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The door fell shut, the apartment only remaining quiet for a bit before Trey called out. “Jade? Is that you?”
“Is too~!” Came the sing-song reply from a voice that was distinctly not Jade’s. Trey rushed over, brow already furrowed in worry, only to find his partner leaning on his twin, struggling to stay on his feet. Trey quickly scanned over him, looking for injuries, but fortunately found none. Floyd, seemingly a little bored or frustrated by having to hold his brother up, promptly deposited him into Trey’s arms.
“You talk to him, turtle.” He grumbled, not meeting Trey’s eyes. “He listens to you more than anyone. Tell him to quit it with the crazy hours and schedules and stuff, and lay off the potions.”
“Potions?” Trey inquired, equal parts worried and curious. He knew Jade had his habits, one of them including staying in his human form even when working – at least unless he knew he was going to be working for a prolonged period of time, but if there was anything else, he might need to look into some antidotes. Fortunately, having access to a top-notch alchemical laboratory made that a smidge easier.
Jade finally stirred in his hold, legs clearly just a touch too weak to support him fully. “It’s nothing. I just got… absorbed in work.”
“Yeah, so absorbed he forgot to sleep and then tried to cure it with Azul’s energy potions.” Floyd reached out to poke Jade in the head, earning a pained hiss from his twin. “And now his head’s killing him, and his transformation isn’t holding. Something about interference between the potions or some such.”
Trey had long since stopped questioning Floyd’s photographic, though selective, memory. He was right. An energy potion suited for mermen would not react well with a transformation potion to keep Jade human. He sighed, picking his husband up and giving Floyd an apologetic smile. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise much will change. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
He only asked to be polite, but Floyd was already taking his shoes off and sniffing the air like a tracking bloodhound. “Mmm, smells nice~. Turtle’s really good at cooking, so I’ll stay~!”
Well, there went his hope of a peaceful evening. But Trey didn’t mind as much as some of his friends thought he might. Floyd was a whirlpool of chaos and unpredictability, but he was Jade’s, so he was family, and Trey always appreciated all the quirks his family had. Even if that family was now in his arms, heart beating like crazy, sweat soaking their clothes, and blue scales sometimes shimmering on the skin as the transformation struggled to hold.
He finally lowered Jade into the bathtub, peeling the clothes off of him and running cold water until the tub was full. Jade’s sigh came from his entire being as his legs fused together and his tail curled up. The tub was large for a human, but for Jade, it was barely enough. They might have to upgrade soon if Jade kept growing, Trey thought.
“Thank you, that helped a lot.” Jade smiled at him, that awkward smile he always gave when he was embarrassed. Trey shook his head, but returned the smile. Jade reached out and took his hand, cool scales against the warm skin. It was a nice contrast. Part of the allure of this relationship, though, of course, it was far from the only one. Before Trey could begin to scold him like he promised Floyd, Jade pulled his hand in and graced it with a kiss. “Would it help my situation if I said I genuinely didn’t realize it was that long?”
“It absolutely would not, because I know you’re lying.” He couldn’t stay mad at Jade, not for long anyway. And definitely not when he looked so fragile when Floyd had brought him in. “You knew exactly what you were doing.”
“It seems I simply cannot fool you, my dear.” Jade was back to his comfortable playful tone, much to Trey’s relief. “I knew the risks, I simply thought I could handle them better. If it weren’t for Floyd finding me, I would likely be messing up all the paperwork by now.”
Cupping the eel’s face, Trey gave him a serious look. “Paperwork is secondary. Do not do that again, you hear me? Do not do anything that puts you at risk.”
Jade smirked. And in that moment, it clicked for Trey. He’d just walked straight into a trap. Jade’s arms wrapped around his back in a flash, pulling him into the tub on top of him, cold water soaking through his clothes instantly. Jade’s grin widened, needle-sharp teeth on full display. He leaned in, whispering so softly that Trey barely heard him: “You’re one to talk, Trey~.”
Floyd sat in the chair, bored out of his mind. He’d already finished eating and even whipped up a dessert since he felt like it. Those two were still not back. He huffed, tracing the framed pictures on the walls for the millionth time. When his phone pinged, it was like the sound of angels singing. Azul! Floyd’s mood immediately improved as he hopped up from the chair, grabbed the cake he had made, and headed for the door.
Finally, the bathroom opened. Trey stepped out, sopping wet, with glasses slightly askew, and fresh bite marks on his neck. He seemed out of breath even as he tried to be a good host. “My apologies, Floyd. Are you leaving already?”
Floyd only shrugged, slipping into his brand-new shoes. “Azul’s feeling lonely, so I’m gonna squeeze him a bit.” He paused, looking back at Trey before grinning. “You got mucus on your chin, turtle~.”