Chapter Text
“Jade, what in Twisted Wonderland..?”
Azul gaped at the sight of his friend sitting on the couch with a coffee in one hand, and a needle in his other arm, drawing out blood into a bag. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It was too early for this.
Jade took a long sip of his coffee before setting it down and looking up at Azul with a smile. “Venipuncture.”
“Yes, I see that. Why? How did you even go about rigging this on yourself?”
The moray’s grin split into something devious, a look Azul knew all too well. “The plan,” he said hesitantly, and Jade nodded. “You’re doing it tomorrow, then?”
“Yes. I appreciate you allowing me to stay in your abode for the past few months and will have all of my belongings shipped to mine and Trey’s house.”
“You know I am always here if you need a place to stay,” Azul scoffed.
Jade raised his eyebrows. “We shall see if your tune does not change after I execute the plan,” he said, and Azul was chagrined, knowing that he still had not figured out the other’s plan entirely. The moray was simply too mysterious about it. Normally, Azul could read him well enough, but he could not penetrate his façade this time around. “I hope we are still friends after this.”
“It’s nothing that harms me in any way, is it?” The octopus questioned. “Because if it is, then we may not be.”
“Oh, not at all. It has no connection to you, aside from you picking me up tomorrow, but you have agreed to that.” He lifted his coffee to take another long sip. “I simply know how your mother has raised you to feel about bringing harm to others.”
Azul raised an eyebrow, sitting in a seat across from Jade and crossing his legs. “I am aware of your family business and have not been scared away. It can’t be that bad, can it?”
Jade let out a chuckle, shaking his head. “Oh, Azul,” he said, soft and cryptic. With magic, Azul watched his friend remove the needle from his arm and grab the bag of blood, staring at it with an unreadable expression.
He retreated to his room, and Azul watched him until he was out of sight. What was he thinking? What was his plan? Why did he need blood?
Oh.
Azul froze in place, feeling utterly stupid that it took him this long to realize what Jade’s plan was. Of course he would resort to such drastic measures for his twin. It was only natural.
Still, his stomach twisted with apprehension at the reminder that his best friend was capable of remorseless murder.
‘Don’t fucking touch me!’
Floyd thrashed as what seemed to be hundreds of humans trying to restrain him. They grabbed at his arms and tailfin, and though he was in his element, his efforts were futile. He was dragged out of the tank they were keeping him in, suffocating because elvers like him weren’t developed enough to breathe out of water for a few seconds before they dumped him into an even tinier tank. As in, so tiny, he literally couldn’t swim. He was sitting in the tank, just deep enough to submerge his gills.
They spoke in their unintelligible human language. Floyd didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know how long he had been there, but he was hoping someone would save him soon.
But… would they?
The more he thought about it, the more he doubted it. There had been a bit of grieving when some of their siblings had disappeared, but not much in the way of search parties. They probably would abandon him, as well.
Such was the way of the sea.
Filled with resignation at the realization, he limply allowed the humans to poke and prod at him, taking measurements and stretching his slimy skin. Why were they examining him so closely, anyway? What was interesting about his arm span or the length of his tailfin? Floyd was getting so bored. If he was in the sea, he could find some small fry to terrorize with Jade.
After a bit more inspection, one of the humans approached him with a scary-looking device. His eyes widened and he immediately started thrashing, successfully managing to bite the arm of one of the scientists before he was jabbed between the eyes with the heel of another’s palm. When he recoiled, they clamped him down with several devices that held him much more firmly than the humans did. The way they stared at him made a shiver run down his spine.
For the first time in his life, Floyd felt as though he was being preyed upon.
The scientist with the weird device went to his earfin, pressing something sharp against it before clamping down. Hard . Floyd let out a muffled shriek and squeezed his eyes shut—it wasn’t necessarily painful, but the sensation was foreign. They were attaching something to him, and he wanted it out .
They paid him no mind, and the scientist returned with another scary-looking, sharp tool. Floyd swallowed, watching as they felt around his arm for a bit, before pressing the tool into his arm. Floyd’s eyes shot open, both sets of jaws wildly snapping as they sliced through his arm as though it was butter, cutting from just below his wrist to near the crook of his elbow. His hand twitched wildly, but there was nothing he could do besides scream and move what he could.
Annoyed, the scientist said something and waved his hand, gesturing towards Floyd. Another one, likely his assistant, went to Floyd’s head and quickly clamped something around his neck. He began hyperventilating—there wasn’t a single part of his body he could move, now—which they quickly interrupted by gagging him with a cloth in his mouth.
Someone, save me, please, he thought, chest heaving and eyes staring up at the ceiling, wide and glassy. Pain radiated along his torso, arms, and tailfin, which they had methodically chosen to slice for whatever reason. He had never felt so vulnerable and helpless. He didn’t care what their reason was. What could justify this?
Why him?
The scientist pulled away with the sharp tool, and Floyd breathed a sigh of relief, though his panic was quickly replaced when they reapproached with a needle full of something that he didn’t know what it was, but most certainly did not want in his body. He attempted to thrash and scream, but all of his movements were confined and his voice was muffled. The needle entered his skin, and all he could do was scream to try and drown out the agony. He almost wished he was capable of drowning so he wouldn’t have to endure this for however long they intended to keep him.
Not that there was enough water to drown anything in.
“Hey, Jade,” Trey spoke, propping up his phone. “How was your day?”
Jade responded with an unintelligible whine, burying his face into a pillow, and Trey let out a chuckle. “Wanna talk about it?”
The moray let out another groan, lying sideways in his bed and holding the phone up to his face. “Tomorrow,” he said simply.
Trey’s expression shifted at the word. “Really?” Jade nodded in response. “You’re coming back home after, right?”
He nodded again, mumbling, “With Floyd.”
“It’ll be good to see you again,” Trey said with a smile, though worry danced behind his hazel eyes. “It’s weighing on you, isn’t it?”
“Hardly,” Jade responded. “I don’t mind the murder. It’s the cleanup that I’m dreading…”
“Should I ask for elaboration?”
“No. I doubt you’d want to kiss me ever again,” Jade laughed dully.
“If you say so,” Trey replied, offering Jade a caring smile. “Get some sleep, okay? You have a big day tomorrow, and I’d hate to see you end up behind bars for slipping up because you’re sleep-deprived.”
“Mmgh…” Jade groaned, burying his face in the pillow once more.
A laugh escaped Trey. “Good night, Jade. I love you, okay? Knock ‘em dead.”
Both of them laughed at that, and Jade allowed a smile to melt on his face. “I love you too, dear. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, hopefully.”
“Yeah. I can’t wait.”
Jade was no aristocrat, but he knew better than to eat food without being aware of its origins. So, whenever potlucks were had at work, he was incredibly careful of what he consumed. Everyone else simply thought he was a picky eater and would poke fun at him, but today, that would be their downfall.
He took out the bag of his blood he had collected last night. It was transparent thanks to a spell he put on it, and if not for the density, he could have fooled himself into thinking it was empty. One by one, he sprinkled and poured his blood onto all of the consumables that had been brought. Thankfully, the team was small, with only about 8 members. Chances were their boss, ever adamant about teamwork, would have them all take lunch at the same time today to enjoy the food together.
Lunch couldn’t come quickly enough.
‘Jade!’ Floyd exclaimed, breaking the surface and splashing water everywhere. However, at the sight of his twin’s face, he tilted his head. ‘You look like you’re thinking somethin’ scary.’
Jade blinked, expression falling slack before his lips curled into a smile. He fished in his pocket before pulling out a small vial and handing it to Floyd. ‘For you.’
‘What is it?’
‘You said you wanted to see what Azul—excuse me, Octy—looked like as a human, right? Now, you can.’
Floyd stared at the vial blankly until his mouth stretched in a wide grin, understanding what Jade was saying.‘Sweet! So, when do I take it?’
‘I will come back to you after taking care of the team. You won’t be able to walk, but carrying you in your human form will be easier than carrying you like this, as well as less conspicuous.’
‘Okay. I’ll be waiting!’
As if on cue, Jade’s boss entered the area, calling up the stairs for Jade to come to lunch. He glanced back at his twin, taking in the sight of him in the tank.‘This is it, Floyd. You’re going to be free.’ He took two long swigs from the additional potions he brought—one increased his consumption capacity and one rapidly burned calories—before descending the stairs, joining his boss with a polite smile. “I hope you all weren’t waiting on me. I tend to lose track of time working with such a fascinating creature.”
“We know,” his boss answered, tone dull in such a way that Jade could barely discern if it was serious or deadpan. He supposed it didn’t matter, though. At least, it wouldn’t matter in a few minutes.
Everyone else was seated already with plates of food. He occupied himself with grabbing his own plate, blood rushing to his head as he waited for the poison in his blood to take effect. He seated himself next to that one coworker who seemed to hate him more than anyone else; this would be his last chance to annoy them before their death.
“Are you having a nice day?” he asked with his usual charismatic smile. As per usual, they ignored him, rolling their eyes. “You’re quite rude, you know. But it’s alright; I would likely be like you if I lacked guidance in my childhood as well.”
They rolled their eyes, taking a bite of some pasta dish someone bought. Jade couldn’t help the way his grin stretched sinisterly, and his eyes scanned the room, waiting to see who would be impacted first.
It was Jade’s boss that was the first to clutch his chest. “M—My chest hurts,” he wheezed, eyes widening before falling face-first into his plate.
Two of their coworkers rushed to his aid and the one Jade was seated next to pulled out their phone to call emergency services. He smacked the phone out of their hand, and they stared at him with shock, expression twisted in anger before contorting with fear at the manic look on his face. "Y-You..." they began before spasming, collapsing to the ground.
His coworkers dropped like flies around him, and Jade Leech had never felt so alive.
“That was much too easy,” he sighed, almost disappointed before leaning down to the body next to him. He tore off their arm, dragging off the bloody fabric and unhinging his jaw, pharyngeal jaws clacking in anticipation.
Time for my meal, now.
“Floyd, if you could take that potion, now,” Jade called as he ran up the stairs. ‘Apologies, I mean—’
‘I got it.’ Floyd uncorked the vial Jade had given him, taking a long sip and sticking out his tongue at the taste. He let out noises of surprise as his tail began splitting into two legs, his ear fins morphed into ears, and his skin changed hues from cyan to a light tan. ‘Holy shit, this is weird.’
Jade wordlessly picked up his brother and slung him over his shoulder before running out of the building. He had underestimated how long it would take him to dispose of the bodies, and the cameras would be back on soon.
Azul’s car, as he had promised, was waiting for them. Jade yanked the door open so hard it was a surprise that it didn’t come off of its hinges and tossed Floyd inside before hopping in himself. “Step on it,” he ordered Azul breathlessly, who was quick to comply.
‘Your mouth is covered in blood,’ Floyd pointed out, and Jade’s tongue darted out to lick it up. ‘There’s more. No, not there. On the left corner.’
“Can you tell your brother to put some clothes on?” Azul spoke from the driver’s seat, interrupting Jade’s nth attempt to lick off the remaining blood from his mouth. “I’d rather not have anyone in my car unclothed if it can be helped.”
Jade swished his hand, swiftly dressing Floyd in a baggy t-shirt and basketball shorts. ‘Before you complain, I know clothes are uncomfortable. Humans are very sensitive about nudity, so you’ll have to suck it up. You’ll get used to it.’
Floyd let out an annoyed groan before leaning forward to stare at their driver, and his eyes widened as he realized who it was. ‘Wait, is this fucking Octy!?’
‘Hello, Floyd,’ Azul greeted with a sigh. Jade took note of how the octopus eyed his brother carefully, as though wary of how he would react, but he didn’t say anything more.
‘Why are you white?’
‘As a rule of thumb, Floyd, you cannot ask people why they are white,’ Jade clicked. ‘Also, when we are in public, please try to use human language as much as possible.’
‘Boooring.’ He watched as Jade ran his hand through his hair, intrigued by the color changing magic that converted the color from black to teal (sans the naturally black strand), and winced as his hand approached his eye to pluck out the colored lens that obscured the color of his gold eye. When he clipped a familiar earring onto his left ear, Floyd frowned. ‘I lost mine when they took me…’
‘Here,’ Jade chirped, securing the matching one onto Floyd’s right ear and smiling warmly as his twin’s expression lit up. ‘I found it before the sea swept it away. I’ve been holding onto it since.’
Letting out a few unintelligible noises of rejoicement, Floyd wrapped his arms and legs around Jade. ‘You’re the best, Jade!’ His eyes seemed to glaze over, uncharacteristically absent from the present. ‘…I thought I was never gonna see you again.’
He rubbed soothing circles into his brother’s back. ‘You’re safe, now. They’ll never take you again.’
“Jade, please tell your brother to put his seatbelt on,” Azul interrupted once more from the driver’s seat.
“We’re only a few minutes from your house. It will be fine. Seatbelts are tight, and Floyd isn’t fond of feeling restrained.” Floyd shook his head, agreeing with Jade’s statement. “Besides, on the off chance that we are pulled over for whatever reason, I think they will be more suspicious of the fact that my clothes are covered in blood as opposed to Floyd being unseatbelted.”
‘Mmhm. What Jade said.’ Floyd looked up at Jade, still tightly wrapped around him. ‘What’s a seatbelt, anyway?’
Jade gently untangled Floyd’s limbs that were wrapped around him, mouth stuck in a smile he felt wouldn’t be going away any time soon. ‘I suppose now would be a good time to teach you about cars.’
Jade was eternally grateful to Rook for allowing them to use one of his family’s warp pads to go to the Queendom of Roses. Even after all these years, Jade was no more fond of flying than when he first stepped on land. All Rook wanted in return was for Jade to use his signature spell on someone, which he was more than happy to do, relishing in the fear in their eyes as they admitted to attempting to assassinate the president.
The teleportation made him queasy, but it was much better than a plane. “Are you sure you do not need any more assistance, Monsieur Prémédité? I would be happy to provide you with transportation to your dear Chevalier des Roses; you need only say the word!”
“This ain’t the language I learned,” Floyd mumbled under his breath, and Jade stifled a laugh.
“I appreciate it, Rook, but you have already assisted us immensely thus far.” He had provided them with food, which Floyd enthusiastically tried and enjoyed, and a fresh change of clothes, which Floyd also tried but did not enjoy the tight feeling of, switching back to his former outfit. “Trey should only be a few blocks away so we should be alright.”
“Very well, then!” Rook took his hat off, bowing. “We are endlessly appreciative for your help in catching the hand behind the assassination attempt!”
He saw them out, escorting them off of the property, and Jade lugged Floyd around on his back until he spotted a familiar car.
Yanking the door handle to indicate their arrival made Trey jump, eliciting a quiet giggle from Jade. He unlocked the doors and got out of the car, and once Jade had eased Floyd into the back seat, he relaxed into Trey’s welcome embrace, all of the tension in his body leaving him as he melted in the warm arms of his boyfriend. “I missed you so much,” he murmured into his boyfriend’s neck.
“I missed you, too,” Trey whispered in his ear, arms tightly locked around him. They sat in each others’ hold for a few moments before jumping at the sound of a loud honk. Floyd had somehow managed to heave himself over the center console and had a hand pressed against the horn, which he seemed to have quickly picked up from observing Azul. Jade and Trey swiftly made their way inside the car, and Jade shoved Floyd back into his seat.
‘I’ve just saved you, and you’re already acting like a nuisance,’ Jade clicked.
‘Take me back, then,’ Floyd retorted.
At Trey’s raised eyebrow, Jade simply smiled. “Trey, meet my twin brother Floyd. Floyd, meet my boyfriend Trey.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Trey said politely, glancing at Floyd through the rearview mirror.
Floyd puffed out his cheeks before saying, “Sssea turtle.”
“He’s a human, not a turtle,” Jade corrected.
“Looksss… like a turtle,” Floyd clarified, taking his time to slowly sound out each word.
“Do try not to drag out ‘s’ so much, Floyd.”
“You’re sssuch—s…such a nag.”
Trey let out a chuckle, but when Jade raised an eyebrow at him, he waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t let me interrupt you two. It’s just finally hitting home the fact that you have a sibling. You know, with the banter and all.”
“Ah, yes. Right.” Jade went silent, mind still processing the fact as well. He had missed years of pointless arguments with Floyd. They had so much to catch up on. “Well, Floyd, at least I can enunciate.”
“You’ve b… been human for long—longer, ‘course you can!” He leaned forward, glancing between Trey and Jade. “Are we gonna go to the… to the ocean?”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the car, save the rumbling as it drove over the smoothly paved road. “Not… yet,” Jade spoke slowly. “We’re going to lay low to monitor the situation up here and see if there is any intervention that needs to be done to make sure we are not caught.”
“But we can go back after… right?”
Jade nodded. “Yes, once we’re positive it’s safe to tear our eyes away from the research institute that abducted you for good. For now, though, we will be staying with Trey.”
“Cooool.” Floyd went silent for a brief moment. “Is Nonna dead yet?”
Trey coughed into his hand, though it did little to hide his laughter. “Not yet,” Jade answered, an amused smile playing on his lips. “She’s as healthy as ever.”
“Mama and Papa?”
“Also alive and well. They’ll be delighted to see you.” He leaned against the window, bringing a knuckle to his chin. “I haven’t told them about the plan at all. I wonder if they’ll be upset with me for not informing them.”
“Nah.” Floyd waved his hand dismissively. “How’s Octy’s mom? She ssstill have the rest…aurant?”
“Yes, she’s well. Her restaurant is thriving. Azul has founded his own restaurant as well.”
“He’s sooo… skinny. Not chubby or yummy-lookin’. How’s he gonna own a good restaurant?”
Jade let out a laugh. “I’ll relay your thoughts to him. Perhaps he’ll hire you as well, once you learn how to use your legs.”
“You work for Octy?”
“I’m in charge of the Mostro Lounge branch—that is, Azul’s restaurant—here in the Queendom of Roses, but he has established its main location in the Land of Pyroxene. So, yes, I do.”
“Boooring. Don’t ya wanna be in charge, instead of listenin’ to sss—some small fry?”
Another more ominous laugh escaped Jade. “I assure you, Azul is no small fry. He’s changed quite a bit since elementary school.”
“I guess he did seem kinda different,” Floyd shrugged, leaning back. “Is he really str-stronger than you?”
“I wouldn’t say stronger, per se, but… I’m compelled to follow him. He’s quite interesting, believe it or not.”
“We’re here,” Trey announced, pulling to a stop in front of the house. “Does Floyd need help getting out, or..?”
“I can manage him,” Jade said, getting out to help his brother out of the car. Floyd, stubbornly, refused help, so Jade watched as he attempted to walk and fell flat on his face, laughing loudly and leaving him on the floor until he asked for help. “I promise I will teach you everything we were taught at land boot camp. For now, though, I will be your legs.”
“I want my mobility back,” Floyd grumbled, smacking Jade’s face as he carried him. He dropped him on the floor unceremoniously, laughing at him again. When Jade picked him up this time, not a peep was heard out of him.
As they entered the house, the familiar scent of baked goods wafted through the air. “I made coffee shortbread cookies,” Trey said, jogging to the kitchen and returning with a plate of cookies. “I meant to bake more, but cleaning took longer than I thought, so it’s just the cookies today.”
“It’s more than enough,” Jade responded, pressing a kiss to Trey’s cheek, leaving Floyd disgusted in his arms. “Thank you, dear.”
“Can you put me down be… before you get all lovey-dovey?” Floyd whined, snatching a cookie and shoving it in his mouth as Jade set him down in the closest chair. His eyes widened at the taste. “Good shit, Sea Turtle, good shit!”
“Haha, thank you.” Trey always acted bashful when people praised his baking as though he wasn’t literally a baker. Well, he was a dentist four days of the week, but when he wasn’t, he was a baker. “Jade once said food didn’t vary much in texture underwater and sweets were rare, so I thought you might like to try a crunchy sweet.”
“They’re hella good,” he said, making grabby hands at the plate in his brother’s boyfriend’s hands. “Gimme the rest of ‘em!”
Jade almost chastised Floyd for being greedy before remembering that for over roughly the past decade, he had hardly had anything to eat. It was easy to forget about his absence now that he was here, but some things would jolt in his mind as glaring reminders. Like Floyd’s desperation for the cookies, for example. Trey seemed to be thinking the same thing he was since he compliantly handed Floyd the plate.
“Floyd hasn’t had good food for years,” Jade said apologetically, leaning on his boyfriend’s shoulder.
He brought his hand up to play with Jade’s hair. “It’s fine. We have more.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Jade chuckled. “He’ll eat those, too.”
Trey hummed, turning his attention to his boyfriend’s luscious teal hair. “Are you gonna keep it long?”
“Hm?”
“Your hair,” Trey clarified.
“Ah. No, I’m not. Floyd brought up the fact that it’s a terrible hazard for fights, and I have to agree. Besides, I prefer myself with shorter hair.” He paused, mismatched eyes going to Trey’s hazels. “What are your thoughts?”
“I kinda of like it long, but I like it short, too,” he shrugged noncommittally. “When you had it black, you sort of looked like Jamil.”
Jade’s nose scrunched. “I don’t want you thinking about other men when you look at me.”
“Someone’s insecure,” Trey teased, nuzzling his cheek against Jade’s. “I think you should cut it, though. It’s pretty when it's long, but you don’t look like yourself.”
“Agreed.” His arms circled Trey’s waist, and he nuzzled into his neck, inhaling his scent. “I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”
Trey chuckled, leaning into his boyfriend’s touch. “Insecure and clingy. You’re adorable.”
“I missed how you feel,” Jade murmured. “I want to fuse with you permanently.”
“I’m not sure about that, but we can definitely take care of some that touch starvation tonight, if you’d like.”
Jade smiled lovingly at Trey, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips. “I would.”
“—team of marine biologists working on ‘Project Deepwater’ studying a rare species of merfolk disappeared. No traces of their whereabouts or evidence have been found. The merman they were studying is missing, as well. If you know anything about this, you may anonymously tip us off at our hotline—”
Jade let out a disconcerting laugh, turning to his twin. “I would be shocked at their failure to deduce anything of worth if not for how thorough I know I was.”
“You look like a maniac when you smile like that,” Floyd cackled, wearing a matching wide-toothed smile. Mere days had passed, but his spoken language had exposed leaps and bounds after being able to practice using it without inhibition. “What’d you do with the bodies, anyway?”
“I ate them.” Trey was at work, and Jade did not need to hide it from Floyd.
“Dude, no way.”
He simply put on an innocent smile, biting into one of the marshmallow cereal treats his boyfriend had made. “I required the aid of a few potions, but it was easy work.”
“You should’ve given me some. ‘Specially the one of that bitch—y’know the bitch you didn’t like, either? What was their name?”
“You’re poorly influencing me,” Jade responded, laughing breathlessly. “I don’t know. I never learned it.”
“I’m making you less boring!” Floyd picked up one of the marshmallow cereal cubes, chewing it noisily. “It would’ve been less work if you just brought a few of ‘em to me though, right? Ya could’ve used magic so you wouldn’t have to lug ‘em up the stairs. We coulda gone halfsies!”
“I… could have. I suppose I wasn’t sure how willing you would be too.”
“You could’ve asked.”
“I contemplated it, but I was apprehensive. Most people aren’t willing to cannibalize, you see.”
“Is it cannibalism? We’re mermen, they’re humans.” A reminder that Floyd had not lived amongst humans as Jade had. “Or, since you were in your human form, it was cannibalism for you, but it wouldn’t’ve been for me!”
“A moral dilemma, indeed.” Jade shook his head as though the action would shake away his laughter. He changed the television to a random station, which happened to be a reality show off the coast of the Sunshine Lands. “Why don’t you help me make dinner?”
“How the hell ‘m I s’posed to help you when I can barely walk?”
“I'll bring you a stool. I think you’ll like it.”
“Meh, why not?” Floyd shrugged, standing and managing to balance. “Let’s give it a shot.”
Months had passed since Jade had freed Floyd, and at this point, he was certain he wasn’t going to be caught. Which meant moving on to their next order of business: returning to their parents in the Coral Sea.
Trey had dropped them off by the seaside, and the twins had gotten ice cream and enjoyed a nice stroll on the beach before wading into the sea, disappearing beneath the waves before transforming and swimming off. It had been months since Jade had last been in his merform, and it always felt incredible, like stretching after sitting in a cramped position for a long time.
Floyd had adapted to land quite well, loving the constant novelty of being introduced to new human concepts and creations that didn’t exist under the sea. He was especially fond of, as Trey had predicted, sweets and things with crunchy textures, and he had grown to enjoy physical activity in every form as well. When he finally learned to use his legs, he ran around quite a lot which helped him quickly build strength, and the discovery of human sports only fortified his passion for working his human body to its limits. His favorite activity was parkour, and Jade was positive that at this point, his brother was now more in shape than he was.
He had also taken to human fashion. Floyd hated the feeling of clothes at first, but after looking at a bunch of fashion spreads and simply being out in public among other humans, he became obsessed with styling clothes and looking fashionable. He was always good at using his knowledge of what went well together to make something new and innovative, a skill that also carried into his cooking hobby. Floyd often didn’t follow recipes, but it was rare that he made something that tasted terrible or inedible once he got the hang of the basics.
So when Jade told Floyd they would be returning to the ocean, he was surprised to hear the whine from his brother. Floyd loved being on land; it was much less boring than the sea, with its vibrant colors and people and activities and clothes and whatnot. But he missed his parents, so after shaking off his initial disappointment, his keenness came back full force.
The trip took longer than intended because Floyd kept lingering to take in the sights of the ocean, the feel of salt water in his gills, the teeming life—and Jade didn’t mind at all. He was just happy to have his twin brother back again.
They reached the area their home was located in, swimming through the tight rock crevices and coming upon the door. Floyd stared at it in wonder, eyes glassy, before hesitantly raising a fist to knock. He turned to Jade, who gave him a smile and a nod, and he rapped against it a few times.
‘Jade! We didn’t know you were coming—’
Their mother clasped her hands over her mouth and let out a scream, her head whipping between both of them. She looked near passing out, and Floyd shot his brother a worried glance before being wrenched into a tight hug.
‘Oh my goodness,’ she gasped, arms around both Floyd and Jade. ‘This isn’t real.’
‘It is,’ Jade said in his smooth, calm voice, hoping to quell some of her hysteria.
She released them for a moment before grabbing Floyd’s shoulders, looking him up and down. Taking in how much he had grown, how many scars littered his body—the tear in his earfin from where they had clamped a tag, the scarring around his torso from the net he was caught in, the odd spots of discoloration that were likely from the cruel experimental treatments they subject him to. Once again, she took him into a tight hug, and Floyd let out a strained grunt as she squeezed the breath out of him.
Jade flashed their father a smile, who had silently come to the door after hearing her scream. He was prepared to take down an attacker, but nothing could have prepared him for this, and he lingered shell-shocked at the door.
At long last, their mother released Floyd, though she clung onto Jade’s arm so tightly her claws dug into his arm as their father swam forward, taking in the sight of their long lost son as though trying to discern whether or not this was someone in disguise trying to sneak into their home that had managed to fool Jade.
‘Hi, Mama. Papa,’ he greeted, a lilt of uncertainty in his voice. ‘...I’m back.’
‘...Floyd,’ their father responded, reaching out to his shoulder. This was fully, 100% Floyd, but he simply couldn’t believe it. He had been lost for over a decade, and all of a sudden, with no prompting, he was back? Yet… there wasn’t a trace of a disguise or camouflage anywhere. He glanced between Jade and Floyd. ‘Explain.’
‘Can we come inside?’ Jade asked. ‘It was a long trip, and Floyd misses home very much.’
‘Of course,’ their mother quickly chirped, swimming inside, and they all followed.
All of them watched Floyd stare around in wonder, taking in all that had changed and all that hadn’t. He swam to his and Jade’s shared room, bottom lip jutting out at the sight. ‘Aw, you cleaned my side of the room?’
‘If it makes you feel better, we only began cleaning up when we noticed barnacles started encrusting on your belongings,’ Jade offered with a smile. ‘It never felt right to use your side of the room, so I never did.’
‘Jade…’ He looked through all of his belongings, surprised to see all of it (besides snacks) almost just as he left it. ‘...If you were the one who went missing, I’d totally use your side of the room. But that’s just me!’
A hearty laugh escaped Jade, and Floyd cackled as well as their mother scolded him. They migrated to the living room, where they all settled into comfortable positions as Jade and Floyd began recounting the story of everything that had been done to free Floyd to their parents.
‘Jade,’ Floyd clicked softly, testing if his brother was still awake. ‘Hey, Jade.’
‘Yes, Floyd?’
‘You’re goin’ back to land tomorrow, right?’
‘I am.’ Spending the past few weeks with his reunited family filled the hole that had been carved into his heart long ago, but he needed to get back to his life.
‘Can I come with you?’
Jade turned his head to his brother, eyes slightly widened. ‘I thought you would want to stay with Mother and Father.’
‘I mean, I missed them ‘n all, and I’m really happy to be out of that place now, but…’ His sharp teeth dug into his bottom lip. ‘Bein’ on land was super fun. I don’t gotta stay with you and Sea Turtle, but it’s way cooler up there than here.’
A soft chuckle escaped Jade. It was good to see Floyd’s nature had hardly changed over the past decade. ‘I have no qualms. Mother and Father will likely be distraught, but it’s your decision.’
Quiet clicks escaped Floyd as he mulled it over. ‘Yeah, Mama’ll be sad…’
‘Don’t discount Father’s affection for you,’ Jade said. ‘When you were taken was the most distraught I had ever seen him.’
‘Really?’
‘He’s your father, Floyd. Naturally, he was upset when you were taken.’
‘...Yeah. Makes sense.’ He was silent again for a few moments. ‘Maybe I’ll stay down here for a bit longer with ‘em and I’ll let ya know when I wanna come to the surface.’
‘That sounds like a fine plan,’ Jade trilled in response. ‘...I can hardly believe you’re back.’
‘Quit bein’ so mushy. It’s been how long? A month? Two? You’re the one who saved me. Get over it.’
‘Straightforward as always,’ Jade chuckled, eyebrows knitting together. ‘Sleep well.’
‘Hope I don’t get taken in my sleep,’ Floyd joked, grin audible in his voice.
‘Don’t joke like that, Floyd…’
‘It’s my trauma, I get to choose my coping mechanism.’
‘I suppose so, but it still is distressing to hear.’
‘Fine. I hope you don’t get taken in your sleep.’
‘Much better. Good night, Floyd.’
‘Night, Jade.’