And you decided whether you saw beauty or destruction

Sing with me

(Mermaids)

This one's for "LaxxyTwink" and "onion" on ao3

One of the problems with being able to glow in the dark was that Connor had grown used to having to leave the reef by sundown if he didn't want others to find out. This habit didn't stop once he found himself a mate, but luckily for him, Evan decided to build their nest close to the reef's edge, which made escaping easier.

As a merman capable of camouflage, Evan was a good fisher, but because of his refusal to let his real tail colors show, he wasn't a hunter. Connor believed this was a complete waste, as Evan had possibly one of the prettiest voices in the frenzy; Connor was still star struck over the fact that his own voice could keep up.

The thing about their harmonization, was that it happened privately, which meant that while they were definitely mates, they weren't officially mated. To make that happen they would have to harmonize again, but in the part of the reef that was selected for such a thing, in front of the rest of the frenzy.

Every four moons, a group of merfolk would gather in the center of the reef they called home, on an attempt to find their mates; many would sing to someone in particular, others would sing to themselves so that their mates could find them; they would be doing the first one. It wasn't an odd thing, Evan and Connor had been friends for a while, connected by their shared outcast status, and many believed them to be courting; if anything folks would more likely be surprised it took them this long to try it.

When the day came, Evan got nervous and started going from one tail pattern to another, mimicking the places he often hunted in, several of the corals in the area, some of the patterns of other merfolk, and at one point even Connor's.

Connor swam to him slowly, moving tentatively closer as to not scare him.

"Hey"

He reached a hand out, a question, Evan nodded and he placed it on his cheek, and hushed him softly.

"It'll be fine, just focus on me, ok?"

"O-ok"

Connor shifted closer, connecting their foreheads, and coaxing Evan to breathe with him.

They start apart from each other, meeting in in a point where the corals form a circle around some rocks, with a bunch of other merfolk that have gathered here; and then it starts.

It isn't hard to find each other, Evan has gone back to his usual silver blue scale pattern, and if it were darker Connor's lights would be a soft lilac color.

Evan signs first, and it feels as though everything has gone quiet, as if everything halted just to hear this; but in this silence, Connor is overwhelmed with the urge to join him. They circle each other as they sing, swimming slowly around, smiles forming on their faces.