Troublesome Tides

Chapter Twenty

(This part I wrote at a camp so it might be shitty. Apologies in advance)

My eyes slowly opened. 'Where...am I...? Why...can't I...move...? Where's Matteo?!' I thought, feeling my anxiety creeping up on me.

I was underwater. Dark water.

I could only move my head. I looked to the side and saw chains.

After a few anxious minutes, I was blinded by a sudden light. My eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness. I eventually saw the last person I wanted to see.

"Hey, Tesoro," Diavolo smirked. "How are you?" I tried to respond but I couldn't open my mouth. "Oh! Right!" He laughed. "You can't talk,"

My tail swished back and forth angrily. I looked down and saw the muzzle he put on me.

"You really are stupid, aren't you? Thinking you could trust me. You idiot," Diavolo said, his smile fading. I rolled my eyes before glaring at him.
"Look, tesoro. I made a plan with Nicolo to get you to come back home. So, we're going to get people to drive you out of town," he smiled. I eventually realized I was in a glass tank, like a fish.

"Oh don't give me that look. This is for your own good. And I get some money out of it. Win-win," he smiled before sighing. "Look, I'm still going to feed you and stuff,"

I rolled my eyes. We used to communicate with blinks. Like an odd morse code.

"What do you mean I'm evil?" Diavolo asked. "I did not cheat on you. We were never dating to begin with. You just got it in your head that we were. I-I mean...I guess I did kind of kidnap- What did you just call me?!"

"I called you a fica, mother fucker," (google translate fica from Italian to English)

"Listen you little- no...you know what. I'm not going to get mad..." he trailed off.

'Why do I need to be chained up?' I blinked.

"So you don't attack me when I go in to give you food and so you don't escape. Any other questions?" He asked.
'Yes actually. Where's Matteo?' I asked with more blinks.

"It's always Matteo with you. Why do you care more about these random people than yourself?" Diavolo asked, leaning against the glass in front of me. I hissed.

"Okay, okay! Don't go near the glass! Jeez," he said as I hit the glass with my tail.

'Where is he?' I asked angrily.
"He's safe at home. Relax," He sighed.
'Completely safe? You didn't do anything to him?' I asked, my tail slightly shaking.

"Awww, is the 'little fish' scared?" he laughed. I hit my tail against the glass again. He jumped back.
'Answer me' I said through more blinks.

"Yes...maybe..." he responded. "Look, I wasn't told what Nicolo is doing with him," '

He's going to die

He's going to die

He's going to die

"The voices are back, aren't they?" Diavolo asked. "Listen Cairo. I might have done all these terrible, shitty things to you...but I still care about you. Please...don't listen to them..."

'They aren't saying the usual,'

"What are they saying?" He asked.

'I don't trust you,' I responded.
I tuned him out for the next few minutes.

"I give up. Look, I didn't want to do this," Diavoli said after what felt like years.

'You say that every time. I can't trust you,' I sighed. 'Prove it...'

"Prove what?" He asked.

'Prove that I can trust you,' I was silently thinking of a plan.

"No. You'll just manipulate me into letting you go. I'm not an idiot,"

'Eh, you kinda are'

"No I'm not! I'm smarter than you!" He yelled.

'What class do jawless fish belong to?' I asked.

"Why the fuck would I know that?!"

'Agnatha. You're a sea monster. You should know that. Here's an easy one. What is the fastest muscle in the human body?' I responded.

"I- why are you asking me these questions? I don't know," he responded, confused.

'To see if I'm smarter than you'
"Of course I am! Why would you need to test me?!" He asked.

'Who's the one here with an actual education? Who is the one here who knows the answers to these questions I'm asking you?'

"Oh shut the fuck up. Just because you go to that human school doesn't mean you're smarter than me!"

"What's the quadratic formula?" I asked.

"The fuck is a quadratic formula?!"

'Guess I'm smarter' I smiled.

"I'm done with you," He sighed. He grabbed a large tarp. "See you tomorrow, tesoro," he smiled before putting the tarp over the tank.

'Fucking hell. How long do I have to stay here...?' I thought.

I tried to get out of the chains but failed. 'Where the fuck did he even get these things?' I sighed.

It was dark. I could hardly see. Not that there was much for me to see. It was just water. Nothing else.

'I'm gonna kill him when I get out of this...'