Splash—
With the sound of water breaching at the surface, Xiao Xiu felt something grip his neck. Groggily opening his eyes, he lowered his head following the pull and saw an arm extending from the water.
Without the sense of horror movies, Xiao Xiu wasn’t scared. Instead, he instinctively pecked at a few scales on the arm that nearly blended with the skin.
It wasn’t until the hand silently moved aside that he reacted, “Big Fish, why are you holding my neck? Are you coming up? I’ll pull you up!”
Jun Ye awkwardly realized that the bird’s neck was too thick. He couldn’t get a good grip unless he surfaced. Stuck in a dilemma, he didn’t know whether to proceed or withdraw, while the bird blinked his pure, bright eyes expectantly.
“No, I want you to come down,” Jun Ye said, his gaze wandering over Xiao Xiu, searching for a better place to grab.
“I’m a bird, I can’t… I can’t go underwater…” Xiao Xiu, driven by a strong survival instinct, backed away. If Jun Ye hadn’t been holding his neck, he would have retreated to the center of the reef.
Jun Ye also realized that the large bird was really troublesome. Moreover, he didn’t have such a heavy taste, and he truly didn’t intend to mate with a bird.
“You can transform into a human, can’t you? Xiao Xiu, transform and let’s do something fun together.” Jun Ye coaxed gently, his hand tightening on the bird’s feathers.
If the target wasn’t so dense, he’d just have to pull him down and figure it out later.
“Big Fish, do you want me to peck at your scales?” Xiao Xiu looked at Jun Ye’s head poking out of the water, both expectant and instinctively fearful.
Perfect, maximum foolishness.
Jun Ye smiled innocently, one hand gripping the feathers on Xiao Xiu’s neck, the other gently stroking the back of his neck, his voice soft and gentle, “I’ll even let you eat them.”
Eat them?!
Xiao Xiu was very tempted. After all, it was something he had longed for since he was a chick.
Big Fish’s scales must be as delicious as Big Fish himself. Although he had never actually tasted them, since Big Fish looked so good, he must taste good too.
Ah… Big Fish’s scales should grow back after he eats a piece, right? Then he wouldn’t hold back!
“Come on,” Jun Ye gradually exposed his upper body above the water, saying, “You’ll like it.”
“Okay… okay.” Under the moonlight, the shark mermaid’s bare upper body could make any living creature lose their mind. Xiao Xiu shyly lowered his head and gradually transformed into human form.
Big Fish looked even better as a female1they don’t necessarily mean that he became a woman, it’s just a differentiation, kinda like omega/beta/alpha etc to differ between those that can impregnate and be impregnated, although his chest didn’t seem to have a noticeable softness, probably due to his species. Hopefully, Big Fish’s aesthetics weren’t too different from an eagle’s, and he wouldn’t dislike his developed pectoral muscles.
Thinking this, Xiao Xiu had already transformed, with his wings folded obediently behind him.
Then, he felt Big Fish suddenly hug him, a pulling force coming from Big Fish’s arm. Before Xiao Xiu could react to what game Big Fish was playing, his skin felt the most terrifying coolness.
“No! I don’t want to play anymore!”
Xiao Xiu flailed, trying to return to the reef, but all he could see was deep water reflecting starlight, unable to find the reef, so he kept climbing upward.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, I’ve got you, you won’t fall.” Jun Ye patted Xiao Xiu’s back with one hand, holding him tightly with the other.
This damn fool was climbing onto his shoulder!
Xiao Xiu felt something stuck him, unable to climb up. Something kept brushing his back, like the legendary sirens dragging males entranced by their beauty into the endless dark sea.
Of course, it wasn’t some strange siren. It was his Big Fish.
Even if his Big Fish was that siren, then… he was willing.
Jun Ye felt the struggling gradually weaken, though the body remained stiff, no longer trying to climb over his head.
Jun Ye breathed a sigh of relief, carefully guiding the target back to his proper place.
He was being pulled down by Big Fish…
Feeling more and more seawater enveloping him, Xiao Xiu began trembling uncontrollably, clinging tighter to the one pulling him into the abyss, his only support for now.
Jun Ye took great effort to place the target in a harmonious position.
Xiao Xiu rested his chin on Jun Ye’s shoulder, all his strength exhausted in fear. Now limp, he lost his ability to move, only his mind gradually clearing.
He was hugging Big Fish, who hadn’t mated with him yet, wouldn’t hurt him. In legends, males were entranced by sirens and dragged into the sea, drained and killed, weren’t they?
At least he still had a chance to mate with Big Fish. He was strong enough for Big Fish to enjoy three times a night, though underwater it might be slightly less.
As for his fate after three times, Xiao Xiu didn’t want to imagine.
As long as Big Fish didn’t immediately drag him underwater, he could manage.
Eh? What’s that?
That feeling, it seemed like…
“Big Fish! There’s… there’s a fish biting my butt, you catch it and see if it’s my courting gift.”
Jun Ye’s face darkened. The fool really could steer the atmosphere into bizarre directions at any time.
“Don’t worry,” Jun Ye reassured, one hand holding the target, the other reaching underwater, “It’s my courting gift for you, I’ll feed it to you.”
Eh?
Xiao Xiu was stunned but still said, “The courting gift is given by the male, you’re not a male, you just need to enjoy it.”
“I’m not a male?”
“Mm, you differentiated… Ah! Big Fish! It’s still biting me!”
He wasn’t afraid of being bitten by a small silver fish not even as long as his hand, but it was biting a very shameless place.
Xiao Xiu tried to squirm away but found Big Fish holding him tight, immobilizing him.
Was… Big Fish letting the fish bite him?
“Xiao Xiu, be good. Eat my courting gift, then you’ll know how much of a male I am, you’ll definitely like it.”
…
Dawn broke.
Xiao Xiu lay weakly on the reef, half his body still in the water. Every time he tried to climb up the reef, Big Fish would pull him back.
Big Fish… Big Fish wasn’t female at all…
He had hoped to give Big Fish a wonderful experience three times a night. In the end, he did get done three times, but Big Fish didn’t even get it once2He’s talking about…arriving lol!
Big Fish wasn’t just a fake female, but also an incompetent male, couldn’t even do it once a night…
Jun Ye kissed the back of the target’s neck, his voice hoarse, “Sorry, I didn’t expect it to take so long. Xiao Xiu, can you hold on a bit longer? I’ll make you fish soup for three days when we get back.”
Xiao Xiu buried his head, not wanting to speak.
—You’re still moving, why ask?
“Coo coo—”
Xiao Xiu heard the call of the eagle and immediately raised his head, seeing the hunting team of the tribe flying over from the distance.
“Big Fish! Hurry up.” If the tribe’s birds saw him like this, he…
Jun Ye hugged the target, pulled him off the reef, turned him around, facing him.
Xiao Xiu: Satisfying… no, it’s killing me!
“Ready?” Jun Ye asked.
Xiao Xiu closed his eyes.
Come on! He had been bitten by fish all night, what was a little male marking?
Jun Ye kissed Xiao Xiu’s lips, pinched his nose, and took him underwater.
Xiao Xiu: “!!!”
This is terrifying!!!
So tight.
Jun Ye’s expression twisted, busy transferring air to the target, wanting to curse.
Damn it! So tight… trying to murder him?!
“Mm…” Damn it.
…
Five minutes later, Jun Ye tossed the nearly dead bird onto the reef.
The male mermaid’s endurance matched his size. Jun Ye did pity the target, wanting to end quickly, but not like this!
Jun Ye climbed onto the reef, “Still alive? Breathe.”
Xiao Xiu stared blankly at the sky, wanting to vomit but couldn’t. Yes, Big Fish didn’t let him drink water.
After a while, Xiao Xiu found the source of his pain, placing a hand on his belly, frowning, “There’s too much of yours… I’m going to die.”
Jun Ye: “…I’ll clean you up.”
“No!” Xiao Xiu immediately rolled away, clutching his stomach.
“…” Jun Ye: “You want to keep it for having kids?”
“I’m male…” Xiao Xiu bit his lip, “You… you fake female! Tricked me and refused my courtship, you don’t love me!”
“…”
Jun Ye slid over, Xiao Xiu backed away until his hand hit the reef’s edge.
Jun Ye leaned down, looking at the target’s marked tan skin, “I didn’t commit any of the three crimes you accused me of.”
“But you don’t love me…”
Jun Ye sat next to Xiao Xiu, “Before a week ends, I’ll marry you, move in, then we’ll see.”
Xiao Xiu thought, his gaze slightly despondent, “If we’re not married in a week, Big Fish must mate with me three times a night, or I’m killing you.”
“Fine,” Jun Ye patted Xiao Xiu’s head, pinching a strand of hair. “You’re almost thirty and still this childish.”
“You can still transform, but not into a female, huh? And you’re younger than me.”
“Never transform in front of me, even into a female. Or else…” Jun Ye grabbed Xiao Xiu’s ankle, giving him a sinister smile.
Xiao Xiu was frightened, trying to retract his leg but couldn’t, protesting. “I don’t like being a female either! I just did it to make Big Fish happy. I won’t do it again, okay?”
“Good boy,” Jun Ye placed Xiao Xiu on the reef, patting his back. “Take a nap. We’ll go back later.”
“Will it be night?”
“During the day, no night.”
“Mm…” Xiao Xiu let out a long breath and quietly dozed off.
This Big Fish, so cunning. Always saying he couldn’t and then doing this to him last night.
Still… it’s better to be with Big Fish than the tribe’s females. He’d make the female eagles jealous!
…
Ten minutes later, Xiao Xiu woke up. “What are you doing?”
“Checking if your teeth have changed.”
“What?!”
“Your chest has scales growing; I suspect it’s my doing.”
“How? You’re insane!”
“…” Jun Ye patted Xiao Xiu’s head, calming him down.
…Forget it, as long as Big Fish treats him well.
“Then why not let me have your scales?”
“It’s not time yet.”
“So you don’t love me…”
Jun Ye sat beside Xiao Xiu, poking at his slightly protruding stomach. “If I didn’t love you, why would I do all this? Am I just bored?”
“You’re male!”
“Yeah.”
“I’m male too!”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Xiu felt like he was going to explode. “If you loved me, you would transform into a female! Males and females are supposed to be partners!”
Males and females are supposed to be partners?
“What are we then?” Jun Ye slightly lifted his tail, letting the fin rest on Xiao Xiu’s leg.
“I don’t know…” Xiao Xiu looked up along the shark’s tail fin on his leg and noticed that not only did he have many marks from Big Fish, but Big Fish also had many red marks from before transformation—all from Xiao Xiu’s bites.
When he was unconscious, he had treated Big Fish like sashimi. It must have been painful with all these marks.
Xiao Xiu felt a pang of guilt. “I’ve hurt you…”
Jun Ye was momentarily stunned, noticing the marks left by Xiao Xiu’s earlier enthusiasm. He smirked and nodded seriously, “Yeah, and now I’ll have trouble attracting a female. You’re responsible for this.”
The marks would heal in a few days. Xiao Xiu didn’t understand why Jun Ye wouldn’t be able to attract females, but he was scared by the consequences Jun Ye mentioned.
Jun Ye hadn’t had a partner for many years. After failing to pursue the eagle tribe’s leader, he had been alone. Jun Ye loved young ones so much that he even took in a different species like Xiao Xiu and cared for him so well…
Now Jun Ye said he couldn’t pursue females and therefore couldn’t have offspring.
“I…” Xiao Xiu gritted his teeth. “I’ll be responsible for you.”
Jun Ye smiled. “You’re really something.”
Xiao Xiu continued, “I’ll try to pursue an eagle female as soon as possible and ask for her consent to let her offspring be raised by you.”
Jun Ye: “…”
“Are you sure you’re not joking?” Jun Ye still found it hard to believe.
Is there someone who is this responsible? I slept with you, you want to be responsible, so you should find a female to have kids with and let me raise them.
What the heck? Where’s the logic in that?
Xiao Xiu sniffled. “I’m serious. I’ll try hard to get many chicks for you to raise.” After all, there was no rule in the eagle tribe that forbids pursuing females after sleeping with another species.
“…” Jun Ye pressed his temples, frustrated. “You won’t have that chance.”
“No! I’m strong, I can pursue a female eagle!”
“Damn it! First, clean my seed from your belly before talking about that!” Jun Ye lifted his tail and flicked the annoying, absurd Xiao Xiu into the water.
“Coo!”
Splash—
Jun Ye looked down at Xiao Xiu, who was shivering and desperately trying to climb up by gripping his tail. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t get a grip and kept slipping.
Jun Ye frowned, leaned down, and picked Xiao Xiu up. “With this little strength, what female eagle would look at you? Better stick with me…”
Even on the reef, Xiao Xiu clung to Jun Ye with all his limbs, burying his face in Jun Ye’s chest, as if he saw him as his only salvation.
Jun Ye gently patted his back. “I don’t want to raise chicks. If you give me your and some female eagle’s offspring, I’ll really punish you.”
“Coo…” Xiao Xiu heard Jun Ye but didn’t have the energy to think further.
Did Big Fish just try to kill him? Well, some sea creatures would squeeze females dry until death, and he wasn’t a female, so not being squeezed dry was a luxury; drowning him in the water was the easiest way out.
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have thrown you into the water; I should have just hit you,” Jun Ye forced Xiao Xiu’s head up from his chest.
Xiao Xiu’s face was wet, whether from seawater or tears Jun Ye wasn’t sure. He licked it and tasted the salty seawater.
“Coo…” Xiao Xiu moved slightly, avoiding more contact. They were both males; one absurd night was enough, no need to make things worse, even though he desperately wanted to kiss Jun Ye…
Jun Ye sighed deeply, resting his forehead against Xiao Xiu’s. “Let’s go back, take a bath, have some fish soup, and get some sleep.”
“Any issues, we’ll talk about it after you wake up,” Jun Ye’s fingers gently stroked Xiao Xiu’s lips, speaking softly, “If you still mention looking for a female after you wake up… I’ll try not to kill you.”
“Coo…”
Xiao Xiu was both tired and drained, still recovering from the recent near-drowning ordeal. His mind was foggy.
Seeing Jun Ye rubbing something on his lips, he thought he was being fed like when he was younger. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and took in what was on his lips, swallowing it.
“…It’s a pity that I can’t reach your stomach with just one finger now,” Jun Ye withdrew his finger, summoned an old system panel, and bought a flying device to carry Xiao Xiu.
Jun Ye wanted to place Xiao Xiu in the back seat but found that the semi-conscious Xiao Xiu was harder to manage than when he was being absurd. Xiao Xiu’s back touched the seat, but his limbs were still wrapped around Jun Ye, showing no intention of letting go.
“I actually prefer you like this now; at least you’re not making me want to hit you,” Jun Ye lowered the seat back, lying down with Xiao Xiu on the seat, and pulled out the flying device’s control panel.
Jun Ye wrapped Xiao Xiu in a thin blanket and carried him into their place on the artificial island.
The fish soup was already on the table. Jun Ye sat down with Xiao Xiu at the dining table, expecting that feeding a semi-conscious person would be difficult. Surprisingly, Xiao Xiu cooperated remarkably well.
When the fish soup was brought to his lips, Xiao Xiu opened his mouth without lifting his eyelids, drinking it instinctively.
Bathing was still a bit of a struggle. The moment water touched Xiao Xiu, he unconsciously tensed up and shivered slightly.
Had it not been for the whole night’s ordeal, Jun Ye wouldn’t have known how to clean him properly.
The amount was significant; the mermaid’s stamina was indeed quite extraordinary, but that was no reason for Xiao Xiu to leave him for a female.
Jun Ye dried Xiao Xiu with a towel, which was still challenging due to how tightly Xiao Xiu was clinging to him, making it hard to reach many areas.
By the time they emerged from the bathroom, the sun was already overhead.
Jun Ye lay down on the bed with Xiao Xiu, pulling up the blanket.
Jun Ye had just closed his eyes for a moment when he felt Xiao Xiu’s limbs loosen from his body. He didn’t think much of it; it was natural to relax after a position like that.
However, he soon felt Xiao Xiu gradually moving further under the blanket.
Perhaps when someone is injured or scared, they seek a place they feel safe. Jun Ye thought he was the more injured one. He wondered if Xiao Xiu was so scared he might suffocate himself by burrowing further under the blanket.
Jun Ye felt Xiao Xiu clinging to his tail, with his forehead pressed against the end of it. Then… the blanket over Jun Ye was gone.
Jun Ye opened his eyes, exhausted, and glanced at the adult eagle being curled up by his tail.
Because Xiao Xiu had suddenly turned into a bird, the blanket was pulled away entirely, and it was clear he had no intention of giving it back.
Jun Ye resignedly closed his eyes; he wasn’t afraid of the cold anyway. He might as well enjoy the state of being blanket-less.
Jun Ye dreamed a dream.
He was fully aware it was a dream. In the dream, he was still in his human form with a fish tail, sitting on a smooth white rock surrounded by water.
On his tail was an egg, and inside it was Xiao Xiu. He had to incubate the egg.
Jun Ye: “…”
Sorry, he really didn’t know fish could incubate eggs. Where’s the system mall in this dream? He needed an incubator.
There was no system mall. He didn’t want to have this dream anymore; he wanted to wake up!
……
Still in the dream, unable to wake up…
“Coo…”
While struggling with the egg, Jun Ye suddenly heard a bird call. He looked at the bundle on his tail, only to find the egg had vanished.
Where was the hatched bird? Where was his bird?!
Jun Ye jolted awake, finding himself in his room with gray-white sheets and wooden walls, decorated to mimic an eagle’s nest.
The clock at the head of the bed read 18:00—he had slept for half a day. He didn’t know how long he had spent in that dream, but unfortunately, he hadn’t seen what the hatched Xiao Xiu looked like.
Wait…
Something seemed off.
Jun Ye looked down and met the eyes of the eagle, who flinched and appeared fearful and… guilty?
Jun Ye calmly shifted his gaze to see the tail section standing upright.
“!!!”
Jun Ye quietly moved his tail away and cleared his throat. “What’s going on? Did I disturb your rest?”
Why couldn’t you just sleep properly and leave my tail alone!
“Coo-coo…” Xiao Xiu shrank back.
Seeing Xiao Xiu’s scared expression, Jun Ye felt a subtle pang of pain. He forced a smile and was about to comfort him when Xiao Xiu said, “It started it first…”
Jun Ye: “…And somehow, I just don’t believe you.”
“Coo-coo… I’m male, I wouldn’t do that to another male…” Xiao Xiu glanced at Jun Ye’s tail, then quickly looked away.
Jun Ye was silent for a while, sat up, and flipped the eagle-form Xiao Xiu over with one hand, slowly climbing onto his white-feathered belly.
Xiao Xiu anxiously turned his head, hoping Jun Ye would get off him, while he dared not move any part of his body, afraid that any movement might make Jun Ye fall off.
He wanted Jun Ye to leave safely and not fall. Although the height from his stomach to the bed wasn’t very high, what if… Jun Ye got hurt?
“You wouldn’t do that to a male?” Jun Ye climbed up from Xiao Xiu’s belly, wrapping his arm around the thickly feathered neck. “Who was it last night that was with me and couldn’t even get up in the end?”
“What about what we did last night?” Jun Ye gently stroked Xiao Xiu’s neck, his fingertips inadvertently catching a feather.
“That’s because I mistook you for a female. I lured you, and that’s why… At that time, there were no females available, and you had no choice but to use me as a… tool. We won’t…”
“Tool?” Jun Ye raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah. I think you were wrong this morning. Even if you’ve mated with a male once, you can still pursue a female.”
Xiao Xiu felt Jun Ye’s grip on his feathers tighten a bit, yet he forced himself to keep the guilty feeling at bay. “As long as you build a solid nest for the female and prepare courtship gifts that impress her, females won’t mind what you did with a male before…”
Snap—
“Coo!” Xiao Xiu flinched, turning his head away, but still dared not move his body since Jun Ye was still on him.
Jun Ye held up a gray feather he had plucked, his tone cold. “You can keep talking about your courtship techniques. After all, you have plenty of feathers; losing a few won’t hurt.”
His gaze shifted to Xiao Xiu’s head, and he smirked. “How about I start plucking the feathers from the top of your head next? I’ve always found them annoying. Let’s see how this male eagle will pursue females without his ‘crown3he means the crest, it’s also called crown’.”
“Coo… The feathers on top can’t be plucked. Female eagles don’t like males without their ‘crown’… Coo!”
Jun Ye played with the feather in his hand, which was noticeably wider and longer than the previous one, and smiled at Xiao Xiu. “I’m doing this for the sake of the female eagles. If a female eagle happens to fall for a male who can’t catch fish and has his heart elsewhere, she’d be pitiful. It’s better to destroy your tools and benefit all the female eagles.”
“But I can catch white pigeons too,” Xiao Xiu said weakly. “And I don’t have anyone else I’m in love with…”
“Ha! You weren’t saying that last night when you were crying for me to give you more.” Jun Ye’s sneer was sharp.
“That was… I just wanted it to end…” Xiao Xiu felt the lingering heat in his belly and his heart began to burn as well.
Xiao Xiu closed his eyes.
This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be yearning for another male… even if that male was the fish he had carefully liked all these years.
Jun Ye was again hurt by the words “just wanted it to end.” Damn it, he had tenderly cared for Xiao Xiu with such joy, and Xiao Xiu had only expressed disdain.
Jun Ye pulled up the system mall; this wasn’t a dream. How could he not deal with this foolish bird who was already out of the egg?
A pair of scissors appeared in Jun Ye’s hand. He looked at the remaining long feathers on Xiao Xiu’s head, his expression cold.
Plucking them one by one was too troublesome; it would be better to cut them all off.
That would completely shatter Xiao Xiu’s hopes of pursuing female eagles, leaving him with no choice but to stay with Jun Ye.
Snip—
Snip-snip—
Xiao Xiu felt Jun Ye leaning over and then heard a strange sound from above his head.
At first, he didn’t understand what the sound meant, but when he opened his eyes, he saw Jun Ye holding a bunch of feathers.
“Coo!!!”
Holy molly it started off kinda cute then Jun Ye literally took a yandere turn??? Anyways kings you just have just communicated clearly instead of being hurtful to each other ;-;
Thanks for reading <3
