Púrpura

Single Chapter (Eng version)

— You will be the best, my darling. Don't be afraid.

★★

Blueport is known for being small. Most of its inhabitants are human. It is a seaside town with one of the largest ports, even though it's smaller than the others. Part of its establishments were waterfront; all had decks with an exit and entrance to the ocean. The restaurant, Purple, was one of the most frequented in the small town and, being by the sea, also received visits from people and creatures of all places and species. Dylan was proud of his parents' business. He had lived in that restaurant since he was a little boy, running back and forth, helping, sometimes hindering; when he got too much of a bother, his parents sent him to play in the water. On one of these occasions, he met Atlas, a merman with a dégradé orange color that darkened to a fiery red at the end. Both were children when they met; they grew up together, and just as Atlas would go up to the surface to see him, Dylan would go down to the bottom of the sea to see the newt they spent hours together, both above and below.

They became that typical duo who could understand one another just from a glance. They knew each other like no other, and despite their differences, they always got along. Like now, when a storm was approaching the city, the seawalls were set up so the sea would not invade the houses. Atlas preferred that the human stood there with him during the rains, but he knew that Dylan would not let his parents, already of a certain age, put the floodgates on by themselves, besides his parents' fear of storms, so he stayed with them. The merman understood his friend's care for his parents, and when the storm was over, he swam to the surface to see if his family was okay.

— We're okay, dear. Take Dylan to relax.

That's what the human's mother always said. He was so worried about his parents that he hardly rested and barely slept at night. So Atlas would take him down because everyone knew how the sea relaxes and seemed to take care of Dylan.

With so many years of living together, it was easy for them to become so close and so intimate, but not for a moment the human thought this would cross the line of friendship. Dylan didn't know he could feel anything more for the merman until he decided he wanted to date and met another human who asked him out. The jealousy was visible, and the group of friends of the two had noticed at once. But, even though he was jealous, he supported his friend in his decision. He was happy for him.

On the date between the human and the merman, they opted for a late afternoon swim at the town's small and only beach, heading for the rocks to take advantage of the weather. Atlas seemed pleased as he told his best friend every detail of the encounter, and knowing this made him happy too. With each new twist, his smile grew, making Dylan's heart hurt and head throb. After talking so much, they were silent for a while, but the human's head wouldn't stop hurting, and it seemed to increase with time. When he couldn't take the pain anymore, he said he needed to help his parents. Just a few minutes out of the water and the pain was gone.

The pain came up again a few times during the days that passed, but before he could figure out what it could be, the human, whom his friend had been meeting, walked into the restaurant, and as he walked closer, a girl appeared at his side. Until that moment, he didn't see a problem, but when she smacked a kiss on his lips before sitting down at one of the Purple's tables, his heart hurt because he knew how much his friend was enjoying that. Without much thought, he goes down to the sea looking for the merman, and when he finds him, he leads him straight to the truth. The truth would hurt him, but that would also set him free.

Tears. That's what he saw dripping from the newt's eyes. He embraces him, taking him out of there and back home to his comfort. The group of friends joins in to help. Atlas spends time crying, and it doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon. Dylan wants to stay, wants to help his friend, wants to comfort him and make him laugh, but the pain comes back, and he knows he needs to get out of the water.