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“He's in here…”
When Queen Nethimir told Siren that Kappa needed his help, the shark prince's instincts kicked in and he was swimming to the speed of light toward potential danger, leaving the Octalia behind.
Once he arrived at the designated location however, his adrenaline wore off and his eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion.
There in the middle of the cave was his boyfriend, happily blabbing away and clinging to Mono and Mucku, who both did their best to keep him steady and prevent him from falling over. The giggles that erupted from the Beacon were ones Siren had never heard before, and the confusion inside him only multiplied by tenfold.
Nethimir only let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples in frustration. “I guess I should've started with the fact that all things considered, he's fine.”
Siren finally turned to the Queen of the Octalia. “Do I wanna know what's going on?”
“He's been stressed out of his mind lately. Don't think I need to tell you that, I'm sure you've noticed.” Nethimir began her explanation as calmly as possible as she eyed her two companions, still desperately trying to keep the young merman from smashing into a wall. “So Mucku suggested an old Octalian brew that Mono and I taught her a few months back. Guess she forgot about its… tipsy properties when too much is ingested at once.”
After giving him another look over, Siren indeed noticed the strange behavior akin to that of his own mother when she indulged in a few drinks of Ale—lack of body coordination, glassy eyes, slurred speech, and lots of laughing. Or in Kappa's case it was more like snorting. Which Siren found incredibly adorable, but that's besides the point.
“He started crying when he realized you weren't here, so I figured you'd be able to calm him down. Maybe even get him to go to sleep so this can all pass…” The Octalia Queen gave him a sympathetic look; one the shark prince still wasn't used to receiving from the group of ‘evil witches’.
Still, he knew none of them had meant Kappa any harm. With a reassuring smile, he turned toward the trio with determination in his eyes. “It's okay. Thank you for always looking out for him. I'll take it from here.”
With a hum, Nethimir swam her way to Mono, who looked incredibly relieved to see that the cavalry had arrived. It made Siren chuckle at the display.
“Siiiiiren!”
“O-Oof!”
In the mere seconds he took his eyes off him, Kappa had somehow snuck his way to the shark's side, squeezing him firmly against his side with force he didn't know he had. Giggles erupted past his lips while snuggling to his side. “You caaaame! Neth said she was gonna get you but it took forevah!”
The shark merely let out a soft chuckle as he reached for the brunet's soft locks. Kappa hummed under his touch and leaned into it. It reminded Siren of Arp and that image alone was enough to make his stomach flutter. “I see you've been having fun. Still, I think it's time we hit the hay—big day tomorrow, remember?”
“Awww, but you JUST got here! Do we gotta?” A pair of puppy eyes were sent in his direction, and Siren had to remind himself that he was the responsible one at the moment, and that Kappa most definitely needed rest.
“Yes, we have to. We can cuddle all you want, though! Worm can even be by our fins to keep us warm.”
At the comment, Kappa's expression shifted to one of pure mischief. The kind he knew all too well when his boyfriend had some rather… unholy intentions in mind. “I can think of another way or two to stay warm…”
Siren's ears instantly lit aflame, but he coughed into his hand to try and hide the clear embarrassment in his face. “L-Lets just go…”
With that, the shark prince dragged a giggling Kappa away from the cave, waving the Octalia goodnight and silently thanking them for looking after the merman. As they made their way to their hut, Arp had popped up and decided to join them, much to Kappa's delight.
It didn't take long for them to make it to their makeshift bedroom. After placing Kappa under Arp's care, Siren started getting things ready for them to crash. That didn't stop his boyfriend from babbling even more, though.
“Ya know, Mucku? *hic* Lots of people flirted with me before I met you guys. I mean A LOT!” Kappa made wild gestures with his hands to emphasize his point. Poor Arp could only dodge any incoming hits unintentionally aimed his way.
Siren laughed at the comment—Kappa was starting to get delusional. It was rather entertaining to see, if he was being honest. He couldn't help but play along as he flattened their bed. “Oh yeah?”
“Ye! I mean I get *hic* being the Beacon must be attractive to lots of folks…” After laying on the floor with Arp in his arms, Kappa's expression turned to one of faint annoyance. “But I'd always say ‘Excuse me, but I have a boyfriend! A HOT one, might I add!’”
Siren's ears perked up at that, a goofy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. This was probably the stupidest thing to get giddy over, but he couldn't help but feel like this everytime Kappa called him attractive. Sure, he'd get loads of comments like those back home, but they never had this effect on him.
The merman kept on going, a dreamy smile plastered on his face as he stared at the ceiling. “I mean, one time he started nibbling at my neck when he thought I was asleep *hic* and MAN, it felt SO GOOD, I could feel myself getting pretty hard—”
“Ooookay!” Bubbles erupted from around Siren as the heat from his cheeks began to spread in every corner of his body. This adorable, smart, sexy, funny merman would be the death of him one of these days, and he could do nothing but wait for that time to come. “B-Bed's ready! You need your sleep so let's talk about this another time!”
“Awww, Mucku you're no fun!” Kappa whined as Siren gently carried him to their bed, laying him down just as delicately while the Beacon yawned into his hand. “But fiiiiine! Siren won't let me hear the end of it if I pull an all nighter…”
“Glad we're on the same page.” Once his boyfriend was secured, Arp made himself comfortable on top of his master, purring into his chest while Kappa hummed in delight, pulling him closer as he snuggled. Siren smiled at the display—he'd wait for Kappa to fall asleep, then go into the bed beside him. No way he'd want to disturb this.
“Hey Muckuuuu?”
“Yeah?”
“Don't tell Siren any of this, okay?” Kappa's voice suddenly went soft, barely above a whisper as a tiny smile decorated his face. “He's really self-conscious about this sorta stuff… he might be uncomfy if people talk about him like that.”
Siren's heart soared in his chest at those words. He couldn't help but lean down and place a soft kiss against the Beacon's temple, getting a small giggle in return. “Your secret's safe with me, little witch…”
And just like that, Kappa was out like a light, snoring softly against Arp looking like a little angel.
Siren chuckled softly at the display.
Kappa may not remember any of this in the morning, but that was okay. The feeling he left in Siren's chest was more than enough proof that it happened.
And that was all the shark could ever ask for.