One-shots [Reqs: 5]

untitled leviathantale crossmare fic

uhhhh it's getting harder to come up with words to fill in between the title and the story

ehhhhhhh HOPE YOU ENJOY :D

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He wasn't sure how the gold could glitter as it did. No sunlight should be able to reach this far down, and yet, as he circled over the vast piles of that valued mineral, the wealth winked at him with a mysterious light. Cross didn't answer its flickering call, his narrowed eyes searching for something special. It had to mean something.

His long tail rippled behind him, the extended portion of his caudal fin flicking as he drifted closer to a small heap. The gold was cold, the worn coins smoothed by endless currents clinking gently against each other. He dug through the pile, separating the various precious currencies and gems. He didn't know what exactly he was looking for. He came here with the mindset that he'd know it when he found it. He wasn't sure he knew if he believed that or not.

Cross abandoned the pile, darting to another, larger mound, digging through it with vigor. There had to be something here, right? This place was massive, an endless ship graveyard that was in one of the many wasteland-ish portions of Nightmare's domain. Countless fallen ships, with their hulls torn and bodies broken in pieces, lay scattered across the plain, their gutted insides spilling out in heaps of crates and stolen goods. It was strangely grotesque, despite the lack of organs and bone and the overabundance of wood and weathered tar.

It was so far away from the trench that Cross was sure Nightmare wasn't aware of it. And even if he was, surely he didn't have knowledge of every single treasure and gold piece that littered the sandy ocean floor. At least, he hoped not.

He pulled out a large crystal from his current pile, turning the heavy ruby in his hands, mulling over it. It glittered obnoxiously, throwing out silver dots in spinning clusters. Frowning, he let it go, watching it practically drop to the seafloor, disturbing the sand. Yeah, no. The ruby stayed where it fell.

Diving into another pile, literally, Cross cringed at the chill of the various metals against his body. As fun as his scavenger hunt was, he really didn't like how this stuff felt. It was. Too familiar. Like the doctor's horrible tools. Shivering, he grabbed at anything that had a different shape from the coins and yanked himself out of the pile, swimming away with a huff, examining his findings.

A pearl necklace, which he dropped with a scoff, a strange foil, which he tossed aside, and a couple other trinkets, all of which he discarded. Groaning at the lack of success, Cross grumpily approached another pile, slapping at the various coins distastefully. A soft shine caught his eye, a muted yet vibrant shimmer beckoning from a small stack of crates. Head tilting, he hurried over, pushing the boxes over and looking for the source.

He paused, a hand on a half-rotten box, his eyelights dilating. This. He held the precious, precious item to his chest, ideas popping into his mind as he scanned the wreckage, a proud smile growing on his face. This was exactly what he was looking for.

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Cross tried to keep his expression flat, tried not to give away his excitement, but nearly every time he spoke, his voice would raise into a chirp. Thankfully, it was only twice, but it was enough to have Killer trying to snoop in his business. "C'mon, crossy! 'm sure it ain't that big of a deal, just tell me!" For the sixth time, Cross shot him a glare and hissed, "No."

It seemed to only invigorate Killer. With a snort, the shark mer began swimming in tight circles around Cross. "You know you can't resist forever, criss-cross!" Killer sang, smacking Cross's upper arm with the tip of his tail. Aggravated, Cross dipped away, fingers clenching as he felt Killer snag onto his dorsal fin. He dragged him along, twisting and turning to try and shake him off, but the idiot held on, whooping and cheering like it was a game. Cross was tempted to try taking a bite at him, but his common sense kept him at bay.