the deeps have music soft and low

[anthophilia]

[ -then-

There are old stories about animals now long-extinct. Books and pictures and recordings, yeah, but the ones the ones Nico likes best are the tales. Tortoises and hares having races, trickster spiders. The kinds of stories that tell you stuff that still makes sense even now the animals are gone. Like: Foxes know many things, and Hedgehogs know one big thing.

The Fox in him knows that mermaids belong firmly in the Stories category. They’re not real – first of all, they’re part fish part human, and humans are mammals, and that’s a combination that just doesn’t work. They always seem to be girls in the stories, too, pretty girls with beautiful voices, and pretty much every kind of animal needs male and female ones to work, so if mermaids had been real they would have died out pretty quick. And then there’s the quick little Fox cub thought that adds: mermaids are for girls. Boys don’t devour page after page of mermaid stories, boys don’t look out over the shimmering ocean – bigger now than it ever was, according to old maps, ringing the remaining arid land – and wonder if there are beautiful people with beautiful voices out there, fins flashing in the harsh light of the sun when they breach the surface, just waiting for the one kid who believes enough to find them.

The Hedgehog might win this round, because the Hedgehog knows that at least one mermaid is real. Nico’s met him. He’s got eyes that are a shade of blue that sits perfectly between they sky and the sea, hair like gold, and a voice just as lovely as the stories say. Sometimes he sings a wordless little tune that feels very, very old, but mostly it’s the way he laughs. Nico met him one day when he paddled out from the orphanage in a little boat he definitely wasn’t meant to be in, determined to catch fish because since The Corporation moved into the area they’ve been scooping up all the fish, leaving the nets mostly empty, and everyone’s hungry and sick of kelp and the Nutrition Bars that taste of nothing and feel like crumbly plasticine in your mouth. It was night, obviously, because he’d really get it if he got caught doing it in the day, and a wave tipped the little boat over and he fell in. It had been too dark to see, the current churning him around until he didn’t know which way was up, and he’d just about resigned himself to the sad fact that he’d not only died but lost the orphanage a dinghy when he felt two strong arms scoop him up and swim him back to the surface. Salt stung his eyes too badly to see right away, but the first thing he heard was a voice saying whoopsie!.

He's pretty sure creatures from fairy stories done say things like whoopsie. Or oh, wow, which is what the mermaid said after he’d righted the boat, popped Nico back in it, and asked him what he was doing all the way out here all by himself, little guy?

The mermaid had pushed the boat back to shore, keeping it safe from the waves. He’d hmm-ed sympathetically as Nico told his tale, said it sounded rough, told Nico almost nothing about himself until just before he left. What’s your name, Nico asked, and the mermaid smiled him and said something that sounded like a wave breaking over rocks. The best he could manage at copying it was Vash.

He hauled the little dingy back into the shed, dried off, slipped into bed. The next day he might have been busted, tired and salty and guilty in front of Miss Mel’s sharp eyes, except everyone was distracted by how full the nets were. Enough fish for everyone, even extra to dry for later, and a few things tangled in there like fat crabs that didn’t usually turn up in the nets. Even better, after a few weeks The Corporation left the waters around the orphanage. Conditions were too rough, they said. Their nets kept coming back up shredded.

Nico went down to the sea every day after that, looking for his friend. Saw nothing for weeks and weeks, half convinced himself it had just been a crazy dream before he finally saw Vash again. They started visiting after that, Nico slipping down to the sea when the sun was just starting to set. Sometimes the scales on Vash’s tail would look slightly different colours, like they changed with what used to be seasons. Sometimes he’d have more fins than usual, until he looked like someone had just gone nuts sticking extra on him all over, but he was always beautiful, always kind. The thought of seeing Vash was the high point of every day – right up until The Corporation declared that the child Nicholas D. Wolfwood had achieved record scores on his aptitude tests and took him away. It was supposed to be a happy day: he’d get training, lodgings, food, and a steady job at the end of it. All he could think was that he wasn’t going to get a chance to say goodbye to Vash.

-now-

He’s not usually down in the research labs. He’s security. Material and Intellectual Property Division, which pretty much means that when competition arises or employees look like they might be about to make a fuss, spill some secrets, he’s sent out to bust knees or heads or whatever bits keep the machinery of The Corporation running smooth and unchallenged. There’s no fear that anyone from security will pull any of this shit, of course; indoctrination is thorough, and effective. But sometimes they get researchers in later in their lives, people who’ve lived outside and have some funny ideas. One of them is apparently expressing some “ethical concerns” over the latest discovery, and Wolfwood is supposed to set him straight or, failing that, see to his tragic disappearance. People drown all the time. Nearly happened to him when he was a kid, after all. No big mystery if a researcher, already obsessed with the sea, went missing out there.

But he gets curious. There’s another animal story about that, to do with cats and bad endings. Anyway, he needs to know what he’s dealing with if he’s gonna be effective, so he lets himself into the empty lab at night for a little look-see. There’s a big pool, a system of mechanisms that look like they’re used to open and close different parts of it. And in the centre, a big glass tube holding what’s gotta be The Discovery. Blue like the midpoint between sea and sky, bright as gold, beautiful even if his tail and fins are a duller shade than Wolfwood ever remembers them being.

He drops his cigarette. He’ll have to remember to pick that up, if he doesn’t want to get busted. ]

Vash?

Comments

[spiculatus]

[ it's impossible to keep track of time here in the labs.

the humans must've done something to dampen the connection to his family -- in the ocean, vash could hear his brother or his sisters singing even if he was miles away, but now? there's nothing but silence, lonely and endless. he'd even tried singing himself the first few nights of his captivity, but he'd given it up when there was never any response but the sound of his own voice echoing back to him off the walls of the lab.

at first, vash tries to mark the time by the rotations of humans in and out of the lab, but he gives up when they fail to follow any clear schedule. there are days when large numbers of them swarm around his tank, sometimes forcibly herding him to the shallower areas of the pool and restraining him long enough to take samples. and yes, he's afraid of the pain that comes from their sharp little instruments made for poking and cutting, but he's afraid of the idea of hurting them even more, so he does his best to make himself small and still until they leave again. and then there are days when no one is in the lab with him at all, except perhaps a lone individual or two who comes to collect samples from the water and then disappears again without a word.

there was a time when vash hoped they might collect as much as they needed from him and then let him go again, but enough long stretches of days have gone by to make that hope seem fainter and fainter. his kind was never meant to be this far from the sea for this long, isolated from his brothers and his sisters -- his scales are dulling, the wounds left by their tests and samples take longer to heal, his limbs grow leaden and his mind clouds with fog.

now, vash thinks that he might die here. there have even been discussions amongst the humans about what happens if he does -- arguments about what parameters of the tank to change to improve his condition, heated discussions about whether this or that should be harvested before or after death. maybe vash should be more afraid, but he isn't; the worst part about dying like this is the thought of doing it alone, so far away from his family that he can't even hear their songs.

he's halfway to dozing when it happens. he's been spending more time like that lately -- not quite dreaming and not quite awake, letting his body drift and his mind play out the fantasy of being free from this place and swimming back in the wide blue ocean. but his ears are sharp, and the sound of his name is unexpected and strange here -- there's only one human who ever knew it, after all. it's enough to make vash jerk awake again, eyes focusing through the thick glass of the tank to the new human in the lab with him --

and it only takes him a minute before recognition hits. this human is older than he remembers, sure, but the shaggy hair and those kind brown eyes are a dead giveaway. it makes vash smile, pressing a hand to the glass and mouthing to him. ]

Nico.

[anthophilia]

[ Nico. Jesus. He hasn't heard that name for years now - ten, fifteen? Enough that it's hard to remember, which means it's enough that it's almost a shock. Funny, that a nickname would be shocking now. Maybe it's a defense mechanism - a lot of what The Corporation had called training was designed to desensitize their security prospects to things that might upset people so they'd be able to do their jobs, after all. Can't have the guys who do the wetwork getting in a flap when they discover their childhood friends imprisoned in a research facility, after all. Give the brain a few tweaks so it dwells on the surprise of a long-forgotten nickname instead, job done.

Well, if that was the goal, maybe his results on those tests were a fluke. He's halfway dizzy, ears ringing for a moment before he gathers himself enough for action. The little control panel in front of the pool setup responds to his inputs when he starts fiddling with it and manages to loose the locks that open the tube out into the tank. That's the kind of thing security should be raising as an issue, honestly, but it's definitely not gonna happen. He needs Vash out, needs to talk to him. Races to the edge of the pool once those locks hiss open, drumming his fingers impatiently against the side. ]

What the fuck. What the fuck?

[spiculatus]

[ vash glances to the side, the shift in the water's flow enough to clue him in on what wolfwood must've done. and it's been years since they've seen each other, but vash still trusts him absolutely -- it's why he doesn't hesitate to swim out through the tube he's in and up into the pool.

there's a shallow spot here where he can push himself forward and lay on his belly, almost at eye level with wolfwood once he's got his arms braced on the side of the pool. the gills on his throat and ribs seal themselves shut as he takes that first breath of air, throat clearing of water so that he can say hi properly.

and the first thing he says? ]

You got so big.

[ as delighted as a great aunt pinching her nephew's cheeks at a family gathering. ]

[anthophilia]

I... guess?

[ How do you respond to that? The childhood friend you half convinced yourself was imaginary, trapped and probably experimented on by the organization you work for, beaming at you like you hit a new marker on the height chart? He shakes his head, reaches to brush a thumb against Vash's face. He doesn't look older; tired, a little sick, but otherwise just the same. ]

You're it, huh? The new discovery?

[ It's not his job to know what The Corporation is doing, but he makes it his business to be aware of the chatter, just in case. Genetic enhancements had been the topic this time around - unlocking the next step in human evolution. Attempts to correct what had been done to the planet had all failed, so apparently it was time to try and adapt humans to fit the environment - for a price, obviously. Sounded like science fiction fuckery to him. He'd have paid more attention if he knew what was prompting it. ]

So what, they... fuckin' caught you?

[spiculatus]

[ he leans into that little touch along his face, fins flaring in a little ripple that means he's happy.

and... well. vash wouldn't really know if he's the new discovery or not, but the second question is enough to make him look a little sheepish. it's not like his brother hadn't warned him about humans, but! he'd come across a little fishing village, starving despite the humans who rowed out on boats and cast their nets day after day. at first, he'd been careful to keep his distance -- just herded some schools of fish a little closer, let himself by warmed by those first rowdy cheers when the fisherman finally had a catch to take home. but he's always been drawn towards humans, and he'd started to slip closer late at night. he thought he'd been careful! doing his best not to be seen, just wanting to listen to the hubbub of activity and the occasional snatch of song from the town's sole bar, but --

someone must've spotted him. laid a trap for him one night in the cove he liked to visit, then turned him over to the corporation for the bounty. vash had heard them talking about it, and even though he doesn't really get human money, he thinks he understands. handing him over means more food for the village, more things that they need, more help than just fish in their nets. and when it's like that, how can he blame them?

it's why he slides away from the subject, tail curling up in a lazy arc behind him. ]

Why are you here? You're not caught, are you?

[anthophilia]

No -

[ Even as he says it, it dawns on him that it's not entirely true. He didn't exactly have a say in the matter. Hadn't been time to think it over or decline before they scooped him up as a kid, and by the time he'd figured out enough to insist he didn't want it they'd just told him he didn't understand and forged ahead anyway.

Still, that's nothing on being kept in a tank, enduring whatever they're doing that's left those little half-healed wounds on Vash. ]

I work here. Kinda. [ There's an urge to add not by choice, the old childhood desperation to make Vash think he was good and worthwhile flaring up, the need to make Vash like him and keep coming back. It feels... disingenuous. Sure, it's not a job he can quit, but there's other ways. It's his job to know all about the other ways. ]

You look like shit. The hell are they doin' to you?

[spiculatus]

[ hmmm.

to be honest, vash doesn't really understand. it's obvious wolfwood isn't the same as the people who keep running tests and collecting samples from him -- no stark white lab coat, for one. and sure, his nico-knowledge is a little outdated, but it's hard to reconcile the sweet little boy who kept sneaking him stolen bits of human food to try (and then gruffly pretending not to be happy whenever vash liked something) with anyone who would keep someone else caged up like this.

he seems healthy enough, and it doesn't look like he's particularly scared of this place, but still. ]

You don't have to worry about it. [ earnestly, easily. it's better if nico keeps himself out of any danger. but... ] ... will you keep coming back? To see me?

[ it's raw in its hopefulness. ]

[anthophilia]

[ Wait, what? ]

Come back?

Vash. I'm gonna get you out of here.

[ It's not like he's got a plan. But he knows it's true even as he says it - he has to do it. It's a goddamn sin, to have him cooped up in here like this. Would be if it was anyone, but Vash? Who held Wolfwood's heart, even when Wolfwood thought he might have only imagined him? Beautiful and strange and kind?

What else could he do? ]

[spiculatus]

What?

[ instantly, he goes wide-eyed with shock, tail giving a little flick. ]

You are?

[anthophilia]

Yeah.

[ His teeth worry at his lip - a nervous habit he wouldn't have to worry about if he hadn't dropped his damn smoke - as he turns it over in his head. Now? It's pretty quiet. Security's light because he's on duty, and it'd be easy enough for him to order the remaining staff to attend to something else. But how would he get Vash out? He rode his motorcycle here. Pretty hard to ride pillion without legs. ]

I need a little time. I'll come up with something. I just -

[ It's back again. The little boy urge to prove that he's good, to be enough that Vash - far too beautiful and strange to reciprocate his childish crush - might at least like him. ]

I didn't know. I swear on my life, I didn't know.

[spiculatus]

[ he's getting out. wolfwood is going to get him out! (because it must be happening if wolfwood says it's going to, simple as that.) it's impossible to keep the grin off his face, fins rippling happily at the thought of being free of this place.

but that last bit? it confuses him a little, and he squints as he tries to puzzle it out. ]

Huh? Of course you didn't. [ because! obviously: ] You would've come to see me earlier otherwise, right?

[anthophilia]

Yeah. Yeah, of course I would.

[ It's funny. There's a childlike quality to that immediate faith that Wolfwood never noticed when he was a kid. Makes sense, since he was a child too; probably just would have seemed normal. It only makes the conviction stronger; he has to get Vash out, no matter what it takes. He's not stupid, Wolfwood heard him talk too much, tell too many stories to believe that, but he's innocent. In spite of it all, he cracks a lopsided smile at the way those fins flutter. ]

Shitty to meet up like this, but I'm glad to see you. I halfway convinced myself I made you up. Like an imaginary friend.

[spiculatus]

[ see? here it is, proof that nai was wrong. humans are as different as any other living creature -- some of them do bad things, but plenty of others are good! and there's something doubly nice about having the proof of that come to him in the form of the human vash has always held closest to his heart. ]

I missed you too. [ it's almost teasing, pillowing his cheek on his arms and smiling at him. ] I kept thinking you'd show up again one day with a bunch of stories to tell me about all the places you'd been.

[anthophilia]

[ Christ. If Vash knew all the places he'd been and what he'd done there, he might just decide to take his chances with the tank. Not a great thought at any time, but there's a little extra sting in it when Vash speaks like that, smiles like that, and Nico's crush decides it's time to come back and be Wolfwood's problem, too. ]

Sorry 'bout that. They scooped me up for this place in a real hurry. I asked for one more night at the orphanage, figured I could sneak down and say see you later, but they were pretty keen to get going.

[ Smart. If he'd known, he'd have run away. He didn't, but why take the chance? ]

[spiculatus]

That's okay! You found me again either way.

[ as easy as that, because it's what matters, isn't it?

he can't help himself, though. reaches out with one hand and brushes his fingertips over wolfwood's cheek, thumbing over a sweep of cheekbone that's more defined than he remembers. ] You grew up so much, Nico.

If it wasn't for your eyes, I might not have recognized you, ehehe.

[anthophilia]

I-

[ He's not often lost for words. They all dry up on him now, as Vash trails fingertips over his face and tells him he grew up in a way that makes the part of him that had been just devastated that Vash was a grown man (merman?) and he was just a little kid start waggling with excitement. He feels his eyes blow wide, feels the heat that stains his cheeks, furrows his brow when he realizes that this close, there's no chance Vash missed it. ]

That happens. To us. Humans, I mean. You look pretty much the same.

[ Still like someone he wants to kiss. No! No getting sidetracked! He's meant to be planning a jailbreak! ]

[spiculatus]

[ ohhh. the little flush that blooms on wolfwood's cheeks is as fascinating as it is charming, and vash can't resist the urge to stroke his fingers gently over it. ]

I know. But I'm glad I got to see!

[anthophilia]

[ It's a good thing Vash thinks the flush is charming, because the way he strokes at it does nothing to help it move along. Back in his orphanage days Wolfwood had wandered barefoot into the sand and let Vash look at his feet, wiggle his toes, and Vash had laughed delightedly at them. This feels different. Very different. He can't help the bluster that always comes forward to cover his embarrassment, but this time instead of getting gruff - ]

You like it?

[ He grins, raises an eyebrow. Every minute counts, but... listen, if he's gonna risk his life over this, he deserves a little flirting. Right? ]

[spiculatus]

[ ohhhhhhh. vash does like it! even more now that there's that grin to contend with, making wolfwood's eyes go all soft and warm.

but! vash knows a little about human customs. and you're not supposed to make things too easy, right? humans like that! the thrill of a fish tugging at the line, teasing nibbles before it bites. ]

I dunno... [ like he has to really consider it, even though the little flip-flip his tail does gives him away. ] You might have to come closer so I can get a better look.

[anthophilia]

[ Wolfwood does not need a second invitation. He leans in close, and like this those blue, blue eyes are even more striking. He could drown in 'em, easy. Holds it there, though - close enough that just an inch or two more would touch the tips of their noses together - even if the way his lips part gives away what he's thinking. ]

Close enough for ya?

[spiculatus]

Hmmm.

[ very seriously, even though wolfwood is so close vash is practically having to go cross-eyed just to look at him. they're almost nose-to-nose, so little distance that vash is able to see the little flecks of gold caught in the deep brown of the other man's eyes. his fingertips brush a little lower, tickling over the bristly scruff on wolfwood's chin, and then --

he ducks. at the same time his tail flicks a scoop of water with perfect accuracy, nailing wolfwood right in the face with a splat.

and his crow of laughter is a delighted thing, lit up and beaming. ] Yep! Just close enough!

[anthophilia]

You-

[ Well, that water cools his ardor, at least. That's the kind of prank you pull with someone you still think of as a kid, no matter how much you're tickling their stubble. It's a much-needed wakeup, and he wipes the water off his his face with a sleeve, laughing. ]

Always wondered what'd happen if I tried to kiss you. Now I know.

[spiculatus]

Wha --?

[ those blue eyes go wide again. ] You were trying to kiss me?

[ shouldn't that be something you announce, first?! vash didn't know humans tried to be... sneaky! ] Wait, c'mere. You should try agaaaaaiiiin.

[anthophilia]

[ Those eyes go wide, impossibly adorable, but there's something in the way Vash drags out that last syllable that hints at danger. Wolfwood narrows his eyes, raises a finger like a warning. ]

Once was cute. Twice, and I'm gonna dump your ass in the harbour, say a quick prayer, and call it good.

[ He'd never really been one to shy away from danger even before all the training designed to strip that instinct out of him, though, so he's leaning in again - and this time, Vash is gonna have to move faster if that's his plan, because Wolfwood is aiming right for his lips. ]

[spiculatus]

[ vash would point out that it's not very scary if wolfwood's biggest threat is to still set him free, but. his mouth has more important things to do! he's never actually had a human kiss before, but he's seen them happen enough times to get the idea -- and it's a thrill when wolfwood dips close enough for their mouths to be able to press together, soft and sweet. vash reaches up to cup the other man's face in his hands, and his tail does give a little flick -- but it's more of an involuntary gesture of excitement and happiness than another attempt to soak him. ]

[anthophilia]

[ Oh, wow.

It's a little weird - Vash is wet, obviously, and he's not exactly cold but he's a lot cooler than most people, and that should be a pretty big reminder that the person Wolfwood's kissing isn't human (that and the flick of his tail). But his lips are soft and his hands come up to cradle Wolfwood's face and that just feels perfect. He wants to open his mouth to it, to see if the inside of Vash's mouth is any warmer then the rest of him, but - one thing at a time. He's got a mission here, and now that one childhood wish is fulfilled maybe he can get on with it before the next shift clocks in and he gets busted making googly eyes at a fishman. ]

Huh. Little me had the right idea.

[spiculatus]

[ there's a little whine as wolfwood pulls away, because that was nice. the kind of nice that vash can't get enough of, and that means the kiss ended way too soon.

but that makes him cock his head to one side, eyes brightening. ]

You wanted to kiss me back then, too?

[anthophilia]

You kiddin?

[ Well, at least he hadn't been as obvious as he'd worried about sometimes. The thought makes him grin. ]

You were right out of a fairy tale. Handsome, saved my life, kept coming back and being kind to me when you didn't have to. The folks at the orphanage were plenty kind, but it was their job. Means a lot to an orphan to have people who care just because. And don't think I didn't figure out who messed with the nets until The Corporation moved out, let us get a decent catch again. You were like the magical princess and the handsome prince all rolled into one. What little kid wouldn't get a crush? Sometimes I used to wish I could grow up faster, just to have a shot with you.

[ A laugh, low and husky. ]

Never really got around to worrying about the logistics of someone who can't live in the sea trying to shack up with someone who can't live on land.

[spiculatus]

[ maybe it's vanity, but hearing it makes vash feel warm all over. he's always been particularly enamored with human fairy tales, and hearing that wolfwood saw him like one of the heroes from one? his tail gives another one of those happy little flick-flicks, and his grin is nearly ear-to-ear.

but! shack... up? it's a human phrase vash has never heard before, and he takes a moment to puzzle over it, head cocking to one side as he shapes the words silently to himself. hmmm! he knows what a shack is, and if it's something wolfwood wants to do with him...?

oh! ]

You wanted to build a house with me? [ delighted! nevermind the issue of logistics -- maybe they can build a house that's halfway in the ocean and halfway out. ]