Chapter Text
Tubbo had considered himself a bit of an expert on humans. He’d explored countless sunken ships, both old and modern, climbed up onto abandoned shorelines, and had quite the collection of bits and bobbles from his adventures. He thought he was pretty smart about it too. His small size and quick speed let him slip out of danger. The mer had never been more than a flash of glimmering green scales to a human before. This time was different.
Maybe he’d gotten too comfortable. Too confident that he could easily evade any human so he’d let his guard down when he approached a ship floating silently on the waves. The lack of hum from a vessel’s engines intrigued him. It was usually a good indicator it was abandoned. He’d circled a few times and finally, his curiosity got the best of him and Tubbo approached the eerily quiet boat.
The silence was abruptly broken by a small blast. He didn’t have time to register what the sound meant before pain erupted from his tail. The smell of blood instantly polluted the water as Tubbo looked down to see the end of a harpoon impaled through the lower half of his tail. He shrieked as the line attached drew taunt, sinking the barbs of the spearhead into his scales and dragging him back.
The mer’s vision when spotty as he was lifted out of red-stained waves up the side of the ship. Eager shouts and cheers were drowned out by the pounding heartbeat in his ears and ragged gasps of pain as he was unceremoniously dropped onto the hard metal deck of the ship. Tubbo thrashed out against those that got close, baring his fangs and flaring fins out aggressively despite the radiating agony.
“Hm, those idiots really weren’t lying when they said they’d seen sirens around here, eh?” A new voice cut through the rest, and the other humans backed away. They parted, making way for the man to approach. He looked different than most humans Tubbo had seen up close. Tubbo had only seen humans dressed like this atop large white ships, away from where the water would ruin their fancy clothes. A cigarette was pinned between his teeth, mouth upturned in a smirk as he looked down at the boy.
"Get it restrained will ya? Then we can see what we really caught," he commanded and Tubbo tensed as two of the others approached.
"Get away from me!" Tubbo snarled. A variety of gasps went through the crew, making the humans hesitate, except for the man.
"It speaks!" He cheered, crouching down over Tubbo to get a closer look. The man reached towards Tubbo’s face and he lashed out, racking his claws into the man’s arm. He jolted back, swearing as the cig dropped from his mouth and the laugher completely died.
“Sir?” One of the crew spoke, only to be ignored as the man’s eyes snapped back from his arm to the mer below him. The rage in his eyes made a chill run up Tubbo’s spine a moment before the man stomped down on the end of the harpoon spear. Tubbo screamed, his vision going white as the barbs tore into his flesh.
“If you’re smart enough to talk, you’re smart enough to fucking behave. Got it?” The man snarled. Tubbo couldn’t conjure more than a ragged gasp as he tried to hold still, desperate not to make the pain worse by moving.
The man didn’t seem satisfied with that answer as he pressed down on the spear again. “Or are you just a stupid animal?” He spat.
“N-No!” Tubbo cried.
“Good,” He snapped and Tubbo sagged as the man finally lifted his foot off the harpoon. He turned over to the crew, “Now get this thing in a holding tank below.”
“Should we set a course for Essempi captain?” A crewmember asked. Tubbo didn’t dare move this time as others approached him. The man paused, then smiled as he looked down at the cowering mer.
“No. Not yet,” He said after a moment. “There’s been a change in plans.”
“Yet, sir?”
“Well, this mer’s a bit small, don’t you think?” The captain smirked and Tubbo tensed. “I highly doubt it’s all on its own. Now that we know it talks, I’m sure it can tell us where we could find more of them.”
Tubbo’s heart dropped and he immediately snarled again, flaring his fins back out and pulling against the arms holding him down.
“I won’t tell you shit !” he spat and he just laughed again.
“I won’t be so sure of that,” He taunted, then turned and walked away from the mer. “Quackity, take care of it, won’t you?” He called over his shoulder. The crewmate in question smiled, turning to Tubbo from where he had been operating the harpoon line.
“You got it Schlatt.” Was the last thing Tubbo heard before the spear was violently ripped from the end of his tail and the mer screamed out until his vision went black.