Cecaelid Shoji X Selkie F!Reader

Alright, so I've had this idea in my tiny little brain for who knows how long...

So, imagine Shoji with a selkie reader (fantasy au because yes).

Now, the idea is that the reader starts to likes him and eventually wants to start courting him. However, they don't exactly know how to court someone who isn't a selkie. But they figure that selkie courtship shouldn't be too different from other species, right?

So this results in the reader doing a bunch of seal courting rituals, and poor, poor Shoji is wondering why the fuck the reader is suddenly doing things like flipper waving at him and biting people or beating them with their flippers in seal form 😅.

(BTW, take care of your mental health. Just wanted to remind you ❤️)

("AT LAST," I whisper, blowing the dust off an idea I stuck in my to-do brainstorming list half a year ago)

Merrow

Cecaelid Shoji x Selkie F!Reader

(feat. language barrier, mild suggestive content)

In which Octopus-Merman Shoji accidentally initiates a courtship by chasing off a bull selkie.

Shoji had enough self awareness to know that he wasn't quite like others of his kind. Cecaelids, like the octopi they resembled, were normally reclusive, more inclined to hide in deep waters, avoiding other species outside of the hunt.

But not Shoji. He enjoyed observing other species, interacting if they weren't too frightened, even spending his time near the surface. Even after one of the spinning fins on the underbelly of a great metal ship nearly took his jaw off in his youth, he continued to stray skyward.

When Shoji first staked out a territory, he specifically chose one in shallower waters. He had a den, a deep, secret place to hide away and rest. But his favorite feature was a huge stone jutting out of the water, with a plateau large and flat enough that he could sprawl out his cerulean tentacles. He would go there most days to enjoy the sky, the feel of sun or rain, to watch the birds and people and other species go about their business, and wish he had someone to enjoy these simple pleasures with.

~~~

The sky was cloudy on the day that Shoji was awoken by distant barking. Lifting his bleary head, he looked around in search of the chatty seals, and saw two approaching from a distance. As they grew closer, Shoji's eyes narrowed as he noted how the forelimbs were longer than a typical seal, the snouts shorter. Dead giveaways that these weren't regular seals at all.

Rather, they must be long seals, selkies. Occasional deep divers, but not a species he would normally see. Not that they'd be a welcome sight. Mammal hybrids like that typically preyed upon fish and invertebrate types. Lucky for Shoji, selkies were more inclined to feed on small mer and fishes than to bother with a hefty adult like himself.

So, Shoji returned to his rest, keeping one eye lazily trained on the pair just in case they decided to try and steal one of his arms. They were getting closer, but in an erratic path. Almost like one was pursuing the other. When the shapes disappeared below the waves, he sat up, drawing all of his limbs out of the water in case of an attempted ambush.

Still, it made him jump when one of the spotted, dark grey bodies launched itself onto the stone, clumsily crawling closer. The differences between this mer cousin and a true seal were more obvious up close, especially when it shed half of its seal coat. Or rather, when she did.

The humanoid visage still retained some seal features. Freckles in place of spots, with sharp fangs and long whiskers growing from her eyebrows over big, dark eyes. Where a mermaid's body would be hard and scaly, hers was soft, with mammalian features and a thick belly to ward off the cold.

"Cabhraigh liom!" She barked in a rough voice and unfamiliar tongue, reminding Mezo that selkies were a migratory sort.

"Uh, pardon, I don't-?"

"Le do thoil!" Her desperate, frightened features meant it probably wasn't a battle cry or threat display. Maybe a warning, or-

The other selkie emerged then, partly shedding his coat as well to grab for the female. The size difference was more evident up close. Bull selkies were significantly larger, with the biggest keeping harems of cows as beachmasters, and the lesser males remaining wandering bachelors. And judging by this female's expression, she had no interest in being shepherded away to that fate.

It was a cry for help. Without hesitation, Shoji slid three of his powerful tentacles around the girl, dragging her out of the bull's reach. She seemed to understand that he was trying to assist, at least. She didn't fight, just hunkering down in the writhing tangle of limbs behind his torso.

Clearly surprised by the interference, the bull gave an incredulous look, before roaring, baring four great fangs. Shoji answered the threat display with his own, baring a mouthful of dagger-like teeth and raising his tentacles. Waves of electric blue and bright yellow flashed along his limbs in a hypnotic pulse.

The bull shuffled back, confused by the deimatic display. But, he was determined too, quickly puffing up again with the clear intent to fight. So Shoji obliged.

Only, it wasn't a fight so much as a few discreet tentacles grabbing the bull by his hind flippers, just to launch him away from the rock with a sharp yank. The big male had likely never experienced flight before; being tossed several fathoms away proved to be more than enough discouragement. When Shoji spotted the rival again, he was swimming away, growing smaller with each breach, until he disappeared past the horizon.

A sudden warmth at his side made Shoji look down. He was met with big dark eyes as the other selkie leaned in close against his torso. "Go raibh maith agat."

He could guess her meaning, at least. "Uh, you're welcome..."

~~~

The female selkie took up residence in his territory after that. Not that Shoji minded. There was plenty of prey to go around, not to mention, your presence was... pleasant.

He often found you laying on his rock, absentmindedly patting your belly as the sun warmed your fluffy coat. Sometimes you were a seal, sometimes a woman, most often choosing the halfway form that gave you the shape of a mermaid. A shape he found rather appealing.

You never seemed to mind his company either, even shuffling over to make space for him whenever you noticed his approach, always excitedly waving a webbed hand or flipper as if to beckon him.

Shoji quickly grew to enjoy this daily ritual, going to the rock even if the sun was too warm, or the sky rainy and dull. Half dozing, he would listen to you chatter at him in your strange, pretty language, or just the soft sound of your breathing deep as you napped beside him.

And yet, there came a day when, seemingly out of nowhere, the peace was shattered.

~~~

It started much like any other day. The skies were overcast, the water calm despite the light drizzle. It was the sort of day that he could pull his entire body out of the water with no risk of drying out.

His companion was active today, sitting up and weaving strands of kelp and seaweed. He assumed you had some manner of nest somewhere, though he was never presumptuous enough to try and follow to discover where. You hummed, at first, until words came along to make a proper song.

Shoji always enjoyed that. Merfolk sang often, to court or just as social behavior. He wasn't quite sure what the significance was to selkies, but he was happy to listen, even if he didn't know the lyrics.

This tune in particular was one he'd heard from you before, playful and light, some ditty about seaweed. He tried to be quiet as he hummed along, murmuring the only word he understood in time, "Dúlamán...dúlamán..."

Eyes shut, relaxed, Shoji hardly noticed when the selkie went quiet. Nothing seemed amiss, not until the sensation of teeth closing around one of his tentacles made him jolt.

Drawing his limbs in close, Shoji stared wide eyed at his usually peaceful companion. Had he done something wrong? Offended you somehow? Maybe he wasn't supposed to harmonize, that must be poor etiquette with your kind. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interru-HEY!"

And then you were slapping at his arms. Your expression gave no hints to the problem, still just smiling blithely and staring with those big, dark seal eyes, leaving him totally lost.

~~~

Things were different after that day. They still had moments of peace, but they never lasted. You would roll into him, even though you had plenty of space on the rock. You would tug at his limbs, sometimes lightly slapping or nipping, sometimes pulling them over herself. Even more strange were the times you would push your arms against his mouth, like you were daring him to bite first.

The strange behavior didn't even end on land. At least above water, you could speak, and he could try to read your tone if nothing else. Beneath the waves, he had to deal with a full seal swimming too close or slapping him with flippers or randomly tugging his tentacles.

Most of the time, he would simply swim away, diving deep and hiding until the need for air forced you to the surface. On one unfortunate occasion, he didn't notice your approach until those fangs got hold of one of his tentacles yet again. It wasn't a hard bite, but was startling enough that he reflexively inked the threat. Rather embarrassing, especially when you were being docile again later, and he felt obligated to help you wash the black briny mess from your pretty fur.

This unpredictable behavior could not be tolerated much longer, Shoji knew. So, he opted to seek advice from a supposed expert.

~~~

"...so the males are almost twice the size of the females... large social groups... the males fight with each other to show off for females and secure mating rights... they have to take off their pelts occasionally or their legs atrophy and that makes their flippers weak... usually really people shy... sometimes eat immature merfolk... have lungs like humans, but they can hold their breath over half an hour, isn't that cool?"

'What do you know about selkies' Shoji's inner voice mocked. Why did he have to start with such a broad question when he happened upon his little human friend? Izuku had been sitting there in his dinghy, diligently scribbling away in a journal as he often did while fishing. And, as always, the green haired human was all too happy to share his copious knowledge with anyone who cared to listen.

"Yeahhh, but, I wanted to know more about, uh, specific behavior?"

"What kind of behavior? Selkies have all kinds of fascinating behaviors, there's this one subspecies that-"

"Like, biting?"

Izuku looked confused, and rightfully so. "Attacking or feeding?" he ventured gently, trying not to sound too condescending in stating the obvious.

"No, just, lightly? What about slapping?"

"...OH! Was this between two selkies? That's, uhm, yanno, just, when the bull and the cow are interested in one another, they might, kinda play, like that." Izuku had gone a vibrant red, fidgeting as he tried to talk around the true purpose of your bizarre actions. "Wait, where did you see this? I didn't know selkies were even breeding around here."

Shoji blinked. "Breeding?"

"W-well yeah, if they're courting then they'll probably do, uh, that, too."

Click

"...I have to go."

"Oh, well-" But the massive mer was gone in an instant, disappearing beneath the waves with barely a splash, and a look of determination. "-...bye?"

~~~

Shoji could have smacked himself for his ignorance. You were treating him like a bull selkie, of course! Your bull, even.

It must have started with him fighting that male. He hadn't meant to stake a claim by doing that, but you took it that way, and were even agreeable to it. That's what your staying had to mean. If you truly didn't want him, you would have left, obviously, as you'd fled that bull. But no, you stayed and sunned and sang and shared meals with him, until his inaction prompted you to be more forward.

Foolishly, he never even considered that you may find his form attractive, as he found yours. He'd always thought of his own occasional interest in other mer species as a perversion with no hope of being reciprocated. If it was an oddity, it was one that you evidently shared.

The time for inaction was clearly over.

~~~

The selkie was right where he expected her to be, sprawled out on the rock, asleep in the sun. One eye cracked open when you heard Shoji break the surface. And when you saw him, you smiled, rolling over onto your tummy to look at him. "Howya, Sho."

"Hi," he breathed. Hope destroyed his usual reservations, making his eyes and heart soft. "Could you, uh, come with me?Follow?"

Time had let both of them share some of their respective languages. You nodded, looking curious as you wiggled your way into the water, following the cecaelid below the waves.

Despite his initial misunderstanding of your intent, you had performed a selkie courtship ritual. So, Shoji thought, he ought to do the same, per the tradition of his own kind.

He'd never performed this dance before. A show of pulsing bioluminescence along his tentacles to mesmerize, and graceful movements of his limbs to entice. All he could do was let instincts guide each roll of his belly and hips, every twirl of his tentacles, and hope that his selkie would find it all appealing.

You must have, for soon you were dancing with him. No longer content to be still and watch, you began swimming around him, in wide circles at first, then closer. The pair fell into a rhythm, with you following his movements.

On land, you might be slow, clumsy, but oh so graceful in the water despite your bulk. You arched between the loops of his tentacles, following the pulses of light. Your body would slide against his, hips close, moving together in sensuous tandem. Eventually, the dance tapered out into an intimate embrace.

This time, he wasn't taken aback by your bared teeth, knowing it wasn't a threat, that you had no intent to harm him. As your fangs grazed his flesh, his fingers grazed yours', touching all the soft, unfamiliar places he'd wondered at for so long. Small hands found his wrists, holding him close, telling him without words that he need not be shy in his explorations.

Then you was swimming upward, so Shoji followed close until they broke the surface. He stayed close, loosely wrapping a pair of his tentacles around your tail while you giggled and caught her breath.

"Ta cuma fhíorálainn ort!" Webbed hands cupped his face as you searched for words he could understand. "Veryyy...beautiful!"

"You're beautiful." Smiling, he turned his face, nipping at a hand in an attempt to finally reciprocate your own romantic overtures. Instantly, happily, you nibbled at his jaw and throat. Now that he knew it wasn't meant in aggression, he found the sensation rather pleasant.

But not as pleasant as when their lips met, the nibbling slowly turning into a deep caress. Your whiskers tickled his face, making him giggle into the kiss. You shared in his laughter, pressing foreheads together even after breaking the kiss. After one final, ticklish peck on the lips, you drew away from him.

"Fallow, Shoji," you beckoned sweetly, before heading towards land. To the sea cliffs and its many caves, where you retreated each night, and where he'd never dared to encroach. But now he obeyed, anxiously excited to see his sweet selkie's secret nest.

~~~

(thanks for the well wishes, I am trying my damnedest to keep the ol mental health intact I tell you what)

(also thank you so much for this ask, I McFucking LOVE fantasy au stuff with one or both parties being some manner of mythical creature)