Chapter Text
The search is harder than Tighnari would like. It’s to be expected of course, with their little family all on their own, but the knowledge doesn’t leave him any less frustrated. The more time he spends around Mahamatra’s crew - and it’s a lot, with how the boys latched onto Cyno - the more he sees Collei suffer. He’s sure he learned something about her condition, but the details escape him. If only he knew where his master went…
“White petals, prickly stems. Five specimens,” Gaming recites behind him. The boys have been incredibly helpful, throwing themselves into his research any way they could. Collei is quickly growing dear to them. Not that Tighnari’s surprised; she’s a sweet, clever girl. Tighnari is quite fond of her himself.
And of her (involved, caring, beautiful) father — but that’s beside the point.
Even now, they’re all gathered around Tighnari’s provisional workbench — a thick tangle of coral, perfect for keeping ingredients safe from the risk of floating away. Gaming is gently stuffing the plants between the branches, while Razor is lathering himself in the goopy salve Tighnari prepared last night. Its basis is the coating of a deep-water eel, one of the few things that keep their consistency in the ocean. Perfect for medicine, but hard to hunt down. But of course, his boys did an amazing job. Razor, as the one with skin most sensitive out of all of them, is testing it out before delivering it to Collei.
“Do we — ouch, Man Chai, no — do we know what her condition is called?”
Tighnari turns to see Bennett wrestling a long bone out of Man Chai’s mouth. The little rascal has a weird fascination for plants, so they need to distract him whenever they work with any. Thankfully, Bennett is always up to the task. Tighnari is nearly jealous of his energy.
“It’s Eleazar,” Tighnari responds. Cyno didn’t know the name at first, but in the weeks since they met and Mahamatra continued its journey, he’s received word from a friend. He managed to find a journal mentioning the disease in the depths of Port Ormos’ archives. Unfortunately, except the name, there wasn’t anything useful in there; the “doctor” who wrote it was more interested in abusing his patients than treating them.
Gaming freezes just as the words leave his mouth. “I…I’m probably wrong, but surely you don’t mean Marana?”
Tighnari wants to hit himself. The Withering, of course! The plague has been in recline for years now, but it claimed countless lives, turning even the biggest reefs to ash. If it made its way to the shore… and Collei was found in a fishing village. The sole survivor.
To think that he, a scholar, would have to rely on his kids to point out the obvious!
He grabs Gaming by the face, pressing their foreheads together, “You, my darling, are a genius.”
Of course, just knowing the proper name of the disease doesn’t help Cyno much. But Tighnari’s worked with Withering before. The botany side, yes, but he knows how to apply that knowledge. It will take a long time to concoct a working cure…but it’s not hopeless.
“It’ll be months,” he warns Cyno the next day. “I’ve no knowledge where my fellow scholars are, and looking for them could take just as long. It’s best you continue your course as well.”
Cyno nods seriously. His eyes remain trained on where Collei is detangling Razor’s hair — the four of them took turns being hoisted up the swing, to Dehya’s teasing grumbling — but his pinky hooks around Tighnari’s with a soft squeeze.
“I can’t even begin to say how much your help means to us. Thank you.”
Tighnari laughs softly. He turns Cyno’s hand in his hold, inspecting his palm. Tighnari’s own arms follow the same gradient as his tail does. Maybe he’s hopeless, but he likes how they look together.
“Thank Gaming,” he says, “He’s the one who’s caught it. I didn't remember that particular name for it at all.”
He never knew what ailed Gaming’s mother — whenever he talked about her, he focused on the few happy memories he had of her. He was too little to see his mother suffer before she died; he couldn’t have recognized the symptoms and only remembered the name from his father’s tales of her. And it’s been years since their fallout, since Gaming last heard as much as her name and came to live with Tighnari instead. He wasn’t kidding when he called him a genius; Gaming’s memory is impeccable.
“You do look like a person who uses scientific names whenever they can,” Cyno smiles. His eyes soften, and he regards Tighnari with a look so warm he melts a little, “Besides, you’re the one who taught them that attention to detail. Kids without curious parents rarely grow keen themselves.”
“Oh, an expert. Forgive me, captain, I didn’t realize I was speaking to a psychologist.”
“I’m just saying you should be proud. Of them, yes, but also of yourself,” he leans in, lacing their fingers together. “You don’t sea such intellect everybay.”
Tighnari pushes him off, but he can’t hold back his snort. “Get out.”
“This is my ship.”
“Not anymore. Candace, you’re the captain now.”
“Aye, sir”
***
Tighnari doesn’t realize it until Bennett points it out.
“This feels like home,” he laughs. Tighnari, infected by the good mood, winds around him. They can’t swim properly with their tails tangled like that, but neither of them minds; Bennett folds his hands on Tighnari’s sash with a grin.
“What do you mean?”
The answer comes from Razor instead. “Patrolling,” he says. Gaming hums in agreement from where he’s latched onto his back like a baby otter.
Huh. Thinking about it, they were spending most of their time in the vicinity of the ship. Mermaids are a nomadic species, and it only made sense to travel along Mahamatra’s course. Tighnari didn’t notice when, but…yeah, somewhere along the line he started leading his boys in circles around the ship. Treating Mahamatra as the main shoal.
Well, too late to be embarrassed now.
“Do you mind?” he asks instead. His boys have already lost so much; the last thing he wants is to force them into a dynamic they’re not comfortable with. A human ship is certainly not your typical pod, and not a community many mermaids would like to stay with, even if they were fond of the humans aboard.
It’s Gaming who answers, a soft smile on his lips as he plays with Razor’s hair. “No, this is good. Familiar.”
“Yeah!” Bennett pipes up. “A lot of stuff has been going on so it’s nice having something we’re used to!”
“I’m glad then,” Tighnari smiles, tucking him under his chin. They twirl clumsily through the water, Gaming’s laughter following them. Tighnari leads them closer to the ship; halfway there, the boys start up a race. He trails behind them, softly cheering them on. Gaming whoops when he wins, all but barreling into Mahamatra’s keel. The other two are barely a hair width’s behind, quickly falling into a group hug.
As he observes them, Tighnari catches a figure leaning over the railing. A hazy splash of green, waving enthusiastically. Wonders if the crew felt the impact, Tighnari swims up with a greeting of his own and a concerned frown. Collei looks worse for the wear. Pale and sickly. Even with the ship’s height between them, he can see her hands shaking.
Before he can decide whether he should comment on it, Cyno comes into view. He leans forward, hand firmly planted on Collei’s shoulder.
“I’ll come down to you,” he calls before turning to his daughter.
Tighnari watches the short exchange, brows high on his forehead. They only ride up more once Collei leaves and Cyno steps onto the railing.
The railing?
“You’re kidding,” Tighnari breathes, ducking under the surface. Just a moment later a splash resonates through the water, sending ripples dancing over his head. Although subdued, Tighnari can hear laughter from the ship, a jolly call of ‘Man overboard!’. Cyno lands maybe two tail-lengths away from him. His hair haloes around him and his eyes shine. He look ethereal — and confused. With a shake of his head, Tighnari winds around him and pulls him up for air. Cyno gasps immediately, but there’s a grin on his face, aiming straight for Tighnari’s heart. He pushes the hair out of his face, nodding in thanks. With the evening sun illuminating him, Tighnari doesn’t think he’s ever seen something more beautiful.
“Forgot which way is up, you lummox?” Tighnari teases, pulling at the fabric clinging to Cyno’s skin. By now, the shirt is see-through.
The wide grin shifts into a softer smirk as Cyno reaches out to play with Tighnari’s own ornaments, “Maybe you just took my breath away?”
Oh is that how he wants to play it? Very well then. Despite his blush, Tighnari has no intention of backing down, “I’m pretty sure that was the water, captain.”
A snort answers him. Cyno reaches towards his ear-fin, fingers hovering above the delicate membrane. “Who’s to say I was breathing before then?”
Tighnari sends him a skeptical look, shifting away, “Your beating heart, of course.” He looks over his shoulder with an indulgent sigh, resolutely ignoring Cyno’s answer. “Stop hovering, kids.”
The boys emerge from the water with sheepish laughter. Cyno greets them warmly, giving no indication he minds the interruption — which was exactly what Tighnari wanted to check. Judging by the indulgent look he sends him, Cyno saw right through him. Not that Tighnari’s complaining. Who wouldn’t want an observant man?
“If you want to talk with Collei, holler and the crew will get you up,” he says, high-fiving each of them as they swim closer and patting Man Chai on the head.
“How’s she?” Tighnari asks once the kids are huddled around the swing. He figures Cyno doesn’t want them to overhear.
And he’s right.
“That’s why I came down,” Cyno says, nodding towards the ship. He doesn’t want Collei to hear either. Even though it’s pretty obvious why he’s here. “She’s getting worse. Been vomiting all night. Any progress on your side?”
“Less than I’d like,” Tighnari admits. He doesn’t miss the way Cyno deflates, light leaving his eyes. Without hesitation, he pulls him into an embrace.
“We’ll get there. Have faith. I won’t let her get hurt. Okay?”
Cyno’s nails scratch against his scales as he presses closer, “I’m not giving up. Collei’s strong.”
“She is. And she’ll pull through.”
They remain like that, undisturbed, well into the night. The only reason they separate at all is because Cyno starts falling asleep. And, despite the man’s insistence, Tighnari knows it’s not safe for his kind. Maybe closer to the shore, he’d let the man doze on him. But not on the open sea.
He jabs Cyno, his claw catching onto his belt, “Go rest, captain. I’ll be here in the morning.”
Cyno’s smile is barely visible in the moonlight, but no less beautiful for it, “Promise?”
Tighnari doesn’t bother hiding his eyeroll, “You have my children, captain. I am at your mercy.” Then, softer, “I promise. Don’t let them sleep too late; adolescent scales dry out quickly.”
“Alright. Goodnight, Tighnari.”
“Goodnight, captain.”
***
After a few months, Collei has no choice but to stay on shore full-time.
“How are you, dewdrop?” Tighnari asks, administering the medicine. It’s not doing much, but he doesn’t allow himself to get discouraged. Not when Collei is fighting so hard, even though she can barely manage a smile without her skin cracking.
“My head’s clearer…today, Mister Tighnari,” she whispers. His heart breaks at how weak she sounds. But he’s a father and a scholar, so he doesn’t allow the fear to show on his face.
“That’s good. I’ll get you out of it, I promise.”
“Take care of dad,” she croaks in response. She’s sure she’s dying, Tighnari knows, and there’s nothing he can do to convince her otherwise. But she’s not there yet — and Tighnari doesn’t give out empty promises.
“He’s a stubborn flounder. Get better and help me.”
The words pull a laugh out of her; weak but at least she falls asleep with a smile on her face. Tighnari waits a moment longer before turning to the shadow lingering by the nearby outcrop, “She’s strong.”
“She can’t even handle the rocking of the ship.”
Tighnari inclines his head, “Yes. And you got her off of it.”
For the first time, he sees true anger on Cyno’s face. He stalks closer, gesturing with a wide sweep of his arm; The rocky shore, the rickety shack they built in the middle of nowhere in three days, “How is this better? She has nothing here; we have to drag her to the shore just so you can give her the medicine!”
Tighnari levels him with an unimpressed look, “Quiet. She needs the rest.”
Something in Cyno’s face breaks, making him softer. Tighnari reaches out to cradle his cheek. speaking in a hushed tone, “I understand that you’re worried. I am too. But we’re doing all that we can and anger won’t help.”
He won’t deny the way his heart stutters when Cyno falls into him, hiding his face in Tighnari’s neck. heat emanates from his skin. Tighnari wants nothing more than to melt right back into him. But this is not the time, so he pushes those feelings aside. If Cyno returns them, there will be time.
“I apologize. I know you’re trying. It’s just… If I lose her…”
Tighnari shushes him, gently flagging Candace down with the hand not wrapped around the man. She’s been hovering by the shack, trying to give them what little privacy she could. The shack is barely big enough for two people, but Tighnari insisted they’d need help — and so, the crew rotates who will stay with the captain every day. Tighnari’s glad for having pushed it now.
“You rest too,” he whispers into Cyno’s hair as Candace scoops Collei up. “I’ve got you.”
He was right; it is incredibly soft.
***
It takes another month, but at last, Tighnari finds the component he’s been missing: a deep-sea flower that only blooms once a year, in total darkness. He didn’t need the blossom for the medicine but it was extremely hard to find otherwise; The bud was luminous, but the rest of the plant mimicked the rock it grew on. They nearly missed it too; luckily, his boys had sharp eyes. While Tighnari was busy exploring the depths of the cave — he refused to bring them in until he checked it, wary of danger — they spotted the pesky thing hidden away right at the entrance.
Preparing the medicine is laughably easy in comparison, even if it needs to be done on land. It only takes Tighnari a few tries to concoct what he’s sure is a working cure. Collei reports it tastes like earwax — not that Tighnari would know, but, seeing the crew’s winces, is strangely curious. She‘ll have to take it for at least a year to fully negate the symptoms, but she’s regaining her strength quickly. And that’s what counts.
Tighnari wakes up to voices.
“Steady,” Razor.
“You got this,” Gaming.
“Careful, there’s an—“ Benny.
“Is…cough…is that the same otter?” Collei.
“Sure is,” Dehya.
But where is—?
Tighnari stretches atop the rock, sensing a presence at his side. Collei had another flare-up last night; he must’ve fallen asleep right where he treated her. Upon peeking, he discovers the sun is quite high in the sky. Not optimal, but it’s been a while he’s been out sunning. It’s good for his scales, as long as he doesn’t overdo it. Which, if that was the case, somebody would’ve woken him up already. If not Cyno, then his kids for sure.
“She sounds lively,” he comments, flopping onto his stomach. Cyno is sitting by his head, elbow rested on his knee and a pensive expression on his face as he watches the kids. “You didn’t have to stay with me.”
Cyno’s eyes flick to him, warm and amused, and striking. Poets would say they’d like to drown in them; Tighnari doesn’t know what drowning feels like. Beaching would be the closest equivalent, he supposes. But it seems like a much more sudden endeavor. No, Cyno is something to slowly sink into, explore and savour. He’s worth the time the way golden sands would never be. The way ocean trenches have forgotten.
“I wanted to,” he says, hand skipping along his fins. “You’ve done so much for us. The least I can do is guard your sleep.”
“I doubt a killer whale would choose me over the ruckus in the water,” Tighnari snorts. Not that orcas frequent those seas; if they did, Tighnari wouldn’t dare traverse them without the safety of a pod.
“No. But the kids would rouse you for every little discovery,” he leans over Tighnari. Even upside down, he’s unfairly handsome. “You deserve to rest too, little siren.”
Tighnari pushes him away with a snort, “You and I both know that’s an entirely different being. Feigned ignorance doesn’t look good on you, captain. Besides, I happen to like my kids’ discoveries.”
“You’re out of luck then, guppy, because so does Dehya.”
Tighnari doesn’t bother replying aside from wrinkling his nose.
Cyno laughs, unbothered, “No petnames for the pretty mermaid, I undersand.”
Tighnari flicks his tail at him, “You can regain your petname privileges when you improve your sense of humor.”
He sits up, checking the shoreline for the children. They’re a little ways away, laughing freely in the water. It’s a sweet sight, softening the weeks of turmoil still knotted in the pit of his stomach.
Razor is holding Collei by the elbows, gently helping her thread the water. Bennett and Gaming are corralling Man Chai and the stubborn otter away from their path. At the edge of the rocky shore sits Dehya, observing them with nearly as much fondness as Cyno was. She’s holding Collei’s runaway hat, too.
“I'll take that,” Cyno says, arm slipping behind his back and head resting against his own.
Tighnari relaxes against him with a pleased sigh. They sit in silence, watching the kids play. At some point, after Gaming finishes petting both of them, the otter grabs Man Chai by the paw, and they float on their backs by Dehya's feet. The kids coo loudly at the sight. It's then Bennett catches sight of him.
“You're up!” He calls, waving enthusiastically. Tighnari raises his own hand in response, but Collei grabs Bennett's attention before he can answer.
Cyno snorts into his hair. Tighnari cocks his head, sending him a curious look out of the corner of his eye. “Running interference?”
Lips, hot but cracked, glide down his jaw, “She’s a smart kid.”
Tighnari hums in answer, turning to face him fully. He takes a long moment to just admire Cyno; the deep color of his eyes, the slight wave of his damp hair, his lips. Lets his eyes linger there for a long moment, making sure he’s not misreading the situation. His hands curl into Cyno’s shirt; out of the need to be closer and keep his balance both. Tighnari’s not used to this and he’s grateful for the other providing support.
“She takes after you,” he whispers, echoing Cyno’s earlier words.
Those beautiful lips tick into a smile, moving impossibly closer. They’re breathing the same air now. Cyno knocks their foreheads together gently, lacing their fingers together, “I’m sure she’ll get even better with you around.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see, no?” Tighnari replies, and then his lips are occupied. Warmth is all he can think about, sinking into the feeling. Cyno moves softly against him, pressing deeper into the kiss and burying his hand into Tighnari’s hair. Every so often, his tongue darts out to swipe along his lips, tasting the salt on the skin. They go slow, relishing in the other’s touch until inevitably they have to break apart. Even then, they don’t separate, breathing together until their heartbeats calm. Then, and only then, Tighnari scoots out of the embrace, nodding towards the water.
“Swim with me?”