Aquata Cove Ch. 58

"He always gets like this whenever you had to go away before you started living with us." Yuri said while carefully juggling the chunks of ice cream with her tongue and teeth, "Poor guy couldn't get any sleep for almost a week after your pod leaves."

"It's not like it's any easier for me." Merrick says, "He's making me feel guilty for something I have to do to stay alive."

"He understands, Merrick, but it's still doing a number on him."

"How do you mean?"

"Well... Hang on." Yuri got up, and ran back to the house. She comes back moments later with one of her small finger-prick devices that's used to get a quick blood sample, "Ok, now you know there's a sharp piece of metal in this thing right?"

"Right..."

"Ok, now gimme your finger." Merrick hesitated, "Just do it," Merrick rolls his eyes, and did as she said. She pushes the plastic onto Merrick's fingertip.

"... OW!" Merrick pulls his finger away as a drop of blood beaded from his tip, "What was that for??"

"You're bleeding now, right?" Yuri said, "You know why, right?"

"Yes! You freaking stabbed my finger with an invisible stinger!"

"But it hurts, right?"

"Yes, it hurts!"

"Ok. Here's my point," Yuri said, "You know that I pricked your finger – you understand that it was a tiny needle that made you bleed, but it doesn't stop it from hurting."

"..." Merrick looks at his finger as the crimson droplet rolls slowly to the side.

"And just like that, Adam understands that you need to leave for a few months, but it doesn't stop the sadness of having to see you go..." She says as she applies a band-aid onto his finger.

"I know..."

"Oh yeah! And before I forget..." Yuri turned around, and brought up a small box, "That lady from the Agency... She said her name was Erin..." Merrick's smile faded from the mention of her name.

"Yeah..." He's still not sure how to feel about her now.

"She dropped this off when Adam was put into the hospital after Atarah patched you up." Yuri opened the box, and picked up a long line of shark teeth woven neatly together by fishing line in order to form a belt, along with a few white scallop shells. Merrick blinked as he picked them up.

"These are what you wore before you were banished, right?" Yuri asked softly, unsure how Merrick will take this, "When Erin dropped them off, I fixed them in my spare time..."

"Where'd you get the shark teeth...?"

"We live a few miles away from a pier," Yuri said with an amused smile, "It's not hard to find small shark teeth in any gift shop."

Merrick looked at the scallop shells tied with the tooth belts – unlike his old shells, these have holes in them that strap them perfectly in place. He also sees a strange symbol on the three shells – one for each long belt, even a small one with a small row of tiny shark teeth that appears as a headband, "What are those? Human symbols?" He asks as he taps on the black-ink symbol on one of the shell – they look like the ones on the paintings in Yuri's room.

"They're Kanji. They're originally Chinese words, but Japanese people use them too for short-hand," She pointed the one of the large shells, "This kanji means 'Water'," She brought up the other one, "This one means 'Light'," Yuri lifted the third, smaller one, "And this one means 'Moon'."

"... I love them." Merrick said with a smile. This equipment reminds him of his old days in his pod, but the shells are just different enough to be personally acceptable. Yuri goes in for a hug for a moment, "Thank you..."

~~~

A while later, the sun is half submerged in the ocean. Merrick looks at the sunset from the house, anxiously waiting for Adam to come home... He doesn't want to leave on the awkward depression Adam showed in the club.

The door opens, and Merrick whips around, only to see Jamal coming in, "Oh... Hey Jamal..."

"Hey, Merrick," Jamal said as he held what looked like a very long box, "Good thing you're here, thought you was leavin tonight."

"I am," He confirmed, "But I want to talk to Adam before I leave."

"I hear ya..." Jamal said, "Anyway, I got ya something." Merrick's eyes brightened.

"Oh, really?" He smiles as he walks over to Jamal, who is now holding the box up. They took the long box to the coffee table, and sat on the couch as Merrick opened it, and unraveled the brown paper.

"... Whoa..." Merrick beamed as he lifted up what appears to him as a spear – about 4-5 feet long, tied with rope on the middle, a full-tang shaft on one side, and a thin, gleaming metal rod on the other side of it, forming a half-curved blade on the end of it. "Is this another kind of human weapon?" He asked as he hefts it up and down.

"Kinda," Jamal says as he scratches his chin, "It's called a harpoon. People used to use it a lot more offen back in the old days to hunt whales. So it's more of a tool."

"It's got excellent balance," Merrick remarked as he held it on one hand, testing its weight and feel. He chuckled as he turned to look at Jamal, "I thought I still owed you guys a broomstick." Jamal laughs as he playfully pushed Merrick.

"That was a half-joke, man."

"Heh..." Merrick looked at his new weapon with awe, "If only humans and merfolk were able to coexist... You make all sorts of neat things that could benefit us."

"We'll get there someday, buddy." Jamal put his thick, firm around Merrick, "Till then, least ya got us."

"Mhm..." He says with a nod.

~~~

It's now dusk. Yuri and Jamal took off a while ago, in respect to give Merrick and Adam a chance to talk. Merrick sighs as he looks out the window, pouting because Adam still hasn't come home yet. He wants to wait and sort things out, but with the way Adam's been acting, he wonders if that's even a good idea at all. It's not like he's in any kind of rush, but he does need and want to return to the sea very soon.

Just when Merrick picks up the shark tooth headband, he turns around when he hears the drawing roar of the motorcycle. He stands nervously as he can hear his boyfriend pull into the gravel, and park it before walking along the bed of rocks.

The door opens, and in walks Adam as he takes off his jacket. He stops as he sees Merrick standing in the house, shirtless, and only wearing some loose casual shorts. Adam moves to the kitchen without a word, before Merrick follows him.

"Adam," Merrick starts.

"You..." Adam takes a glass, opens the fridge, and bends over to fill it up with purified water from the Zero Filter, "You need to go..." Merrick lets Adam take a drink. He watches Adam's Apple flex up and down for several seconds, before he emptied the glass.

"Adam..."

Adam leaned back into the fridge for a refill, which he downs in seconds, before going in for a third glass. The merman looks in sadness as Adam stands back up with his third glass of cold water, and sputters before he can take another sip. The bottom of the glass slammed onto the counter as Adam's shoulders start to shake up and down. Merrick comes in, and puts his arms around his lover.

Adam huffs and sniffles as he tries to cut off any sign of sobbing, but clearly has no control over himself. He cries as he puts his hands into his face as Merrick hugs him from the side. Adam slowly shakes his head with his hands still pressing on his face.

"Ghghghghghgh..." He turns and cried to his mate as he begins to fall apart, "I'm sorry, baby... I'm sorry..."

"I know..."

"Please, baby... Please don't go..."

"Adam, I..." Merrick whispered, "I c..." He hesitated for a moment before answering again, "I love you... I have t..." He huffed as he pushed through his emotions, "It'll be alright... It's ok..."

Minutes pass by before the two made it to the couch, where Merrick holds Adam in his arms, and waits patiently for Adam to calm down. He's practically never seen him like this, so upset to the point where he can barely talk. Adam huffs as he tries to compose himself, with little success.

"..." He sniffles and huffs as he feels Merrick hold him, "Why can't you just stay..." Adam wept quietly, "Belinda can stay with Harold all the time... Just tell the Capricorn to fuck off..." Merrick slowly shook his head as Adam continued to cry little by little.

The two boys stay on the couch, even as it got dark outside, and neither of them bothers to turn on a light. The emotion still runs deep in Adam, though the same couldn't be same for Merrick – it seems the tables have turned in the embrace of feelings – Adam can't hold back his tears, while Merrick is in utmost peace.

After a while, Adam finally sits up, while Merrick turns on the table lamp to illuminate the dark house. He turns to face his lover, with his eyes still looking tired and pink from the excessive sobbing.

"Merrick, we know the Capricorn isn't trying to kill you now. Can't you just ask them to leave you alone? Th-Then you can just go into the ocean whenever you need to," Adam's chest puffs and deflates as he contains his overwhelming feelings.

"Adam... It's not that simple..." Merrick said calmly as he shook his head, "This is more than attending to my own health..." He looks into those deep, brown eyes as he gently puts his hand onto Adam's neck, "Please understand, Adam. The last thing I ever want to do again is leave you behind in anyway. I never will, but as I've said, this is something I need to do."

Adam's lip trembles as Merrick talks, "I love you Adam. And I love Jamal. I love Yuri, and Nick. Even Belinda's more tolerable now." Adam choked a little from a light chuckle, "I love waking up in a big, soft bed next to the one I love. I always want you to be the first thing I see every morning, and the last thing I see every night before I sleep."

"Then why..." Adam croaked as he sniffled, "Why do you have to go with them... I-I mean... I know why... But just... Why??"

"Adam... I've healed on the pain of my exile, and I've come to accept and love my life on the land... But as Samudra says... My heart and soul belongs to you, but I ultimately belong in the sea..." Adam huffed as he, "It's more than a way to recover..."

"Adam..." Merrick places a hand onto Adam's cheek, "I need this... On a personal level..." Merrick's blue eyes glistened in the low light of the lamp, "I need to be a merman again..."

Adam nodded as he takes deep breaths, before Merrick continues, "I can never return to my pod. I will never be a Triton in my pod, but I'm still a Triton in my own right. But I've come to accept that. Even though I can't have my pod ever again... I can go home now..." Merrick says with a sad smile, "I no longer have to hide myself from other merfolk because they can understand my struggle. This pod of Coshitons won't reject me as my pod did."

"Besides that though..." Adam said, "All that time... When you were in the ocean... I've always worried about you... All the time, hoping, praying that a shark wouldn't kill you, o-or another pod wouldn't hunt you down, or..." Adam looked at him with pleading eyes, "Merrick, you were already swallowed by a Ghost Whale, and you nearly died from floating around in an oil spill..."

"But I'm still here." Merrick said with a wry smile, "I'm still alive... And as long as the Capricorns stays with us, no dangerous creature can touch us."

"..." Adam shook his head, "Merrick... I'm sorry... I... I'm just being selfish, a-and-"

"No, you're not," Merrick hurriedly said, "I understand why you're being distant. I don't want to leave you anymore than you want me to leave."

"Merrick..." Adam sniffled and shook his head, "I don't want to go back to only seeing you for only a month... Then waiting half a year to see you again-"

"You won't, you won't." Merrick said with a hush, "I'll only be gone for a few moons. And when I come back, I can stay longer than just one moon." He said, scooting closer, "Everything's gonna be ok now."

Adam let his lover come closer to him, "Remember what your song said on the cruise?" Merrick asked. Adam chuckled weakly, "Please wait for me... You'll never be apart of my world..." Adam closed his eyes as he nodded, "But you're in my heart... Forever..." Merrick puts his hand onto Adam's chest, "And I'm in yours..." Adam sniffled as he sobbed just a little.

"And you'll always be apart of my world." Adam whimpered as he nodded. Merrick pushed his thumbs under Adam's eyes to wipe off the tears, before gently cupping one of his cheeks with his palm.

In a mixture of love and time, the couple finds themselves in each other's arms. In what feels like a blur, both of them had ended up completely naked on the bed as they stand on their knees, kissing tenderly as their arms and hands hold onto the other. Adam's lips pushed onto Merrick's shoulder as his palms drift along his smooth back, moaning silently as he lingers his fingers along his tender flesh.

The merman pushes his cheek against the other while Adam kissed and caressed him, while he rubs his penis against the thicker one, embracing his front side to the burly, fuzzy range of Adam's body as they slowly ground against one another.

Merrick lies on his back as Adam holds himself above him. With Merrick's legs up and pushing against Adam's sides, he pushes back and forth into Merrick's tight, velvety entrance. Both men break a very light sweat to coat their bodies in a delicate sheen in the low light. The room smelt of sweat and male scent, while the sounds of moans, grunts, and the creaking of the mattress fills the void.

Adam huffs and pants as he thrusts in and out of his lover, grimacing with pleasure as his twink's hole squeezes and sucks his hard cock. Merrick moans as his hands press and firmly clings onto Adam's musky underarms as he feels his sphincter so full and spread out.

A small, horny yelp escapes from Merrick's lips each time Adam pushes inside his painfully wonderful manhood. His own dick slaps onto his bare abs with each forward lunge that came from Adam's cock, before one of his hands migrates to his crotch to masturbate while he feels his man take him over and over again.

Countless time pushes onward between the two males in love. Even after Adam came inside of his love's insides, and Merrick ejaculated a small puddle of white on his lap, he stays hunched over his blonde sweetheart, with both hands upon Merrick's head – his fingers under his head, and those palms and thumbs on his cheeks. Adam rolls his jaw very gradually against Merrick's mouth as their tongues hugged and brushed against each other.

Merrick can hardly breath as he can feel his big, strong lover saddle on top of him as they made out in the dark, with only Adam's lamp to light up the room if only slightly. Adam kissed those lips sweetly before licking them, and pouring his tongue back into Merrick's maw as they pushed they bathe the afterglow of the night.

~~~

With the moon shining brightly in the sky, the two gay lovers walk to the small cliff. Otherwise completely naked, Merrick now wears a headband of tiny shark teeth with a white scallop shell on the middle with the kanji for 'Moon' printed in black ink on it. He also wears a pair of securely fastened shark-tooth belts in a X-fashion, with white scallop shells on each shoulder, with the right shell showing the kanji for 'Light' and the left shell having the kanji for 'Water'. He also wears a kelp-belt around his waist, with a stiff fishnet pouch for carrying various items, while holding the brand new shiny harpoon in his right hand. Upon his chest, the heavenly filigree key with the rare cyan-blue heart-shaped jewel upon it, glimmering daintily from the moonlight.

Merrick turns around to his love, coming in close to him as they make their last farewell.

"So this is it..." Merrick said.

"Yeah..." Adam holds him close as they huddle lovingly on the spot, "... Are you ok, sweetie?"

"I'm terrified..." Merrick whispered, "Th-This time... I have to let the Capricorn take me..."

"It's going to be ok, baby..." Adam mumbled as he put his arms on him, "It's going to be ok... It's not going to kill you... You're going to be with other merfolk..."

"Adam... I wish I was going back to my pod..." Merrick says as he shook with fear, "I-I-I don't... I'm scared..."

"Shh shh shh, it's ok, honey..." Adam muttered, "... You can go home now... Just as long as you always come back."

"I will. I will..." Merrick nods. He looked up, and kissed Adam one more time, before turning around, and walked to the cliff.

"Merrick!" The merman turned, and stepped over as Adam came right up to him, and hugged him tight. They held each other firmly for a few more seconds, before they parted, sharing one last passionate kiss.

Merrick turned around once again, and dove right for the sea!

~^~^~^~

Merrick's body instantly transforms as soon as he enters the surface. His short, bright hair lengthened up and erected into a field of sharp fins while his ears flatten into gills. His peach skin shimmered into a thin layer of transparent blue scales, right before his legs pressed together to form a perfect tail. Fleshy webs form between each finger of his hands as his feet widened into a wide, white tailfin, just as a single frilly membrane formed on each side of his tail.

His mouth opens, and he takes a deep inhale of the water. It's been so, so long since he has last embraced the taste of the sea.

He swims a little deeper and further along the sandy bottom, until his senses picked up a familiar presence. Merrick halts immediately in his stead, signaling up ahead every couple of seconds. His entire being quakes with fear and anxiety and anticipation.

And then, he sees it. His eyes lock onto the strange, alien sea-goat come gradually to him. His heart pounds as he grips his harpoon with both hands as he waited for his long-feared escort.

The Capricorn comes to him, pearly white with shimmers of blue and aqua around its body, with strong flippers pushing it forward, and a long tail that lifts its tail up and down to glide through the water. Its thick, spiral horns curve from either side of its head, above its glowing golden eyes. It gives an eerie, mystical bleat as it approaches him on its own time, as strangely ominous as it has always been. This Capricorn doesn't seem to retain any clear resemblance of any of the three species of merfolk; this might be one of the pure-blood ones Samudra spoke about.

Merrick gives a scared signal as the creature finally comes to him. The Capricorn slowly drifts around the merman, gracefully so in its movement. Merrick whimpers and tenses his body as he feels the goat's muzzle brush against the symbol on the back of shoulders, before moving to his side.

He watches as the Capricorn gradually swims to around his side, and a couple of feet away from him, before coming to a halt. After a pause, Merrick realizes that it's ready to leave... With him on it...

With terrified hands, Merrick reaches forward as his quivering tail slowly waves up and down to propel himself to the long dreaded creature. With one hand still grasping tightly to his weapon, his armed arm pressed onto the Capricorn's side, while his free arm held firmly onto it.

With the Coshiton now upon its back, the Capricorn brings its front flippers up, and pushed down to move itself forward. Merrick gasped and whimpered in terror as he finally allows the Capricorn to guide him, toward the deep blue ocean.