Prompt: "Why did you save me?"

For about a week, Techno's health was really touch and go.

After the mermaid was first brought back safely, Phil pretty much collapsed on the spot. Tommy and Wilbur found him like that hours later, the cane still clutched in his hand. He'd pulled his sutures from the stab wound and bled all over the floor, and after getting an earful about how careless that was of him, they forced him into bed rest. Phil would have complained, would have insisted to stay awake and keep an eye on Techno.

But he was so damn exhausted.

So he went to bed and slept for longer than he slept in ages, trusting his sons to watch over them both. When he woke up, the pain had only halfway subsided. His shoulder especially hurt, since he probably should have allowed it to rest after it was popped from the socket and then shoved back in. Phil definitely wasn't as spry as he used to be.

Techno must agree about the exhaustion part though. The mermaid stayed asleep for four days.

Phil was already up and about at that point, worry itching at his skin. Gnawing at his insides. He didn't know if the prolonged unconsciousness was a good or a bad sign. Was it Techno healing from his injuries? Was it him dying? After all they'd been through?

The only thing keeping Phil sane was his newest building project, a clever suggestion from Tommy. It required schematics and building materials, plus for him to do some menial labor. Since that last part would be out of the question until Phil was healed enough for it, he concentrated on the schematics first. It was something to keep him pleasantly occupied.

On the fifth day, Techno's fever finally broke and he woke up.

It was still a fragile thing, the mermaid often only fading in and out of consciousness just long enough to eat some food and swallow down some more of the potion. Phil kept using the pipette to deliver it because he hadn't thought of a better way yet. But it was obvious that despite them being different species, the potion had the same effect on Techno as it did on humans. Techno was getting better by the day.

Phil felt like he could finally breathe again.

And thus after almost a week of Techno recovering the mermaid finally surfaced for the first time since he was brought home. He looked at Phil, eyes going up and down his frame, squinting a little. "Are you okay?"

Phil blinked back. "Am I okay?" His voice got a tad embarrassingly high-pitched near the end there. "Wha- are you okay?!"

"I've been worse," Techno said. "Look, last time I saw you, you got stabbed."

"Right." Phil brought his hand to his stomach - as if he could forget. He had truly been very lucky, or maybe Lady Death was watching over him somehow. If the knife had gone in slightly deeper, if it had been at a different angle… Phil would not be here today. "We managed to patch it up quickly, we had all the supplies."

Thank god for Tommy's accident-prone childhood. The habit of stocking a first aid kit that could put most physicians to shame had never really left Phil. And he was grateful for it now.

"That's good," Techno said and immediately dove under again. Phil figured he was tired and didn't want to chat.

But it kept happening after that. Techno stayed under most of the time, sleeping in this cave or swimming in between the weeds. Phil was glad that the aquarium hadn't broken during the break-in because it would have been a chore to remake it. When Techno did come up, it was only to receive food. He never asked questions and never made small talk. When one of them came close to the aquarium, he usually hid between the plants.

It reminded Phil a bit of before, when he'd just saved Techno from the market.

The only time the mermaid initiated conversation was when Tommy was there.

"Can you do the book thing again?" Techno asked. He kept his voice even, close to monotone. As if he didn't really care either way.

"Yeah, sure!" Tommy hurried to go grab one of Phil's travel logs. "I can read it to you-"

"No thanks," Techno said.

Smile faltering a bit, Tommy came to a stop next to the table. "Oh, just set it up for you then?" He was trying not to sound disappointed.

"I'm trying to learn how to read," Techno explained. "Looking at the text helps."

Though Phil could feel that wasn't all there was to it.

Maybe Techno just needed space? What had happened to him was rather traumatic, and despite it not being Phil's fault - or any of their faults - it was once again an occurrence of Techno being reduced to an object by humans. A treasure to be sold for money and not a person with his own voice or choices. Maybe Techno needed some time alone and he'd be better.

He hadn't even asked what had happened to Quackity.

Phil asked Wilbur and Tommy on the second day, after he woke up from his deep sleep. Wilbur totally grinned like a madman and Tommy puffed out his chest proudly.

"We kicked his ass, is what we did!" his youngest son said with pride.

"Did you now?" Phil asked.

"I don't think we'll be seeing him around town again anytime soon," Wilbur added.

Phil supposed that was only right after all the man had done. As remorseful as he had always felt about Quackity's lot in life and how it could drive any man to make mistakes, this time he had gone too far. This was something even Phil wasn't sure he could come back from. There certainly would be no forgiveness to be found from within their family.

He was simply glad no lives had been lost in the debacle.

Techno stayed reclusive for a while longer. Phil let him, both because he figured being left alone is what he'd prefer right now and because he was finally recovered enough to get onto the more physically strenuous part of his new project. They had to dig a pit in their backyard that was big enough to reinforce the sides and still fit Techno perfectly.

Since if everything went to plan, this pond would be where the mermaid could live.

At least until he was healed enough to be released into the river. But the kidnapping had been a bit of a setback, Techno had lost a lot of the weight he'd finally put on. While his scales weren't the molted grey of near-death anymore, they hadn't quite gotten the vibrancy Phil wanted to see in them to feel secure in letting Techno brave the wild. The aquarium was certainly serviceable, but the pond was both bigger and closer to a tiny mermaid's natural biome. More sunlight and space could only be a good thing.

Phil would install a filtration system to make sure the water was clean and rich in oxygen, as well as heating pads to keep the water warm. Techno was still in a weak condition; so he hoped the heating would help.

Then the day came that he was walking into the house to take a break from the digging, dirt smeared on his pants and stuck under his nails. And Techno finally came up to splash the water and draw his attention.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He hadn't been told what they were working on.

"It's a surprise," Phil said mischievously. Techno kind of frowned at that.

"I don't get it," he said eventually.

"You will when we show it to you."

"No." Techno scowled, annoyed. "I don't get why you're doing any of this, I don't-" He swam forward, pressing his hands against the glass. "Why did you safe me, Phil?"

The question came so out of left field Phil could only stare for a decent five seconds.

"Because Quackity had taken you and I wasn't about to let you die-"

"I mean from the market. In general." Techno's claws scratched into the glass when he curled his hands into fists. "I don't get it, what are you getting out of all this?"

Phil sighed, dropping his shoulders. "I don't get anything out of this, really."

Water sprayed up when Techno pushed off to go back down. Phil took a hurried step forward.

"I know the world has been a bitch to you, but not everybody wants something all the time, Techno. Sometimes people just do kind things because they're decent fucking people."

He could see how badly Techno wanted to ignore that. But with a roll of the eyes, he did come to the surface again.

"You're being serious?" he asked, to which Phil nodded. "You're telling me you never bought me with the intention to eat me?"

"Not even for a second," Phil said, "and those legends are all bullshit anyway."

Techno let his chin fall, pink hair framing his face so Phil couldn't see his expression. "Bruh…"

"Have you spent all this time thinking-"

The mermaid didn't let him finish, going to hide in his cave. Phil wanted to laugh but that would probably be cruel, so he just shook his head instead.

Maybe it would be better to let Techno stew in that for a bit and draw his own conclusions. Besides, Phil didn't have time for this. They needed so much water to fill their pond. And Tommy and Wilbur both had a bucket with their name on it waiting on them. Phil would put both those little shits to work whether they wanted to or not.

When Techno saw the result, it'd be more than worth it.