Ocean Blue Eyes//A Garmau AU

13

Garroth was trying to rest for a while before the next day started. Nothing much happened after Aphmau and Aaron left. Those older men and women just observed him for twenty minutes and fed him. Of course, the whole thing was awkward but, it wasn't dangerous by any means. But, the prince was still hesitant though of them and noted to remain cautious. He was on the tank's floor, resting his eyes. The water was warmer than the ocean around this time of year. It was nice...probably the only nice thing about having to be in captivity.
Strangely, he heard doors opening and then closing, then footsteps rushing down the hall.

"It's Aphmau!", One of the dolphins said, cheerfully. She sounded excited to see her but, Garroth was slightly concerned. It was late. Why was she here?

The blonde quickly swam up to the glass to see Aphmau entering the doors. They made eye contact and Garroth could tell that she had been crying. It was strange though...water was pooling at the edges of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. He swam up to the surface of the tank and met Aphmau there who immediately said;

"I'm sorry if I woke you up. I was just planning to rest on one of the couches in the lounge over there since they're more comfortable."

Garroth raised an eyebrow and asked; "I thought you said you had a home...why aren't you sleeping there?"

Aphmau took a while to think but, soon said; "Oh, the cooling and heating system at my place is on the fritz! It's boiling and in another minute it's freezing!"

Garroth gave her a look saying that he wasn't convinced. He sighed and asked again; "What's wrong?"

She frowned and went to the edge of the pool, taking off her shoes to dip her feet in. She folded her arms, her elbows resting on her thighs. The raven-haired girl wasn't as bright as she used to be...

"Sometimes...sometimes in homes here, families get upset with each other and fight,", Aphmau began explaining. "It creates this difficult rift between them...making it harder to mend relationships. My mom and dad split up a long time ago. This led my dad to completely abandon us. Then, years later, I heard that he had another kid, named Ein. He had kicked him out and now is living with me. Everything was fine at first when my mom was here. Then, she left on her honeymoon and now it's a wreck at home."

Aphmau buried herself in her hands and said in a muffled voice; "I'm sorry I'm telling you all this. It's stupid of me to complain in front of you when I barely know you and you're going through something even-"

"Hey, hey! It's okay,", Garroth assured her, gently grabbing her arms. When she looked down at him, he smiled and said; "I don't mind. In fact...I kind of relate."

"Really?", Aphmau asked, leaning back a bit. The blonde just nodded and pulled himself up a bit so he was leaning on the edge of the pool. "What's your family like then?"

"Well...my mom disappeared years ago. When I was a baby. It put a lot of stress on my dad when I was growing up. My brother and I were basically watched over day and night,", Garroth explained, his smile slowly fading as he talked more about it. "He would only let us hang out with friends that he trusted and we barely did anything on our own. It's been getting harder with age as he's still persistent about it."

"He's still crazy about that?", She was shocked, seeing how Garroth looked like he could handle himself.

"Yeah...I don't blame him though,", He exhaled, leaning on his hand. "He was just looking out for us...and look where I got myself into once I had a little freedom."

Aphmau wiped away her tears and playfully punched him; "Don't blame yourself. You just slipped up a bit."

"That's a gentle way to put it but, thanks,", The blonde chuckled. His blue freckles glowed a bit, making goosebumps tingle on Aphmau's arms. He relaxed a bit and asked; "So...this Ein guy. Did he do that to you?"

He pointed to the now faint bruise on Aphmau's cheek. She forgot to reapply makeup before coming in...not like she was expecting to talk to Garroth but, still. She frowned again and nodded. Garroth furrowed his eyebrows and said; "He shouldn't treat you like that."

"Now you should like my step-sister,", Aphmau laughed a bit. "It's hard. He's way bigger than me and he knows how to get at me. Just one mention of my dad and...and..."

Tears began to form in her eyes once again. Garroth thought quickly of how to solve it. So, he said proudly; "Well, if I was there, I would give him a piece of my mind!"

He did some goofy fists moves, punching the air a bit. It made Aphmau laugh nonetheless, making it mission accomplished in the blonde's eyes.

"Thanks Garroth...I wish you were."

He smiled and raised his fist a bit and said shyly; "To crappy parents?"

"To crappy parents."

They fists bumped and giggled together this time. Aphmau looked around, realizing how peaceful it was here at night. She should've thought of coming here sooner. Then again, someone wasn't here to talk to her before.

"Anyway...do you want to swim for a bit?", Garroth offered. "I can't do much else."

Aphmau blushed in embarrassment and spoke softly; "I don't know how."

Garroth's eyes widen, surprised. "You're telling me you woke with sea-life and you don't know how to swim!"

"H-Hey! It's not the worse thing in the world! I could be a plumber who's afraid of germs!"

"A what?", The merman cocked his head, which Aphmau found slightly adorable.

"Never mind...I've just never got around to it."

An idea sparked into the blonde's head just then, his head popping up excitedly. "I could teach you!"

"You want to teach me? Garroth, we don't even have the same limbs. It'd be really difficult-"

"So? We could try. Besides, I could save you."

She thought about it for a moment before smirking and saying; "Alright...how about we start tomorrow? I'm probably not gonna go back there tomorrow night unless Ein is out. We can start lessons then."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The two shook hands like it was some sort of agreement. Aphmau was impressed at how normal it felt to shake his hand. Even with the webbed fingers. Garroth was even more so, seeing how she had spaced between her fingers.

"Well, I should go get some rest...the team expects me to be energized tomorrow. You should be too,", Aphmau said, standing up.

"Agreed...you sure you'll be okay in there?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sleep tight Garroth."

"You too Aphmau."

The two waved at each other, turning away for a moment. Before Aphmau reached the door and Garroth went under the water, they looked back at each other and smiled. It was then they knew, it was truly a friendship forming between them.

Word Count: 1206