Chapter Text
Most of the time, Julian loved the ocean. He loved the food, the treasures, the views. He loved visiting the coral reefs and mingling with the dozens of creatures out there, loved swimming with pods of dolphins and watching the sun rise and fall each day (it was different on every occasion – some days pink and red, some days dark and purple – but the effect it had on the water was yet to fail in its amazement).
The ocean was his home. The only one he had ever known and the only one he loved.
Most of the time.
Sometimes, he found himself wishing he had another home. Some place he could escape to when the people here became too much. They just don’t understand him. They didn’t understand his passions; for art and music and acting, and his attempts at humour often went unnoticed.
“You’re far too sarcastic for them, darling.” His Mother has told him more than once, “They think you’re being rude.”
“Well it’s hardly my fault they don’t understand…” He would grumble back every time.
Julian loved his home, he really did. He just wished there was someone in it he could love too.
Their kingdom was huge. Stretching for miles underwater, the mermaids inhabited intricate systems of caves and old corals, using only natural substances to build and maintain their homes. Sea creatures of all shapes and sizes would swim through every day, dropping off a myriad of supplies and messages from other parts of the kingdom. Despite its secrecy, it proved to be a bustling little world they had built for themselves. Even though his Mother would reassure him otherwise, Julian didn’t see himself as anyone special within their kingdom. He isn’t in direct line for the throne and barring some spectacular disaster that eliminates half of his family, he won’t inherit the rights either. Despite this, Julian is still considered royalty, even if they didn’t view him as precious enough to warrant supervision whenever he travelled. Luckily, this suited Julian perfectly.
Venturing out with the kingdom was one of Julian’s favourite activities. He adored the open water the most, where he could twist and twirl and tumble freely without fear of bumping into anyone. His thoughts that the water felt fresher away from the city were frequently dismissed, and he was branded as a liar when he discussed the treasures he had seen in old abandoned wreckages. Julian wasn’t one to let this bother him though – it allowed him to explore in peace and not have to worry about sharing his precious trophies with anyone. Solitude suited him well. Adventuring, exploring, investigating – Julian liked doing it alone where no one could judge him. He wasn’t lonely – at least that was what he told himself.
Whenever it rained, Julian would break free from the surface and lounge on the nearest rock he could find, enjoying the feeling of gentle pitter patter on his skin. It was strangely different, being in the open air and feeling his skin grow dry and gradually become wet again. It wasn’t like being underwater. It was cooler, and more refreshing when a breeze rolled through the air. He had to stay hidden of course, always finding patches of rocks where he could easily dive deep at any signs of danger.
It was here one day, lying stretched over a particular arrangement of rocks that he first saw them.
The boat could be seen from miles away, with sails so large and white Julian had almost mistaken them for clouds at first. As the ship slowly approached, curious as ever, Julian slipped into the water to examine the intricate carvings on its wooden panels more closely. Attached to the front was a massive statue, a shiny brown material which gleamed from the rainfall. Julian tried to make out the detail but was only able to determine its obvious resemblance to a very beautiful woman.
Julian was so distracted by the face on the statue that he almost didn’t see that there were people on the deck. People. Real life people. He knew he shouldn’t approach the ship: his Mother and the guards had warned him enough about the dangers of humans, but he wanted to get just a little closer. They were such intriguing creatures and Julian was so eager to learn more.
He got so close to the ship that he could actually hear their voices above him, but the waves and the wind were too strong for him to be able to pick out any actual words. Despite this, Julian followed along at a safe distance to observe and try to listen for more. There was one particular voice he liked the sound of…
“For god’s sake Logan, we don’t have time to stop again!” his Father bellowed loudly. Logan wondered if this was to make sure his voice was heard over the wind, or if he was that furious with the suggestion.
“You can’t seriously want to sail through this weather, can you? Are you insane? Look at the horizon!” Logan argued back, determined not to be dismissed. “There’s no way the ship can withstand another storm like last time.”
John Logan Wright Jr scrubbed a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly distressed by the conversation. “Logan. I have deadlines to meet. Places to be! People to see!”
“And the safety of your crew, of your family, is less important than some trade meetings?”
The floor rocked sharply beneath them as another surge of waves began building up. Logan grabbed onto the railing for balance while Johnny tightened his grip on the rope he was holding.
“We’ll sail through it.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Enough, Logan!”
“Boys, please!” A female voice carried by the wind interrupted their continuing argument, “Come inside, it’s far too wet out!”
Michelle Wright clung to her overcoat while the wind and rain swirled in front of her, threatening to sweep away her delicate clothing. Both men on deck turned toward her and despite her dismissive looks offered supporting hands when she insisted on leaving the safety of the cabin to join them. The boat rocked underneath them again and Michelle instinctively grabbed onto Logan for safety.
“Goodness, these waves are awful! Do you really think we can sail through this again?” she asked, the concern evident in her eyes.
“Yes.”
“No.”
Logan and Johnny answered simultaneously.
Johnny sighed and Logan glared at his Father. “Just because it doesn’t seem so bad right now doesn’t mean it will stay this way. You know as well as I do how suddenly these situations can turn.”
“And when did you become the expert in sailing here, Logan? The forecaster said-”
“Since when has the forecaster been correct!? It was his fault we almost capsized on our last voyage.”
“This is ridiculous. We are sailing on and that’s final!”
“Who died and made you Captain, huh?”
Johnny took a step toward Logan, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin to try look down on his son. Johnny had despised every second of Logan holding a height advantage over him and made extra efforts to gain every inch he could. The glare he threw at Logan was dark enough to rival the storm clouds filling the sky above them; his eyes narrowing into snake-like slits as he raised a hand in Logan’s direction.
“Excuse me?”
“I said-”
“Johnny please!” Michelle leapt in front of her stepson and tried to grab onto Johnny’s wrist in a vain attempt to prevent any further damage to an already strained relationship.
In reality the events which transpired next would have lasted no more than mere seconds. To Logan, they played at an agonizingly slow speed.
Just as Michelle tried to grab onto Johnny’s wrist, a flash of lightning lit up the sky so bright it left Logan’s vision dotted with little bolts afterward. As he recovered, Logan watched in horror as Michelle – knocked of balance by the rolling waves and underprepared for such treacherous conditions by her footwear – stumbled backwards toward the railing of the ship and began to topple over the edge. Spurred on by the look of sheer terror burning over Michelle’s usually graceful features, Logan leapt forward. But somehow, in the process of struggling to find a hold on her, Logan barged into his Father and was sent tumbling over the edge himself.
As he looked up at the white sails contrasted on the black sky, and saw Michelle being hauled back over onto the safety of the deck, Logan was flooded with a sense of relief. He fell, slowly at first, and was able to feel every droplet of water pierce his skin in a way that made his entire body tingle. It was oddly nice – floating down away from his Father and all their troubles.
But then, the pain.
Logan’s body struck the water’s surface with such force he couldn’t help but cry out in pain – a decision he instantly regretted. His mouth was flooded with icy cold, salty sea water that barged its way into his lungs and eyes and ears. He tried to fight to the top, he really did. But when every miniscule movement of his muscles sent searing pain through his body his brain to fire off signals to just stop.
Eventually, he did.
Logan stopped fighting the waves and the currents and the forces of nature keeping him pinned below the surface and just…relaxed. He let his body float in the water naturally and gradually his eyes grew accustomed enough to allow him to look around. Not that there was much to see really; just black.
The last thing Logan remembered seeing before letting his eyes drift closed was a sparkling, fleeting flash of fluorescent green.
Julian watched on, helpless for a moment, as the blonde man was sent tumbling into the water and disappeared from view. His eyes darted back and forth between the last place the man was seen and those above, scrabbling around for ropes and throwing strange devices over the edge. Still on board the ship Julian could see an older, greyer man pointing frantically and yelling orders at those around them. The pretty blonde woman who had almost succumbed the same fate was being led away and into the arms of two other women waiting inside.
Scouring the water’s surface, Julian waited for the man to reappear; to be hauled back to safety by one of the many ropes which hung from the ship. After a moment of no re-emergence from him, Julian realised had a decision to make. He couldn’t stand by and let an innocent man drown, could he? Surely his parents, his friends, would understand the risk he had to take. They would do the same, wouldn’t they?
Despite still being unsure about his actions, Julian found himself diving deep down (surely if he stayed below the surface, he would remain hidden?) and used his tail to propel himself forward as quickly as he could. He searched and searched, swimming circles around the ship in search of the drowning man. After several minutes with nothing to show for his efforts Julian was about to give up, convinced one of the many currents had swept him away when, out of the very corner of his eye, Julian spotted something. A puff of smooth blonde hair bobbed around in an almost graceful manner. As Julian approached he realised the man was putting up no fight against the tide and, even more unusual, his eyes were closed.
Julian studied him closely. His long lashes and angled face and perfect skin gave Julian only one thought – he was beautiful. Carefully Julian raised a hand and caressed the man’s face, trailing a finger over his slightly agape lips. Suddenly a memory shot through his mind as if he were struck by another bolt of lightning, something one of his teachers had mentioned in passing during a lesson: humans aren’t like us – they simply cannot exist underwater the way we do, they need the air to breathe…yet another reason we are the superior species…
Julian needed to get this man onto land, and fast.
Hooking his arms underneath the shoulders of the other man, Julian swam upward and heaved the sailor along with him, fighting to reach the surface. When they broke free Julian lay on his back and pulled the blonde onto his chest in an attempt to keep his head in the air. They weren’t far from a little bay area with land to safely leave the man and enough rock pools that Julian would be safe too. He was heavy, an almost deadweight in Julian’s arms, but he fought, using every muscle in his tail, and eventually they reached the shore.
The rain had eased off somewhat and the rocks which lay around the little portion of beach took the force of most of the waves, so the water was much calmer inside too. Julian pushed the man’s body almost all the way onto the sand and pulled himself alongside. His hair was stuck in strands to his face, and Julian couldn’t resist the temptation to push it back off of his forehead to see his face better. Out of the water, Julian thought he looked even more beautiful. His skin, pale in comparison to the golden sand beneath them, felt warm under Julian’s hand (that had to be a good sign, didn’t it?). Letting his hand drift down his sodden clothes, Julian’s brow furrowed at the strange way the man’s chest was moving. He seemed to be breathing, sure, but it appeared laboured – his chest rising and falling in stutters with strange gurgling noises coming from his mouth. Almost instinctively Julian gripped his chin and carefully tipped his head to the side, causing water to come spilling form his lips and improving the strange noises.
Julian couldn’t be sure how long he lay there for, watching the man breathing and taking in every feature he could see. With his eyes still closed Julian could only imagine what they looked like, but he had no doubts they would be stunning. Julian had so many questions: were all humans this beautiful? What was it like to be one? Would it be possible for him to learn more about this man? He would very much like to –
Movement. Julian froze as there was movement under the man’s eyelids and his brow began to twitch. The man began to cough and groan from beside Julian, his fingers digging into the sand below him. Julian took a breath, preparing himself to say…well, something.
He looked carefully at the man’s face, “Hi…”
“Logan!”
Julian’s head whipped back around to the water where a smaller, less magnificent boat was being steered to shore by the power of the men within it. The older man he saw back on the ship was standing, holding a strange device up to his eyes as he scanned the shore.
“Logan! Logan!”
The man Julian had saved began to stir the more the others shouted, his limbs beginning to find their strength again and stretching out around him. Julian knew he had to leave now. One human was risky enough, but a whole ship load would be risking not only his own life but that of everyone in his home. He looked back at the man for one last glance, just in time to see his eyes flutter open.
Logan!
Logan swore he could hear his name being called, but it seemed so far away, so echoed. He flexed his fingers for a moment and felt…sand? He was wet, and cold, and his chest burned a little with every breath he took. For a moment he concentrated on just breathing, eventually moving onto licking his chapped lips and trying to swallow away the foul saltiness on his tongue.
Logan!
He was relieved to find out his legs still worked and moved his feet around a little to try find some purchase. Slowly, painfully, Logan tried to open his eyes. It stung a little at first and even when he managed to open them everything was blurry and bright, but after a few blinks things became clearer and…oh.
Logan!
Above him was the most magnificent looking person Logan had ever set his eyes upon. He had exceptionally golden skin illuminated by the daylight, brunette curls framing expertly defined features and full lips. The skin over his cheekbones appeared oddly scaly, although Logan dismissed that as his blurred vision. He smiled down at Logan and for a moment, Logan felt like he was drowning all over again. He felt lost in the warmth of the man’s eyes, reminiscent of the amber jewels his Father owned with darker flecks throughout, and the brightness of his perfect smile. The man seemed too perfect to be real. If he could only get his vision clearer…
“Logan!”
“Over there! Logan!”
When Logan opened his eyes again, the man was gone, replaced by one of the deckhands from the ship. Before Logan could fully comprehend what had happened, he was being pulled to his feet and directed toward the small rowing boat being held in place by other deckhands. Holding his hands out to Logan, Johnny looked almost relieved to see his son again.
“Oh God, Logan. Are you alright? We thought we had lost you…”
“I’m fine…fine. What…what happened? Where…”
Logan felt dazed and confused, and found himself looking around for the beautiful man with the golden eyes, “There was a man…”
“We know, Logan. It was just an accident.”
“Let’s get you back to the ship, one of the good physicians will look you over.”
“But…”
Logan found himself growing weary again and allowed himself to be pulled onto the boat and wrapped in a dry blanket. He didn’t remember much after that – only waking up in his cabin hours later, warm, dry and none the wiser about how he was even alive.
*
From a safe distance, Julian watched as the ship’s crew loaded back onto the larger boat and the man he saved was safely carried out of sight. Julian looked down at his tail, its scales glistening an emerald green under the water, and found himself smiling softly. The beautiful man, with the eyes so bright and precious they rivalled the colours of the treasures Julian had hidden away, had a name almost as beautiful as he was. Julian let it roll around his tongue for a moment, enjoying the way it sounded in his head.
“Logan…”
*