Edelweiss

CHAPTER TWO

"You're lovely"

"That's new. I never thought I would hear you say that", he leaned to my hand, nuzzling his cheek on my palm.

"Wait, did I say you were lovely? Sorry, you know I love to mess with you, right?" I smirked, but he just bit my palm gently. I froze, unable to pull my hand. Dang it, was he not the merman that got stuck on my net a few weeks ago? I let him go, but WHY. DOES. HE. KEEP. COMING. BACK???!!

Well, guess who is still here and curious about humans?

Him.

"I noticed how every creature will just use their self-defence mechanism and start biting", I commented, but he just bit harder, though not hard enough to make me flinch, or maybe he did bite hard, I probably just lacked reaction. My hand, which was full of scares, definitely could stand a small bite. He pulled back and placed his cheek back to my palm, which had small stains of his saliva. He didn't care, he continued to stare intensely like I was the one who had bitten him, yet at the same time, he tried to seek warmth from what my hand could offer.

"Are all merfolk like this?" I asked, pulling my legs in a more comfortable position in the fragmented sand. "Like what?" he asked back, in an almost despotic tone. Unlike the cold tone he replied with, he closed his eyes pleased with the sensation of my warm body, which felt like his aquarium body did not provide.

He did show signs of curiosity and...well, how do I put it?

I did save his life. I even asked him nicely not to come here again, but he did, I thought it was probably because he didn't understand my language, but no, man could be speaking like a pure native if he wanted, but he just continued to show up whenever I was by the ocean planting my net for the fish. That made me think that maybe the problem was that he probably disliked me fishing his people. He will show up in front of me, his head visible on the surface of the water, waiting for me like a predator.

Maybe I was his meal?

He opened his eyes slowly, his stare too intense yet... hopeless."I want to eat you"

I knew it. I probably survived the battlefields to die in his starving tummy, but what surprised me was how he looked displeased with my reactionless face before pulling me by my hand, which he was holding, and crushing his lips into mine.

Is this...

Is this how merfolk eat???

He pulls back silently, not letting go, "Why aren't you pushing me?"

"What?"

"I kissed you without your permission, aren't you mad?", his eyes kept being glued to my lips, his warm breath hitting my face. "So...you weren't consuming me?"

"...what?" he backed a little to have a full view of my serious face, his pink bluish eyes staring in confusion, his pretty long purple hair dancing in the air from the ocean wind.

"You said you would eat me? Aren't you trying to take revenge on me for killing your fish people?"

"Fish... people? What?... You think I give a damn about the fish you hunt?"

"I mean, aren't they your kind-"

"Just because they are from the ocean doesn't mean we are related in any way", his eyes were now holding composure, "The same goes for you humans and animals, just because you are land creatures, humans don't necessarily hold value to animals live", he leans to my forehead, his eyes studying mine.