Breath of Life [Part 6]
Apr. 28th, 2021 09:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Frankenstein almost drowned. He didn't, something in the sea saving him, and he's going to find out just what it was.
Notes: Mermaid au
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,670
Total word count: 11,111
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein rolled the piece of coral in his hand when he arrived back at his room, feeling all the little dips with each pass. It reminded Muzaka of his eyes...? The colour was so intense; did Muzaka really see his eyes like that?
Smiling, Frankenstein set the coral on his table and started getting ready for work.
*
Frankenstein found himself counting the days until he would meet Muzaka again. He hadn't found a container big enough to hold the coral yet that he was satisfied with, but he was leery of keeping it in his room, where the Union could happen upon it if they searched his room. Not that it was relevant to any of his research, but it was still something of his that he didn't want their hands on. So he kept it in his breast pocket for safe keeping for now, like he had with Muzaka's hair.
Frankenstein exhaled as he stared out at sea, the usual cacophony of sailors and fishers swirling around him with the wind. He wouldn't see Muzaka, he knew that, but sometimes the white froth over a wave made him wonder for that split second before it dispersed again.
He shook his head. Maybe he could find something to gift Muzaka today.
*
"You want to what?" Frankenstein said, watching Muzaka, who hadn't come out of the water yet.
"I wanna teach ya how to swim! Just in case."
That...was a valid worry. Even after his own resolution to learn, Frankenstein hadn't had the time to try to learn in between all his client appointments. Or maybe he hadn't made the time. "All right." Who better to teach him than one who lived in the sea?
He stripped down to his underwear and waded in. The water was unsurprisingly cold, but with the rising sun, it didn't feel so bad, as well as he was going in slowly, rather than being dumped in it all at once.
Muzaka was waiting for him as the water reached Frankenstein's chest. "Do you know how to swim when you're born?" Frankenstein asked. Were they born in the water or on land? If on land, surely more of them would have been seen by now?
"Yeah. We hafta swim up to get our first breath."
Frankenstein was on his toes, keeping his chin above the water.
Muzaka chuckled, moving a little away. "Yer gonna have to come out further than that."
Frankenstein sighed. This may be the trouble learning from someone who was born with the instinct to swim. Though human babies did also instinctively know how to paddle and hold their breath when held under water. He just had to relearn.
And he was safe here. Muzaka would keep an eye on him and wouldn't let him drown.
Frankenstein pushed off. He floated for a second before his head dipped down and he kicked out to keep himself afloat.
"Yeah, like that." Muzaka held his arm out so Frankenstein could hold it and keep himself above water. Muzaka ducked his head below the surface for a second. "Can you move your tails at the same time?"
His tails. Frankenstein would have smiled if he wasn't concentrating on everything he was doing. "I can but-" He took a breath as he tried to keep above water. "-I'm not sure that would be as effective as your tail."
He tried Muzaka's suggestion anyway. All that seemed to do was move him back and forth rather than afloat.
"Hmm, yeah." Muzaka was quiet for a few seconds and then peeked again. "Keep yer tails straighter, so they don't bend as much."
Frankenstein did as he was advised, and that seemed to help. He didn't say anything when Muzaka took his other wrist, inspecting his hand, spreading out his fingers.
"Hnnn," Muzaka said, his brow furrowing. "You're really not able to swim that well."
Because of his hands?
Muzaka held up his own palm, spreading his fingers and, oh. There was no space between his fingers like Frankenstein's, but webbing, like a bat's wing. With everything he had been learning about Muzaka, he'd never noticed that before.
"We can push our way through the water with our hands if our tail gets tired," Muzaka said.
"I'll keep my fingers closed then," Frankenstein said. He wouldn't cover the same area as Muzaka did, but it would be better than the clawing he'd attempted when he was drowning. "You push?" He tried doing so in the water.
"Not like that," Muzaka said, letting go of his hand, to grip Frankenstein's shoulders. Just what...? Muzaka tilted back, and Frankenstein followed him, feeling Muzaka's tail push water towards him from underneath him.
Frankenstein was more flat in the water now and he kicked out, not sure if he was moving himself, or Muzaka was dragging him through the water.
"Lift one arm out, then put it into the water in front of you."
Muzaka let go of him and disappeared from view as Frankenstein did so. He twitched when something brushed against his hand, Muzaka turning his wrist so he wasn't trying to cut through the water, making sure his fingers were together.
"Like that?" Frankenstein said when Muzaka resurfaced again.
"Yeah!" Muzaka said, grinning.
Now, if Muzaka swam the way he did because he had one tail... "Do I do that with both arms at the same time?"
"Whatever you prefer, really. You can swim with both or one arm. Both arms is faster."
"I'll work on learning how to swim first," Frankenstein said wryly. Then he could learn what was most efficient.
Muzaka nodded. "Keep going," he said, as he dipped under the water again.
"Simple," Frankenstein muttered, but did so, trying to remember how to hold his hands and kick his legs. Breathing was also something he would have to-
He sucked in a breath when Muzaka touched his stomach, pushing him up slightly. Why was he...? Frankenstein kept swimming, Muzaka's touch still light, keeping him parallel to the sea's surface. Ah, was that it?
Frankenstein was reaching one end of the cave and he slowed, not sure what he should do when he reached the wall.
Muzaka surfaced and grinned at him. "Yer doin' great!"
This was certainly a different experience Frankenstein was used to from learning from someone else. "Thank you."
Muzaka's grin widened and he slowly moved away, watching Frankenstein.
Frankenstein knew a challenge when he saw it, and he turned to chase after Muzaka as best as he could.
*
Frankenstein pulled himself out of the water with a groan, his aching muscles trying to support his weight again. If this was how he felt after an hour in the sea, how did Muzaka feel?
He turned to wave at Muzaka, who did the same before disappearing under the waves and Frankenstein exhaled, sitting down. He'd wait to dry off a little more before pulling his clothes on and walking back.
He'd learned a lot, even in the short time, thanks to Muzaka's teaching.
What else would he learn from him?
*
Keep his body straight, his legs stiff, and breathe... Frankenstein practiced small laps outside the docks, so he wouldn't have to keep an eye out for oncoming ships.
He noticed he was starting to dip and he tried to force his stomach up-
Remembering Muzaka's light touch there.
Frankenstein almost sucked in a mouthful of water, mistiming when he was meant to breathe.
Hm. Maybe it was time to stop swimming for today, since he was getting distracted. That, and the sun was getting warmer, the exertion making his heartbeat pick up a little bit more than before.
He swam back to where he'd left his clothes, seeing someone standing next to them. Blond hair in a braid. He smiled, recognising him. "Panska."
"Frankenstein," Panska said as he got out of the water. "Are you trying to make sure you can live in the sea now?"
He chuckled at that, squeezing the water out of his hair. "I've almost drowned twice - I would rather not try my luck a third time."
"Or perhaps the ningyo would save you again." His eyes drifted to Frankenstein's locket, where Frankenstein had added the coral alongside it.
Frankenstein made sure to not let his smile slip or react too much to Panska's words. "I don't think they would appreciate needing to do that yet again, and may just leave me to drown since I insist on trying." Especially after teaching him how to swim.
Panska studied him for a second with narrowed eyes before turning his head at a call. He turned his head back to nod at Frankenstein in goodbye before walking off.
Whew. Panska seemed to be the only one seriously considering Muzaka as real, while the others treated it as a joke. So long as stayed that way, it would be all right.
*
"Have you decided to settle down?" Ateryi said, smiling over her cup of tea as they talked between clients. "You were anxious to leave last time."
Frankenstein swirled his own tea gently as he thought it over. "I think I've found a reason to stay." For now. He could still help people here, and he was able to meet new people and find out about new discoveries and information through the people who passed through the port.
But she was correct: he'd barely managed a week here before he was checking where ships were sailing to, narrowing down where he wanted to go next. It had been, what, three weeks? Almost a month now since he'd first met Muzaka and...
That was the biggest difference between then and now, wasn't it?
Ateryi smiled at that, sipping her tea. "Then don't let go of that reason: I rather like you here."
Frankenstein couldn't help his soft laugh. "I don't intend to let go."
Hopefully, Muzaka felt the same way, and he must, or else he wouldn't keep seeing him either.
Chapter 7 is mostly done, though I'm still hacking away at Imposter, but I'll hopefully have the next chapter done in time.
Summary: Frankenstein almost drowned. He didn't, something in the sea saving him, and he's going to find out just what it was.
Notes: Mermaid au
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,670
Total word count: 11,111
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein rolled the piece of coral in his hand when he arrived back at his room, feeling all the little dips with each pass. It reminded Muzaka of his eyes...? The colour was so intense; did Muzaka really see his eyes like that?
Smiling, Frankenstein set the coral on his table and started getting ready for work.
Frankenstein found himself counting the days until he would meet Muzaka again. He hadn't found a container big enough to hold the coral yet that he was satisfied with, but he was leery of keeping it in his room, where the Union could happen upon it if they searched his room. Not that it was relevant to any of his research, but it was still something of his that he didn't want their hands on. So he kept it in his breast pocket for safe keeping for now, like he had with Muzaka's hair.
Frankenstein exhaled as he stared out at sea, the usual cacophony of sailors and fishers swirling around him with the wind. He wouldn't see Muzaka, he knew that, but sometimes the white froth over a wave made him wonder for that split second before it dispersed again.
He shook his head. Maybe he could find something to gift Muzaka today.
"You want to what?" Frankenstein said, watching Muzaka, who hadn't come out of the water yet.
"I wanna teach ya how to swim! Just in case."
That...was a valid worry. Even after his own resolution to learn, Frankenstein hadn't had the time to try to learn in between all his client appointments. Or maybe he hadn't made the time. "All right." Who better to teach him than one who lived in the sea?
He stripped down to his underwear and waded in. The water was unsurprisingly cold, but with the rising sun, it didn't feel so bad, as well as he was going in slowly, rather than being dumped in it all at once.
Muzaka was waiting for him as the water reached Frankenstein's chest. "Do you know how to swim when you're born?" Frankenstein asked. Were they born in the water or on land? If on land, surely more of them would have been seen by now?
"Yeah. We hafta swim up to get our first breath."
Frankenstein was on his toes, keeping his chin above the water.
Muzaka chuckled, moving a little away. "Yer gonna have to come out further than that."
Frankenstein sighed. This may be the trouble learning from someone who was born with the instinct to swim. Though human babies did also instinctively know how to paddle and hold their breath when held under water. He just had to relearn.
And he was safe here. Muzaka would keep an eye on him and wouldn't let him drown.
Frankenstein pushed off. He floated for a second before his head dipped down and he kicked out to keep himself afloat.
"Yeah, like that." Muzaka held his arm out so Frankenstein could hold it and keep himself above water. Muzaka ducked his head below the surface for a second. "Can you move your tails at the same time?"
His tails. Frankenstein would have smiled if he wasn't concentrating on everything he was doing. "I can but-" He took a breath as he tried to keep above water. "-I'm not sure that would be as effective as your tail."
He tried Muzaka's suggestion anyway. All that seemed to do was move him back and forth rather than afloat.
"Hmm, yeah." Muzaka was quiet for a few seconds and then peeked again. "Keep yer tails straighter, so they don't bend as much."
Frankenstein did as he was advised, and that seemed to help. He didn't say anything when Muzaka took his other wrist, inspecting his hand, spreading out his fingers.
"Hnnn," Muzaka said, his brow furrowing. "You're really not able to swim that well."
Because of his hands?
Muzaka held up his own palm, spreading his fingers and, oh. There was no space between his fingers like Frankenstein's, but webbing, like a bat's wing. With everything he had been learning about Muzaka, he'd never noticed that before.
"We can push our way through the water with our hands if our tail gets tired," Muzaka said.
"I'll keep my fingers closed then," Frankenstein said. He wouldn't cover the same area as Muzaka did, but it would be better than the clawing he'd attempted when he was drowning. "You push?" He tried doing so in the water.
"Not like that," Muzaka said, letting go of his hand, to grip Frankenstein's shoulders. Just what...? Muzaka tilted back, and Frankenstein followed him, feeling Muzaka's tail push water towards him from underneath him.
Frankenstein was more flat in the water now and he kicked out, not sure if he was moving himself, or Muzaka was dragging him through the water.
"Lift one arm out, then put it into the water in front of you."
Muzaka let go of him and disappeared from view as Frankenstein did so. He twitched when something brushed against his hand, Muzaka turning his wrist so he wasn't trying to cut through the water, making sure his fingers were together.
"Like that?" Frankenstein said when Muzaka resurfaced again.
"Yeah!" Muzaka said, grinning.
Now, if Muzaka swam the way he did because he had one tail... "Do I do that with both arms at the same time?"
"Whatever you prefer, really. You can swim with both or one arm. Both arms is faster."
"I'll work on learning how to swim first," Frankenstein said wryly. Then he could learn what was most efficient.
Muzaka nodded. "Keep going," he said, as he dipped under the water again.
"Simple," Frankenstein muttered, but did so, trying to remember how to hold his hands and kick his legs. Breathing was also something he would have to-
He sucked in a breath when Muzaka touched his stomach, pushing him up slightly. Why was he...? Frankenstein kept swimming, Muzaka's touch still light, keeping him parallel to the sea's surface. Ah, was that it?
Frankenstein was reaching one end of the cave and he slowed, not sure what he should do when he reached the wall.
Muzaka surfaced and grinned at him. "Yer doin' great!"
This was certainly a different experience Frankenstein was used to from learning from someone else. "Thank you."
Muzaka's grin widened and he slowly moved away, watching Frankenstein.
Frankenstein knew a challenge when he saw it, and he turned to chase after Muzaka as best as he could.
Frankenstein pulled himself out of the water with a groan, his aching muscles trying to support his weight again. If this was how he felt after an hour in the sea, how did Muzaka feel?
He turned to wave at Muzaka, who did the same before disappearing under the waves and Frankenstein exhaled, sitting down. He'd wait to dry off a little more before pulling his clothes on and walking back.
He'd learned a lot, even in the short time, thanks to Muzaka's teaching.
What else would he learn from him?
Keep his body straight, his legs stiff, and breathe... Frankenstein practiced small laps outside the docks, so he wouldn't have to keep an eye out for oncoming ships.
He noticed he was starting to dip and he tried to force his stomach up-
Remembering Muzaka's light touch there.
Frankenstein almost sucked in a mouthful of water, mistiming when he was meant to breathe.
Hm. Maybe it was time to stop swimming for today, since he was getting distracted. That, and the sun was getting warmer, the exertion making his heartbeat pick up a little bit more than before.
He swam back to where he'd left his clothes, seeing someone standing next to them. Blond hair in a braid. He smiled, recognising him. "Panska."
"Frankenstein," Panska said as he got out of the water. "Are you trying to make sure you can live in the sea now?"
He chuckled at that, squeezing the water out of his hair. "I've almost drowned twice - I would rather not try my luck a third time."
"Or perhaps the ningyo would save you again." His eyes drifted to Frankenstein's locket, where Frankenstein had added the coral alongside it.
Frankenstein made sure to not let his smile slip or react too much to Panska's words. "I don't think they would appreciate needing to do that yet again, and may just leave me to drown since I insist on trying." Especially after teaching him how to swim.
Panska studied him for a second with narrowed eyes before turning his head at a call. He turned his head back to nod at Frankenstein in goodbye before walking off.
Whew. Panska seemed to be the only one seriously considering Muzaka as real, while the others treated it as a joke. So long as stayed that way, it would be all right.
"Have you decided to settle down?" Ateryi said, smiling over her cup of tea as they talked between clients. "You were anxious to leave last time."
Frankenstein swirled his own tea gently as he thought it over. "I think I've found a reason to stay." For now. He could still help people here, and he was able to meet new people and find out about new discoveries and information through the people who passed through the port.
But she was correct: he'd barely managed a week here before he was checking where ships were sailing to, narrowing down where he wanted to go next. It had been, what, three weeks? Almost a month now since he'd first met Muzaka and...
That was the biggest difference between then and now, wasn't it?
Ateryi smiled at that, sipping her tea. "Then don't let go of that reason: I rather like you here."
Frankenstein couldn't help his soft laugh. "I don't intend to let go."
Hopefully, Muzaka felt the same way, and he must, or else he wouldn't keep seeing him either.
Chapter 7 is mostly done, though I'm still hacking away at Imposter, but I'll hopefully have the next chapter done in time.