anothercontinuity | Red vs Blue pt 2

When his eyes widened like that, Tucker--

Stop. He needed to save him. One arm wrapped around that body as he pulled his waist close to him, and if this human was looking for legs to kick with his own, he would be searching for awhile. Fins waved as he pushed himself up towards the bright flickers of light when the lightning sparked, the easiest guidance he had. He needed to get there. He needed--

Tucker squeezed him a little tighter was he pushed through a current, the final one before they crested the top to sweet, sweet air. The ship was tossing on the waves some distance off already; it was amazing how fast things could happen in a storm. A wave dropped down on them again, and Tucker tightened his grip as he felt them being pushed towards a tall, wide rock that practically could have been a small island, cave and all.

Good, somewhere for this guy to breathe and cough up half the sea that he swallowed. "Hold on as tight as I know you want to," and he guided them over. They weren't too horribly far from shore; he was pretty sure he could get the guy back when the weather calmed down.

Barring that this guy didn't turn out to be like everyone else.

Suddenly the rush of water was back, dizzying and turning his senses all about. 'Hang on', he'd said, and Wash did just that as they were pulled through the water, bound in some unknown direction. He just needed to hold his breath for long enough, and his arms wound tight around Tucker's chest as he drew them towards their destination.

This was insane. This was all of it completely and utterly incomprehensible, but he was still hanging on for dear life regardless. No sense in hoping this was all some mad dream he might wake up from.

It was either this or drowning, so maybe a little insanity wasn't all that bad.

Tucker almost lost him twice in the heavy water, and trying to swim with only one arm was a pain; he had to do a lot when Junior was first starting off and he wasn't excited to be back to it. But the closer they got, the more energy spurred him, and while he crashed against the rocks once, he made sure to spin them so he took most of the damage. Hurt like hell, too; he could feel a cut in his back spreading open and salt water smarted in the cut.

Damn. But they got to the small almost grotto where the water was starting to calm down the longer they waited. It was dark in here, but even without the flickering lightning Tucker could see just fine; evolution was a beautiful thing. He wasn't sure if the stranger could do the same, or what he would say if he could. There was a tiny bit of room to sit outside the water, enough for two people if they drew in close, and Tucker shoved the human up to it as best he could.

He...he should go. Let this guy just figure everything out on his own, let him fill in the blanks with superstitions or facts like they always did.

"Need some more air? Because I'm not sure you got enough when we were down there."

Because what was listening to instinct?

Finally, there was air. Real, fresh air, and Wash was dragging himself out of the water as best he could, coughing out the ocean he'd managed to swallow while down there and dragging in sharp, rasping gasps in between. Alive. He was alive, but it was still dark, still storming and...

And the ship was leaving him behind.

"No...no!" A sharp movement towards the entrance of the cave and he winced, that raking wound from the harpoon stinging sharply at his side as he sagged back against the rocks. "D-dammit..."

Oh, so that's what that smell was. Tucker swam to the edge, watching him for a moment. Blood, darker than any ocean here, and he reached out to touch it.

"You don't want to be on that ship anyway," he said, before holding up a finger. A second later and he disappeared under the water, lost. One minute, two, five, longer than anyone could hold their breath for, and finally he was back up in the same spot with wet hair hung around him, the ends floating lazily before he pulled himself onto the rock beside him.

Were you waiting for legs? Because that's not what you're getting.

The tip of his tail curled up and in on itself like a party favor before it's blown into, and he ignored it as he took his newfound seaweed from where it was clinging under the surface. "Just press this on your cut. Seriously, you can do way better than being on a ship where they try to harpoon everything that moves."

Nonchalant. Act like it's nothing. And to Tucker, it was; he was comfortable with himself, who he was, and how lucky people were to glimpse him. But...then again, when was the last time he actually talked to a human, anyway?

He'd had an argument ready about how he didn't want to be stuck on a rock in the middle of the ocean with no food, no fresh water, and no hope of rescue either, but the argument died as Tucker pulled himself up onto the rock and he saw...

He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. The seaweed was ignored entirely as he stared, trying to come to terms with what was in front of him. Not quite a mermaid, not a maid of any kind, and nothing like the tales. Even those had been fantastical nonsense but here, in front of him, was something real and wholly unlike anything he'd ever known.

"What...are you?" And those blue eyes lifted to rest on Tucker's.

What are you. Well, that was one way to ask that question, wasn’t it? Tucker made a face, some scowl and he knew he shouldn’t have been offended because they usually asked it this way, but it didn’t mean he liked hearing it.

“The best looking creature that you are ever going to lay eyes on.” Ask a question, get an answer. He tried not to get distracted by those eyes; they reminded him of home, and he could stare at them forever. Blue. So blue, the kind that could take his breath away. This was bad. This was dangerous.

“My name is Tucker,” and he emphasized it to make a point.. He sighed and leaned closer, over, before he pressed the seaweed to that wound. He wasn’t sure if it would help, but they could at least use it to push it to stop the bleeding. He wasn’t exactly the go to source of healthcare for humans.

“What are you?” he tossed back.

A hiss escaped him as the wet seaweed plastered itself to his side, already streaked pink. One hand flew to guard it against...what? Attack? Tucker's hand? He'd already proven he was more interested in seeing him alive than not.

A numb sort of shock was settling in, as his eyes once again raked over Tucker. "This isn't happening..." he muttered, more to himself than to Tucker. "This can't be happening. This isn't real."

Usually, that reassurance did something. After a time.

Usually. And hell, most people could lie to themselves enough that the swimming men making pace with ships really were dolphins and sleep all the more soundly at night. But Tucker was there, was close, was unfurling his tail and smacking it against the rocks. It wasn't so easy to dismiss when he was just inches apart.

Tucker smelled like the sea as he got up close; not like a fish, but clean and natural and made of wind and water. The brown eyes blinked, rolling again as he sat back to give him a little space. Hysterical. People were always so hysterical.

"You want to touch me? Would that make you feel better?" Fins waved once, a beckoning. "I'm trying to help you here because bleeding to death would be pathetic after you just survived drowning."

Stunned into temporary silence, Wash lowered his gaze numbly to the wound at his side. The harpoon. The ship. "I have to get back," he finally muttered, though squeezing the seaweed tighter to his side as he spoke. Regardless of what sort of creature Tucker was, it didn't change the fact that they were in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight for miles and miles.

"I have to get back to the ship before they get too far away."

I can't get left behind. Not again.

"...really? You want to go back with them? With the guys who tried to kill you?"

And this? This was why humans were weird, wanting to band together even after they stabbed them - accidental or not - and pitched them overboard. Tucker didn't get it, because to him, that sounded like a stupid place to want to get back to, a stupid place with asshole people. But hey, sure, land was cool? He guessed. Not as pretty as the sea, but shit did the sun feel good.

"Look, I don't think you're in any shape to get back to them, and the water's still pretty rough from the wind." His shoulders rolled in an easy shrug. "You're stuck here until another ship comes by."

Humans who wanted to try and kill him, at least, were a known quantity. Trapped here, possible dangers were so much varied and unpredictable. One merman in the midst of all of that did not a safe harbor make.

But what choice did he really have, at this point? Swimming to catch up to the ship would be damn near impossible, even without the wound in his side. Still, he looked far from happy, staring back at Tucker with no shortage of wariness, even for someone who supposedly was looking out for him.

Why? Weren't mermaids supposed to be...bad? Dangerous?

"And what would you suggest?" he finally ground out.

“You’re not good at the whole ‘Being thankful my life was just saved’, are you?”

Come on, that look? The way this guy was talking to him? Tucker could see through it, the same human reactions. No, it wasn’t like the rumors and he didn’t try to drag people down to drown; if he did, this really ungrateful ass would be swallowing half the ocean. Ugh. Humans.

“I would suggest being a little nicer before I leave you here and just go back home to my kid.” Tucker swirled his tail in the water, half-glaring. “But I can get you some fish and there’s water from the rain on the top of this rock, so you’ll be fine. And once you’re ready, I figured I could try to swim with you to the shore at night so the sun doesn’t cook you. Or we can wait until another ship goes by and try to get you on that; this is a pretty popular area.”

The skeptical look was challenging. "Unless you have a better idea?"

No. No, he did not. And if he was lucky enough to have a mermaid who spoke English and was more interested in helping him than devouring him or...whatever they were meant to do? He should be thankful for the fact.

Some of the tension around his face eased for a moment as he stared at Tucker, eyes once again taking this all in. He looked normal enough, save for certain details, and once you got down to the waist there was no denying exactly what he was.

"Right..." Closing his eyes against another wince of pain he pulled himself up further onto the rock, away from the water's edge as much as he could manage. Then, he gave Tucker another very long look before his shoulders sank.

"...thank you."

“You’re welcome.” Tucker wasn’t sure if the guy really meant it. Probably not; humans weren’t exactly known for being a friendly bunch. Still, this guy had protected him, had watched out for him, couldn’t be all bad, right? Reaching over, he tried to help him up out of the water a little more, then started to look for something dry.

There wasn’t anything down here. But up top…

“Look, we’re about to get really friendly, so you might as well tell me your name while you’re handing me your clothes.”

Yes. Yes, he did just say that.

"What."

Alright, he's soaking wet, but he can deal with that. It's fine. He'll dry out eventually, hopefully before he caught something, but there's no reason to go stripping off all his clothes just yet.

Except the merman obviously thinks so. That incredulous look returns, before he reaches to tug his shirt off. He needs to take his hand off the seaweed to do so, just for a moment, and the stretching hurts, but he grits his teeth through it and cautiously hands the garment over.

There. Fine. Happy?

Well, the shirt was a start.

Tucker stared at it, and still holding out his hand, he curled his fingers, beckoning more items to make their way over. All of it, sir. Pants. Shoes. Socks. Underwear (which, Tucker still didn't understand what the point of any of that was, but whatever). Stop being stingy.

"Come on, it's not something I haven't seen before. You guys love being in the water naked, but if you go on land, you pile on so many clothes. Why? You look at lot better without it."

He scooted towards the water, starting to drop into it again. "I'm just going to swim around to the other side, pull myself onto the rock, and lay them in the sun, Mr. Scaredy-dick. Also, that's your name now since you keep ignoring me when I ask."

Opinions on mermen were varied, with reasons. Those reasons might be because of this.

"What sun? How long have we been in here?"

Still, grudgingly, he's peeling off his boots and socks. More than that and he'd have to really consider what was being asked, and how vulnerable he really felt like being around a stranger. Merman or no.

All of this was starting to settle into some weird sense of normality, or else he was becoming numb to the absurdity of it all. Maybe he was hallucinating all this. Maybe he'd finally cracked, or drank too much salt water while he was under. Who could say?

"Okay, so it's not out yet, but it will be, plus the wind helps. Storms are faster out here." Which he wasn't exactly certain if that was even true considering getting far enough inland to compare was pretty much impossible for him. That was the on advantage humans had: was there a place they couldn't go? Seriously?

He took the boots and socks, then gave the poor guy a flat look. "Stop. Being. Stingy." Really, he was just trying to help here, let him help. "Keep whatever weapons you might have if it makes you feel better, but at least give me your pants."

Note, he didn't say his underwear. He was trying to compromise here.

"Besides, I'm already naked and you don't seem to get all weird about that?. I don't see what the big deal is."

"I am very weird about all of this. This is weird. There is absolutely no getting around that fact any time soon, when a mer...person is asking for my pants."

Wash had ground that last part out before sinking back to rest against the rocky wall of the cavern, chest rising and falling in slightly strained pants. Of course, even as he spoke he could feel a chill starting to settle in, one he couldn't imagine going anywhere if he took off even more clothing.

"You're the weird one for wearing them in the first place."

And that was logic for you, frank and blunt and honest. Tucker imagined that if he had feet, he wouldn't own a single pair; it had to chafe the inside of his leg-things, right? Right?

But Tucker was done trying to argue with him, so he huffed, took the few items, and slipped under the water, immediately swallowed by the darkness. Only the missing clothes supplied the silence with any sort of clue that he had been here at all. Pushing off the rock, he managed to fight the current as be as he could and come round to the other side, the sun side when it came out, gripping to the edge before he started to pull himself up. Ugh, this was a bitch, but...dry clothes meant no sickness, right? At least for a little awhile.

The muscles along his back, his arm strained as he pulled himself up the rest of the way out of the water, curled tail pushing to help him up. Higher. Higher so the crabs didn't come up and get them... But the edges were all craggy, rough, and it took longer than he hoped.

Sorry, stranger, it might be a minute.

It gave him time to deliberate on the state of things, settling back against a slopping rock wall and pressing his fingers more tightly still to the wound at his side. This was happening. This was all really happening, and the ship was leaving him behind, and he was trapped on a rock in the middle of the ocean with a merman.

Likely to die here.

His eyes closed, teeth sinking into his lower lip, as he tried to steel his nerves. No. He wasn't rolling over and dying that easily. They'd have to fight for every scrap of him they got. He hadn't made it this far just to accept his fate, or any such nonsense.

What part his new friend had to play in this, he couldn't begin to guess...

This guy was lucky that he was hot because Tucker wasn't sure he would be this okay exerting this much effort over anything that wasn't. He grunted, then laid the clothes out, hopefully in the path of the sun once the storm clouds left. He frowned a little because he didn't have anything to carry the rain water that had collected into the crooks and crags of the rock, but he'd be okay for a little while, right? Maybe?

Fuck. He hoped so. Human bodies were weird.

There. Out. Tucker took a selfish moment to breathe, to think about the situation, to hope the school kept Junior a little longer while he did this. He'd be here tonight and maybe a few days with the way things were going. Tucker took a rock and stuck it on the clothes so they wouldn't blow away. A few hours til they were dry.

Well, then... He pushed off the rock, half belly-flopping into the water before he swam around choppy waters to the front under the overhang. He emerged in the shadows, watching this guy for a minute. He looked strong, and this guy had protected him at the cost of his own safety, his own life. It really was only fair that Tucker returned the favor.

He swam over to the human and pulled himself up to sit beside him, tail idly dipping back and forth in the water. "So, they're up there and should be dry in a bit.The waves usually calm down in an hour and maybe then we can plot some shit on how to get you back to your own kind. Unless, you know, you find the merfolk life a little more fun, which I won't blame you for."

"Fun?"

Wash stared at him incredulously for a moment, before his free hand flopped into the air, gesturing around them. "This is fun, for you?"

Maybe it was. What else was there to do in the wide, open ocean but revel over these little mishaps? Probably the most exciting thing to come by in some time, but he was allowed to resent being someone's form of entertainment.

Hey! He had a lot of shit to keep him entertained! The amount of times he tried to not-die from certain wild life that would love to take a bite out of this beautifully fine tail? The ships that tried to harpoon him? The fishermen that tried to net him? A son who liked to get way too close to everything, including the deadly stuff? Yeah, his life wasn't boring, Mr. Sandwalker. It was just fine, with different dangers and different hobbies, but it wasn't dull.

"Okay, you being stabbed? Not fun. You being a dick about this? Even less fun." Want the scowl? Get the scowl. "But our life isn't bad! I know it seems shitty right now, but..."

His hands clenched in the rocks. "I mean, I'm trying to fucking help! I'm not the one that threw you off a ship! What else do you want me to do?!"

Red vs Blue pt 2

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