Chapter 7- Reed
IT’S A FRIDAY night, and I’m dead on my feet.
It was meeting after meeting at work. With the health commission coming to our hospital, I need to run through the place with a fine-toothed comb to make sure we’re up to code.
Now I just want to relax, have a beer, and let my tentacles out.
But when I get home, the scent of fried food is calling me.
Walking into the kitchen, my smile falls immediately; yes, there’s a fresh pizza in a box. But also, napkins and dishes are strewn about all over the table and sink.
“Aisen!” I say with what I hope isn’t too much of a whine. I need to be a grown-up.
“What?” he asks, padding into the kitchen.
“Reply with ‘Yes,’ please. And what about the kitchen?”
“What about it?” he asks with an eye-roll.
I try to school my irritation as I sit down by the food. “I don’t appreciate the attitude. I thought I asked you to clean the dishes.”
“You said I could do it after you picked me up from school, but you never did, so….”
My back goes tense, and I check my watch―it’s like, seven p.m. “Wait, I forgot to pick you up from school?”
He shrugs and takes a slice of pizza; now there’s five slices missing. “I guess.”
“Shi…uh…shoot,” I mutter. “I…should have been there.”
He shrugs. “It’s cool. I used the emergency credit card to get a rideshare and then order dinner.”
I gaze at him with a puzzled look as I pick up a slice of cheesy goodness. “You did that? All because I was swamped at work?”
“It’s no big deal. You’re busy. It happens sometimes.” Aisen finishes his food and moves to the sink. “I’m not a baby.”
He’s not a baby anymore. I sigh and try not to let the exhaustion and shame overwhelm me.
Some guardian I am. I watch as the rapidly growing adolescent in my home washes dishes.
“Still, I need to pick you up when I promise.” I glance at our recycling bin to see multiple cardboard pizza boxes piled up. “And maybe cook more often.”
“No problem, samchon,” he says. He washes the dishes while I eat. I’m grateful he’s managing to get around without me. After a beat, he gazes at me. “Are you still bringing me to the Maritime Monsters thing tomorrow?”
I smile and perk up. “Of course. I take it you’ve liked it thus far?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I did. That shark guy knows a lot.” His smile falls, and he continues, “Mr. Dillinger is really cool, too.”
Cool isn’t how I would describe that blue-eyed beauty.
Just the memory of us sharing coffee has my pulse rising.
So, I get up and pile the last pizza box with the others.
The messy state of my kitchen would be such an embarrassment if I brought Skyler here after a date.
Which is absurd because that’s not happening anytime soon.
“I’m glad you guys are, like…friends,” Aisen says meekly.
“Yeah?” I smile and stand next to my nephew. “You lookin’ out for your uncle’s wellbeing?”
He snickers. “Everyone needs friends.”
“And you? You making buddies in high school?”
His smile falls as he finishes the last dish. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. Can I go for a swim?”
“Sure. Just wear a helmet when you skate.”
“Okay,” he replies, dashing out before I finish my sentence.
“Make sure it’s the helmet with the blinking lights!” With that, the door closes, and I’m alone again.
My heart aches for him. I want to probe more, but I think we’ve maxed out our deep insecurity sharing for one night. The kid needs friends, but it’s not like I can buy them for him. Maybe the Maritime Monsters Institute can make him feel less lonely.
My prayers to the monster god are answered when we get to the Institute the next morning. My nephew and I walk in to see the familiar faces of Karlo, Razorjaw, and the frustratingly attractive Skyler. Next to them are two younger folks.
“Oh good, you made it!” Skyler says. Maybe I’m imagining things, but his eyes seem to sparkle when they meet mine.
“Now we’re all here and we can get started,” Karlo says.
“Start what?” I ask. Aisen, meanwhile, curiously glances at the other kids. Two teenagers stand near Razorjaw, glancing at us with looks that fluctuate between apprehension and curiosity.
“With you, we have enough young folks for our monster liaison program to do group work,” Karlo says with a smile.
“They’re ninth-graders, just like you,” Skyler says. He motions toward the other teens, who each give Aisen a tenuous nod.
“I was informed that they can be like your pack,” Razorjaw says. He oozes naivete and charm in his human form. He raises a finger and adds, “Perhaps with less devouring each other for dominance.”
We laugh, but the teenagers give amused eye-rolls.
“What RJ means to say is that we can do more together. Also, we can really delve deep into the issues of being young monsters,” Karlo says. “You guys ready to rehabilitate some dolphins?”
“Yeah,” the teen girl says.
“I want to,” Aisen says.
“Hey, you go to my school right?” the teen boy asks.
After a moment, Aisen nods. “I think I’ve seen you around.”
The boy gives a friendly smile, and my nephew slowly gravitates to the two. I can smell the kindling of friendship, but if I point it out, I’ll humiliate Aisen. So, I take a step back and turn to Skyler.
“This is great,” I say in a lower voice as the teens talk to each other. “More maritime monsters his age?”
“Their parents dropped them off after touring this week.” Skyler shrugs. “They probably wanted them to do something fun and monster-centered in a controlled environment.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Hey, so we’re gonna go!” Karlo says. He points his thumb back, and Razorjaw is already walking away. “There are animals in the rehab tanks.”
“Oh, okay,” I reply. I share a look with Aisen, and he seems to be holding back his enthusiasm, the way teens do. For a moment, he looks at me, almost like he’s seeking permission. I bet he doesn’t want to be seen with his old uncle. “Go ahead,” I say quietly.
With that, Aisen smiles at me, and satisfaction warms my heart. My nephew saunters off, and the kids all ask the shark man several questions as they stroll down the hallway. Karlo and Razorjaw are guiding the teens, and I’m once again left behind with Skyler.
The man I can’t get my mind off of.
He and I share a quiet smile, and I clap my hands. We’re all alone in the lobby, but this. Is not. A date. So why am I nervous? And why did I check my ass out in the mirror three times today before leaving, all while applying layer after layer of cologne?
“Would you like another tour?” Skyler asks.
“I thought we saw everything,” I reply.
“Not quite everything. What do you say, buddy?” He grins, and it jolts straight to my groin.
“I…don’t want to take up all your time.” This is a lie.
“You’re already here. I’m supposed to get used to talking about it. And I’d love to show you, my newest friend, a super exclusive, never-before-seen exhibit.”
His smile is enchanting. “Well, with a pitch like that, how can I refuse?” I ask with a quirked eyebrow. We both chuckle, and I smooth out my plaid shirt. “Lead the way, newest friend.”
***
We walk up to the second floor and into a secluded room with thick, gray doors. It’s dark and cool inside. I can’t see much, but I assume it’s a theater. Skyler dashes off to the side. When he hits a button, I find that I was mostly right.
All around me, digital screens come to life. I’m in a round room, big enough for thirty people, and the screen display is blue. In moments, the surrounding theatrical screen reveals a video loop of the ocean.
“What is this?” I ask, spinning around in a daze. Images of coral, seaweed, and banks of underwater sand gradually move around me. If I were prone to motion sickness, this room would be a problem, but as it stands, it’s fascinating. Like a real, digital facsimile of my precious ocean.
“It’s our new experience room,” Skyler says as he strides back to me.
He spins around with his arms stretched out, and it’s all types of adorable.
When he looks back at me, he beams with pride.
The blue of the screens cast him like some sort of ocean angel.
“For those who want to see the bottom of the ocean floor from the perspective of marine wildlife.”
“Wow,” I say, tapping my chin. I gaze in wonder at the ocean coming to life around me. While it’s not as satisfying as being underwater, I can see how humans would enjoy this.
“I’m aware it’s not the actual bottom of the ocean,” Skyler says. He puts his hands in his pockets and looks down. “We may never know what that is, even with shifters. The darkness layers…”
“It’s a biome unto itself, the layers where the sunlight can’t reach,” I say. We smile at each other and nod. “You sure are knowledgeable.”
“I’m a nerd, what can I say?” He shrugs, and I snicker.
“This is great,” I remark, staring at the big blue screens. “Hopefully, no one gets motion sickness.”
“I didn’t think of that. I’ll put a warning sign.” He winks at me. “Thanks, new friend.”
“Anytime…new friend.” I walk around the room and take in the sights of the ocean. “How’d you get all this film?”
“It’s mostly thanks to our resident shark shifter. And some mermaids we have on retainer. They do good work.”
The mention of mermaids makes my smile fall. I bet my brother and sister-in-law, the two merfolk in my life, are roaming about the sea, doing whatever they please. Meanwhile, I’m a mediocre dad-figure who forgets to pick up Aisen.
“I’d love to be deep underwater and get all these amazing vantage shots. Karlo gets all the cool images because his boyfriend is a maritime monster, taking him all the way down.”
I could go down for you…or on you.
I push away that naughty thought. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m in no shape to be anyone’s boyfriend. Yet, lately, with the way things are going with Skyler…
He clears his throat and approaches me. “You know, I did a bunch of photos on display on this floor.”
“Really? Show me.”
“Are you sure it’s not too boring?”
“Anything you do sounds amazing.” Okay, I’m laying it on a little thick there. Still, the slight blush on Skyler’s cheeks makes it all worth it.
We walk down several yards where he shows me photos of dolphins, pelicans, sea turtles, and various other animals.
The pictures appear to be both in the wild and inside the facility.
The evidence is on the wall: Skyler is talented at getting active shots.
He has such a passion for both photography and marine wildlife.
And passion is fucking sexy.
I try not to drool as he tells me about how he got the best lighting for a photo of a sea lion. In the corner of my eye, something oddly shaped distracts me. “What’s all that?”
We stroll a few steps toward what resembles a big indoor playground. There are ball pits and monkey bars, all with aquatic creature theming and ocean fun facts listed on the plastic walls.
“A playground?”
“Yup. It was my idea. The kids need a way to let out their energy during field trips sometimes.” He grins and runs up the stairs, and, like autopilot, I go along with him. “You seem shocked. What, you think you’re too good for our Maritime Monsters play area?”
I laugh. “I haven’t been on these in thirty years.”
“When you were negative one year old?”
With a snicker, I reply, “Try six years old.”
“Yes, well, I just turned thirty-one. So I bet I could beat you at a monkey bars race, old man.”
“Oh, so I’m old now? I thought I was your new friend.” I shake out my shoulders, ready for a challenge.
“You are my newest friend, the older, daddy-type who can’t beat me in racing.” He shoots me a challenging smirk, and I try not to swoon over the way he called me daddy.
“Bring it on, Skyler.”
“Alright, but if I win, I get something from you.”
Huh?
Before I can ask, he jumps up, and I do the same. We’re both laughing and hollering, side-by-side as we move across the metal bars. When we get to the end, he lets go and falls into the ball pit. I follow him seconds later, landing in a sea of plastic, laughing along the way.
I haven’t had that much physical fun in ages.
Skyler and I are catching our breaths, sitting in the waist-deep pit of plastic balls, trying to calm ourselves.
“I haven’t played in a playground in so long,” I say.
“You didn’t do so bad.”
Looking around, I notice we’re the only ones on this floor. My thoughts go back to Aisen, and I wonder how he’s doing.
“I used to take Aisen to playgrounds like this.”
“Really?”
I nod. “But that was when I was still the fun uncle. Before I came to take care of him full- time.”
Skyler’s face looks so serious, like he’s begging me to continue. “You…don’t have to tell me, but does Aisen have parents?”
Clearing my throat, I focus on one ball in my hand. “He does. They’re merfolk, performing artists with a monster circus troop. But they’re always on tour.”
“Which is why Aisen lives with you,” Skyler remarks.
I nod feebly. My cheeks warm at feeling so exposed as I talk about my family. But with Skyler, opening up isn’t so bad. No, in fact, it feels kind of nice.
“I’m just trying to do right by the kid. He’s growing up so fast. But I’m so swamped with work that last night I forgot to pick him up from school.”
“Really?”
“He took a cab with the emergency credit card, but it’s like…I really shouldn’t be in charge of another human being.”
“That’s not true at all!”
The vigor of his words startles me. He leans forward and continues, “Reed, you’re doing a good job as a single parent.”
“Um, thanks.” His words warm up the coldest part of me. My inner kraken roars, demanding I claim Skyler as my mate. Down boy.
After a few moments, I grin and toss a ball in the air, then catch it. “Well, you bested me. What do you win, Dillinger?”
“Your digits.” He laughs and idly touches one of the plastic orbs. “I was gonna say we should chill, like friends do. Exchange numbers, maybe go get beers with the others.” He pushes up his glasses. “But only if you’re not too busy.”
The idea of Skyler on my cell phone sounds titillating. After mulling it over for a moment, I reply, “Chilling with you guys and being friends sounds like it could be fun.”
And so we exchange numbers. I officially have intent to hang out outside of the Institute soon with my newest buddy, Skyler. It’s nerve-wracking, but the thought of meeting up for drinks with someone as great as him makes my heart feel light. Maybe I’m not too old to make new friends.