Chapter Text
“What the fuck is that?”
“Oh, god, I don’t know, man!”
“Calm down, honey.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! That’s a fish of unusual size and–oh GOD is that hair ?”
“Everyone shut up! ”
The crowd went quiet, parting for the captain who finally decided to show up. His brows were drawn together, clear annoyance at the situation, until he spotted the subject of everyone's horror and curiosity. With a quick hand motion, he ordered Kenny, the one manning the net, to release it, and an abundance of fish and seaweed went scattering over the deck of the ship.
Among the common fish and ocean debris was a human body. Well, a human torso. It had all the parts a normal guy had, but the lower portion connected with a fish–a long, scaly tail as red as the captain’s coat but far prettier. It glimmered in the sunlight and captivated the watching audience.
Kenny remained away from the crowd, moving atop a few crates stacked nearby to take advantage of a slightly higher position to stare at the literal mermaid lying within ten feet of him. He’d heard stories of such creatures, but this was the first time he’d ever seen one. He’d bet it was the first time anyone on the ship had seen one. They weren't exactly common. Not anymore.
“Is it dead?” Craig attempted to step forward, but his blond-haired partner quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him, fingers digging into the material of his shirt.
“What if it’s not dead and bites you, man? Don’t get close.”
“Someone better get close.” Cartman, the obese and domineering captain, addressed the crowd again. “Do you know what this is?”
“A mermaid,” Tolkien, probably the most competent one on this ship if Kenny had any say in the matter, stared their captain right in the eyes.
“Yes, very good, Tolkien.” Cartman clapped his hands together, grinning wickedly from ear-to-ear. “Do you know how much this thing will fetch? A pretty penny. So, someone get close and bring it below deck. We gotta keep it wet and locked up until we get to shore and can sell it.”
He turned to find a certain meek blond, standing off to the side looking uneasy. "Butters! Make a space in the storage room below deck. Fill a tub or crate or something with water."
"O-okay!" Butters shifted nervously. “Do we even have a tub, sir?”
“I think we do,” Tolkien answered in lieu of their captain.
The nervous man nodded again and made his way below deck and out of sight to do as told.
The rest of the crew seemed uneasy at approaching the creature, but another barking of orders and threats had Tolkien and Stan scrambling to lift the mermaid. Craig led the charge and cleared the path for them, making sure any doors were opened, and the three men all disappeared below.
“And Kinny!”
The blond lifted his head.
“You’re on guard duty. Make sure it doesn’t get loose or else.”
“Aye, Cap’n.” Kenny lazily drawled, flashing a sarcastic salute as he dropped down from his perch.
Satisfied, Cartman retired to his personal quarters, leaving Kenny to follow after the others at a slow pace, heaving a heavy breath.
When Kenny stepped up to the room they decided to keep the mermaid in, Stan, Tolkien, and Butters were stepping out.
Stan clapped a hand on Kenny’s shoulder and gave a brief nod. "Good luck, dude."
"Thanks, I think I'll need it." Kenny laughed.
Butters offered an encouraging smile and a brief thumbs up, Tolkien doing something similar, before the trio headed back above deck.
Kenny watched them until they disappeared, then took a deep breath and headed into the room.
A lone tub sat in the middle of the limited space—a wooden thing they just so happened to have sitting in storage. He found that suspicious but knowing Cartman, being prepared for a possible mermaid didn’t seem so out of the ordinary.
A bunch of crates were pushed to the side, making room, but the space itself was rather cramped still. Not a lot of moving room, but enough for three or four people to stand around in.
The mermaid was lying in the tub, looking rather uncomfortable and completely unconscious. Most of his long tail was out of the water too, and now getting a closer look, he could see small cuts and scratches on his skin and fins. Some fins were just torn, which made Kenny wonder what the hell had happened to him.
Regardless of how he came to be trapped here, Kenny knew he had to help free him. Cartman's plan to sell him was unacceptable. People, even merpeople, were meant to be free. No one should be trapped and sold off to someone like an object. No one deserved that life.
He knelt beside the tub, eyes roaming over the long tail again and admiring the fact it shimmered with various tones of red. He fought the urge to reach out and stroke it, knowing that wouldn’t be the smart thing to do. Consent was still a thing, after all, even with a mermaid. Or was it merman, in this case? Probably merman.
When Kenny moved his gaze to look at the human features, he startled upon noticing shining green eyes staring at him.
A tense quiet fell between them, neither man moving while their eyes remained locked into a contest.
Kenny opened his mouth to speak after another beat of silence passed, but the creature snarled, fangs glinting in the low lighting of the room, and a flash of clawed fingers struck. Kenny found himself choking on his blood, gurgling as he tried to say something as his hands reached up to feel the wound and attempt to stop the flow.
The creature watched him die, Kenny openly staring back until his vision blackened.
When he came to, he found himself in his hammock below deck. Sitting up, he rubbed at the place the merman had torn out, feeling the phantom pain lingering. The overall feeling whenever he died wasn’t ever fun, but death by a rare sea creature was a first for him.
Standing, he began to make his way back when Cartman was on him.
“Ey! Po’ boy! What did I tell you? Get back to watchin’ that monster! If he goes missing it’s all your fault.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kenny waved a hand, pushing past the other man and continuing onward. Typical no one remembered he had died. Not that anyone except the perpetrator, in this case, witnessed what had happened, but still. He wasn’t slacking off. But, how much time had passed? Enough for Cartman to go looking for him and notice he was ‘sleeping’ in his hammock, apparently.
"Did that thing ever wake up? Or is it still unconscious?"
Kenny paused, turning to look at the brunet. “It woke up. Why?”
Cartman smiled. “Did it speak?”
The blond shook his head. Technically he wasn’t lying, considering he was gone before he got the chance to find out if the other did speak. He figured he did, but the real question was did the creature speak the same language as them?
“Well, find out if it does. I feel it’ll be worth more if it can–unless it’s annoying.” The larger man crossed his arms.
“Sure thing, boss,” Kenny offered a smile, then meandered his way back to the storage room. Thankfully Cartman had nothing more to add.
When he entered the room and shut the door, he heard an audible gasp come from the lone tub.
“How are you alive?”
“What?” Kenny’s head whipped up to look at the merman, shock evident on his features.
“I killed you.”
Kenny blinked, opening his mouth several times to say something but only ended up looking like a gaping fish out of water. After an embarrassing few seconds of that, his brain managed to conjure up a very stupid statement instead of what he actually wanted to say, “You speak.”
Of course the other spoke, he had to communicate in some way, but he hadn’t expected the other to speak English . Not only were Cartman’s questions answered, but his own as well.
“And you come back from the dead.” The merman bit back.
“I–you actually remember that?” No one ever remembered, so how the fuck did the merman?
“Yes? Kind of a hard thing to forget, especially when I’m the one who killed you.” The redhead scoffed, crossing his arms and scowling.
“Yeah, that fuckin’ hurt, by the way.”
“Not sorry.”
Kenny shrugged. He couldn’t blame the other for that.
“So, what are you?”
“I’m Kenny.”
The redhead rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Funny.”
“I get told I’m quite the comedian.” The blond smiled, taking a step closer, to which he earned a snarl. He held up his hands. “I’m just gonna sit over here, okay? I’m not here to hurt you.” Over here meant a stack of crates that weren’t very comfortable, but it beat sitting on the floor.
“Just here to sell me off.”
“No, my captain wants to sell you off. I don’t.”
“And I should trust you why?” The merman raised a brow. “Also he’s still your captain, so technically you’re forced to do as he says, correct? I know the ways of a pirate ship.” He held up a finger to silence Kenny when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “And I know you’re pirates, don’t deny that.”
Kenny shrugged. “Got no real way to prove that to you, honestly. Other than my word, but we’re strangers. It’s hard to trust the word of a stranger. And I wasn’t trying to deny that we’re technically pirates, but just because we have to follow the captain doesn’t mean we share his same sentiments and ideologies.”
The merman sat for a long time saying nothing, even as Kenny moved to sit down like he said he would.
“I was wondering, before, if you could speak our language. I’m glad to know that you do. You sure have a lot to say too, huh?” Kenny smiled, not trying to be mean with his comment despite how it might have sounded.
“Don’t be a dick. I’ve been captured before by people like you, so I’m a little used to this. Not here to play games, after all.”
“Captured before?” Kenny's interest was piqued, but judging by the look he received, he wouldn’t be getting an answer. He had to bite his tongue and not snark that the merman didn’t learn his lesson the first time, but being as accident-prone as Kenny was, he had no room to talk.
The merman huffed. “Let’s just say I’m stubborn.”
“Sure,” The blond smiled, clearly amused. From there the conversation stilled, silence filling the cramped space, so the blond piped up with, "What's your name?"
"None of your business."
"Alright, so I'll keep referring to you as the hot mermaid then, got it."
That got the others' attention, causing him to sputter. "Kyle will be fine."
"Thought so." Kenny grinned.
“Asshole.” Kyle grit, turning his head away enough to look indignant but still keeping an eye on the blond.
“Been told I’m one of those too.” Kenny’s grin grew impossibly wider as he leaned on another crate and stared at the creature. It was quiet for a long moment, long enough to make it awkward, but Kenny didn’t mind so much. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for all of this.” Earning no response, which Kenny expected he wouldn’t, he continued. “If I could just let you go, I would, but if I’m caught, I’ll be in trouble.”
“You’ll just come back if you’re killed.”
“That’s not the trouble I’m concerned about.”
That caught the redhead’s attention, his gaze turning back to focus solely on him, but he didn’t say anything else.
“Let’s just say the captain has some leverage over me. I don’t care if I die, even though it sucks, but I care about what’ll happen if Cartman decides to take action a different way.” Kenny met the other’s gaze. “But I promise you I won’t let him sell you off.”
“A bold promise when that fat lardass has a hold over you.”
Kenny laughed at the insult. “Your disdain for him is mutual by many on the crew.”
“Why work for him then?”
“Some of us have no choice, we’re indebted to him, others just needed work. It varies. In the end though, we do all owe him something, whether it started that way or came about after joining the ship.”
Kyle adjusted himself a little, gazing at Kenny less angrily. “So there are others similar to your predicament? Maybe they could help free me. He can’t condemn his entire crew, right?”
Kenny thought for a moment. “There’s no one exactly in my predicament, but I’m sure I could get someone to help. You’d be surprised by what Cartman is willing to do though, so don’t count out that he wouldn’t toss every single one of us overboard if he wanted to.” His expression turned serious then as he met eyes again with the creature. “If I bring anyone else down here, promise me you won’t rip their throat out. I’m the only one who comes back after dying. If it’s Cartman though I don’t care, just be careful not to get hurt in return.”
Kyle scoffed. “As if I’d let anyone like him hurt me.”
“Don’t underestimate him. He’s ruthless and has done some seriously shady shit. I could tell you so many horror stories we’d both die of old age before I even got halfway through them.”
Kyle frowned at that but nodded slowly. “I promise not to hurt anyone who comes down here unless I deem it a necessity.”
“Fair enough.”
“Why aren’t you willing to sell me off like he is?”
“I’m not a dick, and I actually value the lives of other living things. You don’t deserve whatever they’d do to you out there.” Kenny crossed his arms. “I’m almost surprised Cartman isn’t keeping you for himself though.”
“Like a pet?” Kyle sneered.
“Pretty much.”
Kyle said nothing, his expression turning rather cloudy as he stared at the water.
“How did you get stuck in the net?”
“I would really prefer not to talk about that.”
Kenny shrugged. He assumed whatever had happened was embarrassing, but he wasn’t going to push. Instead, he asked, “How many times have you been captured like this?”
Kyle looked at him, expression unreadable. “Three times. Four, now.”
“Were you ever helped by someone to escape?”
The merman stared at Kenny for a long moment, long enough to cause the blond to fidget under the intensity, before finally opening his mouth, “No. The first time I freed myself by accidentally falling back into the ocean while they were trying to bring me aboard.”
“Sounds lucky. What about the second time?”
“Less fun. I managed to get away on my own though.” Kyle broke his gaze to stare at his lap for a brief moment, a slight frown pulling at his lips. Clearly, the second time being caught caused some trauma he didn’t want to relive, and Kenny couldn’t rightly blame him for that. However, when the merman resumed eye contact, his eyes narrowed. “The last time, however, I was pissed off.”
“What happened?” The blond leaned forward a little.
“I killed anyone who got too close. They didn’t keep me long after that.”
Kenny blinked. “So that’s why you went for my throat right away.” Absentmindedly, he rubbed at his neck, but when he snapped out of it, he raised an eyebrow. “How come you didn’t attack anyone near the net when we pulled you in?”
Kyle frowned, his previous act of trying to intimidate the other cracking. “I—I didn’t really have the strength to fight all of you. I knew I could take a single guy though.”
“You caught me off guard, too.”
The redhead hummed, staring at the blond. “I’ve never spoken with my captors before like this.”
“I must be special.”
“I just think you’re lucky. And impossible to kill apparently.”
“Coming back to life is a curse, I’ll promise you that. But, I guess I’d say a little bit of luck is at play here to some degree.” Kenny smiled. “After all, had you killed me for real, there wouldn’t be someone so eager to help you straight away. Well, Stan would help you I’m sure, so maybe that’s not entirely true.” Kenny shifted a little where he sat, glancing the merman over briefly. “I forgot you were hurt. Do you want me to help with that?”
“I’ll be fine. Just little cuts and bruises that I’ll heal from.”
Kenny nodded, not entirely convinced, but he didn’t push further.
The rest of Kenny’s shift went by mostly uneventfully. He and the merman chatted about this or that, at some point the blond went off to get food for himself and their guest, before Craig came by to give Kenny the night off. The dark-haired man didn’t stay in the room though. He stood outside and nodded to Kenny when he passed, not daring to go inside.
Kenny couldn’t blame him. Had he not been so desensitized to certain dangers, he probably would have stayed outside on guard duty too. Then again, the chance to speak with a living breathing merman would probably have drawn him inside at some point regardless.
It was the next day when Cartman confronted Kenny again, cornering him as he woke from his night's rest.
“I hear you’ve spoken with the creature.”
“Yes?” Kenny furrowed his brows. How the hell did the captain know that?
“Interesting, interesting.” Cartman rubbed at his chin. “Tell me, Kinny, would that thing be worth more still in our possession or if we sold it off to someone?”
“Neither, if you want my honest opinion.”
“Of course you’d say that. You’re one of those animal fuckers like Stan.” Cartman rolled his eyes. “I got some ideas though. Keep doing what you’re doing, Kinny.” The captain clapped a hand on his shoulder before walking passed him and out of the sleeping quarters.
Kenny frowned, knowing that whatever the fatass was planning wasn’t going to be good. But there was nothing to be done about it now, so the blond continued to his destination—the kitchen of the ship. There had stored a plethora of food, including various fish, which the blond promptly stuffed into a sack he found. From there, he headed to the storage room where the merman waited.
Standing outside this time was Tolkien, who gave Kenny a warm smile when he saw him approaching.
"Have you gone in at all?" Kenny raised an eyebrow.
"No. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous around him." Tolkien glanced toward the door as if the creature inside could hear them, then looked back to Kenny. "Do you always go inside?"
"Of course.” Kenny chuckled, moving toward the door and going to open it. “I've had full-blown conversations with him."
"Very brave of you," Tolkien nodded solemnly, giving the blond a reassuring smile before taking his leave.
Kyle was awake when Kenny walked in, perking up from the sad position he was lying in before. "Ken."
"Hey," Kenny greeted, lifting the small bag he carried with him and smirking. "Hungry?"
Kyle eyed the bag wearily. "Depends, what did you bring me?"
"Well, I assume you're not used to eating like we do on the surface, so how's raw fish?"
“Depends on the fish.”
“Is it considered cannibalism for you to eat other fish?” Kenny mused, handing over the satchel. “And you can tell me if these are acceptable or not.”
Kyle pulled a face, accepting the satchel. “Is it considered cannibalism for you to eat other mammals?” He opened the bag and peeked inside, finding a couple of bass, trout, and tuna, then dumped the contents into the tub with him.
“You know, fair point.” Kenny sat down in his usual spot, leaning back into another stack of crates. “Are those acceptable?”
“More than acceptable. Thank you.” The merman picked up one of the tuna and proceeded to take a bite out of it. It wasn’t the most pleasant scene to witness, but Kenny had seen and heard worse.
Kenny wanted to voice as much, but the door to the storage room burst open, and in came Cartman in all his unpleasant glory. He paused near the door to survey the scene before him. “I was half expecting you to be fucking the mermaid already, Kinny.”
Behind him stood Butters, who hovered near the doorway rubbing his knuckles together nervously.
Kyle put down the fish he’d been eating to snarl at the captain, face scrunched up in all manner of distrust, disgust, and every emotion in between.
“Have those sharp teeth gotten you yet, Po’ Boy?” Cartman stepped further into the room, causing the redhead to growl far more menacingly. “Sorry, sorry,” the captain put his hands up placatingly, but the mocking sneer on his face proved the gesture was disingenuous.
“What do you want, Cartman?” Kenny appeared bored and tired but remained vigilant in case he needed to intervene between the two. Not that he’d care if the fatass got hurt or, better yet, died, but he didn’t want Kyle getting harmed in the process. And with Butters here, for whatever reason, the blond wanted to remain extra cautious.
“Just making sure you aren’t sullying the merchandise.”
“Aw, gee, Eric–”
“Captain, Butters, it’s Captain Eric.”
“Oh fuck off.” Kenny rolled his eyes, interrupting the other two and moving out from his comfortable position to glare at the brunet, hands resting on his knees.
Cartman laughed. “I just wanted to see for myself how our guest was doing.” He took another step, which caused another warning snarl from Kyle and made Kenny stand up.
“He’s fine.”
“Doesn’t he speak for himself?” Cartman looked at Kyle, a silent challenge.
Butters was looking now too, blinking owlishly from the side.
Kyle only broke the staring contest to look at Kenny for reassurance, then back at the captain where he spoke something in what Kenny assumed was his natural language. It was low and guttural and said with such disdain the blond could only assume he was cursing the fatass out.
Cartman furrowed his brows before looking at Kenny. “This is how you two communicate? What the fuck is he saying?”
“He called you a shit stain on the human race and wishes for you to get your smelly ass out of this room before he vomits.” At Cartman’s angry exclamation, Kenny simply shrugged, doing his best to hold back the laughter he so badly wanted to let out.
“Stupid fuckin’ fish.”
“I, uh, I think he has a right to be pissed off with you, sir,” Butters mumbled.
Cartman turned his fiery gaze onto the meek blond, “You shut the fuck up. I only brought you down here to act as witness in case anything funny was going on, not actually speak.”
“O-oh . . .” Butters turned his gaze to the floor, and Kenny felt a pang of sympathy for the other.
Cartman’s eyes were back on Kenny, his expression turning thoughtful. “You speak mermaid?”
Kenny shrugged, unwilling to give away any information.
He glanced back at Kyle, an unnerving grin curling his lips. “Interesting. I’ll leave you two to it.” And he left with a bang, dragging Butters out with him as the door slammed back closed and left the merman and blond alone again.
Kenny looked to Kyle, ready to apologize, but was interrupted before he even started.
“You don’t really speak my language, do you?”
“No.”
“You were scary close to what I actually said to him.”
Kenny started laughing. “What did I get wrong?”
A sly grin appeared on Kyle’s face. “You’ll just have to find out.”
“What, by, like, learning your language or something?”
“How else would you find out?”
Kenny tilted his head to the side. ‘You’d teach me?”
“Sure, if you really wanted to learn.”
“Give me something then.”
Kyle tapped his chin with a finger, thinking for a long minute before he uttered a line in his native tongue.
Kenny just blinked several times, eyes squinting. “Am I supposed to repeat that?”
“Ideally, yes. That’s part of the teaching process.”
“Repeat it for me?” Kenny frowned, and Kyle obliged and repeated the phrase another couple of times. The blond made a few attempts to speak it, but they were all pretty garbage judging by the merman’s snickering laughter.
“You’re not doing terrible, but it can certainly use some work.” Kyle leaned his elbows on the rim of the tub, watching the other man with clear amusement. “One little tip though? Go a little throaty near the end there. You’re changing the meaning.”
“What am I even saying?”
“Well, you’re saying my face looks like a clam.”
Kenny snorted. “What am I supposed to be saying then?”
That sly quirk of his lips was back. “That my face is pretty.”
Kenny rolled his eyes. “Fishing for compliments now?”
“I am excellent at fishing.” Kyle grinned, tail flicking water at Kenny playfully.
“Rude!” The blond laughed, shaking his head.
Kyle joined in the laughter, before resting his chin on his palm as he gazed fondly at the other man. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?”
“Not making me speak English to him. I’d prefer he knows as little as possible.”
“Of course, man. He does know I talk to you, but I never told him how or by what means. I’m honestly still surprised you know our language at all.” Kenny took his seat back on the crate.
“It’s common actually to be taught English in my culture. In the event of us being caught, we can understand our captors and better help ourselves get free. The more colorful vocabulary I taught myself though.”
“Hm, makes sense, and I’d love for you to share some of those insults with me in case there’s anything I can add to my own vocab.”
“Will do,” Kyle grinned, probably the biggest and most genuine smile he’d seen from the other yet. “I take it that Fatass was trying to rile you up with some of those comments?”
“Yeah. He, Stan, and I grew up together. Cartman knows my old reputation as a, well, for lack of a better word, fuckboy.” Kenny grimaced. “Not that I ever was one really, but hormones and all, you know? Being a young boy wasn’t easy.”
Kyle smiled a little. “Same for us merfolk.” That smile then turned sly again, and his cheeks tinted a rosy color. “What if you did sully the merchandise, as he assumed?”
“What?” Kenny blinked, his own cheeks coloring. “I-I mean, I’m not opposed I guess?” The blush intensified, “Fuck, I mean—”
Kyle started laughing, so Kenny slumped his shoulders in defeat assuming he was being made fun of, but the splashing sounds of water and a hand entering his downcast vision made him look up and connect with vivid green eyes. “You’re cute, Ken.” He was offering his hand to the blond, who took it without hesitation once he understood it as an offer.
“Thanks?”
Kyle squeezed his hand, keeping hold just tight enough to be comforting but loose enough that the blond could pull away if he wished to do so.
“I’m really confused.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Kenny shot him an incredulous look, but all he got in response was an amusing smile and another squeeze of his hand.
After that time when Cartman burst in with Butters, the fatass didn’t make himself known again for a few days. Kenny continued to sit in with Kyle, talking, eating, doing anything he could naturally do in that same space with the other without seeming too suspicious or eager.
The more time he spent with the other, however, the more Kenny started to have regrets. He enjoyed it, being in the presence of the merman, but he’d miss it once it was over. He couldn’t be selfish though, but he also couldn’t help the sadness he felt whenever he thought about it. Not that Kenny was putting off the inevitable, but the timing of the big breakout had to be perfect, and right now Kenny didn’t have a plan.
As he headed to the storage room yet again, he stopped in front of Stan, his best friend and someone who had been roped into this mess alongside Kenny. Stan he knew he could trust. Stan he knew would feel just as bad for capturing this merman. Stan he knew would be opposed to Cartman’s plans, and therefore . . .
“Can we talk, Stan?” It was time to find out for certain if he had someone else on his side here. He might be able to talk to the others as well, but if Stan refused to help? He knew he’d be screwed.
The black-haired man lifted his head, blinking slowly before he straightened his spine and shot the blond a smile. He looked tired. “Sure, dude. What’s up?”
Kenny glanced around, making sure they were truly alone, before leaning against the wall near the other. “You don’t agree with this, right?” He nodded toward the storage room, knowing his friend would get the picture.
Stan followed his nod, then looked back at the blond. “Of course not.”
“Want to help me fix it?”
The other man’s eyes bugged out. “Cartman will kill us both if we do anything.”
“If he finds out, yeah. I’ll take the brunt of it, Stan. We just need to get him back home.”
“That’s not fair of you to do that.” Stan shook his head. “I’ve been thinking since we first brought him on board that we needed to release him. I was just–well, scared, honestly.” Stan rubbed at his arm, glancing away.
“Of him or Fatass?”
“Both I guess. Did you see the merman’s fangs, man? No thanks.”
“Yeah, they’re sharp, I promise you.” Kenny laughed, ignoring the weird look he got from his friend. “I don’t want you getting into trouble. I’m willing to take the risk, but I can’t do it alone.”
“I have less at stake than you, Ken. If I’m going to help, let me at least take some blame.”
“I appreciate that, but seriously, it’s okay. Cartman will blame me either way seeing as I’m on main guard duty.”
Stan didn’t seem happy with that, but he stopped arguing. “That mean you’re here to relieve me of duty?”
Kenny nodded. “Yup. Have you gone in and spoken with him at all?”
Stan shook his head.
“You want to? If you’re gonna help, you might as well introduce yourself.” Kenny nudged Stan. “Besides, I said I’d find folks to help, so this might prove I’ve kept my word. It’s been a few days now and I haven’t really spoken with anyone about this.”
Stan eyed the door nervously but nodded slowly after a long minute passed. “Would probably be best if I met him properly, huh?”
“For sure.” Kenny opened the door, entering the room first where he was greeted by the merman sitting upright in the wooden tub. Green eyes were watching him casually, but they narrowed when they noticed the newcomer.
The blond stepped aside, waiting until Stan shut the door, before beginning introductions.
“He can be trusted?” Kyle glanced at Kenny, who nodded, before turning to stare at Stan again.
Kenny grinned. “This guy is the biggest lover of animals and creatures and anything, really. He once stole a baby cow from a nearby ranch where we grew up because he thought the farmer was going to turn the poor thing into veal.”
“Veal?”
“Baby cow.”
“Oh.”
“Do you know what a cow is?”
Kyle gestured with a so-so. “We don't exactly have the same animals below the ocean, but I think I know what one is.”
“That’s fair.”
“Why you gotta bring that up, Ken?” Stan elbowed Kenny, scratching at his neck with his other hand as he pouted.
“‘Cause, it was funny, especially when your mom got pissed at you.”
Stan shoved him again but glanced at the merman. “Anyway, I want to help you however I can.”
“I appreciate that.”
“This is Stan by the way. I mentioned him to you a few times.”
The merman nodded. “I’m Kyle.”
Kenny took a seat on his usual crate, crossing his arms. “We want to plan your break out. Now that we have someone on our side, this should be easier.”
“How long have I been on the ship now?”
“I think a week,” Kenny frowned. “I’m sorry it’s taken so long.”
Kyle shook his head, staring at Kenny fondly. “I know you’ve been doing your best, and that you’re risking a lot to help me.”
Kenny returned the smile, then resumed a more serious disposition. “We should do it at night when everyone is asleep. Stan, maybe you can keep watch and if Fatass wakes up you can distract him? Shouldn't take too long to dump Kyle over the edge of the ship, but the splash might be loud. And I don’t want anyone to see us going up, either.”
Stan sighed, leaning against the wall near the door. “Tweek is a light sleeper. He might hear us.”
“Think we can trust him?” Kenny frowned.
“Dunno,” Stan shrugged. “I think everyone on the ship wouldn’t mind helping, honestly.”
Kyle flicked some water at Kenny, who raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Lower me down with the net. I’ll just hang on to the outside, and I can quietly slip into the water.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea actually.”
Kyle smiled.
“When are we doing this?” Stan tilted his head.
Kenny and Kyle shared a look briefly before staring at Stan. Kenny spoke first, “Tomorrow? If we wait any longer we’ll be at the docks in town and then it’ll be too late. Assuming Cartman still plans to sell Kyle and not keep him all for himself.”
“And when Fatass catches us?”
“Hang on, hang on.” Kyle slapped the water to get both men’s attention back on him. “Stage it to look like I attacked you, Ken.”
“How? Cartman won’t believe that you flopped your way above deck.”
Kyle gave him a long look, then started climbing out of the tub.
Kenny shouted, but strangled the sound as he lurched forward to grab the merman. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you something, dumbass.” Kyle didn’t swat his hands away, which surprised Kenny as much as it did Stan. “Help me get out and grab me a towel to make this go faster.”
The blond gave Stan a look, the dark-haired man scrambling out of the room to retrieve a towel, while he helped the merman get out of the tub. He sat him on the ground, and Stan returned within a few minutes with a large bit of cloth.
Kyle dried off his tail, the other two watching curiously, and in a blink, they missed it when the tail turned into two very normal-looking human legs–and a very naked lower half.
Stan immediately made an upset sound, covering his eyes, and Kenny just blushed and averted his gaze as he reached out, covering the other man’s parts with the cloth he’d dried off with.
Kyle gave them both a funny look but didn’t argue.
“Woulda been nice to know you can sprout legs,” Kenny frowned.
“Kinda wanted to keep that a secret, but you can tell that lardass I sprouted human legs, knocked your ass out, and made a run for it. Easy enough and should work, right?”
“I mean, maybe, but–” Kenny looked over at Stan. “What do you think?”
“Maybe if I vouch for you, so maybe as you’re making a run for it above deck I can shout?” Stan glanced at Kyle. “Like, once you’re free already and leaping over the edge.”
“I suppose that works.”
“We’ll figure it out, but, tomorrow, yeah?” Kenny glanced between the two, both of which nodded. “Cool.”
“I’m gonna head out then. It was nice meeting you, Kyle, though, I mean, you know, I wish we hadn’t?”
“I getcha,” Kyle smiled. “Thank you for helping me.”
Stan nodded, then offered a small smile to Kenny as he left the room.
Kenny watched him go, feeling Kyle’s eyes on him but refusing to look just yet.
“I’m glad you found someone willing to help. And–” Kyle paused, pulling his legs closer to him where he hugged them, resting his chin on his knees. “Thank you for helping me in general.” His voice was rather quiet.
Kenny looked at him, smiling gently. “Of course. I’m glad you trust me enough now and haven’t tried ripping my throat out again.”
Kyle snorted. “I’ll apologize for that now.”
“Nah, you don’t gotta. You were trying to defend yourself and I was stupid and got too close. I think I’m so used to the dying and coming back thing that I forget to think sometimes and don’t always recognize when I’m in danger, you know?”
“Which is very foolish.”
“Yup.”
Kyle glanced at him. “So, uh, this will be our last night, huh?”
“Gonna miss me?”
“If I say yes, will you tease me?”
Kenny blushed but nodded slowly. “Of course I will.”
“Will you miss me ?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll tease you right back.” Kyle smiled, his cheeks matching the color of his hair now.
“Pretty gay, dude.”
“You’re not wrong.”
At that, Kenny grinned, relaxing a bit as he sat down on the ground in front of Kyle. “So what now?”
The redhead shrugged. “Dunno. Not much we can do, is there?”
“Not really. ‘Cept talk, like we’ve been doing.”
“What’s the debt Cartman has on you?”
Kenny rubbed at the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “My sister.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, for the most part. Cartman helped me set her up, but now I owe him a bunch of money that I’ve been working off.”
Kyle hummed, staring at the floor between them in thought. “He’s an awful person. You said he’s done some pretty fucked up shit, and I don’t have to know him well at all to believe that.”
“Yeah, he’s not great.” Kenny shook his head, leaning back on his hands. “One of his old crewmates pissed him off once so he strung him up to the front of the ship, partially submerged, and kept him there for days. Afterward, he killed him and dumped him overboard. All of that just because the guy ate Cartman’s favorite snack, and it was the last one in the kitchen.”
“What the fuck?”
Kenny shrugged, “He’s a fuckin’ psychopath. You’d probably be better off if he sold you rather than kept you.”
“No kidding. I’d do a lot more than eat his favorite snack.”
The blond chuckled. “I’d love to see you take him out. It’d save all of us a lot of trouble.”
“What’s stopping us then?”
Kenny paused, nursing his bottom lip between his teeth, before answering, “Not wanting to stoop to his level, I guess.”
Kyle pressed his lips together in a line, nodding slowly. “The fact someone as noble as you is stuck working for that ass is a shame.”
“Don’t give me too much credit, I’ve done some shady shit too, but it’s not been a fun time working for him, that’s for sure.”
“Were you forced to do shady shit?”
“I–” Kenny hesitated, unsure if he should continue or not, but ultimately he decided to just go for it. “Most of it, yeah. When I was younger I did what I had to to survive and keep my family afloat though, so I can’t pin the blame for that on Cartman.”
The merman shook his head. “You can’t be blamed for trying to survive.”
“Most people would beg to differ,” Kenny smiled sadly but shrugged. “Are you excited to go home? I’m sure your family misses you.”
Kyle pouted at the subject change but didn’t complain openly. “My mom is probably equal parts livid and worried, my dad probably hasn’t even noticed I’m gone, and my younger brother is probably just happy to have the place to himself for a bit.”
“Sounds like a fun family.”
“Tell me about it. I’ll be happy when I’m back in the water, but I’m not looking forward to the aftermath. I’ve never been gone this long before, even when I was captured in the past, so this is sure to be a fun experience when I get back home.” Kyle shifted, crossing his legs and being mindful to keep the cloth covering him.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Kenny laughed.
“Thanks, I’ll need it.”
The remainder of the evening continued as such, the day following much the same until Kenny returned to his evening post and met with Stan, who’d been guarding the door while the blond was on his break.
Everyone had already settled down for the night, meaning it was time to get this show on the road.
Stan nodded when the other approached, moving out of the way as Kenny poked his head inside the room. “Hey, it’s go time.”
Having kept his legs, the merman stood from where he sat, using that same cloth from before to keep himself wrapped up as he made his way to Kenny. “Are you taking me up top or is Stan?”
“I’d like to if that’s okay.”
“Of course, Ken.”
“Wanna be carried?” Kenny smirked.
Kyle rolled his eyes but gestured to give him permission.
Kenny easily picked him up, bridal style, and smirked.
In retaliation, Kyle smacked him playfully. “You know this is unnecessary, right?”
“Yeah, but indulge me this one time, will ya?”
Stan knocked gently on the door, glancing inside at them. “Are you two ready?”
“Yup, let’s get this over with.” Kenny carried Kyle up to the deck, where Stan followed close behind to keep watch.
“You’ll have to head back down once you say goodbye, Ken.” Stan leaned close to whisper.
“Yup. I’ll head back down and wait for you to start shouting.” Kenny looked at Kyle, smiling sadly as he kept his voice equally as low. “And once he starts shoutin’, you go home.”
“Got it.” Kyle nodded, expression hard to read.
“Give us a minute, yeah?” Kenny looked to Stan, who nodded and turned his back, staying around to keep watch but giving them somewhat privacy. The unfortunate aspect of the layout of the ship was the fact Cartman’s room was right there , and it was impossible to see if the lights were on or not.
Kenny took Kyle to the edge, setting him down. “You gonna be able to find your way home? We’re at least a few days out from where we found you.”
“I’ll be fine. Once you have your direction, it’s not that hard to navigate down there.”
Kenny nodded, looking toward the ocean. A hand on his cheek startled him back, blue eyes meeting vibrant green.
“Thank you, Ken.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll miss you. I do mean that.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
Kyle then leaned forward, pressing their lips together just long enough for Kenny to return the gesture. Then he pulled away, another sad smile on his face. “I hope you don’t get in too much trouble for this.
“If we do this right, I’ll be okay.” Kenny laughed, smiling gently. “I hope we manage to meet again someday too.”
“I think I wouldn’t mind getting caught by you again.” Kyle hopped onto the railing of the ship, swinging his legs over, but it was then they heard Stan shouting followed by the last voice they wanted to hear that night.
"I knew you'd end up doing this, Kinny. And you even roped Stan into it?" Cartman clicked his tongue, tsking, and stepped closer to them. The door to his personal quarters was wide open now, lantern light spilling from inside and bathing everyone in a warm glow. "I'm not surprised."
Up on the railing, Kyle froze, eyes narrowed and watching Cartman closely.
Kenny beside him muttered a quiet "fuck," turning to shield Kyle as he stepped more in between them. “Can you blame me?”
At the same time, Stan asked, “How did you even know we were up here?”
Cartman smiled at Kenny, then glanced toward Stan who had backed away, holding his hands up. “Well, first, Stanley, I always knew Kinny would pull this shit. I was just waiting for the when.” The captain then sucked in a breath, heaving a heavy sigh, as he reached into his coat to procure his pistol. “But you know what’s at stake, both of you, so why try to go against me?”
“Because it’s not right.” Kenny shielded Kyle fully now, feeling the merman’s hands on his shoulders. “I can’t stand by and let you do this, even with what’s at stake.”
Cartman smiled again, tilting his head to the side as he pointed his weapon at Stan, who yelped. “ He won’t come back to life.”
Kenny blinked, “What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me, Po’ Boy. I know you come back to life. Don’t take much to figure it out.”
“How come you never said anything before?” Kenny was angry now, fists clenched at his sides.
“What good would that do?” Cartman shrugged. “Anyway,” He cocked the gun and maintained eye contact with the blond. “What will it be, Kinny? Fish boy or Stan?”
“Come on, Cartman! You wouldn’t actually–AH!” Stan flinched, shutting his eyes and cowering as Cartman cackled in the distance. The gun had gone off, but when the black-haired man opened his eyes he lacked an extra hole, and there was a gunshot in the railing beside him.
“I won’t miss next time.” Cartman reloaded his weapon smoothly and re-aimed.
Kenny was about to step forward, but Kyle’s hands on his shoulders stopped him.
From below deck, several of the crewmates were tentatively stepping out, having been woken up from the loud bang and consecutive shouting.
Tolkien confidently strode up the steps and came face-to-face with the strange scene before him. He came to a halt a few steps behind where their captain stood. “What’s going on?”
“Kinny and Stan are trying to make off with the merchandise.” Cartman glanced behind him, scowling.
Tolkien frowned, stepping a little closer and making room for Tweak, Craig, and Butters, the latter of which stood far back still partially obscured and on the steps.
“Don’t just stand there, go grab them!” Cartman growled, shooting Tolkien a dirty look. “Since you’re all awake and an audience now, you might as well make yourselves useful for once you lazy dickheads!”
“ Lazy? ” Craig scowled. “Watch who you’re calling lazy, asshole.”
“Oh shut the fuck up, Craig . You’re the laziest one here!” Cartman turned just enough to scowl at the black-haired man.
“Knock it off!” Tweek screamed, pulling at his hair, but no one seemed to acknowledge him except Butters, who attempted to pat his shoulder reassuringly. In response, he received a violent twitch and another shriek, which caused Butters to shrink back again.
“We all know the laziest one is you, you fat fuck! You sit in your room all day and get fatter on your shitty snacks!” Craig sneered.
“Least I ain’t a fag,” Cartman shot back, unafraid to drop a slur at the expense of, well, at the expense of anyone, really.
“Cartman, that’s too far,” Tolkien attempted to reason with him, but the efforts were futile.
“Don’t even get me started with you , Tolkien.”
“I’ve fuckin had it with you,” Craig flipped him off with one hand, Tweek grabbing onto his other to try and keep him in line.
“All of you are a worthless, whiny bunch of babies! I don’t even know why I bothered trying to recruit any of you.”
Kenny began taking a step closer to intervene at that point, while Kyle swung back over the railing and grabbed onto the blond to stop him from doing something stupid.
Tolkien also stepped forward, trying to de-escalate the situation, but the click of a different gun stopped all movement on the deck.
“I am so sick and tired of dealing with your bullshit, Cartman.” Craig sneered, pushing the barrel of his gun into the other’s back to prove he wasn’t messing around. “The slurs and insults are one thing, but you’re constantly degrading us.”
“Craig, what the hell are you doing?”
“Finally putting you in your fucking place, Fatass. Now lower your weapon.”
Cartman glanced over his shoulder, seeing Craig’s steely glare, Tweek’s determined yet nervous expression, and Butters cowering impossibly further. One glance to his side at Tolkien showed he’d also drawn his weapon and aimed it at Cartman. “Is this a mutiny?”
“If I knew all of you would be on board with this, I would have actually talked to you guys,” Kenny huffed, the amusement in his tone obvious. “And yeah, Fatass, looks like this is a mutiny, so lower your gun and let’s get this over with.”
In typical Cartman fashion, he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. He fired the gun at Stan before swinging around and smacking Craig in the side of the head with the butt of his pistol.
Tweek screamed while Butters panicked, Stan groaned, clearly having been shot this time for real, and Craig, taken off guard by the unexpected attack, fell unconscious as he hit the deck.
Tolkien remained calm and collected as he fired a shot at Cartman, hitting him in the arm that held his weapon, and successfully disarmed him while Kenny tackled him to the deck to pin him in place.
The action was over in a matter of seconds, but the aftermath was going to take some cleanup. Not only was the hierarchy of the ship in disarray, but two people were injured.
Tolkien took charge. He ordered Kenny and Butters to bring Cartman down to the holding cell and chain him up. Tweek was ordered to take Craig down to their sleeping quarters and make sure he was comfortable. That left himself and the merman, Kyle, to take care of Stan who’d been shot in the arm.
After Cartman was dealt with, Kenny and Butters found Stan and the others all crowded in the sleeping quarters.
“Is he alright?” Kenny fit himself beside Kyle, who stood off in the back a little and startled when he heard the voice right beside him. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Kyle smiled, then nodded his head. “He’s going to be fine. Same with the unconscious one. That tub of lard dealt with?”
Kenny nodded. “Tied him up good.”
“What’s the plan now? You’re technically free from his grasp, right?”
A look of strained relief flit across Kenny’s features. “Technically, yeah, but I do need to figure out a new solution. And we need to get you home.”
“I’m not a prisoner anymore, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I could stay for a bit longer if you wanted.”
“Kyle—“
“Until morning.”
Kenny huffed a laugh. “If that’s what you want, I’m not going to complain.”
Kyle rolled his eyes, leaning into him. “Don’t act like that’s not exactly what you wanted.”
Unable to argue such a fact, Kenny simply wrapped his arms around the redhead and grinned.
The rest of the evening after that was uneventful.
Once Stan got patched up, he went to sleep, as did Butters who was still jittery from the events of the night. Craig woke up a bit later and overall was fine, which allowed Tweek to finally relax. Tolkien kept watch over Cartman, who was beyond pissed off, and Kenny and Kyle spent the night together.
When morning finally came, everyone gathered above deck to say goodbye. The boys who weren’t as involved with Kyle were intrigued that the merman could grow legs and speak their language, but they were all happy to see him off.
Once everyone said their goodbyes, they gave Kenny and Kyle some privacy and returned to their posts, but that didn’t stop the knowing looks coming from everyone.
“So this is it then, huh?” Kenny smiled, bittersweet.
“I guess so.” Kyle returned the sentiment. Unlike the night prior, Kyle this time wore one of Kenny’s shirts, which was loose and long enough to cover the other man and give him some decency. He slipped it off and handed it back.
Kenny took the shirt and blushed, keeping his eyes up out of respect and maintaining eye contact. He then surged forward and kissed Kyle gently, the other returning the gesture.
In the distance, someone wolf-whistled, but both of them ignored the sound in favor of staring into one another's eyes.
“Best get going. And be safe.”
“Yeah, and you too, Ken.” Kyle smiled once more, trying to be brave, and then turned his back, hopped over the railing, and slipped off into the water below.
Kenny leaned against the railing and watched, waving and grinning as the merman popped his head above water and did the same. Then he dipped down below and was gone, leaving Kenny atop the ship, who rubbed at his eyes. He knew this would suck, that his heart would be broken, but it was all for the best.
Life returned mostly to normal. Tolkien had been nominated to be their new captain, and he agreed to the promotion. Cartman had been dumped somewhere far away on a deserted island to suffer, his old crew leaving him there to hopefully die. Anyone who owed that horrible man a debt was no longer held to that, and so the crew remained together but under much better terms and conditions than before.
Several months later, Kenny had unsubtly asked if they could go back to where they first caught Kyle. Within the week, Tolkein had them docked in a nearby town to restock.
Kenny spent his time along the beach in the hopes that maybe this would be when they met again. Even though it’d only been a few months, he could dream, right? Could hope he would see the other one last time?
Each day he waited on the shoreline around evening, the sun hidden behind the clouds on the horizon, and himself hidden from view by large rocks. It was secluded, safe, and no one except Tolkien knew where and why he was running off—although it was safe to assume the others on the ship could guess.
They could only stay for so long, but on the third and last day, he sat and waited. They were leaving tomorrow, off on new adventures and excitement.
Just as Kenny was about to stand up and leave, a rock went whizzing by his head, missing him by mere inches, and he snapped his head to the side to search for the culprit.
A familiar head of red hair met his vision, and vibrant green eyes that practically glowed blinked slowly as a smile curled the merman’s lips. “Leaving already?” He sat perched on a rock, most of his tail submerged in the water.
Kenny wanted to say some quip about the merman trying to kill him again, but he found himself rushing forward, ignoring the cold bite of the ocean as the water soaked through his boots and trousers. Kyle laughed, watching him, but he opened his arms when Kenny was close enough and accepted the embrace with enthusiasm, not caring as he was pulled off the rock and into the human’s arms fully.
“I missed you too, dumbass.” Kyle grinned into his ear, hugging the blond tightly. Another laugh escaping him as Kenny squeezed affectionately. “Any tighter and you’re gonna kill me, dude.”
“Sorry, sorry. I just didn’t expect to actually see you again.” Kenny loosened his grip a little, pulling back just enough to look Kyle in the eyes and smile.
“Sorry I didn't come sooner. I recognized the ship, but since I was gone for so long, my mom was super worried about me as I predicted. I had to literally escape house arrest to come out tonight.”
“How old are you?” Kenny raised an eyebrow, teasing.
“Too old to be treated like a child, that’s for damn sure.”
Kenny laughed, shaking his head. “Well, I’m glad you got away to see me.”
“Of course.” Kyle leaned closer, pressing their lips together. When he went to pull away, Kenny pulled him back in to deepen the embrace, eyes closing.
When they finally pulled away, gazing at one another, both men were smiling.
Kyle broke the moment. “I can’t stay long.”
Kenny frowned but nodded. “I can’t either.”
“Come back every so often, okay? Same spot. I’ll meet you when I can.”
“No promises. Cartman might be out of the picture, but I still have work to do and a family to support.”
“Find a way to visit.”
“I’ll try.”
Kyle cocked his head to the side. “Is Tolkien captain now?”
“Yeah. He’s been doing great!” Kenny beamed, but his expression turned a little downcast shortly after. “Things have been fantastic without Cartman, but it’d still be cool to have my own ship or something, or maybe just settle down somewhere with my sister, you know?”
“Why don’t you do that? Settle somewhere with your sister.”
“I can’t afford it. And that’s why I was indebted to Cartman. He helped me make sure my sister was taken care of. I’m still working to do that, just under friendly conditions. No more debt, but I still technically owe.”
Kyle pulled back some, and Kenny got the hint to settle the merman back down on the rock he’d been perched on. The other then reached down to his tail, picking at a few spots here and there.
Kenny watched with curiosity, about to ask him what he was doing, but his mouth dropped open when he saw Kyle start to pluck scales from his tail. “Hey, hey! What are you–”
Kyle shoved about five or six scales into his hands, successfully silencing the blond. “They sell for a lot, so sell them. Pay off whatever you still owe to whoever and get your sister. Move somewhere close to the ocean.”
“Kyle, I–”
“Stop. Just do it. You don’t have to buy a place either. Get a ship and sail. Do whatever you want. You deserve it, Kenny.”
Kenny pulled Kyle into another crushing hug, being careful not to lose any of the precious scales he’d been given. “Thank you.”
“Of course, Ken.” Kyle held him close for a long moment, but he broke away again with a smile on his face. “Go. The shops are still open around this time for a bit longer. Whenever you decide on what you want to do, come find me here again. I’ll check back every day for you.”
“I won’t keep you waiting too long, I promise.”
“I believe you, Ken.”