Work Text:
This should be easy right? It's just moving your arms a bit, moving you legs some more, and keeping your head above water. It's so trivial that even babies can do it unconsciously, so what's the big deal? At least, that was Deuce's thought process as he struggled to crest the embarrassingly placid lake. With great effort he drug himself onto to beach and plopped back to sand as he hoped that his labored breathing would block out the snide chuckling directed towards him. As he fought to make his body calm down, he reminisced on what series of unfortunate events convinced him, a hot headed human, that he could impress a mermaid, a sea creature, in swimming of all things.
If he could rack his waterlogged brain into working well enough, Deuce remembered he was working a shift at the Monstro Lounge to help get some extra 'marks to get some new duds to impress a certain upperclassman. An upperclassman whose stare was causing him to stutter as he took orders. To many people it would look like he was buckling under the weight of the carnivore looking at him as though he were prey -which was true- but what he truly couldn't handle was being the focus of someone with such an intense stare. He, the sole focus of someone so powerful, so charming. Someone who offered a neutral yet polite smile as though amused they were caught. Someone whose smile turned to chuckles every time he stuttered or made a mistake or stared back a little too long or returned the smile or-
'Hey! Heeeyyyy! Are you even listening????'
After a few more hours of being utterly embarrassing, Deuce felt that he had to find a way to make the Octavinelle vice housewarden look at him with admiration instead of….whatever he's currently doing. Between taking and running orders, Deuce tried hard to think of a way to impress Jade. At the end of his shift, he got an idea. It was dumb, stupid even but if he managed to make it work, he'd have Jade's respect forever. And so, he walked up to the Octavinelle vice housewarden chest puffed and trying desperately to not deflate under Jade's amused gaze. Only closing the distance did Deuce truly realize how tall Jade was...and his equally tall chances of getting him to agree to something so stupid.
Soon enough, the card soldier stood steadfast before his cru- 'ahem' -upperclassman and preened at the approval in his mismatched eyes. Before Jade could bare his teeth in his infamous intimidation tactic, Deuce yelled his challenge, unable to hold his delinquent self back. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he was proud to see the vice housewarden jump in surprise but took it back when Jade gave him a closed eye smile.
"Oho~. You're trying to challenge a merman in speed swimming, hm? And what are you expecting out of this? More favorable work times?" Jade began to pace around Deuce, his look keeping him pinned in place. "Respect, even?" Deuce could feel himself starting to shake but he clenched his fists harder and met his glare head on, keeping his chin up. "Or....perhaps...." Jade stopped somewhere behind the card soldier and bent low, careful to keep his head just close enough to Deuce's ear without touching it and the underclassman felt the last part of the question more than he heard it, "...a date?"
Just as Deuce jolted in surprise, Jade stood straight, his black lock of hair grazing Deuce's ear. Deuce clapped a hand over it and cursed under his breath at Jade's smug face. It was no surprise Jade of all people knew about his not so well hidden or little crush. Though the card soldier liked the extra cash, he only started taking shifts at the Mostro Lounge again to be near the vice housewarden.
'Simp.' he could hear the other first years deadpan to him after he told them about his new employment.
'Yea, well, who got the last laugh now, huh?!' He was able to snag his crush's attention to be fully on himself while he got to look cool at the same time. At least, that's what he likes to believe is happening. No, it's more like that's what he's going to keep telling himself so he can sleep better at night.
Currently, he was drowning.
The challenge was easy enough; see who could swim from the shallows of the beach to a rock formation on the horizon line and back again first. Deuce had seen the distance between the two points and he swore he could throw a rock from the beach to the little island even on his worse day. (Though, Deuce is way stronger than he thinks he is….) Plus, he's the best Magibike racer in his neck of the woods and is in track and field. If anyone was fast, it was him.
But that was on land, which he's not on, against other two legged individuals, whom he's not racing against. 'Was it always this hard to swim?' He wasn't able to keep an eye on Jade but something was telling him that the mereel was barely working up a sweat while taking a leisurely pace beside him. He couldn't tell of the glistening blue beside him was the water or his opponent but he couldn't let either take his attention away from the rapidly approaching island. It took a bit more effort and time than Deuce cared to admit and he had to cling onto the rocks for a quick breath. Through his bangs he saw Jade lounging on a rock who slicked back his hair with a clawed hand, mischief in his mismatched eyes. Deuce was glad his bangs covered his face and his lack of breath could be blamed on the swimming.
"Fufufu…see you back on the beach, little soldier." Jade threw at Deuce over his shoulder, slipping into the water seamlessly.
"Yea, see you there…." Deuce bit through grit teeth and threw his self into the lake.
A second wind of determination tore through Deuce as he powered his way to the beach. He made impressive distance before he had to take a breath and realized he made it almost halfway to the beach in one breath. It was on his second breath and an impressively short distance from the beach when he felt something pull him under by the ankle. Any normal person would trash around in fear but Deuce Spade was a fighter first and a thinker second. Despite his poor visibility under the water, he kicked his capture as hard as he could and was immediately released - or so he thought. The 'thing' moved from his ankle and wrapped around his shins, thighs, and abdomen, leaving Deuce completely under his capture's whim. He thrashed with all his strength and he could feel his restraints loosening ever so often but they would slither into a tighter hold. Just as he was running out of breath, stamina, and consciousness, he was thrust above the water. Deuce hacked up water and took deep breaths of air, still kicking against his restraints. When he looked down, he noticed his restraints were the same color of the water…?
Despite Deuce's thrashing, he was being held steadily above the water until he suddenly wasn't. He was held just under the surface where he stayed until near unconsciousness before he was brought up again. It was an endless cycle for a few minutes until he yelled out - "FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!!!!"
His restraints stilled above the water and a chuckle followed soon after. First a pair of hands and then a head gently laid on Deuce's stomach, a pair of mismatched eyes keeping the card soldier in place instead of full body restraints. Deuce is mesmerized by how artful Jade looks in his normal form; the sun sparkles off him like diamonds, his hair was slicked back by muscled hands, and his eyes, normally shaded, were-
"My, my little card soldier, has your water logged brain made you deaf? Fufufu…" even Jade's cadence sounded like the ebb and flow of waves.
"…not listening…..wha…..?"
Deuce stopped thrashing to stare at Jade. He realized he missed what the mereel asked again after Jade's grin sharpened and he fully laid his head on his hands, gazing at Deuce as though he was the last bite of his favorite dish. It was only now that Deuce realized his restraints were Jade wrapping about half of his body around his underclassman. Only the bottom few feet of his tail that kept them afloat wasn't wrapped around the card soldier. Deuce was first confused, then flustered, then angry.
"Did you just try to drown me?!?!?!?" Deuce roared.
Jade looked taken aback for about half a second before his face softened. "Oh~? And what if I did? Who's to say I was so enamored by how powerful and handsome you looked while swimming that I had to keep you to myself?" he purred.
"You-! ….You…think I look handsome..?" Deuce wants so bad to be angry. So. BAD but Jade called him powerful and handsome and did his ear fins just flutter when he nodded?
'Hook.' Jade thought as he watched Deuce worry his bottom lip between his teeth.
"But…if you drown me…wouldn't you go to jail for murder?"
Jade squinted at his underclassman, the hope on his face written so plainly it took everything in Jade to not erupt in laughter.
"You see, little soldier," Jade ran a claw along Deuce's cheek and laughed at his shudder, "my family will have a way of making something so…bothersome…null and void. There won't be an issue if something were to happen."
Jade couldn't hold back his chuckle as Deuce's face blanched.
"W-wait! In that case…uh…" the sweat from Deuce's brow was evident, even while dripping wet, "…wouldn't it take too long to find another chew toy?"
"Is that how you think of our relationship? I'm insulted." The mereel places a hand over his heart, ear fins drooping and disappointment weighing his face.
"-I! I mean-" Deuce thrashed and Jade slowly began to unwravel himself while his underclassman began to be pulled under. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"
'Line.'
"Good! Chew toys are more Floyd's thing than mine." The mereel went back to holding onto his underclassman albeit a bit under the water. "Though, it would be a hassle to put so much energy into someone else. My attention and free time, both of which I value very much, hm?" Jade rested his head on Deuce's chest this time, making sure the card soldier could see how much attention is being poured into him.
Jade still couldn't explain why he did this but he lifted Deuce out the water a little more and couldn't help the relief on seeing the boy struggle a bit less and hold on to him a bit more. Jade looked away, clearing his throat, wondering when he started to get lost in those beautiful blue eyes.
"I know exactly how you can make it up to me." the mereel said, unwrapping himself from his captive.
He held Deuce upright as he spoke since the boy couldn't tread water and chose to hold back commenting on the potential strength in his very toned arms. "Should you swim these last 100 feet in less than 10 seconds, then I'll grant you a request within my power. Oh, and you have to beat me, of course."
Deuce pulled Jade in by the shoulders, noses almost touching, ocean blue eyes full of challenge. "You're on!"
Deuce immediately set off for the shore while Jade sat dazed at the sudden proximity and lack thereof. About three seconds passed before Jade came to Deuce was well on his way. Jade caught up in another two and they were neck in neck for about a second when Jade decided to slow down. It would've been an easy race; Jade can cross 100 feet in water in two seconds max. He actually could've done flips and spun in place and Deuce still wouldn't have caught up. Jade could blame how eager Deuce looked, what he could ask for or even the way he so powerfully cut through the water; he wasn't sure.
What he was sure of is his loss, as purposeful as it is. As Jade slowly brought himself to shore, Deuce was jumping around and whooping in excitement. When he noticed Jade, he jogged over and held out his hand with mischief in his eyes and a smug smirk on his lips.
"I could ask for anything, yea? You ready for our date, Jade?"
The request was exactly as expected; the card soldier's crush was no secret, after all. Still, Jade couldn't help but slow himself so Deuce could win. He wasn't exactly a chew toy to Jade but a lot of time and energy was spent watching him from the sidelines. Jade could argue all day and night about a reason why a mereel lost a swimming race to a human who couldn't even tread water. He wouldn't tell anyone that it was those ocean blue eyes full of hope, reflecting back a genuine smile that said one thing:
"Sinker."