{"sf1_id":691076,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 13","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":7717,"posted_at":"2014-04-09T20:27:00.000Z","tags":["Fantasy","Gay","Human","M/M","Romance","homoerotic","kiss","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/691076-aquata-cove-chapter-13","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/691076","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=691076\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata CoveChapter 13: Trapped   \"Uuuuggghhhh...\" Adam groaned as he stirred. His throat feels\nso scratched up, and he has a horrible salty taste in his mouth. His head is\nspinning like he just woke up from a horrible hangover. He coughed as he tried\nspitting out the salty taste; it's like the whole inside of his mouth is caked\nin with salt!  He can hear... Water... Water drops, and running water. He\nopened his eyes, glimpsing the orange and pink glow all around him, and saw a\nwhole basin of rippling water. Adam grunted as he dragged himself to the edge,\nand dipped his hand into the water. \"... A hot spring?\" He asked, before coughing, cringing at the\nunpleasant scathing in his mouth and throat, \"Oh God, please let it be fresh...\"\nHe groaned as he scooped up some of the water, and slurped it. It's very warm,\nbut fresh.  Adam scooted, and slurped up some more water, swishing it\naround in his mouth, and spat it aside. He scooped up more water, gurgling,\nwashing the salt from his mouth, and spitting it out. He can really use some\nice cubes, but hot water is better than no water. \"Ahhh... *Ahem ahem!* Much better...\" He sighed before taking a\ndrink of the warm water. He then splashed the water on his face, washing\nhimself, and shaking his head quickly. Adam looked around, his eyes still\ndreary, but seeing he's in some kind of cave, with some amazing glowing\ncrystals growing in the rock. \"Uunnnhhhh... Where am I... ?\" He put his hands on\nthe back of his neck, then noticed his bandage is very moist, \"Dammit, Gramma's\ngonna kill me... What time is it?\" He dug in his wet pocket, and took out his\nphone, \"Great. Phone's dead.\" He said as his phone failed to turn on, \"Now\nshe's REALLY gonna kill me,\" He groaned. \"Wh-Who is?\" Adam turned his head, and saw someone sitting\nat the far wall. A blonde, teenage male, maybe about 14, 15-years-old, give or\ntake. He is wearing only a tattered stalk of kelp across his chest, with a few\nchipped and broken scallop shells on his shoulders. \"Ah! He-Hey... Um...\" He blinked as he felt his head, \"Uhh... Who are\nyou? How long have you been there and... Why are you naked?\"  \"My name is Merrick,\" The teen said, rather hesitantly,\n\"We've been here for a long time now, and... What do you mean, 'naked'?\" He\nasked, with a look of confusion on his face. \"Well, you don't have any clothes on. What're you like, a\nnudist or something?\" \"A nude... Ist?\" The boy asked, tilting his head, \"I don't\nunderstand, what are clothes?\" \"Well, here, lemme at least give you my shirt, you can tie\nit around your-\" Adam felt at his left hip, but discovered that the shirt he\ntucked there earlier has gone! \"What the? Where's my shirt??\" Adam grunted as\nhe stood up, and looked over the water, looking over, but not seeing his\ngarment, \"Where is it? Dammit, I liked that shirt!\" \"I... I don't know what this shirt is, but I think it might've\ngotten lost when you fell into the water... You... You said someone is going to\nkill you?\" The teen asked fearfully.  \"Oh, yeah, just my Gramma. I wasn't supposed to go swimming,\nshe's gonna get mad at me, she'll get over it.\" \"But... She's going to kill you!\" Merrick exclaimed. Adam\nlooked and chuckled; this kid seems earnest, if not adorably naïve. \"No, she's not REALLY going to kill me,\" He said, \"It's just\nan expression, she's going to get mad at me, that's all... Wait...\" Adam looked at\nthe naked teen, \"... You said I FELL into the water, right?\" Merrick nodded. \"Yes, you did. When the Siren was singing to you.\" \"The... I'm sorry, lemme...\" Adam clenched his eyes shut and\nthought for a moment, wondering how he got here, \"Ok... I think... Yeah, I was\ntaking pictures, and I got out to the ocean to take a few snapshots of it,\nand...\" He paused, and nodded, \"Oh yeah, and someone WAS singing...\" \"Yes, the Siren...\" Merrick said. Adam turned to him again. \"Siren... I heard that word before, what's a Siren?\" \"Sirens are vicious, ravenous merfolk;\" He said, \"They're very rare, but extremely deadly. Unlike any\nother merperson, they have two tails instead of one. They prey on any living\ncreature. They're both maneaters AND cannibals. They lure humans with their\nsinging; their songs are irresistible.\" \"But... Wait, c'mon,\" Adam said, chuckling, \"I'm gay, how can\na mermaid get to me?\" \"Their songs work on anyone...\" Merrick said, not exactly\nunderstanding what the human said, \"Males, females, it doesn't make a\ndifference. Their songs make humans sleep and dream... They dream of magnificent,\nfantastic things, wonders that humans would never think of on their own.\" \"Huuuh...\" Adam sat himself down, and dug his fingers through\nhis hair, \"Now that I think of it... I do have a few images in my head... Gah, it's\nso blurry... Was a dream after all...\" \"What... What was the dream?\" He asked, a little curious about\nwhat humans dream about. \"Ahhhh...\" Adam thought hard, \"It's so foggy... I think I was in\nan orgy with a bunch of guys... Oh yeah, and my two exboyfriends were there.\" \"Ex... Boyfriends?\" Merrick asked, tilting his head. \"Yeah. I was with two other guys before I moved.\" \"You...\" Merrick looked a little saddened by this, \"You... Mated\nwith someone else before?\" Adam chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. \"Haha, nah, nothing like that. We didn't have sex, they were\njust two guys I went out with, nothing serious.\" Adam said. \"... Tell me about them?\" He asked. Adam shrugged and\ncontinued. \"Sure, uh... Lets see...\" He put his hands together, \"My FIRST\nboyfriend was this big, buff black guy. Now that I think about it, he was a bit\nold for me; like, 6 years older than me. He was really sexy, but he was also a\nbit too... Well, he just seemed a little domineering for me. Anyway, it didn't\nlast long; he joined the military, and we broke up. \"My SECOND boyfriend was this really sweet guy I met at\nschool. He had a bit of a belly on him, but he was sooo cuddly,\" Adam said with\na smile, \"He always had his orange hair in a buzz-cut with a light layer on his\nface. He was really cute, but we were too different, and we ended up splitting\nup when I told him I was moving to Hawaii. \"So yeah, I had two boyfriends, and I'm currently single\nright now,\" He nodded to the teen, \"What about you? You look kinda young. Have\nyou started dating yet?\" Merrick blinked again. \"Dating? What does that mean? I don't... I don't have any\nmates, of that's what you mean...\"  \"Oh, ok.\" Adam said. \"What else did you dream about?\" Merrick asked. \"Ummm... Gah, hang on...\" Adam said as he thought hard, \"Uhhhh...\"\nHe then looked at the blonde teen. \"Wait... I think... I think you were in it.\"\nMerrick blinked and raised his eyebrows. \"I-I was?\" He asked. \"Yeah I think...\" Adam blushed as a clear image came into his\nhead, \"We were, uh-um... Kissing, I think...\" He said, feeling his own member\nstirring as he remembered the one image. \"We were...\" A pink tint played across Merrick's face, \"We\nkissed?\" \"Y-Yeah so um...\" Adam said, feeling very awkward, \"Wh-Where\nARE we? How did we get here exactly?\" \"I don't know, it's a cave I found... I brought you here when\nthe sirens attacked...\" Merrick said, feeling a bit bewildered. \"Wait, waitwaitwait, SirENS? I thought there was just the\none?\"  \"No... A pod of them was nearby. When that siren sung to you\nI...\" Merrick looked up into the human's eyes, \"I killed it, before it could eat\nyou. But when you fell into the ocean, they came. I was able to take you, and\nget us away from them before they could devour us...\" Adam blinked as he took a few steps to the teen. He crouched\ndown, and looked at him, \"You... You saved me?\" He smiled as he sat down, \"Wow,\nI... I don't know what to say... Thank you...\" Merrick smiled back at him \"You risked\nyour life for me but... We've never even met. Why would you put yourself in\ndanger for the sake of random stranger?\" \"But...\" Merrick said, \"We HAVE met!\"  \"What, my dream? That's just dejah vu, that's all-\" \"No, it's not... Don't you remember me?\" Merrick said,\nshifting in his spot, \"A few suns ago, on the night of the red moon.\" \"Huh? What do you...\" \"We saw each other for the first time.\" Adam's mind flashed\nback to that dizzy spell when he was listening to his iPod that night. He\nremembered seeing someone hiding behind a rock. \"The next sun, you were swimming in the water... I think you\nwere looking for me, until that eel bit you...\" Adam looked wide-eyed as he\nflashed back to when that sudden attack on the reef, when that eel sunk its\nsharp fangs into his flesh, \"I killed it before it could do you anymore harm,\nand then... You came back down, even though you were bleeding, and you came to\nlook at me...\" Adam flashed to when he saw that blue, fish-like creature, looking\nup at him from the sandy bottom. \"On the next sun, you came back again, with that crab... You\ntried to give it to me, and then we touched... For the first time, we touched...\"\nMerrick said, \"How can you not recognize me???\" Adam looked, feeling on the\nedge of himself as the teen spoke, \"After we touched, I stayed away from that\nreef because I thought we shouldn't meet again, but then you found me... You\ncalled out to me on the cliff...\" Adam remembers waving at a far-away nude guy on\na rock in the ocean, wearing a cross-belt and a black headband through his\ngrandpa's camera. \"No...\" Adam said, his eyes going wide as he backed up, \"No,\nno no no no, that-that CAN'T be...\" He pointed a shaky finger at him, \"That CAN'T\nbe right, you-you're just a teenager, a regular person, just like me!\" Merrick\nlooked down, and at his own hands, \"I met a merman on the beach, I-I-I remember\nFEEDING a fish-man thing, I never seen you before in my life!\" He stammered. \n\"Uh... No, I can prove it!\" Merrick said as he then moved, and reached to the\nwater. He dipped his hand into the water, and stirred it about. The teen then\npulled back, and held up his hand. Adam gasped as he saw the teen's hand, which\nhas turned blue and silver, with a wide webbing between his fingers, \"... See?\n...It's me...\" Adam got on his hands and knees, and crawled to him. Adam came up to\nthe male, and slowly raised his shaky hand up, and touched the young male's\ndripping, estranged hand. He felt his thumbs and fingers on that hand. \"Hoooww... How is this even possible??\" Adam said, his heart\npounding as he examined it. \"We merpeople... We change when the water leaves our body...\nWhen we come onto dry land, we look like humans...\" Adam noticed a few strands of\nbeads of water along his arm, showing a few, scaly lines on his arm. Adam then\nput his hand onto the teen's belly, feeling the incredibly smooth skin. He\nblushed when he saw his genitals, he brushed his hand along Merrick's side and\nstomach, before he flinched and giggled, \"Hehehe!\" Adam couldn't help but\nsmile, \"That's... I never felt that before...\" Merrick said.  \"Huh...\" Adam said as he looked closely, noticing that there\nisn't even one bit of fuzz or hair on his legs, or his arms, and none on his\ntorso, \"How many times have you... You know, got like this?\"  \"This would be my fourth time I've dried like this...\" Merrick\nsaid. Adam felt along his hips, and put his hands onto the blonde's knees. \"You ever walked before?\" Merrick chuckled and shook his\nhead.  \"Don't know how.\" Adam chuckled as Merrick let him touch and\nfeel him, spreading his legs and exposing his genitals, \"How is this even\npossible?\" He asked. \"Your... Your name is Adam, right?\" Merrick asked. Adam looked\nup, and smiled. \"Yeah... And, Merrick right?\" \"Mhm... Adam... How did you find me?\" Adam looked up curious. \"Huh? What do you mean?\" He asked. \"When we last met... I stayed away from that reef because I\nwas afraid... And then you found me on the cliff...\" Adam chuckled as he sat back. \"I wasn't looking for you actually. Well, I WAS. Past few\ndays, I kept looking around the reef, trying to find you, but you didn't turn\nup. My Gramma didn't want me to go swimming today though, so she sent me to go\ntake pictures around the woods. I just saw you, and I thought you were just\nsome random naked guy taking a dip. And that's where the Siren got me, I guess...\nHey, wait a minute, you said the Siren's song is irresistible. Why didn't it\nget to you like me?\" \"Humans are just easier to lure... It affects their minds\nquicker than it does for merfolk.\"  After a pause, Adam, blushed, and stood up, having keep\nlooking all over the blonde's naked body. \"Right, so... We need to get out of\nhere...\" \"We can't!\" Merrick said, \"The Sirens might still be there!\"\nHe said. \"Oh... Well... Can't we check? We can't stay in this cave\nforever.\" \"I... I guess I can...\" Merrick said, hesitantly. \"Hey,\" Adam said reassuringly, \"Do you want me to come with\nyou? I can go if you're scared...\" Merrick shook his head. \"No... It's better if I go alone to check... Just... Put me in the\nwater...\" He said, blushing. \"Ok,\" Adam said as he then stood himself up and bent over to\npick up the blonde. He wrapped his arms around him, and picked him up. Merrick\nblushed as he put his head against Adam's chest, taking a moment to enjoy the\ncloseness, if only for this one moment. Adam then came near the edge of the basin, and gently\nlowered the naked teen down into the warm water. Adam watched in wonder as\nMerrick's flesh turned from light peach to a gleaming blue, with a twinge of\nsilver. His feet flattened and widened into a large tailfin, his legs melded\ntogether into one, lone appendage, and a frilly veil-like membrane on either\nside of his tail, with his junk blending into the array of blue and silver scales,\nsmoothing out into a flat area. Adam huffed and sat back, and looked as Merrick's body\ndrifted down, most of his body submerging until it's up to his shoulders. Inch\nby inch, as Merrick went into the water, his body converted its\nblue/silver/white color scheme, his flesh riddled with a coat of scales as he\nlooked up at Adam with those stunning blue eyes. \"I'll be back...\" He said, before submerging himself\ncompletely. Adam watched as the blonde hair spiked into an array of fins on his\nhead. The blue mass would move under the water, and to the left of the cave.   Merrick swam to the entrance, and towards the concave\ndarkness. Once there, he called out a signal, sending a wave of sonar forward,\nhearing his voice bounce off the rocky tunnel... A lot sooner than it should. He\nentered into the entrance, and reached out to feel a rock wall! He gasped as he\nfelt at the solid, collapsed wall! What happened?! This wasn't here before!\nThere wasn't an earthquake either! How did this wall get here?! The merman turned around, and moved to the right, swimming\nto another section of the basin. He looked, checking for any other way out! He\ndarted from large crystal to crystal, checking at all spots on the wall for\nanother hole, but nothing! Merrick turned around, and swam up back to the human\non surface.  Adam looked as the merman came back up to him - that same\naquatic creature, the blue humanoid with those dark and sapphire blue eyes,\n\"The tunnel collapsed! A section of rocks is blocking our path!\" Adam blinked,\nand felt a tinge of fear. \"Oh no...\" Adam said.  \"I think we can move the rocks! Come on!\" He then flipped\ninto the water, his tail riding one the surface, before flopping the white fin\nonto the surface. Adam then climbed into the hot water, and took a deep breath\nbefore dipping his head in and peering in as he swam. Adam can make out a blue\nblur among the orange brightness, which he followed into a dark mass.  He came up beside Merrick, and blindly felt for the rocky\nwall. He then pushed at it, exerting his strength into one bulky rock. Adam can\nfeel Merrick wave his tail up and down as he too pushed at the wall. The wall wouldn't budge an inch. Adam held his breath for as\nlong as he could - which was only about a minute and a half, before coughing a\ncloud of bubbles, and retreating. Merrick looked with sudden repulsion. He\nquickly followed up to the surface and met the human there. \"What are you doing?! We can't give up now!\" He asked. Adam\nshook as he panted. \"I'm not!... Just, gimme a sec...\" He said. After collecting a\nshort breath he ducked back into the water, and swam back to the tunnel, and\nmade for the wall. He pushed as hard as he could onto the upper left of the\nwall, while Merrick pushed at the lower right. Both males grunted at the wall,\ntrying with all their might to shift any of the rocks. Alas, none of them would\nmove. Adam huffed again as he quickly backed off, and went off\nback the surface. Merrick looked, and growled angrily as the human went away\nagain! He followed him once more, and came to him.  \"Stop playing around! We need to get out of here, Human!\"\nMerrick exclaimed. Adam huffed and breathed deeply. \"I'm trying! That wall won't budge!\" He panted. \"We have to keep trying! Please don't go back up again!\"\nWithout waiting for an answer, Merrick dove back in, with Adam following after\nhim. More and more they tried to sift the rocks, but none of them\nwould even turn, as if they were welded on the spot. Adam kept going back to\nthe surface, earning a scolding from the merman before going back to the wall\nto try again. For the seventh time, Adam couldn't hold out any longer, but\nstill, he tried to stay. He grunted and gritted his teeth as he pushed as hard\nas his arms would push. His lungs were starting to burn from all of effort,\nswimming, and from holding his breath for too long. He moaned, and huffed as he\nlet go of a mass of bubbles from his mouth, turning to retreat once more. As\nAdam grabbed onto the entrance, he felt a webbed hand grab his ankle! He can\nhear a weird, echoic sound screeching out to him as Merrick tried to pull him\nback into the tunnel! With a huge amount of effort, Adam yanked himself out of\nthe tunnel and out of the merman's grip. He quickly swam to one of the shallow\nformations of the basin to get out of the water.  Merrick swam angrily out of the tunnel, and came up, \"Stop\nDOING that, Human!!\" He yelled out, \"Do you want to get out of here or not?!\"\nHe demanded. Adam was too busy coughing and wheezing. \"Get back into the water\nand help me with the wall!\" \"I... *Cough cough* I can't...\" \"If you would stop quitting every few moments, we could push\ndown that wall!\" \"It... It won't...\" Adam shook his head. \"Stop this! We need to keep pushing the rocks, or we'll\nnever-\" \"I SAID I CAN'T, ALRIGHT?!\" Adam roared as he faced the\nmerman, coughing for a moment, \"I'M TRYING, MERRICK!! But I can't last long!!\"\nMerrick gasped as the human yelled at him, \"In case you haven't noticed, humans\ncan't breath underwater! We can't hold our breath longer than a couple of\nminutes!!\" He exclaimed. The bewildered merman quivered, looking up at him. \"They... They can't?\" He asked, his voice now meek and scared.  \"No, we can't\nMerrick! I can't hold my breath any longer than I already have! I'm trying\nMerrick! I REALLY am trying, but if I hold my breath for too long, I'll black\nout!\" He huffed and panted as he sat onto the stone, \"... If I keep going like\nthis, I won't last long at all...\" He shook his head, and said in a raspy tone,\n\"I'm sorry, Merrick... But we're trapped in here...\" Merrick slowly made his way to the edge of the stone, and\npulled himself up. He curled up at the wall, whimpering as he laid down. He had\nno idea Adam was struggling... He was trying his hardest there, and he kept\ntrying anyway, even with him nagging him to stop playing around. And then he\njust yelled at him... The man he fell for... And now he hates him... Adam turned, hearing the whimpering and sniffling. He got\nup, and approached him, \"Merrick... Are you crying?\" The merman sniffled and\nshook his head, \"Awww, no...\" Adam said softly, \"Oh no, I'm sorry,\" He said as he\nknelt down, \"I'm sorry, it's gonna be ok...\" He sat down next the aquatic male\nand pulled him in for a hug, \"I'm sorry, Merrick, I didn't mean to yell...\" \"I'm sorry... Adam...\" Merrick sobbed as sparkling tears dropped\nfrom his eyes, \"We're trapped in here... We're going to perish in here... And it's\nall my fault...\" \"What? No, Merrick, it's not your fault... YOU saved ME,\nremember? If anything, it's my fault for letting that siren get to me...\" He\nchuckled, \"A mermaid hooking a gay human, there's something new...\" He then\nscooted to the wall, and held onto the merman, \"C'mere...\" He said as he had\nMerrick snuggle up next to him, hugging him and rubbing his arm up and down the\nwet, scaly arm. \"... I had heard humans will die if they stay underwater for\ntoo long... I... I didn't know just how long...\" Adam smiled as he hugged him. \"It's ok, Merrick, it's ok... And, you're right about that,\nhumans can't live underwater,\" He sighed as he sat back, holding the pseudo\nfish close, \"You didn't know...\"   A long silence passed as the two males huddled up with each\nother. Merrick gradually dried off, and turned into his human form, and this\ntime, Adam was awake to see him slowly transform. \"... Adam... I have a question...\" Merrick said, now at least\nenjoying that fact that his face is resting onto the human's chest, \"A while\nago... You described yourself as a... Gay human... What does 'gay' mean?\" \"Ah, it's just another expression. It's a word used to\ndescribe a homosexual person; a person who is sexually attracted to the same\ngender as they are. Namely, like, I'm a male, and I am attracted to other\nmales, instead of females like a normal person.\"  Merrick felt himself blush, and also a twinge of delight... So\nhe wasn't a freak... There are other beings who are more allured to that of the\nsame gender... This human, right here... Knows just how Merrick might feel. \"Mind if I ask YOU a question?\" Adam said. Merrick simply\nnodded, rubbing his cheek against his fuzzy chest, \"I saw you with a spear... And\nthe first time I saw you, were wearing some kelp around you. What happened to\nyour spear, and where did all that kelp go?\"  \"... My trident was destroyed when I killed that Siren... and I\nthink the kelp was torn off when we swam in that tunnel...\"  \"Oh...\" Adam looked down at him, \"I'm sorry...\"  \"It's alright... It's gone now... There's nothing that can be\ndone now...\" Merrick mumbled. \"Ok... So... Are there other types of merfolk? Besides just\nfish-like ones?\" \"Wait... How about... I ask you a question, and you ask me a\nquestion in turn?\" He proposed. Adam thought for a moment, and nodded. \"Sure. Sounds fair.\"  \"Alright...\" Merrick continued, \"So um... Is it true that humans\ncan manipulate colossal rocks? I think... I think they're called 'Mountains'... Can\nhumans move and create them at will?\" Adam chuckled at that. \"Whaaat? Where'd you hear that?\" \"We merfolk... We hear a lot of atrocities and calamities that\nhumans can do... But... I'm not so sure anymore...\" Adam smiled as he shook his head. \"Well, to answer THAT question, no, we can't to that kind of\nstuff. Mountains are HUGE, and we can't move them around, or create new\nmountains. Even if we could, not on our own, we'd need some pretty heavy and\nlarge machinery to cut it all down, and no one is willing to do that.\" \"Ooook?\" Merrick said, not understanding the word 'machinery'. \"Ok, my turn... Are there other types of merfolk out there?\nBesides ones that look like fish?\" \"Yes, there are... There are as many merfolk as there is\nspecies of the sea,\" Merrick said, \"Namely, there are three different types of\nmerpeople: Pisciens, Amniens, and Holsiens.\" He explained, \"I am a Piscien\nmerman, as Pisciens embody fish species.\" \"What about Amn... Amny... What about the other two?\" Adam\nasked. \"Amnien merfolk are pledged to the sea mammals, and Holsien\nmerfolk are pledged to the reptiles and cephalopods.\" \"Oh ok... That's kinda cool... Ok, you go.\" \"Ok, um... Can humans transform plants into any solid object?\" \"Errr... In a SENSE, yes. But it's not like we can magically\ndo it by touching them. Specialized humans harvest trees and such from various\nlocations, and take them to specific places where they go through complex\nprocesses to make them into objects like that.\" \"Oh ok... Your turn, Adam...\" Another hour passes by the two males, both of them\nexchanging questions about the two species of humans and merpeople. Adam's\nquestions seem a little mundane, while Merrick's questions are on an\nexasperated scale, asking about how merpeople defend themselves, to whether or\nnot humans are able tame giant flying animals and ride them into war. After a while, Adam is laying on his back, staring at the\nceiling of the cavern, looking at the twinkling orange crystals up above. He\nsighed as he rolled onto his stomach, and looked at the water, \"I'm sorry,\nMerrick...\" \"For... For what, Adam?\" Merrick asked, sitting right next to\na crystal. \"I can't help but feel like I didn't try hard enough in\ngetting us out... If I could breathe underwater like you can, or hold my breath\nlonger than 2 minutes, we could've busted out of here a long time ago.\" He\nchuckled as he put his head on his arms, \"Some way to die, huh?\" \"... Well...\" Merrick said, \"There is... ONE thing that we can\ntry...\" Adam opened his eyes, and turned about, \"But... I'm not certain if it's\ntrue...\" Adam sat up, and faced the blonde teen. \"Well, I'm open to ideas. What's on your mind?\" \"...\" Merrick hesitated, gulping and looking up, \"There are...\nRumors that... A few times in the past, a merperson was able to give a human the\nability to survive underwater. They are never able to drown and die in the\nwater. \"You said that humans can't breathe underwater, nor can they\nstay under for more than a few moments... But there' one thing that they say can\nallow a human stay underwater for as long as they need...\" Adam raised his brows\nas he came closer. \"Really?\" \"I'm... I'm not sure, actually... As I said... It's only a rumor...\nA minor myth...\" \"Well, it's not like we have any other options here,\" Adam's\nheart is pounding with new hope; if merpeople are real, then just about\nanything can happen at this point, \"Lets hear it.\" Merrick then looked Adam\nright in the eyes, feeling a pink tingle on his tender face. \"A kiss...\" Adam blinked as he stared at the blonde. \"A kiss? Like...\nMouth to mouth?\" Merrick blushed more, and nodded. \"It's just a rumor... But... It might be possible... The idea is\nthat if we kiss, then you will never die in the water... The myth originated when\na mermaid fell in love with a human sailor, and kissed him when he was about to\ndie at sea. When she did, he woke up, and swam back to land...\" Adam could feel himself... Extremely tempted by this. \"So... If\nwe kiss, then I can breathe underwater?\" \"No. You... You just won't drown...\" Merrick said. Adam looked at Merrick up and down. He seems a little young\nfor him, but... \"Say Merrick... How old are you anyway?\" \"I don't understand.\"\n\"Like, how many years has gone by since you were born?\" \"I... I don't know...\" Merrick said blinking, \"Why? Does it\nmatter?\" \"Sort of... Humans put a lot of weight on age difference...\"\nAdam's good with math and estimation. Merrick doesn't look TOO young; about as\nyoung as he was when he first went on a date. Adam's 17 right now, and if he\nwere to venture a guess, he'd say Merrick would about a couple of years younger\nthan him. If that's the case, then the age difference is only 2-3 years. \"Alright.\" He said. Merrick looked up, his face going hot,\n\"Lets do it.\" \"R-Really?\"  Adam smiled as he got up, walked over to Merrick, and sat\ndown next to him, \"Yeah...\" Merrick moved around so that he's facing the human,\n\"And even if it doesn't work...\" He said with a charming smile, \"At least I'll be\nin good company with you...\" Merrick smiled cutely at that, \"C'mere...\" He\nwhispered softly as his face moved forward. Merrick moved his own face towards\nAdam's. Their eyes closed as they approached each other. Then, their lips touched. Merrick breathed deeply, his\ninsides feeling tight and quivering. Adam gently kissed those very soft lips,\npressing his lips around the lower part of Merrick's mouth. He somehow was able\nto move his legs so that he crawled himself onto Adam. The human broke off for\na moment to help Merrick sit on his lap. What he was doing just occurred to\nAdam, and the thought of it - placing a naked guy he's just met onto his lap -\nit made him blush. His brown eyes stared into those vivid, blue eyes.  There was a pause as they looked at each other. Merrick made\nthe next move; he moved himself forward, and pushed his lips against Adam's.\nThe human closed his eyes as their lips lapped and meshed against each other.\nMerrick put his hands onto Adam's bare, tan shoulders as he took in Adam's\nupper lip, and joined in at his middle. Adam moaned a little as put his hands\nalong Merrick's sides, feeling the merman's perfect flesh under his palms. The human glided his hand to behind Merrick's short blonde\nhair, and pushed his head in. Adam opened his mouth, and forced his tongue into\nthe other. The merman moaned pleasantly as he felt the human kiss him oh so\npassionately. Merrick rubbed his own tongue against the other, blushing madly\nas he felt the other push into against his. Merrick broke the kiss and looked down, \"Whaaa?\" The\nblonde's penis is standing up, fully erect right now. \"Wha... I don't understand...\nIt's never done THIS before...\" He looked up at Adam, \"... Can you... Um... Explain it\nto me? I've... I've only been like this three other times, and it's always just...\nBeen there, and...\" Adam blushed harshly, \"Uh... Yeah... See... This, err... These.\"\nAdam said as he put his hand on the hard organ. \"This is called um... A penis,\nand these...\" He cupped Merrick's soft balls, \"Are called the testis.\" \"And... What are they for?\" Merrick asked innocently. \"Ahhh...\" Adam's face felt like it was dancing with fire,\n\"It's um... It's how humans er... Reproduce...\" \"Ok, but... Why is it standing like that? It's bigger than it\nusually is and... It feels weird...\" \"Well... When men get excited... Their penises grow and become\nstiff... It's... Kind of embarrassing to talk about...\" He said. \"But... I don't understand...\"  \"I know...\" Adam said with a smile. He then playfully put\nMerrick on his back, with his dick flopping onto his stomach, and Adam got on\ntop of him, on his hands and knees. Merrick giggled as Adam pressed his lips\nagainst Merrick's neck, and slowly kissed against him. \"Ahhhhhhhh~~\" Merrick sighed with delight, loving the way\nAdam is kissing him.  The kiss is driving Adam's manhood against his pants pushing\nat the damp fabric... His member is so stiff right now. There are so many things\nhe wants to do with Merrick right now. Oh, he's feeling so much passion inside\nhim right now, but the every idea of it... It just seems too much, especially\nwhen they just met, and considering how young Merrick probably is, it's just\nnot proper right now.  He rose up, and affectionately kissed Merrick's lips,\n\"Alright...\" He got off of him, \"Lets get out of here.\" \"Wait, what?\" Merrick sat up, and looked at Adam, \"But... I\nstill don't understand why my... Penis is hard.\" \"I know, Merrick, but the explanation is... It's too soon,\nMerrick, trust me on this.\"  \"But... What if it never goes down? What if it stays like this\nforever? I just don't get it.\" Adam chuckled as he put his hand on that soft,\nlight cheek. \"I know, Merrick. You're full of questions right now, but\nthey'll have to wait until you're a little older before I feel comfortable\ntelling you,\" He then kissed Merrick again, and nuzzled him affectionately, \"I\npromise, give me about... Maybe 2 years... Then I'll tell you...\" Merrick smiled and\ngiggled as his human nuzzled him.  \"Alright, Adam~\" He answered. \"Ok...\" Adam stood up, and bent over to pick Merrick up. The\nmerman put his own arms around the human as he was held up, and carried to the\nedge of the water. He then stepped into the water, and took a deep breath as he\ndipped in, holding Merrick in as they submerged together. Adam can feel Merrick's body change almost instantly,\nfeeling the smooth skin firm into scales. Merrick swam off of him, and Adam\nmoved next to him. He doesn't feel any changes yet, but he'll see if what\nMerrick said about the kiss is true. They came to the collapsed tunnel once more, squeezed in\ntogether, and pushed at the rocks, just like before. Adam grunted as he pushed\nas hard as he could, with Merrick pushing his tail up and down, kicking hard as\nhe and the human tried to push. 5 minutes pass by, and the rocks refused to move! Adam\nnoticed that his lungs don't feel sore at all. He's holding his breath, but the\npressure isn't building inside of him like it used to; he's not breathing, but\nit's like his last breath is frozen on the spot, and unable notify his lungs\nand brain of how long he's been underwater. Another 5 minutes passed, and they got nowhere. Adam felt\nalong the wall of stone. He soon realized that it wasn't bulky anymore! The\nrocks seemed to have smoothed down into a flat surface. He felt a webbed hand pull at his shoulder, and he and\nMerrick had to back up, and leave the tunnel. They both broke the surface, and\nMerrick looked at Adam. \"Adam, are you ok?\" \"Huh... Yeah...\" He chuckled and grinned widely, \"It worked!\nHahaha! The kiss worked!\" He said excitedly, \"B-But the wall-\" \"I know, it's... It's reformed! It closed us off!\" \"Ok, um... Lets look around for another way out.\" \"There IS no other way out! I checked, Adam!\" Merrick said. \"Well, think about it, that wall was a bunch of rocks a\ncouple of hours ago, wasn't it? What if the cave made another entrance?\"\nMerrick thought for a moment. \"I... Maybe... C'mon...\" Merrick and Adam submerged again, and\nsank down. They turned about and floated a little, looking around. Adam felt his wrist tucked, and a weird, alien murmur. He\nlooked to see Merrick's blurry image pointing at another dark spot. Merrick\nswam forth over to the opening. Adam heard a strange, crackling noise, like a\ncross between a dolphin's click and a cracking knuckle. 'I guess merpeople talk\ndifferently underwater...' He thought to himself. Merrick's blue form turned around,\nand ascended to the surface. Adam rose up as well, and moved over to Merrick. \"I think it's another tunnel, but it's so dark and so\nnarrow,\" Merrick told him, \"There isn't any animals nearby, so lets try it.\nI'll go first.\" \"Alright,\" Adam said, \"Lead the way.\" They both sank down again, and headed to the darkness. Adam\nwaited for the white tailfin to fold into the blackness before following in\nafter him. He squinted his eyes, as all he can see is almost pitch black, if\nnot for the faint gleam from the cavern filtering and reflecting off of\nMerrick's tail and scales. As he went, Adam just took a moment to admire the fact that\nhe never has to worry about drowning again. Whatever scientific anomaly is\ngoing on from just a simple, passionate kiss, it's saving his life... Just like\nthat fishy creature did earlier today.  After a while of swimming, still seeing a lot of darkness,\nAdam felt the temperature of the water drop, from hot, to warm, and now\nentering cool. He also notices the tunnel widening around him as he went. He\ncontinued to drift through the water, and saw a slight light ahead, along with\nthe sound of thundering surging. Merrick turned, and waited for him to catch\nup, next to a large, light-blue mass. He swam a little more, and felt his hand\ninto the perpetual fizz. He smiled as he felt the bubbles tickle and nip at his\nhand, before stroking in through the cloud bubbles. He giggled as he felt the\nsurging suds tickle his whole body.  He swam though the loud mass of white, and looking onto a\nfamiliar-looking grotto. He looked around, and then ascended up, looking up at\nthe dusk-lit sky. Merrick rose up next to him while Adam looked around,\nchuckling as he floated back. \"Heh heh... I know this place. It's Aquata Cove!\" Adam said.  Minutes later, Adam and Merrick are sitting on a rock, with\nthe merman still wet and looking blue and silver. He had found another tunnel\non the rocks that might lead to the ocean. Adam held Merrick's webbed hands as\nthey spent their last few moments together. \"Let's meet up tomorrow! I can bring some more tuna, and-\" \"Adam...\" Merrick said, \"We can't... My pod... We're supposed to\nbe leaving tomorrow...\" \"Your pod? Is that your family?\"  \"You could say that...\" Merrick replied sadly, \"And... We're not\ncoming back for a very long time...\" He said, a small part of himself hoping to\ndeter the human away from him. \"Oh...\" Adam looked up, put his hand onto Merrick's cold\ncheek, and pushing it to face him \"... Will I ever see you again?\" Adam asked,\n\"I... I really want to see you again...\" -No, we cannot meet again. We will never meet again. You\nmust find another man to mate with, while I find a mermaid to be my mate. I\nhope you live a long, favorable life.- That's what Merrick's reasoning told him he should say.\nHowever, he's abandoning his reasoning for this one moment, and spoke from his\nheart, \"I will be gone for six white moons. My pod will return on the seventh\nmoon, and I'll be waiting for you, here, in this grotto.\"  Adam smiled happily as he brought him in to hug the merman,\n\"Thanks, Merrick...\" He muttered. Merrick's smiled in turn, feeling his eyes tear\nup with happiness. He can't explain why, but every ounce of affection this\nhuman gives just feels so overwhelming. Is this what love is? Is this what\nmated mermen and mermaids feel all the time? Six moons. Adam assumed that meant six months. That's half a\nyear. Can't say he's going to like the wait, but how many times do you get to\nkiss a merman? And he's so cute when he's dried up and in human form. He wants\nto see more of him. They parted the hug, and kissed softly one last time - it\nfeels weirder for Adam, as Merrick's lips are still slick and fish-like. They\nlooked into each other's eyes for a minute, stalling for as long as both as\nthey could. \"Until next time, Adam...\" Merrick said. He then moved to the\nside, and dove into the water. He swam into the grotto, and went into the dark\ntunnel that he and Adam found when they got out of the cove. He moved through\nthe tight space, slowly tasting the water's purity changing into the familiar\nsea flavor. He already half knew the kiss was going to work... Sort of.\nWhen he kissed Adam's cheek, he woke up, and expelled the water inside of him,\nbut at the same time, he couldn't hold his breath the first few times before\nthey kissed for real. The merman giggled as he thought of that moment in the cove\nwhen they made out. It felt so good and so right, kissing that human. He wants\nto do that again, he wants to do it a lot more.  Regardless on how great it felt to be with that human, he\ndoesn't know what he's going to tell his pod... He has no idea how he was going\nto explain his extended absence... Soon, Merrick emerged from an entrance of the reef. He sent\nout a signal to make sure there isn't anything dangerous nearby, and then swam\nout. Merrick sent several calls out, signaling his position as he\nmoved, wanting to find his pod as soon as possible. It's dangerous to be out in\nthe middle of the ocean alone. The Adra Triton sent out multiple signals, before hearing a\ndeep, dark call. He looked, and spotted in the distance a large merman, holding\na long, three-pronged spear. Merrick kicked his tail hard as he rushed over to\nthe merman. He huffed and moaned as he swam as fast as he could to his father. \"Father!!\" He called shimming until he caught up to him\nthrowing his arms around him, \"I'm sorry, Father, I'm sorry!\" Merrick said,\nmeaning about the human, ready to confess. \"It's alright Son, it's alright.\" \"I could not help it, I'm sorry! It just happened so fast!\" \"I know, my Son, I know.\" Merrick looked up at his father,\nsurprised. \"You... You knew?\" \"Yes, my Son...\" Kaiken said, \"I sensed those sirens when we\narrived here, and I thought we would be safe from them if we kept our distance.\nThe fault is mine to bear, Son.\" Kaiken said as he looked at his offspring, \"I\nshould have warned the pod of the sirens - I should have warned you, in\nparticular. And my arrogance nearly cost me my own Son...\" Said the mighty\nmerman, \"We heard your call when they attacked, and we managed to kill off the\nwhole pod before any of us were harmed.\" \"F-Father... My trident... When I killed that Siren...\" \"Yes, I know. Your Mother has been trying to trace your\nresonance through it, but it seems you were cut off when you disappeared,\"\nKaiken said, \"Fret not a lost weapon, my son. We will fashion you a new\ntrident. Now come,\" He said as he waved his large tail, and swam to the\nopposite direction, with his son following him, \"Your young Sister has been\nweeping for your safety.\"  Merrick swallowed, his gut feeling so heavy and deep with anxiety,\n\"Father... About my 3rd red moon...\"  \"You are yet young, my Son,\" Kaiken said, \"I am confident\nyou will find a mermaid to mate with in time. There is no shame in missing the\ngrace of a red moon,\" Kaiken stated as he looked to his offspring, \"Remember\nthat, and do not blame yourself so harshly.\" ... He hasn't a clue. His Triton has no idea that Merrick\ntouched a human. He thought it would be obvious! If... If he can just not talk\nabout it... He IS old enough to wander on his own - as an Adra, he has certain\nfreedoms that other merpeople do not possess.  He will definitely see that human again! ~~~ Adam groaned as he approached the beach house, lit up with\nthe dark sky up abovee. He has no idea what he's gonna tell his grandma - on\ntop of the fact that he's been swimming when she told him not to, AND been gone\npractically all day with his phone waterlogged, but grandpa's camera was gone\ntoo! Someone must've stolen it while he was gone. He sighed as he then knocked on the door, waiting the few\nseconds before the door opened to see his Irish grandmother. \"Adam!!!\" She said, looking at him with wide eyes, \"There\nthe FECK have you been?! I've been worried sick about ya! And where's your\nfeckin shirt! Have you been swimmin', have ya?! You never answered your phone,\nwhat the feck were ya doin?!\"  \"I... I don't know, Gramma...\" Adam said, feeling scared and\ntired, \"I was taking pictures, but... Someone hit me over the head, and I blacked\nout. I don't know what happened, I woke up washed up on a shore near Aquata\nCove... They took Grampa's camera, and I...\" Adam's eyes watered as he tried not to\nwhimper, \"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened...\" Grandma covered her mouth as she then took in her grandson -\nshe can't stand to see her grandchildren cry, \"Now boy, it's alright. It's\ngonna be alright, son. Come inside, and we'll patch ya up. Don't worry about\nGranddad, he's in bed now, I'll tell him ya lost his camera in the mornin'...\"  An hour later, Adam is lying on his back all cleaned up,\npatched up, and fed. He felt bad about not telling his grandma the whole truth,\nbut it's not like he CAN tell her what really happened. He did feel his eyes\ntear up, but it's not like he was about to start balling. He just knows his\ngrandma is a lot more forgiving in the sight of tears. It felt like a sneaky\nand underhanded move on his part, but it has to be done. Adam sighed as he turned onto his side, and drifted off to\nsleep  ---5 Years Later---  Adam woke up to the fluttering sound of the alarm feature\nfrom his phone. He switched it off, and opened his heavy eyelids. He then\ngasped as he looked at the calendar. June 1st He grinned widely as he chuckled with glee. It's been six\nmonths! Merrick might be back today!","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/689893-aquata-cove-chapter-12.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/692650-aquata-cove-chapter-14.json"}