Jack pulled himself out of Mark's arms, noticing a hint of sadness in his friend's eye as he did so. Swimming to the edge, trying not to look back, Jack hopped out of the water, practically running into the change room. The Irishman paused, taking in a deep breath as a shudder ran through him. He couldn't run from Mark, he was his best friend. Besides, his keys, wallet, and phone were still back at Mark's apartment. Sliding onto the ground, Jack found himself still trembling as he tried to process what had happened. Mark should have been drowning, not breathing underwater. How...?
"...Sean? Are you still in here?"
"I....Yeah..."
"Do you want to talk about it here or back at at place?"
"Honestly, I can't even feel my legs right now..."
"Would it be alright if we returned to the pool? I think I can explain better there...I feel more comfortable in water.."
"Mark?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm... I'm sorry for running out on you... I was just.. shocked..."
"No need to apologize. I completely understand."
Rising to his feet, Jack took in another deep breath as he left the stall, Mark immediately catching his attention. Smiling weakly, Jack returned to the pool, sitting on the edge as Mark jumped back into the water. Jack had to admit, he was quite curious as to what Mark was, although he had an idea of the answer. Watching the other's every move, Jack shivered lightly as he shifted slightly, nervous excitement bubbling in his chest.
"So... As you could have guessed, I'm not exactly... human... I.... I'm.... A, merman... Normally I'd just lie my way out of this type of situation, but honestly, I think I can trust you."
"Why are you human right now? Shouldn't you be half fish?"
"I was born a merman, yes. But we have the ability to become human. We can return to our natural bodies, but it's a painful process. No Disney magic in that."
"......Why did you choose to become human in the first place?"
"I fell in love. Cheesy, I know. It was a long time ago, way before even light bulbs were invented. It was an average day out in the sea, swimming and chasing dolphins. We lived like dolphins back then, so we really didn't do too much else. We didn't have a spoken language, we spoke with our bodies and emotions, again, like dolphins. But on that day, a ship was caught in a sudden storm, and because of this, many found themselves in Davy Jones locker. Few survived, including my lover.
"I managed to save him, dragging him onto shore. He was still awake, and I must say, he was beautiful. We encountered many ships, but never any humans up close. I knew I could be human, I'm not sure how, but it was just something I knew. The man saw me as a lost survivor, like a wild man, someone void of human contact, which explained my lack of knowledge of the human world. As a way of saying thank you, he let me live with him. He taught me to read, to speak, to be civil, and he taught me to love the way humans do. But, being a merman, I outlived him. He died in my arms as an elderly man, and even though he knew what I was he stayed with me.
"After that, I switched between land and sea, creating life after life for myself. Often we were killed by people, who saw as monsters. As we mer-people evolved, so did the humans. We learned to speak, and we created our own culture. And that's when I learned of the mermaid's magic, a magic that had been long forgotten, which devastated me. I found out that there was a way to create mer-people, to be exactly like us. I could have saved my lover, but we had no knowledge at the time. And I was so upset, I left for decades. Now, I would gladly return home, but people have ruined our seas with pollution and over fishing. We are dying in our homes, so we seek shelter in the source of our sorrow. Not many of us are left, and many who are live with a bitter hatred of humans. But, I still love people, as people love me."
Jack was speechless. Staring at his friend, he couldn't help but feel a wave of empathy crash through him. Slipping back into the chest high water, the Irishman swam over to his friend, who instantly accepted his hug as he began to sob softly. He didn't know how long they were in that position, but eventually Jack felt Mark pull away slightly, but not out of his arms. His eyes were red, but he wore a soft smile as he gazed at Jack.
"Thank you.. Thank you for being so understanding... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, and I'm sorry for using your shoulder as a pillow.."
"Mark, it's completely fine, I totally understand. I will always be here for you."
As those words left Jack's lips, his eyes widened as something else was placed onto them. Mark had kissed him, gently connecting their lips as they continued to embrace in the pool. Jack didn't know how to react; he didn't even know if he was bi, or if he even had a romantic attraction to his friend, but he had to admit, the kiss felt...nice. But just as quickly as he had kissed Jack, Mark pulled away, his eyes wide with the realization of what he had just done.
"Sean... I-I'm sorry.. I don't know what came over me.."
"It's fine Mark. Should we head back to your place now? It's, uh, getting late..."
"Um sure, alright."
Breaking apart their awkward encounter, the men swam out of the water, heading straight to the showers. Changing quickly, they went back to Mark's apartment, exchanging no words as they walked. Jack sighed as he glanced at the time; 11:32 pm. He was already exhausted, and he could sense that Mark was the same way. It had been a long day for the both of them, and currently sleep was all he could think about.
"Say, do you mind if I sleep on the couch tonight? It's a little late to head back to my place."
"I have a guest bedroom, ya know. The bed's a lot comfier than the couch."
Mark chuckled, and Jack couldn't help but smile along. It was nice to have the tension broken between them. It would make tomorrow a lot less awkward. Heading to upstairs to the bedrooms, Jack suddenly stopped in his tracks as he turned around, wrapping his arms around a very confused Mark.
"Goodnight buddy."
"Goodnight Sean."
"Oh, and Mark?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't wait until the second date."
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I'm exhausted~ XD
Enjoy this short chapter for now~ :P
