The Merman Boxset: Gay Merman Romance

by Aratare, X.

  “Why do you think that?” Corey asked. “I’m not really a cloak and daggers type of guy.”

  Dr. Marstand chuckled. “No, your feelings are written all over your face and you are a truthful person. I believe to lie causes you pain.”

  “Sometimes,” Corey admitted with a shrug of his large shoulders.

  “But I’m also certain that you can keep secrets to protect those you care about,” Dr. Marstand added.

  “Now that I can do,” Corey agreed pointing one pudgy finger at Dr. Marstand.

  “We need those qualities in our people,” Dr. Marstand said. “Especially those who would be representing humanity in front of a telepathic race.”

  More blinking.

  He wishes Corey to be the representative for humanity to the Mers, Casillus realized.

  That would be great! I mean we can trust Corey. He would never do anything to harm us, Gabriel pointed out.

  I believe that the Next Society might be honest in their desire to broker peace with us. They certainly are picking someone to negotiate who would be on our side. Casillus looked thoughtful. Finally, after a moment, he turned to Gabriel and said, If Corey wants to do this, I believe it would lead to great strides in the possibility of peace and cooperation between our two races.

  I think so, too, Gabriel agreed.

  “You two are talking,” Corey said, looking between him and Casillus.

  “You can tell?” Gabriel asked with a laugh.

  “You both get this kind of dreamy expression on your faces when you do like there’s no one else in the world,” Corey teased.

  “Well, that’s sort of how it feels!” Gabriel laughed. “But actually we were talking about you, Corey.”

  “Me?”

  “And the offer that Dr. Marstand just made,” Gabriel said. “Do you want to do it?”

  “It sounds really interesting, for sure,” Corey said, scratching his red beard.

  “We’d love to have you at Miskatonic,” Greta said warmly.

  Roger leaned towards Corey and clapped his shoulder. “You’ve already got two friends on campus at least!”

  “Aw, thanks guys! That’s means a lot.” Corey smiled at both of them.

  “I think you would be an excellent addition,” Dr. Marstand urged.

  “Miskatonic is a very prestigious school,” his grandmother said though her words were more muted. Gabriel knew that she was thinking of Johnson then. She was associating the former soldier with the institution. That was the only reason she couldn’t quite bring herself to be completely enthusiastic about it.

  “Guaranteed job placement after, too. Especially if you’re a member of the Next Society,” Roger said.

  Greta nodded.

  “Speaking of the Next Society,” Dr. Marstand said to the two of them, his blue eyes twinkling. “I would like to have a conversation with the two of you tomorrow. We need to discuss what happened with Johnson in greater detail and, I believe –”

  “They were great! They weren’t with him!” Corey interrupted stoutly.

  Dr. Marstand smiled. “Yes, exactly so and I believe that such actions should be rewarded. Corey, if you decide to come to Miskatonic and join the Next Society you may also have Roger and Greta in both aspects of your life.”

  Greta’s mouth was open and there was a look in her eyes of disbelief and complete happiness. She clapped her hands together and then hugged Roger. He looked too gobsmacked to react.

  “That would be – that would be wonderful, professor,” Roger finally sputtered out.

  “Awesome!” Corey grinned. Tapping his chin, he then added, “With Roger and Greta being in the Next Society, too, that does make my decision easier. Plus, I don’t have anything holding me at my old school now that Gabe’s … well, that Gabe won’t be going there any longer.” Corey and Gabriel shared a long look. Then Corey shook the emotion away like a big, shaggy dog might shake off water and asked, “But what do you guys think, Gabe, Casillus?”

  Encourage him, Gabriel, Casillus said and squeezed Gabriel’s arm.

  “We think that going to Miskatonic would be a good thing, Corey,” Gabriel said. His throat felt tight for a moment as he realized it would be easier on Corey if he wasn’t around their old school. “It’ll be a fresh start, you know.”

  “And I won’t be focusing on the things that we planned at the old school,” Corey added with a nod as if he was the one that could read minds.

  “We both have new plans, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still going to be doing things together,” Gabriel said and he mentally embraced his best friend.

  Corey made a happy sound and his brown eyes rose up to meet Gabriel’s. They were shining. “I love when you do that! I’m like all warm and tingly inside … wait! That totally came out wrong!”

  Everyone laughed and Corey squirmed.

  “So will you come to Miskatonic and join the Next Society, Corey?” Dr. Marstand asked.

  Corey nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a total plan.”

  Greta was immediately giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Roger pumped his hand. As the general joyousness quieted, it was Greta who spoke.

  “What’s going to happen with the settlement?” she asked.

  “Now that the statue is gone it’s okay to excavate it fully, isn’t it?” Roger asked.

  Dr. Marstand’s gaze went to Casillus’ face. Though the professor could not read minds, he seemed to know what Casillus wanted.

  “We’re going to cover it back up,” he said quietly. “Miskatonic has already bought the land. We will ensure that no one else unearths it.”

  “While I don’t want to lose any part of history,” his grandmother said, her hands linked together tightly in her lap, “I’m glad that you’re going to leave the settlement alone.”

  “Some things should be left buried,” Dr. Marstand agreed.

  Gabriel let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Though the statue was gone from the settlement, the temple remained, and Gabriel didn’t trust that Cthulhu wouldn’t be drawn there anyways. Evil, disturbed or even the very curious might find another way to summon the dread monster. He felt that by covering up the settlement they were saving humanity from itself.

  Yes, exactly, Casillus said. It was touched by Cthulhu. It is not a good place and never will be again.

  “If there’s anything you need from the city council, please let me know,” his grandmother said. The knuckles of her fingers were white. “I will make certain that no one stops you.”

  “I appreciate having you on our side, Grace,” Dr. Marstand said.

  She briefly nodded and stood up. “Forgive me, but I need to clean the house.”

  “Clean the house?” Gabriel asked.

  She gave him an impish smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We have company coming tomorrow, Gabriel. Aemrys, remember? I won’t have this place a mess when he gets here.” She looked at the others. “Please stay as long as you like. I’m so happy to have all of you here.”

  She turned and went into the house. Gabriel stood as well.

  Gabriel? Casillus looked up at him curiously.

  It’s okay. She needs me though. Gabriel kissed the Mer’s cheek. Gabriel then went into the house.

  He found his grandmother at the kitchen sink. She wasn’t doing dishes. She was just standing there with her hands on the lip of the sink and her head bowed. Her shoulders shook slightly. She was crying quietly in the dark. She had already evidently learned how to shut her mind down tight so he couldn’t read her thoughts or emotions. She was trying to hide her feelings from him. He guessed that she didn’t want to ruin his happiness with her own grief.

  He came up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist and kissed the back of her head. She turned and buried her face against his bare chest. He felt her tears wet his skin. He made soothing sounds.

  “I’m so sorry, Gabriel. I shouldn’t be crying like this. You have enough going on without me falling apart on you,” she said, her
voice bleary with tears.

  “You don’t need to apologize and I want to know what you’re thinking and feeling no matter if its happy, sad, good or bad. Doesn’t matter, I’m here, Grandma,” he said.

  He felt a tug on their mental bond. “And you always will be, won’t you?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Long after I’m gone, too. How strange immortality is, but part of me …” She sighed. “Life is full of both happiness and pain. Can’t have one without the other. So while part of me thinks you’re very lucky to keep going on, another part of me is glad I’m not.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because of disappointments like … like Johnson,” she breathed out the name.

  Gabriel was glad he hadn’t told her about Johnson’s unhealthy sexual interest in him. It was something she never needed to know. It would destroy her self-confidence even more than his deception already had.

  “He was very ill,” Gabriel said.

  “How could I not have seen it myself? How could I have missed this sickness inside of him?” she asked.

  “He hid it really well.”

  She looked up into his face. “Not from you though. You never liked him. I could tell that though you tried for my sake. He was malignant. I’m so glad he’s gone and I’m even gladder that you are all right.”

  “I feel responsible for his death,” Gabriel said quietly.

  “The power you have over that creature is immense, Gabriel,” she said. “And, though it sounds trite it is also truth that with that great power comes great responsibility. But you don’t need to question what you did with Johnson. You tried everything you could to turn him from that course, but no one could. He was set upon it.”

  He looked down. “Thank you. I couldn’t … I couldn’t face you and tell you –”

  She cupped his cheek. “You owed me nothing in regards to him. It is I who owe you –”

  “No! Grandma –”

  “I brought him into this house, into our lives. It was my judgment that was so very wrong,” she said. Tears appeared in her eyes.

  “Like I said, he was very good at hiding what he really was. And, Grandma, he did care about you,” Gabriel said.

  Her eyes sharpened and she held onto him fiercely. “Any man who cares about me would never lay a hand on you, Gabriel. No, whatever Johnson’s feelings were they were not of care and love.”

  “You deserve so much more,” Gabriel whispered, his voice cracking.

  She gave a watery laugh and swiped the tears from her face. “I had more! I had your grandfather. One cannot hope to have a second true love. It would be too much to ask.”

  “You deserve happiness. Don’t close your heart to others, Grandma. Please,” he begged her. “Don’t let Johnson take more than he already has.”

  She patted his arm. Her expression was at once bleak, resigned and thoughtful. “Perhaps in time I will feel differently again. But, for now, I will be happy to have you and Corey in my life.”

  He was relieved that she didn’t really see him going to Emralis as leaving her life. She seemed to hear his worry and cupped his cheek again.

  “No, Gabriel, in truth, with our minds joined, I will be closer to you in Emralis than we were when you were at school. You are just a thought away as you said,” she said. “Now, go back outside to your prince. Better yet, have him take you into the sea. Your breathing is sounding very labored.”

  The last was said with a concerned frown. Gabriel nodded after a moment. He didn’t want to leave her, hard to breathe or not, but he knew she needed time alone to focus and process what had happened that night. So he leaned down and kissed her forehead before going back out on the porch.

  Greta and Roger were standing up when he stepped outside. Both of them looked impossibly weary and the cuts and bruises on their bodies appeared far more livid now than earlier.

  “We’re going to go home and get some sleep,” Roger said.

  “But we’ll be back tomorrow before you leave, Gabriel,” Greta quickly added.

  “Good, I look forward to it,” Gabriel said with a smile. He couldn’t help but like both of them. Though he had only known them a very short time he knew that they were going to be good friends to Corey.

  “I want to check in on Henry, too. I tried calling a few times, but he’s not answering,” Greta added, holding up her phone as if to demonstrate the calls.

  “He’s probably resting,” Roger said. His lips tightened though and Gabriel could tell that Roger could care less what Henry was doing.

  Greta still looked worried. “Even if he was he would have kept his cell right by his head with the ringer full blast. You know that, Roger.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell. They were all wondering if Henry was dead already. He had looked close to it that afternoon.

  Dr. Marstand suddenly stood, too. “I think perhaps that I, too, will go see Henry. Perhaps there is something Miskatonic can do. He should be under medical care at the very least.”

  “If you can make him go,” Roger muttered darkly.

  Dr. Marstand smiled a not nice smile and Gabriel was reminded that the professor had hidden depths. “I assure you that Henry will go if I ask.”

  “Right. I’m sure he will for you, sir.” Roger nodded like one of those bobbing head dolls. Evidently, Gabriel wasn’t alone in thinking that Dr. Marstand could be a pretty scary guy.

  “Would one of you help me to my room before you go?” Corey asked. He was looking rather worn out himself.

  “I’ll help,” Gabriel volunteered and stepped towards his best friend.

  Corey waved him off though. “No, Gabe, you sound like a wounded bellows. Casillus needs to get you into the water.”

  Gabriel’s chest was feeling rather tight and there were a few of those black squares appearing in front of his vision again plus the thought of stairs caused him pain, but he wouldn’t leave his best friend stranded on the couch.

  “Don’t worry, Gabriel, we’ll take care of him,” Greta assured him with a gentle look and he knew she was saying more than just that she and Roger would help Corey up into bed. They would watch over him for Gabriel.

  He nodded. “Okay, so I’ll see you all in the morning.”

  Everyone smiled and nodded. Casillus’ arm went around Gabriel’s waist.

  Let us get you into the water, my love, Casillus said and led him out onto the sand and into the surf.

  13

  MOONLIGHT SWIM

  As soon as Gabriel dove into the ocean, the tightness in his chest disappeared. His gills pumped oxygen into his system. He was light and fast. He and Casillus stroked away from shore. Fear of the water was not even a memory now. Gabriel actually yearned for it. In the water he was strong and healthy. It was where he was meant to be.

  Gabriel stretched his senses out and felt Aemrys shooting towards them like a rocket and beyond his ancestor was the whole of House Liseas, waiting for him, already loving him. He could sense each and every single one of them like silver strands. His family numbered over 500. Five-hundred and fifty-one to be exact. Their feelings were like the warmest of embraces. But not even their caring for him could distract him from Casillus. The Mer prince swam easily beside him. Casillus, sensing his gaze, turned his head to look at Gabriel.

  I love you, too, Gabriel, Casillus said.

  Gabriel swam around Casillus’ form until they were face to face, the Mer prince facing upwards towards the ocean’s surface and Gabriel downwards towards the ocean floor. Gabriel leaned in and nipped Casillus’ lower lip. The Mer grinned.

  With a teasing hand that stroked Casillus’ right hip, Gabriel asked, How far should we go out to sleep?

  They were already nearly 100 feet from shore. While the deep called him, his grandmother and Corey called him stronger and he didn’t want to go much farther. He had one last day on land. He would not give it up for the lure of the sea yet.

  Gabriel felt the Mer measuring the distance to the bottom. There was about forty
feet of water between them and the sandy floor. We can stop here though we dive deeper. Not many boats come near this area, but its always wise to sleep below where their keels can reach.

  We can go to the very bottom if you like, Gabriel said. Despite there being only moonlight, he could see the ocean floor below them almost as clearly as he could have if it had been high noon. His night vision evidently had improved.

  You are not afraid? Casillus’ voice held a note of awe.

  Gabriel looked up to see the Mer’s beautiful face. He could sense every single one of the Casillus’ feelings without seeing any of his body language, but he looked anyways, because he wanted to see the Mer. To see such beauty was a blessing.

  When you are with me, Casillus, how could I be afraid of anything at all? Gabriel caressed the Mer’s cheek.

  But its not just that. You have let go of all of your fear. Completely. Casillus took Gabriel’s right hand and they drifted down to the bottom. There were still half a dozen feet between their toes and the rippled sand when Casillus stopped their downward glide.

  I never thought the fear would leave me, Gabriel admitted. But it has. Tomorrow, I’ll be able to swim out with you and Aemrys with no worries.

  I wish we could take Corey and Grace with us, Casillus said, his hands holding onto Gabriel’s waist. I have come to feel about them as you have. Before, I never considered that I could become attached to humans. Those on land were to be … used. Casillus looked thoughtful. My understanding is so different now than when we first met.

  Mine as well. Gabriel reached out and felt his grandmother and best friend’s sleeping presences in his mind. They will be with us, Casillus. Maybe not physically, but I will share everything with them. He gave Casillus a smoldering look. Well, maybe not everything.

  There are things we need to keep just to ourselves. Casillus sent a smoldering look back at him.

  Gabriel shook himself from the lustful haze as he said, But I’m going to show them all of the wonders of Emralis. Your parents. House Liseas. Even that very scary court house. I can’t wait to do it. I can’t wait to see it all myself.