Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2014 22:22:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Andrew Bailey <feare909@yahoo.com>
Subject: Aquata Cove - Chapter 13

Aquata Cove
Chapter 13: Trapped


"Uuuuggghhhh..." Adam groaned as he stirred. His throat feels so scratched
up, and he has a horrible salty taste in his mouth. His head is spinning
like he just woke up from a horrible hangover. He coughed as he tried
spitting out the salty taste; it's like the whole inside of his mouth is
caked in with salt!

He can hear... Water... Water drops, and running water. He opened his eyes,
glimpsing the orange and pink glow all around him, and saw a whole basin of
rippling water. Adam grunted as he dragged himself to the edge, and dipped
his hand into the water.

"... A hot spring?" He asked, before coughing, cringing at the unpleasant
scathing in his mouth and throat, "Oh God, please let it be fresh..." He
groaned as he scooped up some of the water, and slurped it. It's very warm,
but fresh.

Adam scooted, and slurped up some more water, swishing it around in his
mouth, and spat it aside. He scooped up more water, gurgling, washing the
salt from his mouth, and spitting it out. He can really use some ice cubes,
but hot water is better than no water.

"Ahhh... *Ahem ahem!* Much better..." He sighed before taking a drink of
the warm water. He then splashed the water on his face, washing himself,
and shaking his head quickly. Adam looked around, his eyes still dreary,
but seeing he's in some kind of cave, with some amazing glowing crystals
growing in the rock. "Uunnnhhhh... Where am I... ?" He put his hands on the
back of his neck, then noticed his bandage is very moist, "Dammit, Gramma's
gonna kill me... What time is it?" He dug in his wet pocket, and took out
his phone, "Great. Phone's dead." He said as his phone failed to turn on,
"Now she's REALLY gonna kill me," He groaned.

"Wh-Who is?" Adam turned his head, and saw someone sitting at the far
wall. A blonde, teenage male, maybe about 14, 15-years-old, give or
take. He is wearing only a tattered stalk of kelp across his chest, with a
few chipped and broken scallop shells on his shoulders.

"Ah! He-Hey... Um..." He blinked as he felt his head, "Uhh... Who are you?
How long have you been there and... Why are you naked?"

"My name is Merrick," The teen said, rather hesitantly, "We've been here
for a long time now, and... What do you mean, `naked'?" He asked, with a
look of confusion on his face.

"Well, you don't have any clothes on. What're you like, a nudist or
something?"

"A nude... Ist?" The boy asked, tilting his head, "I don't understand, what
are clothes?"

"Well, here, lemme at least give you my shirt, you can tie it around your-"
Adam felt at his left hip, but discovered that the shirt he tucked there
earlier has gone! "What the? Where's my shirt??" Adam grunted as he stood
up, and looked over the water, looking over, but not seeing his garment,
"Where is it? Dammit, I liked that shirt!"

"I... I don't know what this shirt is, but I think it might've gotten lost
when you fell into the water... You... You said someone is going to kill
you?" The teen asked fearfully.

"Oh, yeah, just my Gramma. I wasn't supposed to go swimming, she's gonna
get mad at me, she'll get over it."

"But... She's going to kill you!" Merrick exclaimed. Adam looked and
chuckled; this kid seems earnest, if not adorably naïve.

"No, she's not REALLY going to kill me," He said, "It's just an expression,
she's going to get mad at me, that's all... Wait..." Adam looked at the
naked teen, "... You said I FELL into the water, right?" Merrick nodded.

"Yes, you did. When the Siren was singing to you."

"The... I'm sorry, lemme..." Adam clenched his eyes shut and thought for a
moment, wondering how he got here, "Ok... I think... Yeah, I was taking
pictures, and I got out to the ocean to take a few snapshots of it, and..."
He paused, and nodded, "Oh yeah, and someone WAS singing..."

"Yes, the Siren..." Merrick said. Adam turned to him again.

"Siren... I heard that word before, what's a Siren?"

"Sirens are vicious, ravenous merfolk;" He said, "They are very rare, but
extremely deadly. Unlike any other merperson, they have two tails instead
of one. They prey on any living creature. They're both maneaters AND
cannibals. They lure humans with their singing; their songs are
irresistible."

"But... Wait, c'mon," Adam said, chuckling, "I'm gay, how can a mermaid get
to me?"

"Their songs work on anyone..." Merrick said, not exactly understanding
what the human said, "Males, females, it doesn't make a difference. Their
songs make humans sleep and dream... They dream of magnificent, fantastic
things, wonders that humans would never think of on their own."

"Huuuh..." Adam sat himself down, and dug his fingers through his hair,
"Now that I think of it... I do have a few images in my head... Gah, it's
so blurry... Was a dream after all..."

"What... What was the dream?" He asked, a little curious about what humans
dream about.

"Ahhhh..." Adam thought hard, "It's so foggy... I think I was in an orgy
with a bunch of guys... Oh yeah, and my two exboyfriends were there."

"Ex... Boyfriends?" Merrick asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah. I was with two other guys before I moved."

"You..." Merrick looked a little saddened by this, "You... Mated with
someone else before?" Adam chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Haha, nah, nothing like that. We didn't have sex, they were just two guys
I went out with, nothing serious." Adam said.

"... Tell me about them?" He asked. Adam shrugged and continued.

"Sure, uh... Lets see..." He put his hands together, "My FIRST boyfriend
was this big, buff black guy. Now that I think about it, he was a bit old
for me; like, 6 years older than me. He was really sexy, but he was also a
bit too... Well, he just seemed a little domineering for me. Anyway, it
didn't last long; he joined the military, and we broke up.

"My SECOND boyfriend was this really sweet guy I met at school. He had a
bit of a belly on him, but he was sooo cuddly," Adam said with a smile, "He
always had his orange hair in a buzz-cut with a light layer on his face. He
was really cute, but we were too different, and we ended up splitting up
when I told him I was moving to Hawaii.

"So yeah, I had two boyfriends, and I'm currently single right now," He
nodded to the teen, "What about you? You look kinda young. Have you started
dating yet?" Merrick blinked again.

"Dating? What does that mean? I don't... I don't have any mates, of that's
what you mean..."

"Oh, ok." Adam said.

"What else did you dream about?" Merrick asked.

"Ummm... Gah, hang on..." Adam said as he thought hard, "Uhhhh..." He then
looked at the blonde teen. "Wait... I think... I think you were in it."
Merrick blinked and raised his eyebrows.

"I-I was?" He asked.

"Yeah I think..." Adam blushed as a clear image came into his head, "We
were, uh-um... Kissing, I think..." He said, feeling his own member
stirring as he remembered the one image.

"We were..." A pink tint played across Merrick's face, "We kissed?"

"Y-Yeah so um..." Adam said, feeling very awkward, "Wh-Where ARE we? How
did we get here exactly?"

"I don't know, it's a cave I found... I brought you here when the sirens
attacked..." Merrick said, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Wait, waitwaitwait, SirENS? I thought there was just the one?"

"No... A pod of them was nearby. When that siren sung to you I..." Merrick
looked up into the human's eyes, "I killed it, before it could eat you. But
when you fell into the ocean, they came. I was able to take you, and get us
away from them before they could devour us..."

Adam blinked as he took a few steps to the teen. He crouched down, and
looked at him, "You... You saved me?" He smiled as he sat down, "Wow,
I... I don't know what to say... Thank you..." Merrick smiled back at him
"You risked your life for me but... We've never even met. Why would you put
yourself in danger for the sake of random stranger?"

"But..." Merrick said, "We HAVE met!"

"What, my dream? That's just dejah vu, that's all-"

"No, it's not... Don't you remember me?" Merrick said, shifting in his
spot, "A few suns ago, on the night of the red moon."

"Huh? What do you..."

"We saw each other for the first time." Adam's mind flashed back to that
dizzy spell when he was listening to his iPod that night. He remembered
seeing someone hiding behind a rock.

"The next sun, you were swimming in the water... I think you were looking
for me, until that eel bit you..." Adam looked wide-eyed as he flashed back
to when that sudden attack on the reef, when that eel sunk its sharp fangs
into his flesh, "I killed it before it could do you anymore harm, and
then... You came back down, even though you were bleeding, and you came to
look at me..." Adam flashed to when he saw that blue, fish-like creature,
looking up at him from the sandy bottom.

"On the next sun, you came back again, with that crab... You tried to give
it to me, and then we touched... For the first time, we touched..." Merrick
said, "How can you not recognize me???" Adam looked, feeling on the edge of
himself as the teen spoke, "After we touched, I stayed away from that reef
because I thought we shouldn't meet again, but then you found me... You
called out to me on the cliff..." Adam remembers waving at a far-away nude
guy on a rock in the ocean, wearing a cross-belt and a black headband
through his grandpa's camera.

"No..." Adam said, his eyes going wide as he backed up, "No, no no no no,
that-that CAN'T be..." He pointed a shaky finger at him, "That CAN'T be
right, you-you're just a teenager, a regular person, just like me!" Merrick
looked down, and at his own hands, "I met a merman on the beach, I-I-I
remember FEEDING a fish-man thing, I never seen you before in my life!" He
stammered.  
"Uh... No, I can prove it!" Merrick said as he then
moved, and reached to the water. He dipped his hand into the water, and
stirred it about. The teen then pulled back, and held up his hand. Adam
gasped as he saw the teen's hand, which has turned blue and silver, with a
wide webbing between his fingers, "... See? ...It's me..." Adam got on his
hands and knees, and crawled to him. Adam came up to the male, and slowly
raised his shaky hand up, and touched the young male's dripping, estranged
hand. He felt his thumbs and fingers on that hand.

"Hoooww... How is this even possible??" Adam said, his heart pounding as he
examined it.

"We merpeople... We change when the water leaves our body... When we come
onto dry land, we look like humans..." Adam noticed a few strands of beads
of water along his arm, showing a few, scaly lines on his arm. Adam then
put his hand onto the teen's belly, feeling the incredibly smooth skin. He
blushed when he saw his genitals, he brushed his hand along Merrick's side
and stomach, before he flinched and giggled, "Hehehe!" Adam couldn't help
but smile, "That's... I never felt that before..." Merrick said.

"Huh..." Adam said as he looked closely, noticing that there isn't even one
bit of fuzz or hair on his legs, or his arms, and none on his torso, "How
many times have you... You know, got like this?"

"This would be my fourth time I've dried like this..." Merrick said. Adam
felt along his hips, and put his hands onto the blonde's knees.

"You ever walked before?" Merrick chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't know how." Adam chuckled as Merrick let him touch and feel him,
spreading his legs and exposing his genitals, "How is this even possible?"
He asked.

"Your... Your name is Adam, right?" Merrick asked. Adam looked up, and
smiled.

"Yeah... And, Merrick right?"

"Mhm... Adam... How did you find me?" Adam looked up curious.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked.

"When we last met... I stayed away from that reef because I was
afraid... And then you found me on the cliff..." Adam chuckled as he sat
back.

"I wasn't looking for you actually. Well, I WAS. Past few days, I kept
looking around the reef, trying to find you, but you didn't turn up. My
Gramma didn't want me to go swimming today though, so she sent me to go
take pictures around the woods. I just saw you, and I thought you were just
some random naked guy taking a dip. And that's where the Siren got me, I
guess... Hey, wait a minute, you said the Siren's song is irresistible. Why
didn't it get to you like me?"

"Humans are just easier to lure... It affects their minds quicker than it
does for merfolk."

After a pause, Adam, blushed, and stood up, having keep looking all over
the blonde's naked body. "Right, so... We need to get out of here..."

"We can't!" Merrick said, "The Sirens might still be there!" He said.

"Oh... Well... Can't we check? We can't stay in this cave forever."

"I... I guess I can..." Merrick said, hesitantly.

"Hey," Adam said reassuringly, "Do you want me to come with you? I can go
if you're scared..." Merrick shook his head.

"No... It's better if I go alone to check... Just... Put me in the
water..." He said, blushing.

"Ok," Adam said as he then stood himself up and bent over to pick up the
blonde. He wrapped his arms around him, and picked him up. Merrick blushed
as he put his head against Adam's chest, taking a moment to enjoy the
closeness, if only for this one moment.

Adam then came near the edge of the basin, and gently lowered the naked
teen down into the warm water. Adam watched in wonder as Merrick's flesh
turned from light peach to a gleaming blue, with a twinge of silver. His
feet flattened and widened into a large tailfin, his legs melded together
into one, lone appendage, and a frilly veil-like membrane on either side of
his tail, with his junk blending into the array of blue and silver scales,
smoothing out into a flat area.

Adam huffed and sat back, and looked as Merrick's body drifted down, most
of his body submerging until it's up to his shoulders. Inch by inch, as
Merrick went into the water, his body converted its blue/silver/white color
scheme, his flesh riddled with a coat of scales as he looked up at Adam
with those stunning blue eyes.

"I'll be back..." He said, before submerging himself completely. Adam
watched as the blonde hair spiked into an array of fins on his head. The
blue mass would move under the water, and to the left of the cave.


Merrick swam to the entrance, and towards the concave darkness. Once there,
he called out a signal, sending a wave of sonar forward, hearing his voice
bounce off the rocky tunnel... A lot sooner than it should. He entered into
the entrance, and reached out to feel a rock wall! He gasped as he felt at
the solid, collapsed wall! What happened?! This wasn't here before! There
wasn't an earthquake either! How did this wall get here?!

The merman turned around, and moved to the right, swimming to another
section of the basin. He looked, checking for any other way out! He darted
from large crystal to crystal, checking at all spots on the wall for
another hole, but nothing! Merrick turned around, and swam up back to the
human on surface.


Adam looked as the merman came back up to him -- that same aquatic
creature, the blue humanoid with those dark and sapphire blue eyes, "The
tunnel collapsed! A section of rocks is blocking our path!" Adam blinked,
and felt a tinge of fear.

"Oh no..." Adam said.

"I think we can move the rocks! Come on!" He then flipped into the water,
his tail riding one the surface, before flopping the white fin onto the
surface. Adam then climbed into the hot water, and took a deep breath
before dipping his head in and peering in as he swam. Adam can make out a
blue blur among the orange brightness, which he followed into a dark mass.

He came up beside Merrick, and blindly felt for the rocky wall. He then
pushed at it, exerting his strength into one bulky rock. Adam can feel
Merrick wave his tail up and down as he too pushed at the wall.

The wall wouldn't budge an inch. Adam held his breath for as long as he
could -- which was only about a minute and a half, before coughing a cloud
of bubbles, and retreating. Merrick looked with sudden repulsion. He
quickly followed up to the surface and met the human there.

"What are you doing?! We can't give up now!" He asked. Adam shook as he
panted.

"I'm not!... Just, gimme a sec..." He said. After collecting a short breath
he ducked back into the water, and swam back to the tunnel, and made for
the wall. He pushed as hard as he could onto the upper left of the wall,
while Merrick pushed at the lower right. Both males grunted at the wall,
trying with all their might to shift any of the rocks. Alas, none of them
would move.

Adam huffed again as he quickly backed off, and went off back the
surface. Merrick looked, and growled angrily as the human went away again!
He followed him once more, and came to him.

"Stop playing around! We need to get out of here, Human!" Merrick
exclaimed. Adam huffed and breathed deeply.

"I'm trying! That wall won't budge!" He panted.

"We have to keep trying! Please don't go back up again!" Without waiting
for an answer, Merrick dove back in, with Adam following after him.

More and more they tried to sift the rocks, but none of them would even
turn, as if they were welded on the spot. Adam kept going back to the
surface, earning a scolding from the merman before going back to the wall
to try again.

For the seventh time, Adam couldn't hold out any longer, but still, he
tried to stay. He grunted and gritted his teeth as he pushed as hard as his
arms would push. His lungs were starting to burn from all of effort,
swimming, and from holding his breath for too long. He moaned, and huffed
as he let go of a mass of bubbles from his mouth, turning to retreat once
more. As Adam grabbed onto the entrance, he felt a webbed hand grab his
ankle! He can hear a weird, echoic sound screeching out to him as Merrick
tried to pull him back into the tunnel! With a huge amount of effort, Adam
yanked himself out of the tunnel and out of the merman's grip. He quickly
swam to one of the shallow formations of the basin to get out of the water.

Merrick swam angrily out of the tunnel, and came up, "Stop DOING that,
Human!!" He yelled out, "Do you want to get out of here or not?!" He
demanded. Adam was too busy coughing and wheezing. "Get back into the water
and help me with the wall!"

"I... *Cough cough* I can't..."

"If you would stop quitting every few moments, we could push down that
wall!"

"It... It won't..." Adam shook his head.

"Stop this! We need to keep pushing the rocks, or we'll never-"

"I SAID I CAN'T, ALRIGHT?!" Adam roared as he faced the merman, coughing
for a moment, "I'M TRYING, MERRICK!! But I can't last long!!" Merrick
gasped as the human yelled at him, "In case you haven't noticed, humans
can't breath underwater! We can't hold our breath longer than a couple of
minutes!!" He exclaimed. The bewildered merman quivered, looking up at him.

"They... They can't?" He asked, his voice now meek and scared.

 "No, we can't Merrick! I can't hold my breath any longer than I already
have! I'm trying Merrick! I REALLY am trying, but if I hold my breath for
too long, I'll black out!" He huffed and panted as he sat onto the stone,
"... If I keep going like this, I won't last long at all..." He shook his
head, and said in a raspy tone, "I'm sorry, Merrick... But we're trapped in
here..."

Merrick slowly made his way to the edge of the stone, and pulled himself
up. He curled up at the wall, whimpering as he laid down. He had no idea
Adam was struggling... He was trying his hardest there, and he kept trying
anyway, even with him nagging him to stop playing around. And then he just
yelled at him... The man he fell for... And now he hates him...

Adam turned, hearing the whimpering and sniffling. He got up, and
approached him, "Merrick... Are you crying?" The merman sniffled and shook
his head, "Awww, no..." Adam said softly, "Oh no, I'm sorry," He said as he
knelt down, "I'm sorry, it's gonna be ok..." He sat down next the aquatic
male and pulled him in for a hug, "I'm sorry, Merrick, I didn't mean to
yell..."

"I'm sorry... Adam..." Merrick sobbed as sparkling tears dropped from his
eyes, "We're trapped in here... We're going to perish in here... And it's
all my fault..."

"What? No, Merrick, it's not your fault... YOU saved ME, remember? If
anything, it's my fault for letting that siren get to me..." He chuckled,
"A mermaid hooking a gay human, there's something new..." He then scooted
to the wall, and held onto the merman, "C'mere..." He said as he had
Merrick snuggle up next to him, hugging him and rubbing his arm up and down
the wet, scaly arm.

"... I had heard humans will die if they stay underwater for too
long... I... I didn't know just how long..." Adam smiled as he hugged him.

"It's ok, Merrick, it's ok... And, you're right about that, humans can't
live underwater," He sighed as he sat back, holding the pseudo fish close,
"You didn't know..."



A long silence passed as the two males huddled up with each other. Merrick
gradually dried off, and turned into his human form, and this time, Adam
was awake to see him slowly transform.

"... Adam... I have a question..." Merrick said, now at least enjoying that
fact that his face is resting onto the human's chest, "A while ago... You
described yourself as a... Gay human... What does `gay' mean?"

"Ah, it's just another expression. It's a word used to describe a
homosexual person; a person who is sexually attracted to the same gender as
they are. Namely, like, I'm a male, and I am attracted to other males,
instead of females like a normal person."

Merrick felt himself blush, and also a twinge of delight... So he wasn't a
freak... There are other beings who are more allured to that of the same
gender... This human, right here... Knows just how Merrick might feel.

"Mind if I ask YOU a question?" Adam said. Merrick simply nodded, rubbing
his cheek against his fuzzy chest, "I saw you with a spear... And the first
time I saw you, were wearing some kelp around you. What happened to your
spear, and where did all that kelp go?"

"... My trident was destroyed when I killed that Siren... and I think the
kelp was torn off when we swam in that tunnel..."

"Oh..." Adam looked down at him, "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright... It's gone now... There's nothing that can be done now..."
Merrick mumbled.

"Ok... So... Are there other types of merfolk? Besides just fish-like
ones?"

"Wait... How about... I ask you a question, and you ask me a question in
turn?" He proposed. Adam thought for a moment, and nodded.

"Sure. Sounds fair."

"Alright..." Merrick continued, "So um... Is it true that humans can
manipulate colossal rocks? I think... I think they're called
`Mountains'... Can humans move and create them at will?" Adam chuckled at
that.

"Whaaat? Where'd you hear that?"

"We merfolk... We hear a lot of atrocities and calamities that humans can
do... But... I'm not so sure anymore..." Adam smiled as he shook his head.

"Well, to answer THAT question, no, we can't to that kind of
stuff. Mountains are HUGE, and we can't move them around, or create new
mountains. Even if we could, not on our own, we'd need some pretty heavy
and large machinery to cut it all down, and no one is willing to do that."

"Ooook?" Merrick said, not understanding the word `machinery'.

"Ok, my turn... Are there other types of merfolk out there? Besides ones
that look like fish?"

"Yes, there are... There are as many merfolk as there is species of the
sea," Merrick said, "Namely, there are three different types of merpeople:
Pisciens, Amniens, and Holsiens." He explained, "I am a Piscien merman, as
Pisciens embody fish species."

"What about Amn... Amny... What about the other two?" Adam asked.

"Amnien merfolk are pledged to the sea mammals, and Holsien merfolk are
pledged to the reptiles and cephalopods."

"Oh ok... That's kinda cool... Ok, you go."

"Ok, um... Can humans transform plants into any solid object?"

"Errr... In a SENSE, yes. But it's not like we can magically do it by
touching them. Specialized humans harvest trees and such from various
locations, and take them to specific places where they go through complex
processes to make them into objects like that."

"Oh ok... Your turn, Adam..."

Another hour passes by the two males, both of them exchanging questions
about the two species of humans and merpeople. Adam's questions seem a
little mundane, while Merrick's questions are on an exasperated scale,
asking about how merpeople defend themselves, to whether or not humans are
able tame giant flying animals and ride them into war.

After a while, Adam is laying on his back, staring at the ceiling of the
cavern, looking at the twinkling orange crystals up above. He sighed as he
rolled onto his stomach, and looked at the water, "I'm sorry, Merrick..."

"For... For what, Adam?" Merrick asked, sitting right next to a crystal.

"I can't help but feel like I didn't try hard enough in getting us
out... If I could breathe underwater like you can, or hold my breath longer
than 2 minutes, we could've busted out of here a long time ago." He
chuckled as he put his head on his arms, "Some way to die, huh?"

"... Well..." Merrick said, "There is... ONE thing that we can try..." Adam
opened his eyes, and turned about, "But... I'm not certain if it's true..."
Adam sat up, and faced the blonde teen.

"Well, I'm open to ideas. What's on your mind?"

"..." Merrick hesitated, gulping and looking up, "There are... Rumors
that... A few times in the past, a merperson was able to give a human the
ability to survive underwater. They are never able to drown and die in the
water.

"You said that humans can't breathe underwater, nor can they stay under for
more than a few moments... But there' one thing that they say can allow a
human stay underwater for as long as they need..." Adam raised his brows as
he came closer.

"Really?"

"I'm... I'm not sure, actually... As I said... It's only a rumor... A minor
myth..."

"Well, it's not like we have any other options here," Adam's heart is
pounding with new hope; if merpeople are real, then just about anything can
happen at this point, "Lets hear it." Merrick then looked Adam right in the
eyes, feeling a pink tingle on his tender face.

"A kiss..."

Adam blinked as he stared at the blonde. "A kiss? Like... Mouth to mouth?"
Merrick blushed more, and nodded.

"It's just a rumor... But... It might be possible... The idea is that if we
kiss, then you will never die in the water... The myth originated when a
mermaid fell in love with a human sailor, and kissed him when he was about
to die at sea. When she did, he woke up, and swam back to land..."

Adam could feel himself... Extremely tempted by this. "So... If we kiss,
then I can breathe underwater?"

"No. You... You just won't drown..." Merrick said.

Adam looked at Merrick up and down. He seems a little young for him,
but... "Say Merrick... How old are you anyway?"

"I don't understand."  
"Like, how many years has gone by since
you were born?"

"I... I don't know..." Merrick said blinking, "Why? Does it matter?"

"Sort of... Humans put a lot of weight on age difference..." Adam's good
with math and estimation. Merrick doesn't look TOO young; about as young as
he was when he first went on a date. Adam's 17 right now, and if he were to
venture a guess, he'd say Merrick would about a couple of years younger
than him. If that's the case, then the age difference is only 2-3 years.

"Alright." He said. Merrick looked up, his face going hot, "Lets do it."

"R-Really?"

Adam smiled as he got up, walked over to Merrick, and sat down next to him,
"Yeah..." Merrick moved around so that he's facing the human, "And even if
it doesn't work..." He said with a charming smile, "At least I'll be in
good company with you..." Merrick smiled cutely at that, "C'mere..." He
whispered softly as his face moved forward. Merrick moved his own face
towards Adam's. Their eyes closed as they approached each other.

Then, their lips touched. Merrick breathed deeply, his insides feeling
tight and quivering. Adam gently kissed those very soft lips, pressing his
lips around the lower part of Merrick's mouth. He somehow was able to move
his legs so that he crawled himself onto Adam. The human broke off for a
moment to help Merrick sit on his lap. What he was doing just occurred to
Adam, and the thought of it -- placing a naked guy he's just met onto his
lap -- it made him blush. His brown eyes stared into those vivid, blue
eyes.

There was a pause as they looked at each other. Merrick made the next move;
he moved himself forward, and pushed his lips against Adam's. The human
closed his eyes as their lips lapped and meshed against each other. Merrick
put his hands onto Adam's bare, tan shoulders as he took in Adam's upper
lip, and joined in at his middle. Adam moaned a little as put his hands
along Merrick's sides, feeling the merman's perfect flesh under his palms.

The human glided his hand to behind Merrick's short blonde hair, and pushed
his head in. Adam opened his mouth, and forced his tongue into the
other. The merman moaned pleasantly as he felt the human kiss him oh so
passionately. Merrick rubbed his own tongue against the other, blushing
madly as he felt the other push into against his.

Merrick broke the kiss and looked down, "Whaaa?" The blonde's penis is
standing up, fully erect right now. "Wha... I don't understand... It's
never done THIS before..." He looked up at Adam, "... Can
you... Um... Explain it to me? I've... I've only been like this three other
times, and it's always just... Been there, and..."

Adam blushed harshly, "Uh... Yeah... See... This, err... These." Adam said
as he put his hand on the hard organ. "This is called um... A penis, and
these..." He cupped Merrick's soft balls, "Are called the testis."

"And... What are they for?" Merrick asked innocently.

"Ahhh..." Adam's face felt like it was dancing with fire, "It's um... It's
how humans er... Reproduce..."

"Ok, but... Why is it standing like that? It's bigger than it usually is
and... It feels weird..."

"Well... When men get excited... Their penises grow and become
stiff... It's... Kind of embarrassing to talk about..." He said.

"But... I don't understand..."

"I know..." Adam said with a smile. He then playfully put Merrick on his
back, with his dick flopping onto his stomach, and Adam got on top of him,
on his hands and knees. Merrick giggled as Adam pressed his lips against
Merrick's neck, and slowly kissed against him.

"Ahhhhhhhh~~" Merrick sighed with delight, loving the way Adam is kissing
him.

The kiss is driving Adam's manhood against his pants pushing at the damp
fabric... His member is so stiff right now. There are so many things he
wants to do with Merrick right now. Oh, he's feeling so much passion inside
him right now, but the every idea of it... It just seems too much,
especially when they just met, and considering how young Merrick probably
is, it's just not proper right now.

He rose up, and affectionately kissed Merrick's lips, "Alright..." He got
off of him, "Lets get out of here."

"Wait, what?" Merrick sat up, and looked at Adam, "But... I still don't
understand why my... Penis is hard."

"I know, Merrick, but the explanation is... It's too soon, Merrick, trust
me on this."

"But... What if it never goes down? What if it stays like this forever? I
just don't get it." Adam chuckled as he put his hand on that soft, light
cheek.

"I know, Merrick. You're full of questions right now, but they'll have to
wait until you're a little older before I feel comfortable telling you," He
then kissed Merrick again, and nuzzled him affectionately, "I promise, give
me about... Maybe 2 years... Then I'll tell you..." Merrick smiled and
giggled as his human nuzzled him.

"Alright, Adam~" He answered.

"Ok..." Adam stood up, and bent over to pick Merrick up. The merman put his
own arms around the human as he was held up, and carried to the edge of the
water. He then stepped into the water, and took a deep breath as he dipped
in, holding Merrick in as they submerged together.

Adam can feel Merrick's body change almost instantly, feeling the smooth
skin firm into scales. Merrick swam off of him, and Adam moved next to
him. He doesn't feel any changes yet, but he'll see if what Merrick said
about the kiss is true.

They came to the collapsed tunnel once more, squeezed in together, and
pushed at the rocks, just like before. Adam grunted as he pushed as hard as
he could, with Merrick pushing his tail up and down, kicking hard as he and
the human tried to push.

5 minutes pass by, and the rocks refused to move! Adam noticed that his
lungs don't feel sore at all. He's holding his breath, but the pressure
isn't building inside of him like it used to; he's not breathing, but it's
like his last breath is frozen on the spot, and unable notify his lungs and
brain of how long he's been underwater.

Another 5 minutes passed, and they got nowhere. Adam felt along the wall of
stone. He soon realized that it wasn't bulky anymore! The rocks seemed to
have smoothed down into a flat surface.

He felt a webbed hand pull at his shoulder, and he and Merrick had to back
up, and leave the tunnel. They both broke the surface, and Merrick looked
at Adam.

"Adam, are you ok?"

"Huh... Yeah..." He chuckled and grinned widely, "It worked! Hahaha! The
kiss worked!" He said excitedly, "B-But the wall-"

"I know, it's... It's reformed! It closed us off!"

"Ok, um... Lets look around for another way out."

"There IS no other way out! I checked, Adam!" Merrick said.

"Well, think about it, that wall was a bunch of rocks a couple of hours
ago, wasn't it? What if the cave made another entrance?" Merrick thought
for a moment.

"I... Maybe... C'mon..." Merrick and Adam submerged again, and sank
down. They turned about and floated a little, looking around.

Adam felt his wrist tucked, and a weird, alien murmur. He looked to see
Merrick's blurry image pointing at another dark spot. Merrick swam forth
over to the opening. Adam heard a strange, crackling noise, like a cross
between a dolphin's click and a cracking knuckle. `I guess merpeople talk
differently underwater...' He thought to himself. Merrick's blue form
turned around, and ascended to the surface. Adam rose up as well, and moved
over to Merrick.

"I think it's another tunnel, but it's so dark and so narrow," Merrick told
him, "There isn't any animals nearby, so lets try it. I'll go first."

"Alright," Adam said, "Lead the way."

They both sank down again, and headed to the darkness. Adam waited for the
white tailfin to fold into the blackness before following in after him. He
squinted his eyes, as all he can see is almost pitch black, if not for the
faint gleam from the cavern filtering and reflecting off of Merrick's tail
and scales.

As he went, Adam just took a moment to admire the fact that he never has to
worry about drowning again. Whatever scientific anomaly is going on from
just a simple, passionate kiss, it's saving his life... Just like that
fishy creature did earlier today.

After a while of swimming, still seeing a lot of darkness, Adam felt the
temperature of the water drop, from hot, to warm, and now entering cool. He
also notices the tunnel widening around him as he went. He continued to
drift through the water, and saw a slight light ahead, along with the sound
of thundering surging. Merrick turned, and waited for him to catch up, next
to a large, light-blue mass. He swam a little more, and felt his hand into
the perpetual fizz. He smiled as he felt the bubbles tickle and nip at his
hand, before stroking in through the cloud bubbles. He giggled as he felt
the surging suds tickle his whole body.

He swam though the loud mass of white, and looking onto a familiar-looking
grotto. He looked around, and then ascended up, looking up at the dusk-lit
sky. Merrick rose up next to him while Adam looked around, chuckling as he
floated back.

"Heh heh... I know this place. It's Aquata Cove!" Adam said.

Minutes later, Adam and Merrick are sitting on a rock, with the merman
still wet and looking blue and silver. He had found another tunnel on the
rocks that might lead to the ocean. Adam held Merrick's webbed hands as
they spent their last few moments together.

"Let's meet up tomorrow! I can bring some more tuna, and-"

"Adam..." Merrick said, "We can't... My pod... We're supposed to be leaving
tomorrow..."

"Your pod? Is that your family?"

"You could say that..." Merrick replied sadly, "And... We're not coming
back for a very long time..." He said, a small part of himself hoping to
deter the human away from him.

"Oh..." Adam looked up, put his hand onto Merrick's cold cheek, and pushing
it to face him "... Will I ever see you again?" Adam asked, "I... I really
want to see you again..."

-No, we cannot meet again. We will never meet again. You must find another
man to mate with, while I find a mermaid to be my mate. I hope you live a
long, favorable life.-

That's what Merrick's reasoning told him he should say. However, he's
abandoning his reasoning for this one moment, and spoke from his heart, "I
will be gone for six white moons. My pod will return on the seventh moon,
and I'll be waiting for you, here, in this grotto."

Adam smiled happily as he brought him in to hug the merman, "Thanks,
Merrick..." He muttered. Merrick's smiled in turn, feeling his eyes tear up
with happiness. He can't explain why, but every ounce of affection this
human gives just feels so overwhelming. Is this what love is? Is this what
mated mermen and mermaids feel all the time?

Six moons. Adam assumed that meant six months. That's half a year. Can't
say he's going to like the wait, but how many times do you get to kiss a
merman? And he's so cute when he's dried up and in human form. He wants to
see more of him.

They parted the hug, and kissed softly one last time -- it feels weirder
for Adam, as Merrick's lips are still slick and fish-like. They looked into
each other's eyes for a minute, stalling for as long as both as they could.

"Until next time, Adam..." Merrick said. He then moved to the side, and
dove into the water. He swam into the grotto, and went into the dark tunnel
that he and Adam found when they got out of the cove. He moved through the
tight space, slowly tasting the water's purity changing into the familiar
sea flavor.

He already half knew the kiss was going to work... Sort of. When he kissed
Adam's cheek, he woke up, and expelled the water inside of him, but at the
same time, he couldn't hold his breath the first few times before they
kissed for real.

The merman giggled as he thought of that moment in the cove when they made
out. It felt so good and so right, kissing that human. He wants to do that
again, he wants to do it a lot more.

Regardless on how great it felt to be with that human, he doesn't know what
he's going to tell his pod... He has no idea how he was going to explain
his extended absence...

Soon, Merrick emerged from an entrance of the reef. He sent out a signal to
make sure there isn't anything dangerous nearby, and then swam out.

Merrick sent several calls out, signaling his position as he moved, wanting
to find his pod as soon as possible. It's dangerous to be out in the middle
of the ocean alone.

The Adra Triton sent out multiple signals, before hearing a deep, dark
call. He looked, and spotted in the distance a large merman, holding a
long, three-pronged spear. Merrick kicked his tail hard as he rushed over
to the merman. He huffed and moaned as he swam as fast as he could to his
father.

"Father!!" He called shimming until he caught up to him throwing his arms
around him, "I'm sorry, Father, I'm sorry!" Merrick said, meaning about the
human, ready to confess.

"It's alright Son, it's alright."

"I could not help it, I'm sorry! It just happened so fast!"

"I know, my Son, I know." Merrick looked up at his father, surprised.

"You... You knew?"

"Yes, my Son..." Kaiken said, "I sensed those sirens when we arrived here,
and I thought we would be safe from them if we kept our distance. The fault
is mine to bear, Son." Kaiken said as he looked at his offspring, "I should
have warned the pod of the sirens -- I should have warned you, in
particular. And my arrogance nearly cost me my own Son..." Said the mighty
merman, "We heard your call when they attacked, and we managed to kill off
the whole pod before any of us were harmed."

"F-Father... My trident... When I killed that Siren..."

"Yes, I know. Your Mother has been trying to trace your resonance through
it, but it seems you were cut off when you disappeared," Kaiken said, "Fret
not a lost weapon, my son. We will fashion you a new trident. Now come," He
said as he waved his large tail, and swam to the opposite direction, with
his son following him, "Your young Sister has been weeping for your
safety."

Merrick swallowed, his gut feeling so heavy and deep with anxiety,
"Father... About my 3rd red moon..."

"You are yet young, my Son," Kaiken said, "I am confident you will find a
mermaid to mate with in time. There is no shame in missing the grace of a
red moon," Kaiken stated as he looked to his offspring, "Remember that, and
do not blame yourself so harshly."

... He hasn't a clue. His Triton has no idea that Merrick touched a
human. He thought it would be obvious! If... If he can just not talk about
it... He IS old enough to wander on his own -- as an Adra, he has certain
freedoms that other merpeople do not possess.

He will definitely see that human again!

~~~

Adam groaned as he approached the beach house, lit up with the dark sky up
abovee. He has no idea what he's gonna tell his grandma -- on top of the
fact that he's been swimming when she told him not to, AND been gone
practically all day with his phone waterlogged, but grandpa's camera was
gone too! Someone must've stolen it while he was gone.

He sighed as he then knocked on the door, waiting the few seconds before
the door opened to see his Irish grandmother.

"Adam!!!" She said, looking at him with wide eyes, "There the FECK have you
been?! I've been worried sick about ya! And where's your feckin shirt! Have
you been swimmin', have ya?! You never answered your phone, what the feck
were ya doin?!"

"I... I don't know, Gramma..." Adam said, feeling scared and tired, "I was
taking pictures, but... Someone hit me over the head, and I blacked out. I
don't know what happened, I woke up washed up on a shore near Aquata
Cove... They took Grampa's camera, and I..." Adam's eyes watered as he
tried not to whimper, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened..."

Grandma covered her mouth as she then took in her grandson -- she can't
stand to see her grandchildren cry, "Now boy, it's alright. It's gonna be
alright, son. Come inside, and we'll patch ya up. Don't worry about
Granddad, he's in bed now, I'll tell him ya lost his camera in the
mornin'..."


An hour later, Adam is lying on his back all cleaned up, patched up, and
fed. He felt bad about not telling his grandma the whole truth, but it's
not like he CAN tell her what really happened. He did feel his eyes tear
up, but it's not like he was about to start balling. He just knows his
grandma is a lot more forgiving in the sight of tears. It felt like a
sneaky and underhanded move on his part, but it has to be done.

Adam sighed as he turned onto his side, and drifted off to sleep


---5 Years Later---


Adam woke up to the fluttering sound of the alarm feature from his phone.
He switched it off, and opened his heavy eyelids. He then gasped as he
looked at the calendar.

June 1st

He grinned widely as he smiled with glee. It's been six months! Merrick
might be back today!