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There were always simple pleasures in life. Just small things to make the shitty aspects of the world just a bit sweeter. For Nicholas D. Wolfwood, his simple pleasure was in the form of salted caramel ice cream and an oceans breeze blowing through his messy black locks.
He took another lick of his sweet treat, sighing in relief as the flavor hit his taste buds. The cold numbed his mouth in a pleasant way, keeping away the barrage of memories and thoughts that threatened to make themselves known. It wasn't common for him to make an ice cream run after work, or purposely take a trip to the nearby beach, but these were special circumstances.
It was supposed to be a normal afternoon. Nicholas had been working from home (per usual), finishing up a few chapters he was supposed to have done for his editor before his phone began to ring incessantly. He had assumed it was the publishers again, bugging him about when his next book was going to be done, but instead he was meant with an unfamiliar voice.
“Excuse me. This is Nicholas Wolfwood, right?” The voice was soft, leading him into what he assumed would be a false sense of security. Did some weird fan find his number? He told them who he was, expecting to hang up right away, but instead he found himself glued to the phone. His body in a trance as the voice's words went through one ear and out the other.
Miss Melanie had died. Cancer.
Growing up in an orphanage was far from glamorous, but that woman had done everything to make sure the pain was bearable. Hell, she was the closest thing the man had to a mom! And now she was dead. Gone.
Never again would he see her smile, or have her scold him for something he did. Those days were gone, shattered, and tossed away.
He should pay for the funeral. Wait, would that even be appropriate? He hadn't seen Melanie in years, finding it hard to make time when he was stuck writing as well as working several jobs on the side. Though it wasn't sure if that was much of an excuse. Even when he hit it big his relationships remained on the back burner. Honestly, at this moment in time, he just sucked as a person.
“Damn, when was the last time I even talked to her?” It was hard for Nicholas to not feel some guilt. Even the ice cream had lost its appeal as he became lost in thought, its melted form sticking to the skin of his hand long forgotten.
“Could have sent her a letter, or a goddamn postcard for that matter.” But no, he was too busy, or so he always told himself. His life had taken off! He was finally not living in some crappy studio apartment, and he could even afford to send the orphanage a donation every month! It wasn't like he was purposely ignoring her existence. Yet the guilt still ate at him.
“Fuck! I should call Livio.” He already knew his younger brother would not handle the news well. He was always the more sensitive of the two. He still had trouble with the death of his parents, even years later, so the thought of what would happen….no, he can't dwell on what ifs.
Quickly he pulled out his phone, doing his best to go through his contacts one handed. Livio’s name stared back at him, reminding him of the road that laid ahead. Was it even right for him to tell his brother? Should he just let Miss Melanie's family decide who is told and when? If he didn't tell Livio would he be pissed? His mind felt cramped. Overwhelmed with thoughts of anguish. It felt as if a tornado had made itself home in his psyche, and in turn led to stupid mistakes. And Nicholas was not a stranger to stupid mistakes.
All of the sudden his phone had slipped from his grasp, tumbling down until it hit the water with a splash. Well, fuck.
“You have to be fucking kidding me!?” A few people had turned to stare, but Nicholas ignored them. Let them stare! He didn't fucking care! With caution thrown to the wind he kicked off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and jumped into the shallow water. Frantically searching for the familiar form of his phone.
Nicholas cursed under his breath, water up to his elbows as his efforts turned up fruitless. The hell!? It shouldn't have disappeared! Not that quickly! His movements were closer to flailing now, eyes shooting across the body of water for any sign for his phone.
Then, he saw it. At first he thought it was the light tricking him, but when he saw a slight glimmer in the waves again he sighed in relief. Ok, so his phone had drifted a little further out, but no big deal. He could still reach it.
Slowly he reached out, digging around in the water until he grabbed a hold of something hard. He couldn't exactly see what he was holding onto, not when the dark waters shielded his view, but the unknown was far from his mind. He just wanted his fucking phone and he didn't care that he needed to get soaking wet to do so!
At first, he lightly pulled at the object. Completely expecting to be able to lift it out of the water. Except, it didn't budge. The object remained in place, resisting every attempt to be moved. Ok? It got stuck on something. It happens. He just needed to put a little more power behind him.
Nicholas tugged again, harder this time. What he had expected was to finally free his phone from whatever rocky crevice it had gotten trapped in, but instead he was met with a heart attack. As all of a sudden something else burst through the water. Specifically, a pale (dead looking) arm that was now clutched within his grasps.
"Shit!" Quickly he let go. The hand shot back into the water the moment it was free, creating a tiny splash as it did so.
Nicholas was left stunned. His eyes not leaving the barrier of water just inches from him, his mind swimming with chaos as he tried to process what the hell just happened. He didn't even care as his clothes became soaked with seawater. Because who the hell was sitting under the water like a fucking weirdo!?
Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet. Maybe he had a death wish, but curiosity was getting the best of him as he inched closer to where he saw the hand. The water now up to his waist as he left the safety of the shallows. Thankfully the few people who were enjoying the beach had long been gone, leaving Nicholas to explore in peace.
All of the sudden something hard had grabbed ahold of his ankle, pulling him off balance before the man even had a chance to scream. His arms flailed in the water, desperately trying to free himself to no avail. He wanted to scream for help, but that proved to be a fatal mistake as his lungs filled with saltwater.
Fuck! In a last ditch attempt to get away from whatever had caught he opened his eyes. Nicholas had planned to quickly untie himself from his mystery confines, but the moment the world was revealed to him once more he was met with a new shock.
There, just inches from his own face, was a pair of bright blue eyes. To say he was enchanted would be an understatement. It was as if the sky had been captured and shoved into two beautiful irises. Was it even possible for eyes to be that blue? He was so lost in the beauty of it all that he had almost forgotten about his current predicament.
Nicholas could feel his lungs burn, the lack of air quickly catching up to him. With the last bit of his strength he had wiggled free and swam to the surface, bursting through the water where he could finally take some well deserved breaths. Fuck! He almost died! He almost fucking drowned and the culprit was some weirdo with blu-
Before he even had a chance to finish his thought another body had risen from the waves, splashing the man in the process. Once again, Nicholas was left to spit out what felt like gallons of saltwater. His anger grew by the second. He was wet, almost died, and now whoever thought it was funny to pull someone under water came back for seconds!
"You better get your ass out of here or I'm going to-" Yup, he lost his words again, but if you asked Nicholas he had a pretty damn good reason. Not only were those same blue eyes staring at him (just as beautiful in the sunlight as they were underwater), but he was met with something absolutely insane. He must be dreaming. There was no way any of this was happening.
If you had asked him just seconds prior what he thought about merpeople and monsters then he probably would have laughed, but now that was all turned on its head. Maybe he was high? Or delusional? He believed those way more than what the hell he was looking at.
Those bright blue eyes seemed to have a home. Specifically they belong to a pale skinned, blonde haired man. Well, he really wasn't a man. As last Nick checked men didn't have scales, gills, and a fish tail.
“Holy shit.” Those were the only words he could think to say. Yet it didn't seem his new “friend” cared what he had to say, as instead he tilted his head to the side like a puppy. Honestly, seeing him move only made a shiver run up his spine. It was proof that what was right in front of him was indeed there.
Blondie then swam closer. Their noses touched as the creature continued to stare into his eyes. He had no idea what he was thinking, and Nick did not want to know.
“Uh, this is nice and all, but I think I'm going to-” Nick tried to swim away (the beach now further behind him), but he was quickly stopped when a webbed hand shot towards him. Wet and scaly fingers pulling at his cheeks and playing around with his dark hair. It was as if he was just some toy to the mer, and his thoughts were proven correct when the blonde smiled and purred in delight. Again, what the hell!?
"H-Hey! Get off you overgrown fish!" He pushed the mer away, watching as his face morphed into several different emotions. Confusion, sadness, and anxiety are all evident in his fishy features. Wet hair falling in his face which just made him look weirdly adorable.
He had expected the merman to try again, and he could tell he wanted to as his hand seemed to twitch in anticipation. Every other second he would raise his webbed hand again only to have it fall right back into the water. Nicholas thought the poor thing would have a breakdown. It was obvious he didn't know what to do with a human, but at the same time those bright blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Then, as if nothing prior had happened, the mer dived back into the water. Disappeared without a trace. Nick stayed in place, doing his best to float for as long as he could in hopes of the mers return. But there was nothing.
Okay? That just happened. A merman (maybe not a merman?) had pulled him under water and had now left him away from shore. Just a normal day, right? Definitely nothing weird going on at all. Honestly, he had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Him? Nicholas Wolfwood! Meeting a fantasy creature? It was too crazy for him to believe.
Nick never got a chance to fully process what happened, as just a few seconds later his new “friend” reappeared. A dopey smile plastered on his cutesy features. The blonde honestly seemed incredibly proud of himself, and that only peaked the man's interest.
“Um, welcome back?” He didn't think the fish understood the word he said, but it felt wrong to not say anything.
The blonde’s smile just grew, excitement bubbling on his features. The beautiful red fins adorning his head and arms sparkled in the sun, and made the mer look more ethereal than he already did. Then, without warning, something was shoved in Nick's face. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he was left shocked.
“You found my phone? Um, thanks?” Yeah, Blondie found his phone for him. Why? He had no clue. But he appreciated it. Slowly, he took it from the mer’s grasp. His fingers brushing against the other man’s, realizing quickly that the merman in front of him indeed existed.
Once more the blonde was happy. He made a few noises in joy, sounding similar to a bird or dolphin before he ducked back into the water. This time, he didn't reappear, leaving Nick to his own devices in the middle of the frigid ocean.
To be honest, he still had no idea what just happened. But he had a feeling he would be seeing his new “friend” again very soon.