Chapter 5
FIVE
M o had shown up much earlier than he needed to, waiting by the same rock at the beach, because the last thing he wanted to be was late. He didn’t mind waiting, but he would mentally tear himself apart if he had to make Kent wait. He worried that Kent thought merfolk were just a myth like the shanties sailors would sing, and he made up the whole encounter in his head… no . Mo was overthinking. He was here, and Kent appeared last time like he’d asked. Everything would be fine.
Sure enough, he could hear rustling from the trees in the distance. Mo was still hidden, wary in case it was a different human and not the one he was expecting, so he stayed back and away from anyone’s view. With his back against the rock, he continued to wait before he showed himself, hoping it really was Kent?—
“Mo?”
He’s here!
Mo’s heart hammered, his tailfin fluttering, and he swam around the boulder, finding the beautiful human waiting for him by the shore.
“Good evening, Kent! I’m here,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.
Kent wore a grin of his own, the most adorable expression as he clasped his hands together. “Mo, I’m so happy to see you!”
He chuckled, feeling minnows swirling in his chest. “Happy to see you, too. I hope the last few days have treated you well.”
“Oh, they could’ve been better. Enough about that, though, I wanted to show you this!”
Kent reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a book. “This is the history of merfolk I’d wanted to show you. Ah, but first, I need to shed myself of some of these clothes. It’s rather warm. I was just too excited, I had to come right away to the water!”
Mo recalled, yes, last time Kent wasn’t wearing nearly as much cloth. “That’s perfectly fine. I would like you to be comfortable here.”
“Same to you. I—I’ll be just right over there, you can see me.” He pointed toward the trees.
Mo nodded, and Kent stepped away to do what he said. Mo figured Kent probably wanted to stay dry if he were to only undress as he did before; most humans he saw, if they were to enter the water, stripped their clothes entirely. But if Kent didn’t want to, more’s the pity. Mo couldn’t hide the fact from his own mind that we would love to see what Kent looked like bare.
If Kent wanted to stay dry, Mo figured he should probably get out of the water. He hauled himself onto the beach, crawling on his arms and kicking his tail for leverage, until the entirety of his body was on land.
“Wait, Mo! Are you all right? What are you doing?” Kent raised his voice in a panic as he ran back over, now with less cloth on his person, kneeling down next to him, to Mo’s right.
“What? I’m fine!” he laughed, sitting up straight.
“You… you mean you can leave the water?”
Oh, how endearing. Mo kept chuckling as he spoke, “Yes, yes, I can. At least for a while. I can breathe air, too. You needn’t worry.”
Kent blinked, readjusting his position and sitting flat on his rear. He now wore only a white shirt along with a neckcloth, and clothes on the upper part of his legs that Mo couldn’t remember the name of. “How long can you stay out of the water?” he asked, cradling the book in his lap.
“I have heard that merfolk can stay out for a whole day or so. I personally have never been out of the water for that long, that’s just what I’ve been told all my life.”
“Very understandable. You… you really wouldn’t have a reason to be on land for that long anyway if you can’t gain legs, right?”
“That’s right. At the very least, it all means I can still sit out here with you for quite a while.”
Kent’s cheeks turned a charming shade of red. “Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Um… Sitting here next to you like this does make things easier.” He fumbled with the book in his hands. “I also left my horse back at home, so we shan’t need worry about her. I walked here myself.”
“Your… horse? Was that the animal I saw you with last time?”
“Yes, yes! I’m sorry, of course you wouldn’t know what a horse is. Her name is Biscuit, and she’s a dear friend of mine.”
Mo chuckled, “That’s adorable.”
Even though Kent’s cheeks were already red, they somehow darkened a little bit more.
“I’m curious what you mean by your days could have been better, though,” Mo inquired. “What troubles you?”
“Oh, that.” Mo watched Kent’s throat bob as he gulped. “It wasn’t anything I could call terrible , just uncomfortable. I went to a party, and my father arranged for me to dance with a lady I had no interest in. She was nice, yes, but…” He pursed his lips, as if unsure of what else to say.
“You don’t want to be encouraged to do something you don’t wish to do,” Mo offered.
“Precisely.” Kent nodded. “I would not mind her as a friend, but I’m not looking for any more than that of her.”
Mo nodded back. The way humans courted each other was a topic he didn’t have a lot of knowledge on, but it didn’t sound much different from how merfolk went about it. However, something struck Mo as somewhat peculiar.
If he wasn’t interested in a lady , would his interests lie elsewhere? Is he like me, and prefers men?
It certainly seemed like a possibility. But while Mo had his suspicions, he didn’t wish to press the subject further. If it were true and Kent wanted to reveal that about himself, Mo figured he would, in due time.
“Anyway, I haven’t forgotten you owe me a song.” Kent smiled, dimples forming on his cheeks.
“Ah, yes! I haven’t forgotten either. All right, let’s see, what should I sing…”
Thankfully, Mo was well versed in knowing how to sing without the Siren’s Song. He’d sung that way for most of his life, anyway. Simply using his voice, not honing in on any magic, he sang a soft tune, a lullaby in mer-tongue that mothers used to soothe their younglings. Though, he’d heard it from other sources. He couldn’t ever remember his own mother singing it herself…
Kent placed a hand on his chest. “My goodness, that’s absolutely amazing! Mo, you said my voice is beautiful, but listen to yours…” His smile was so sweet as he spoke.
“Thank you very much.” Mo could feel his cheeks warm at the compliment.
“Your language sounds so fascinating, with all the clicks and chirps.”
“You can say that—however, I do like the language you speak quite a lot. It sounds more elegant, smoother.”
“If you say so…” Kent gave him a playful smirk. “What do the words mean?”
Mo went over the lyrics in his head again to translate. “ Beautiful dreamer, under the sea, mermaids are chanting a sweet melody; fleeting and fraying currents are born, waiting to fade at the bright coming morn. ”
Kent fluttered his long eyelashes, parting his lips slightly. “Oh my. That only adds to the song’s beauty. I absolutely love it.”
How could Mo deal with such wonderful words from such a gorgeous man? His heart was thudding, and he kept a smile on his face. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now, about that book…”
“Ah yes, that! I wanted to show you this.” Kent patted the book on his lap. “Do you know how to read any human languages?”
Mo shook his head. “No, unfortunately. The magic only works with speech, I’m afraid. Merfolk do have our own written language, though.”
“Now that I think about it, I think there was an example of merfolk writing here in this book. Here, I’ll read parts aloud for you. Oh, oh Lord, this still is just so unbelievable.”
It warmed Mo’s heart to see how excited Kent was to the whole prospect of discovering merfolk. Mo had known about humans his entire life, and he used to think it was strange that the knowledge wasn’t shared the other way around. But over time, he’d learnt of how different human culture was, and that only made him interested in their kind more.
“The title of the book is: A Comprehensive History of Merfolk, as told by the sailor Michael Phillips, in part assisted by the mermaid Aen ,” Kent said as he opened the book to the first page. “Have you heard of them before? The sailor or the mermaid? I mean, if you haven’t I don’t blame you; according to the date, this book was written over twenty years ago.”
“No, I haven’t.” Mo shook his head again.
“All right.” He turned to the next page, this time showing off an illustration. Here was something that Mo could understand, so he leant into the human a little bit closer, taking a gander at the book. “This drawing, here, you look just like one of them.”
“Wow, yes! The artist who made this was very skilled,” Mo chuckled.
“Yes, they were.” Kent trailed a finger on the artwork. “But, I—but I still think it’s so much more amazing to see a merman in person, like you right here. I’m sorry, I—still can’t get over that you’re here!”
Kent turned his head to face Mo, and now, with them sitting together like this, their faces were closer. While Kent had something covering his right eye, his left was visible, stunning and shimmering, a deep brown like the color of the ocean floor. Mo gulped, then moved his gaze down to Kent’s mouth. His smile was so sweet, so precious, Mo licked his own lips at the thought of what Kent’s would feel like?—
Oh, what am I doing? Mo had never kissed a human before. He had only met Kent a few days ago; he was getting ahead of himself just because he thought the human was incredibly beautiful. Just because Kent was so cheerful and happy talking to Mo did not necessarily mean he felt the same attraction back. Kent was just astounded to find out merfolk existed, that was all.
But even that was still absolutely endearing, and Mo wanted to keep seeing that gorgeous smile.
“Well, I am here,” he said. “Now, if you please, I wish to know what else might be in this book…”
“Ah, yes, yes, of course.” Kent bashfully turned his head back toward the book, and flipped to the next page.
He went on to read passages from it, starting off with merfolk language and writing. Mo could speak and understand human languages, however, his vocabulary only went as far as his own knowledge. If there was a thing or concept he was unfamiliar with, he wouldn’t know the proper word. The book even went into further detail of which sea mammals merfolk could converse with: seals, narwhals, and orcas, to name a few.
The sun was getting lower in the orange sky, nearly touching the horizon to their right, as Kent read on, astounded at every miniscule detail. The book moved on to a section about food, how merfolk ate fish and various other sea life.
“I do eat fish normally, yes, but my favorites are actually cephalopods: octopus and squid,” said Mo. “Have you ever tried them?”
“No, I admit, despite living close to the sea, I haven’t eaten much seafood… Wait a moment. This all means, you… you eat them raw ?”
Mo paused. “What do you mean by ‘eat them raw ’?”
“Why, you’d cook them of course—oh! I’m such a dunce. You can’t cook anything underwater because you don’t have fire!”
“Fire? I know what that is.” He smacked his tail as he realized. He’d seen humans light up their ships with it, and how flames would consume the structures as they sank. “I would’ve never thought to use it with food, though.”
“Heating up food changes the taste and the texture of it. That means… you would’ve never had bread, cheese, chicken, steak, or even other things like cooked vegetables or beans. You probably don’t even know what beans are, do you?”
“No, not at all.” Mo chuckled.
“Next time I come visit, I’ll bring some human food for you. I’m certain you’ll love it,” said Kent, filled with laughter.
“Next time? So you don’t think I’m insufferable and you actually want to see me again?”
“Of course, silly!” Kent’s grin was infectious—so lovely, so genuine. “That, and we can’t go over the whole book in one evening, either. With all the information in it, it’s rather long. It’s starting to get dark, anyway.”
“Ah, that’s true.” As the sun began making its exit, the sky was fading from warm reds to cooler blues. “Before we put the book away tonight, did you find anything about becoming human?”
Kent’s smile waned, yet his cheeks flushed red, looking down somberly at his lap. He turned the pages toward the back of the book. “Well, nothing I think would be of use. It said the same exact thing you did, about how there were myths and legends, but the mermaid who helped the author never became human herself.” His fingers fumbled with the pages.
Mo pouted his lips. “What myths and legends did she speak of? I’m curious if they’re the same ones I know of.”
“Ah! Um, well…” Kent bit lower lip, looking quite adorably flustered. “There was a tale of how a mermaid kissed a human, and the kiss granted her legs. Another told of... of a merman and a woman—doing—having—sexual relations. B-but apparently, the mermaid Aen had done those things herself, and yet still remained a mermaid.”
Mo wanted to chuckle at how charming Kent was, but held it back. He didn’t wish to press the issue further, seeing Kent was flustered enough as it was. But as he reflected on what Kent said, the reality of becoming human only seemed more and more complicated than how the legends described, and he felt his gut sink. “I... I see. I’ve heard those same legends myself, but never knew them to be true.” He had also heard of a tale of a siren who became human, and being a siren himself, it gave him an inkling of hope, but since Kent didn’t mention it, he thought he ought not mention it, either. “Well, thank you for looking into it. I greatly appreciate it.”
“You’re very welcome.” Kent made eye contact—a fond sort of expression. “However, perhaps there is still a way for you to become human. Since, even in the text, the mermaid expressed the same thing as you, how she believed it was possible.”
That perked him up. “That’s reassuring, at least. If other merfolk believe it, too.”
“Definitely.” Kent’s smile returned, warming Mo’s heart. “Though… even if you don’t have legs, I, um, I think…” He fidgeted with his hands, closing the book. “…I think your tail is gorgeous.”
The minnows in his chest started swirling like mad; his face feeling hot from Kent’s wonderful words. “Why… thank you.”
“May I…” Kent brought a hand up to his mouth, looking to the side briefly before looking back up to Mo. “May I touch it? I’m… curious to know what your scales feel like.”
Mo couldn’t help his grin from growing ridiculously wider. “Yes, you can. I don’t mind.”
“All right.”
Kent set the book down onto the shingles, and reached his out toward Mo’s hip. And—he touched him. He touched him slowly, softly, gently. Kent’s long fingers grazed against him in a way that felt so intimate, how he caressed his scales, petting down the length toward his tailfin. Mo felt the need to hold Kent’s hand, to guide him all across it, but held himself back.
“You feel…” Kent chuckled, “You feel like a fish! Except somehow, much softer. I don’t know how to explain it.” He tilted his head, his gaze following his hand as he continued petting down Mo’s tail. “You strange fish-man, you.”
“Merman, to be specific.” He smirked.
“Still like a fish, though.”
“Yes, still like a fish.”
Kent touched and lightly pulled on the fins on Mo’s hips. It made Mo’s heartbeat quicken, how careful he was. Oh, it was so hard to hold back his own hands from touching Kent as well, but he kept himself steady, resting them by his sides.
Eventually, Kent pulled his hand away, and Mo silently mourned the loss of his gentle fingers.
“I should probably be heading back,” Kent said, sounding reluctant to mention it at all. “It’s getting dark and I didn’t think to bring a lantern. But we’ll see each other again, right?”
“Of course. Same place, same time of day again?”
“Yes, that’s good. However…” Kent bit his lip, and rubbed his elbow. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to come out tomorrow. Perhaps the next day, if not.”
“Whichever day you can, I will be here,” Mo reassured him with a nod. “I will wait here every evening around sunset for you to return.”
“You—you really would do that?” His eye lit up, sparkling with hope.
“Yes, absolutely.” Mo chuckled. “I don’t have anywhere better to be. Nowhere else I’d rather be than meeting with you.”
Kent smiled, so undeniably affectionate. “You don’t have a family to tend to? Responsibilities?”
“No, none of that. I live by myself, on my own terms.” Mo noticed Kent idly raise his hand, and this time, Mo took his chance. He grabbed the human’s hand, cradling it delicately in both of his. “I promise, I will be here for you.”
Kent’s shoulders relaxed, cheeks flushing to that sweet shade of red again. “All right. And I promise to be back too, as soon as I can manage.”
Mo gave Kent’s hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze as he gazed upon his face. Oh, how beautiful he was, with his soft features, long eyelashes, his delectable smile.
After too long of a moment of staring at each other than perhaps was needed, Mo finally let go, and Kent stood up. He held the book by his chest with one hand, giving Mo a wave with his other. “Do you need any help getting back into the water?”
“No, I can manage,” he said. “I hope to see you soon, Kent.”
“Same to you, Mo.”
And he made his way back up the beach, toward the trees, and Mo watched from the shore until he was completely out of view.