Merman Iwaizumi X Oikawa

Caught

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the art. All the characters are the property of Haruichi Furudate. All the art is the property of the various artists. Author-chan out!

A glass tank sat near the back of the ship. Cage would be more accurate, since it had no water inside it. It was about five feet wide and four feet high. A metal lid sat on top, keeping it shut tight.

Iwaizumi's eyes widened.

The tank held a captive merman. And not just any merman.

It was Oikawa.

He was curled up on the far side of the glass, as far away from his captors as he could get in the small space. He hid his face in his hands. A net covered him like a second skin from head to tail fin, restraining him. Abrasions from the rough material showed up on his perfect skin. A huge grey bruise spread across the left side of his body. His light blue tail was dull. His wavy hair was messy. His skin didn't glisten with a sheen of water like it normally did.

They hadn't caught a special fish. They'd caught Tooru.

Hajime pressed his hands against the glass, trying to get his attention. "When did you catch him? And how, exactly?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his stricken boyfriend.

"Yesterday morning," Hoshiumi said proudly. "It ran straight into the fishing nets. The storm blew it right at us."

Yesterday morning? That's almost twenty-four hours! He'll die if he doesn't get back into the sea soon!

He rapped his knuckles on the glass. Tooru flinched and looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale. His lips were dry and cracked. He saw Hajime and his eyes widened. He lunged forward. He banged his palms on the glass behind the netting that covered him. His mouth opened, but Hajime couldn't hear anything through the cage.

He could see Oikawa's expression, though. And his expression was desperate. White hot rage filled Iwaizumi.

How dare they cage Tooru. How dare they treat him like an animal. How dare they hurt him. How dare they! He'll die if he stays there any longer! YOU BASTARDS!

He whirled and punched Hoshiumi in the jaw. Taken by surprise, the nerve endings in his jaw sent a lightning fast message to his brain. He collapsed on the deck.

"Hey!" Another crewman yelled. He ran up. "What are y-" the enraged male knocked him out. He did the same for the rest of the small crew.

He ran back to Tooru's tank. He pried the lid open.

"Oikawa!"

"Iwa-chan! The water!" He rasped, his voice very hoarse.

Instantly understanding, Iwaizumi lifted the brunette out of the cage bridal style, still wrapped in the net. He felt unnaturally dry, which was disturbing since he was always wet. His tail twitched uselessly. His hands fluttered weakly. He didn't have the strength to hang onto Iwaizumi. 

Hajime grabbed a handy knife from the deck and cut the ropes apart. He threw the net away. As soon as Tooru was free of the net, he carried him to the side of the ship. Hajime threw him into the sea, knowing he would be safe there. The merman disappeared from sight.

Realizing that the wind had died, the spiky haired male climbed into his kayak. He cut it free and threw the rope into the kayak. He paddled around to where he threw Tooru in. He leaned out of his boat, searching frantically for his boyfriend.

A light blue tail shot under and around him. Oikawa waved at him from underwater. He pointed at himself, then all around.

Iwaizumi understood. He needs to stay in the water for a while to recover from drying out so long. He nodded. He pointed at himself, then in Seijoh Island's direction. Tooru nodded. He swam toward it. Hajime began paddling, keeping one eye on his boyfriend.