such a pretty sight - megumi fushiguro x reader // pirate x mermaid
request for @livteracts // part of my 100 followers event :3
cw: depictions of violence, kidnapping, wounds, i can’t really write fight scenes so bare with me, DONT ask why we can speak perfect english, hopefully an accurate pirate representation… i had to do research for this 💔, bittersweet ending
wc: 4.73k (too much)
You tried hard to fight against the ocean’s current, fleeing from the foreign object in the sea just like the fish around you were doing.
Suddenly, tendrils of long, thick rope dropped from the sky and completely enveloped you and several of the fish fleeing with you. You were slowly being lifted up from the water. Panic engulfed you, but you had to think fast. You quickly grabbed onto the rope, twisting it, pulling it, but to no avail. You never dealt with things like this before. It was too thick, and your hands didn’t have the power. The water around you was getting warmer, and the fish panicked with you as the blinding sun was getting closer and closer. As a last resort, you tried yelling. Your voice cracked as you screamed and yelled, anything to have your voice heard. It was useless, however. There was no one anywhere around that could save you, for you had wandered too far out into the expanding sea. You heard something splashing. And in just a moment, you were splashing as well. Your tail flapped uselessly into the cold shock of the air, and your hair felt so heavy. You breathed in a few painful breaths as you heard a voice from far away.
“Cap, we got a mermaid!”
Megumi sat on the ship’s lookout post as he gazed into the sky. It was a clear day, with clouds so pure they tempted him to touch them, a relaxing breeze, waves rocking him like a lullaby, and a kind sun who decided not to shine too hard.
He unfurled the map that he had reviewed countless times already. It was a detailed picture that illustrated just a tiny part of the world Megumi wanted to explore.
He studied it. They first needed to go to a small island to replenish some supplies and then continue on their journey of trying to find a rare gemstone lost somewhere along the waters.
Megumi hears a crescendo of footsteps coming his way. He internally sighs as he rolls his map up again.
A tuft of white hair peeks out from the top first, followed by the black of a blindfold. Megumi doesn’t speak out first, mentally preparing for whatever bullshit will be forced into his ears by his captain.
“Watcha doing Megs?” Gojo says once he sees him, a cheesy smile on his face.
“Nothing much.”
Gojo gets on the post, standing next to Megumi. “You studying that map again? ‘M telling you, we’re gonna be fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” Megumi scoffs. “Someone on here has to be at least somewhat prepared.”
“Aww, you’re mean, Megumi. You have to be…”
Gojo’s voice trailed off unexpectedly. Megumi looked up at him, and tried to see whatever shocked Gojo enough to stop talking.
A ship, just like theirs, was in the distance. And it seemed like it was heading the same way as them.
Unmistakably, it was a pirate ship. Megumi could just barely see their flag waving in the distance. And other pirates meant competition. However, it also meant another thing: loot. Megumi wasn’t a greedy person, but he wouldn’t deny a few extra coins to have. Or food.
“Alert the crew,” Gojo says in a serious tone. Megumi doesn’t hesitate and scrambles down the ladder, heading towards the cabins or main deck where most of the crew were either sleeping or playing cards.
He finally touches down on the ground as he hears excited chatter coming from inside a door. So they’re in the cabins.
He opens the creaking door, drawing attention to himself but not stopping the boisterous conversation. Laughing along with each other were Yuji, Nobara, Maki, Panda and Todo sitting at a fairly large round table with cards and drinks. Megumi looked at them for a second before clearing his throat to draw attention. The chatter quieted down, and they each looked at Megumi.
“Uh, we spotted an enemy ship heading in the same direction as us. It would be better for you to prepare just in case we do get into combat.”
“Roger,” they all said, a little upset that their free time was disturbed by another threat.
Yuji stepped forward, organizing positions as Megumi left and went back outside onto the main deck to warn Inumaki, the one steering the ship. He could hear the scuffling of shoes from the cabins as some went to wake up the seniors, some went to arm themselves, and some went to man the cannons. He searched through the landscape of the ocean and spotted the ship again, still going the same pace and direction as them. It doesn’t seem like they had noticed their ship yet. Good, Megumi thought. That meant that they had more time to prepare, and could potentially launch a surprise attack.
He approached Inumaki and quickly explained the situation. Inumaki nodded, gesturing that he already knew about it, and already was working on maneuvering the ship. Megumi nods in approval and heads to the armory to get his own weapons and prepare for combat.
He walks past Nobara and Maki who were just exiting the armory. He catches a glimpse of the tools they chose: Nobara, a hammer and a pistol; Maki, a katana sheathed on her hip. Megumi grabs two flintlock pistols– one to use and a spare in case the other gets broken.
As he walks out, he hears the voices of Geto and Nanami—his seniors that were with Gojo when he first founded the crew– getting ready.
A few minutes later, everyone congregates at the main deck, listening to the plan Gojo came up with. Take advantage of their unawareness and strike. Catch them off guard and then win.
The plan was set into motion. Once the ship got close enough, they fired, and Megumi still flinched. Even having it happen countless times already, Megumi still flinched whenever they fired the first cannonball. The loud explosion and the subsequent rattling of the ship always startles him.
He looks out onto the sea where he sees the cannonball whistling through the air, sailing straight at the ship and splashing hard into the water, where it causes their ship to rock and lose balance. Several more cannonballs followed, leaving the enemy ship teetering and fighting to stay afloat. Megumi could hear the panicked cries of those pirates, struggling to organize and launch a counterattack. Megumi’s ship was now slowly getting closer to the other ship, still firing cannons. Suddenly, his whole body tipped forward, and so did everything on the main deck. Boxes and crates that were placed in the open slid forward, threatening to slam into anyone in their path. Megumi quickly got up and looked around him. His crewmates were alright, and that’s the only thing he remarked before turning away, tuning out their yells to focus. Their ship was rocking as well, for the other ship had launched cannonballs at them. The waves around him rose from being hit, and a bit of water had landed on the main deck, making it slippery, but not too problematic.
Inumaki kept their ship floating with his expert skills, and still managed to get their ship parallel to the enemy.
Megumi could see their flag clearer now– it was a simple one, a black background with the trademark skull, but with blood stains on it. Edgy, Megumi thinks. He didn’t dwell much on it, because they were about to engage in combat. He readied himself, getting his pistol from his pocket. The high shrill of grappling hooks pierced the panic-filled air. In an instant, Maki, Todo and Yuji bravely ran along the rope to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Gunshots were fired on both sides, and Megumi heard a bullet whizzing past his ear right before he shot and injured one of the rival pirates. He looked around, and saw Geto and Gojo together using muskets to shoot the enemy. Nanami had already gotten on the other ship, helping Yuji fight off two pirates, while Maki and Nobara were busy fighting the rest of them. Megumi could see a heap of people tied up with ropes, injured yet alive.
Megumi moved around the deck, shooting when he found a good opportunity to, and after some time the other pirates surrendered, almost all of them being subdued.
Megumi’s crew got straight to work, invading every part of the ship, stealing and looting from each corner. Barrels of food were being passed along, stored onto their own ship. However, the ship that they had just taken wasn’t too rich, yet the few extra coins to spare were still useful.
Megumi watched as his crewmates ransacked the ship, Yuji and Nobara squealing over the latest find as the beaten pirates watched helplessly.
He went downstairs, into the bottom of the ship where they launched the cannons. A little extra gunpowder wouldn’t hurt, he thought.
As he entered the lower deck, a flash of movement caught his eye. Intrigued, Megumi stepped closer to it. He could hear muffled grunts. A prisoner? They have a prisoner?
Stepping closer to what seemed like a makeshift cell, he found something straight out of his old fairy tales.
“A mermaid?!”
Megumi took a step back when he saw you, ropes tied around your upper body, restricting your hands, and a large fishtail where normally a pair of legs would have been. There was no denying it.
“Surprised?” You angrily shot back.
You had been here for about two days. and you were already sick of stinky pirates goggling at your existence. You just wanted out.
“No– I… they exist?” Megumi defends himself.
“If they don’t, then how am I here?”
Megumi opens his mouth, finding nothing to retort back. He clears his throat. He needs to organize.
Obviously, he couldn’t leave her here in this ship, because he would have no doubt that the pirates they had just defeated would neglect her to tend to themselves first.
But would bringing a mermaid onto his ship be any better? It’s just trading prison cells- there won’t be any change.
He looks at the mythical creature in front of him.
After a second study, Megumi sees past a tail and a human torso. There were multiple wounds on her body, most notably a deep gash on her right upper arm, and scratches everywhere.
“Hold on…” Megumi says, and he kneels down to study the wounds. There were at least more than one that were obviously infected, due to the unsanitary conditions of a pirate ship.
You looked at him study your wounds, your breathing hitching. His face was way too close to you. Way too close.
You opened your mouth, but his words made it out first.
“First off, your wounds are infected. Badly,” he says authoritatively, rising from his position and looking down on you. He looks you straight in the eyes, almost intimidatingly.
“Second, as you probably could have heard, we beat the pirates who took you in a battle. So you’ll be coming with us.”
His last statement startled you, then made you angry.
“Excuse me? Why can’t you just let me go? I do not need to be man-handled by more musty pirates like you–”
“To treat your wounds,” he says with a finality. “You have a higher chance of dying if we just let you go.”
You huffed in annoyance. Sure, the wounds that had been caused when you were caught in the rope had been stinging and hurting for days now, but you could always get medical help from your people. There was no need for his interference. However, you could use this opportunity to get out of your tight restraints. A plan devised in your head: trick the guy with the sea urchin hair and escape.
“I’ll only come with you if you untie me first,” you say, with a commanding tone.
Much to your surprise, Megumi nodded right away– no hesitation, no follow-up questions. Once again kneeling down to your level, his hands slowly started undoing the knots that kept you in place. You breathed a sigh of relief as you felt the ropes loosening.
His fingers touched your arm a little, and your whole body shivered. Megumi immediately stopped and asked, “Are you okay?”
Startled by the care in his voice, you quickly reply with, “Yes, I’m fine, keep going,” and suddenly you were grateful he was behind you so he couldn’t see the slight reddening of your face.
Once your arms could move freely again, Megumi stood up.
“Ready to go now?” he asks. You nod once, rubbing your arms, and Megumi, in one swift motion, picks you up from the ground in a bridal carry.
His hands were steady– the feeling of it weird across your scales. His hand on your arm was careful not to touch the wound. He wasn’t roughly grabbing your body like the other pirates did, inspecting and probing. Your body was pushed onto his; the warmth of his chest contrasted your cool skin. Megumi went up to the main deck, and you were doing your best to not look at his face just inches from yours, continuing to look down and rub your sore arms.
The door opens to a peculiar sight—the pirates that had captured you, now in the same situation, leaning on the wall with ropes restricting their movements. Several other new characters—pirates from his crew, you assumed, going around the ship and taking anything that seemed of value. However, everything seemed to freeze when he brought you out into the open, everyone zooming in on what he had in his arms.
Megumi felt the air momentarily stop, then explode.
“A mermaid?!” Nobara yelled, “They exist?!”
His crewmates all ran towards him, wanting to get a closer look at you.
A swarm of people invaded his personal space. He looked at you, who was obviously uncomfortable with the number of people around you marveling at your existence. You shut your eyes, bracing yourself for the touching and prodding that the pirates would do.
But it never came. You heard his voice, louder above all the chaos, shouting, “Whatever you do, don’t touch her. She’s injured.”
You opened your eyes again, just a peek, to see his crewmates. They were staring in awe, a look that you were used to these past few days, and quiet whispers of fascination. You look around you, taking in the unique traits of each person. They didn’t seem too untrustworthy, especially coming from the care you received from their crewmate. In the distance, the tied-up pirates protested about them stealing their mermaid– as if you were just a sack of coins, not a being.
You looked up at him, and saw him already looking at you. Looking at you as if you were someone. And you didn’t even know his name yet. You spent one more second in his eyes, before he turned away and started moving, taking you back to his ship.
His ship wasn’t too different from the one you were trapped in, but it had the feeling of home, how each person contributed their own personality to make something greater.
“What’s your name?” he suddenly asks.
“Y/n. What’s yours?”
“Fushiguro Megumi.”
Megumi. You sounded the word in your head.
Before you knew it, you were being gently set down on a table. You looked at Megumi as he gathered medical supplies, putting them on the table he set you on before commencing.
He handed you a small flask. “Drink this first.”
Suspiciously, you took it, holding it in your hands. “Why? What is it?”
“It’s rum. It’ll help numb the pain first.”
You haven’t heard of anything like that when they did medical care in the ocean. Trusting him, you drank it, the liquor stinging your throat. You cough a little, but manage to swallow it down, the flavor sweet yet stinging your tongue.
“Ready?”
You nod, and lay down on the table. Megumi first uses seawater mixed with vinegar to clean the wound. The burn was expected, but you bit down and braved it. Once the wound was cleaned, Megumi wrapped it in a linen cloth tightly. That was the most he could do with the limited supplies he had. Slowly but surely, each wound was wrapped and sealed.
You breathed a sigh of relief. Megumi did too, sitting down in front of you.
“Um, thank you…” you timidly say, tail flicking a little. Your fingers tried massaging the freshly wrapped wound, yet you winced away from it.
“That’s the best I can do right now,” he says, “You’ll do well with a lot of rest. Stay here for a few more days.”
“Huh?” you question. “You said that you would let me go after treating my wounds!”
Megumi opens his mouth, arguing back.
“You still need rest to recover from them. Exerting yourself won’t help–”
The door suddenly opens, and in comes the white hair guy, and if you look behind him, several pirates behind him still ogling you.
“Woah,” he says bluntly the moment he laid eyes on you. He then seemed to develop a consciousness, apologizing for the blurt-out.
“Sorry– M’ still getting used to– you know, the fish tail and stuff,”
You laughed at his attempt to cover himself, thinking he offended you. Gojo nervously chuckled along while Megumi stared at him.
“No, don’t worry. It’s fine…” You pause a little, leaving a blank where he would fill his name in.
Megumi answered for him. “Gojo. His name is Gojo,” Gojo beams and adds, “Captain of the ship too!”
Megumi looks at you again. “We’ll talk later,” he says, the argument from before still lingering in the air. You don’t reply.
He leans back on the chair he was sitting on. “If you want, I can introduce you to my crewmates.”
You agreed, and now everyone was cramped inside the small room.
“So this is Nobara,” he points at a girl with brown hair and a bobcut. She seems nice, if not a little wild. You smile at her and she smiles back.
“Maki,” Megumi points to a girl with seaweed green hair wrapped in a ponytail with a cool expression on her face.
“Yuji,” he says, presenting a boy with pink hair, a brown undercut and multiple scars on his face. He smiles brightly– too brightly considered he was a pirate facing imminent death any minute.
“Panda,” who just looked like a panda. There was really nothing too much to say. How they got a living, breathing panda who could talk was something for another day.
“Todo,” He flexes his biceps a little, flaunting his muscles. He had his hair tied in a weird bun, but you brushed it off.
“Inumaki,” a boy with gray-white hair, deep purple eyes and bandages where his mouth is. He raises his hand in a wave, and you wave back.
“These are my seniors, Geto,” Megumi points to a man with one bang hanging from the side of his face and a man bun, “and Nanami,” The next man was one with short blonde hair and glasses.
You nodded along for each name and tried to commit them to memory, since they all technically saved your life.
You introduce yourself. “Uh… I’m Y/n. As you can see, I am a mermaid. And yes, there are more of them.”
They nod along. One person spoke up, Yuji, you think. “What are mermaid tails made of?”
You stumble on his question for a second. They were just made of themselves, right?
“What are human legs made of?” You say, hoping to answer his question. The poor boy just appears more stumped, wondering what his legs were made of.
“Where do mermaids live?” Someone else asks.
“The ocean?”
“What weapons do you use to fight?”
“None?”
Everyone takes turns asking questions about anything that comes to mind, stupid or thoughtful, and you still do your best to answer them.
You don’t know how much time passed when Megumi ushered everyone out, claiming you needed rest.
He faced you again, the tension from earlier sparking again.
“As I said, you promised me that you would let me go once you took care of my wounds, and now that’s solved. Why won’t you just let me go now?”
“If I let you go now, all your energy would go to finding your way back, right?” He calmly explains.
“Yes.”
“And that’s pretty far from here, since mermaids hide from humans. You wouldn’t be wandering where a ship would pass by.”
“Yes…”
“And that means you would have to spend more energy than you have to find your way back, especially when you’re injured.”
“…”
“You have a chance of reopening your wounds, or getting it more infected and killing you. That’s why I want you to stay here until your wounds are fully healed before I let you go. Is that reasonable enough?”
You sigh, accepting his explanation. At least he didn’t yell at you, but calmly stood his ground.
“Okay.”
Megumi looks at you, and you look at him. You both stare at each other for a few seconds until he looks away first. “I think they’re having dinner now, I’ll bring you something to eat.”
He walks out the door, softly closing it.
Were you dreaming, or was there a hint of red on his cheeks? The thought of it flattered you, leaving you blushing as well.
The door opens again, startling you. Megumi is there, his hand still on the doorknob. He’s breathing heavily, as if he just ran back.
“Sorry– it’s just that, what do mermaids eat?”
You laugh at his question, “Seafood is fine. Don’t cook it though.”
Megumi nods and closes the door behind him.
He comes back later with a plate of raw fish and seaweed, and while you eat, he talks about himself. He talks about his journeys as a pirate, stories on how he got on the ship in the first place, funny stories of his crewmates pulling pranks on each other. You talk about your culture, your world hidden beneath the waves, how mermaids would act, and daily life. You tell stories of your adventures, swimming to uncharted territories in order to get out of your comfort zone. That’s how you ended up here in the first place.
The two of you talk well within the night, the moon shining a pale light through the windows that illuminated his features. He looked heavenly, long eyelashes fluttering as he listened to your stories, chuckling when you made a joke.
Finally, he yawned. He looked out into the window. Realizes the time.
“You need to sleep now, y/n. Get some rest,” he says softly.
You nod, yawning as well.
That night, you dreamed of the ocean— illuminated by the dazzling moon.
Megumi wakes you up. Gives you breakfast. Checks on your wounds and re-bandages it.
The last few days were like this, a simple quiet routine that always ended with late night talks with Megumi and starting the day with him. Sometimes, he would fall asleep in your room, sitting on the chair he leans on as he snoozes away. Sometimes, you lean over and touch his face. Sometimes, you wish that he would never stop talking with you.
The days never feel boring, yet it felt like that was the norm. There was life and activity in each corner of the ship. You would get Megumi to carry you to the main deck, and sit and laugh along with his crewmates. It felt like family, despite the tail you had. Despite the differences in culture you had.
Your wounds gradually heal, as Megumi predicted. Good rest, food and water would do the trick. One morning, Megumi checked your wounds again. The big wound on your upper arm had already completely healed, leaving a slight scar. The rest of the wounds around your body had already fully closed up, bandages already discarded a few days ago. This meant that you would inevitably have to go.
Should he lie and say that your wounds haven’t healed yet to keep you here? Should he let himself be selfish, just this once?
No. He looked at you once more, someone who he began to love. He always caught your tail flicking, as if eager to be back in the water.
His eyes started to sting. He promised you that he would let you go, and he will keep that promise, no matter how much his heart wanted to protest against it.
He unwraps the bandage and throws it out. Doesn’t replace it with a new one.
He looks down. Not at you. “Looks like your wounds have fully healed.” Something tiny breaks in his voice, and only you caught it.
“Does this mean that I’m free to leave now?” you ask, looking up at him. He doesn’t reply. The answer is yes, but he was too reluctant to say it. Too stubborn.
No. You can still stay if you want. Please stay. Would you stay with me? For me?
Megumi turns away and faces the door, about to leave. “Would you like to leave now, or later?”
“Later, please. I want to say goodbye.”
He nods and leaves the room. Leaving you looking down, solemn and pensive.
You didn’t want to leave. You didn’t want to leave this new family. And you really didn’t want to leave him.
But you had duties. You needed to go back, one time or another. There were friends to go back to. A family to greet again.
But god, you didn’t want to leave this ship. You wanted more time. You needed more time.
Tears welled up in your eyes, before gently dripping down your cheeks, gathering at your chin.
Why wasn’t there enough time?
That day, you spent more of your time with them. You lived one more day of memories for you to replay one other day. You laughed along with them, sang and cheered. They were everything you didn’t know you wanted.
When you said your goodbyes, you were fighting to hold back your tears, looking in your lap as you announced your leave. When you looked up, you were surprised to see some crying as well. They all hugged you one last time, promised they would write books and poems about you, and sent you off.
You were at the back of the ship, watching as the boat parts the waves behind it. The moon was only half full tonight.
Behind you was Megumi, sending you off. Watching your safe departure.
As he set you down on the ledge, he sat with you too. An invite for one last conversation.
“I wish we really had more time, Megumi,” you say, looking up to the moon. Your voice wavers a little.
“That would’ve been nice,” he admits.
The two of you sit in silence, admiring the scenery together. Enjoying the time spent together.
“Thank you again, for everything you’ve done. For saving me, for healing me. For accepting me. For forcing me to stay, so I had this wonderful opportunity to meet all of you–” You sniffle. When did you start crying? “And I just needed to thank you. One last time.”
Megumi doesn’t say anything, but you could see that he started crying too– just a little. Just enough to reflect the moon’s light off his cheek.
“Before you go, Y/n…” he begins, looking at your tear-stricken face rather than the ocean.
“I just wanted to say that I love you.”
Your breath hitches. The tears start pouring faster.
“And… you’ve been great company over these last few days. And- and I wish we had more time. I wish we did.”
“I love you too, Megumi. And I’ve finally realized that too.”
He kisses you, long and sweet. No time for another. He pours his unsaid feelings in the kiss. He pours the wishes he has in his heart into his kiss, into you. The first and the last kiss he’ll ever have. The beginning of the end.
You both pull away, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Promise you’ll come back?”
“I promise.”
You hop off the ship, landing back in the familiar waters. You don’t look back. You don’t have the heart to.
You swim into the moonlight, carrying a love that never had the time to grow.
a/n! - hi liv your request made me giggle and made me curl my toes bc i couldnt stop giggling...writing this reminded me of one piece (sighs into the distance)… i lowkey grinded all of this in the combined hours of 1-4 am. this also makes me happy cus i followed you since like december and now i’m here now writing a rq for you :3 i’ve come full circle
first request done and it’s already taken an unholy amount of time …
dividers by @uzmacchiato
