Evan flinched when a loud 'boom' came from the surface. He looked up and frowned when he saw the two human vessels side by side. Another loud noise echoed through the water and Evan pressed his ears back, trying to block out, or at least soften, the loud noise.
A huge shockwave traveled through the water and sent Evan tumbled back slightly, though he managed to recover quickly. He looked up and watched as one of the vessels tilted and slowly started to sink.
Evan watched without feeling much remorse as humans drowned. They were ruining the ocean, overfishing and polluting. They were corrupting a land that wasn't there, so Evan really didn't care if they died or not.
He was about to swim away from the wreckage when movement caught his eye. He watched as a human struggled to swim to the surface. Evan flinched when a large piece of the vessel hit the human in the head, knocking him out.
The hit turned his face slightly and Evan's eyes widened when he saw the human's features. By the god's, that human was gorgeous. Ignoring the flying debris and the other flailing or dead humans, he swam to the unconscious man. He hoped the pretty man wasn't dead.
He stopped in front of the human, placing his webbed hands on his face. He smiled as he studied the human. He was strangely pretty, quite beautiful in fact. His dark hair floated in the water, surrounding his head like a ring and his skin was pale like a pearl. Evan was immediately infatuated.
Evan continued to admire the human before suddenly remembering that humans needed air from the surface to live.
He hurriedly tucked the human in his arms and shot up to the surface. There was some land nearby, he could place the human there and ensure he survived.
It was a five-minute swim at his top speed. The second he was on the island, he hauled the human up and placed two fingers on the human's chest. He murmured a few words in his native tongue and gently pressed.
The human started coughing and water started to spill from his mouth. Evan watched in slight horror as the human's entire body shuddered. The human turned off his back and spat out a bunch of water and mucus. Evan wrinkled his nose at the slimy, disgusting mess.
Once the human was done, he flopped on his back and let out an exhausted sigh.
"Oh my god," Evan stammered in human tongue. "Are you alright?"
The human's eyes cracked open, which were a very pretty blue, just like the sky wow, and he stared hazily at Evan. His brows furrowed. "What. The fuck." He mumbled and promptly passed out.
Evan started panicking.
His hands flailed, not knowing what to do, and he settled for slapping the human in the face multiple times.
The human's eyes flew open and he swatted at Evan's hands with a groan.
"Staph it." He slurred.
"Don't sleep again!" Evan demanded and slapped him one last time for emphasis.
"Ahh!" The human moaned. "Stop! Jesus Christ..."
The human struggled to sit up and nearly fell right over again, but Evan wrapped an arm under his shoulders to support him. The human still seemed a bit delirious, but he still immediately noticed Evan's tail.
The human was silent for a moment. "I'm dead, aren't I?" He said flatly.
Evan's tail twitched nervously. "Um, n-no? Please don't die."
The human blinked slowly. "Mermaids are real." He said dazedly. "Mermaids are fucking real, oh my god."
Evan smiled uncertainly, not sure what to make of the situation. "Y-yes?" He stuttered. "My name is Evan."
The human blinked and tilted his head back, resting it on Evan's shoulder. "Connor." He said. "You saved me, huh?"
Evan smiled. He liked the name Connor, it suited the human. "Um, yes. I saved you." He said.
"Why? The crew always said mermaids and sirens killed humans." Connor said.
Evan's cheeks turned pink. "You um, I just, I think you're beautiful!" He blurted out.
Connor's cheeks turned bright red. "You... what?"
"You're, um, you're very beautiful," Evan said.
Connor stared. "A mermaid has a crush on me. Wow. Okay." He licked his lips and then cringed at the taste. "Are there any survivors from the ship? I need to get back."
Evan's eyes widened in alarm. "Will you stay?" Evan asked. "I can, I can give you food. And I think there's settlement on the island. You don't have to leave, you could stay."
Connor hesitated for a second before nodding. "Sure. Not like I've got family or friends back home."
Evan brightened immediately. "I'll bring you anything you need!" He said eagerly.
Connor smiled. "I don't need much Ev. Just food and fresh water. And shelter so I don't die from hypothermia."
"I can do that." Evan was maybe overly eager, but it really wasn't his fault. When merpeople courted people or found a mate, they always tried to provide for the subject of their affections. The more you give your mate, the abler you were seen as.
Evan ducked under the water, off to search for food for his mate. He was going to prove he was worth the human's affections, of being his mate. He wouldn't let anyone else steal the human's affections.
