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twistedwonderlandimaginesblog · 1 year

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🧜‍♀️Tourist of Opportunity [Deuce Spade] 🧜‍♀️

It had been one of the last vacations Deuce had taken.

Being a single mother meant they didn’t often have the opportunity to travel as a family, and his behavior didn’t exactly make him deserving of one… But a relative of his mothers had won free lodging in a contest and wasn’t able to attend, so they had asked his mother if she’d like to go instead. She had asked him, with a desperate pleading look, to be on his best behavior while they were at the resort and he had agreed with a shameful nod of his head.

He hated that he caused her trouble.

To make the trip truly relaxing for her not only would he keep his nose clean, but he’d stay out of her hair as well. While she seemed worried about a young teenager wandering around, the workers assured he wouldn’t be allowed to leave resort grounds without her explicit consent. She seemed to relax her shoulders at that, enough that it gave Deuce some relief as well. He knew how to entertain himself and even if he didn’t, he’d start counting every spec of sand on the beach before bothering her.

He found a cozy spot on the beach near a set of rocks that made for—well, it was a seat. He had a watch that he had since he was little, recently smashed in a fight, and he had been tinkering with it for quite some time. He knew that it was probably hopeless as the mechanisms inside were ground to dust at this point, but he was finding a way to keep his mind busy; it helped him get a little more familiar with how it worked, what made it tick, and he did that often with machinery even if he knew it was broken.

It was just his own little way of being useful around the house, helpful and a good son like he should be.

There’s something glittering in the distance that Deuce noticed, just beneath the water, but he doesn’t pay it much mind. It could easily just be the bright sun reflecting off the ocean’s surface, plus, the watch was taking up all his attention. There were splashes of water, waves hitting the beach, a large one coming in faster than Deuce could realize until it had him completely soaked.

Well, the watch was done for after that.

It was his own fault for trying to fix something like that on the beach of all places but he sighed, wiping what sand he could off of it.

“That’s a pretty thing you have there. A watch, right?”

He nearly dumped the watch right back into the sand when he looked toward where the voice had come from, eyes scanning the nearby rocks until the glittery something hit his eyes again. Scales? Definitely scales. He’d only seen a certain types of fish up close, none quite that striking color or as a sparkly—Merperson. A merperson!

You seemed amused by his surprise, leaning further against the rock and smiling at him as he soaked in your image. The existence of merpeople was well known but it wasn’t often you got to mingle; you knew there was some type of potion that would allow you to talk on land but it was expensive, and you had never had a reason to look into it. Swimming near the shores where all the tourists liked to go was your source of entertainment, having met plenty of interesting people (and some creeps, but thankfully you could swim far faster than they could).

Deuce wasn’t used to be talked to like this. You hadn’t just surprised him, you weren’t showing an ounce of wariness. You flicked your tail playfully at him, splashing his feet with some water.

“Why not come closer?”

Wasn’t there a tale that warned against that? Deuce hadn’t read many fairy tales…

“Can I see that thing you keep messing with?”

Deuce gave in, knowing the employees were just a stones throw away if he really did have to call for him. He carefully navigated over the rocks, nearly slipping from one a little deeper in the water; he gets an up close and personal view of just how fast a mermaid could be, your hands on his back to hold him up right until he found his footing. That rock was his final destination, seating himself carefully while you pulled yourself up on the other side, hand held out expectantly.

You turned the watch in your hand, over and over, a curious expression on your face.

“This doesn’t look like it works…”

“It doesn’t.”

“Then why have you been staring at it all day?”

“Oh, uh…” Deuce suddenly felt sweaty, nervous, like he was supposed to be more interesting than he actually was. He looked at his hands, the rock, the birds loudly squawking in the distance, anywhere but at you. “I was trying to… fix it.”

“No luck?”

“None.”

“That’s okay, it’s kinda fun to look at anyway.” You reached your hand in to touch the tiny clock hand, manually moving it around. “Do you know what time it actually is?”

“Let me check…” Deuce pulled his phone from his pocket, thankful again that he hadn’t been fully submerged as he wouldn’t have gotten this working again either. It would’ve been more trouble for his poor mother… Maybe he should’ve just stayed locked up in his room.

He gave you the time and you spun the hands around, setting it properly.

“There!” You reached out to give it back to him, “Now it’ll be stuck at the time we met forever. And you’ll never forget me!”

It would be hard to forget you in the first place, but for you to forget him… He was just some punk kid sitting on the beach staring at a watch, you’d probably seen a dozen more interesting people that morning. Something about it unsettled him, left a queasy feeling in his stomach. He wanted to be interesting to you. He wanted you to remember him.

“You keep it.”

“Me? I don’t have use for a watch…”

“It’s broken, so me either…” You both stared at it for a moment, only the sounds of the waves filling the empty space. You finally smiled, retracting your hand that was holding the watch and keeping it close to your chest.

“Thank you for your present. I should give you one too, right?”

“Yo-you don’t have to—” You slipped into the ocean and slid beneath the surface before he could get a word in, moving slowly to peak over the edge at where you had disappeared. It’s only a few moments until he sees the glitter of your tail again shining through, his eyes mesmerized by the display; such a wonderful color, unique, one he could certainly never forget. And suddenly it’s in front of him, tinier, but there.

“A scale. My scale!” He didn’t move to take it so you took initiative yourself, taking hold of his hand and opening his fingers so his palm was upward; you placed the scale in, then closed his fingers, regaining your distance. “I should be getting home for lunch, parents get a little twitchy when I go to shore and don’t come home, buttttt that should be a promise. To never forget me, ‘kay? I’ll be mad if you do!”

Your head stayed above the surface as you drifted away, waving to him until you finally seemed to disappear into the sunset; he waved back as long as he knew you could see him. He didn’t think there was much left to do on the beach, now that his watch was gone and it was time for dinner, and the one promise he had made to his mom was to always been on time to dinner.

It was years since then, yet the day still stood out in his mind. He’d never met someone so beautiful before, so unafraid and confident even when dealing with someone they didn’t know. He held onto that experience forever, hoping to one day visit that resort again, wondering if you still traveled there to tourist watch or if you’d moved on to better things. You seemed about his age so maybe you were too busy, and that he should’ve asked you more about yourself when he had the chance. It was such a fleeting moment he almost felt silly about how it stuck in his mind like glue.

And then there you were.

The lack of tail and soaking wet hair didn’t phase Deuce, he knew it was you.

Walking, with legs, in your Octavinelle uniform, speaking to another dorm member with a smile on your face. He almost approached you but decided against it, too embarrassed, too afraid, to be confronted with the fact you might not remember him. He reminded himself again that it wouldn’t be unusual, that you had been a social merperson who had seen a million land dweller’s faces, but he would’ve remembered you among a sea of merpeople’s faces (if he ever had the opportunity to meet more than one).

“What’s wrong with your watch?”

Deuce was still deciding on whether to bite the bullet, to introduce himself like you’d never met before, when he heard your friend speak up. You regarded them with the same amused smile you had worn all those years ago, head tilting as you held up the wrist that had your watch on it—The same one he had given you! He’d recognize it for sure, if from no other detail than the broken face of it and it’s unmoving hands.

Still stuck to the same time.

“It was a gift from this cute boy I met,” You seemed to look at the watch fondly, at least, Deuce thought it was something like that. Had you really liked his broken watch so much? Your scale was something far more valuable. He had carried it around with him in his pocket as a good luck charming, squeezing it tight when he thought he may be getting into trouble; it always seemed to help him when he needed it most.

“It’s broken?” Your friend seemed puzzled. “Some dude gave you a broken ass watch and you still like him? You’re weird.”

“You had to be there.” You shrugged, unbothered by their disbelief. “I don’t really know how to find him, but I’m hoping he’ll just plop on my lap again someday.”

“You sound just like the prince… Well, not exactly, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s get back to studying before we’re scolded.”

Deuce felt his heart clench, holding his breath until he heard your footsteps fade into silence. He might not be able to talk to you just yet but you were closer to him now then you ever were. He’d have plenty of chances to strike up a conversation and then after that…

Deuce could offer you something far better than some broken watch.

#Twisted Wonderland #TWST #Disney TWST #Disney Twisted Wonderland #TWST Imagines #TWST x Reader #Twisted Wonderland Imagines #Twisted Wonderland x Reader #Deuce Spade #Deuce Spade x Reader #Scenario #my one and only mermay contribution LMAOOO #u can thank the other admin for requesting it

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enchantedchocolatebars · 15 days

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Love At First Bite

Summary: Catching a stunning creature from the depths of the ocean triggers new emotions in a fisherman.

Story inspired by this amazing artwork. (@fancyhdraws)

Ao3 version.

My ask.

Enjoy!

A fisherman was out on his fishing boat, casting his rod into the briny blue waters of the sea as he hoped to reel in a really big catch.

For him, fishing was a pleasurable activity for sure, but it was also quite intricate due to factors that were beyond his control, such as the shifting behaviors of the fish.

There were days when it was simple to capture and release them, but there were also days when they resisted and succeeded in fleeing.

However, the man knew that the hobby he loved required great patience.

As he continued to wait for a fish to bite down on his bait, the man felt a tug on his rod and immediately let out a soft gasp.

He quickly attempted to reel in the fish he had caught, tipping up his rod as it slightly bent due to the weight of the fish, which he noted was unusually heavy.

Finally, when he managed to bring his catch to the surface, a woman with a long, scaly, blue tail flashed across his vision.

As he kept making eye contact with her, he noticed her light blue irises and was astonished to see her slitted pupils.

She was definitely a mermaid, no doubt.

Her wet, light pink hair matched the brightness of her smile as she finished swallowing the tasty worm she had caught on the hook.

She removed the angle from her mouth and smiled at the man.

Despite his inability to say anything to the aquatic woman due to his slight shock, the man slowly gave her a smile and waved timidly at her, causing her to giggle and wave back at him.

Taking in the mermaid's appearance, he saw how beautiful she was, her face resembling that of an angel.

The mermaid, doing the same with the human man's appearance, starts to feel her cheeks grow warm.

She had no idea that a human could be so handsome.

What this love at first sight for the both of them?

...

By the rocky shore at night, as the port city lights shone, the fisherman and mermaid happily conversed, exuding giggles and showing interest while sharing stories about their respective worlds.

The man, reaching into his pocket, pulled out a gift shop ornament shaped like a sea star and offered it as a gift to the mermaid.

The mermaid's cheeks are illuminated with pink as she slowly takes the offering, feeling utterly touched by it.

Storing the star safely within her lilac-colored seashell bra, the mermaid emits a small gasp, and her eyes light up as she dives back into the sea.

The man was puzzled by her sudden disappearance and briefly jolted when the mermaid suddenly popped her head back up the surface, but he was happy to see her face again.

He couldn't help but smile, his chest swelling in excitement as the mermaid held her balled fist out and slowly opened it to reveal... a small crab sitting on her palm.

Slowly leaning forward to take a closer look at the crab, the man nearly gets his nose pinched by the crustacean as it crawls off of the mermaid's hand and wastes no time hurrying back into the sea.

The eyes of the mermaid widened.

Just when she was about to make a swift apology to the man, she saw him let out a laugh, and her expression soon softened as she felt her body relax.

She proceeded to join him in laughter, glad to have made his smile bigger.

...

The next day, the mermaid breathed in the salty sea air as she leaned against the fisherman's boat.

He tossed her a few of the wriggling worms in his bucket, and she caught them all perfectly in her mouth.

A pleasant afternoon treat for his beloved.

Next, the man cracked open his crate and began to dig around in it.

In a moment's time, he presented another treat: a piece of dry hardtack.

With pride, he extended it to the mermaid, as if it were a brilliant stone or an iridescent fish.

Although they were bland, he had a fondness for them.

Breaking the saltless biscuit in half, he shared the other piece with the mermaid.

They both took bites, smiling and chewing in delight.

After swallowing, the mermaid signals to the man to follow her into the ocean to spend some time together.

She was overjoyed to show him around the place she called home.

However, with a crestfallen smile, the man shakes his head and politely declines the offer.

As the mermaid tilts her head in confusion, blinking and wondering why, the man points to his chest and explains to her that it would be impossible for him to breathe down there.

Upon hearing this, the mermaid sighs unhappily and nods her head in understanding as she slowly sinks back into the depths.

As he watched her and her smile vanish from his sight, the man could feel his delighted demeanor take off as well, his shoulders drooping.

His heart grew heavy as he gazed at the spot where she had once been.

He longingly wished for a way to visit her down there.

Was there a way?

...

The mermaid swam alone back to the seabed with a bemoaning expression on her face, sighing out a bubble of air that floated.

She was alone with her thoughts of wishing to be with her love.

Suddenly, she heard something swimming behind her and soon felt a light tap on her shoulder.

Swiftly spinning around, the mermaid spotted a stranger in a weighted and hermetically sealed garment with a helmet made of copper on their head.

The stranger's warm embrace caught the mermaid off guard.

Taking a glance into the circular window of the stranger's helmet, the mermaid quickly gasped, her spirits soaring when she saw none other than the handsome face of the fisherman inside.

The mermaid reached forward and cupped the sides of his helmet, her hands lightly brushing against the rusty, red-brown metal as she planted gentle kisses on the window.

The man, sinking his fingers into her silky hair during their kiss, allowed her to do so, showing his affection as well.

Their happiness was shared as they realized that their relationship could now work both above and below the sea.

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