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“Here, let me help you,” Jeremy offers, setting himself down criss-cross on the carpet in front of Mike.
They were both in his bedroom, getting ready for the night. They’d both been invited to a Halloween party and despite Mike’s slight reluctance at the amount of people that were going to be there, Jeremy had reassured him if he didn’t like it, they could leave the moment he decided he wanted to.
Yet Jeremy couldn’t say he wasn’t excited himself. He’d been invited by one of his newer coworkers at the beach club and even though they hadn’t been friends very long, they got on like a house on fire. He couldn’t wait to hang out with her more and introduce her to Mike. So far, she’d only heard stories about the guy that took up a lot of Jeremy’s thoughts and day, but Jeremy was sure they’d both get along.
He takes the face crayon from Mike who had been struggling with lining up in the floor mirror where to put the line on his face. He was going as a cat. He’d seen the ears in the store and eyes lit up, it had been impossible to convince him to go as anything else. Not that Jeremy tried very hard. Mike loved cats, especially the one he could often be found hanging out with down at the beach near the house, and Jeremy was nothing but supportive of Mike’s ambitions.
“You have to turn your head a bit towards me,” Jeremy softly commands and Mike does as he asks, adjusting his head to be tilted more at him rather than the mirror. His eyes flicker up to meet Jeremy’s and they share their gaze for a moment before Jeremy gets back to the task at hand, face just a little more red. No matter how long it been since Mike had been here, he never failed to make Jeremy blush just by being him.
Lining up the crayon, Jeremy carefully draws the first line. Mike’s nose wrinkles as he does. “Don’t move.”
“Tickles.”
Jeremy chuckles, holding the crayon back so the movement wouldn’t jostle it. “I know. It’s going to be a crooked whisker though if you don’t stop so up to you.”
Listening to the advice, Mike’s face relaxes, and Jeremy is able to finish drawing the rest of the whiskers with no problem, three on each cheek. He then moves onto the pink triangle nose. Again, Mike’s face scrunches, nose wrinkling as the sensation but at Jeremy’s small chastise of “Mike,” it relaxes and he’s able to finish.
“There you are. Go ahead and have a look,” Jeremy says as he sets the crayon off to the side next to the package it came in, gesturing Mike towards the mirror.
Mike turns his head back towards the mirror and immediately a smile is lighting up his face at the reflection in it. One that crinkles the whiskers upwards.
“All you’re missing now are these,” Jeremy teases, offering the cat ears headband over and Mike is only too eager to put it on, completing the look. Along with it, he wears a black t-shirt and pants Jeremy had lent him. The shirt was a little big, as were the pants, but it was nothing a belt couldn’t fix.
“Okay scoot over, it’s my turn.” Jeremy makes a shooing motion with his hands. Mike moves over a couple of feet, making room for Jeremy in front of the mirror. As Jeremy scoots over, their knees knock together and as he settles, they stay lightly resting against each other’s. Jeremy can feel the coolness of Mike’s skin radiating even through the pants and in turn, Mike can feel the heat coming off Jeremy. It’s a sensation they both were used to, spending nearly every night cuddling together, and one they both lean into now, neither adjusting their legs to be further from the other.
In sort of matching with Mike, and to save money by not purchasing a more intricate, more expensive costume, he’d picked up a pair of rabbit ears. Meaning like Mike, he too was drawing on himself some whiskers and adding some pink to his nose.
“Now we match,” he says, wrinkling his nose at Mike once the makeup is done, producing a small smirk from Mike.
“Mine’s better.”
“I literally drew both of them,” Jeremy playfully argues as he puts the makeup away and grabs his ears.
“Nope. Mine.”
Jeremy quickly reaches out and ruffles his hair, knocking the cat ears askew, and then leaps up and away before Mike can retaliate.
“Okay! We best be going least we be late!” Jeremy calls behind him as he walks out the door to a disgruntled Mike on the floor who’s cursing him and a moment later, running after him.
They both shriek with glee as they pound down the stairs, Mike chasing Jeremy all the way out the door in their impromptu game of tag.
-
The party was at a location that Jeremy wasn’t familiar with. Or more, he knew the area, knew of the neighborhood as he’d passed by it a few times, but he didn’t know the person who owned the house, just that it was the address he’d been given. But he was used to parties like these, had gone to plenty with his old high school friends, so with confidence, Mike beside him, had walked through the door, said a few pleasantries to the few people standing around, and then gone further in to find Charlie who’d invited them here in the first place.
They weave through the people already there, in their own groups talking, the party already in full swing. Everyone’s dressed up as they are, and around the place are strung orange and purple lights and pumpkins or other decorations adorn nearly every corner or alcove.
Jeremy keeps his eyes peeled and is rewarded a handful of minutes later with a familiar face through an open patio door.
“Charlie!” he calls, grabbing her attention from outside on the patio. Jeremy and Mike step through the door from the house, leading them outside.
It’s gated, but open area. All around are tables and chairs for people to sit or stand at and talk and in the middle of it all is a in the ground pool. Like in the house, lights are strung around the place and though fewer, decorations still sit around the place.
“Jeremy!” Charlie greets, jumping up from her chair, calling them over to her corner of the patio. She’s dressed as some sort of clown, black and white stripes on the shirt traveling up her arms and two larger white pom poms sit on the chest of the outfit. Two small red circles sit on her dark cheeks and her coarse hair is pulls up into two buns atop her head. Two braids hang down in the front, framing her face as she smiles at them.
“Fancy place,” he notes. “You know the owner?”
Charlie shrugs. “Seen him around at the club. Got talking one day and he invited me. Never said I couldn’t bring a few friends.” She smirks and shrugs as if daring anyone to come do anything about it. “I think he invited a few people we know though. I already seen Tony over there.” She nods back towards the house to where one of their other coworkers was according to her.
“I’ll have to scout him out later and say hi.” He nods to the person sitting behind Charlie in one of the chairs. He’s not really paying attention to them, but he is glancing up every so often, clearly here with Charlie. “Who’s that?”
He’s dressed in all black - shirt, pants, shoes. He wears a large coat despite the warmer night, hood pulled up and from within its shadow, eyeliner smudge eyes peer out. The slightly menacing look is ruined a moment later as Charlie yanks his hood down, prompting a, “Hey!” of protest from him.
“Quit brooding and say hi,” Charlie demands in a way all too familiar to anyone who knew her. “Jeremy, meet Sammy, my brother. I’ve told you about him before.”
“You talk about me at work?”
“Don’t think that makes you special,” she taunts back in the way only siblings can. He rolls his eyes but listening to his sister, gives Jeremy and Mike a small wave.
“Also no, that’s not a costume,” Charlie goes on, “He’s just like that. Could have at least popped in a pair of vampire fangs or something.”
“Lost them,” Sammy mumbles as he resettles into his chair.
“Anyways!” Charlie perks up, ignoring her brother and the way he runs a hand through his tight curls, readjusting them after having the hood yanked off. “This must be Mike!”
She reaches a hand out, holding it hovering in the air between them. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Mike’s eyes grow wide, momentarily put off guard at the attention suddenly shifting to him as he’d just been hovering slightly behind Jeremy, watching the exchanges go back and forth.
But regaining his composure, he takes a half step forwards and very carefully, like she might bite, gives Charlie’s hand one quick small shake before withdrawing his hand. He never really was one for touching people, unless that person was Jeremy.
“That’s me.”
Jeremy can tell by her face that she was not expecting Mike’s hand to be that cold, he wasn’t either the first time, but she brushes past it.
They launch into light conversation after that. Sammy disappears for a few minutes and when he comes back, he has drinks for both Jeremy and Mike. They settle down in in their corner for the next half hour and spend the time getting to know each other more, especially those who have never met before tonight.
After about an hour, Mike starts to tune the conversation out. Sammy had put on his headphones despite the music already blaring from speakers set up around the house and patio, and Jeremy and Charlie were deep in a conversation about some annoying change their work was making.
His focus settles on the pool, watching the water dance in the light from the small vibrations of people walking around it. Despite being in the ocean earlier, his tongue feels dry, but he knows he’d gain no relief from the water before him. He could smell the chemicals just from where he was sitting and shudders at the thought of the bad feeling they would leave passing through his gills.
“Aw man I’m out,” Jeremy says, shaking his empty can for emphasis and tuning Mike back into the people next to him.
“I got it,” He immediately offers. Jeremy and Charlie were still somewhat engrossed in their conversations and getting up for a bit to stretch his legs would be nice.
“You sure?” Jeremy asks, giving him a questioning look.
Mike nods, already standing up, and turns to Charlie to ask about the drinks, “Where were they again?”
“Right inside the door to the left. There’s a bunch of coolers stocked.”
Mike takes a second to glance at Jeremy’s can, noting what flavor he had, and then turns to make his way inside. Behind him, the conversation ensues.
He makes it to the house, past the other party goers who shuffle aside to let him pass. A random voice compliments his costume but other than that, he has no issue making his way to the cooler, dipping his hand into the slowly melting ice to grab the drink.
Turning around, he pauses a moment to take in the party. The buzz of conversation and music around him, the lights strung above him leaving an orange glow over the area, these ones in particular shaped like bats. He’s seen a lot of things since coming to the surface, but string lights were one of his favorites and he absolutely adored falling asleep every night under the strand hung in Jeremy’s room.
Small smile on his face, he begins to make his way back outside, vision jumping from one strand of lights to the next, following them as if they were leading him there. He’s so distracted that as he passes by the pool in the direction of the group he’d left minutes before, he doesn’t notice the person next to him. And they don’t notice him as they back up. Too quickly for Mike to react, they collide, pushing Mike in the directions of the pool’s edge.
He tries to catch his balance, the person even reaches for him, trying to help pull him back, but one foot is already over the edge and with a small yelp and a splash, he’s falling into the pool.
Jeremy hears the commotion from his corner. He immediately identifies the sound of some unfortunate person falling in the pool but the blood drains from his face the moment he realizes exactly who.
“Shit-,” he mutters under his breath as he halts mid-conversation with Charlie, wasting no time in pushing his chair back and racing towards the pool.
Thankfully, its to see a lack of fins or scales. Mike is floating in the pool, looking a bit startled, and Jeremy is quick to reach in and haul him out, ignoring the cold chill the water has.
He gets Mike onto the wood of the patio and into a nearby chair. Someone passes him a towel and he absentmindedly takes it, more focused on the few scales dotted along Mike’s arms.
He suddenly curses himself for not giving Mike the long sleeve black shirt. He ran colder, its not like he would’ve overheated, even on the warm night it was. He pulls the towel around Mike, trying to hide the scales that were peeking through. He thankfully didn’t fully transform, Jeremy knew he had enough control for that not to happen, but that didn’t mean he’d been prepared to get submerged in a pool either. Jeremy’s honestly impressed its only the few scales it was. And they should be fine. They were easy to look over, especially in the minimal glow of the string lights hanging around the deck, but they could never be too careful. To this day, even months later, he still had fears that someone would find out about Mike and come to drag him away.
He pats Mike’s shoulders and upper arms, as if in reassurance, then gently cradles his head, meeting his eyes, “You okay Mike?” he asks, before dropping his hands back down to resting on his shoulders.
The whiskers and nose he’d drawn on earlier in the night run smudged down Mike’s face, making him look even sadder. Like a true wet cat.
“Yeah,” Mike nods weakly, clutching the towel around him, then more confidently says, “Yeah. Just caught me off guard.”
Jeremy gives his arms one more rub up and down as if to transfer some heat to him and then stands up.
“He’s okay,” he announces to the people around them who had sort of paused and quieted at the noise, “You can go back to partying, just a pool slip!” Someone in the back laughs as it was far from the first time from happening and seeing everything okay, slowly the rest around them turn their gazes away and conversations start back up.
Across the porch, now that the slight crowd was clearing, Charlie makes her way over. Glancing from Mike to Jeremy. Behind her comes Sammy.
She directs the question towards Mike as she asks, “You okay?”
Mike nods, clutching the towel around himself.
Her eyes travel over him as if searching for something. Jeremy can’t see any scales or anything other about Mike peeking out but the way her eyes rake over Mike leave him a little paranoid. He knew from working with her how observant she could be and though he was on his way to trusting her, maybe even with something like Mike, they weren’t quite there yet.
“I think me and Mike will get going now,” he announces. Mike’s head whips up to give him a slightly questioning look. Jeremy can see the ‘I’m fine if you want to stay’ written on his face but-
“You sure?” Charlie asks, expression and tone suggesting she didn’t quite know what to make of the abrupt decision. “Can probably find some dry clothes somewhere around here.”
“Nah. We were only going to come for a little bit anyways. Got some scary movies to watch yet tonight.”
Mike perks up at that. For some reason, the mer had took a liking to the genre.
“We’ll see you guys around some other time. We’ll have to plan a day.”
“Sure,” Charlie says, still sounding a bit hesitant but there’s a note of understanding. She moves her attention from Jeremy to Mike. “You going to be warm enough on the walk home Mike?”
“I’ll be fine,” Mike assures yet a moment later, a jacket is tossed his way. One previously worn by Sammy.
“Just get that back to me later and I won’t have to come hunt you down,” says the now jacketless Sammy.
“What he means,” Charlie says, elbowing her brother in the side, “Is hope you guys make it home safe. It was fun. And nice to meet you, Mike.” She gives him a brilliant smile.
“Likewise,” Mike replies as he pulls on the jacket.
They exchange a few more words and goodbyes and five minutes later, Mike and Jeremy are sneaking out the back gate on the patio. The moment it closes, the noise of the party dies down, despite it being right over the fence. It’s darker on this side too, though only one of them has a little trouble seeing in it. They stand there, in that muted silence and darkness for just a moment, before Jeremy takes Mike’s hand in his and they begin walking.
“So, you enjoy the party?” Jeremy asks as they cut through the attached yard to reach the sidewalks.
“Sammy and Charlie seem nice. It was good meeting them.”
“Yeah, Charlie’s a lot of fun.” They both step out from the grass to the cement of the sidewalk. “Never realized how boring it was at work until she started. Makes the day go by so much faster.”
“Mm.” Mike pitches in. He wasn’t much of a talker but that never mattered to Jeremy. He gives Mike a half-concerned look from the side of his eye as they walk along.
“You sure you’re still okay from the pool?”
Mike comes to a stop, pulling Jeremy whose hand is still in his to a stop as well. He turns Jeremy to face him, putting his hands gently on his shoulders. “Jeremy,” he says in that soft way of his that has Jeremy instantly relaxing, like the lull of a wave on a nice summer’s day.
“It was an accident. All I got was a little wet.”
“I know,” Jeremy mumbles, reaching up to lay his hands over Mike’s, and hold them for a moment. They both turn to start walking again as Jeremy goes on, “I just worry. That someone could have seen. And I guess tonight wouldn’t have been the worst night.” He gives a dry chuckle. “Who knows, maybe could have played it off as a costume. Mermaid Mike.”
Mike rolls his eyes, but gives a small “Mm,” never one to dismiss the worry even if oddly, it didn’t plague him as much as it did the human next to him.
“I’m just scared one day the wrong person is going to see.”
“Mm.”
“And they’re going to take you away and I’ll never get to see you again. All it takes is one person seeing the wrong thing telling the wrong someone else. Makes me want to just hide you away. Not that I actually would. You’re way too curious for that. Probably chew through the wall or something three hours in.”
Jeremy knows he’s rambling and its close to incomprehensible by now. Its one of his best talents. But despite the train wreckage of thoughts, he’s used to Mike’s small ‘mms’ always answering him. So when one doesn’t come, it causes him to turn around. And momentarily panic at the lack of a certain mermaid behind him.
“Mike?” he whisper shouts into the night, like something had come and abducted him and would be searching for him next.
He spots the mer a moment later however, crouched down next to a bush near the sidewalk. Jeremy squints against the darkness and there, in the low light of the streetlight above them, clutched in Mike’s arms is-
“Mike.” Jeremy deadpans, noting the small black cat currently being held in Mike’s arms. “What are you doing.”
“Cat.”
“I can see that.” Mike always seemed to have a way with the creatures. Jeremy was pretty sure it was because he smelled of fish.
The black cat in Mike’s arms purrs, audible to even Jeremy who takes the two steps to be standing next to them. Coming from somewhere deep in Mike’s chest is a similar sound.
Used to this, Jeremy reaches over and gives the cat a little scratch on the head, one it leans into. “Hopefully Sammy doesn’t mind some cat hair on his jacket,” he chuckles.
They stay there for a while longer, petting the cat and playing for it a while on the sidewalk under the light of a Halloween moon. But Jeremy can feel himself growing tired and knowing they have a few more blocks until his house, pulls Mike away. He gives one last pet to the cat and then waves goodbye as if it was an old friend.
They make it home about fifteen minutes later. They come in through the backdoor, trying to be silent as possible in case his mom was home sleeping, not wanting to disturb her.
Jeremy’s about to ask Mike if he still wants to watch a movie but one look between the both of them and their tired eyes leaves him with the answer. They go upstairs, stopping in the bathroom to wipe the night’s makeup off and then move to his bedroom where they take off their clothes - still damp ones in Mike’s case - and change into warm and comfortable pajamas before falling into bed.
“Dude you’re freezing,” Jeremy objects to a Mike who’s already wrapped around him but makes no effort to push him away. He runs his fingers through the mer’s hair and the low rumbling, almost purring is back.
“Goodnight Jeremy.”
“Goodnight Mike,” Jeremy hums back and reaching over, turns the bedside lamp off, plunging the room into darkness and marking the end of another Halloween.