Chapter Text
Scott eventually pulls away from Acho with glassy eyes. Star himself is nervous as he backs up in the small tank unsure of what to do with himself. He got what he wanted, to be back safe in his brother's arms, but Acho hadn't wanted it like this. Scott wipes his tears and gives Acho a watery smile.
“Okay… um…,” Scott awkwardly starts
“Hi,” Acho laughs full of anxiety
“You're alive,” Scott points out “and a siren… how?”
“I-I don't really know. One moment I was dead and drowned and the next I looked like this,” Acho summarizes, flicking his tail nervously against the glass before they huff and smack it “Can- can i get out of this now?”
“Yeah! Yeah, of course,” Kyle jumps in
The glass is broken leaving Acho to spill out of the tank which ends up taking Scott down with him. Guess now is as good a time as any to see if he can shapeshift as Acho lays on the floor of the Kestrel base. Focusing on their body, Acho feels the bones in his lower half shift and bend to form two legs. Blinking open gray eyes, Acho smiles at Scott before looking down at their new legs. They notice how their clothes are ripped and torn to a near unusable point before Scott helps Acho stand on weary legs.
“I heard about sirens being able to do this,” Scott comments
“Only turned sirens,” Acho adds on as star slowly gets a hand of standing “Born sirens can't change forms,”
“Woah,” Kyle comments before being shoved by Sausage
“I can probably get back to the cave I made under the docks now,” Acho says as he turns to head towards the town before pausing and turning towards the Kestrel docks “Actually… I don't think I want people to see me like this…,”
“I'll meet you under the town docks, okay?” Scott lingers a hand on Acho’s
“Yeah, that'd be nice,” Acho smiles
As soon as Acho hits the water again, star’s body shifts back into the tail form. They cherish the water before seeing Scott tear into Sausage and Kyle. Leaving with a laugh, Acho swims back to his traps and gathers the fish from them before resetting them. Scott never said when he'd be visiting, leaving Acho to himself for now, simply hunting and gathering their spoils.
When nightfall comes, Scott follows. Acho sees him walking with Sausage but the siren hisses at the Kestrel before the man gets the hint and leaves the Denholm brothers alone. They exchange stories until the sun rises and Scott sneaks back to the Heron base. The days pass easily like that until Acho forces Scott to skip a day in order to catch up on sleep. It's a lonely night but Acho finds it tolerable. The day begins like any other as Acho weaves seaweed to make better padding for his bed before going out to collect more fish. Armed with a knife they found in the water, Acho swims too close to the surface and too close to the docks. The water is disturbed as a harpoon is launched into the water embedding itself right in Acho's tail. Everything in their arms is abandoned as Acho screams beneath the waves. The rope connected to the harpoon tightens and yanks Acho up and up onto the docks, tearing at star’s flesh. The sound of star's screams can be heard once their head is above the water until a gag is shoved in their mouth. Blindly, Acho lashes out at the two pirates he sees until their hands are caught and tied together.
“Hell yeah!” The female pirate shouts in triumph “we could hang its skeleton up in the kite base!”
“No one will mess with us Kites now!”
“What are you doing!?” Another pirate shouts from the side as Acho continues to sob into the gag as his tail shoots ravaging pulses of pain from where the harpoon is still located
“Hey! This is our prize, Graecie!” the first woman yells as the brunette shoves her away
“Our prize, yeah!” The male joins in
“Bek! That is a thinking, breathing person!” Graecie scolds them
Acho tunes out the argument over him as he curls up in pain, their blood staining the docks red. More people arrive at the sound of the commotion until Acho sees Scott rushing over while Sausage shoots this gun into the air to get everyone to be quiet.
“Acho, Acho focus on me,” Scott begs them as he picks his little brother up and into his lap. Acho screams into the gag as the movement causes the harpoon to shift “oh God,”
“Acho? Who's Acho?” One of the kites asks
“Acho is Scott's brother turned siren who you just tried to kill!” Kyle yells
“Hold on, what?” the kite from before questions again “People can turn into sirens?”
“Yes!” Multiple voices shout at the male kite
Acho ignores them as the brunette kneels down and cuts off the gag and rope tying Acho, leaving his sobbing to be openly heard. Scott tries to soothe him but Acho can't listen as the pain and cold fills their body.
“We need to pull the harpoon out and pack the wound,” Graecie says from the other side of Scott
“Please, please please. It hurts, Scott it hurts. Make it stop,” Acho babbles as he clings onto his brother's jacket that is slowly gathering Acho's blood
“I know, I know,” Scott responds before turning to Graecie “on one,”
“Wha-?” Acho blinks, confused until Graecie grabs the harpoon, making him stifle a scream at the jolt
“Three… Two… One!” Scott yells
Acho only has a moment to wonder what the counting is before the harpoon is ripped from their tail and everything goes black and blurred. It's not even a peaceful blur as more pain comes to them as gauze is shoved into the bleeding hole in their tail. Acho returns to himself screaming and begging them to stop.
“It'll be okay, shhh, you'll be just fine,” Scott tries to sooth as the pirate runs his hands comfortingly through Acho's hair just like Scott did when they were children
Acho screams again when the final gauze is packed into the wound by Graecie. Blood is everywhere as some pirates pale at the amount, some even gagging at the viciousness. Acho has run out of energy and tears as Scott simply continues to try and calm his little brother down. Acho barely musters the energy to cry at each tightening of the bandages being wrapped around his tail until Graecie backs up with bloody hands.
“It's over, it's over Acho. You did it, you'll be just fine,” Scott gives a tired smile as Acho hums in response
“We should take him to the- the nightingale pond,” Graecie huffs, having clearly been taxed by having to tend to Acho's wound
“Good idea…,” Acho hears Cleo says but doesn't have enough energy to do anything more than acknowledge his brother's friend
“What is all this screaming!” a voice interrupts the group
“Christian?” Acho blinks as the leader joins the group
“Acho? I heard you were… oh- oh what has happened to you?!” Christian demands
“Bek and Tubbo attacked him,” one of the pirates informs the heron leader
“You two will clean this entire mess up or so help me-,” Christian growls “I don't know what's up with you kites but this is the Faction Isles! Fighting is not allowed!”
Acho wants to laugh as the two kites get scolded but exhaustion is tugging him down. Scott seems to notice Acho's dilemma as he gently shoves Acho to get the younger to open his eyes again.
“Hey… hey Acho no,” Scott calls to the tired siren “no sleeping yet,”
“Why?” Acho nearly whines
“You can sleep once we get to the Nightingale pond,” Scott says before turning to the group “Can one of you help me carry him over?”
“We could make a stretcher!,” a pirate with a long braid pipes up
“With what, exactly?” Kyle asks as he walks forwards and kneels by Acho's tail “Sorry dude, this is gonna hurt,”
Kyle didn't lie as Acho smothers his scream as star is lifted up and readjusted to be held better. The pain is honestly exhausting and Acho really wants to sleep as every jolt along the path to the Nightingales sends pain through his body. Acho can still hear Christian yelling at Bek and Tubbo as Graecie stares at her far too bloody hands until another pirate helps her up. Scott rambles during the walk to keep Acho's attention until they finally get to the pool and lower Acho in.
“We made it,” Scott says through a forced smile as he kneels next to the water “you'll be just fine,”
“Can I sleep now?” Acho asks, laying in the sandy shore
“Yeah, you rest. I'll be right here,”
Acho hums as the fatigue finally consumes them. The dream is peaceful and empty as Acho sinks into it knowing his brother won't let anything get to him.