Update!
Day 2: Merman AU
When the normally quiet ocean is disturbed by a desperate creature, it is what will come of his desperation that changes two lives forever.
Northern waters lay covered in ice, the cold liquid clear though there was nothing but blackness at the bottom. Little lived in this ocean, more feared it. Silence was common here, splashes from seals or bears would often disturb the surface of the water in the attempt for some morsel. The creatures would move more languidly here, conserving what precious energy and warmth they had, never venturing too far from the open air they dove in from.
Today, it was more than that.
A pounding was faintly heard through the ocean, the fist hammering on the ice that trapped the merorca, the green eyes wide as they searched for some sort of crack that could've appeared from his hand. With no luck and the sheet of ice undamaged, the tail kicked off, water swishing around the flukes as the body darted towards hope.
Makoto was desperate, oxygen becoming thin in his blood, his lungs burning for relief. Again he tried for a break, his shoulder was what slammed into the ice. The torso rose and fell with each pound, his teeth gritting against any pain that might have come from his attack.
"Come on!" the creature whimpered, "please!?"
Again there was no give, no mercy. The large hand splayed on the underside of the surface that barred him from his much needed air.
The orca was tormented by his stupidity; he should never have come this far alone, never have left the security of the ocean he knew and the friends he cherished.
Not in his condition.
A black and white tail curled in on itself as a wave of pain shot through the creature, his fingers splaying on his stomach as the teeth tightened once more. His need for air was fuelled to new heights as the painful reminder clutched at his heart.
If he didn't find air soon, his baby would die.
Tears never seemed to exist in the environment of the ocean, the only thing evident was the heaving chest and the look of distraught on their faces. Makoto felt otherwise, he felt as though tears were now streaming down his face freely as his fist pounded on the ice above him.
"Please!" Makoto cried, "please just let me out!"
Sobs escaped the trembling lips as the orca pushed his exhausted body towards where he hoped stable ground lay, praying that his joyous occasion was not marred by tragedy, be it his or his baby's. Ocra's themselves might have the ability to give birth to their young beneath the ocean's surface, but mercreatures of mammalian descent were not so lucky, needing to deliver on land for their baby to survive.
And they wouldn't deliver alone.
The shoulder returned to the ice, slamming hard into the surface, desperation fuelling his actions.
"PLEASE!" the creature screamed, "BREAK!"
Makoto hated the open ocean, hated the unknown, the nothingness. In his vulnerable state, it made it all the more worse. His body was racing with both panic and hormones, hormones that made him more reactive to simple and stupid fight, a fight that had him this far out.
It was just a dumb fight, over something so trivial and stupid Makoto barely remembered what had transpired. All he knew was he regretted it, and why he didn't just brush it off he'd never know; right now, he didn't care. His decision to swim away from his lover, the father of his baby, was something the creature prayed was not the last regret he'd ever have, especially when he was about to give birth.
Alone.
Pain mingled with guilt had Makoto crying out, his body sent tumbling as he involuntarily crumpled in agony.
"No," the brown hair shook, "no no baby… not now… just hold on a little longer… please…"
With difficulty he swam, the idea of hope and safety forcing him forward. His throat felt vibrations stir as he finally found his last resort, his mouth opening as he began to whine, hoping to call an orca pod nearby. It was dangerous, the orcas sometimes not recognizing that merocas were similar species and might resort to attacking them, but it was all he had.
It was the only chance his baby had left if it wanted to survive.
His calls reflected both off the ice and through the water, nothing returning to him. It became a pattern, his calls sent through the water while his fist hammered on the ice or his shoulder would slam into the sheet, the rough surface scrapping on his back and knuckles, blood dissipating into the water from the small cuts and friction burns as quickly as it appeared.
Nothing mattered.
The wounds on his back and hands didn't matter, his fight with his lover didn't matter, nothing else mattered but getting his baby to safety, to get a deep breath, to live.
"LET ME OUT!" he screamed, his lungs shuddering as he sobbed, "PLEASE JUST LET US OUT!"
His tail joined the fight, slapping against the cool barrier, his hips rising to slam just as hard into the ice. On impulse, his lungs expanded, a chilling gulp of water sucked into his body, the chest coughing to expel the intrusion. The terrified emerald searched the ice, his blood thin with oxygen, his vision blurring as he felt faint.
"Please no… baby…"
The black and white tail swished as he dove, his powerful strokes turning to send him straight to the ice, his body jerking as his entire bulk was slammed into the ice, feeling that something had surely broken or at least bruised.
"BREAK DAMN YOU!"
Both hands pounded on the sheet, his body beginning to falter and slip into darkness. His arms fell last, his back to the depths of the ocean, eyes looking towards his unborn baby, the life it wouldn't have…
"NO!"
His antics became desperate as he banged into the prison above him. The baby within in him would be born, it would live; his lover would have his child.
… here…
A miracle. An Angel. A saviour.
Whatever it was called the merorca didn't care as his body pelted to the call, his hands unhelpfully clawing at the water to move him faster. Hope burned alongside the need for air in his chest, his heart pumping the adrenaline through his system, the only thing keeping his body alive.
Here…
Emerald looked to the sky, praying that the ice was becoming thinner, praying that the surface was near. A cramp shot through the body, a groan pushed to the back of Makoto's throat as he begged his body not to curl in on itself, to keep swimming, faster than he ever had in his life.
Here…
"I KNOW!"
On impulse his body turned to where the sun moved, the sky gleaming through nothing but water.
Air never tasted sweeter to Makoto as his body erupted from the ocean, his lungs drinking deeply while his fingers clutched at the ice in front of him, dragging his body to the surface and lay his strong form down, the chest expanding wildly as he heaved.
He was free.
A hand moved over the protruding belly, a smile daring to pull on his lips while tears spilt down his cheeks.
"We're okay baby," Makoto whispered, "we're okay…"
His eyes turned to look up to the blue sky, his breath expelling in puffs in the cold air, his arms flopping on either side of him, a smile daring to fall onto his lips.
"Uh… UHGN!"
The large tail curled in on itself as the pain became more intense, the residue of adrenaline in his veins heightening his senses, the only one he felt was agony as his baby wanted to enter the world.
"Ah… UN-AH!"
Lung to the ice, Makoto felt nothing but pain in his abdomen, tears blooming in the corners of his eyes as they squeezed against the world. Long fingers curled around nothing, the hand that should've been there making his heart feel empty.
"Hah… ah… AGG!"
Emerald opened to nothing but sparse and white, the only teal the water that lapped against the ice, the only black on his tail and he was the only mercreature around, the only anything around.
The brunette lifted his head at the thought, his body turning to the opening he came from; the ice hadn't thinned, and it wasn't large enough for the orca that called him here, if anything, it looked like a trail.
A trail that led to the boat that was coming for him.
Makoto felt the ice flow into his veins at the realization, the tears in his eyes now from fear. Of course he was this stupid, of course it had to happen like this; he should've seen the trap coming.
Others had warned him that some hunters were clever, using sounds that marine mammals made to lure others to safety and Makoto was always careful to avoid the traps. Safety should've been his concern, first and foremost.
Desperation was a dangerous thing.
The muscled arms lifted to pull his pregnant body away from the crunches of ice, his pain making him unable to move, terror ripping through him as the feet approached him.
Hands gripped at his tail while his blunt nails clawed at the ice, screams and pleads falling on deaf ears as his body slipped over the surface.
"NO!" the creature begged, "NO! NO PLEASE NO!"
Their touches moved up to his hips and upper arms, the mercreature's body lifted into the air and landing with a thump to their boat, the frightful green eyes turned to the sky he loved so dearly.
"STOP!" Makoto screamed in desperation, "PLEASE STOP!"
Two stood away from him, heads bowed as they muttered something out of his hearing range, the three surrounding him his primary focus. His body fought with desperation, trying to prove his size was worthy of his strength, the exhaustion he was succumbing too, making his body fill with adrenaline.
It was his search for air that rendered him so useless and weak, that drove him to the pitiful state his was in, unable to protect his most treasured possession.
"Just cut it out."
Four words rang clear in Makoto's ears, his head turning to look towards the two men, one who was now approaching him, moving in the direction his partner was pointing towards.
His protruding belly that kept his baby safe.
"No," the young man whispered, tears of terror in his eyes, "no… no please no…"
A hand splayed on his stomach, the other searching his back pocket, a sharp steel knife lifted into the air, the sun reflected in the blade, stilling as it readied to plunge into the merorca.
"SOUSUKE!"
A tailflipped languidly throughout the cold ocean, the large male expelling a sigh and a shiver. While it was somewhat true that Whale sharks could make it this far north, they were not partial to it, being too cold for them and their food. His head turned around to look for the lover he was currently fighting with, figuring the meroca had cooled off from his reaction.
He hadn't mean to say it, hadn't meant to drive him over the edge but the baby within him made his mood swings unpredictable. When Makoto burst into tears and snapped that he was an insensitive jerk, Sosuke figured the orca would just need to relax before they talked about it.
"Makoto!" Sosuke called, "Makoto where are you!?"
The lack of answer was unsurprising for the environment, the whale shark grimacing as he forced himself to go further north in search of the reason he was in the cold ocean. Instinctively, Makoto felt the urge to move north, his lover accompanying him despite the nagging thoughts that begged him to stay close to their friends.
"Oi! Makoto! Come out!" the whale shark tried anew, his hand cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound, "Makoto!"
There was no sound, no nothing but the deep blue that faded to black beneath him. He felt guilt run through him; he had passed underneath the ice, feeling horrible that he drove his lover to this area, an area he openly opposed.
"Makoto!" Sosuke yelled, "come back!"
Teal looked up to the ice above him, worrying about when the merorca needed to breathe.
"Makoto! Oi-"
His tail stopped as he froze, his eyes widening, his heart stopping and his lungs forgetting to breathe.
He smelled Makoto's blood.
Sosuke glanced up in confusion to the scent above him, the spot on the ice clinging to the red that clearly belonged to Makoto.
"Makoto!"
Worry filled the teal eyes as he moved rapidly through the water, knowing that if Makoto had hurt himself on the ice, it must be to get out, he must need air.
Their baby needed air.
The tail was easy to track. Nose leading the way, the whale shark followed the spots where Makoto had slammed into, hopping that the end of the trail led to an opening and not to a body.
"Makoto!" the shark called, "Makoto! Makoto I'm sorry! Makoto!?"
Black hair swished as he searched for his lover, cursing himself for letting the mother of his baby just swim away in the vulnerable state; it shouldn't have mattered how far along the other was, he should've just apologized.
"MAKOTO!"
The deep baritone echoed in the open ocean, the young man waiting for no response while he pelted towards the scent of blood, not sure whether or not to be thankful that there was nothing massive about the injuries.
"OI! Makoto!"
The whale shark was thankful he could be faster than the orca, especially with Makoto's belly sticking out as it was, the baby rustling inside, responding to his father's touch and kisses, the young man excited to see his first baby in the world.
Hopefully not his only baby.
"Makoto!"
His form turned upwards to look at the spot that seemed to hold the most damage, evidence that the creature had thrown all he had into the ice; a last attempt to break the ice.
Teal looked down to the black, his heart shuddering as he screamed his lover's name, his tail swishing side to side as he went as deep as he could, hoping that the water would part, that the darkness would light up, that he'd see something, anything.
"MAKOTO!"
The throat felt raw from the screaming, his body hovering in desperation, his heart to his throat. He couldn't lose them, not like this, not ever.
"MAKOTO!"
A tremor washed over his body, his eyes looking towards the wave. It was from a boat, he could sense that much, and if a boat was rocking in the water, it meant there was a surface.
Makoto could breath.
Hope was a dangerous drug, filling every nerve of Sosuke's body and making him move towards the opening with a grin on his face, calling his lover's name. He prayed Makoto was well again, that the baby in his belly was well enough.
Careful around opening, Sosuke lifted to his head from the water, the cool air washing over his forehead, his eyes scanning the barren terrain for a sign of life. Looking up, the whale shark couldn't see the black and white tail, couldn't see the head of brunette, couldn't hear his baby's cries.
"Makoto?" the whale shark tried softly, his nose lifting out of the water, the richness of the blood nearly making dizzy with the scent, his body backing into the water.
Birth was supposed to be a bloody process, the womb supposed to be filled with oxygen for their infant, but the amount wasn't nearly supposed to be this bad.
Unless something went wrong.
Gulping down a lot of water, Sosuke lifted his body to the ice, his hands feeling around for evidence of his lover, wondering where the blood came from, the smell nauseating. The virgin snow held no traces of calving, the scratch marks saying otherwise.
With a splash the spotted tail dove beneath the waves, his eyes looking around for where the orca could've gone; the water smelt clean, but the air was thick with blood. His tail flicked in the water, his teal orbs searching desperately down the ice, looking for anything.
His form searched around a glacier that seemed misplaced, his hand over top of the ice to support himself as he looked for a red splatter shining through the ice, not sure whether to be thankful or panicked when he couldn't find it.
Turning around, the eyes looked up to what shouldn't be there, feeling his heart sink lower than it'd ever been.
Floating slowly upward, the whale shark moved to the boat, his mind wishing this wasn't true, that they hadn't fought, that he'd stayed with Makoto, that his baby waited for a day, that they'd stay home. Trembling hands lifted out of the water, the fingers gripping the rim of the boar to pull his body to look upon the worst sight of his life.
The love of his life was there, lying on the deck, his dorsal fin keeping him on his hips, blood pooling around the body from the open belly, the angelic emerald eyes closed as lungs gasped for air, tears down the cheek that wasn't in his own blood.
"M-Makoto…" Sosuke thought it impressive that his own voice actually worked, his body frozen, tail still in the water and his form hovering over the bottom of the boat, "… oi…"
It was a struggle for the young creature to open the green eyes that the teal could lose himself in for an eternity, the pain within them making the knife twist deeper into Sosuke's heart.
"MAKOTO!" his tail slammed onto the deck of the boat, his arms crawling over to the merorca, his arms gathering up the bloodied form, "Makoto…"
"So… uske…" he sounded as pale as he looked, his throat forcing something down with great difficulty, his lips quivering as he tried to smile up at him, "h… hi…"
"H-Hey," the whale shark breathed, trying desperately to keep calm in Makoto's pain, "wh-what-"
"Get… Get out," Makoto whispered, tears blooming in his green eyes, "please… y-you're next…"
"Not without you-"
"So-usk-"
"We'll get you back into the water," the elder told him, pulling his lover, "find someone to heal you, you'll be fine-"
"No," the brunette hair shook, his trembling fingers rising out of the pool of his blood to point, his eyes pleading with his lover.
"M… Makoto…?"
"There," the orca panted, tears now pouring out of the pleading eyes that met Sosuke's, "he-he's there…"
Silence surrounded the two of them as the uncomfortable understanding filled him, his teal eyes lifting to look at the chest that was left abandoned, a few drips of red leading towards it.
"M-Mako-"
"S-Save him!" Makoto suddenly cried, his hands gripping at the upper arms, "S-Sous-"
"I-I need a breath," the whale shark told him, guilt ripping through him at the sight of the tormented meroca.
His dive was quick, returning to where Makoto lay, his powerful arms pulling his body towards the chest, the trembling fingers reaching to slip between the rubber, terrified of what he would find. The heel of his hand pressed into the opening, the chest pushing upwards, the teal eyes looking worriedly into the ice, fear lumping in his throat.
There, curled amongst the ice, was a baby merorca.
His and Makoto's baby boy.
"S-Sosuke," a voice called, the eyes refusing to look the other who was too weak to lift up from the ground.
"H-He's alright," Sosuke called, his arms gathering his infant in his arms, his hands patting and rubbing at the cold back, "he's fine."
"Sosuke…" the voice seemed further away, pleading with him, "I… can't hear…"
"Give him a minute," the whale shark was desperate, "yeah? You're alright… you just need a minute."
"So… suke…."
The voice was barely above a whisper now, the gasps becoming audible and louder with each breath.
"He's alright," Sosuke no longer knew who he was saying the words for, his eyes looking down to his child's, begging them to open, "you're alright…"
"So… ke…"
Black hair only turned when a tail slapped into something wet, the whale shark feeling sick to his stomach knowing that it wasn't water that most likely splashed everywhere.
"Sos… ke…" Makoto tried once again, tears streaming over his cheeks, his hand desperately trying to lift to the air, "my… ba… by…."
There were no words to describe the feelings of loss that would overtake Makoto when he discovered that the treasure he had been caring for was no longer with them, that the baby he loved so tenderly was gone without him even getting to hold the infant.
"Makoto…" Sosuke whispered, his body moving towards his lover, ignoring his own burning need for oxygen, "Makoto… please…"
Saying nothing, the merorca pulled what little strength he had left to lift his fingers to his baby, his eyes still overflowing with tears.
"I'm… sorry…" he breathed, his chest heaving as he cried softly, fingertips trailing over the matted black hair to the tail that was the same as his own, the soft pads running over the upside-down wave that was the boy's saddle patch, "… Nami…"
"I-Is that his name?" the whale shark asked, failing to keep his emotions in check as he too felt tears run down his cheeks.
"Nami…" Makoto repeated, his eyes looking up towards the other, Sosuke's heart dying at the sight of his lover's, the pain on the orca's face destroying what little resolve the elder had, "Sos… I-I…"
"Shh," Sosuke whispered, his hand running Makoto's cheeks, "no… not your fault… I should've been there… it's mi-"
"WAAH!"
Both eyes turned from each other to the shaking bundle in the strong arms, the body shaking violently as it coughed and spluttered, the piercing wail the most blissful sound Sosuke had ever heard.
"Oh, oh shhh," the whale shark whispered, his hands reaching to pat and rub the stirring infant, "oh you're okay… you're okay!" his nose lowered to brush against the tiny one, the misery in his tears replaced with utter joy, "Makoto, he's okay-"
His smiling face turned to the orca, the green eyes no longer looking up at the sky, remaining hidden behind closed lids.
"M… Makoto?" a free hand dared move away from his child to rub the shoulder, gently pressing in hopes that the younger would wake, "oi, Makoto, he's okay… he's awake now."
Nothing came from the orca, the slack jaw hardly moving while his son kicked and flailed around in the arms.
"Makoto," Sosuke tried anew, "you have to wake up now… you have to hold him…. Makoto?"
Still Makoto remained silent, no prompting from his lover nor crying from his baby could wake him.
"He needs you," the whale shark pressed, "he needs you to love him…" tears dripped to the chest still covered in blood spray, his chest heaving as he tried to calm his tears, "Makoto…" his dark hair lowered to touch his forehead to the other's the tears from his eyes slipping to mingle with the ones Makoto left.
"I need you to help me be a father."
Sosuke's voice was now hardly above a whisper, his arms pressing both of the orcas he cherished to his chest, his baby calming once by his side, Makoto's face remaining as peaceful as his son's something which should not be. The orca should be overjoyed, smiling without a care, tears of joy in his eyes as the baby was held tightly by the one who loved him more than anything in the world.
"OI!"
Lips pressed firmly against Makoto's for the last kiss they'd ever share, the last time he'd ever touch his love, the last time he'd ever get to be with Makoto.
"He won't forget you… my love."
The promise was left unanswered, the large tail disappearing into the ocean far quicker than the hunters could hope to catch up with him, curses escaping their lips at the realization that their prize had been stolen back.
They couldn't catch him, not when he swam with everything he had left in the world pressed against his chest. Staying by the open ocean, the whale shark disappeared in plain sight, leaving the boat, and the desiccated body of his love, behind. Guilt racked his heart as he thought about leaving Makoto behind with the men that caused his end, wanting nothing more than to repay the debt. Arms shuffled in his, reminding him why he couldn't.
To have his son's first image of the world be stained with red was something Makoto would never allow, and nor could he.
"I won't let you forget him," Sosuke whispered, his eyes finally looking down to his son, the black hair unmistakeably his own but the tail was his mother's, swishing slowly back and forth as if to test the strength. His eyes drew to what captured Makoto's last sight, the upside-down wave that was his saddle patch. "Nami."
At the mention of his name, the droopy eyes finally opened, blinking slowly to the salt water before looking up to his father's shocked face, the teal staring back into the green he had only just lost.
"Eh? Y-You like that… Nami?" Sosuke found the smile on his lips hardly forced, watching his love be reborn in the happy laugh he received, the hands reaching for his face, "yeah? Nami… Nami… Nami…"
His tears disappeared into the ocean's water as he held his infant close to him.
"Makoto," the whale shark whispered, "stay with him… for me…"
Nami hummed softly in his father's arms, Sosuke knowing that his request was a foolish one. So long as his baby could smile, Makoto would always watch over him.
So... remember how I mentioned I was gonna ease you in... yeah... I lied.
Enjoy the drop!
Reviews please!