Coastal Living - Captain America Fantasy AU

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"I can't believe it's been a week! It feels good to get out of the house. Why do you always have to be right about the paint?!" Calla groaned to Vince as they floated up to the docks on the island. There was only one, and she had to steer to the other side since Steve's monster yacht was there. It really wasn't /that/ big, probably quite small compared to normal yachts, but it felt like it compared to her little motorized one. Parking it, she heaved herself up and grabbed her rope, making an easy knot when she heard footsteps echoing from further away coming closer. Vince was the one who announced who it was while she was busy securing her new baby.

"Hey Steve." Vince beamed as Steve came over towards the docks. "Check it out. We totally got a new boat and it didn't capsize us like it sometimes does."

"Looks really new." Steve whistled. "Still on the small side." He looked at Vince. "How's River doing? Bucky and I were doing research on the heats...how is she doing?"

"She's fine. Ice cream, and talking about baby names usually helps." Vince waved it off. "She needed a cuddle and a long bath for a few nights though. It got real rough in the middle."

"I can imagine." Steve turned to Calla and smiled. "Welcome back to the island. I'm glad I managed to beat you here before you beat me to my house to break into it again. Just to let you know, we do have a spare key lying around on the island if you ever feel ambitious enough to look for it."

"A /challenge/, you shouldn't have," Calla clapped her hands together like he'd just offered her a present, "Maybe next time. Anyway, River's around. She'll join us eventually. How have you and Bucky been?" she walked up closer to him and motioned for him to lead the way, looking back at Vince. She didn't like making him the third wheel when he was always there for her, so she said, "Vince tagged along so he can see your library. Careful or he might hire a priest so he can marry it and never leave."

"I will take loving care of your library, we'll have book babies. Meaning River and Calla's kids. Maybe yours if you and Bucky decide to adopt." Vince agreed with a pleased smile.

"I'll be very certain to warn Bucky that our library's been flirting with a stranger outside of our island." Steve replied dryly. "I think he'll find it fascinating that we have a library that can move around to date people." He looked at Calla. "We've been good. We've been doing a lot of researching on things. Mermaid heats aside, Bucky's been fascinated lately with the tides and the moons and what not. He's always been interested in science, but never into marine biology or things like that. It's nice. To see him passionate about something again."

"Let me guess... 'I'll be to bed soon' and then three hours later he's on another wiki page reading a book's worth of information?" Calla laughed, being sure to keep at least half her focus on the path he led them, since their mansion was deep in the forests and there wasn't a definitive path besides where the forest had more of a gap to walk through. Now she was aware Steve was a plant elemental, she kept more an eye out for that as well, "I'm glad he's learning what he can. It shows us that he's serious about being our friend. Not everyone would take the time."

Steve frowned, "That worries me. River's a sweetheart. What happened a week ago was probably super uncomfortable for her."

"Why would a normal person take time to learn about a mermaid's heat?" Steve turned to give Vince a look, but realized that "normal person" was just referring to people that wasn't on the island. Vince gave Steve a small apologetic look. "It's not like people are lining up to mate her, let alone date her on the main land. Unless they're into kinky shit. I mean...sometimes that happens."

Steve shook his head and muttered under his breath. "She deserves better."

"Believe me. Both Calla and I know. She got herself into an abusive relationship once. Calla got /really/ hurt trying to get her out of it." Vince looked over at Calla, hoping that he didn't accidentally open a can of worms.

"He still around?" Steve asked in a measured voice.

"No. I may have been hurt, but I gave him a good what for. Since River doesn't really like violence, I can get scary for her. I was down and out for a good few days, almost hospitalized, but I'm too stubborn. He left town almost overnight," Calla hummed, pleased with that fact, "Vince took care of his buddies until they left us alone, too. I think I'm scary, but Vince can be terrifying."

"I am a butterfly. I don't know what you're talking about." Vince pretended to sniff and look away.

Steve smiled brightly. "I'm glad that you were able to kick ass and take names." He told Calla sincerely. "For a moment I thought I was going to have to remind some assholes how not to treat women. He didn't...like...scar you or anything did he?"

"River has a few scars from him, but it was mostly bruises." Vince frowned as he looked at Calla. "I remember you bleeding but I don't remember if it left a mark that's forever. Did he?"

"Oh...well, there's a cut on my temple. That's probably where you remember me bleeding. Since my hair covers it, it isn't so bad," Calla shrugged, tapping the left side of her head, "I get headaches there sometimes, but nothing ibuprofen can't fix. Then...he did cut my side open along my ribs with his stupid steel-toe boot. Didn't you notice, Vince, I only wear one-pieces or tankinis after that?"

"I remember that scar." Vince winced a little. "I think that's what made me really scare his friends off."

Steve's jaw twitched, but he decided to steer clear away from it. "Here's the mansion. Are you ready to see your fiance?" The joke fell flat, but he hoped it lightened the air a little.

"Oh am I ever." Vince grinned. "Come on Calla, you have to walk me down the aisle. My mother would just /cry/ if she had to do it."

~*~

It was getting tiring, staying out in the water. That was how he knew it was getting close to his two hour limit of glamouring his arm just in case somebody came by on their boat. Buck just /had/ to swim through the reefs, let his mind process the information he had gathered over the last week. It was quiet under the water, but River was right, there was a lot of life here below the surface. He would have to apologize to her when he saw her next. Was she doing alright? He wished he could call her. They'd forgotten to look them up on facebook or something, and it wasn't linked to their youtube page at all.

Popping up above the water, Buck heaved out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, only to nearly swallow a ton of water when he heard a voice he wasn't expecting.

"I like your swim trunks. You're right it does make you more noticeable in the water so you don't confuse the fish." Bucky had spun around quick and River smiled warmly at him. Her eyes were completely black so that her human eyes were protected from the salt water and she could see in the dark. Her ears and elbows had lilac colored fins and her upper body had a purple tint to her skin tone. Her fingers were webbed together so that it was easier for her to swim about. "Hehe. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Jaw dropping, Buck looked her up and down and was completely taken aback. "You're /gorgeous/," he told her, and then when his brain came online, he rubbed his neck sheepishly, "I'm glad you like my trunks." He swam a bit closer to her and felt her fin brush against his legs under the water. Curious, he took a breath and dove under. He was completely amazed by what he saw. While mostly purple, he saw flecks of blue and indigo, along with the lighter purple like lilac. It all had a metallic shine and he reached out, stroking along where he thought her thigh would be. They weren't rough at all. A lot like a snake's scales, if he had to think about it.

River let out a shriek of laughter when he touched her thigh. It one of her few tickle spots while she was in fish form and she rarely had anyone caress her tail before. She let herself sink under the water, "That tickles." She told him, knowing that her voice was way different underwater than it was above. She wondered if she was understood...or if her voice was too soft for the water current.

Buck marveled at her. He couldn't respond back, no, but he understood her. It was like a weird echo or reverb but it wasn't unpleasant. He motioned to his ears and then reached for her again, basically asking if he could touch her. She looked so /cool/! Steve had to see this. It was amazing. The way her hair flowed around her was enchanting as well.

River was surprised that he could hold his breath for so long. She swam closer to him and placed his hands in hers before doing a spin, just to see his expression. The way he marveled at her made her heart beat loudly in her chest. She let go of his hands and allowed him to explore, to feel. She smiled warmly. "Purple mermaids are usually pretty common." She explained as his hands wandered. "But the rare ones are the pink ones. There's not many of those. Purple and orange are popular though. I don't know how our colors work. I think it has something to do with the male." She wondered how long he could hold his breath for, and made a note to self that if he started struggling to take him back up and back up quick.

Brushing his fingers along the fin-like structure of her ears, he looked close at here eyes to see if he could see her blue eyes under them, then felt the space where her scales faded to her skin, and stroked along her arms to her fingers. He listened carefully to her echo, then gripped both her hands in his and used powerful strokes of his legs to pop them above the surface so he could talk to her, grinning widely, "What about other colors like blue and green? Are there any white? I know there are some fish with bio luminescence. Can any of your merfolk have that?" he rattled off.

"Blue is common and green." River agreed. "But not white. White....white's scary unless they're from the Koi family. White mixed with reds and oranges or something. If it's pure white, then that means that the gup is sick. Possibly will die, sick. It can also mean bad water. But the luminescence that you're talking about, that's...that's how we decay. A lot of fish can pull it off. But not mermaids. I wish...are you okay?"

Towards the end of her explanation, Buck felt himself bobbing in the water and he gripped his head with on hand, blinking rapidly. His vision had gone unfocused, and he cursed a bit under his breath. He'd forgotten about his two hour limit. At least he had a jacket to put on back on land. "Yeah...yeah, I'll be fine. I'm getting tired, I've been swimming for about an hour and a half now, maybe longer. I really should get back to the mansion and drink, like, two pints of water," he chuckled a bit, letting her other hand go, "C'mon."

River followed, keeping an eye on him. "Do you need me to make you float rather than swim? I can do that." She said seriously. "I don't want you to drown. Steve would hate me."

"This isn't abnormal, it happens like, every time I go swimming...which is what I've been doing a lot lately," Buck promised, pushing himself away and took a really deep breath, diving deeper under the water he had the first time and started power swimming towards the shore, sometimes making motions with his legs as if he /was/ a merman or something,

River kept up pace with him, mostly out of worry and for fun. Sometimes she did a few spins, just to make him happy and to see her colors reflect in the water. By the time that they were beached, River crawled herself away from the coast line and laid out flat. "Give me a second to dry off." She groaned as her skin shade turned back to normal. Her webbed fingers slowly became hands again and her ears to normal as well. Her tail took a bit longer since it was trying to both retract the scales and untangle her legs back into two. But as her scales retreated, it was clear that she had some /very/ noticeable scars. She had five gashes on each side of her hips, clearly made from a knife and a large, bite on her inner thigh on her right leg as her legs finally came apart from the last bit of scales. "I love shifting into a fish, but fuck if I turn back to human. It's like standing forever in the shop and your knees just want you to sit the hell down."

Buck tried very, /very/ hard not to stare. Yet.../damn/. She was the hottest little thing he'd seen since Steve once he hit the gym at fifteen and then got his magic boost. Calla was pretty fine, but...fuck...if he was open then he would entertain the idea. As of right now, he looked away and went over to the rock he'd put his t-shirt and jacket and tossed her the shirt while he put the jacket on and allowed his glamour to fade, just sticking his hand in his pocket and keeping the collar close together to hide the scarring on his shoulder, "I believe it. Maybe later I can watch you change the other way. By the way, if you're here, is Calla? Did she get her new boat yet? I forgot to ask you for your facebook so I could talk to you online."

"She has a new boat." River sat up, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Ow." She hissed as she managed to stand. She wobbled a little and she sighed. "No matter how many times I do this, my eyes hurt since the sun is like a freaking florescent light and my balance is off since I'm so used to fighting a current." She shook her head a little and put on the shirt. "I don't have a facebook, but I do have an instant messaging system so we can chat. Calla's the one that has a facebook as well as our store. I guess you could contact me through the store facebook, but Calla's the one that runs it mostly."

He joined her side and supported her while she found her lang legs, and he started walking them towards the docks where Calla no doubt put her boat, "It does feel a bit weird once I've been swimming such a long time, so while I can't fully understand, I can relate a bit. There's a path to the mansion from here, but the boat has your clothes, doesn't it?"

River blinked slowly, as if she wasn't exactly comprehending what Bucky was saying. "Yes?" For a moment, she wondered why the shirt wasn't good enough, but her mind kicked into gear and she let out a loud breath. "Oh. Yeah. It's in the boat. Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I mean, it's one thing to see it but..." She gestured to herself. "This is the second time I'm borrowing your shirt too. I'm sorry. Next time I'll make sure to have Vince or Calla leave it on the shore or...I could've just stayed in the wa-" She noticed that Bucky was giving her a look. "Sorry." She murmured.

"It's alright, I'm being more respectful than anything. You don't have to take this one back with you, I can wash it myself. I was going to, anyway. The yacht should be opposite Calla's boat, so you can grab your things and go into the cabin there before we head to the mansion. Steve might be way more modest about your state of dress. I mean, last time you two at least had your underwear to keep on." He rubbed her shoulder since he hadn't let go of her, "You didn't make me uncomfortable, River, I promise. Though...where did you get those scars?" his voice lowered, not quite sure. Was it a BDSM thing? She didn't really seem the type, unless it was blindfolds and rope maybe, but...those gash scars...

River pursed her lips together. "The ones on my hips or the..." She gestured weakly towards her leg. "I guess it doesn't matter...but...it's easier to tell a story if I knew which ones caught your attention the most."

"The gashes, let's do those. I might want to do something drastic if you tell me about the bite," Buck answered, keeping his gaze straight ahead, but he was definitely listening.

River let out another breath, exhaling for as long as possible before inhaling. “Do you remember when I told you that happiness lies trapped in misery and how I really hate the mainlands because they ruin the water and what not? I wasn’t exactly lying, but I wasn’t exactly telling the truth either. The people that I dated…when they find out that I’m a fish…they always react in one of two ways. Disgusted they’ve been fucking a fish. Or they find it so super hot that…well…that’s all the want me to be.” River took a breath in and out. “The gashes came from someone who was…really really possessive. My scales, my ability to transform, it all belonged to him. I do something wrong, I couldn’t get hydrated. If I did transform, it was on /his/ will. His bathtub, not the sea, and he’d be stingy with the salt if I needed it and the tub didn’t have enough.” River rubbed her lips together. “He brought out a knife during sex once and…I freaked out. I freaked out so badly I screamed and begged and cried and he gagged me. The gashes were my punishment and for every scream, he would give me another. He went for ten because…well…I finally figured out that he wanted me to say that I was sorry and that it was a turn on.”

Buck's mouth felt like the spit had gone cold and his stomach gave a sharp twist. He could gather that was where the bite came from. He wouldn't ask. Couldn't. He would see red, he was sure. Clicking his tongue as a way to move the spit around, he squeezed her a bit in what he hoped would be a protective and comforting sort of way, "Have you...thought about covering those with tattoos or anything? I've heard of people doing that. It makes them feel better since people don't ask and it's something pretty over something bad. Others wear the scars proudly as a sign they made it through."

"Maybe." River said softly as she looked down at the ground. "I don't really...mind the scars so much. I know that what they did to me was wrong. Calla is always pushing that to me and Vince is always assuring me, but...you know sometimes I feel like I deserve them. Every date I went on, every time I had sex with them, it was my fault in a way. I said yes and didn't want to see that someone /I/ loved didn't necessarily love /me/. There are days though where I see them and I feel so sick. I want to rip them off of my skin..." She sighed. "I have thought of getting a tattoo. Maybe not to cover up the scars, but just...a reminder. Something that I can look on and have some hope that there's a special someone just for me running around."

"The gashes could be made to look like gills if you did it right, maybe," Buck considered, and he spotted the yacht before he saw the little boat. Definitely motorized this time, "Calla likes her smaller boats, doesn't she?" he asked in amusement, stepping them onto the docks.

"I'm not on them. As long as it has enough room for three people or at least two, she's happy." River smiled warmly as she carefully got in the boat and found the bag of clothes Vince brought. She held it close to her and she looked out towards where the mainland was, and the sea that happily lapped at the coast. She could hear the waves and she smell the salt. The water bobbed up and down, but she remained balanced and at peace. Just for a moment. "...You're the third person that I know that would swim with me." River said after a moment of silence. "You asked me questions." She swallowed a forming lump in the back of her throat. "Not a lot of people do that. Not a lot of humans take that kind of time. I'm happy to have met you, that we're friends. I don't have a lot of them. So...thank you. It means....the world to me."

"Of course," Buck came up close to her and kissed her cheek, sweetly and pulled away just as quick, "I do recall what you told me, even if I did get dizzy there. I'll no doubt have more for you. For now, go onto the yacht and change, and then I'll lead you to the mansion, okay?"

River smiled, "Okay." She carefully got out of the boat and headed towards the yacht.

~*~

Calla heard the door click and looked up from where she was talking to Steve on the couch, tea in her hands. When it popped open, she heard Bucky spewing questions to River who was behind him.

"You mentioned koi! Can merfolk have fins like clown fish or even orca tails and shark tails and stuff?!" Buck was really excited, holding the door open for her.

River laughed a little as she thought about the question. "I seen some mermaids with different kinds of shark tails for shape. But color is always a bright one. I have yet to meet a mermaid with silver or grey scaling. Orca...not that I've seen. Though I know up north, way in the cold, cold, they have fatter tails. I'd say something along the lines of seals or something. They need the blubber if they need to survive. But for us, who live in warmer waters, we can have thinner tails. Koi is just how I use to describe design. Mermaids can have different designs on our tails. Not necessarily species. We can't mate with actual fish. Humans are our exception."

"That makes a lot of sense, you said white fins are a sign of death and decay," Buck nodded and he waved at Steve and Calla, "Hi guys! Sorry we took so long! River and I swam around for a while. Steve! She's so pretty!" he pointed at her.

River blushed and Steve smiled brightly. "Shame I missed it. Bucky's been doing a lot of research since last week. Speaking off, I have to say I'm sorry." Steve watched as River blinked in surprise. "You looked really uncomfortable and I'm sure we didn't help at all."

"I /told/ you he's the modest one, while you're standing there apologizing to /me/ instead," Buck threw his hands up.

"So he /saw/ you," Calla teased River, "Is that why he's wearing just a jacket and you have his shirt over your arm?"

River beamed. "He's been asking me about different forms mermaids take. He also asked a little about the birth waters where I was form." She held out the shirt to Steve who took it speechlessly. "I really thought I was the one that made /you/ all uncomfortable." She told Steve. "Not only that, I made you guys leave early."

"Only in the sense that we didn't know how to help you and if we were putting you through something you didn't need or want to go through." Steve said softly. "Bucky felt really bad too."

"Are they playing the apology game?" Vince asked as he came back with a couple of books underneath his arm. He only caught the tail-end of the conversation, but from the looks River and Steve were giving each other, it was like trying to watch someone try to apologize the other person into submission.

"It looks like," Calla agreed.

"...and I already told River it was all a-okay," Buck added, "Hey, Vince. So I don't need to go wipe down any of my books, do I?"

Vince raised an eyebrow at Bucky. "I don't need to have sex with the library to feel satisfied. Just opening the pages and taking a sniff of the pages is enough for me. By the way, you have an /awesome/ reading nook by the window. If I could rent out that space for like...a year...I think you'd make me a happy man."

"So does that mean Bucky's the one who has to ordain the marriage or...give the rings...I don't know the custom." River pouted.

"You were right the first time sweetheart. Steve refuses." Vince gestured towards Steve.

"I'll have to wait and see if I have to hunt you down for the books you're borrowing first," Buck cracked up, "What's your favorite type of book, anyhow?"

"That's a tough one." Vince said thoughtfully. "I have many favorites. I think the genre that I'd mostly go for is romance, mostly because I'm always curious to know what that /really/ is. Of course, I also enjoy fantasy novels. Young Adult novels are a hit and miss. I love the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials trilogy, but god forbid you come anywhere /near/ me with the House of Night Series. Do you know how many spelling errors I came across while /reading/ that thing? I was horrified."

"No idea about any of those titles, but I'll be sure to steer clear of the last one.," Bucky chuckled, "Sci-fi and romance, with the occasional fantasy. i let River borrow the first of my favorite series," he nodded, "I learned more, by the way, about merfolk and their heat and the moon and tides. I'll be more prepared next time. Oh! I saw her mermaid form and I swam with her!"

Vince raised an eyebrow up and he shot River a slightly concerned look. He knew that Bucky saw her shift back to human, and he really hoped that he didn't freak out about those scares. To his pleasure and surprise, River just beamed happily. He smiled, but feeling his heart break slightly for his friends. God River deserved so much. So did Calla. Both of their hearts were taken by people who probably didn't want them. But Vince wasn't going to be cruel enough to say it., "So what did you think when you saw her?" He asked, looking at Bucky already guessing what the answer was.

"Her black eyes were freaky, but in a cool way," Buck nodded, looking at River and imagining her other form over her current, "The ears were so /cute/! Her hands...can't lace fingers but at least I could still clasp them. I discovered she's ticklish on her thigh in that form!" he exclaimed.

Calla fell over on the couch, laughing hysterically especially at River's instantaneous blush, "Oh no! He found her weakness, Vince!"

Steve smiled warmly as Bucky chattered about River. He knew that Bucky didn't want to pursue her, not yet, but there was something...Steve saw it. Maybe it was a crush and it would pass away so fast their heads would spin, or maybe there really was something there. He looked over at Calla, enjoying her laugh and just wondered. Was Bucky waiting for him to make a move...or was there something more to this? "Is she ticklish on her thighs as a human?" He asked, looking over at Vince.

"I don't kiss and tell." Vince smirked. "Though if you want I could give you an idea of where one of Calla's weaknesses might be."

Calla sobered up quickly and looked at Vince with wide eyes, "That's cheating!"

"Right behind Steve's ears," Buck chirped.

"How on /earth/ am I cheating?" Vince demanded just as Steve let out a "Bucky!" in a scandalized tone.

"He's supposed to find out on his own like Bucky did with River," Calla mumbled, though watched Steve curiously. Behind his ears?

"I bet it's also a turn on spot." Vince mused and Steve shot him a horrified look, along with a deep blush. "Oh damn I was right?"

"Depends on if you use your fingers or your lips," Buck cooed.

"Oh please your belly button is like a fucking hot spot depending on what you use, fingers or lips." Steve shot back.

Bucky covered his stomach defensively, though was grinning widely, "Vince, tell us where Calla's weakness is!"

"I can't. Steve has to find it for her." Vince held his hands up. "She's a romantic that way."

"If you grip her behind the neck, she squeals." River offered, not caring about playing fair.

"River! You're a horrible friend!" Vince gasped.

Calla stuck her tongue out at Vince, just as River said that and she looked at River with a dropped jaw, "No fair!"

"Is it also a turn on spot?" Steve asked curiously before his brain could stop him. He turned red. "I-I mean you really don't have to answer that."

"I-I guess...since you can't really tongue it like you would Buck's belly...if you did it right it could be. Not that anyone's done that before," Calla answered anyway, not believing her face could get anymore red, "River and Vince only ever do it to tickle me."

"I feel like we just gave everyone leverage." Steve said slowly. "But I'd have to wait till River's in water in order to get any type of revenge."

River grinned. "I'm real lucky that way."

"That escalated quickly," Buck arched a brow at everybody, though he supposed it was his fault that time. He decided to keep playing, "You'd have to fight me, Cap'n. Not that River couldn't swim away fast enough. If we all know at least one weakness of each other, it makes us all even, now doesn't it?" he smirked, "To exploit at our leisure, of course," he said as he slipped behind the couch and wiggled his fingers behind Calla's neck, causing her to shriek.

"I didn't think you'd do it right away!" Calla whined.

"Bucky will always do things right away if he can get away from it." Steve smirked as he watched. "Vince are you ticklish anywhere?"

"I'm afraid I'm the freak in this. I'm not all that ticklish. It changes depending on how sensitive I am." Vince smiled at Steve. "So I'm a scavenger hunt if you're feeling frisky. Just...not that frisky."

"So," Calla said once they'd calmed down a bit, "River and I were thinking of another video. Do you guys want to be there when we record instead of just waiting for the notification on youtube?"

Steve blinked. "You want us...yeah of course we will. Or at least..." He looked at Bucky curiously. "Do you want to?"

"Do I /want to/? Of /course/ I want to, Stevie! Who's singing? Both? Just River? I know you join them sometimes, Vince. Or are you going to be too busy reading? When do you think you'd be recording?" Buck launched into a ton of questions again.

"Sometime tomorrow or Sunday, we were thinking for day," Calla explained, "River's going to sing and I'll play my flute. Buck...if we had a portable piano would you play?"

Buck stared at her before it clicked and he turned to Steve, pointing at him accusingly, "You said you just talked about animals!"

"We also talked about instruments too." Steve grinned. "Do you have any idea of what song you'll do?"

"Well, I was thinking of doing Thoughts All Alone. It's from the Fate Fire Emblem series and LeiaLee did a really good job on her cover. So I'm going to do a cover of her cover." River smiled brightly. "After that, if Bucky's still wanting to do piano, I can find a song that you can play with us."

"Be lucky that she's not doing a Voclaoid song. There's been /so/ many requests to do that, and other songs." Vince sighed. "I hate that youtube considers that side of the internet popular."

Calla ran her tongue over her lips, brows furrowed for a second, but she just smiled just as fast, "You'll be sad to hear, then, that River and I have been practicing Hot Milk for our fans."

"You mean you'd be singing?" Buck looked at Calla, "I did notice that you haven't sang by yourself in a while, mostly instrumental and such."

Calla looked down at her lap and played with the hem of her skirt, shy, "Yeah. I lost a little of my inspiration for singing, but I've been listening to LIGHTS and I might do some covers. River's been coaxing me."

"LIGHTS has some good music." Steve recalled. "I'm going to keep an eye out on your youtube if you decide to do the cover."

Calla gave him a bright smile, "I'll message you to let you know when it's about to go up and you can be the first comment."

"Being first to comment is always fun, especially when there are people who stalk your channel anyway. You guys /do/ have a pretty good following," Buck laughed.

"That's because River stays up all night when she hears that one of the commenters has had a bad day, and if Calla so much as gets a whiff of a depressed fan on Twitter well..." Vince smiled lightly. "Of course I do my job. As I bring River a Macchiato if she's the one up all night, or hot chocolate for Calla. Sometimes coffee. She texts me to let me know."

"That's wonderful," Buck smiled and patted Calla's head, "You girls do good. Let us know once you've decided when you'll do recording and we'll be there, for sure. Yeah, if you have a portable piano I'll do it. I don't mind being included in the shots," he added to Vince.

"Cool." Vince grinned. "Did we ever get your contact information to let know you to hop on a boat and sail away with us?"
Steve laughed. "I don't think so no. Here I'll surrender first." he took his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Vince who programmed the number.

"Oh man, the sunset is going to be gorgeous tonight. Just look at those clouds," Buck marveled. It was still half an hour to an hour before the sun completely went down, but for right now there was a glorious glow on the fluffy cotton balls in the sky, giving them a golden shine. The water was rocking back and forth on the beach shore where they were setting up and he had been running his fingers on the piano keyboard they'd brought out for him. He couldn't wait to get started...and he looked over towards the others.

Steve was sitting on a rock far enough away so he wouldn't get caught in Vince's recording as he moved around, but he was plenty close enough to hear River when she sang. What surprised him was that the two girls were in the counterpart dresses from Fates. He'd looked up the song they were talking about and was impressed that they were cosplaying it together to be more authentic, but vaguely wondered if Calla would be River's echo since there was /definitely/ an echo in it. River was in the black one with the purple sash, and Calla was in the white one with the blue sash. They /even/ had the headbands with the veil over the back of the head and each had an amulet.

Vince was setting up the camera, careful to make sure that he got it in good lighting. River wasn't looking at Bucky, or was she looking at Steve, she was just watching the Camera, watching Vince. She sometimes did a couple of movements, either to get herself ready or she was just dancing to the song in her head, Steve didn't know. But what he did notice was that River was murmuring to herself. "Ready?" Vince asked, peeking behind the Camera. "I got good lighting and you have the perfect shots."

"Ready." River looked at Calla and gave her friend a warm smile and said something in...was that...Mermish? Steve blinked as River looked at Bucky and said something as well, in the same language. He didn't know Mermaids /spoke/ a different language! Then again,Steve presumed that maybe it should've been obvious. Vince held up three fingers. "Quiet on Set!" He shouted before doing a count-down and pointing at the ladies to begin.

Bucky started the piano piece for the song, picking up tempo after a second, but to his surprise compared to what he'd been told, Calla didn't even have her flute, instead she clasped the pendant and started walking towards the ocean, letting it lap over her toes as the two of them started singing at the same time, "You are an ocean of waves...Weaving a dream, like thoughts become a river steam...Yet may the tide ever change...Flowing like time, to the path, yours to climb."

River dropped off so it was only Calla, and she did a twirl, River flourishing her hands to make the water rise up and move with Calla's dancing, "Thou seek the light with an outstretched hand...A divine blade lies before you, so command the wake of dreams to restore the world, cut 'way the seams!" A few chords of just Buck's piano, then Calla kept going, "Join in our prayer, in our song of birthrights and love...Come the sun, illuminate the sky~ Pray that we may quell the dark~...Light take the throne...Lost in thoughts all alone~..."

While Steve was apprehensive about the change in tune, Bucky found he was super excited, and he put more force and power into the strokes on top of hitting different notes. Calla was just so light and airy, but River...she was the pounding waves themselves. He was enjoying this a lot, and watched the mermaid as she parted her lips.

River sang more seductively as she made the water more strict than fluid, telling a story about dictatorship rather than freedom. Her pendant oddly glowing red while Calla's glowed blue. The blue made Calla look innocent, but River looked like she was indeed the Queen. "Thou seek the dark with an unsheathed blade...Now a white, ivory throne beckons, so obtain the fate you sow...On this path, be weary, friend an’ foe~..." Bucky went as far into the bass part of the piano as he could without making it sound dramatic like Star Wars as she continued, "Join in the tale, in the blight, of conquest and lies...Come the sun, to tarnish in the sky~...Vow that we shall tear the light~...Dark seize the throne...Lost in thoughts, all alone~..."

Just as Steve thought, the path was different. Would you be corrupted enough to rule? No one took on the throne because it was fun. It was a power-play, it was nothing more to remind people that they could do whatever they want, however they want. Laws could change at a whim and no one really had a say. Not in a monarchy, not in a democracy even if people were delusion to think that way. Of course, in order to take the throne, allies were enemies and enemies were allies. There was no such thing as "friends". Steve closed his eyes. This part of the song, reminded him of war. Of sleeping with one eye open in case danger or death was around the corner.

A hard way to live.

"May thy chosen path lead way and grace you~ with virtue~..." Calla cooed, her pendant still glowing as brightly as River's, but she danced closer to her, and they clasped hands, spinning under and with each other and then out, River's free hand controlling the ebb and flow of the water effects.

"But surely a balance awaits, so be it bliss or pain~ you gain~..." River sang sweetly as she took water from Calla's side, and her side and let it drop on to the ground, letting it splash prettily. It soaked the ends of their clothes, but it didn't matter. The hint was made. Good could not go without the bad, no matter which side one, the other had to rise.

"Beyond the route-way’s end, you’ll gain resilience~ and weakness~..." Calla drew River closer to her, enjoying Bucky's rhythm with the piano. Steve had been right, Buck was amazing with it, and maybe she was wrong, and piano wasn't just for the romantic. She held River from behind, kissing her shoulder, her blue glow hidden for the most part while River's stood out, before River countered that and flipped her around during her next line.

"The trials, the thorn in your side, becomes the greatest strength in you..." River sang as she let Calla go and the piano rather than dark and dramatic, nor airy and innocent, turned heroic. Like the Hero was finally going to understand what these two prophetess were going to tell him. However, Steve had to blink in surprise as River walked towards Bucky. "Descend into the abyss thou sees." She placed her hand against Bucky's shoulder, gliding it across the blades as she walked behind him just to get beside him. "Where the hearts of many wander..." The camera turned quick as Calla picked up the song.

She'd taken long steps in Steve's general direction, walking on the balls of her feet, though made sure Vince wouldn't accidentally catch him in the camera, "Quietly, they wish and weave..." she cooed, flourishing he hands either direction,, "Placing hope inside their one, pure dream~..." she brought them back to hover on either side of the pendant, looking up towards Steve, her cheeks turning pink before she turned back around to dance her way back towards River so they could chorus together, "After the storm stills its wake, may all be blessed, so the fate and fallen can find rest...Your will, the water reflects, so all will know...Your hands brought the morrow..."

When they ended the song, Vince did another count and grinned. "And that's a wrap. Good job girls." He shut the camera off. "Now River has to stay up for twenty-four hours to edit this damn thing. Horray!"

Bucky watched as the pendant glow faded and he looked over at Vince curiously, "Did /you/ do that?" he asked.

"I did." Vince smiled as he watched River hug Calla in thanks before letting her go. "I sometimes do some things like that for special effects. No one notices. They think it's damn good editing. Which River sometimes fucks around with it."

"That's...damn. So you're a magic user. I never would've guessed it. You do a good job at hiding," Buck complimented. Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad? Yet...it was one of those things he was taught to be scared. He /was/ scared, especially with what happened to him. Time. He would tell them in time, he was sure.

Calla looked up as Steve came over, feet giving way in the sand, "So...um, what did you think?"

"I liked the song that you picked out. I didn't realize how deep it was." Steve smiled brightly. "You look really pretty in that outfit, too."

Calla fidgeted with it, brushing her hands down her thighs and toying with the sash, "My mom made these for us. She makes a lot of our costumes we wear in our videos, actually. So the credit goes to her." She heard Vince clear his throat. Right. Take the compliment. "T-Thank you, though. You should listen to the original Japanese version of this song. It's one of those I can easily have it on repeat it's so soft and beautiful."

"I'll be sure to check it out." Steve promised. "Your mom did a wonderful job."

"I loved it when you came over to me," Buck purred to River, "That was really..." sexy "...awesome. I think your fans are going to flip."

River's cheeks reddened. "I'm glad that I didn't make you uncomfortable." She said as she shifted from side to side. "I was a little worried, I didn't plan it out I was just on autopilot. I wonder what our fans will say our ship name is."

"I hope it's not Rick or Ricky. Biver's not much better," Calla made a face, "The more creative the better."

"I don't even know if there's a ship name for me anyway. Steve doesn't go well with...well anything. Stella maybe." Steve wrinkled his nose.

"Stucky's cute! We have a cute name!" Buck defended, "Stella's star for something...can't think of it right now. Italian? Crap..."

"Something like that." River agreed. "Stella's Italian I think." She pursed her lips together. She didn't really...know what this meant. Talking about ship names when...well...they were already together. "We'll see what the fans come up with."

()

The first thing he noticed was that his feet hurt. Physically flinching, he stirred but didn't wake. There was a soft whimper that made it's way from his throat, but that was it.

The next thing he felt the poking and prodding in his arms. He flinched and wriggled, making an uncomfortable face.

What startled him was the electroshock that rattled through his body and he thrashed, back arching. He saw the blue lights flashing behind his eyes, the glare of lightbulbs as flashlights were shone in his eyes, heard the whispering and he shouted, struggling more, feeling the restraints on his ankles where they'd been cutting is feet, the one across his chest, and the others pinning his wrists down.

"No! Let me go! Stop!" he screamed. What was worse was this wasn't even torture for /information/. It was just to see what he could /take/, how fast he healed after they gave him injections. The electroshock was part of the brainwashing they were trying to do that failed every time because he was too goddamn stubborn and terrified to even /pretend/ it was working so it would /stop/.

He heard a voice...a sweet voice calling out to him and stroking his cheek. He knew that voice.

"Bucky, Bucky hey. Wake up sweet heart. It's just a dream." Steve murmured as he carefully touched his boyfriend and lover. He knew that holding him down with a hug was a bad idea, but he usually responded to soft touches. "We're at home, no where near the desert. Do you hear the ocean babe? It's really soothing tonight. The ebb and the flow of the tide. There's a lot of frogs out though, I hear them croaking. Are you back with me love? Can you hear me? See me? I'm here, Buck. Right here."

"Steve?" Buck's own voice croaked weakly, but his mind was still caught in the nightmare when he heard...

"It's not working. Do it again."

"No!" Buck screamed, panic flaring through him, his arms flailing up since wasn't /really/ pinned down and he felt his wrist caught by reflex before he clocked Steve in the side of the face. That jerked him to the present even as his body convulsed and shuddered a bit from the memory. His eyes were wide and pupils tiny from terror. As he registered Steve's face he heaved the breath he'd been holding, almost hyperventilating, "Steve? Steve, you're here..." he choked and that was when he finally was able to hear the ocean, soothingly going back and forth, the window open with the warm evening and the wind blowing the curtains.

The ocean. Steve. Home. Safe. He felt the blankets around his ankles and violently kicked them off, shifting up like they burned him and he felt strong arms wrap around him now he was awake. He responded, hugging one of Steve's strong arms and burying his nose in the crook of his elbow, leaning heavily into his boyfriend. His feet were fine. They weren't cut. He wasn't pinned down. He closed his eyes and just listened to Steve continue to talk.

"See? I'm here. I'm here." He soothed as he stroked Bucky's hair and held him close. "You're safe. You're home. We're far away from people. We made new friends. River. Vince. and Calla. River's a mermaid, remember? She talks to people on youtube and Calla stalks Twitter like it's her own personal territory. Vince is trying to get us to let him move in to the library by the window. It's...wow...only three in the morning."

Buck snorted at the random afterthought about the time, but it was what allowed him to let go of some of the tension in his body and shoulders, chuckling softly. He was quiet for a moment longer while he focused on his breathing, copying Steve since he was calm. "I'm sorry..." he murmured softly, moving his face from Steve's arm so he could be understood, "Now you probably...won't be able to...get back to sleep. I know I won't."

He leaned his head back into the petting, sighing deeply. Reluctantly he pulled away and grabbed the glass of water on his nightstand he kept there, and once he wet his throat so it wasn't so scratchy, he leaned back into Steve who readily accepted him, "I...haven't a nightmare in, like, two weeks. Where did that come from? Stupid...and things were going so well..." he frowned.

"It happens, Buck. Sometimes the universe likes to remind us that we had a shitty life." Steve murmured as he kissed Bucky's forehead and held him close. "Tell me what you want to do." Sometimes it was movies till dawn. Sometimes it was soft quiet chats. Other times, if Bucky was feeling really ambitious they explored the internet. They read horror stories, go on the weird side of youtube. Other times, it was baths and showers and cuddling till Steve swore they were another creature entirely.

"I think...tonight I'll just grab my laptop and go into the library..." he wanted to sulk and didn't want to drag Steve down with him, "I love you, Steve. Thank you. Try and go back to sleep? I'll make breakfast when it hits six."