Chapter Text
In the middle of the night, when Captain Creel is sleeping and Billy who is supposed to be on watch is snoring with a bottle of rum beside him, Eddie sneaks down to the lower deck to rescue the merman.
He'd only gotten a brief look at the beautiful creature when he'd been dragged out of the water this morning. Badly tangled in an old fishing net, he'd been an easy catch for the pirate crew, and Henry had grinned as the poor merman had hit the deck with a thud. Immediately, he'd ordered a change of course. Hawkins Island would have a buyer, the captain had said; one that would surely pay a hefty sum for the pretty little thing.
The merman had hissed in his direction. Had bit at Billy's leg with small, sharp teeth when the man kicked him, a throaty, triumphant noise bubbling from his throat when Billy had cursed and grabbed at the resulting wound.
Eddie had stood at the side of the ship and stared. At golden scales shimmering on a long, graceful tail. At rough rope netting pulled taut over several sets of delicate fins. At sea-green eyes that darted around, panicked, briefly settling on Eddie and staring right back at him.
In that single moment, Eddie had decided to rescue this creature.
Because his eyes were intelligent, human, scared.
His uncle Wayne used to tell him tales of merfolk when he was young. Of them being shepherds of the sea, rescuing sailors lost overboard, directing ships away from rocks and reefs. Ever since those stories, Eddie had dreamed of seeing one with his own eyes, but so far the closest he'd gotten was seeing their poor, dead scales hanging up for sale in distant marketplaces.
To most people, merfolk were something to be feared - evil creatures, many said, that existed to lure sailors into the depths, to feed on them, to lead ships and entire crews off course. Hence why they collected a significant sum, for those lucky enough or stupid enough to try catching them.
The lower deck of the ship is dark and cold and dingy. Water slaps loudly against the wooden sides, and everything rocks in time with the waves. It stinks of salt and damp, the scent immediately cloying Eddie's nose. The poor merman had been down here for hours.
He holds up the lantern. Peers into the bowels of the ship.
There, bundled up in a corner between some crates, still effectively bound by the fishing net, is the merman.
"Um…hi," Eddie murmurs, approaching slowly. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry about…all this. I don't know if you can understand me, do you?"
Eyes stare back at Eddie in the dark. Cat-like, almost glowing.
A low hiss comes from the merman.
At the clear warning, Eddie stops, then crouches down. "It's ok. Not here to hurt you," he repeats. "I can get rid of that net, if you let me?" From his belt, he pulls a dagger.
The merman whines and shuffles backwards. He's pale, Eddie notices, bare chest moving quickly but shallowly, as if struggling for breath. His torso is covered in black and blue bruising, in lacerations from the net cutting into skin and scales.
"Oh…" Eddie glances from the merman's panicked eyes to the dagger in his hand. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you, I just want to cut the ropes. I can help you escape."
The merman's eyes light up, just for a moment, at that word.
"Escape," Eddie repeats. "I'll help you." He moves forward another step, resulting in the creature shying away from him again.
Changing tack, Eddie stops again, and instead reaches for one of the ropes tying down the crates. "Here, watch." Slowly, he brings the dagger up, and slices through the rope. "I can do this with your ropes too." He gestures to the net binding the merman, mimes cutting through it, and waits.
The merman's pink tongue darts out over his lips. He gives a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
Eddie squats down beside him. Reaches out carefully, pulls the net away from the merman's torso, and begins to cut. There's a lot of rope, some of it pulled extremely tight, and most of it in a total mess of tangles from where the creature had obviously been struggling against it for a long time.
"I'm sorry about what happened," Eddie says softly as he works away at freeing the merman. "The captain of this ship is an asshole, he - sorry, maybe you don't know what that means, he's…he's a very bad man. I hate being part of his crew, but he raided my other ship and me and my friends promised to work for him if he let us live. Do you understand?"
The merman doesn't make a sound, but as Eddie cuts away more and more of the net, he seems to relax a tiny bit. Those sharp eyes never leave Eddie's though.
"My name's Eddie. Do you have a name?"
No reply.
"Your scales are…really pretty," Eddie continues. "I bet they shine in the sun."
At that, a small noise escapes the merman, a quiet trill.
"Oh? You like compliments, huh?" Eddie smiles. "So you can understand me."
"Some," the merman croaks. Weakly, he holds up a hand, brings his thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart, indicating small.
Eddie freezes. Turns his attention from the net back to the merman's face. "You understand some of what I say?" he checks, and the creature nods. "Ok. That's…that's good. So you understand I'm trying to help? That I'm going to set you free?"
A little nod, then a frown. "Why free Steve?"
Steve?
"Your name is…Steve?"
"Steve," the merman repeats, nodding, then taps a shaky hand to his own chest. There's a generous smattering of hair there, Eddie notices, which he hadn't expected to see on such a creature. But it only adds to how handsome he is, he thinks.
"That's a very human name," Eddie comments. "Well, Steve, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry it isn't under better circumstances, but hopefully I'll have you out of here soon. I'm freeing you because you deserve to be free, because I don't want you to be sold to some cruel person and locked up in a tank somewhere for their entertainment, or…or worse." Eddie had seen merfolk scales on display before - in markets, made into jewellery, displayed proudly at port entrances. The thought of that happening to the stunning creature in front of him made him feel sick to his stomach.
Steve chirps sadly.
"Sorry, this one might hurt a bit." Eddie winces as he slices through a piece of the net and gently pulls it away from Steve's skin. It had cut in deep, and the wound below bleeds a little as Eddie tosses the rope aside with disgust.
Steve hisses and scootches away from Eddie.
"Sorry, sorry," Eddie murmurs, patting gently at Steve's arm. "Nearly finished."
"Hurt," Steve mumbles.
"I know. I'm sorry. Some of these cuts are deep, I could…bandage them?"
Steve looks confused, shakes his head.
"Bandage," Eddie repeats. "Um…" He grabs a nearby rag, wraps it several times around his own arm, trying to demonstrate. "Bandage, see?"
"No ban-bandage," Steve says, stuttering around the unfamiliar word.
Eddie nods. "Ok. I guess the sea water should help keep them clean."
At the mention of the sea, Steve's face lights up. "Sea," he repeats. "Steve needs sea."
"I know. I'll get you back there, promise."
Finally, the last of the net is removed. Steve stretches out, slaps his tail several times against the deck, looks sadly down at his wound-ridden torso.
"I need to get you to the top deck," Eddie tells him softly. "So I'm gonna have to carry you. And we're gonna have to be very quiet, do you understand? So that we don't wake the rest of the crew."
"Quiet," the merman parrots back.
"Yes, like…no noise."
Steve's nose crinkles, and he gives Eddie an impetuous look. "Yes…quiet."
Eddie can't stop a small laugh. "Ok, ok, you understand, I get it. Can I pick you up?"
Because there's no way Steve's getting very far on the dry surface of the boat. Sure, maybe he could shuffle around a bit like a seal, but they need to be speedy and silent. Besides, Steve's trembling - tired, sore, and weak.
And there were the stairs to consider.
Slowly, Steve nods.
Eddie loops an arm under Steve's shoulders. The merman's skin is cold, but otherwise just feels…human. His second arm goes under Steve's magnificent tail. The scales are slightly rough against his hand, but Eddie doesn't care.
With all his strength, he hoists Steve up until they're both upright.
"Jesus H Christ," he mutters. "You're heavier than you look, Steve."
The merman huffs at him, displeased.
"Sorry, sorry. Right, let's get you back to the sea, hmm?"
Steve chirps, arms circling around Eddie's neck as he's carried step by step to the stairs.
Eddie's trying to keep his cool. Because he's actually carrying a real merman, but also because each step takes them closer and closer to the top deck, to potential danger, to his death if he's discovered helping the captain's captive.
Every creak of an old wooden floorboard has him wincing and freezing.
But the top deck of the ship is still quiet when he emerges onto it. The muscles in his back are screaming as he pauses to double check for any sign of life - but no, Billy's still passed out by the helm, and there's no one else up here.
"Ok," he whispers, "I think we're all clear."
"Quiet," Steve reminds him softly.
Eddie's heart flutters fondly.
As they reach the side of the ship, Eddie has a sudden pang of sadness. While of course he wants Steve to be free, he's also all too aware that once he lets him go, he'll never see him again. Steve will swim down into the depths, and Eddie will return to his scraggly hammock and wake in the morning to a furious captain and have to continue slaving away on this miserable ship just to get by.
Eddie swallows all that back. It doesn't matter right now, because Steve has spotted the sea.
He wriggles in Eddie's arms, ignoring the latter's quiet protests. His tail twists and curls, his eyes lighting up at the churning, dark depths. Moonlight catches his scales, and they burst into a golden glow.
"Sea," he breathes, forgetting his previous determination to stay silent.
Eddie smiles. Any selfish hesitation about freeing the merman drains away. "Yeah. Come on, almost there."
The top deck isn't too high up from the water, but it would still make a significant splash when he drops Steve over the side. It can't be helped, though, and if anyone comes to investigate he'll just have to think of some excuse as to what the noise was and why he's out here.
"Bye, Steve," he whispers to the merman as he leans against the side of the boat. "I'm so happy I got to meet you, but I'm sorry for what happened."
Steve's eyes search his. Briefly, they flicker with sadness.
Cold, soft lips press to Eddie's cheek for a fleeting moment.
And then he's flipping himself out of Eddie's arms, and falling down, down, down, and hitting the water with a loud splash.
A joyous slap of his tail against the surface, and then he's gone; a ripple in the water the only sign he was ever there.
"Hey!"
Eddie whirls around at Billy's drunken shout.
The man stumbles over, heavy feet stomping against the wooden deck. "The hell was that?" he yells.
"A big wave," Eddie says. "I heard it too."
Billy lurches against the side of the boat, stares over it, then rounds on Eddie. Alcohol clings to his breath. "A wave, huh?"
"Yeah." Eddie's heart pounds.
"What's this then?" Oddly delicately, Billy plucks something from Eddie's arm.
A single, golden, glimmering scale.
Billy fists a hand in the collar of Eddie's shirt. "Saw you staring at the fucking freak earlier. You let him go, didn't you?"
"No, I -"
"Save it for the captain," Billy mutters, then he's reaching past Eddie, up to the bell secured to the mast.
He rings it loudly, and Eddie immediately hears commotion and banging from below as the rest of the crew scrambles to the ready.
They pour onto the deck - Jason, Andy, Tommy, Gareth, Freak, Jeff, all clutching their swords.
And behind them, walking slowly, a picture of calm, is Captain Creel.
"Someone check down below, confirm what I already know - Munson's freed the freak," Billy hollers.
Eddie slumps in Billy's grasp. Shares a sad look with Gareth who's staring at him, horrified.
"Eddie?" Gareth questions.
"I had to," Eddie splutters. "Gareth, he was so scared, his…his name's Steve, and the merfolk aren't bad like so many people think, remember the stories Wayne used to tell us -"
Billy punches him. Hard, in the mouth.
"Everyone spread out on deck, look for the freak," Billy orders. "It's injured, tired, might not get far."
"It's dark," Freak protests. "And he'll be long gone by now. Besides…weren't you supposed to be on watch?"
"Shut your mouth," Billy snaps. "Do as you're told, unless you want to join your friend here." He jerks his head at Eddie.
Henry strides towards Eddie. His face thunder. At a single glance, Billy backs away.
The captain's fingers stroke across Eddie's cheek. Cold, cruel. "It's true, then? You set my prize free?"
Mouth full of blood, Eddie gurgles around his words. "I did. He'd done nothing wrong." No point in denying it now.
"Perhaps not. But you have. After all I've done for you…" Henry shakes his head, tuts. "You'll die for this, Edward."
He knows that already.
He knew from the moment he made the first cut in Steve's bonds that his life might be forfeit.
"My life ended the day you raided my ship, took my home, killed my uncle," Eddie mumbles, blood dripping down his chin.
From the other side of the ship comes Jeff's shout. "I see the merman! Over here, quick!"
Eddie's heart sinks.
Henry's fingers leave his cheek, and he strides towards Jeff.
A moment later, Gareth is beside him. In his ear, he whispers, "Go," and jerks his head towards the ocean. "I remember Wayne's stories too." And then he's gone, also heading for Jeff.
Eddie's heart thuds.
They're in the middle of nowhere. It's pitch black, and the ocean is churning and wild and cold.
"I ever tell you the one about the stowaway boy, the one that fell overboard?"
"Yes, Wayne, you told me many times."
"Rescued by a group of merfolk, he was, and they kept him from drowning, helped him back to shore. They're kind creatures, despite how we've treated them over the years. So long as we don't try and hurt them, they'll look after us, ya hear, Eds?"
The memory rings in his ears.
He's got no choice but to put his trust in those stories now.
To put his trust in Steve.
It's two steps to the side of the boat.
One movement to throw himself over.
Above him, there's a shout.
But then Eddie's hitting the water, the cold stealing his breath, and he's sinking down under the waves.
The sea is rough, and he struggles against it, fighting to hold his breath. He knows if he emerges too soon he'll be spotted by the crew, and Billy happens to be a crack shot with a Flintlock pistol.
His feet kick wildly, trying to put some distance between himself and the ship. His lung burn. Dizziness swirls in his head, spots forming in his vision.
He can't wait any longer. Has to surface, whether he's far enough from the ship or not.
But his limbs are sluggish as he tries to swim upwards. Cold turning them heavy and clumsy.
Fear churns in his gut.
He's going to drown.
Then, there's hands on his face. Cold, soft, familiar.
A pair of lips seal over his own.
And just as his eyes flutter closed, oxygen, blessed oxygen, is breathed into him.
In the murky, churning water, Steve's there.
His arms around Eddie, his lips returning to his frequently, pushing air into greedy lungs, keeping him alive. There's still blood in his mouth, and pain throbs there, but it's inconsequential now.
They're moving.
Steve pulls him along with ease, powerful tail propelling them through the water. Further, further, until finally he starts to swim back up towards the moonlit surface and they emerge with a gasp from Eddie.
His lungs burn, mouth open wide as he swallows the oxygen down. The water is freezing, his hands scrabbling for purchase on Steve's slippery shoulders, but the merman stays calm, keeps him afloat.
As Eddie's breathing starts to slow, he turns his head frantically, searching for the ship.
Far in the distance, he spots the glow from the moon on the mainsails.
They're miles away.
He turns back to Steve. The merman blinks at him with those sea-green eyes, spits a mouthful of water playfully towards him.
"Ed…Edd…" Steve tries to form the word, shakes his head in frustration, sending droplets everywhere. "Ed is…ok?"
Eddie nods. Well, except for the fact that he'd been forced to abandon his friends on board, and the feeling of numbness setting in in his hands and his feet from the cold. "Cold," he admits, teeth chattering.
Steve frowns. Reaches out, pokes his fingers to Eddie's cheek, then nods. "Cold," he agrees.
"You saved me though. Thank you, Steve," Eddie stammers.
Steve smiles, ducks his head, almost…shy, Eddie thinks. "Come with Steve."
Eddie doesn't get much of a choice, because Steve's suddenly towing him through the water again.
Oh.
They're close.
Steve's on his back under Eddie, arms wrapped around his waist, chest pressed to Eddie's, moving backwards through the water. The position allows him to keep Eddie's head above the waves this time, but it's also…intimate.
Eddie's exhausted. His head comes to rest on Steve's strong shoulder, his eyes drifting closed as they glide through the water. He's so cold. It weighs down his limbs, turns them to lead, his brain to fog.
Below him, Steve chirps. Grips him tighter.
And swims faster.