CustardSlice

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Allura was happy when Matt settled and noticed that it calmed Shiro too. She murmured to the other mermaid nurses, who nodded quickly and rushed to get the medicines that she had asked for. She then started to look at the wounds covering both Matt and Shiro and cleaned them gently.

Shiro felt the adrenaline in him ebbing away and being replaced by aches and pains. Every muscle was screaming and he could hardly bare it. He looked to Matt and Keith’s face suddenly rushed into his head. He hesitated, reluctant to share his new friend only because he didn’t know who was listening.

“I.. I met someone.” He started, looking up and starting to picture that raven hair and those dark, troubled eyes, “He’s a land man... I went to the surface to rest and heal.. and he was there. It was a nice break from reality, I felt safe with him. Though I realise I can’t go back now - not if I want him to be safe from Zarkon. His creatures are getting ridiculously strong, I think he must be using magic from sea witches. I don’t want to put Keith at risk.”

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro strained against the mermaids holding him back. His whole body aches and he could feel his own wounds opening and closing as he squirmed but he had to go, he had to get to Matt, he couldn’t just leave him. He heard a soothing voice trying to reassure him but he couldn’t focus on it. Then he heard Matt.

He stopped struggling and looked for Matt, then sighed in relief. It was real, there he was. He was okay. He saw how excited he was and felt relief wash over him. He chuckled softly, “Well done Matt... you did well to get back here. You’re injured though, are you okay?”

Allura sighed and gently readjusted the pillows behind Shiro to allow him to sit up for now. She looked over the new merman before her. She already knew his name and this was clearly the Matt that Shiro had been calling out for. She hoped that he might relax now. She addressed Matt, “You are hurt, can I help you at all? It might help Shiro to relax too. We’re having trouble getting him to settle down but he might listen to you.”

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Allura normally never came to the trenches. Her magic and her body depended on the sunlight and warm waters of the more shallow seas and rivers, but this time she had come. She had always known about the terrible fights and gladiator matches that happened, but it hadn’t been until recently that she had known how bad they were and how much they affected sea life throughout the oceans. She had made her way here to help.

She swam carefully, shivering as she felt the waters getting colder and darker. She could hear and feel the crowds nearby as they yelled for blood and she heard the cries of the defeated. She searched for any sign of warmth around her and saw a light emitting from a tiny cave. She bit her lip and followed it. When she arrived she immediately felt safer, if not immediately heartbroken. There were so many broken merfolk that she could have broken down into tears, but she put on a brave face instead.

In one of the beds, a great, muscular male was being restrained by several mermaids. He was calling out the name ‘Matt’ and fighting them with several obviously serious injuries. He was still high on adrenaline it seemed, and he hadn’t seen the extent of his wounds. She approached quickly. She touched his shoulder gently and a sent a wave of calmness through her touch. He was huge and terrifying in his state of panic, but she managed to calm him down.

“My name is Allura. I’m going to help you, you’re going to be alright.” She assured him, her voice echoing and soothing.

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro’s dazed world started moving in all sorts of new motions. He was struggling to breath and he felt a searing pain working it’s way down his chest and side. The lights and sounds around him got darker then light again and the noises were busier and less harsh. He felt himself being lifted and he felt a squashy bed beneath him. He didn’t know where he was.

He saw Matt’s face in his mind’s eye and called out for him, suddenly recalling the kid’s actions in the ring. He pushed himself up from the bed, needing to help him. That place would kill him! “Matt!” He shouted, pushing himself from the bed frantically.

Meanwhile the creature was roaring, having clearly expected to kill the small mer boy in front of him with that one blow. The boy still stood and the water around them was turning a murky brown as their two types of blood mingled together. He took a stroke back before darting towards Matt’s tail with his teeth bared. He would tear the boy apart piece by piece!

Guild of Dishonor

Ratte smirked at Isago’s comment. She shook her head and relaxed back a little, “I would be a terrible mother.. I hate screaming babies for one.” She watched as Isago went to check the basement, then immediately took a defensive stance and pulled out her dagger when Isago swore and stepped back from the basement followed by a spear-wielding man in black. That thing was huge! She stepped forwards to get through to Kai but flinched back when the arrows almost caught her toes. She shot a venomous look at this assassin when he said her name. “You son of a..” Anither arrow cut her off and she stepped back, quickly looking for the shooter.

Her instinct was to run and she could feel her feet itching to do so. But the kid was alone down there and she had just seen another man slip down into the basement from the bar. @KatherinWinter She gritted her teeth. She wouldn’t be able to get to the basement with an archer on her back, so she turned to face her instead.

“Shouldn’t pretty girls like you be serving beer?” She goaded, before searching for a way to at least knock her out. There were plenty of wooden planks around in the alley, so she picked one up. Hand the hand combat wasn’t normally her style, but she was worried about the kid. She stepped towards the archer, getting ready to run at her, hoping that archery was her only strength.

@Raptra @King Tai

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shadows, lights, noises. Breathe. Just breathe it will be okay.
Everything ached, his muscles screamed at him and he could feel the fresh sting of the new cuts all over him. He barely had time to register his opponent when he heard the crowd suddenly start screaming and cheering. He looked at them first before he laid eyes on their new means of entertainment. Matt.

Shiro heard him roar at the crowds and his instinct to protect the boy kicked in. He moved towards him then stopped in his tracks, hearing him direct the anger at Shiro but seeing the true meaning in his eyes, “No-“ he started to say before Matt threw him aside with the force of his tail. Shiro hit the ground hard and he lay there, stunned for a moment before he could begin to process what had happened.

Matt’s opponent was grisly and unreasonably large. His hands , chest and tail were massive and muscles rippled when he moved. Seeing Matt take on the reigning hero impresses him enough to switch his focus to the boy. He grinned with his uneven teeth that stuck up in all directions, then pounced. He wasn’t as slow as the others had been and his movements were calculated. He swiped at Matt’s chest, showing his thick black claws as they collided with Matt’s skin.

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro’s head was focused, broken only by brief flashes of cheering and roaring around him. He was strong and he won almost all of his fights. The crowd loves to hate him and their jeers were a form of their delight to watch him take on creature after creature. He kept this quietly at the back of his head as he assessed this hulking giant of a creature pushing itself up from the rocks he had fallen into.

For a brief moment, he heard a voice in his head. He recognised it and he looked to the sidelines. He searched for a moment before his eyes locked into Matt’s wide golden eyes. His heart lurched and his stomach dropped. He couldn’t stop, he wouldn’t stop now. He had to at least damage everything that came his way because Matt couldn’t take on these creatures himself.

Matt was a tactician, he fought effectively by defending himself endlessly until the enemy wore themselves out. For a while, this had fascinated Shiro until the day Zarkon changed the game. He brought in his biggest and bulkiest monsters from the depths to face Matt and the other poor creatures that he had summoned. Shiro had seen the panic setting into the eyes of the mermaids and he had locked into Matt’s eyes. Within them he saw the child that Matt really was, the boy shivering in front of a beast. Shiro had earned his reputation that day as he shoved Matt out of the way, deliberately injuring him to disqualify him from the fight. He roared in feigned bloodthirst and took on all of the enemies that Zarkon threw at him that day. He had lost his tail in that fight, but it was worth it to know that Matt was safe.

Once again his determination set in and he finished the creature in front of him with a hard blow to the head. It didn’t get up again. Shiro faced the next creature in line darkly and sneered at it, puffing out his chest to pretend that he wasn’t scared. He was met by jeers and roars as usual and he took on the next creature.

They kept coming. Shiro fought them, creature after creature he fought to survive. Fists, tail, teeth, he used them all. His vision was blurring and his gills screamed as they worked. He couldn’t stop though. He couldn’t stop until Matt and the others were safe.

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro left the cove feeling like a millstone was tied around his neck. It seemed that even the currents were trying to persuade him to stay with Keith but here under the water he could feel it. He could sense the dark presence that was Zarkon and his men. Their darkness projected out into the ocean and spread like a dark oil spill, ready to consume all that it came into contact with. He pushed on.

If it was dawn or dusk by the time he reached the trenches, he couldn't know. The light down here was crude at best and only bio luminescent creatures lit the path to the arenas. Not that Shiro needed them. He had been coming and going for long enough now that he knew the way without the creatures lighting it for him. All Shiro knew was that he had slept twice during his time getting to the arena. He must have been swimming for at least two days now.

He followed the path grimly. As always, he went in silence, only acknowledging those around him with brief eye contact, before moving away and setting his eyes on the floor. He had learned painfully that poorly-timed eye contact was a good way to get him into trouble and he needed all of his strength. Some time ago, the lovingly wrapped bandages around his shoulder had been pulled away by the currents and his raw skin was exposed. Thankfully, whatever Keith had used to help it heal had worked some kind of magic and he couldn't feel any pain there anymore, but he suspected that this was also due to the early onset adrenaline that was working its way through his body.

Shiro felt tense as he made his way to the circular arena that he would fight in. The water around him was filled with cheers, clicks and shrieks as the merfolk and Zarkon's creatures roared in their entertainment. It was overwhelmingly loud. He did his best to focus forward, be patient and think of Keith, but the noise cut through threateningly. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and a new sense of panic setting in. He had only ever needed to survive before, he had never needed to win. Keith's face, his eyes, the touch of his skin were things that Shiro longed for and he wanted to feel them again. To do that he needed to focus and he needed to win.

It wasn't long before his name was called and he was thrust from his meditative headspace and into the throng of jeering onlookers. He gripped his fists together and swam out onto the raised platform. Ahead of him, he saw his opponent. The creature was massive - muscles bulging underneath his rough sandpaper-like skin. His eyes raged war with Shiro and his fists held claws longer than the nose of a swordfish. Shiro took a moment to calm himself and assess this opponent quickly. He was big and strong with ridiculously oversized claws. He would be slow and clumsy, relying on his arms to attack. Shiro glanced at his tail - short and flat, made to enhance the force and of the swings he would bring. Shiro could dodge them easily. He was fast and agile. He was also lean and long, he could dart in between the blows and that was what he intended to do.

Sure enough, the creature swung his great claws at Shiro and Shiro swam to dodge them. He darted up and brought his tail down across the back of the thing's head. His plastic tail gave an almighty thwack as it collided with it's skull and it fell forwards, stunned and confused. Broad and stupid... Shiro thought, Perfect.

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro felt Keith's warmth envelop him and he gripped onto him tightly. He breathed in deeply, inhaling Keith's scent so that he might have a chance of remembering it in those cold, black waters. He felt Keith's warm hands on his back and he held him tighter, gripping and squeezing his shirt. This warmth, this feeling against his skin was so foreign yet something he knew so fondly and now he had to let it go. He felt Keith pull away and almost pulled him back so he could hold on for a little longer. He felt Keith's lips against his hand and he felt his chest quiver, like he might cry.

Shiro lifted his other hand and he brushed the hair from Keith's face slowly, then tipped his chin up gently. He set a determined look into his eyes and looked firmly into Keith's. I will return to you. he promised, using his thumb to stroke along Keith's soft skin. He would dream of those purple eyes and the soft skin surrounding them each day until he returned to see them in person. He would make sure that he got back to see them.

He stroked Keith's cheek softly one last time, before he slowly pulled his hand away and began dragging his long, heavy tail back towards the sea. He felt felt the cold water against his fingertips and the water hummed with what felt like tiny voices whispering and passing along a message to him. He shivered before pressing on and pulling himself further into the water. He dipped under the water when it reached his elbows and let his tail flick to push him around to face the beach again. Once more he set his eyes firmly on Keith. He would come back, he knew he would. He had to. He searched quickly, before an idea clicked in his head. He unwrapped his bag from his tail and left it in the shallow waters for Keith. He stood it upright, so that he wouldn't need to touch the water to take it. He looked back to Keith, willing him to understand the gesture; keep it safe for me.

Shiro had never taken anything precious to the arenas, he hadn't dared to. He didn't want to risk losing anything precious, or have it fall into the hands of dealers and traders should he ever lose. He had always hidden his belongings before leaving for a fight. Now he had the best place of all to hide it and the best reason of all to come back for it; so he would see Keith again.

of mer and men [Sheith Merman!AU]

Shiro watched Keith drawing and leaned closer to the drawings. He sensed that Keith was becoming more and more sad and distant as he drew and Shiro began to realise why. He had been so insensitive. He had been so excited about the idea that he hadn't thought about the real consequences of what he had been implying. And what he had implied was, in part, true - Keith's father had died. He shrank back from the drawings. He knew the feeling of loss very well, he recognised that loneliness that Keith was feeling. He wanted to tell him that he understood and begin to explain why but he could only take Keith's hand and squeeze it tightly. "Keiys.." he murmured softly, wanting to tell him that he wouldn't be lonely, that he would be there for him and that he would help him through it all. He could only hope that his eyes and his touch told him so.

Shiro turned slowly from Keith, hearing a sharp song on the wind. He recognised the call of Zarkon's men and slowly his face fell. His heart sank and he gripped tighter onto Keith's hands. He had to go, leave this poor broken soul behind him to wait and wonder. Shiro was terribly afraid. He didn't want to lose and he didn't want to leave Keith. He felt an instinctive duty to protect him, to look over him and make him smile. He needed to make it back to him so that he could. Shiro looked to Keith again, this time, his eyes were pained. He gripped Keith's hand tightly and gestured to the sea, telling him that he needed to go, even if he really didn't want to.