Work Text:
Pezzy closed the door to his work place behind him, glad the day was finally over. He really needed to find a better job. Preferably one that involved less people.
He had been the last one in, stuck on closing, so the full moon was high in the sky by the time he locked the side door. He turned, prepared for the walk home, before he was suddenly pinned to the wall.
"Give me all your money. Now," the man holding him grumbled out. Pezzy turned his head away, wrinkling his nose. The man stank of smoke and alcohol.
"Kinda old school, man," Pezzy said, trying to push the man off. He worked minimum wage. He didn't have any money to spare.
"Stop," the man said, pushing his arm against Pezzy's neck. Pezzy froze, choking slightly. Fuck.
"Okay, okay. Cool it, man. No need for this-"
"Shut the hell up! Just drop your wallet before I kill you and take it myself," the man said, pressing even harsher against Pezzy's neck. He felt himself going lightheaded, but didn't relent.
"I don't have the money to spare, man. Back off."
"Fine. Don't wanna listen? I'll just make you listen," the man said. His hold suddenly dropped, and Pezzy bent forward, bringing his hand to his chest as he tried to catch his breath.
"Wow, thanks, dude-" Pezzy yelped at a sudden pain in his side, looking down at scratches cut deep into his side. The other man was holding a large rock, looking like it had fallen off the side of an old building.
Pezzy fell to the ground, holding a hand to his side. He just needed to apply pressure, then find some help-
"Where's your wallet!?" the man exclaimed, crouching down and reaching out to dig in Pezzy's pockets.
"You ruined my work uniform, you fu-" Pezzy didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he yelped, a sudden sharp pain in his head before he met the ground, his vision quickly going dark.
-----
Pezzy blinked his eyes open, squinting against the sun shining in his eyes. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his aching head. What?-
He froze as it all came flooding back to him, looking down at his side to see how bad the injury was. He could not afford the hospital bills.
Instead of finding a half healed collection of cuts on his side, there was a deep gash covered over with a thin layer of something akin to glass, a strange, bubbly pink liquid flowing underneath. What the fuck. What the fuck!?
He shot up, pulling his shirt up to see the cut better. What the fuck happened to him!? What the fuck!?
He scrambled back to the corner, holding his hand to his mouth to muffle his staggered breathing. What happened to him!? What the hell!?
He looked up at the sound of someone walking by, freezing in terror. He wasn't normal. And society hated what they didn't understand. What would they do to him if someone found out!? What would?-
"Oh! Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you," a man said as they stepped into the alley, starting to turn before stopping, looking closer. "Are you okay?"
"I-" Pezzy started, before his voice cut himself off. He opted to nod instead, hoping this stranger would just drop it. They didn't.
"Are you sure? You don't seem- oh." Pezzy froze, following their line of sight to his side. Fuck.
"Please don't hurt me- I- I'll go, I won't bother anyone! I'm not contagious, just let me go!" Pezzy tried to beg, curling in on himself even more.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," the man said, stepping closer. He took off his own jacket, holding it out to Pezzy.
Pezzy hesitantly grabbed it, putting it on. "Thank you," he whispered, crossing his arms.
"Of course," the man said, awkwardly looking off to the side. "I'm like you," they finally said.
"What?" Pezzy whispered, eyes wide.
"It's not safe here. Come with me, I'll take you to my place, and we can talk more there." Pezzy hesitated a moment before nodding.
The man led him out of the alleyway, directing them through mostly empty roads until they reached a trail stretching into a woods. They started walking along it, and Pezzy followed, trying to think up any escape routes he could.
Eventually they reached a house a little ways off the trail, vines hugging the walls and cobwebs clinging to the corners. The man stopped, turning to face Pezzy.
"My name's Kryoz, what's yours?" the man said, holding his hand out.
"Pezzy," Pezzy said, reaching out to shake Kryoz's hand.
"Now, for the explanation," Kryoz said, pulling his hand up to push his hair back, revealing his pointed ears, which were such a deadly blue Pezzy wouldn't be surprised if the skin was actually dead. "I'm a Xandrian. That basically means I'm not completely human. And you aren't either."
"Oh... Oh, yeah. That... Makes sense," Pezzy said, nodding.
"How long have you had that?" Kryoz asked, signaling to Pezzy's side.
"Uh... A couple hours, maybe?" Pezzy offered. Kryoz froze, eyes wide.
"Only a couple?- Have you had anything else strange? Strong cravings for anything? Other changes? Anything?"
"No. No, I was just... Attacked last night, and I woke up with this."
"Okay... Okay. I can work with that. Well, you probably shouldn't leave here much. Just in case someone else... Sees that."
Pezzy nodded in agreement, running a hand along the scratch under the jacket. "Do you think I could go back to pack some stuff? Don't just want to abandon my whole life," he said, sadly chuckling.
"Of course. I'll help you," Kryoz said, pointing back the way they had come. "Lead the way."
-----
Pezzy was able to pack his whole life into two large bags. Most of it was clothes, though there were a few trinkets he held on to. He dragged one bag, Kryoz in front of him carrying the other.
Kryoz showed him to a room he could have, where they set down the bags before Kryoz offered to take him on a tour. There were a few empty rooms, all covered in dust like his was, along with an empty living room, devoid of furniture and clearly lacking foot traffic, and a partly stocked kitchen.
The most taken care of place was the backyard. There was a small lake, lush trees surrounding the whole area except for a few small alcoves, the backyard included.
A lone bench sat facing the water, situated next to a decrepit dock that looked one strong wind away from collapsing. Kryoz silently directed him to stay next to the door, before heading to the water's edge, crouching down.
He slapped against the surface a few times before sitting down, waiting for something. A moment later, a head poked out of the surface, looking up at Kryoz.
"Hey, Puffer. I wanted to introduce you to someone," Kryoz said to the man, pointing back at Pezzy. Pezzy waved, but was only given a harsh glare back.
The man rose out of the water a bit more, revealing fins curled behind his ears, spikes held high starting from his neck and running down the middle of his back. Gills were held shut tight on the side of his neck, and thin scales on his cheeks glittered in the sun.
"Who is that?" Puffer grumbled, before promptly sinking back to just barely poking out of the water, just enough so that his eyes could be seen.
"His name's Pezzy. He's like us," Kryoz said, gesturing for Pezzy to come closer. Pezzy did, sitting next to Kryoz, looking down in awe at the tail that rippled under the water. "Show him."
Pezzy pulled away the jacket, lifting his still tarnished shirt to reveal a gash replaced with the strange pink liquid, held back by a clear layer that sat just under his skin, merging nicely with his body.
"Oh, wow," Puffer whispered, rising again and inching closer. "What is that?"
"I... I don't know... I was... I was hurt, and I woke up with this," Pezzy explained, running a finger along it. It felt normal, all the nerve endings and whatnot somehow present, despite the smooth feel of it.
"Is it your way of healing yourself?" Puffer asked.
"Maybe? I don't know, I've never had this happen to any other injuries I've gotten."
"Do you think I was always a fish?" Puffer shot back, tilting his head. He reached out a clawed, webbed hand, pointing at Pezzy's arm. "Could I test something?"
Pezzy nodded, holding his arm out. Puffer gently ran a clawed finger over Pezzy's arm, just enough to break skin. Pezzy flinched slightly, but stayed still, also curious for the results.
Puffer pulled away, ducking under the water a bit more. Pezzy curiously watched the cut. Blood rolled down his arm, the deep red slowly shifting to a lighter pink. He watched as his skin stitched itself together with a malleable, clear material, the pink liquid getting trapped underneath.
The clear material solidified, becoming like the glass on his side. Was it glass? It seemed like it, but maybe it was something completely different. The liquid underneath started to bubble, almost as if it was encroaching on a boil, or maybe carbonated.
"Oh, wow," Pezzy whispered, impressed by the speed by which it had happened.
"Interesting," Kryoz added, having had silently watched the whole interaction, "you have enhanced healing capabilities- sorry, just... Wow. That is actually really cool."
"Yeah. Now, I actually really need to change, so... Imma go do that," Pezzy said, standing. Puffer waved goodbye from where he had settled primarily underwater, his head just out enough that his eyes were exposed.
-----
Pezzy stared at the dock from where he had claimed the lone bench, scrutinizing it. What would happen when it collapsed? What if Puffer was nearby when that happened?
He drifted his attention further into the lake, smiling as he saw Puffer's tail break the surface for a moment. Kryoz came out of the house, joining him on the other side of the bench.
Pezzy turned to the man, absentmindedly running a finger along the cut on his arm. "Hey, Kryoz. How was your day?"
"Oh, y'know. Same old, same old," Kryoz said, turning to look at Pezzy before freezing, his eyes narrowing.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Pezzy joked, tilting his head.
"Your eyes are different," Kryoz said. Pezzy froze, looking straight at Kryoz.
"Is... Is that a bad thing?-"
"No! No, sorry. It's just another change. Puffer didn't develop his spikes until a week after he changed. It's normal, just... Interesting."
Pezzy nodded, reassured. "Okay." He leaned against the backrest of the bench, looking out at the lake again.
"You could have hid the other stuff, but this... I don't think you have the choice to go back anymore." Pezzy sadly nodded, refusing to look away from the lake.
"I thought so." The late day sun reflected against the water, coloring the surface in light blue and bright purple. Ripples from fish and Puffer covered the surface, seaweed floating toward the top.
-----
Pezzy sat up in bed, yawning as he stretched his arms high above his head. Without his job to worry about, his sleep schedule had kind of died, but it didn't effect him much. If anything, he somehow felt more rested.
He stood, stumbling at something caught around his leg. He looked down to glare at it, but froze at a thin, pink tail wrapped around his leg. It looked kind of like a mouse tail, colored a bright pink, almost the same shade of the liquid under his cuts.
He scrambled out of his room, ignoring his bed head and wrinkled clothes as he rushed to Kryoz's room. He banged on the man's door, anxiously stepping from foot to foot as he waited for the man to answer.
Kryoz opened his door, and before he could say anything in his half asleep state, Pezzy picked up the tail, holding it out to Kryoz. "Something happened," Pezzy said, still unsure how to feel.
"Oh. Yeah, something did happen. Did it hurt?"
"No- no, I just woke up with it," Pezzy said, dropping the tail, allowing it to naturally trail behind him, just long enough for the tip to drag along the floor.
"Is something wrong with it?" Kryoz asked, tilting his head. He was clearly still trying to shake off sleep.
"I... I guess not. It just shocked me," Pezzy admitted, looking down at the ground. "Sorry for waking you."
"It's fine. Go on, I need to get ready," Kryoz urged, shooing Pezzy away. Pezzy nodded, turning to head downstairs and get something to eat as Kryoz closed his door.
After eating, he went outside, sitting down next to the lake and running his hand along the water. After a while, Puffer poked up, looking at Pezzy.
"Hey, Pezzy. What's up?" Puffer asked, crossing his arms on the edge of the grass, laying his head on them.
"Something new happened," Pezzy said, dragging his tail forward. Puffer looked at it, humming in thought.
"Cool. Does it, like, help with your balance or anything, you think?"
"Maybe," Pezzy said, standing. He walked along the shoreline as if it were a balance beam, his tail flicking lazily behind him. "I guess it helps a little bit," he said as he turned to walk back.
However, before he could take a step, Puffer reached out, sweeping his feet out from under him. He yelped as he went tumbling into the water, flailing as Puffer wrapped his arms around him, bringing him to the surface as he sputtered.
Puffer was laughing the whole time, shaking his whole body, and jostling Pezzy around in his hold. Pezzy climbed out of the water, glaring at Puffer.
"You stupid fish!" Pezzy exclaimed, shaking himself like a dog to try to get rid of some water. Puffer was too busy cackling to respond.