[fanfiction] things your voice daren't say
365 Gay Sharks
Day 39, Word Count: 1282
Theme: February; Voices of the Scorned
This post is part of the 365 Gay Sharks project. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to read more about it. :D
Fandom/Pairings: #y_slash; SOA GSF+Ben Cook
Rating: PG-13
Pre-Notes: Stupid mermaids for you, on this lovely valentine’s day! Vampires will be along soon, hopefully.
Disclaimer: Don't care, don't tell me if you read it, feel free to write about me too if you want, I realize you're straight/bendy/spaghetti in hot water. Trust me, I'm an asexual.
Summary: And then four becomes five.
things your voice daren't say
Tom swims back to them, excited, and Alex most clearly remembers him saying his hair is as red as coral.
Ben's hair is as red as coral, turns brighter when he's sex-flushed and someone is wrapped around him. When there are ten-armed squid hugs and the danger of dehydration and picture after picture of quiet moments between them. When there are foods that aren't fish and seaweed and drinks that bubble and fizz. When there are five of them and not four, when everything became just that tiny bit more complicated.
But that's the end of the story, not the beginning.
----
Once upon a time there were four mermaids that loved each other very much-
No. That isn't right. Once upon a time there were four mermaids who were inseparable. They tried, tried with all their might, to be like all the other mermaids and settle down with mergals and not love each other as much as they did. It didn't go very well, so they mostly stayed away from other people and made music. Occasionally, Tom would go to the surface and watch the people on the beach. Sometimes Ed or Charlie or Alex went with him, but mostly he went alone. There was something odd about that, but it didn't really matter because Tom always came back.
No matter how long he was away, there was always the secure knowledge that Tom would be back because Tom could not bear to be away from them, even if he spends an awful lot of time at the surface.
There's something going on. Tom comes rushing back one day and start speaking hurriedly, words tripping over words. Ed has to wrap his arms around Tom and shhhhh. Tom takes a deep breath and says, slower:
"There's was a human, his hair is red as coral, and he saw me. Swam up to me and I didn't know what to do, so I swam away as fast as I could."
"It okay," Ed say, pulling Tom closer, "you're safe."
"He was pretty," Tom mumbles, "almost as pretty as you lot."
That startles Alex, makes him worry, because they don't toss that around lightly. What they have is strong, but still somehow fragile, and Alex isn't sure it can take the strain of another person. Isn't sure if he wants another person. Alex trusts Tom though, touches his waist lightly and tells him it'll all be okay.
Tom stays in the cave with them for a while after that incident, twisting his tail around Charlie's and watching him flush, pressing kisses to the base of Ed's neck. When he finally does go to the surface again, he takes Alex with him. They're behind some rocks, and Tom freezes when he sees someone. Alex follows Tom's gaze and spots someone with, as Tom put it, hair as red as coral. Alex has to admit that yeah, the human is attractive, and he nudges Tom.
"Switch."
"Alex, we're not meant to-"
"Switch, Tom. I want to meet him."
There's hesitation in Tom's eyes, but he shifts easily, fin splitting into legs, and Tom flails for a moment before gaining his bearing again. Alex shifts too, wondering how humans ever swim like this. It's inefficient and cumbersome. The red-haired human is swimming toward them, though, and Tom laces his fingers with Alex's.
"Hey," the human says, "what's your name? You swam away before I could ask you, the other day."
"Tom. This is my," Tom glances over at Alex for a moment, frowning, "friend, Alex. What's yours?"
"Nice to meet you, Tom. Alex. I'm Ben. Where are you guys from?"
Alex shrugs, "Far away. We're here on holiday with some friends."
Ben doesn't seem to believe them, but he doesn't say anything and just lets them talk. He swims back to shore, eventually, and if he notices Alex and Tom swimming farther out to sea? Well, he assumes it's just a trick of his eyes. There's no way it could be anything else.
Especially since they come back day after day, sometimes bringing their other friends, sometimes coming separately. He starts searching for them, seeking them out among the crowd, and the more time he spends with them, the more he notices that there's something odd about Alex and Tom and Ed and Charlie. He's not sure what it is, though, until the day that the four of them are exchanging nervous looks. It's Alex who finally speaks.
"Ben," he says, "we need to tell you something, I think."
"Okay," Ben says, "you can tell me anything."
Alex glances at Tom, who glances at Ed, who glances at Charlie. It's a little unnerving, but then Charlie swims over to Alex and grabs his shoulders, letting Alex lift him out of the water. Ben's at little confused at first until it dawns on him that Charlie isn't in possession of legs. Rather, he has a purple, faintly green, tail that glitters in the sun. Ben blinks as Alex lowers Charlie back into the water, trying to process the information he's just been given. Charlie's fingers are laced with Ed's and the four of them are looking at Ben nervously.
"Charlie's a mermaid."
"No," Ed shakes his head, "we're mermaids."
When Ben processes that information, really thinks about what's been said, he finds that it doesn't really matter to him that much. These are the same people that’s he’s maybe kind of fallen in love with, and that hasn’t changed now that he know they’re mermaids. In fact, it explains a lot of odd little things that had been bothering him.
"Okay, you're mermaids." Ben pauses, then frowns. "That doesn't make any sense, though, because you guys have legs. I know, you've kicked me."
There's a shifty look between the four of them, Alex leaning in to say something into Tom's ear. Tom blinks at Alex before smiling and nodding slowly. Ben's not sure what's going on, has come to the conclusion that the four of them have some sort of secret language he's not privy to. It sounds like the ocean crashing onto rocks and the sounds that are captured in seashells, and Ben doesn't know what any of it means, but now he knows that it's probably a mermaid thing.
"Do humans not know that mermaids shift?"
Ben blinks, "Shift?"
"Mermaids shift," Tom says easily, "from tails to legs when they want to. Only we don't shift clothes too, so we don't do it very often. We're only supposed to do it in emergencies, really."
Ben raises an eyebrow, "And I qualify as an emergency?"
"Yes," Tom grins, "you're the biggest emergency ever."
When Tom smiles, it occurs to Ben that he is so totally fucked. He is in love with four mermaids, and there's probably nothing weirder but somehow? He doesn't mind at all.
And okay, when the four of them finally come onto land it’s kind of a hassle having to deal with four beautiful mermaids that sing him to sleep and drink too much water and eat too many sweets. It’s kind of a hassle, but it’s the kind of hassle that’s totally and completely worth it. Ben doesn’t know any better way to wake up than tangled up in the four people he loves best.
----
Postit-Notes: And they lived happily ever after and I managed to keep this at roughly PG-13 HA. SUCK ON THAT ALEX, YOU DON’T GET LAID IN THIS FIC. Except for how you do, only it’s offscreen. Who lets me write author’s notes?
This entry originally posted here. Original entry currently has
comments. :D
Day 39, Word Count: 1282
Theme: February; Voices of the Scorned
This post is part of the 365 Gay Sharks project. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to read more about it. :D
Fandom/Pairings: #y_slash; SOA GSF+Ben Cook
Rating: PG-13
Pre-Notes: Stupid mermaids for you, on this lovely valentine’s day! Vampires will be along soon, hopefully.
Disclaimer: Don't care, don't tell me if you read it, feel free to write about me too if you want, I realize you're straight/bendy/spaghetti in hot water. Trust me, I'm an asexual.
Summary: And then four becomes five.
things your voice daren't say
Tom swims back to them, excited, and Alex most clearly remembers him saying his hair is as red as coral.
Ben's hair is as red as coral, turns brighter when he's sex-flushed and someone is wrapped around him. When there are ten-armed squid hugs and the danger of dehydration and picture after picture of quiet moments between them. When there are foods that aren't fish and seaweed and drinks that bubble and fizz. When there are five of them and not four, when everything became just that tiny bit more complicated.
But that's the end of the story, not the beginning.
----
Once upon a time there were four mermaids that loved each other very much-
No. That isn't right. Once upon a time there were four mermaids who were inseparable. They tried, tried with all their might, to be like all the other mermaids and settle down with mergals and not love each other as much as they did. It didn't go very well, so they mostly stayed away from other people and made music. Occasionally, Tom would go to the surface and watch the people on the beach. Sometimes Ed or Charlie or Alex went with him, but mostly he went alone. There was something odd about that, but it didn't really matter because Tom always came back.
No matter how long he was away, there was always the secure knowledge that Tom would be back because Tom could not bear to be away from them, even if he spends an awful lot of time at the surface.
There's something going on. Tom comes rushing back one day and start speaking hurriedly, words tripping over words. Ed has to wrap his arms around Tom and shhhhh. Tom takes a deep breath and says, slower:
"There's was a human, his hair is red as coral, and he saw me. Swam up to me and I didn't know what to do, so I swam away as fast as I could."
"It okay," Ed say, pulling Tom closer, "you're safe."
"He was pretty," Tom mumbles, "almost as pretty as you lot."
That startles Alex, makes him worry, because they don't toss that around lightly. What they have is strong, but still somehow fragile, and Alex isn't sure it can take the strain of another person. Isn't sure if he wants another person. Alex trusts Tom though, touches his waist lightly and tells him it'll all be okay.
Tom stays in the cave with them for a while after that incident, twisting his tail around Charlie's and watching him flush, pressing kisses to the base of Ed's neck. When he finally does go to the surface again, he takes Alex with him. They're behind some rocks, and Tom freezes when he sees someone. Alex follows Tom's gaze and spots someone with, as Tom put it, hair as red as coral. Alex has to admit that yeah, the human is attractive, and he nudges Tom.
"Switch."
"Alex, we're not meant to-"
"Switch, Tom. I want to meet him."
There's hesitation in Tom's eyes, but he shifts easily, fin splitting into legs, and Tom flails for a moment before gaining his bearing again. Alex shifts too, wondering how humans ever swim like this. It's inefficient and cumbersome. The red-haired human is swimming toward them, though, and Tom laces his fingers with Alex's.
"Hey," the human says, "what's your name? You swam away before I could ask you, the other day."
"Tom. This is my," Tom glances over at Alex for a moment, frowning, "friend, Alex. What's yours?"
"Nice to meet you, Tom. Alex. I'm Ben. Where are you guys from?"
Alex shrugs, "Far away. We're here on holiday with some friends."
Ben doesn't seem to believe them, but he doesn't say anything and just lets them talk. He swims back to shore, eventually, and if he notices Alex and Tom swimming farther out to sea? Well, he assumes it's just a trick of his eyes. There's no way it could be anything else.
Especially since they come back day after day, sometimes bringing their other friends, sometimes coming separately. He starts searching for them, seeking them out among the crowd, and the more time he spends with them, the more he notices that there's something odd about Alex and Tom and Ed and Charlie. He's not sure what it is, though, until the day that the four of them are exchanging nervous looks. It's Alex who finally speaks.
"Ben," he says, "we need to tell you something, I think."
"Okay," Ben says, "you can tell me anything."
Alex glances at Tom, who glances at Ed, who glances at Charlie. It's a little unnerving, but then Charlie swims over to Alex and grabs his shoulders, letting Alex lift him out of the water. Ben's at little confused at first until it dawns on him that Charlie isn't in possession of legs. Rather, he has a purple, faintly green, tail that glitters in the sun. Ben blinks as Alex lowers Charlie back into the water, trying to process the information he's just been given. Charlie's fingers are laced with Ed's and the four of them are looking at Ben nervously.
"Charlie's a mermaid."
"No," Ed shakes his head, "we're mermaids."
When Ben processes that information, really thinks about what's been said, he finds that it doesn't really matter to him that much. These are the same people that’s he’s maybe kind of fallen in love with, and that hasn’t changed now that he know they’re mermaids. In fact, it explains a lot of odd little things that had been bothering him.
"Okay, you're mermaids." Ben pauses, then frowns. "That doesn't make any sense, though, because you guys have legs. I know, you've kicked me."
There's a shifty look between the four of them, Alex leaning in to say something into Tom's ear. Tom blinks at Alex before smiling and nodding slowly. Ben's not sure what's going on, has come to the conclusion that the four of them have some sort of secret language he's not privy to. It sounds like the ocean crashing onto rocks and the sounds that are captured in seashells, and Ben doesn't know what any of it means, but now he knows that it's probably a mermaid thing.
"Do humans not know that mermaids shift?"
Ben blinks, "Shift?"
"Mermaids shift," Tom says easily, "from tails to legs when they want to. Only we don't shift clothes too, so we don't do it very often. We're only supposed to do it in emergencies, really."
Ben raises an eyebrow, "And I qualify as an emergency?"
"Yes," Tom grins, "you're the biggest emergency ever."
When Tom smiles, it occurs to Ben that he is so totally fucked. He is in love with four mermaids, and there's probably nothing weirder but somehow? He doesn't mind at all.
And okay, when the four of them finally come onto land it’s kind of a hassle having to deal with four beautiful mermaids that sing him to sleep and drink too much water and eat too many sweets. It’s kind of a hassle, but it’s the kind of hassle that’s totally and completely worth it. Ben doesn’t know any better way to wake up than tangled up in the four people he loves best.
----
Postit-Notes: And they lived happily ever after and I managed to keep this at roughly PG-13 HA. SUCK ON THAT ALEX, YOU DON’T GET LAID IN THIS FIC. Except for how you do, only it’s offscreen. Who lets me write author’s notes?
This entry originally posted here. Original entry currently has
comments. :D