(Hi again. I've decided to upload all the solid parts of the story I have written so far, which may be a few more chapters, but I'm not sure because I am only just now separating the parts. Thanks again)
"Is that a shark bite mate?" He asked confused. Tech opened his mouth as a worried look crossed his face.
"uh… yeah, actually. How'd you know?" He asked, tilting his head.
"I'm Australian, we see these kinda things more often than most," he said with a grin. Tech nodded, hissing in pain from the contact. Sniper got up and grabbed some bandages from a nearby cabinet. He came back and began tending to the boy's wounds. The hissing sound he made reminded Sniper of when the kid had bit him.
"What was that biting thing about anyways?" He asked. Tech looked up in shock.
"Uh, I- uhm," He began fumbling for words.
"'Cause human bites don't cut that deep or make someone pass out," He mentioned. Tech sighed, absentmindedly beginning to fiddle with a dark blue bandana tied around his neck. It was a bit loose and Sniper noticed that there were some strange marks on his neck.
"What are those?" He changed the subject and pointed to them. Tech covered the sides of his neck with his hands.
"W-what? Nothing, there's nothing," He stuttered nervously.
"It's okay mate, we've all got scars, if ya haven't noticed," He gestured to the pale scars across his nose and cheek. Tech opened his mouth, but ended up looking down and shutting it.
"I- it's- I'd…" he shut his eyes and shook his head. "I can't show you," He kept his gaze down. Sniper put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"We've all got weird things about us, that's what makes us unique," He said with a smile. Tech hesitated but nodded. He slowly took his hands off his neck and began untying the bandana. There were three slits on either side of his neck, but they didn't appear to be injuries. They looked like they were supposed to be there.
"They're gills," Tech murmured. He buried his face in his hands. "God you think I'm a freak don't you?" Sniper shook his head.
"No, 'course not. I think you're interesting, but ya ain't no freak," He said. Tech looked up at him.
"But I am a freak. I'm not even bloody human," He looked down again.
"What do ya mean?" Sniper asked. Tech sighed.
"I'm half humanoid, half octopus. I'm supposed to stay in the water most of the time or I dry out and die. I wanted to try and be normal, but I can't even last a day out of water!" He closed his eyes and shook his head, angry tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Sniper put a hand on the boy's head.
"Hey, mate, it's alright. You're normal. More normal than the rest of us at least," He didn't know why he was trying to comfort the kid. He was a BLU after all, but the look of loneliness and pain on Tech's face made him feel rather empathetic. Tech shook his head again, pressing a hand to his skull.
"Gud jävligt, I'm way too dehydrated for this," He murmured. He looked up at Sniper. "Do you have any water?" Sniper nodded, noticing the boy's face was flushed and his eyes were dilated. His mouth was open a little, revealing many small, pointed teeth. Sniper got up and went to the cabinet on the far side of the nest. He grabbed two water bottles before going back to the boy. He handed them both to Tech and sat down.
"You don't mind if I might get the floor wet, do you?" He asked. Sniper shook his head. Tech opened the first bottle and leaned his head forward. He poured the water over his neck and let out a grateful sigh. His gills flared out for a bit before lying flat against his neck again. He looked up at Sniper and smiled.
"Thanks, that's really helpful," He said. Sniper smiled. It looked kind of funny, the kid's top half was soaking wet and he had a goofy, albeit sharp-toothed smile on his face. He took the second water bottle and drank it quickly.
"No problem," Sniper responded. The boy rubbed one of his gloved hands against his neck.
"That's a lot better than drying out," He smiled. Sniper chuckled.
"Ya know, if you're worried about drying out, ya should probably go to a lake or something," He suggested. Tech looked at him with one of those 'are you serious' kind of looks.
"Yeah, that's what I was trying to do when I got lost. But it's been too long. I can't even stand now. I'll most likely end up just dying here more than anything else," He said.
"What do you mean you can't stand?" Sniper asked.
"I'm so dehydrated I can't feel my legs," He looked down at himself. "Having legs is weird. I mean there's only like two, and you can't grab anything," he patted his legs and smiled. "Humans are weird creatures," Sniper nodded.
"Can't argue with ya there," He chuckled. Tech stretched his arms above his head before taking off his black gloves. He had sharp black claws and a small bit of blue webbing between his fingers.
"You know, I could help you get to a lake if you want. There's one nearby," Sniper suggested softly. Tech looked up in surprise.