Ahhh, the one you've all been waiting for. I think.

...xXx...

Roderich slowly opened his eyes.

Everything around him was cold and aphotic. Nothing but an expanse of nebulous waters surrounded him. There wasn't even a seafloor beneath him, or above him for that matter. He had no idea which way he was oriented in the thick pitch-dark.

How did I get here?

His thoughts rang out all around him throughout the darkness, sound bouncing off of unseen obstacles in all directions before fading away to silence. Roderich felt himself jump a second after he actually moved, as if he were detached from his own body.

Taking a steadying breath, he picked a direction and started swimming. The pace was sluggish, almost too brutally slow. A few moments went by and it didn't feel like he had gotten anywhere; he even glanced down at himself to make sure that his tail was, indeed, moving. The brunette gave up after a few minutes of fruitlessness, stopping and gritting his teeth in frustration.

This isn't working. Roderich sighed, smoothing down his pelvic fins to stave off the worry rising in him. He couldn't for the life of him remember how he'd gotten to this black hole of an area. Where were the others? Hadn't they been in the ship? Emma and Killian? Vash and Lilli?

Vash . . .

A creeping, frigid hand slid up his spine, fingers of ice blooming outward along his vertebrae and ribs to wrap around his torso. His limbs locked up on him and he couldn't move—whether it was from the freezing cold or from fear, he didn't know. Hackles rising, the hand curled around the base of his neck, sharp fingertips digging into the skin on either side of his throat.

Roderich shut his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from whimpering aloud. He shuddered in a breath, deep in his throat.

Then a ray of luminescence blossomed in front of his nose, swamping the entire front of him in warmth and chased back the cloying chill. The fingers retreated from his neck and he could feel his muscles relaxing. The violet merman peeked open his eyes, hissing and squinting in surprise at the swath of light floating before him. Waves of calming radiance washed over him, and the brunette felt his heart settle into an easy rhythm.

Come on, come on.

Soothing sound vibrations tickled the water, instantly sedating the rest of his nerves.

Roderich didn't know why the ball of light beckoned him or why he followed, but anything was better than the cold otherness.

Unsure of how long he had been swimming, the golden light finally came to a stop. Not much had changed, except that now little flecks of grey light floated in the murky waters all around him, like bits of algae or plankton. Roderich brought his hands through the thick clouds of specks to cup the glowing ball. He couldn't quite touch the orb, but he could just feel soft curls of heat and compassion licking across his palms.

The light began to brighten considerably, growing and growing in size until he could no longer keep his eyes open against the lustrous blaze. He could feel the gentle tendrils of warmth encompassing his face, tickling his nose and heating up his cheeks. His mind buzzed with noisy heat and static, and a waterfall of indistinguishable thoughts. His lips burned extra hot, and his entire being shook.

Breathe.

...xXx...

Roderich snapped his eyes open.

Breath flooded back into his lungs and he gasped, blinking wildly as the brightness faded from his vision. He came face to face with blonde strands of hair cascading over him, and wide, rich green eyes. He felt the heat against his lips disappear as the face those eyes belonged to pulled away from him.

"Wha—!"

The brunette took in the astonished look on Vash's face, heartrate speeding up at the sight. He could feel the length of the other merman laid all down him, from the jade arms on his chest to the tip of a spotted tail resting atop his own. It was slightly hard to take in a full breath—surely the leopard-tailed male didn't weigh that much, right?

His gaze flicked to the dark slabs of metal above and crumpled in a sharp, rusty mess all around them, mind gradually connecting the dots.

"Ah . . ." Roderich looked back up to the other male, clearing his throat. "Come here often?"

Vash shrieked, his hands slamming against Roderich's chest as he scrambled to get away. Not that he could go anywhere. Roderich gave a yelp of pain as the frantic merman hit him, bringing up his arms in a placating manner.

"Vash, what are—"

The blonde hit the back of his head against the metal above them and hissed, ducking down and stilling. Several tense moments passed as Vash squeezed his eyes closed, shaking his head.

"You," the spotted male began, speaking through his teeth. "You, you should be dead."

"What?" Roderich laid there for a moment, eyebrows raised in disbelief. What is he talking about? That's ridiculous. A puff of laughter escaped him, causing the blonde to open his eyes and glare at him. "Excuse me?"

Vash rested his clenched fists on the violet male's shoulders, settling down from his outburst. The brunette was beyond confused at the merman's words. Dead? There's no way that was possible. He was completely fine, breathing even. Though, it was still hard to get a full breath with the weight of the merman and the pile of metal on top of him.

However, seeing the mixed emotions morphing that darling face above his threaded a strand of doubt through his thoughts. Emerald eyes were stricken with distress, and the blonde was biting his lip as if he were holding back a cry. He didn't remember how they'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered was that they had been sleeping, and then something had woken them up. Yes? Yes. There was some sort of creature outside, and they had been hiding, and then . . . That was all he could recall.

Terrifying doubt. Roderich could feel the other's chest stutter in a breath against his own, and it made his heart throb.

There was something else, too, in the back of his mind that just burned.

Vash shook his head then, blinking rapidly. He sucked in another quivering breath as he focused back on the violet male. "You weren't breathing. Y-You were—I could have sworn you weren't . . ."

"Okay, okay," Roderich soothed, laying his hands on the other male's waist. The violet merman eyed the surrounding enclosure nervously, adjusting his tail slightly. One of the slabs groaned at the added support underneath, but it allowed his companion to move his spotted tail away from the sharp ceiling. Vash relaxed more, the metal creaking above him as he did so, and his expression showed relief.

It didn't look like they were going anywhere any time soon, and he definitely didn't remember how they got stuck under a broken ship. Roderich wiggled slightly to try and get more comfortable under the weight, but stopped when Vash hissed. Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" The eel-tailed male went still and sighed. He decided he was finally ready to hear the answer to this conundrum, and met green irises head on with a smirk. "Or are we just going to lay here? Not that I mind being under you, but I could do without the ship crushing us."

It was worth teasing just to see the viridian male's cheeks alight a pretty pink. Vash ducked his head to lean against Roderich's chest, hiding his face from view.

Such an idiot.

"No need to be so blunt," Roderich huffed and rolled his eyes, squinting at the beam above him. "I was only joking."

"What are you talking about?" Vash lifted his head slowly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't say anything."

The two of them stared at one another for several long moments.

Roderich felt his heartbeat pick up again. Had—Had he heard . . ? There was no way. They couldn't have—They couldn't have bonded already. There was no way. He blinked, and decided to test the waters, sending out a tentative thought, Vash?

Said leopard-tailed merman startled and looked him up and down. He shook his head, blonde hair swishing back and forth. "This isn't happening."

Apparently, it is, Roderich quipped, finding little joy in the other male's blush this time. He was totally on board with the shock at this new development. It took weeks of careful association for two merfolk to bond close enough to connect on an intimate level. There was only really one reason they could already be connected, but how—

"Vash! Are you still there?"

Both turned to look where the voice was coming from. Though muffled, Roderich perked up at hearing his sister, pushing back his thoughts on their utter confusing situation.

"I'm here," said the blonde. "Your brother is awake now."

"Roddy!" Emma chirped, and he could hear Killian bubbling with excitement through the walls separating them. He could feel both of them nipping at the back of his mind, and he did his best to calm them down.

"I'm alright." I am.

Good, good, good.

Emma cleared her throat and tapped against the metal, causing the sound to ring out through their small space. "I can't really move this by myself, it's too heavy."

"Okay, give me a second." Vash adjusted himself so his hands were now braced on either side of the brunette's head and he began to push himself up.

There was a creaking sound from much farther above them, and then one off to the side as Emma joined him in trying to move the large metal slab. Roderich felt relief throughout his chest as he was able to breathe in deeply again.

The green male glanced over his shoulder as he adjusted his tail some more, wincing a bit. He turned back and opened his mouth to speak, but a loud crash cut him off. Both mermen flinched at the sharp noise, and Roderich rumbled in his throat apprehensively as the sheets above them began to slant downwards. Vash inhaled sharply and bit back a groan as the jagged metal pressed into his hip wound.

The violet male quickly lifted his hands and pushed back against the falling steel.

"Watch it!" he snapped, muscles stinging at holding up the sudden heavy weight. The male on top of him slumped, lower half sliding down the eel-tailed merman's side and into the sand. Roderich tried scooting further right so the other had more room between him and the rusty wall.

Emma just apologized and stopped moving. The violet male resigned himself to holding up the slab while his companion recovered. He glanced to see that the gashes above the blonde's left elbow had reopened slightly, and his heart sped up at the sight. Right. The green male was still injured. Really, just how had he lasted this long holding back the crushing metal was a complete mystery to the brunette.

He's so strong.

Roderich locked his arms in determination and gave a soft rumble in his throat for the other. You rest now.

Stop talking to me like this. He could practically feel Vash's eye roll against his skin as the blonde buried his face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Perhaps, under different, more safe circumstances, he would enjoy the merman being this close to him.

Perhaps he enjoyed it anyways.

Well, he began a bit cheekily, this is more convenient.

I didn't give you permission to be in my head.

That goes both ways, darling.

Stop calling me that. Vash even growled for extra emphasis.

Roderich felt his heart flutter, and he bit his cheek to stop from smiling. His thoughts suddenly flashed back to when he'd first woken up and the heat he'd felt on his lips. The thought made him blush.

"So," he began carefully, "Were you trying to help me breathe, or . . ?"

Vash lifted his gaze to stare at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

His mind sent the image of the spotted male pulling away from him, lips still warm. The blonde stiffened and ducked his head once more, the tips of his ears a bright red.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the merman grumbled quietly, words muffled.

Roderich cleared his throat, adjusting his arms a little.

Because it kind of felt like you were kissing me.

Vash sat up again, this time with an exasperated cry. "You were dead!"

"Even weirder timing, then."

"Why you—!" The merman looked ready to smack him, claws digging into his shoulder slightly. Roderich winced a bit under the stare. "You were dead. Dead! Grey, and still, and gone. And there was a piece of that—that thing inside of you!"

The violet merman was about to ask what he meant, but a jade hand dipped into the sand beside his ear and swiftly pulled back for him to see the object held in his fingers.

A small, black pearl. It wasn't glossy or smooth—in fact, it looked like the merman was holding a tiny marble of void. He'd never seen the pearl before, and yet as soon as he laid eyes on it Roderich flinched away, and involuntary hiss bubbling out from him.

Fingers of ice taking hold of his entire being, making him shudder and choke on the fear lodged in his throat.

". . . Roderich?"

His blood pounding in his ears, the brunette couldn't tear his gaze away from the object. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, even though he wanted to. Why was his heart beating this fast? What was that thing? Had it really been inside of him?!

Vash just closed his fingers around the pearl, and the control it had over him disappeared. Roderich let out a breath, panting slightly as his arms shook to hold the metal above them steady. Resting his head back, he did his best to get a grip on himself. He felt the other male staring at him, but couldn't be bothered to care in that moment as his doubt and dread took over.

So, it must be true then, he thought, with a bit of diffidence. Why would he lie? Roderich tiled his chin back down so he could look at the blonde. He didn't mean for his voice to be as quiet as it was. "I was dead, wasn't I?"

"Yes."

"Well." The violet male cleared his throat, and he heard his sister adjusting the metal again. "That's . . . unfortunate." He dropped his voice lower again so she wouldn't overhear him, and he met the leopard-tailed merman's gentle green gaze. "That's three times you've saved me now."

"That's because you seem to be a danger magnet." The blonde clucked his tongue, pursing his lips as he raised an eyebrow. "What was the third time?"

"It was the first," Roderich murmured. "When you let me swim with you."

Vash straightened up his shoulders and glanced away, a blush beginning to creep across his skin. "Yeah, well, whatever luck you live by, let's just hope it lasts long enough for us to get out of here, huh?"

There was a long, metallic groan, and Roderich could feel the metal being lifted upward out of his palms. They could hear Emma and the two pups trilling in relief and excitement, his mind buzzing with their thoughts of surprise. He shared a glance with Vash, and the both of them quickly proceeded to push against the metal to help raise it up. The slab was soon out of their reach, and the broken piece on Roderich's left fell flat onto the sand.

A bright, harsh light began seeping through the cracks in between the crumpled walls, causing them both to squint. Roderich sat up, holding the spotted merman around the waist as the blonde turned around, and they watched in awe as the whole giant slab of metal lifted up through the water. The piece was around half a dozen tail lengths long, and most definitely weighed several tons, and yet it was being lifted like it was a pesky pebble.

Roderich brought up his hand to try and block some of the light as it increased in intensity. What now?

The metal was all at once tossed to the side, loudly crashing off somewhere in the distance, and the two mermen took a much needed breath of free waters. The light was still bright, but no longer hard to look at, and they both stared in stunned silence at the merman floating in the center of that light.

How the—

Alexius dipped down, fins splaying out in a glorious display of shimmering gold, and reached out an arm to them. The alpha purled in delight, radiating pure relief through the waters, and his voice rippled out like a balm, "Let's get you all home, yes?"

Roderich looked to the equally stunned companion in his arms, meeting his glowing green glance. The shock running through him made way for the warmth of happy disbelief, and an easement swamped him now that they were safe. He pressed his forehead to the other's for a brief moment, and then bent down to nuzzle his cheek.

"I don't know, Vash. It seems like you might be my lucky charm."

A beat of silence.

Idiot.

...xXx...

Hey Vash . . . live up to the smooch, ya silly.

And of course Roderich is okay! I can't write fishy fluff between these two without him.