The next morning, Steve woke before Bucky. Even before the rest of his pod, perhaps. He could still hear Clint's snoring, anyway. With a little effort, he extracted himself from Bucky's cuddly embrace without waking him and swam off to catch the human's breakfast.
He just couldn't get the idea of how burned seaweed would taste out of his mind. And he human was the only one who would be able to make it.
Maybe Bucky was right. Maybe he was spending too much time with the human. He was starting to develop the same strange tastes.
Steve pushed the horrifying thought out of his mind and snatched up a sand tilefish that had been swimming too close. With a deft motion, he snapped the fish's spine and started wrapping seaweed around the limp body. It looked so much neater than the fishes he had wrapped for himself and Bucky. With a little practice, he might one day be able to make intricate patterns in the wrappings like the human's etchings. And then they might look appetizing to the other sirens.
But he was getting way ahead of himself. Start small, keep the human happy and fed and then he'd go from there.
Steve surfaced inside the little cave and was pleased to see that the human was awake, sitting in front of a fire in the middle of the cave floor. Most of the water had receded and thee were only puddles here and there.
"Good morning, human. I'm glad to see you survived the storm." Not that his survival was ever in question. Steve wouldn't have left the human there if there was any chance of drowning. But the human probably considered himself lucky to be alive after how terrified he had been.
Steve held out the fish. "I brought you breakfast."
The human tilted his head to one side and stared at Steve's offering.
"It's still a fish," Steve assured him. "It's just wrapped in a layer of seaweed." He lifted the seam of the wrapping a little so the human could see the scales underneath.
The human's eyes flicked from Steve to the wrapped fish and back to Steve again before he let out a whoop and started rushing around the cave, pulling bits and pieces of driftwood from each of his different piles.
Steve chuckled as he watched the human work. "Really excited about this fish, are you?"
He wasn't sure what had triggered this sudden burst of energy, but he was thrilled to see the human moving around so quickly. His leg seemed almost healed, which meant he'd be forced to go back to the surface soon, but Steve tried to only dwell on the positives.
"What are you up to?" he asked as the human started fiddling with the pile of scrap he had created. "You look like you're making something."
Something that seemed a lot more complicated than a bonfire. Bonfires were usually made from haphazard piles of sticks. But this wood was arranged into a careful pattern. It reminded Steve a little of the fishing nets he had seen at a distance.
Steve watched as the human pounded four branches into the ground around the fire and then carefully laid his stick arrangement on top. He waited apprehensively for the sticks to catch fire and the whole thing to go up in flames, but after a moment, nothing happened. The human let out a cry of delight and placed the wrapped fish on top of the structure.
He turned to Steve with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, clearly feeling like he had just done something incredible. Steve was sure he had, but he just wasn't sure what it was.
Steve carefully hauled himself out of the water for a closer look at the human's contraption. What was its purpose? How could it be so close to the fire and not get burned?
After a few minutes, the human waved him off and with two other sticks, carefully lifted the fish off the little structure. "Ta-da!" he said with a flourish, using one of the sticks to poke a layer of seaweed aside.
Steve watched steam curl up from the fish. It wasn't burned, but it looked warm and pink on the inside, like the other fish had been. He was itching to taste it.
Luckily, the human was a generous man and pleased to share his accomplishments, because he speared a small piece of fish with his stick and offered it to Steve.
Steve took a small bite and nodded approvingly. The fish was so soft, flaking apart on his tongue. And the seaweed had imparted a good flavor to it. With the stick, Steve helped himself to a sliver of seaweed. It was even better than the fish, crispy and flaky. He barely had to chew it.
"You've ruined me, human," Steve said with a sigh. "How am I ever going to eat this plain again?"
The human cocked his head to one side and wordlessly pointed to the fish.
"If you insist," Steve said with a small smile.
The two of them polished off the fish and the seaweed easily. Steve was gratified that the human ate just as much of each. Maybe he couldn't convince his friends to give seaweed a try, but the human was more open-minded.
Steve patted the human's shoulder. "You're a good person, you know that? I'm sure it must be scary finding yourself in a new land, unable to communicate with anybody, unsure of what's going on. And we probably don't look all that friendly." He bared his teeth in a grimace. "But you're either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."
He knew which one Bucky would choose.
"I wish I could stay longer," Steve said, giving the human's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But I have another human to check up on."
The human made a quick sketch of a fish and then rubbed a hand over his belly.
"Another one?" Steve said with a laugh. Oh, right, they had shared the fish. He shook his head. The human was surprisingly trusting. Steve was his only source of food and he was cheerfully sharing like he could go out and catch himself another fish if he felt like it. If Steve wasn't careful, the human was going to starve himself with his generosity.
Steve dove back into the water and returned a few moments later with a plump wrasse.
The human looked down at the fish and back up at Steve with an expression that clearly said, "that's it?"
Steve snorted. "I guess I'm not the only one who's getting spoiled." But he obligingly hauled up a handful of seaweed.
The human hummed as he started wrapping the fish, brief snatches of the lullaby Steve had sung to him the day before. Steve felt a surge of pride. And a little smugness as he watched the human struggle with the wrapping. The human's drawings might be prettier, but he had his skills with the fish.
"I really must leave you now," Steve said. "I have fish to catch for the other human."
There was no response from the human. He was muttering to himself as he redid the wrapping for the third time. Steve almost felt sorry for him. But the human was smart. He'd figure it out eventually.
Steve slipped back under the water and swam resolutely towards the rocky outcropping where the other human was kept. This was going to be the first time feeding the other man and Steve wanted to give him a good first impression. He remembered how terrified the dark-haired human had been the first few days. He was determined to do better with this man. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much room for a fire in the tiny alcove. It would have to be a tiny fire, but hopefully it would keep the human warm and make him feel safer.
Once Steve had gathered up a nice, plump fish, a handful of seaweed, and several pieces of driftwood, he went to see the other human.
"Human," he called out as he hauled himself out of the water. "I've brought you some food."
The human appeared in the mouth of the cave, shouting and waving his arms above his head. He grabbed a small rock and threw it towards Steve.
Steve ducked down and the rock passed by harmlessly overhead. "I'm a friend," he pleaded. He held up the fish. "It's food. For you."
The human kept shouting and hurling rocks, his face almost purple with rage and his white facial hair bristling as his mouth twisted in a snarl.
Steve couldn't believe it. If he had wanted to eat the human, he would have already. But he had dragged him to shelter, treated his injuries, and was now bringing him food. The lack of gratitude was astounding. But people probably did stupid things when they were scared. When the human calmed down a little, he'd probably realize Steve didn't mean him any harm.
"Fine," Steve said. "I'm leaving. But you'll want to eat eventually or you'll starve to death." He left the supplies on a rock, far enough from the water's edge that the tide probably wouldn't carry it away.
He dove underwater as more rocks rained down towards his position. This was getting ridiculous.
"Well, at least I know he's strong and healthy," Steve muttered to himself. He wasn't going to have to wait for the human to recover his strength. But he was going to have to wait until the human decided to trust him. Because Steve had no interest in being pelted with rocks again. He was so thankful the first human had been scared and reclusive instead of aggressive.
After the stress of dealing with the angry human, Steve was ready to go back to bed or at least have a short nap. But since Bucky was awake, it wasn't likely he'd get any relaxing done.
"Where the hell have you been?" Bucky demanded. "Out catching food for your pets again?"
Steve rolled his eyes. "Humans need to eat every day, same as we do."
Bucky huffed. "Just don't disappear on me like that. I was looking everywhere for you."
"But you knew where I was. With the humans."
Bucky crossed his arms over his chest. "I went into the damn cave. Saw the crazy guy with the sticks. But not you."
"Oh," Steve said. "That was probably when I was with the other human."
"And you didn't think to tell me where that was?"
"I thought Natasha told you," Steve said with an indifferent shrug.
"You can tell me later," Bucky said. "After you see Thor."
"Thor came to visit?" Steve asked with delight.
Thor's pod lived further north, a couple days away. So they only saw him once every few months when he was in the area patrolling the far boundaries of their territory. Steve and his group of friends were one of the tiniest pods in siren society so nobody really considered them a threat. Thor had always been friendly and open to friendship each time he came on patrol`so after a few years, nobody had really considered territorial boundaries anymore and Thor was free to come spend a few days hanging out in their cave.
"And you almost missed him," Bucky said with a shake of his head. "Too busy playing with your humans."
Steve rolled his eyes. "Thor's going to be here for a few days. He always is." It was probably Bucky's worst attempt at a guilt trip.
"Still," Bucky said. "He's not going to be here for long. Better make the most of the time. The human will still be here after he's left."
Of course, Steve could have argued just as much that the human was only supposed to be there for the week and was going to be gone forever after that and he was the one Steve really needed to spend time with because Thor would always visit again, but that probably wasn't going to get him anywhere. They could argue until the seas dried up and neither one would change their minds.
So he just kept his mouth shut and followed Bucky back to their cave.
When they arrived, Thor was reclining on his favorite rock as he regaled Clint with a story about a marlin, his deep red tentacles shifting and curling as he got caught up in the emotion of the tale.
"Sorry to interrupt," Bucky said. "But I found Steve."
"Steven!" Thor said joyously. He pulled Steve into a crushing embrace, arms and tentacles wrapping around him.
"Hey, Thor," Steve gasped out.
Thor liked hugging everyone and no one had the heart to tell him that he tended to squeeze just a little too hard when he was excited. At least Thor had learned not to throw himself at Bruce after one memorable meeting when Bruce had gotten startled and his lower half had defensively swelled into a mass of spikes.
Steve hadn't been thrilled to be nominated for giving Thor another talk about their biological differences.
"It is good to see you, my friend," Thor said cheerfully, the tentacles mercifully unwrapping from Steve's body. "I have been told that you are very busy these days, tending to some humans you've found."
Steve gritted his teeth. "I don't know what the others have been telling you, but it's just two men. I'm still leaving plenty of humans for the rest of you. Think of it this way. If I save these two healthy humans, they'll go on to further their species and there'll be more humans for the rest of you later."
Thor stroked his chin with one tentacle. "I had not given it much thought, but you could be right. If you could save a few healthy humans and entice them to mate, you'd have a reliable food source during the storms."
Clint made a gagging sound. "I don't want to think about how humans mate. And I certainly don't want to 'entice' them to do it. Leave me out of this."
"It was just a thought," Thor said with a shrug. "Perhaps not even feasible. Steven would be able to tell us more. He seems to be the most knowledgeable on human behaviors."
Steve plastered on a weak smile. "Sorry, Thor. The two I've rescued were both men. So, uh, no, I don't know any more about human procreation than you do."
Bucky smirked. "Come on, Steve. I'm sure you have some idea what two guys can get up to."
Steve shuddered. "Buck, please. The one guy's probably old enough to be the other's father. He's got white hair and everything."
"I'll take your word for it, Mr. Human Expert. But maybe some people are into older guys."
"Nobody wants to hear about your mating habits," Natasha said as she swam by. "Have you eaten yet, Thor? I could send one of the boys out to catch you some fish. It'll keep them out of trouble." She gave Bucky an icy look.
"A few fish would be most welcome," Thor said. "I had to seek shelter from the storm on my journey here and have not had a chance for a good meal yet."
"Don't let Stevie catch you anything," Bucky advised. "He wraps everything in seaweed these days."
"Intriguing," Thor said. "You have definitely been busy since I saw you last. Caring for humans, coming up with new food ideas. It's remarkable you have time for so many ideas."
"He doesn't," Bucky muttered.
Steve ignored him and smiled pleasantly at Thor. "Would you like to try a seaweed-wrapped fish? If you don't like it, I'll take the seaweed off and no hard feelings."
"Very well," Thor said. "I like to try local delicacies."
Steve shot Bucky a triumphant look. "Go catch us some fish, darling. I'll get the seaweed." When Bucky made no move to go out, Steve added, "It's for Thor, you know. We don't want our guest to starve, do we?"
With a grumble, Bucky finally swam out of the cave.
Steve grinned and turned to Thor. "Tell me more about the marlin."
Thor's eyes lit up. "So there we were, I and my friends the Warriors Three, facing down this magnificent creature." His tentacles whirled around him as he acted out the hunt.
Man, was it good to have Thor back. He had really missed his stories.
