About an hour into Cory’s restless sleep he was woken up once more, despite him wanting to remain asleep for the rest of eternity. At least when he was unconscious he could ignore the pain, and pretend like things weren’t as bad as they really were.
A light touch caressed his arm, and he shifted away from the foreign sensation. If he was any more coherent he would have probably worried about just what exactly was touching him, but the only thing that he wanted right now was to fall back asleep.
Unfortunately that was easier said than done, especially as his foggy brain began to pick up distant words.
“--ke up, come on.”
Cory barely creaked an eye open, his half-lidded gaze landing on a small blur of colour.
A small red and blue blur of colour.
“Oh… Tetra,” He spoke, his words as sluggish as his movements. It didn’t seem like much was going on behind his tired eyes. He knew how laughable of a state he was in right now- was that why he was here? To watch him suffer?
“Come to gloat?” He asked dryly. “Now’s the time.”
There was a short moment of silence, before the smaller mer replied.
“No you big jerk, I came to help.” He retorted. “Now sit up so you can eat.”
That seemed to get Cory’s attention, and he shifted again to get a better look at the other. The small tetra backed away slightly, still obviously incredibly on edge in his presence, but he didn’t flee. Instead he pointed to the ground beneath him where four decently sized mussels sat, freshly dug out of the ground. Each one of them had to be at least a third of the little mer’s size-- had he really gone through so much effort just to bring him some food?
The blonde quirked an eyebrow. With how he had acted earlier, this behaviour made no sense.
“..Why would you help me?” He asked out of genuine curiosity, not wasting any time in reaching for one of the mollusks and prying it open with his sharp nails.
“Why would you let me go?” His question was answered with another.
Cory didn’t reply, too busy savouring every bite he could get out of the little shellfish. Mussels had never been his favourite by a long shot, but at this point he felt he could eat a whole net full of them.
“You didn’t have to, but you did.” The tetra continued matter-of-factly. “And I don't have to help you, but I am.”
YOU ARE READING
Hearts Still Bleed Underwater (G/T)
FantasyAcross the deep blue there's rumors of a rare plant that can cure any illness. It's extremely difficult to obtain but, despite the ever-stacking odds, one of the ocean's smallest inhabitants has made it his mission to find it. He sneaks away from ho...
