#mermaid!tim

[my-one-love-is-music]

(218)

Dick furrowed his brow as the sounds of something scraping reached his ears. He opened his eyes and found Jason scraping the scales off a fish. A small fire was already going next to him and the sky still held traces of pink from the rising sun.

He glanced over and found Tim sound asleep, head pillowed on his arms on the rock as his back rose with gentle breaths.

“Morning.”

Dick glanced up and found Jason smiling at him. “Morning,” he said.

“You hungry?”

Dick shrugged. “Not right now, but I wouldn’t mind eating more of your cooking.”

Jason chuckled. “It’ll be a little bit before it’s ready and I’m sure the smells are going to wake Tim soon.”

Dick’s eyes slid to the side and he watched other mer as he slept. “How long have you known each other?”

Jason hummed. “A few months now, I think. It’s kind of hard to keep track of time out here and I don’t really feel I need to. But Tim saved me when I feel into the ocean and we’ve been living out here since.”

“He saved you?”

Jason nodded. “He saw me fall from my ship and rescued me when I would’ve drowned otherwise.”

“But what about the people from your ship?” Dick asked. “Why didn’t they help you?”

Jason shook his head. “The waves were bad and I wouldn’t have asked them to if I had ended up dead anyway. It wouldn’t have been worth it to lose a member of my crew over me. They can live without me.”

“So they just left you for dead?” Dick asked, anger seeping into his tone.

“They didn’t leave me for dead,” Jason continued calmly. “They came looking for me.”

“Oh,” Dick said, anger dissipating. “Then why are you still here?”

Jason smiled, gaze sliding over to Tim. “I couldn’t leave him. I love him.”

Dick jolted, the water sloshing around him. It wasn’t so much because of Jason’s statement. He already knew they cared about each other, but it was the gentleness and care that filled Jason’s voice and his words. His heart clenched, suddenly longing for someone he’d left behind.

Tim shifted next to him and Dick looked over to find Tim sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Jason pushed himself up from his seat and walked over. “Morning,” he said, cupping the side of Tim’s face to press a kiss to his lips.

Tim smiled when he pulled back. “Morning,” he said softy. “Breakfast ready yet?”

Jason chuckled. “Not yet, but soon.”

As they continued to talk, Dick turned in the pool, gaze searching the horizon and the gentle crests of the waves that rolled close to the island. Dick wondered where he was. What he was doing. If he’d noticed his absence and then shook himself because of course he had. If he’d disappeared, Dick would be frantic and would search the oceans for him until he was back home.

Dick swallowed, his heart squeezing painfully.

“Dick? Dick!”

“Huh?” he asked, whirling around.

Tim and Jason were both watching him, Tim with a knowing smile on his face.

“You want something to eat?” Tim asked, gesturing to the fire where a few fish were roasting.

“Yeah, sure...” he said, drifting back over to the other side of the pool as red hair and green eyes lingered at the back of his mind.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

The Little MerDick (236)

Dick laughed as he darted away from Tim and Jason. They weren’t really out collecting fish, more so getting the chance to stretch their fins while Jason swam lazily in the water and hung out near shore.

Tim tried to convince Jason to come further out, but he’d hung back, letting them have some time to themselves. They’d resorted to playing little games before settling into tag, swimming and darting around the island.

He was ahead of Tim, fighting to stay out of reach as they swam around the sides of the island.

Something glinted in the water and Dick turned to look, finding a streak of golden yellow and the face of his best friend hurtling towards him.

Dick froze, not bothering to move away as Wally barrelled into his side, wrapping his arms tightly around him. They tumbled and rolled in the water, the air leaving Dick’s lungs in a rush as he was squeezed tightly.

“I found you! I can’t believe I found you!” Wally was muttering excitedly against his shoulder.

“Dick are you okay?!” Tim asked, hovering nearby.

“Wally?” Dick asked, finally managing to find his voice. “Where did you come from?”

Wally pulled back, grasping Dick’s shoulders as he peered into his eyes. “I was looking everywhere for you. You disappeared and I was worried something had happened to you.”

Dick felt himself flush and cleared his throat. “I’m okay, I just kind of...I dunno, kept swimming and found myself here,” he said, gesturing to the island.

“Tim?”

They both turned at the muffled voice coming from above water. Tim popped up and broke the surface and Dick saw Jason’s legs standing on the sand embankment further away.

“Come on,” he said, and pulled Wally above water.

“Everything’s fine,” Tim explained. “We just have a new guest.”

Wally cocked his head. “A human?” he asked. He gasped and wrapped his arms around Dick, making to pull him away. “We can’t let him eat us-”

He froze when Dick started laughing, shaking in his arms.

“What?” he asked, unable to stop the smile that pulled at his lips.

“He’s not going to eat us. Jason’s friendly.”

“What is it with all of you Mers thinking humans are going to kill every Mer they run into?” Jason muttered, placing his hands on his hips.

Wally released his tight hold on Dick, but left his arm draped around Dick’s waist, the action made Dick’s chest warm. He’d forgotten how much he liked being around Wally.

“This is Jason,” Tim said, swimming over to his side. “And I’m Tim. We live on this island.”

Wally watched as Jason’s arm draped around his shoulders and Tim wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Are you two mates?” he blurted.

Dick snorted next to him.

Tim smiled and looked up at Jason, smile fond. “Yeah, we are. We’ve been out here a while.”

“Oh,” Wally said, not really expecting that kind of answer.

“I guess you’re here to take Dick back to wherever the two of you live,” Jason continued. “But if you want to hang around a bit, I can cook lunch.”

“Cook?” Wally asked, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s the best thing ever,” Dick said excitedly, capturing Wally’s attention. His eyes sparkled and he smiled wide. “It makes food so much better and you stick fish over a fire, it’s great.”

“Cool!” Wally said, catching onto Dick’s enthusiasm. “When can I try it?”

Jason chuckled. “I guess that’s my cue to start gathering firewood. Don’t let them get into too much trouble,” he said to Tim, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Let me show you around the island,” Dick said, catching Wally’s hand. “There’s a lot of cool places around here.”

Wally ducked under the surface, pulling Dick with him. “Lead the way!”

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (123)

Tim’s gaze snapped back and forth as he cautiously poked his head out of his parents’ stone home deep underneath the coral reef above them. There were a few other mermaids flitting about the sea and channels between houses and businesses. He looked down and found the bodyguards weren’t below his window.

Not wasting another second, he gave a strong kick with his tail and propelled himself through the open window, swimming upwards to put as much distance between himself and the city as he could. He spotted the break in the coral and slipped inside, pressing himself out of sight as he waited for the shouts of people coming after him as his chest heaved in the water.

When he didn’t hear anything right away he peeked over the edge of the coral to the city below him. No one was even looking up as the frantic trail of bubbles from his plight dissipated. Tim chuckled to himself lightly before it turned into slightly hysterical giggles.

He grinned and gave another kick of his tail, disappearing over the top of the reef for unfamiliar waters.

Tim kept a few feet below the surface of the water so that if any ships passed by he wouldn’t be hit by them and they’d mistake him for a large dolphin or shark. Or maybe even a whale.

He slowed his pace, rolling onto his back as his tail kicked lazily at the water. He watched the sparkles of light dancing on the water from the sun and smiled, letting his eyes slide shut for a moment as he reveled in his small bit of freedom before he would no doubt have to return to a life of feeling shackled inside his home and forced into so many diplomatic endeavors.

He sighed, making a trail of bubbles drift up to the surface as he opened his eyes. He rolled back over and watched as a few fish darted past him as they moved through the water.

A dull creaking caught his attention and he frowned, looking around where he was in the water until he saw the bottom of a ship off in the distance. Tim cocked his head, wondering who had come out this far since he usually didn’t come into contact with many people.

He dove further into the water to come at the ship from below and swam towards the boat cautiously. He heard the muffled sounds of men shouting to each other. From what he could see, the ship was in decent condition, not new, but it was well-taken care of.

Tim kept right underneath the bottom of the ship and skimmed along the wood, trailing his fingers against it until he reached the stern. He kept close to the back and poked his head above the water, only revealing the top of his head and his eyes.

He looked up the rear of the ship and his vision was blocked by the rear cabin which extended out past the bottom of the stern. Tim let himself fall back slightly, easily keeping pace since the wind was not strong in the sails. He caught sight of someone’s head of dark hair over the rear banister, their red coattails flicking out as they turned on their heel.

Tim swam back under the cabin and moved over to the side of the ship. The wood was warm against the press of his hands and he peeked around the corner, looking up towards the banister.

He caught sight of a few ship hands running back and forth and someone swinging from one of the ropes up next to the sails and down to the deck before tying it off and rushing to attend to something else.

Tim cursed his narrow view of the deck and wanted to move out further to get a better idea of who was on the ship, but he knew he’d most likely be seen if he did that.

He sucked in a breath when the red coated figure approached the side banister and peered out over the sea, his hands clasped behind his back. His black hair ruffled lightly in the wind and his expression was stern as he studied the water, but Tim could see how handsome his face was regardless.

He raised above the water until his whole head was exposed, hands still pressing closely to the side of the boat. He flinched back when the figure’s head started to turn in his direction, but it wasn’t in response to him as he stopped and looked back the other way.

Tim didn’t risk raising further out of the water again, but he kept his eyes locked on the figure until he was called away.

“Captain Todd!” someone called and he turned from the rail.

“Captain Todd,” Tim whispered under his breath, eyes glued to the spot where he had been standing for what felt like an eternity.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (128)

Tim pressed a hand against his side and winced at the fiery pain that radiated through his side. He wasn’t sure if whatever had hit him was still following, but he wasn’t about to turn back and look. He was making quick progress for the beach. He knew he had to get out of the water to take care of his wounds and he didn’t know the area well enough to find somewhere he could hunker down until the predator fell away. And it wouldn’t happen as long as whatever it was smelled blood in the water.

He let out a pained gasp as he broke the surface of the water and fought to pull himself up the wet sand and onto the beach. He yelped as a stone pebble pressed against his side and he pulled away from it, flapping his tail as the water level became practically nonexistent underneath him.

He rolled over and looked at the water as he kept trying to push himself further from the water. A few waves still managed to reach his tail, but whatever had attacked him would have to come far out of the water to reach him and if that happened, Tim would have a chance to push himself even further backwards.

He pressed a hand against his side and when he pulled it away it was covered with blood. It would take time to heal, but it wasn’t so bad that he wouldn’t survive the injury. Merpeople he knew had suffered worse injuries than this.

“What are you?”

Tim lurched backwards, hand going back to his side to conceal the wound as he hunched over to try and conceal any sign of pain he might be expressing. He looked over and found Captain Todd standing a few feet away from him, watching him with wide eyes. Tim tried to scoot away, but he was going nowhere fast without any water around him.

“No, no wait,” he said, putting his hands up. “Don’t go, please. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

Tim watched him carefully, chest heaving from a mixture of panic and pain. When he didn’t make another move, the captain lowered his hands slightly and stepped closer.

“Are you hurt?”

Tim swallowed and against his better judgement he pulled his hand away from his side and turned it towards the light of the moon so the captain could see. Before he could do anything else, the captain was kneeling at his side and pulling his shirt over his head.

Tim watched as he tore a long strip of fabric from the hem of his shirt and folded it together.

“This might hurt a little,” he said, not giving Tim time to even contemplate what he was going to do before he pressed the cloth at his side.

Tim whimpered in pain, hands going to the captain’s shoulders and spreading blood on his clean skin as his body curled in on itself.

“Shh, I’m sorry. I know it must hurt, but we need to stop the bleeding,” the captain said, softly. “What happened to you?” he muttered to himself as he caught sight of the long slashes against Tim’s side now that the blood flow was slowly starting to stop.

Tim shook his head. “I don’t know what attacked me. Something with long nails scratched me as I tried to get away.”

“You can talk?!” the captain exclaimed.

Tim’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be able to?”

“Well, you’re...a mermaid.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “And mermaids aren’t supposed to talk?”

“I’m getting sassed by a mermaid who can talk,” the captain muttered. “I’m starting to think I hit my head on something.”

“You did.”

“What?”

“You did hit your head,” Tim explained, some of the tension leaving his body now that the pain was beginning to subside. “It was on the side of the ship after you fell in the storm.”

“You pulled me from the sea?”

Tim felt his cheeks heat up and he ducked his head before nodding.

“Thank you,” the captain said. “I owe you my life.”

“If you let me live then I’ll consider the debt paid,” Tim whispered.

“Why wouldn’t I let you live?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Why would you?” Tim waved at his tail. “I’m a mermaid. Don’t you know how much coin I would probably go for on the market?”

He almost wanted to slap himself because he really wasn’t helping his case by saying something like that.

The captain scoffed. “The market for sea creatures is a dirty business and one I have no interest in taking part in.”

Tim stared at him, but the captain kept his gaze on Tim’s side.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (141)

“Tim!” Jason said as he slipped underneath the water again. He chuckled, bubbles traveling up to the surface as Jason turned in the water.

He darted around Jason’s feet as they kicked lazily in the water. He reached out and dragged his fingers along the underside of his foot. Jason flinched at being tickled and he dropped under the water, giving Tim a glare.

Tim smiled and drifted further down, flicking his tail. Jason surfaced for a quick breath before he ducked back under and swam towards Tim. Tim met him in the middle and let himself get pulled into his arms. He pressed a kiss to the underside of Jason’s jaw and felt his grip tighten around him.

Tim smiled, acting as though he was going to press even closer before he shoved Jason back up to the surface. The pressure caused him to exhale and he kicked frantically to get back to the surface for air. Tim swam after him and breached the surface, swimming in a circle around him.

“Tim!” Jason scoffed,

“Aw, don’t be mad,” he said, wrapping his arms around Jason from behind. He grumbled and Tim pressed a kiss to the back of his neck.

Jason sighed, head dropping forward and Tim took the opportunity to pepper more kisses across his salt-kissed skin.

A shout in the distance had Tim stiffening behind Jason. He peeked around Jason’s shoulder and found the ship from the day before closer to the island. He gasped and shoved Jason away from him, ducking under the waves to hide.

“Tim? Tim!” Jason said, moving around to try and track him in the water.

“Ahoy! Ahoy!”

Jason startled and looked up at the voices that he hadn’t realized had been approaching.

A deckhand was waving a hand over his head trying to get his attention. Jason looked between the water below him and the ship. Before he could make a decision on what to do, he saw someone else run towards the deckhand and pull open a telescope.

The ship was quiet before a flurry of sound erupted.

“Captain Todd! Captain Todd!”

The attention of the first deckhand and the person he didn’t doubt was Roy stopped everyone else in their tracks as they rushed to the side of the ship and fought to get a hand on the telescope. Jason turned in the water and started swimming back towards the island with a sigh.

He stumbled when the sand came up underneath his feet, having to stop himself from falling on his face with his hands forcing them to sink into the sand. He sucked in a breath, feeling gravity once again take hold. He really wanted to just curl up in the sand and wait for Tim to come back.

Instead, he pulled himself out of the waves and sat down in the sand. His ship had sailed closer before lowering it’s anchor and a smaller boat was launching off the side to row towards the island.

Jason looked over the water, hoping for some sign of Tim, but aside from the waves, the surf was unbroken by anything else. He wasn’t sure if Tim had gone to hunker down somewhere else or if he was satisfied with staying close by and hidden by the depth of the waves.

Roy didn’t wait for the boat to beach before he was jumping over the side and rushing to Jason. He stood to meet him. Roy’s body slammed into his, knocking the breath out of him.

“Easy, Roy,” he said.

“Shut it. I thought you were dead so you can take it,” Roy said.

“Yeah...” Jason said.

Roy pushed him back, holding him by his shoulders. “How the hell are you alive anyway?”

Jason ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath. “It’s kind of a long story.”

The other deckhands dragged the ship up on the beach and raced over.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it.”

Jason looked over Roy’s shoulder and found the surface still unbroken. “I was saved.”

Roy’s brow furrowed. “How?”

“By a mermaid,” Jason said, waiting for the challenge to come.

“You were saved by a mermaid?” Roy looked out at the ocean. “And she just left you here?”

“He,” Jason automatically corrected.

“He,” Roy said slowly. “And he just left you here?”

“Not exactly,” he amended with a sigh. “We took care of each other.”

Roy must’ve seen something in his gaze because his eyes widened. He grabbed Jason by the arm and walked him away from the deckhands until they were out of earshot. It was several moments before Jason realized they were at Tim’s pool. He stared down at the water he’d come so used to seeing Tim rest in.

“What’s happened since you fell from your ship?” Roy asked.

“I love him,” he whispered, staring into the shallow pool. His eyes widened and he looked up at Roy in shock of his own statement.

“Jason?”

Both of their gazes snapped to the water where Tim was staring at him, lips parted in shock.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (142)

“Tim,” Jason breathed, taking a step towards him. A hand on his arm stopped him and he looked at Roy with a raised eyebrow.

“So you’re telling me that this mermaid saved you from drowning in the ocean?” he asked, pointing a finger at Tim.

Tim startled as he was pulled out of his thoughts. Jason could see the desire in his eyes to sink back under the waves but he stayed in one place.

“Yes,” Jason confirmed. “And his name is Tim.”

Roy scrubbed a hand over his face and finally let Jason’s arm go.

“So this Tim saved you and brought you here and that’s it?”

Jason shrugged. “For the most part.”

“But you said you took care of each other?”

“We did. Tim got attacked in the water and I bandaged his wounds and moved him to these pools,” he said, waving his hand at what was around them.

“But you’re going to come back with us right?” Roy asked.

Jason but his lip and looked over to Tim who’d shrunk back at the question, gaze fixed on the water. To be honest, he wanted nothing more than to dive into the water and leave the question behind. It was better if he didn’t have to address it and could go on living his life without the hassle of anything else.

“You should go.”

Jason blinked. It took him a minute to realize it was Tim who’d been talking.

“What?” he asked.

Tim let out what would sound to anyone else like a sigh, but Jason could tell it was more of a shaky breath. He was trying to convince himself of something.

“You should go with them, Jason,” Tim clarified. “They came all this way to get you. You can’t just let all of that be for nothing.”

“But Tim-“ Jason said, stepping forward. The rocks at the edge of the pools were sharp underneath his feet. It was unkind. Almost as though the island was turning against him now.

“Jason,” Roy broke in.

He looked over his shoulder.

“Maybe you should leave him,” Roy added with a shrug.

“Tim, please...” Jason said, turning his attention back to the mermaid before him. He moved slowly, crossing the rocks and the pools even when Roy made a sound of protest behind him. “I told you I wasn’t going to leave you.”

Tim bit his lip and looked down at the water around him. He sucked in a breath before looking up at Jason and his stomach sank at the walls he could already see going up in his eyes.

“We both knew that was never going to last,” Tim said, trying and failing to smile. “We come from two different worlds.”

“Tim-”

He shook his head. “Oceans separate us, Jason.“

“They don’t have to,” he was closer now, unconsciously crossing the pools that separated them. A wave crashed over his feet, sending a small shock through the tops of his feet and ankles. “We’ve come this far.”

Tim shook his head and moved backward a couple feet. He looked like he was ready to run and the slightest provocation was going to send him to the farthest corner of the ocean that Jason would never be able to find even if he tried.

Without thinking, Jason jumped from the edge of the rocks and crashed under the sea. The water was deeper here than the rest of the edges of the island. Tim’s tail flickered in the water in front of him and he dived , wrapping an arm around Jason’s waist to bring him back to the surface.

“What are you doing?” Tim asked when Jason gasped in a breath. “Jas-”

He surged forward and pressed their lips together, wrapping his arms around Tim’s shoulders. Tim pulled back with wide eyes.

“I love you,” Jason said, gaze boring deep into Tim’s eyes. “I really do, Tim and I never want to let you go.”

Tim buried his face in Jason’s shoulder and wrapped his arms more tightly around his waist, keeping him close as the movements of his tail kept them above water.

“I love you, too,” he mumbled.

“Then why are you running?”

“Because,” he said, lifting his head. “If we do this and you leave, I’ll have nothing.”

Jason pressed their foreheads together. “You’re not the only one,” he murmured.

A whistle sounded from shore and when Jason jerked back, Tim held him close. They looked over and found Roy squatting on the edge of Tim’s pool.

“What do you say we head back to the ship now, lovebirds?” he asked.

Jason and Tim shared a confused look.

“We?” Jason asked.

Roy smirked and straightened. “Bring him back around to where our boat landed alright, Tim?”

“Okay?” Tim asked even as Roy turned and started to walk across the beach.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (140)

Jason groaned as he pulled Tim out of the pool.

“Don’t groan like I’m that heavy,” Tim said with a pout.

“I think you’ve eaten too many fish,” Jason said, jostling Tim in his grip as he stepped back down onto the sand. “Haven’t been doing enough swimming.”

“Who’s fault is that?” Tim said. “You’re the one who’s been keeping me in the pool.”

“Only because I couldn’t let you get eaten by something else,” Jason said, nuzzling the side of Tim’s head.

Tim chuckled and squirmed in his hold. He heard the light splash of Jason’s foot as it hit the edge of the waves, but Jason froze underneath him.

“Jason?” Tim asked. He raised his head and found Jason’s gaze was fixed on the ocean. His lips were parted in surprise and Tim followed his gaze, finding a ship a few miles off the coast.

“My ship,” Jason murmured.

Tim flinched in his grasp and looked at Jason and his gaze that didn’t waver from the ship and crew in front of them. His stomach turned over and all of the good feelings he’d been harboring over the past few days started to dissipate, turning sour and bitter, almost like bile.

He squirmed in Jason’s hold, the grip around him unconsciously tightening at his movements. Tim pushed at Jason’s shoulder and the change in his weight distribution caused him to fall from Jason’s grasp. He hit the sand, making a small splash at the edge of the waves. He grunted at the way his side hit the sand and he tried dragging himself forward.

“Tim?” Jason asked, his attention coming back to him.

Tim ignored him, pushing against the wet sand. His hands sank into it, giving him no ground

“Tim...” he tried again, moving to crouch down next to him.

He fought to move forward, but his hands only served to sink further into the sand.

“Tim, stop.” Jason wrapped his hand around where Tim’s was in the sand, fingers curling around to brush against Tim’s palm. “Tim, why are you crying?”

He flinched back, but Jason kept a grip on his hand, keeping him from moving too far away. Tim’s unoccupied hand went to his cheek, feeling the tear streaks that had already rolled down his face.

Jason sighed and pulled Tim into his lap, arranging his tail in the water so it wouldn’t be bent awkwardly behind his back. Tim curled into his chest and Jason wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly against him.

“Talk to me. What’s going on?” Jason asked, rubbing a hand up and down his back.

“That’s your ship right?” Tim asked. He swallowed, trying to fight down the tightness in his throat and the anxiety that threatened to force his stomach out of him.

“Yes,” Jason answered.

“So they came back for you. They’re here to look for you,” Tim said.

“They still don’t know where I am,” Jason offered.

“But you could show them,” Tim said. “All you would need to do would be to make a fire and they would come running.”

“That’s not guaranteed,” Jason said. “They could easily write it off.”

Tim shook his head. “Not if they’re here looking for you.”

“I’m not going to leave you so easily,” Jason said.

“But they came here for you. You can’t let all of that hard work go to waste,” Tim said. Everything in him was screaming to stop talking. He didn’t need to give Jason any other reasons to leave. He didn’t need to make sure it would happen.

“They’re close, but they’re not here at this island,” Jason said. “I’m still here with you, Tim. And I don’t have any intention of leaving you behind.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go,” Tim muttered. He looked over at the ship where it was still making progress through the water.

Jason buried his head in the back of Tim’s neck. “Stay with me, Tim,” he whispered. 

“I think I should be the one asking you that,” Tim breathed.

A light breeze ruffled his hair, but to Tim it felt more like the winds were shifting. A change was coming, but he wasn’t sure what it was going to be.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[my-one-love-is-music]

Of Todds and Tails (148)

Tim wiggled out of Jason’s arms as soon as the water was deep enough for him to swim around in it. He swam a circle around Jason, tail looping around his legs before he surfaced and wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders. Jason chuckled and pulled him close, pressing their lips together.

“How many fish do you want?” Tim asked when he pulled away and dropped back down into the water.

Jason hummed. “Get me two and if there’s leftovers I can save them for later.”

“Okay,” Tim said and darted off into the deeper water, searching for the groups of fish that might be circling the island. He kicked his tail lazily, enjoying his time in the water. Jason would still need to build a fire so he wasn’t in a rush to get back yet.

He twisted and turned, darting deeper once the edges of the beach dropped away to reveal the hidden parts of the sea. Tim rolled onto his back and looked up at the surface of the water and the way the sunlight broke through.

“Timothy!”

Tim froze, swallowing harshly at the shrill voice that called his name. He straightened, head drooping and shoulders heavy.

“Timothy don’t turn your back on me.”

“Do as your mother says,” a second voice added. 

He turned in the water and looked at his parents. It had been so long since he’d seen them that he’d forgotten just how suffocating it was to be in their presence alone.

“It’s really about time you stopped running off like this. It’s not appropriate for a young man your age,” she tittered.

“Is there something you needed from me?” he asked. His voice sounded lifeless to his ears.

“It’s time for you to come back with us, son. We have a party coming up to celebrate a special announcement,” his father said.

“Announcement?” Tim asked, feeling dread fill his stomach.

“For your upcoming marriage of course!” his mom said, obviously exasperated.

“Marriage?”

“We’ve found a young socialite for you to marry. She’s a wonderful girl and her family is very prominent in the government. We’ve agreed that it’s an excellent match,” she continued, almost without hearing his question.

Tim’s mind went to Jason and he didn’t realize he’d moved until his parents called after him. He kicked his tail wildly, speeding back towards the beach and he broke the surface with a gasp, practically rolling the rest of the way out of the water.

“Tim?” Jason asked, surprised.

Tim started clawing at the sand, trying to get to him.

“Tim, what’s wrong?” Jason asked, dropping the firewood he was trying to stack. He rushed over to Tim and gathered him into his arms. “You’re not hurt are you?”

Tim wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders and pressed close. “Don’t let them take me, Jason. Don’t let them take me.”

“Who Tim? Who’s trying to take you?”

“I can’t go back with them. I can’t. I love you, Jason.”

Jason shushed him and cradled the back of his neck. “Calm down, Tim. It’s going to be okay. Can you explain to me what’s going on?”

“Timothy?!”

Tim curled forward at the sound of his mother’s screech and Jason’s grip tightened around him.

“Who the hell are you?” Jason spat, glaring at the two newcomers who’d surfaced.

The woman pursed her lips together. “We are Timothy’s parents and you would do well to let him go so we can bring him home.”

“Tim?” Jason asked softly. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Can you answer a question for me?”

“O-okay,” he said, voice shaky.

“Do you want to go back with this people?”

“No. No, I want to stay here with you,” he whimpered.

“Timothy, really,” his mom huffed.

Jason shot another glare at her. “He said he doesn’t want to go. You can leave now.”

“We’re not leaving without our son,” she argued.

“Last time I checked, he was old enough to make decisions of his own and if he wants to stay, he can stay.”

“Don’t act like you know anything about our family,” she hissed. “You know nothing you filthy human.” 

“I know that I love Tim and he loves me and that’s enough.”

“Love you? A human?” she scoffed.

Tim sucked in a breath through his teeth and turned in Jason’s grip, finally looked out at his mother and father who were bobbing in the water several feel away from them.

“I love him,” Tim said. “And I’m going to stay here with Jason on this island. You can’t force me to come back. Just tell everyone that I got eaten by a shark or something. I know you won’t want to feel disgraced by the real story.”

“This isn’t over,” his mom snarled, slowly backing away.

“Oh it is,” Jason called after her. “And if you even try to return and force him back to your colony, I won’t hesitate to protect him with everything I have.”

They both turned and disappeared under the waves. Tim sagged against Jason’s chest once he was certain they were gone.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Jason ducked his head and pressed a kiss to the side of his forehead. “I’ll do anything for you, Tim. If you ever need anything, you can always come to me and I meant it when I said I’d protect you from them.”

“Can you take me back to my pool? I feel too exposed out here.”

“Of course,” Jason said, gathering him up into his arms. Tim curled into his chest as he crossed the beach to the series of his pools. He stepped into Tim’s pool and sat down on one of the rocks. Tim stayed curled against him as the waves rippled gently around them.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!