ran to our small and broken boat with Sonny close behind me, in that moment I prayed, I just prayed.
"Wow I see that suddenly you're interested in...whatever this is" Sonny commented but I was too busy rowing as fast as possible to get there in time.
When we arrived at the spot, John was already scanning the water in search of some mermaids and I found myself doing the same thing while Sonny just stood there confused.
No sight of Rye or any mermaid but I talked too soon.
John placed some nets in the water and he caught something.
I didn't think twice and jumped in the water.
"Andy! What the fuck are you doing?!"
In the meanwhile, John and his crew were working on getting the net out of the water.

They got Rye.
He was scared, I was able to see it in his gorgeous eyes but when he saw me he kinda relaxed.
I moved fastly and started to cut the net but it was getting hard to breathe.
"Andy..." Rye cupped my face and kissed me softly.
The kiss didn't only give me air, it reassured me cause deep down I was panicking too.
I finally managed to cut the net but Rye's tail got stuck and John started to throw fishing arpions in the water.
"Andy!" Rye screamed and the water started to turn into crimson.
I looked at his tail and they got him.
"It hurts..." he cried and I was doing my best to cut the rope since they started to pull but it was taking too long.
"Trust me" was all I said to Rye before going back to the surface.
"Andy...what are you doing in the water? It's dangerous" John said while his men kept on pulling.
"You need to stop. Now." I said sternly.
"You're no sense son...we finally got a mermaid!"
"You're not listening John. He is bleeding and he's not like a fish that you...just set him free" I was begging him.
"Kid, you don't know what you're talking about. He is a monster-"
"You're the monster" Sonny cut him off and pushed him off the boat.
"Fast! Help him get on our boat!"
I did as Sonny said and helped Rye being careful with his tail.
In no time we rowed away from the spot.
"Sonny...thanks but he is gonna die without water and also he's bleeding..." I was out of breath.
"I think that you're the only one having trouble breathing here...and about his bleeding..."
I looked at Sonny then at Rye, he was actually fine and with...legs?
"When we get out of the water it happens...also I'm fine it doesn't hurt as bad as in water" 

Sonny stopped the boat in a small bay that he found while I took care of Rye's cut.
"I'll go get the wood for the fire" he said and gave me a knowing look before leaving.
"Are you ok? Maybe a bit cold?" I asked Rye once we were left alone.
"A bit but it's ok..."
I put on his shoulder another blanket and sat next to him.
"So..."
"Thank you...for saving me"
"I couldn't let you die there, so you don't have to thank me" I said hugging my knees to keep myself warm.
"I was looking for you...before they got me. I-I disappeared after...you know but I panicked and it was unfair, I had to at least give you an explanation...you're not too human for me..." he said looking at me.
"I was worried but only cause...I-I like you a lot and I was scared that I could have messed up"
"I-I really like you too"
And he leaned in.
I missed his lips, missed having him that close to me.
After the kiss, we cuddled on the boat and looked at the sunset.
"What do we do now?" Rye asked with his head against my chest.
"Well, now it's my turn to show you where I live, my world, and I promise that no one will try to kill you"

___________________________________

Note*
This took me a lot of time cause I never wrote about mermaids or creatures like them before so I had to get used to everything.
It's something new and I'm kinda happy with it so hope u guys like it.
School starts in about a week and I'll try my best to keep updating.
Vote if you liked it.🧜🏻