Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Thump thump thump.

Heavy bass rippled through the water in time with Scar’s heart, each wave of the music sending a sharp pain through his skull. He hated this music so much. He hated the way it reverberated through him, the way it seemed to overpower any other sound. Any other sound, that was, but the announcer over the microphone. He was giving his big long spiel that he did every show, something about dolphins and trainers and all that. His understanding of the human language was still pretty limited. 

He flicked his fins anxiously, straining his ears beyond the thudding bass to listen for his cue. They were about to start talking about him, and he had to mold into his performance. Bare his teeth, upturn the corners of his lips, smile like how the humans do. Make sure his eyes sparkle, make sure his hair is out of his face, make sure the light hits his tail just right so that his skin shone. 

A shrill beep sliced through the water, and Scar flicked his tail sharply, sending himself bursting through the surface. The sound around him seemed to multiply over and over again, hammering against his ears, but he ignored it, flashing a bright smile towards the blurry shapes and colors that made up the audience. He turned in the air and dove back into the water, quickly whipping around to poke himself up out of the surface again. His tail and fins ached from the effort of pushing himself so hard, but he couldn’t devote any attention to it. He had to keep performing.

The announcer was still speaking, telling some made up nonsense about where Scar was from and why he was working with them. Lies, all of it. After all, the truth was a far too ugly for the public, and probably illegal, if what Scar was told about human laws was true. 

Another cue rang out from beneath the water, quiet enough that the audience wouldn’t hear it but loud enough that Scar’s sensitive ears felt that it was too much. He lifted his arms out of the water, flicking his wrists, and four dolphins flew from the surface, arcing gracefully through the air and landing with a splash that sprayed water all over the first few rows of seats. Then they looped back around, moving towards the shallower area of the pool to receive their treats. Scar followed them, turning his back to the audience as he reached for one of the buckets of ice they used to reward the dolphins. The trainer standing next to the edge was grinning from ear to ear, though when their eyes landed on Scar, there was an annoyed look in their eyes. Scar returned it before turning back around and replacing his bright smile.

The rest of the show was much of the same. The dolphins would perform their little tricks, and then Scar would follow them, pretending to be the one guiding the show instead of being just as trained as they were. Then Scar would show off a few unique traits about himself, the announcer talking about his tail and fins and gills while he stuck each individual part of himself out of the water. Then there was an educational segment about the dolphins. Finally, the finale. 

Spins, flips, dives, splashes. Over and over again, Scar lapped the pool, his face aching from smiling, his tail begging for a break. He didn’t give in. He couldn’t. The music was still so loud in his ears, echoing around in his skull, the cheers were worse, but he couldn’t stop. The music swelled, he did one final jump, twisting in the air, and plunged beneath the surface. He waited, counting to five before he poked himself up out of the water again. The audience was clapping their hands together, applause washing over him like gunshots as he continued to smile, dipping into a bow before twisting his body and waving at them with his tail. It was harder for him, he had to turn himself sideways in order to make it look like the dolphins, but he did it anyway. 

The announcer spoke again, and the applause died down as he informed them that they could now leave the stadium, and that there were trainers stationed around the glass wall of the pool if anyone had any questions. Scar took a deep breath through his gills. He was almost done. He just had to wait for everyone to leave, swimming laps along the glass wall for all the children to wave at and slam their tiny hands against the glass. He only had to keep his smile in place for a few more minutes. He was so close.

Loop after loop he swam, occasionally placing his hands against the glass to the delight of the fry, flicking his pectoral fins in discomfort every time one of them pounded against the wall. He was ready to end this show, to curl up in his den and enjoy at least a few moments of silence before the trainers came for him. Every inch of him seemed to throb in pain, which was pretty typical for the end of shows, and he was very glad he didn’t have any more today. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle another one.

It was as he was doing his fifth lap of the pool that his eyes snagged on one of the spectators by the glass. It was an adult human, wearing a bright red sweater and crouching up next to the wall. Instead of delight on their face, they looked…sad. That…that was unusual. Scar couldn’t help but feel curious, and he slowed his loop as he approached them, running his hand along the wall. They met his eyes, lifting a hand to the glass and tapping it gently. 

The sound was soft, deliberate, and Scar was attempting to figure out the meaning of it when a sharp whistle echoed from the speakers at the bottom of the pool. He flicked his fins sharply in reaction to the sudden sound, then spun around, swimming to the now open tunnel segment of the pool which would lead him to his smaller tank. He could already feel his movement slowing down in reaction to the exertion of the show, and he knew it would be a few hours before he would be able to do much more than sit in his den. But first, he had to be yelled at by the trainers.

He surfaced once more, letting the smile drop from his face as he swam over to where the three trainers were waiting. One of them blew their whistle at him–which was extremely unnecessary since he was already swimming towards them–and he picked up his pace in response. They started yelling before he had even reached them, angry voices echoing over him. He didn’t bother trying to translate what they were saying. He already knew. Tighten your turns, jump higher, show more enthusiasm. Be a better performer. It was all the same. Now they would tell him that he wouldn’t be receiving dinner that evening, and that he should improve if he wanted to eat. 

And like clockwork, they did. He ducked his head in an attempt to look complicit and apologetic, and they seemed to buy it because they dismissed him without any more scathing remarks. He ducked below the water again, slowly dragging himself through the water to his den, where he laid against the cool stone floor and finally, finally rested.

-

It was supposed to be a research opportunity. That was what the department heads had told Grian when they handed him the ticket to go see the dolphin show at the nearby aquarium. They had a variety of different exhibits, but the dolphin show was something that stood out among the others, more than any other dolphin show at any other aquarium. This dolphin show had a mer.

Mer weren’t that uncommon around these areas, there were plenty of rivers and lakes that ran through the country, and if you went far enough in any direction, you would run into an ocean. There were even mer who lived in the cities, aiding scientists and biologists with their research and study. 

But a mer that was taking place in a show? That was something different. Something rare. 

That was how Grian found himself sitting in a large amphitheater with music blasting from its speakers, a few rows above the splash zone, notepad in hand. He wasn’t actually that interested in mer, his job focused a lot more on smaller fish and other creatures, like gastropods. He particularly liked snails. But the department heads had been insistent that he gather notes on the mer, and he wasn’t about to argue with them, not when they could take away his scholarship. He needed that financial aid. Besides, it would probably help out somewhat with their research. 

Mer were still fairly wild, all things considered. Even the few that lived in cities preferred not to show a public face, and so research about them was fairly limited. And with the laws in place protecting them as a sentient species, no one wanted to overstep and land themselves in prison for life. Grian didn’t mind doing some casual observation to report back to the higher ups. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, one and all, welcome to our very own dolphin show!” An announcer spoke over the speakers. “Today, you will experience a display like no other, a show that will leave you breathless! Please take your seats and remain seated throughout the entire show. Also mind the splash zones if you don’t want to get wet. Exits are up the stairs and to the left and right. At the end of the show, we would like to invite you all to come up to the glass and meet our dolphins and their trainers, who will answer all of the questions you have. 

“Now, before we get started, I have the pleasure of introducing you all to the star of our show. As many of you know, we have a very special trainer on our team, from the coasts of the Caribbean. Three years ago, he approached us with an offer to help train our dolphins. How could we say no? Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you all to Trader, the Caribbean Reef Shark mer!” 

With a splash, the mer burst from the water, and Grian leaned forward in his seat to get a better look. He had long brown hair and beautiful blue-ish grey fins emerging from the sides of his face and along his body. His tail was the same gorgeous color, with the blue slightly more prominent, and Grian frowned slightly. That didn’t look like the tail of a Caribbean Reef Shark. That looked more like a catfish tail. A channel catfish if he had to guess a species. It must have been the distance confusing him. After all, he liked to focus on gastropods. Maybe he was just a little bit off. Still, something didn’t sit quite right in his gut at the reveal.

“Trader joined our team with a mission,” The announcer continued. “To help spread knowledge and encourage marine studies around the world! That is what we hope to do for you all this afternoon. But first, let’s meet our dolphins!”

For the rest of the show, Grian couldn’t help but focus on the mer. Obviously he was the centerpiece of the entire display, but there was something about him that just seemed…off. It took him up until the halfway point of the show, when he was showing off his features, to start putting together the pieces. 

The mer was covered in scars. It was hard to see from a distance, and with the water and the lights they were almost invisible, but they were all over him. Across his nose, his jaw, his arms, his ribs. Even his tail was marked with them, and one of his fins was notched. He looked like he had been far more injured than any mer protected under law should. 

He also knew with a surety that he was not a Caribbean Reef Shark. Reef sharks didn’t have light blue fins tipped with orange-pink. He must be a channel or blue catfish, there was no doubt about it. Grian had spotted it from the beginning. 

There was also the flick of his pectoral fins every few minutes, every time the sound grew loud or he had to flip onto his stomach to show off his gills or fins or tail. It seemed involuntary, an instinctive motion used normally to escape, a motion that had been quelled in favor of staying perfectly still. This was a behavior Grian had seen in sharks before, though usually they didn’t opt for staying in place, instead darting away when threatened. 

If Grian was right and the mer was actually a catfish, then he must be exhausted. While catfish could do jumps out of the water when in danger, they were much more suited to sitting on the sandy bottoms of rivers. They weren’t built for long swims or crazy maneuvers. And sure enough, when Grian looked closer, he could see the tired slump to the mer’s shoulders, the droop to his fins. He was out of energy, and yet he kept on performing, the same bright smile plastered to his face.

Something was very wrong here. Something that definitely needed to be reported to the authorities. 

Grian pulled out his phone, hastily typing out a message to Gem. 

Grian : hey i’m at the show the heads sent me to, the mer is definitely not here of free will

Grian : they said he’s a reef shark but he’s definitely a catfish

Grian : he should not be doing these tricks

Grian : what do i do

Grian : who do i call

Gem : okay you need to get as much info as possible

Gem : location, people involved, crimes committed, everything

Gem: then call the fws line

Gem : here i’ll get you the number

Grian: thanks

Grian : it’s bad i think, he’s covered in scars and he looks exhausted

Grian: he’s a good actor but like

Grian: gem it’s bad

Gem: 1-844-397-8477

Gem: you can text or call

Gem: since you’re in the place right now i would recommend texting

Gem : and mention that you were in contact with me, then i might be able to help with this case

Grian: thanks

Gem: good luck

Gem: oh and pearl says hi and good luck as well

Grian: tell her thanks from me 

Grian snapped several pictures of the mer, then composed a long text to the number that Gem had sent him. He explained the scars, the exhaustion, the way that he kept on twitching his fins. Every few seconds he would look up again to see him doing another flip or spin. The longer the show went on for, the more his fins drooped, and the more his smile seemed forced. If Grian hadn’t been paying such close attention, he would have missed it. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Thank you for contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service. An agent will respond to you shortly.

Grian gripped his phone tighter, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Hi, this is Gem. Thank you for sending this information in, we will act on it as soon as we can. Please continue to gather as much data as you can and report it here. We may also want to meet with you on location once we put together a team, so if you can, please stay close to the area of your report. Thank you once again, we will be in contact shortly.

Gem: sorry for the fancy speech, it’s protocol

Grian: thank you so much

Gem: it’s my job, don’t thank me

Gem: but you’re welcome

Grian sighed, closing his phone. Now all he had to do was wait. The music around the theater grew louder, more intense, leading up to the finale. While everyone around him grew excited, phones and cameras at the ready, he just felt dismay. He packed his notebook away into his bag, preparing to leave and stand outside the theater to wait for Gem and her team to arrive. But something stopped him.

As the finale finished, the announcer informed everyone that they could now leave out of any of the exits, and to please approach the glass wall to meet the dolphins and their trainers. The dolphins began to loop around the edge of the pool, and so did the mer, occasionally pressing his hands up against the glass to the delight of the kids on the other side. Grian adjusted the bag on his shoulder, then stood, moving down towards the glass instead of up towards the exits. There weren’t a lot of spaces up by the wall that were free of children, but he managed to squeeze into a spot and crouch down to see into the pool. 

It was a pretty typical show pool, with concrete edges and nothing else. There were a few tunnels in the wall that no doubt led to the individual tanks for the dolphins, but he couldn’t see beyond the grates placed over them. There didn’t seem to be any tunnel distinctive from the rest that would indicate where the mer would enter and leave, which was even more concerning, seeing as the dolphins were a different shape and size from the mer. If the mer was expected to swim through those tunnels, he would probably scrape his fins and tail doing so. 

The mer swam around the edge of the glass again, running his hand along it before slowing in front of Grian. He was still smiling brightly, but it slipped a bit as they made eye contact. He had beautiful green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the pool, and there was a layer of sadness in them that made Grian’s heart ache in sympathy. He lifted his hand to the glass and tapped it lightly, careful not to do it hard enough to hurt the mer’s ears. The mer tilted his head to one side ever so slightly, then flicked his pectoral fins sharply again, twisting around and swimming over to one of the tunnels in the wall. The grate had been removed, and he slipped inside without much more ceremony. 

Grian pushed himself back up to his feet, adjusting his bag once more, and his eyes just so happened to land on one of the trainers stationed along the wall. They were staring directly at him, a look of suspicion on their face. He forced himself not to change his expression, lifting a hand to wave at them before turning away and walking towards the nearest exit. The moment he was out, he let out another long sigh, pulling his phone out again. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: A team has been dispatched to your location. Please standby. 

Grian moved to sit down on one of the benches, collapsing onto it and tugging his sweater sleeves over his hands. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Chapter Text

Scar wasn’t sure how much time passed since he slunk back to his den. All he knew was that he was starving and that there was a strange commotion coming from up in the trainer area of the pool. He tilted his head to one side, listening closely, but he couldn’t tell what was going on. Just that there was shouting. The trainers tended to shout a lot, but this seemed…different. More rushed. Scared.

He slowly slipped out of his den, wincing at the soreness in his limbs as he floated towards the surface. He didn’t break it-–he didn’t want to be seen and beaten back into submission--but he did hover a few feet below it, watching what was going on through the distortion of the water.

The trainers were sprinting around the tanks, occasionally slipping and catching themselves on the railings as they grabbed bags and tools. They weren’t wearing their diving gear either, instead more casual clothing, though their hair was still wet. That meant that either the show had only been an hour or two ago, or that they had been hanging around the diving pools and had only just gotten out. They were all yelling at each other, sharp barking words that he could only vaguely understand. Something about trouble and being trapped and escaping. 

Then the door up against the far wall burst open, and several armed people flooded inside, catching the trainers off guard. Scar watched with wide eyes as they pointed their guns at the trainers, one of them shouting something about a “warrant” and an “arrest”. That was his cue to dive back down to the bottom of his tank and hide in his den. He didn’t want to be shot today. He knew how terrifying those weapons could be if fired, he’d seen mer and humans alike be killed by them. 

It was tucked in the back of his den where he listened to the shouting escalate and then die down, followed by silence returning once more. He flicked a loose piece of gravel across the pool floor, watching it drift along as he counted slowly in his head. After several minutes, he decided he would dare a peek above the surface. He couldn’t stay down here and not know what was going on, that just wasn’t right. He was far too curious about what was going on with the armed people and the trainers. 

Once again, he slowly made his way back towards the surface, this time allowing his head to poke out above the water. His eyes immediately landed on two figures standing by the door, having a hushed conversation. One of them was the human with the bright red sweater, the one from the end of the show earlier. They were talking to another human, this one with bright orange hair pulled back underneath a cloth tied around their head. They had a small gun on their hip, but their arms were folded and they didn’t look like they would be reaching for it any time soon. 

“--locked up far away, where they won’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again.” The one with orange hair said definitively.

“It’s just…how come no one else saw this? I mean, even without the mer, the tanks are terrible, the fish and the dolphins, they’re…” The one with the red sweater trailed off, and Scar was struck once again by how sad they looked. 

“Yeah. It’s bad.” The orange haired one nodded. “But we’re taking care of it now, we’ll get them in a court and they’ll never be able to touch the ocean or its creatures ever again. Our biggest issue now is rehabilitation, seeing as a lot of the animals have been poorly trained and have learned to rely on a certain feeding schedule and such. It’ll be a long process for sure, and I’m not entirely sure where we’ll do it. We might have to do it at the university.”

“I can definitely talk to the department heads about it. We have a lot of empty tanks and a lot of students like me who are willing and eager to help.” The red sweater one perked up a little bit at the other’s words. “We’ve got a pretty great team of professionals too, and if need be, I’m sure you guys could fly out more, right?”

“Oh definitely.” They agreed readily. “Pearl’s probably going to want to come out for the mer, I told her while I was getting the team ready that this was happening.” 

Scar’s eyes widened at the mention of him, and he sank slightly lower into the water, prepared to dart away if necessary. If it was true that the trainers were gone, he had an opportunity to escape. He could get back to his lake and never have to deal with humans again. He just had to make sure that he got away before these people could claim him as theirs. 

“Speaking of which, have we found him yet?” The red sweatered human tugged on their sleeves. 

“No, not yet.” Orange Hair shook their head.

“That makes me nervous. Really nervous.” Red Sweater fidgeted with the strap of their bag. They seemed to fidget a lot. More than any of the trainers had, that was for sure. “I mean, what if he’s hurt? Or the trainers did something to him? Or…”

“Grian.” Orange Hair pushed his shoulder lightly. “Stop overthinking things. We’ll find him. It’s okay.”

Scar flicked his fins, thinking over their conversation. Clearly they were looking for him, which normally wouldn’t be ideal, but at the same time, they didn't seem to think hurting him would be a good idea? They probably thought he was aggressive, most mer were under captivity. He had been too. That had been beaten out of him. Although…these were new people. They probably didn't know how to hurt him the right way. If he fought hard enough…yes, he could definitely get out. Get them to release him for being feral. He just had to fight hard enough and hope that they wouldn't figure him out too quickly. Easy.

“We’ve got our diving crews in all the tanks, there's only the few left in here.” Orange Hair continued. “We’ll find him.”

“You’re right.” Red Sweater slumped. “I just…”

“You’re a big worrier. I know.” Orange Hair smiled in that way that humans did, baring their teeth in the way the trainers had forced Scar to learn. 

“Gem?” A new human stepped into view, this one much larger than the other two. If they were a mer, they'd definitely be a protector, with their strong build and air of authority. “We have all the staff in custody now. The experts are on site, we're going to start the transporting process now. This is…well, I won't lie, this is a pretty big legal situation we have here.”

“Oh, Skizz, good.” Orange Hair turned away from Red Sweater, addressing the newcomer. “That means I have a bunch of paperwork to fill out now, doesn’t it?”

“Not quite yet, you’ve gotta talk with the police now. Then it’s a bunch of paperwork.” The newcomer gave them a smile, though this one looked more…Scar didn’t know human emotions and body language enough to tell what it looked like, but it certainly looked different from the one that Orange Hair had given Red Sweater earlier.

They continued talking, using all sorts of words that Scar couldn’t even guess at the meaning of, so instead of listening to them, he turned his attention back to Red Sweater. The one who he had seen at the show. The one who seemed so incredibly sad.

They were looking back. 

Their eyes were wide, mouth slightly parted as they stared. They didn’t look scared, but they also didn’t look like they were sizing Scar up, the same way the trainers always did. They had an expression of awe, the kind that the spectators always had when approaching the glass, except there was more to it. There was still the sadness to their face, but also a curiosity that seemed less malicious than most humans Scar had seen.

That didn’t mean that he trusted the human. No, this was probably just his poor reading of human emotions. But now that they had locked eyes, it was clear that he couldn’t hide anymore. It was time for the next stage in his plan.

Violence.

“Hello.” Red Sweater said quietly, stepping up to the edge of the pool and crouching down next to it. “I’m Grian, I use he/him pronouns. I…we’re here to help.”

A likely story. Scar slowly drifted closer to him, flexing his claws. 

“I saw you earlier, I don’t know if you remember.” Grian tugged at his sleeves again. “I noticed that something wasn’t quite right with how you were–I mean, you weren’t doing anything wrong, I…you looked like you were in pain. And I mean, you’re clearly not a Caribbean Reef Shark, that’s just ridiculous, obviously you’re some kind of catfish variant-–I’m rambling. Sorry.” 

That was…a surprise. Scar wasn’t used to the humans being able to figure out what he was so quickly. It had taken weeks for the trainers to realize that he wasn’t a reef shark, or any kind of shark at all, and by that point it was far too late. But this human had figured it out in moments. 

“What’s your name?” Grian asked, and now Scar was close enough to reach him. The human bent over more so that he could see better, and Scar saw his opportunity to strike. His hand flashed out, grabbing his bright red sweater and yanking him into the pool. His balance was compromised from crouching and leaning over, he fell in easily with Scar’s help. 

Scar didn’t waste any time, grabbing the human with his other hand and dragging him down deeper and deeper into the pool. He had nearly killed one human this way, he could do this one. Even if he did know the difference between a reef shark and a catfish. The human was thrashing, kicking out with his inferior legs in an attempt to escape, but Scar had him too tightly. 

There was another splash from above, and Scar twisted in the water to see that both Orange Hair and the newcomer had jumped in, their shoes discarded. He spun away from them, still dragging the human behind him, but he wasn’t built for speed and his muscles still ached from performing. Plus, he was carrying a desperately thrashing human, which made things incredibly difficult. 

It was the newcomer that reached him first, grabbing him by the base of the tail and pulling him in. They were surprisingly gentle with him, though he didn’t take much notice of it since he was trying to break out of their grasp. Orange Hair swam up next to him, holding something in their hand, but he was too busy thrashing to see what. How ironic, that only seconds ago the human had been thrashing in his grip, and now he was taking that role. 

Something sharp stabbed into the base of his tail, and he let out a harsh cry, his voice cutting through the water far better than any human could. He let go of Red Sweater in lieu of fighting better, bringing his claws around to slash at the newcomer. But they were already gone. They had let go of him, and were instead holding Red Sweater and swimming towards the surface. He whirled around to try and attack Orange Hair, but his movement was more sluggish than it had been only a moment before. 

Orange Hair swam just out of his reach, eyes wide, an empty syringe in hand. They stared at him for a second longer, then kicked up towards the surface, leaving him behind. Scar blinked a few times, the motion slow, and he realized far too late that the sharp pain was that of an injection. 

The trainers had stuck him with things from time to time, mostly in the beginning when he had been more aggressive. They usually made him sick, unable to move, and sometimes they even hurt. This one…he just felt tired. Exhausted even. He wanted to stay awake, to keep fighting, but…it was like he had just run four shows in a row. 

He drifted to the floor of his tank, settling down on it. The rough floor scraped at his tail and fins and skin, but he barely noticed it as he stared blearily up at the surface. The last thing that he noted before his vision went black was that the lights shining through the rippled water almost looked like the sun shining through the surface of his lake.

-

Grian watched as the agents moved methodically from room to room, uncovering nightmare after nightmare about the aquarium and how it operated. From terrible tanks to even worse feeding habits, it was clear that the only reason this place existed was to wring money out of the pockets of those visiting. The animals were clearly suffering, but it had all been hidden behind the scenes. 

It made him sick to see the conditions that the creatures had been living in for so long. It made him feel even worse when he realized that the mer–which they hadn’t found yet–had been living in the same conditions, or maybe worse, seeing as the staff had hidden it all away so well. 

Gem stepped up next to him, clipboard in hand. “Hey. Breathe.” 

“I am, I am.” Grian took a deep breath just to prove it to her. 

“Do you need to take a break?” Gem didn’t let up, nudging him lightly with her shoulder to get him to look at her. 

“I…” Grian was about to say that he was fine, but honestly, a break sounded like a very good idea. “Yes please.” 

Gem led him past several agents, some armed with guns, others with clipboards. All of them had heartbroken looks on their faces. How could they not? This was probably the worst case any of them had ever seen, and it had gone under their noses for who knows how long. Not to mention that there were still staff running around, evading capture. But Skizz was working on that, and if there was one thing Grian knew about Skizz, it was that he wouldn’t rest until they were caught.

They stepped through a set of steel doors, ignoring the “Employees Only” sign, and emerged into a humid room filled with pools in the ground that were clearly the tops of tanks. Upon consulting his mental map, Grian realized that this room must be where the trainers prepared the dolphins–and the mer–for the show. He repressed a shudder, not letting his mind think about what might have happened here. 

“Sorry to drag you away from your work.” He gave Gem a sheepish look. 

“Don’t worry about it, we still have to check this room over anyway.” She replied. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Thanks.” Grian looked around the room, his eyes darting from the shelves of diving supplies and wetsuits. He could still hear the thrum of activity through the doors, though it was nearly overpowered by the sound of tank filters humming and water bubbling. Gem did her best to distract him from what was going on, and he appreciated it, he really did, but his mind was racing far too quickly for him to properly focus on what she was saying. He thought he did a good job of carrying the conversation though, and he managed to register the most important information. They would have to do a lot of rehabilitation, probably at the university, since it was the closest reasonable place to do it. They hadn’t found the mer yet. There were divers working in the tanks to help shepherd the animals towards transportation. 

That was about when Skizz stepped into the room and dragged Gem away into a new conversation about the legal details. Grian had never been very good with the legalities of things, so he let himself drift away from the conversation, looking around the room once more. That was when his eyes caught on something in one of the pools, just barely poking out above the water.

It was the mer. His hair was floating in the water around him, his bright green eyes locked on Grian, the fins on either side of his face lying flat against his skull. There was no recognizable emotion on his face, which was mostly because most of his face was obscured by the water. There was a moment where neither of them moved, their eye contact unwavering as they stared each other down. 

What was he supposed to do? Did he just stay there and wait for Gem to notice? Did he talk to him? Did he look away? Was he threatening him just by looking at him? How did mer behave, was he doing something to break some kind of mer etiquette? Finally he decided that the only thing he could do now was to approach the edge of the pool and try to talk to him.

“Hello.” He said calmly, crouching at the lip of the pool so that he wasn’t towering over him. “I’m Grian, I use he/him pronouns. I…we’re here to help.”

The mer’s fins twitched under the water, but he slowly swam closer to him. Good, that meant that he trusted him enough to be at a certain distance to him. That was a good thing, that was progress. He could work with that. 

“I saw you earlier, I don’t know if you remember. I noticed that something wasn’t quite right with how you were-–I mean, you weren’t doing anything wrong, I…you looked like you were in pain. And I mean, you’re clearly not a Caribbean Reef Shark, that’s just ridiculous, obviously you’re some kind of catfish variant–-” Grian stopped himself, fingers tightening on his sleeves. “I’m rambling. Sorry.”

The mer’s expression changed slightly, brows furrowing in what Grian’s assumed to be confusion. Did…did he speak English? If he didn’t, that would make things significantly harder, they’d have to call in a specialist–-though they were probably going to have to do that anyway. No, no, it was fine, they had Pearl, Pearl would be able to help. It was fine.

Grian leaned in slightly over the pool, still trying not to tower over the mer. “What’s your name?”

The next few seconds passed with such a rapid pace that even looking back on it, Grian still struggled to put the blur of activity into place. One moment, he was standing on the edge of the pool, the next he was in it, his arms pinned to his sides, sinking rapidly. The water was freezing, soaking through his clothing in an instant, and he almost instinctively gasped before his brain caught up with him and told him that breathing was not an option underwater. 

Now that his brain was back in gear, he realized that the thing pinning his arms to his sides were hands, the nails long black claws that could definitely tear him to shreds if they weren’t filed down. His back was to something firm and unyielding as well, and he finally came to the conclusion that he had been pulled into the water by the mer, and now was being held by him. 

That was bad. That was really, really bad. He thrashed, kicking out in an attempt to free himself while also not hurting the mer. His efforts were in vain, his clothing only serving to aid the mer in dragging him to the bottom of the tank. Already, he could feel his lungs begging for air, his chest tight. He was burning through his oxygen too quickly.

He was going to drown. The mer was going to drown him. And to be honest, it made sense. Of course the mer was going to drown the first human it could, who knew what sort of treatment that he’d been given, it was only natural for him to want to drown him. 

He wasn’t going to stop fighting though. Against the mer’s desires, he very much did not want to drown, and he was going to do his best to get away. So he thrashed and he kicked and he struggled, all the while getting more and more lightheaded. He felt his movements growing weaker, his limbs heavy from the lack of air, and spots danced in his blurred, watery vision.  

And then, just like that, he was free. The mer let out a loud shriek, a cry that cut through the water like butter, and something new took hold of him, carrying him up towards the water. He burst through the surface, gasping desperately for air, but he caught a mouthful of water instead as it bounced off of the side of the pool and crashed back into him. He coughed, spitting out water filled with chemicals, letting himself hang limply as he was dragged to the edge of the pool and hauled out of it. He was turned on his side, where he coughed up all of the water he had inhaled before closing his eyes and breathing unhindered. 

“Hey buddy, you okay?” Skizz’s voice said from above him, and he blinked open his eyes to see Skizz kneeling next to him, sopping wet. 

“Yeah, ‘m…’m alright.” He coughed again, setting his head down against the rough plaster floor. 

There was a splash from the pool, and a moment later, Gem was next to him, out of breath and clutching an empty syringe in her hand. 

“I’ve sedated him. I hate doing that, but…it’ll be the safest way we can move him.” She pulled the needle off of the tube, tucking it away into her bag where she would probably dispose of it later. “Grian, what happened?”

“Was talking to him, ‘n then he grabbed me and pulled me in.” He explained, pushing himself up into a sitting position with shaking hands. “It’s my fault, really, I should have known better.” 

“It’s okay, we all make mistakes.” Gem got to her feet, then held out a hand to help him up. He took it gratefully, letting her haul him into a standing position. His head throbbed as he stood, and he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead.

“I’m gonna need some ibuprofen after that.” He mumbled.

“Skizz, why don’t you get some of the transportation crew in here?” Gem instructed, and Skizz nodded.

“Aye aye, captain!”

Gem took Grian’s arm, leading him out of the room. “Come on, let’s see if we can find some towels.”

Chapter Text

Grian sorted through his various papers, desperately looking for his report that he was supposed to turn in to his professor yesterday . He could have sworn he had put it into his bag with the rest of his papers, but his bag was such a mess already, not to mention that half of the papers were sticking together from their soaking a few days prior. 

“Where is it?” He muttered to himself, turning his bag upside down and shaking it a few times. Several more papers cascaded from it to the table, and he sifted through them eagerly, glancing over each one briefly before setting it aside. “I know I put it in here, I don’t understand.”

“Grian.” Gem called from the doorway.

“One second.” He replied, shaking open a folder. No report. He was beginning to get frantic.

“Grian.” Gem said again, but Grian didn’t look away from his hunt, digging through the scraps at the bottom of his bag. He held his breath as he did so, he hadn’t bothered to wash his bag after its dip in the tank, just let it dry, so it didn’t smell the best. He would take care of it later. After he found his stupid invisible report.

“Grian.” Gem repeated for a third time, and he finally looked up at her, exasperated. She was leaning up against the doorframe, holding a bundle of papers stapled together with Grian’s name in print at the top. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Grian slumped, scooping his papers back into a messy pile. “Yes. Where was it?” 

“You left it in the cafeteria.” Gem strode over to his side, handed it to him. “You really need to organize that bag better.” 

“I know, I know.” Grian sighed. “But every time I try to come up with some kind of sorting system, I never use it, and it just becomes a mess again.” 

“And that’s why you go through a bag per year.” Gem gave him a grin. “Right?”

“If you start all over again from scratch, you don’t have to deal with cleaning out bags.” Grian slung his bag back over his shoulder, report clutched tightly in his hands so that he wouldn’t forget it this time. “Was there something else you wanted to talk about, or were you just dropping off my report?” 

“What, I can’t come visit you whenever?” Gem teased lightly.

“I mean, usually you do, but with the whole aquarium business…” Grian trailed off, and she relented.

“You’re right, you’re right.” She took a deep breath. “The news isn’t great, so brace yourself.”

Grian swallowed nervously, but nodded for her to continue.

“The full medical exam of the mer is submitted, and the results are…well…” She wrapped her arms around herself. “You were right, he’s a Blue Catfish, suited for living in a lake environment. He was never built for those fancy tricks that they had him doing. It’s done permanent damage to his tail and fins, to the point where a lot of the examiners are saying that he shouldn’t go back to the wild. He won’t be able to hunt for food properly, he’ll starve if he gets let back out.”

“Oh.” Grian shook his head a few times. “That’s…”

“It’s bad.” Gem finished. “Yeah. And what’s more, the university is being really, really weird about him. Now that he’s in one of their recovery tanks, they keep making statements that feel…possessive. Which is very illegal, but when I brought it up to them, they kept on insisting that because he’s feral, the law doesn’t cover him. Which is also not true, so we’re gonna be keeping an eye on that.”

“I can help with that as well, since I’m here and the department heads tend to keep in touch with me, what with my grad program and all that.” Grian offered. “I’ll make sure they don’t do anything towards him. And there should still be a bunch of red tape there to keep him safe, right?”

“Oh yeah, there’s all the laws in place protecting him from any interference that doesn’t go through the FWS.” Gem nodded. “I’m already working on getting them to allow Pearl in. They’re hesitant on it since our friend the mer is feral, and they don’t want anyone getting hurt, but I’ll get through with them in probably a week.”

“What do we do until then?” Grian adjusted his bag on his shoulder as they walked down the hall towards his professor’s office, where he would drop off the report. “We can’t just leave him there, can we?” 

“We have the green light to start trying to talk to him, see if we can get him out of his feral state.” Gem explained. “But we’re supposed to stay behind the yellow line the whole time, no getting in the water or anything like that. Also, no one’s allowed to be in there on their own with him. We don’t want anyone drowning like you almost did.” 

“Right.” Grian shivered as he remembered the feeling of water pressing against his lungs, begging to be let in. It was not an experience he wanted to relive any time soon. 

“They also recognized your willingness to help, and they know what your thesis is about.” Gem continued. “They’re offering you a position to help interact with the mer directly. And before you say anything, you can bow out at any time. I know the whole drowning thing was pretty scary, I know I wouldn’t want to go through that, but I also know that you’ve got an eye for these sorts of things. And also, how cool would your thesis be if you could actually engage with a wild mer? There’s only so much Pearl can offer you, she hasn’t lived in the ocean since she was a kid. We know this guy has been in captivity for at least three years, but past that, he could have lived in the lakes! You can hear all about what it’s like living as a mer without having to go out into the wild and maybe die trying to find out!” 

“Gem, Gem, I get it.” Grian laughed softly. “I was going to say yes.”

“Wait, really?” Gem perked up. “I thought for sure you were going to say no and that I would have to convince you.” 

“No, this is a great opportunity.” Grian grinned. “Plus, the mer knows me at least somewhat. Even if it is slightly negative. If I can convince him that he’s safer now, maybe he’ll open up to me. Of course, he could always drown me, but–”

“If you stay behind the yellow line, you’ll be fine.” Gem finished. “Great! I’ll tell the FWS that you’ve accepted! Now, you better go get that paper turned in.” 

“Right, right.” Grian nodded. “Thanks!” 

“Good luck!” Gem waved, then turned off down a separate hallway. 

Grian let out a quiet, excited squeal to himself. He was going to be interacting with a mer! A fully wild mer! And yeah, it was scary to imagine being in the same room with the creature who had tried to kill him, but his excitement overpowered it entirely. There were probably tons of stories that he could tell! All kinds of details about living in the wild that Pearl was missing! 

But he was getting ahead of himself. The mer was still a person, even if he was feral at the moment. He couldn’t treat him like a book to study. The first step would be rehabilitation, getting him adjusted to his current place of residence. Once he was more comfortable and at ease, then Grian could start maybe asking questions. But he had to wait. He had to be patient. 

He could do that. He could be patient. Yeah. This would be fine.

-

Scar swam lap after lap in his new pool, ignoring the pain in his tail and fins as he did so. This pool was larger than the old one, though not by much, and with all the…decorations in it, it was barely enough for him to swim properly in. Not that he wanted to swim that much, it hurt trying to swim after that show. He was doing it to make sure there were no threats that he was missing. 

He shook his head a few times, trying to clear out the blurry feeling within it. Stupid humans with their stupid drugs. He could barely think straight, which was probably why he was swimming loops around the smooth concrete pool. 

Above him, he heard the sound of a door opening and shutting. He immediately darted for his den, which was more spacious than his old one. He could actually lie down flat in this one, though he opted to curl up in it anyway to protect his throat and stomach. He had to be on guard. Who knew what these humans wanted with him?

He didn’t really know what had happened after he fell asleep. All he remembered was waking up in a new pool, surrounded by new stuff, under new owners. And he did not want to be owned. The next chance he got, he would commit more violence. Maybe they would forget to file down his claws and he’d be able to slash out a throat or two. If they did remember to file them down, he would just resort to drowning again. He just had to get one of them alone, easy. They were cocky enough that they would get too close, just like Red Sweater.

Though…Red Sweater hadn’t seemed cocky. More curious than anything else. But no, he was a human, humans weren’t trustworthy or anything other than a blight to the world's water sources. 

Right?

“Hello?” A voice called from outside the water, just outside the surface of the pool. “It’s Grian, I met you a few days ago when we got you out of the aquarium? I…you probably don’t want to come out right now, this is probably pretty overwhelming for you. I’d be overwhelmed. But I brought you some food, if you wanted it? Pearl says mer will eat most things, but I did some research into catfish and what they eat, and it said sunfish were a big part of their diet so…hopefully you like it?”

There was a moment’s pause where Scar waited for the human–Grian?--to keep speaking. He seemed to be waiting for something, a response maybe. Scar wasn’t about to give him one. Unless…maybe he could lure him in again. Like he did last time. If there wasn’t anyone else with him, it would be easy. 

Slowly, he crawled out of his den, peering up at the surface suspiciously. There was no shadow over the water, which meant that he wasn’t close enough to grab right off the bat. That made things trickier, but he could still manage it. 

“I’ll just uh…I’ll leave it here for you.” The human stated. “And I’ll back up and everything, so there’s no way for me to hurt you. You’re safe.” 

Well that wasn’t ideal, was it? With him out of range, there would be no way for Scar to drag him down to the depths of his pool. Again. He was hungry though. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if he slipped up to the surface and took the food, especially since they were offering it without him needing to do anything first. Actually, wait, maybe this was a trap. No, it was definitely a trap, they wanted him to come to the surface to get the food and then they would require him to do something. Smile, or spin, or flip, or something. 

But he’s so hungry. 

Well. He could always poke his head out above the water and see what the human was doing. Assess the situation. Maybe if there was an opportunity, he could swoop in and take the food. 

Mind made up, Scar slunk out of the den, slowly approaching the surface. His head broke the surface nearly silently, not a splash of water to be seen. True to his word, Grian was sitting on the floor on the other end of the room, still wearing his distinct red sweater. Sitting next to him was Orange Hair, holding a phone in their hand and clearly working on something with it. Grian was watching the pool, so he definitely saw Scar’s head poking out above the water, though he seemed to be trying to avoid eye contact with him. Scar kept an eye on them both while he surveyed the rest of the room.

It was a relatively small room, all things considered, and very sparsely decorated. The floor was made out of some sort of rough textured rock, probably concrete, to keep people from slipping and falling on the potentially wet surface. The pool that he was in was almost level with the floor, with maybe half a foot between it and the surface. Around the edges of the pool was a painted yellow line, about four feet from the actual pool. 

Attached to the ceiling were several lights, white and blinding if one looked directly at them. There was a metal cabinet against the far wall, the doors closed, and next to that was an actual door that probably led outside. On the wall to the left was a light switch, as well as a metal box with several switches and a screen on it. Scar had never seen anything like it before, so he figured it was probably something dangerous that he didn’t want to mess with. 

But the thing that caught his attention the most was the plate of sunfish sitting close to the edge of the pool, within the painted yellow line. They smelled heavenly, significantly better than the raw fish that the trainers would throw him from time to time, and there was a faint steam rising from them. Scar’s stomach ached with hunger, and he decided that he would be having that plate of sunfish, whether the humans liked it or not. If they tried to take it from him or make him do something for it, he would drown them. 

He sped forward, grabbing the plate from its place within the yellow line, then immediately darted back, dipping below the surface again with his prize. It took him all of five seconds to eat the fish, and he sighed contentedly as he swam back to his den with his new prize; the ceramic plate. 

One of the humans, probably Grian Red Sweater, said something from above the surface to him, but he ignored it. He had gotten what he wanted, he didn’t need to listen to them any more. Instead he set the plate at the deepest point of the den and laid back down against the soft sand, relishing how it didn’t scrape at his skin like his old tank floor had. His tail and fins still hurt and there was no reason for him to keep swimming around the pool. He was perfectly content waiting here until the next time he got food.

Chapter Text

Grian thought that the first interaction they had with the mer had gone very well. They had been worried about him adjusting to the new pool, since it was larger than the tank he had before and wasn’t quite as familiar, but it seemed like he was comfortable. He had been swimming a lot of laps around it when Grian brought over the food, which definitely wasn’t good for his damaged muscles, but they weren’t exactly going to stop him from swimming. He was a mer, that was what mer did. 

Seeing the mer’s suspicious gaze as he looked around the room had been nerve wracking, to say the least. Grian still felt his bright green eyes boring into him, even though he had disappeared beneath the surface several minutes ago and hadn’t returned. He seemed...scared wasn’t the right word, but at the same time, there had definitely been some level of fear in his eyes. And the worst part was, Grian had no idea how to help.

“Do you want more fish?” He asked a little helplessly to the surface, standing just outside the yellow line. Because of both federal law and the university's requirements, they had to always remain four feet away from the mer. The university already had the rehabilitation room ready, line painted already. Grian wasn’t a paranoid man, but at the same time, something itched in his brain at just how prepared they were. Everything had fallen into place so nicely, to the point where it was suspicious.

The mer didn’t answer him, which was pretty much what he expected. He glanced back at Gem, who shrugged, then turned back to her work. That was another one of the joint federal and university laws. There always had to be two people present around feral mer according to federal law, and the university was requiring two people even when the mer wasn’t feral. Which was also kind of strange, seeing as a non-feral mer was fully sentient and should be treated as such.

But they would deal with that later. Right now, they had a most likely feral mer on their hands. They weren’t entirely sure, but they were taking the fact that he tried to drown Grian as a pretty big symptom of that. Grian...he wasn’t really sure where he stood on the matter. He had seen the mer when he was performing. He hadn’t been feral. He had been fully in control, to the point where it was unsettling. As much as he didn’t want to believe that the mer would choose to kill him, it...kinda made sense.

“Hey, don’t you have that thing with the undergrads soon?” Gem asked, not looking up from her phone. Grian wasn’t sure exactly what she was doing, some kind of program with the FWS and mers that supposedly would help them out in some way. She had spouted off a bunch of jargon that he didn’t understand, but pretended to anyway, and in his mind, if it would help with the mer case, he wouldn’t ask too many questions.

He checked his watch, wincing at the time. “Yeah. We better both leave.”

Gem pushed herself to her feet, stuffing her phone in her pocket as she did so. Grian stepped away from the yellow line, then followed her out the door, casting one last look at the surface of the water as he did so.

They walked down the hallway together in silence for a few minutes, both thinking over their different issues. Grian couldn’t stop himself from replaying the mer’s expression and movements over and over in his head, the almost haunted look to his face, the way he had snatched up the food like it was going to be taken away. They didn’t know everything about the mer’s time at the aquarium, the staff had yet to open up about their actions. But Grian wouldn’t put it past them to have withheld food from the mer, especially after seeing how skinny he was. Not at all like how a catfish should look.

Gem lightly kicked the back of Grian’s foot. “Hey. We knew it was going to take a while for him to open up. Stop overthinking things, he’ll relax around us eventually. He came up on his own for the food, that’s already a big step. These things just take time, you know?”

“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “He just looked scared. It’s...I think they really messed him up.”

“They probably did.” Gem agreed. “Which is why we’re gonna help patch him up. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes several months though, and we’re going to have to be okay with that.”

“When are you going out of town again?” Grian changed the subject, not because he wasn’t comfortable with the prior one, but because they’d already discussed it several times. They would just end up repeating the same things they had already said, and neither of them really wanted to do that.

“I’ll leave tomorrow night.” Gem welcomed the change easily. “I should get back by the weekend, so three or four days.”

“Got it.” Grian nodded. “I’m trying to figure out how I can still visit the mer while following the rules.”

“You could pull Mumbo in?” Gem suggested, but Grian shook his head.

“He’s working on his Master’s right now, he’s way too busy to come all the way out to this part of the university.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” Gem patted him on the shoulder. “If anything, you could take one of the security officers or something in there and drop off food. It might be good for the mer to sit there for a bit before he gets constant company.”

“Maybe.” Grian tried to hide his dislike of the idea, but judging by the wry grin on Gem’s face, he had failed pretty miserably. “I’ll figure something out.”

“There’s the spirit.” Gem punched him lightly in the shoulder just as her phone began to ring. She pulled it out, staring at the screen for a few seconds before sighing. “I better take this.”

“Good luck!” Grian gave her a sloppy salute, and she mimicked the gesture back at him, raising the phone to her ear.

They visited the mer again the next day, early in the morning, before most of the students had arrived. Grian swiped his card through the reader, and it flashed green, unlocking the door with a click. Gem followed him in as he carried the plate of sunfish proudly towards the yellow line. He crouched just outside the yellow line and very carefully pushed the plate towards the edge of the pool, as far as he could without his feet crossing over the paint. Then he sat down behind the line.

“What are you doing?” Gem asked, already sitting down up against the wall.

“Trying something.” Grian replied, then leaned forward in an attempt to look into the water. He couldn’t see much, just the den and the bits of fake coral and seaweed that they had put in there. There wasn’t any movement, which meant that the mer must still be tucked away in the den.

“Hey, it’s Grian again, I brought some more food.” He called down to the water. “It’s more sunfish, you seemed to like it last time.”

There was nothing for a long stretch of time, to the point where Grian was beginning to wonder if the mer was still asleep. He wasn’t sure how long catfish slept for, or if mer stuck to a more human sleep schedule, or if there was even a schedule at all. Then there was a flicker of movement down by the den, and he held his breath. The mer was awake, poking his head out of the den.

Grian sat perfectly still as the mer’s head broke the surface, green eyes immediately locking onto him. It was there that they both stayed perfectly still, neither daring to move. Grian knew he had to be the one to break the tension in the room, but he found himself hesitating to do it. He didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to help. He wasn’t sure how to do anything but sit there and  keep his mouth shut.

But that wasn’t an option right now. He had a mer to help. He could do this.

“Hello.” He finally said. “I won’t come any closer, I promise. I’m not allowed to cross the yellow line.”

The mer eyed him suspiciously, then glanced down at the plate. Then his eyes were back up on Grian’s. Then down again.

“Oh, yeah, that’s for you.” Grian gestured to it. The mer shrank back at the movement of his hand, and Grian immediately put it back in his lap, making a mental note not to do any more potential hand signals. “And if you want more, I can get more, the cafeteria isn’t too far from here.”

The mer didn’t move, still floating a decent distance from the edge of the pool.

“Do...uh…” Grian hesitated before continuing. “Do you have a name? The people at the aquarium called you Trader, but I don’t know if that’s right or not. I don’t want to keep calling you the mer.”

The mer in question stared at him for another long moment, then shrugged. Grian had to keep himself from cheering at the small victory in communication. They had made progress! It wasn’t much, but at the same time, it was huge! The mer had responded to one of his questions!

Now to figure out what the shrug meant.

“I guess I should probably ask, since I’m not really sure.” Grian continued. “Do you speak English? Or at least understand it?”

A pause. The mer didn’t respond. Grian waited.

Then the mer rushed forward at a speed that seemed impossible, suddenly at the edge of the pool. Grian flinched back, but he just grabbed the plate of sunfish and disappeared below the surface again, making a beeline for his den.

“Oh.” Grian watched the movement through the ripples, then slowly got to his feet, stepping back away from the line.

“Progress.” Gem said quietly from behind him, and he turned around to see her watching him intently.

“Yeah.” Grian straightened, turning away from the pool. “Progress.”

-

Scar had no idea what the humans’ goal was with him anymore. For one thing, nothing they did made any sense. It seemed like Grian Red Sweater was their  leader, but at the same time, he kept saying things about how he wasn’t allowed to do certain things, and that he would get in trouble if he did. That wasn’t very leader like. But he was also the only one to leave food, and the only one who tried to talk to him.

Not to mention the fact that they hadn’t forced him to do anything yet. They just dropped off the food, talked to him for a bit, then left. Grian Red Sweater asked him lots of questions, but he didn’t ever take away the food if he didn’t answer. He just sat there behind that painted yellow line and watched. There wasn’t even the familiar sense of greed in his eyes that the trainers always showed when they looked at him. Like his only purpose was to earn them money.

No, Grian just sat there and smiled occasionally and talked about seemingly whatever came to his mind. Even when Scar refused to leave his den, he would still talk to the water. Scar found himself listening to his words despite his suspicion. It wasn’t like there was anything else to do in this tank.

The most important things Grian said were what Scar filed away in his brain. They were in a place of learning, where human young came to study and gain a role. It wasn’t quite like mer pods, where you earned your place through a show of strength and ability, but it was close enough. Grian kept repeating that he was there to recover, and that they weren’t going to study him or make him do anything, that he was safe, but Scar wasn’t ready to believe him that easily. It was more likely that this was a trap to get him to lower his guard.

Grian also talked about another person a lot, a person named Pearl. Scar was pretty sure she was the one in charge, because he was constantly saying that Pearl would be able to help him better than he could. Apparently she was getting delayed by the learning place, and couldn’t get here yet. Good. Scar didn’t want to be helped. Helping meant blows and hunger and yelling. He much preferred Grian’s style of sitting and talking. It didn’t require him to do anything, and it didn’t hurt him in any way.

During the first few visits, Grian was accompanied by Orange Hair. He called her Gem. She always sat at the back of the room on her phone, and while she looked like she wasn’t paying attention, Scar could tell by the way she was sitting that she was paying sharp attention. Maybe she was reporting back to Pearl on how he behaved. He didn’t know anything for sure, but he did know that Gem was the one to give him the sleeping drug, which made her an enemy.

But after the first four visits, she stopped showing up with Grian, and a variety of different people joined him. They always stayed back at the edge of the room, and none of them seemed particularly invested in Scar. Not in the way Orange Hair was.

If it weren’t for them, maybe he would have spoken back to Grian. The trainers had never liked it when he spoke,  they always called it talking back and that he should be seen and not heard. But Grian seemed to look for answers. He lit up every time Scar gave him a shrug or a nod or a shake of the head, like it was the most exciting thing he had ever seen. It was honestly funny. He made sure not to do it too often though. The humans were not to be trusted.

Scar was lying on the floor of the pool, passing a rock from hand to hand as he waited. He was so incredibly bored. At least with the trainers, there had always been something to keep his attention, something to break up the monotony of sitting there for hours. Not that he wanted the trainers back. They were terrible and he hated them and everything they did. But he was so bored.

As if sensing his anguish, the door to the room clicked. Scar perked up immediately, then paused. That was not a reaction he should have had, not to humans. Humans were bad. But...Grian was interesting. Far more interesting than the rock. So he figured it would be fine to swim up to the surface, just to satisfy his boredom. Nothing else. He wasn’t going to give Grian anything, he was just going to listen to him talk.

He poked his head up above the water, ready for his eyes to land on Grian’s now familiar sweater, but instead of the bright red, he was met with two tall humans staring down at him. They were wearing fancy clothes, the kind of clothes that the important humans wore. The trainers always got more aggressive before and after the fancy clothing humans visited. These humans looked a lot meaner than Grian did, and they had a matching look in their eyes. Greed.

Scar dove beneath the surface, swimming faster than he had since before he had come here. His tail and fins screamed at the movement, and his breath caught in his gills as he tucked himself away in his den. His mind was flashing through a hundred questions. Where was Grian? Who were those humans? Why did his tail and fins hurt that bad? He had swam a hundred shows faster than what he had just done, why was he now curled up in pain in his den? Grian had promised that nothing was going to happen to him, but those humans...they looked like all the other humans Scar had met in his life.

He knew he shouldn’t have trusted Grian. All humans were the same. He was just softening him up for these new fancy humans.

The humans splashed at the water a few times, ordering him to come back to the surface, but he ignored them. He wasn’t going to fall for this trick again. He was done being a trained mer putting on shows for the stupid humans and their stupid schemes. He was back to square one. Murder. 

Murdering Grian and murdering these humans was a different story though. Grian was small, easy to drag down and keep down. These ones were significantly taller, and probably bulkier as well. And with Scar’s tail and fins hurting this bad, he didn’t think he would be able to take down either of them. Definitely not both at once. He would have to separate them. 

If only he could get his heart to stop beating so quickly. His hands were shaking really badly too. Why was he struggling to think? He had to come up with a plan, but he couldn’t breathe properly. He curled up in his den, tucking his fins over his ears as the splashing continued and the humans began to shout. They were angry, they were so angry, but Scar wasn’t going to listen to them.

They were so loud. They were so much like the trainers. He could already feel the bruises that they would leave on him for disobeying. They would dive in after him and drag him up and force him out of the water. They would yell and kick and punch until he was broken again, and then he would perform. Over and over and over again. 

He didn’t know when they left. Their voices echoed in his head for hours, and his heart raced on with seemingly no end. He couldn’t block them out, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but sit there and hyperventilate. He wanted their voices out of his head, wanted the memories out of his mind, but he couldn’t force them away. They were stuck. He was stuck.

It took far too long for the voices to fade away and his heart to return to normal, but they did eventually, as all things do. He slumped against the sand, eyes closed, fins tucked over his face. He took a moment to make sure he was securely tucked away in the den before letting himself drift away into exhausted unconsciousness. He just had to hope that they wouldn’t punish him until he woke up.

Chapter Text

Grian glanced both ways before he swiped his key card across Scar’s door, sliding in without anyone noticing him. He held the plate of sunfish carefully in his free hand as he carefully closed the door behind him. He was alone this time, which was a big violation of the university’s rules, but he couldn’t get anyone he trusted to come with him today and he didn’t want to stress the mer out any more than he already was.

The past few days had been good though. They’d been progressing nicely. The mer would poke his head out above the water most times when he dropped off food, and sometimes he would nod or shake his head in response to questions. He even smiled sometimes! 

“Hi, it’s Grian, I’ve got more food.” He called, stepping up to the yellow line and setting down the plate. “I can’t stay super long, I don’t want to get in trouble. It’s just me today.”

Normally this was the part when the mer stuck his head above the water, his green eyes slightly softer than they had been the first time but still slightly suspicious. But there was no movement beneath the water, not even a ripple. It seemed as though the mer was staying in his den. That wasn’t normal. Even if he chose not to go up to the surface, he usually floated around the base of the pool to listen. 

Grian tried not to let his thoughts spiral too much. Maybe the mer was still asleep and that’s why he hadn’t moved yet. He probably wasn’t sick, there wouldn’t be anything for him to catch, he was in a safe pool. And he probably wasn’t hurt, there wasn’t anything to get hurt on, except for the coral maybe. Unless it was his tail and fins, overworked from all the shows he had been doing. What if that’s why he wasn’t coming up? Was he in pain?

“Are…are you okay?” He asked hesitantly, kneeling on the other side of the yellow line. “If there’s something wrong, please tell me, I don’t want you to be hurt or anything like that. If you just don’t want to come up, that’s okay too, it’s still kinda early this morning.”

Nothing.

“I…um…” Grian was a bit thrown off by this break in routine. But he knew that there would be relapses in recovery, so he took a deep breath and sat back. “Like I said earlier, I can’t stay very long, I’m not supposed to be here on my own because you might try to drown me. I don’t really think you will anymore, but the university is really weird about it. But I wanted to tell you about the super cool snail I saw outside, it was the weirdest color, like a blue-ish grey…”

He continued his story, occasionally looking down at the water to see if the mer was still in his den. He didn’t see anything up until the very end of his story–helping the snail had made him very late for his meeting with a professor, and so he had gotten in trouble–when the mer stuck his head out of his den. Grian’s voice hitched slightly as he saw the expression on his face, blurry through the water but still plain as day. 

He looked terrified. His eyes were wide, his fins were flat against his skull, and his chin was tucked down to protect his neck. He was staring at the surface like it was a threat to his life, and Grian felt his own heart rate speed up just by looking at him. 

“What happened?” He asked without thinking. “Did someone come in here? Did someone hurt you? What happened?”

The mer froze, staring up at him through the water, his eyes still filled with fear. Grian froze in response, and it felt so reminiscent of when they had first met, neither of them knowing what to do. 

“Please let me help.” Grian leaned forward, knowing that he was putting himself at risk by doing this but not caring. “Please. I want you to be safe.” 

The mer stared at him for another long moment, still not moving. Then, slowly, he shook his head and slipped back into his den. Grian sat back on his heels, defeated. The yellow line on the floor seemed to taunt him, pointing out in a stark color that he could do nothing to help. All he could do was sit there and talk.

“It’s okay, you don't have to do anything.” He pushed himself to his feet. “I won't make you do anything, I promise. I'll look into this and make sure you're safe.”

He paused for a moment, looking back at the water for any movement. There was none.

“I have to go now, I don't want to get in trouble, but I left your fish where I normally do.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry you're scared. I'm gonna fix it, I promise. I want you to feel safe and happy, not…not afraid. I'll be back later today with more food.”

He slipped out of the room silently, gently closing the door behind him and walking off down the hallway. As he walked, he pulled out his phone, opening up Gem’s contact. 

Grian: something happened to the mer

Grian: I think someone went into his room

Grian: gem he was terrified, even more scared than when we first saw him

Grian: I don't know how to help

Gem: hang in there, I'm coming back tomorrow morning

Gem: I can launch an investigation now though 

Gem: do you want me to send in skizz?

Grian: please

Grian: he looked so scared

Grian: I don't ever want him to be that scared ever again

Gem: I'll send him over asap 

Gem: I gave him your number as well so he'll probably text you soon

Gem: if you can, try and keep watch over his door

Gem: the only other people who have access in there are me and the university staff

Gem: we’ve been suspicious of the university’s motives for a while so this is just another pointer towards that

Grian: I have to get to my next class, but I'll hurry over there as soon as I'm done. I'll stake it out.

Gem: be careful and safe. I'll see you tomorrow. Skizz will see you probably this afternoon

Grian: thanks

-

That was stupid. That was so, so stupid. Scar should have stayed in his den and ignored Grian's words, he should have covered his ears and blocked out his story about the snail and his class. That had been the plan, that had always been the plan. Cut off all interaction with the humans unless it was to harm them in some way. Make them believe he was feral and had to be released. Get away and never look back.

But Grian’s voice was so animated, so friendly, and despite his fear, Scar was so bored. He found himself listening despite himself, and as the story continued, he uncurled from his tight ball in his den. Then he messed up again by poking his head out, just so that he could hear better. 

Grian's voice had stopped, his eyes wide as they landed on him. Scar had been expecting to see the same greedy gleam in them, but they just looked concerned. Maybe even scared. He asked what happened. He leaned over the pool. He was right within reach and if Scar moved quick enough, he could accomplish his goal. Grian said that he was alone, it would be so easy to grab him and pull him under, leaving his body to be found later.

But he couldn't do it. He couldn't move. Whether it was his fear of it being a trap or his slowly growing enjoyment of Grian’s company, he couldn't kill him. He couldn't even leave his den. So instead, he shook his head and slunk back beneath the rocks, curling up again and picking at his slowly growing claws. 

“I have to go now, I don't want to get in trouble, but I left your fish where I normally do.” Grian said from above the surface. Scar wondered, not for the first time, who would punish Grian for getting into trouble. Was it the fancy men in their suits? Was it someone better than them? Was…could Grian be just as trapped as he was?

“I’m sorry you're scared. I'm gonna fix it, I promise. I want you to feel safe and happy, not…not afraid. I'll be back later today with more food.”

Grian….he didn't sound like the trainers at all. Nor did he sound like the fancy humans that had come by earlier. He sounded so genuine that it made Scar's heart ache. He wanted to believe him so badly. He wanted to trust him. But he couldn't. Humans couldn't be trusted. They couldn't. They shouted and splashed and hurt. 

Grian wasn't like that. But it was only a matter of time. Soon he would run out of patience and he would start yelling. He’d start making him do things for his food, and eventually he would be performing again. That was how humans worked. They didn't promise safety, they didn't want him to be happy, they just wanted a pretty fish to swim with their dolphins, charming the crowds that didn't care what happened behind the scenes.

Grian…he…he was a human. But…he didn't act like one. 

Scar ran a hand through his tangled brown hair, cursing its length. He liked it long, but this was far too much. It should go to his shoulders, not the start of tail. But he didn't have any sharp rocks to cut it on and his claws were still too dull to slice through it  And he would never trust a human to cut it. He would just have to wait until his nails were long enough. 

If the humans didn't file them down again. Which they would. Sharp claws weren't an attractive feature for shows. 

Scar huffed, watching the bubbles float to the top of his den. He didn't know what to do. Despite everything, despite how evil humans were, he liked Grian. Grian was nice. He brought him food and didn't expect anything from him. He told him stories in such an animated voice that it was impossible not to listen. And he promised that he would fix what had made him scared, even though he had no clue what it was.

Maybe Scar would kill the fancy humans and leave Grian alone. Maybe Grian was just as stuck as he was, scared to do something wrong and get in trouble. Maybe…maybe Scar would be able to trust him, even though he was a human.

The door clicked, and Scar knew for a fact that it was far too early for Grian to come back. It would be at least another hour before he returned with more fish and stories. He shrank back in his den, ready to defend himself if anyone entered his pool. He would fight as hard as he needed to in order to protect himself from the greedy eyed humans.

But instead of yelling voices and splashing, Grian's voice came from the surface.

“Hi, it’s Grian, I know I'm here earlier than normal but I wanted to introduce you to someone. I also brought some more fish, since it looks like you didn't eat these ones and I don't think they're very good anymore.”

Grian was here? And he wasn't upset that Scar had wasted food? Maybe….maybe he was good after all. 

But he had also brought someone with him. He had never bothered to introduce the other people he brought with him to the room before, leaving them at the back by the door, but apparently this one was important enough to warrant an introduction. Scar hoped that they weren't a fancy human in a suit. He really wanted to be able to trust Grian. 

“This is Skizz.” Grian continued. “He works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They're the ones who make laws protecting wild animals, and they also work with mer to protect them as well. He's super nice and he's here to help me keep you safe. He won't come into your pool or anything, and he probably won't come into the room either. You don't have to come out of your den, I just want you to hear his voice so you can recognize it.”

Scar hesitantly uncurled from his tight ball. He wasn't going to leave the den, but he knew Grian wouldn't be diving into the water. If the last time he was in the water with him was any sign, he couldn't swim properly. He would be safe enough if he stayed in the den.

“Hey buddy, I'm Skizz.” A new voice said, and it didn't sound like the fancy humans. It did sound familiar, but Scar couldn't place it. “I don't know who's hurting you, or even if someone is hurting you, but I'm gonna make sure no one will put you at risk ever again.”

Scar highly doubted that, but it was nice to pretend.

“I’ve put the food in the same spot as last time.” Grian informed him. “I…I don't know if you want me to stay? I could tell you another story about Mumbo if you wanted, I don't think I ever finished the one about how I almost made him student president.”

That was tempting. Scar had found the antics of Grian’s campaigning very amusing. But he was still reeling from the visit from the fancy humans, and he didn't like the idea of having to float up to the surface to nod and confirm that he did want to listen.

“Okay, maybe next time.” Grian decided, and there was a hint of sadness to his tone. “I’ll leave you alone so you can grab your fish, you're probably hungry cause you didn't eat the last batch. I'll be back in a couple hours with more.”

“Bye!” Skizz called, and the door shut with a click 

Scar slowly slid out of his den, clenching his hands into fists as pain shot down his tail. It didn't seem to be getting better with time, like it normally did after shows. He didn't want to think about what that meant. He broke the surface cautiously, and upon seeing that the room was empty, he scooped up the fish and descended back beneath the water.

Chapter Text

Grian nearly dropped the plate of fish he was holding as he unlocked the door to the mer’s room. His hands were shaking violently, and tears threatened to spill down his face as he pulled open the door and stepped inside. 

“Hey, it's…it's Grian.” He managed to say, though his voice broke in the middle. “I brought dinner. I…sorry, I'm not gonna be very good for stories right now.”

He set the plate down past the yellow line and sat down behind it, folding his arms around his legs. A moment later, the mer’s head poked up out of the water, and Grian couldn't help but smile. He didn't look scared anymore. If anything, he looked confused.

“I’m fine, I shouldn't even be crying.” Grian wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his sweater, but they were quickly replaced. “I’m just tired and overwhelmed and I got my request for Masters denied. So…yeah. I'm not doing very well right now.”

The mer drifted closer, slower than he normally did. He still looked confused, his head slightly tilted to one side as he listened. 

“Apparently, I'm not making enough progress with you.” Grian continued, setting his head down on his arms. “Even though it's been like a week, I wouldn't expect you to feel better that quickly. I mean, what you went through was awful, and the fact that you're above the water with me right now is honestly a miracle. But according to the university, it's not enough.”

He paused, scrubbing the tears from his face again. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. It's this stupid university. Ever since they found out you were at the show, they've been weird about you. Gem’s going to launch an investigation into them when she gets back tomorrow. I…”

He turned to look over at the mer, who was still listening intently. The confusion on his face had turned into one of understanding, and maybe a bit of realization. They were closer now, almost to the edge of the pool. 

“Did they send people here?” Grian felt realization of his own come over him, his tears hesitating as he let go of his frustration and disappointment for his potential discovery. “Is that why you were scared? Were there people here, earlier?”

The mer reached the lip of the pool, next to the plate of fish. He didn't look at Grian for a moment, instead running his long black claw along the edge of the porcelain. Then he met his eyes, nodding once.

There had been people in the mer’s room, just as Grian had suspected. And as he had told Gem before, there were a very limited number of people who had key cards to the room.

“Um, were they wearing,” Grian gestured at his own clothing, then shook his head. “Not like me, more….fancy? I guess? Suits probably, maybe sunglasses cause they're nothing if not a trope.”

The mer nodded again, this time slightly more enthusiastic. So it was the university who had sent the people. They had done something to the mer, enough to scare him bad enough to look like he had that morning. But why? Why would they do that? They were supposed to be rehabilitating the mer, not….oh. Research. Of course. 

The university was, first and foremost, a center for research. Of course they would leap at the opportunity to study a mer, even though they were just as sentient as humans. There was only so much research out there on them, and most of it was heavily protected by law. It was a surprise that the university would try and bypass the legalities surrounding merkind, but they must have decided that the risk was worth it. 

Grian had to get to Skizz.

“Okay, this is…” Grian sniffed, shaking out his hands. “I’m going to fix this. I can fix this. Okay.”

The mer watched him closely, but he looked more like he was interested in what he was doing rather than sizing him up. 

“If…okay…if anyone else comes in here besides me, hide.” Grian decided. “I don't know who you can trust, and I don't want you to get hurt. I don't think anyone will go into your pool, so you should be safe in your den?”

The mer nodded. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Grian promised. “Hang in there. Remember, if anyone else comes in here, don't listen to them.”

The mer nodded again, and Grian got to his feet. He locked eyes with the mer one last time, taking a deep breath as he did so.

“Stay safe.”

He sprinted to the door, throwing it open and running into the hallway. He had completely forgotten about his earlier distress. Now he was on a mission. As he ran, he pulled out his phone, dialing Skizz’s number. It rang once, twice, then picked up.

“Hey Grian, what's up?” Skizz’s voice came through clearly.

“I have more info about the university and their involvement with the mer, I need you to meet me at the doors to the marine institute now.” Grian explained quickly. “They sent people to his pool, they were why he was so scared. I don't know what they did, but it must have been bad.”

“Gotcha, I'm on my way right now.” Skizz didn't question him. “I should be there in about five minutes, you caught me right during my dinner. If I'm fast, I could make it three.”

“Thanks, I'll see you there.” Grian hung up before Skizz could say goodbye, shoving his phone back in his pocket. 

Three minutes later, he met Skizz at the doors of the marine institute. He gave him the rundown of his interaction with the mer, and Skizz pulled out his phone and started making calls. Police and other government agents started arriving a few minutes after that, and a full investigation was underway not thirty minutes after Grian’s conversation with the mer.

An hour later, Skizz gave him the go ahead to go to the mer’s pool. Grian broke away immediately, running at full speed through the institute, which was now covered in yellow tape. He could hear Skizz laughing as he left him behind. 

-

When the door to his room slammed open, Scar jumped so hard his head collided with the ceiling of his den. He immediately shrank back as far as he could, bearing his teeth in a snarl. Grian had told him that he would fix this, but he had also said that if anyone else came in, he had to hide. 

But then Grian’s voice rang out in the air, loud and triumphant, like a cheering crowd, and Scar felt himself physically relax. That surprised him, usually he was pretty tense, even when Grian was there. But Grian had gotten in trouble and had found a way out of it, and he was helping Scar in the process. Not to mention the fact that he had visited on his own twice, showing a level of trust in Scar that was definitely not warranted, especially since he had tried to drown him. Scar owed him a bit of trust after that.

“Hey, it’s Grian, we did it!” Grian shouted out breathless, and Scar slipped out of his den, popping out of the water. Grian had dropped to his knees just outside the yellow painted line, a massive grin on his face. “They’ve launched a full investigation on the university, none of them will be able to get in here now, and we're probably going to transfer you somewhere where they can't reach you. But don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time.”

Scar didn't understand half the things Grian was saying, but he found himself not caring. Grian was happy, and he had been helping Scar, so it must be a good thing. He splashed the water lightly with his hands, baring his teeth to match Grian’s smile.

“I think we’ll probably be transfered to Pearl and Gem’s facility.” Grian continued, still out of breath but recovering. “You’ll love it there, it's so much bigger and there are more mer there who can't go back to the wild because of injuries. They also have enough fish to feed a whole ocean, and–”

“Xelqua.” A cold voice came from behind them, at the door. Scar watched Grian’s face fall, turning into something scared. He shot to his feet, whipping around to face a man in a suit standing just within the doorway. 

“Hide.” Grian said quietly, just for Scar. He didn't hesitate, following the order without question. He dove below the surface, but something in him kept him from darting into his den. He was terrified, yes, but Grian was still up there. Grian was the only nice human Scar had ever met. There was no way that this fancy human would treat Grian properly. He couldn't let anything happen to him, not when he had helped him.

“You’re not allowed to be in here. Your key card should be locked out of the system.” Grian’s voice was shaking as he spoke.

“The door was open.” The fancy human replied easily. “It looks like someone was a little bit careless in his victory.”

“You’re already in legal trouble as it is, don’t make it worse for yourself.” Grian stated, but Scar could hear his feet scuffing against the floor. He was losing ground.

“What would happen if they found your body in the mer’s tank?” The fancy human ignored his words. “Dead, drowned. Breaking the laws surrounding feral mer? Clearly you crossed the yellow line and got dragged in by the mer. You have the FWS investigating a case with a mer who's still in control of their instincts. What if their main instigator was found dead at a feral mer’s hand?”

“What are you doing?” Grian sounded fully afraid now, and Scar felt his own fear rise to meet it. He wasn't feral, he wasn't going to kill Grian. But with the way that the fancy human was talking, it sounded like it didn't matter what Scar’s opinion was. 

“We’re going to right your wrong.” The fancy human declared, and the entire pool began to vibrate violently. Scar thrashed his tail anxiously from side to side, not even registering the pain from the movement. Above him, at the level of the surface, a metal cover was sliding over the pool. It was starting at the end opposite Grian, and it was moving at a decent pace.

“Goodbye, Xelqua.” The fancy human sounded so smug, so victorious . Just like the trainers had when they had beaten Scar into submission. 

A loud splash broke through the water, and Scar’s head snapped up to see Grian sinking, a terrified expression on his face. The pool cover above them reached the three quarters point, and Scar watched with shock as Grian tried to regain his balance. His clothing was weighing him down, but he still kicked and swung his arms in an attempt to swim to the surface. He was too late. The pool cover slammed into the other side of the tank, effectively closing Grian and Scar in.

Grian bumped up against the cover, eyes wide with fear, then reached into his back pocket, pulling out his phone. Scar had been under the impression that phones didn't work underwater, but Grian still tapped at it desperately, his face creased in panic. That was when Scar remembered that while he could breathe underwater just fine, Grian was still human and very much could not.

Grian’s phone slipped from his fingers as he turned his attention to the pool cover. He slammed his fists up against it, and it clanged metallically, not budging an inch. He didn't give up though, trying to wedge his fingers between the wall and the cover to no avail. He yanked at it again, more desperately now, and Scar could see his movements slowing down. He had to do something.

He swam up next to Grian and very gently took his arms in his hands. Grian froze, and Scar could feel his heart rate speed up through his skin. He tugged Grian easily to his chest, wrapping one arm around his torso to hold him close and placing his other hand carefully over his face. His thumb rested on his nose, his middle three fingers sat on his mouth, and his pinky laid against his throat. Then he leaned forward and spoke clearly into Grian’s ear.

“Breathe.”

Grian shuddered in his arms, but he didn't breathe. 

“Grian.” Scar flicked his tail lightly, and they drifted down, away from the pool cover. He made sure to keep his hand firmly in place over Grian’s face. “It’s okay. You can breathe.”

Almost as if it were against his will, Grian sucked in a shaking breath through Scar’s hand. Scar felt his lungs fill with air beneath the arm around his waist, and he smiled. He had never used his mer ability on a human before, just on other mer who were struggling to breathe or animals that had been washed away from shore. It felt natural to have Grian slotted in his arms, breathing through his hand. 

Grian shivered in his grip, and Scar realized he was probably really cold. The water in the pool was just fine for him, a partially cold-blooded creature, but to the warm-blooded human, it must feel freezing. Scar curled around him, draping his fins over him and tightening his hold around him in an attempt to keep him at least a little bit warmer. He didn't give off very much body heat, but hopefully it would be enough to keep the human from freezing to death.

“Hang in there.” Scar murmured, repeating the same words Grian had said to him only a little bit ago. “Someone will come eventually.”

Grian slowly nodded, careful not to dislodge Scar’s hand.

Five minutes later, the pool cover rattled again, sending vibrations through the water. Scar turned away from it, carrying Grian with him as he swam to his den. He slipped inside easily, twisting so that Grian wouldn't scrape against the rocks, then settled on the sandy floor. He would need to prepare himself to defend both him and Grian one-handed, while also trying not to let go of his face. 

The water splashed again, not quite as loud as it had when Grian had fallen in, but still loud enough for Scar to know it was a human who had entered the pool. He growled low in his throat, a guttural sound that he hadn’t made in years, since he lived out in the lake. Grian tensed in his arms, his breath hitching slightly, and Scar gently bumped his forehead to the back of his head reassuringly. He wasn’t mad at him.

Carefully, he lifted his head, peering out of the den in an attempt to locate whatever human had decided to jump into his pool. The first thing he saw was Grian’s phone, sitting on the sandy floor. Then he looked up to see a human swimming towards said phone, orange hair streaming behind them. It was Gem, Grian’s friend. Unless…maybe she was the one who had contacted the fancy humans. It would make sense, she had always been on her phone while Grian was visiting, paying attention the entire time. 

Scar drew back into the den, another growl rising in his throat. Grian shivered again, tremors shaking his body, and Scar cut off his growl in favor of curling tighter around him. Gem picked the phone up from the sand, then pushed off of the floor, shooting up through the water. She passed out of view, but only a few moments later, she returned, this time making a beeline towards Scar’s den. 

Scar knew, logically, that he wouldn’t be able to defend both himself and Grian in the state he was in. Maybe if he had both of his hands free and sharpened claws, but he was still holding Grian and his nails were still filed down to the point of uselessness. Gem would be able to sedate him again easily and Grian would be dragged off to some horrible fate, never to be seen again. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight to the bitter end. If he couldn’t protect Grian, then he would do as much damage as he could. Maybe then, he would finally be free.

Chapter Text

Grian took a step back as the department head strode towards him, a smug look on their face. He didn’t even remember this one’s name, they all sort of swam together into one entity. All he knew was that there was a dangerous gleam to their eyes as they approached, and that they were promising the end of his life.

A second one stood by the door, and upon being signalled by the first, flicked the switch on the control box that activated the pool cover. The department head continued to approach Grian, pace even and confident. Grian took another step back, aware that he was giving ground but not wanting them any closer to him. The yellow line was now in front of him, rather than behind, and a small part of his brain informed him that he was breaking the most important rule set in place for him.

“Goodbye, Xelqua.” The department head smiled, a sharp, cruel thing. In a flash, their hands shot out and shoved him backwards. Grian tried to catch himself, to rebalance, but his foot fell through air. He tipped over, landing in the pool with a splash. 

The water was freezing . That was the first thing he registered as he sank, clothes drenched in an instant. It was colder than the last time he had suddenly found himself submerged, which seemed impossible, and the shock of the water left him reeling. By the time he regained his senses, the pool cover was almost fully shut. He twisted in the water, swimming desperately for the surface, but it was too late. The cover slammed shut above his head, effectively trapping him. His momentum carried him forward and he bumped up against it, proving that it was very solid and definitely would not be moving easily.

Immediately, Grian’s brain kicked into gear, formulating a plan. He only had a few minutes of air in his lungs, he had never been good at holding his breath for long periods of time, so he would have to use the most of them. He needed to divide his time into steps.

Step one, get help. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, silently thanking Gem for buying him that waterproof case for his birthday. He pulled up Gem’s contact information, cursing the fact that the touch screen didn’t work as well underwater. It took several taps just to open up his texts with her, and even more to make out a simple message. 

Grian: help

That would have to do. He didn’t bother putting his phone back into his pocket, he didn’t have the time for it. He let it fall to the bottom of the pool, swimming back up to the cover and slamming his fists against it. It was solid, there would be no way for him to break it. He would have to pry it open with his fingers. That attempt proved fruitless, as the pool cover was pressed up tightly against the wall, refusing to budge. 

Now the panic was beginning to set in. He was running out of air, and fast. He couldn’t get out. He was going to drown in this tank, the university would win, the mer would be locked up and studied–

Something soft touched his arms and he stopped, heart beating loudly in his ears. He looked down to see a pair of hands slowly tightening around him, long black nails delicately resting on his skin. Gently, the mer pulled Grian close, wrapping an arm around his stomach. 

So this was it. The mer was going to kill him. He thought they had gained enough trust between them, that the time they had spent together had been enough, but no. The mer was going to drag him down to the bottom of the tank, holding him down as he drowned. A fitting end to his pathetic waste of a life. He hadn’t even earned his Masters.

The mer placed a hand over his mouth, his thumb resting against his nose and his pinky pressed up against his throat. Something about the gesture triggered a memory in the back of Grian’s oxygen deprived mind, something that Gem had told him about mer. What was it?

“Pearl took me swimming yesterday, and she showed me something really interesting. I don’t know how it works with science, but mer have an ability that helps creatures to breathe underwater. They can put their hand over the creature’s mouth and nose, and then they can breathe through it. It’s not a myth, I got to try it. It’s so weird, but it’s so cool at the same time!” 

Grian felt something brush up against his ear, and a moment later, he heard a voice. It was muffled by the water, but because it was so close to his ear, he could understand it perfectly.

“Breathe.” 

It had to be the mer. There was no one else in the water. His voice sounded different from how Grian had imagined it, though he wasn’t really sure what he had imagined it as looking back. It was light, almost playful, though it still held the weight of the situation. It…it fit him. 

The mer held him a little bit tighter, and he shuddered, recognizing just how easy it would be for him to tear his throat out in this position. All it would take was a quick slash of his claws, or a sharp bite with his fangs, and he would be dead. 

“Grian.” The mer spoke again. Grian realized dimly through his lightheadedness that they were moving away from the pool cover now. “It’s okay. You can breathe.”

Grian’s lungs spasmed despite his hesitancy and he gasped, expecting to feel water replacing the emptiness within them. But instead, humid air rushed into his body, oxygen flowing once more to his head and through his blood. It felt so natural and yet so foreign at the same time. He slowly breathed in again, his brain screaming at him that it was wrong, that he shouldn’t be breathing underwater, but once again, air filled his lungs. 

His entire life now rested in the hands of the mer. He could let go of him at any point and he would have no choice but to drown. Not to mention that he could still rip out his throat. 

Grian shivered, the adrenaline from his panic still very active and running through his veins, and the mer cradled him even closer, draping his fins over his body protectively. He was warmer than the water, and Grian found himself grateful for it. He could feel the cold soaking into his bones, and he wouldn’t be surprised if his lips were turning blue. 

“Hang in there.” The mer said quietly in his ear. “Someone will come eventually.” 

Grian didn’t really know how to respond, so he just nodded, moving slowly so that he wouldn’t jostle the mer’s hand. He did his best not to move any more than that, though he couldn’t help the shivers running through him from leftover adrenaline and the cold water. The mer set his head down atop his, keeping him in place as they waited. Gradually, Grian got used to breathing through the mer’s hand, and he slowly relaxed in his hold, allowing himself to trust him.

It seemed like ages had passed when the pool cover rattled and slowly began to open again. The mer lifted his head, then swam for his den, still cradling Grian in his arms. At first, Grian was confused by this gesture, but then he realized that out of all the people to have opened the cover, the department heads were probably the most likely. They would want to make sure he was dead. The mer was going to hide them both away in his den, where it would be more difficult to reach them.

A muffled splash reached Grian’s ears, and as the mer arranged them in the den, he found his vision restricted by the rock. He could only see a small sliver of the pool. He lifted his chin carefully in an attempt to get a better view, but the mer growled, the sound low and dangerous. Grian froze, bracing himself, but the mer just lightly bumped the back of his head. A few moments later, he repeated his growl, then cut himself off and pulled Grian closer again. Grian closed his eyes, leaning into the touch as shivers wracked his body. He was going to come down with hypothermia at this rate. 

Then the mer twitched, a rumble building in his chest, and Grian opened his eyes again to see someone floating outside the entrance to the den. It was Gem. Her eyes were wide with surprise, her casual clothing billowing around her as she hovered in the water. Her hair was loose rather than in their normal braids and her feet were missing their iconic boots, but it was very clearly her. 

She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to get back tomorrow morning. Why was she here?

The mer growled again, the arm wrapped around Grian’s waist loosening. Grian reached out with his hand hesitantly and grabbed his wrist, holding it gently. The mer stopped his growl, letting Grian pull his arm back around him. He tapped his hand twice, then reached out to Gem with his other hand. Gem hesitated for a moment, then reached back, taking his hand. 

“Grian…” The mer’s voice rumbled in his ear, anxious. 

Grian took a deep breath, then carefully removed the mer’s hand from his face. He twitched but didn’t drag him back, so Grian counted it as a win. He turned around to face him, still holding Gem’s hand. He had no way of conveying to the mer that it would be okay, so instead, he gestured for him to follow. The mer slowly nodded, and Grian turned around, swimming towards the surface with Gem.

Gem was the first out, hauling herself over the lip of the pool, breathing heavily as she sat dripping on the concrete. She didn’t bother scooting behind the yellow line. Grian propped himself up on the ledge, looking back to see the mer close behind him. His fins were pressed close to his head, clearly agitated.

“Don’t worry, Gem’s nice.” Grian patted the wall next to him. “She’s not one of the bad ones, I promise. She’s helping us.”

The mer broke the surface, floating over to Grian’s side. He didn’t quite go all the way to the wall, instead hovering just behind him. 

“Are you okay?” Gem gathered her wet hair into a bundle and wrung it out. “I came as quickly as I could when I got your text, you’re lucky I got an earlier flight. Skizz already took care of the department heads, they’re sitting in a cell right now.” 

“Thank you.” Grian rested his head down on his arms. “Really, I appreciate it so much.”

“Of course.” Gem smiled tiredly at him, then looked behind him at the mer. “Hey.”

The mer lightly splashed in the water, fins twisting back and forth anxiously. 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Gem said gently. “This has been a pretty crazy week, huh? I’m sorry it’s been so all over the place. We’ve finally found a safe place for you, somewhere that no one will try to take advantage of you ever again.”

The mer paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I want to go back home. To my lake.”

Grian felt a sense of dread come over him, but he couldn’t keep this information away from him. He turned around in the water to face him, still using the wall to prop himself up. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Your tail and fins…they’re really damaged. To the point where they probably won’t recover.” He shook his head. “You might not be able to return to the wild.”

The mer’s expression tightened, a look of dismay in his eyes. Grian felt his heart snap at the sight of it, and after a moment of silence, he let go of the wall and hugged him. The mer instinctively wrapped his arms around him, and after a few seconds, he tightened his hold, tucking his head in the crook of Grian’s neck. 

“I’m sorry.” Grian murmured, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m so, so sorry.”

There was another pause before the mer spoke again. His voice was broken, filled with grief. “It’s not your fault. It's not you.”

“Still, it's not fair that it happened to you.” Grian’s thumb traced circles between his shoulder blades, brushing over the fins connected to his spine. “Just know that I’m with you every step of the way now. You’re stuck with me. I’m gonna make sure you have the best life you possibly can. I promise. And no more of these stupid researchers trying to take advantage of you.”

“That sounds nice.” The mer said quietly. 

Gem slowly got to her feet. “I’ll leave you two here for a bit. I need to oversee some things with the investigation. I’ll have someone bring some towels and maybe some heating pads so that you don’t get hypothermia.” 

“Thanks Gem.” Grian hummed, not letting go of the mer. 

“You’re welcome.” Gem replied easily, then left the room, leaving the two of them behind.

-

Scar leaned up against the edge of the pool, watching Grian wrap himself in several towels, shivering the entire time. His lips had turned an almost purple color, and his skin looked significantly paler than it had before his extended dip in Scar’s pool. Once he was swaddled up in his towels, he laid down on the concrete, smiling tiredly at Scar.

“I’m okay, just a little cold.” He said through chattering teeth, curling up into a ball. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

Scar nodded, though his words did nothing to sooth his concern. He didn’t know very much about humans, but he was pretty sure that their lips were not supposed to be blue. 

“Are you okay?” Grian asked, reaching a hand out of his towel pile to drape over the edge of the pool. A week ago, that would have been the worst decision he could have made. Scar would have dragged him to the bottom of the pool in a matter of seconds. But now, it seemed almost natural. The yellow line which had divided them was now ignored, and Grian was perfectly safe being close to Scar.

“Not really.” Scar took his hand, cradling it in his own. It was cold. “I’m…I don’t know how to feel.”

Grian hummed in understanding, his fingers brushing up against Scar’s knuckles. 

“Did…” Scar trailed off, and Grian lifted his head questioningly. “You don’t know my name.”

“Nope.” Grian laid back down against the concrete. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. You also don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” Scar squeezed his hand lightly. “I’m not very good at Human yet, and I haven’t done very much talking over the past few years, but I like doing it. I don’t know exactly how my name translates to it? I think…Scar?”

“Scar?” Grian repeated. “As in, the marks left behind by wounds?”

“Yes.” Scar nodded. “It’s an interesting fit, I know. Especially with how I look now.”

“I like it.” Grian decided, a smile on his face. “It’s short and simple, and it works for you.”

Scar smiled back, the expression still foreign on his face, but not quite as much as it had been during his performances. “I’m glad you like it.”

The next few days were a blur of activity. Grian did his best to spend every moment with Scar, through each step of the relocation process. The marine department of the university was shut down temporarily, and many of the department heads from around the school were taken in for questioning and arrest. Scar didn’t bother asking too much about that, he mostly heard about it in passing from Grian. 

His biggest concern was moving from his current pool to the new facility, about thirty miles away. In the water, that would be no big deal, Scar could swim that far over the course of a couple days if he wanted to, and the water was fairly safe. But it was all over land, and they would be transferring over there with a truck. Scar would have to be on a stretcher for about forty five minutes, out of water, completely vulnerable. 

That scared him. That scared him a lot. But Grian promised that he would be there with him and that nothing would be able to harm him while he was there. They could tell stories to pass the time and it would be fine. And so the stretcher was brought to Scar’s pool and lowered into the water, and he was lifted out and carried to the truck waiting just outside the institute. Grian held his hand the entire time. 

Scar hated being out of water. Only bad things happened when he was above water. But the truck drive was uneventful, the only exciting thing being Grian’s voice filling the space. Scar occasionally chimed in with his own experiences, and instead of being punished for it, he was met with a wide grin on Grian’s face every time. The wet towels draped over his tail and fins kept his skin from drying out, and the road was relatively smooth. By the time they reached the facility, Scar had almost forgotten that he was out of water. 

“Okay, careful, steady.” Gem instructed as they got out of the truck and began moving into the large building on the bank of the lake. “We’re gonna take our time with this, alright?”

“Don’t worry Gem, we’ve got him.” One of the carriers of the stretcher–whose name was Impulse–reassured her. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t jostle too much.” Skizz added, holding the other end of the stretcher. 

“It’s just a walk to the door, then there are water pathways that go throughout the entire facility.” Grian rubbed his thumb along Scar’s, still holding his hand. “Then you won’t have to worry about the stretcher for a long time.”
Scar nodded, fighting back the apprehension rising in his throat as the stretcher bounced. But true to Grian’s word, they were inside in only a few moments, and the stretcher was placed on the ground. 

It was humid inside, and it smelled like freshwater. Scar quickly propped himself up on his hands to look around, taking in the lights and the decorated hallways. It felt lived in, from the pictures hung on the walls to the drawings tacked up everywhere. There was a channel of water running through the center of the hallway, following the same walkways the humans would use. 

“Go ahead.” Grian let go of his hand, an encouraging smile on his face. Scar hesitated for only a moment before sliding himself over the smooth floor and into the water. It was warm, and while he was just fine with cooler water, this felt amazing on his quietly aching limbs. What’s more, he couldn’t taste the sharp tang of chemicals in the water, like he had in both the aquarium and university tank. This felt fresh, clean. Like his lake had. 

He twisted in the water, breaking the surface to see Grian kneeling by the waterway, a giant grin on his face. 

“What do you think?” He asked excitedly. 

“It’s amazing!” Scar replied, doing a spin in the water. “It’s warm and clean and it doesn’t feel like there’s a bunch of stuff in the water.”

“Pearl made sure that it was perfect for pretty much every kind of mer.” Gem crouched down next to Grian. “There are a couple areas that are kept colder for some people, but for the most part, the water is kept at this temperature. If you’re ever too hot, I can show you the cooler areas.”

“Thanks.” Scar flicked his fins experimentally, relishing the feel of warm water washing over them. 

Gem walked them through the entire facility, pointing out each location, every den, the private rooms and the public ones. He learned where he would get his fish, and that he could have as much as he wanted. He learned where his den was, and was delighted to find that it was larger than both his previous ones, with enough space for probably three or four mer. He even encountered a few mer along the way, all of them friendly as they greeted him with trills or clicks. 

When the tour was finally over, Scar was wiped. His tail and fins felt like they were about to drop off, and his pace had slowed significantly as he swam through the waterways. Grian walked him back to his den, neither of them saying anything due to their exhaustion. Within the den rooms were shallow slopes that allowed the humans to sit in the water and the mer to lie on without being completely beached. Grian sat down in the water without hesitation, his pants immediately soaking through. Scar swam up to meet him, and it was there they sat, a comfortable silence stretching between them. 

The day had been long and stressful, but this made up for all of it.

Chapter Text

“Scar, I promise, Pearl is super nice.” Grian kicked his legs back and forth in the pool, sending small waves through the water that rippled over Scar. He glared up at him, but there was no heat to it. 

The truth was, he was scared to meet Pearl. She was the mer who ran the entire facility, she could kick him out easily if she wanted to. He didn’t want to lose this. The past three weeks had been the best he’d had since he lived in the lake, and he didn’t know if he could handle losing it all. What if she decided that he didn’t fit into the community she had created? What if she looked at him and told him he wasn’t injured enough to stay? For the past three years, he had wanted nothing more than to return to his lake, but now he knew that his fins and tail wouldn’t be able to take it. He would starve out there, unable to catch any food. 

“Scar, I can hear you overthinking.” Grian leaned over, resting his arms on his knees. “It’s gonna be fine. If you really don't want to meet her yet, then we can move it to another day.”

If he canceled, Pearl would think he had something to hide. It had already been so long since he had arrived here, she would be suspicious of him. That would only make her opinion of him worse, and he couldn't do that. He had to meet her today. 

“It’s fine, I'll meet her.” He took a deep breath. “You’ll stay with me, right?”

“Of course.” Grian nodded. “You won't get rid of me that easily. I will have to change into a wetsuit quickly, do you want me to do that now?”

“Sure.” Scar agreed, dipping below the surface and swimming lazy circles in the water. He didn't want to tire himself out too early, he still had to swim all the way to the main pool and back. As he floated through the water, his mind continued to spiral. 

What if he said something wrong and Pearl thought he was rude? What if his tail gave out while they were swimming and she got annoyed with him? What if she asked him a question in mer and he didn't know how to answer because he hadn't lived in the wild in so long? Logically he knew he was thinking way too hard about this, Grian had told him enough about Pearl to know that she wouldn't kick him out. She was friendly, kind, and excited to meet him. But he couldn’t help but spiral anyway.

“Scar.” Grian splashed the water lightly, and he surfaced again. The human was now wearing a tight fitting wetsuit, black fabric covering most of his skin, leaving just his head, feet, and hands visible. His hair was ruffled, probably from hastily changing, and there was a bright shine to his eyes. ”You ready?” 

Scar shrugged. “I’m as ready as I think I'll ever get.”

“You’re gonna be just fine.” Grian promised, slipping into the water. “Ohh, I’m definitely still sore from yesterday.”

Yesterday, they had worked together to both clean out Scar’s pool and personalize it. Now there were pebbles along the floor and plants growing between them, making the whole space feel so much more like home. Moving all the stones into the pool had been an ordeal to say the least, and Grian had done most of the heavy lifting above water. While Scar was definitely still sore, the water had made it a lot easier to move the rocks around. 

“Are you good to swim?” He asked, moving up next to him. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Grian waved him off. “Are you okay? I know you said your tail was bugging you yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, I'm okay.” Scar flicked his tail to prove it. “I’m trying to save my strength as much as possible, since I'm swimming all the way to the main area and back, but I'm okay for now.”

“Okay.” Grian began swimming alongside him, his arms cutting through the water. “Let me know if that changes, alright? We can always cut it shorter and go back.”

“I'll be fine too.” Scar kept his pace slow, so Grian could keep up. “Don’t worry about me.”

They made their way down the waterways, passing a few humans and mer as they did so. The facility was filled with life, as it usually was early in the morning, and Scar felt a rush of energy pass through him as they swam along. By the time they reached the main center, he felt more excited than scared. 

The main center itself was a giant underground pool that stretched out about an acre. The floor was littered with coral, an effort being made to regrow it alongside the mer. There were a lot of mer here who were native to coral reefs, and they were very invested in its progress. There were also segments of rock and artificial rock going up the wall, plenty of flat surfaces to lie down on. Above the surface were several walkways for the humans, as well as docks that they could step off in to get in the water. Above that was a large skylight, letting in plenty of natural sunlight.

Needless to say, it was a mer’s dream.

Grian tapped his hand lightly to get his attention, then pointed down at an area down by the coral. “Pearl’s down there with Gem, they're using that tube mask thing. You remember how I was telling you about their experimentation with the breathing ability?” 

Scar looked to where he was pointing to see Gem floated deep below the water, near the floor. Her hair was pulled back in that familiar braid, she was wearing a similar wetsuit to Grian, and on her face was a clear plastic covering. Connected to the covering was a tube, and holding the other end of it was a mer. 

They had long brown hair and white fins with a purple hue to them. Their fins were a lot bigger and glossier than Scar’s, and they looked like no mer he had ever seen before. Granted, over the past week he had seen more species of mer than he had ever seen in his life, but this mer didn't even resemble any of the lake mer he was used to seeing.

“That’s Pearl next to her, she’s a flying fish mer.” Grian informed him. “That’s why her fins are so big. If you look closely, you can see why she's here. There was an accident with a boat, it exploded out at sea, took her out with it. She got stranded with another human, his name’s Scott, he visits every once in a while.” 

“Oh.” Scar tilted his head to the side, watching her closely. As she bobbed back and forth beneath the water, he could see burn scars lining her fins and tail. It almost looked like a constellation across her scales. 

“Do you want to go down and meet her?” Grian asked, and Scar noted that he was beginning to get a bit out of breath, treading water to stay next to him. “I can go with you if you want, you’d just have to help me breathe.”
“Could you come with me?” Scar opened his arms, an invitation for Grian to swim up to him. “Please?”

“Of course.” Grian swam into his arms and turned around, letting Scar loop one arm around his waist and place his hand over his mouth. When he spoke again, his words were muffled through Scar’s fingers. “Whenever you’re ready!”

Scar nodded, then took a deep breath. “Okay. We’re going down now.” 

He slowly sank beneath the water, carrying Grian along with him. There was a moment where Grian held his breath, instinct keeping him from inhaling underwater, but he quickly relaxed, breathing evenly. Gem spotted them first, waving up at them excitedly. Pearl looked up as well, her eyes lighting up when they landed on them. 

“Hi there! You must be Scar?” She asked, swimming up slowly to meet them. Gem paddled after them, still hooked up to the breathing contraption. “I’m Pearl. I run this place. I’m sure the others have told you all about me.” 

“Hi.” Scar held Grian a little bit tighter, and he felt him laugh against his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Pearl smiled, and Scar felt a wedge of tension loosen from his shoulders.

The next few hours were surprisingly calm. Pearl showed off the breathing contraption that she and Gem had put together, then they talked for a while before going up to the surface for Grian and Gem’s sake. They didn’t talk about anything in particular, though they did focus a bit on what Pearl did as the head of the facility and what options Scar had if he ever wanted to go back to the lake. Despite Scar’s fear, Pearl never said that he had to leave. In fact, she had told him that he could stay as long as he wanted, even if it was for the rest of his life.

Eventually, Scar’s fins felt like they were about to fall off, and he finally leaned in to Grian and whispered that he was ready to be done. Grian scolded him for a few moments before swimming him back to his den, letting him hold onto his shoulders so that he didn’t have to swim as hard. 

“So, was that so bad?” Grian asked teasingly as he pulled himself onto the shore, leaving his bottom half in the water. 

Scar splashed him, then rolled up onto the ground next to him. “She was nice. I liked her.” 

“I told you.” Grian laughed as Scar splashed him again. “Hey, I thought you were tired.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t bully you.” Scar set his head down on his arms. “You make it too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Grian fell back, lying on the shore next to him. “I’m glad you liked her. I’ve known her for a long time.”

Scar hummed in acknowledgement, closing his eyes. He could feel Grian’s heartbeat faintly through the water, a gentle and calm pulse. He was sure his felt the same way. He smiled contently as he listened to Grian’s breathing deepen, then turned over to look at him. His face had relaxed significantly, and his eyes were closed. He had fallen asleep in only a few moments.

This wasn’t the first time he had fallen asleep in Scar’s room. He had been struggling to sleep at night, some kind of insomnia that he couldn’t shake. It had led to many scary moments of him nearly drowning. Luckily, this time he had fallen asleep on the shore, though he was still half submerged. Scar decided to let him sleep, since he was safe. Maybe in a bit, he would wake him up and move him so that he wouldn’t be at risk of drowning.

But for now, he could sleep, knowing that Scar would protect him.

-

“Mmmph…Scar?” Grian blearily opened his eyes to see the mer nudging him lightly. He…he wasn’t really sure where he was. His sleep-addled brain was struggling to put together the pieces. He was warm, yes, but he was also wet? And…wearing a wetsuit? Had he fallen asleep in Scar’s pool again?

“Grian.” Scar said gently, an amused smile on his face. “I told you to get more sleep last night.”

“Mmm.” Grian grumbled. “Tried. Couldn’t.”

“Aww.” Scar pulled himself up onto the shallow slope, opening his arms. “Come here, sleepyhead.”

Grian scooted down the slope, sliding into the hold easily. Scar laughed softly, running his claws through his hair carefully and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Grian slowly drifted back towards unconsciousness again, his face pressed into the crook of Scar’s neck, and he barely registered when they slipped back into the water and his breathing was filtered through Scar’s skin. 

“It’s okay, you can sleep with me tonight.” Scar hummed softly in his ear, holding his head in place with one hand while his other wrapped around his waist. “I’ll make sure you don’t drown.” 

Grian made a motion that was vaguely like a nod, barely awake at this point. The feeling of Scar’s claws in his hair and his arm around his waist was so comforting, so safe. He had no reason to still be awake. He knew Scar would take care of him. 

Scar kissed the top of his head again. “Goodnight, Grian. I’ll see you in the morning.”