Now We Are Home

Meeting At Sea [Reader x/+ Sorbet Shark]

Content: Touching (not suggestive), Durianeers but Sorbet's already knocked them tf out lol, loneliness that gets fixed by cute shark, and really nothing else - can be seen as romantic or platonic!

This chapter's a biiiiiit short but hopefully it still manages to stay afloat!! Haha, get it— Afloat.. fjndjdndjbx I'll shut up now

This was a request from @inotclairelolD \o/ Enjoy!

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Drip. Drip. Drip—

The sound of the stalactites above you is starting to drive you mad. You silently curse under your breath at your present situation. The Durianeers are circling the island to try and find you as you sit in this cold, empty cave to escape them.

You flit about in the water as you wait for a safe time to leave. If you had legs, you could run away.. Some of the Mercookies are on land right now, enjoying the sunshine, but you know that they gave up things to be able to do that. You won't even consider giving into that temptation.

"Look! Hello!"

Your head whips to the entrance of the cave to see a small boat floating in. They found you. Oh no, they— Wait.. Those aren't Durianeers. The one who had greeted you is instead a young girl in a rather frilly pink dress, with a few other Cookies behind her. A knight with his sword drawn as a caution. A colorful islander you recognize from the nearby village. And.. a short Cookie with what looks exactly like a fin atop their head.

"We've been looking for you! Are you okay?"

The young girl calls for you again. While they seem to be nice, you can't risk the Durianeers entering the cave too and capturing you to sell on the black market. You dive down into the water and speed your way towards the open ocean, rushing away under their boat.

Adrenaline enters your veins as soon as you pass under them. It's not fair. Constantly running, being afraid of anyone else. Even other Mercookies are unkind to you. It's not because you look unattractive or anything; in fact, one of the prettiest fish in the sea makes up your other half! Apparently being an Angelfish makes others think you're a pushover and unfortunately for you, they're not wrong.

"Wait—!!"

"Don't be scared, we just want to meet you..!"

You can hear them all objecting to you running away but one voice stands out among them.

"OoOoOooOooOoOo!"

Which one is speaking like that? It has to be the one with the fin. Are they maybe..?

You feel a hand grab your wrist right before you're fully out of the cave. How in the world could any of them dive fast enough?!

"We won't hurt you! If you're worried about the Durianeers, I took care of them! Being a pirate is great and all, but I like meeting other Cookies like me."

You turn to whoever grabbed you and see that it indeed is the finned Cookie. They're smiling at you with a couple of cute little fangs poking out and you're astonished by their transformation. Up on the boat they looked so sleepy but now.. Now they look so powerful despite their cheery attitude and high voice. It takes you a moment to finally realize what they are. That's a shark. That's a very agile shark. Oh. Hell. No.

You try to wrestle your arm free from them but even their casual grip is strong. The reaction they have is so confusing for you though. They reach out and hug you, rubbing your back to reassure you they're not going to hurt you. After a couple moments of this, you can't help but melt into their arms because you've always wanted this gentle touch but never got it.

"You.. You took them out? All of their ships?"

"Yep! We heard rumors about a Mercookie being near the island and wanted to make sure you were okay! .. Are you okay?"

"I'm.. I'm fine.."

"Hehe! You're soooo cute! Aren't you an Angelfish?"

"Uhm.. Yeah. And you're a shark."

They appear to catch onto what you're trying to say. A tiny whimper comes from their chest that you would have missed if your head wasn't right by it.

"I don't mean to scare you.. My name is Sorbet Shark Cookie! You can call me Sorbet though."

Their positivity relaxes you more and more. Eventually, you introduce yourself as well, although you don't say anything more than just a shy murmur of your own name. Sorbet hugs you again and even pets your hair as they just keep calming you down more and more. This Mercookie is so sweet.. Why does everyone fear sharks..?

"You seem.. Really nice.."

"I try to be! And the others are nice too, I promise! Will you come back up with me to meet them?"

You hesitantly consider it and after a minute or so, you finally relent and nod. This makes Sorbet back away and spin around in glee before they reach for what you assume is going to be your wrist. Shockingly, they grab your hand instead, squeezing it while they continue to babble on about how you're safe and the others will love you. It all passes through your head because your attention is strictly on them holding your hand.

"Come on— It'll be fun! I'll protect you if any other pirates show up."

Just like that, they begin to bring you to the surface with them and you can see the other Cookies getting excited for you to meet them. Could they possibly be new friends..? Would it be okay to hang out with land Cookies? You suppose it doesn't matter anyways because who cares what anyone else thinks. It's time you choose to be happy and meeting these new Cookies are the baby steps you need to start that journey.

Before you two come above water, Sorbet looks back at you with a smile you'd never seen on anyone else. It's so friendly and full of joy that you can't help but return one in kind. You nod knowingly and they nod right back. The two of you emerge from below, ready to have a good time with the others.

It's nice to not be alone now.