"Why...didn't you answer...when I called you?"
Shark asks, catching his breath and trying to calm himself down.
"Me?! Why did you barge into the bathroom like a wrecking ball?! You scared the crap out of me!"
Shark blinks, his jaw-dropping in disbelief. He can't make out her expression in the dark, but from her tone, he can tell she's pissed at him. For trying to save her no less…
"The nerve…"
He thinks, mildly impressed by her cheek.
"Me?! I-you...I barged in because I thought you were in trouble, cause you didn't answer me. Why didn't you answer when I called your name?"
"I didn't know it was you until I heard you calling. Then, I was gonna answer you, but my towel got caught in the shower door, and I was fixing it right before you smashed the door to pieces."
"Oh..."
"Yeah."
"Well, I didn't know you were wearing a towel. Why are you wearing a...my towel?"
The shark asks, noticing how...wet she is.
"I woke up and realized that I looked like I just crawled out of my own grave. So, I thought it would be a good idea to take a shower, and yours was the only towel I saw. So, I borrowed it. I hope you don't mind."
Shark sighs, and his shoulders slump with relief.
"Nah, it's fine. I´m just glad I didn't hurt you. Come on, let's get outta here. There's sandwiches and painkillers in the bedroom."
As he takes a step back to allow Louise to get out from under him, the scattered bits of mirror, wood, and glass from the lantern crunch loudly under his heels.
When Louise didn't move from where she stood Shark wondered out loud: "I'm sorry, did you wanna get dressed first?"
"No. I mean, yes I do wanna get dressed, but I can't…"
"Don't worry, I'll leave. I know there's no door, but I'll be on the other side of the room while you get dressed."
"Thanks, but that's not what I mean. There's bits of glass everywhere, and I'm barefoot?"
Louise gestures at the floor with the hand that's not holding the towel.
Shark rubs the back of his head nervously.
"Oh, right. Let me help you with that."
But before he can reach for her, Louise pulls back.
"Wait. I just need to...Ah! there they are.''
She says as she leans over to pick up her boots.
Shark lifts her by the waist. She squirms a bit, trying to keep her towel from sliding off. Sensing her discomfort Shark decides to try a different approach. He gets down on one knee and sweeps her off her feet, pulling her close to his chest as she sits on his left forearm like it were a tire swing.
"Nice moves."
Louise purrs as she clings to his massive bicep with one hand, and with the other, she holds her towel in place.
"Can you grab my leotard before we leave? It's in the sink, right behind you."
Shark looks confused for a moment. But, if he didn't know what a leotard was, he quickly deduced it by reaching into the sink and picking her bodysuit up.
"Got it."
''Thanks.''
Shark has to be careful, maneuvering his exit. The door frame isn't big enough for him. He always has to step in sideways to fit through it, and now with Louise perched on his arm, he has to make sure he doesn't bump her against anything.
"I still think you shouldda answered when I called."
Shark huffs.
"Yeah, well, I still think you should have knocked."
Louise retorts without missing a beat.
"Hey, I thought you were in trouble, I saw a couple of your icicles embedded in the door…"
Shark explains as he gently deposits Louise on the bed next to the supply bags.
"I'm gonna go, and find another flashlight while you get dressed. Here, you take mine, and I'll be right back."
"Won't you need it to get around?"
"Nah, I'll be fine. Here's your...thingy."
He says as he hands her clothes.
"My leotard."
''Yeah, that.''
As soon as Shark leaves the room, Louise quickly drops her towel and slips into her leotard.
It's still a bit moist. But, as soon as she pulls it on she feels less exposed.
It doesn't take Shark long to find what he's looking for. He stands outside the bedroom door, and awkwardly clears his throat before asking:
"Are you... Uh, you know...decent?"
Louise smirks from her place on the bed.
"I don't think I've ever been, or ever will be decent. But, I'm dressed if that's what you mean."
Shark steps inside the room, following the beam of light that shines from his flashlight, and up to the bed where a clothed Louise awaits.
He's not sure if it's the shower, wishful thinking, or what, but Louise looks a lot better than when he left her.
"I got some stuff I thought you might need."
He says pointing at the bags on the bed with the flashlight.
"There are a couple of bottles of water and-"
"Water!"
Louise's eyes come alive at the mention of the life-sustaining liquid, and she starts rummaging through the bags right away.
She downs half the content of the first bottle in two gulps, while Shark watches her. She only stops to take a breath and to offer her friend a sip.
"You have no idea how much I needed that."
Louise says in one big exhalation between gulps.
"Nah, I'm good. Just don't fill up on water. There's sandwiches in there as well."
"Food! Yay!"
Louise beams, as she starts looking through the bags again.
The more he gets to know Louise, the more Shark likes her.
"Yeah, I didn't know what you like. So, there's some chicken parm in there, roast beef, a couple of meatball subs…"
He really digs girls that enjoy eating. Probably because it's one of his favorite activities as well. Although he's pretty sure Louise isn't into eating people. Still, meat is meat.
Suddenly, a terrible thought hits him like a cement truck.
"Could Louise be a…? No, no way she is...But, so many people are…"
"Louise?…"
Shark starts to ask, in a trembling voice, and for a moment, he looks like he's about to be sick.
Louise stops rummaging through the bags to look up at the shark.
"Sharky, what is it?"
He had a hunted look in his eyes. Like he had just seen a naked Solomon Grundy.
"Are you…?"
"What?"
She's used to getting those kinds of stares from regular people. You know, cattle. But, what could be so terrible in Shark's eyes to make him look at her like that?
Sure, she's a killer. Hell, it's even in her name. But Shark's a serial killer and a cannibal to boot.
"Am I a...what? A creationist? A last-second lane merger? One of those people who clap when the plane lands? One of those people who says 'It's 11:11 make a wish.'? A Holocaust denier? What? What? What?!"
"A...vegetarian?"
Shark speaks the last word in a hushed tone like he's accusing her of a crime against nature herself.
Louise stares at him for a second before bursting into laughter. It wasn't a maniacal, uncontrollable cackle, like before. But, a hearty belly laugh. Shark has this way of making her laugh from the bottom of herself.
Although Shark isn't quite sure what was it he said that made her laugh, he really doesn't care. He's mesmerized by how lovely she looks, and how melodious her laughter sounds. He's so accustomed to having women (and people in general) look at him with terror and disgust, that this moment makes everything they went through worth it.
Right then and there, he wishes with all his might that he can learn how to make her laugh like that at will. That would be enough to make him happy.
Louise takes a deep breath and exhales.
"That was nice. So let me get this straight, me being a cold-blooded, unrepentant killer, and all-around threat to society is fine with you, but you draw the line at vegetarianism?
"Well...Yeah. Killing people I can understand, not eating meat, on the other hand, is just...wrong."
"Hahaha...No, Shark, I'm not a vegetarian nor a vegan. Why? Do I look emaciated and self-deluded under this light?"
That was perhaps the best answer he could have wished for.
"Nothing like that. I just didn't think about it before now, and I didn't bring anything meatless.''
Louise fishes out a pastrami sandwich unwraps it and, starts wolfing it down. Not surprising, considering the last time she eat was almost forty hours ago.
Shark watches her eat and feels his stomach growling.
"I shoulda eaten that stripper when I had the chance."
He thinks to himself.
"Mmmm. Oh...my...god. You have no idea how hungry I was. Like, when you haven't eaten in sooo long that you don't even feel hungry anymore until you eat something, and then you realize how hungry you really were. You know what I mean?"
Louise rambles on, between bites of her sandwich, and Shark watches her intently.
"Yeah...I do."
Louise looks him over as she chews her food, and begins to wonder.
"So, -nom- did you get a -nom- bite to eat when you -nom- were out?"
"Uh...not really."
"How come?"
"Well, I had to get supplies. So, I couldn't walk around town covered in blood. And after I got the food and stuff, I thought about it, but it was late and I still had to get back here…"
"Wait, hold on, you're hovering and it's very distracting. Come and sit on the bed next to me."
Shark had been leaning on the canopy bed, with his arm resting on the actual canopy, and poking his face under it to talk to Louise.
"Here, let me get this stuff out of the way."
She punctuates her invitation by moving the bags to make more room for King Shark on the bed, and then pets the mattress in a welcoming manner.
"Uh...okay."
Shark places the light on the nightstand and bends over enough to fit under the canopy. He carefully prompts himself against the headboard, and pulls his knees to his chest, as the mattress dips in his direction.
While Louise sits on the opposite side of the bed, sandwich in hand, with her legs crossed in a fashion akin to the lotus position.
For a moment it all seems so unreal. Less than a year ago she watched him die. Hell, she almost died herself as well, later in a fiery car explosión. And yet, here they both are, sitting across from each other, sharing a meal like nothing ever happened.
They are both alive and reunited. They somehow won. Neither Amanda Waller and her deranged Suicide Squad, nor Arkham, nor Batman, or the Joker with his dirty bomb were able to break them.
Louise feels a keen awareness of how rare and precious a moment this is, and desperately wants to hold on to it.
This is making her feel...stuff. And Shark is staring right at her. So, she decides to do something to distract herself from this sudden fit of mushiness.
"Here."
She says, handing him a wrapped sandwich.
"Take it."
The shark looks at her hand, blinks, and shakes his head.
"No, that's for you..."
But, Louise isn't taking no for an answer.
"You have to eat something. Take it."
She insists, waving the sandwich around.
But, as King Shark tries to explain to Louise that a mere sandwich, although filling for her, it's more like a hors d'oeuvre to him when she cuts him off.
"Hold on..."
She says as she picks up a second sandwich and looks at them both like she's trying to figure something out.
"Ok. So, this one's the chicken parm..."
She says as she waves the sandwich in her right hand.
"And this one is the meatball sub."
She says as she waves the sandwich in her left hand.
"I know you don't like Italian food. But, I don't know which one is less Italian to your liking…"
"No, really I-wait, you remember I don't like Italian food?"
Shark can't believe she remembers…
"Yeah, well I don't know if that only applies to Italian people or the whole cuisine from that country. So...? Which one? The chicken parm or the meatball sub?"
"Louise, really, I don't…"
Louise sighs, and before Shark can finish what he's saying she closes the gap between the two of them on her hands and knees.
As she leans into him there's a certain look in her eyes that gives King Shark a kind of premonition of Louise shoving a sandwich down his throat. Which, he has a feeling she's more than capable of doing.
So, he wisely points to her left hand.
"Uh, that one."
"Excellent choice."
Louise says smiling as she hands him the meatball sub.
Shark has to remind himself not to swallow the sandwich whole, but instead take dainty little bites. Like when he's back home, eating with his mom.
Louise turns, but instead of returning to where she had been sitting, she instead sits by his side, and leans into him, resting her head on his right bicep.
Shark's heart skips a beat. He feels overwhelmed with a joy he can't describe.
He doesn't care anymore that he's hungry. This moment right now is better than meat.
Just as Louise starts to relax, she suddenly jolts upright and stares at him with a suspicious look in her eyes, and a question forming on her lips.
But, instead of asking, she leans in closer and starts...sniffing him.
"Nooo...Wow, really?"
Louise pulls away giving Shark a very disapproving look.
"What?"
Asks Shark between bites of his little sandwich.
"What did I do that could have made her look at me like that? I'm just sitting here, eating the sandwich that she gave me, and she looks at me like I just bite off the arm of a nun, and started eating it. Come to think of it, I don't think Louise would mind if I did that. So, why is she looking at me like that? I mean, I showered and all...''
"I can't believe it Sharky…"
"What? What I do?"
"You're a...smoker?"
Her voice dripping with disappointment.
"A smoker? No, I'm not."
"I can smell it on you"
Louise insists.
"Oh, crap! That's right. I had one cigarette earlier. But, it was for a good cause."
"Really?"
Louise can't quite hide her disbelief.
"Yeah, it was. Look, what happened was I needed to...Wait a second, are you saying that me killing people, eating them, generally tearing them to shreds is fine by you, but you draw the line at smoking?"
"Yeah. Well, you gotta eat. You're a shark after all. But, you don't need to smoke. No one needs to smoke. It's a disgusting, filthy habit."
"Oh. I see. You used to smoke."
"Started in seventh grade and I quit during my junior year at college. That's why, when I tell you that smoking is the worst thing you can do to yourself, other than, I don't know, shooting up heroin, I guess. I speak from personal experience...about the smoking, not doing heroin."
"I'm happy you quit. But, I don't smoke. I hate cigarettes, and the only reason I was smoking was so I could chat up a stripper."
Louise pulls away from Shark again, narrowing her eyes, like she's trying to figure him out.
"No, wait. I didn't mean it that way. We weren't at a club or anything like that. We were at a church."
At this, Louise raises her eyebrows.
"Wow. I guess the clergy will do anything to get young people to go to church, and drop a few bucks."
"No, it's not like that. I...Ok, you know how I had to get supplies?
Well, I thought that if I went and got them myself I might stand out too much. Me, not being what people might call "inconspicuous" and whatnot. Not to mention, I would probably get caught on at least a dozen security cameras.
So, I decided to get someone else to do the shopping for me.
At first, I thought about getting your friendly neighborhood bum to do it. But, a homeless guy flashing a wad of cash might raise a few red flags. Besides, with homeless people, you never know if you're talking to some poor sap that's down on his luck, or some nutbag who thinks that the C.I.A wants to steal his fillings.
So, then I thought about just getting a junkie to do it. But, I'm not gonna hand a bunch of money to someone who's on the pipe. So, I needed to find a ''cleanish'' junkie. Someone coherent enough to follow instructions, but who would still do anything for a fix. Where do you get one of those? At an N.A meeting.
That's why I was at a church. I was scoping out the talent. You know, sizing up the customers going into the meeting to find a weak link. which I did, and it just so happened to be a stripper named Gwyneth. I used the cigarettes to chat her up and put her at ease around me."
This had been the longest Shark had spoken to her since they ran into each other the day before.
Louise stared at the shark and listened to his story attentively.
She had almost forgotten that despite his appearance, Shark was an intelligent man, more than capable of not only holding a conversation but also planning a strategy and following it through.
Ok, so he wasn't getting an invitation to join Mensa in the mailbox any time soon. But, he certainly was more than met the eye.
Most people would take one look at him, big guy, huge actually, with bulging muscles, sharp claws, a metal chomper full of even sharper teeth, with a violent streak and not much of a talker, and peg him for a dumb brute, incapable of thinking his way out of a paper bag.
Louise wasn't proud about it, but when she first met the shark she kinda jumped to the same conclusion.
"Louise? Louise?"
"Huh?"
"Are you alright? You spaced out for a moment there."
"Oh, no. I-I'm fine. I was just thinking about what you said.
I can't believe all the trouble you went through just to get supplies for me."
It was getting really hard to remain cold and calculating around King Shark. With him being so sweet and caring towards her.
"Eh, it's no big deal. That's just how I roll. Besides, I needed to get stuff for the house as well. Toilette paper for the can, and batteries for the lanterns."
The shark shrugs.
"Well. I for one am grateful for your precautions. And I think your idea of using a junkie was an inspired one. Just out of curiosity, how much does having a junkie do your shopping cost these days?"
"No idea. I didn't pay her in cash. I paid her with a bunch of meth."
Louise gives Shark a surprised look. But, before she can ask, Shark cuts her off.
"Before you say anything; No, I don't do meth or any other kind of drug, except a little weed now and then."
"Oh. Ok. That's good to know. So, where did you get the meth from then?"
"I killed a street-level dealer and took his stash and his cash. That's also where I got the cigarettes from."
"Wow! Niiiice…"
"Yeah, I hit those guys up like regular folk hit the ATMs.
The best part is that when one of them gets bumped off people just assume it was because of a drug deal gone bad, or gang-related violence. And you know the cops don't give two shits about some dead dealer."
"Yeah, that tracks."
Louise wraps her arms around Shark's right bicep and presses herself against it.
"Thank you. For everything."
Gratitude didn't come easy to Killer Frost. Probably because people weren't lining up to do nice things for her. Not that she expects otherwise. And whenever someone did do something worth thanking them for, she immediately wondered what their angle was.
But, with King Shark, she already knows his angle. He...likes her.
Cold-hearted, murdery, who at first only gave him the time of day because she wanted to use him, her.
He must have known at some level that she only wanted him for what he could do for her, and yet he didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, he was painfully transparent regarding how much he liked her. Carrying her around on his shoulder so, she wouldn't have to trudge through raw sewage. Bringing her fancy beers. Generally trusting her. Not to mention saving her life, repeatedly.
"Is this what people mean by kindred spirit?"
She wonders.
"Aw, it's no big deal…"
Shark says as he rubs the back of his head, not accustomed to being thanked for anything.
"It IS big deal! If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. You have saved my life every time we've met…"
She tells him, vehemently.
"...And...and, I am so happy that you're alive. And that we found each other."
She blurts out this last part, as she squeezes Shark's arm tighter.
Shark stares down at her, not knowing what to say. He frees his arm only to wrap it around Louise and pull her close to him.
"Louise...My Louise…"
He coos softly, while he holds her in his arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
He says, trying not to let his voice crack.
"I couldn't remember you. If I had, I would have gone looking for you.
But, my memories were all scrambled. You do believe me?"
It was something like out of a daytime soap. The episode of the amnesic shark. But, Louise wanted to believe him, with all her thawing heart.
"He didn't recognize me when he first saw me yesterday, that much I'm sure of."
"I do Sharky, I do."
She reassures him as she nods her head.
"Louise…"
King Shark pulls her as close as he can without squeezing the life out of her.
Louise digs her fingers into his clothes and buries her face in his chest, wanting nothing more than to lose herself in that strong embrace of his. The same embrace that had protected her, when her parachute didn't open, and they crash-landed on the roof of that parked car. The same embrace that had kept her safe when the police station caved in on them.
"Yes, Sharky. Yes, hold me close..."
He had one arm wrapped around her waist, while he ran his other hand across her back. Gently petting her.
Suddenly Louise jerks away and lets out a pained gasp.
Shark immediately releases her, fearing he might have harmed her somehow.
"Did I hurt you?"
He feels a pang of worry. But, at the same time, he's sure he hadn't squeezed her hard enough to hurt her.
Louise hisses and rubs the upper-right side of her abdomen.
''I-No, you didn't. I think this is from before. From the police station caving in on us.''
King Shark gives her a worried look.
''Do you think it's the ribs? Do you think something is broken?''
Louise ponders his question while rubbing her right side.
''It doesn't feel broken. But, yeah, there's something not right...''
''Louise...''
King Shark starts with a concerned tone in his voice.
But, Louise cuts him off with a harsh tone.
''I'm fine!... It's fine...I think I just need some rest.''
There's a curtness in her voice that hadn't been there before. Making it clear that she wants Shark to back off.
He stares down at her for a long moment, before sharply nodding in agreement.
He stands up and starts moving items off the bed.
''Do you want an Advil?''
He cautiously asks her.
''You know what? Yeah, I think that's a good idea.''
She says in a more agreeable tone this time.
The shark hands her the water bottle, alongside the painkillers.
Louise pop's a couple of pills and washes them down with the remaining water.
She had been so sure that she managed to get out of the cave in, more or less unscathed. But, now she's starting to wonder if maybe she hadn't been that lucky. She's had broken ribs before, and this doesn't feel quite the same.
''I need to get back home, and call Linus. I'll get a check-up then.
WE need to get back home.''
King Shark stares at Louise. He can tell the cogs inside her head are already turning. Then, she looks up, and they hold each other's gaze for a moment before she asks:
''When you were out, you didn't happen to see or hear what the news is saying about our little escape, did you?''
Shark blinks, and then he turns to his left and lifts the crate that's been doubling as a nightstand.
Louise watches as a black tablet falls from inside the hollow space in the crate and onto the bed in front of her.
''There was a tablet here all along?''
Louise's eyes widen in surprise.
''Yeah. I forgot I had it.''
The shark explains as he catches the flashlight that had just rolled off the crate and onto his hand.
Louise shakes her head a little annoyed. She presses the on/off button and the tablet lights up, demanding a password.
She hands it over to King Shark. But, instead of reaching for it, he simply states:
''The password is Four, three, two, one.
All in numbers, no letters.''
Louise looks up at him with genuine disbelief.
''You're kidding...''
The shark shrugs.
''Who's gonna try to unlock it?''
''I guess...''
Louise mutters as she types in the password and is immediately greeted with the image of a lush, tropical forest, imposing waterfall, and all.
Probably somewhere in Hawaii, she assumes.
She quickly opens the browser and starts searching.
As news sites appear on the screen, she leans against King Shark again and looks up to make sure he has a clear view of the device as well.
''It's a grim site, today, as search and rescue operations continue...''
An attractive woman of Latin descent speaks into a microphone.
''...in what seems like a cruel twist of fate, that has turned the brave men and women of this precinct into victims. As you can see behind me, the devastation is beyond words. And, although the search for survivors is relentless, so far the rescuers have only been able to retrieve lifeless bodies from the rubble.
Although foul play has not yet been ruled out, it is widely believed that a faulty gas pipe was the culprit behind the explosion that caused an entire police precinct to cave in on itself yesterday evening.
A spoke person for the mayor's office has stated that all efforts will be done to make sure a speedy investigation will be launched as soon as the fire marshal determines it is safe to proceed with.
For now, our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, in this-''
Louise stares at the screen, mouth agape. She can't believe what she's hearing, and she looks up at the shark to see his reaction.
''They think it was an explosion caused by a gas leak. I can't believe how lucky we are they're so stupid.''
She beams, forgetting about the pain on her right side.
''I mean...there was a gas explosion. Maybe there was a leaky pipe. Who knows?''
The shark shrugs.
''There...was? Wow...We really did a number on that place.''
''Yeah. Don't you remember?''
''I...Kinda? I was a little out of it. So, the memories I have are fragmented bits, and out of order. Like when you try to remember a dream.''
''Oh, yeah. It was a doozy. My ears were ringing for like ten minutes afterward.''
''You know what this means?''
''Uhhh...Parking just got cheaper in that neighborhood?''
''No. If the cops didn't upload our prints into the system, there's a real possibility we got off scot-free.''
''I guess we'll just have to wait and see.''
Louise can't believe their good luck. Usually, there's some kind of hitch. But, this time, not only did she reunite with King Shark, but they also were able to get away with leveling an entire police precinct, with little to no consequence.
''Do you wanna watch something.''
She asks, looking up at the shark.
''No. Not particularly.''
''Do you mind if I keep looking for more information on the explosion?''
''No, go for it.''
Louise starts to feel relaxed. She yawns and feels the pain on her right side again. But, at this point, she doesn't feel as worried as before.
As she scrolls through news sites, she tells King Shark.
''I need to go home tomorrow. I want you to come with me.
And, if there's no APB on us, I'll take you out to eat where ever you like.''
''Sure. I like that idea...but, maybe we should get you looked at first. Just in case, you know?''
''That sounds like a plan.''
Louise agrees, already feeling her eyelids getting heavier.
Not long after, the tablet slides out of Louise's hands, and King Shark picks it up and places it on the crate next to him.
She stirs due to the motion. She half opens her eyes and looks around, before nuzzling Shark's bicep and dozing off again.
Now, it's Shark's turn to be amazed at his good fortune.
He can't remember the last time a woman fell asleep on his arm like that.
''Aw. She looks so peaceful when she's asleep...''
Shark can't take his eyes off the sleeping beauty on his arm. And slowly he starts to nod off into dreamland as well. Truly happy in the knowledge that Louise will be right by his side when he wakes up.
It feels like the air around her is electrically charged. Like in the moments before a lightning storm hits.
But the smell is not the same. Instead of ozone, she can smell a mix of her own sweat, blood, and something else she can only imagine is her fear.
Then, the world turns upside down, and she grits her teeth, for once happy that she's dehydrated, because at least this way, if she dies, she won't be pissing herself.
If you've ever wondered what facing death feels like, you would probably be disappointed. Besides whatever kind and amount of pain you might find yourself in, the fear you experience is very similar to falling down a sharp drop on a roller coaster.
Your mind tries to find a rational way out of the situation, and when it realizes there is no way out, it will start to panic. A powerful, primal panic that triggers a floodgate of adrenaline, and you can feel every muscle in your body come alive in a way you didn't even know was possible.
In the end, that doesn't matter either. That's when you either start pissing yourself and crying out to a god who doesn't exist or simply doesn't give a damn about you. Or, you just let go of everything, including your fear and allow for it to happen. Just like when you realize there's no escaping the steep drop at the roller coaster. So, you toss your arms up in the air and embrace the fall.
Unless you're Killer Frost. In which case, you fight against the fall. And against the metric tons of police precinct trying to bury you alive.
Funny thing is, no one tells you how loud a building collapsing sounds. It's a booming roar, so loud you can't hear yourself think.
The thing is, no matter how much debris, and there are literal tons of it, come crashing down on her, it doesn't kill her.
It's smothering and, it squeezes her in all the wrong places, and yet...She's still alive.
Then, her rational mind starts breaking through the irrational fear, and she remembers that she's not alone. King Shark is there with her. He's holding the walls of debris, like Atlas holding the world up with his bare hands.
Something inside her clicks, and she lets go of his neck and instead starts freezing everything that comes into contact with her hands.
Her powers, now running on raw adrenaline.
She knows their chances are slim, but she wants to live to see another day, more than anything. And, she wants King Shark to be there as well.
But, she fears now that her powers won't be strong enough. That, no matter how much she wants to live and how hard she tries...This simply won't be enough. She fears that she and King Shark found each other, only to die together.
The combined fears feel like an angry badger trying to claw its way out of her through her upper right side.
Louise twitches in her sleep, and her breathing becomes labored.
King Shark's eyes crack open in such a way no one could tell they are open. He scans the room around him. He doesn't know what time it is, but from the light filtering through the newspapers on the windows, he can tell it's already morning.
It doesn't seem to be anything out of place. So, he focuses on listening intently.
He can hear birds chirping outside, a mild wind blowing, and a couple of crickets having a heated debate near one of the windows. There are no man-made sounds, no cars, lawnmowers, or people talking. Which is to be expected from a secluded area, as the one they're in.
He then concentrates on the house itself. Nothing other than the usual old drafty house creaks and groans, that he's grown used to by now.
Then, he turns his attention to the sound of his steady breathing and heartbeat. Nothing wrong there either.
Meanwhile, Louise's breathing and heart rate seem a little fast. But, other than that, everything seems just fine.
Then, why did he wake up feeling there was some kind of a threat looming?
''Nah, I'm a little jumpy because of what we went through, that's all.''
His glance slides to the woman sleeping in the gap between his right arm and his torso. Louise is laying on her left side, face nuzzled against his ribs, breathing rapidly.
''I'm just worried about losing Louise again. But, that's not gonna happen.''
The shark reassures himself. And then, for good measure, he places his hand on her thigh and softly pets her warm and soft skin.
''Everything's gonna be alright.''
He tells himself before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes again.
''Her warm skin...''
''Mmmm...Yeah, nice and warm to the touch.''
''Her. Skin. Is. Warm.''
''Uh-huh.''
''WARM, SKIN. LOUISE.''
Suddenly, the shark's eyes shot wide open, like cartoon roller blinds.
He gasps, realizing that bad feeling that woke him up had nothing to do with sight or sound or even smell.
Since he's known her, Louise has always been cold to the touch. Like someone just coming out of cold water, cold.
He starts to turn on his right side while sitting up, so he can have a better view of Louise.
He gently starts petting her awake and calling her name.
''Louise, Louise...C'mon, wake up, babe!''
But to no avail.
Now, he knows something's wrong for sure.
He gets out of bed, carefully trying to move Louise as little as possible.
At this motion, she groans.
Shark immediately starts opening the windows to let in sunlight so he can take a better look at her.
Her breathing is quick and shallow like it pains her to breathe.
He places his fingers on her right side and starts probing her.
Right away, he feels swelling on the upper right side. As soon as he touches it, Louise opens her eyes and cries out in pain.
''AAAAARRRRGGHHHHHH! STOP!''
She demands, pushing his hand away from her.
King Shark recoils his hand, and as he does, he feels the painful touch of frostbite on them. He's shocked. He never thought she would ever use her powers against him.
He rubs his fingers and gives Louise a hurt look. But, as soon as he looks at her, she hisses at him through labored breathing.
''Don't...touch me!''
Her eyes are slightly glazed but wild looking. Like those found in wounded predators. Her gaze is so fierce and intense that it takes him a full moment to notice the jaundice in them.
''I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.''
The shark pleads with her.
Louise stares him down, with her right arm still extended in a menacing stance.
King Shark reaches out his own hand slowly until it touches hers.
He braces for the inevitable freezing touch. But it never happens.
Instead, Louise drops her stance and lays back down on her left side with a groan.
King Shark, who's still holding her hand, now notices that her skin has a green hue to it that hadn't been there before.
While he examines her hand, Louise speaks in a croaky voice.
''I'm so...cold...''
The shark is baffled.
''But-but, you feel warm to the touch...''
''I feel...like I'm in an ice...bath.''
Louise gasps.
Suddenly, a seemingly random memory pops into the shark's head, and everything makes sense.
It's from a random day at preschool, and he hears his own child-like voice declaring.
''If you mix blue and yellow, it makes green!''
Blue, like her skin, and yellow, as in jaundice.
King Shark leans closer to Louise and asks.
''How are you feeling, Louise?''
Louise lifts her head enough to shoot him an incredulous look.
''Like shit, Sharky...I feel like shit.''
''No, I mean, do you feel nauseated? Like you might throw up?''
Louise Looks up at him again and nods.
Now, he's sure he knows what's wrong with her. In the back of his mind, he can hear Gwyneth's voice, asking him if he shouldn't take his friend to a hospital.
King Shark tries to swallow, but his mouth has run dry.
A hospital. He needs to find the nearest hospital, and then get Louise on his airboat, and take her there ASAP.
He puts her hand down gently and then jogs to the other side of the bed to look for his tablet.
As he frantically searches for the nearest hospital, Louise groans and starts to shiver.
''Shar...Sharky...I need-''
Before she can finish her sentence, King Shark turns and leans towards her.
''Don't worry baby everything is gonna be alright. You're gonna be all right. You have a lacerated liver, and I need to get you to a hospital, like five minutes ago...''
He explains in a hurry.
At hearing the word ''hospital'', Louise perks up.
''No, Sharky. You-You need to listen-''
''It's okay baby, I know you're in a lot of pain, and you're scared. But, you gotta understand that if I don't get you to a hospital, you're not gonna make it.''
As he explains her dire condition, he looks like he's about to start crying at any moment.
''No, Sharky...I need-''
''Look at me, babe. Look in my eyes, Louise. I swear to you, on my life, that as soon as you get better, I'm gonna bust you out of wherever you are.''
Louise looks into his eyes and listens to his words. But, she starts shaking her head. She pulls together whatever strength she has left, clears her throat, and tries to explain to King Shark what he needs to do to help her.
''Listen to me. I need you to...gather wood and make a pyre...Like a funeral pyre in the yard-''
At hearing ''funeral pyre'' King Shark almost loses it.
''WHAT!? A FUNE-!? NO! You listen to me, Louise! You are NOT giving up! I won't let you!''
Louise sighs with frustration.
''No Sharky! I'm not...giving up! My powers-My metahuman bio...logy runs on heat. I need you to put me in the pyre and set me on fire. That's...the only way you can help me.''
King Shark is taken aback by her words. This is the strangest, most counterintuitive thing he's ever heard in his life.
''But, but...Won't you...melt?''
Louise can't help but chuckle at hearing this. Followed by a pained cry.
''Please...don't-don't make me...laugh.
You need to trust me on this one. I didn't make it this far to give up now.
Please...Nanaue? Trust me.''
King Shark looks at her in the eyes. He can see tears welling up in them, and it takes him the better part of a moment to make up his mind.
As soon as he does, he leaps into action.
He runs out of the room and down the stairs.
Louise can hear him downstairs smashing what she can only imagine are the remaining pieces of furniture in the house. And, she feels a mild wave of relief washing over her.
While King Shark is smashing anything made out of wood he can get his hands on, a thought pop's up in his head.
The only piece of furniture that remains intact is a tattered old chaise lounge, now surrounded by piles of wood.
He then makes his way into the kitchen, where he keeps the gasoline he uses to power the generator and places the cans next to the chaise lounge.
Then, he goes upstairs again and into his room. He grabs one of the garbage bags he uses to keep his things in and starts tossing whatever possession he deems worthy of keeping in it.
Once he is done, he throws the garbage bags out the window and onto the front lawn.
Then, he turns and makes his way over to Louise. As he does, he realizes he left his tablet on the bed and quickly shoves it in one of his pockets.
Louise cracks open her eyes, and as soon as she finds King Shark, she gives him a weak smile.
''Okay, okay. I think I've got everything. Are you ready? I'm gonna take you downstairs now. Okay?''
She's never seen him this nervous before. Not even when he realized that his head was about to be blown off.
''Let's dance.''
Louise says, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
King Shark takes a couple of deep breaths, and then in one swift motion, he scoops Louise up into his arms.
Louise groans through greeted teeth.
''Ssshhh, ssshhh, It's okay...everything's gonna be okay, baby...''
The shark coos at Louise.
He makes his way down the stairs in record time and places Louise carefully on the chaise lounge.
As soon as Louise realizes that she's not outside, she starts to panic.
''Sharky? What's going on?''
''Don't worry babe. I've got everything under control. It's your turn to trust me.''
Louise stares at him and nods.
King Shark then proceeds to douse a circle of gasoline around her.
Right before going outside, the shark kneels beside Louise and cups her face in his hands. He stares at her for a moment, like he's taking a mental picture of her. He then leans into her face and gently presses his metal maw against her lips in a mock kiss.
Louise keeps her eyes open. And, as soon as she feels the metal surface touching her lips, she kisses Shark back. Then his mouth opens, just enough for him to slid the tip of his tongue into hers. Louise licks his tongue with her tongue, and that's that.
King Shark pulls away and stands up. He looks at her one more time and says:
''A hui hou.''
Before he turns and starts making his way out of the room, and towards the front yard, pouring a trail of gasoline along the way.
Once he's outside and about twenty feet away from the house, he hesitates one last time before pulling out a small yellow lighter with a pot leaf on it.
It takes just one try for the trail of gasoline to turn into an all devouring river of fire.
Now, all he can do is wait.
At first, nothing happens. But, after a little over ten minutes, he can make out black columns of smoke billowing from the house and into the clear blue sky.
Now he can see the flames inside getting higher through the windows.
A few minutes after that, the house starts making all kinds of awful sounds. At first, it just pops, snaps and crackles. But, soon enough the wood starts to groan, like the house itself is being exorcised of all of its demons. Soon after that, the windows start exploding from the intense heat.
And, throughout it all, there is no sign of Louise.
The minutes keep passing, and with each gone by, King Shark grows more and more concerned about Louise.
Now, he starts questioning if this was the right thing to do.
''What the hell was I thinking!? Leaving Louise inside a burning building!?''
King Shark berates himself before running into the house.
''Don't worry baby! I'm coming for ya!''
Unfortunately, luck does not always favor the bold.
As soon as King Shark steps into the house, he is hit by a thick wall of black smoke. He's a little over seven feet tall, and smoke always rises.
Right away, it starts burning his eyes, nose, mouth, and gills. And, he is humbled, onto the floor in a violent coughing fit.
But, not even this can deter him from getting to Louise.
''I don't need eyesight to find Louise. She's close enough for me to be able to find and get her out of here before it's too late.''
He doesn't even allow himself the thought that it might already be too late.
The heat is unbearable. Like, being inside a working oven. He blindly crawls on hands and knees into the living room, scorching layers of clothing and skin in the process. Coughing and wheezing, with every breath he takes.
Suddenly, he hears a loud crash near him. The chandelier had finally come down.
Had the chaise lounge been right under the chandelier or just nearby?
He can't remember, and panic starts taking hold of him.
Had he just caused her death?
The shark lets out a gut-wrenching bloody roar.
But, he's not ready to give up on Louise yet. If she's...no longer. He needs to find her body. Even if that means crawling inside hell, itself to get it.
Right now, the physical pain is a welcomed distraction from the pain in his heart.
Unfortunately, not even his healing factor can keep him awake for long without oxygen of some kind.
His crawl becomes a painful slow-motion. And the heat is only growing stronger.
Then, he realizes that the heat must have burnt off his nerve endings because suddenly, he can't feel the burning anymore. In fact, it feels...cool.
''Am I moving...?''
The shark wonders.
''...In the wrong direction?''
As soon as Louise sees King Shark lying on the floor, she feels like she's just been punched in the stomach. She runs to him, and before she can check if he's still alive, she sees him trying to crawl deeper into the living room.
She let's out a sigh of relief. Then, she grabs one of his ankles and starts dragging him out of the house before it collapses.
With every barefoot step, she takes, a sheet of ice forms on the ground. The intense heat can't melt it because there's a cold perimeter around her. Like she's her own walking snow globe.
They quickly make it to the front door, and although it's open, Louise realizes that it's going to be tricky getting him through it.
She lets go of his ankle and places her hands on both sides of the door frame, freezing it in seconds.
Then, she positions herself behind the shark, bends over, and shoves him through the door.
The frame puts up no resistance and shatters like glass.
''I guess I didn't singe off my nerve endings after all.''
King Shark thinks as wave after wave of excruciating pain hits him all over his body. He feels like he's on fire.
That's probably because he is still on fire in certain places.
Louise quickly rolls him over and pats down the patches of him that are still smoldering with one hand, and with the other, she cools him off. Careful not to freeze him. She is sure Sharky doesn't need a freezer burn right now.
Much to her relief, King Shark starts coughing almost right away.
Louise is leaning above his face, cooling down his metal maw, and pulls away when he starts coughing.
Eventually, King Shark's sight comes back to him. He's overjoyed at seeing the blurry outlook of Louise start to come into focus.
As his coughing subsides, Louise leans in closer again.
''Hey.''
''Hey.''
''You know? if this partnership is gonna work out, you really need to start trusting me more.''
Louise tells the shark, as she quirks an eyebrow.
''I'm so glad that you're alive. I was so worried about you. How are you feeling?''
The shark blurts out.
Louise smiles at hearing this and then frowns.
''I'm as good as new. That's what I mean. I told you, my Metahuman biology feeds off of heat.''
King Shark sits up.
''Hey! You were taking too long to get out of the house. I was worried. So, sue me.''
''Oh, right. I went upstairs to get my boots.''
Louise explains as she points at her boots that are resting a few feet away from them.
''Oh, Okay. I get it. Those are nice boots, and they go with your outfit.
You do know that the chandelier fell, right? I don't even wanna think about what could have happened to you, had you been under it.''
Louise stares at the sky, as she ponders about what Shark just said. Then she kneels beside him.
''You're right, I'm sorry. I've never been very good at saying thank you and being considerate. But, I am grateful that you saved my life again...I guess I just don't know how to show it.''
''Hey, I don't mean that you have to get me a thank you card every time I do something nice for you. I just want you to understand I don't want anything bad to happen to you.''
Louise looks up at him.
''It won't. I know how to take care of myself.
Besides, I have a shark to watch my back.
And...I'll watch yours.''
''Of course, we will. That's what friends are for.''
The shark reassures her.
Louise can feel another surge of mushiness, like the one from last night, coming over her. So, she looks away, and at the burning house next to them. It's such a wonderful fire...Then, she realizes...''
''Hey, I'm sorry you lost your house.''
''It's no big deal. I got my stuff out. Now, I just need to find another place to stay.''
King Shark hasn't mentioned to Louise how he had already decided to move out, and into a friend's house, before running into her.
Louise gives him a puzzled look.
''Another place? You are gonna come and stay with me, right?
Now, it's King Shark's turn to be surprised.
''I mean, It's not a big mansion. But, it has three bedrooms and two full baths. It even has its own pond.''
He looks at her, and all he can say is.
''Sold.''
And just like that, King Shark changes his plans.
Louise walks the four or five feet to get to her boots. She sits down on the overgrown yellow lawn and starts putting them on.
This is the best outcome she could have asked for, and she's thrilled with it. But, she also knows it's never a good idea to rest on your laurels for too long. The wheels in her head start turning.
''What am I gonna do with Shark tonight? I only have one bed, and it's a Queen size. My couch is not even a pull-out...I can always squeeze him into my bed...''
The thought of them kissing not half an hour ago, warms her face more than the fire did.
''No, Louise. You're not gonna make the same mistake again. This partnership is gonna work out, even if I have to keep it in my pants.
I'll let Shark sleep in my bed tonight, and I'll sleep on the couch.
Tomorrow I can go out and get a bed sturdy and big enough for him.
I'll probably have to buy more furniture so he can have a comfortable stay...I mean, he did burn down a perfectly good tailor-made hideout just for me...
What am I thinking? First I need to get him some food. No, not some. I need to get him a lot of food...''
Louise thinks to herself, remembering the promise she made to King Shark, about taking him out to eat.
''I could probably spare some room in my cryogenics lab/barn, and turn it into a cryo-lab/barn/meat locker combination.
So, food first, then a bed-Oh, crap! I need to call Linus...
Okay. So, first, call Linus, then-No! First, shower. Then call Linus, food, bed...''
Louise's planning is abruptly interrupted when she catches an eyeful of King Shark ripping out pieces of his skin.
''SON OF A BITCH WHORE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!''
The shark roars.
Louise can't believe what she just saw.
''What the hell are you doing?!''
She shouts at him, eyes wide open and mouth agape.
King Shark's pressing his right hand on the wound he just tore open, trying to stifle the blood pouring from it. His panting slowly becoming regular breathing.
''I...I need to rip the melted fabric off before my skin grows back.
If I don't...they will fuse together. And it's a bitch to remove when that happens.''
At hearing his explanation, Louise thinks about Shark's dense skin, and how bullets barely make a dent in it.
She stands and walks over to him.
''How long do we have before your skin regenerates? Do you want me to rip out the ones on your back?''
''It already started. You wanna...? ...Could you?''
''Yeah, of course. But...Are you gonna be alright? With the blood I mean. You're not gonna freak out on me, right?''
She cautiously asks.
''Nah...I've done this before. It's a pain in the okole. But, the bloodlust is never as strong when it's my own blood.
''Yeah, I guess that makes sense.''
Louise then takes a look at his back. Lucky for him, because he had been crawling around on his stomach, his back didn't have as many melted patches stuck to it.
''Okay. What you wanna do is try and find an edge, you can lift it with your nails, and then-''
''I think I've got it.''
''Okay. So, you pull on three.''
''Yup.''
''Ready?''
''Yup.''
''Okay. One, Two...''
Before King Shark can get to three, Louise has already ripped away a large piece of his melted shirt and skin.
''AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! COCK SUCKER-MOTHER FUCKER!...
You-You went on two! We said on three! Why would you...? Who goes on two?!''
''Trust me, it's better if you don't know it's coming.''
''Okay, I understand where yo-''
Rip
''OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH! OW! FUUUUUCK MEEEEE!''
''Oh, that one was a big one.''
Louise tells the shark, with a smile in her voice.
''I know! Okay...Okay, you need to stop for a second...''
Rip
''FFFFUUUUUUUuuuuUUUUUUCK MY LIIIIIIFE!''
''Don't worry, I'm applying cold to the tears. That way they clot faster.''
'
'Woman! Have you never heard the word stop before?!''
King Shark asks as he turns around to glare at Louise.
Meanwhile, Louise is unimpressed with the seven-foot-tall wall of muscles, razor-sharp teeth, and claws glaring at her. She, in fact, looks annoyed at the shark.
''Uh, yeah. I hear it all the time. But, it's more in the context of ''Oh, no! stop! stop! you're freezing me alive! Womp-Womp.''
Louise says this last part, in an exaggerated whiny tone.
Before King Shark can say anything else, she adds.
''Aren't you the one who said that you needed to rip these melted patches off, as soon as possible? You need to sac up, suck it up, and let me do my job.''
King Shark narrows his eyes and leans closer to her face.
''Come and talk to me about ''sacking up'' after you've had strips of your skin ripped off.''
He tells her in the most serious tone he has ever used with her.
Instead of backing away, Louise leans forward, until she's an inch away from his metal nose. She narrows her eyes into icy slits, and without missing a beat, she tells him.
''You can come crying to me after you've smeared a tongue-depressor full of pipping hot wax on your crotch, just to rip it off, as soon as it cools.''
It's King Shark who backs away a bit after hearing this.
''Oh, my dad! Why would you ever do that to yourself?... Is it...Is it, like a kink?''
''A kink? No, why would that be my kink?''
Louise asks, genuinely baffled at the shark's occurrence.
''I dunno. I just found out you feed off of heat. It could be. I mean why else would you do that to yourself?''
Louise flinches, just a bit, at hearing this.
''How did he realize I get off on heat?''
''Well, it's not. I do it so I can wear this.''
She explains while gesturing at her leotard.
''It's called a full Brazillian. And, if you've ever watched porn made after the mid-nineteen nineties, all of those girls with bald snatches and some of the guys too, are rocking full Brazilians as well.''
King Shark stares at her crotch, and her high-cut leotard, and he cringes.
''Ooowwww...I think you just ruined porn a little, for me.''
He says in a sad tone.
''Okay. You know what else?''
''What?''
''Less talking, more ripping.''
''Ooooowwww...''
After about twenty minutes of toiling, King Shark is lying down on his back. Pink patches all over his body, torn bloody clothes barely hanging on to him.
His eyes are closed, but fluttering, and his breathing is finally returning to normal.
Louise is seating next to him. Her gaze, transfixed on the smoldering remains of the burnt-down house. Her bloody right-hand fingers raking absentmindedly through Shark's hair.
She finally breaks the silence by asking.
''How long do you think, before the firefighters get here?''
King Shark blinks his eyes open and ponders her question for a second.
''Not sure. But we are pretty far away from the main highway.''
''Okay, but those columns of black smoke can be seen from pretty far away, don't you think?''
King Shark sits up with a groan.
''Okay.''
''No, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that like you said, we are pretty far away from the highway, and we still need to get back to my place. I didn't-I don't want you to get up if you don't feel like it.''
Louise tries to explain.
''Nah, it's alright. I'm alright. But, we're not taking the highway.''
''We're not?''
''Nope. There's a river a little over a mile from here. We're gonna take my airboat, and make our way up to your neck of the woods that way.''
The shark tells her, as he stands up.
''Oh! Okay, I-''
Before she can finish her sentence, Shark starts tearing off what remains of his clothes.''
Louise had not expected a gory strip show.
''Should I...turn around...?''
''Suit yourself. I'm not shy.''
Louise turns her head but still glances out of the corner of her eye.
King Shark's healing factor is impressive. Where open wounds had been not twenty minutes ago, now only pink patches remain, in stark contrast to his chalky white skin.
She can't help notice his ass in those black boxer briefs.
''There are no pink patches on that ass. But, you certainly could bounce quarters off it, and end up denting the quarters.''
Louise thinks to herself, as she swallows convulsively.
''No! Remember, friends, are not food, Louise. Friends are not food.''
Louise reminds herself.
Meanwhile, King Shark is rummaging through one of the black trash bags.
He pulls out a stretched-out black wife beater and a pair of wrinkly khaki cargo shorts.
This time, Louise can't help but watch him get dressed.
Shark's arms are so thick and muscular that he can only put his shirt on, one arm at a time, and with some stretching from the fabric, and himself.
He then pulls and zips up his shorts, and finally, he checks his old, torn-out clothes pockets, and fishes out his tablet. Which, he then places in one of his front pockets.
He then turns to Louise and gives her a nod.
Louise, in turn, stands up and brushes the dirt and grass off her bottom and legs, and nods back at the shark.
King Shark then picks up his trash bags, turns around, and takes a step in the river's direction.
Before he can take another one, Louise calls out to him, and he turns to look at her.
''Hey. Hey! Are we just gonna leave these laying around?''
''These'', meaning the strips of torn skin and bloody clothing, scattered near her feet.
King Shark looks at where she's pointing. He drops the bags, and rubs the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
''Yeah, I guess littering does suck.''
Louise looks back at him, eyes wide with surprise.
''Littering? That's not what I...Sharky, the firefighters will be here soon. The cops are gonna come too, to investigate what caused the fire...''
Louise doesn't finish her thought, expecting that King Shark will catch her drift.
He, instead cocks his head to the side, like a puppy, and gives her a puzzled look.
''And then the cops are gonna figure out it was arson, and then they're gonna find your bloody clothes, and bits of skin...''
Still nothing.
''Which they'll run for DNA, and find a match in the system, and figure out you're alive, and in the area where an entire police precinct was leveled, less than forty-eight hours ago?''
King Shark blinks, finally getting what Louise is trying to get at.
''Louise is so smart.''
''Wow. You're so smart Louise.''
She looks at him for a second, not sure if he's messing with her.
''You think of everything.''
The shark beams. And Louise can't help but smile at his sincere compliment.
''So, what do you wanna do?''
''We gotta take it with us. Do you have another bag on you?''
King Shark rubs his metal chin pensively for a second.
''Mmmmmnope. I just brought with me the bare minimum. No bags, trash or otherwise.''
''Well, in that case, we should just throw them in the bags with the rest of your stuff.''
''Louise, these are clean clothes.''
''I understand. But, we can't afford to leave any evidence of us having being here. Look, we'll take them with us and drop them in the river.
I have an excellent washing machine at home, and when we get there, you can do a load right away. How about that?''
King Shark takes only half a second before answering.
''Okay!''
He opens one of the trash bags, and he and Louise proceed to place all the bloody remains in it. Once she is done, Louise looks at her dry blood-covered hands and rubs some dirt on them.
''Ready?''
King Shark asks.
''Yup. Let's get a move on.''
The shark picks up his trash bags, and they both start walking towards the river.
After about five minutes of them walking without saying a word, King Shark looks at Louise and says.
''I don't usually cuss that much. Just so you know.''
Louise stares back at him and smiles.
''That's okay. I don't mind. Besides if you're not gonna cuss when you're having your skin literally ripped off of you, when are you gonna cuss?
I'm just a little surprised that you cussed in English.''
Shark gives her a puzzled look.
''Waddya mean?''
''I've always heard that when people are experiencing extreme emotions, or are in a lot of pain, like childbirth...''
''Or having their skin ripped off.''
''Or having their skin ripped off, they cuss in their native language.''
''Oooohh, okay. I get it. Fun fact; there are no cuss words in the Hawaiian language.''
''Whaaaat?! No! That's not...true. Wait, is it?''
''Yeah, no, it's true.''
Louise can't believe there can be a language without cuss words.
''Wait, wait, are you fucking with me? Cause I don't have my phone on me right now, but I will at some point, and I will Google that.''
''You can do it right now, do you wanna use my tablet?''
Louise still looks baffled but is inclined to believe her friend.
''Oh, my god...That's so wild!''
''Did I blew your mind?''
''Yeah, and then some. Wait. So, how do you tell someone you don't like, to go fuck themselves. I mean, how do you show contempt for someone in Hawaiian? Wait, do you show contempt for others?''
Shark chuckles at this.
''Of course, we get mad at others, but...Okay, how do I explain this?''
King Shark thinks about it for a moment, before expanding.
''We have insulting words, but no swear or cuss words as such. So, when we wanna cuss someone out, we either do it in English, which is very common. I mean, I was born and raised in Hawaii, and I've always cussed in English.
Or the other thing we do is that we have pejorative insults and phrases, and we get creative with them.
Kinda like making a sandwich, or building with legos, back when you could build whatever you wanted, instead of having to follow a fixed design.''
''Oh...So, it's like a diss track?''
''Yeah-mmmnno...I mean we don't go around having M.C. battles.
We just mix words and phrases, like moe lepo, which means dirty.
Or, okole which means bottom or butt. Puka means hole, lolo means stupid or crazy. And, we craft our insults out of them''
''Wow...That's interesting.''
Louise has always loved to travel, learn about other cultures, meet people from all over the world, and kill them.
''Wait, what did you say to me before?''
''Before, when?''
''You know, when you brought down to the living room. Before you started the fire...''
''You mean after we kissed?''
Louise licks her lips and the thought of their tongues rubbing against each other still makes her face warm.
''Yeah, right after we...kissed. It was something like...I hou...? I ou?''
''A hui hou. It means ''Until we meet again''.
Louise can't help but giggle.
''Oh, crap, was that a giggle? No, no...it was a chuckle. Definitely a chuckle.''
''Sharky you're so...
cute
corny.''
Se says, before giving him a playful punch on his bicep.
''Yeah, I guess I am a little corny.''
The shark laughs it off.
They keep walking for another five minutes or so, before King Shark Looks at Louise again, and asks.
''Hey, would you like to ride on my shoulder?''
Louise looks up at him and immediately says.
''Oh, I can walk faster...''
She's aware that even at a leisurely pace, King Shark walks faster than her. It's no secret that her entire legs are as long as his calves.
But, she still doesn't like being perceived as less, or worse, as weak.
''What? No, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought you might like a ride to the boat.''
''Nah...It's okay. Besides you're carrying the bags...''
''Oh, right, these super heavy bags...They're so heavy I forgot I was carrying them.''
Louise chuckles again.
''I'll ask you one more time, and then I'll leave you alone. Do you wanna ride? C'mon, that way you can help me balance the weight from the trash bags.''
''...Well...When you put it like that...''
King Shark stops, turns, and takes a knee.
Louise uses his thigh as a step stool, while the shark extends his right hand to her, to help lead her.
Once she's seated on his shoulder, King Shark stands up.
It's then when Louise realizes that this is gonna be the first time she's gonna be riding on his shoulder, with him not wearing his tactical wetsuit.
That means, there's a lot more skin-to-skin contact.
It also means that she doesn't have his shoulder pad to hold on to.
She places her left hand on his gills, looking for support.
''Wow, careful with the gills, babe.''
Louise lifts her hand right away.
''Sorry. I was trying to-''
''It's okay. You can hold one to my hair. I don't mind.''
Louise nods and digs her fingers in his Mohawk.
There's something very pleasurable about running her fingers through his hair. It's thick and coarse, similar to horsehair. And, she's developing a habit of scrunching it.
It kinda reminds her of...
''It feels like bareback ridding.''
She says out loud.
King Shark whips his head up, to look at her, with eyes as big as saucers.
''Reaaaaally? You don't say...''
He says, in the most amused tone ever.
Louise immediately realizes what she just said, and how it sounded to him, and she starts backtracking right away.
''No! that's not what I mean. I meant as in riding a horse bareback...Because, when you don't have reins, you have to hold one to the horse's mane with your fingers.''
''Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yeah, of course, horses...Sure.''
The Shark agrees with her, but his tone is still tongue in cheek.
Louise can feel her face getting hotter, and King Shark's tone is so amusing, she can't stop laughing out loud.
Suddenly, she wobbles. But, before she can react, or even feel startled, she feels King Shark's firm, strong hand holding her into place.
She looks down, and their eyes meet.
''Don't worry, I've got you. I won't let you fall.''
And, she knows this to be true.
''Aaawww, that's so cute! You turn purple when you blush.''
King Shark mentions, after noticing her cheeks turning a slight purple hue.
At hearing this, the purple in Louise's face goes up a notch, and she reflexively touches her face.
''It's because of the sun.''
She assures him.
''Yeah, of course...the sun.''
And they both laugh together again.
After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, Louise looks down at the shark and slides her hand from his hair to his forehead.
''How does that feel?''
She asks.
''Oh! That's nice! That feels real nice and cool...''
''Good.''
''Hey, have you ever been on an airboat?''
Louise thinks about it for a second and says.
''Nope. This is gonna be my first time...on an airboat.''
She clarifies, not wanting to turn purple again.
''Oh! You're in for a treat, Louise. You're gonna love it!''
''You know what? I think so too. I do like trying new things...So, I think it's gonna be fun.''
