Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2015 07:44:30 +0000 (UTC)
From: Andrew Bailey <feare909@yahoo.com>
Subject: Aquata Cove - Chapter 53

Aquata Cove
Chapter 53: Diverging


Adam pulls himself out of the pool, shaking his soaked hair, and grabbing
for a towel, and roughly running it through his hair. It's going on dusk
now, but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of other people from splashing,
jumping, and sliding into the large pool.

He feels past most of the guilt about what happened between he and
Merrick. Now, he's frustrated because Merrick refuses to at least try and
work things out -- it's as if he WANTS to keep feeling angry.

He groans as he wraps the towel around his waist, and walked away from the
pool party. Adam travels to a deserted spot of the deck, where he chooses a
beach chair, and lays himself upon it.

"Oh yeah, girlfrriiieeennnd~!" Cheered an effeminate male voice. Queen
Jizzelle waltzes along the deck, "Don't miss out on the Shower Line
tomorrow~!" She said as she handed out a flyer to a random
guest. "Remember, you still have less than an hour to sign up~!" She said
with an upbeat tone.

Queen Jizzelle is currently dressed in a very large regal gown -- a wide
frame to keep the gown round and large, while the outside of the dress is
adorned with countless multicolored paper flowers -- folded up flyers
adorned on her outfit in a row of colors, as if her gown is designed to be
a paper rainbow. She also wears long sleeves on her arms to hide any hint
of masculinity, along with a sizeable headdress decorated with beads she'd
give to other guests. Not to mention the excessive make-up, making her look
almost like a royal harlequin.

She drew out a yellow paper, and held it for another guest, "Happy Happy
Hour in 5 minutes at the bar: Twice the Happy, Twice the Happy,
hehehehehe!" She laughed as she handed out another flyer.

Queen Jizzelle walked along, until she spotted a half naked young man
curled up on a beach chair on deck, "Oh?" She struts over to him, "What's
the matter, sweetie~?" She asks, "Someone steal your happy pass?"

Adam looks up, and held himself from scoffing at the drag queen, "No, it's
just..." He rolled over, "Boy problems."

"Oh, honey, I can tell you ALL about boys and problems~" Queen Jizzelle
said, "Need to talk about it, sugar hips?"

"It's ok... You don't need to..."

"Bitch, pleeeaase, I got lots of things to advertise, and the dogs are
killing me anyway~" Queen Jizzelle adjusted her gown so she could sit down.

"Hhh..." Adam sighed, "Alright..." He got up, and sat to face the
man/woman, "Jizzelle, right?"

"QUEEN Jizzelle, if you please, hun," She corrected, "I didn't spend all
those years at Castle of White to lack the dub."

"Castle... White Cas- Pfff" Adam scoffed, "Ok ok, QUEEN Jizzelle... My
problem is my boyfriend."

"Oh, my, if I haven't heard one fight or another~" She brandished her
hands, "So, what did he do, sweetpea?"

"It's not what he did, I'm the one who fucked up."

"Uh-ohhh. I sense a tragedy."

"A couple of nights ago -- the last night we were on the island -- I... Got
drunk, and I said some horrible things to him."

"Awwooo" Queen Jizzelle pouted, "Had one too many of the bottles, did we?"

"It's been 3 days since then, and he won't talk to me."

"Well honey, did you try and patch things up?" The queen asked, "3 days is
quite awhile to go without speaking."

"I did! I bought him flowers, I said I was sorry, but he won't budge. I
don't know what to do, he won't give me a chance."

"My God, Brownie Bear," Queen Jizzelle commented as she held her fingertips
over her fake bust, "What in the world did you say to make him avoid you
so?"

"It's... Kinda complicated..."

Queen Jizzelle put a fist on her hip, and leaned over "Try me." She said a
little deeply. Adam huffed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I... Kinda said our relationship was too perfect..."

"That's it?" She said, "That's what he so steamed about?"

"There's more to it than that... I can barely remember it, I was REALLY
drunk... I remember bits and pieces of other things I said... I remember
saying that I love AND hate that our relationship was so perfect..."

"Well honey, I think he's being unreasonable for not giving you at least a
chance to explain yourself."

"Ahhh," Adam leaned over, and put his hands on his forehead, "Why the fuck
did I say anything at all?"

"Why DID you?" She asked, "Fallin-over pissed or not, you should've guessed
it wasn't going to end well."

"Yeah, I got that." Adam looked back up to the sky, "Question is, what am I
going to do now?"

"You know what would be REALLY romantic~?" Queen Jizzelle held her hands up
to frame dramatically, "If you made sure he was watching, and proclaim your
love in front of EVERYONE else~!"

"Yeah, not gonna happen." Adam said, "He already tricked me into performing
once, and he knows full well I don't like it. And besides, you don't know
my boyfriend. He has a short but lingering temper -- if he hasn't forgiven
me by now, he's not going to forgive me anytime soon."

"Well, suit yourself, Fuzz Boy," Queen Jizzelle stood up, "I must get back
to gracing my people~" She turned and pulled out one of the brightly
colored flyers that decorates her gown, "Here, we're having a Hot Chocolate
Fest tonight~" She gave Adam a flyer that featured scantily dressed African
American people looking erotic, "All you can eat Hersheeey~"

"Yeah, that's all I need," Adam tucks the flyer into his towel, "Stuff
myself with sweets while I'm upset about my boyfriend."

"Well, all I can say is this," She pats his shoulder, "If he really loves
you, he'll come around in no time." With that, she drapes away to the next
couple of people, "Sign-Up for Dyno-Dyke Camp! The girls will Blow Your
Mind~!"

Adam lowers his head as he groaned, "But he does love me... But he won't
stop hating me anyway..." He slowly got up, and walked away from the spot
to go back to his cabin.


~~~


Merrick rests back as he gazes as the moon, his hands behind his back as he
feels the cold breezes flow through his clothing. He's gotten quite used to
wearing underpants all the time instead of always being naked.

Only looking at the moon seems to give him peace of mind of late. Dancing
lets the music play his soul, drinking gives him a buzz for at least a
short time along with a sweet and bitter taste, hitting on guys for tips
makes him feel sexy and wanted, but none of that lasts. He misses Yuri --
if anyone would understand where he's coming from, she would.

"Tch." Merrick sat up, and slid down the roof, and landed on deck as
usual. He puts his hands in his jacket pockets as he walks along and down
the stairs, passing by the other guests. His eyes look up to see a random
gay couple. They're holding hands, laughing; one of them kisses the other's
ear. He frowns as he passes them by, and turns to the railing. His eyes
follow the wayward surface of the water as the ship moves constantly. The
smell of the sea is almost too strong but to pull him into the deep blue,
where he's supposed to belong...

"My my, hello there, Moonlight~!" Came a very weird man's voice.

"Hello, wha-" Merrick turns, and doubles back! There stands a fairly
tall... Woman? She wears a large white royal gown, of which has never seen
before. The make-up on the face suggest feminine features, but they do
little for Merrick's eyes to perceive other wise of the face's physical
form, and with the ridiculously large grown on her head, he can't make
heads or tails of this person at all!

"Hahaha, why the shocked expression, Golden Boy~?"

"Who or What are you?" Merrick asked brazenly.

"Ahahahahaha~!" The man/woman laughed, "Why, I am no other than Her royal
highness, Queen Jizzelle~!" She brandished her hand to hold it up in a
glorious salute to the sky.

"... I will NEVER understand you hu- people." Merrick said as he shook his
head and crossed his arms, "Are you a man or a woman? I honestly can't
tell."

"Oh my honey child~" She said, "You have no doubt ever encountered a
beautiful queen such as I, no?"

"I barely know what a queen is, let alone what you're supposed to be."
Merrick commented. He turned back around to lean his arms on the railing,
"Was there something you wanted from me?"

"Queen Jizzelle NEVER ignores a soul in need~!" She proclaimed, "You look
so sad in the moonlight, I couldn't help but see if there was nothing I can
do."

"No, there isn't." Merrick gloomily said, "My heart is fractured... I don't
expect anyone to understand why. It's no one's business but my own anyway."

"Well honey, how do you know they would understand? Have you tried
talking?" Merrick stubbornly stayed silent, "I happen to be a VERY good
listener, darling~" The drag queen said.

"... It's my boyfriend..." Merrick finally answered.

"Ah yes~..." She leaned on the railing next to him, "Let me guess... About
5 feet tall, hot fuzzy bod, short hot dark hair, puppy brown eyes, brimming
with loneliness and regret?"

"Yes... That's him..." Merrick glanced to the pseudo-woman beside him,
"You've spoken to him."

"Ah yes," She clicked her tongue pitifully, "Poor boy told me you won't
tell him what's wrong."

"He and I have been together for 8 years." Merrick said, "He says he is
sorry, but that's not enough. He doesn't see just how deep my anger is..."

"Well honey, he isn't a mind-reader..." She paused, "... He isn't, is he~?
I've only met the lad once."

"No, he isn't," Merrick rolled his eyes, "The things that he said..." He
held onto a cluster of his jacket, "They cut deep..." His fingers
tightened.

"Well, one thing that's always worked for me," Queen Jizzelle said,
"There's a very simple question you should ask yourself: Do you love him?"

"Of course I do... I love him with all my heart... I love him so much that
it hurts... So much..."

"And there is absolutely no way you can forgive him? You're not exactly
playing a fair game here, sweetie."

"Tch, fair..." Merrick felt a tinge of heat in his blood, "What does anyone
know about `Fair'?" He shook his head, "... I WANT to forgive him... I
do... But every time I think about his face, I remember that night when he
told me those things."

"What DID he say, exactly, Moonlight~?" Queen Jizzelle asked, "What could
he have said to make you so tittled up inside?"

"... It's the way he said it..." Merrick looked onward to the ocean, "The
way he spoke... Thing is, me and my boyfriend have been through so much
together... So much pain... Fear, uncertainty... And all of that isn't good
enough because we're too perfect of a couple..."

"Oh, honey," Queen Jizzelle rubbed his shoulder, "I'm sure he didn't mean
it like that."

"Oh no?" Merrick turned his head for a second, "A friend of mine once told
me, `Drunken Words are Sober Thoughts'. I never understood that until
now... Now I know that's how he really feels about our relationship. And
with everything else that's going on in my life, makes it hurt all the
more..."

"Mmm, when you say it like that, you may have a point." Queen Jizzelle
nodded, "But come on, sweetie, the man loves you, you can see it written
all over his face."

"And not just him... People as a whole just seem to crave drama... I see it
all the time in TV shows, movies, even real life itself..." Merrick looks
up at the night sky, "No matter how much pain and sorrow happens to them,
everyone just desires more..." Merrick catches site of a bright star, "What
is it about humans that makes them so dramatic as to continuously seek
calamity?"

"Mm, I know, honey, I know. We can never be content with what we got, can
we?" She said, "But you know, there is nothing wrong with wanting a little
more when we need a change of pace, hm?"

"It's not just that..." Merrick curdled a little tighter to himself, "My
hurt runs deep than that... There's a lot more than what I let on, but I
don't have the heart to tell him..." His fingers tighten around his sleeve,
"No matter how mad I am... No matter how much it hurts just thinking about
it..."

"Oh?" Queen Jizzelle rose a brow, "Well then, why not tell me, moondrop? I
promise I'll keep it a secret for you-"

"No." Merrick immediately said, "Just... No." The wind wavers through his
bright hair, "I can't tell anyone..."

"Alright, sweetheart," She smiled and looked at the blonde male, whose mood
is no higher than it was, "Well, as the old saying goes, Time Heals All,
darling."

Queen Jizzelle drew out one of her many flyers from her gown, "Don't forget
to vote for the Graceful Gogo Contest. Winners are announced in a few
days." Merrick looked, and took the paper, "I've seen you up on stage~" She
moved his chin up to look at her decorated face, "Not too late to sign up."

"Hm." Merrick took the paper, and the drag queen went on her merry way.

He squinted his eyes as he strained to recognize the lettering on the
flyer. He's beginning to read better these days. He practices now and then,
but he's no scholar. There's a man in a G-String on one side of the flyer,
and a woman in a feathery bikini on the other.

"... Gr-Graccceeful... Uh... Gogo..." He slowly read the flyer,
"C...Conteh... Contest..." He strains to read the fine print on the paper,
"S... See the... Bessst... Of... Agh, forget it." Merrick folds up the
slip, and stashes it in his pocket.


The next couple of hours just seem to roll by like they were mere
minutes. Merrick spent all of that the time resting his head on his arms,
looking longingly into the ocean. The spray from the surface calls so
severely to his soul, it's almost heartbreaking to have to resist the sea.

"Hnnnhhh..." Merrick's fingers tighten around his sleeve as he bore his
forehead down. He took a deep breath before looking back up, his heart
pounding with a sudden wave of anxiety. He feels a light dizzy spell before
clasping his hand onto the rail. Merrick huffs deeply and pants as he
realized his lips feel a little dry.

"Dammit..." Merrick winced as he put his head down again, "Dehydrating..."
He growled a little as he looked out to the sea. All this desire, lingering
dryness, this hurt and denial of his former home... "If it wasn't for..."
He snarled as he pressed his eyes into his sleeve, "No, no! Don't say
it... Don't..."

"Hey." Came a voice. Merrick turned his head, and saw a human male. He's
taller than most humans he sees. After a few seconds, Merrick's memory
places him in the Shopping Center, when he attacked Daniel and
Jacob. Merrick's eyes narrowed as he can see the dumb hostility in this
man's face.

"You and I need to have a little talk." Kevin said, "I don't think it was
cool the way you-" Merrick pulled his hood up over his blonde hair, put his
hands into his jacket pockets, and began to walk away, "Hey! Get back
here!"

"Go away..." Merrick said without even turning around.

"HEY!" Kevin strode for him, "I'm talking to you!"

"I don't care." Merrick responded, "Leave me be."

"Hey!" Kevin grabbed his shoulder, and Merrick stopped, "I don't like your
attitude!" There was a pause, so he continued, "Alright, so-" Merrick began
to walk again, "HEY man, what's your problem??"

Merrick scowled as he continued to walk away, before Kevin reached in, and
yanked his arm back, "Listen you little punk!"

"Hhggh!" Merrick's eyes widened as the grip on his arm turned his blood
cold. His teeth gritted as he began to seethe -- this grip, on his arm,
it's exactly how many of the guards of the Agency manhandled him, when they
were forcing him the heat cell, or the lab. Merrick's knuckles hardened as
Kevin's hand tightened on his arm.

"Now let me make it nice and-" In a whip of a flash, Merrick ripped his arm
away from Kevin's grip, before Merrick turned halfway, and seized Kevin's
wrist, "AH!" Kevin staggered as that hand felt more like a vice. His eyes
looked into the half-hooded one, and suddenly Kevin didn't feel so cocky
anymore.

Those eyes. Staring into those eyes is like looking at a razor sharp
soul. Kevin stood, frozen as if those eyes were turning his very body into
an ice statue. Forget about the tough-guy bravado he was about to display,
this blonde shorty looks like he's about to rip Kevin's arm off right from
his shoulder!

Merrick glares lethally at the taller man; though his grip was just like
any guard that shoved and dragged him, he was never at the Agency. Merrick
fights every urge not to flip this man over the deck, and demolish him. He
struggles in his mind to fend off these dark, malevolent urges.

He's not even breathing. The blonde is just piercing his soul with those
silent, deadly eyes. Kevin's afraid to breathe himself, let alone move or
even talk -- the freezing intensity even distracts from the pain of his
wrist being gripped like a python's coil. One wrong move, one more word
might just collapse what shred of sanity this guy might have. If he lets
him know he knows he's a merman, this guy might just kill him right here!

"... What..."

Kevin didn't answer. He didn't dare speak. Merrick's eyes quiver as he
patches up an emotional dam over his violent impulses, "What do you want
from me?" His voice shook as he held the grip to the tall human, paralyzing
him with fear.

`Fuck... She was right...' Kevin thought, `This kid's insane...' He looked
to Merrick's killing eyes, not even gaining the courage to blink.

After what felt like an endless standoff between a hunter and his prey,
Merrick threw Kevin's hand back, before turning around, and walking
away. Kevin simply stood there, watching as he moved further away from
him. It took Kevin almost 5 minutes to take a step back, and retreat from
the spot.


~~~


Merrick slid the cardkey to his and Adam's cabin, and silently entered. His
eyes can easily scan the darkness, and spotted Adam curled up alone in the
bed.

A part of him wants to climb in, and spoon him from behind. And then, his
residual anger flourished into his chest, walking away from the bed, and
into the bathroom. He switched on the light, and took off his necklace. He
ran the water over his hands, immediately transforming him up to his
elbows. He looked drearily at his silver palms, spreading his fingers to
see the webbing between each digit.

He sighs as he cups the water, and splashes his face. He rubs the water
into his cheeks, forehead, neck and chin. He rubs his forearm, before
stopping.

"...Hhh!" He gasps as he sees a few transparent circles on his fingers and
palm. Moving his hand, he sees the same little discs sticking to the basin
of the sink, "What??" He rubs his hand against his forearm, and gasps as he
sees a cluster of thin scales on his palm, "No!" He rubs his arms again,
rinsing and wiping off more small scales, as if he was shedding them off!

"No, no, no! Please, no!" He whimpers in panic as the scales keep coming
off. The tiny discs continue to pile up in the sink, before he slammed his
back to the wall, away from the sink. He grabs a towel to dry himself off,
but cries in fear as the scales stick to the towel. He seizes the necklace,
and rushes to put it back on around his neck, if only to make the molting
stop. The merman feels his body reverting to his human form, with the small
clear circles still scattered on the towel and sink.

Merrick breathes deeply in shock, before slowing taking a look at his hands
and arms. His chest heaves as his hands and forearms glow a reddish pink,
as if a few layers of skin was rubbed right off of him. They feel tender as
the air touches them, but they don't hurt. His eyes looked down at the many
scales that has just been wiped off his body.

"I'm ..." He gulps as he shakes from head to foot, "I'm falling apart..."
He moans.

"Merrick?" He turns his head to see Adam sitting up, "Merrick, sweetie?" He
gets up, wearing his boxers, "Merrick, what's the matter?" The merman just
stands there as his boyfriend approached him. The two halves of his heart
are once again torn, between loving and hating Adam. "Merrick, baby-"

"Nnh!" Merrick pushes him aside, and strides towards the door. He threw it
open, and power-walked his way down the hall.

"Merrick!" Adam rushes to catch up with him, "Merrick, wait! STOP!"
Merrick halted as Adam called for him, and turned around. "Merrick," Adam
he said, "Baby... I'm sorry. I... I was a horrible jerk to you, I said
those terrible things, and you have every right to hate me." Merrick simply
leers at him, "I'm sorry for... Merrick" Adam shook his head, "I'm
sorry..."

"Yeah..." Merrick said, his tone unfeeling and hostile, "You know what? So
am I." He turns around, and starts to leave again.

"... Hey!" Adam runs up to him, and shoves Merrick around, "That's it?? You
won't even talk things out with me?"

"No, I won't." Merrick said, "You hurt me Adam. More than anything I've
ever felt. And you don't even know why."

"I would if you would just tell me!"

"Forget it." Merrick said, his heart bleeding with reluctance, "Figure it
out on your own."

"MERRICK!" Adam yelled, getting angry, "Talk. To me." Merrick glared at
him, his chest talking deep breaths, "I'm sick of you acting like a
stuck-up priss! I don't know everything, and you're not being fair for
expecting me for it!" Merrick's fist shook as his true thoughts spiraled in
his head, "Now for the last time: Tell me why you're hating me so much!"

Seconds pass by, before Merrick finally spoke.

"You mocked me." He said, his eyes glistening, "You mocked me. You mocked
US, you mocked our love, you mocked my kind, you diminished everything I
stand for, and you spat on our lives as if it was dirt."

"What?" Adam said with partial disbelief.

"You stood there, and spoke of my former existence like it was nothing!"
Merrick said, "You slandered what used to be my way of life!" Merrick
huffed as he tried to contain his emotions, "You trashed all that I held
dear-"

"Oh, give me a break, Merrick!" Adam retorts, "You do the exact same damn
thing everyday! Everyday! It's always, Humans This, Humans That! You're
always scoffing at human society, Merrick! And now you're telling me you're
pissed off because of the one time I do it to you?!"

"THAT'S DIFFERENT, Adam!" Merrick shouted, his eyes dripping with tears,
"It's not the same!!" Merrick growled as his throat rattled, "You
humans..." Merrick shook his head, "You humans have everything. You own the
land, the trees, the skies are at your disposal, and even the sea is in
your reach. When you lose one thing, you can easily find another. You said
it yourself, humans can love and fuck over and over again!"

Merrick then put his hands to his chest, "But us, merfolk? We have very
little compared to you. We cherish all that we can hold on to because it's
all we ever have! When we lose what we have, Adam, we can't bring it
back. And we can't just do it again!" Merrick sniffled as he went on, "You
humans, you can AFFORD to lose it all! You humans make such a little deal
about changing everything in sight, it's almost sickening to watch!

"We merfolk only have each other, and the Sea Mother! I once had everything
I could ever need and could ever want!"

"Merrick..."

"I once had a playful Sister who could barely be without me! I wanted to
see her sing with the other mermaids under the full moon! And now I will
never see her again! My best friend was supposed to be the greatest hunter
the ocean has ever known, and now I can never see him surpass the Tritons!"
He raged, "My Mother had the terrible burden of marking her own Son as a
Coshiton! She had to brand me, Adam! She had to burn her hand as well as my
flesh!!

"I had a dream, Adam!" Merrick shouted, "My Father trained me, he guided
me, he taught me to be a leader worthy of following and protecting
everyone!" The merman seethed as he glared at his lover, "I was supposed to
be the Triton of the Pod! My role, my place in this world was to follow in
my Father's stead, and take over the pod when my time had come! And now
look at me! LOOK AT ME! Suffocating on dry land, fainting every so often,
and I can't even go back into the ocean, or else I face immediate
oblivion!"

"Oh my God..." Adam muttered as his own eyes watered.

"And you," Merrick gritted his teeth, "You humans can fall and break as
many times as you want! And you can STILL have a new beginning! When a
Coshiton happens, Adam, that's it! Everything, gone! Our existence is
forfeit, and we are cast out! Either the Capricorns finds us, or else the
sea will punish us first! All from one fateful, incidental wave of
happenstance! All from one FUCKING red moon!"

"Merrick, I ha-"

"NO! You wouldn't! You would NEVER have any idea of how much you scorned me
on that damn night! You humans have EVERYTHING in the world! And yet you
humans NEVER fail to take it for granted! While us merfolk teeter on the
balance of the sea! Clinging to everything we hold sacred!"

"M-Merrick-" Adam tried to hold Merrick, but Merrick pushed him off.

"I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" Merrick shoved Adam back as he cried
tears of anger.

"Merrick-" Adam tried, but Merrick ran off again, "Merrick! Please, I'm
sorry!! Give me a chance, Merrick!" He called after him, but Merrick
wouldn't even look back as he kept running.

"Dammit!" Adam slammed his fist on the wall, "DAMMIT!" Angry at both
himself, and Merrick. Himself, for having caused Merrick so much hurt, and
Merrick, for just running away from him again. It's always rage and flee
with him, Merrick never wants to talk things out...

"Merrick..." Adam slid down to his knees, slumping his side to the wall,
"I'm sorry..."


---The Next Evening---


"Thank you, honeybuns, and happy stripping~?" Queen Jizzelle said as a lady
just got done signing her name. The flamboyant drag queen is now wearing an
Egyptian royalty ensemble, with her face lined with gold and black. She
grins as her eyes look up to see the same forlorn blonde trick from the
deck, "Well hello gain, Moondrop~"

"Hey... Queen Jizzelle."

"Yes yes, how may I help you, sweetie~?"

"I want to sign up for the Graceful Gogo."

"Marvelous, darling, marvelous!" Queen Jizzelle said as she took up the
Graceful Gogo sign-up sheet, and set it down in front of him, and handed
him a rather lofty feather pen. He took a deep breath, and took the wavery
feather.

`Alright... You can do this...' Merrick said, `It's just like
drawing... But finer and smaller...' He put the pen tip to one of the
lines, `I... I think it's spelled...'

M...e...r...r...

Merrick tries to remember how his name is spelled, recalling on what it
says on his State I.D. he's at least has had to seen it enough times. He
trembles as he sees his hand actually writing for the first time.

i...c...k...

He moved the pen a little space, "Sorry I'm taking so long, I-"

"Oh, that's alright, honey! You take as much time as you need~!" Queen
Jizzelle said.

P...i...s...c...i...e...n

`I did it...' Merrick felt a small rush of pride and accomplishment; the
first time he ever written letters and words on paper. And his handwriting
isn't sloppy either.

"Exquisite, sweetheart, simply delightful!" Queen Jizzelle said as she took
the clipboard and the feather pen, "Now I suggest you get the beautiful
butt into that changing room, and onto the dance floor~!"

"I will. Thank you." Merrick said before he went, and disappeared into the
crowd.


~~~


The gay and bi men hoot and holler as the Dance Lobby features a watery,
soap-bubble theme tonight. Most of the guests are wearing their swimwear,
waving and flapping their towels around.

There are a total of 8 dancers for this bash -- four of them groove and
gyrate in tight white speedos with white towels behind their necks. The
other four dance in glass boxes, trapped under a showerhead as they bathe
and dance in a cascade of water, completely naked! They rock their manly,
bare hips to shake their rounded, soaked butts as their respective members
dangle between their legs.

Adam glares at one of the glass cubicles, his heart pounding with profound
disbelief and anger as he watches the all-too familiar body of his lover
wiggle his toned, smooth torso under the rain of the shower-stages, seeing
his own genitals flop from around his smooth thighs as he followed the
beat. Adam's face rakes with a strange heat of pseudo embarrassment as
Merrick shows himself off in the shower.

That silky smooth young male is supposed to be Adam's, and Adam's alone,
and yet there he is, flaunting his sexual energy in the form of
gogo-dancing, going Commando in front of all of these men. It was bad
enough when Merrick had Jamal sign himself up to strip for Merrick in one
of these parties -- at least then, it was all in good fun, but now it seems
Merrick is doing this to spite him.

"Hey, man," Jamal came up beside him, and then spotted Merrick, "Aw shit."

"Yeah." Adam turned his back.


Merrick looked at the bar, his eyes leering as he sees Adam there, glaring
at him. "Hmph." Merrick turns around, running a hand through his moistening
hair.

`What right does he have to be mad at me now?' Merrick thought,
`Humans... God I can't stand them, sometimes.' He angrily thought as he
twirled his hips. He doesn't feel hatred for all humans at this time --
least of all the ones cheering for his erotic dancing. After all Adam has
put him though, and he's going to be angry, even after he had to TELL him
what he did wrong? Unbelievable.

"So..." Jamal doesn't know quite what to say.

"Merrick told my why he hates me now." Adam stated.

"Ah, really?" Jamal asked.

"Yeah..." Adam slumped down, "It's like this..."

~~~

"YOU JACKASS!" Syrinx yelled, "I thought I told you to stay away from
him!!"

"I know, I know!" Kevin said. The grip Merrick had on his wrist damn well
nearly sprained it, and now he's wearing a spandex wrist-glove to keep
pressure on it for it to recover faster. So naturally, he had to tell
Syrinx as to why he's wearing such an accessory.

"Did you forget what he did to those two guys at the Shopping Center?! He
took a big guy down by knocking the wind out of him with just a punch!"

"I thought he would've calm down! He was the one being a pompous little
brat who wouldn't hear me out!"

"No, you weren't thinking at all!" Syrinx said, "You told me, you TOLD me
you weren't going to confront him! And then what happened?! You went and
did it anyway! The the hell is the matter with you?!"

"I wanted to make sure you wouldn't get hurt, alright?!" Kevin retorted,
"You're so freakin afraid of him, you barely wanna go anywhere on the ship
anymore, so I wanted to tell him to back off!"

"Kevin, just, please!" Syrinx said, "Just, LISTEN when I say don't go near
him!"

"Ok, babe, alright." Kevin said, "Now that I know first hand that he's
tweaking, I will."

"Alright then. Now," Syrinx dug into Kevin's suitcase, and fished out his
white speedo with red hearts printed on it, "Now put it on!" She threw it
at his face.

"Wait, what??"

"That's your punishment for not listening to me. Put it on, and we're going
to do every activity at the Game Court." She added.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kevin said.

"Was I kidding when I told you to stay away from that merman? No. Put it
on, now."

Kevin scowled as he pulled down his pants with one arm.


~~~


"Shit, man." Jamal said with wide eyes.

"All this time," Adam groaned, his mind half dazed from half a dozen
Cosmos, "I thought he was at least ok... I-I mean... I know he was banished
from the ocean because he's with me... But merfolk have a different way of
doing things, apparently."

"It's been, what 2, 3 years since it happened?" He asked, "He still not
made his piece or something?"

"No. Evidently, this is probably going on in his head all the time, and I
just dropped the last straw that broke the camel's back." Adam said. He
sighed as he rubbed his head, "I still don't see why he can't talk to me
about it."

"Adam, this ain't the kinda thing you wanna talk about." Jamal replied,
"Think bout it -- would you wanna talk about yo parents kickin you out for
bein gay?"

"Actually, I would." Adam answered, "Holding in all that stuff isn't
healthy at all... Look what it's done to him.

"You're in a relationship, Jamal, but I don't think you understand what I'm
coming from. You and Nick just let it happen, you don't really have a
firm-bound partnership like me or Yuri."

"Aight." Jamal crossed his arms, "What don't I git?"

"How long have we and Merrick been together? Almost 8 years now. I'm always
open with my feelings." Adam said, "Sometimes, I need him to listen to what
I vent, what's hurting me, and then he goes to ease my feelings. But him?"
Adam shook his head, "He never wants to talk about his own anxiety. I
understand that it's never easy to talk about things like that, but that's
what romance is for..."

"Well, I never have any problems like that with Nick." Jamal says,
"Sometimes he talks too much."

"Exactly my point. Nick is always cheerful because he's always lets people
know what's ailing him. But Merrick doesn't even want to talk to me -- his
own boyfriend -- about things that's hurting him. And then he gets furious
at me because I couldn't figure it out on my own."

"I still say he needs his space is all, man." Jamal sighed, "I think you
pushed him too far."

"No." Adam scowled, getting frustrated, "You're not getting it,
Jamal. Merrick believes that we all need to be strong enough to face our
own problems, but doing that is driving him insane. If he'd talk to me
about these things more often, I never would've said all that shit and
started this whole fight."

Adam turned to Jamal, "You get it now? Jamal, we're soulmates, he and I,
and he can't even trust me to listen for him. And now he's too mad to even
give me a shot to make it up to him." Adam said, "It's like he doesn't want
me to be his boyfriend anymore, but is reluctantly going with it."


~~~


Merrick twirls and dances under the ever-raining shower. As it seems for
the Graceful Gogo contest, all he has to do is strip or dance at every
chance he gets, at any party too. It's not how much dancing he does, it's
his performance itself that's in question. In the meantime, he's still
getting paid for every show he does. Plus, the fact that Adam hates it when
he dances gives him at least a glimmer of satisfaction, though he would
prefer it if Adam didn't know.

Soon, the dance is over, and Merrick steps out of the glass box with a
little help from another dancer. He rushes a towel through his hair, around
his face, and all along his body, before taking a rather skimpy speedo, and
slipping it on himself.

He took a moment to look at the scale of his necklace. Half of it is still
colored; it's still a good while until this one runs out.

"Heya!" Merrick looked up to see it's the same guy from yesterday, the one
who approached him after dancing in the lockerroom.

"Hello."

He responded, "What do you-"

"Look, I just came to apologize," The guy said, "I know I was an idiot, you
just seem like a really hot twink, and I just wanted to see if you wanted
to do anything."


~~~


Adam sighs as he takes a drink. He told Jamal to go ahead and go dance with
Nick, that he needs to be alone for a while. As guilty as he feels about
Merrick, he also can't help but feel like he's not being given a fair
chance about patching things up. Merrick outright refuses to talk about
anything. Now he sees why his mother, Donna, had such a problem with him.

"Hey, man!" Comes a new voice. Adam turns, and sees it's the
same chubby guy he vaguely remembers from the last night on the island.

"Oh hey."

"Remember me?"

"Yeah, you're the cute dancer from a few nights ago." Adam said with a
smile before rubbing his fingers at that guy's round belly.

"Heh, are you drunk right now?" He said with a blush, noting that Adam was
drunk when he sucked him off.

"Naw, not really. Buzzed, maybe, but Cosmos don't really get me that
hammered."


~~~


"So, no hard feelings, I just wanted to see if you wanted to..." The guy
stopped, and see that Merrick is glancing somewhere else.


~~~


"A-Anyway, I was kinda hoping..." The chubby guy squirmed a little, looking
bashful, would you wanna do something again?


~~~

Jamal laughs as he grinds his lap against his Latino's exposed
ass through his jockstrap. Nick turned, and they kissed playfully.

Jamal danced more, until he turned his head. He sees Merrick placing a hand
onto a beefy man's hip.

"Aw shyit!" He said.

"What?" Nick turned around, looking for what Jamal was eyeing about.

"Fuck, hang on, Nicky," Jamal said, "I gotta go talk to Adam."

"Eh," Nick grabbed Jamal's arm, "Ya might wanna rethink that."

"Wut?" Jamal turned, and spotted Adam patting some other man's shoulder and
getting up.


~~~


Adam looks across the lobby at Merrck, and Merrick looks back. Both men
look at each other with disdain and challenge, as if daring one another to
just strip down and fuck these men right here. Would they really think of
just letting loose?

"Is something wrong?" Greg said to Adam.

"No... Nothing." Adam answered.


~~~


Merrick leers at his lover with the other man. It's not like fucking other
men will taint their bond. Why should he care if Adam goes with someone
else to pound in the other room? It's not like it'll matter, that's how
humans are, after all.

"You ok, man?" Tom asked, "You look like you're mad."

"... Lets get out of here." Merrick answered.


~~~

Jamal and Nick watched both Adam and Merrick. Jamal looks as Merrick stood
by the taller man, while Nick kept his eyes on Adam putting his arm around
the shoulders of a shorter, stout guy.

"You know what?" Jamal said, shaking his head as he and Nick shifted from
looking at each of them.

And at the very same time, Adam and Merrick turn away, turning their backs
on each other, and walked the opposite direction, both of them escorting a
perfect stranger out and off of the Dance Lobby.

Adam to his cabin with Gregory, and Merrick on his way to another cabin
with Thomas.

"This isn't good." Nick finished Jamal's sentence.