Azure watched with peaked curiosity as the scientists dragged you towards his tank, dropping you in carelessly and with little interest. You hit the water with a splash, twisting and struggling to swim. He noticed your injuries right away—your movements sluggish. You were too frantic, too disoriented to notice him lurking in the dim, murky water and he made no attempt to make his presence known.

For the first time since his capture, Azure felt a tinge of excitement. He was captured a few months ago, and so desperately missed the sea and the creatures that inhabited it.

When you calmed down and Azure deemed you approachable, he swam towards you and circled you the way a predator would. He introduced himself, watching you intently—expecting you to reply and give your name. When you didn't, he wasn't deterred. He just smiled. Not the talkative type, that's fine.

Since then, he became a thorn in your side, a constant in your already suffocating life. The tank was big, but not the appropriate size for two merfolks but that didn't seem to deter him from trailing after you like a lost puppy. When your swimming faltered, he was there, steadying you with a grip or guiding you with a flick of his tail.

Now, you rested in the makeshift bed Azure crafted—a pile of seaweed that was barely any better than the cold tank floor, but who were you to complain? Azure swam up to you with a huge grin, a fish clasped in his hands, freshly plucked from the bucket the keepers left too close to the edge of the enclosure.

"Here, mate. For you." He said, holding it out like an offering.

You bit back a groan. Azure had been referring to you as his mate since you'd gotten here. No matter how much you declined, he remained unphased.

"I'm not your mate," you bit out. Azure only shrugged, unbothered by your rejection. He settled beside you on his makeshift bed, tail coiling possessively around yours as he pressed himself against your side.

"You will be," He murmured, nuzzling against your neck.