Sea of Secrets (SOS) AKA Mernick - Part 1
He supposed he was grateful that he had someone to discuss these dreams with; most of his acquaintances thought the idea of interacting with humans was preposterous, an absolute taboo. However, Maya could understand. She was perfectly content with her life under the sea, but would always listen to Nick, humour him even when he got a little crazy or carried away, and Nick was thankful for this. Everyone said they were sure he and Maya would marry one day, but secretly, Nick couldn’t see that happening. They’d pretended to get married as children, because all little girls dream of getting married, but it was always a light-hearted affair. Sure, she was a nice girl, but he didn’t feel there was any romantic chemistry between them.
“It’s amazing what they have up there, Maya. Little boxes with moving pictures and other weird contraptions that sound comes out of. They have so much, where we seem to have so little. I know I should be thankful for everything, and I am, but sometimes, I just wish I could have something more.”
Instinctively, he found himself clutching at the locket he wore around his neck. He’d had it for as long as he could remember, but couldn’t fathom why he felt such a strong connection to it. He’d never even been able to open it, no matter how much he tried, but couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it. He glanced wistfully down at his blue tail, wondering what it would be like to have it replaced by a pair of legs and finding himself smiling at the thought.
“Don’t feel bad, Nick. I think deep down everybody wishes for more, hoping that their life has meaning. As for me, I’m happy with where I am, but it’s only natural to question whether you could get more.”
Nick smiled sadly. “I wish it were possible... y’know, to become... one of them. Human.”
“Knowing you, you’d find a way,” Maya replied reassuringly.
Drifting into his own thoughts again, he looked upwards at the refracted sunlight, startled when something seemed to block it. A jolt of excitement surged through him when he realised that this was a boat. A human boat.
“Maya! I don’t believe it! That’s a boat!”
“That’s nice...”
“I’ll be back: I need to go and see!”
“Nick! Be careful...”
“Will be...” he shouted over his shoulder as he coursed upwards.
This was a boat. A boat implied that there would be humans on board. Nick was so fascinated by them, so a chance to see one up close was extraordinary, a chance he absolutely had to take. He hadn’t expected the human to be so devastatingly gorgeous. It wasn’t like he thought all humans were ugly, because they were just like merpeople but with legs, right? But to be caught so off-guard like that was slightly distressing; he almost managed to choke on air following his head breaking the surface of the water. The human appeared to be male, which didn’t honestly bother Nick, and his dark hair glimmered in the sunlight in a way Nick’s never could. He was looking straight ahead of himself, steering the boat alone (as he was the only person on board) and looking reasonably content, Nick thought. His eyes seemed to hold some naivety, although he looked slightly older than Nick. But there was certainly something about him, and Nick couldn’t tear his eyes away.
When the human turned to look in his direction, Nick nearly forgot to duck back under the cover of the water, too intent on making sure he didn’t miss anything to care about being seen. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so enraptured he would have noticed that dark clouds seemed to be forming and blocking the sun, signalling the beginning of what could be a frightful storm. It was only when he heard the first clap of thunder that he realised the human in particular was in danger. The water around him seemed to get colder and rougher, waves forming due to the increasing winds. The human saw that the storm would not die down, and tried to turn his boat around, but the increasing pace of the waves and wind were rocking the boat from side to side, and he soon abandoned the wheel, just holding on to the railings in the hope of preventing himself from being flung off of the boat.
Nick watched in horror as the human clung on for dear life, gasping as he lost his grip on the railing and was thrown into the cruel waters. Maybe he hit his head on the way down, but he wasn’t trying to swim back to the surface as the waves pulled him under. Panicking, Nick dove back under the water, watching the human fall. He had to do something. He felt bound to after watching the human for so long. He flailed, lunging at the man and wrapping his arms around his chest, pulling him with him as he swam to the surface. He searched for the shore as his head broke the surface once again, heading in that direction as fast as his fin would allow. As far as he could tell, the man wasn’t breathing, so he pressed onwards, sighing mentally in relief as he pushed the man onto the sand. He knew enough about humans to be aware that they could not breathe under water (maybe they had weak lungs?), and it seemed to be on instinct that he lifted the man’s chin upwards before connecting their lips and blowing air into his mouth. Perhaps his lips shouldn’t have tingled that way; this wasn’t a kiss after all, seeing as the man was unconscious, but he felt that the tingle would stay with him for a while. Again, on instinct, he pressed down on the man’s chest a few times, not stopping until the man started coughing up water. Success!
He watched the man splutter for a little bit, waiting for him to open his eyes so he could get away fast enough, but the man just kept breathing deeply, as if revelling in the feeling of being alive. With the man so close now, it felt a little creepy just hovering over him and watching, especially as he seemed to be sleeping, and Nick wasn’t really into being creepy. Dithering slightly, he decided to sing, the first thing that came to him (because that wasn’t at all creepy). It was nothing really, just something he had made up, but the man’s breath seemed to calm instantly, as if this were therapeutic. Nick stopped short of carding his fingers through the man’s now-tangled hair, but startled as he stirred, remembering that he must not be seen by a human. It just wasn’t allowed.
Panicking once again, he glanced longingly at the man before pulling himself away and diving back into the sea. At least he’d have something interesting to tell Maya, even if it did feel like he’d left a little piece of himself behind.
*
Joe woke up alone on the beach, feeling warmer than he thought he should have and wondering how on earth he got there. The last thing he distinctly recalled was that giant wave crashing down on his speed boat and plunging him into the ocean. The side of his head was throbbing dizzyingly, so he figured he must have knocked himself out somehow, and then maybe the tides had carried him to the shore. But what about the voice? Could it be that in his state of delirium he had imagined a beautiful voice singing to him, luring him out of unconsciousness? He hadn’t opened his eyes because he just wanted to keep listening, to memorise that sound. But when he did stir, the voice stopped, and he opened his eyes to see no one. Had someone saved him? Why hadn’t they stayed so Joe could thank them?
Joe sighed, sitting up too quickly and then cursing under his breath. He glanced around at the beach, looking for any footprints that his rescuer might have left, but the sand seemed undisturbed apart from where he was lying. Dismally, he looked out into the ocean, as if expecting to see someone sitting on a rock and waving at him, like, “Hey Joe! I just saved you from drowning and sang to you in my sexy voice! Come play with me!” As amusing as that thought was, he was disappointed when he saw no one, just gentle waves exploding comfortably. Surprisingly, it appeared that the storm had died down already. Just how long had he been unconscious for?
“Joe! Joe!”
Joe was startled out of his stupor upon hearing his older brother calling to him. Kevin was jogging towards him, looking worried as far as Joe could tell. He appeared to be clutching a towel and was out of breath when he stopped.
“Hey, Kev.”
“Joe! I just saw the storm! Are you okay? How can you be okay? Dude, you could have been killed! I swear, it came out of nowhere. Where’s your boat?”
“I guess it sank...”
“Joe... for someone who almost died, you don’t seem that shaken up about it. You don’t seem to care at all,” he said, handing Joe the towel.
“Someone saved me. Somebody saved me, and I don’t know who it was. But if it weren’t for them, I’d probably be sleeping on the ocean floor right now. I wish I’d had chance to see them, Kev. No, it was a male voice, so I wish I could have seen him, to thank him, ask his name, anything. I don’t know.”
“Maybe you are shaken up. Come inside and get changed and checked over. You can’t sit out here all day.”
Kevin was right. Even if Joe did want to sit on the beach all day and hope by some wonder that his rescuer would return, he knew it was a bad idea. Feeling as if he had missed an opportunity, he sighed and allowed Kevin to help him to his feet, walking with him to their mansion on the beach. Even after he’d dried off and started feeling more rational, he couldn’t shake his memories of the voice, and how his lips would tingle and his chest would burn whenever he thought of it. Maybe he just needed to sleep, and would have forgotten all about it tomorrow.
*
Okay, this was just stupid.
Nick had made sure the man was safe, made sure he was breathing and awake, had even seen him tended to by another young man, and yet was still out of his mind with worry. He couldn’t talk himself out of it, couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the man he had saved, no matter what he could do to distract himself. It took him a long time to realise that maybe he missed the man, which was just as ridiculous, seeing as the man had never even seen him, let alone spoken to him. He wished so much to be able to speak to him, to get to know him, and it frustrated him knowing he never would be able to. He should have just left the boat, never looked at it in the first place. He shouldn’t have saved the man.
No, that was wrong. Saving him had definitely been the right and moral thing to do, and he would have felt terribly guilty knowing that someone’s death could have been prevented because of him. However, this thinking led him right back to where he had started; missing the man he had saved. There was nothing he could do about it, so he should just forget about it and move on. If only he could.
“You look as though the world has just been taken from you.”
Nick startled, and turned around to see... well, he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. It had the torso and head of a female, a beautiful one at that, with amazing, flowing blonde hair, and yet her bottom half was black, seeming to split into tentacles. But she seemed to have a sympathetic, kind smile, so Nick didn’t run away, although a part of him was nagging at him to do so.
“Maybe it has been,” he replied defensively.
“Okay, let’s cut to the chase. I know what your problem is. You’ve fallen in love with a human-”
“Not in love-”
“Sssh! You’ve fallen in love with a human, and now you feel miserable and pathetic because you can’t do anything about it, being a merman and all while he’s human.”
“I never said it was a he-”
“I just know. Anyway, I can help you.”
Nick paused to consider this. “You can?” he asked doubtfully.
“Yes. My name’s Taylor, though most people know me as ‘The Sea Witch’. Makes me sound kinda evil, but whatever. I can still help you. I can make you a deal. I bet you’re feeling torn apart at the moment, and completely confused, like, ‘we’ve not even spoken and I still feel like this’, right?”
Nick nodded guiltily.
“Well, I can make you a deal. I can give you three days as a human to make him fall in love with you. If you can do that, you can both live happily ever after and get married and have babies-”
“We can have babies?”
“Well, no, but bear with me. You can have a nice life with him anyway. But if he doesn’t love you, you turn back into a merman and live the rest of your days in the sea. But here’s the catch; in exchange for this, I need something from you: your voice.”
“My voice? But... how will he know it’s me?”
“I’m sorry, but those are the rules. If it was truly meant to be, you shouldn’t need your voice... Think about it; if you go through with this, you can see him again, touch him, listen to him. He’d look after you, because he’s a good person like that. And if he loves you... well, what more could you ask for?”
Mulling this over in his mind, Nick was very tempted. He knew rationally that it was a stupid and reckless thing to do, but maybe that was why the idea appealed to him so much. It would be doing something out of the ordinary, giving him a chance to be part of the human world, even if only for a few days. He’d have a chance at love, a chance at the happiness he so desperately sought.
“Do I get my voice back if he falls in love with me?”
“Certainly.”
“I’ll do it.”
Taylor smirked, conjuring up a contract out of nowhere, seemingly. “You need to sign this.”
With minimal hesitation, Nick took the writing utensil he was offered and tried to keep his hand steady as he signed his name.
“Good luck... if you can make it to the surface!”
With a click of her fingers, Nick’s tail seemed to vanish and be replaced by legs, and before he could even appreciate this, every fibre of his being was telling him to kick and push himself upwards, because no, humans could not breathe under water. He kicked and flailed and thrashed until his limbs and lungs were burning, desperate for his head to break the water’s surface. His lungs screamed as he took in his first breath of air, and he couldn’t even find the energy to propel himself to the shore, counting on the waves to do it for him. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about all the things that could possibly go wrong, losing consciousness as the tides pushed him onto the sandy shore.
*
As Joe dragged Kevin out of the house against his will, he wondered why he was torturing himself like this. It was just that he’d woken up this morning with an urge to walk on the beach, as if expecting whoever had rescued him yesterday to appear out of nowhere and reveal himself. He knew he was setting himself up for disappointment, but he couldn’t help it.
“Joe, it’s freezing out here. Could you not have at least waited until lunchtime when the sun’s a little higher in the sky?” Kevin grumbled, clutching his coat to himself.
“No. It had to be now. I just... I have a feeling.”
“The last time you ‘had a feeling’, you ended up attacking Mom in the night because you were convinced that we were going to be burgled that night and wanted to get the robber.”
“Okay, so maybe I was a bit off then. But this time, something important’s going to happen.”
“Yeah, sure,” Kevin muttered distractedly. “Whoa. What’s that?”
He gestured to a point on the shore where the sand seemed to be disturbed by something that had been washed up.
“That’s a person!” Joe exclaimed, abandoning Kevin and rushing over to the lifeless-looking person.
For a lifeless-looking person, he sure looked naked... Wait, did that even make sense? All that registered for Joe as he got closer was the fact that this person was very attractive and very naked. He stood there stupefied until Kevin caught up, catching his breath before realising why Joe had just stopped.
“Um, whoa. Hey, is he breathing?”
Jolted into action, Joe dropped to his knees to more closely examine the boy, for surely he was younger than Joe. His chest was pressed to the sand, yet his face was on its side, and Joe could feel warm puffs of air coming out of his nose. His fingers brushed the boy’s lips, and his own tingled, but he supposed it was just a reflex action.
“He’s alive,” Joe confirmed, looking up at Kevin.
“Good. Now can you stop perving on him? Please? It’s a little creepy.”
“We have to get him inside,” Joe decided, ignoring Kevin’s previous statement. He could be creepy if he wanted to be.
“Okay, but could you put your coat on him or something?”
“Does his nudity make you uncomfortable?”
“There’s that, and the fact that it’s freezing out here. He needs as much warmth as he can get.”
Joe nodded. It was really cold, and it would have been kinda bad if the boy happened to wake up while he was being carried in the nude. Shivering slightly, he removed his long winter trench coat and knelt in the sand, hoisting the boy into a sitting position so he could put the coat on him. His arms were heavy and lifeless, so this was no easy feat, but Joe felt satisfied when the coat covered him sufficiently, a little snug around the shoulders.
“You take his legs; I’ll take his torso,” he said to Kevin.
“Gee thanks,” Kevin replied, watching Joe grin giddily as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s chest and lifted him upwards. Dutifully, Kevin took a hold of the legs as he and Joe moved to a standing position.
The trek back to the house was difficult and hindered by the fact that it was hard to walk in a straight line with the boy’s weight distributed unequally between them. Once they were inside, the difficult part was manoeuvring him up the stairs and into a guest bedroom. Secretly, Joe had wanted to take the boy into his room, but logically thinking, it was too far away and his arms were already burning. It would also have been a little creepy to climb into his bed with the boy when they didn’t even know each other’s names.
“We need to get some proper clothes on him,” Joe proclaimed as he laid the boy down on the bed. “Fetch him some of my clothes.”
“Can’t you do it?”
“No!” Joe shrieked incredulously. “What if he wakes up? I need to be there if he does!”
“Okay, okay, keep your hair on. I’ll get him some clothes. Although I’m wary of letting you change him into them,” he muttered distractedly.
“What was that?”
“Nothing...”
While Kevin was in search of something the boy could wear, Joe worked at the buttons on his coat, eventually sliding it down over his shoulders. He couldn’t help but notice the firmness and smoothness of the skin, and found it hard to tear his hands and eyes away. Whoever this boy was, he was beautiful, and maybe Joe was just a little bit infatuated.
“Joe, you’re being creepy again,” Kevin said, interrupting Joe’s thoughts by tossing some clothes at him.
“Was not. I was just... admiring the view.”
“Okay. Don’t ever say that again. You sounded like some old paedophile.”
“So did your face!” Joe replied indignantly.
“Sure. Just get him into those clothes without molesting him.”
Grumbling under his breath about not being a pervert, he lifted the boy back into a sitting position and pulled the T-shirt over his head. It was difficult getting him dressed when his limbs were so heavy and he was unconscious, but Joe was proud he was able to control himself as he eased the boy into the pants, trying not to make a comment about how well-endowed he was, because Kevin was still in the room and it would have been a creepy thing to say to your older brother. It would maybe get a little awkward when the boy woke up, as “I’ve seen you naked” is probably not a good conversation starter, and Joe was sure he’d be thinking about it.
“I’ll go get him some water,” Kevin mumbled, leaving Joe and the boy alone once more.
Joe nodded, seating himself on the bed more comfortably and watching over the boy in a way that he insisted to himself was protective, although Kevin would probably say it was creepy. Stupid Kevin...
*
The first thing Nick saw when he woke up was the smiling, excited face of the man he had saved the other day. A startled and relieved smile found its way onto his face as he beamed up at the human. A giddy sort of tingle spread throughout his bones, and he could not believe that he was actually here, with that man who was staring at him like he was the most beautiful thing in the world.
“Wow, you’re awake!”
Nick nodded, shifting himself into a sitting position. He was more gleeful than he would willingly admit when he found that he was wearing human clothes, a black T-shirt with writing on it and something soft and warm on his- wow, he had legs! It had actually worked! This was just amazing.
“Um, my name is Joe, by the way. What’s yours?”
Pleased to finally be able to put a name to this face, Nick opened his mouth and stated his own name, absolutely horrified when no sound came out. He tried again, clutching at his throat and wondering what was wrong when he remembered that part of the deal had been that he wouldn’t have his voice. Already, he was finding it incredibly frustrating.
“I’m sorry!” Joe apologised. “I didn’t realise you couldn’t speak.”
Nick shook his head and waved his hands frantically, mouthing, “I can! I can!”
“Oh! So, have you lost your voice?”
Nick nodded glumly, feeling a pricking behind his eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Joe soothed, placing an alarmingly comforting hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Maybe you can try saying it again and I can read your lips.”
Nick nodded, and said his name again.
“Neil?”
Nick shook his head, mouthing his name very clearly.
“Nick?”
He nodded enthusiastically, pleased that Joe at least knew his name. It was better than nothing.
“Awesome! Hi, Nick,” Joe said, waving stupidly.
Grinning, Nick returned the wave, feeling colour rise to his cheeks.
“Okay, so Nick. Why the hell were you washed up on the beach?”
There was no way he could possibly explain this, so he just shrugged.
“Then where did you come from?”
There was a window beside his bed, and Nick pointed out of it, towards the sea.
“All the way across the sea?”
Nick shook his head ‘no’ and pointed again.
“You live on the beach?”
He shook his head again, pointing more insistently at the ocean.
“In a yellow submarine with all your friends?”
Joe laughed to himself, although Nick couldn’t understand why. Getting truly frustrated now, he pointed at the sea again, willing Joe to understand.
“Under the sea?”
Nick nodded, and a look of doubt appeared in Joe’s eyes.
“Really?”
He nodded once more, feeling stupid, because really, how was Joe supposed to believe this? Any traces of a smile faded, and he looked down into his lap, hair hiding his eyes from Joe.
“Hey.” Joe placed two fingers under Nick’s chin and tilted his head up so their eyes met. “If you say you come from the sea, I’ll believe you, okay?”
Grateful, Nick smiled, happy with the fact that at least for now, Joe was humouring him.
“I’m going to give you some time alone for ten minutes, so... have a drink or compose yourself if you need to. I’ll be back soon,” he added at seeing Nick’s worried expression.
He patted Nick’s leg before standing up and smiling reassuringly before leaving the room. Now that he had the chance, he took a good look around him. It appeared he was in a rather simple room, with a bed and little tables and a big box in which he thought clothes were kept. There was something glowing hanging from the ceiling, and a button on the wall; perhaps the two were connected.
However, what he was most anxious to see was his legs. He had watched humans walking from afar, and it seemed so improbable that they could walk on what looked like two sticks. How could they balance? Excited, he ripped the sheets off his legs and pulled down the pants he was wearing, before promptly pulling them back up because that was not a leg.
Caught up in his naïve infatuation with humans, he hadn’t really given much thought as to how they reproduced or excreted. Looks like he’d found out now. Reluctantly, he pulled his pants back down and looked at... it, gasping at what it felt like to touch it before flinching away. With more certainty, he closed his fist around it, stifling an involuntary moan, for he had a feeling that it would be awkward if Joe were to hear him and come in to find him in this position. How long was he going to be gone for anyway? What if he came back and Nick was still in this position? Instead of disgusting him like it should have, Nick found himself feeling more aroused at the thought of Joe seeing him like this. He couldn’t help but jerk his fist, biting down on his lip before realising that his mouth would make little sound without a voice, and so focussed instead on steadying his breathing as he kept moving his hand, getting lost in the sensation. He felt a gradual build-up of pressure and the speed of his actions increased until he found himself almost writhing on the bed, mentally begging for some sort of release. It would have to come quickly or Joe would walk in and-
That was all it took for the pressure to ease away and be replaced by the most spectacular sensation Nick had ever experienced as a white substance shot from the end of his length. Breathing heavily, he tried to regain some control over himself and sat up. Curiously, he dipped his finger into where the white stuff had spilled and took it to his mouth, deciding it tasted slightly salty but not exactly tasty. He wondered how he could go about cleaning up this mess but just pulled his pants back up, figuring he’d think of something later.
He inhaled deeply and thought of Joe, unable to stop the smile from sneaking onto his face.
Part 2
“It’s amazing what they have up there, Maya. Little boxes with moving pictures and other weird contraptions that sound comes out of. They have so much, where we seem to have so little. I know I should be thankful for everything, and I am, but sometimes, I just wish I could have something more.”
Instinctively, he found himself clutching at the locket he wore around his neck. He’d had it for as long as he could remember, but couldn’t fathom why he felt such a strong connection to it. He’d never even been able to open it, no matter how much he tried, but couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it. He glanced wistfully down at his blue tail, wondering what it would be like to have it replaced by a pair of legs and finding himself smiling at the thought.
“Don’t feel bad, Nick. I think deep down everybody wishes for more, hoping that their life has meaning. As for me, I’m happy with where I am, but it’s only natural to question whether you could get more.”
Nick smiled sadly. “I wish it were possible... y’know, to become... one of them. Human.”
“Knowing you, you’d find a way,” Maya replied reassuringly.
Drifting into his own thoughts again, he looked upwards at the refracted sunlight, startled when something seemed to block it. A jolt of excitement surged through him when he realised that this was a boat. A human boat.
“Maya! I don’t believe it! That’s a boat!”
“That’s nice...”
“I’ll be back: I need to go and see!”
“Nick! Be careful...”
“Will be...” he shouted over his shoulder as he coursed upwards.
This was a boat. A boat implied that there would be humans on board. Nick was so fascinated by them, so a chance to see one up close was extraordinary, a chance he absolutely had to take. He hadn’t expected the human to be so devastatingly gorgeous. It wasn’t like he thought all humans were ugly, because they were just like merpeople but with legs, right? But to be caught so off-guard like that was slightly distressing; he almost managed to choke on air following his head breaking the surface of the water. The human appeared to be male, which didn’t honestly bother Nick, and his dark hair glimmered in the sunlight in a way Nick’s never could. He was looking straight ahead of himself, steering the boat alone (as he was the only person on board) and looking reasonably content, Nick thought. His eyes seemed to hold some naivety, although he looked slightly older than Nick. But there was certainly something about him, and Nick couldn’t tear his eyes away.
When the human turned to look in his direction, Nick nearly forgot to duck back under the cover of the water, too intent on making sure he didn’t miss anything to care about being seen. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so enraptured he would have noticed that dark clouds seemed to be forming and blocking the sun, signalling the beginning of what could be a frightful storm. It was only when he heard the first clap of thunder that he realised the human in particular was in danger. The water around him seemed to get colder and rougher, waves forming due to the increasing winds. The human saw that the storm would not die down, and tried to turn his boat around, but the increasing pace of the waves and wind were rocking the boat from side to side, and he soon abandoned the wheel, just holding on to the railings in the hope of preventing himself from being flung off of the boat.
Nick watched in horror as the human clung on for dear life, gasping as he lost his grip on the railing and was thrown into the cruel waters. Maybe he hit his head on the way down, but he wasn’t trying to swim back to the surface as the waves pulled him under. Panicking, Nick dove back under the water, watching the human fall. He had to do something. He felt bound to after watching the human for so long. He flailed, lunging at the man and wrapping his arms around his chest, pulling him with him as he swam to the surface. He searched for the shore as his head broke the surface once again, heading in that direction as fast as his fin would allow. As far as he could tell, the man wasn’t breathing, so he pressed onwards, sighing mentally in relief as he pushed the man onto the sand. He knew enough about humans to be aware that they could not breathe under water (maybe they had weak lungs?), and it seemed to be on instinct that he lifted the man’s chin upwards before connecting their lips and blowing air into his mouth. Perhaps his lips shouldn’t have tingled that way; this wasn’t a kiss after all, seeing as the man was unconscious, but he felt that the tingle would stay with him for a while. Again, on instinct, he pressed down on the man’s chest a few times, not stopping until the man started coughing up water. Success!
He watched the man splutter for a little bit, waiting for him to open his eyes so he could get away fast enough, but the man just kept breathing deeply, as if revelling in the feeling of being alive. With the man so close now, it felt a little creepy just hovering over him and watching, especially as he seemed to be sleeping, and Nick wasn’t really into being creepy. Dithering slightly, he decided to sing, the first thing that came to him (because that wasn’t at all creepy). It was nothing really, just something he had made up, but the man’s breath seemed to calm instantly, as if this were therapeutic. Nick stopped short of carding his fingers through the man’s now-tangled hair, but startled as he stirred, remembering that he must not be seen by a human. It just wasn’t allowed.
Panicking once again, he glanced longingly at the man before pulling himself away and diving back into the sea. At least he’d have something interesting to tell Maya, even if it did feel like he’d left a little piece of himself behind.
*
Joe woke up alone on the beach, feeling warmer than he thought he should have and wondering how on earth he got there. The last thing he distinctly recalled was that giant wave crashing down on his speed boat and plunging him into the ocean. The side of his head was throbbing dizzyingly, so he figured he must have knocked himself out somehow, and then maybe the tides had carried him to the shore. But what about the voice? Could it be that in his state of delirium he had imagined a beautiful voice singing to him, luring him out of unconsciousness? He hadn’t opened his eyes because he just wanted to keep listening, to memorise that sound. But when he did stir, the voice stopped, and he opened his eyes to see no one. Had someone saved him? Why hadn’t they stayed so Joe could thank them?
Joe sighed, sitting up too quickly and then cursing under his breath. He glanced around at the beach, looking for any footprints that his rescuer might have left, but the sand seemed undisturbed apart from where he was lying. Dismally, he looked out into the ocean, as if expecting to see someone sitting on a rock and waving at him, like, “Hey Joe! I just saved you from drowning and sang to you in my sexy voice! Come play with me!” As amusing as that thought was, he was disappointed when he saw no one, just gentle waves exploding comfortably. Surprisingly, it appeared that the storm had died down already. Just how long had he been unconscious for?
“Joe! Joe!”
Joe was startled out of his stupor upon hearing his older brother calling to him. Kevin was jogging towards him, looking worried as far as Joe could tell. He appeared to be clutching a towel and was out of breath when he stopped.
“Hey, Kev.”
“Joe! I just saw the storm! Are you okay? How can you be okay? Dude, you could have been killed! I swear, it came out of nowhere. Where’s your boat?”
“I guess it sank...”
“Joe... for someone who almost died, you don’t seem that shaken up about it. You don’t seem to care at all,” he said, handing Joe the towel.
“Someone saved me. Somebody saved me, and I don’t know who it was. But if it weren’t for them, I’d probably be sleeping on the ocean floor right now. I wish I’d had chance to see them, Kev. No, it was a male voice, so I wish I could have seen him, to thank him, ask his name, anything. I don’t know.”
“Maybe you are shaken up. Come inside and get changed and checked over. You can’t sit out here all day.”
Kevin was right. Even if Joe did want to sit on the beach all day and hope by some wonder that his rescuer would return, he knew it was a bad idea. Feeling as if he had missed an opportunity, he sighed and allowed Kevin to help him to his feet, walking with him to their mansion on the beach. Even after he’d dried off and started feeling more rational, he couldn’t shake his memories of the voice, and how his lips would tingle and his chest would burn whenever he thought of it. Maybe he just needed to sleep, and would have forgotten all about it tomorrow.
*
Okay, this was just stupid.
Nick had made sure the man was safe, made sure he was breathing and awake, had even seen him tended to by another young man, and yet was still out of his mind with worry. He couldn’t talk himself out of it, couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the man he had saved, no matter what he could do to distract himself. It took him a long time to realise that maybe he missed the man, which was just as ridiculous, seeing as the man had never even seen him, let alone spoken to him. He wished so much to be able to speak to him, to get to know him, and it frustrated him knowing he never would be able to. He should have just left the boat, never looked at it in the first place. He shouldn’t have saved the man.
No, that was wrong. Saving him had definitely been the right and moral thing to do, and he would have felt terribly guilty knowing that someone’s death could have been prevented because of him. However, this thinking led him right back to where he had started; missing the man he had saved. There was nothing he could do about it, so he should just forget about it and move on. If only he could.
“You look as though the world has just been taken from you.”
Nick startled, and turned around to see... well, he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. It had the torso and head of a female, a beautiful one at that, with amazing, flowing blonde hair, and yet her bottom half was black, seeming to split into tentacles. But she seemed to have a sympathetic, kind smile, so Nick didn’t run away, although a part of him was nagging at him to do so.
“Maybe it has been,” he replied defensively.
“Okay, let’s cut to the chase. I know what your problem is. You’ve fallen in love with a human-”
“Not in love-”
“Sssh! You’ve fallen in love with a human, and now you feel miserable and pathetic because you can’t do anything about it, being a merman and all while he’s human.”
“I never said it was a he-”
“I just know. Anyway, I can help you.”
Nick paused to consider this. “You can?” he asked doubtfully.
“Yes. My name’s Taylor, though most people know me as ‘The Sea Witch’. Makes me sound kinda evil, but whatever. I can still help you. I can make you a deal. I bet you’re feeling torn apart at the moment, and completely confused, like, ‘we’ve not even spoken and I still feel like this’, right?”
Nick nodded guiltily.
“Well, I can make you a deal. I can give you three days as a human to make him fall in love with you. If you can do that, you can both live happily ever after and get married and have babies-”
“We can have babies?”
“Well, no, but bear with me. You can have a nice life with him anyway. But if he doesn’t love you, you turn back into a merman and live the rest of your days in the sea. But here’s the catch; in exchange for this, I need something from you: your voice.”
“My voice? But... how will he know it’s me?”
“I’m sorry, but those are the rules. If it was truly meant to be, you shouldn’t need your voice... Think about it; if you go through with this, you can see him again, touch him, listen to him. He’d look after you, because he’s a good person like that. And if he loves you... well, what more could you ask for?”
Mulling this over in his mind, Nick was very tempted. He knew rationally that it was a stupid and reckless thing to do, but maybe that was why the idea appealed to him so much. It would be doing something out of the ordinary, giving him a chance to be part of the human world, even if only for a few days. He’d have a chance at love, a chance at the happiness he so desperately sought.
“Do I get my voice back if he falls in love with me?”
“Certainly.”
“I’ll do it.”
Taylor smirked, conjuring up a contract out of nowhere, seemingly. “You need to sign this.”
With minimal hesitation, Nick took the writing utensil he was offered and tried to keep his hand steady as he signed his name.
“Good luck... if you can make it to the surface!”
With a click of her fingers, Nick’s tail seemed to vanish and be replaced by legs, and before he could even appreciate this, every fibre of his being was telling him to kick and push himself upwards, because no, humans could not breathe under water. He kicked and flailed and thrashed until his limbs and lungs were burning, desperate for his head to break the water’s surface. His lungs screamed as he took in his first breath of air, and he couldn’t even find the energy to propel himself to the shore, counting on the waves to do it for him. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about all the things that could possibly go wrong, losing consciousness as the tides pushed him onto the sandy shore.
*
As Joe dragged Kevin out of the house against his will, he wondered why he was torturing himself like this. It was just that he’d woken up this morning with an urge to walk on the beach, as if expecting whoever had rescued him yesterday to appear out of nowhere and reveal himself. He knew he was setting himself up for disappointment, but he couldn’t help it.
“Joe, it’s freezing out here. Could you not have at least waited until lunchtime when the sun’s a little higher in the sky?” Kevin grumbled, clutching his coat to himself.
“No. It had to be now. I just... I have a feeling.”
“The last time you ‘had a feeling’, you ended up attacking Mom in the night because you were convinced that we were going to be burgled that night and wanted to get the robber.”
“Okay, so maybe I was a bit off then. But this time, something important’s going to happen.”
“Yeah, sure,” Kevin muttered distractedly. “Whoa. What’s that?”
He gestured to a point on the shore where the sand seemed to be disturbed by something that had been washed up.
“That’s a person!” Joe exclaimed, abandoning Kevin and rushing over to the lifeless-looking person.
For a lifeless-looking person, he sure looked naked... Wait, did that even make sense? All that registered for Joe as he got closer was the fact that this person was very attractive and very naked. He stood there stupefied until Kevin caught up, catching his breath before realising why Joe had just stopped.
“Um, whoa. Hey, is he breathing?”
Jolted into action, Joe dropped to his knees to more closely examine the boy, for surely he was younger than Joe. His chest was pressed to the sand, yet his face was on its side, and Joe could feel warm puffs of air coming out of his nose. His fingers brushed the boy’s lips, and his own tingled, but he supposed it was just a reflex action.
“He’s alive,” Joe confirmed, looking up at Kevin.
“Good. Now can you stop perving on him? Please? It’s a little creepy.”
“We have to get him inside,” Joe decided, ignoring Kevin’s previous statement. He could be creepy if he wanted to be.
“Okay, but could you put your coat on him or something?”
“Does his nudity make you uncomfortable?”
“There’s that, and the fact that it’s freezing out here. He needs as much warmth as he can get.”
Joe nodded. It was really cold, and it would have been kinda bad if the boy happened to wake up while he was being carried in the nude. Shivering slightly, he removed his long winter trench coat and knelt in the sand, hoisting the boy into a sitting position so he could put the coat on him. His arms were heavy and lifeless, so this was no easy feat, but Joe felt satisfied when the coat covered him sufficiently, a little snug around the shoulders.
“You take his legs; I’ll take his torso,” he said to Kevin.
“Gee thanks,” Kevin replied, watching Joe grin giddily as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s chest and lifted him upwards. Dutifully, Kevin took a hold of the legs as he and Joe moved to a standing position.
The trek back to the house was difficult and hindered by the fact that it was hard to walk in a straight line with the boy’s weight distributed unequally between them. Once they were inside, the difficult part was manoeuvring him up the stairs and into a guest bedroom. Secretly, Joe had wanted to take the boy into his room, but logically thinking, it was too far away and his arms were already burning. It would also have been a little creepy to climb into his bed with the boy when they didn’t even know each other’s names.
“We need to get some proper clothes on him,” Joe proclaimed as he laid the boy down on the bed. “Fetch him some of my clothes.”
“Can’t you do it?”
“No!” Joe shrieked incredulously. “What if he wakes up? I need to be there if he does!”
“Okay, okay, keep your hair on. I’ll get him some clothes. Although I’m wary of letting you change him into them,” he muttered distractedly.
“What was that?”
“Nothing...”
While Kevin was in search of something the boy could wear, Joe worked at the buttons on his coat, eventually sliding it down over his shoulders. He couldn’t help but notice the firmness and smoothness of the skin, and found it hard to tear his hands and eyes away. Whoever this boy was, he was beautiful, and maybe Joe was just a little bit infatuated.
“Joe, you’re being creepy again,” Kevin said, interrupting Joe’s thoughts by tossing some clothes at him.
“Was not. I was just... admiring the view.”
“Okay. Don’t ever say that again. You sounded like some old paedophile.”
“So did your face!” Joe replied indignantly.
“Sure. Just get him into those clothes without molesting him.”
Grumbling under his breath about not being a pervert, he lifted the boy back into a sitting position and pulled the T-shirt over his head. It was difficult getting him dressed when his limbs were so heavy and he was unconscious, but Joe was proud he was able to control himself as he eased the boy into the pants, trying not to make a comment about how well-endowed he was, because Kevin was still in the room and it would have been a creepy thing to say to your older brother. It would maybe get a little awkward when the boy woke up, as “I’ve seen you naked” is probably not a good conversation starter, and Joe was sure he’d be thinking about it.
“I’ll go get him some water,” Kevin mumbled, leaving Joe and the boy alone once more.
Joe nodded, seating himself on the bed more comfortably and watching over the boy in a way that he insisted to himself was protective, although Kevin would probably say it was creepy. Stupid Kevin...
*
The first thing Nick saw when he woke up was the smiling, excited face of the man he had saved the other day. A startled and relieved smile found its way onto his face as he beamed up at the human. A giddy sort of tingle spread throughout his bones, and he could not believe that he was actually here, with that man who was staring at him like he was the most beautiful thing in the world.
“Wow, you’re awake!”
Nick nodded, shifting himself into a sitting position. He was more gleeful than he would willingly admit when he found that he was wearing human clothes, a black T-shirt with writing on it and something soft and warm on his- wow, he had legs! It had actually worked! This was just amazing.
“Um, my name is Joe, by the way. What’s yours?”
Pleased to finally be able to put a name to this face, Nick opened his mouth and stated his own name, absolutely horrified when no sound came out. He tried again, clutching at his throat and wondering what was wrong when he remembered that part of the deal had been that he wouldn’t have his voice. Already, he was finding it incredibly frustrating.
“I’m sorry!” Joe apologised. “I didn’t realise you couldn’t speak.”
Nick shook his head and waved his hands frantically, mouthing, “I can! I can!”
“Oh! So, have you lost your voice?”
Nick nodded glumly, feeling a pricking behind his eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Joe soothed, placing an alarmingly comforting hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Maybe you can try saying it again and I can read your lips.”
Nick nodded, and said his name again.
“Neil?”
Nick shook his head, mouthing his name very clearly.
“Nick?”
He nodded enthusiastically, pleased that Joe at least knew his name. It was better than nothing.
“Awesome! Hi, Nick,” Joe said, waving stupidly.
Grinning, Nick returned the wave, feeling colour rise to his cheeks.
“Okay, so Nick. Why the hell were you washed up on the beach?”
There was no way he could possibly explain this, so he just shrugged.
“Then where did you come from?”
There was a window beside his bed, and Nick pointed out of it, towards the sea.
“All the way across the sea?”
Nick shook his head ‘no’ and pointed again.
“You live on the beach?”
He shook his head again, pointing more insistently at the ocean.
“In a yellow submarine with all your friends?”
Joe laughed to himself, although Nick couldn’t understand why. Getting truly frustrated now, he pointed at the sea again, willing Joe to understand.
“Under the sea?”
Nick nodded, and a look of doubt appeared in Joe’s eyes.
“Really?”
He nodded once more, feeling stupid, because really, how was Joe supposed to believe this? Any traces of a smile faded, and he looked down into his lap, hair hiding his eyes from Joe.
“Hey.” Joe placed two fingers under Nick’s chin and tilted his head up so their eyes met. “If you say you come from the sea, I’ll believe you, okay?”
Grateful, Nick smiled, happy with the fact that at least for now, Joe was humouring him.
“I’m going to give you some time alone for ten minutes, so... have a drink or compose yourself if you need to. I’ll be back soon,” he added at seeing Nick’s worried expression.
He patted Nick’s leg before standing up and smiling reassuringly before leaving the room. Now that he had the chance, he took a good look around him. It appeared he was in a rather simple room, with a bed and little tables and a big box in which he thought clothes were kept. There was something glowing hanging from the ceiling, and a button on the wall; perhaps the two were connected.
However, what he was most anxious to see was his legs. He had watched humans walking from afar, and it seemed so improbable that they could walk on what looked like two sticks. How could they balance? Excited, he ripped the sheets off his legs and pulled down the pants he was wearing, before promptly pulling them back up because that was not a leg.
Caught up in his naïve infatuation with humans, he hadn’t really given much thought as to how they reproduced or excreted. Looks like he’d found out now. Reluctantly, he pulled his pants back down and looked at... it, gasping at what it felt like to touch it before flinching away. With more certainty, he closed his fist around it, stifling an involuntary moan, for he had a feeling that it would be awkward if Joe were to hear him and come in to find him in this position. How long was he going to be gone for anyway? What if he came back and Nick was still in this position? Instead of disgusting him like it should have, Nick found himself feeling more aroused at the thought of Joe seeing him like this. He couldn’t help but jerk his fist, biting down on his lip before realising that his mouth would make little sound without a voice, and so focussed instead on steadying his breathing as he kept moving his hand, getting lost in the sensation. He felt a gradual build-up of pressure and the speed of his actions increased until he found himself almost writhing on the bed, mentally begging for some sort of release. It would have to come quickly or Joe would walk in and-
That was all it took for the pressure to ease away and be replaced by the most spectacular sensation Nick had ever experienced as a white substance shot from the end of his length. Breathing heavily, he tried to regain some control over himself and sat up. Curiously, he dipped his finger into where the white stuff had spilled and took it to his mouth, deciding it tasted slightly salty but not exactly tasty. He wondered how he could go about cleaning up this mess but just pulled his pants back up, figuring he’d think of something later.
He inhaled deeply and thought of Joe, unable to stop the smile from sneaking onto his face.
Part 2