how about... a pirate ship captain lan wangji and merman wei wuxian.

wwx with a gorgeous black and red tail. a merman who wishes to live in peace with his little fish friends.
there's a ship from an actual fleet that attacks them for whatever magical thing they possess, be it crystal tears that harden in air or scales that can make one dive deeper

so, obviously they want to kill and steal from the merpeople.

then, it just happens that lwj's ship (you know, he's a pirate who steals from the rich and protects the weak) is docked at the other side of this island that has shores and reefs the merpeople like to habit.

the fleet ship attacks the reef and..well.. things happen, and the unsuspecting lan wangji finds himself caught up in their battle. he doesn't at first understand what's going on, but seeing the righteous sails, he kind of has a hunch.

with the help of his pirate crew (lan wangji is an odd one, sailing with white sails so at first no one ever suspects them to be pirates) they win and they save the merpeople,
only to be accidentally catching an injured one in their net as they try to salvage bodies from the sea.

when lan wangji comes to see what the crew is shouting about, he sees it, and sees him. he looks gorgeous. and his tail is beautiful. and lan wangji, who has appreciation for all things in nature, just freezes momentarily. and this whole ordeal, without him knowing, is a mistake.

because while this merman is injured, bleeding and unconscious, the others in the water think they've captured him on purpose. but they too are wounded, so they can't attack their ship now.
it does seem though that this white sailed ship doesn't leave any time soon.

on deck things seem peaceful. lan wangji quickly thinks of a way to help, and orders a precious glass coffin (potc world ily) to be used as a tank for him, to lay him down in water and treat his wounds. they stay at the shore to do that and repair the ship.

and when wwx wakes up..well...it's..
hell, to say the least. he panics and trashes and gets water everywhere in the cabin (have to protect from direct sunlight to avoid water evaporation said the captain), and lwj is called in again.

he orders everyone out (uh, second mistake, because his voice is commanding and just fuels wwx's fury.) wwx needs to escape, but he also has a tail still, because he's been kept in water. lwj doesn't know he could have legs if not in water.

and wwx really does resemble a feral animal then - the fins of his tail up in spikes, the sharp teeth in his mouth exposed, and the hiss he lets out when lwj crouches down.

lwj is gentle, and he talks to him. explains what happened and that they have treated his wounds.

he tells him that wwx is free to go if he so wishes, but he has to calm down. he wants to check his injuries before they will help him get back in the water. he's just..caring!! but maybe doesn't realize the amount of panic wwx is in. (hm, old memories of getting caught.)

lwj also offers to ask if he's hungry and in need of food. and then he says he's a bit embarrassed because he doesn't know what merpeople eat, and has never met one before.

wwx does not physically writhe anymore, but rather just glares at him.

wwx thought this was the ship that had attacked, but it seems that this stranger is saying they saved them. is this just a bluff? he doesn't know for sure.
at the same time, in the depths, his friends and family all grow worried and angry, because they actually took him!!

but yet the ship didn't sail away!!
quickly, everyone, eat up and heal, because we will attack them later! they must be injured too, or their ship too broken to sail! let's sink it and drag them down and feed them to (whatever creatures that would eat corpses)

on the ship, lwj takes his time. he keeps explaining things, promising things and trying different options for food. he doesn't ramble, he talks in a very calm and controlled manner, and he is polite. he will not touch or get too close. he will not restrain wwx either.

wwx thinks.. and thinks. and never replies. he just looks, so lwj slowly starts to lose hope in that wwx would be able to understand him.

then, at one point, wwx does finally open his mouth.

"fish."

huh???

"we eat fish. and seaweed."

to think that he actually replied! and he understands him!!

lwj is a bit surprised. act cool, stay calm.

"alright. what would you like me to get for you?"

hesitantly, wwx answers. "squid. squid is good for healing." and he's kidding, making it up bc he's sly.

"okay".

as if lwj would find one so easily.

wwx is a bit baffled. would this man really believe that? if so, then he could be manipulated. at the same time, if he sees through his bluff, he would prove to be at least somewhat intelligent.

but if he goes out his way to actually fetch a squid for him - then... then what?

lwj stands up to leave.

wwx almost stops him, but doesn't get the chance to before lwj talks. softly.

"it could take a while, but.. if it helps, then i will try my best. please wait here."

wwx's idea had been to buy some time, so right as lwj leaves the cabin he starts moving. he gets out of the (uncomfortable) glass coffin and drags his heavy tail along with him as he flops to the bed. he grabs the sheets in a desperate fashion, pulling all of them down.

he drags them to the floor and pulls himself up on top of them to dry himself. frantic, heart beating madly in his chest, he rolls around to get the water droplets off. his hair is already dry because it had been kept away from the water for so long.

(the bedsheets smell nice.)

this takes a while, but eventually he succeeds. he feels what he hasn't felt in years - the dread of turning into a human, his tail slowly (magically) shrinking and disappearing and... then he's naked on said messed sheets. with bared legs that have not walked.

cue inner turmoil of the fact that he had not thought this out very well. he tries to stand up, but naturally, he just flops down in a mess of naked limbs. how embarrassing. he hisses again, out of habit, but it doesn't come out as aggressive bc his anatomy has changed.

it's so odd. but he is a survivor, and a fighter, and he will get out of here.

he tries and tries and tries.

eventually, he has to resort to weirdly dragging himself to the door. crumpled, embroided and fancy sheets follow in his trail like slime. when he's there, he looks out.

the door has glass windows, so he sees the deck. it's day, the sun is shining bright and there are a lot of humans working around the ship. they're still fixing it, probably. wwx is so afraid.

then, right as he braces himself, is just about to open the door, lwj's figure appears on deck.

and wwx scrambles back. he tries to get back to the coffin, but lwj is quicker, and he opens the door (and only him) with wwx (in human form??!) in the middle of the room, naked.

it's one of those "ahhh!! i can explain" moments, but before wwx gets to say anything, lwj closes the door with a slam (third mistake. now wwx really thinks he's done for.) because he wants to protect wwx and doesn't want anyone else to see him, especially like this, now.

lwj is a fast thinker, but he also flushes at the sight. has he ever actually seen such a scene? he clears his throat.

wwx is frozen on the floor, his instincts kicking in. he's waiting for that moment to flee and escape, but he knows it won't come. he can't run.

lwj quickly walks up to one of his wardrobes. he gets the best thing he can think of. some white trousers and a white, long, puffy sleeved silk shirt with strings at the neck to tie it.

he averts his gaze as he brings them to wwx. once again, he's forgetting his pace.

he goes a bit too fast, so wwx visibly jumps when lwj reaches down to leave the clothes on the floor next to him.

then, an awkward pause as they lock eyes. wwx has such pretty eyes, lwj thinks.

"ah." lwj apologizes and gets up.

well, it's an apology in his head. he actually forgets to say it.

"i mean. i apologize. please wear the clothes. i did not think - did not think you could turn into a human."

and wwx, all confused. isn't lwj going to do anything? now that he's even weaker?? why?

then, lwj, with his little knowledge of reasonable human interaction and even less of the one between humans and merpeople, looks away, showing wwx his backside at the same time, which, to predators is basically the same as asking to be attacked. (and what wwx still can't do.)

"why?" asks wwx. is there some kind of a trick with the clothing?

"you.. you're indecent."

wwx has no concept of what humans consider 'being indecent'. wwx and his like don't wear clothing underwater, but he knows humans do, for whatever reason.

he eyes lwj for a while.

the worse thing is that wwx isn't exactly sure how to. but maybe..maybe he can try, if this will please the human enough for him to let wwx go. if this means that he is allowed outside, like the rest of the crew. because they are all wearing clothes, aren't they? how odd.

he reaches a hand to touch the material. he draws his hand back out of the foreign sensation. he has only touched clothing underwater before, when it's all floaty and light. now it's folded on the floor. hm.

"are they safe?" he dares to ask.

lwj, still with his gaze averted, nods. "yes. i would not hurt you."

wwx is still skeptical. "that's usually the only thing you humans do. why should i believe you?"

lwj does not budge. "we saved you. you were wounded, and we happened to pick you up. we treated your wounds."

lwj figures he would still need to do a bit more convincing.

"those clothes.. they're mine. why would i wear something that would hurt me?"

hm. wwx has to admit ..he has a point. then, his devious mind gives him an idea to keep the human occupied.

"i am not sure how to."

brilliant idea, he thinks. if the captain of this ship really reacts like this when wwx appears 'indecent', then is it not his best weapon against him? this way, the human will not be able to surprise him with an attack when he undoubtedly will get confused with the clothing.