The Sickly Young Master and the Mershark

by ars

Content enticements/warnings:

☀️

Aimes had hoped for someone to save him; he should have specified someone human. Turbulent ocean waves rocked the boat back and forth, and Aimes’ kidnappers shrieked as one by one they were lured by some unseen force and plummeted off the side of the boat. Once they fell into the ocean with a splash, only silence followed.

This was a scene out of a horror-thriller. The average victim would long have been trembling with piss-soaked pants. But laying there tied up on the boat, all Aimes thought was that he felt uncomfortable pelted by the cold rain, the ropes around his skin chafed, and all-in-all being kidnapped then threatened by some unseen supernatural force was a terrible experience.

This all went to show that he never should have listened to his mother and ‘went outside’ to ‘get some fresh air’ and ‘experience this lovely beach, Aimes, we came all the way to the coast and you’ve just holed yourself up all day’. Well look now: he was kidnapped, stranded on a boat in the middle of a storm, and was about to be eaten by some sea monster.

With the entire crew presumably devoured, maybe Aimes could take over the ship and escape to dry land? He only had a moment to consider before the next wave slammed over the boat, swallowing the ship whole. The boat had capsized, leaving Aimes sinking into the dark waters below.

Now he was drowning! Of all the ways to go. Aimes teared up, seawater burning his lungs. See, this was what happened when one went outside. One died a horrible, awful, painful death.

While he regretted his life choices, a figure parted the darkness before him.

It was the sea monster that had come to eat him, and it was… beautiful.

The face that appeared was angelic, framed by delicate waves of hair, gentle like the owner could never do any harm against anyone—but it was a dreadfully dangerous creature, given how it had just wiped out a boat of ten mercenary kidnappers. A long tail extended from the figure’s torso, and Aimes’ brain functioned just enough to realize that the tail had no scales and ended in a vertical, hooked fin: a shark tail…

Not a merman, but a mershark!

Great! Aimes peacefully drowned.

Being eaten was very high up there in the list of ways he would prefer not to go. After all, once you’d been eaten, you’d then be turned into shit…

But contrary to expectations, the mershark didn’t attack him. The mershark gazed at him thoughtfully, almost with an expression of fascination. When it swam closer, it hooked its muscular arms around Aimes, and before he knew it, the two of them had breached the surface. Sweet, waterless oxygen filled Aimes’ lungs.

Aimes choked and coughed up water. He and the mershark bobbed along the turbulent waves, yet he felt steady in the sea monster’s grasp, like he was hanging onto a buoy rather than a living, breathing, carnivorous creature.

Said carnivorous creature continued to gaze at him with interest. Aimes’ brain suddenly flashed with a memory of divers bopping sharks on their noses to redirect them. Sharks weren’t inherently bloodthirsty. There were just… curious. That’s right! The other people weren’t eaten, so there was no way he, unappetizingly sickly and bony as he was, would be the first!

Watching Aimes in its arms, the mershark brought its face closer as if to sniff or take a bite—Aimes pushed his tied-up hands, shoving the bottom of the mershark’s jaw away. “No biting!”

The mershark froze. It glanced down at Aimes’ fiercely determined face. Aimes panicked—had he angered it? If so, then—he shoved the mershark’s head away even harder!!

“I’m not tasty, okay! You can’t eat me!” Aimes kept shouting nonsensically. The mershark’s body trembled around him. If he’d been paying more attention, he might have seen that the mershark was laughing. But he was distracted by the threat of imminent dismemberment. Suddenly, the mershark pressed him firmly against the its human chest.

Aimes spluttered, helpless as the mershark held him tight. It dipped its head to the crook of Aimes’ neck. Warm breath brushed over his skin as a nose bumped against his throat. It’s over, Aimes thought, the Shark Fact ‘Curious sharks like to take “test bites” to determine if something is food’ racing through his mind. He screwed his eyes shut in preparation.

But the bite didn’t come.

Instead, there was a subtle wet touch.

And then, like nothing happened, the mershark drew away, and pulled Aimes on top of its body. Before Aimes could comprehend what just happened, he found himself laying atop the mershark, bobbing along the waves as the mershark swam with him aboard. It was almost like Aimes was riding a surfboard, or a dolphin, except beneath him was a solid sea monster.

“What are you doing?” Aimes nearly rolled off, but the mershark held him solidly in place. It put a finger to his lips as if to shush him, then smiled gently at him. The mershark’s eyes were clear and kind, and Aimes couldn’t help but weaken his resistance. With Aimes laying atop it, the mershark swam, effortlessly cutting through the rolling waves.

Was the mershark… helping him?

The position kept Aimes safe from the cold and violent waters. The body of the mershark below was comfortingly warm and solid. It made Aimes feel that… this mythical being was more human than monster.

The mershark delivered him to the shore, and Aimes embarrassedly thanked him. The mythical being then cut off the ropes bound around Aimes’ limbs, frowning when he saw the rubbed-raw wounds beneath.

“I—I—thank you again,” Aimes said, at a loss as to what to say. You saved me? Let me repay you?

But how could he possibly help a supernatural sea creature?

“My name is Aimes,” he said to the mershark. “Aimes Holcomb. My family has money… well…” Unsure if mer-people understood the concepts of capitalism and currency exchange, and ignoring that the mershark probably didn’t even speak English, Aimes continued, “If you ever need something I can help with, you can find me at the mansion near this beach, to the northeast. I’ll do my best to repay you.”

The mershark smiled at him. Aimes wasn’t sure he understood, but the intelligent gleam in the mershark’s eyes lead him to think that he did. Aimes suddenly felt shy under his gaze, especially after the mershark beckoned him closer.

The mershark took Aimes’ hand, and spread Aimes’ fingers. He placed his webbed hand over Aimes’. The overlap of the human and non-human shapes brought a thrilling fascination, especially after the mershark twined their fingers together. Aimes felt the heat of the mershark’s large hand, and his heart pounded in his chest. The two of them looked in each other’s eyes in the rain.

The sound of shouting came from afar, and the distant halos of flashlights spilled over the beach. The mershark gave one last look at Aimes before letting go, slipping away into the turbulent water like he’d never been there at all.

Aimes looked out over the beach while being packed away by the Holcomb family guards and doctors. The sight of the mershark’s smile kept appearing in his head, and Aimes suddenly had a glimmer of understanding of all of the things people said about summer romance, and having a flash love with someone you would never meet again.

 

…Then next week, while Aimes was hooked up to an IV in the hospital to recover from fever, his mother burst into his room, wailing, “…I was so worried! Thankfully Rupert—you remember, the mayor? Rupert said his delightful nephew was free to show you around town…” Frozen in shock, Aimes’ expression twisted. Standing next to Aimes’ mother was a familiar face.

The handsome young man, looking prim and proper in his human clothes, grinned at Aimes with sparkling human teeth. He had a heavenly face and well-defined figure, as well as human hands and human legs.

“…and Rupert tells me that Noah here has lived in this town all his life. He knows all of the wonderful sights and can show you everything. Isn’t that right, Noah?”

“Yes, ma’am,” ‘Noah’ said. His voice was somewhat low with grit, like the sound of someone who had just woken up in the morning and spoken for the first time.

“Mom!” Aimes’ eyes bulged. “You can’t just—“

“Darling, I’m so glad you can finally make a friend your age, you’re not going to refuse Noah after he came all this way just to meet you, right?”

Under the heavy weight of the two expectant gazes, Aimes was stifled into silence, and forced a sickly smile.

 

Once home, Aimes rushed to his room and slammed the door. Not long after, someone knocked. “Aimes? Are you avoiding me?”

With the door shut, Aimes’ docile expression cracked into absolute fury. “Yeah, I am!” He slapped the closed door. “Why didn’t you tell me you could speak English?!”

The entire time, that mershark had pretended! To not understand!

How terrified had Aimes been?! How sure had he been of certain death! If that mershark had just piped up and said, ‘Hey, buddy, I’m your local neighborhood friendly fish, let me take you on a swim back to land,’ Aimes could have easily replied, ‘Oh yes, let’s go on a non-traumatic journey away from the site of my kidnapping’, and everything would have been dandy.

But instead—he’d even thought the mershark was going to eat him!

‘Noah’ must have been laughing at him the entire time!!

Aimes seethed, face so red he looked like a tomato. He threw himself onto his bed and wrapped himself in blankets.

See if he’d ever leave again.

The sound of knocking went away some minutes later. Aimes had successfully driven Noah away; he thought he’d feel successful, but a vague disappointment filled the air. He loosened his grip around the blankets, sitting up.

The melancholy lasted until a sound came from out the window, and the balcony doors slid open. Noah came in, a few leaves in his hair. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

Aimes shot up from the bed, still wrapped in blankets, face incredulous. “Did you break in from the balcony?” His room was on the third floor!

Seemingly unaware of the danger, Noah approached and sat by Aimes’ bedside. He wasn’t intimidated at all by the death glare Aimes sent him. “I’m sorry. You… don’t seem happy I’m here,” he said slowly.

“I—“ The spiteful part of Aimes wanted to say no duh, but when he saw Noah’s lips press tightly, the mershark’s hands clenching until the knuckles turned white, his attitude softened. “I don’t like being lied to.” He looked up at Noah, and huffed, “Why didn’t you tell me you could speak English?”

“I couldn’t.” Noah looked at him with a wronged expression. “This is my first time…”

“Your first time…” Speaking?

“Being human.”

Aimes’ eyes widened. “You’ve never…? This is your first time on land?” Aimes took another glance at Noah, who dressed seamlessly like a normal person. Nothing about him indicated he was unfamiliar with human society.

But Noah bobbed his head. “I wanted to come here because of you. Aimes, you said you would help me.” He looked at Aimes with a brilliant, expectant gaze.

Aimes’ brain exploded. What was this, the Little Mermaid? Was this mershark able to grow legs and come on land because Aimes casually said a few words? Of course not. Something magical had to have been behind this. Stewing this over, Aimes sat up and looked at Noah solemnly. He asked, “Then what help do you need? I gave you my promise. If It’s something I can do, I’ll do it.” Whatever it was, it surely couldn’t be ordinary.

Light and joy filled Noah’s face. He looked at Aimes like he was enraptured, and all of the good things in the world could be found in Aimes’ eyes.

Aimes’ heart started pounding at the intensity of that look. Every single part of him felt on display in front of Noah. He had the urge to roll and hide in the blankets.

And then Noah spoke.

“What I need your help with is…”

Aimes leaned in close, anticipation thrumming in his skin.

“I want to get ice cream.”

“?”

Did he mishear?

“Please walk on the beach with me.”

“Huh??”

“Let’s go to the amusement park and ride the ferris wheel.”

Aimes’ expression cracked.

…Weren’t they just going on a date?!!

 

The horrible sun shone bright over the coastal city as if launching a direct assault on Aimes’ weak and easily sunburnt body. Even a thick layer of sunscreen didn’t protect him from the burn. Scowling, Aimes pulled down the rim of his bucket hat.

He and Noah walked on the wooden boards, their shoes thumping against swirls of sand on the wood. A few tourists bustled between the shops lined up along the boardwalk, and squealing children ran around carrying inflatable toys. Every now and then, the air carried over the sound of people whooping while riding the amusement park attractions.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much of a crowd here. Once they bought their ice cream, the two boys found a place to sit, shaded by the planted palm trees. The sunlight sparkled between the dappled shadows, with only a few fluffy white clouds floating aimlessly in the sky.

It was hard to think that such a huge storm had blown through only a week ago. Aimes absentmindedly licked the lemon-flavored popsicle, the bright cold and sour flavor exploding on his tongue, making it curl. He looked to the side, only to see that Noah had been watching him the whole time.

Noah looked enviously at the popsicle in Aimes’ mouth, as if it were a thousand times more enticing than his own watermelon-flavored one. Aimes’ lips twitched. He wouldn’t usually do this… He hated other people’s germs. But…

“Want it?” Aimes held out his lemon popsicle. Sparkling droplets had formed on its surface, and a bead slid from the top, trailing down to Aimes’ knuckles.

The adam’s apple of Noah’s throat bobbed, and he nodded shyly. He leaned forward and bit the popsicle in half with a crack.

“……..”

Free of brain-freeze, Noah finished the popsicle like it was the tastiest thing he’d ever eaten. Aimes couldn’t help sneaking a few shocked glances at mershark’s teeth.

The two walked down the boardwalk to the beach. The fine pale sand was soft, sinking under their footsteps. Aimes wore sneakers to try and get as little sand in his shoes as he could, though he knew it was a fool’s errand to fight the inevitable. The sand was everywhere and inescapable.

Noah thrived on the shore, and like a golden retriever set loose, he ran around and kicked up sand. At some point, his sandals flew off behind him, and he stood where the waves hit the beach barefoot, watching the water rise over his toes and recede to the sea.

It struck Aimes then how utterly foreign Noah must feel on this other side of the world. He was a creature of the ocean, but now he stood looking over the vast sea on two legs. It would be as strange as Aimes growing wings and flying through the city in the air. It was something out of a dream.

Noah turned, grinning, the sun casting a glow over his hair and face. A bead of sweat trickled down his neck into his shirt.

Aimes felt his heart pound. The heat was really getting to him.

“Noah,” Aimes called. The other blinked, long lashes casting fan-shaped shadows on his cheeks. Aimes lost his train of thought for a second. “Noah, why… did you come here?”

Noah looked dazed. Aimes thought his question might have been too vague. He wanted to know why Noah had left the ocean to come to land; why Noah had chosen to go around with Aimes, who hated going outside and hated summer and hated the beach. He opened his mouth to rephrase, but then Noah spoke: “Because of you, Aimes.”

Thump. Aimes’ already fast heartbeat quickened, and his eyes widened. A thick flush worked its way through Aimes’ body, and he looked away from Noah to gaze at something less… less distracting, like the ocean horizon. “You… but I mean…” At a loss for words, Aimes could only fall silent, pursing his lips. He tugged the light hoodie around him shyly.

Aimes had never really considered… having someone. To be with him. With his health, and his family’s status, it was obvious what purpose anyone who got close to him had. That had disgusted him, and he’d never found anyone pleasing to his eyes. But Noah wasn’t human. A mershark wouldn’t care for his family’s money or inheritance, and besides—Noah was going back to the ocean one day, wasn’t he?

Thoughts racing a thousand miles ahead to a vague future, Aimes’ gaze wandered.

It was then that he noticed something off in the distance, and his eyes widened.

“Is someone drowning?” A small figure was moving erratically far out in the ocean, splashing and seeming to be swept away. After Aimes spoke, several people looked over, and someone shouted for a lifeguard—

But before anyone else could act, Noah had already dashed out and dove into the water.

“Watch out! That’s a rip current!” Panicked, Aimes took a few steps into the water as if he could stop Noah from going. It was too dangerous! People who were drowning were unpredictable and could easily drag rescuers down by accident. Not to mention that person had been caught in a rip current. Getting stuck in the current and failing to escape could be fatal!

It was only after the lifeguard ran out that Aimes realized… why was he being so stupid? Noah was a sea creature. Did fish need to worry about drowning? Pitying his own lack of brain cells, Aimes settled down and waited by the shore.

Several minutes passed, and Aimes felt something amiss. Why was it taking Noah so long to return? The lifeguard had swum out to both of the distant figures. By the time all three returned, Aimes fretted with worry, and he watched the emergency medical responders examine the rescuees.

Noah was in terrible shape—he looked miserably exhausted, and was coughing up water with red-rimmed eyes. Afraid what would happen if Noah underwent medical testing, Aimes hurriedly reassured the EMT and brought Aimes to rest in a quiet corner.

“What’s going on? Are you really hurt?” Aimes anxiously took Noah’s face in his hands and checked his eyes for lack of focus. “Aren’t you a shark, why did it look like you have water stuck in your lungs?”

Noah shook his head in Aimes’ grip. Looking embarrassed, he said, “I’m human now. Once I’m with you… I can’t go back.”

Aimes froze. His hands dropped away. “What?”

It was like Noah didn’t realize the horrific weight of the statement he’d made. “Since I chose to be with you, I’ll live like you, so I can… stay with you forever.” He bashfully raised his gaze, a subtle but shy pout to his lips. “If… If you want me to.”

For a moment, nothing processed in Aimes’ head. It was like none of the words fit together. And when it did, it came out like this: Noah was actually the Little Mermaid. Or rather, the Little Mershark…

“…Aimes?”

Aimes’ chest started to hurt. His emotions roiled, torn between too many feelings: shyness and anxiety, hope and despair. He didn’t know what to think. His eyes watered, breathing in disarray. The hyperventilation triggered his body into going into shock. He hated when this happened. Hated what was coming next—the lack of oxygen made him black out. He fell.

He knew that Noah was panicking above him. Aimes fought to grab at Noah’s shirt. Don’t do anything. He just needed time to catch his breath. He’d be fine, this happened all the time…

But his body was lifted, and there was a lot of noise around him; the bodyguards had come. Frustrated, Aimes let his hand fall.

 

The hospital wasn’t the worst place to be.

Aimes had spent most of his life shuttling between different ones. He hadn’t been born with any terminal illness or severe genetic disorders, which was lucky. But he had a number of minor deficiencies that, together, meant he wasn’t likely to live long.

It wasn’t too bad. He still had a chance at a decently long life. But it all depended on luck, extremely good luck.

When Aimes woke, the first person he saw was his mother. She sniffled and held his hand, and he had to reassure her that he was fine. He’d just been overstimulated from the rescue, that was all.

After the reassurance, Aimes’ mother wiped away her tears, then mentioned Noah. “That young man has been waiting outside. Honestly, I asked him to look after you, and he still let you end up in this state…”

Aimes listened to her grumble. “Mom, it’s not his fault. I’m really fine. I have something I want to talk to him about, do you mind calling him in?”

His mother squinted her eyes, peering over her handkerchief. “You never want to talk to people. Do you like him?” Aimes’ cheeks flushed, but before he could say anything, his mother gave a wobbly smile. “I’ll leave you two be. Just be careful, darling, and call me if anything happens.” She gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Noah rushed into the room the moment Aimes’ mother gave him the clear.

“Do you hurt anywhere?” Noah asked, frantic. “Do you need rest? You can sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

Aimes watched him with a mix of sour and sweet emotions. He’d never had anyone other than his mother care about him so much. He really wanted to grasp Noah’s hand, and tell him that he hurt, and he was tired, and sometimes he wished living wouldn’t be so exhausting.

But of course, he didn’t.

Aimes had only known Noah for less than a few days, and it was—it was crazy to fall in love with someone that fast, to trust them that much, to give up one’s prior way of life and all of the ways one had coped thus far just like that.

So instead, he said, “Noah, you should go back.”

The mershark sucked in a breath, and his body gave a slight flinch. He looked up slowly, and the emotion in his eyes was too much to look at. Aimes turned his head away to gaze at a wall indifferently.

“Your home is the ocean. Being with me isn’t going to happen.”

Silence. The words seemed to cut Noah to the core. Aimes heard a dry swallowing, the sticking of Noah’s throat, like the things he wanted to say were caught like spurs and swallowed painfully back to his chest. Eventually, Noah dragged out gritty and raw words, “You don’t… want to be with me?”

Aimes didn’t look at him. He just closed his eyes, the white sheets and pillows of the hospital bed enveloping him like a casket. “It’s just not going to happen.”

Noah was a mythical being, a mershark. He was beautiful and strong, and he surely had plenty of potential lovers. But he said that once he left the ocean to be with Aimes, he wouldn’t be able to go back.

If that really happened, what would he do after Aimes died?

Would he just be stuck on land, forever with his two legs, his lack of gills, his inability to live and swim freely in the ocean?

Would he be alone, lost in the human world with all of its corruption and apathy?

And what if he got hurt, and people realized he wasn’t human? Would they hurt him? Dissect him? Put him on display?

The land was no place for him.

Even if they might be happy together… Aimes couldn’t protect him.

At some point, Noah had stumbled out of the room. Aimes laid there in a daze, looking at the empty chair.

If things hadn’t turned out this way, if he and Noah really could have had just an innocent summer fling, then… Aimes would probably have really fallen in love with him.

Noah was the only person he’d ever met who made him feel such a connection. No one else was like him. Pure, like raw sunshine.

But life wasn’t fair. This was the best solution. Noah could start looking for someone else to be with, someone healthy. There were plenty of fish in the sea, and all that. Laughing to himself, Aimes turned in his bed, and pressed his damp face into the pillow.

 

After being discharged, Aimes didn’t leave the mansion again. His mother stopped urging him out, so he spent his time reading books. His tastes had changed to include fairy tales and fantastical romances.

One day, a visitor came.

“Mayor Rupert?” Aimes was surprised. The mayor of this coastal city was a round old gentleman with a brush-like mustache. He came specifically to meet Aimes. The two exchanged pleasantries. Rupert had a soft, kind demeanor, the kind of unassuming man that looked nothing like Noah. Remembering his mother’s description of Noah as ‘Rupert’s nephew’, Aimes guessed that Rupert knew more of the sea creatures than most.

He was proven right when Rupert said, “Did Noah ever tell you what his life was like before he met you?”

“No,” Aimes said, indifferent. “We knew each other for less than a week. We didn’t get around to talking about history.”

“It’s a shame.” Rupert sighed. “The shark folk, you know—they’re quite pitiable.”

Aimes’ heart clenched. He felt restless. It was so utterly transparent what Rupert was trying to do, yet he fell for it hook, line, and sinker: “…And why is that?”

“They’re mute.” Rupert picked up a glass of water to drink. “The other mer-folk don’t get along with them. The shark folk are considered violent, bloodthirsty predators. The other mer-folk avoid them like the plague, and because the shark folk lack vocal cords, they can do little to change their perception.” Just these words were enough to stab into Aimes’ chest. He imagined Noah, so kind and gentle. How did he feel when he was ostracized and driven out…

He was really mute in his mershark form. No wonder Noah hadn’t spoken until he became human. “Why tell me this?” Aimes asked. “You… do you think he’d be happier on land?”

As a human, Noah’s vocal cords were functional. He had a beautiful personality, and gorgeous looks. No one would avoid him; in fact, they’d recognize how lovable he was…

It made sense. Aimes’ eyes dimmed. “So even if I die, it’s worth it for him to be with me, right?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Rupert set down his glass, and he looked at Aimes with his eyebrows raised, like an old grandfather imparting an important lesson. “Mr Holcomb, ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ You seem to believe pushing away those who care for you will save them from future heartbreak. But have you considered how much pain they feel now, loving you yet unable to reach your heart in turn?”

Aimes’ hands slowly clenched to fists.

“I’ll tell you one thing before it’s too late. Merfolk only have one chance to become human. Once the time passes, if they haven’t succeeded in forming a bond, they will never be able to go on land again.”

 

 

The salt-spray of the ocean blew over Aimes’ face. The beach was dark at night, and the sand scraped his bare feet as he walked to the waves.

Aimes felt like an idiot. He shouldn’t have listened to that old man Rupert, and he shouldn’t be thinking so much about some guy he’d just met. But no matter how much he beat himself up inside, he couldn’t stop himself from rushing to the ocean just to look for that mershark.

The distant waters were endless and calm. Aimes’ breath caught in his chest. Before he lost his nerve, he breathed in deep, put his hands over his mouth, and shouted, “Noah—!”

The sound spread over the ocean, but no response came. The bodyguards trailing behind him probably thought he was crazy. But Aimes kept going. He kept calling Noah’s name, shouting that he’d changed his mind, that he wanted to see him.

But of course—why would Noah come back for him?

Alone on the cold and windy beach, Aimes suddenly felt a deep chill—he’d broken Noah’s heart. They really wouldn’t see each other again. The two of them belonged to different worlds in the first place…

He kneeled down there on the sand, the water rushing up to his ankles, and laid his face down on his knees. What an idiot he was. Wasn’t this what he wanted? To be alone, to be miserable?

“But we haven’t gone on the ferris wheel…”

Aimes’ shaky voice left him as he started to cry. He didn’t even fulfill his promise to Noah. He was such a failure.

It was then that a splash sounded.

Hands reached out to wrap around his back, and a warm body covered him, protecting him from the cold.

The hand stroked his head, and when Aimes looked up, eyes blurry with tears, what he saw was a brilliant, sunny smile, and Noah’s face as he leaned in to kiss him.

It’s okay, was what Noah mouthed against his lips. Go together?

Aimes smiled then, his breath mingling with Noah’s. “Yeah. Let’s go together.”

 

 

Noah had watched the young human from afar.

The young man was thin, like the stormy wind would blow him away. He walked on the shore alone, his face cold. With his bony shoulders and delicate wrists, he looked pristine, untouchable. Noah sank deeper into the water, holding his gills; he was afraid of disturbing the human, of the man screaming in terror at the sight of him.

When the other land-folk swarmed and hauled the young man away, Noah hesitated for only a moment before he gave chase. After the boat flipped over, sending the young man into the water, Noah swam with his heart in his throat.

He didn’t want to see the young man afraid of him.

But when he got close, what Noah saw was this:

The young man slowly sank, an ethereal calm around him. The bubbles like flowers rose from his mouth. His hair waved over his half-closed eyes, and when they focused on Noah, the pupils shrank. But the young man didn’t move, and didn’t panic. He just stared like this was where he was meant to be, no one would be coming to save him.

So Noah reached out. He took the human in his arms and brought him to the surface. The human was so thin, so cold. He trembled in Noah’s arms, but he didn’t struggle, didn’t shout and cry and snarl that Noah was a monster, let go, oh god I’m gonna die—

None of that happened.

But the human did bring his hands up to Noah’s face and say—

“No biting.”

“I’m not tasty.”

Noah wondered, was that true?

He licked at the cold and damp skin of the human’s neck. Warmth filled Noah’s chest. Was this the taste of those who lived under the sun?

Noah couldn’t stop thinking of that human. He searched for the sea witch, but the witch found him first. “You can call me Rupert,” he said, “All the land-folk do. You’ll be joining them soon if you go through with this.”

Rupert raised his wrinkled brow and gazed at Noah from head to tail.

“Are you sure? If you fail, you know what happens. I’ll warn you now, that human isn’t easy to get close to.”

But Noah nodded. He was sure.

In the ocean, that human had been like an abandoned treasure.

Slowly sinking, lost, with no one around to pick it up. No one to tenderly treat it, covet it, keep it safe and warm.

He was a light drifting and fading into the darkness.

If no one else would reach out their hands, then Noah would be the one to take that piece of starlight to hold in his arms.

Aimes never wanted to love anyone.

If Aimes didn’t want Noah, then Noah would go back to the way he was—invisible, watching from afar, trying not to disturb him despite the yearning in his chest.

But then Aimes called his name.

Aimes wanted to see him.

Aimes, who had never wanted anyone, never had another person in his gaze, looked for Noah.

☀️

 

Author's Account:

ars

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading <3 I wanted to make a fluffy, summer-flavored romance! Hope you enjoyed!

Actually, I… hate summer, sunshine, outdoors, and the beach. But even people like that can enjoy the taste of summer love, right? Probably. That’s what I wanted to write, at least.

If the ending is too abrupt, you can imagine some more fluff. After this last scene, they go on their date. Noah and Aimes discover they’re both terrified of heights and cling to each other the whole way. Noah takes care of Aimes until he’s old and grey; Aimes takes care of Noah in different ways.

I like to think Noah keeps his mershark form. Aimes plays around with the tail: the shark tail has a rough and sandpapery texture, contrasting the smooth and soft human skin. Aimes rubs it, unaware of just how red Noah’s face is getting…

You can also check out the art for this story! Thanks again!

@ars_ch_ on twitter