The ride back to the lab in the metal truck hadn't exactly been the most comfortable, but Mellac kept me from slamming into any of the walls during the rough parts, which was definitely appreciated. We stopped a few times, probably for lights, but pretty soon I could hear the backup beeping from the truck, meaning we were pulling into the docking area at the research facility. A minute later, I heard all the clasps for the unloading tunnel getting locked into place and carefully stood, stretching out my tight muscles.
"Mmm, they're gonna open the door soon. You guys ready?"
Callem gave a quiet whine where he sat near Parker, and I heard Mellac slowly getting to his feet right behind me.
Guess those are good enough answers.
Several rays of light slipped into our container as workers unlatched the doors and let them swing open inside of the walkway. There was an opening between the top and the retractable hallway chute because this truck wasn't as big as a normal transfer one, but we weren't going to cause any problems by trying to climb out. I glanced to the side, noticing Callem already beginning to wheel Parker's gurney toward the opening. Turning a bit, I took in Mellac's expression and posture, noting that he obviously saw the hole between the transfer chute and the truck.
"Mellac?"
His cold green gaze lowered to mine slowly. Calculating. He was thinking about leaving, but if he did, it would likely spell the end of Callem's chances at freedom. Running my tongue uneasily along my lower lip, I slowly reached out and unfurled my fingers, offering him my hand.
"...Jayson."
Hurt. His voice was still harsh and deep, but just beneath the surface, when he had said my name...
"Let's go, Mellac. Just a few days left, then I'll take you guys back to the ocean where you belong."
An expression crossed his face that I couldn't quite read as I spoke, but before I was able to figure it out, my attention was refocused as Mellac stepped forward and took my hand gently in his. My lips curved into a smile, and I turned, walking next to him down the full length of the tunnel. Heavy doors were pushed into place as we passed key points, but neither of us bothered looking back.
Once in the small isolation room, I noticed that they had at least made a few changes to the tiny space. No, unfortunately it wasn't bigger, but there were two cots with blankets, one in the far left corner and the other in the right. The shift door was also secured open fully so we would only have to duck a little to get inside, though I doubt any of us would want to go into that cramped dark cage of a room.
Dinner was conveniently waiting for us, or at least for them. Several large, freshly caught mackerel were swimming around in the shallow pool. Callem was already in the water, splashing around with Parker squatting at the edge. The board my friend had previously been strapped to had been tossed in the corner, the leather restraints having been easily shredded by Callem's claws. Parker was smiling widely, eyes shining every time Callem splashed him on purpose. The mer was obviously only half-interested in actually catching any fish.
"Are you feeling okay, Park?"
He looked up, his damp black bangs swishing in front of his eyes.
"Hurt a lot but I'll be fine."
I wanted to sit down and talk about what had happened with him, and more importantly, apologize, but when I took a step closer, there was a sliding sound of metal against concrete, drawing everyone's attention to the small opening to the other room.
Oh, food for us.
"I'll get it."
Ducking beneath the door, I slid the first tray into the pool area, then took the second as it was pushed beneath the door, likely by Dr. Warren or a tech. Parker grabbed the first tray and sat down against the wall while I ducked back into the room with my own meal.
"Not bad considering we're technically prisoners."
Parker nodded as he shoved a big forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Sitting down a few feet away, I began digging into my own chicken and mashed potato dinner while both mers worked on catching theirs in the water. Callem was the first to come up with a fish, dragging the poor gasping creature from the safety of the water. I had a slight flashback to Bubbles but swept that memory aside before the tears came.
He began to nibble at the fish after he got situated right up against Parker. It was kind of a funny image since he had to hug the huge fish in order to keep it still to get a good bite. I turned my attention back to Mellac when I heard him climb out of the water a minute later. Without a fish? He looked exhausted and... oh!
"Your arm."
He bared his teeth and flopped back against the wall on the other side of the pool, fuming at the ground as he rubbed his heel against the tiled floor. Without a word, since I knew he'd probably just grumble, I set my food aside and promptly scooted to the edge of the pool, then slipped in. The slight chill of the water woke me up a bit and sharpened my focus on the fish swimming in tight circles a few feet below. I'd never really fished without a trawl or cast net so it was no surprise that my first few tries to grab one ended humorously. With me getting slapped in the face by tail fins each time.
When I finally managed to grab one, I wrapped my arms around it tightly and kicked to the surface. Breaking through, I took in a deep breath and promptly threw the fish into the air as hard as I could. Well, it sailed about a foot away, but it was out of water and that's all that mattered. Except, the fish just flopped twice and splashed right back into the pool.
"Son of aâ"
Pulling myself from the cold water, I flopped over onto my belly and huffed.
Darnit! I wanted to get Mellac some food as an apology for... I don't know. Everything that I'm sure I messed up.
A deep chuckle made me lift my head enough so that I could seeâ
He's laughing at me.
"What's so funny?"
"Hmhm. You, human."
"Hmph!"
Pushing myself up, I silently thanked the person who decided it was best to put us in the isolation area without sand in it. Sure the tile wasn't the best and it collected water in puddles, but at least it was tilted so most of it flowed back into the pool and of course, there was no sand to stick to my wet body as I scooted over toward the cot closest to me, grumbling as I went.
"Fine, I wasn't gonna give you the fish anyway."
"Oh you weren't?"
His amused voice irked me, but I didn't let it show as I tugged my wet shirt over my head and tossed it aside. My pants and boxers were quick to follow before I climbed beneath the thin blanket and yawned. I had no idea what time it was, but it felt extremely late after all the crap we'd gone through that day.
~Parker
Callem was trying so hard to eat like I was, with his mouth closed and smaller bites... kinda failing at it, but that was half the fun. After Jayson went to lie down Callem leaned closer and eyed the fork in my hand with interest.
"Parker, what that?"
I grinned at him, holding up the shiny metal object before poking his shoulder with it suddenly. He jumped, giving off his adorable seal-like bark before pouting like a child.
"It's okay, I was just playing with you. Look."
I poked myself with it a few times, then offered it to him.
"Want to use it for your fish?"
"Yes!"
He grabbed it awkwardly and poked his fish, but the scales easily fended off the poor eating utensil. His eyes narrowed as he poked it again but came up with the same result. I was just about to help him when he moved the fork to the portion he'd already bitten through and stabbed at a piece of the inner meat. This time, the fork easily took out a chunk of the soft flesh.
"Good job."
Callem shoved the big piece into his mouth, wiggling a bit like an excited dog before going back for more with the fork. He ate a few pounds before I took the opportunity of a pause and leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He immediately tossed his fish aside and tackled me to the floor with a playful "Arf!"
The sudden shove made my body ache, but I swallowed the pain. There was no way I'd let him know that he had hurt me when he was so happy for once. Well, he had a knack for being an easygoing mer in comparison to his brother, so I guess he was happy quite a bit, but now we didn't have to worry about being hunted down or hurt.
"We're safe here for a while," I said with a soft smile. They might not be able to use their tails much in the shallow pool, but at least they'd have somewhere to swim with the correct salinity and healthy fish to eat. Callem's chest already looked much better after his dip in the water earlier, too.
"Parker."
I smiled up at him as he leaned down and carefully scooped me up into his arms. He brought me over to the spare cot and sat down in the corner, leaning against the wall with my body tucked comfortably against his.
"Yeah, Cal?"
"Parker Callem's."
"Yes, sweetie."
He moved our bodies around until we were both lying atop the blanket on the small bed. I hummed with contentment, glad to be snugly held in his warm arms.
"Parker?"
His eyes were already closed, making me think that he was beginning to drift off. It was kinda cute that he was still intent on talking when he was half asleep.
"Yes?"
"Callem... love... Parker."
My heartbeat rattled against my ribs, stealing my breath for a moment before I registered what he had just said. That hadn't been in those book cartridges. Where had he learned that word?
"Callem?"
A quiet calm breath rustled my hair as he breathed in and out steadily... asleep. My lips curved up into a small smile as I nuzzled against him a bit more before relaxing my body completely.
"Love you too, Cal."
~Jayson
I didn't remember falling asleep, but as my eyes opened to dim iridescent lights, I realized it was likely already morning.
"Mmmn..."
These cots definitely weren't my bed at home, but they weren't as bad as I'd thought they'd be, either. Probably because I usually ended up sleeping on the sofa during long experiments, which was more than I slept in my bed. Sitting up after a good stretch, I looked around and quickly noticed Callem curled up with Parker snug in his arms on the other cot. I thought a small seed of jealousy would make itself known in my belly, but to my relief, I was finally okay with it. I'd lost to a pretty extraordinary guy, merman or human, Callem definitely made Parker much happier than I could.
"You look upset."
The unspoken words to finish that sentence were clear.
'About how my brother stole the mate you really wanted.'
I sighed and looked over at Mellac. He was still leaning against the wall where he'd sat down last night. The fish Callem had eaten was next to him, mostly torn apart... but had there even been enough meat left on that one for Mellac to have a decent meal?
"Do you need some more food?"
"I will be fine, human."
My blood boiled as I scowled at him and got up.
"That's not what I asked, stupid."
His brows shot up, a sneer building on his features along with a hint of surprise.
"You dare call me stupid, human?"
"Yeah, because you're acting like an idiot. You obviously need more food to heal that injury, and you're too full of yourself to ask for it."
I thought he'd be pissed to the point of lashing out at my snarky comments, but instead he just laughed coldly and watched me walk toward the water.
"And you can catch me something to eat like you did yesterday, human?"
My gaze darted over to him before returning to the water, and more importantly, the fish swimming near the bottom.
Someone had something crawl up his butt this morning.
It was probably just the pain from his injury and stress of being cooped up for so long getting to him, though, so I shrugged it off and smirked.
"Yup. Time to catch some breakfast."
While I was feeling much better after that night's sleep, it still took me a good hour of diving before I was able to grab a fish and get back to the surface. This time, however, when I tossed it out, I quickly followed and pushed it to the far wall before finally sitting back to catch my breath. Mellac hadn't moved at all during the whole time I struggled with the fish, and I wondered if he was even going to eat it. He still looked annoyed, but that was just his normal expression so it was always hard to tell what he was really thinking.
Stupid PMS fish man.
Grabbing the dying mackerel, I staggered to my feet and walked over to Mellac before dropping back to my knees and offering the squirming thing.
"Useless human fish to Mellac."
I think I caught him off-guard because he coughed out a surprised laugh and actually took the fish... only to toss it aside and yank me into his lap.
"H-Hemmph?"
His lips silenced my stammering quite well, and I couldn't really find any reason to object as he began to carefully deepen the kiss.
This is nothing like his first try at kissing... was he thinking about this while I was gone?
I told my mind to stop thinking for the time being and just let myself enjoy the warm saltiness of his mouth and gentle caresses from such strong hands. We finally broke the kiss to catch our breath several minutes later. I noticed Mellac turn his head away and looked up... only to see his cheeks turning a very faint red?
"Ohmygodyou'reblushing!"
Okay, it probably wasn't the best idea to shout that but still. He was sooooo cute right then. The response I soon got wasn't exactly unexpected. He shoved me out of his lap and got up, stomping over to the shift door and ducking into the small room.
"Aw, hey. I'm sorry. Mellaaaac."
I got to my feet and ran after him, ignoring the fact that I was naked. Not like we hadn't seen plenty of naked male bodies with the mers running around, even though Mellac still had on the pair of shorts we gave him a while ago. Parker must have given Callem a new pair since I remembered seeing his in the bathroom when I called the cops and he was wearing dark blue ones now.
"Mellac, come on."
I ducked into the small room and was suddenly pinned down, my mouth covered for a second time. He was much rougher this go-around, but he didn't bite, and for that I was grateful. We kissed for a good ten minutes before I heard boots echoing in the lab just beyond the door to the cell we were in. Someone looked in, but I couldn't quite tell who. Then there was a knock on the door, making Mellac bristle slightly and back off of me with a hiss. I sat up quickly, gesturing to him that it was okay, before I called out to the person on the other side of the door.
"What's up?"
"Jayson?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sliding in a folder with some things you and Parker need to read tonight, okay?"
Hm? Sounds like Warren.
Before I had even answered, he had the little built-in door at the bottom of the main locked one flicked open and was pushing a small red folder through.
"Okay."
I grabbed the item and quickly ducked back into the pool area, glad to see that Parker was beginning to wake, even though Callem hadn't let him go just yet. The mer was too busy cleaning his face with his tongue. Kinda glad Mellac wasn't that affectionate honestly. I wasn't exactly the biggest dog person.
"Hey, Park, we've got some stuff to go over."
He nodded and nudged Callem until the mer let him sit up. I sat beside him so I could open the folder over both of our laps. Parker took the papers out and handed me half since it looked like two completed sets. He scanned the first page without much interest. I did the same with mine, not exactly finding anything we hadn't already heard. It was information about dealing with aggressive 'animals', hmph! However, when Parker got to the fourth page, he gasped and shoved his papers over the top of mine abruptly.
"Look! Look! Jay, look! Read this."
He was literally bouncing with excitement, making me immediately focus on where he was pointing.
"Due to the increasing negative publicity this case has brought the United States captive marine programs and facilities, we wish to offer an exchange."
I paused, glancing over at Parker who just pointed below where I was reading and squeaked for me to continue.
"Okay okay."
I looked back down and continued reading out loud.
"We wish to offer the two mermen Callem and Mellac freedom back to the ocean on the following conditions:
They both must be microchipped with our laboratory's tracking device. They must both understand that if they are caught or suspected of attacking humans again, they will be tracked down and brought in for questioning. Both brothers must also agree to work with the scientists Jayson Smith and Parker Ryans and allow for tissue collection and observation when requested at a maximum of no more than twice per month."
My voice trailed off toward the end as I sniffled, forcing back tears.
"They're... letting them... go." I stammered out as Parker shouted ecstatically and jumped into Callem's waiting arms. I wasn't sure if Callem knew exactly what was going on, but he shared in Parker's happiness all the same. When I looked up at Mellac, he appeared to be calm but I could tell by the way his whole body relaxed that he was relieved and maybe a little bit excited, too? Well, I was excited enough for the both of us so I did what any stupid human would and hopped up, ran over, and jumped right into his arms. He didn't spin like any normal person would, laughing happily with my own chuckles, but he did catch me even with his injured arm and wrap me up in a gentle but strong hug. I let my body relax against his and nuzzled into his neck, taking in a deep breath with the scent of saltwater mixed with a faint male musk.
"I'm so glad you get to go back home."
"As am I."
~Parker
I had situated myself in Callem's lap to finish going over the pages of the documents we'd been given. They stated that we still did indeed have our jobs but would be docked pay for the experiment we will be conducting with the mers, which was completely fine with me since I wouldn't really consider being with Callem any kind of work. Flipping to the last page, I grinned and grabbed the pen clipped there, then signed my name in nice big letters where it asked for it. Jayson joined me a minute later and did the same with his copy, then both of us stood and went into the smaller inside room to slide the folder back under the door with all the papers and pen inside.
"Come get the papers. We've signed them."
After a minute, footsteps sounded and I heard the folder being picked up and flipped through. After another minute, our supervisor's voice rang out from the other side of the isolation door.
"Very good. Transport will be ready tomorrow, please have them ready. We will wake you up early."
"Thank you," I cheered, noticing Jay grinning right along with me.
"One more thing, here are the microchips, both of them need to be chipped before leaving."
We both grabbed the two syringe-like plastic devices and moved back into the pool area. I went over to Callem while he walked up to Mellac, both brothers standing next to each other. Callem was smiling, but of course Mellac was just wearing his normal scowl.
"We're going to be leaving tomorrow so we just need to wait, but you guys need these shots before they'll allow us to let you go."
Neither brother seemed very happy, but when Mellac offered his shoulder, Jayson didn't hesitate to give him the odd shot. I could see Callem watching and smiled up at him when he turned his hesitant gaze to me.
"Just a little pinch, that's all."
He pursed his lips but turned to the side just like his brother had. I didn't let him fret about the shot and just did it, fast and quick, to get it over with. He yipped a little but calmed a moment later, relaxing back to his normal state after a glance at the faint red mark the shot had left.
"That's it. Good boy," I praised, glad that it hadn't been a big deal. Callem grinned and tugged me off to a corner, and we began to kiss a little, but I was listening in on Mellac and Jay's hushed conversation at the same time.
"Mellac."
"HumaâJayson."
"I-I... if you, uh... still want to try."
There was no answer from Mellac, telling me that he was probably a little confused and waiting for Jayson to finish speaking.
"If you want to try dating... a little... i-it's what I told you before. The kissing... and having dinner together once in a while... then maybe... I can get used to the idea..."
I sneaked a glance at him and inwardly grinned at how embarrassingly awkward my best friend looked. He had a hold of Mellac's right pointer finger, eyes downcast as his foot nudged at a tile on the floor.
"I suppose. I am in need of your human ritual as well... to learn how to gain your trust."
There was a long pause, and my gaze darted up to Mellac's face just in time to see him give a shockingly beautiful smile.
"My temperament could use some help as well, I guess. Will you help me learn to control it some?"
"Y-Yeah."
Mellac lifted Jay up into his arms, ignoring his small injury in order to hug him closer. I figured they'd want to be left alone after that huge confession and what not, but Callem had other plans. The second Mellac set Jay down, the older mer was tackled into the pool. The two of them together had water splashing both Jay and I. At first, I thought they were fighting for some reason, but when Callem suddenly surfaced and barked, I lifted a brow, then glanced down at Mellac to see the older mer circling beneath him. It was a tight fit in the small area, but he was making it work, at least until he began to surface and grabbed his brother.
Callem yelped and went under but was quick to break free. Instead of climbing back to the surface, though, he just grabbed Mellac from behind and hung on as his brother tried to shake him off. After a minute of thrashing around underwater, Mellac surfaced and leaned on his arms over the edge of the pool, panting quietly.
"Human, take your mate off my back."
Callem whined like a puppy and licked his brother's cheek a few times before I squatted down beside them and extended a hand.
"Come on, Cal."
He looked up at me and pouted, but reached out anyway. I smiled as I grasped his hand in mine, except when I tried to help pull him out of the water he instead yanked my hand, hard, and sent me flying into the pool.
"Woah!"
I was suddenly at the bottom in Callem's arms. My gaze traveled up to the surface for a moment, noting that Mellac had climbed out of the pool, but then returned back to Callem as I struggled a little to get free. I was just beginning to think that he had forgotten that I couldn't breathe underwater when he gently leaned forward and pressed our lips together.
Oh!
With an eager excitement, I quickly opened my mouth and took in a deep, clean breath of air from him. I had been the one who'd forgotten that he could help me breathe underwater. We stayed there quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying the private time away from the other two and the cameras in the upper corners of the room before he slowly brought me back toward the surface. As we climbed out of the water, we could both hear quiet talking behind us. When I was finally back on my feet, Jayson spoke.
"They left something in the small room for Callem to use."
I was a bit confused but gestured for Callem to stay while I went and got the box, then returned to sit against the wall where he now sat.
"I told them that he really liked that learning thing you got him so I guess they figured they would give it to him. On the other hand, I suspect they just want to see how he learns, but eh, it's a free iPad."
My lips twitched up into a smirk as I unboxed the device and turned it on. When the main screen loaded up, I had to chuckle, seeing all of the apps the scientists had already put on it.
"Want to learn some more stuff, Callem?"
"Yes."
He took the device from me and put it in his lap. His shorts were still soaked from the pool, but the iPad had a case on it so it shouldn't be a problem. While I had honestly thought he would only want to play with the device for a few hours, we ended up going through about ten different apps, finishing each one with little issue. The further he actually got into the language, the less mistakes he made.
"I can't believe how well you're doing."
He set the device aside and tugged me into his lap for some licks, kisses, then one long hug.
"Callem loves Parker and want to learn for him for understand."
I grinned and licked his cheek.
"Parker loves that Callem wants to learn for him."
He barked happily and squeezed me a bit harder before moving my body so that my back was against his chest, then put the iPad on my lap.
"Parker play with Callem the games?"
I tilted my head back and stuck my tongue out at him teasingly.
"Yes, please."
Callem took me by surprise and leaned down, nipping at my tongue with a smirk before moving his hands from my waist, where I had totally not noticed they'd migrated to, and tapped at the touch screen to start one of the games. They were all pretty simple since they had been designed for children, but I made sure not to get too far ahead of him, and oh man, did he appreciate that. He got more and more excited as time passed, and boy did it. By the time we finally finished the last round of a syllable game, I was beginning to nod off, literally. My head dipped every few seconds before I forced it back up to try to stay awake. After the first few times, Callem set the iPad aside and leaned over so he could press a soft kiss to my cheek.
"Are you tired, Parker? Want to go to sleep?"
Having him talk in complete, correct sentences was surprising but also humbling. It felt like he was growing up, and I got to watch all of it happen right before my eyes. Tilting my head a little, I smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips before nodding.
"Yeah. We've gotta get up early tomorrow so some sleep is probably a good idea."
He nodded and carefully moved until we were both lying down, and of course, I was snuggled in his strong arms after the blanket had been tugged loosely over our bodies.
"Good night, Parker. I love you."
I nuzzled against his chest and sighed sleepily.
"Mmn, I love you too, Callem. Good night."
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. When my eyes opened, there was a plate a few inches from my nose with the delicious smelling food piled atop it. While it definitely looked like it was cheaply made, my stomach didn't give a care as it rumbled hungrily.
"Mm, Cal? Can I sit up please?"
I felt his arms tug me closer and chuckled, turning my body until I managed to face him.
"I can't?"
Big violet and blue eyes met mine as he shook his head on the cot, then tucked his face into my neck for some licks.
"Haha, but I'm hungry, sweetie."
"Is okay. Callem eat Parker, then Parker eat Callem."
My face burned with embarrassment as he spoke against my skin. He probably had no idea what that actually meant.
"Uh, um, as nice as that sounds, I really need the food they gave me."
He pouted but thankfully let me go. I got myself into a sitting position and crossed my legs, setting the plate down on them as I ate with the fork they'd provided with one hand while my other softly sifted through Callem's hair.
"We're going to be leaving soon. I heard the truck backing up a few minutes before you woke up."
I gave Jayson a nod when I registered his voice and watched as he walked over with a pair of black shorts in his hand. That's also when I noticed that he was wearing a similar pair. Guess they wanted some decency when they released us and figured we wouldn't want to put our old soaked clothes back on. With a small smile, I took the shorts and set my empty plate aside, then got up and tugged them on. Callem leaned up right after I'd finished and nudged his nose against the fabric with a disapproving look.
"Haha, sorry, Cal. I know you probably preferred me without them."
He looked up at my eyes and then back down to the shorts.
"Yes."
Shaking my head, I grinned and grabbed his hand, helping him to his feet right as I heard the doors to the loading chute begin to open up. He squeezed my hand in his own and smiled, taking that first important step toward true freedom as Mellac and Jay did the same only a few feet ahead of us.
"Hm? Guess they're actually going to let us drive out of here ourselves."
Jay's words had me peeking around them, my eyes widening in surprise to see my truck waiting for us at the end of the tunnel, the vehicle backed up just enough so that we could jump down into the uncovered bed.
Oliver must have brought it.
Mellac and Jay went first, and we quickly followed. Both of them decided to stay in the back for the drive so Callem sat in the passenger's seat while I slid behind the wheel. Taking a deep breath, I placed both of my hands on the warm black leather of the steering wheel but didn't realize they were shaking until Callem's left hand gently pressed over the top of my right one. When I looked at him, he was all smiles, making me grin and slowly calming my nerves.
"Alright, let's get this last show on the road, hm?"
"Arf."
The strong scent of saltwater and the feeling of fresh sand beneath my toes felt like heaven to my senses as we climbed out of the truck straight onto the damp sand near the surf. A whole section of beach had been roped off and people ushered away just like any other classified marine release. It was actually appreciated since this wasn't a normal release and these two men were definitely not animals. They were amazing and smart, handsome, and sweet.
I had to blink back tears as Callem stepped out of his shorts and waded waist-deep into the cold ocean water. When it began to lap at his lower chest, he turned and reached out a hand for me. My feet moved of their own accord, taking me into the churning surf without a second thought until I found myself in his strong arms. He easily lifted me up so that my legs could wrap around his waist and our lips could crash together just like the waves around us. I would miss him so badly, even if we were going to see them often because of our job, and hell, no one would be able to keep me from being here almost every single day... but it wouldn't be the same.
I faintly noticed Mellac and Jayson wrapped in each other's arms a few yards to my left, but I let them have their peace just like they were allowing us ours. When our kiss finally broke, I chuckled, but the sound was swallowed up by the churning water wrapping around us.
"I'm so glad I found you that day, Callem."
"I am very glad as well. You saved my life and taught me so much."
I sniffled but smiled, a blush spreading from my cheeks back to my ears.
"You are amazing, and I cannot wait to learn more and more from you, Parker."
All of a sudden the floodgates opened, and I began to bawl like a darn child into his shoulder. It definitely wasn't manly by any means, but Callem still held me with all the love he had to give.
"I love you, Callem."
A faint kiss brushed against my neck, right where he had bitten to claim me as his in what seemed like such a long time ago.
"I love you, too, Parker."
"Park! We've gotta go in. It's getting ready to storm."
Jayson's voice snapped us out of our moment, making me smile as Callem carefully let me slip back down into the water.
"He's right. It can get danger for Parker here."
I chuckled a little at his mistake but knew he'd likely have better grammar than me with just a few more simple lessons.
"Okay. I promise I'll come visit you soon."
He nodded and smiled sadly, then gently nudged me into a wave, which pushed me toward shore.
"B-Bye, Callem. Enjoy being home."
He began swimming backward, body bobbing with the swelling waves until he did a small slow backflip, soft gray tail flicking out of the water once before disappearing smoothly beneath the waves.
"Hey Park, grab two sodas while you're in there?"
I heard Jay's shout and quickly stopped the fridge from shutting so I could get the drinks. I'd come back for some ketchup for my fries that Jay had forgotten, since he didn't normally use it, but right as I was reaching for the last two root beers, I heard a small thunk come from just outside the front door and paused midreach.
"Huh?"
Letting the fridge door shut, I set the ketchup on the counter and walked over to look out of the peephole.
"Nothing?"
Grabbing the handle, I turned the lock and carefully opened the door to peek out. I saw a faint outline of someone standing in the rain back by the apple tree in the yard, but then a movement near the doormat caught my attention and I glanced down to see Callem's worried gaze staring up at me, a medium-sized silver fish wrapped up in his arms.
"C-Callem? Why aren't you back home?"
I remembered having told him how to find our house last night while we were working on the iPad, in case he needed us, but I didn't think he'd be here already. Judging from the features I could make out from the person over by the tree, too, I felt sure Mellac had followed. My mind immediately thought something was wrong, but when I opened my mouth to speak, Callem quietly did so, making me pause so I could hear.
"Callem fish to Parker. Parker home to Callem."
-End
https://www.wattpad.com/72457973-beneath-the-lies-and-so-it-begins-again
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