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“CANNONBALL!!!”
SPLASH! Jade flinched backward as a large wave of water washed over his teammates, the Pop Music Club getting absolutely obliterated with lakewater as Kalim dove into the water, careless but wonderfully cheerful.
Just a moment ago, they’d been chatting about the last two days of camp—how Jade had been one of the last four remaining on the night of the second day, going on to complete the final challenge successfully along with his fellow teammates. The chatter had quickly turned into a water fight, however, as Cater had absentmindedly kicked up a bit of water onto Kalim’s legs, and the Scarabian student had responded by diving into the water, completely soaking both himself and his friends.
“KALIM! You can’t just, y’know, do that!” Cater flicked a stray strand of ginger hair out of his face, his clothes now sopping wet.
“Khee hee, allow him to have his fun, Cater. Swimming is both a wonderful pastime and an intense exercise for a training regimen.” Lilia knelt down by the border of the lake, scooping up a pool of water in his hands and releasing it in the air, which only succeeded in splashing more water all over Cater’s aghast face.
“SMH! That’s not fair play!” Cater’s face twisted into an irritated smirk as he leaned toward the lake himself, splashing another wave of water toward Lilia, who easily side-stepped the attack with a low chuckle. “Dammit, why do you gotta be so good at dodging!”
“That’s far too slow to ever touch me. I fear you will have to try much harder than that.”
“If it means you’ll get soaked to the bone like me, then I’m down for the challenge!”
Kalim laughed, standing in the shallow end of the lake with a smile. “Does it matter who gets soaked by who? Can’t we all just have some fun?”
“A small bit of competition only ever serves to increase the enjoyment, actually,” Lilia countered.
Kalim just shrugged. “Haha, you guys can do whatever. Oh, but Jade! Wanna join us?”
Jade, who’d been trying to sneak off somewhere else, not particularly eager to join in, paused, glancing at the group with an awkward expression, which was completely out of place on his usually poised face. “My apologies, but I’d prefer not to take part in these festivities.”
“Aw c’mon, Jade! You were MVPs with Trey-Trey and the others! Learn to live a li’l!”
“I’m afraid that just isn’t in my area of expertise—”
“Then we can teach you!” Kalim waded back onto the bank, pushing himself out of the lake with a wide grin. “Come on, Jade! It’ll be fun!”
“I’d really rather not—”
“Is there something you fear?” Lilia appeared from behind him, chuckling. “I must say, I hadn’t taken you for the fearful type.”
“I’m not afraid,” Jade said. “Only…”
“Only what?” Kalim asked. “The lake’s clean and the part we’re at is very shallow and warm! Trust me, it’s really nice!”
“Uhh, Kalim, IDK if Jade’s exactly the trusting type.”
“Still, a light swim wouldn’t hurt anybody,” Lilia said. “Unless…? Perhaps Jade can’t swim?”
“I’m a merman,” Jade refuted pointedly. “I would die if I couldn’t swim.”
“Then what’s the trouble?” Cater asked.
Jade opened his mouth to reply, the answer on the tip of his tongue, but as he went to say the words, a familiar voice sounded out from behind him, smooth and low and close in proximity.
“Hey guys, what are you up to?”
Jade stumbled forward, shock apparent on his face. It wasn’t just anybody’s voice, it was Trey’s. His boyfriend’s.
Jade wasn’t used to holding feelings for any of his peers, nor was he used to those feelings being reciprocated, and that was exactly what made everything worse, with the surprise appearance of Trey spiraling his heart completely out of control as he hurried to keep his distance.
His haste, however, was a fatal mistake. As he fell forward, he realized that the bank was much smaller than he thought it was, and that the distance he was from the lake was much, much shorter. The shouts of everyone around him were the last sounds he’d heard before he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the rush of water around him, which came in an instant, caging him in a familiar but oh-so-terrible sensation.
He opened his eyes, watching as his body grew, legs fusing together into a long, winding tailfin. Gills resurfaced all along his torso, his skin turning a brilliant shade of turquoise blue, and all along his fingers, his nails formed claws, claws that were sharp and foreign to the human body.
Jade had undergone the transformation many times in the past two years, and had it been any other scenario, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at the feeling. But because Trey was here…
Oh, that made everything much worse.
He could only hope Trey didn’t look too keenly at the striking changes in his body. Shutting his eyes tightly, he dove further into the water, swimming away as quickly as possible, away from the problems that awaited him when he came back.
Trey couldn’t believe it. Just a moment ago, Jade was there, back turned to him with too cute of an expression on his face that Trey just had to sneak up on him. Now, Jade was gone, and the only glimpse of him Trey had managed to get was a brief peak at those mismatched eyes, and the upper half of his face. Jade’s eyebrows had been turned upward in confusion as his skin turned a strange new shade of blue, a blue that struck Trey as so incredibly beautiful and so incredibly Jade that he just couldn’t get it out of his mind.
It had only been an instant, however, and as quickly as he transformed, Jade fled in another direction, tailfin splashing one last time above the surface of the water before disappearing completely, along with the rest of him.
“Wait, Jade—!”
But the mer was already gone. Trey turned to Cater, his own expression of shock and confusion morphing into a disappointed scowl. Cater winced.
“Ahaha, I don’t think that’s a good look on you, Trey.”
Trey only continued to scowl. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Cater. What were you guys even doing?”
“Nothing!”
“I beg to differ,” Lilia piped up. “We had been trying to coax Jade into the water to have a bit of… fun. But after you appeared, this happened, and, well, the results are right in front of you.”
“I’m so sorry!” Kalim said, face filled with worry. “I really didn’t mean it to turn out like this!”
“Well, I mean, it is kinda Trey’s fault for sneaking up on him…” Cater snuck a glance at Trey, who was now practically glowering at him with irritation, a squeak escaping his mouth. “Er, sorry, Trey.”
Trey’s anger subsided in an instant, however, as he breathed a deep sigh, shaking his head and rubbing his temple. “No, you’re right. It was my fault. Shit…”
“Well, you couldn’t have helped it,” Lilia pointed out. “His reaction wasn’t exactly predictable, considering his usual calmness.”
“Yeah, but…” Trey sighed again. “Okay, I’m gonna go find him.”
“HUH?? But he’s all the way in the middle of the lake!” Cater said, grabbing Trey’s arm to keep him from moving. “You can’t just dive in and hold your breath for, like, an hour!”
“And I’m not doing that.” Trey wrenched himself from Cater’s grasp. “I have a brain. I’ll find him.”
“Are you sure? We can help you find him if you want,” Kalim offered.
“No need. I’ll find him on my own.”
“But Trey—” Cater interrupted himself, furrowing his brows. “Ugh, he’s already gone! Talk about impatient!”
Lilia chuckled. “He’s off to save his beloved partner; it’s only natural to have such determination and drive.”
“Well, I hope he succeeds! And I hope Jade comes back in one piece…”
“He will, Kalim. He will.”
“Yeah, it’s not like he’s exactly in danger. TBH, it’s Trey that I’m worried about. Did you see the way he looked at Jade in that one second?”
“Khee hee. He truly is the epitome of a loving, smitten boyfriend.”
“Yeah, and I only hope Jade doesn’t tear him apart for that…”
Jade found himself on the other side of the lake, far away from Trey, the campsite, and his peers. Looking up at the sun that was still shining high in the sky, he sighed, relaxing his body. He’d swim back before the others left for school, but for now, he wanted to rest.
Staring up into the treetops of the forest around him, he shivered, the sensations on his merform body finally reaching him as he thought back to just moments ago. How ironic it was that the one body of water he hadn’t wanted to get in, he’d gotten in. This lake, he’d remarked to Azul just the other day, wasn’t something he’d been looking forward to taking a dive in; in fact, he hadn’t planned on swimming in it even for a second. But he’d done so anyway, embarrassed and irritated in the heat of the moment, fleeing by the only means of transportation he could think of—swimming.
His irritation, however, quickly faded, leaving him with something more hollow, more… disappointing. What had Trey thought, at that moment he’d seen Jade transform? Was he as disgusted as Jade thought he was?
Hah… Jade could already imagine a similar look of disappointment on Trey’s face. Foolish. How utterly foolish it was to believe that a human could understand and appreciate the beauty of a form so foreign to them, a form that was his own merform. Looking down at his body, the familiar body he’d been born with, that he’d grown up in, Jade wondered how differently Trey saw it, how un familiar Trey viewed it. How odd it must’ve been, to see the changes for the first time ever, much less in a circumstance such as this one.
But was his merform truly that unusual? Was it really as terrible as some of the other humans who’d seen his form had said it was?
A part of him disagreed. But the other part of him agreed. It was why he’d avoided the subject so long, why he’d forced himself not to transform in front of Trey, or transform in general. He didn’t like the idea of breaking up with Trey over a simple thing such as this.
If only… if only humans weren’t as judgmental as they always were. If only…
A rustle from one of the bushes yanked him out of his thoughts, catching his attention. Jade narrowed his eyes. An intruder.
“Who are you? Show yourself.”
There was no answer, the rustling growing quiet.
Jade sneered. “Do I have to come out and find you? Please, do me a favor and show yourself.”
This time, there was an answer, a physical one, as a familiar figure stepped out from behind the bushes, winded and entirely out of breath. His forest green hair was in a state of disarray, his beanie sitting haphazardly on his head while his green jacket was nowhere to be seen, revealing the white inner shirt that clung to his body with sweat.
It was Trey.
“…Trey?” The words were foreign on Jade’s tongue, yet familiar at the same time. “What are you—no, how are you even here?”
Trey didn’t answer for a moment, catching his breath with a few panting breaths. Then he tried for a smile, looking at Jade with an expression as kind as ever, as if Jade were still in his human form, not… whatever it was that humans considered his merform to be.
“I was searching for you.”
Jade sucked in a breath. Trey had been… searching for him? Not trying to run away? Not trying to avoid him? “Were you, now?”
“I wanted to get you to come back to camp. The others were really worried for you.”
Jade shouldn’t have laughed the way he did, dry and disinterested. Not after Trey had come all this way to find him. But he just couldn’t help it. “The others were worried for me, you say? Not you? A shame. Here I thought I’d found myself a proper boyfriend, a boyfriend that actually cared for me—”
“But I do care for you. That’s why I came to find you!”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! After you transformed and then dove away, I couldn’t have just left you to run away—”
“Oh, but you could’ve. And you should’ve. I’d rather not have to see your face right now, Trey.” Jade was aware that his words were biting and full of scorn. That was the point, really, to see Trey hurt in the same way Jade was hurting.
But seeing Trey’s face fall so easily, seeing the golden hue in his eyes whittle away into a dull metallic tone, a part of Jade broke. He knew he didn’t want to see it. He knew, and yet his sharp tongue just kept moving, chipping away at Trey.
“Stop acting like you’re coming to save me, Trey,” Jade continued. “I can function perfectly fine on my own. I have for the majority of my life, and I will continue to do so. So please, I beseech you , leave me be, Trey. I don’t want you here, I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want you to see me— ”
“Jade.” Trey knelt down, leaning forward and grabbing Jade by the shoulders. His eyebrows were knit in an expression of worry as he looked into Jade’s mismatched eyes. “Jade, look at me.”
Jade did the opposite, completely looking away from his face.
But Trey didn't seem to care. “Jade, do you perhaps not want me to see your merform or something…?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“…No.”
Trey sighed. “I know you’re lying, Jade.”
“Am I, now?”
“You never look at me like that unless you’re mad.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Really. Just tell me what it is. Tell me why you’re hiding.”
“And what if I don’t want to?”
“Well…” Trey pulled away, scratching his neck sheepishly. “Well, I guess I can’t force you to do anything.”
A smug smile crawled up Jade’s face. “Indeed. There’s nothing you can do. Now, I would very much like you to leave, Trey; otherwise, I’ll have to take things into my own hands and swim away myself. Have a good day—”
“WAIT!” Trey grabbed Jade’s arm, the warmth of his hands stinging Jade’s ice-cold ones with heat. The mer hissed, though he didn’t back away, only staring into Trey’s eyes warningly.
“If you don’t let go immediately, I’ll—”
“Wait, Jade, hear me out! I’m not here to hurt you or do anything to you, I’m just here to talk.”
“Talk? You’ve already done far more than that, putting your hands on me like this.”
Trey yanked his hand away. “I’m sorry.”
Jade chuckled lowly. “Don’t be. Although I am curious, what is it that made you want to touch me? Isn’t it odd? My skin? The feeling of it? Isn’t it so inhuman that you’d rather not touch it? Or perhaps it is precisely because of that that you reached out…” Jade leaned closer. “Tell me, now. Do I intrigue you or disgust you? Do you find me horrifying?”
Trey didn’t answer, biting his lip and backing away. Jade could only watch, disappointed. So that was how it was. That was Trey’s answer. He should’ve expected it. It was the answer he’d thought Trey would have. But then why did it pain Jade so much just to think about it…? Why…
“No.” Trey interrupted his thoughts with a course growl. “Don’t go. You’re not disgusting. You’re not horrifying. Fuck, Jade, why would you ever think that?”
Jade blinked. “ Pardon? ”
“You know, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen your merform. And I don’t know a single thing about it. But are you kidding me? Do you have eyes? Can you not see? What about yourself makes you think you’re gross? What about it, huh?” Trey looked at Jade expectantly, golden eyes piercing as the light of the sun.
When Jade didn’t answer, Trey pursed his lips, lowering his voice to a gentle whisper and moving closer to the eel, reaching out a hand to him. Jade looked at it, unsure of what to do, only to peel his eyes away toward Trey’s face, those soft lips of his uttering the kindest words Jade had heard that day.
“You’re beautiful, Jade. Everything about you. So why are you so set on hiding from me…?”
That was all it took for Jade to crack, his shell breaking open as he heard himself speak the truth, once and for all.
“I only thought you would hate me for it. Mer and humans… we’re different. So utterly different. If I revealed my form to you, I thought you’d…”
“Thought I’d what? Abandon you?”
“…Yes.”
“… Why? ” Trey’s voice was hoarse, painful as he asked the question. “Am I that unreliable? Am I such a bad boyfriend?”
“You’re not. I assure you, you aren’t.”
“Then why…?”
Jade sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“…As a mer, coming onto land was so… strange. So different. It took time to get used to people; it took time to get used to everything. ” Jade paused, looking at the sharp claws on his large turquoise hand, then looking at Trey’s much softer, much more human ones. “I figured that it would be the same with you. When you saw my merform, I thought you would also need time to adjust, need some time to register that your boyfriend isn’t a human, that he isn’t like you. At all , really.”
“…But you’re still you. Why would I not like you?”
Jade chuckled. “We are all fickle creatures, Trey. If you left me, I wouldn’t have been surprised.”
“I’m not leaving you, though—”
“But if you had? Then what?”
“Then… then…” Trey struggled to find the words in vain. He let out a frustrated breath, then looked at Jade with a complicated expression, leaning forward and cupping Jade’s face in his palms.
“T-Trey…?”
“Quiet,” Trey said softly, pulling Jade forward and pushing their heads together, then doing the same with their mouths, pressing his warm lips to Jade’s cooler ones. Jade’s eyes widened. Trey was… kissing him? Even though he was in his merform…?
Trey pulled away slowly, little breaths of air escaping his mouth as he looked at Jade, expression still a mess of emotions. Then, he pulled Jade harshly into his arms, into a hug that soaked through all his clothes.
Jade’s voice was weak. “Trey, what are you doing…?”
“If my words can’t reach you, my actions can,” Trey murmured. “If I can’t get you to see what I see, then I’ll make you see it, I’ll make you feel loved just by holding you tight. You can’t escape any longer, Jade. I love you, and nothing’s going to change that.
Jade’s eyes fluttered, his breathing shallow as he tried to comprehend what was happening. The familiar beat of his heart grew stronger, faster, and much more whole in the chest of his regular body. Trey still… liked him? Even after this? Even after how prickly he’d been? Even after he’d swam away and caused trouble? Even after seeing Jade’s merform?
Impossible. That wasn’t possible. That wasn’t…
“I love you,” Trey murmured once again, reminding him that it wasn’t a dream, that it was all right here in front of him.
It was possible.
Trey did love him.
“You… love me?”
Trey laughed, Jade’s obvious confusion getting the better of him as he fell backward toward the grass, Jade falling on top of him. “Is it that hard to understand?”
Jade didn’t answer, only staring oddly at Trey, trying to pull himself off of the human. But Trey pulled him forward once more, a smirk on his lips. It was then that Jade noticed that his clover makeup was ruined, smudged by the water and the slick of Jade’s merform.
“Your clover…”
It was Trey’s turn to be confused, looking around them in the grass. “There’s no clover, though…?”
Jade let out a clipped laugh. “No, I meant your makeup.”
“…Oh. Ohh. ”
The reaction only caused Jade to laugh more, the vibrations running all across both of their bodies, Trey’s laughs joining in on the sensation, elevating the feeling further. It was only when they finally stopped that Jade felt a hand on his cheek—Trey’s hand—gently rubbing at his skin, a soft smile on Trey’s face.
“Beautiful. Handsome. I just want to keep kissing you. Forever.”
If Jade could blush in his merform, he would’ve, hiding his face from Trey with his clawed hands. It was too much. Too much, but at the same time, just enough to get Jade to realize what Trey meant.
That didn’t stop him from pursing his lips tightly, looking away from Trey with a glower. “Trey… You can’t just keep saying things like that.”
“Hm? Why can’t I?”
“It’s embarrassing…” Jade’s voice was quiet, low. “Too embarrassing.”
“Mm, you think so?” Trey found his way to Jade’s hair, hand absentmindedly stroking through the wet strands while the smile on his face grew even larger. “That’s good, then. I can tease you all I want~”
“ Trey. ”
“Kidding, kidding!” Trey let his hand fall, sighing deeply, his eyes flickering back onto Jade’s face. “But you really are so—”
SPLASH! Jade slipped back into the water, soaking Trey further with a flick of his tailfin, wondering just how much it would take to shake off this newly found barnacle that was his boyfriend.
Then again, did he actually want to get away from Trey?
Jade wasn’t so sure anymore.