Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was so fucking hot. 

Tommy wanted nothing more but to go inside where the air conditioning was, or to take a nice cold shower. He was pretty sure he would kill a man for an ice cream right now, or even for a fucking glass of water. 

Dream had locked him outside, which was a bitch move. 

Tommy hadn't even done anything this time! Dream thought he was better off outside because it was summer and that's what kids did apparently. Something about kids being on their phones instead of experiencing the outside or some horse shit. What Dream neglected to check was the weather. 

It was almost one hundred degrees with high humidity, and it wasn't even peak day yet. Tommy sat underneath a shady tree for any sort of reprieve from the heat, but it felt like an oven blasting in his face. A wet, soggy oven. 

Dream neglected to give him any sort of sunscreen or bug repellent, so he was a crispy delicious snack for mosquitos. His skin was itchy and bright red, and he long torn off his shirt. Sure it was more skin for the mosquitos, but his shirt was soaked with sweat. 

His mouth was terribly dry. It wasn't even the kind of heat to have fun in, it was the kind of heat to hunker down in front of a fan until it passed. It was the kind of heat that kept the earth warm well into the night and that you could keep the screen door open. 

So in short, Tommy was hot and miserable and so terribly itchy. His skin was already sensitive and painful, which meant he had a nasty sunburn coming his way if he didnt have it already. He begged Dream to let him back inside, but that had only cost him his dinner. 

So here he sat, going on about hour three of the blistering sun. He got up on stumbling feet. He had about enough and headed down the trail. 

Dream and him lived in the middle of nowhere, about 10 miles away from any town. They lived in a gross marshland filled with toads and snakes, and whatever else might be in murky shallow mud holes. It wasn't Tommy's first choice, but Dream had insisted on it. 

There was a lake about a mile away that Dream had forbidden him from going to. Dream had said there were poisonous snakes, but after three hours sitting under the sun's deadly rays without any sort of water, he would gladly take his chances. 

His feet squished in lukewarm mud that didn't help his situation at all like he thought it would. If anything, the mud just made his skin itch and flakey. 

Dream fucking sucked. 

Tommy wondered if there were any crocodiles or alligators in the lake he was going to, but shrugged it off. They weren't in the everglades, Dream just liked gross swampy areas to live in for some reason. He highly doubted there would be alligators, but kept cautious anyways. 

His brain felt like it was melting at this point. His phone had shut off with a "Please cool down your phone!" Alert, so he couldn't even see how high the temperature had gotten. His phone was like holding a baked potato, so he kept it in his pocket. 

Finally, finally , after a mile walk to the god damn lake, he dropped on all fours into the water. The water had blessedly cooled his arms and legs, and he sobbed with joy. The water was probably unsafe to drink from, but at least it was cooling his body down. 

He tossed his phone and wallet onto the bank, and wadded out further into the lake. Unlike the muddy marshes, the water here was a crispy blue. He couldn't see further down than his abdomen, but at least it wasn't that disgusting sludge color. 

He sank lower into the lake where his toes barely touched the bottom and sighed with relief. His body no longer felt like a cooked goose, and he could feel the seaweed brushing up against his legs. He dunked his head underneath the water. 

He couldn't see anything. Everything was blurry in a blue washed out sort of sense, but that was alright. He was able to make out boulders and the steady decline into the lake. He breached the water, gasping for air. 

He was still miserable, but the cool water relaxed his aching sunburnt body. He floated in the water with his head above the surface line, mindlessly drifting along. He bobbed ever so slightly with the lake, his body started to grow cold from the water. 

He'd get out in a little while. This was nice. He closed his eyes and began to drift. 

He wasn't sure how long he had his eyes shut for, but when he opened them again he startled. He was far away from the shore. Son of a bitch. 

Thankfully he knew how to swim, but his body was already exhausted from baking in the sun. The seaweed was wrapping all around his legs. He could even feel fucking fish swim past his legs. 

Well. That's kind of cool actually, he felt something scaley brush against his legs a couple of times. Dream had told him that there were a lot of trout and sea bass, sometimes even sturgeon who swam around in the lakes around their house. 

He could float a little longer before he went in for shore. Sue him, he was having fun on another wise miserable day. Plus! He hadn't even seen poisonous snakes around. Dream was probably lying about that to keep him away from the lake. Fuck Dream. 

He felt something bump into his legs again, but definitely bigger than the fish he'd been feeling. Shit. Maybe there were alligators? He didn't know shit about alligators. Would there be alligators this far into a lake? 

Did he even want to know what was brushing up against his leg? Curiosity killed the cat. But also, satisfaction brought him back. It was probably just a big ass fish. He'd seen pictures of big ass fish almoat as big as a person, and they could easily knock into him. 

He took a deep breath, and sunk the water and opened his eyes. 

That was not a fucking fish. 

Human eyes stared back at him, with blonde hair. It smiled, with large sharp pointy teeth. Instead of having a nose, it had two slits and gills under its rib cage. That thing wasn't fucking human either. It had fucking scales. Was that a fucking mermaid tail? Tommy surfaced, gasping for air. 

Fuck this shit. Fuck no. Fuck-! 

A human hand grabbed his foot and Tommy screamed, thrashing wildly. That thing started pulling him under. "Stop!" He begged, fighting to keep his head above water. He wanted the alligators! The poisonous snakes, anything but being drowned by a horrific creature. 

The creature must've fucking bitten him, that fucker! His calf was on fire and he watched with horror as the water had streams of red. He tried kicking it in the face, but the creature didn't release its hold. 

"Dre-" he begged, but his mouth was flooded by lake water. He choked, but more water filled his mouth and into his airway, and into his lungs. His body spasmed, trying to expel the water from his precious organs, but there was no oxygen. It felt like burning lava as his body fought for breath.

The creature had wrapped itself around Tommy, pinning his hands to his chest. He chipped and chirred at him, but he couldn't fucking pay attention because he was drowning. He was losing strength and fast. 

Minutes passed of fighting for his life. He wanted to die to get it over with, but he was still fucking conscious. As they sank to the bottom of the lake the creature adjusted its hold to gently cradle him. He wasn't dying or was he? he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. He was terrified, and terrifyingly lethargic. 

Was this creature going to eat him? God what a shitty way to go, he thought hysterically. 

"I know," the creature murmured gently into his hair. "I've done this twice before, but it never gets easier. Easy does it" Tommy tried to jerk away, but he couldn't twitch a muscle. 

The creature took his sharp claws, and dug underneath his ribcage. It hurt. It hurt so fucking bad, but he could breathe. He gasped and sputtered. What the hell? That shouldn't even be possible. He gasped and sputtered and sobbed. He tasted his own blood.

He wanted to go home to Dream. He wanted to sit in the blistering sun. He wanted to go back to the group home, anything. 

The creature's tail wrapped around him as a webbed hand carted through his blonde wavy hair. 

"What did you do?" He choked out terrified. The creature, mermaid? Merman? Held him impossibly closer 

"My sons wanted another brother." He said, resting his head on his. Tommy shuddered. The creatures skin was so warm compared to the bottom of the lake. It was fucking freezing. 

"I've waited a long time here at the lake, waiting for another visitor. It's been seasons, but we finally get to go home. You'll love it mate, we live in the shallows with several tropical fish. It's beautiful." his legs started to ache. Nothing like he's ever experienced before. Ache wasn't the right word, more like his legs were on fire and being crushed at an atomic level. 

"We'll wait here for another couple of days" the creature said gently, scooping him up in his arms. Tommy whined in pain, his body exhausted and tired. "The tail growing in is always the worst part, but I promise you I'll be here every step of the way." Tommy was started to not comprehend words.

Tommy's eyes were still incredibly blurry, and borderline unfocused. His legs hurt, his ribs hurt, his fucking lungs and throat hurts. As much as hated Dream, he'd gladly go back if he could. 

The creature took him to an underwater cavern where it completely pitched black. He clung onto the mermaid for dear life, a noise coming from his throat he'd never made before. "I know it's scary," he said softly. 

"The cave will help though. That was pretty traumatic wasn't it?" Tommy gave a shaky nod. "It's nice and dark and safe here. I'll go hunting once you're asleep. I'm Philza." he said as he placed Tommy into a nest of seaweed. 

"It's so nice to finally meet you" Philza whispered as Tommy struggled to keep his eyes open. Whatever Phil did to him to make him turn made him feel physically sick and wanted nothing but this nightmare to be over. 

He soon lost his battle to sleep. 

Chapter Text

It took a little more than a week for his tail and scales to properly come in, and it was spent in utter agony. His body was hot and feverish as he tossed and turned in the kelp nest. 

His claws were coming in too, and whenever he had a coherent moment he would try and tear off his freshly developed scales. They were fuckin ugly and sensitive, did he mention ugly? Like Phils face. 

Philza grabbed his hands whenever he caught him doing it with an unamused look. "Stop tearing them out" he chided. "God, you're worse than Wilbur was." 

Tommy snarled in his face. 

That's another thing that was new. The weird noises he and Philza make. They didn't make sense to Tommy, but it triggered something deep in his mind and he fucking loathed it. Philza doesn't do it often, but if Tommy were having a particularly painful episode of leg spasms or if Tommy had made it out of the nest, he'd make a soothing sound. 

The soothing sound would quickly lull him to sleep, and he'd wake up further along in this god forsaken process. 

Tommy was curled up on his side, his legs were fused together at this point. Phil had said it was normal, and soon he'd develop fins and scales.

 He didn't like looking at his lower half. 

A lot of the time while he was conscious, he spent either crying or trying to get out of the cavern. Mostly just crying though. This wasn't fucking fair. 

He couldn't do much anyways aside from feeling sorry for himself. Philza said he wouldn't even be swimming for another month or two. Tommy would have to learn how to control his body all over again like he was a newborn. 

He couldn't even twitch his bottom half without horrible spasms of pain shooting up through his hips and spine. He was going to kill Phil, he decided. Or at the very least turn him human, to see how he likes it.

 Once he figured out how to do that of course. 

Aside from Philza being an asshat for transforming him into a Goddamn abomination, he was nice. Whenever Tommys fever would spike, he'd get cool stones from the deepest part of the lake. Whenever he was ravenous, Phil would provide him with as much fish as he could eat. 

At first he was weirded out by eating cold cuts of fish, but it was almost the same as eating sushi. Philza took the time to debone and descale the meat, so there was that. 

Philza also understood he needed time and space. Tommy hated to admit it, but a Goddamn fish understood his boundaries better than Dream ever did. 

If he wanted to be left alone, Philza listened. He'd check in every couple of hours, but he still kept his distance. On the rare occasion Tommy wanted to be held, Philza was more than happy to hold him as he wailed and sobbed. 

Everything was new and weird, and so horribly jarring. 

Tommy stared at the wall, carving into the stone. Aside from the tears and the agonizing pain, it was fucking boring. He couldn't leave the nest. He could barely roll over. All he got to do was stare at the stalactites on the ceiling or sleep. 

He could hear Philza coming back from his hunt. Whenever Phil came back, he always made himself known with clicks and chirrs, or humming a melody. Philza quickly found out that Tommy does not like being snuck up on. Tommy managed to bite the shit out of his hand when Phil startled him awake without warning. Tommy would like to claim it was a mermaid thing, but he'd definitely done it to Dream before.  

Tommy used all of his strength to sit up in the nest, his arms shaking and his back spasming. He flinched in pain, but he managed to prop himself up against the cave wall. 

"Oh hey!" Philza greeted kindly. "You're sitting up on your own! You're a tenacious little shit, good job mate" Tommy hated how he preened under the praise. Fuck Phil. 

Philza was always ready to drop compliments like they were nothing, even if they were for literally anything. Tommy had to beg and work for any sort of compliment from Dream. It was fucking weird and confusing. 

"Whatever, dude. Don't make it weird" Tommy huffed. "What food did you get?" 

Philza sat a handwoven basket beside Tommy and there was a mountain of fish. Instead of them being deboned and flayed like they usually are, they were whole. Dead eyes stared back at him and Tommy scooted an inch back. 

"It's not ideal I know." Phil said gently. "But by serving them like I have, it takes out all the calcium and nutrients you need, and I dont want you to grow weak." 

"Aren't fish bones dangerous?" He asked hesitantly. He really didn't want to eat a whole ass fish, bones and all.

"For humans, yeah. But you're not human anymore kiddo." Oh. That fucking stung. Tommy glared at Phil and threw the fish at him. The jerk made his back spasm, but he was too upset to care. 

"Who's fucking fault was that?" He snarled, a growl rumbling in his throat. Philza put his hands up placatingly. 

"Fully mine, and I accept that. I don't regret it though, not for a moment." He said softly. Philza was a prick. "I wish I could make the transition easier for you, I really do. We just gotta stick through it though. It gets easier" 

Tommy shoved his chest. "I don't want it to get easier! I want to go home ! I don't want to be a freak of nature!" He spat in his face, his body twinging in pain. He gasped as a particularly sharp pain shot through his spine. 

"Mate-" he said so pityingly. Philza went to cup his face, but Tommy was angry. He was pissed about the hand he was dealt with, and he refused to go down without a fight. 

He snarled again as he chomped down on Phils forearm and tore. Blood and scales flooded his mouth but all he could taste was victory. 

The victory was short lived as Phil slammed him into the cave wall, a clawed hand around his throat. Sharp pain encompassed his entire being. He gasped sharply, as a wail choked from his lips. It was the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life, bar none. A broken bone felt like nothing compared to the agony rippling through his body. 

As waves of agony rippled through his body, his brain commanded him to submit. As he became aware of his surroundings again, he could feel Philza growling. The growling rippled through the water, shaking his very core. He could still breathe because of his newly formed gills under his ribcage, but he couldn't speak. 

"I will not be tolerant of biting." Philza growled in his face. "You can throw a temper tantrum, you can have a pity party, whatever you need to help the process. But God help me if you bite me or either one of my sons, I will not hesitate to tie you to the bottom of the ocean for a week. Do you understand?" 

Tommy couldn't nod or shake his head, but he managed to give a terrified squeak. All he could understand was that his caretaker was livid. The clawed hand lessened its grip, and he managed to chirp a string of apologies. Philzas' deadly stare softened.

Philza went to stroke Tommys hair, but Tommy flinched back. Philza sighed and released Tommy. "I'll be back, mate. I think we both need to cool off and chill for a bit, yeah?" He said gently, and took off towards the entrance of the cave. 

Tommy crumbled into a heap in his kelp nest, his back and legs in agony. Terrible gasps and sobs escaped his throat without trying. He wanted Dream. Any sort of trust built with Philza had crumbled so fucking fast. The argument itself happened in the blink of an eye. 

He needed to get to shore. Dream would help him. Dream would know what to do, Dream knows everything. No doubt Dream has been looking for him. Phil wouldn't be back for at least a couple of hours. 

He swallowed the hurt, he swallowed the pain and agony. He was getting the fuck away from Philza even if it killed him. 

— 

Tommy's arms and upper body burned with exertion as his sad excuse of a tail dragged behind him. The only thing that pushed him was his spite and anger for Phil. 

Currently he was army crawling on the lake floor. It wasn't very dignified, but it worked. He was out of the cavern, and on his way to the shore. It had gotten remarkably easier to see. Instead of the water washing out his vision, everything was crispy and clear as if he were wearing goggles. It was one of the only perks since it started. 

He was so close to the shore. He could feel the sun on his back that was a contrast to the cool darkness of the cavern. His mind screamed at him to go back to Phils arms, that he was out and exposed. Fuck that, no thanks. 

He could hear Phils siren call, a shrill cry searching for him. It was far away from him.  Tommy choked down and a response crawled a little faster. He choked and gasped as he made it to the beach, collapsing on the hot sand. 

He could see the trail he walked to get to the lake, he could even see his phone and wallet still on the bank. He managed to beach himself further, but he managed to grab his phone. It was on five percent. His hands shook as he unlocked his phone, and called Dream. 

Dream answered on the third ring. "Tommy!" He snapped. "Where the hell are you?! You've been fucking missing! I almost filed a missing person's report!" 

Tommy choked back tears. "Dream I need help, I'm at the lake. I need help, please-" 

"I'll be there in 20 minutes, don't fucking go anywhere." Dream snapped and hung up the phone. Dream sounded livid, but he was on his way. 

Tommy was probably going to get the shit beaten out of him, but that was fine. Dream was going to help him figure this out. Dream was one of the nicer foster care family's he had, he was going to help him. 

He repeated that mantra in his head. It was an agonizing twenty minutes. His skin was starting to dry out and his breathing was funny. He could hear Philzas calls becoming more desperate. 

Twenty minutes became an hour. An hour became two hours. Tommys breath was stuttering at best. Dream was coming, surely. His skin was drying out and becoming flakey and raw even in the humid heat. 

He was so fucking thirsty. He wanted Dream, but he was in so much pain he wanted the water. He tried to belly flop back towards the lake but he couldn't move. 

He'd belatedly realized how thoroughly he fucked up. He beached himself. He was about five feet away from the shore, and he had to grapple with a simple fact. 

Dream wasn't coming. 

Dream had let him down so many times in the past, why would he come now? Why was Tommy so fucking stupid? He cried into his arms. 

He wanted Phil. He could still hear the calls and cries, they never stopped for a moment. In a moment of desperation, he wheezed back.

Help-hurt-scared. 

He wasn't sure if Phil had heard him, not even a moment later he heard. 

Coming-scared-worried . 

Tommy sighed with relief. Help was coming. His eyes slipped closed. 

—

When Tommy woke, he was in strong muscular arms. Philza had found him. He was being cradled, but after the day Tommys had he didn't mind. He looked down at his wrists and found them bound together with coarse rope. 

It still hurt to breathe and his skin was still red and irritated. Dream had completely abandoned him. He never even came. His shoulders hitched as he began to sob as quietly as he could. 

Even though Philza had found him, he was no doubt furious with Tommy. He manages to get across the lake and he beached himself in the matter of a couple hours, and blatantly ignored his calls. 

"I'm sorry" he croaked into the side of Phils neck.

Instead of Philza scolding him, he just held him closer. "I'm so glad you're alright." He whispered. "You scared me half to death, but I'm glad you're okay. I thought I lost you" he whispered so vehemently, as if Tommy had been his son his entire life. As Tommy softly cried to himself for what felt like ages, Phil crooned comfortingly. 

"I'm sorry for earlier. While I don't regret scaring you into submission, I didnt mean to hurt you." He said in a voice above a whisper. "I don't think I caused permanent damage, but we'll keep an eye on your back. I shouldn't have left you like that." 

Tommy just nodded into his neck. It was odd that Phil was apologizing to him, but it was kind of nice. He rarely got an adult to apologize to him for any reason. 

He sniffled and looked around. Instead of the deep blue of the lake, it was turning into an algae green. "Where are we going?" 

"Home." Philza looked down at him at a quick glance. "Techno and Wilbur live deep in the ocean where humans can't reach them. They can hunt on their own just fine, but they're not old enough to go to the lake. The lakes are plenty safe, but the rivers are dangerous. I was hoping until winter for the river to freeze over before I brought you home, but I don't trust you not to get yourself killed until then." 

Tommy shrunk at the backhanded insult. "I'm sorry." He whispered again. Why did he feel so chastised? What happened to Fuck Phil? Philza just pulled him in closer. "You'll learn. Why don't you go to sleep? It's a days journey to the ocean" 

"I don't want to sleep." He said burying his face into Phils chest, grumbling. He just woke up. 

"I wasn't asking Tom." His voice clipped and Tommy flinched. Philza never goes out of his way to call Tommy Tom. It was always Mate, or Kiddo, occasionally Tommy. Phil was definitely still upset with him no doubt.

Tommy said nothing more as he tried to force himself to sleep. He relaxed his body as much as he could, and closed his eyes. It was a couple of minutes later before Phil readjusted his hold on Tommy, and tucked him up closer to his neck as if he were holding an infant. 

Phil started a soft song, one that would pull Tommy under in minutes. Tommy didn't stand a chance against the soft rocking of the water and Phils soothing voice. 

Chapter Text

"Phil c'mon mate, i'm fucking tired." Tommy whined. 

"Nope. Come on, another mile and then you can rest." Phil didn't even give him a second glance. 

Phil fucking sucked. 

Phil thought it was a fitting punishment to make Tommy swim alongside him until they reached the ocean. Phil thankfully had enough mercy to drag him along, but if Tommy stopped trying to use his tail Phil would stop. 

It was exhausting and it was starting to become painful. Pain shot up his back and his legs, now his new tail, was starting to ache. Phil put his body through hell and now he's making him do physical activity. 

At least he untied his arms, so that was something. 

Tommy stopped whining, but he discretely wiped his eyes. It was silly to wipe his eyes of tears, he was underwater, but old habits die hard. He wasn't human anymore. 

God. 

He wasn't human anymore. 

Dream had completely abandoned him and he's trying his best to keep up with change, but it was fucking hard. Phil had explained to him that it wasn't safe at the lake anymore, Dream could've gone to get other humans and Tommy would've been exposed to a fate worse than death. 

Tommy didn't count on it. Dream was looking for an excuse to get rid of him. He probably thought Tommy got bit by a poisonous snake or something. He sniffled and his shoulders hitched. He tried to suppress his crying so as to not alert Phil, but he noticed anyways. 

Phil glanced down and sighed gently. "Okay. We can stop." He said, pulling Tommy up to his chest. Tommy didn't bother fighting it, he just rested his head on his chest. 

He was thoroughly burnt out and tired. His body ached. He looked down at his dumb tail. It was bright red, admittedly beautiful. He hated it. He hated this. He never thought he'd miss the cramped group home, but here he was. 

He'll never grow up in normal society. He'll never get a job or a home. He has to worry about fucking sharks and humans hurting him. And since when did he start referring to other people as humans? 

He sobbed harder into Phils chest. He was crying into the chest of the person who changed him because he had no one else. Phil let him cry it out for who knows how long, before his sobs died down to sniffles. 

"I know mate." He said gently. "It's hard, but I promise it'll get easier. Are you hungry?" 

Tommy wiped his nose and nodded. "Yeah." He whispered quietly, his arms hugging around his middle. He could eat. He misses having McDonald's, but he'd also grown a taste for fish. 

"Alright kiddo. Now, we're getting into alligator territory," Tommy chirped nervously, glancing around them. It was bright green all around with algae and mud. 

"It'll be alright, I just need you to be quiet and stay still yeah? They can feel vibrations in the water." He said as Phil pushed him underneath the roots of a tree.

"What if you don't come back?" He asked in panic, grabbing his arm. Phil gently pressed his forehead against his. 

"If I don't come back by tonight, you swim like hell towards the ocean and yell for Wilbur and Techno. Wilbur will take care of you, and Techno'll come find me. Whatever you do, don't come searching for me. Alligators are messy eaters'' he said, wincing. 

"I- Phil I don't have to eat, you don't have to-" Phil hugged him close. Tommy was starting to feel safe in his arms.

"You need food mate. You've worked your tail all day, and you need energy. I promise I'll be back by the time the sun sets. Be good, and don't leave the tree roots unless it's after sunfall okay?" 

Tommy whined anxiously, but quieted down as Phil left. 

Tommy could've very easily left, but where would he go? Dream wasn't going to help him. People were probably going to donate him to science, or mount him on their wall. 

…As much as he hated to admit it, he also didn't want to disappoint Phil. Phil had his moments, but for the most part he was kind. Almost fatherly. He wasn't sure if it was his new dumb fish brain, or if he got genuinely attached. 

Whatever the case, he crammed himself further into the roots. Phill would be back at any time. Phil had said they had maybe another ten miles or so, and he could already taste the water changing to more of a salty taste. 

The water grew more cold as the day went on, and the sky was turning red. Tommy churred anxiously to himself. Phil would be coming back any time. 

The sky turned dark, and he cautiously swam to the surface. The sun was down, and he could see the yellow reflective eyes of alligators all throughout the river surface. 

Fuck.

Okay. 

Maybe he should stay in the roots until Phil gets back, or maybe until morning. He really didn't want to fuck around and fi- 

He heard a pained wail. Phil. Fuck, Phils hurt. 

Phil had explicitly told him to run to the ocean, but before he could think better of it he was swimming towards cries that eventually died down to eerie silence.

He could taste copper in the water. 

He could also see leathery scaled bodies of alligators near the surface of the water. Why the fuck did they have to leave the lake? 

It wasn't long before he stumbled across Phil in a cloud of blood and an alligator with a twisted neck. Neither of them were moving. 

Phil was belly up unconscious, with his dorsal fin completely torn off. He was as pale as a sheet. What hurt the most was the pile of dead fish also belly up, that would've been Tommy and his dinner. 

"Fuck!" Tommy cried, swimming over. He couldn't get the blood to stop, how do you stop blood underwater? It didn't fucking help he saw the glowing beady eyes, and the increase of water thrashing around them. 

The alligators had tasted the blood.

"Fuck, okay, hold on Phil, just give me a sec-" he said, grabbing him. Phil was limp in his arms as Tommy dragged him, swimming as fast as his lame tail would allow. 

"Fuckin- you're lucky I don't leave you you bastard!" He hissed at Phil. "What dumbass would drag a baby mermaid through the river when it was alligator season!? Wake up!" Phil was unresponsive. 

Tommy luckily narrowly dodged two alligators colliding together, trying to aim for Tommy. He couldn't feel his lower half protesting in exertion, but he assumed that was the adrenaline. 

Still, he was starting to lose momentum. His arms burned as he dragged Phil through the water.

"Phil you dumb fuck! Wake up! Please!" He trilled a sharp 

Protector-help- need  

Phil was unresponsive, like the typical bastard he was. The water was becoming more salty and dense, and the water was turning less of that gross green to a dark blue. He was almost home free, maybe another mile or two at most, he was almost- 

He shrieked as jaws clamped around his tail. Fucking fuck! Tommy couldn't catch a fucking break! He dropped Phil. The alligator clamped down harder and spun both in a death roll. Tommy snarled and dug his claws into the alligators eye sockets, before the bastard finally released him. 

He could taste his own blood. He couldn't look at his tail, not right now. He needed to get Phil out of here before he got another surprise attack. He grabbed Phil and swam like his life depended on it, and it very much did. 

Finally they reached open waters. His lungs and gills burned, but they were in the home stretch. Phil had said that his sons wouldn't be too far away. 

Help-need-hurt he cried into the open water. It was silent aside from schools of fish swimming past. He cried in frustration, Phil said they'd be here. He dragged his body into a small trench where Phil couldn't be attacked. 

Tommy curled into Phils side, panting hard. He glanced down at his tail and it looked bad. Really bad. He was lucky he wasn't missing a chunk, but deep horrible lacerations tore into his scales, meat and muscles where the Alligator tried to drag a piece off of him. He quickly looked away. 

The adrenaline was wearing off and his body started to really hurt, and he was exhausted. He never wanted to swim that hard again in his life. Exhaustion started to pull him down and he was afraid he wasn't going to wake up. 

He gave one last help-hurt-hurt-scared into the vast empty blue. 

As his consciousness faded, he could see two darkened shadows approaching them. 

—

Consciousness came to Tommy in waves, pun intended. 

He would wake up in an indescribable amount of agony, only to be lulled back to sleep by beautiful singing that wasn't from Phil.

Sometimes he'd wake up to someone else softly telling stories of Atlantis and other tragedies. He couldn't wake up enough to see who it was, but they weren't causing Tommy anymore pain, so who cares? They'd drown out the sharp pains in his tail and smoothed the dullness ache of his muscles. 

Tommy floated in between consciousness and unconsciousness for what felt like years, and it was peaceful. Serene almost as he bobbed with the water. When he surfaced a little closer to the waking world he felt Phil cradling him. And for a moment, he was happy. 

As sad as it was, all good things must come to an end. He needed to wake up. 

When he awoke, he hadn't even realized it. One moment he wasn't aware, the next his eyes were open and he was staring at the ceiling of a darkened cave. He was in a nest of something soft. He felt the weird slimy texture of kelp. It was warm and soft, and his tail was wrapped in the stuff. 

He tried to sit up, but his body was almost completely unresponsive.Weirdly he wasn't in pain. His body felt drowsy and kind of heavy, but comfortable. Was he on drugs? How would Phil even get him drugs underwater? 

He hummed dubiously. Odd. He could at least manage to turn his head. He was alone in the cave. The cave itself was massive, it was much bigger than the cave they were previously in. It was weirdly comfortable and it soothed his dumb fishy brain. The kelp nest was massive too, taking up much of the sea floor. There were multiple tunnels coming from the walls, all of them going somewhere. 

Tommy wasn't particularly interested in finding out where though. Tommy was fucking hungry. 

Food-hungry-help? He called. 

hello!-excited-relieved a mer clicked enthusiastically as he emerged from one of the tunnels. He had brown flowy hair and a beautiful brown tail to match. 

Tommy's eyes narrowed, churring nervously. He didn't recognize this mer at all. Was this one of Phils sons? 

"Hello! I'm Wilbur, Phils son" He said softly as he approached Tommy. "I'm glad you're finally awake, how are you feeling?" 

Tommy just groaned in response. He was tired, and even though he was comfortable he wanted Phil. He was also fucking hungry. 

The mer just chuckled sadly as he ran a hand through Tommy's hair. "Yeah, I know. You probably feel like you got your ass handed to you by an alligator. Technos bringing some food in a little while, and then we can get another regeneration potion." 

Tommy cleared his throat. His tongue felt thick in his mouth. "Phil?" He croaked out, like he'd been chewing on rocks. 

His happy demeanor dimmed. "He's… been recovering. I'll be honest with you kiddo, he almost didn't make it. The alligator damn near took out an artery, and he lost a lot of blood. He's woken up a couple times asking for you, but right now he's asleep in his den. Ft" Tommy was forcing himself to sit up. 

"I want Phil." He said determinedly, even if his arms shook. Wilbur winced and gently placed a hand on Tommys chest. 

"I'm sorry love. You shouldn't be moving until the stitches come out. You're a bit better off than Phil but you had some serious damage done to your tail. I promise you can go see him soon okay?" Tommy sniffled and nodded, hugging himself around the middle. 

"Do you want a hug?" He asked gently, with a hand on his shoulder. Tommy nodded harder. He did want a hug. It didn't matter if he felt like a little kid, he was tired. 

Wilbur embraced him, squeezing him ever so softly. Tommy cried into his neck. He missed Phil. He missed that stupid man so much. He wasn't sure if it was his dumb fish brain or him. 

Probably both. 

Wilbur curled up around him, his arm under Tommys head and Tommys face hidden in his chest. He hadn't known Wilbur for long but he was strong and so incredibly protective. His dumb fish brain registered him as Pod. 

His sobs tapered out to gentle breathing. He was already tired again. 

"Are you ready to go back to sleep?" Wilbur asked, playing with his hair. Tommy nodded.

Wilbur started to sing a soft sea chanty Tommy wasn't familiar with, but by the time he sang of sailing away from brave Britians white sands, he was out. 

— 

Tommy awoke to soft hands cradling his face. 

"You dumb, idiotic child" Phil said, cradling him close. What he said wasn't out of cruelty, it sounded more reserved. It sounded precious, like a term of endearment. 

Tommy smiled, bonking foreheads with him. Tommy was still in his kelp nest with Phil in front of him. 

"I missed you," Tommy said dazedly. He really, really had. Later he'd throw a fit about growing comfortable around Phil. For now, this was working.

"You little shit." Phil chuckled wetly. "I missed you too. Thank you." He said, brushing the crust out of Tommys eyes with the pads of his thumbs. 

Tommy's vision cleared from sleep and he could see Phils chest tightly wrapped in bandages. 

"Thank you mate. I'm glad you didn't listen to me, you saved my life," Phil said, damn near squeezing the life out of Tommy with a bone crushing hug. 

Tommy just sleepily shrugged. "It was nothin'. I'm not that big of an asshole." Phil just chuckled. 

"Phil I want a turn," Wilbur groused on the other side of them. "You've had weeks of Tommy time, give em up!" 

"Mate, I found you guys cuddling. I've had him for five minutes" he said exasperatedly. Tommy cuddled closer into Phils chest. 

"I'm wounded." Wilbur sniffled. "I don't get any Tommy time. This is abuse. Neglect. Phils gaslight gatekeeping me, but certainly not girlbossing." He said in woe. 

Phil just sputtered. "Where'd you hear that term from?" He asked in a dangerously polite tone.

Wilbur looked sheepish. "No where, don't worry about it," 

Phil raised an eyebrow. "It wouldn't be from that light keeper I've forbidden you from seeing would it? Sally something?" Wilburs face turned bright red. 

"I'm gonna go see what's keeping Techno, have fun Tommy Time!" Wilbur quickly pecked a kiss on Tommys head before dashing off into one of the tunnels. 

It fell into comfortable silence. Tommy rested his head against Phils collarbone, soaking up his attention. Phil gently rubbed small circles into Tommys shoulder. 

"I love you." Phil said softly. 

Tommy winced. "I-" 

"It's okay if you don't feel the same." Phil spoke over him. "You may one day, or you may never at all. Just know you have my undying love and support." 

Tommy didn't know how to feel. 

He to an extent trusted Phil. He wasn't sure if he would ever fully forgive Phil, and he definitely wasn't sure if he'd ever grow to love the man who took his life away. 

Tommy fell asleep once more, with uneasy clashing feelings within his chest in Phils arms. 

—

It had been a couple of weeks since their conversation, and Tommy was out collecting food with Techno. 

Techno was bigger then both Phil and Wilbur, but he was arguably the kindest. He always gave good advice and he always gave Tommy first picks of the food, much to Wilburs dismay. 

Tommy had learned to make a woven basket out old fisherman rope and kelp from Techno. It wasn't as nice as Technos bigger woven basket, but Techno still patted his head and said he was proud. 

Tommy wasn't fast enough to hunt down the tropical fish, but he was quick enough to get sea urchins, starfish, crabs, anything chilling on the reef. 

His basket was nearly full when Techno said it was time to head back home. 

Home. 

How odd that Tommy started referring to it as home. Tommy was silent on the journey back, lost in thought. 

Techno was taking them the long way home. "Penny for your thoughts?" Techno asked, nudging his shoulder. 

Tommy shrugged. He watched as sea lions play in the water. 

"...Did you ever forgive Phil?" 

Techno snorted. "Nope. Kid, I was well on my way to getting my English degree when Phil got me. I had a chance at doing something cool. Wilbur had a shot of being a musician. You had your whole life ahead of you" 

Tommy shrugged. "It was a lousy life. Jumping from foster home to foster home wasn't that great." 

Techno shrugged. "Yeah, but it wasn't like you asked to become this. When me and Wil wanted another brother, we meant as in Phil find a nice mermaid and settle down with her. We voiced how much we didn't want another human turned mer. It's cruel and frankly unjust. Me and Phil would have big fights about it, and one day he was gone. Several seasons later, we find you with him." 

"I'm not saying I'm glad he got hurt, because him not having a dorsal fin is gonna fuck up his swimming for years to come. I believe in karma though, and he got what came to him." 

Tommy nodded, digesting Technos words. "So I don't have to forgive him?" He asked in a quiet voice. 

"Nope" he popped the P. "You don't even have to love him. Hell, when your tails healed up you could leave if you wanted to. There's a whole lot of ocean, and I know I won't follow you. Wilbur won't if I tell him not to. Phils not going to be kidnapping anyone else with his fucked up fin, and hes certainly in position to hunt after you." 

It was quiet for another moment. "...And if I wanted to stay? If I wanted to learn how to love Phil?" 

Techno looked down at him with a hint of a smile. "Then we would welcome you into our Pod with open arms. If anyone hurts you, Phil included, I'd strike them dead where they stood." That felt like a threat, but Tommy saw it as a gentle promise. 

Tommy squeezed Technos hand. "Let's go home." 

Techno smiled genuinely. "'Course kid."