Work Text:
Gem works in focused silence, tallying numbers in her head of how many types of fish she's caught for the day so far. A muted sigh leaves through her nose when she comes to realize that she's just two short of the pufferfish that Grian requested that morning. "Maybe I've got more in the barrels?" She thinks to herself before making her way back through the docks and onto her trusty vessel.
She's on her boat when a voice started humming to her, breaking the silence she's held since the sun set beyond the horizon. It was out of habit when she kicks in surprise and the tune emanating from behind her is replaced by laughter. She knows the voice well beyond simple familiarity- Has heard it sing to her time and time again as she and its owner waited out in the open sea for a fish to take her bait, it has sang her to sleep on nights when her thoughts just would not still, and it has sang her back to consciousness after unceremoniously passing out in her captain's cabin due to exhaustion.
But then she thinks back to this Morning when the familiar Ping of her Communicator revealed that Pearl has lost another life, when Grian flew down to her base after a few minutes with a warning that Pearl's now one of the Red Ones. He had urged her then to be careful if she spots their friend, urged her to ignore if she's sang to.
Turning around with a pounding heart, she finds that on the boat's edge sits Pearl. Smiling just a little wilder with more teeth than she usually shows in her smiles, with ashen skin and eyes turned from Blue to Red. Gem knows she should be afraid and she is- She remembers in the forefront of her mind how just this very morning Grian's voice was dripping with urgency when he spoke his warning aloud- How he urged her to run when the Siren inevitably beckons her closer.
But this is Pearl, and Gem has never once refused when her Beloved calls her forward into waiting arms. She could not bring herself to start now.
There is something off in the way Pearl wraps her arms around Gem the moment she steps close enough to the Siren- Something different from the usual tightness of how she wraps her tail around Gem's legs when they're in each other's space. A clawed hand comes away from her back, resting instead on her cheek and if Gem was just a bit more unfamiliar with the Siren who has her in her arms- She would assume that it was an act of cradling her face; But a chuckle is all that greets her ears when Gem tries to pull away from the hug and she finds herself being held closer even tighter.
"You should be more careful of whom you approach." Pearl says. The Siren pulls back without easing her grasp, resting her forehead against Gem's without shutting her eyes. Her heart pounds against her chest like a bird that's trying to escape its cage, and Gem knows now that if she moves without permission: The clawed thumb pressed against her cheek- Domination disguised as tenderness- Would draw blood. She does not notice how she's all but forgotten how to breathe properly and if she notices that Pearl's grin grows when she picks up on this fact, she does not voice it.
"I know it's you anyways." The Fisherman replies in a whisper. Whether it was what the finned woman wanted to hear or not, she does not know. The clawed thumb drags downwards regardless, drawing blood and stopping its motion when it reaches her jawline as Gem's breath hitches in her throat. Pearl inches back without loosening her hold, her grin has faded into a lipped smile- Gem notes that the savageness has not left either way, she is proven correct when the Siren presses her lips against the newly inflicted wound as she voices her next question with barely stifled glee.
"Aren't you afraid?" The words are punctuated with the Siren's hand drifting from her jaw to her chin. Red Eyes never once faltering from their gaze into Yellow ones, Gem cannot bring herself to look away now even if she tried- She does not want to anyways. Her heart continues to race, and despite the fear building in her stomach no matter how much she tries to deny it to herself:
She answers because she is ensnared by foolishness, stemming from her heart's submission, borne from her affection.
"Not of you."
She must've answered correctly, because this time she does not bleed and the hand on her chin pulls away slowly. Her victory is short-lived however, as her breath once again catches in her throat when Pearl suddenly seizes her by the neck with one hand, squeezing gently. Gem stares wide-eyed and finds that the one in front of her is the personification of a wave that looks deceivingly calm. No, not calm. Her doe senses kick in and tell her that this is a predator in wait- Poised to strike at its unassuming prey when it feels like it. It dawns on her that she is the prey now, and in front of her sits the predator with sharp, serrated teeth.
Gem knows she should be afraid by now, and she is. But when Pearl yanks her forward by the neck, bringing their lips close to a maddeningly short distance apart, the fear morphs into something else entirely. Her legs shake when she feels fingertips squeeze just a bit tighter- When she feels claw tips push into her skin with enough pressure to be felt, but not enough to draw blood.
Not yet. She assumes Pearl is thinking. The assumption makes her impatient, and she tries in vain to lean forward- Her impatience is berated with a teasing chastise.
“Ah-ah” Red eyes that hid sadism behind mischievous hunger are now blown wide, and there is no mischief anymore- Only starvation. When the pads of Pearl’s fingers immediately push the flesh of her neck inwards just a little bit more, when claws dig in deep enough to send small flashes of pain- Gem offers herself up on a plate and her knees give in. Leaving her to hold herself up by her hands on Pearl’s shoulders and by the strangling mercy of the tail wrapped around her form. Yellow half-lidded eyes look up, a silent plea to be taken and not just held. The Siren cackles gleefully in return and Gem thinks that it is a blessed sound. She thinks to herself, that if to be prey is the price to be paid for her lover’s joy- Then she would gladly offer herself up as sacrifice for the thrill of being caught.
”Do you fear me now?” Each word is punctuated by the tightening of the hand around her neck and gasp as she might, Gem is now privileged only to pitiful bursts of air. She keeps her gaze locked with Pearl’s, and a smile lifts the corners of her lips when she shakes her head and reaches up with one hand to card her fingers through her Beloved’s hair. The Siren’s eyes soften when her answer is heard loud and clear despite the lack of words:
No. I don’t.
Gem brings her hand back, lovingly bringing it to rest on Pearl’s cheek, who closes her eyes as she leans into the touch with furrowed eyebrows and a sigh. The pressure on her neck lessens just slightly but it is enough for her to strain her touch in alarm. Pearl’s eyes shoot open, and her lips split into a grin when she understands- Yet she refuses to return what Gem has lost, and all the Deer-hybrid can do is whine.
The Siren shushes her with gentleness that is not oft found in Reds, and Gem complies with devoted obedience. Silence passes between them; Yellow eyes carry desperation and Red eyes carry honest curiosity.
”What do you fear?” The question lingers between them, and it is Gem who breaks her gaze away by closing her eyes. What does she fear? What holds no charm and no warmth at all that it would be impossible for Gem- The personification of love and understanding- To accept and welcome it as it is. She opens her eyes, and in them lies vulnerability, the Woman of the Deep understands that what is to pass between them is a secret that has never once been privy to others. Pearl understands that the answer that will greet her question will be a secret she takes to the grave- In this life, in this Server; Across all other lives, and other Servers.
”I am afraid of drowning.”
The irony is not lost on either of them. A flighty creature of the woods, a gentle prey which has fallen in love with a being of the ocean, a predator most alive in the blackness of the watery depths. Silence once again sits between the two lovers, and the hand around Gem’s neck grants her request. The sailor closes her eyes in appreciation- For there is nothing that Pearl can do which Gem will not come to accept and adore.
Cold lips greet hers, and she lets herself lean in like a starving beast. She leans and dismisses the feel of sharp pain on her neck, dismisses the warm path that her own blood traces on her skin. Gem refuses to pull away- Refuses to be parted from her lover despite her body begging her for air.
In the end it is Pearl who pulls away, her other hand coming to rest on Gem’s hip- Tracing soft patterns onto the expanse of skin she has bared for herself. ”I am with you.” Gem has yet to catch her breath before Pearl seals the promise with a kiss once more, this one is gentler than the last yet Gem’s lungs continue to burn and she starts to doubt if she was indeed truthful. Because if drowning feels like Pearl’s lips stealing away her right to breathe; How could she fear it after all?
When the Siren pulls away once more, she asks her final question.
”Will you come with me?”
The Sailor knows that if she refuses, her Siren will let her go. She gets to continue living as a Yellow until another Red sets their sights on her, until she is hunted- This time without love or tenderness, no matter how twisted the form the latter may take. She knows that Pearl will snuff out the urge to kill if only Gem tells her that she wants life more than she wants to be with her Beloved for now.
But Gem instead wraps her arms around Pearl’s neck in a hug and she nods. The Siren smiles before she tips backward, bringing her Woodland Creature with her. The boat sways and the silence is broken with the sound of a splash, Gem’s heart beats steadily in acceptance until she voluntarily takes in her first lungful of water.
Pearl holds her through the process, and Gem fears nothing even when her lungs burn and beg.
Pearl holds her even when her body starts to convulse, and her legs kick in futility-
With Pearl by her side in the darkness of the ocean, Gem overcomes her fear with great irony.
GeminiTay drowned