This is the Halloween side story between Lowe and Rainier, I know it's late by a lot, but I had a few issues that's why it's quite delayed, I'm sorry, hope you enjoy it.
This chapter is non-canon and it's +18 ^^
Song Recommendation: ♫ Walk You Home Safe - Bibiane Z ♫
"When the darkness sweeps the Earth and the cold wind blows us out, the place you seek will still be there, immovable, yet the way you approach it changes the future you'll face and what you'll discover.''
⚠︎ This chapter is a special Halloween themed side story, it happens in a parallel world, and it touches on two 'what ifs' scenarios: 1. What if Rainier was never adopted/Never saved the Crown Prince's life when he was a child. 2. What if Lowe was a merfolk/merman. So enjoy this Halloween special with a human Rainier x merman Lowe.
The winds sing as they hit the windows in one of the Whisperia Kingdom's islands, the cold winds of fall surrounding the citizens as they walk back home from work, while others follow to their favorite tavern, hoping to warm themselves with alcohol to celebrate the soon arrival of winter. At one of the island's tavern, The Red Puma, a man can be found speaking words that most would be scared to.
"Fuck the King, that man should have a wake up call", Rainier says as he shots down his beer down his throat. The red-haired man is a commoner from the Exos Empire, his life on the streets alone wasn't easy, and after moving from stealing to odd jobs he ended up moving to the Whisperia Kingdom with a caravan of merchants, deciding to stay at one of its islands as he found the sea to be oddly calming there. However one thing he never liked, ever since he lived in the Empire were nobles, those people riding their high-horses thinking they're better over a make-believe title infuriated him.
Where in the Empire a rebellion would never work since the rulers were beloved by the people, at the Whisperia Kingdom the situation was different, after the banishment of the Crown Prince due to a new Queen rising in power, most of the people that supported Prince Cypress started begging for a change. So Rainier could express his distaste as much as he wanted as he got drunk at a local tavern, since everyone there agrees with him.
"Fuck the King!" Other men at the tavern chant with the man as they gulp down their beers. That is another effect Rainier always had in people, being able to rile them up, of course that the large amount of alcohol they were consuming also helped.
Rainier grabs another beer from a passing waitress, stepping on one of the tables, raising his glass, his face already flushed from the amount of alcohol he already had consumed. "To the revolution!" His words are mostly empty, and the next day he will be back working at the docks for scraps, just to burn all he earned at the tavern trying to drown his true thoughts in alcohol. Truth be told, if the man wished so he could very well follow through those words, since he was a child he learned to move swiftly and defend himself, having a lot of prowess with the use of knives and small daggers. However in the grand scheme of things, Rainier is just a drunk spewing shit at a local tavern that'll never even reach the ears of those in power, he's nothing but dust to them.
And after living his whole life as an insignificant speck of dust, he doesn't know how to be the leader that the revolution asks for. If that was ever coming true, after all.
Six other pints of beer later, Rainier finds himself at the beach, the small pebbles prickling his bare feet as he staggers around, the cold wind messing his short red hair as he takes a seat at one of the big rocks on the shore, staring at the dark immensity of the Blue Sea, the moonlight reflecting on the calm waves.
When did everything go wrong?
He lost his parents early on, and after many years jumping orphanages he ended up on the streets either way, stealing to survive. He never learned how to read or write, never got paid more than 3 silver coins per day and even became a lying alcoholic after coming of age. Sure, he's only 21, most would argue that he has his whole life in front of him yet, but, does he?
Most of those that lived lives similar to him are either dead or on the verge of dying, the despair of always moving but never leaving the spot where they started can ruin someone. Especially when those in power seem to not care about the tribulations the people they should be helping are going through.
But again, how could they be that rich if they cared about the poor people in their Kingdom? Banishing a Prince only because he wanted to restore the connection they had with their patron god and heal the Tree of Life that is slowly dying inside that Castle overtaken by greed just proves how they prefer to keep their pockets full at the expense of those that actually make the nation spin.
What's the point of trying to start a revolution? After all another will take the place of those hungry nobles, and they as well will be consumed by greed. There's no true answer to the rottenness that is deep inside human hearts.
Rainier laughs at his own thoughts, although he's incredibly drunk he's still able to have those depression inducing thoughts. He attempts to get up only to trip and fall on his ass, he laughs again, anyone that could see him from afar would think what a drunkard, and they would be completely correct.
And that is what a solitaire mermen swimming the cold waters of the Whisperia Kingdom's shore was thinking, watching as the human proceeded to continue to fail getting up and laughing as if it was the funniest situation he was ever in. The man's flushed face and the faint smell of alcohol that emanates from him even from how far the merman is denounces the man's true state of mind.
Lowe is a young merman from a long line of pure breeds, he lived for a long time swimming around with his brother, meeting different shores and places as they swimmed across the Blue Sea, however after his brother married another merwoman, he was left alone, to wonder through the shores that felt familiar yet unfamiliar.
During his trips he took interest in observing humans, coming to understand the foreign creatures more and more through the passing days. And with his accumulated knowledge he can tell that the red-head man stumbling around as he tries to get down from the large rock he was on, was, as the locals say… shitfaced.
"How peculiar", Lowe whispers to himself, his tail moving slowly as he stays afloat, his head outside of the water to better observe the human. As a merman fixated on learning new things, his new study of humans was going exceptionally well, Lowe was almost ready to leave the cold sea and interact with humans, hiding amongst them to experience the full human try-out a lot of merfolk do once they come of age.
Because he left home early with his brother to explore the Blue Sea, he never got to have that experience a few years ago, so now is better than never. Of course, he still needs to observe a little more, so that he knows what to expect when he goes there. What he saw mostly were drunk men stumbling across the pebbles and sand, and even couples that went to a hidden spot to have intercourse. So truth be told his human experience was quite limited to getting drunk, walking on the sand while constantly tripping and falling and having loud sex as they pretend to try to hide behind a rock at a public beach.
He observes as the man trips again, this time almost falling on the sea. That area has a hole, it's dangerous, Lowe thinks, not moving an inch. After a few more failed attempts, the drunk man manages to get up, however as he turns to jump off the tall rock, he stumbles back, falling in the sea. At first Lowe just clicks his tongue, another human to the fall, he thinks, ready to turn away, slowly sinking feeling the cold water refresh his head.
But it seems that the human had other plans. A soft tug on his tail as he's used as a stepping stone for the human to get up and be able to grasp for air. "Damn that sobered me right up", the red-haired man says, his hands on Lowe's head as he pushes the merman's face down into the sea. Fucking human, Lowe thinks, raising his hands to push the man's hand away, just then the human notices that what he used to get up wasn't a stone, but a living being. "Shit, I'm so sorry", he says, swimming a few meters away from Lowe, who comes up, just his head popping out of the water, his expression is one of pure disbelief.
"How rude you humans are", he says with a low tone, the man stares at him before laughing.
"Indeed we are", he says with a bright smile, his red hair dark because of the lack of light at that spot of the Sea, the exact reason why Lowe usually stays there to observe the humans. "You're a merfolk", he states, Lowe nods.
"And you're human", he says.
"Don't you guys eat humans?" The man's question deeply offends Lowe, he doesn't eat humans it's been what? Six years? After his brother became a vegetarian he followed suit. Of course most merfolk do eat humans every once in a while, whoever what they eat the most are seals and other small sea mammals.
"I don't eat humans anymore", he answers calmly, sure, Lowe never intended to talk with a human now, but since he's already talking with one he might as well enjoy it. The next day he'll need to go to another beach, after all there are rumors of humans who befriend merfolks to then sell them as slaves after tricking them.
"So you do eat humans", the man nods, not even a glint of fear in his red eyes. "Are you good at singing as well?"
Lowe nods.
"You're not going to ask me to sing next, right?" The merman says, his eyes just as dark as the night, he moves his tail up and down, the tip sometimes leaving the water, the moonlight reflecting on its copper scales.
The human laughs. "How did you know?"
"Our voice drives humans crazy, would you still want to hear it?" Lowe says, serious. The biggest item of merfolks diets long ago used to be humans, they were a species created to help reduce their number as they started to grow uncontrollably after all. However as years passed, less merfolk seemed interested in consuming humans, as their flesh tasted weird as humans began using perfumes and other chemicals on their skin. So they moved to consuming most of the other sea mammals. However everything in their body is made to hunt humans, their sweet hypnotizing voice, their fast tails and their powerful gulls that helped them breath both under and above water.
"Yes, why not?" The human shrugs, Lowe stares at him in silence. Why would someone want to go crazy?
"Do you want to die?" He asks.
The cold water was slowly sobering Rainier up, a man driven by himself only, who spews words that he'll never follow and acts cowardly when confronted. A man that as a child was constantly beaten up for stealing food just so he wouldn't die out of starvation. To him, the merman's question is almost funny, if he wanted to die he would've already.
He would have just given up surviving at all.
It's quite easy for a child to die on the streets, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, everything is made for them to succumb.
"Not really, no, I'm just curious, why, will you eat me after you charm me up?" He asks with a soft laugh, his fingers hurting from the cold water and his lips trembling as they slowly go purple. He needs to leave, go home and change his now swamped clothes, but something in those shiny caramel toned eyes of the merman kept him there.
"You should leave", the merman says, "The water is cold".
"Aren't you cold?"
Lowe pauses, "Not really, my body is different from yours after all". He states the obvious, after all as a merman he has already swimmed in waters colder than those.
The human stares at him for a moment, "Don't you want to leave with me?" His question is impulse and makes absolutely no sense. Who would invite a random merman to their house in the middle of the night? Even if Lowe was human, this would be a bad idea.
"I don't know you", he says.
Rainier nods, as if he made complete sense. "My name is Rainier", he introduces himself instead of leaving those cold waters.
"Lowe" the merman answers regardless, maybe this way he'll go away. Ignoring the fact that he could go away himself.
"Now we aren't strangers anymore!" The human smiles. Lowe shakes his head in response.
"I have never stepped out of the ocean, I don't think it's a good idea to make my first time today".
"Why so?"
"Because I would be following a drunk man into his house", his words are honest but harsh, Rainier laughs while he shakes from the cold. "Please let go of this nonsense, we just met, just leave".
"There are moments where one should choose between changing their lives forever or keeping the status quo", Rainier retorts. "Right now is this moment for us, if I leave I might never see you again".
Lowe raises an eyebrow, "And why should that matter?"
His question makes the human hesitate. "Because I want to talk with you more, don't you feel this?" His question is vague and makes the merman frown.
"What? The cold?"
The man snorts, "No," he approaches the merman that doesn't move. "A simple chain of choices and actions that led us to this moment in time", his words are starting to slow down, a clear sign of his mind slowing down due to the cold. Suddenly instead of feeling cold, Rainier starts feeling warm, hypothermia taking effect into his system. If he doesn't leave the waters now he might pass out or have even greater damage to his body. However even if he knows this he doesn't wish to move away from the merman.
A gut feeling.
Intuition.
Something deep inside his stomach is telling him that he'll regret forever if he leaves the ocean alone.
"I don't quite understand you", Lowe says, his tail moving impatiently as he can see clearly that the man is starting to become bluer due to the cold.
"Perhaps it is love at first sight" his words are so serious that the merman bursts out laughing, something he hasn't done in a while.
"You're crazy", and maybe they both are, as Lowe could've swimmed away, never engaged with the men's conversation or even stopped watching as he saw the drunk men stumble around. But he stayed, he talked, and he still hasn't left.
He can't deny that something in that redhead is making him stay there. Unmovable by a force he doesn't know the origin of.
"Just take a leap of faith and come with me, I promise I won't put you in any danger", his words may be sincere, but the dangers for a merman in a human territory are far too many. Not that Lowe can recall all of them right now.
"Ok" he finally gives in, not only because he's curious, but also because he's aware that the man won't bear much longer.
Slowly they swam towards the shore, the beach was empty by the time they reached it, Rainier left first, his whole body shaking, all of his extremities blue and frozen up due to the cold. Lowe stares at the end of the water, his heart beating strongly with the anticipation of what he's about to do.
With his eyes closed he swims closer, and once his body is completely off the water he can feel a tingling feeling on his tail that soon becomes two legs and feet.
He stares at himself with awe, Rainier turning away with a slight blush on his cheeks, he runs towards the rock he was stumbling on earlier to grab his coat and put it around the merman.
"Why?" The merman asks.
"You're naked", Rainier smiles awkwardly, "Unfortunately us humans don't enjoy seeing others naked on the streets, only at home alone".
Lowe nods, his notion of human culture a bit distorted by the drunks and perverts he watched all those nights.
In silence Lowe holds tight to Rainier's hand as he's guided through the city's streets towards the man's house. The merman stares at his surroundings with an excited expression, compared to the underwater cities everything was way more grey and lavish. People walking around them were all laughing and stumbling around drunk, whatever makes them that happy he wishes to find out.
Their trip is short, and Rainier's house is nothing like Lowe ever imagined, it's small, really small, the man opens the door and the small room consists of only a bed, a small bathroom and a small rudimentary stove.
They have no choice but to sit on the bed, as the house is too small for them to walk around. "Sorry, money is short to get a bigger place" he mumbles as he attempts to open the miniscule window he has in the room.
Lowe nods, observing his surroundings, the posters of music performances, the papers on the revolution scattered around the floor and a neat pile of perfectly folded clothes at the corner. His place was reflective of his personality, scattered and unaware of who he truly is. Scared of moving forward but too stuck to go back to his past as well. A man trapped in the now.
"You like music?" The merman asks, Rainier nods.
"A little, I enjoy it more than attempting to make it", he says.
"Is that why you wished to hear me sing?" Lowe asks, staring into the man's red fiery eyes.
Rainier grabs a change of clothes and moves to the bathroom to change as he speaks. "Part of it, I guess".
"I can sing for you if you'd like, but if you're weak-minded it might drive you crazy", Lowe says, leaning down on the bed, the coat Rainier gave him opening slightly, his bare skin being illuminated by the moonlight.
Rainier's head pops out of the bathroom's door, "I would like that", the man leaves the bathroom walking towards the merman.
Something in that ethereal night makes their heart flutter as their eyes meet again, Rainier's eyes trail down to Lowe's bare skin, his breathing becoming heavier as he feels his whole body burning, this time not from excessive cold, but from desire.
Maybe because he's a merman, designed to tempt humans into despair.
Or maybe because he's him, not anyone else, that Rainier feels like this right now.
He has no parameters to go by as he never met another merfolk, but he's willing to bet all of his scarce money on the second option.
Lowe was also feeling it, the burning feeling at the back of his throat, the tingling on his stomach. Unaware of the nature of his feelings all he can think of is that those are side effects from being out of the water. He takes a deep breath, his eyes lingering on Rainier's as he opens his mouth.
Surreal.
Ethereal.
Angelic.
Magnificent.
Enchanting.
Absolutely lovely.
Those are all thoughts that cross Rainier's mind the moment Lowe starts singing, his voice soft on his ears, and he can understand how could it drive someone insane, the soft and sweet melody makes his whole body shake, he wants to touch the merman, hug him, kiss him, embrace him with his whole being.
And if at the end he asked him to jump into the darkness of the deepest part of the ocean, he would.
Sure, those could be his honest feelings and not only the effect of the song and the man's voice.
However Rainier doubts that this feeling is coming from his completely sane mind.
When Lowe ends the short song he watches the human's face, at first he can't quite tell if the man managed to hang on through the end.
"...Can I ask you something?" The fact that he's able to say a full sentence clearly is a good sign. Lowe sighs with relief as he nods, shifting his position on the bed, the coat sliding off, showcasing even more of his naked body. He doesn't feel any inhibition as he never had the need to wear clothes and the concept of naked, doesn't really enter his mind, although he knows the difference. "Can I…" Rainier approaches the merman, kneeling on the bed, his face bent to meet Lowe's, their eyes a few centimeters away. They both can feel the hot breath of each other brushing their faces. "...kiss you?" He finishes with a whisper as he swallows dryly, his hands trembling with anticipation, his eyes dark with desire. He can't hold it anymore, from the way Lowe's tail shined like copper with the moonlight, to his soft naked skin and shining caramel eyes, everything was calling to him.
Begging him to come closer.
But he's waiting, for the confirmation that he's not alone with this feeling, this urge.
It's more than mere attraction or desire, it is almost as if his soul is pleading to become one with the merman's.
Lowe can understand what will happen next, not only he saw enough humans to understand at least this part of their culture, but merfolk also have relationships and desires. But Lowe never really had his, never felt the need to partake in those rituals or feelings. Right now, though, this feeling inside his heavy chest, the warm feeling of the man's body closer to his, how can he say no? How can he run away from this burning desire growing inside his chest?
So he nods, accepting the human's advances, maybe if he completes this ritual he'll understand a little more of humans.
Or maybe he'll be the one entrapped in their sweet words.
It burns, Lowe thinks the moment Rainier's lips touch his, the warmth filling his senses, the kiss is eager, almost too eager, as if Lowe was the water for the dehydrated Rainier. The moment their tongues touch a shiver run down Lowe's spine, Rainier pushes the merman down, staying on top of him, their lips never parting even if they're both out of breath.
Lowe feels his blood rushing to his lower part, something he only read about, or even heard when his parents had that talk with him. He's excited, turned on, he wants to touch the human more, he wants to be touched more, the coat he's wearing now off almost completely, his naked body in display for Rainier's eyes.
And damn, those red eyes gaze at him from head to toe, eating him alive. Lowe lets out a noise he wasn't aware he could make, he raises his head, meeting the human's lips another time for another fierce and thirsty kiss.
"Fuck", Rainier whispers once their lips part, breathless. He kisses the merman's neck and chest, his hand caressing his whole body. "I don't think your voice is what will drive me insane."
Lowe flinches when the human touches his tight and proceeds to move his hand towards his dick. If he wanted he could stop right now, get up, leave and go back to the ocean where everything is safe and familiar.
Swim for just a few hours and then have lunch with his brother and his wife.
Instead here he is, moaning as a human stranger strokes his cock just like those pervert humans did at the beaches so many times before as the first rays of sun slowly creep in through the window.
Actions that Lowe never understood, and even judged, are now being made by him. He rolls his eyes back when Rainier bites one of his nipples, a shiver runs down his spine, the feeling of his whole body slowly becoming more and more sensitive.
With his slightly elevated leg he can feel Rainier's hard erection against his knee, a small groan leaving the human's lips when the merman moves his knee pressing against the man's erection.
Rainier raises his head to stare at the merman, his red eyes dark with lust staring deeply into those caramel eyes that shine brightly with the same feeling.
There are words left unsaid between them, what this means, why they're there or even why they're doing all of that. Rainier has experience with women, more than he would admit, and less than one would assume he even remembers, however this situation for him is unprecedented. He never felt like he needed to be inside someone, or that if he didn't kiss those lips again he might go insane.
When they were at the ocean, under the moonlight, sharing those words, their worlds clashing completely, he felt something deep inside his own soul, yelling to him to grab the merman and take him home, to make sure that moment wouldn't be their last meeting.
He never felt so grateful for being drunk in his life.
This makes everything suddenly click, every bad action he ever took, every bad choice he ever made, everything lead him to this moment that for the first time in his life he made a good decision.
At least that's what he sees right now.
The human takes a moment to admire the merman's body, leaning back to stare at it, his fair smooth skin that seems to have never seen sunlight, the lack of muscles although he's constantly swimming at sea, then his face, with his almond eyes staring deeply at him, his lips slightly parted, the small frown as he tries to understand what he's feeling and damn, that absolutely adorable mole under his right eye.
Leaning over, Rainier kisses the small mole under Lowe's eyes, then proceeds to kiss the tip of his nose and then his lips, his hands moving softly on the merman's body, trying to map it with his mind, desperate to memorize every nook and cranny. On the other side, Lowe feels his whole body burning, where Rainier touches feels like pure fire, and his gaze on him feels electrifying.
He can't understand or even begin to explain what this is.
No, he can tell what is happening, but to why, is still a mystery to him.
Kisses are placed in every spot in his skin by the red-haired man, a small moan leaves Lowe's mouth as he's caught by surprise when Rainier kisses the tip of his dick. He never felt like this before, sometimes he would talk with his brother about sex, as merfolk need to transform in order to have intercourse, he never even attempted such an act before, but Raphael assured him that when the time came it would all feel natural.
But there's nothing natural in this situation.
His stomach is churning, his whole body is on fire and weird noises are leaving his mouth, and sure, feeling the man's touch on his private area feels nice, but how is this supposed to be natural? His mind is racing and his heart is almost running away from his chest.
When Rainier puts his whole length inside his mouth, that is when Lowe understands what it means to feel on edge. He almost cums right away, the pleasure of the act running though his skin like an electrical shock.
''W-Why?'' He asks between moans, trying to understand why this felt so good.
While the human was thinking about how the merman tasted like saltwater and was enjoying the sight of him melting in pleasure in his mouth.
It doesn't take much for the virgin Lowe to cum inside Rainier's mouth, his face becoming bright red with embarrassment, unsure if that was something normal to be done.
''Did it felt good?'' Rainier asks with a whisper, licking Lowe's dick clean.
He's a freak, Lowe thinks, flinching as his skin feels sensitive due to the recent orgasm, but either way he nods, unable to lie.
The human comes up again, placing kisses on Lowe's neck, ''I can make you feel even better'', he whispers, his hand touching a dangerous area, making the merman flinch.
''I…'' he answers, grabbing the human's hand. ''I'm not sure if I can do this right now''.
Not only is he completely unaware of how two men can have intercourse, but he isn't even sure if it's safe for a merman and a human to engage in such acts.
Sure, half-merfolk exist, and some even engage in long-term relationships with humans, although Lowe always found such practice weird.
Who would engage in such acts with their food?
But here he is, engaging in such acts with someone who's supposed to be considered his food.
Rainier doesn't insist, he doesn't want to frighten the merman or even drive him away, he leans his forehead against his. ''It's okay, we can take our time'', he says with a soft tone. Lowe nods, it might not exist another time, but right now he can't bring himself to say so or even to leave that warm and cramped room.
Another kiss takes place, a calmer and sweeter one, this time they enjoy each other's taste, Rainier's hand softly caressing Lowe's cheek as their tongs slowly intertwine.
''Stay'', Rainier whispers, feeling the air slowly shifting as the sunlight becomes stronger and Lowe's eyes shift towards the window.
''I can't'', Lowe answers, still unmovable. ''I'm not made for land'', he says in a whisper, watching as Rainier's expression slowly becomes mellower and his raging erection becomes soft.
''Will you come back?'' Rainier asks, no, he begs.
The merman hesitates.
''If you don't come to me, I'll come to you'', the human states, and he's being honest, even if he must cross the whole ocean, he can't let go of this feeling he just got a small taste of.
''Why?'' Lowe asks, honestly.
''Because I never felt like my life finally made so much sense'', he answers, ''Because your taste makes me feel alive''.
Lowe's fingers trail on Rainier's chest, over his heart. ''Your heart is beating just fine, you're alive''.
The human laughs, ''Being alive and feeling alive are different things'', he whispers before placing another kiss on the merman's lips.
''How peculiar you humans are'', Lowe says in a whisper, his gaze going from Rainier's eyes to his lips.
''Indeed we are'', the human replies with a smile.