Pit felt the warm fuzziness of happiness beam like the sun through his veins. To shine so brightly that no dark cloud in the sky could cover him. It felt amazing to feel so wonderful, so happy. Who would've known this was because he finally had the mythical sea creature trust him. Since day one, Pit never blamed the merman for it; he had his reasons. Although curiosity was burning as much as the sun pulsing through his veins, he never asked what that reasoning was. He'd finally earned Dark Pit's trust and he wasn't about to ruin it.
The merman had been with Pit for over a month now and he noticed the changes since the day he saved him up until the last two weeks where he earned his trust. Pittoo wasn't as annoyed by his presence as he used to be. Sure, he looked annoyed but Pit soon realized that was who the sea creature was; an easily annoyed merman. And that was okay. Pit accepted it.
Dark Pit was indeed a lot more relaxed since his confession. He felt his body unwind now that he could, against his better judgement, put his guard down. The boy had been nothing more than true to his word. He was stupidly kind and caring and he had proven he could trust him with his life. Sure, that was a pretty big proclamation but it was true. With being in Pit's home for over a month, he had no reason not to trust or doubt him. He had proven himself more times than Dark Pit could say and it was more than enough.
As time got closer to two months, Dark Pit found himself growing quite fond of the other's company. Sure, he'd gotten used to it before but it was different now. He actually yearned for it. True, there were times where Pit was absolutely annoying, talked way too much and was infuriatingly cheerful but there were also days where he was sweet, kind, funny and above all; adorable. There was something about seeing that wide happy grin that made the merman feel a strange warm sensation whenever he saw it.
The bathroom had become Pit's new living room. He ended up bringing one of his beach chairs into it and set it next to the sink. He'd sit in it and either study for his classes or work on his art. As time went by, he slowly inched his way towards the merman until he sat right beside the tub. To his surprise, Dark Pit didn't object. He let the human sit beside him which helped Pit when he painted.
It was only a matter of time before the sea creature caught onto what-who- he was painting. It was a Wednesday night and Pit had returned from school. He'd taken a shower and munched on some pizza rolls he'd exploded in the microwave. He took the seat beside the tub and studied until he ate all his food. Once consumed, he pulled out his drawing pad and began sketching the scene before him. Dark Pit was leaning down into the tub with his beautiful navy blue tail draping over the edge of the tub. His amethyst tailfin swayed slowly back and forth, letting the little gold flicks shine in the light as it moved. Sheldon was scurrying up his sun glowed arm while the other was unconsciously twirling a lock of raven-inked hair. The angle and lighting were just right and it had to be sketched.
When the sketch was finished he started painting immediately.
Dark Pit had gotten the feeling that he was being watched. He started glancing at the human right after Pit looked from him back to his drawing pad. He'd seen the boy do this many times and finally he could no longer hold the burning curiosity within.
"What are you painting?"
Pit jumped, startled by the broken silence. He glanced at Pittoo and blushed. He bit his lip then self-consciously brought the pad closer to his chest in a foolish attempt to hide the sketch the merman already couldn't see.
"Uh, ocean stuff?"
Dark Pit rolled his eyes and snorted. "I've never seen a human as obsessed with the ocean as you. Then again, I've only met one other human."
"And they're the reason you had humans." Pit recited.
Pittoo nodded then returned to his earlier question. "What ocean stuff are you painting?"
"I, uh, just, ocean stuff."
Pittoo blinked at him, annoyed. "Show me."
"Um, no." Pit's face flushed even more so.
Dark Pit arched a brow, not expecting to be denied at such a silly request. "No? Why not? It can't be that bad. I've seen some bad art in some of these magazines you bring me."
Pit shook his head. "No, I'm embarrassed."
Dark Pit frowned. "Pit, I'm not gonna laugh."
Pit's face was completely red. He was biting so hard on his lip he nearly broke the skin. He glanced down at his sketch pad then back at the merman. Dark Pit's face was gentle yet firm. He wasn't asking so he could mock him. He was genuinely curious.
Pit sighed. Well, he was bound to find out anyways.
The boy slowly turned his unfinished piece towards the curious merman. He watched his reaction and instead of laughing at him, there was a light that sparkled in his ruby eyes as he took in the art.
"That's me." His eyes lifted to meet Pit's. "You painted me?"
Pit nodded. "Yeah"
"Why?" Dark Pit's cheeks turned pink.
Pit shrugged and tried to play off his embarrassment. His face was scarlet as he answered. "Why not? You're this gorgeous sea creature. Why wouldn't I paint you?" Pit chuckled and glanced away as he started to reminisce. "I grew up with stories of mermaids. When I was younger, my parents would tell my sister and I made up stories about mermaids in the ocean." His smile fell as he continued. "I haven't painted since they died. I lost my inspiration for a year but I found it-" His eyes met Pittoo's. "-with you."
Dark Pit's face now matched Pit's. His heart was racing and he felt that warm feeling again inside him. He felt like the sun itself was inside him. He couldn't handle the overwhelming feeling so he turned away and hid his blushing.
"I guess I'm flattered." He tried to play cool. "I mean; why wouldn't you want to paint me? I'm the most beautiful creature in the sea."
"You are." Pit agreed. His face burning.
Dark Pit's blushing reached to his ears. His whole face was as red as an octopus. His heart raced against his chest and that warm feeling was washing over him to the point where he felt sick. He didn't understand why he was reacting this way. He had been told many times before that he was beautiful. Why was it when this human boy said it, he felt like a shy clam? Why did his heart race and his face redden whenever Pit complimented him? Why did this human give him feelings he'd never felt before? Why did he want to know everything about him? Talk to him? See that cute face shine like the sun's rays? And most importantly; why did he have the worse desire to mate with him?
"You said you haven't painted since you lost your family." Dark Pit said, trying to distract him from his last thought. "I've heard you talk in your sleep and witnessed your nightmares." He peeked at the human. Pit's smile fell completely. All the happiness that glistened on his face was gone and replaced with depression. His blue eyes fell to his chest then glanced away. "I know it has to do with your scar. I know it revolves around a shark attack."
"I don't want to talk about it." Replied Pit, coldly.
"Because you blame yourself."
Pit angrily stood up and slammed his art work onto his beach chair then stormed towards the exit.
He is running from the pain. Sheldon observed.
"You can't run from it forever, you know." Dark Pit spoke gently "That's why it's haunting you; you feel guilty. You can't run and hide from your past forever…and you have to accept the reality in order to move on."
"You don't know." Tears began to sting from behind Pit's eyes. Anger started to flow through his veins as he listened to the merman talk like he knew how it felt. "You don't have any idea how it feels to be the reason your family is dead! If I hadn't been so stupid and careless and noticed the water on the ground, I wouldn't have slipped!"
Pit fell to his knees and sobbed. The tears spewed out like rain during a tropical storm. His shoulders shook like the wind rattling violently against wooden structures. He covered his eyes with his hands and let all his feelings take over.
Dark Pit watched at the mess Pit had become. He nodded slowly to himself. He knew that feeling. He knew exactly how Pit felt.
Go to him. He needs you.
Dark Pit bit his lip and glanced over at the weeping boy. He wasn't one that really comforted others. He had never had an opportunity to comfort anyone and in all honesty, he didn't know how to. He had never been comforted so he had no idea how to really do it. However, thanks to those girly magazines he'd been reading, he was able to understand how humans comforted each other in times of sorrow and heartbreak.
He put Sheldon away in his cage then gripped the edge of the tub and slithered out of it, bringing a wave of water with him. He fell to the tile, water spreading over the ground. He glanced up and found Pit hadn't noticed. He glanced at his healed tail then back to the human. He positioned himself and began crawling across the room until he reached Pit.
He sat up and extended his hand to the boy's shoulder. He hesitated for a moment but then gently touched it. Pit jumped at the unexpected contact. He glanced over with tear-filled eyes and before he knew it, he wrapped his arms around the merman's neck and clung onto him.
Dark Pit's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this reaction. He glanced at Pit whom was crying into his neck. He was shaking violently. The sea creature bit his lip but remembered what the magazine had said in this moment. He brought his arms around Pit's lower back and held him close. He said nothing. He just allowed Pit to cry. His hand rubbed up and down his back in a soothing gesture. He leaned his head against the other and found himself closing his eyes.
The contact felt nice. He had never held anyone before. Now he understood why human's hugged each other. It was a warm secure feeling. He hugged him tighter, letting him know he was there and Pit reacted. He nuzzled against the neck he'd cried on. He honestly hadn't even realized Pittoo was out of the tub, holding him, until he calmed down and realized the tub was on the other side of the room.
"Pittoo?" He pulled away and looked at the sea creature. "Y-you're out of the tub? You're going to dry up!"
"Don't worry about me." Dark Pit replied. "Tell me what happened."
Pit shook his head and looked away. Fresh tears fell.
"Pit, you can't let this guilt eat you up."
"You don't understand! You don't understand how it feels to blame yourself for your family's death!"
"I do." Dark Pit turned the other cheek. "I am the reason my kin are dead. I know how you feel and it eats you up inside…It still eats me up."
He inhaled deeply and shared his story. "It was seven years ago. I was swimming in my home waters, Ayia Napa, when I was caught in a net. I was pulled up into a small fishing boat. The humans first thought I was a human but when they opened up the net and saw me, well, naturally they were surprised. I tried to escape but I was caught again but the human girl, Pandora was her name, was staring at me and told the other to release me. He listened to her and she checked me for injuries before I was freed. I was pretty dumbfounded at the fact that these humans just let me go. I knew humans were bad but I was stunned with the girl's action. I was stupid and mesmerized by her. I thought she was different than the others because she freed me.
"Later that day, the matriarch of my kin forbade me to ever go up to the surface. The water was too clear and I would be easily spotted again. I foolishly ignored and disobeyed. I spent a week searching for Pandora's boat and when I found it, I purposely got captured. She was happy to see me but told me it was a better if we met in a specific place." Dark Pit sighed. "I was a sponge. I thought she liked me. Hell fish, I was infatuated with her but she used me. She asked me questions about merlife and I stupidly told her everything she wanted to know and she used it against me. While she kept me distracted, her partner was rounding up my kin, using the information I told her. I didn't notice any of it because of the high the infatuation had me. It wasn't until I swam to surprise her that I found her slaughtering my kin. She and the other human had paralyzed them. They captured them with nets then slaughtered them. The crystal clear waters were spilled with blood. Severed body parts of my kin floated in the ocean…it drew attention to sharks and they began feasting on them. It was horrible to see."
"Why were they killing them?" Pit asked, horrified.
"They wanted our tails. Our scales are like gems. I guess they sell well." Pittoo shrugged.
"That's horrible. I'm so sorry, Pittoo. What did you do?"
"I tried to save them. I tried to cut them free of their nets. I managed to free a few but then I was captured. Pandora told me I was going to be her trophy and she was going to put me in a display and charge admission.
"Before too long, my matriarch appeared. She saw the horror before her and was pissed. She summoned a huge wave that knocked their boat over. The humans drowned; Myself and six other of my kin were freed. My matriarch was pissed with me. She had every right. I deliberately disobeyed her direct orders and it was my fault only eight of my kin were alive. I expected to be executed, I deserved it but she was merciful and spared me. 'There has been enough blood shed and we don't need to lose any more of our kind.'"
"What did she do?" asked Pit, softly.
"I was branded a traitor and exiled."
"She branded you?" Pit glanced at his tail. "I don't see anything."
"Your human eyes can't see it. It's embedded into my scales." He stroked the area on his tail where the slash had once been. "Even these new scales hold the brand."
"How did she brand you?"
Dark Pit frowned and grimaced at the memory. "A month of sheer torture."
Pit gasped. "Oh, Pittoo! I'm so sorry!"
Dark Pit shrugged. "It was my fault. I deserved it. I am to blame." He met Pit's gaze. "Now you know why I hate humans. I was used, tricked. My kin slaughtered for greed."
"Well gosh, Pittoo! No wonder you don't trust humans! I knew that they did something but I didn't know how bad it was." He bowed his head in shame. Disappointed in his own kind. "I'm sorry Pittoo. My species has a habit of destroying beautiful things."
A small smile played on the merman's lips. He cupped Pit's cheek and stated, "You are different."
"A good different, I hope?"
Dark Pit nodded. "A good different."
Pit smiled and placed his hand over the merman's.
Pittoo blushed. His eyes glanced at their hands. Pale pink over golden brown. It felt strange but in a good way. He glanced from their hands to Pit's plump soft lips. He thought back to the night Pit kissed his cheek and wondered how they would feel against his own. He never thought he'd ever want to kiss a human again after the one he shared with Pandora. That kiss had been fake and meant nothing. He wondered if he shared lips with this human, would it mean something?
"Hey Pittoo?"
"Hm?"
"Did other merfolk hurt you?" He pointed at the healed tail. "Did they do this to you because you are a traitor?"
Dark Pit didn't answer. Instead, he removed his hand from the boy's face and turned away. He didn't like to admit that he had been attacked and beaten by others. He didn't like to show he was weak.
"They did." Pit answered for him. He narrowed his eyes. "They almost killed you."
"I'm a traitor among my kind. We don't take kindly to traitors. That's why exile is worse than death. We live long lives and spend it isolated, unwanted, and beaten."
Pit frowned and shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think it's fair. You didn't know what Pandora was going to do."
"It doesn't matter. I made my mistake and I paid for it."
"Well, I hope you know you didn't make a mistake trusting me. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you. You are worth more to me than all the money in the world." He blushed.
"Shut up." He blushed but kept his head hidden from the other.
Pit chuckled but his smile fell. He decided that since Pittoo had told him his story it was only fair that he shared his own.
He took a deep breath and began, "We had a great white in one of our exhibits. He was a rescue, like the others and I was in charge of feeding him. I was half way done feeding him when his first bucket was empty. I turned to get the next and I slipped on some of the water that leaked out and fell backwards into the tank. It didn't take too long before the shark attacked me. He grabbed my side and tried to rip me apart. It didn't take too long for people to realize what has happening. I mean, everyone saw me getting attacked in the exhibit, so they reacted quickly. I fell unconscious once I started drowning so I only know what Palutena told me. She said some of our divers came and jumped into the tank. They were able to tranquilize the shark and save me. The ambulance arrived just as they pulled me out. Thankfully, I started coughing up water so they didn't have to perform CPR, a method to get someone to start breathing again. They put me on the stretcher and the ambulance took me to the hospital."
Pit paused. This was the painful part of the story. His eyes had dried but now they were wet as tears fell again. Dark Pit was patient. He didn't pressure the boy to continue. He let him cry and rubbed his back. Pit wiped away his tears, took a deep breath and continued. "Palutena called my parents and told them what happened. They rushed to the hospital with Lizzie, my sister, but…when their light turned green, a car tried to make the red light and hit them. My parents died on impact and Lizzie died from internal bleeding a few minutes after the ambulance showed up."
Pit covered his eyes with his hands as he broke out again in tears and cried uncontrollably. "They never would've died if I had just noticed the water on the ground."
Dark Pit frowned. He scooped up the human and set him on his scaled lap. He leaned his head against the other's and rubbed his arm. "It wasn't your fault, Pit."
"Everyone always says that!" Pit snapped. "But it was! They'd still be alive if I hadn't slipped! If I hadn't slipped, then I wouldn't have nearly gotten killed by a shark and I wouldn't have woken up to the news that my whole family was dead because they were trying to get to me! I wouldn't… I wouldn't be so alone."
"I'm here aren't I?"
Pit sniffed and looked up at Pittoo. "Yeah but that's only because I brought you here to save you."
Dark Pit nodded. "You did but my injuries have been healed for the past three weeks." He blushed and looked away. "I miss swimming and moving freely but…I've grown attached to your company. I mean, I was alone in the ocean for years. I never had any friends. I was attacked for being a traitor. I didn't realize how alone I was until I met you. You're annoying sometimes but I enjoy your company and I'd like to stay here in your tub…with you…if you'd let me."
Pit's eyes widened. His frown completely flipped into a huge smile. He nodded frantically and started laughing. "Yes! Pittoo! I would for love you to stay with me!" Before he realized what he was doing, he grabbed Pittoo's face and smashed their lips together. Dark Pit's eyes widened at the action and immediately Pit realized what he'd done. He gasped and pulled away, his face burning red as the two just stared at each other in shock.
"Uhhh" was all Pit managed to get out before they both noticed Palutena standing at the front door, gaping at them.
"Holy shit"
A/N: Writing this chapter was a little hard and emotional for me. Next month will mark 6 years since my mom died and everything I wrote for Pit is how I still sometimes feel.
