“Friend?” I repeated, and he nodded.
“I have two brilliant friends up topside, kinda like family I wish I'd had. I have another friend but he decided to use me as a rebound,” I pursed my lips. Josh was a sore spot and I needed more time to process. “My turn. Do you have any friends?”
He considered that for a moment before poking my shoulder.
“Me?” I grinned. “I should introduce you to Miles. He's an aspiring veterinarian and he knows all about aquatic stuff. He'd know how to help soothe the scar tissue here,” I touched one of the more recent looking ones. He didn't flinch but I felt the taut stretch of new and old scales over muscle. “Or, I could purify some water for you! It helped heal a little bird somehow. Maybe it could help you.”
“No' need,” He tried to articulate.
“But it might help,” I persisted. Some of those wounds looked painful. “Please?”
He considered it for a second before tugging me move closer. “Your turn!” I announced.
“An-animal... Favourite,” He forced out, licking his lips.
“A turtle. Any species,” I answered without hesitation. “They're so cute with their slappy fins and beaks that can crush their prey. I once had a dream I had a spastic turtle hound Squirt. Then again, I watched Finding Nemo before bed so many times my brain almost fried. That could be a big reason. And I'm rambling now. Sorry... my question. What does your name mean? I've never heard it before," I latched on and hummed as I peered up to his expressive eyes.
“In English... common,” He took a long beat to translate, I'd assume. “Ah, garbage,” He finished and I tried not to snarl. “Mean garbage in human.”
“What?” My voice trembled, lips thinning as they pressed harshly together. “That bitch named you garbage?”
“Mmm, am garbage,” He agreed, matter of fact about it all.
“She's a rotting piece of whale dung!” I shouted and he jolted. “She is so wrong, if I ever see that bitch, I'll…” I paused. What could I do? Catching sight of the bewilderment in his lovely eyes and gritted my teeth and made up my mind. “I'll make her regret being born. Your name is Coal now. The surviving parts of fire and struggle. You've survived, kinda like a phoenix rising from the ashes, or depths in your case. You're Kol to me now, yes?”
“Me, Kol?”
“We'll wipe away the first part and just use the Kol. Kol. Like it?” I asked.
His jerking nods and glassy sheen to those eyes could melt glaciers. I fell forward and brushed my finger tips along his gills. The pressure turned him into a puddle of goo and I hadn't thought gills could be so sensitive. I didn't press down and choke him but I kept up a soft brush underneath the patch of flaps there.
“F-favourite fish?” Kol asked.
“All of them,” I answered candidly. “Do you like art? Or music?”
“Don' get chance to see much art. Like moo'sic but ugly voice,” He said.
“I like your voice,” I pouted. “It's pretty and deep. Like the sea.”
He stammered over a response before clamming up and I hummed as I let him take his time. Finally, he opened his mouth and frowned. “Why... not 'fraid of me firs' time?” He asked.
“Would you think me weird if I said you felt safe?” I attempted. “You gave off this... feeling. It made me think that I found something that I had always needed. I want to be here, with you. Even with the size difference, I wanna wrap you up in a tight hug and bubble wrap. I still want to, even if I'm useless and fleshy. It's stupid.”
He hummed before nodding. “Th-thought very pretty. Safe,” He confided and I beamed. “Your ques'ion.”
“Mine is gonna suck. What is your favourite hobby, or a way to pass time?” I asked and he cracked a grin.
“Re-reading. An' eating.”
“You're practically my soul mate!” I laughed, pinching his nose. “Same. Except I love dancing too. I've discovered a newfound love for dancing here. Do you have many books? I don't see any,” I swung my head around the space and saw pain flit across his more humanoid features.
“Taken. No' allowed,” He whispered.
“I'll bring you books!” I decided, jaw set firm and eyes blazing. “And, I'll kill whoever has hurt you. Don't worry, Kol, I know some laws about international water and Miles will give me a hand. Until then, I can get you more books and new foods. Do you have any preferences?”
“No,” He admitted, eyes widening when I reached up to loop arms around his neck. My skin brushed under the gills and huff.
“Your question, Kol,” I reminded.
“Wha' do you live in?” He asked, steadier this time. A claw came up to rest on my back, gentle and just keeping me stable so I didn't fall to the side.
“I lived in a house. An ugly, big thing that my parents own. It's oppressive and ugly and expensive and I hate it. It is so far away from the beach,” I answered. “I have an apartment I share, and it's a mini house stacked atop others. This place feels more like home than the mainland ever did. Does that make any sense?”
He cocked his head.
“Mmm, was my home too, was safe place,” Kol admitted shyly and I yawned. His scent eased the earlier anger into the soft embers of grumpy indignation. I blinked sleep from my eyes.
“Why do you live down here?” I whispered and felt him seize up in terror. His heart thundered and eyes glazed over. I was quick to scramble up and pull his face down until I met his teary eyes. “Hey!” I breathed. “Kol, you're here, with me!”
The glassy sheen began to lift but he mumbled one word that made the backseat fury bubble burst in my gut. “K-kept.”
It clicked. He'd been one of those male mers kept and raped, abused and treated like a trophy.
“Sh-she no like ugly shift. Learn... learn to shif' an' she chase me, beat me again. Hoped I die but I hid,” He admitted, shame in his tone and tears dribbling from his eyes. I was quick to wipe them away with the faintest brush and shook my head.
“What happened to you... I cannot ever begin to relate but I will listen to whatever you want to say. You're not there anymore,” I murmured and he blinked back more tears. “You can cry, Kol. I won't think any less of you but I hear talking about traumas help. You're so strong, so sweet. You are better than her!”
He was quick to deny but I silenced him by pressing a kiss to his wet cheek and rolled my eyes.
“Want to keep going with the question game or stop for a while?” I asked after he'd calmed down a little.
“Mmm, what your age?” He asked and words came easier to him after his steadying breath.
“I'm 22, a late July baby,” I answered. “How old are you?”
“Uh,” He counted something in his head before nodding. “48. Born Southern Spring end,” He supplied and I cooed. “You h-have children?” He asked.
“Me?” I laughed. “Oh hell no. I haven't even been with another yet, much less got pregnant. The book says Mers mate youngish, though, right? Sixteen?”
He nodded.
“Yeah, I was busy trying not to commit mass murder with parents like mine dictating everything I did. I mean, at one point I thought I was asexual but all that aside, no one ever interested me. Why? Don't tell me you have kids!”
He nodded. “Sh-she only stop hurting me after pregnant, then kick me out here. Took my place.”
“Your place?”
“I build place. The hotels and first boats. Two docks.”
It hit me like a brick to the face. “Oh my god! You're the original owner?” I choked on a sharp breath. “The locals say you were murdered! I heard a few whispers I definitely wasn't supposed to hear. They couldn't find your body. This is where... oh my gods…”
“Is okay, safe here,” The mer smiled. “No hurt.”
“You are! You are hurting,” I growled and he chuckled, low and raspy. “Don't laugh at me. They stole this entire place from you! Who is the bitch that hurt you?”
“Difjor,” He whispered the name and his eyes swept around in a panic like the monster would jump out of nowhere and attack him. My stomach rolled when his body broke out into a mess of shivers.
“Kol?” I kept my voice low, worried I’d break whatever delicate haze we’d fallen into. His eyes flit back to me, so much fear in those watery orbs. I wrapped a hand around his bigger one and raised it to kiss the palm. “I won't let her hurt you again. These past few days have been weird for me, but I know I can do something for you. Anything. Just ask. I can poison, stab or even get my buddies to help me dismember her. International waters and laws are finicky things.”
“Stay?” The word came out with the faintest hint of a whine. I huffed and flopped against his chest.
“Yeah, I'll stay, buddy. Forever if I could. Think you could show me how you hunt sometime?” I asked.
“No' very good, but catch lo' o fish,” He flushed and averted his eyes. “Show you.”
“Mm, we can nap and then I'll have to go back up topside to show my face. Miles wilI call in some kind of coast guard and while I’m up there, I can get some books for you,” I poked at his chin and went back to touching the tender gills with soft strokes. It made him sink back into the water like a rag doll and I grinned when a pleased purr rumbled through his chest. “Keep doing that and I won’t won’t be able to leave,” I teased.
Even as he shut his eyes and began to purr louder, I wasn't able to focus on his pleased rumbles.
In my mind, I imagined murdering a disgusting beastly 'difjor' over and over. I hoped one day I'd get the chance to make those visceral dreams reality. No one should have to suffer like that and I'd be damned if I didn't get to avenge this broken creature in some way.
Napping never felt so sweet and warm when I sunk into a doze.
Dearest Kol didn’t wake up until the morning gave way to midday sunlight. He blinked awake and rolled us until I submerged in the water. My neck flared with the flaps sucking in water and I hummed low. “Afternoon,” I slurred with the water still over my head. “Mm, best way to wake up.”
He lay on his side, curling around me and blanketing my legs. “Yes, bes’.”
I brushed my fingers along his cheek and cracked a sleep-drunk grin. “Gonna find loads a books, an’ shellfish. You deserve nice things,” I whispered and dipped my head into the crook of his neck. “Do you like crab?”
He nodded, slow like his blinking. “You? Ray?”
I licked along my teeth at the thought. “Never had one but I have ended up loving every seafood here. I doubt there’s a fish I won’t like to eat.”
His raspy laughter made tinkling bells sound dull and harsh compared.
Beautiful man, beautiful laugh. It made complete sense.
“Will catch for you,” He said and nuzzled into my hair.
I bumped right back with my forehead and sighed. “No matter what you catch, I know it’ll be loads better than anything I get topside. You’d get better catches and you don’t ruin it with cooking them.”
He croaked another chuffing laugh and shook his head.
We took our time getting out of his little sleeping pool and he eased me down into the cavern entrance. The trip back, he took me another way. The currents shot us through arching tunnels and I clung to his back, catching glimpses of crab shells through the offshooting caverns or the bright flash of fish. Algae that glowed like night lights dazzled more than a shiny diamond back mainland.
Kol took me by surprise by diving out of the tunnel and into the crushing curtain of a waterfall. We dove back down into the pool below and back into the intricate tunnel systems.
From the glimpses I got of the fresh air and canopies, I’d ask Kol to bring us back here soon. Even with his scaly beauty, he should be able to enjoy the wonders of the flowers and the cute animals that we shouldn’t eat. That hint of a tusk by the far side of the pool meant we might see a few of the native animals and that rainbow of flowers all around it.
“Kol, this is great!”
He flicked his tail and we went spiralling through a wider tunnel.
Claw marks and symbols whizzed by in the low lit tunnels too fast for me to sear into my brain. Kol was much prettier to watch anyways. I sniffed out the Black Lagoon before we reached the crevice that opened up into the area.
“Back,” He said, pointing up to the surface. No one swam here, a relief. “Meet again. Soon?”
“As soon as possible,” I nodded and took that chance to get a better look around. The longer I stayed underwater, the clearer my sight got. The salt water didn’t burn and the lack of sunlight reaching below hid nothing from me now.
The Lagoon had a relatively flat bottom and little clumps of grey coral that stuck out from the sand. I'd spend days down here, listening to the gentle thrum of the water. I wanted to creep further into the lagoon, closer to that weird humming. Kol’s pretty silver eyes flit in that direction so it wasn't just me.
“Okay,” I blew out a long stream of bubbles. The longer I stayed here, the longer I wanted to say ‘bugger it all' and go back with Kol. Screw keeping up appearances, I never felt so together and warm before.
“Yes? Oh-kay?”
Right, he had just started speaking with me. He’d probably spoken the native language of Dir’dir Isles before but English was a whole other beast. “Means ‘yes’, sort of. We use it to start a sentence sometimes too. like a prompt. I won't even start with my go to ‘Yeah nah’. That's for after we get you caught upon standard English.”
He gifted me with a devastating smile, small and dimpled.
"Okay,” He repeated, the 'K’ a little heavy and caught in the back of his throat. “Miss Nee. I will?”
I fell into his offered hug, casting a glare up to the surface. Less than a mouth here left and I'd have to waste time out of the water for most of it. “I'll be back soon cause I'll miss you like crazy,” I said and pulled back to get a good, long look at his face. “Get ready for more presents.”
His little shuffle on the sand with his heavy tail and wide eyes would be enough the tide me over for a few hours.
He nudged me up toward the surface with a hand under my knee. At least one of us was responsible.
The sunlight came too fast.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIh7M0xtHly
