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After three hours of swimming around aimlessly searching does Gavin come to the terrifying realization that the ocean is unfathomably, incredibly, impossibly huge.
He’d known before, of course, had been told so by practically everyone he knew, but it never really occurred to him just how big it really was. Gavin knew the ocean could stretch for miles before reaching a shore line, but it felt like it’d been ages since he’d last seen the ocean floor or the familiar coast.
At the thought, a second realization hits him.
He couldn't see the sand below.
Gavin has always been able to see the ocean floor, or at least swim a few feet until it came into focus, but now he can't even see any rocks or shells that might be down below, just an eerie darkness.
Gavin’s gills flutter frantically as he starts to panic, swimming one way before stopping and going another, desperately trying to make a decision with his thoughts so scattered.
‘Which way should I go, where’s the shore?’ He thinks, still taking short scattered breaths, eyes anxiously scanning the waters around him, but he sees nothing other than more open ocean.
Gavin shoots up until his head breaks the water’s surface, hair plastered to his face and dripping down in front of his eyes as he gasps. Looking around wildly for a shadow on the horizon or boat leaving the docks, hell, even a bird would be life saving at this point. At least then he could know if land was nearby.
But once again, he’s only greeted with endless blue.
Gavin sinks down back below the waves, choking back tears he can't see or feel and trying to properly breath around the ball in his throat. The pain is too much, knowing he might never see his friends again, that he might never see his home again…
Gavin wails, his cries loud and shrill, muffled slightly by the water and swept away by the currents.
Never before has he been completely alone, usually surrounded by his school or at least with one other person. He doesn't like it at all and more than anything, he doesn't want to be alone.
“Hey!” A gruff voice growls and Gavin’s heart almost stops when he turns to look.
Off in the distance, barely visible, he can see the shadow of another nereid and for a second, Gavin thinks that by some miracle, he’s been saved.
That is until the figure swims closer.
Even from this distance, he can see the sharp teeth and claws, the rash movement that is nowhere close to the slow glide of his brothers and sisters. When his eyes catch the black tipped fins…
Gavin doesn't take a second to think, just turns tail and bolts.
“Get back here, asshole!” The person snarls and the vicious sound only encourages him to swim faster.
Gavin has no doubt that he’s being pursued and he’d love nothing more than to hide until the threat is gone, but with no shelter and no land in sight, he’s screwed.
The shark roars behind him, loud and terrifying as Gavin desperately tries to escape. “Goddamn it, fuckin’- stop!”
There’s literally nothing for as far as the eye can see and though Gavin hates this idea (really, really hates this idea), he doesn't have much of a choice.
Gavin swims down into the darkness, going as fast as his tail will take him and knowing he could very well get himself even more lost than he already is. But with his current dilemma, it’s something he can worry about later, if he even survives until then.
Gavin can still hear the shark snapping behind him, even as the light slowly fades as he delves deeper and deeper. It's the darkest black Gavin’s ever seen, nothing compared to the moon’s welcome night sky, with her bright stars and constellations. Down here, there is nothing. No sign of life or light or end, just more and more dark water.
For all he knows, it's an abyss, an endless cavern and he’ll never see the surface again.
By the time Gavin does reach the bottom, he’s beyond relieved and collapses on the sand, stirring up the bottom and making a cloud in the water around him. He’s careful not to make any sound and alert whoever might be following him, but he can't hear anything down here. The water’s so deep, he can't even see the sunlight or the waves on the surface.
There’s a strange disturbance in the water and it’s the only warning he gets before Gavin finds himself pinned to the ocean floor, an even bigger plume of sand rising up around them. It gets in his gills and irritates his eyes, but now is not the time to complain.
“Fucking Poseidon, finally.” The shark growls and Gavin squirms, trying his best to loosen the grip on his wrists or at least thrash his tail around enough to jostle him off. But Gavin’s not nearly as strong as the predator pinning him down and soon realizes he’s not getting anywhere anytime soon.
Even so, the shark takes precautions, using it’s tail as a weight and pushing Gavin into the sand even more than before, so he can barely move at all.
“Stop fighting, I'm not trying to hurt you, stupid.”
Gavin stops struggling, a weary look in his eye. “Y-you're not going to kill me?” He’s still very much aware of the sharp claws digging into his wrists.
There’s a heavy pause before- “What the fuck!?” The shark looks taken aback, maybe even offended. “Why would I kill you?”
Gavin gives him a sharp look and gestures to their position as best he can with his hands pinned.
In turn, the predator just rolls it’s eyes. “Could’ve heard you crying from a mile away.”
“Oh.” Gavin says, suddenly bashful.
“Yeah, oh.” He laughs, unknowingly showing off his sharp teeth and Gavin flinches at the sight, though the shark doesn't seem to notice.
“My name’s Michael.” Michael smirks.
“‘M Gavin. I’d shake your hand, but uh-.” He wiggles his fingers.
Michael’s still smiling, though this time, he seems thoughtful. “If I let you go, will you run away?”
“Well, technically, no-” Gavin grins. Michael frowns. “But no, I won’t.”
The shark snorts, but moves off Gavin with a push off the ground and a flick of his tail.
“Good, I could just catch you again anyway.” Michael shrugs, arms crossed indifferently, though he raises a brow quizzingly at Gavin’s irritated expression.
“Could not!” The fish squawks, bubbles spluttering past his lips.
Michael's suddenly very close again, their tails brushing against each other and chests almost touching. Lips barely touch his ear when Michael speaks, but Gavin can’t help the way his fins flutter when he hears, “Wanna bet?”
He propels himself back, cheeks flushed scarlet and Gavin’s very grateful for the convenient lack of sunlight.
“That’s what I thought.” Though he’s a bit too far and it’s a bit too dark to see how smug Michael is, Gavin can certainly hear it.
“Shut up.” He mumbles.
“Instead, how about..” Michael’s hand wraps around his own and once again, Gavin’s thankful it’s so dark. “We finish this conversation when I can see you?”
“Alright, but you gotta hold my hand for that?” Gavin asks, tugging gently on their laced fingers.
“How else do I keep you from running away?” Michael counters, already starting to pull them up towards the surface. Gavin follows lazily, letting the shark do most of the work.
“Technically-”
“Shut up.”
He laughs, actually putting in a bit of effort as their surroundings get brighter and the water gets warmer.
They slow down when it’s light enough to see and Gavin makes an effort at not being too obvious when he gives Michael a once over. There are varying results on his success, to say the least.
He’s got curly hair, can tell even though it’s moving like seaweed in the ocean current. And it’s red too, dark and shiny and Gavin has to refrain from touching it. His eyes are brown and his cheeks are covered in tiny freckles, barely visible, like a smothering of sand across the pale skin.
Admittedly, Michael’s pretty cute, maybe even attractive..
“So are you done staring at me or..?”
Gavin blushed, turning away from Michael’s smirk to hide his flushed cheeks. “I wasn't staring.”
“Umhum, of course not.” Michael says, obviously not believing a single word. “Just like how you aren't still holding my hand, right?”
Gavin yanks away when he realizes that he is in fact, still holding Michael’s hand. His blush deepens and his fins flutter restlessly and Gavin refuses to be embarrassed over something so simple.
“Can we talk about something else, please?” Gavin says, trying not to whine.
The shark chuckles and the sound is almost a giggle, so bubbly and infectious that Gavin can't help smiling.
“Alright, fine.” He agrees, crossing his arms and if Gavin silently appreciates the show of muscle, Michael doesn't need to know. “So why were you crying?”
He wasn't expecting him to ask about that and Gavin bites his lips, considering whether or not he should tell the truth or lie or even refuse to answer.
He decides on the truth.
“I uh- lost my school.” He gets a raised eyebrow in return. Gavin gulps. “And the beach.”
“You're telling me you lost your family and your home all in one day?”
“Yes?”
“Well aren't you the overachiever?”
“Micoo!” Gavin whines,“ It's not funny!”
Michael’s laughing, floating on his back and mimicking the way Gavin says his name, high pitched and squeaky.
“It’s really not funny!” He complains, swimming around and trying to get Michael to stop, but to no avail. “I don't need you to be here just to and watch you laugh at me, I can just-”
“Just what?” Michael interrupts, turning back to face him, though still casually floating on his side and giggling quietly. “Get yourself even more lost than before? Gimme a minute and I’ll take you back to shore, ok?”
“Wait, what?” Gavin asks, staring blankly down at Michael.
The shark finally rights himself, amused as he fixes Gavin with a smile. “I'm gonna take you home, dumbass, what did ya’ think I meant? I’d just feel bad leaving a guppy like you out here all alone.”
Gavin beams, bright and ecstatic as he launches himself at Michael. His arms wrap around the shark in a fierce hug that sends them spinning back a few feet, losing their balance a bit as they drift through the water.
“Oh, Michael, thank you!” Gavin squeals, finally letting him go. “This is gonna be top, thank you so much!” Planting a kiss to Michael’s cheek in thanks, he’s too distracted to see the blush that appears a second later.
“I-it's no big deal.” Michael stutters, pressing the palm of his hands to his cheeks in an attempt to dull the flush of vibrant color. “You ready to go or not?”
The two swim north for quite some time, chatting and playing for most of the journey, rarely silent for any extent of time.
Gavin learns that Michael’s funny and loud and sarcastic and that there’s rarely ever any real threat behind his rage. Soon poking fun at and teasing Michael becomes one of his favorite pastimes, especially when the most severe consequence is a snap of sharp teeth or playful growl.
And not even halfway to their destination, Gavin decides that, yes, Michael is very much so attractive.
It’s not until nearly dusk that they see the first hint of land, a tiny sliver in the distance that could have easily been mistaken for fog.
But as they grew closer and the shadow grew bigger, it was apparent that they’d reached the shore.
“Michael, there it is!” Gavin exclaims, tired, but so, so glad to finally be home. He jets off ahead, making a beeline for the sand and settling on the ocean floor with a content sigh.
Michael’s beside him a few seconds later and for a while, the two lie on their stomachs side by side in the sand, basking in the fading sunlight.
The shark speaks first, head barely lifting from his folded arms when he speaks, but looking concerned. “Gavin, I know you’re happy and all, but isn't your family supposed to be here too?”
With a gasp, the fish rises, dashing through the coral and startling several sea creatures. Gavin darts through the reef, calling out to his brothers and sisters, but never getting a reply. He’s gone for nearly an hour, but Michael waits patiently and watches as the sun continues to set.
When Gavin returns, the sun has nearly set, almost completely swallowed by the sea.
His eyes are red and puffy and he can barely keep himself from sinking. Michael’s reminded of when he first saw Gavin, crying in the middle of the ocean and wordlessly, comes forward, pulling the man into a hug that’s quickly returned. Michael has to keep them both afloat, but he doesn't mind, just hugs the fish closer.
They’re silent for a long time, long enough that by the time Gavin speaks, the sea is once again lit, this time by the moon. The waves reflect the silver light and turns them a ghostly pale white.
“This is the place, I know it is! Everything's the same; the rocks, the fish, even the bloody seaweed's all the same, but they’re gone!” Gavin cries into his shoulder, voice cracked and broken and so sad that Michael’s heart hangs heavy in his chest just hearing him speak.
“And-and I don't know where they could’ve gone, wh-what if-”
“Gavin.”
The teary nereid looks up at Michael with wide green eyes and without thinking, his hands move to cup Gavin’s cheeks, wiping at tears that aren't there.
“Don't say that, ok? They'll be back.”
“You don't know that.” Gavin mummers, quiet and small.
“Well, neither do you.” Michael says, taking Gavin’s hands in his. “And I know I barely know you, but i'll stay with you until they do get back, alright?”
He smiles at Gavin’s awed expression and refuses to acknowledge the pressure building up behind his own eyes. Michael squeezes Gavin’s hand, grinning when his shoulders shake harder and pulling him into another hug.
“Hey, it’s no big deal.” He chuckles, carefully rubbing circles into Gavin’s quaking shoulders. “Like I said, I’d feel bad leaving a guppy out here all alone.”
The fish laughs, pulling back to wipe at his eyes. “But what about you? I mean, don't you have a family to get back to?”
Michael shakes his head, though his eyes are vaguely sad, distant. “Not all sharks stick together, Gav. Sometimes it’s nice being by yourself.”
“Only sometimes.” Gavin says, once again taking Michael’s hand in his and smiling at the shark.
“Yeah.” Michael mumbles, glancing at the fish and returning the soft smile. “Only sometimes.”