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The ocean is dark and turbulent, a heaving mass that writhes and roils under their feet. Overhead the sky rumbles and the waves crash against the side of the ship, ocean spray reaching defiantly for the looming clouds. A battle of air and water, so many tiny lives trapped between, unnoticed.
Tweek clings to the railing, impossibly slick beneath his grip, and tries to see through the sheeting rain. Everything is dark and grey and violent. But even in the darkness, Tweek can feel the sudden unnatural movement of the ship, the way the deck nearly jerks out from beneath his very feet. The world twists, and out of the tumult comes something large and dripping and impossible.
“Tweek-”
It’s a tentacle, ashy purple in color and thicker than two men around. It slithers up the side of the ship and onto the deck, and despite the crashing waves, despite the rocking motion, Tweek can just barely see the giant creature lurking beneath the surface below them.
“Jesus man, just-”
Several more tentacles emerge from the water and wrap around the deck railing, pulling pulling pulling until the entire ship is listing with it, still being buffeted by the waves of the angry ocean.
Tweek scrambles against the deck, trying to find solid footing, trying to shield his eyes from the salty spray. The monster-
“Tweek!”
A hot, warm mouth presses against his and Tweek blinks and flails against the sudden onset. When he focuses he’s standing in front of Craig, in a tiny cabin, and the rocking beneath his feet is barely noticeable.
“Are you okay?” Craig asks, one hand sliding up to cup Tweek’s face. “You zoned out for a second, looked like you were panicking.”
He takes a shaky breath and lets it out slow, focuses on the warm metal he can feel against his cheek. The ring he’d slid onto Craig’s finger only a few hours ago. “Yeah,” he breathes. “Sorry. Just, a little scared of boats I think.”
Craig rolls his eyes. It’s a playful gesture, accompanied by a small curve of the lips. “Maybe you should have thought of that before we decided on a cruise for our honeymoon.”
“I didn’t know I was scared of them!”
“You’re anxious about nearly everything. I think we probably should have seen this coming.”
Tweek considers that for a moment, then nods. “You’re right. We should have.”
“You gonna be okay?”
“This trip cost us a lot of money. Yes I’m going to be okay.”
But the comment doesn’t make Craig laugh like Tweek had intended. Instead he frowns, looking slightly pensive. “Babe,” he starts, pauses. “I don’t care if it was expensive. If you can’t do this you can’t do this.”
And of course his boyf-fianc-husband. His fucking husband, because they got marrried today and Tweek can feel a bubble of excitement rise in his chest all over again at the thought. Anyways, of course his husband would be endearingly sweet about absolutely everything.
“I’ll be okay Craig, it was just my thoughts getting away from me.”
Craig studies him for a second, but whatever he finds in Tweek’s face must reassure him because he smiles and nods. “Okay. Lets go enjoy our honeymoon then.”
Tweek tangles their fingers and leads them out of the cabin.
oOo
The fruity alcoholic drink in his hand is cold enough to make his fingers go slightly numb. Tweek sighs and shifts it to his other hand, unwilling to give up the lazy way he’s sipping at it. He’s stretched out on a lounge chair under the bright sun, Craig laid out next to him.
They’re both only wearing sunglasses and bathing suits, and they managed to score some prime chairs at the very edge of the deck where they can look out at the water and the frothy white wake of the ship.
Tweek is slathered in way too much sunscreen but the alcohol makes up for it. Honestly this trip was just what they needed. They’re both so used to the cold and snow land-locked Colorado, and being out in such warm, humid weather is something of an experience. They’re headed for Mexico, two days there, one day on land, the two days back. It’s not much, but it’s just for them, and Tweek already loves it. Even if they lost sight of land a while ago and that made him a little nervous.
“Is there something in the water?” Craig asks suddenly, sliding his glasses down his nose to squint out at the ocean.
The comment immediately makes Tweek’s heart jump into his throat. He bites his lip and tells himself he’s not going to panic again, but he’s already setting his drink aside and standing to look over the rail.
At first all he sees is the disturbed waves their ship is leaving behind, the way they’re thick and white right beneath him and then fade the further out they get. But then he thinks he catches sight of something just beneath surface. Large and almost pale, maybe a few feet down? Or a few hundred, he can’t be sure.
Tweek leans out over the rail, trying to get a better look, and hears a soft warning from Craig behind him. But he doesn’t pay attention, because the rail is sturdy metal and there’s no way it’s going to snap under his weight.
Which is exactly what it does.
Snaps, that is, with a horrifying screeching of metal that rings in Tweek’s ears even as he tries to back peddle. Distantly, he hears the sound of his name again even as he starts to fall, salty sea air whistling past him.
The ocean parts beneath him, and he’s confused at first, more focused on the fact that he just fell off the damn cruise ship. But then something pale and grey and absolutely massive emerges from the water, with huge black eyes and so many rows of teeth when it opens its terrible jaws that Tweek can’t keep track of them all.
And he’s falling. Straight. Towards it.
The shark, because despite being the size of the ship itself, that has to be what it is, tilts its head back like it’s ready to catch the little bite-sized snack heading its way.
Tweek opens his mouth to scream, but suddenly there are warm arms wrapped tight around his waist and he’s sitting on a lounge chair on the deck.
“Shhh,” Craig murmurs into his ear, and Tweek shudders.
“I was-” he starts, then chokes on his words.
“It’s okay, baby.” Those arms tighten again, pulling Tweek flush with his husband’s chest, and he melts into the hold, waiting for his breathing to calm down. It had looked so real, so vivid in every way.
“I’m sorry,” Craig says after a while, his chin tucked against Tweek’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have said anything, it just ended up scaring you.”
A little awkwardly Tweek pats at Craig’s arm, trying to be reassuring while still wracked with tiny tremors. “It’s fine. Can we uh…can we go back to our room though? Just for a bit.”
Craig kisses his cheek, his lips warm and soft. “Of course, sweetheart.”
oOo
The beaches in Mexico are absolutely stunning, all pale sand and water so clear you can see the bottom from the top deck. Craig and Tweek disembark with everyone else and then hit all the tourist trap shops they can find, looking for perfect terrible gifts for all their friends back home.
Once done with that they head to a smaller, quieter beach and sign up to go snorkeling with a guide. They bring an underwater camera, snap lots of pictures (including one of Craig getting pinched by the giant hermit crab he’d insisted on picking up) and generally have a good time. The rest of the day they spend riding buses up and down the coast, finding areas where the beaches are rocky and dangerous and beautiful.
By the time they’re back on the ship that evening, they’re both absolutely exhausted. Normally they stay up a bit because the cruise always has after hours activities going on, from the casino room to the on deck movies, but they crawl into their bed in the cabin and pass out.
Tweek wakes to the sound of gently cresting waves.
He’s not concerned at first, but then he rolls over and tries to snuggle into his pillow only to get a mouthful of sand. He sits up fast enough to give himself whip lash, attempting to spit sand out and take in the beach around him in the same move.
Where is he? There’s nothing but sand and water stretching endlessly away from him. Behind, there’s a wall of trees so dense he can’t even tell the foliage apart from each other. It’s dark, but there’s no moon, only a faint luminescence that catches on the very tips of the waves as they roll in.
He’s just starting to panic, because seriously he knows they got back on the ship, when Craig materializes right next to him. His husband’s clothes are ripped and water-logged and he looks bruised and tired with big, dark circles under his eyes. But his gaze is sharp and bright even in the darkness, almost glowing. A flash of white teeth shows his smile.
“Hey, babe. You finally woke up.”
“Craig, what the fuck?” Tweek asks a little desperately, jumping to his feet. He’s barefoot and the sand is cool against his skin.
“The ship went down. We washed up here.”
That answers literally none of Tweek’s questions and raises about a million more. He gapes for a moment, speechless, before he manages a slight screech sound to convey his distress.
But Craig just smiles again, and despite being bruised and looking like he might fall asleep on his feet, he pulls Tweek close to him.
“It’s okay. I’m here, remember? We’ll get through this.”
Tweek’s heart is pounding in his chest and anxiety is eating through his veins. But those arms around him are warm and comforting, familiar. He relaxes into the hold and nods against Craig’s chest.
“Right. Together.”
Craig kisses his forehead, and Tweek sighs.
In the cabin, safe on the ship, Tweek rolls over in his sleep. Craig mutters a little, pulling his husband tighter against him, and they both settle, undisturbed.