Work Text:
It had been a long day.
As Vaseraga sat there under the shimmering stars, seated on the shore, he thought about how long a day it had been. Work. People. The time and space in between, walking about from one to the other. Nothing bad had happened, in particular, but nothing good had happened either, and it hadn’t for a damn while. As the waves washed back and forth over his feet, he realized just how sore they’d gotten. Busy days were just a part of his life —weren’t they a part of everyone’s? — but this one in particular just had him tired .
He didn’t think about it for long, though. Within minutes of sitting there, alone, immersed in the sand beneath him and the water beside him and the just-slightly-chilly, salty sea air that flowed in and out of his nostrils and lungs, he felt so overwhelmed by the sensations of the world around him that he couldn’t think of anything else. That was the plan, of course. That was why he came out here. This little beach, away from everything, tucked away in a corner of town no one ever really thought to visit and cut off from the rest of the coastline, was the perfect little getaway spot for when everything else just exhausted him.
Clothes discarded neatly atop a rock, Vaseraga stepped into the water in nothing but his boxers and began to float.
——————
It had been a long day.
As Eustace drifted aimlessly along the water’s surface, he thought about how long a day it had been. Even deep in the sea, life could be a drag. The complex web of relationships one had to navigate could be no less unbearable for a mermaid than it could for a landwalker, and it was certainly no pleasant time for Eustace that day. It was just annoying , all the expectations one had to deal with from others. He wasn’t struggling to meet them, and none were particularly unreasonable, but sometimes, he just wanted a break . As the water bobbed his head up and down on its waves, he realized just how cloudy his mind had gotten. Tough days were just a part of his life —weren’t they a part of everyone’s? — but this one in particular just had him tired .
He didn’t think about it for long, though. Within minutes of feeling the fresh breeze along his exposed front, the mix of foamy surface water on his gills and unfamiliar air on his lips, and the way the uniquely erratic pushing of the waves sent him around all came together to overwhelm his senses and make it impossible to think about anything else. That was just how he liked it. Few people came up here, of course; most mermaids preferred to stay underwater where it was familiar and predictable, and he was certainly no exception… most of the time. When everything else just exhausted him, this was his perfect getaway spot.
Occasionally flapping his tail this way or that with no eyes on what was around him, Eustace rested atop the water and continued to float.
——————
Bonk.
Two quiet grunts sounded out over the empty expanse of the open sea. Assuming he’d simply hit some kind of flotsam or jetsam, Eustace casually pushed aside and continued floating. Strange, given none sailed this small sea, but not unheard of.
Vaseraga, however, was not so lucky, and had entered himself into a dreamlike haze after nearly a half hour of floating. A competent swimmer, he had no fear of drifting out to sea and making his way back later, but the shock had momentarily roused him into a panic as he began to thrash in an attempt to right himself. Yet before he could, he found a pair of helping hands under his arms, wrapping about to stabilize him and hold him upright. Turning his head in a rush, he felt a stinging pain on the side of his face as his horn slammed into something hard, then heard a groan.
Eustace had noticed that whatever he bumped into was not debris but a swimmer when it started thrashing, and in exchange for his attempt to help he received a rough thwack from the horn of the evidently Draph man who he held on to. Mercifully, the two seemed to compose themselves enough to settle down after that small physical misunderstanding. Unfortunately, Eustace’s uncoordinated attempt to secure Vaseraga resulted in his hands right atop the man’s broad, bare chest, arms strained to wrap around it and palms practically cupping his tits in another physical misunderstanding. Both men paused for a moment as the awkward realization set in, before Eustace ended it by pulling away and counting on Vaseraga to tread water on his own.
Cough. “Thanks for the help,” mumbled Vaseraga, clearly still somewhat disoriented by the strangeness of what was happening.
“Don’t mention it. It’s not very common to see landwalkers out this way, though. Especially not so far from shore.”
“Landwal-...” the reality was setting in for Vaseraga as what he was across from finally dawned on him. Mermaids weren’t unheard of, but most would go their entire lives without seeing one for self-evident reasons. “Oh, I get it. Could say the same to you, then. Don’t mermaids tend to stay near the seafloor?”
Hm. He was taking this all surprisingly well. “Well, I guess we’re a pair of eccentrics.”
“Hah, can’t deny that.” It felt to Vaseraga like the two were a pair of strangers sitting at a bar rather than drifting out at sea. Eustace’s perspective on the situation was quite similar, with one key distinction. Being used to the low light of the deep sea, he had no trouble making out Vaseraga’s features in the moonlight, and he was utterly stricken by them. His strong jaw, his contemplative eyes, his stoic expression that couldn’t help betray the smallest grin at that last remark. Eustace could feel that the Draph across him was a kindred spirit, but more pressingly at the moment he could see that the Draph across him was incredibly hot.
He also noticed that neither of them had said anything for a few seconds, and it was getting rather awkward. Opening his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by the sound of a loud, rolling wave approaching them rapidly. Both men were familiar enough with the sea to hear it, and Vaseraga shot to attention, any disorientation he’d been experiencing about the situation disappearing instantaneously as he focused up. One loud, watery crash turned to two, then three, then four, increasingly violent and increasingly frequent. Normally, Vaseraga would be perfectly capable of swimming his way back to shore before the tumultuous waters got too severe, but there was the small issue that neither man had any idea which way it was to shore from here. Before panic could set in, however, Eustace put his hand on the Draph’s shoulder.
Instinctually, Vaseraga lifted his own broad palm to bat the Erune’s away. He was not an especially emotionally available man, and a situation like this triggered impulses in him to fend for himself and handle it, even with how little of a shot he felt he had right now. Yet, knowing their spirits kindred in that regard, Eustace expected the motion, strengthening his grip on the shoulder and looking Vaseraga earnestly in the eyes.
“I can handle this. If you just let me use some magic, you’ll be safe from the storm. I just need you to calm down and prepare to go under.”
Go under? Vaseraga certainly didn’t like the sound of that, and he certainly didn’t trust Eustace enough to simply ignore how risky this was. “I-...” He paused. The lull in his panic granted by having to consider the offer for a moment managed to calm him enough that he realized his odds without help were probably not worth taking. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Right, okay. I’m with you. I’ll… just calm down.”
Shutting his eyes, he slowed his paddling doing his best to stay as gentle on the roughening waters as he could. He kept himself as high above the water as possible, chest rising over the ripples that nipped at him as he kept his mouth and nose in the air. He felt something somewhat slick run over his chest, but he stayed composed and resisted the urge to flail in response. After his mind adjusted to the jarring texture, he realized that it was a pair of hands and forearms, wrapping around him from the sternum to over his shoulders as he then felt Eustace take the weight off him from behind, the mermaid’s body supporting his entire back.
And then, Vaseraga felt sleepy. Really, he felt woozy, but in such a calm and inoffensive way that sleepy seemed a better descriptor. His eyes having been shut already, the sounds on his ears fell away, and the world went fully dark.
——————
What seemed to be moments later, Vaseraga shot upright once more, jolting awake. Looking around, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. It was a home, though not one like he’d ever seen before.
Putting aside the obvious jarring point of everything being under water, he also noticed that all the furniture was either built into the walls or bound to the floor. He felt some soft padding beneath him, but it wasn’t fluffy like one may expect from cushioning. Rather, it felt… Well, slick, like most things. Looking down, he realized he was sitting on lightly packed but very well-woven seaweed, fashioned into a pillow for the armchair-like structure chiseled into the wall beneath him. Across the room, sitting on what seemed to be a bed chiseled into the opposite wall with a mattress of similar construction to the cushion he sat in, was Eustace. The Erune illuminated by what appeared to be some kind of glowing coral that had been placed all around the room, Vaseraga finally got a good look at his savior. He wasn’t sure if it was the emotions, the atmosphere, or just the fact that the man really did look that good, but the Draph felt himself blush, a sensation rather odd when fully underwater like this.
Shifting, Eustace finally noticed that Vaseraga was awake, and he effortlessly floated over to welcome him. “Ah, er… hey there. I know it’s not much, and it’s probably pretty jarring for a landwalker, but this is my place.”
“It definitely is jarring,” said Vaseraga, watching a little minnow swim in through a window and out through another. “But I can see the appeal. My place isn’t too different, obvious elements excluded. Small, minimalist, but comfortable. I’m assuming this seat is supposed to be comfortable.”
Letting out a small but amused chuckle, Eustace shrugged. “Yea, seaweed cushions aren’t usually landwalker favorites, but we like ‘em. They’re more accommodating for our tails.” Vaseraga could imagine that much. “Anyway, though, you don’t need to stick around too long. If we follow the seafloor, I should be able to recognize the way back to your shoreline.”
Going along with Eustace’s words, Vaseraga “stood” up, only to immediately stumble forward and drift for a moment until he started instinctively thrashing, until he felt a weight on his back and then suddenly the floor beneath him, his front laid against it. Above, he could hear the mermaid snickering. Eustace had gently pushed him down, and it sent the Draph drifting until he landed on the floor, now looking up unamused at his company.
“Maybe I should get my bearings before we try to go anywhere,” said Vaseraga in a dry, slow drawl.
“That might be a good idea,” retorted Eustace, “but it’s getting pretty late. Do you have anyone waiting up for you? You can stay the night, if you’d like.”
The Draph didn’t even consider how weird it was that he was willing to stay the night underwater with a half-fish Erune, too busy thinking about what he’d said. Yea, Vaseraga really didn’t have anyone waiting up for him, huh? So long as he was back to work the next day, no one could really tell the difference between him going home and passing out after work or him ending up at the bottom of the ocean. Slowly, he rose to his feet, floating upright after that to be eye level with Eustace. He found himself more intuitively capable of rising and falling as necessary with every moment.
“Yea, that sounds like it’d be for the best. Is there any kind of… I dunno, hygiene I should be concerned about down here? I mean, I don’t imagine you shower or use mouthwash.”
Letting out another small laugh, Eustace gently helped Vaseraga towards the other side of the room where the bed was. “Well, nothing that’d matter if you didn’t do it for one night down here. I think you’re good to just head to sleep.”
Slowly, Vaseraga lowered onto the bed, finding his balance as he sunk into the seaweed. Blown up from cushion to mattress size, it was actually much more comfortable. He noticed there were no blankets, but rather a series of floating, ropey bands off to the side. On the opposite end of the bed were a few rods sticking out of the wall.
“You just pull a couple of those over you and fasten them there. They’re not tight, but they keep you from floating away if the current shifts.” Eustace had already made his way half across the room towards the armchair. Looking up from the strange bed and noticing, Vaseraga reached out to him.
“Oi, oi, hold on - are you going to sleep on a chair and offer me your bed? I can’t accept that.”
“Come on, you’re the one who’s out of his element here. I can sleep in a seat just fine, but you’ll probably have trouble even sleeping in a bed.”
“All the more reason not to worry about me and get your rest. You’re the one guiding me back in the morning, aren’t you?”
“Don’t bother, I can rest perfectly fine over here.”
Vas was realizing this wouldn’t go anywhere. Throwing his hands up, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “At the least, we could share it!”
There was a pause. It was long and awkward, both men considering the positions they had respectively found themselves in, neither sure where they wanted this to go or how it’d get there. The attraction went both ways, and the lack of attachment was mutually appealing, neither man the best at a strong emotional connection, but… well, it was just weird, wasn’t it? Jarring. Strange.
Eustace had nonchalantly floated his way over to the bed, his body simply letting him drift without his mind making much sense of it. Vaseraga, likewise, had reached out to hold his arm, keeping him nearby so he wouldn’t drift back. Gently, the mermaid pushed the Draph back into the mattress, pulling across the bands to secure him in place.
“Don’t you need to get under those too?”
“Come on, they obviously wouldn’t fit us both, dumbass… my bed isn’t really made for two.” Gently, Eustace worked his way into the crevice, laying atop Vaseraga. Carefully working his arms in, he tucked them against the Draph’s larger ones. “This, uh… this is what you were going for, right?”
Vaseraga considered the question. It was, really. He didn’t quite accept it initially, but it really was. Carefully, he ran his hands up to wrap them around Eustace’s back, making sure not to irritate any frills or gills he may have found beneath them. There weren’t any there, but it was the thought that counted. As he pulled the man into himself, he realized that this was a situation where there really was no difference between them. Waterlogged and swayed by the current, it still felt just like every embrace he’d had before. As if trying to ease into the atmosphere, he parted his lips slightly to plant a kiss atop the Erune’s head.
Sputtering slightly, he realized that even if he could breathe like this, that didn’t mean water wouldn’t flow into his mouth and slap the back of his throat, catching him off guard as he coughed. The sound was drowned out by Eustace’s laughter at the display, the Erune taking the initiative to instead “kiss” Vaseraga by rubbing his face into the man’s neck. Reciprocating, the Draph brought his own mouth down into the spot he had initially intended to lay a kiss on, brushing it back and forth in the little nest of floating hair affectionately. He raised up his arms, wrapping them around Eustace’s back to keep him close. Grinning, Eustace let out a relieved sigh right into the broad, muscular mattress below.
“I definitely can’t drift away like this.”
“I know. I don’t want you to.”