Requested by Lyndmcc9426
AN: Requests take priority ofc but it's gonna take awhile for me to get to writing cuz college is taking all of my time.
Google translate ahead!
Alfred shivered his scales were still wet from the water which was a good sign, he didn't want them to dry out when he didn't know how he was going to get them wet again. The bindings on his arms dug into his flesh, he did his best not to move them but the jolting of the carriage he had been placed in did that for him. Being taken hostage wasn't ideal but it wasn't the worst thing Al had been through, he just needed to persuade whoever was trying to sell or dissect him not to, this would be so much easier if he wasn't blindfolded.
A sudden stop jolted Alfred onto the floor, he bit his lip to stop from crying out as the bindings cut into him once more. He heard the door open and somebody threw him over their shoulder, "Buy me a drink first." Alfred teased. His carrier didn't respond and Al huffed, why can't kidnappings be any fun?
A few minutes and a lot of manhandling later, Alfred found himself on somebody's floor. He tried to feel his surroundings with his tail until somebody stomped on it, sure it hurt but he wasn't going to give them the sanctification of crying. He waited for the foot to move before speaking, "That was rude, dude."
"So this is how you treat the, what do you call it...rare specimen?" This was a new voice, not the groveling of the men who had been handling him so far. This voice was deep, an accent he couldn't place accompanied him. Alfred felt the blindfold loosen on his face until it fell off revealing purple eyes, "Privet, mermaid."
Al squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the lights, "Uh it's merman." He replied, quickly he took a look at his surroundings to try and plan a floppy escape. The room looked elegant, filled with gold and silver trimmings. Of course the rich and powerful would want a piece of his finned butt.
"Oh, of course." The purple eyes softened, Alfred almost recoiled it felt false, the smile felt false too. Humans are vile and selfish, haha fish... "Here is your money." The man stood up and tossed a bag to the men.
Alfred turned despite it making his restraints dig in further, he watched one of the men pick up the bag and opening it. He counted for a little bit before looking up, "This is over a thousand rubles less than we agreed to!"
The purple-eyed man shrugged, "You brought me damaged goods." He replied and gestured to the Al. It took everything he had not to respond, this man gave off a scary and dangerous aura.
"So?" The other men advanced and reached for Al, "If you don't pay you can't keep it!"
"Actually," Alfred watched as the purple-eyed man grabbed the other's wrist, "He is a him not an it." He twisted the man's wrist, "And you should know better than to sell people in my country."
"That isn't a human!" The man squeaked out, his friends all reached for what Alfred assumed were guns but they all suddenly became fountains of the stuff after a symphony of loud bangs.
He turned back to the purple eyes silverette who now held a dead body, "Do not be alarmed." He said, dropping the man next to him, "If you look up there you'll see my guards. Kings have to be careful." He walked around Alfred and picked the bag of money up, securing it to his belt, "Would you be opposed to me undoing those restraints?"
"Uh...no? What kind of question is that?" Alfred turned so his back was to the man, it made the restraints easier to reach, "So who are you? I'm Alfred, also I've never known humans to be nice." Al looked up and saw a lot of men in grey and white uniforms, all o them had guns on them.
The man chuckled softly, "My name is Ivan Braginski, king of Russia in your language, Rossiya in mine." So Russian was the accent, Alfred had never encountered a Russian before, "I think many of my species, humans I mean, are not nice to those they can not place in a convenient box. I have been trying to stop the selling of people on my kingdom, you just fell into it accidentally." The restraints finally fell away and Alfred drew his arms to himself, "You are hurt."
Al nodded, "I mean yeah. Was that not obvious?" He laughed a little but winced, "Shit." His scales were drying, they would begin cracking soon, "Do you have some water?" He asked, looking up at Ivan, "Ocean water preferably."
"Oh! Of course," Ivan turned and waved at some of the men in uniforms and they hurried to fulfill his want, "We have tap water for now and I will send somebody to get ocean water immediately. I can not just release you unfortunately, I have no way of getting to the coast without it being noticed. These carriages are such a bother."
"I get it," Al eyed the man, he didn't trust him. Something about Ivan screamed danger even if he was all smiled and accommodation, "My scales are just drying and that's pretty bad." He added.
"Let me pick you up," Ivan waited for Alfred to agree and then picked him up, "I will have a bath run with...cold or hot water?"
Alfred took a second to understand that humans could make water hot before he responded, "Uh cold. When did humans learn to make water hot?" He had never spoken to a kind human before, it was refreshing even if his instincts said to stay on alert.
Ivan thought for a second before shrugging, he had begun to walk through what seemed like endless hallways, "A long time ago. It had to have been far before I was born." Sometimes Al forgot human lives were so short.
In no time at all they had come to a rounded sort of room, under the window was a large bath with water sat in it, "That didn't take long." Alfred said, shocked the bath was filled so quickly.
Ivan nodded as he sat Alfred in it, "Well when I say to do something it is usually done quickly." He stepped away after Al had settled, "All done. Tell me when you are ready to get out."
Alfred leaned into the back of the rather cold bathtub, he liked the cold. The deeper you go in the ocean the colder it gets, Alfred usually enjoyed the deepest seas because the creatures begin to look funky and that's fun. He closed his eyes for a moment but the exhaustion of the day caught up and he slipped into a slumber.
Birds chirping and sunlight filtering through the window, Alfred threw his arm over his eyes to block it. Birds were always so annoying, pelicans mostly but these too even if he didn't know their name. After a few moments, Al moved his arm and properly woke up, first he looked into the water. Bathtub, right, so Ivan left him in it? How nice, but this wasn't tap water. Seawater?
When he had confirmed the water was seawater, Alfred smiled. Looking up he spotted Ivan but he wasn't awake, he was slumped in the corner still in the same clothes. Had he stayed here for Alfred? Wild. He stretched his arms and shoulders, everything was so tense and this tub was so small.
Alfred leaned over the tub and watched Ivan, "Yo." Nothing, "Hey dude!" Still nothing, "Ivan!" Finally, he stirred, "Good morning sleepy head. Thanks for the seawater, when did it get here?"
Ivan yawned, blinking the sleep from his eyes, "About an hour after you fell asleep." Alfred noticed his voice was a thousand times deeper, maybe because he's tired? "Does the seawater feel different than other water?"
Alfred nodded, "Yeah definitely. Seawater isn't as filtered as tap water, it's better for my scales and if I'm out of water seawater keeps it hydrated longer or something like that." He laughed a little and then clarified, "Science isn't my favorite. My friend Arthur says that's how it works."
Ivan smiled, "Well I have a carriage ready to take you to the coast now. I pushed my events for today off until tomorrow so I could see you off, it is the least I could do after you were so rudely abducted in my country." Alfred felt...touched? That might be the word. Ivan seemed to care for him, or at least cares for his comfort, "Come. Let us go." Ivan stood up and Alfred flinched at all of his bones cracking at once, "Seems I have been sitting for too long."
"No shit," Alfred replied, wrapping his arms around Ivan's neck to help him pick his rather slippery body up, "I wish humans could go into the water as merpeople can on land. You'd like my country, it doesn't look the same but it's still cool."
"I am sure I would love it," Ivan said, he gave Alfred a look that reminded Al of his parents. Alfred stayed quiet as Ivan carried him into a carriage, this one was a lot comfier than the one he was in yesterday.
Al sat across from Ivan, the two sat in an uncomfortable silence as the carriage moved along. Alfred didn't want to never see Ivan again but he barely knew the man, would it be weird to say he wanted to see him again? What was he thinking? There were a lot of conflicting emotions inside the merman.
Soon, much sooner than either wanted, the carriage came to a stop, "Seems we are here." Ivan said, he sounded almost disappointed. Ivan climbed out of the carriage and turned around, picking Alfred up, it almost seemed natural now to be picked up by the larger man.
Alfred was carried to the water and Ivan set him down. He looked into the sea and a few different emotions settled inside his stomach, he longed to swim as far out as he could but he wasn't ready to say goodbye. He turned to Ivan and opened his mouth but Ivan softly shushed him, "Go on, Alfred. I am sure we will see each other again, your friend must miss you."
Alfred stared at Ivan before nodding, "Well you do stand out." He tried to joke but this parting felt so melancholy, "If I couldn't find you again I must be blind."
"Well then I will see you again, hopefully, you do not go blind between then and now," Ivan smiled and the two hugged briefly, "Proshchay moya lyubov."
"What does that mean?" Alfred asked, the language sounded pretty.
Ivan paused for a moment before motioning for Alfred to go, "I will tell you when we meet again, yes?"
"It's a date then," Alfred said, ignoring the blush on his and the Russian's cheeks. He turned and swam into the familiar waters of the sea, he wished he knew Russian so he could have responded to whatever Ivan said but that was a worry for another day.