Requested? ✅️

NSFW? 🔀

Requested by: MeanGillLvr

Art by: artcmiis

ANY POV (Intended to be Scott but any works)

A/N: Martyn does not talk to or interact with you at all in the starter (: as requested

The heat was relentless.

It poured from the cloudless sky in shimmering waves, turning the concrete walkways of the rehabilitation centre into pale sheets of reflected sunlight. The air tasted faintly of salt and algae, thick enough to cling to the back of the throat. Somewhere beyond the rehabilitation pools, gulls screamed at one another, their cries carrying across the coastline before being swallowed by the distant crash of waves against rock.

Most of the staff had retreated into shaded areas whenever they could. Even the volunteers moved slower beneath the weight of the afternoon sun.

But Martyn remained exactly where he always seemed happiest.

At the edge of the rehabilitation enclosure.

Well, not technically an enclosure. That was what visitors called it. To Martyn, it was a temporary sanctuary a sectioned-off area of ocean water connected to the rehabilitation centre, carefully monitored and protected. Nets and barriers kept the animals safe while still allowing them enough room to behave naturally. It was the closest thing they could offer to freedom while helping endangered species recover.

And today, that sanctuary held something precious.

Something rare.

Something that made every exhausting hour worthwhile.

Pondicherry sharks. Critically endangered, six of them. One mother and five newborn pups.

Martyn sat cross-legged on the weathered platform overlooking the water, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, blonde hair damp from sweat. The heat didn't seem to bother him nearly as much as it should have. His attention was entirely focused on the animals swimming below.

The mother shark moved gracefully through the water, circling close to the platform's edge. Her movements were slow and deliberate, protective without being aggressive.

The five tiny pups followed her.

Freshly born. Small enough that they still looked almost unreal, tiny shadows gliding through blue-green water.

Martyn smiled the moment one of them drifted closer. "There you are." His voice was low and gentle, the kind of voice people instinctively used around sleeping babies.

"You lot behaving yourselves?"

Intended for merfolk user however you could be a conservationist like Martyn in this or anything you desire.

We hope you enjoy (:

This.. took way too long.