AN: Due to its long word count, I have to separate this one-shot in two chapters. It's a double upload today! Make sure to read both Part 1 (the previous chapter before this one) and Part 2 on Mr. Shark's own special one-shot moment.

Strong warning for Part 2, however. There's actually gonna be a scene where there's fake blood. But it's not gonna be lovely.

Special Short #3 - Mr. Shark, Part 2

Thelma loved being in the zone. She shared the same power as her father. Not needing to worry about becoming like Oliver. So it was a shame that her luck ran out once that shark guy appeared for tonight's drama play.

Though, to be fair, she rarely stayed back at night under her father's conditions. Surely that wouldn't include transferring buckets of 'paint' to the science room.

She whined the whole way, half of her face coated in reddish pink. Waddling out from the science room, she looked down at the forming puddle underneath her feet. There was a shade of pink, but the red shade overtook it. Even when it became harderned, it would become fully red. It was already spreading through the corridor, right into the open area of the building.

Her nose wiggled and she caught the sniff of warm strawberries.

Such a sweet parting…

"Screw needing to keep electricity low as possible, Dad," growled Thelma, trying to keep her hands down. They were shaking in the temptation to rub her face in exasperation, uncaring if she would mess herself more. "I'm gonna turn the lights on when I need it."

With an agitated sigh, she bent down to inspect the solidifying puddle underneath her, mindful of curling her clean tail upwards. The puddle was still liquid, only minutes away from hardening. If she didn't clean this up, this would look like puddles of blood splattered around. She dipped her finger into the puddle, not expecting it to be now covered in red slime instead of the wet liquid it used to be.

"Why does this facility need this 'artificial blood'?" she grumbled. "It made from sugar. It's not even practical-"

"Oh, don't worry, Kitty! I just need to find the bathroom!" declared the Shark's voice from before. "...wait, is it on the ground floor?"

Thelma's first instinct was to hide. She felt exposed like it was a crime scene. But that would make her a coward to leave behind this mess. She looked around the corner, checking left and right for any witnesses. Empty. But when she looked to the right, she spotted the whistling Shark approaching the staircase.

Thelma looked down at the fake blood beneath her. She looked back up at Shark, whose eyes closed in a carefree whistle. The melody was nearly enchanting, but despite her wagging tail, a horrible idea came to mind.

"You know that you savages were all created to start a REAL problem."

The truth was all too good to ignore. The Bad Guys weren't supposed to be on their ground. But Thelma was powerless to have them pay for their crimes. She couldn't exactly get them to be lower than the worthy ones…unless she showed that they were REALLY low.

Sharks like blood, right?

Thelma frowned on the implication of what could REALLY happen if Shark sniffed this. But maybe there were guards nearby, so they would hear her screams if he attacked her.

It was a risky idea. A stupid one as well. Thelma was smart enough to see through this. She tried to rationalize many ways of coming clean.

But her worry about her father not having the evidence needed to prove their word won her over. It was the only thing she could rely on in this world.

She could frame Shark for tasting blood.

She could prove Shark to be the monster.

And thus, her father wouldn't be called disabled ever again.

It was worth a shot.

As quietly as possible, she hid back inside the dark science classroom and waited. To her surprise, Shark didn't even notice the puddle spreading across the floor as he arrived on the ground floor.

He was still whistling away, his eyes closed in content. His dorsal fin wagged in rhythm and his golden earring made clicking sounds that filled the air with percussion. He still felt proud in encouraging Pam to rise. To him, it was a good thing! The girl still had a lot of opportunities for her, even if she was nervous or couldn't move around that much.

Besides, leaving a good impression on Melbourne, even if small, was a bonus. Both as a mercenary-for-hire and a supervisor for the underrated.

Alas, he had to remind himself to look where he needed to go as the puddle was really slippery.

Planting a foot on the fake blood, he spun upwards in a circle and crashed on his back comically.

Thelma inhaled sharply, cringing at the appearance of Shark bleeding from the back of his head. Seconds thoughts were developing again at the wrong moment.

Eventually, Shark woke up. He blinked a couple of times, disoriented. Unaware that a good amount of the red liquid splattered on the left side of his face. Getting up on his knees, he groaned, rubbing the bump on his head. He wondered who would leave a huge puddle of water in such a tidy place.

But when he opened his eyes, he froze.

The floor was red.

Where did the blood come from?

The answer was not given with the only one who knew passively watching. Thelma remained in the dark to see a change in reaction. Shark was blinking, so that was one. A human response. Shark's blank look didn't change. He was shocked. He slowly recognized what he was sitting in. His head was slowly shaking, unable to keep his eyes off the puddle.

For a brief moment, Thelma swore that in his eyes, he thought he was dreaming. A horror he couldn't look away like a bad dream.

Shark pressed his hand against the puddle and lifted it back up. The liquid on his hand was thick.

Unknown to her, Shark's mind began to go haywire. A gradual panic to a meltdown.

Thelma squinted her eyes when Shark's pupils shrank. She expected his eyes to become fully black, but this was different. Or maybe it was due to her watching too much of Finding Nemo. Maybe it was a more realistic display of Shark's predatory instincts. Especially the way his body was slowly trembling.

In Shark's eyes, he could smell flesh. He didn't know where. There was still flesh around. From a dead body? Lovely, he thought through his racing thoughts. A familiar scream echoed in the back of his head. The blood beneath him had the same rusty, salty smell. It was tasty. He looked behind, hoping someone was around.

"Is anyone here?" he called worriedly.

No response. He looked back and found a nibbled human skull in the puddle.

Thelma narrowed her eyes when Shark slowly backed away with a small gasp. He was carrying something invisible, only to retract the hand as it disappeared in his vision. The dachshund dog didn't expect to see Shark glancing around frantically. She wondered if this was him trying to fight his instincts or something persisting in his head.

She couldn't understand why Shark started to appear so…helpless.

The terror in his eyes told her of refusing to believe what he saw. Instead of licking the blood, he was crawling away.

Things felt more surreal when he began to hyperventilate. Thelma's sharp ears picked up his shallow breathing. His chest kept heaving up and down, his mouth hung open to gasp for fresh air. His eyes began darting to every corner of the building. There was nothing else in this room, but that was what Thelma thought.

What was really in front of her was Shark's fear more vivid than ever before.

However, she noticed how slow Shark was taking this, unsure if he would return to ground.

Thelma clenched her teeth when Shark raised both his hands up to his face. They were coated red. A scream through his lips, his eyes bugging out. He began spitting. It started as a little dribble. Then, the saliva spat out all over came in mouthfuls. Buckets. He hadn't touch his tongue with the puddle, but he was already trying to get it all out of his mouth.

He even began trying to wipe his mouth. His lips turned redder, but they never even seeped through his teeth. All he kept doing was trying to spill his guts in terror and disgust. It was sickening. It was horrible.

This wasn't what Thelma expected at all.

She didn't expect him to whimper as well! Here, Mr. Shark, breaking into a shivering, pathetic sob at the sight of fake blood. For a moment, she saw him as a defenseless person than a feral animal acting out of control. Thelma nearly forgot to stay under cover, peeking out of the dark for a better look. Shark looked utterly pitiful, his eyes reminding Thelma of a child's eyes..

The giant shark only raised his voice when he got up onto his feet and started backing away, only to crash down into a couple of tables. The unexpected touch prompted him to scream and this caused him to collapse with the rest of the tables. He turned back at the puddle of red, clutching his head in hysteria. What would look mundane turned into a literal crime scene he couldn't unsee.

"Someone?" he called through hitched breaths. "Someone here?!"

Thelma's eyes widened. He was close to crying.

"Someone?! Yell if you can!"

When there was no one, Shark could only smell the rotten flesh and the blood. All the things Oscar told him they were meant to enjoy and feast on. From all of their torment on the prisoners, the experiments and the bloody ends Oscar's victims met. Their screams when Shark could see they didn't deserve it. He didn't know why, but they didn't.

His vision was going red like blood was poured all over him. Nothing felt safe anymore. He wanted to run away, but innocent screams echoed through every corner of this labyrinth. Shark's hand found itself clutching his painful chest, needing to hold onto it. His heart felt like it wanted to pop out and run. HE wanted to run, but he couldn't.

The taste in his mouth was growing stronger.

He hated how tasty it was.

And all he could hear was the same scream of the innocent girl who turned on him.

"Someone!" he screamed in desperation. "SOMEONE! I NEED HELP! ANYONE?!"

His eyes were manic, but Thelma saw no malice in them. Only terror.

Shark's chest was hurting, but he kept his voice loud to send ANY kind of signal. "PLEASE! SOMEONE GOT HURT! SOMEONE'S HURT!"

There were only cries for help. Something Thelma was familiar with. Something she knew whenever someone needed help or was hurt. And she didn't expect to feel guilty from this…

This was the opposite of sharks. They never screamed for help. It reminded her of Wolf's sudden anger outburst earlier today. And to Thelma's own horror, this was far from pretending to be innocent.

Shark was having a genuine panic attack.

Even though Shark stopped screaming due to how painful his stomach was, the noise attracted the attention of people upstairs. Kitty was the first. Then Truman. A bunch of concerned adults arrived. None of them expected a panicking Shark trying to keep his distance from the red puddle.

Many looked like they were preparing to run.

However, immediately, they noticed that the puddle didn't look too red at all. It was still liquid. It was a little…pinkish and gooey.

"Shark!" shouted Kitty, running towards Shark. "Shark! You're alright?"

Shark barely heard her. In his head, he could only hear those past screams. His physical hearing, on the other hand, only consisted of ringing in his ears. He shielded his eyes, not wanting to see any more red. He didn't even feel the table behind him. Everything else nearly felt so far away.

"Shark," said Kitty, shaking his shoulders. "Shark! Please, can you hear me? L-L…Lou? Can…you hear me?"

When Shark didn't respond, the panther's shoulders drooped, nearly defeated. She wanted to take him away, but he might refuse to budge. Immediately, the only thing she could do was wrap her arms around Shark's body, wanting to pull him back from his trance.

And then, Shark felt warm arms around him. This time, it wasn't from the warm blood seeping down his mouth. In fact, these arms were gently pressing against his body. They weren't trying to strangle him. He could feel them. He was…safe at last.

Oscar was about to ask again when his son suddenly wrapped his arms around his chest. The poor kid clenched his hands into fists as if trying to make the most of this moment.

He did the same to Kitty, wrapping his arms around her gently. Tears were stinging in his eyes. As he forced himself to open them, he found his vision slowly returning to its original colors. He could hear Kitty's distant voice telling him to breathe slowly.

And hearing these words, he took a couple of breaths. He tried concentrating on keeping his breathing steady.

Thelma placed a hand over her mouth. She didn't know what her father would feel about this.

Truman followed next. He eyed the red puddle and suddenly, he was starting to grow paranoid. He didn't know why he was growing scared by…all of this. But then, he acted without thinking about it.

"Shark," he whispered. "What did you do?"

Shark was in the middle of hearing his heartbeat slowing down when it went faster again. "What?"

Truman turned to him with a look of disbelief. "What…did you do?"

Feeling a proper grip on reality, Shark could check his surroundings. Many people were watching him with confused and disgruntled looks. He looked back at the red splatters on his hands and clothes. Like a real shark. He felt ashamed. He was close to crying again.

"I didn't do it…" he could only choke out. "I found that puddle of blood right there."

Truman narrowed his eyes. "Shark…"

"Truman, hold on here," said Kitty, standing between the two.

Truman paused, trying to think rationally. "Then, who did-who did you see do…?"

"Shark didn't do anything," confirmed Thelma, out of hiding.

A round of collective gasps at the sight of a tainted, ruffled Thelma coming in. Compared to Shark, she looked arguably injured. She took a few reluctant, shaky steps forward. She was scared and it wasn't because of Shark. But she couldn't live a lie, at the very least, that caused something severe like this.

Shark was nearly inclined to run away, grabbing Kitty's hand.

"Hold on, don't…overreact?" said Thelma, raising her hands. "Wait, is that the right term? Know what? No matter! This isn't real blood!"

Truman didn't see any cuts on Thelma, but he didn't like the implications. "What?"

Sydney was one of the few students who came by. Close to the puddle, she crouched down and stared at it long and go. Despite the puddle drying up, she could still see the pinkness in it. With her fingernails, she peeled a small piece of the puddle. It easily peeled off like cake dough. She didn't want to do this, but she had to.

She placed it inside her mouth, chewing it.

Shark groaned, feeling sick. "No…please don't…"

"Taste like strawberries," announced Sydney. "...this isn't real blood. It's artificial blood! My science class used this for a team experiment."

Thelma nodding confirmed the case.

This subversion of denial got the crowd muttering to themselves. Shark smacked his lips, finally tasting the blood. It didn't taste salty. He directed his eyes at Thelma.

Shark looked like a dog who got punched in the face, hurt. "Why?"

"It was a test," blurted out Thelma without thinking.

Shark was seconds away from wanting to hide, embarrassed by his 'overreaction'. "A test?"

"...well, it's kind of obvious?" claimed Thelma with a hopeful look that it was the right thing to say. "I really had to check if he was dangerous or not! You know how sharks are! Lucky that it happened here or he would eat you all…"

"Shut up, Miss Dreary," said a voice from upstairs.

Pam.

Her father gave her a glare, only for her to shoot one back at him.

"Excuse me?" asked Thelma, confused.

"Just shut up," growled Pam back at Thelma.

Thelma had no words for this. She wanted to say that her father would do the same, but it wouldn't be worth dragging him into this. Besides, it didn't look like the appropriate thing to do.

Almost everyone in the crowd decided to depart, heading back to the theatre room. A few muttered that it was just an awful prank. The amount of people who feared the worst was incredibly small compared to everyone disgusted by Thelma's 'test'. Nobody was willing to snack around for long.

Sydney caught up with Pam and the two of them turned to Thelma with astonished looks. Neither of them knew what would become of one of their teachers.

Despite the collective disbelief, Shark had something different. This sick joke over his animal stereotype…he was so mad he couldn't even snarl. When Thelma met his eyes, she jumped back. However, she only seemed to come closer when she saw the pained, betrayed look Shark could only give. He didn't want to be around her anymore.

His feet were shaking as he got himself up. His body remained slouched as he slowly walked towards the staircase. He didn't know if his energy would return. Shark never expected to feel this hurt ever since Wolf seemingly double-crossed him and the others. In fact, he didn't want to feel like himself. He only proved to his father that he was weak.

Kitty followed along with a comforting hand on his back.

Thelma heard Truman approaching her.

"What the hell are you thinking?" said Truman, his agitation barely concealed by his normally chill exhibition.

"What's up with the language?" muttered Thelma dumbly. "OK, cut the act. Are you on HIS side?"

Truman was outraged, his lips trembling. "H-His side?! What…what are you so afraid of, Thelma? Did you have to scare us? I nearly called the police for…" He motioned to the red coating her body. "...this?"

Thelma could tell Truman was close to shouting at her. She sensed that even one of her nicest students could lose his temper. She could imagine her father saying the same thing with nearly calling the police. It was justified. It was already a bad idea and she could acknowledge that guilt. But there was a much stronger guilt towards what she did to the surprisingly civil shark.

Truman grunted, placing a hand above his forehead as he tried to control his breathing. "Your dad will eventually hear about this. Just figure out your messed up mind and call the janitor."

Truman stomped away, but it wasn't like Thelma wanted to convince him again. She could tell he would leave the university anyway.

Shark suddenly stopped, the words from Truman echoing in his head. He had to wonder as well. At the start, Thelma didn't appear too mean until he revealed his true identity. Maybe a little submissive to her father. And now, it was clear that she and her father were messed up.

Despite feeling overwhelmingly betrayed, he found himself growing curious.

"I still don't get it, Thelma," he said quietly. "You called me by my real name, but you treat me like an animal."

Thelma gulped. "You're talking to me?"

"Shark, we don't need to," said Kitty, glaring at Thelma. "We can just-"

"Let him finish," muttered Thelma, biting her lip.

This was what allowed Shark to turn back around. He hated feeling angry, but he was. It made him remember her bad influence on Wolf and Snake And when he thought she and her father were harmless, Thelma had to 'test' him like this. He did provoke her, but he didn't mean being THIS desperate to prove her 'point'.

His eyes hurt again when he narrowed them. When he saw the fake blood on Thelma's face. A memory of his father mauling his prisoners. It was thankfully more manageable to put aside in the comfort of others around him, but it didn't save Shark from feeling upset.

"I-I cannot even look at you without seeing you as a corpse!" he said with a shake of his head. "You're not the first to try 'testing' me, but this is…the worst!"

"I didn't know you had hemophobia!" insisted Thelma. "How should I know you react this way?"

"Maybe it would be better if you recognize Wolf's tempers for who knows how long," deadpanned Shark. "You want to know why I'm here? To see if you're not scheming. Diane wanted me to check on you. I would have ignored it, but because we're bad guys, then…"

He trailed off, feeling tears forming. It was worse than being insulted. He hated seeing his friends at the same low he felt now. He remembered Snake becoming quieter. Him dropping his guard for the first time in years was the scariest thing ever. He remembered Wolf's recent meltdowns. Thelma only cut the last straw and it worried Wolf about his father's state.

Shark winced to himself, feeling sick. "...if you spent time with Wolf as kids, then you might know how hard it is for him."

Thelma's old ego slowly returned on the accusation of needing to do better. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know there were mental issues. Maybe my father is disabled, but that's not an excuse for anyone to be freaking aimless!"

Shark snorted. "Judgy much? OK, maybe I'm a coward. Maybe I was afraid of being open and thus acted out. You and your father aren't so different. You decided to hate Wolf and Snake before they became infamous."

Thelma was bewildered. "Hate?" She laughed dryly without humor. "Isn't it obvious that we should hate you? It's not like I'm thinking about you like a great piece of arse! Can we just drop it?!"

Shark raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going without knowing exactly why she had this mindset.

Thelma groaned, flustered. "OK, OK. My father is true when he said to never trust those who are likely horrible people. I survived from that. This university nearly didn't. My father knows so. That's the reason why I was safe from molesters, murderers and terrorists."

Shark felt his stomach twisting at the sounds of familial lessons. "And you saw Wolf as one the moment he stepped in?"

Thelma tried thinking back. "…when I first met Oliver in high school, he was quiet. He was willing to listen in class. But a few weeks later, he got into fights. His grades were terrible. I was scared of what he would do to my friends, but I didn't expect him to act…well, abnormal. He never dropped it, especially when people tried being his friend."

Shark's face was unreadable, but his eyes were glossy. Thelma predicted he didn't know Wolf yet.

"I knew he belonged to the 'low life' bubble," continued Thelma, not changing her conflicted look. She actually sounded sincere in what she said. "I immediately pieced together what my father knew. His kind seemed to not care about anything. They only learned whenever it's something fun for them. Doesn't that make them self-absorbed or something?"

Shark couldn't believe the lack of sarcasm or deceit in the dog's voice. She accepted it like a life lesson! That was another scary thing and it told him a lot about why she enacted the sick prank.

"OK…" he said, but refused to drop his frown. "But do you think maybe why you're so zealous is because you're afraid that he and our 'kind' are gonna attack and hate you? So you decide to attack and hate them first?"

From the sidelines, Pam and Sydney gasped. 'Attack' was a strong word. But to their surprise, Thelma didn't share the same sentiment.

"No?" said Thelma, looking away. "Maybe."

Shark hummed, seeing the breaking point. He was starting to feel more in control. And now, he was gonna let Thelma know that she was wasting her time hurting his friends.

"Oliver…or Wolf would say 'yes' as well," he said solemnly. "It's not right for him to lash out as a child. But like yours, that's his way of surviving. You did say he was willing to listen at the start. Maybe he had his own issues that he later believed wouldn't matter anymore if people tried to understand. I know that feeling. And I know that's hard to understand."

Thelma could have shrugged it off, but this was coming from a threatening-looking shark. Yet, he sounded so gentle without forcing her to believe it. She couldn't tell if he was manipulating her, but he knew Wolf as long as she knew.

One thing for sure, she didn't know if his side was exactly safe to follow. It scared her but she felt foolish for failing to understand first.

"Do you think…what he said about my dad was right?" she asked, her body shivering in dread.

Shark shrugged. "That I cannot…answer. But he would have said that out in anger. He wouldn't mean to say it. If anything, you two know the same trick in talking."

Thelma was about to mutter a sarcastic 'thanks' when she came to the realization that she barely saw Shark as an unworthy person at the moment. He was tired, frustrated, saddened. Everything she thought bad guys would get over with. She thought back on Oliver's looks and bells were ringing in her ears.

Maybe Wolf got tired of being nice, so he switched to becoming bad. It was hard for her to see if he had a good side. It was buried away immediately when he burnt bridges on the fact that no one would cross it for him. It reminded Thelma too much of needing to present a good appearance when the world doesn't look out for people like her.

The similarity was unnerving.

"How am I…" Thelma's voice was cracking, confused by the heavy emotion flooding her. "...supposed to know he wasn't gonna hurt me?"

Shark rubbed his face in a mix of unease and exasperation. "It's complicated. Wolf might not be too hard to reach. That's why he trusted Diane when she did. I never saw him so happy when someone understood him so well." He broke into a fond smile, remembering his leader elevated when Diane stepped in. "He really loves hanging around with people. He really does." The smile became bittersweet, disheartened by his unfortunate childhood. "It's an 'if only' but…it could have been different before."

It was clear by Thelma's heavy breathing that it was all crumbling down on her. Not so tough now.

One hand clutched her head, a nervous giggle creeping from her lips. "You're crazy. At least things went well for him when he puts his trust in someone who might be a danger."

"Did it feel safe for you?" questioned Shark. "Isn't this act of 'trying to be safe' needless?"

He wasn't wrong. The disapproving look from Kitty reinforced this. Thelma took the safe path, but in the end, her safe thoughts on looking down on the inferior led her to drastically 'prove' their meaningless. She wanted to deny it since not everything was unfair, but sending him into a panic attack was also unfair.

She thought back to Wolf. How he snapped out of nowhere. How she growled back at him. It didn't make her feel better since she would always despise his head hiding in the sand.

But her father did say that there was nothing to save from bad people like Wolf. He knew that! That's why the most destructive people hurt others and even themselves! That's why they don't have friends! Could there really be a difference if they have the right support?

Shark took note of Thelma trying her damnest to not break down. He decided to spare the tears.

"I'm a criminal, so…I can be wrong," he admitted quietly. "I don't want to hurt people. Wolf doesn't want to hurt people. He's a good person."

"I trust him, Miss Dreary!" said Pam, raising her hand. "He actually helped me with my lines!"

"Yeah, it's true!" agreed Sydney. "I saw it as well. He was like a teacher! And a teddy bear."

Shark blushed. "I wouldn't be here for a while, but I can't help giving tips to fellow performers."

Thelma wanted more, to be really sure. "Why go out of your way to do so?" She sighed, shaking her head. "You acted the same before tonight…"

Shark scowled, rubbing the blood stains over his mouth. This time, they were removed.

"...because I masked a lot," growled Shark, initially sarcastic. "It's not that often recently. I can know the good and bad as well. I'd rather be who I am now than a monster you see. It's not anyone's 'low-life' problem."

He didn't notice that his sorrow was becoming more subdued and directed towards calling Thelma out for her reckless ideals. Shark was already growing stressed. He didn't want a second panic attack. He was already done. With the last remaining energy to remain firm, he came closer to Thelma, bending down to reach her eye level.

"I'll try not to hurt you or your father," he whispered quietly. "The reminder is enough for me."

The fake blood drying on his skin could make him look like a monster. But his eyes were dull. So self-aware, resigned to the fake blood she painted him in. He still got support behind him, but he looked so beat up from the implicit and explicit reminders of what he was. And that was what scared Thelma the most.

The dachshund dog nodded slowly, her lips quivering.

With the message straight, Shark turned away and climbed back up the stairs. A concerned Kitty assisted him. By the time they reached the first floor, Shark's legs were beginning to shake.

"Lou, is what you said to Truman before true?" asked Thelma out of the blue.

Shark was confused. "What?"

"About…" Thelma paused, her voice cracking up badly. "Coming out…as non-binary?"

This was weird, thought Shark. He glanced at Pam, who was shaking her head. Don't give her the satisfaction, she whispered. However, despite feeling angry at Thelma, Shark couldn't help but feel pity for her.

Either it was due to her father or herself, she must have been disillusioned for a long time.

Despite feeling betrayed, Shark did remember Thelma having an interest in him…sort of. The disguise was in the way but the fact she didn't mind until she learned later told him a lot.

"...yeah…it's a bit of an exaggeration back then," muttered Shark. "I don't want to talk about it with you. I'm sorry."

This was what got through to Thelma, her saddened look becoming hardened. Her eyes were left hollowed. With this confirmed, she looked away and walked towards the dried puddle of fake blood. Not even caring as she stepped over it. Probably finding a mop or something.

With her gone, Shark sighed heavily in relief. His chest felt much lighter than before. Kitty remained nearby, her hand still on his back.

Sydney and Pam came close to him, the former pushing the latter's wheelchair.

"That's really brave of you," said Pam in awe. "You're alright?"

Shark didn't know what to say at this point. He was feeling tired and embarrassed. Especially telling Thelma that it was true he wanted to be non-binary. Bloody memories and his father's sneers returned in his vision. They didn't last long. He didn't need to tell himself he was in a different place.

Those two girls were right here. Like the others who saw him, they slowly treated him like an equal. They were trying their best to. Pam's eyes were filled with concern and sympathy. Maybe like worried for an idol or at least how Shark thought. But in a way, it told him that he was already past masking, living in the moment.

Despite feeling tears, he couldn't help smiling in irony.

"You could turn away from her," muttered Pam. "But instead, you talked to her. I'm only human, but I can understand your frustration at being treated differently. If you have the confidence to say all of this, then…maybe I can." She did some jazz hands, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll do."

She really looked up to him now. Shark saw how encouraging he was to these kids. This girl, despite being in a wheelchair, had so many possibilities since she was human, not a shark. But that being said, it got Shark thinking about what she went through herself and the likely implication of how Thelma grew up seeing things.

He glanced at Sydney, who gave a warm smile. Surprisingly, his insecurities seemed to fall apart, replaced by happy gratitude bubbling to the surface.

Shark chuckled, feeling relaxed. "I'll do as well!"

"You still want to see the play?" asked Pam.

"We don't have to stay for long," said Kitty gently.

Shark shook his head. "I…I think I'll stay to watch. It's alright. I still want to see what you girls can do."

Pam beamed. "Looks like we'll do."

"Yep!" said Sydney. "But seriously, you might want to clean yourself. Bathroom is down the left hallway and then on the right."

Shark whistled, standing upwards. "Well…I should ask earlier."

"Forgive me if I sound crude," said Kitty. "But…you look badass with the blood over you."

Even though Shark would find it annoying, her compliment was so terrible that it got him laughing.

"Whoa, there, Kill Bill," he said, punching her shoulder gently. "One step at a time. I still prefer a red-colored dress."

AN: A significant moment of this chapter was cut. It's gonna be Shark having intense hallucinations. But it wouldn't make sense since the rest of the story won't have this for him aside from the trigger of blood. So, I made it ambiguous. It's a lot more scarier from Thelma's perspective. I'll let you all theorize what Shark saw the entire time.

In this AU, we have Shark's mother who is named Judy! I decided to have her being the reason why Shark grew up to be the master of disguise we all know. It's also here where there are some positive moments between him and his father.

Fun fact: the specific scene of the movie they were watching is actually real! The problem is, I have no idea which film adaptation of Macbeth was.

Kitty and Shark's brief joke about needing to 'make amends' upon saying the 'Scottish Play' is actually a reference to the episode 'Sense and Senility' in Blackadder. King Halloween was actually the one who showed me this. It would be used fully in a scrapped story, but I managed to find a way to use it back here. Thanks for the idea, mate!

The conversation between Shark and Thelma took some inspiration from a certain scene in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. This one really unpacks the perspective of a 'normal person' fearing and hating a 'monster'. It is more complicated and while unpredictable, attacking first isn't healthy, even if you believe you're righteous. And Shark does the only thing Thelma is too scared to do: readily offering help instead of burning bridges.

This is an impassioned scene I put my heart into, reflecting on my own temptations when writing Thelma. I have a later chapter that will explain a bit more about the intention. For now, I can say that she's probably a darker version of Gumbo.

You know the drill. Favorite or follow if you like, review and stay tuned for the next act. Let me know what you think as I'll need heavy constructive criticism on this one. Until then, keep on rocking!