Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I made this AU with the wonderful S1mp_b1ue on Twitter. WARNING, 18+ Twitter, only check them out if you are 18+, thank you!

Foolish wished he could've saved more betta fish than he did.

Foolish Gamers is an online streamer, who mostly played video games and watched videos with his audience happily chatting with him. Whether that be Gordon Ramsey episodes, media share videos for a You Laugh, You Lose video, or playing games with friends like Tina or Sneeg or just playing Minecraft by himself. He had a lot of online friends, but he also had some irl friends that he would happily visit when he had time.

Well... he did.

He was invited over to his (now ex)friend's house and Foolish happily went over, seeing as he hasn't seen them in a bit. He was invited over for lunch, video games, and dinner. Just a regular guy's night. Foolish arrived and was immediately high fiving his (ex)friends and being greeted into the house. He sat on the couch and was handed some soda, laughing as he and his (ex)friends played Mario Kart. 

After about an hour, they were called to the dining room and Foolish was shocked. There was a small fish tank with a white betta fish mermaid. He was clearly upset, curled up in a ball, blonde hair flowing with the water, cuts and bruises covering his body.

"Take out your phone and record boys!" Kevin, the one who owned the place, smirked. Everyone did, including Foolish, though he was a bit confused, "This here is our latest champion in our Betta Fights!"

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Foolish questioned, confused.

Kevin laughed, "Right, you've never seen one of these!" He put a bag with a blue betta fish in the tank to get the fish used to the tank, "Well, we have these Betta Fights! Basically, we put two bettas in the same tank and watch as they fight to the death! Usually, we wait until the champion heals before we put them against each other. But this guy? He got really injured and even after a month, he's not fully healed. But, we're bored and-"

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!" Foolish screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly breaking his phone from slamming it so hard against the table, "YOU'RE ABUSING ANIMALS AND MERMAIDS!"

"They're just betta-"

"NO, THEY'RE NOT JUST BETTAS, THEY'RE HALF FUCKING HUMAN! THEY HAVE THEIR OWN WANTS AND NEEDS AND YOU'RE JUST KILLING THEM?! YOU'RE A MURDERER!!"

"Oh, fuck off-"

Foolish put his phone in his pocket and, without thinking, scooped up the white betta fish, hugging him to his chest. The poor thing squeaked and curled up more, hands clenching Foolish's shirt.

"Hey, give-"

"No, fuck off! You all should be ashamed!" Foolish flipped them off, "I'm taking him home and giving him a good place to live!"

"You can't just steal-"

"Go ahead and call the cops! I'll show them the recording of you ADMITTING to killing fish and mermaids!" Foolish screamed, stomping outside.

He held the shaking mermaid close as he drove home. Once Foolish got inside, he grabbed a bowl, filled it with water, and put the mermaid inside.

He whimpered.

"I-I know it's not the best, but it's all I got... I don't have a fish tank or anything!" Foolish explained.

The blonde looked up at him, tears in his eyes.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay..." Foolish gently pet his head with his thumb, wiping away the tears, "You're safe now..."

The blonde leaned into his thumb, eyes fluttering closed.

"Hey... do you have a name?"

The blonde seemed surprised, "A name...?" He asked, speaking for the first time (at least to Foolish).

"Yeah... Do you have one?"

The blonde shook his head.

"Okay, well..." He thought about it for a second, "...How about Punz? Do you like that?"

"....Anything other than Champion or Champ..."

Foolish smiled, "Alright, I'm gonna get you the best tank and everything, can you stay here for me?"

Punz nodded, "....T-Thank you..."

"Of course." 

Foolish left and went out to the store. He was originally planning on getting just one big tank, but then he found a cool tank that was multiple tanks that could be connected with some tubes. To start, he got the beginning set, which came with two tanks and a few tubes. He also did a google search to see exactly what he needed.

A filter, heater and thermometer, water conditioner, water quality test strips, LED lights, and decorations were added to the cart. He got some tiny rocks, fake plants, fake logs, and a few other cool decorations he found. He also got some betta fish food, seaweed for fish, as well as plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. He read mermaids really like them, no matter what.

But then he also read mermaids like to sunbathe. So, he added another heat lamp (safe for mermaids) as well as a larger tank that could connect to the other two. He also grabbed a floating (fake) rock, more decorations, and went to pay.

Did he spend a few hundred dollars on his new fish...? Yes, yes he did.

Foolish got home and Punz was still resting in the small bowl. He carried everything into his bedroom. He put the big rectangle tank on the table, connected the tubes to the two small circular tanks, and began filling them. First, he put the sand for the tanks at the bottom, then the mini rocks. He decorated the small circular tanks with a small fake log and a tiny plant before putting a fake skull hiding place, a fake log, lots more fake plants, and more into the larger tank. He also put the floating rock before setting up the heat lamp.

Then, he began to fill the tanks with water. He filled a bowl and poured it in the tanks, filling the circular tanks all the way and the larger tank up to the fake rock. He put the filters, heaters, a thermometer in the bigger tank, and read the instructions of the water conditioner before following them. He grabbed Punz and carried him to the tanks, showing him.

"....All this for me...?" Punz asked.

Foolish smiled and nodded, "I'm gonna test the water in each tank before putting you on that rock so you can slowly get used to it, okay?"

Punz nodded. Foolish tested the water in each tank before putting Punz on the rock. He put the tops on the circular tanks before he smiled.

"Perfect!" He looked at Punz, "How are you doing?"

Punz was staring, "A-A lot to take in..."

"I know, but I wanted to get you the best of the best." Foolish smiled, "Are you hungry? I bought some fresh fruits and veggies and seaweed and betta fish food."

"Um... I-I've never had fruits or vegetables... Just betta fish food..."

Foolish huffed, "Those assholes..." He smiled, softly at the mermaid, "Well, I'll let you try some. You'll like it, I'm sure!" 

Foolish brought in the fruits, vegetables, and seaweed. He first offered the seaweed to the mermaid, who bit into it. He hummed and smiled, nodding.

"Like that?" Foolish chuckled, Punz taking another bite.

He broke off a small piece and gave it to the blonde before cutting the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and broccoli into tiny pieces. When Punz finished the seaweed, Foolish offered the cut strawberry.

Punz held Foolish's finger as he bit into it, squealing. He bit it again and again, and-

"Ow!" Foolish dropped the strawberries on the betta's white tail, retracting his finger.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" Punz yelled, tears coming to his eyes, "I-I didn't-"

"It's okay, Punz, it's okay." Foolish reassured, smiling, "You just startled me. It didn't hurt too bad, barely left a mark!"

"Y-Y-You're not g-gonna hurt me?"

The human's heart broke upon hearing that, "Punz, you are perfectly safe. No one's going to ever hurt you again, not on my watch. I promise." Foolish reassured, "I won't hurt you and I won't let anyone hurt you."

Punz blinked and smiled softly, "Th-Thank you..."

"Now, you like the strawberry. Wanna finish it or do you wanna try the raspberry?"

Punz finished the strawberry before Foolish fed him the raspberry. The blonde was careful not to accidentally bite him again, all the new food super good. He squealed with each new taste and Foolish could practically see him melting from how good he thought everything was. The only thing he didn't seem to like was lettuce. Compared to everything, it tasted bland, but he still liked it.

Foolish smiled as he watched Punz explore his new home, swimming into the other tanks, hiding behind the fake plants, hiding in the fake logs, in the other decorative places, and giggling as the chest opened and then closed over and over.

"Like it?"

Punz nodded, smiling brightly.

Foolish noticed something on the mermaid's side, frowning, "Your side..."

Punz blinked and turned, seeing the deep scratch and bite mark on the side. He hugged himself, "I... It's from fighting."

Foolish smiled sadly, "I know... I wish I could have saved you faster... You poor thing, you have so many scars... I'll ask a vet what to do about those marks, just to make sure they heal properly..."

"Thank you... so much... For everything." Punz smiled, tears in his eyes.

Foolish smiled back, "You're welcome, Punz. I promise, I'll give you the best home and protect you. You're not just a betta fish or a pet or whatever." He smiled more, "You're you! And I'll make sure you can be yourself freely!"

Punz's eyes sparkled as he blushed, smiling just as brightly, "....Thank you..."

Chapter Text

Foolish had taken Punz to the vet two days after getting him, just to make sure he was okay. He explained to the vet he saved Punz from an abusive home and needed to know if he was okay.

"Well, he's underweight, as I'm sure you know..." The vet said.

"I know." Foolish sighed, "I've been feeding him fruits, veggies, seaweed, and normal betta fish food. I read online that it was all good for them."

"How much are you feeding him?"

"One of everything and about a one inch by one inch square of seaweed and a few pellets, twice a day. And snacks in between!" Foolish gently pet Punz's forehead, "I give him a cut up strawberry, raspberry, banana, he recently got into oranges, lettuce, carrot, and broccoli. I'm trying my best to get his weight up..."

The vet widened her eyes and chuckled, "To be completely honest, I feel like you're overfeeding him!"

"But it's all so good!" Punz whined.

"Don't worry, no harm in doing so." The vet gently pet his head, "Because you're more human than fish, there's nothing wrong with a bit of overfeeding. I would recommend not to make it a habit though. We don't want you to get over weight." She then handed Foolish some waterproof bandages and a small bottle of medicine, "For his wounds, give him this medicine. Just a teaspoon once a day! And just put new bandages on him every day when you wake up and go to bed. You're lucky you saved him when you did, those wounds could've been much, much worse."

Foolish nodded and watched as she gently wrapped Punz's wounds with the bandages. Once she finished, Punz looked up at Foolish with a big smile. Foolish smiled back and they went home. He was placed back in his tank and the human went back to spoiling Punz, giving him the medicine and changing his bandages when needed. The blonde's wounds healed in a few weeks and he looked amazing. Punz was finally at a healthy weight with only a few scars, all his wounds healed up.

To celebrate his accomplishment, Foolish decided he would get Punz a friend. Mainly because he knew how much Punz wanted a friend and because he knew he couldn't be by Punz 24/7 and just needed to make sure he was okay, by giving him a friend, he could have someone watch Punz while he was gone and so he wouldn't be lonely.

So, he went to the pet store and looked through all the betta fish mermaids. None really caught his eye and he was about to give up before he saw a beautiful purple one. He smiled brightly and waved at the mermaid, who smiled and waved back. He bought the purple beta and got into the car.

"Hello there, what's your name?" Foolish asked.

"My name is Karl!" He smiled brightly, "Thank you for buying me, sir!"

"Ah, F-Foolish! Call me Foolish, s-sir makes me sound old."

Karl giggled, "Okay! Sorry, Foolish."

"No need to say sorry, you're fine."

Karl smiled brightly. Foolish truly believed he found the right choice. The human began driving home, the two talking and Foolish telling Karl about Punz, leaving out how he's a male betta.

Anyone who has owned betta fish can immediately see the issue with putting two male betta fish together.

They got home and Foolish took Karl to his room. He gently placed Karl on the sunbathing rock, allowing him to get used to the new water on his own time. Meanwhile, Punz was sleeping in a different connected tank.

When the blonde woke up, he swam into the rectangle tank (the Main Tank as they called it) and saw Karl talking to Foolish. The two faced each other and glared. Punz slowly swam closer, going under Karl. However, the brunette swam down and slammed him against the tank, Punz scratching at his arms.

"AH! STOP!" Foolish screamed.

Karl bit Punz's shoulder, the blonde screaming and putting his hands round Karl's throat.

"STOP!" Foolish pushed Karl off of Punz, picking up the blonde, who was whimpering, "O-Oh my god, baby, are you okay?"

"Baby?" Karl questioned, whispering.

"M'fine..." Punz curled up, glaring at the human, "Why the hell did you bring another male?!"

"I-I'm sorry Punz, I-I didn't know male bettas fought each other." He kissed his forehead, "Do you need bandages?"

Punz shook his head, "It's okay."

Foolish then looked at Karl, "Are you okay, Karl?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Karl reassured.

Foolish sighed in response, "Okay, Punz, I'm putting you back in the tank. Both of you, DO NOT fight." He gently placed Punz on the heating rock, "I will have to buy a new tank, just... please don't fight!"

Punz, seeing Foolish upset, nods as he lowers his head. Karl nodded, crossing his arms. Foolish smiled, a bit scared, but thanked them. He said he would try to buy one soon, but it might take a few days because he needed to get paid. Punz lowered himself in the water and swam into a connecting tank, following Foolish's movement.

For two or three days, Karl would follow Punz, yelling, insulting him, trying to pick a fight. Punz would just swim away, ignore him, or yell at Karl to just leave him alone. Wherever Karl was, Punz made sure to stay away from.

Karl huffed before he noticed the blonde. He tilted his head, watching Punz just staring and smiling softly at Foolish. Whenever Foolish walked by, Punz followed his movement and waved happily. Karl watched as the human would gently pet his head, the blonde kissing his finger in response. Foolish would feed them by hand and after every meal, Punz would lift his arms.

"Foolish, I have to tell you something! It's a secret!"

Foolish would gently scoop Punz up. The blonde would then kiss his nose and giggle, the human chuckling and kissing his forehead. Karl hummed. If Punz wasn't sunbathing, he was following Foolish around. When Foolish wasn't home, Punz would just relax in a tank.

Karl swam up to him, "....Hey."

Punz turned, nodded at him, and laid back down.

"Why do you just watch Foolish all day?"

"Because I love him so much..." Punz smiles, eyes closed, "He's done so much for me..." He then pointed to a couple of scars on his body, "Before Foolish, my old owner kept me just to fight in a tank. I had to kill several other betas while he and his friends recorded and laughed. They barely fed me and my wounds weren't being treated, I was growing weak. I'm surprised I didn't die, I was lucky."

Foolish walked into the room, Punz smiling and sitting up. He pointed to the human, "He saved me. Scooped me out of the tiny tank, yelled at his now ex friends for doing something so cruel, and then took me home. He nursed me back to health." He smiled at Karl, "He doesn't treat us like pets, we're like people to him."

Karl widened his eyes, "...Is that why you two are so close?"

"Mhmm. He loves me, and I love him."

Karl nodded.

From then on, Karl and Punz started to get along. They went from hating each other to sort of being friends. Foolish was a bit hesitant and asked if he needed to still get a new tank. He didn't want his two bettas to continue fighting. Karl and Punz seemed okay. Foolish kept an eye on them, just to make sure they were okay. He watched as Karl and Punz began to cuddle together, lay together, hold hands, and smile at each other. 

Foolish smiled, "So, you guys are friends now?"

Punz hummed, hugging Karl, "Mhmm... We like each other now."

Karl giggled, nodded. Foolish smiled and gently pet their heads, the two mermaids smiling happily.

"Can I have a kiss?" Karl held his arms up, excited, "Please?"

"W-What?!" Foolish blushed darkly.

"Wait, I wanna kiss too!" Punz exclaimed.

Foolish blushed more before he chuckled, playfully glaring, "Little rascals!" He teased before picking them up in his hand.

He gently kissed their foreheads, the mermaids returning it with a kiss to Foolish's nose.

Chapter Text

"Awwwww, they're adorable!" Tina exclaimed, kneeling in front of the tank with the two mermaids, "Noah, where did you get them?! I want one!!!"

"'Noah?'" Karl questioned, both him and Punz looking at Foolish.

"But you're Foolish!" Punz said.

Foolish just smiled, "I go by Foolish, yes, but my real name is Noah. But, please, call me Foolish."

The mermaids nodded before Tina offered them cookies (they were perfectly safe for mermaids/fish).

The man then looked at Tina, "To answer your question, I bought Karl at a pet store, but Punz was a... well, unplanned seeing as I just grabbed him away from his abusers."

"Oh, poor thing. Is that why he has so many scars?" Tina asked.

Punz nodded, finishing his treat and speaking, "My old owners were jerks. They made me fight and kill other bettas..."

"Oh, poor thing... May I hold you?"

Punz nodded, lifting his arms. Tina carefully scooped him up and gently hugged him to her cheek.

"I want a hug too!" Karl exclaimed.

Tina chuckled and picked him up too, hugging the brunette. Foolish just smiled and laughed.

He had been living with the bettas for a few months now, all his friends knew about them. Some would come over when they could to meet them, he even had a camera for when he streamed to show off the mermaids. He called it the Betta Cam. When he had to use the restroom or when he had to get up for whatever reason (or if chat annoyed him enough), he would show the Betta Cam. Punz would often glare and try to be scary while Karl smiled and waved, happy to be on camera.

One day, Foolish was sitting beside the tank, feeding his mermaids as the three laughed and talked before his phone rang.

He answered, "Hello?"

" Hey, Foolish, it's Tubbo! "

"Oh, hey Tubbo, what's up?"

" I wish I was better. "

"Oh, no, what's wrong?"

He heard the brunette sigh, " So, the other day, Teagan and I went with our mom to her friend's house and we found something really shocking. Apparently, the friend has an older son and he had a betta fish mermaid... "

"Okay...?"

" Poor thing was neglected and abused. He was starving when Teagan and I snuck out with him! "

"Woah, woah, woah, wait!" Foolish sat up, "You stole the betta?"

"The guy didn't deserve this cutie! And my mom's friend called back and she asked and when she admitted, apparently the son didn't even care! Anyways, not the point!" Tubbo huffed, "Listen, my mom and dad do not want him and, since I currently live with them, I can't exactly say no and keep him in secret. I don't want him to go to a pet store because he is so scared and underweight and you know how some pet stores are..."

Foolish blinked, "...So you want me to take him in?"

" Please? "

"...I'll take him in, get him back to health, but then I'll have to give him to a pet store. I don't know if it would be okay to keep him with my other two."

" I understand! I just want him to get better. Thank you! "

"I'll be over in a bit, okay?"

" Kay, see you soon! "

Foolish hung up and gently pet the mermaids’ head, telling them what was going on. Foolish left, getting in his car and driving to Tubbo's house. Once he arrived, he knocked on the front door and his mother opened the door.

"Hi, Noah!" Tubbo's mother hugged him, "Toby called you about Sapnap?"

"'Sapnap?'" Foolish asked as he hugged back.

"The betta."

"Oh, yeah! I'm going to nurse him back to health." He smiled as the woman stepped back, "Guess everyone thinks I'm a master at taking care of betta fish since I have two!"

She smiled, "Maybe you are!"

Foolish laughed and went upstairs. Teagan and Lani said hello and shared a hug before he knocked on Tubbo's door.  The brunette opened it and smiled, leading Foolish to the temporary tank. The man knelt down and saw a red betta fish curled up in a ball. He had black hair, blue eyes, and his tail was a beautiful fiery red tail. However, he was severely underweight, small cuts on his tail and fin ripped a bit.

"Did the guy have fake plants in the tank?" Foolish asked, picking up the small fish bowl.

"Yeah, why?"

"With fake plants, you need to be super duper careful." The human sighed, "When fish swim around the wrong plants, their fins will catch on the fake plant and actually tear their fins. I think that's what happened to Sapnap."

"Oh my god, I had no idea!" Tubbo exclaimed, "Good thing we didn't grab those!"

"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Foolish smiled down at the bowl, but Sapnap remained curled up in a ball.

He said his goodbyes to Tubbo's family and drove home. Once inside, he set the fish bowl down and grabbed a small bowl from his cabinet. He poured the water from the tank into the normal bowl before gently coaxing Sapnap out. He asked Sapnap to come out, offering food and bandages, all the fish had to do was swim into his hand. Sapnap was very hesitant at first, but eventually swam on his hand, curling up again.

"Good job!" Foolish cooed, removing him from the water and placing him in the bowl, "There, rest there and I'll get you some fresh food."

Sapnap nodded, watching the human. Foolish poured the water out of the tank and into the sink, resting the fish bowl in the sink before washing his hands. Foolish took out a knife and cutting board, cutting up vegetables and fruits for Sapnap before grabbing some treats. He cut everything into fourths, seeing as Sapnap was underweight. He knew that he couldn't just give Sapnap a bunch of food, knowing it would hurt him more than help him.

"Here, this is a strawberry." Foolish offered.

The mermaid held his fingers as he weakly bit into it. He let out a happy hum and finished the strawberry. He was given a fourth of a raspberry, carrot, cucumber, and a small piece of seaweed. After he finished, Foolish also gave him a small (fish and mermaid safe) cookie.

Sapnap finished the treat and let out a small burp.

"Good?" Foolish smiled softly.

The mermaid blushed and nodded, whispering, "Thank you..."

"Of course." Foolish gently pet his head, "We'll slowly work up on getting you to eat more food, but that should be good for now. Right?"

"Mhmm... I'm full..."

"Good." Foolish smiled, "Now, let me get some water proof bandages."

The human wrapped Sapnap's wounds before carrying the mermaid to his room. He set Sapnap down on the heating rock before kneeling down in front of a connecting tank.

He gently poked it, "Punz, Karl, behave."

Sapnap slowly acclimated to the water and, once he felt ready, he got into the water. Once inside, he turned and saw two male bettas (Punz and Karl? That's what Foolish called them) swimming out of a tunnel.

"Hi! I'm-"

Sapnap swam into the closest tunnel, far away from the other mermaids. He hid behind a log, hugging his tail to his chest, terrified. That was how everything started. Sapnap hid behind rocks and logs, making sure to stay away from the other mermaids. Whenever it was feeding time, Foolish fed Karl and Punz separately. When they finished, Foolish would coax Sapnap out.

He would redo the bandages when needed and hand fed him, making Sapnap feel safe and comfortable. He didn't talk much to the human, but would gently hug his thumb as a way to show appreciation. At least, Sapnap hoped Foolish understood he appreciated everything.

Sapnap would stay in his own tank, watching Foolish do whatever he did on the computer (he called it streaming?), but he also watched Punz and Karl. He needed to be careful, he needed to keep his guard up. He watched as the two swam around, he watched as they talked and laughed, he watched them sunbathed together, held hands, ate together, cuddled together, and just... they just bonded and were happy together. It made him... confused. How could they act so... friendly? Male bettas tended to always be territorial, they tended to fight to the death. Sapnap had been on the bad end of a fight before, he knew what other bettas could be like. He wasn't a fighter, he was weak, and that's why this was so scary to him.

Sapnap... he slowly started to hide a bit closer to the two. He wanted to see them closer, wanted to know why and how this happened. Punz and Karl noticed, their eyes have met once or twice, but neither made a big deal out of it. It made Sapnap more comfortable, knowing they were being patient. It took a month or two before he slowly became healthy again and, in those two months, he became more comfortable.

One day, Sapnap saw the two sunbathing together, all waiting for food. He hesitantly swam up, resting his chin on the fake rock. The two turned and the brunette smiled brightly at him, the blonde smiled softly.

"HI!" The brunette smiled, offering a hand, "My name is Karl! This idiot is Punz!"

"You're the only idiot!" Punz teased, pinching his cheek.

Karl giggled in response, kissing Punz's cheek.

Sapnap blushed, nervous, "U-Um... my name i-is Sapnap..."

"Nice to meet you!" Karl giggled.

"Would you like to sunbathe with us?" Punz offered.

Sapnap nodded, hoisting himself up on the rock. Sapnap laid beside Karl, who happily began to talk his ear off. Punz smiled and laid beside Karl, occasionally putting in his input. Sapnap blinked and seemed to listen intensely, smiling softly as he felt... comfortable with them. He felt... like they were friends. It was nice.

Foolish walked into his room with the mermaids' lunch, seeing all three talking and laughing. The human smiled, hand feeding them once more. When they finished their fruits and vegetables, he gave them each a cookie, watching as they smiled and giggled.

"Hey, Sapnap?" Foolish called, the red betta looking up with a few crumbs on his cheeks, "How would you like to stay with us?"

Sapnap blinked, "...I... I can?"

"Wait, I thought he was staying with us anyways!" Punz yelled.

Karl hugged Sapnap, "Yeah! You put him in our tank! He's suppose to stay!"

"W-Well-" Foolish laughed awkwardly, "-originally, I was just going to help him get to a healthy weight and give him to someone else, but-"

"Foolish, that's so mean!" Karl hugged Sapnap more, "He can't leave! He has to stay!"

Punz nodded, "Agreed! He has to stay!"

"W-Well-"

"C-Can I stay?" Sapnap asked, "P-Please?"

Foolish laughed awkwardly, smiling at him and petting Sapnap's head, "Yeah, of course."

Sapnap smiled brightly, hugging Foolish's finger and gently placing a kiss on it, "T-Thank you!"

Chapter Text

While Foolish tried his best to learn everything about beta fish and betta fish mermaids to help better care for his babies (yes, that's how he referred to them as), he was by no means an expert. He simply knew his betta fish the best, he knew what they wanted and how to take care of them. There had been multiple times (and he was sure there would be more times) where his friends asked what he would recommend when getting a betta fish or (when streaming) donations coming through asking if such-and-such is safe for bettas.

"Guys, I'm not an expert. While I try my best to read every article about betta fish and betta mermaids, I don't know everything! I constantly calling my friend who's a vet and ask for their input because they are literally a animal doctor." Foolish told his chat, "I'm glad you all love my bettas, and I'm happy some of you are getting your own, but please don't ask me what I do. I am not an expert. The only thing I know is that what I'm doing for my bettas work. This set up won't work for everyone. Hell, you're not suppose to keep male betta fish together because they will literally fight each other to the death. And I have three. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean it will work for you."

He continued streaming, donations coming through, laughing and having fun with virtual friends, etc.

Reeeeeee1348 donated $2:  If you knew anything about betta fish, you would know not to put males together, no matter what. I'm a vet tech, all they'll do is fight to the death, no matter how big your tank is.

Foolish frowned, raising an eyebrow at the camera.

"Uh oh, dono made him maaaaad~!" His friend, Xander, teased.

"Vet tech knows everything about your fish, Foolish, didn't you know?" His other friend, Hayden, laughed.

Foolish paused the game and made his camera full screen, "Chat, want to see Betta Cam?"

Chat began going crazy with yeses and pleases, Xander, Hayden, and Perseus (the last person he was playing with) were also begging. Foolish pressed his button and it showed the main tank with all three bettas on the tank's floor, cuddling happily together. Punz even kissed Karl and Sapnap's head, their tails intertwined together.

"Ah, yes, very bad to put them together." Percy snickered.

"I wouldn't recommend putting male bettas together because they can fight to the death. But, like I also said, what works for me will not work for everyone." Foolish explained, turning on the Betta Mic (for when the bettas wanted to talk) and moving it to over the water.

Sapnap was the first to notice. He swam up, sitting on the heat rock as he tapped the mic.

"It's on." Foolish smiled.

Sapnap blushed and whispered into it, "Um, hi..." He smiled shyly, "Foolish, I have a secret to tell you!"

Foolish chuckled, "What is it?"

"I love you and Karl and Punz!" Sapnap giggled.

Foolish smiled, gently petting his head, "I love you too."

"Awwwww, he's so adorable!" Hayden exclaimed.

Karl was next to swim up, smiling as he spoke into the mic, "Hi Chat! Guess what?! Foolish gave us a piece of chocolate and it had something in it but it was really good! What was it called, Foolish?"

"It's called a Crunch bar." Foolish sat back at his desk, "I'm going to play my games, you can talk to Chat if you want, but you know the rules."

"Tell them all about our adventures!" Karl giggled, making Sapnap laugh and Foolish chuckle.

"Yep." Foolish teased, "Betta Cam is turning off, but the mic is on. I'm also going to leave the volume on so, Chat, you can ask questions but make sure they are appropriate."

Foolish and his three friends continued playing the game, Sapnap and Karl occasionally telling small stories like how Foolish gave them a treat or "we went to the vet and were told we're all healthy" until Punz swam up to the heating rock.

"Mornin..." Punz yawned. 

"Hi Punz!" Foolish turned, "I'm streaming, so be good."

"I don't wanna." Punz giggled, laying on Sapnap's lap, "Hey, Chat, tell Foolish that he sucks at Valorant."

"Punz, be nice! That's so mean!" Foolish teased.

The bettas giggled. The humans got bored of playing their normal game so, while Foolish downloaded the new game, he turned the Betta Cam on. Sapnap went into the water as Punz and Karl talked into the mic, occasionally sharing a small kiss with each other. Sapnap swam back up, also sharing kisses with them. Foolish smiled, looking at the three lovingly. He was so happy with how far all three of them have come. He was so happy with and for them.