Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Link? Link, what the hell are you talking about? Did you find Rhett?” Stevie asked rapidly, her voice slightly muffled and sounding distorted. He knew she still had to be at the beach where he had left her and the rest of the crew. And where you left a nearly unconscious Chase. Link bit his lip as the sound of beachside wind and heavy breathing filled the small space of his car. She must have run over to grab her phone, like she was expecting Link to call her at some point. “Is he okay? Is he mad?”

Link inhaled sharply, one hand gripping the wheel as he sped down the highway, knowing he could get there in less than an hour if he just kept his foot on the pedal. He sighed, frustrated as he continued to think about what he had just seen, what he had borne witness to. The sight of Rhett sitting in that dirty tank, the sadness and defeat etched into his face as he had been curled into himself, tail wrapped around his muscular green body. Anger rose in him, settling in his shoulders and tightening in his jawline. “Stevie… they fucking kidnapped him and put him in a tank. They probed him like some cadaver in a lab, harvested him for parts of him. They shocked him every single time that he tried to fight him off,” Link had to stop himself, throat tightening as raw emotion gripped him. “He’s a goddamn prisoner, Stevie. They tried to make him talk. He wouldn’t, and they put him under, and just… opened him up. It’s so fucking sick, Stevie.”

Stevie inhaled sharply over the phone, as she went quiet. It seemed like forever was never going to end when she stopped talking, like he was going to lose his grip on reality and just transcend into another plane of existence. Her voice was the only thing keeping him here at his point, and if he lost that, then he was going to have no idea how he was going to do this on his own. He needed Stevie with him, something to hold him down. He didn’t want to do anything stupid or lose control of himself. He exhaled shakily and attempted to focus on the priorities ahead of him. He had to get Rhett out of that glass prison and get him back home, back to the ocean where he belonged and where he was supposed to be.

“We’re going to get him out,” Stevie replied quietly. “But you need to tell the crew. There’s no way that you and I can just get him out by ourselves. We need a team. And you’re not going to get a team like the crew.” She was serious, using her no-negotiation voice. Link bit his lip and he ran his resisted the urge to play with his hair and mess it up. She was right, there was nobody else in the world that was going to help him with something like this. He was going to have to tell them and pray that they would help him get Rhett back. Even if he was a merman and not a human like the rest of them. The only issue was if they were going to believe him or not.

“Okay. I’ll be there shortly,” Link murmured, before he pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up, tossing it into the cupholder. His now free hand gripped the steering wheel, twisting the leather slightly in his hands as he focused back completely onto the road.

The drive from the aquarium back to the beach felt short, like it wasn’t enough for him to properly get his thoughts together. By the time he had parked in his typical spot and climbed out of the car, he had no idea what he was going to say. How was he even going to be able to tell the crew that the individual he had fallen in love with was supposed to be a mythical creature and not exist. He knew he was going to sound like an escaped lunatic, talking about mermen and them being kidnapped and having sex with them.

Okay, maybe not mention that.

Link glanced over to the beach and saw the van, and his heart started to race a little in his chest. He tightened his fists a bit before he began to head over, almost tip-toeing through the sand as he made his way. He could feel and hear his heartbeat in his ears, and his cheeks were burning. He hadn’t even said anything or seen another human being yet, and here he was, already on the brink of a minor heart attack. There was nothing he could do to stop what might happen next, so he might as well just get it over with and try to make it through to the next life. If that was an option at that point.

“Link! Link, thank God you made it okay,” Stevie yelled, jogging over to him with the group behind her. She stopped in front of him.

“Link, man, what the hell happened? Stevie said she shouldn’t tell us anything,” Jen said, looking back at the rest of the crew, causing the others to nod and murmur amongst themselves slightly.

“Guys... I, well...” Link stopped, slowly trailing off. He glanced down at his shoes, putting his hands in his pockets. He was sweating, his palms were slick with sweat. It was warm on the beach, but he felt more than hot under the collar.  He thought he might have an anxiety attack with how fast his heart was pounding, but he was quick to look at Stevie, giving her a silent look. She had only nodded. A sign of encouragement.

“You know that merman they said the aquarium got?” Link asked quietly, eyes shifting from behind his glasses as the crew members simply exchanged slightly confused looks. A couple of nods, before Link swallowed thickly. “It-- he’s real. He’s the real deal. It ain’t a hoax.”

More looks of confusion, and a gentle raising of an eyebrow. “What do you mean, he is real? Link, what are you talking about?” a voice said.

“He’s real. His name is Rhett. I’ve been talking to him for these last few months, and...” Link trailed off, inhaling deeply and putting a hand on his face. “Jesus. This is gonna sound ridiculous. I... I love him. I’m in love with him. He loves me too. He was kidnapped, taken. Chase found out what was happening, and he told a buncha people, and they... lured him in. They took him. And Chase got paid for it. I went and snuck into... well, more like I broke in to the aquarium. He’s fine, but they did things to him. And I’m gonna get out. But I need help.”

Link took his hand away from his face and he looked out towards the crew, eyes scanning over the bewildered and confused faces. He swallowed thickly and he crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. “I get it if you don’t wanna help me. I understand, but... I need to get him out. No one deserves that, regardless of where they come from or what species they are. It’s evil,” Link whispered, swallowing the emotional lump that had lodged itself into his throat.

“Link... you could lose your job. Your reputation. You could lose everything if you do this,” Jen whispered, eyebrows furrowed.

“I know. But I don’t care. I would do anything for him, even if that meant losing my job and everything else I have. I love him. Fuck, I love him so much. I would do anything to keep him,” Link breathed, voice thickening and cracking as he recalled everything. All the words, the conversations, the laughs they shared. How they would swim around together, hold hands as they lounged on the rocks. The stargazing, the kisses, the hugs, the touches, all the intimate moments they had together.

Those bright green eyes.

“I want to help.”

Link’s eyes widened a bit and his eyes rushed to Stevie, who nodded at him. “What?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly gone deaf, Dr. Neal. I said I want to help. You helped me, flying all the way out here when you clearly didn’t want to. So now it’s time I repay the favor, right? It only seems fair. Besides, I never got to meet the guy. You owe me a proper introduction,” Stevie replied, a small grin coming to her face as she stepped up to stand next to him.

“Me too. I wanna help,” Jen quickly spoke up, walking up to him and pulling Lizzie along with her.

“Fuck it. We do too. We’re not gonna let our supervisor just run in there, the clumsy doctor he is. Plus, you are gonna need a team. Who else would be better than a bunch of college students with too much technological knowledge to be healthy? It seems like it would be a fun side project,” Alex smiled, standing up in front of Link.

Link didn’t know what to do with himself hardly. These students, these scientists, these friends were willing to put their lives and careers on the line for him. They were willing to take a chance, to help the man who had helped them in every single way he could. He felt a warmth filling him, his heart beating faster. Anticipation, relief, elation. He could feel the gears in his head turning, moving and processing what he had seen, what he had experienced, and what it would take to bust a 350-pound aquatic humanoid out of a relatively popular and profitable aquarium.

“In that case, then. Listen carefully. Because we have to do this as soon as possible. We don’t have a lot of time,” Link grunted, leading the group back over to the tents and the van where all their equipment was.

“And seriously. Thank you. All of you.”

~~~~~

“This is…” Stevie trailed off, raising her eyebrow a little as she stared at the cube of glass that rested in the back of Jen’s pick-up truck.

Link wiped his brow and he pulled on the black gloves, shaking his head a little. A small sigh left him. “Look, I know it’s a fish tank, but this is the best way to get him out of there and back to where he belongs,” Link grunted, climbing into the back and examining the ropes holding it down and making sure they were secured. “It’ll only be until we can get him back to the ocean. Then we can return it back to the school. Sound fair?”

“How did you even convince them to lend it to you?” Stevie questioned.

“I didn’t ask.”

Stevie simply shook her head and moved to run back to the van, climbing into the back.

Link jumped off the truck and moved to the passenger side door, opening it up and pulling out his cell phone. He nodded to Jen, who immediately turned on the vehicle and began to head out of the parking lot, the van behind them following closely as they got onto the main road, heading back down south. It would only be a matter of time before they got back to the aquarium, so Link had to make sure everything was locked down and understood. What they were doing was completely illegal and they could end up on California’s Most Wanted list, but as long as he got Rhett back, then Link didn’t really care.

“Okay, Alex. I need you to find where the alarm is and turn it off. You don’t have to keep it off for very long, Stevie and I will be out sooner rather than later. Jen, I need you and Lizzie to watch for security and make sure we get the hell out of there. Drew, I need you to fill the tank with water so we can just get Rhett into it and drive off. There should be, at least according to the blueprints Alex found, a connection to the water system behind where Rhett’s exhibit is. He won’t last long if there isn’t any water.

“Do we know what we’re doing?” Link asked, listening to the affirmations on the other end of the group call, before he inhaled deeply and swallowed. “And… before we do this. I just wanna thank you all again. Y’all are taking a huge risk for me. And I appreciate that so much.”

Link hung up the phone and he leaned back into his seat, looking out the window and watching the bright streetlights go by. Hardly anyone was on the road at this time of night, but that didn’t help in making Link feel any better. He was still scared, still nervous. He was fearful of all the things that could go wrong, especially not being able to get the merman he loved out of his cage.

The man inhaled sharply, running his fingers through his messy hair, stress filling his veins and making him shake slightly. He ran his palms over his face, before sitting up as they approached the aquarium, watching as the front went by and they settled close towards the back of the large building. He cleared his throat and grabbed his Bluetooth set, placing it into his ear as he nudged Jen to do the same. She complied, parking outside one of the large garage doors. Link immediately climbed out, walking up to the van that settled behind them.

“Alex, the system is over there, behind some plastic. Can you pick the lock?” Link pointed.

“On it, boss,” Alex replied, grabbing a small backpack and heading over to the box. Link turned his head away, preferring not to know how a 22-year-old college student was going to pick open the lock and disable to system.

“Stevie, come on. We gotta be ready to go. I know where Rhett is, we just gotta get him out. It’s gonna be hard, are you sure you’re up for it? Because as soon as we get him out, we gotta carry him back here,” Link murmured, fixing his hoodie and tightening the laces on his boots.

“I know. We’ll get him out of there.”

Link nodded, hearing the loud beeps of the security system shutting down, before Alex was pushing up the garage door with the help of Jen. “I’ll keep it off for as long as I can, but I have no idea how long you’re gonna have before it automatically reverts back to the failsafe. You gotta go, now,” Alex grunted, and quickly motioned for Link and Stevie to head towards the door.

Bending their bodies, Link quickly made his way back into the building, Stevie following closely behind. The unwelcoming cold of the aquarium chilled Link to the bone, making him shiver and slowly make his way across the tilted floors. He inhaled sharply, that familiar feeling of desperation filling him once again. The same feeling he felt going down these hallways before, head anxiously turning every corner, expecting a security guard to be there, to grab him and drag him out. Voices calling him an intruder, a thief, a freak, an idiot for wanting to release what was definitely a wild animal who just happened to look like a human.

Blue eyes darted behind the glasses, feet hardly making any noise. They were the only two ones wandering up and down these dimmed hallways, quiet as a shark swimming through dark waters. They were after their prey, searching, waiting, listening. Link could only hear his heartbeat in his ears with each quickened step they took, rubber tapping against the hard ground. A glance up, a fluorescent light blinking as they made their way down another hallway. Link glanced off to the side, before perking up. He raised his hand and beckoned Stevie forward, making his way over to the door. He patted his pockets, grabbing the I.D. card Alex had managed to make him. Or rather, probably swipe. Link decided not to question it, that would only make things more complicated. And possibly make Link feel a little guilty.

He swiped the card and listened to the too loud beep, the door unlocking. Link grabbed the handle and pushed slowly, inching his way into the large, nearly identical room he had been in only a few hours before. Stevie trailed in behind, eyes widening as she looked around the white room. Metal stairs, tables filled with the same beakers and test tubes. They were no longer filled with discolored liquids, rather cleaned and ready for use the next day. No more surgical trays with pieces of skin or scales. No more pouches of blood, no more of the merman’s blood. That same shudder ran through him, making him look away once more.

Link turned his head towards the tall tank, no longer illuminated by white light, but rather dimmed. Still, at the bottom of the tank…

Rhett.

Emerald green tail curled protectively against his body, hair floating up against his face and above his head. Beard puffed out, messy, and knotted slightly. He was tensed up, arms crossed over his chest. He was still on edge, but his eyes were opened and unfocused. He was waiting, waiting for the promise Link had made to be rescued, to take Rhett away from where he was. Where he was caged up. He was expectant, and it made Link feel overwhelmed with a sudden burst of motivation.

Unable to stop himself, unable to keep himself from not making noise. A desperate sound left his throat, pressing his palms right against the glass. Rhett’s eyes met his own, and he was swimming over to press his webbed hands against Link’s through the glass. Link gazed at him desperately, clawing a little and then looking up towards the tank. Hand not leaving the glass, Link began to head up the stairs, as quickly as he was physically able to. He almost tripped more than once, heart pounding and legs aching, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Rhett swam faster than Link had ever seen him, hands raking up the glass and leaving bubbles in his own wake. Link’s boots slammed against the metal of the stairs, before he was stumbling over to the opening of the tank. Rhett sprung out from the water, inhaling as he made it to the edge, meeting Link at the gap from the metal railing to the top of the tank. Link’s knees cried out as he knelt, but he didn’t care.

“You came back,” Rhett breathed, grabbing Link’s sleeves.

“I told you I was going to,” Link whispered, leaning down and pressing his nose into the creature’s hair, nuzzling the wet strands that stuck to his skin.

Link looked back as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Rhett tensed up in his hold, and Link grappled him tight, shaking his head. “You’re okay. It’s a friend. I brought friends to help get you out of here,” he reassured him gently.

Rhett’s eyes looked at the blonde woman who knelt next to Link. “Is… is this Stevie?” Rhett asked quietly,

Stevie gave him a grin, before she nodded her head. “Nice to meet you, Rhett. Link won’t shut up about you,” she murmured, before she looked to Link. “How do you propose we get him out of here, Dr. Neal?”

Link hummed softly, quietly contemplating before he bit his lip. “We… we might just have to carry him out of here. I don’t know how else we would manage to. He can’t exactly… you know, walk,” he murmured.

“A very astute observation.”

“Stevie.”

“Sorry.”

Link sighed before turning back to Rhett. “Rhett. I need your help. I need you to pull yourself out. We gotta get you back to the truck. It may take a little bit, and we won’t be able to keep you wet while we get you there. As soon as we make it out, we have a tank of water.” A protesting whimper came from Rhett, and Link was quick to run his fingers through his hair. “You won’t stay there for long, love. We’re gonna get you back to the ocean as quickly as we can. I need you to trust me.”

Rhett stared up at the human in front of him, taking in his hastened and desperate words. He could see it in Link’s eyes that this was a dire and important situation. He also knew that Link wouldn’t ask him to do this unless it was completely necessary, and he also knew that he was willing to do anything that Link told him to do. Link wasn’t the one who hurt him. He loved him, was willing to risk everything to help him get back to where he belonged. Rhett was also willing to do whatever it took to help Link and make him happy. If possibly drying out and losing a few scales is what it took, then that it what he was willing to do.

“I trust you, Link,” Rhett murmured, slowly moving to grab the edge of the metal walkway, slowly pulling himself up. Link moved back and slowly began to tug on Rhett, Stevie grabbing the other side and lugging him out. They grunted; the large man heavy enough to make them both strain themselves. Rhett huffed and slid his back over the grate, watching as Link ran around to put his arms under Rhett’s armpits, lifting him up slightly and pulling him.

“Dang, Rhett,” Link grunted, panting softly as they moved to pull his tail out of the water. “Why is your tail so freakin’ long?”

“I’m a big merman,” Rhett quipped, watching as the woman grabbed the bottom his tail.

“Okay, on three, Stevie. One, two—”

Rhett hissed, letting out a guttural sound as a loud alarm began to screech, red lights flashing. “Shit, the alarm! Alex!” Link cursed, pulling Rhett up and hefting him.

“We gotta go! Come on, we gotta get the hell out!” Stevie yelled, pulling the tail up and beginning to lead the train.

Link and Stevie held Rhett as tightly as they could, bounding down the metal stairs as the alarms blared, screaming and shouting of an intruder. Link panted softly in Rhett’s ear, running across the cold floor as they burst out of the containment room. Stevie was well ahead of them, running down the hallway from the way they came. So far, there was no one running after him. No guns were shooting off, no shouting, no nothing. It was just them and the alarms, going off as they made their way down the convoluted hallways.

Rhett grunted as he was carried, bouncing slightly in the arms of his beloved. He could feel his tail drying out, scales already starting to feel arid. The running, the cold air, the amount of movement. It was almost like he was being touched over and over, poked and prodded. It was light sharp needles and knives poking at his sensitive skin and scales. It made him feel like those scalpels were slicing at him, and he wanted to cry out. He kept quiet, emerald eyes closing tight as he was carried by his saviors.

As soon as the sight of the garage door was in sight, their feet seemingly picked up the pace. They were so close, why shouldn’t they be able to make it?

The sound of additional footsteps and radios going off made a pit of dread open up in Link’s stomach, and he tightened his hold on Rhett. “Go! Come on, we didn’t get this far to not make it!” Link cried, desperation clawing its way up into his voice.

“Open the door!” Stevie yelled into her headset, and nearly a few seconds later, the sound of metal creaking and chains grinding against one another made Link’s heart nearly leap out of his chest.

“Go, go, go!” Link hissed, nearly tripping as they ran towards the opening.

They skidded outside, shoes crunching the asphalt beneath their feet. Stevie quickly worked her way to the truck, and they turned as Link backed up towards the truck. Several of the crew members were gaping, staring at the merman in their arms. Tail limply hanging, eyes slightly glazed over. Link climbed up and scooted back, before he was grunting and standing up once again. He growled.

“Okay, okay…” he breathed, Stevie temporarily dropping his tail before picking it back up. “On three. One, two, three!”

Link and Stevie rocked him a bit before tossing Rhett over the edge, letting go as he splashed into the large tank of water. Rhett let out a shrill cry as his body hit the water, making a mess over the bed of the truck. His body was jolted as it hit fresh water, webbed fingers sliding over the glass. He gasped, tail immediately feeling better, but his upper body cursed him, making him shiver and breakout in goosebumps.

“I-It’s cold!” Rhett whined, shaking a little and tail curling up against his body. “Why has it gotta be so cold?!”

“Sorry! It’s the only water that would come out!” Drew hastily apologized, heading back to the van as Stevie dragged him back.

Link pressed a hand to the glass, before hopping out of the truck. “They know we’re here, we gotta go, now!”

The crew made a hasty retreat, Link climbing back into the passenger seat next to Jen. They moved quick, moving out of the back area as quickly as they could. Link wanted to apologize to Rhett; he wouldn’t be comfortable with the drive they were about to make. Winding down streets, bumping from the uneven road, and making him stay in the ice-cold water they had to subject him to.

It felt like a miracle when they left the property, Link putting his face in his hands as they headed back down the road from which they came. It all felt so surreal. He had actually managed to break into a facility, steal a live merman who happened to be his lover, and then they were currently taking him back to the ocean, where he would be free to live out the rest of his life in open water.

He wanted to cry. It felt like a dream, like all of the worries he felt was just pulled up and off of his chest and shoulders. He inhaled deeply and looked back towards the truck, looking at the merman that rested, as comfortably as he could, in the tank. Eyes slightly glazed over, not moving from the starry night sky above him. Exposed to open air, sitting in cold water, going down a highway over the speed limit.

Rhett looked so happy.

Link felt a smile come to his face.

~~~~~

Link groaned and yelled out as he began to lift Rhett up, Alex and Drew lifting up his middle and tail as they pulled him out from the tank. Rhett winced slightly, before he relaxed back into Link’s straining arms. He looked to the side as they began to walk down the wooden dock. It felt like it had already been ages since he had seen this dock. The place where he met Link, where he had spent hours talking to the man he loved. He felt so lucky to be seeing this dock again, even if it was old and creaking, starting to break and splinter from the saltwater constantly hitting it.

The men grunted as they slowly set Rhett down, tail over the edge. Rhett gave Link a look before he was jumping into the water, submerged and embraced by the familiar temperature. He felt fully complete, here in the waters where he was born. This is where he was supposed to be. Where he was going to be for the rest of his life, and there wasn’t any force on earth that would be able to change that fact, regardless of how much money was offered. Or how many fish he was given.

Although, he pondered, there was one real human that would be able to make him do anything. That he would do anything for.

Rhett quickly swam back up to the surface, eyes meeting his glassed half. He floated back to the edge of the pier, and Link knelt to meet the creature that owned his heart. “Are you okay?” Rhett asked gently.

“I should be asking you that,” Link grinned.

Neptune, that smile. Enough to make Rhett want to flip and spin through the water, to scream out the way he felt for this man. His pearl.

“I’m more than okay now,” Rhett replied with a smile of his own.

Link’s eyes softened and he turned to the crew members behind them, watching silently.

Rhett turned his attention to them as well, fingers clenching on the rotten wood. “Thank you… for saving me. And getting me back to Link. And my home. You have my lifelong gratitude,” Rhett said, then he looked up towards Stevie. “And for not telling anyone about me. I know that… your kind doesn’t think that I exist. Or that I shouldn’t exist. Or hope that I exist. I’m just happy that you all believe that this is where I belong.”

“It is where you belong. No alive being deserves to be stuck in a cage or behind glass for the rest of their life. Especially if they have the ability to have a say in the manner,” Stevie replied. “Besides, Link didn’t think you’d want to spend the rest of your life there anyway.”

Rhett nodded his head in understanding, before turning his face back towards Link.

Link glanced to the crew, nodding his head in a silent agreement. He turned his head towards Rhett, ears barely picking up the sounds of the crew behind him leaving them alone. Link gently ran his fingers through his own hair, pushing it back. “They won’t tell.”

“I know. If you trust them enough to help you, then I know I can do the same,” Rhett murmured.

“It’s not their secret to tell.”

Rhett nodded and he leaned up towards Link, hand reaching out towards his slightly stubbled cheek.

Link leaned into the soft, webbed hand cupping his cheek, eyes closing. His shaky hand wandered up to hold Rhett’s, swallowing thickly. “I was so scared. I was so scared I was going to lose you.”

Rhett’s eyes softened. “Me too.”

The dark-haired man opened his eyes and he looked down at the merman, before he was slowly leaning close and capturing his bearded lips. A soft gasp left the creature’s throat, before he was kissing Link back, full of all the grief they felt, melting away. After all this time apart, and here they were, reunited. This is the way they were meant to be, how they were meant to be. This is the life Rhett was meant to lead, and he vowed to keep it just like this. He would do anything for his human, the man he devoted his life to. The man who had risked his own to keep him safe and get him back to his home.

Link gently pulled away, before gazing at him. “I love you, Rhett. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.”