Comfort
God, this turned out longer than expected. I wanted to write more fish girl and Emma's comments about the Laurduck arc inspired me. Plus, I'm a simp for Henry. Expect a lot of him. There will be a follow up to this, featuring Emily and Emma's husband's OC, Levi.
Laura and the designs in mind belong to @asktrio516
The ocean normally calmed Laura down. Her home was a beautiful world of its own, with its people, landscapes, flora, and weather. Swimming through it allowed her to clear her mind, enjoy herself, and simply be free.
Now, the ocean seemed to be mimicking her emotional state. The currents were going every which way, dragging her down, then pushing her up, pulling her from side to side. It was all she could do just to keeping swimming ahead.
She didn't want to give up. She knew it would take her back to Sodor. And she couldn't bear seeing the island. That form. That beach.
The beach that both the best and worst days of her life had happened.
She'd met Duck when he passed by, taking a walk on Bluff's Cove after a long day of shunting. She'd noticed the wheels on his ankles and slowly came above water to talk to him. They'd struck up a conversation about being "different" than others, and slowly gotten closer. Soon enough, that friendship turned to love.
But it was all ruined now. Diesel had found them out. Gordon and James had been so harsh to him...Duckie would be scrapped if she talked to him anymore. She...she had to leave him behind.
Suddenly, a current stronger than most pushed her backwards. Caught up in her memories, she couldn't fight back and it dragged the young mermaid a decent way backwards.
Shaking her head, Laura began to swim forward again, aching to go. But her keen ears picked up a voice above her, above the surface. She glanced up.
A humanoid with gray skin. Wearing a green jacket.
She screwed her eyes shut and tried to ignore him. She couldn't... she couldn't speak to him...
"Laura!"
It was quiet but reached her. Her beautiful, aqua green eyes snapped open again. That was not Duck's voice. She kicked her tail wildly, breaking through to the surface in just a few seconds.
That was Henry standing over her, green hair slightly frazzled and his own black eyes worried. He let out a massive sigh of relief when she surfaced.
"Thank Lady, I was starting to think you'd just head out to sea never to be seen again."
Laura sighed. "I was hoping to."
"No, Laura, please," Henry begged, grabbing one of her hands and clasping it in his own gloved one. "Please. Can we talk?"
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She'd decided to hear him out. The engine and the mermaid sat together on the beach, side by side, not saying anything for the first few seconds.
"Why?" Henry asked, simply.
"I can't lose him, Henry," Laura said shakily. "I just...I just can't."
"But that's exactly what you're doing. You're letting him go."
"Better I go and he lives, than I stay and he's-he's-"
She couldn't bring herself to say it. Just the thought of him slowly rolling into the Smelters...all because of her...
"Wait," Henry stammered. "You-you think that, that Duck would be scrapped if you kept dating him?!"
She sniffed, trying to keep her tears back, and slowly nodded.
"Laura that's ridiculous! It's not law that engines can't date non-engines! It's just a silly, unspoken rule that old-fashioned people like Gordon still abide by."
"James too," she pointed out.
"Oh to hell with James!" Henry exclaimed. "Laura, Duck wouldn't be scrapped. I doubt he'd even be told off by Sir Topham Hatt! What on Earth made you think he'd be scrapped?"
She sighed. "D-Diesel said he would."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Of course that little fucker did. He can make anyone do anything..."
Not sure how to respond, Laura just stayed silent. What Henry was saying was giving her a little hope, but she didn't dare let that clear her head. Henry might just have been trying to make her feel better.
"Laura, has Duck ever told you about the time he was kicked out of Tidmouth Sheds?"
She glanced at her plant-loving friend in confusion. "Yeah, he said a couple engines kicked out after some fake rumors and he went to stay with Edward for a while."
"Yes," Henry sighed. "Did he say who?"
"No."
"Well, it was Gordon, James, and...and me."
Her head snapped up. "You?!"
"Me," Henry nodded. "Apparently, according to Diesel and the Truck, he called me "Old Square Wheels," "Living Plant," and... well, there wasn't another name, but..."
"But what?"
"There was a rumor saying that I was a useless, frightened, failed prototype."
Laura gasped and bit her lip. She knew that Henry had had steaming issues in the past, but...that was just...horrible.
"Diesel started it all. He wanted to give Duck some vengeance for some petty thing they'd argued over,' the green engine explained. "And like the idiots we are, James, Gordon and I believed him."
"Laura," he continued. "Diesel can make anyone believe anything. Don't feel bad that he tricked you. But please listen to me."
He put his hands on her shoulders. They were shockingly strong, but gentle, just like the engine himself and his voice.
"Please, don't let Duck go. I can see you love him. And he loves you more than anything else. As long as you two make each other happy, who cares what some old unspoken rule says?"
The mermaid bit her lip. He'd make a good case, but she was still unsure. "I...I need to think. Thank you, Henry."
She shared a brief hug with him and, with the promise of not trying to escape again, and to bring him a waterwheel plant for his collection, dived back into the sea.
She needed to know what was best.
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DEAR GOD THIS WAS LONG. EMMA I AM SO SORRY FOR SPAMMING YOU, I PROMISE THE NEXT ONE WILL BE THE LAST ONE!
Love ya <3
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