Four Brothers

[veiledndarkness]

Title: The Little Merboy

Author: veiledndarkness

Pairing: None really.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Bobby's fairytales are more interesting.

Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made, no harm intended.

1 – Little Red Riding Hood
2 – Cinderella
3 - Hansel & Gretel



xx

Jack knelt in front of the bookshelf, chewing on his lip, his forehead furrowed in deep thought. He pushed past a few books, discarding each one after a moment's pause. "No...no, no more Grimm's for now," he muttered. He found a thinner book towards the back of the pile and yanked that loose, his thumb moving over the spine of the book. He looked back at the bed, holding the book up. "What about this one?"

"That's a girl's book, Jackie," Bobby stretched his arms over his head. "Boys don't read girl stories. Well...maybe fairy boys do..."

"Bobby! Mom said you're not s'posed to call me that anymore," Jack got to his feet, huffing indignantly. "And I want this book. If it's sucha girly one, how come it's in the pile, huh?"

"I'm sure I don't care. Come on then, bring the damn girly book," he patted the spot beside him. "Unless you want someone else to read to you that is."

Jack hopped onto the bed, scrambling up beside Bobby in a flash. "No, no, I want you to read," he assured him.

He held it out for Bobby, settling into place at his side. "What's so girly about mermaids?"

"They, uh, they just are," Bobby opened the cover and cleared his throat. "I'll explain when you're older."

"I wanna know now though."

"So this is the story of the Little Mermaid," Bobby continued, ignoring Jack's pout. "Only...seein' as we're both guys afterall, let's make this the story of the Little Merboy."

"Bobby..."



'Once upon a time, in an underwater kingdom very far away, probably somewhere close to Europe, there was a young merman. Technically he was a merboy, but that's beside the point. His name was Jackie, the youngest of the Queen Mercer's sons, and by far the most curious of them all. While his older brothers were content to do merfolk type stuff, Jackie would spend hours combing the ocean floor, looking for treasures to add to his collection.

He loved all things human, and was never bothered by the fact that humans ate fish everyday. He circled the ocean floors, digging through ancient sunken ships, oblivious to time or the sharks that followed him sometimes. Not that they ever chased or tried to eat him, no way, no how. The sharks had heard the stories of what would happen to them if they dared go near the youngest of the Queen's sons. Not after what happened the last time the sharks strayed too close to one of Queen Mercer's children.'



"What did happen?"

"The second oldest of her sons gave that shark a beatin' he wasn't about to forget, and then he spread the word for the other sharks."



'Little Jackie loved his treasures, no matter how plain or boring his brothers said they might be. And he loved going to surface, even though Queen Mercer had forbidden it, not that her rules ever stopped any of her boys before. Jackie would swim and swim, his little green fin cutting through the water as fast as can be. He would creep closer to the shore and perch on a rock, sunbathing and talking to the other sea animals and one very annoying seagull that screeched and shrieked all day long.

Jackie broke through the surface one day, a strange metallic object in his hand. 'Look!' he exclaimed to the seagull. 'I found it this morning. Whatcha think it does?'

The seagull rolled off the rock and hopped down, ruffling her feathers and making small sounds of annoyance. 'How can you not know what that is, you stupid boy. It's a snarfle, isn't it obvious?'

Jackie held the object up, running his fingers over the tines of what was clearly a fork, not that Jackie knew much about proper human names for objects. 'But Sofi,' he held it out to the preening seagull. 'What does it do?'

Sofi, the very annoying seagull, inspected said snarfle. 'They use it to comb their hair, especially the girls, but you oughta try it, that mop of yours will never be untangled if you don't try.'

Jackie combed his messy hair as best he could, grinning at the idea of using a snarfle much the way a human would.'



"You really don't like Sofi, do you?"

"Is it that obvious? Stop interrupting."



'Sofi and Jackie spent the rest of the morning, talking about human things and what it must be like on land. Jackie listened as Sofi ranted about being kicked out of the garden of a home. 'Can you imagine? They threw rocks at me!'

'Maybe you shouldn't steal food from their homes,' Jack nodded as she squawked, his attention on the sandy beach before them. 'Do you think life really is better above the water? It can't be so bad.'

'You can't stay above the surface, you're part fish,' Sofi sniffed at him.

Jackie rolled his eyes. 'I know that..but what I wouldn't give...just once to walk on the sand. It looks so pretty and soft, I bet it's real warm too.'

'Well unless you magically grow some legs, you're stuck in the water,' Sofi sat back down, ruffling her feathers. "Now go away, I need my beauty sleep.'

Jackie tucked the snarfle in his girly purse and swam...'



"Bobby! I don't carry a purse!"

"Oh yeah? What's with that bag you always have with you then?"

"It's...my carry bag. Mom said it wasn't girly."

"Uh huh, yeah she would say that. Be quiet, Jack or no more story."



'Ahem...Jackie tucked the snarfle into his not-girly purse and swam away, an idea forming very rapidly in his mind. He swam deep into the ocean, deeper and further along than he'd ever gone before. He shivered as he swam. he couldn't be sure, but the water felt colder that far down.

He made his way through thick seaweed, getting tangled in it more than a few times. Finally he reached a huge whale skeleton, the bones gleaming a freaky white in the dark water. Jackie swam a little bit closer, and truth be told, he was gettin' real scared.

'C'mon in there, little merboy,' a creepy voice called out to him, beckoning him forward.

Jackie edged closer to the opening of the skeleton. 'Um, hi? I uh, was looking for the uh, Sea Witch?'

'That's Sea Wizard to you, little merboy. Sea Witch is only when I dress in drag.'

Jackie swallowed nervously, very confused. 'Uh, sorry, Sea Wizard then. I'm sorry to bother you but I wanted...'

'Oh, I know what you want, son of Queen Mercer,' the voice slid closer, a huge dark purple, almost black squid thing drifting closer to him. 'That I do know.'

Jackie stared up at the creature, his heart pounding. 'Uh, I should go, never mind,' he turned to swim away, vowing to never return, and good God, what was he thinkin', coming here in the first place?

'Now now, obviously this is real important,' the Sea Wizard slithered over to him, one tentacle gripping Jackie's arm and drawing him close. 'It's rude to leave so soon after arrivin' Little Jackie. No, come here an' tell me what you wanted to say.'

Jackie tugged uselessly at his trapped arm, squirming under the feel of the tentacle. 'Oh gross,' he whispered. 'Please, Mr. Sea Wizard, I changed my mind.'

'That's Mr. Sweet to you,' the squid thing cooed. 'I know what you want, you want to explore the human world, that right?'



"Who's Mr. Sweet?"

"No one you need to know about."



'Jackie nodded timidly. 'Y-yes, I do.'

Mr. Sweet, aka Sea Wizard, nodded in mock understanding. 'I see, I see, that's very sad that you're forced to stay under the water all day long,' he tsked. 'But what if I could help you, what if I could help you get to run on the sand and play like the other human kids?'

Jackie sat up a bit more. 'Can you really do that?'

'Of course I can!' Mr. Sweet huffed. 'I'm the Sea Wizard after all. Here's the thing though, if I make you a human, you gotta give me somethin' in return. No such thing as a free lunch, am I right?'

Jackie blinked and stared at him again. 'Um..no?'

Mr. Sweet patted his arm with another tentacle. 'Right. So, what're you gonna give me if I make you a human?'

Jackie shrugged. 'I don't...I'm no one special. I can't do nothin' special.'

'Sure you can,' Mr. Sea Wizard thoughtfully tapped his blobby chin with the tip of a tentacle. 'Ah...I know. You have a real nice voice, don't you? A real good singer or so I heard.'

Jackie nodded uneasily. 'Yeah...'

'I tell you what, I give you legs in exchange for your voice.'

'My voice...but...but that doesn't make sense,' he tugged again at his arm.

'Well you didn't let me finish,' Mr. Sweet gripped him tightly. 'If I'm gonna give you the ability to walk on the sand, I can't very well have you tellin' people what I'm doing, now can I? Why, if I do it for you, I'll have to do it for everyone.'

Jackie nodded slowly. 'I guess so. How long can I stay up there?'

'Mm, three days oughta be enough, however...I need you to do somethin' for me while you're visiting. I need you to find a shell for me. Not just any shell, a really special one. Remember, Jackie, this is a very important shell, without it, you'll never be able to come back to the water. You'll have to live with the humans always. But if you find it, you'll be able to come and go as you please, to the land and back to the water whenever you wanna."

Jackie nodded after a long moment of thought. He was terribly good at finding things, he figured this would be a breeze. 'Yeah ok, I can do that.'

The Sea Wizard described the shell to him and then set about, digging through his chest of potions for just the right one. 'Ah here we go,' he announced, holding the bottle up. 'Fin B.Gone, last bottle too. It's good that you swam by when you did.'

Jackie signed the contract and drank the potion, nearly throwing it back up. 'Ugh, nasty,' he rubbed at his tongue with his palm. 'The hell was in that?'

'Nothin' good,' Mr. Sweet laughed. 'Go on now, you have three days to find that shell. And oh, by the way? I suggest you swim real fast to the surface, you're about to become a human.'

Jackie looked down at his fin, a horrid pain racing through him. He doubled over, whimpering as the pain worsened. Jackie pushed upwards, panicking at the pain level. With a strangled gasp, Jackie somehow made his way to the surface, kicking and sputtering desperately. He flailed in the water, his new legs kicking feebly about.'



"Why do all these stories have stuff in them about gettin' hurt?"

"Because elephants have flat feet and authors are crazy people, now be quiet."



'Jackie dropped down onto the wet sand, the tide helping to push him along. He wheezed, staring up at the bright blue sky. 'I did it,' he thought and began to laugh, gulping in great gusts of air as he stared at the sun overhead. The sun never seemed brighter, the water cool and wet against his legs.

He lay in the wet sand for a few minutes more, admiring his toes, wriggling them back and forth. Jackie slowly stood up, wobbling and falling over several times. He half crawled, half staggered up the sand until he reached a large rock. He leaned against it, panting silently. Jackie dozed on the rock, exhausted from his efforts.

A loud shout startled him several hours later. Jackie rolled off the rock reflexively, prepared to dive back into the water for safety when he remembered the events of that afternoon. A large hairy beast came running over to him, drool hanging from his mouth, a long pink tongue hanging from the beast's mouth. Jackie stared at the creature, his eyes wide. He smiled a little and stuck his hand out, tentatively petting the thick fur on the animal.

'Hey, you damned mutt!' a new voice called out and Jackie nearly panicked again. He touched the fur again, earning a sloppy lick of the animal's tongue on his cheek. Jackie giggled silently and wiped at the drool.

He watched in amazement as an older boy ran down the beach, a red leash in hand. 'You stupid dog, I swear you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days,' he ranted, jogging over to the rock where Jackie and the dog were perched.

Jackie clung to the dog, badly frightened. The boy stared back at him, his eyes widening. 'Hey...kid, why're you naked, huh?'

Jackie looked down at himself, his face flushing a deep pink. He had forgotten that humans wore clothes on their bodies. Without his fin, his lower half was exposed. He gestured helplessly at the water, struggling to talk. He touched one hand to his neck, remembering too late that he had traded his voice.

'Were..were you in an accident? Christ, you're lucky you washed up when you did,' the boy shrugged his sweater off and held it out to Jackie. "Here, put this on. It's gonna get a helluva lot colder real soon.'

Jackie took the offered sweater and struggled to put it on, unfamiliar with the way the sweater was supposed to fit. The other boy watched him, puzzled by the odd boy before him. "Here...lemme help ya." He showed Jackie how to put the sweater on properly and then chuckled. The fabric came all the down to his lower thighs.

Jackie grinned and stood up, absurdly proud that he was wearing human clothes. He patted the heavy sweater and gestured to the boy again, leaning over just a bit too far. He tumbled off the rock and landed in an ungraceful heap at the boy's feet.

'Where you from, kid?' the boy asked.

Jackie pointed to the water. The boy stared at him. 'Ok...' he said slowly. 'You can't talk, that it?'

He nodded, touching his throat. The boy sighed. 'Alright...ok, I'm Bobby,' he stuck his hand out.

Jackie stared at his hand blankly, unsure of what he wanted him to do. Bobby took Jackie's hand in his and shook it. 'Yeah, up n' down, like that. That's how you shake hands.'

Bobby looked down at the dog. 'Well if Scraps likes you, obviously you're ok.' He clipped the leash on. 'C'mon kid, I'll take you into town, get you some clothes an' food until we find your family.' He held out a hand for Jack. 'Up you go.'

Jackie stood up, hobbling at first. He watched Bobby, envious of how easily he moved. He mimicked him, forcing his limbs to try and move the same way. Bobby talked to him as they walked over the sand, and though some of it went right over Jackie's head, he was thrilled regardless.'



"He just walked off with a random stranger like that?"

"Yup, guess he felt like this Bobby was a real safe guy."

"I'm pretty sure that book is talkin' about girls and princes and marrying..."

"Not in my version."



'Jackie followed him down the sand and up to a big, long road, amazed by the paved ground. Bobby laughed and shook his head, bringing Jackie back with him to his house. They were greeted by a woman with shiny hair and bright eyes. She hurried them both inside.

Within a few moments, Jackie had been given clothes to wear and Bobby's mother had placed a large plate of food before him. He stared at everything, touching the plates, the cups and especially, the snarfle that he'd been so intrigued by.

He ran the snarfle through his hair, his grin slowly fading at the identical bizarre looks on Bobby and his mother's faces. He set the snarfle down, blushing hard. Bobby leaned in and spoke quietly to him. 'Hey, if you need a comb or somethin', I'll get you one. You need a new fork?'

Jackie picked up the newly named fork, pondering over why it was called that. He nearly dropped it again when Bobby used his 'fork' to pierce the pieces of food. He copied what they were doing and ate his meal, beaming in delight at the taste of the food. Later that night, as Jack lay in the extra bed, snuggling up in the cozy blankets, he smiled, wriggling his toes. He was sure that it had been worth the pain.

Over the course of the next day, Jackie went with Bobby to many places in and around his hometown. He played in the bushes, chased after ducks and birds and helped Bobby wash the big dog, Scraps. He wore himself and dropped off to sleep halfway through dinner that night.

Bobby's mother tried to get more info out of him as to where he was from or who he was, but as Jackie couldn't speak or even write his name, all he could do was shrug helplessly at each question. This worried her greatly though she tried not to show it. Jackie slept curled up around Scraps, dreaming of being deep under the water.

On the second day, Jackie began to feel some pangs of homesickness. As much as he liked Bobby, and his mother and even the big slobbery dog, he missed his brothers, he missed his mother. He wandered down to the beach and lay on the sand, watching the waves come in. He sighed silently and dipped his fingers in the water. For as much fun as he was having, he kinda wanted to go back home.

Jackie sat upright, the Sea Wizard's words echoing in his ears. If he found the shell...he'd be able to come and go as he pleased, and he really wanted that. To be able to choose each day, he'd like that very much. Jackie scrambled along the beach, searching for the shell.

'Now listen closely, the shell is black and smooth, cracked on one side. It looks like many of the other shells, but this one seems to glow when you pick it up. Bring that back and you will have the choice.'

Jackie scoured the beach, searching and searching some more. He couldn't find it, not one sight, not even a hint as to where it could be. Sad, Jackie returned to Bobby's house, determined to find the shell the next day.'



"You think there really are magical shells like that?"

"Sure, why not? I mean...there's gotta some reason for why things happen."



'Bobby watched Jackie search the beach, searching almost frantically through the sands. He rubbed a hand over his head, amused. The boy was so very strange. He never spoke a word, it was almost as if he couldn't. The panicked way that the boy was searching, now that was odd too. He frowned and headed over to the boy, wanting to help him whatever way he could.

'Whatcha lookin' for?' he asked.

Jackie pointed at the water, gesturing hurriedly. The sun was starting to set. Bobby looked out at the setting sun and then back at Jackie. 'What? The sun's settin', I know that.'

Jackie made a sound like a groan and resumed digging through the sand.

Bobby knelt down, watching as the gentle waves rolled in. He sighed. 'Hey kid...c'mon, let's head back to the house, I'm hungry.'

More digging was Jackie's response. He sat down abruptly, tears collecting in his eyes. He rubbed his throat with his sand covered fingers, sniffling. Bobby sat next to him, putting an arm around his little waist. 'Hey...it's ok, don't cry, kiddo, I'll help you search, I promise.'

Jackie rested against him, his tears trickling down. He wanted so badly to stay and to go back home. He wanted the choice, the ability to do both. He closed his eyes, wishing harder than he'd ever wished before.

Bobby ran one hand through the sand, his fingers catching on odd shaped rock. He looked down and lifted the object up. To his surprise, it wasn't a rock at all. It was a weird looking shell, a black one that glowed when he touched it. He ran his thumb over the jagged crack on one side. 'Kiddo, look at this one...it'd be perfect for skippin' over the water.'

Jackie looked up, his eyes widening. He lunged up, snatching the rock from Bobby's hand. He jumped up, clasping it tightly as the waves began rolling in faster and faster onto the sandy beach. Bobby chuckled, watching him. 'Uh...so that's what you wanted?'

Jackie nodded rapidly and pointed to the water, trembling with excitement. To Bobby's shock, the water was parting, a lump of...something rising from it. 'Holy shit!' he whispered.'



"Bobby! It does not say shit! There's no swear words in these stories."

"Sure there is, this is just the watered down version."



'The lump took shape, a huge purple-black creature that loomed over them. 'I'll be goddamned,' the thing laughed. 'You went an' found my rock.'

Jackie nodded and held it out for him. The thing came closer, its tentacles waving happily. Bobby shuddered as one of the waving appendages slapped the water near them. Jackie waded out into the water, holding it out to him.

'Kid...damn it, that is so fucking weird,' Bobby rushed after him and grabbed his shoulders. Jackie struggled in his grasp.

'Ugh, you humans, so feisty,' the blubbery thing rolled his dark eyes. 'Relax, he's giving me my shell, I lost it years ago.' He leaned down and held out one tentacle. 'Thanks, Little Jackie. Now, a deal's a deal, am I right? Hold still now.'

He plucked the shell from Jackie's hand and waved a tentacle over him. 'Hocus Pocus,' he snickered.

Jackie wobbled and fell backwards, landing beside Bobby in the water. 'Did it...I can do both?' he croaked, his throat rusty after not using it for three days. Bobby nearly fell over, his mouth open in stunned surprise.

'What, you can talk now?'

The blob thing laughed and laughed. 'Oh man, you are too damn amusing, the pair o' you. Yeah, you can do both. Go on, go swim home an' reassure your mama that you're alive. She's had half the damn kingdom searchin' for ya.'

Bobby blinked. 'What?' he echoed again. 'Kingdom?'

Jackie wriggled his toes, watching as they slowly faded away, merging into his green fin. He looked up at Bobby. 'Um, I can explain?' he offered.

From that day on, Jackie spent his time with both Bobby and his mother, and time with his family under the water, exploring both lands to his heart's content.'


"Wait, Bobby, there's more pages...why's that squid thing got a harpoon in the belly?"

"Never mind," Bobby closed the book and put it off to the side. "That ending isn't the right ending."

"Does the girl mermaid live happily ever after?" Jack yawned, rubbing at his eyes.

"Sure," Bobby said, smiling a bittersweet smile. "Don't they always in the stories?"

xx

Comments

[maxiekatt2.livejournal.com]

Bobby is, like, the best big brother ever, lol. I loved this, so cute and funny :)

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked it. Any requests for future fairytales?

[zxully.livejournal.com]

You don't need me saying that I love this, right? Well, if you do, I have to tell you that I totally couldn't wait for another chapter and here it is. <3 Lovely. <3

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Lol, I love hearing that people enjoy my writing. It reassures me that I'm not wasting my time.

And thanks! Glad you liked it. Any requests for future fairytales?

[zxully.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know this feeling. :D

Oh, I dunno! The Ugly Duckling? XD Or Sleeping Beauty? ;)

[littlewitch34.livejournal.com]

Aww! This was darling! I love that ending.

"...why's the squid thing got a harpoon in the belly?"
"Never mind. That ending isn't the right ending."

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Lol thanks! I don't like how cruel the real ending seems. What child needs to see a big squid impaled?