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Indra sat on the floor of the living room, reading a book. He flipped over a page, his tail flicking back and forth as he continued the story. It was one of Rex’s books, but it was his favorite series. Rex was sitting on the couch with his own book, but he wasn’t reading. He was smiling softly down at the merman in front of him. It had been a while since he had seen Indra this relaxed, and he couldn’t look away.
“How’s the book?” he asked quietly.
Indra shot him a look for interrupting his reading, and Rex chuckled. “It’s so great. The boy is about to confess to the girl, and he almost died, but I know he won’t die die,” Indra said. “And the brothers are finally reuniting too!”
“That’s great,” Rex said, and he swam over to join Indra on the floor. Indra rolled over onto his side to look at Rex, and his red hair floated in an almost halo around his head. The waves fell into his eyes, which Indra brushed aside easily. His lips stretched into a shy smile as he looked upon his blonde friend. Rex grinned back, happy to be able to see such a smile on the merman’s face. He stroked Indra’s face gently as he brushed aside a mischievous section away from his face. “So, are you done reading?”
“Depends on what you have planned,” Indra answered, cheeks flushing at their closeness.
“Exploring the canyons?” Rex asked. “Get away from the house for awhile.”
“Yeah, sounds like fun,” Indra said, “I haven’t been out to the canyons for months now.”
“Let me just tell buir that we’re heading out,” Rex said. “Buir!”
“What?” Jango asked from the upper floor.
“Indra and I are going to the canyons,” Rex shouted back.
“Okay!” Jango responded.
“Alright, let’s go,” Rex said, turning to Indra. Indra laughed and followed the blonde merman out of the house. Indra kept laughed for quite a bit, and Rex wasn’t sure what was so amusing, but he didn’t interrupt the other merman. Indra had very little laughter not so long ago, and Rex would never want him to stop laughing. Especially since it was so melodic. He flushed as he met Indra’s eyes.
“Which canyon?” Indra asked, doing lazy spins as he followed Rex. He hadn’t really thought about it, as he had explored quite a few of them, and he didn’t really want to take Indra to one he didn’t know was safe. So not a new one, but he also didn’t want Indra to think he thought him incapable and weak. Rex thought Indra was far stronger than any other merman he had met, including his buir and ba’buir or Cody or Fox.
“I think the Abesh Canyon,” Rex said, “I’ve been there a few times, but it was mostly the beginning of it.”
“Oh, I’ve never been there,” Indra said, and he grinned. “Although, we are heading west.”
Rex stopped, blinking, and he flushed. He rubbed his hand through his buzzcut hair at the back of his head. “Ah, yes, I wasn’t really thinking.”
Indra was decent enough to hide his giggles behind a hand, but his eyes gaze him away, as well as his shaking shoulder. Rex slugged him gently and ignored Indra’s indignant exclamation before he tackled Rex into a roll. The two tussled in the water, landing on the sand a few yards away. It sprang up, clouding the water briefly, only settling when Rex pinned Indra’s wrists with his hands and his tail with his own. Indra was still laughing, quietly. His whole body shook with each soft exhale.
“Hello,” Indra said, once he calmed down enough.
Rex raised an eyebrow. “Hello.”
“Ready to go?” Indra asked, wiggling underneath him.
“Yeah,” Rex said, and he let Indra up with a grin. Indra shot up, and he breached out of the surface, diving back into the water with a small splash. He was slim, too slim, but he had always been a graceful swimmer. He could splash as much as he wanted, landing to make a big one (for his size) or one that was barely there. “Got your energy out?”
Indra nodded. “One day I will beat you in our tussles.”
“Sure,” Rex said, obliged.
“You don’t believe me,” Indra said, eyes narrowed. Rex hummed, and he slung an arm around Indra’s shoulders. Indra melted into his side, and Rex couldn’t stop thinking of how right it felt to have him there. The merman had been putting on weight, which was a good thing, as Rex was pretty sure that he could see every one of his ribs at one point, and his tail looked so fragile that he thought he could have snapped it off altogether.
“I do believe you, Indy,” he said, “But I don’t think it’ll be any time soon.”
Indra pouted. “When do you think I will beat you?”
“When I’m old and feeble,” Rex responded with a grin.
“Hey!” Indra said, indignant again. Rex just held him closer and chuckled at the merman’s pout. Indra did that often, and Rex had long since figured out that there was a difference between an actual upset pout and a content pout, such as the one he was wearing now. He teased Indra often, and he always reacted the same way, which made it all the more enjoyable to do so. It wasn’t his fault that Indra was adorable when he was faux upset.
Indra started chattering not long after they left the village, this time heading east. Rex listened, interjecting only when he wanted clarification or to respond to one of Indra’s questions. He was happy to listen and enjoy Indra’s stories and rambling thoughts. He was starting to grow more comfortable in his own skin as well as in Rex’s house and with Rex’s family, which was overall… good. Indra and his cousins could get into quite a bit of trouble, especially Hardcase. Although, Fives and Echo certainly had their moments, especially Fives.
When they reached the entrance to the canyon, Indra fell silent, just observing. He stopped, and since Rex had his arm around his shoulders and wanted it to stay there, he also stopped. This was not the deepest of canyons. In fact, while shadowed, the light could still filter to the bottom, as it was not overly narrow. Coral attached itself to the edge of the walls at various depths, and there was much life in this place. Fish darted between different types of coral and seaweed. There were fish of all colors, blue, red, pink, orange, purple. Some of Indra’s fishes were among these, and he heard Indra gasp as he spotted a docile hammerhead slowly swim along the bottom, scattering fish in every which direction. However, the shark did not seem hungry at this moment and was simply moving along his way.
“It’s so beautiful,” Indra whispered, eyes wide with awe. His dark brown glimmered with the hints of light reflecting off of them. Rex loved them, loved how much wonder could hide in the dark of them. The way his pupils dilated, and he couldn’t tell the difference between the pupil and the iris. He tugged gently on his arm.
“Come on,” Rex said, “It’s even more beautiful close up.”
Indra followed, swimming up and down in waves, almost like one of the bugs bouncing along the surface. Indra looked everywhere, flipping on his back to watch schools of fish swim above them. His mouth fell open a bit, and Indra couldn’t stop glancing between everything, trying to take it all in. Rex spent more time watching Indra than the fish, which he didn’t mind. He had been here before, and he knew it was still amazing, that the beauty changed as the seasons progressed on their march.
Indra was a more constant beauty. The waves of his hair, the darkness of his eyes, and the pale lilac of his scales drew Rex in. His scale color rarely changed with his emotions, as Indra had hid himself behind so many walls. It made Rex proud as a child when he was able to illicit the happy colors to flash just briefly. Even now, as Indra was relaxing, the walls were still up, and Rex doubted they would ever come down fully, but manda, if he wasn’t going to try. Indra deserved the best he had to offer, and he wasn’t going to disappoint him.
Indra hugged Rex tightly, startling him out of his thoughts. Rex’s arms wrapped around his ribcage. His head bent down to rest on top of Indra’s. His arms had wrapped tightly around Rex’s neck, and their tails gently curled around each other. The lilac curled with the dark blue. Rex wasn’t sure what brought on this hug, but he didn’t question it. He enjoyed hugging Indra, holding him close. Indra felt safe here, and Rex would never deny him that. He could never. Indra was strong, but even he needed somewhere to rest.
“Thank you,” Indra said, wiping a tear away.
“You’re welcome,” Rex said, pulling away gently. “What’s wrong?”
“I- Just thoughts,” Indra said.
“I’m here to listen,” said Rex.
Indra nodded, and he allowed Rex to lead him to the lip of the canyon. They sat on it, dispersing a few of the fish there. Indra watched them swim away until they dived into the canyon. Rex waited, knowing that some things were too hard to say right away. Some things needed time, needed thought. Rex had a theory on what Indra was about to tell him, but he still waited, just rubbing Indra’s shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around Indra’s shoulders when the merman slumped against his shoulder.
“He was awful,” Indra started. “He kept food from us and medical supplies, and he would hit us, especially Onyx. Onyx had it so much worse, because he would do things to get in trouble so he would forget about me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Rex said.
“It was just our life… scavenging food on the way home from school, hide when his friends came over,” Indra said, and he shuddered. “They were worse than him, but we would figure out ways to be out of the house, typically with you and Fox. He would never try anything with Jango and Jaster home.”
“I’m glad we could be a safe haven for the two of you,” Rex said, “Why did you never say anything?”
“Because we were scared of him, scared of what he would do to us, to y’all, if he found out we spoke,” Indra said. “He worked with the Fungi, worked with Palpatine and Laverna. And Onyx didn’t really trust you and your family.”
“He didn’t?” Rex asked, alarmed and surprised.
Indra shook his head. “He had it far worse than I did. Not only because he was protecting me, but because his punishments were far harsher than mine ever were. And he would share his food and use the med supplies on me, instead of himself. I knew kindness… I’m not sure he did, except from me.”
“And he had to protect you,” Rex said, a sad realization coming to him. “I know his life was harder, but yours was still not great either. If you need me, just ask.”
“Thank you,” Indra said, and they sat there in silence for a moment. Indra watched the fish underneath them, and Rex stared up at the surface, watching the waves break the sunlight’s filtering, shifting the rays beaming down at the sandy bottom. Indra pulled away and swam quickly back towards the house. “Bet I’ll beat you home.”
Rex laughed. “Cheater!” he cried, before following after the giggling merman.
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Indra shot up from his sleep that night, tears streaming down his face. A quiet gasp escaped his lips. His chest heaved, shallow gasps. He wasn’t getting enough air, and he couldn’t calm down right that moment. The darkness of the room creeped ever closer, and he felt his tail vibrating under the kelp blanket. He shivered as he felt the water chill around him. He tried taking deep breaths, as his eyes darted around the room. It didn’t work, and he knew that he would need someone else to help him calm down. But he couldn’t bring himself to make a noise, and his muscles were tensed, unable to move. He was frozen in fear from a nightmare of Fungi and his uncle.
“Rex,” he whispered, flinching at the noise. Of course, Rex, who was sleeping in the room across the hall, couldn’t hear him. “Rex.” He was only slightly louder, not much over a whisper. He pulled his tail up to his chest, bending it. His flippers crushed underneath it, and his whole body trembled now. His heart was pounding so loudly that he knew if anything was in the room it would hear it. He swallowed, as tears swelled up in his eyes. A whale bellowed outside, and he squealed. “Rex!”
He heard a tumble across the hall, and a few doors opened. A few hushed whispers could be heard outside his door before it opened. Wolffe and Cody were waiting in the hall, but Rex slipped in, pushing the door to. Indra held his arms open to him, and Rex was immediately by his side, hugging him.
“What’s wrong, Indy?” Rex asked, whispering.
“I had a nightmare,” Indra said, sobbing.
“I’m here,” Rex said, hugging him tighter. “I will protect you.” Indra nodded, crying. He buried his face into Rex’s shoulder, and he felt Rex’s breathing against him. He slowly calmed down. His breathing returned to normal, deepening. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Rex rubbed circles into his back, rocking and humming. Indra curled into him.
“Can you stay?” Indra asked.
“Of course,” Rex said, “Here or my room?”
Indra shivered. “Your room please.”
“Okay,” Rex said, and he pulled away only enough to guide Indra to his room.
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Indra followed Rex down to the lower level for lunch the next day. He had stayed inside Rex’s room, sleeping in. Rex hadn’t left him, despite being up since around eight in the morning. Even once he was awake, it had taken Indra several minutes to get the energy to pull himself out of Rex’s embrace. It was only his rumbling stomach that motivated himself to leave the warmth. Rex had chuckled and ruffled Indra’s hair.
Everyone else was out of the house, except for Onyx, who was hiding in his room again, and the three adults. Indra glanced at them a bit nervously, but he sat down next to Jaster without hesitation. He trusted them, but they looked serious and that could mean a lot of bad things. Rex fiddled in the kitchen’s storage units, scrounging up food for the two of them. His tail flicked back and forth, waiting for Rex to come back. His gaze bored into the wooden frame of the table.
“Hey, Indra,” Arla said, and Indra looked up at her. “I was wondering if you were free for a quick chat.”
Indra nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What about?” Rex asked, setting a plate in front of Indra. Indra dug in, happily, not really worried about the talk. Maybe he should have anxiety about it, but right now, all he could think about was food. He was used to regular meals now, so missing one was significantly worse than previously. He let out a quiet hum as the flavor exploded on his tongue, and he chewed. It was nice, some of his favorites.
“We thought that Indra might feel more comfortable here if we made a few rules and discuss the consequences,” Jaster answered, careful to not use the word punishment.
Indra tuned back into the conversation, and he thought about it. “That makes sense,” Indra said, after a moment, using a cloth to wipe his face. “I think it will help too.”
“Are you sure?” Rex asked, nervous.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Indra answered.
“That’s great,” Jango said, “Are you ready?”
Indra took the last few bites of his breakfast, before nodding, “Yeah, I am.”
“Okay,” Jaster said, “For rules, we think you need to make sure to eat three meals a day and eat snacks.” He sent Indra a pointed look, and the younger merman flushed, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “We want you to try to get eight hours of sleep. Exceptions would include nightmares or if there is a holiday such as New Years or if you have something come up, we can discuss. But over all, sleep eight hours. Sound good so far?”
Indra nodded. “I won’t get in trouble today?”
“Nope,” Arla said, popping the p sound, “You weren’t aware. Besides, you did have a nightmare last night, so it makes sense that you slept in. You could eat an extra smaller meal between lunch and dinner if you want to eat three meals, or just add in an extra snack. The three meals thing can be a bit lenient, because as long as you’re healthy, we’re not going to police was constitutes as a meal.”
“Okay, yeah, that makes sense,” Indra said.
“If you get injured, we want you to tell somebody. Kix is a medic, going to be a doctor, I’m sure he doesn’t mind practicing on you,” Jango said, and he had a proud smile on his face. Kix still meant more nights with Jesse than here at home, and Indra figured part of it was the continuing tension between Onyx and Fox, as well as Jango and Fox. While he wanted to help, he knew that Onyx wouldn’t share until he was ready, and that Fox could out stubborn himself. He was sure that the stress of the fight with Fox and Onyx’s sudden decline in trust and Kix being away from home was getting to Jango, and Indra appreciated that he was still concerned about himself.
“What if I don’t know if it’s Kix worthy injury?” Indra asked. “I don’t want to interrupt him since he’s studying so hard if it’s not that bad.”
“Then we want you to ask one of us,” Arla answered. “It could be Rex or me or Jango or Jaster. Or Wolffe. Probably not Boba.”
Indra chuckled. “Okay, that works.”
“Those are the rules,” Jango said. “It’s not a lot, because you are an adult. You can make your own choices and do as you wish otherwise. You don’t have a curfew. We would like if you let us know if you will be staying out late or overnight, but it’s not a rule. We trust you to take care of yourself.”
Indra nodded. “So, what about the pun- consequences?” Indra tensed a bit. He was more nervous about this part. They said consequences, probably to avoid reminding him of how his uncle had treated him. He shuddered. Those punishments hardly fit the crime. At least, according to Rex and his family.
Jaster nodded, sending him a proud smile. “If you don’t eat three meals and snacks, basically if you don’t take care of yourself, then you will have to eat them with one of us for the next day. Us meaning myself, Jango, or Arla. It’s not because we want to control you, or want to pressure you into eating when you are not feeling well or feeling hungry. We just want to make sure that you know it’s okay to eat and that eating is necessary, not something to be taken away, like a stolen toy.”
“I didn’t know!” Rex said, whining a bit. “I saw it at the park.”
Indra stifled a laugh, to be kind. Arla was not so nice, and she laughed loudly. “Oh, ad, I remember that.”
Rex crossed his arms, pouting. Indra cuddled with him, and Rex wrapped his arms around his stomach, pulling Indra to lean on him, so his back was pressed to Rex’s chest. Indra resettled, looking over at Jango, Jaster, and Arla, amused by their antics. He saw Arla stick her tongue out at Rex, so he could safely assume that Rex was doing it too. He giggled a bit, but otherwise, he just waited.
Jaster shook his head, amused, and Jango rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. “You two do realize that you are both adults, right?”
“Yep,” Rex and Arla answered at the same time, staring at Jango innocently.
Jango pursed his lips, but Indra could see the amused gleam in his eyes. “Alright, you two, back on track. Indra-” Indra met Jango’s eyes. “If you don’t get enough sleep, you will simply be told to take a nap after lunch, nothing too long. Nothing that will mess up your sleep schedule, but just something to make sure you’re well rested. Sound good?”
“Yes, sir,” Indra answered.
Jango groaned. “New rule, don’t call me sir.”
Indra laughed. “Okay.”
“Last, if you hide injuries,” Jaster said, looking at him seriously, “Then you will be grounded.”
“Grounded?” Indra asked, a tad nervously.
“You will have to stay here, unless one of us can come with you. It’s just until whatever injury you tried to hide is fully healed. We don’t want you to get hurt, ad’ika,” Jaster answered. “You would still be allowed access to the shows and books, but you wouldn’t be able to go hang out until it’s better. Understood?”
“Understood,” Indra said, and then he asked, “Why is that one worse than the other two?”
“The other two, there might be viable reasons that you have to miss a meal or not sleep well,” Arla said, “But there should be no reason that you hide when you’re injured. If you have a good reason, although I can’t think of any, then we can discuss it. In general, we don’t want to encourage you to not come to us or somebody about being hurt.”
Indra nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, ad’ika,” Jango said, and Indra pulled away from Rex to hug the older merman. Jango wrapped his arms around the slight figure, pulling Indra closer. He stayed there for a moment, basking in the feeling of a buir’s hug. After a moment, he moved onto Jaster, and the oldest merman wrapped him up, much like Jango had. This family was great huggers, Indra decided, as he moved onto Arla. Arla was smaller than the mermen, but she was a great hugger just the same. It felt like… a mother’s embrace, despite the fact that she would be his aunt-in-law if Rex and he ever became a thing. He highly doubted that would happen, but a merman could dream.
Indra and Rex washed their dishes from lunch, chatting about what the adultier family members brought up. Indra admitted that while he had been nervous during the conversation, it made him feel better to have these rules and know the consequences. Rex grinned, happy that Indra was now even more relaxed than before. He had been nervous that Indra would be upset by this conversation. It was why his family had waited so long to bring it up, but it ended up okay in the end.
“What do you want to do now?” Indra asked.
“I kind of want to keep exploring the canyons,” Rex said, and that was what they did for the next few days.
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Everything had been going great for Indra. He ate when he was hungry, was sleeping well, and he had not been injured significantly. He cut himself on a piece of coral, but he told Rex, and Rex had simply wrapped it up with some bandages and pressed a small kiss over the wound through the bandage. Indra flushed, and his scales flickered to a darker purple, a pleased embarrassment. Rex had always flushed, explaining that he was used to caring for Boba. Indra waved it away, saying it was fine. Even if his heart stung a bit.
However, last night had not been a good night. He didn’t have a nightmare, and he wasn’t even all that anxious. He just couldn’t sleep, no matter how much he tossed and turned. In fact, he didn’t sleep until after the sun started peeking over the horizon. At that point, he passed out, not even remembering falling asleep.
When Rex came to wake him up the next morning, he groaned. Rex had gone back to his bedroom and didn’t see the way Indra’s eyes shot open as anxiety pooled in his stomach. Manda, he was supposed to go to bed at the latest midnight, and it had been well after six in the morning when sleep finally overtook him. He closed his eyes, letting his head hit his pillow. He dozed off, jerking awake when he heard Rex call his name.
He got ready for the day and swam to the lower level, tail brushing the floor. “Um… Jango,” he said, hands clenched into fists.
“Yeah, kiddo?” Jango asked, intentionally not looking at the nervous merman. He continued setting the table and grabbing a plate for Indra.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Indra said, figuring it was best to tell the truth, see if they were honest about the consequences.
“Okay,” Jango said. “Just make sure to take a nap after lunch.”
“Just a nap?” Indra asked, slinking over to sit at the table.
“Just a nap,” Jango answered.
Indra ate breakfast, fully relaxed now. His head ached a bit, and Jango handed him some medicine before he even had to ask. He took it gratefully, continuing to eat. “Thank you for breakfast.”
“You’re welcome, Indra,” Jango said, doing some dishes from the preparation.
“I guess you won’t be up for more exploring today, huh?” Rex asked.
“Probably not,” Indra said, regretfully.
“That’s okay,” Rex said, “I was hoping to do something different today. Movie marathon?”
“Oh, yes please,” Indra said, and the two of them dropped their plates and silverware in the sink at Jango’s prompting before taking over the coral couch. Rex got everything set up, and Indra grabbed pillows and blankets set up. Jango dropped some clam corn for the two to snack on during the movies.
Indra snuggled up with Rex as the first movie started playing. He was so engrossed in the movies that he didn’t notice when Fox dropped off two plates of food. Indra simply munched while the action of the movie continued, and Rex chuckled at him. It wasn’t long after lunch, when he was full and warm and cozy, that Indra fell asleep. Rex readjusted, letting Indra’s head rest on his lap as he continued on with the movie series. Indra slept deeply and for a few hours, but when he woke up, he felt way better than he had during the morning.
“What time is it?” Indra asked, yawning.
“About four,” Rex said, glancing at the clock over the shellevision. “You have a couple more hours until dinner, if you are still tired.”
“Not anymore,” Indra responded. “That was a good nap.”
“I’m glad.”
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Rex waited nervously in the park that he had initially met Indra at. Bly was supposed to be bringing him by soon. Rex had recruited him to distract Indra, while he set up this date… or what he hoped would be a date. He was going to ask Indra out, and if he said yes, this would be their first date: a picnic in the park where they met, in the exact spot they had met too. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and he swallowed as he saw Indra looking around for him. He saw Indra’s face brighten when he saw him, and he swam over quickly.
“Rex!” Indra said, excited, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” he answered. He gestured towards the picnic blanket and basket. “Would you… Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Indra’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. “Yes!”
“Really?” Rex asked.
“Really,” Indra said, grinning, and Rex pulled Indra into a hug and twirled them around. Indra laughed loudly, startling a few fish. Rex didn’t care. He just settled the two of them down on the blanket, pulling out Indra’s favorite as the redheaded merman leaned on him. His arm wrapped around his shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to Indra’s temple, before he held out a piece of fruit for Indra to taste.