Seal the Deal

by Zaiakuma

Content enticements/warnings:

☀️

Coming out here, Evan had known what to expect, more or less. He had done some basic research on the area after all, looking up locations online. However, even so, he found himself startled by the sheer beauty of it all.

Above them, the skies were a deep blue with scattered clouds that did little to obscure the brightness of the sun, and there was a gentle breeze blowing in from the south.

The sea was deceptively calm however, and especially so given the proximity to the greater Atlantic. Then there was the definite shallowness of the cove, giving the clear waters a light blue tinge to the eye, feeding into the illusion that the waters here might just be as warm as down in the Mediterranean in the summer months.

They weren’t though; Evan had properly checked.

That said, the shallows were slightly warmer than the rest of the ocean, albeit not at a temperature where Evan felt comfortable to just lie there and soak. As such, despite wearing swim shorts, Evan had really only waded around a bit before retreating back to shore and wrapping himself up in a beach towel.

Unlike some, Evan was quite sensitive to the cold, and so dry land it was, at least until it was time to start heading back to a more populated area. Before that though, Evan would undoubtedly have to take a few pictures – or else Mina would never let him hear the end of it. Because she was already annoyed with him for heading off to Scotland without her, and not even to visit Edinburgh or anything.

“South Uist?!” she had exclaimed, before demanding to know just what Evan was planning on doing out in the Outer Hebrides of all places, because⸺ “No way you’re out there to hike or kayak or whatever!”

And yes, that was indeed true. Evan was not here to hike or kayak or whatever, but they had ended up doing those things as well, even though he’d yet to provide any photographic evidence of the fact.

As for why he was actually here, well⸺ “Maël’s from the area, so...”

And that was actually true. Because, contrary to popular belief – which was that Evan’s boyfriend was French – he was actually from South Uist. The misunderstanding did make sense though, since they’d met in Nice. Also, Maël had pretended to speak very limited English at the time, and kept up the ruse until it had just been the two of them standing at the Promenade des Anglais while Mina, Cyan and the rest had been down on the beach below it.

This had come as a bit of a shock, sure. However, the other being able to speak fluent English had honestly been one of the least shocking things about him.

Mina and the others knew nothing about that though, of course, much like they didn’t know that Maël had only pretended not to be able to speak much English – and it wasn’t his first language either, not by any means. Mina and the others only knew what they had seen, which was a tanned Adonis with dark eyes, dark curls and clearly defined muscles making many guys self-conscious about their lack of abs and many girls sigh and sneak glances at them as they practically glistened under the glare of the sun.

As for Evan, well, he’d initially been a bit preoccupied with other thoughts – like being able to breathe again – to care all that much about either the state of Maël’s abs or the state of his own, though he could hardly deny⸺

“Admiring the view?”

A single dark eye was cracked open, accompanied by a smile that hinted at some awareness of the recent direction of Evan’s thoughts. Tch.

“Yes,” Evan said, angling his phone to snap a few pictures of the surrounding waters, cliffs and the small beach where they’d left his kayak. “I’m surprised nobody lives out here.”

“I’m not,” Maël said, rolling over onto his side, head now cushioned on his arm as he looked up at Evan. “It’s been like this for over a hundred years. It’s used for grazing these days, but only when there’s enough drinking water available. The first herd died from dehydration after all.”

Well⸺ “With any luck, we won’t meet the same fate.”

“Of course not,” Maël said. “Even if we’d actually manage to get stuck here, it’d only be for a couple of hours at most, if even that. Noises carry far over the waters, and especially in weather like this. If we got up and screamed, they might even hear us over in Eriskay, and they’d definitely hear us over in Barra, and on any boats passing through in the vicinity. So, no worries, honestly.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Evan said, gingerly getting to his feet. “I’m going to go and stretch my legs for a bit. How about you?”

“Go ahead,” Maël sighed. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Evan rather doubted that. However, he didn’t question it either.

-o0o-

There was honestly not a whole lot to see on the isle of Fuday – barring the occasionally breath-taking scenery, that is.

However, this was all the better, honestly. Because the less there was to see, the lesser the risk of anyone else deciding to join them. That risk was not zero however, and as such, Evan still kept an eye out for any boats or kayakers passing through. While taking photos and videos, he also took care not to feature his boyfriend, and particularly not his boyfriend’s lower half – which was not wearing pants.

There was not a whole lot being exhibited though – if one disregarded the large dark grey tail, that is.

It wasn’t a fishtail though – no scales as far as the eye could see; only smooth, lightly spotted seal skin – and that distinction was very, very important. Because insinuating any sort of kinship in-between seal folk and fish-tailed merfolk typically ended either in a lecture or in grievously offending either of the groups.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, these groups of what could be referred to as ‘merfolk’ tended to stay reasonably far away from one another – to avoid not just competing for the same resources but also not to aggravate blood feuds that had spent hundreds, occasionally even thousands of years in the making.

There were exceptions though, particularly amongst the younger generation. As such, within the last fifty years or so, merfolk had gradually begun to put aside their differences in order to focus on more urgent problems – like humans treating the sea as some sort of trashcan, among other things.

Given a few pints, Maël would have a whole lot to say on the issue, and Evan as well, honestly, although the problems might not have affected him quite as personally. Because frankly, as a human, he believed that there was reason to be concerned about the impact humans were having on nature’s ecosystems – both on land and at sea.
 
The potential impact of the decline of the world’s bee population had gradually begun to enter the consciousness of the general public, which already held concerns about the state of the coral reefs. However, as things were, people at large still remained blissfully ignorant of the role that the kelp forests played in many parts of the ocean – not just as a food source but as a nursery for fish and other maritime animals as well.
 
The peoples of the sea however were not unaware of this. Because they knew what happened when the kelp forests suffered. Because less kelp meant less fish, which meant less food, as well as greater competition for resources not just amongst themselves but in-between them and humans.

Some merfolk even went as far as to claim that land dwellers such as humans ought to stop stealing their resources altogether, given that humans already had a pretty decent food supply on land and had done by far enough damage to the maritime ecosystems already. And while Evan might not have entirely agreed with this sentiment, he still understood it. And he understood it even better now, having seen just what an uncontrolled population of sea urchins had done to a once thriving kelp forest out in the Norwegian Sea.

And the kelp forests around the Outer Hebrides would’ve likely been in a similar state, had it not been for the conservation efforts of the local merfolk. Speaking of which⸺

“So,” Evan said, turning to face the boyfriend that had finally seen it fit to join him. “When are you planning to introduce me to your mother?”

All in all, it was a perfectly valid question. Because meeting Maël’s family had been one of the primary reasons for this trip in the first place.

And yet, after dumping most of their luggage at their rented accommodations, they’d taken off to explore the neighbouring area, first with their rental car and then with a rented kayak – and just one kayak, with Maël deciding to take the opportunity to swim around a bit.

Evan hardly faulted him for that though. It had after all been a while since he’d seen Maël in even a partial shift. Evan also didn’t fault Maël for being nervous about bringing Evan around his family, because the selkie community’s relationship with humans had always been... complicated, to say the very least.

Anyways, the place where they were supposed to be staying – a neat little chalet located on the shore of Loch Eynort on the eastern side of South Uist – had already been paid for, and so, Evan thought it’d be a bit of a waste not to spend more time there. Because as the booking website had said, the place did have an excellent view of both the loch and of the surrounding hillsides, and did hold ample opportunity to spot local wildlife – including but by no means limited to a seal colony some two-hundred metres away, which was actually not a seal colony but a colony of selkies that Maël was intimately familiar with.

They’d also gotten a pretty substantial discount from the owner – Liz – who was apparently friends with Maël’s mother.

Also, the bed and bedding were excellent, and the Wi-Fi speeds were certainly nothing to scoff at either. The rest wasn’t bad either – it was rather the opposite, really. So⸺

“Let’s go back then,” Maël said at last, staring out towards the sea. “We’ll face the storm when we get there.”

-o0o-

And indeed, they did end up facing something. The ‘storm’ did not even wait for them to get back; she was already waiting for them, sitting on the red sofa in the living room as they got back.

The woman – who was undoubtedly Maël’s mother – was dressed relatively simply. She wore a black turtleneck alongside a pair of chequered capris and sandals, and her hair – done up in a French braid – was almost completely grey.

As for her expression, it was stern, especially so when her gaze landed upon them. Evan didn’t flinch though, not even as she stood up and started making her way over to them – or to him, really. She was a tiny bit shorter than him, but even so, it felt almost like she was looming over him.

“So,” she said, regarding him with her dark eyes. “This is the person you’re planning to give up your coat for, Maël?”

To give up the coat; the seal skin so often featured in the myths about their kind – coats stolen and hidden away to keep a selkie from returning out to sea. Evan obviously had no such plans though. After all⸺

“Mom,” Maël snapped, and in one smooth movement, Evan found himself dragged into Maël’s side, his boyfriend’s arm around his shoulder in an almost half-hug. “I already told you, I’m not going to⸺”

She huffed, looking at Maël now.

“You know,” she then said, tilting her head slightly. “Your aunt said the same thing, back before she ran off with that software engineer of hers – a software engineer of all things – and where is she now, hm?”

She didn’t even wait for a response. Instead, she just went on. “Call me fogeyish or whatever you want, but when haven’t I been looking out for you, Maël? You insisted, so I arranged for you to get higher education, hoping to sate your curiosity about the world. I also didn’t stop you from getting involved with those Mediterranean fish bastards – I might not have approved of it, but I didn’t stop you either, even though I knew they’d put all sorts of strange ideas into your head...”

She sighed, folding her arms across her chest.

“And no, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with cleaning up the oceans – it’s an admirable ambition,” she said. “But there was no need to go all the way over there to do it, was there? There’s plenty of trash to pick closer to home, and even if that ran out, you could’ve assisted in taking care of those dastardly sea urchins, or in catching and killing any invasive species dumped in our waters from the ballast tanks of all those ships. Why did you go all the way over there and put yourself at risk doing their dirty work for them?! And now you’re back here, looking so thin! Honestly⸺”

Again, Maël’s mother sighed, and then she turned her attention back to Evan.

“As for you, you could certainly also use more meat on your bones,” she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Don’t your mother and father feed you enough?”

Evan smiled, because in his case, there were no longer any biological parents to speak of. Instead, there was the couple who’d taken him in and raised him like a son. They weren’t exactly blood-related, but that didn’t make them any less of a family – a family which obviously also included Mina, similarly adopted.

And although Evan didn’t mention any of this, he had a feeling that the woman understood at least a fraction of it, given how the look in her eyes softened slightly.

So, after coaxing Maël to let him loose, Evan decided to step up to the occasion and extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Evan.”

Maël’s mother looked from him to the hand and then back again before finally sighing and reaching out to grab it.

“Younaëlys, but you may call me Youna,” she said, shaking his hand once and then just continuing to hold it, her grip firm but not actively hurtful. “Now tell me, how long has this courtship been going on?”

Well⸺ “...It’s been about three years, hasn’t it?”

Maël nodded. “Next month.”

Yeah⸺ “Yes, next month, it’ll be three years since we made it official.”

“Hoh?” The grip tightened noticeably. “It’s been three years, and my youngest haven’t offered you his coat even once?”

Well⸺ “That’s not true. Maël’s offered me his coat more than half a dozen times already.”

“Oh?” The grip tightened even further. “Have you taken it?”

Yes. “I have.”

“But you’ve given it back?”

“Yes.”

Youna stared at him blankly, and her grip slackened to the point where Evan was finally able to retrieve his hand. “Why?” she asked.

Evan sighed. “Because that’s what you do with borrowed things – you return them.”

“Hoh?” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him almost as if he was some strange alien specimen. “Even if it’s presented as a gift?”

Really. “If it’s a gift, then I can choose not to accept it.”

“And why is that?”

Well⸺ “Because it’s Maël’s coat, and it belongs to him alone. Because as much as I want us to be together, I still think it’s more important for Maël to have the choice to leave. Because even though we love each other now, there’s no telling about the future. Also, if I had it, would I ever be allowed to rest easy? I’d be so nervous about something happening to it that I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

Youna hummed, then took a step back, folding her arms across her chest once more. “Adequate, I suppose. Now tell me, Evan, where are you from? And what do you do for work?”

Well⸺ “I was born in New Zealand, but I’ve spent most of my life elsewhere. As for my work... I’m a marine biologist, currently taking part in a research programme while also working on my thesis.”

“Thesis?”

“Yes. I’m getting a Ph.D. in phycology.”

“Phycology?”

Yes, because it was ‘phycology’ and not ‘psychology’. Occasionally, people misunderstood. As such⸺ “Algae. In my case, macroalgae like seaweeds.”

“Kelp,” Maël quietly added, seeing the look of confusion on his mother’s face.

That confusion gradually gave way for something else though. “You study kelp?”

Evan nodded. Then he shrugged. “Yes. That wasn’t my original plan though. I was originally thinking about studying coral reefs, but... something made me change my mind.”

Something, or rather, a few things – and a certain someone had certainly contributed a significant amount.

“That said, I must admit that some of my course mates thought I was crazy for switching from invertebrate zoology to phycology all of a sudden, because I’ve always been very interested in cnidaria. Even I thought that I might be in over my head, but...”

Thankfully, he’d had a good relationship with his professors, and they’d helped him out an awful lot. It was largely thanks to their recommendations that he’d been able to make quick work out of the introductory courses necessary to qualify him for more advanced studies in phycology – well that, and his hard work. Because it hadn’t been easy – not by any means. It had been pretty hard actually, but⸺ “I’d like to think it was worth it?”

“It was definitely worth it,” said Maël, and that was certainly easy for him to say – not that he hadn’t contributed, because he had still taken care of most of the housework. In any case⸺

Evan turned his attention back to Youna, and found her staring at him. He briefly considered apologising for talking her ear off, but then again, she’d asked for it, and besides, Maël could be far more of a chatterbox once he got started.

“...Indeed,” Youna said at last. “A marine biologist, you say?”

“Yes,” Evan affirmed, because while she may or may not have understood everything he’d just said, that was still the important part. “A marine biologist.”

At first, Youna said nothing. Then she hummed, and patted Evan lightly on the shoulder. Then she turned to Maël, put her hands firmly on top of his shoulders and quietly uttered a string of words that was probably Gaelic before letting go and heading out, leaving Maël frozen in place.

It wasn’t until the door had closed behind her that Maël unfroze, immediately snapping his head around to stare after her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.

Evan, slightly concerned, quickly found his way to his boyfriend’s side and carefully cupped Maël’s face, directing those dark eyes back towards him – and towards the present.
 
And Maël in turn put his own hands on top of Evan’s and closed his eyes, leaning his head forward with Evan meeting him halfway, closing his own eyes as their foreheads brushed against one another.

For a brief while, they stayed like this, saying nothing, just breathing. Then, once Maël’s heartbeat had settle back down, Evan finally opened his eyes and said: “So? Can we stay the night or should I start gathering up our things?”

Dark eyes stared back at him, framed by equally dark eyelashes. Then Maël smiled, and his smile was as dazzling as it had been back at the Promenade des Anglais.

-o0o-

“So,” Evan said, afterwards, stretched out atop needlessly luxurious linens. “Did I manage to earn your mother’s seal of approval?”

Maël let out a snort, then resumed drying his hair, having only just emerged from the shower. “Approve? That’s an understatement.”

Hoh? “How so?”

For some reason, he wouldn’t say.

Evan was curious, but he didn’t stew on it, reasoning that Maël would tell him when he was ready – or perhaps not at all. That said however⸺ “Will you teach me Gaelic?”

Because if they’d be coming back here, then learning at least some Scottish Gaelic seemed like the way to go, as it did seem to be the preferred language not just of Maël’s kin but of many others in the region.

“Sure,” Maël said, although his tone indicated that he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about it.

Honestly⸺ “Why not? You think I might end up getting seduced by someone else?”

“Yes.”

Well, that did seem kind of stupid. But at least he was honest enough to admit it, so⸺

“Then why don’t you put a ring on it?” Evan said, lifting his left hand and splaying the fingers wide, though mostly as a joke, because given the number of marks currently on his body, Maël’s claim seemed pretty damned obvi⸺

“Okay.”

⸺Huh?

Evan blinked, because Maël was suddenly right there, Evan’s hand in his, and in his other hand, there was⸺

“Oh.”

⸺not a ring, but a bracelet made entirely out of pieces of nacre; mother of pearl. It was still pretty though, and Evan took the time to admire it once it had been fitted around his wrist. “Did you make this?”

There was an answering hum from Maël, who’d gone off to rummage through his bags. Evan sat himself up and watched him, wondering what he could possibly be looking for.

Then, maybe two or three minutes down the line, he didn’t have to wonder anymore.

“I didn’t make this,” Maël said, taking the ring out of its box. “I didn’t make it, but I did gather all the materials. So...”

He trailed off, then looked at Evan almost shyly. And Evan, Evan just smiled and readily offered his hand.

-o0o-

“You’ve gotten engaged?!” Mina exclaimed, staring at him with wide eyes from the screen.

And Evan just smiled and nodded, affirming that yes, this was indeed the case.

“Really?! Pics or it didn’t happen!”

Despite this being a video call, Evan didn’t refrain from rolling his eyes. But he also made sure to flash his newly acquired pieces of jewellery. “Good enough?”

“Sure, sure,” Mina said, her voice now at a more suitable volume. “But I definitely want some pics later – high quality ones!”

Really? “For what? This isn’t going on any social media.”

“Why not?” Mina argued. “To keep people updated, of course! Whether you realise it or not, people have been pretty invested in all of this! It’s like the plot of some book or movie or something! Nerdy marine biology student goes diving and is saved from drowning by a tall, dark, handsome and mysterious hunk, and then they fall madly in love!”

Really. “My relationship is my business and no one else’s entertainment. If you put this up on any social media or spread it around, I’m removing you from the guestlist.”

Mina pouted, then finally just shrugged. “Oh, fine then,” she muttered. “Killjoy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Evan sighed. “And just so you know, I’ll be the one telling those that need to know. As for the rest... well, there’s the wedding.”

“Have you told Dad and Papa yet?” she asked.

Really. “I told them before I told you, because I knew this would be the lengthier conversation.”

Mina looked pretty indignant at that, but she also didn’t deny it.

“Evan, I can’t believe you’re getting married before me,” she instead grumbled. “You only ever had eyes for science. You barely even looked at the cute guys I tried setting you up with, and the rest, you scared away with your nerd talk. I’m amazed this guy hasn’t run away from you yet.”

Hah. “Why would he run away? He did play an instrumental part in me switching majors after all.”

“So, he is a nerd then,” Mina concluded, shaking her head. “Well, honestly, I should’ve known. Back when we climbed that mountain to get that fort to try and catch some of that meteor shower, I swear to God, he pointed out practically every single constellation and named them, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t even in French but in Greek! And that shifty bastard didn’t reveal that he could speak fluent English until waaaaaay later! I mean, you obviously had to have known, but the rest of us? He must’ve thought it was hilarious!”

Well⸺

“Yep,” said Maël, leaning into frame to retrieve his shirt. “People say all sorts of things when they don’t think you can understand them.”

Indeed, they did. And going by the visibly flustered look on Mina’s face, she had most likely uttered a few of them herself.

“Well,” Evan said, motioning for Maël to get back out of frame. “At the wedding, I’d advise you to be pretty careful about such things. Maël’s relatives speak Scottish Gaelic as a first language, but most of them also know English.”

“Gee,” Mina said. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“No problem,” Evan said. “Say hi to Cyan for me.”

“Will do. Bye bye.”

And with the call ended, Maël leaned back in, looking earnestly confused. “Who’s Cyan?” he asked.

Evan sent him a definite look. “You know, Cyan, Mina’s girlfriend, with the cyan-coloured hair?”

She’d been with them in Nice after all, and with her hair dyed in such a colour, she was typically pretty difficult to miss.

“Oh...” Maël said at last, then straightened back up. “Her.”

Huh? “Is there a problem?”

Because judging by the silence that followed, there obviously had to be something. But what?

“You sister...” Maël began at last, tilting his head slightly to one side. “Is she aware that she’s dating a mermaid?”

Oh. “I don’t... think so?”

All things considered, she probably wasn’t – which wasn’t good, so Evan would obviously have to have a talk with Cyan about it.

That however was a later issue. Because first, Evan had a family gathering to survive.

“Ready?” Maël asked, offering his hand.

And Evan took it, smiled, and said: “Sure.”

And with those words, they stepped out into the twilight, walking hand in hand towards the shore.

☀️

 

Author's Account:

Zaiakuma