April 17, 2025 • 24 mins
Read on AO3 here!
Pairing: Nanjo Kojiro x Sakurayashiki Kaoru, Fandom: Sk8, Rating TSummary: "Cherry and Joe Mermaid and sailor/pirate AU"Don't you need water or something to breathe?" "Oh you're right, how silly of me to have been here all this time, I simply forgot to suffocate. My bad." "Are all mermaids so fucking difficult?!" Kojiro glared. The pink haired man before him bared ever mildly sharpened tooth in what might be the most sinister grin Kojiro had seen this side of the pacific. "You have no idea, human."
Kaoru ends up on Kojiro's ship, and Kojiro realizes he may never know peace again. -
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Pairing: Nanjo Kojiro x Sakurayashiki Kaoru, Fandom: Sk8, Rating TSummary: "Cherry and Joe Mermaid and sailor/pirate AU"Don't you need water or something to breathe?" "Oh you're right, how silly of me to have been here all this time, I simply forgot to suffocate. My bad." "Are all mermaids so fucking difficult?!" Kojiro glared. The pink haired man before him bared ever mildly sharpened tooth in what might be the most sinister grin Kojiro had seen this side of the pacific. "You have no idea, human."
Kaoru ends up on Kojiro's ship, and Kojiro realizes he may never know peace again. -
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, and we are back with another chapter of
Pearl diver So today chapter four. Again, the tags don't
change between these because this has been done for years
and years this piece. So if you want to check
the tags, I recommend going back. I recommend going back anyway,
(00:22):
because if you're just trying to find a voice, then
just listen. Tune me out as needed. But if you're
trying to actually listen to the story, you are definitely
gonna need to go back to chapter one. So all right,
we are just we're just gonna dive right in because
I have had a very late start in my day
(00:45):
and by that I mean it's one forty two PM
and I am in my jammies and a really really
need to shower and get ready. But I just wanted
to make sure that I got this buck and recording
out today. So I'll record this and then I promise
(01:10):
I will go, I will get ready, I will start
my day proper. Uh. Sometimes we just have late starts
and off mornings, but doesn't mean we have to have
an off day. So, without further ado, Chapter four, Turning
Tides beginning notes something sweet to soothe the drama from
(01:33):
chapter three and to prepare you for the next one.
Here we go. Kodro couldn't bring himself to be mad
about the window. It was an easy fix, and there
hadn't been much water to clean up, and for what
it had brought him when it had saved, he wouldn't
(01:55):
have been mad. Even if the ship had song. He'd
sink a thousand ships himself to protect his family. Cherry
cau Kuu was in his bed. Now there was no
way he could escape anyway. And after the entire crud
finished checking on the resting mermaid and sorry, I think
I messed up the sentence struction on that tipter and
(02:16):
I was like, not too long of a sentence to
be correct. There was no way he could escape anyway.
And after the entire crew had finished checking on the
resting mermaid, they had rounded on Koduro. He had raised
his arms in submission. Oh my god, I should have
had faith in the process. With the sentence ending with
it that it is grammatically correct, It's just long and
(02:37):
a bit awkward, and I should have trusted the process.
I should have trusted the process. Okay. Kaoudu was in
his bed. Now there was no way he could escape anyway.
And after the entire Creud finished checking on the resting
mermaid and rounded on Koduro. He had raised his arms
in submission. Okay, okay, we won't sell him. Well, let
him help him heal, and then we'll let him go. Okay.
(03:01):
Jesus Reki had grinned and slung an arm around Langa,
pumping the air with a fist before high fiving Mia.
Shadow had dropped the tension in his shoulders and let
out a sigh of relief. Turned out, Mia and the
boys had been talking his ear off about wanting to
free Cherry, and he was just relieved he wouldn't feel
like he was aiding in a bedding anything. Kowdoo was
(03:26):
alone when he woke up, but only for a moment.
He groaned as he lifted himself up onto his elbows,
knocking the sheet off of his tail accidentally and hissing
at the pane. He couldn't see his fin and it
was wrapped up completely, but he didn't need to to
feel it tattered, torn, aching. The memories came back in
(03:47):
a flash, and he realized he was in a different
room and the one he had first woken up in
cochi Ro's room, kochi Ro's bed, eyes widening an alarm,
he jerked to look around just in time, I'm to say,
familiar flash of red and blue at the doorway, with
the shorter boy trailing behind. Once they saw he was awake,
(04:08):
the boys rushed him. Rekky gave him a reckless hug,
and Kowdu stiffened before petting him awkwardly on the head.
Reky pulled back and babbed politely, if somewhat stiffly, as
if the motion was unfamiliar to him. Thank you for
saving my life. I'm sorry about your tail. I hope
it doesn't hurt too much. We didn't have anything for
the pain, but we're talking today to get supplied so
we can get something. Then Kauto flinched but nodded, accepting
(04:32):
the sentiment and waving Rekky's worries away with a clawed hand.
Mia crawled on to the bed and Kowdou allowed him
to relax against him. Ana thanked him, also, Oh Jesus,
wrapping an arm around Rekky's waist. Great news. Reky blurred
it out, almost physically incapable of holding onto a secret.
But before he could keep speaking, Mia piped up Dad
(04:55):
isn't going to keep you here anymore. We'll help you
get better, and then you're free to go doing you
can't leave yet, he finished dryly, as if he didn't
particularly care either way, and Kowodo blinked a few times
processing the news, while Recki trapped the younger boy in
a headlock and rubbed his knuckles into his hair for
stealing his thunder. It wasn't much of a surprise, he
(05:16):
supposed a decent person would have done the same thing,
he thought, But these were humans, primitive beings, Koduro especially,
And then he'd thought about the fire and red eyes
when he'd talked about his boys, and the soft look
they'd taken on when he'd held Kowdo's hand, the way
he'd pressed his lips back into Kowodo's like it was
(05:36):
second nature. Kowdos shook the thoughts from his head as
he heard footsteps by the door. Gold met red as
Koduo appeared, leaning on the door frame with his arms
crossed over his chest. Boys, what did I say about
bothering cherry princess naths his beauty sleep? The teasing tone
wasn't lost on Kowodo, who instantly bristled I assure you
(05:59):
it's not who needs that you ape? Oh, I've never
had any complaints. Your inability to understand basic communication means nothing. Idiot, Hey,
it's this idiot's bed. You're in fish face. Yes, and
it'll take the sea a decade to discribe the smell
off my skin, but I shall survive. Perhaps, Oh you
(06:24):
like how I smell princess like one might be fond
of a dirty pet animal. At this point, the two
were inches away from each other, interrupted only by a
loudly whispered yoh are they gonna kiss right now? Or
something from recky? Howdo? Hissed and drew back as Kochro
(06:44):
sputtered and settled for clipping his kid around the years. Lightly,
go get ready to the doc, they go, get ready
to doc. I can't imagine you don't have things to do.
Get on, Nanga, keep him in check. Please, boys, don't
let me steal any fucking cats or pets of any kind.
We already have. Cherry ah, he coughed as Kowdu landed
(07:04):
a solid punch to his ribcage before he grabbed the
mermaid's fist in his own rough hand, not letting him
pull back. The boys grumbled, but waved to Cherry and
left huh fuck, and left excited for the day's events.
You know, if you want to touch, all you have
to do is ask Kaowdu, he teased, before finally letting go.
(07:26):
Kowdou pulled his fist back like he'd been burned. Please,
if I ever want to touch you, just dump me overboard.
I'll have clearly lost my mind. Is that so well?
I suppose it's time. Then, before Kowdu could understand what
was going on, Kotro had wrapped his lower half in
the sheets and lifted the mermaid into his arms with ease.
(07:47):
Kowdu slapped against his chest, rebelling against the sudden proximity.
As Koduro started to head out the room. You're awfully
confident for someone who still has a scar from my
last bite, he hissed. What if someone sees me you
absolute waste of cool it, princess, you're covered and we
don't dock in the marina here the boys took a
(08:09):
dinghy that's a small boat to shore. Pirates aren't usually
very welcome, you know. Koduro adjusted his grip and Kowdo
had to wrap an arm around his neck to stay secure,
glaring at the larger man, who simply smirked at him.
I wonder why, he replied, drily, what on earth are
we do? Kowdo cut himself off as Kochuro carried him
(08:35):
up the steps, and the sea breeze hid his skin
with the sun, and then he saw the city, still
always away, of course, but visible for the first time
to Kodo ever. Fear pricked over him for a second,
but he couldn't bring himself to hide or give in
to it. Annoyingly, secure in warm arms, he to a
deep breath in and felt tension melt from his shoulders,
(08:57):
almost forgetting the heat of his skin against a Koduo
skin against his in favor of the way the sun
caressed him, he pointedly ignored how similar the two felt,
equally strong and gentle to touch. Thought you might like
some fresh air, Kocho muttered, eyes on Kodu as the
mermaid gazed out over the sea and seemed to light
(09:19):
up under the warm rays refracting off of the water.
Kaoudo stayed quiet. They both did for a while, as
the waves lapped up against the side of the ship,
seagulls flying overhead. I've never seen one of your cities,
before Koudo admitted, I was still drinking it all in.
(09:40):
We never get this close. It's too dangerous, and I thought, well,
I didn't think it looked so you thought we lived
in filth, didn't you. Koto jostled the man in his
arms with a laugh that only grew when Kowdu yelped
and wrapped his other arm more around his neck for balance. Well,
I wasn't fully off by the smell of you again
(10:02):
with my smell. Huh, shut up, It's not my fault.
You're incapable of maintaining personal space or hygiene. Hmmm for
someone complaining you're clinging offully close cherry blossom, What did
you just call me? Kowdo furrowed his brow and confusion,
and Kodro felt his ears heat up. Uh just a
(10:23):
nickname like cherry? Does cherry mean something? Does have you
never had? Oh? No, of course not. Uh. It's a
fruit and a flower, really really ugly flowers. Gross for hideous, stinky,
fucking koch Row almost dropped Kowdu when the smaller man
(10:43):
dug his claws into the nape of his neck, not
deep enough to actually hurt him, unlike the other times
he done so, but enough to send shivers down Kodu's
skin that had nothing to do with pain. He bit
his lip and glared down at Kowdo, who looked far
too smug for his own good. I don't believe you,
Kochro snorted. Oh no, However, while I sleep at night,
(11:07):
I'll just ask the boys or Shadow. I'm sure they'll
tell me what it means. Oh hell no, Oh hell no.
Kochro absolutely did not want to have to face his
boys or first mate for that matter, and admit to
the fun nickname. MIAs shot him enough. Knowing looks as
it was, Maybe he should have sent me out in
search of a new hobby, or allowed him to take
another pet, anything to take his critical gaze off of
(11:30):
his shipmates. Too fucking perceptive for his own good, don't
I mean? It's nothing. It's a pretty flower that grows
where we're from. It's pink like your hair. That's all.
Grows on a tree, turns into a fruit, good fruit.
That's that's all. Then why is your face red? Koch
(11:54):
Rock dropped Kowodo onto the stairs. It's fine, he picked
him up, after letting him hisit him for a minute
took him to the kid with them so you could
watch Kojiro cook while they waited for the crew to return.
Some hours later, Shadow returned armed with medicinal herbs for
pain and small necessities for their daily life, as well
as a few shirts for Cowder, which he regarded suspiciously.
(12:16):
More people decorated themselves on occasion shore with glimmering bioluminous
and paints, underwater plants and pearls, But fabric was a
foreign concept to Cawder, and he didn't understand why he
should have to add even more of it to his
body when his tail was already always wrapped up when
he wasn't in bed. Just part just put the damn
(12:37):
shirt on? Will you? You're not wearing one? He's got
you there, Captain Shadow, stay out of this. I wear shirts.
I've yet to see it, Cherry sniffed, crossing his arms.
If I made carbonara again, will you put the damn
shirt on? Kojuro grown As Shadow left them alone to
sort out the rest of his purchases and check on
(12:57):
the ship, Kowdo's mouth twitched, and kodro knew he had
gotten him. Frankly, it wasn't uncommon for at least half
the crew to run around shirtless, especially on warm days.
But the sun at sea was intense, and even though
texturally Kowdu's skin felt different than his own, there was
no guarantee he wouldn't burn. Also, seeing him half naked
(13:19):
all the time was doing things too Kodo's brain and
other parts that he didn't want to deal with much
less ever, voice lest the cranky mermaid claws fucking bits off.
Kodu held out his hand and took the shirt, slipping
into it awkwardly before adjusting it. It was a simple
white shirt that opened to a V neck and fell
against his pale collarbones softly. Kocho had some more regrets now, admittedly,
(13:44):
well is this okay? Then, Kodu grumped stern gaze, finding
Kodro's almost just let me. Kodro pulled out a ribbon,
golden like Codu's eyes said he'd secretly in, much to
his discomfort, asked Shadow to bring back as well, and
moved to run his fingers through Kowdo's hair. Kodo stiffened
(14:07):
at first, but quickly relaxed as Koduro brushed out any
knots he found before gathering it all in his hands.
The soft pink hair in his hand smelled like the sea,
but in the best way, like salt and sunshine, a
little bit like the mint shampoo in Kochiro's bathroom. His
breath caught in his throat as he tried to breathe
deeply in and out through his nose without raising suspicion.
(14:29):
He wrapped the ribbon around his hair a couple times,
letting the shorter hair at the front fall to frame
Kowudu's face, before tying a simple knot and stepping back,
chest clenching as he felt the strand slip from his fingers,
knuckles grazing Kodo's cheek as he pulled them away. Kaodo
was staring at him with wide, curious eyes, obviously taken
aback by the dental touch Kochro had brushed his hair with.
(14:52):
Now you look, you'll look fine, passable. Kocho's voice was
strained as he took in the man before him. If
he thought Kowudo looked beautiful the first time he'd held
him in his arms, soaking what hair splay out behind him,
nearly glowing under the moon, bright golden eyes regarding him
with something like curious concern. Then By now Kodo's mind
(15:14):
was overflowing with favorite sights of the man. Kodo's hair
pulled back, made his features even sharper, more pronounced and
brushed out. Kochro knew exactly how smooth and soft it
really was, probably from a lifetime of salt water. His
knuckles burned where he'd felt the soft skin of Kowdo's cheek, and,
judging by the rapidly darkening blush across his face, Kowdo
was feeling similarly. Kowdo's eyes went from wide to narrow
(15:38):
within seconds, closing off any emotion, lurking beneath and ducking
his head to hide his blush. Why did I even ask?
You wouldn't know beauty if it hit you in the face,
it has, Kocho thought, without missing a beat. Oh oh no,
oh no. The boys returned as the sun set. Kowdo
(16:03):
could hear them before he saw them. He and Kodo
were in the kitchen. Kodo was cooking and swatting, and
Kowdu kept stealing bites and critiquing his food methods, as
if he even knew what a spatchela was, much less
how he was supposed to wield it. Kojo had let
him hold a frying pan, and Kowdo had immediately held
it like a baseball bat and taken a good five
years off Kodo's life. Langa found them first, pushing in
(16:25):
a surprise and closely followed by a pouting Mia. Rekki
had to check the ropes and help Shadow, but we
wanted to give you this. It's a wheel chair, so
you don't have to be carried everywhere. Well, he'll still
need help for the stairs, but for the rest of
the ship. Kocho's expression was riddled with surprise, but he
schooled it quickly with a smile. Thank you, Langa, that
(16:50):
was very thoughtful of you. I appreciated. Wow, Princess, Oh jeez, wow,
Princess didn't think you knew those words. Well, why would
I thank you? You fucking oath. You kidnapped me and
held me against my will. Hey, I apologized for that,
and I didn't kidnap you. He fucking fell on me,
(17:11):
and whose fault was that? Are you blaming me for
a storm? Langa regarded Kochro carefully as a large man
helped Kodu move from the stool to the chair, chucking
the sheet under him so it wouldn't get caught in
the wheels. While Kodu fussed at his groping and swatted
at him with a wooden spoon, Kodu glanced up mid
(17:32):
swack against Kocho's shoulder and caught long as smirk. His
lips pursed as he scowled at the teen. Kodoro caught
it immediately after and rolled his eyes. You too are
like a married couple. Mia shook his head. It's gross,
He mimed a gagging sound, and in seconds Kochiro had
him lifted by the armpits, pretending to throw him out
(17:53):
the window, until the kid was laughing and wriggling in
his arms. Koch eh Kowdu beauted all with focused eyes,
a small smile, tugging at his lips and turning into
a laugh when Mia escaped and climbed onto his own lap,
as if cowdery would protect him, which he valiantly did
with his spoon, telling Kodro to get back to cooking
and to stop terrorizing the children, Aga slipped out unnoticed
(18:15):
and went to find Reki. He was probably already back
in the crow's nest. Maybe he'd be able to stay
up there with him tonight. He loved, and Rekky pointed
out constellations to him, never tiring of explaining their stories,
regardless of how many times he'd already heard them. Letting
Langa fall asleep on his shoulder, and if Longa was
really lucky, Reki would think he was asleep before he
(18:37):
actually was and pressed a kiss to his head. He
wouldn't miss love is a weakness. Didn't look that week
back there, he muttered to himself, climbing the rope ladder
with a grin and notes, Longa stole that wheelchair, by
the way, absolutely did not pay for that shit. Ouriy
(19:00):
to keep watch broken to a hospital, stole a wheelchair
out of the supply closet. Me I tried to smuggle
several cats on board, but Shadow caught him, because Shadow
always catches him. Small caveat. We are suspending disbelief. I
know you can't wheel yourself in hospital wheelchairs, which I
think is horrible. I understand that it is probably for them.
They probably say that it's like a liability thing. I
(19:21):
don't give a fuck about that. I don't really think
that your liability is more important than my ability to
independently move around. However, I know that that's the wheelchairs
usually get in the hospital, because I'm a wheelchair user
and I have had to use the ones in the hospitals,
primarily because I will avoid at all costs taking my
own personal wheelchair into a hospital, because these fucking assholes
(19:44):
will try to steal it from you, and they will
not respect it, and they will not understand that that
thing is your legs. So I know that the wheelchairs
in the hospitals are not independent use you need to
be pushed. We're going to suspend disbelief for that, because
this is a fucking mermaid and I can so. I
(20:07):
hope everybody had a good time. It was a good chapter.
I mean I wrote it. I just mean it was
fun to read. Next chapter very very exciting. Next chapter
is getting a bit dark, actually a bit a bit
(20:29):
longer if I remember correctly, And we meet Adam. Oh
yeah two. In the words of my favorite letterbox review,
this is what I'll tell you what the review was
for afterwards. But in the words of my favorite letterbox review,
this is how I feel about Adam. You're stinky and
ugly and if I see you, I'm going to hit
(20:49):
you with my car And see beautiful it's the letterbox
review for the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, which
is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in
my entire If the original is fantastic, the remake is
fucking heinous. And I fully agree with the letterbox review
that also gave it half a star like I did.
That said, whoever thought this was okay, you're ugly and stinky,
(21:12):
and if I see you in the street, I'm gonna
hit you with my car. So with that energy, next
week or not next week, don't I meant next episode?
Definitely not next week, next episode. We have other episodes
to record before that. Next episode of Pearl Diver is
going to be chapter five. All right, I will tell
(21:33):
you a little bit briefly. The summary for next chapter
is if this doesn't give you whiplash, then I fucked up.
So that's the vibe. Remember to check out the fick
to read if you haven't read yet, if you would
like to, if you're curious, if you're like I don't
want to only wait until the audio episodes are out,
(21:53):
you can. You can click the link in the description.
You can read it on archive of our own. It's
already up. It's already done. It's been done, finished it
in twenty twenty one. We're just here to have this
lovely audio. If you want to listen to it without ads,
you can also do that by subscribing to the Patreon.
(22:16):
The patreon has two tiers, and oops, my bad for
some reason, there we go. I have a one dollar
tier that gives you add free episodes of all of
my podfixs that are safe for work. Then I have
a five dollars tier, which gets you exclusive content both
(22:37):
save for work and not safe for work of podfix
that will never be available anywhere else. And one of those,
once we're done recording all of the chapters of Pearl
Diver is that I'm going to edit it together, all
of the chapters without the blurbs in between, without the
(22:57):
gabbing and the yapping, and the tags, only the tags
at the very beginning, and have it as one long
audiobook file available of all nine chapters, and that will
only be available on the Patreon. So I addtion to that.
You can also vote on the Patreon, which this month
(23:18):
we had a fifty to fifty tie, so we actually
ended up getting planned another extra episode, so that is
you know, I think fun. I think it's a burke.
I like gabbing you guys there. I like you app
and I like sharing sometimes, the occasional look at what
I'm working on, the occasional look at fix that have
not come out yet, and podfix of a fix that
(23:39):
I'm never going to publish anywhere, so that in mind.
Just check it out if you want to. Thanks in
the description, I will see you guys next time. I
hope you're having a good April. I'm having a bit
of a slow start into the spring, but that's okay
because slow and said he wins the race. So I'll
(24:00):
see you guys next time. Bye.
All right, and we are back with another chapter of
Pearl diver So today chapter four. Again, the tags don't
change between these because this has been done for years
and years this piece. So if you want to check
the tags, I recommend going back. I recommend going back anyway,
(00:22):
because if you're just trying to find a voice, then
just listen. Tune me out as needed. But if you're
trying to actually listen to the story, you are definitely
gonna need to go back to chapter one. So all right,
we are just we're just gonna dive right in because
I have had a very late start in my day
(00:45):
and by that I mean it's one forty two PM
and I am in my jammies and a really really
need to shower and get ready. But I just wanted
to make sure that I got this buck and recording
out today. So I'll record this and then I promise
(01:10):
I will go, I will get ready, I will start
my day proper. Uh. Sometimes we just have late starts
and off mornings, but doesn't mean we have to have
an off day. So, without further ado, Chapter four, Turning
Tides beginning notes something sweet to soothe the drama from
(01:33):
chapter three and to prepare you for the next one.
Here we go. Kodro couldn't bring himself to be mad
about the window. It was an easy fix, and there
hadn't been much water to clean up, and for what
it had brought him when it had saved, he wouldn't
(01:55):
have been mad. Even if the ship had song. He'd
sink a thousand ships himself to protect his family. Cherry
cau Kuu was in his bed. Now there was no
way he could escape anyway. And after the entire crud
finished checking on the resting mermaid and sorry, I think
I messed up the sentence struction on that tipter and
(02:16):
I was like, not too long of a sentence to
be correct. There was no way he could escape anyway.
And after the entire crew had finished checking on the
resting mermaid, they had rounded on Koduro. He had raised
his arms in submission. Oh my god, I should have
had faith in the process. With the sentence ending with
it that it is grammatically correct, It's just long and
(02:37):
a bit awkward, and I should have trusted the process.
I should have trusted the process. Okay. Kaoudu was in
his bed. Now there was no way he could escape anyway.
And after the entire Creud finished checking on the resting
mermaid and rounded on Koduro. He had raised his arms
in submission. Okay, okay, we won't sell him. Well, let
him help him heal, and then we'll let him go. Okay.
(03:01):
Jesus Reki had grinned and slung an arm around Langa,
pumping the air with a fist before high fiving Mia.
Shadow had dropped the tension in his shoulders and let
out a sigh of relief. Turned out, Mia and the
boys had been talking his ear off about wanting to
free Cherry, and he was just relieved he wouldn't feel
like he was aiding in a bedding anything. Kowdoo was
(03:26):
alone when he woke up, but only for a moment.
He groaned as he lifted himself up onto his elbows,
knocking the sheet off of his tail accidentally and hissing
at the pane. He couldn't see his fin and it
was wrapped up completely, but he didn't need to to
feel it tattered, torn, aching. The memories came back in
(03:47):
a flash, and he realized he was in a different
room and the one he had first woken up in
cochi Ro's room, kochi Ro's bed, eyes widening an alarm,
he jerked to look around just in time, I'm to say,
familiar flash of red and blue at the doorway, with
the shorter boy trailing behind. Once they saw he was awake,
(04:08):
the boys rushed him. Rekky gave him a reckless hug,
and Kowdu stiffened before petting him awkwardly on the head.
Reky pulled back and babbed politely, if somewhat stiffly, as
if the motion was unfamiliar to him. Thank you for
saving my life. I'm sorry about your tail. I hope
it doesn't hurt too much. We didn't have anything for
the pain, but we're talking today to get supplied so
we can get something. Then Kauto flinched but nodded, accepting
(04:32):
the sentiment and waving Rekky's worries away with a clawed hand.
Mia crawled on to the bed and Kowdou allowed him
to relax against him. Ana thanked him, also, Oh Jesus,
wrapping an arm around Rekky's waist. Great news. Reky blurred
it out, almost physically incapable of holding onto a secret.
But before he could keep speaking, Mia piped up Dad
(04:55):
isn't going to keep you here anymore. We'll help you
get better, and then you're free to go doing you
can't leave yet, he finished dryly, as if he didn't
particularly care either way, and Kowodo blinked a few times
processing the news, while Recki trapped the younger boy in
a headlock and rubbed his knuckles into his hair for
stealing his thunder. It wasn't much of a surprise, he
(05:16):
supposed a decent person would have done the same thing,
he thought, But these were humans, primitive beings, Koduro especially,
And then he'd thought about the fire and red eyes
when he'd talked about his boys, and the soft look
they'd taken on when he'd held Kowdo's hand, the way
he'd pressed his lips back into Kowodo's like it was
(05:36):
second nature. Kowdos shook the thoughts from his head as
he heard footsteps by the door. Gold met red as
Koduo appeared, leaning on the door frame with his arms
crossed over his chest. Boys, what did I say about
bothering cherry princess naths his beauty sleep? The teasing tone
wasn't lost on Kowodo, who instantly bristled I assure you
(05:59):
it's not who needs that you ape? Oh, I've never
had any complaints. Your inability to understand basic communication means nothing. Idiot, Hey,
it's this idiot's bed. You're in fish face. Yes, and
it'll take the sea a decade to discribe the smell
off my skin, but I shall survive. Perhaps, Oh you
(06:24):
like how I smell princess like one might be fond
of a dirty pet animal. At this point, the two
were inches away from each other, interrupted only by a
loudly whispered yoh are they gonna kiss right now? Or
something from recky? Howdo? Hissed and drew back as Kochro
(06:44):
sputtered and settled for clipping his kid around the years. Lightly,
go get ready to the doc, they go, get ready
to doc. I can't imagine you don't have things to do.
Get on, Nanga, keep him in check. Please, boys, don't
let me steal any fucking cats or pets of any kind.
We already have. Cherry ah, he coughed as Kowdu landed
(07:04):
a solid punch to his ribcage before he grabbed the
mermaid's fist in his own rough hand, not letting him
pull back. The boys grumbled, but waved to Cherry and
left huh fuck, and left excited for the day's events.
You know, if you want to touch, all you have
to do is ask Kaowdu, he teased, before finally letting go.
(07:26):
Kowdou pulled his fist back like he'd been burned. Please,
if I ever want to touch you, just dump me overboard.
I'll have clearly lost my mind. Is that so well?
I suppose it's time. Then, before Kowdu could understand what
was going on, Kotro had wrapped his lower half in
the sheets and lifted the mermaid into his arms with ease.
(07:47):
Kowdu slapped against his chest, rebelling against the sudden proximity.
As Koduro started to head out the room. You're awfully
confident for someone who still has a scar from my
last bite, he hissed. What if someone sees me you
absolute waste of cool it, princess, you're covered and we
don't dock in the marina here the boys took a
(08:09):
dinghy that's a small boat to shore. Pirates aren't usually
very welcome, you know. Koduro adjusted his grip and Kowdo
had to wrap an arm around his neck to stay secure,
glaring at the larger man, who simply smirked at him.
I wonder why, he replied, drily, what on earth are
we do? Kowdo cut himself off as Kochuro carried him
(08:35):
up the steps, and the sea breeze hid his skin
with the sun, and then he saw the city, still
always away, of course, but visible for the first time
to Kodo ever. Fear pricked over him for a second,
but he couldn't bring himself to hide or give in
to it. Annoyingly, secure in warm arms, he to a
deep breath in and felt tension melt from his shoulders,
(08:57):
almost forgetting the heat of his skin against a Koduo
skin against his in favor of the way the sun
caressed him, he pointedly ignored how similar the two felt,
equally strong and gentle to touch. Thought you might like
some fresh air, Kocho muttered, eyes on Kodu as the
mermaid gazed out over the sea and seemed to light
(09:19):
up under the warm rays refracting off of the water.
Kaoudo stayed quiet. They both did for a while, as
the waves lapped up against the side of the ship,
seagulls flying overhead. I've never seen one of your cities,
before Koudo admitted, I was still drinking it all in.
(09:40):
We never get this close. It's too dangerous, and I thought, well,
I didn't think it looked so you thought we lived
in filth, didn't you. Koto jostled the man in his
arms with a laugh that only grew when Kowdu yelped
and wrapped his other arm more around his neck for balance. Well,
I wasn't fully off by the smell of you again
(10:02):
with my smell. Huh, shut up, It's not my fault.
You're incapable of maintaining personal space or hygiene. Hmmm for
someone complaining you're clinging offully close cherry blossom, What did
you just call me? Kowdo furrowed his brow and confusion,
and Kodro felt his ears heat up. Uh just a
(10:23):
nickname like cherry? Does cherry mean something? Does have you
never had? Oh? No, of course not. Uh. It's a
fruit and a flower, really really ugly flowers. Gross for hideous, stinky,
fucking koch Row almost dropped Kowdu when the smaller man
(10:43):
dug his claws into the nape of his neck, not
deep enough to actually hurt him, unlike the other times
he done so, but enough to send shivers down Kodu's
skin that had nothing to do with pain. He bit
his lip and glared down at Kowdo, who looked far
too smug for his own good. I don't believe you,
Kochro snorted. Oh no, However, while I sleep at night,
(11:07):
I'll just ask the boys or Shadow. I'm sure they'll
tell me what it means. Oh hell no, Oh hell no.
Kochro absolutely did not want to have to face his
boys or first mate for that matter, and admit to
the fun nickname. MIAs shot him enough. Knowing looks as
it was, Maybe he should have sent me out in
search of a new hobby, or allowed him to take
another pet, anything to take his critical gaze off of
(11:30):
his shipmates. Too fucking perceptive for his own good, don't
I mean? It's nothing. It's a pretty flower that grows
where we're from. It's pink like your hair. That's all.
Grows on a tree, turns into a fruit, good fruit.
That's that's all. Then why is your face red? Koch
(11:54):
Rock dropped Kowodo onto the stairs. It's fine, he picked
him up, after letting him hisit him for a minute
took him to the kid with them so you could
watch Kojiro cook while they waited for the crew to return.
Some hours later, Shadow returned armed with medicinal herbs for
pain and small necessities for their daily life, as well
as a few shirts for Cowder, which he regarded suspiciously.
(12:16):
More people decorated themselves on occasion shore with glimmering bioluminous
and paints, underwater plants and pearls, But fabric was a
foreign concept to Cawder, and he didn't understand why he
should have to add even more of it to his
body when his tail was already always wrapped up when
he wasn't in bed. Just part just put the damn
(12:37):
shirt on? Will you? You're not wearing one? He's got
you there, Captain Shadow, stay out of this. I wear shirts.
I've yet to see it, Cherry sniffed, crossing his arms.
If I made carbonara again, will you put the damn
shirt on? Kojuro grown As Shadow left them alone to
sort out the rest of his purchases and check on
(12:57):
the ship, Kowdo's mouth twitched, and kodro knew he had
gotten him. Frankly, it wasn't uncommon for at least half
the crew to run around shirtless, especially on warm days.
But the sun at sea was intense, and even though
texturally Kowdu's skin felt different than his own, there was
no guarantee he wouldn't burn. Also, seeing him half naked
(13:19):
all the time was doing things too Kodo's brain and
other parts that he didn't want to deal with much
less ever, voice lest the cranky mermaid claws fucking bits off.
Kodu held out his hand and took the shirt, slipping
into it awkwardly before adjusting it. It was a simple
white shirt that opened to a V neck and fell
against his pale collarbones softly. Kocho had some more regrets now, admittedly,
(13:44):
well is this okay? Then, Kodu grumped stern gaze, finding
Kodro's almost just let me. Kodro pulled out a ribbon,
golden like Codu's eyes said he'd secretly in, much to
his discomfort, asked Shadow to bring back as well, and
moved to run his fingers through Kowdo's hair. Kodo stiffened
(14:07):
at first, but quickly relaxed as Koduro brushed out any
knots he found before gathering it all in his hands.
The soft pink hair in his hand smelled like the sea,
but in the best way, like salt and sunshine, a
little bit like the mint shampoo in Kochiro's bathroom. His
breath caught in his throat as he tried to breathe
deeply in and out through his nose without raising suspicion.
(14:29):
He wrapped the ribbon around his hair a couple times,
letting the shorter hair at the front fall to frame
Kowudu's face, before tying a simple knot and stepping back,
chest clenching as he felt the strand slip from his fingers,
knuckles grazing Kodo's cheek as he pulled them away. Kaodo
was staring at him with wide, curious eyes, obviously taken
aback by the dental touch Kochro had brushed his hair with.
(14:52):
Now you look, you'll look fine, passable. Kocho's voice was
strained as he took in the man before him. If
he thought Kowudo looked beautiful the first time he'd held
him in his arms, soaking what hair splay out behind him,
nearly glowing under the moon, bright golden eyes regarding him
with something like curious concern. Then By now Kodo's mind
(15:14):
was overflowing with favorite sights of the man. Kodo's hair
pulled back, made his features even sharper, more pronounced and
brushed out. Kochro knew exactly how smooth and soft it
really was, probably from a lifetime of salt water. His
knuckles burned where he'd felt the soft skin of Kowdo's cheek, and,
judging by the rapidly darkening blush across his face, Kowdo
was feeling similarly. Kowdo's eyes went from wide to narrow
(15:38):
within seconds, closing off any emotion, lurking beneath and ducking
his head to hide his blush. Why did I even ask?
You wouldn't know beauty if it hit you in the face,
it has, Kocho thought, without missing a beat. Oh oh no,
oh no. The boys returned as the sun set. Kowdo
(16:03):
could hear them before he saw them. He and Kodo
were in the kitchen. Kodo was cooking and swatting, and
Kowdu kept stealing bites and critiquing his food methods, as
if he even knew what a spatchela was, much less
how he was supposed to wield it. Kojo had let
him hold a frying pan, and Kowdo had immediately held
it like a baseball bat and taken a good five
years off Kodo's life. Langa found them first, pushing in
(16:25):
a surprise and closely followed by a pouting Mia. Rekki
had to check the ropes and help Shadow, but we
wanted to give you this. It's a wheel chair, so
you don't have to be carried everywhere. Well, he'll still
need help for the stairs, but for the rest of
the ship. Kocho's expression was riddled with surprise, but he
schooled it quickly with a smile. Thank you, Langa, that
(16:50):
was very thoughtful of you. I appreciated. Wow, Princess, Oh jeez, wow,
Princess didn't think you knew those words. Well, why would
I thank you? You fucking oath. You kidnapped me and
held me against my will. Hey, I apologized for that,
and I didn't kidnap you. He fucking fell on me,
(17:11):
and whose fault was that? Are you blaming me for
a storm? Langa regarded Kochro carefully as a large man
helped Kodu move from the stool to the chair, chucking
the sheet under him so it wouldn't get caught in
the wheels. While Kodu fussed at his groping and swatted
at him with a wooden spoon, Kodu glanced up mid
(17:32):
swack against Kocho's shoulder and caught long as smirk. His
lips pursed as he scowled at the teen. Kodoro caught
it immediately after and rolled his eyes. You too are
like a married couple. Mia shook his head. It's gross,
He mimed a gagging sound, and in seconds Kochiro had
him lifted by the armpits, pretending to throw him out
(17:53):
the window, until the kid was laughing and wriggling in
his arms. Koch eh Kowdu beauted all with focused eyes,
a small smile, tugging at his lips and turning into
a laugh when Mia escaped and climbed onto his own lap,
as if cowdery would protect him, which he valiantly did
with his spoon, telling Kodro to get back to cooking
and to stop terrorizing the children, Aga slipped out unnoticed
(18:15):
and went to find Reki. He was probably already back
in the crow's nest. Maybe he'd be able to stay
up there with him tonight. He loved, and Rekky pointed
out constellations to him, never tiring of explaining their stories,
regardless of how many times he'd already heard them. Letting
Langa fall asleep on his shoulder, and if Longa was
really lucky, Reki would think he was asleep before he
(18:37):
actually was and pressed a kiss to his head. He
wouldn't miss love is a weakness. Didn't look that week
back there, he muttered to himself, climbing the rope ladder
with a grin and notes, Longa stole that wheelchair, by
the way, absolutely did not pay for that shit. Ouriy
(19:00):
to keep watch broken to a hospital, stole a wheelchair
out of the supply closet. Me I tried to smuggle
several cats on board, but Shadow caught him, because Shadow
always catches him. Small caveat. We are suspending disbelief. I
know you can't wheel yourself in hospital wheelchairs, which I
think is horrible. I understand that it is probably for them.
They probably say that it's like a liability thing. I
(19:21):
don't give a fuck about that. I don't really think
that your liability is more important than my ability to
independently move around. However, I know that that's the wheelchairs
usually get in the hospital, because I'm a wheelchair user
and I have had to use the ones in the hospitals,
primarily because I will avoid at all costs taking my
own personal wheelchair into a hospital, because these fucking assholes
(19:44):
will try to steal it from you, and they will
not respect it, and they will not understand that that
thing is your legs. So I know that the wheelchairs
in the hospitals are not independent use you need to
be pushed. We're going to suspend disbelief for that, because
this is a fucking mermaid and I can so. I
(20:07):
hope everybody had a good time. It was a good chapter.
I mean I wrote it. I just mean it was
fun to read. Next chapter very very exciting. Next chapter
is getting a bit dark, actually a bit a bit
(20:29):
longer if I remember correctly, And we meet Adam. Oh
yeah two. In the words of my favorite letterbox review,
this is what I'll tell you what the review was
for afterwards. But in the words of my favorite letterbox review,
this is how I feel about Adam. You're stinky and
ugly and if I see you, I'm going to hit
(20:49):
you with my car And see beautiful it's the letterbox
review for the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, which
is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in
my entire If the original is fantastic, the remake is
fucking heinous. And I fully agree with the letterbox review
that also gave it half a star like I did.
That said, whoever thought this was okay, you're ugly and stinky,
(21:12):
and if I see you in the street, I'm gonna
hit you with my car. So with that energy, next
week or not next week, don't I meant next episode?
Definitely not next week, next episode. We have other episodes
to record before that. Next episode of Pearl Diver is
going to be chapter five. All right, I will tell
(21:33):
you a little bit briefly. The summary for next chapter
is if this doesn't give you whiplash, then I fucked up.
So that's the vibe. Remember to check out the fick
to read if you haven't read yet, if you would
like to, if you're curious, if you're like I don't
want to only wait until the audio episodes are out,
(21:53):
you can. You can click the link in the description.
You can read it on archive of our own. It's
already up. It's already done. It's been done, finished it
in twenty twenty one. We're just here to have this
lovely audio. If you want to listen to it without ads,
you can also do that by subscribing to the Patreon.
(22:16):
The patreon has two tiers, and oops, my bad for
some reason, there we go. I have a one dollar
tier that gives you add free episodes of all of
my podfixs that are safe for work. Then I have
a five dollars tier, which gets you exclusive content both
(22:37):
save for work and not safe for work of podfix
that will never be available anywhere else. And one of those,
once we're done recording all of the chapters of Pearl
Diver is that I'm going to edit it together, all
of the chapters without the blurbs in between, without the
(22:57):
gabbing and the yapping, and the tags, only the tags
at the very beginning, and have it as one long
audiobook file available of all nine chapters, and that will
only be available on the Patreon. So I addtion to that.
You can also vote on the Patreon, which this month
(23:18):
we had a fifty to fifty tie, so we actually
ended up getting planned another extra episode, so that is
you know, I think fun. I think it's a burke.
I like gabbing you guys there. I like you app
and I like sharing sometimes, the occasional look at what
I'm working on, the occasional look at fix that have
not come out yet, and podfix of a fix that
(23:39):
I'm never going to publish anywhere, so that in mind.
Just check it out if you want to. Thanks in
the description, I will see you guys next time. I
hope you're having a good April. I'm having a bit
of a slow start into the spring, but that's okay
because slow and said he wins the race. So I'll
(24:00):
see you guys next time. Bye.
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