Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was chaos, the ship struggling to stay afloat, waves crashing against its sides violently in the storm. There was yelling bellowing from every direction, the sound of muskets firing and daggers scratching against each other adding to the cacophony. Blood spilled onto the deck, mixing with the fat droplets of rain that fell from the sky. A bullet whizzed past Rocket’s head, nicking his cheek, the blood trickling down his face. It was impossible to tell where it came from.

Everything around him, was so disorientating, and he had no one to blame but himself for this predicament.

It was like no other day, sailing the seas with his crew consisting of… 3 other people. Rocket, being the reckless dumbass that he is, decided that it would be a great idea to raid a passing by merchant ship. Little did they know, it was a much more powerful group of pirates… That weren’t happy to see them attempting to steal their alcohol. Before he could even negotiate for their lives, they were chased back onto their own ship with guns and blades. How fun!... But if that wasn’t bad enough, their ship was now on the verge of sinking. Or, at least capsizing. A storm had started, the waves even more ferocious than they were before.

In the distance, he could see a familiar figure being attacked. Zuka. He started running, shouting profanities at the offender. A dagger was raised above his father’s head now, and he knew something bad was about to happen. The man was skilled with multiple weapons, and a seasoned soldier, surely, he could evade an attack as simple as that, right?...

Before Rocket could determine the fate of his father, something pushed him to the side. His body collided with the edge of the ship, landing with a loud thud. His head was throbbing at this point, as well the entire right side of his body. Rocket could hear footsteps getting closer quickly, and he scrambled to get back onto his feet. He held up his hooked hand in defense, brandishing the pointed end, but the attacker knew it was all a façade. Within seconds, they were charging towards him, their figure clocked in fog amidst the storm. Something sharp pierced his side, and he could feel something running down his stomach now. It was blood.

“FUCK! Ow… ow, ow, ow, ow.”

Rocket let out a choked cry, the pain spreading through his stomach fast. Crying wouldn’t do any good. The next thing he knew, pushed over backwards, his back arching over the guard rails, straining the wound in his side. With one final shove, he was overboard, falling into the raging depths of the sea.

The cold water met his face first, the rest of his body soon followed. His peg leg weighed him down, dragging him further towards the bottom of the sea. The icy water chilled his bones, biting at his skin. Rocket could feel the air leaving his lungs, it was getting harder to breath. He tried to gasp for more, but was met with a mouthful of seawater instead.

This was it. He would actually die here. This was his fate…

Rocket could feel himself getting more and more lightheaded, his efforts to swim back up to the surface useless. Above the surface, on the ship, a pair of cold, malicious eyes looked down at him, pleasured by the sight of the drowned captain. That was the last thing he saw, before his vision went black.

His body gave up, his lungs caved in, his thoughts just stopped.

And he was dead.

…

Everything felt fuzzy. His skin, his head, everything. There was only darkness around Rocket, the cold embrace of the void strangely welcoming. Was this death? Was he in the afterlife? It was more… bleak than he thought- oh wait.

“Is this hell?... Am- Am I in hell?” He mumbled, trying to touch his face to see if he was still tangible. Bad idea. His body was still sore as hell.

There was a muffled laughing coming from somewhere above him, followed by a nudge to what felt like his injured side. It hurt, which he, in return, grumbled about.

“Your eyes are just closed. Dumbass.” Something, or someone was definitely close to him. The voice was squeaky and obnoxiously loud. It gave Rocket a headache. Was this what he sounded like to other people? Oh SFOTH, no wonder people found him annoying.

“Be nice.” Another person said, their voice more graceful and soft. It was within the same proximity as the other one, so they must’ve been sitting relatively close by.

With great difficulty, Rocket opened his eyes just a smidge, the light of the sun blinding him immediately. He groaned, rubbing his eyes before trying again, this time shielding his eyes from the big light in the sky. Looming over him were 2 curious figures, one with a scrunched up face, the other carrying a concerned expression. Rocket took not of their features. The one with the scrunched up face had pale blue skin, a ring of darker blue scales irregularly spaced out underneath and beside his dark green eyes. He had horns stretching out of his forehead, one adorning golden ring. His hair was a medium length and messy, bits of seaweed tied into the small braids.

The woman beside him had white skin, with a patch of orange scales underneath each eye and in between her brow. Her horns seemed to come out from the side of her head, curving inwards and up, 3 smaller horns extruding from the flat front of them. Her hair, though still mangy and dry, was much more well kept, going past her shoulders.

“Good morning, human.” She said, pulling him up by the shoulders and into a sitting position. He winced at the motion, looking down at his side where the stab wound originally was. It was fully healed, no bleeding whatsoever. Just a tear in his clothing and a scar. Rocket was too tired and weary to be surprised, but if he wasn’t, he’d be a blubbering mess, trying to get all the questions he had out of his head.

“I thought I-…” He trailed off, disturbed enough by the foggy memory of suffocating to go quiet. It was weird, because normally, he’d be boasting about his great triumph in surviving against all odds. Normally, he’d be so full of energy. Now though, he felt drained, and a little sick.

“Drowned? Oh, no, you totally did. Shuriken had to drag your body off the sea floor. We revived you.”

Rocket was stunned. He drowned. He really drowned. He experienced death firsthand and… HE DIED. And the way the woman beside him talked about it so casually aswell felt a little sickening.

“Who even are you?!” He questioned, his voice holding a little hysteria.

She simply put a hand on his shoulder, patting it reassuringly.

“Well, I’m Vinestaff, and that’s my brother Shuriken. We’re water nymphs that saved your life. Your welcome. You can thank us when you’re less discombobulated, ‘k?”

Rocket only nodded, before taking a moment to observe what was in front of him. He was sat on a beach of black sand, rocks forming tidepools all around the vast shore. Water lapped at the mounds of sand hungrily, dragging shells and small crustaceans into the depths, like a hand that was animated and driven by greed alone. It scared him.

Rocket closed his eyes, laying back down on the sand, trying to maintain his breathing. Though, stopping himself from having a panic attack was getting increasingly difficult, the more he thought about his situation.

He died. He was tossed overboard and drowned. He felt himself get pulled deeper and deeper into the depths, felt himself suffocate. His crew, his family thought he was dead. HE THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD… And then he was revived by some mysterious water spirits, stranded on some remote island, where who-knows-what could be lurking? Waiting and watching, planning to kill him? Would he be revived again?

How many deaths would he have to experience before he could just go home? How many times would he have to feel his life slip away before he could embrace his dad again?

“Shit, dude are you ok?” Shuriken asked, poking him lightly in the cheek. Apparently his spiral of existential dread was visible. Rocket shooed his hand away, eager to go back to wallowing in his depression.

Then, he realized something. His saviors were water nymphs, magical beings born from the will of the gods, personifications of nature itself. Surely they’d know the way back to the mainland, if the ocean was what they were associated with.

“Say… since you’re both water nymphs, would you… I dunno, happen to know a route back to the mainland?” Rocket sheepishly inquired, trying to hide his desperation with nonchalance.

Vinestaff was the first to respond, an apologetic look already taking shape on her face.

“I wish that were the case. We’re both Naiads, not Oceanids,” she answered, taking one look at his confused face before elaborating. “Meaning we’re not associated with the sea.”

Rocket was immediately disappointed, though he couldn’t be mad at them. It wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t help him. Rocket shakily got to his feet, a bit wobbly at first, but he adjusted eventually.

“I’m going to go scout of the area, maybe see if I can find some shelter before dark. Thankyou for uhm… saving me.” He said, giving a small smile while taking a few steps back. Shuriken gave a simple thumbs up, the webs between his fingers showing themselves to be oddly stretchy. Interesting. Vinestaff waved at him, smiling pleasantly. It was only then that Rocket realized that she had a fish tail for legs. He had to remind himself that she was infact not a mermaid, and instead, a nymph.

“See’ya around, uh…” She started, pausing awkwardly upon the realization that she didn’t know his name.

“Oh shit, sorry. My name’s Rocket.”

“Good to know! Bye.”

Before Rocket had a chance to turn around, the 2 where already slipping back into the water, fading into the murky blue depths, disappearing effortlessly.

And he was alone, for maybe the first time in a while. It felt odd, not being surrounded by endless bickering between his crew. Medkit and Scythe, arm wrestling for the last bottle of beer, although Zuka had already finished it and replaced it with water long ago. Scythe going on and on about her glory days back when she was an outlaw, riding horses and living freely in the country. Medkit, chewing Rocket’s ear off after he got injured in yet another stupid stunt. And Zuka, telling him stories from when he was captain.

Rocket didn’t know how long it would be until he could see them again.

Chapter Text

Rocket had been walking for hours now, exploring the terrain of what would be his home for the foreseeable future. The beach stretched out for much longer than he thought it would, the shore of black sand going on for miles. During his journey, he stopped by many of the rockpools, taking a moment to appreciate the life within. Nudibranch, crustaceans, even small octopi, all thriving in such a small space. It truly amazed him.

Maybe while he was stranded, he could take some time to notice the beauty of the island. It was, from what he could tell, untouched by any other mortal. Maybe that’s why it was so majestic.

After some more walking, he found a stream flowing into the ocean. Perfect! Without any hesitation, he followed it up, walking – or hobbling, considering his peg leg kept sinking into the sand – across the beach. Soon enough, Rocket found a small waterfall, rivers of water gushing down, racing for the ocean.

It smelt fine, and was running, so he cupped his hand underneath the rushing water, collecting some and taking a sip. It had been a while since he actually drank something, and his throat was starting to dry, so the ice cold river water was refreshing. And, somehow, sweet.

Rocket took a few more drinks from the waterfall, then let out a satisfied hum. Once his thirst was satiated, he continued with his travels. The stream was a good source of freshwater, so sticking near it would provide him with at least that necessity.

The whole shore was cut off by a stone hedge, formed from boulders shrouded in moss. It wasn’t the easiest thing to climb, but not the hardest either. It was only just taller than him, so getting over wasn’t an impossible task. Once he was up onto the elevated ground, he breathed in the crisp air, taking in the sight infront of him. It was a forest of tall, probably ancient trees.

Rocket strolled through the terrain, careful to not stray too far from the stream. The sunlight spilled through the leaves, leaving patches of dappled light illuminating the leave litter on the forest floor. It was beautiful. It was a sanctuary.

“Oi, sailor boy. What’re you doing in a place like this?” An alluring voice called to him from the water. He turned his head, looking down at the stream, where a head poked out, 2 eyes staring at him curiously hidden beneath a lilypad. They had sleek black hair that clung to their face, which then formed a cloud around their neck at the surface of the water. Their skin, a pale green, was decorated with dispersed patches of white scales, and from her forehead, 2 pairs of horns protruded outwards. He assumed it was another nymph, considering their body was mostly submerged, yet they didn’t seem to struggle with staying afloat.

“Oh um… I got stranded,” he admitted, taking a seat on a rock overlooking the small pond that the stream evolved into. It was a nice, secluded area, with trees bending into an archway, and bracken branches concealing it. Multiple lilypads drifted on the murky water’s surface, some carrying frogs, some housing dragonflies. “Who’re you?”

The nymph didn’t move from their spot in the pond, stationary as they gazed up at him with morbid curiosity.

“Nessi. I don’t need to know you’re name, sailor boy.”

Rocket was getting a little agitated at the nickname, though he didn’t act out. Normally, he was quick to yell, running on petty rage and a short temper alone, but now, he felt hollow. Like a storm inside him had been calmed after a very long time.

“Don’t be giving out your name to everyone who asks. I’m just a naiad, but fae can do a lot worse things, y’know?”

Rocket nodded, accepting the advice from the naiad in the pond. He was about to open his mouth, when suddenly, a toad was pelted at his face, his cheek dampened by the weird, icky goop that the creature excreted.

He immediately recoiled in disgust, shooing the thing away from him and wiping down his face. “Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, –” he repeated, getting more and more grossed out by the second. Someone was laughing now, violently as well, like they were having the time of their life. He grumbled, wiping away the last few drops of toad goop from his face, before looking accusingly at the naiad that had popped up beside Nessi.

“HAHHAHAHAHAHAH.. OH you should’ve seen your face, Nessi did you see his face! Hfttt – mortals, so easily startled.” She was leaning on Nessi, clapping her hands together like an entertained child. Nessi didn’t look all too amused, and shoved her off of them, the other one landing in the water with a splash. She didn’t seen to bothered by this, laughing on her way down, bubbles forming in the water.

Rocket shared an unimpressed glance with Nessi, who responded by mouthing the words ‘sorry’. Then, they dove into the water, chasing after their friend. Seeing how effortlessly the nymphs seemed to disappear, it made him wonder. How deep was the water? Probably very deep, and Rocket didn’t want to test that theory.

After a few minutes of staring at the water, Rocket concluded that they weren’t coming back. Fair enough. He was an unknown human that was intruding in their sanctuary and home. How disgraceful of him. So, without a second thought, he left, continuing to wander down the stream.

…

After hours upon hours of walking, rocket found themselves in what he thought to be the center of the forest. It was a giant lake, surrounded by grassland and patches of smooth, mossy boulders, perfect for sunbathing on. Lizards scampered across the stones, fish leaped out of the water against the current of the stream, and in the middle of the lake, was an island .

It was small, and empty, aside from a statue carved from marble. The structure was tall, shaped to look like a deity with armor and majestic robs. He was holding up a sword to the sky in triumph, pointed spikes depicting rays of sunlight in a halo like accessory above his head. On his back was a singular wing, which seemed to be eroded and damaged. The other was completely snapped off, leaving a rigid stump of marble in its place.

Rocket paid no mind to the deteriorating statue, and simply propped himself up onto a boulder. It was slightly slanted, but had a smooth surface, and was right in the sun. Because he was still damp from being pulled straight of the water, and it was only a matter of time before nightfall, Rocket thought that drying out and getting warm would be best. Being alone, wet, and cold wouldn’t be exactly ideal.

So, there he lay, sprawled out against the surface of a rock, basking in the warm glow of the fading sun. He closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet around him. If he was lucky, he would fall asleep. The moss that grew on the rock was rather soft and plump, and made for a very comfortable pillow. As for the cold?... He’d just have to bite his tongue and get through it.

Despite the sun being out of the sky and past the horizon, there was still a warmth looming over him. Though, instead of the comforting sunny warmth, it was more intense and humid. He tried to ignore it and stay grateful that he wasn’t shivering in the cold of the night, but it was still bothering. So, he opened his eyes, and oh god –

Looming over him was a figure, one made out of pure light. It stared down at him with skepticism, a blade in hand, pointing it directly at his face in a threatening manner. Then he realized something. It looked identical to the statue in the center of the lake – THIS WAS A FUCKING DEITY.

“Who are you.” It asked, demanding an answer with a stern voice. Despite being at risk of getting stabbed, or killed, he couldn’t string together a coherent, proper sentence.

“Fuck, you’re pretty.”

It – or he, was stunned, and it showed. Very clearly.

“I- wh- excuse me?...”

“You heard me. You’re pretty. Like, really, really beautiful.” Rocket continued, unphased that he was flirting with a literal deity that was about to kill him. He drew his hook hand up, using it to slowly tilt the blade pointed at his face away from him. Not to ensure his own safety, but just to admire the god above him.

Maybe it was the flattery, or the clear weariness in his eyes, but the glowing figure lowered his blade fully, now gazing at Rocket with a skeptical yet pitiful look.

“I should smite you right now.”

“Before I even learn your name? What a tragedy.”

The deity scoffed at that, but didn’t do anything more to threaten him. The light emitting from him dimmed ever so slightly, calming to more of a soft glow.

“You really are a foreigner to this land, aren’t you, sailor?...”

Before Rocket could respond, the deity evaporated, his form dispersing into thousands of small lights.

And then, he was surrounded by darkness. Alone. Cold.

It was going to be a long night…