bakerstreet | Blinded me with science

Entry tags:

[meme] shipping

Blinded me with science

more than E X P E R I M E N T A L

In this laboratory setting you've found yourself in - be it a shady, fly-by-night hackjob, a secret governmental facility, or a sleek, state-of-the art facility - there's no room for error. What's done is done for science: pure, perfect, uncorrupted by human foibles. Data is the only language spoken, reason the guiding light. And for all this progress to occur smoothly, everyone must know their proper role, from the specialists at work to the lowly crew...and, of course, any experiments involved. Some more bleeding hearts would feel sorry for the latter, but make no mistake, they're little more than lab rats. They are not to be pitied. Emotion shouldn't even be wasted on them.

Especially not an emotion as messy and useless in and of itself as romantic love. Why, you wouldn't want to jeopardize the breakthrough of the ages on account of some fairy tale, would you? Besides, it would be the most unfulfilling of relationships, for you could never be with your beloved test subject.

Unless.

Unless you broke them out. Such an action would be highly illogical and, more importantly, met with severe punishment. Are they worth all that?

How to Play
- Your character is either some sort of test subject/creature/weapon/misunderstood and otherwise tortured prisoner of science OR an outside party (scientist, doctor, janitor, visitor, journalist, sky's the limit). They meet their opposite. They fall in love. Bad Shit happens. Nobody's happy.
- Comment with your character, preferences, role, info, all the good stuff.
- Reply to others.
- Be tragic and miserable together.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

He could have killed him, would have been easy to, but might have gotten noisy, and they had to be stealthy about this.

Arthur quietly swore, the damage to the creature's throat was pretty bad, but there wasn't anything to be done about it. He expertly picked the lock, the collar and chain sinking to the bottom of the tank and he helped the merman out and onto the concrete floor before going over to his bag and pulling out the clothes.

"Here, need to get you dressed and lookin' like you're one of them brainiacs." he said

Phoenix lets out an audible sigh of relief as the chain falls away from his neck, rolling his head to work out the kinks. He braces himself on Arthur's shoulders, hooking his claws on his clothes as Arthur helps him out and he settles on the concrete. In the fluorescent light without the filter of water, his tail looks all the more sickly. He flicks it, flicking off water.

Before he accepts the clothes, he points at a pile of towels set aside under a desk for when the scientists are splashed. He needs to dry off a bit before his tail will split.

Already, the gills at his ribs flutter closed, appearing closer to odd scars than actual gills. His fanned ears diminish, forming something closer to a human ear with slightly feathered shapes around the lobe, looking less like a fan and more like a minor, easily missed birth deformity. The film over his eyes recedes, removing any kind of filter between them and the world, and his eyes are the same too-blue color as his tail was before he got ill. Brilliant blue, enough to draw attention, but not enough to convince people he's not human.

Arthur nodded and grabbed the towels, bringing them over and began to pat the creature's fish body down, trying not to rub and irritate the scales into flaking off more.

"Gotta get you on two feet and quick..." he muttered, watching the change in the merman's face.

He was...rather...

Arthur shook himself and kept his attention on his tail and drying him down.

Phoenix knows that look on humans. It's not the first time one has given it to him. Normally he'd have some fun and wink and flirt, but right now they have bigger problems, so he just has a flicker of a smile before grabbing one of the spare towels to pat down his arms and chest. The webbing between his fingers recedes, his claws becoming instead human nails, a little thicker than most humans'. The iridescent sheen on his skin disappears. The scales climbing up from his hips to his abdomen recede. As he becomes more human, the muscles in his chest and back become more recognizable. Atrophied in the tiny cell, but still present, still as developed as any wild animal's would be.

His tail is a more gradual process. A divot develops down the middle of the tail as the fins grow smaller. The divot grows until it creates a full split, leaving Phoenix with what appears to be two tails before the scales recede, replaced by skin, and the fins curl up to form feet.

And there he is. A fully naked man. And his legs are a mess, atrophied and gray with open sores where his scales had peeled or scientists had taken samples. There's no sense of modesty, no shyness about being nude as a human instead of as a merman, but Phoenix pulls the clothes close anyway to start pulling on a button-up shirt and buttoning it as fast as he can, eager to get out of the lab.

"You're a right mess." he said quietly, taking in the man's state. He hoped a bit of salt water would help but, he doubted it, open sores like those needed treatment didn't they? he weren't sure, he weren't no fish.

As the change finished, he helped him into the clothes as best he could then took the scientist's ID tag-just in case-before peering out the door. No one coming yet.

"Okay, here-" he clipped the ID tag to the lab coat and helped the merman to his newly formed feet. "Can you walk?"

Phoenix clears his throat as he gets used to being in clothes again, taking Arthur's hand to stand up on two wobbly legs. He doesn't let Arthur go, bracing himself on the man's shoulder so he can get settled.

"If it means getting out," he says quietly. "I could walk on coals."

His voice has changed a touch too. It's still rough, still has a rich undertone, but there's less of a hypnotic pull now. He runs his hand through his hair, ruffling it so it looks a bit less distinctive, and wraps his arm around Arthur's. He talks a big game, but it'll be a lot easier to walk if Arthur's helping him.

"Where next?" he murmurs.

"Admirable of you." he chuckled, helping him stand "Though I'm afraid that won't help your sores problem none."

He looked him over, making sure he looked okay, or at least passable. H was about to lead him out of the room when he thought of something and had the merman lean on door frame. He quickly went over to the book and tossed it into the tank before slinging his arm around his shoulder and leading on.

"You got a name?" Arthur asked as they made their way down the empty hall.

Phoenix smirks when he watches Arthur toss the book into the tank, leaning his shoulder against the door frame until Arthur comes back. He leans against Arthur, doing his best to make his gait as natural as possible when it feels like his legs are jelly.

"Phoenix," he says. Did his parents have a weird sense of humor naming a mythical fish after a mythical bird? Did they somehow predict their son's tendency to get in horrible situations and somehow get out of them all the better for it? Who knows? "You're Arthur, right?"

"Phoenix? Alright." he did find a little amusement in the irony of a fire based creature being the name of a water one but made no further comment on it. It was a good name.

"Yea I'm Arthur. Arthur Morgan" he confirmed with a crooked smile "Pleased to meet you."

A moment longer, then he began to help Phoenix along down the hallway.

It was tense, every moment Arthur expected another guard or a scientist or someone to round a corner and know immediately what was up, but they ran into no one for a long while. Then a pair of janitors passed them by, chattering between themselves and all but ignoring the guard and the "scientist".

Arthur let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

Phoenix smiles back, and he maintains an easy smile even as the janitors pass by. For a merman, he has an excellent poker face, looking totally relaxed as he slings an arm around Arthur's shoulder. From the outside, it looks like camaraderie, or maybe even a little friendly drinking on the job between friends, but really it's just to add more support as he walks.

"Talk to me," Phoenix says quietly. "Where are you from?"

Maybe it should be concerning that blending in with humans comes so easily to Phoenix, but at the moment, it's his best chance at staying alive. He's always liked to spend time among humans, learning about how they do things and making friends among them who never have an inkling he's not like them, and now the skills he's learned are going to save his sorry hide.

"Seriously? Right now?" he muttered, then sighed, figuring maybe the guy was nervous as he was. "I'm from all over, born in the Northwest though. Spent-" he paused, nodding politely to a tired looking researcher who didn't give them a second look. "Spent most of my years with a gang."

He paused, checked the time then steered Phoenix down the hall towards the garage.

"Technically a gang, was far more like family. Learned to read, write, ride, shoot, hunt, you name it I learned it with them." he reflected, a small tone of pain in his voice. "Anyway, that time is long past."

"Yep, right now. Two people talking arm in arm is more normal than two people silent arm in arm," Phoenix says, voice calm and smooth. Arthur may know how to fight, but Phoenix is very good at acting like he belongs in places he's not meant to be, and then getting in and out without anyone realizing he wasn't meant to be there.

Plus, you know. Talking is likely to make Arthur less tense, which will make the people around him less likely to think there's anything to be tense about.

Phoenix's ears twitch as he listen--the gesture isn't as dramatic without his fins, but one can imagine them fanning outward for him to hear better.

"Why are you here now, then?" Phoenix asks. He hears the pain in Arthur's voice and doesn't want to pry into stories about the family he's lost. At least, not when they're trying to escape.

He's glad he doesn't push it, he had to keep his mind on things and get Phoenix out. "They was looking for security, and didn't ask too many questions." he replied simply. "Just needed to sign a waver sayin' I can tell no on of what I've seen." he chuckled a little "To be fair, still followin' that rule, though I imagine they could still prosecute me for stealin' what they view as theirs."

Arthur glanced at him with a determined look. "Way I see it though, no one can be someone else's property."

The doors to the garage were up ahead, but as he peered around the corner, he spotted a guard, sitting and using his phone.

"Stay here" he breathed, unwinding Phoenix's arm from his, filled a syringe with a sedative, and silently came up on him.

There was a short but muffled cry of pain and then Arthur dragged him out of sight before coming back to the merman.

Phoenix smiles when Arthur says that. No one can be someone else's property. Yeah, he can't have said it better himself.

A part of him wants to suggest they just walk by the guard casually, but Arthur's the one taking the biggest risk here so they're going to do it his way. Phoenix leans against the wall as Arthur leaves him, chewing his lip nervously as he watches. He winces at the muffled cry of pain--even after all he's been through, he doesn't relish witnessing the pain of some guard who may or may not know what he's guarding--but the guard will be fine, he knows. It's just a sedative.

As Arthur comes back, Phoenix wraps his arm around his shoulder again. There's a level of casual intimacy in the way Phoenix allows Arthur to hold him, and it can probably be brushed off as just the necessity, but there's also a level of Phoenix's enduring openness peering through too. Phoenix has always had the curious ability to be hurt relentlessly by others and still retain the ability to trust someone again.

"Do you know how many more guards there might be?" he asks softly.

Arthur paused by the sleeping guard and gave him the security camera room keys, attaching them to his belt before leading on towards his truck. They all switched around who got the keys for the evening, he hoped giving them to another guard would add to the confusion.

"Just the gate guard." Arthur said, manually unlocking the truck and helping Phoenix into the passenger seat, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and over his head. "Pretend that you're vomitin' okay? Here-" he took the bucket of basic supplies from the flatbed, tossing the items on the floor in the backseat before giving it to Phoenix. Bend your head over that and don't look up. Gavin's on duty tonight, usually don't ask questions about sick employees, germaphobe or somethin'"

He gave Phoenix's shoulder a reassuring squeeze then closed the door and went around to the driver's seat to climb in and start the truck.

Clever. Phoenix can definitely see the gang roots here. He allows Arthur to help him into the car, hissing as he’s finally able to sit down. His legs are on fire. It feels like he’s been running a marathon.

Phoenix follows instructions to the letter, putting his head down and hugging the bucket like it’s a lifeline. He channels the nerves of the situation into holding the bucket for dear life and starting to moan softly with his forehead resting on the rim as they approach the gate guard. He doesn’t try to imitate retching—he’s not sure he could even if he wanted to, since that’s not something fish can do and it’s not something merpeople can do in human form—but he can do a damn good impression of a nauseous human.

And that’s all he has to do. An impression. Don’t look up and let Arthur do the talking, and it’ll be okay.

Arthur reached the gate soon enough, Gavin getting up, setting a newspaper aside and pulling out a flashlight.

"Evening Arthur, you're leaving early aren't you?" he commented, though his eyes immediately snapped to Phoenix.

"Yea I'm taking David home, food poisonin' or something, ain't sure" Arthur said, giving poor "David's" back a rub.

Gavin pulled a face, "Well, you returning later or shall I mark you down as done for the night?"

"Probably best, gonna keep an eye on him, ain't got anyone at home so thought I'd stick around."

"You're a good man, off with you now" Gavin said, waving him on through and raising the security pole.

Smooth as silk.

Arthur didn't breathe again until they were out of the area and heading deeper into the city.

Phoenix doesn't say a word, hugging the bucket like he really is planning on getting sick for a wile. It's something that's self-soothing. As they get further and further away from the facility, his whole body starts to shake.

He sits up, pale as he finally puts the bucket down.

"We're out," he says. It's small, the first time he's really allowed his nerves and fear sink into his voice. Good God, he'd thought he was going to die in there.

And... he's not. They got out. He's free. Thanks to Arthur.

He waits, shaking, until the car is at a complete stop. And then he leans into the driver side and kisses Arthur's cheek.

He's happy to do far more than kiss his cheek, but maybe not when Arthur hasn't even had a chance to register his preference on the matter.

"Yea, but we ain't free yet, still got to get you to the ocean. I reckon we have two days tops before they figure out it was me. Hopefully by then we'll be long gone." he said, pulling into his parking spot and giving himself a moment to breathe, exhaustion creeping into him.

Arthur turned at the little kiss. "Uhh, what was that for?" he asked, a slight pink flush staining his neck and cheeks at the unexpected affection.

"What do you think?" Phoenix smiles. It reaches the corner of his eyes. "Helping me."

Proving him right again that there are good humans. That good humans do stand up to bad ones, and it's not worth it to shut out the world of land dwellers because some of them are cruel.

(Plus, you know. Being attractive. But mostly for the other stuff.)

"Oh. Well...you're welcome." he nodded with a small smile retuned. He got out and helped Phoenix, letting him lean on him as he led the way into the apartment building, taking the elevator up a decent way before getting out on the landing. Arthur unlocked his apartment door and let Phoenix in, closing and locking it behind them.

The place was sparse, he hadn't been living here long it seemed, and he didn't own a lot to begin with. There was a secondhand couch and a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, a few books stacked beside the couch, no tv. He led Phoenix on to the bathroom where the tub of salty water sat.

"I hope I got the salinity right" he said, "Relax for a bit, I'll get you somethin' to eat." he said, heading back to the kitchen

Phoenix has to lean on Arthur a lot more now that they're not in the facility and his pure adrenaline isn't killing the pain in his legs. Honestly, it's a wonder he's been able to walk at all. His eyes soften as he sees the tub Arthur prepared for him. He really had thought ahead, hadn't he?

As Arthur leaves, Phoenix starts taking off his clothes. He tries to fold them, but he folds them like a child would, clearly unpracticed. The pants stick to the sores on his legs, and he has to peel them gently off, the insides spotted red and yellow from his wounds. The agitation makes some of them bleed again, so he's grateful to slide into the tub.

The tub is too small for him, but that's fine, because properly salted water in a small tub is a sight better than fresh water in a small tank. His tail appears again quickly, as do his fins and all the other features of his true form. He settles into the water so it passes through the gills at the lower part of his ribs, the tip of his tail sticking out from the water and tilted towards his head so he doesn't drip on the floor. He sighs in relief, risking a rub to his raw, blistered neck to ease some of the soreness there before pillowing his head on his arms on the edge of the tub.

"The water's perfect," he says as Arthur returns. Or well, it's as perfect as tub water can be. With the return of his tail, his voice has regained that hypnotic quality again, the magical enticement that could conceivably lure a sailor into drowning himself.

"Let me know if you need me to stop talking. Sometimes humans do weird things when I talk in this form." Which is part of the reason why he usually doesn't talk as a merman. He's had to dive in to save one too many drowning humans.

Arthur got out of his security guard uniform and into a blue button up shirt, suspenders and dark brown pants, usual comfortable attire for him. He then got a plate of deli roast beef and the rest of the hard boiled eggs he'd cooked up and returned to the bathroom, finding the merman had squeezed himself into the tub. Weren't anything luxurious but he was glad the water's salt levels seemed to be good.

He stared when he spoke, then shook his head. Weird...

"Yea, its strange hearin' you talk, like you're in my head or somethin'" he said, setting the plate of food down by the tub and leaning against the sink.

Edited (grammar) 2021-04-25 05:37 (UTC)

In this form, the fins rimming Phoenix's ears are more reliable indications of his attention than his eyes. They're relaxed, but they still fan out as Arthur begins to speak, flicking to wick off water from their tips.

"It's not intentional." He nods his thanks, beginning to pick at the offered food slowly but steadily. He's determined to finish it, but it'll take a moment because his ill health has killed his appetite. "It should be safe here because there aren't any bodies of water you'd need to throw yourself in to get closer, but let me know if you want me to stop talking anyway."

He gets that he's... influential like this, and not always in ways he can control or predict. And he doesn't want to spin Arthur's brains in circles if he can avoid it.

Every time he spoke it felt...strange...like he'd do whatever he asked of him. But he was aware of it.

"Your voice makes people want to drown themselves?" Arthur asked, then realized who-or rather 'what'-he was speaking to. "Oh, so you're like a syren? Or a mermaid...merman. Or are they all the same thing?"

Up until a few months ago he didn't know either existed out of movies and books and stuff, then he made Phoenix's acquaintance.

"Why didn't your voice lure them scientists into drownin' themselves in your tank?" Maybe he was more susceptible because he weren't as smart as them.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject