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There was one rule of the sea that everyone who worked with sirens knew, and everyone with a mustard seed of intelligence followed.
That rule was never to make a siren, especially a bonded siren, scream.
Everyone at Mercury Labs specifically had special training on how to handle sirens so as not to set them off. It was a yearly course. Anyone who even passed by a siren tank had to take it, no excuses, it was mandatory.
So, how did the scientist Cleo's department send to take Scott in for testing forget it?
He'd gone in without gloves.
He'd taken Scott backwards out of the tank without warning. Bare-handed.
The mer had screamed, panic in his ribs at the sheer speed it all was done at. He wasn't injured, but his poor little heart was beating a hundred miles an hour.
But they had grabbed Scott, and that was their first and biggest mistake.
Cleo didn't even have time to yell at the idiot before Scott was promptly ripped from his hands by Martyn.
The Shark mer burst out of the water and nearly ripped the idiot's arm off as he retrieved Scott.
Then he vanished under the water.
Cleo's eye twitched.
...
Underwater, the shark mer had clenched his hands to his chest and felt his body humming with rage.
"Martyn..." Scott murmured, pushing at the rigid fingers trapping him in clammy palms. "Martyn, it's fine. They just need to take me for testing."
"No." The shark mer snarled, a low growling noise rumbling in his chest, reverberating against the little siren's body. "You said you were tired. You shouldn't go if you're tired."
Scott opened his mouth, closed it. "Martyn, you can't just- they'll think you're being possessive. They'll flag you again. You're already on thin ice after what you did to Doc-"
"THEY GRABBED YOU BACKWARDS! THEY KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE THAT!" The blonde barked, baring his teeth at the next wobbly reflection he saw in the water. "I ambeing possessive because you don't stand up for yourself if I'm not."
Scott felt oddly touched by the sentiment but it didn't change the fact Martyn was going to get them both in serious trouble if he didn't let Scott to soon.
He tries again, pushing harder against the hands cradling him. "Martyn."
"Get in the cove." The blonde snaps, shoving Scott between the opening in the rock. "Stay here. Do not come up."
Scott didn't even get to open his mouth.
...
Then there he was again, on the man who'd disrespected the little siren like a bloodhound seeking prey.
Martyn snarled, gripping the man's coat and forcefully dragging him under, taking a new grasp on his neck once he was in the tank, holding his head underwater. Shaking him, thrashing his head around.
Two of the other scientists fought with him over the body, having to literally throw him backwards and almost off the tank edge just to get him away from the shark.
Martyn's eyes were absolutely filled with rage, with pure fury, as he continued to grab at the scientist's ankles every so often. Bruising his ribs with the force he was using to shoot at them.
Cleo had moved away, trying to ensure that Martyn wouldn't be getting a hold of her, because they probably wouldn't try and pull her back out.
She couldn't see Scott in the water, but that was most likely dude to all the rippling Martyn's thrashing and jumping was causing.
It took a few more minutes before the blonde merman went silent. Not a good sign.
"You."
Cleo tensed up for a second before turning to see what was going on. Her eyes wandered to the fin sticking out of the water, thankfully pointed away from her. "You disgusting human. You hurt a siren who has done nothing but cooperate with you. You hurt Scott right in front of me-and you expect me to lie dormant? To sit still?" The blonde laughs, his eyes slits. "I will enjoy drowning you."
The man had been thrown down into the water with ease, and Martyn had put his full weight on the man's neck, staying out of the water, Ned daring anyone to try and push him back in.
Cleo almost wanted to let the man drown.
However, she was the only one in the whole facility who wasn't scared of the manic shark, and she was going to use that to her advantage.
With a practiced calm, Cleo walked up to maryyn and shoved him, tail first, into the water her eyes slits.
He looked like he was fighting every bone in his body not to rip her to shreds, but as she expected, he slunk off.
The man choked as he was pulled up.
Cleo almost wanted to kick him fully into the tank.
...
Security got involved soon. With muzzling mechanisms.
Martyn thrashed out and evaded them again, shooting down into the alcove where he'd put Scott, eyes wild.
The beta fish mer looked at him, blinking a few times before he opened his mouth. "Is that blood? Martyn-"
"Shut up." The shark mer growls, his head throbbing. He's worked up. Worse than that, he's worked up and he hasn't eaten. Every home in his body is telling at him to eat Scott. To swallow him in one big gulp and go back out there. But his mind won't let him, he can't. He can, but he won't. Because he's got to protect him. Scott let Martyn handle them because he TRUSTED him, and what kind of friend would he be if he ate the only one who didn't see him as a monster? He couldn't just-
He could.
That was it.
In an instant, Martyn is looking at the little mer again. His gills flare as he swims closer to Scott, slower, more carefully. He didn't have time for this.
"Get in my mouth." Martyn instructs, his eyes closed as he tried his very best to calm himself down.
Scott's face went from concern to shock in a heartbeat. "I- what? Martyn, you're scaring me."
"I don't have time to explain." Martyn snapped, immediately regretting it and letting out a snarl of frustration directed at himself. "It'll be like when- Like a cleaner fish, I won't harm you- Just get in my mouth, Scott!"
"You can trust me." He lied through his teeth.
The beta fish mer hardly had time to argue, as soon as he so much as flicked his tail, Martyn cupped his hands behind him and he slapped them to his mouth.
Then he closed Scott in and took a deep, deep breath.
Then he surfaced, growling like a maniac. Eyes wild, darting from Cleo to the idioit next to her.
He opened his mouth.
There were gasps. Screams. Yells of outrage.
Then there was Cleo. She looked at him and then at the small, crumpled form of Scott.
"Okay." She says, calm as ever.
Then Martyn knows it's over.
He closes his mouth.
Cleo gives him that "you wouldn't' dare" look.
He swallows.
Glaring directly at the scientist who had started it all.
Someone fainted.
...
Martyn retreated back into his cove, fighting every instinct to swallow what was in his mouth.
He hadn't meant to push Scott into his palate that hard, but it had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and-
As soon as they reach their cove, Martyn spits Scott out.
"Okay. It's over." He says, his voice high and stupidly shaky.
The mer doesn't move.
Scott is pale. That's what he notices first, pale and curled up in a tight ball. Barely breathing.
Martyn's core implodes.
"Oh no, no, no, NO! SCOTT! Wake up, please. Wake up!"
He pokes at the net's little chest, pressing on his abdomen. Maybe he could do some sort of CPR?
The pressed and pressed, getting one shallow cough from Scott. Just one.
Martyn curled up around him and fanned more water towards him, the small mer groaning, hacking again. The sound was so small, like a hiccup.
"Scott, please don't die. Please don't-"
There's a soft heave from the beta fish mer. Martyn's eyes light up. "Awe... you care about me."
The shark mer gave a heaving sigh and clutched both sides of his head, trying to calm his racing mind. "Oh my void."
"You care-" Scott let out a low his ass he sat up. "About me! Ha!"
"You are such a bitch." Martyn whimpered through his hands, moving to look at Scott with one gleaming eye. "I thought I killed you."
The teal-haired mer scoffed, wincing again at the movement. "You wish. I bet I taste better than the trout they toss in here."
"I- are you okay?" Martyn says again, slower, controlled.
"I can't feel my ribs," Scott informs, pressing a hand to where one of his false ribs was supposed to be and moving it around himself, an aborted scream coming from him as he perked his hand back. "I think you snapped my ribs."
Martyn's heart sank from where it had just reassured its place. "Oh, void. Oh no."
"Martyn-" Scott started, wincing as he lay on his back again. "It's- actually it's not fine. It really, really hurts. You're strong."
"I'm gonna get Cleo." Martyn blurts, "Try not to move."
"Don't think I can," Scott said, with that edge of humor to his voice he'd usually laugh after.
Then Martyn raced off swearing and praying that the scientist was still there.