This fic is for CrazyCookieChick. I hope you like this, because I enjoyed writing it! (I own nothing except the plot and the title page.)
~ ҉ ~
Untouchable
҉ ҉ ҉
Nico di Angelo had always wanted to go to the surface.
Not that he wanted to leave his kingdom—he had his province to care for now that his father was away on business across the sea. It was merely an age-old fantasy of his born from stories he was told as a child.
The moon, his mother had told him, smile-wrinkles edging her face, is a giant orb in the sky—stark silver and glittering on the ripples of the water. She always told this story while she was tying back her hair because of the moon pendant she had. Nico had asked where she had come about it, and she always smiled secretively and said I'll tell you that story when you're older, child.
And then she would continue her tale: Up on the surface the earth is warmed by the sun. The brother of the moon—that's who the sun is. He's a tad brasher than she, but with his rays he brings life and vitality to the surface world. Imagine our gemstones—the greens and reds and blues and yellows—imagine all of those everywhere on the surface world. It is almost magical.
Child Nico gasped without fail at that part, no matter how many times the tale was retold. His mind would take him away, to the surface. Where emeralds grew from the earth as trees and gem-encrusted flowers littered the earth below it. Enraptured, he would end up ignoring the rest of his mother's story, coaxed back into reality with her warm, patient laugher.
You are such a special child, she told him. Her eyes glimmered warmly, edged silver under the magic lights imbedded in the walls. Nico imagined each orb to be a child of the moon, and he felt he held a piece of the surface whenever he handled gems. You have such love in your heart for a world you don't even know. I wish I could be the same.
She ruffled his hair, careful not to snag her fingers in the tiny crown curling around his forehead. Then she shooed him off, back into the palace to play.
His mother died before he even hit his teenaged years.
He thought on this now bitterly, looking out over the terrace. The palace courtyard greeted him with flickering plant lights, all the colors of precious stones. They were gifts from the surface and gifts from other sea provinces. All of it was worthless to Nico.
He just wanted to visit the surface. Just once.
If he did, then Nico felt like he would be fulfilling his mother's wish.
The prince sighed, bubbles foaming from his mouth, and stared surface-ward. The water was the color of ink down on the ocean floor, the idea of light above merely a dream to Nico. But still—he knew what was up there. His mother had never once lied to him.
Neither had his sister, for that matter. That was one thing they and Nico's father had nothing in common.
Nico watched life swim along above him. Things were peaceful. Surely life could go on exactly the same without him, so why didn't he try? There was nothing stopping him—especially with his father out of the picture.
Emotion bubbled in his chest, threatening to release. A picture formed in his mind: the sun in all of its brilliance, shining down above him. The heat beating down, warming his shoulders and drying his hair. Or the moon—its silver radiance standing in the sky in silent vigil, watching over the ocean with one careful eye. Both were up there. Waiting.
Fueled by that motivation, Nico darted back into the palace.
Before anything else—he had to find the witch.
҉ ҉ ҉
Will Solace had always wanted to see a sunrise.
There was something poetic about it—to stand in the presence of such a mighty force that it would burn him to a crisp. He had seen the paintings, the remembrances. Pieces finished with such carelessness that it seemed almost unnecessary—that it was such a normal occurrence that the beauty had been sucked right out of it. The paintings were gorgeous nonetheless, if dull. And that made Will want to see the sunrise even more—if only to catch one glimpse of its beauty.
It wasn't as if there was much else to live for.
He looked at his hands. Really looked at them. They were papery, wrinkled, almost translucent. He clenched them into fists, watching dead veins stretch and sag under his skin. He looked, breathed, and even felt dead. Life was being leached right out of his body—and all because of himself.
But he couldn't bear to be the cause of someone else's death. Not again.
He could still remember the pain in piercing clarity—a little girl screaming over her dead father's body, blood smearing her hands and her face. She was blonde, like Will. She had blue eyes. Like Will. She was the same as he was, except good. Whole. Human. And his friends had killed her to shut her up.
Will had almost vomited the blood he had guzzled earlier. What was the point of living that way? All they were doing was hurting people. The humans killed animals and plants to survive—and vampires killed humans, in turn, to survive. But all they did was hurt other people. There was no middle ground.
So he had stopped feeding, no matter how the urges clenched his stomach. He couldn't bear the screams anymore; he couldn't bear how his victims fought back until it was too late. Hated the sound of that rattling, wet gurgling sound that was their final breath. In fact, he could live out his dying days happily without even having to look at a human ever again.
But his friends were growing antsy around him. Worry always clouded their features, and confusion always pushed them to ask questions.
Questions Will really didn't want to answer.
He had lived a long time. Several thousand years if he had to guess, but time became fuzzy after he had been turned. He used to be a pirate, sailing the seas and fighting every ship he came across.
Well, actually, he had been more of a cabin boy than a pirate, but his skills with medicine had saved the crew's life more times than not. That had been what had attracted the vampires to him.
He could cleanse blood of disease. He could enhance the flavor. That had been his first job as a vampire, before he had grown enough sense to go rogue. The thought of what he had done twisted at his insides now, and he was glad for not having any blood in his system. It would have covered his friend's nice yacht, and even he wasn't that cruel to his friends. He swallowed dryly.
He didn't want to be there. His friends were taking him out to try, once again, to get him to feed. It would be the last attempt, he was certain, before they finally gave up on him. He just had to sit around and not jump at the smell of spilled blood—at the delicious heat of the victims.
Someone jabbed him in the shoulder, and he looked up. Cecil's red-rimmed pupils stared back at him.
"You okay, man? Holding up alright?"
Cecil was the only one, other than Lou Ellen, that really sympathized with Will's issue. So Will mustered up a smile, but it was sure to look gruesome.
"Not too well," he admitted. He glanced around the yacht at the others who were pointedly ignoring him. "I would rather be on the ground. The water burns my skin."
Cecil nodded. "Yeah. Me too, man. But this is the easiest way to get away with group hunts anymore. We'll just have to deal with the water. Just, well…don't fall in."
"Thanks," Will replied bitterly.
A horn blared far over the sea, drawing Will's attention from his friend. The vampires' goal was outlined in fog: a whaling ship. He could see the humans scurrying around even from across the sea, even with his dying vision. An uneasy sensation started up in his stomach as their scent touched his nose over the smell of salt. He gripped the edge of the yacht, trying to steady himself.
They hadn't even arrived, and he could already hear their screams in his mind.
҉ ҉ ҉
"Saphira? Saphira, are you there?" Nico called, cupping his hands around his mouth. In front of him was a wall of sheer cliff, a cave camouflaged with magic carved into the rock. Gently glowing seaweed stirred in the current, hedging the cave.
A voice picked up from inside: "Nico? Oh, Nico! You've finally come to visit!"
Nico could feel the magic guarding the cave drop. Just as suddenly, he was enveloped in a hug by a rather overenthusiastic mermaid. Startled but pleased, he laughed. "It's good to see you too, Saphira. How have you been?"
"Four months!" she answered, drawing back with an angry huff. "Four months of no word, and that's all you have to say to me? Shame on you, Nico! For shame!"
Nico rubbed the back of his head. His shoulders drooped—would this mean she'd be too angry with him to help him out? He really hadn't meant to stop talking to her for so long. "Forgive me, Saphira. You know I wasn't trying to avoid you." To be honest, he had completely lost track of time. With his father away, he had to take over most of his duties. That had drained most of his already-limited free time.
He internally winced at the look she gave him. She wasn't going to let him live it down—not for a long time.
"I really am sorry, Saphira," Nico said again for good measure. "I won't let it happen again, alright? Promise."
Saphira didn't look like she believed him, but she let it die for the moment. Instead, she headed for the more pressing matter at hand: "You're here to ask for my help, aren't you?" Nico nodded, cringing when her eyes flashed with hurt. "You can't just come visit for the sake of visiting? Come on, Nico! What are friends for?"
"I know that, Saphira," Nico murmured. He took sudden interest in the dark depths below them. "I really am sorry. I haven't had a free moment like this in a long time—and I snuck away to get this. I just…I need your help. You're the only one who can tell me about…about the surface."
Saphira's eyes cleared. The wing-like fins on her back flinched with her revelation. "So that's it," she said, eyes widening. Her mouth slowly curled up into a smile. "You're finally going to go, then. To the surface?" At his nod her excitement rose tenfold. "Come, come inside!" she squealed, parting the kelp at the mouth of her cave. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment!"
A smile played at the corners of Nico's mouth, but it was far more tentative than Saphira's expression. He felt like he had narrowly dodged a bullet. "You've waited for this? For how long?"
The mermaid waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, not very long. Five years at most."
Nico sputtered. "Five years?!"
Saphira ignored the merman's exclamation and dragged him into the cave. It was filled with glowing gems just as the palace was, with the difference of illuminated plants and fish. Nico watched as a baby jellyfish maneuvered its way to its glowing brethren on the other side of the cave, making sure no more of the poisonous little devils were near him before he proceeded.
Deeming the area clear enough, he allowed himself to be dragged further into his friend's home. There was a cauldron with bubbling contents at the center of the room she brought him into, but she veered him off to the side where a glass ball floated aimlessly.
The mermaid caught the ball before it could float away. "Here!" she exclaimed, bringing it down between them. "I'll find you the very best place, Neeks. Don't you worry. Nothing but the best for you!"
"Uh, th-thanks, Saphira," Nico stammered, surprised. Her enthusiasm didn't seem to have a stopper. It was still continuing to grow—perhaps bubbling over. But he wouldn't argue. Her eagerness to bring him to the surface was something he quite appreciated. He knew she shared his yearning to see the outside world, even if she had already seen it a long time ago.
Saphira murmured a spell, and gentle light filled the glass ball. She released it from her hold, and it remained still in the water. "Oh crystal ball, show me where the fate of Nico di Angelo lies."
The ball pulsed with energy and colors filtered into the light of the ball. Nico drew closer, enthralled. This was a spectacle he couldn't witness enough. Saphira had gotten much better at harnessing the images in the magic ball, and it didn't take long for her to murmur a few words and shift her hands, the images following her movements.
"I see the surface," Saphira told Nico, who she knew wouldn't be able to see what she was. He enjoyed the colors of green and blue just the same. There was another color, too, one much more subtle brown. The color of the earth, his mother had told him. It colored all of the world.
"What else do you see?" Nico wondered, turning his gaze to his friend.
Her face was illuminated with the various sources of light in the cave—primarily with the glass ball. Her eyes reflected the green and blue lights in the ball when she returned his gaze. "I see the ocean and the shore. Palm trees swaying in the breeze. And houses—human houses. They've taken up settlement closer to the mainland. There's a secluded part…one with high rocks and caves for hiding. That would be good for a first visit. You wouldn't be seen there."
Nico's chest swelled with emotion. He gripped the belt that wound over his shoulder, where his sword was sheathed. "How long would it take me to swim there, if I left right now?"
The mermaid considered the ball for a moment, twisting and turning her hands a few times. "Oh, a few hours. You should get there just in time to see the sun rise, too! Isn't that wonderful? You know, I've always wanted to see one in person. I wish I had time to go." Her voice turned to a whine by the end.
Nico looked at her. "You're busy? With what?"
"Oh, this and that. It really doesn't matter."
But Saphira's eyes twinkled with a secretive light that told him there was more than she was letting on. And the way she was looking at him… "There's something up there waiting for me, isn't there?" he guessed. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You knew I'd be here!"
"Nope!" Saphira giggled. She flicked her hands towards the glowing ball just as it flashed a violent red. "I had no idea you'd be here. It's just a lovely coincidence."
Nico sneered. "You know I don't believe in that. Coincidences."
Saphira grinned. "Even better, then! Fate. Destiny."
Nico rolled his eyes, his sneer softening. "You aren't going to tell me what it is, are you?" he said.
The mermaid shook her head with that same grin plastered to her face. "You'll have to see for yourself~!" she sing-songed.
"Whatever," the merman scoffed, knowing better than to press for answers. He didn't want to anger her more than she probably already was. "Can you show me the way, then? To my fate, as you so kindly put it."
"Oh, of course, Neeks! I'd be delighted."
Saphira tapped her forehead and murmured a few words before a string of silver left with her finger. She murmured something else, a surgeonfish appearing with a flash of blue. The string of silver aligned nicely with the fish's spine, and the entire fish glowed with faint silver light.
"This is Dori," Saphira told him seriously, which only foretold she was hiding a joke behind the sentiment. The fish—Dori—swam up to him. "Take care of her. She'll take you up to the surface where you're destined to be. Don't be shy, though! Say hello!"
Nico sighed. "Hello, Dori," he muttered at the fish.
The fish didn't reply.
Saphira clapped her hands, squealing with delight. "Be sure you tell me all about it when you get back, you hear? Now, get a move on! You're losing time! Go, go! Good luck with the surface life, Neeks dearest!"
She shoved him out as quickly as she had dragged him in, and he was alone in the depths, a glowing surgeonfish his only companion.
Nico casted a withering look back at the kelp covering the cave mouth, but the mermaid wasn't there to receive his glare.
A flash of silver in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over to see Dori heading away. He'd lose her soon at the pace she was setting.
With an irritated huff, he dashed after her into the unknown.
҉ ҉ ҉
They were let onto the boat without a twinge of suspicion.
Clarisse, the head of their pack, was the spokesperson of their raid. She did most of the talking as they were given the "grand tour" of the expanse. Everyone but Will played their part of captivated tourists perfectly—gapping at the wares of the ship and whispering excitedly amongst themselves. It all burned like the sun on Will's ears. White-hot lies breathed from the people Will had come to see as his family.
What had become of him?
Cecil grabbed his arm as the captain of the ship neared the group. "It'll start with him," he hissed in his friend's ear. "If you can't handle it, you know where the yacht is. Stay there until everyone finishes."
Will nodded, shooting his friend a grateful look. Cecil, at least, understood him. Even if he disagreed with Will's motives.
But the captain never even made it to them—he was called away just before his hand could clasp Clarisse's in greeting. An uproar spread through the entire crew like a wildfire—so quickly Will was almost certain someone had seen the group for what they really were. But the shouting of the crew wasn't centered on the vampires. It was on something they were bringing onto the deck that very moment.
The captain offered to take the group there, which Clarisse begrudgingly agreed to. There was a ripple of confusion and curiosity within them. What was it? What had the crew excited?
Will might have heard about it if his hearing was heightened to a healthy state. At the moment, though, he was forced to silently follow with the rest of the murmuring pack as they were brought to the side of the deck.
The crew blocked the view of their catch, but at a barked order from the captain, they were sent scurrying away. And a sight Will had never expected to see greeted his eyes.
It—no, he—was half man, half fish. Pale skin merged into an umber of silver, purple, then black scales, continuously darkening until it reached his flapping tail. Netting swathed around him, urging him to strain against his bonds to even pray to breathe. It showed signs that the crew had attempted to free him of his bonds, but with the way he was struggling, he was only making the tangles worse.
The captain stepped forward in the corner of Will's vision, and the man-fish—a merman, Will remembered—flinched and halted his vehement attempts at escape. Black hair concealed his eyes from Will but for one section of a dark-colored iris. The merman and the captain stared at each other for a long moment.
Then the smell of blood reached Will's nose.
There was a wound on the merman, Will saw now. It stretched down his right bicep—perhaps not deep enough to pierce an artery, but definitely enough to be harmful if not treated immediately. It drained him of color, making him paler and paler by the second. It was gushing at a rate that was frightening after all of his earlier struggling. All that wasted blood.
A sharp whine escaped Will's parted lips. Someone gripped his arm—Cecil?
No one else seemed to hear him. All focus was on the injured merman on the deck.
"We can get almost all of them in this confusion," one of the pack hissed to Clarisse. "Do we strike?"
Clarisse gave a sign that meant wait. She held her hand behind her back and splayed out five fingers.
Four fingers when the captain edged closer to the merman, wonder stumbling his steps.
Three as the merman reared back his head, a twisted tiara-like thing tilting on his head as he bared his teeth.
Two as the captain drew his sword and started cutting through the binds around the merman's arms.
One and the binds were free but for one sure twist around the tail. Will looked at it, judged it. With his dwindling strength, could he tear it apart? Did he want to? Perhaps it was better to just put the being out of its misery…
The scent of blood washed over him again, and his mind took control: you cannot savor that blood here. Save him. In the hands of the humans, he would know only pain. Will vaguely recalled how humans would farm merfolk for their tears.
His hand clenched into a fist just as Clarisse's final finger fell.
He ran with his pack, keeping to the shadows like the others as they picked off the distracted victims. Somehow he ignored the new spurts of blood all around him. But the smell of human blood somehow paled in comparison to the merman's wound, and that focused him on his target.
His target whose eyes widened far before any of the humans thought to turn around.
The captain finally turned, balking at the sight before him. "Vampires!" he shouted, alerting the uninjured crew members. "Night demons! We've been tricked! Men, retrieve your weapons!"
The crew scrambled to comply, but Will paid little mind to that. His eyes were trained on the captain, who had stepped in the way of the merman, as though protecting him. Blocking him from sight. A harsh animal-like growl ripped from Will's chest. He trotted forward, searing his intent into the human's mind: I'm after you—and then I'm after your prize.
The captain drew a wicked sword that glinted in the torchlight—even from the distance between them, Will recognized the glint as silver. Not as lethal to vampires as for werewolves, but close enough. But that wasn't important.
Will's eyes, for one instant, found the merman's blood pooling behind the captain's feet. Another growl built its way up his chest.
All the while, the captain's expression slowly morphed from anger to disgust. "Foul beast," he spat, leveling his blade at Will's chest. "Look at what has become of you, demon. A withered husk, no trace of beauty left in your sinful body. It seems age claims even the inhuman in the end."
A wicked laugh bubbled up to Will's lips. He shook his head. "Demon? Me? Step aside, human. I don't care about you," he growled, taking a step closer.
The captain edged back, closer to the merman. "Step aside? I wouldn't waste my breath, demon. Do you know how valuable this catch is? I'd never let you kill him for your fiendish appetite."
"Is that any better than what I fear you will do to him?" Will scoffed. "Enough talk. This is your last chance. Step aside, Captain. I have no wish to feed on blood tonight, but I will kill you if you don't move." Will took another step forward, but the captain forced him back with a jab of his sword.
Another growl ripped from the vampire. "Fine, then. Have it your way."
҉ ҉ ҉
Nico couldn't think.
Even as the human captain fell in a bloodied heap, the prince didn't understand what was going on around him. Were they really fighting over him? What for? The…what was it? A vampire? The vampire had said that the captain had a worse plan for the prince than the vampire, himself, did. What did that even mean?
Nico really didn't know what a vampire was—not that he knew very much about humans, either. All he knew were stories. Speculations. He had no clue what to believe.
All he knew for certain was that his savior had picked up the fallen captain's sword and was sawing off the last bit of rope tethering Nico to the ship. He did that while murmuring to Nico in the screaming of the ship's crew: "It's not safe here. We need to bind that wound and get you back in the water. Quickly."
The merman could only blink. From what he knew of vampires, wouldn't he want to keep Nico? Feeding on his blood, or whatnot? Or was that a different being?
No. Nico could see the feeding party going on behind the vampire even as he tried to hide it from the merman. They were killing the crew and lapping up every drop of blood they could stomach. He should have balked at the sight. He should have lost his last meal on the deck between them. But he was almost transfixed by the sight, more shocked than disgusted.
The vampire in front of him tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and used it to tie a tight bond around the merman's arm. "That will stunt the blood flow," the vampire informed him, slapping his hand when Nico attempted to tear it back off. "Don't take it off until you are certain the bleeding has stopped."
Finally, Nico took a moment to actually look at the vampire that saved him. There was nothing impressive—in fact, in other circumstances Nico might have been frightened of him. Wrinkled, almost translucent skin thinly covered the vampire. His blond hair was shaggy and oily, haggard and dirty. He looked like a merman who had seen thousands of years and was ready to rest in death. Not only that, but under the determined fire in his blue eyes, he looked tired.
Nico should have been fighting to stay as far away from him as possible, but he couldn't move. Something told him that this being wouldn't harm him—something that went beyond the comforting words he spoke in that velvety voice of his.
It was that feeling that allowed him to consent to the vampire picking him up.
"Stay in the water," the vampire told him. His arms were strong under him, ironic to how weak he looked. "Vampires cannot swim—it will burn us just as the sun does. That will keep you safe from the others. Do not come back here."
Nico finally found his voice just as the vampire was about to drop him over the side of the deck. "Why are you doing this?"
The vampire smiled. Even that looked tired. "I'm done with hurting people. So stay alive and safe, would you?"
Nico slipped free from his grip and fell into the darkness below.
҉ ҉ ҉
Will watched the merman fall into the water with a splash of silver before he turned back to the chaos on the ship. Sometime during his distraction the humans had gained the upper hand. The burning corpses of at least two of his brethren crumbled to ash as the humans turned to fire to save themselves.
That would have been fine if it wasn't for the humans who were splashing oil every which way.
Will wasn't scared of his own death, but those humans were trying to bring everyone down with the ship. His pack would burn in the water below. He had to at least try and stop the fire before it started.
Clenching his hands into fists against the sting of water on his skin, he tried to think fast. What could he do in his feeble state?
He darted forward, knocking out one, two, three humans as they continued sloshing oil out on the boat. They crumpled at the slightest touch. Perhaps Will wasn't as weak as he'd first thought. Maybe it was just that the vampires were that much stronger than humans.
The injured merman entered his thoughts, but he shook them away quickly. He didn't have time to think about that. He had to save his friends.
There was little he could apparently do, though. Someone had already lit the oil on the far side of the ship, starting a wave of flames that boiled Will's thin skin just like the sun. Try as he might, he wouldn't be able to douse the fire now that it started. He didn't have access to buckets or barrels, for instance. Not that those things would have done something to help his pack. He was stuck just standing in one spot, watching with panic as the flames lit up the sky. Screams and cries of pain from his brethren twisted his gut.
A roiling snake in his stomach hissed at him. His fault.
And there was nothing he could do.
҉ ҉ ҉
Nico watched with growing horror as fire ate at the ship above him. Muffled shouting and screaming came from the ship, and the dark belly of the ship was slowly sinking closer to where the prince was hunkered down, watching.
He was very aware of the danger the humans and vampires on the ship were in. They had been hitting rocks in their distraction, and that coupled with the flames licking the sky would only spell doom for them. The ship would capsize in minutes, at most.
What was it that vampire said? Water was bad for them?
Whatever he'd meant by that, there was one thing that was clear to Nico: the ship would never reach the shore in time. And he couldn't just do nothing—not when the person who had freed him was about to meet his own horrible end.
Righting the crown on his head, Nico watched the fire and smoke grow above his head. The ship was in such bad shape that the crew would start jumping ship at any moment. All he had to do was wait it out and—
No. Nico shook his head with a breath of bubbles leaving his mouth. Vampires hated water. They were more likely to just die in the flames, right? That meant waiting wasn't going to do any good.
So he had to quicken the process and force them in the water.
Darting upward, he was on the underbelly of the ship in moments. He summoned his sword from the shadows, the gleam of obsidian soothing to him. The weight fueled his determination. With a strong swing, a wide arc was cut into the wood. Nico fled before the rushing water could pull him into the ship, using his speed to slash at the ship again and again. Riddled with gashes, the ship groaned and sank with alarming speed.
Feeling accomplished, the prince fled a safe distance from the ship, to the side where he had been captured and freed again. Then he waited.
Screaming turned feral above him as the ship tilted and swayed and sank. Nico had the urge to go to the surface and look for the man that had saved him, but he forced himself to sit on the floor of the sea and wait. It couldn't be long now.
As though hearing his thoughts, bodies fell like stones into the water. They splashed and kicked though few of them seemed to know how to swim. They sank to the ocean floor, but they did not seem like they were in pain. They were dressed like the crew, which answered Nico's questions. Human.
The prince ignored them as they struggled to reach the surface again. For the most part, they were successful, but Nico had better things to look for than for drowning humans.
There—a body that was shivering with pained spasms. Nico darted from the ocean floor to take a closer look.
This person was no member of the crew. He was dressed too well for it, even if those were scorched and in bloody tatters. Despite his pain, his eyes were also open, rimmed red and squinting. His eyes widened at noticing Nico drawing near.
"I'll take you to shore," Nico garbled. He wasn't sure if the vampire would understand underwater, but there wasn't enough time to explain. The merman wrapped his arms around the man and sped them as fast as he could towards the rocky shore. It was difficult to hold onto the shuddering body, but somehow he managed. The only issue was that the vampire had fallen unconscious somewhere during the trip.
Unable to drag the vampire to shore with his legless body, he left him as close as he was able. The vampire would be able to breathe, but he wasn't likely to regain consciousness. But there wasn't anything he could do about that.
He went back to the ship and repeated with every living vampire he was able, panic growing in his gut as none of them ended up being the one who saved him. The ship was almost entirely under the water—really, where was he?
Nico darted to the ocean floor where bodies littered the rocky expanse. While he hoped it wasn't the case, he had to know. Was the vampire already gone? Was there really nothing he could do?
Nico remembered the ancient body and weary eyes of the vampire. He had looked about ready to drop, ready to give up. Could it be that he'd just given in to the water and let it take him away?
The fire that coiled in Nico's gut was nothing close to arousal. It was an angry fire, one that brought determination that by the gods if he was dead Nico was going to go straight into the afterlife to slap him for just giving up—
A new body splashed and kicked above the merman, bringing his attention up.
The shuddering was the same as every vampire he'd saved before. A tiny flare of hope sparked in his chest, and he swam up to meet the sinking person.
A burst of bubbles escaped Nico's nose. It was him!
The vampire was already unconscious by the time Nico wrapped his arms around him and started for the shore, but Nico didn't let that bother him. He'd drag him as far from the water as he could without legs, and then the vampire could drag his friends out once he woke up. Excitement was tingling through the merman at the thought. He felt accomplished. Successful.
Absolutely sure his scales were ripping out of his tail as he dragged the vampire as best he could onto the rocky shore.
He didn't let the pain bother him. There were worse things to feel, and those scales would grow back quickly once he returned to the ocean. Perhaps he could get Saphira to whip up some healing salve, too. Of course he'd likely have to spill every moment of this adventure to her…but it would be well worth it. She was the one who made this possible.
She was also the one who almost got him kidnapped by humans, though.
Nico let out an unsteady breath and tucked his hair behind his ears, staring down at the vampire who had saved him not too long ago. How long would it take him to dry off? It was warm, but not overwhelmingly so. There also wasn't a lot of light—which his mother told him was the fastest way to dry off and dehydrate. But that would be good for the vampires. Right?
Nico wasn't able to think about it for much longer when the vampire gave a great shudder and wrenched himself to the side, vomiting out water and coughing it from his lungs. The merman reached forward hesitantly and patted the man's back, not sure what else he could do. He'd have to do some research when he went home.
Before Nico could ask him what he could do, the vampire breathed in a sharp, sudden breath and grabbed Nico's arm.
҉ ҉ ҉
The merman above Will yelped and lashed out his arm to hook the man in the jaw.
Will was still coughing up water when he fell over on the shore, but he managed to gasp in a lungful of air. He steadied himself on the jagged rocks below him.
The merman slithered a short distance away, but that only highlighted the smell that was driving Will mad. The merman was still bleeding from the wound on his arm. He was also bleeding from the shallow gashes on his tail.
Will's mind was a chant of the same word: blood blood blood blood blood…
He wanted it so bad. This hunger, this thirst, had never before been so demanding of him. Before, his disgust with harming anyone quelled his urges. But now—
The vampire's gaze latched onto the red-stained cloth covering the merman's bicep. The smell was so, so enticing. Nothing at all like the blood of a human.
Will held himself back. Perhaps it was the pain from being covered in water that was clearing his senses. No matter what was happening, Will forced his gaze up to meet the merman's.
And he stared right back at him.
After a moment Will cleared his throat and attempted to speak. His voice sounded like he'd swallowed sandpaper. "Why… Why did you do that?"
Will cleared his throat again in some vain attempt to get that nasty sound out of it, but the merman was speaking before he was able to continue. "I did it," he began in a voice that was honeyed and breathy at the same time. There was a deep accent there that Will couldn't point out. The merman looked down, swallowed at the sight of his tail, and continued. "I did it because you saved me. I felt like I had to return the favor."
The blond licked his teeth and ran his eyes over the merman. "I… Thank you," he murmured.
Will's gaze was high enough that he could catch the merman's nod. "Of course. Ah, well…I did get as many of those people with you as I could, but I wasn't able to drag them this far out. They're still in the water over there."
The vampire barely glanced in that direction, and that was enough to scan the unconscious crowd and spot Cecil and Clarisse. A relieved breath left him, and he turned back to the merman with gratitude in his gaze. "Thank you," he said again. Then he remembered himself. "I'm Will, by the way. Will Solace. Thank you for helping us."
The merman gave a halfhearted shrug with his injured arm. "No problem," he mumbled back, sounding almost timid. He perked up in realization. "Oh! Right, you'd probably like my name too. I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo."
"Italian?" asked Will.
Nico tilted his head. "Italian?" he asked back.
That was answer enough. Will shook his head. "Nothing. The name just sounded familiar."
His gaze found the bloody cloth as Nico muttered something about his mother coming to the surface a lot. Will wasn't able to pay attention as well with the water evaporating off him in the warm air. And as the water left, so did the pain.
The sandpaper in his throat seemed less of his time in the ocean as it was pure thirst. He tried swallowing, but his mouth was filling too quickly with the vampiric venomous saliva. Will was sure he was gapping at the blood like a mad idiot.
"You're thirsty."
Will jolted at the voice, unaware that the merman had gotten closer to him.
Nico leaned forward, bracing his hands on the ground. Rather than the disgust Will was expecting, the merman only looked curious. The merman repeated his statement with the hint of a question in his tone, and Will couldn't help his head from bobbing. His gaze found the cloth again, his razor-sharp teeth biting down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from moving.
Even worse, the merman seemed to get something amusing out of Will's pain. Nico reached up at the hasty knot that held the cloth together and unraveled it. The soiled bandaged fell down onto the merman's hand, but Nico was only looking at Will.
"Let's try this," Nico said, his voice impossibly soft. "You don't kill me, and I'll let you have a taste. Is that disagreeable?"
A shudder ran down Will's spine. He was letting Will feed on him?
Had he heard wrong?
But Nico reached forward with his good arm and tugged Will closer by the hem of his undershirt. "Go on," he murmured. "Just don't bite too hard."
Will lost most coherent thoughts after that offer.
҉ ҉ ҉
There was something revolting and attractive about having someone licking Nico's skin. An odd combination, sure, but he was letting someone not only lick him, but to lick his wounds.
After he'd given his consent Will had seemed to forget himself, apparently a lot more thirsty than he'd let on while on the ship. There had been people dying and bleeding all around him, but he'd only had eyes for Nico and helping him off of the ship. What Nico hadn't realized was that Will had been craving his blood during the entire episode.
Will didn't bite hard just as Nico had asked, but that didn't stop him from little nips that brought more blood to the surface. He lapped at every corner available, ignoring the water on Nico's skin in favor for catching every last drop he'd missed.
Nico was slightly dizzy from it all, but he didn't count that as entirely Will's fault. Rather, it was his own hallucinations that were playing with him. He blinked, sure he was seeing things.
Because there was no way Will Solace was growing younger as he continued nursing from Nico's wound.
No matter how many times Nico blinked at the vampire, the vision didn't fade. It was only growing stronger, if anything. He was growing younger and fuller and his skin was molding from almost translucent to a healthy tan—
Will drew back and licked up the blood smudging the corners of his mouth.
Nico's mind sputtered to a stop.
Holy gods what the schist.
The vampire's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked down at himself and back up. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Nico reached forward with certainty that his fingers would just phase through the vision. It startled him when his fingers were met with skin. Warm skin. Skin that was healthy and full, nothing like what had existed not minutes before. And hot damn if he wasn't the most attractive thing Nico had ever seen in all of his years. Well…perhaps that was an exaggeration. But he was definitely Nico's type of man.
Those same blue eyes were clouded with confusion. Will was asking what was wrong. That confused Nico for one thing, because how could something possibly be wrong?
Nico squeezed Will's cheek, feeling the texture under his fingers. The webbing got in the way a little, but not enough to bother either of them. Nico swallowed and tried, tried to speak. "It… It's just…" He swallowed again and cleared his throat. "You're… You look so young."
That only seemed to confuse Will further. "I do?"
The merman nodded, gazing at every expanse of skin he could look at. Everything he looked at seemed healthy and alive.
Will was looking at himself too. He held his hand in front of his face, clenching and unclenching his fingers. He stared at himself in awe, seeming even more surprised than Nico was.
"I…" Will started to smile. "I am younger."
The vampire licked his lips again and flicked his gaze up to meet Nico's. They were wide and brighter than even the moon above, sending something fluttering in the merman prince's chest.
Will leaned closer. "How do I look?" he asked, grinning at Nico.
"Gorgeous, of course."
Will was laughing even before Nico tried his best to hide himself in his own hands. In that moment he forgot he could have just dissolved into the shadows. Gorgeous? What was he, a love-sick teenager?
But the vampire didn't seem the least bit worried about what he meant by those words. He was too busy running his hands over his own face and laughing giddily.
"It's been two hundred years since I was last this young," Will mumbled, giggling to himself. He locked eyes with a surprised Nico. "We deteriorate when we don't feed," he explained after a moment. His eyes were glowing so much that it almost hid the slight darkness entirely.
Nico nodded, but he was still confused. "Why haven't you been feeding, then? If it only takes a little bit of blood…"
Will was shaking his head before the merman had finished. "No. Didn't you see my pack? They were guzzling every last drop to retain their youth. This… I've never gotten to leave someone alive like this before…" He looked like he was about to cry, but no moisture came to his eyes. "Amazing," he breathed, staring at his hands.
Nico swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Uh, you're welcome, I guess."
Will's eyes darted back up to Nico. A wobbly smile lit up his face.
Before Nico was aware what was happening, Will was on top of Nico, peppering the merman's face with kisses. The prince didn't know how he'd ended up on the ground, but he was pleasantly surprised that Will had at least braced an arm under Nico's head.
"Thank you thank you thank you," mumbled Will in between kisses, his stupid smile making his mouth sloppy.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Nico muttered, embarrassed. If his face wasn't as red as rubies, he had no clue what was wrong with him. He shoved the vampire off of him. "Go get your friends out of the water, would you?" he snapped at Will's disappointed pout.
Shame was the next thing that crossed Will's face. Then urgency. He leapt to his feet and raced towards the shore edge.
Sighing, Nico willed away his blush and waited for the vampire to come back.
҉ ҉ ҉
Will had absolutely no clue why he had behaved how he had. Sure, he was grateful, but he'd never gotten so…touchy with someone who had helped him before. It had to be the blood, he reasoned to himself. Nico's blood had not only smelled amazing but had tasted even more so—and so, with that between them, Will figured it was understandable that he'd acted that way.
Not that he hadn't acted way out of form. He'd have to apologize after his pack was out of the water.
It didn't take very long. Nico had situated all of the vampires close together on the shore, and with Will's newfound strength and speed it was child's play to get them from the shore to the shady outcropping that was a tornado shelter. The sun would be rising in about half an hour, if Will's internal clock was running right. The stars were fading for gentle light over the horizon.
Nico was waiting for him once he'd finished.
Still buzzing with energy, Will plopped down on his knees and thanked the merman again for not only saving him, but for saving his pack.
The merman's face was toying with a timid smile. That only made the apology that much harder since Will wanted to kiss that face again so badly. But he managed to hold himself back, gripping his hands together tightly in his lap.
Nico rubbed the grit from his hands and smiled that same coy smile up at the vampire. "What? You're not going to kiss me again?"
So much for that innocence.
If Will's face was able to blush, he would have gone red by that comment. He was sputtering enough as it was to show his embarrassment.
"Sorry about that," he gasped out, rubbing the back of his neck.
Nico just smiled and laughed. "I didn't mind it, Will."
The vampire looked up with a disbelieving look on his face that sent Nico into hysterics.
"I really didn't, Will," he giggled. He waved a silver-webbed hand at him. "I was just surprised by the action. I'm not against that form of thanks, you know. Who would?"
Nico's face had tinged red again with his own statement, which struck Will as cute.
Will offered his own smile. "Well, okay." He leaned forward and gave the merman a light peck on the lips. "Like that?"
That coy smile morphed into something more mischievous. "Yes. Exactly like that."
They shared a smile, and Will was about to lean forward again when he noticed the light building all around them. The sun was there, right there. Peeking over the horizon. The vampire was on his feet in an instant.
Nico looked up at him with a confused—and slightly disgruntled—expression. It was only the sheer amount of fear on Will's face that had the merman looking around. The sight of the rising sun had Nico frozen as well, though there was no smell of fear on him. It was by the little gasp the merman let out that told him he was frozen in awe.
While Will found the entire ordeal adorable, he was antsy about getting burned to a crisp now that he was in full health. He had been waiting for it to be the last thing he would see back when he was near death. While he was sure Nico would enjoy the experience, he would never last long enough…
The merman turned towards Will with bright eyes that immediately dimmed at taking in his expression. Nico reached towards Will's tattered trousers. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Will. He took a glance towards the horizon and shifted nervously. "I'm just not well adapted to…deal with sunlight."
"Oh." Nico sounded disappointed. He turned to Will as best he could with his tail in the way. "Do you have to leave?"
Will tried for a comforting smile, but it felt strained even to him. He glanced up at the sunrise again. And damn was it beautiful even when it wasn't at full blast. He could feel his skin smoldering already. "That might be best, yeah."
Nico frowned. Then he held out his arms. "Carry me to the ocean, then?"
The merman's skin and scales were still wet, and the burning intensified when Will stooped down and picked him up. He didn't complain, though, even as he had to splash into the lapping water to get Nico far enough into the water that he wouldn't have to scrape against the rocks to get into the deeper water.
Will lowered them both into the water and let the merman go. Nico would have been swept up by the current if he hadn't thrown his arms around the vampire's neck.
Will said nothing against the pain. He just watched as Nico struggled to come up with something to say.
Nico started to say something then cut himself off. With a sigh, he tilted up his head and kissed Will on the mouth again. "Thanks for saving me," he murmured, his words breathing against the vampire's lips.
The vampire nodded once, which prodded their foreheads together. "I told you before. I'm tired of hurting people."
The merman nodded back.
A shy expression tore through Will's previous poker face. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Well…anyway. I wanted to ask…
"Yes?"
Will fidgeted from the burning sensation starting up everywhere. "I just…wanted to ask…if you'd thought of coming back any time soon?"
Nico smiled.
҉ ҉ ҉
Saphira jumped Nico the moment he returned to the palace.
He'd just wanted to lie down and sleep. His tail was wrapped up in medicinal kelp with the help of the palace doctor. Nico was relieved that the merman never asked too many questions, or else there would have been more than a few awkward silences as Nico tried to come up with excuses.
But excuses would do nothing to sway Nico's friend when she decided to stake out in his room and wait for him to return.
"Tell me everything!" she squealed, acting like she had already been snooping in and watching exactly what was making her so excited. From as much as Nico knew about her, that was very likely. And he even told her so.
"I don't know all of it!" Saphira made perfectly clear. She grabbed Nico's arms, ignoring the wince when she shifted his injury. "I can't see everything in my crystal ball, you know! Now, out with it! What was he like?"
Nico was then forced to spell out every little detail he could remember of his trip. Dori the surgeonfish wiggled around the room, a distracting streak of silver that was constantly in Nico's peripheral vision. The prince settled his aching tail on his bed somewhere during the story, and when he reached the question of returning his voice wobbled.
Saphira smiled giddily, knowing exactly what Nico had yet to say. "You told him a couple weeks, didn't you? Oooh, I wish your mother was here still so I could gossip! She loved surface people. You would have made her so proud."
The merman frowned at his friend. "You gossiped with my mother?"
"Oh, yes." Saphira giggled. "She was the absolute best way to get stories from the surface world. Anyway, back to you! You need to be prepared for your next trip!"
"Prepared?" muttered Nico. He was still trying to understand what Saphira had just told him.
The mermaid was too excited to notice Nico's confusion. "We'll need to get some salve for your tail, of course. Then we need to scout out the perfect place for your date. I can pack some little snacks for you guys if you get puckish and oh—we shouldn't forget about protection potions! You know, just in case things get a little heated…"
When Nico didn't reply, Saphira whirled on him with the biggest grin on her face. It was the most devilish look he had ever seen on his friend's face.
"And we have to make you look your absolute best!" she declared.
҉ ҉ ҉
"A prince, huh?"
Nico flashed Will a grin, his face a cross of proud and embarrassed. He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I am."
The vampire's eyes were alight with amazement. "Wow. It's an honor."
His answer was a snort. "Hardly. I'm no prince on the land, you know." Nico offered a halfhearted shrug. "So this crown means nothing here."
A corner of Will's mouth tilted up. He fingered the obsidian crown circling the merman's forehead, his touch lingering on the olive skin there, despite how it must have hurt. Nico still wasn't completely dry even in the warm air. "It's still pretty impressive."
Nico's cheeks tinged pink. "It really isn't," he insisted. Out of embarrassment he hastily switched topics. "So you feel pain in the water and in the sunlight? Why is that?"
Will huffed in amusement. "I couldn't tell you why, but you're right. Water and sunlight burn like hell on my skin. It's how vampires have adapted, I guess. It's easier to hunt at night, and we're stronger with the moon out. Something about the sun and the water just contradicted that."
Nico grunted. His eyes seemed to sadden at the confirmation. "Does it kill you?" he asked after a moment of thinking.
Will nodded in answer. "Prolonged exposure will kill a vampire, yes."
"That's terrible," Nico murmured. He stared out over the crashing shore. "You can't even see dawn or dusk?"
Will chewed on the inside of his cheek. "I've always wanted to see a sunrise," he admitted. Nico turned his head as the vampire continued. "I've seen paintings of it, but…to see it. That's something I've always wanted to do."
"But you can't," Nico said.
"No," Will sighed. "I can't."
From the corner of Will's vision, he watched as Nico hesitated and gazed at the side of his head. Then he slowly reached a webbed hand forward and placed it on Will's cheek. "And that," Nico said. "That hurts, doesn't it?"
"A little," Will admitted. He turned his head to Nico and grabbed hold of the hand on his cheek quickly. The merman was just about to drop it. "But I can handle this. It's only a slight stinging. Nothing on before, in the ocean."
Nico was grimacing nonetheless. "I wish it wouldn't hurt," he muttered. "It makes it harder. I wanted to see the sun rise with you. But I can't now, can I? It's impossible."
Will smiled and kissed the merman on the cheek. "It's the thought that counts, Nico. Thank you."
A rosy blush formed on the merman's cheeks. Nico scoffed and rubbed at the heat. "It doesn't help anything, though."
"Sure it does," Will insisted. "You can tell me all about it when you get back. I'd love to hear about it from you. You haven't seen one either yet, have you?"
"But it wouldn't be the same," Nico whined. He rubbed his forehead and messed up his drying hair in the process. It was standing up all over the place, but Nico either didn't notice or didn't care. "Maybe there's some salve Saphira can cook up that can protect you from the sunlight…"
Will tilted his head. "Who?"
Nico looked up. "Oh. I never told you about her? She's the local witch of the palace. We've been good friends for a while now. She's the one who showed me the way up here—even though I was fucking caught in a net because of her," he ended in a bitter mutter.
Will chuckled. "I see. A good friend, huh? Maybe you should bring her along next time? I'd like to meet her."
"Yeah, if she'd stop lying about being 'busy'," Nico muttered. "I swear she knew everything that was going to happen before it ever did. She always liked spoilers…"
"Did she," Will said. He was growing more and more amused by the second.
Nico seemed tipped off by the laughter in Will's voice. He looked at him, eyes growing suspicious. "…What are you thinking about?"
Will leaned forward, mischievousness oozing from his body. "What did she tell you about today?"
Nico frowned. "What do you mean? She told me that she had to scout out this place and get stuff for today. Why?"
Will couldn't help the grin that broke across his face. "I can smell some interesting things in that satchel you brought with you."
"This?" The merman grabbed the bag at his side and riffled through it. "There's just snacks in here and…" Nico's eyes blew wide. His face turned the shade of a tomato. "Wha…What?"
Will raised an eyebrow and picked up the bottle that Nico was staring at. "She seemed to believe things would get a bit…intimate, did she?" he wondered, recognizing the smell of lube leaking out from the glass. He turned his grin to the red merman.
Realization made Nico hide his face in his hands. "She did say something like that—oh my gods I'm so sorry!"
The vampire fell into a fit of laughter. "I—I have to say, your friend seems to have thought of everything!" he exclaimed. He popped open the cork and sniffed at the contents. "This is almost exactly like the stuff we have here on land."
Nico just groaned in his hands.
"How would it even work, anyway?" Will continued just to tease the merman. "You'll have to explain how exactly merman anatomy works. But you don't know anything about land folk, do you? It looks like we have a couple of awkward conversations ahead of us."
"Shut up," Nico muttered.
Will just chuckled and corked the bottle. Tossing it into the satchel, Will focused his attention instead on wrapping his arms around the hunched Nico. "Easy, tiger," Will said, still grinning. "I'm sure she was just messing with you."
Nico raised his head and glared at the vampire. "That would make two of you."
Will winked. "Forgive me, but how couldn't I? You made it really easy, Nico."
The merman's face was still bright red. He shoved Will off of him. "Fine," he said in a not-so-convincing tone. "I'll just leave then. See you in never."
The vampire laughed and hugged Nico again. "You can't leave yet! You said you'd stay until I had to leave!"
Nico's nose wrinkled. "Fine," he said. "But then it's see you in never."
"I think I can get you to change your mind," Will purred.
"How about no?"
All it took was a couple kisses up the merman's gills to get him to cave. Their lips met with the heat of a fire. It wasn't a painful fire, but rather a pleasant sting of water coupled with the heat of their tongues dancing together in their mouths. Will could have lived and died a thousand times if only to experience that kiss only once.
And that was before Nico scraped his tongue on one of Will's fangs and—oh.
The taste of Nico's blood coupled with the kiss? It was basically alcohol.
Eventually the vampire had to force himself away just so he didn't full on bite Nico. But it was just as difficult to hold himself back once he set eyes on a very disheveled merman prince below him on the shore.
Nico's cheeks were a pleasant red hue, mirrored by his swollen lips. That and his half-lidded eyes were very hard not to ravish.
His eyes rolled over the merman's body, only to freeze once they reached his silver-scaled hips.
Will stared at the merman's tail for a long time, almost not comprehending what he was seeing there. He blinked several times, but the sight didn't disappear like a dream. Which meant… "I think you really need to explain that anatomy now," Will rasped out, glad he wasn't able to blush.
Nico erupted into a fit of giggles. He grabbed Will by the collar of his shirt and drew him down into another searing kiss.
And Will realized he couldn't care less about how different they were. Even through the pain, they were their own people—and Will found that Nico was one he could quite happily fall in love with.
~ ҉ ~
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Please tell me what you thought of it—review, PM me, or you can find me on Tumblr (my username is songofthewinterspirit) because I also draw and stuff. Yeah.
I hope that was enough fluff and plot to satisfy you.
(The OC Saphira was CrazyCookieChick—not very accurately, though. Love you hun!)