CW: bound and gagged, blood, brief mention of vomit
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78237066
Vex doesn't know why he was taken. Until it's suddenly very clear. And far too late to stop.
The taste of vomit would never leave his mouth. His arms ached from being unable to move, the rope digging into his wrists. This was the closest he’d ever be to an actual fish - his limbs tied together, flopping around on the floor, groaning through the muzzle that kept his mouth shut.
Vex didn’t know why he was here. It wasn’t the store. Didn’t smell enough. Too empty. Too different.
He lay on a carpet the color of old blood. The wood floor underneath creaked every time he moved. Sometimes he heard footsteps, but they never came close to him. They didn’t match anyone he knew.
Often he found himself shivering. It wasn’t cold enough to hurt. Just enough to be uncomfortable. Like everything else he was stuck with. The muzzle. The ropes. The way his limbs ached from being stuck in one position. Tucked behind him. Unable to stretch out.
He wondered how long it had been. Tried to see out the window behind him, but he couldn’t twist his head that far.
The footsteps passed again, echoing through the dark doorway that led out of the room. They were heavier this time. More of them. And then Vex heard a voice.
“She’s here,” it said.
A tall, slender figure came in, dressed in black from head to toe except for a bright pink respirator. They approached Vex and knelt beside him, reaching out to touch his scales.
He growled. Narrowed his eyes at them. Whoever they were, they couldn’t be trusted.
“Poor little fish boy,” the figure said, chuckling. Despite the continued growls, they brushed their fingers over his scales. Checking his hydration levels. Checking the muzzle to make sure it was on tightly. “We can’t have you giving everything away, now can we?”
More footsteps. Ones Vex knew. His insides twisted violently and a terrible feeling of dread took over, freezing him up. Getting worse when he heard her yell.
”VEX!!”
The figure in black stood up quickly. Put their hands up. Tried to show they weren’t a threat.
And there was Sara in the doorway, panting, sludge and rainwater dripping from her clothes. Her eyes went wide as she saw him tied up on the carpet.
No, no, no, this was all wrong.
Sara ran for him, and Vex tried to scream. To tell her to turn back. To leave him. That it was a trap. But all that came out of him was a pathetic mmmph!! before more shadowy figures surrounded her.
One grabbed her and she fought, throwing her weight against them, slapping another in the face with her tentacles. She struggled forward one step at a time, evading their grasp for mere seconds before they reached her again. Grabbed her by the hair, by the arm, by the fabric of her sweater if they could. As if they were teasing her. As if it was up to them how much farther she got.
“Mmmmm!!! Mm!!! Mmmmm!!”
Vex tried even harder to scream, straining against his ropes. He knew it wouldn’t help. He knew he couldn’t get out.
But it gave Sara more strength. She met his eyes and kicked the figure holding her as hard as she could. They cried out. Let go. Her path was clear. And she ran.
Right into the fist of the one in the pink mask.
They hit her in the stomach and before she could even try to catch her breath, another figure had her by the hair. They jerked her backwards and kicked her legs out from under her, knocking her to the floor. Vex’s muffled cries went ignored.
He flopped harder. Maybe he could break through the floor. Maybe he could do something. Maybe it wasn’t all useless. But Pink Mask got to him, too. A boot came down on his back and he groaned.
“Don’t move, Vex,” Pink Mask hissed at him. “You want your last goodbye to be a happy one, don’t you?”
“Mmmmmm!!!! Mmmmmm!!! Mmmmmmmphh!!!!”
He stared into Sara’s eyes. One of the figures was holding her head up. Forcing her to look at him. Their entire body weight on top of her, pinning her down, making her fight to breathe.
“I’ll get you out of here,” she wheezed. Smiled at him. “We’ll be safe before you know it, Vex. I promise.”
“Mmm…”
“I promise,” she repeated. Dragging her arm along the floor, she reached for him, one tentacle poking at the muzzle.
And then another figure’s boot came down on her wrist. She yelled. The hand in her hair slammed her head into the ground, over and over, until blood spilled from her nose and her lip and she finally passed out. All Vex could do was scream into the muzzle uselessly, restrained by the ropes and Pink Mask holding him down. He couldn’t help her. She couldn’t save him.
They dragged her limp body away. Vex screamed until the muzzle felt like it was choking him.
