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chaoticxrobotic · 2 years ago

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Been kinda distracted from writing DCA-centric fic as of late due to a severe case of the brainrot. @shookethdev and @crazybookcat ‘s OCs are to blame, so I thought I may as well post some of the incredibly self-indulgent, niche ficlets I’ve been writing about these two lovable, poorly-communicating weirdos.

This is based on a mermaid au we discussed, in which Shoey is a hapless marine biologist and Aftyn is a mer that is, unfortunately, too emotionally invested for their own good.

On Silver Waves

(Fluff/Romance, 1711 words. Mild content warning for mentions of drowning)

Waves threw themselves up onto the slippery, slate-grey rocks that dotted the coastline. Splashes of ice-cold water fell onto their feet, brushing skin and leaving small teardrops of ardent desperation. Shoey peered down into the churning mass, a pulse of thick, roiling nausea worming its way through their gut. The sea was always so beguiling in storybooks, shimmering in tropical azure or tender turquoise. But this ocean was a different beast; a frothing mass of white and grey, foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.

Shoey went to take a step back, driven by instinct. A grip on their ankle held them fast.

They brought their gaze down to the figure who stooped beside them, their other hand digging strong claws into stone. Their eyes were beautiful, but disapproving. The secondary, outer layer of their eyelids lowered, brow furrowing in clear confusion, as the filmy set of primary eyelids blinked once. A chittering sound rang from their throat, clear and pretty as a bell. The sound was lovely, but the words, although in a language unfamiliar, were not.

Shoey could make a good guess of what they were trying to say.

Make up your mind, idiot, before I drag you in myself.

The marine biologist let out a laugh that was far steadier than they felt, took one (perhaps final) look at the sky, and stepped over the edge.

Humans were designed to be buoyant, but Shoey felt anything but as they plummeted into the depths with all the grace and control of a crashing car. Kelp towered around them in a forest of dark greens and greys, tangling into strands of hair, trying to hold them fast and keep them close until they drew their final breath. Shoey thrashed against them, kicking out with wild, flippered feet, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before their strength gave out-

Something swiped through the kelp patch, severing thick fronds as easily as a hot knife through butter. Hands closed around either side of their waist, hoising them into an upright position so they could better make out their surroundings.

Afty growled softly by Shoey's ear, trilling two brief notes that sounded similar to

Are you okay?

Shoey gathered themself enough to flash a brief thumbs-up, teeth gleaming through the murky light as they offered a cheesy grin. They whistled a soft tune in response. Afty relaxed their grip, clearly deciding to take that as a sign that Shoey was not in any imminent danger.

They both turned their attention to the sloping heap of rocks that rested a few tail-strokes from them. It was well-hidden, but if you peered closely you could see the dark maw of the tunnel that rested within, leading to the mer's very own lair. Shoey had burned with a desire to see it from the very moment they had learned it existed. Afty had done their best to depict the interior with the sketches they scratched into the sand, but (and Shoey had tried to put this delicately) the mermaid's art skills were crude, at best, and Shoey knew they would much rather see it with their own eyes.

Mindful of how little oxygen could be stored in their lungs, Shoey followed Afty through the entrance to the cave. The initial twists and turns of the passage were narrow, a claustrophobe's worst nightmare brought to life, and Shoey swore they could feel the thud of their heart echo off of the stone as they squeezed through each narrow corner. The only thing to take the edge off of their panic was the awe they felt as they watched Afty navigate each obstacle with eerie grace, twisting their body through the constrictive gaps in serpentine, slick movements.

Two minutes went by before Shoey realised that there might be a problem.

Already they could feel invisible fingers raking against the inside of their throat, trying to prise the esophagus open, to reach down into the lungs and claw at soft, spongy flesh. Their chest was tightening, held fast in the squeezing grip of an invisible vice. They pushed forward with strengthened determination, trying to channel the mounting anxiety into strength and speed that could get them through the tunnels before the ocean claimed their airways.

Always ahead, flitting from shadow to shadow, was Afty's pointed tail. The bone-white tip was almost like a lure, calling to them in silent mockery as Shoey tried to forge ahead through the blackening maze. Their fingertips were growing slick and numb from the algae that clung to each rock, rubbing off so easily at every errant brush of their hand.

Their sense of touch was growing dull and useless, their vision was lost in the swirling murk of the underwater passage, their nose was prickling with sea salt, their ears were filling with the percussive, weighted thump of their heart... And as Shoey opened their mouth to whistle a sharp note of warning to Afty, the acrid taste of water engulfed their tongue, filling them with the terrifyingly desperate urge to cough.

They suppressed the impulse. Barely. But already Shoey could feel blind, animal panic making itself at home in the sprawl of their nervous system, nudging at them to breathe. To cry out. To scream, even, at the fate their own recklessness had bound them to.

The path ahead stretched on for who knew how long, a labyrinth that seemed to have no end in sight. But the way back was equally far, and there was no doubt that they would perish long before they ever breached the surface. They were stranded. Held fast in the crushing embrace of the caverns, buffeted on all sides by the steady flow of water.

Through the swirling mass of black, churned up by thrashing hands and feet, Afty found them.

Shoey felt the brush of a palm against theirs and dug in, nails scraping against flesh in a desperate struggle to have something, anything pliable enough to burrow into.

The mer's song reached them, carried on a fresh wave of panic. It was gentle, swaddled in tender concern, as Afty watched their fight to keep control. Shoey nodded, then shook their head, tears melting seamlessly into the water. Wordlessly, they pointed a shaking hand to their mouth, which opened and closed like a stranded guppy's.

Afty's eyes were narrowed, caught between irritation and attentiveness. It only took a second for realisation to dawn in their sea-slate eyes. Shoey's own had already begun to close, surrendering themself to the idea of oblivion.

At least they wouldn't have to pass on alone. At least they would have someone with them, someone to hold them close, just as their parents had all those years before-

Something cool and firm pressed itself to Shoey's lips, the sudden force grounding them as firmly as an anchor. Their eyes flew open, wide despite the stinging of sea salt. They gasped, fully expecting to feel a swirling mass of black force its way down their gullet... Only to be met with sweet, sweet oxygen.

The rush was intoxicating, relief distilled into its purest form. They inhaled until their lungs felt close to rupturing, holding it as long as they could before letting go.

Webbed fingers grazed over the curve of their cheek before settling into place, tilting their chin up slightly to better deepen the life-giving kiss. Shoey exhaled sharply, then pressed closer to greedily drink in more from the mer's mouth, uncaring of how firmly both hands squeezed around their waist. They could feel a fluttering, feathery silk brush over the top of their fingers, gills working swiftly as they drew oxygen from the water around them and filtered it into their mouth.

It was a game of give-and-take, a show of tender generosity. Another display of kindness from a mer who had already offered so much. Shoey felt their chest swell from more than just the air filling their body once more. A hand moved, brushing land-roughened fingers over a few strands of hair that flowed, tucking it tenderly behind their ear.

In a sudden rush of affection, Shoey pressed a hand to the sloping curve of the mer's back. They were pulled close, leaving no space between the two, as Afty purred out some token words of protest. No other move was made to stop Shoey, though, and they felt themself preen a little at the thought that Afty was willing to cross this unspoken boundary, together. They drew strength from one another, building on it in turn, as lips brushed over chilled skin, tongues sweeping away any errant traces of salt.

Bone-white claws scraped tenderly through Shoey's hair, brushing it up into a shock of fluff that made the human giggle low in their throat. A begrudgingly amused chuckle was the only response. How would that laughter sound once they broke the waves once more? What other noises could be coaxed from the mer, who already had an uncanny ability to make every sigh and murmur sound like the sweetest song? Shoey burned with a sudden desire to know.

It seemed like a small eternity had passed before they found it within themselves to pull away. Afty appraised them with a stern silence, their beautiful slate-grey eyes taking stock of the cheery smile that had replaced the taut, panicked line of their mouth. Shoey felt their cheeks burn from how wide their lips stretched, but they couldn't find it in themself to stop.

They whistled a long low note, wiggling their eyelashes playfully as Afty's cheeks coloured in the dim light. Their tail snapped through the water, sudden and silent as a whip, slapping them (gently) on the back of the head. Shoey rubbed at the tender spot, raising an eyebrow and wincing in mock pain.

With a single shake of their head, the mer took their hand and began to guide them onwards through the cave. The passage was no less dark, the lack of space no less crushing, but something had shifted. Shoey no longer felt so scared, with the steady presence of that sleek, graceful body beside them. Salvation was just a single kiss away.

And Shoey had a feeling that Afty wouldn't be averse to playing the hero again.

#krill scribbles #I'm working on more DCA fics I promise I'm just notoriously slow and scatter-brained haha #Working on a gift fic that will have both Sun and Moon so... Stay tuned for that ig!!#clan of the cursed #sneakers #Fun fact: Afty is Staff of Afton AU's Y/N. Shoey is from a cursed shoe fnaf au

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