I Saw You In The Water [Joshler]

Nine 🐚

Tyler fixed the backpack on his back and slowly opened the door. He checked the perimeter and started slowly sneaking towards the front door. This early all the sounds were twice as loud. Tyler cringed at the sound of his shoes hitting the stairs. Tyler made it to the first floor and was about to grab the door handle when he heard shuffling in the kitchen. He turned around to see Chris pouring coffee into his mug.

"Skipping breakfast? " the man chuckled

"Mhm... " Tyler hummed and unlocked the front door

Chris took a sip of his drink and rested his hand on the kitchen counter. Tyler looked at his dad who had a sly smirk on his face.

"What? "

"Oh, nothing. " Chris chuckled

"I'm going out. " Tyler murmured pushing the door open

"Have fun. " Chris smirked and took a sip of his coffee

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tyler scoffed

"That means have fun. " Chris tried to contain his smile

Tyler squinted his eyes and adjusted the backpack.

"Okay... " Tyler said dragging out the letters

"Just don't get her... You know... " Chris snorted

Tyler widened his eyes. He pressed his lips together and tried not to smile. The boy felt his cheeks heat up.

"Okay, dad. " Tyler said smiling sarcastically "I'll make sure I don't get him pregnant. "

"I-" Chris choked on his coffee

Tyler flashed him a sarcastic smile before closing the door behind him.

"Have fun with your boyfriend!" Chris yelled

"I sure will!" Tyler chuckled

The boy stepped one step onto the grass and froze in place. He looked at one spot as his whole body heated up from embarrassment. He bit his bottom lip repeatedly as a hurricane of thoughts swirled in his head. He ran his palm across his face gripping his chin at the end. He let out a heavy sigh and got onto his bike. Tyler put on his earplugs and pressed shuffle on his phone. The whole way to the beach house Tyler couldn't stop thinking about Josh and that awkward conversation he had with dad.

"Have fun with your boyfriend."

"He's not m-my boyfriend...." Tyler mumbled under his nose "Or... Is he?"

Tyler lifted his head up to see a middle-aged woman staring at him like Tyler was possessed. The boy blushed, he's been mumbling stuff under his nose and to other people, he probably looked like a crazy person. Tyler shook his head and tried to think about anything else than Josh but it was kinda difficult not to think about a magical merman who seemed to like him. Also, Tyler was going to see the man so Josh was on Tyler's mind by default.

Tyler let out a groan of frustration, the boy couldn't figure out his feelings towards Josh. Josh kissed him but that didn't mean that Tyler had to like him back. It was just a kiss... Tyler didn't want feelings. It was probably a little bit too late for that but the boy was going to keep resisting.
It was hard not o fall in love with such a beautiful creature but Tyler didn't care what Josh looked like. The boy would've saved the merman no matter what he looked like (except if he looked like some kind of gross worm monster with tentacles for beard) and talked to him. It was hard to ignore the fact that mermaids and mermen existed. Tyler couldn't believe how easily he accepted the fact that Joshw as an actual merman. School and stress probably fried his brain to oblivion and the boy wasn't able to express his emotions like others would.

The boy almost ran into a pole as he pondered about life and mermen. How did mermen sleep? What did they eat? Could they talk to the fishes? How were they born? How did they have sex? Tyler was gonna ask about that when he got to Josh. Except for the sex part, that was a question for another day. Josh did have a belly button, so he must've been born. Tyler shivered from the thought of tiny fish people hatching from eggs.

The boy ran to his beach house and placed his phone and his earphones on the table. He didn't want that getting wet because Chris would've killed him three times for breaking a brand new phone. Tyler had no one to call to, he had no friends. He used to spend his time watching youtube and reading... Books... Yeah, let's call them that. He liked reading books. The boy liked one specific genre that doesn't need to be mentioned but let's just say Fifty Shades of Gray would be quaking in its boots...

The boy quickly took off his shirt jeans. He put on his swimming shorts because he was obviously going into the water. There was no use of taking the boat because Josh took him home by himself anyway. Tyler walked out confident and then he remembered how pale he was. If there were people walking on the beach they would be blinded by Tyler because the boy looked like a sheet of paper with swimming shorts. Tyler wrapped his arms around himself like that made him less pale and walked down the beach line looking for a familiar hue of scales. The ocean was a little angrier today but the flag was yellow so Tyler had little to worry about. The only thing that was troubling him that Josh would decide to let him go and swim away but the boy was sure that the merman wouldn't do that because... Tyler's cheeks heated up from the thought that was too sweet to be true.

Tyler decided to go to the secret spot Josh spooked Tyler as he was sitting on the log. The closer Tyler got to the spot the more certain he was that Josh also was there. The sounds he was hearing were a little bit concerning and even scary a bit. Tyler couldn't see because of the dense trees but he heard a loud munching sound and a faint whimpering. Like someone was eating and crying at the same time. Tyler cringed from the sound of lips smacking. He swallowed thickly hearing a squelching noise and alow growl afterwards. The whimpering after the growl was the thing that sent shivers down Tyler's spine.

The boy slowly moved the bushes out of the way and froze in place. Josh sat on the sand with his back turned to Tyler. He looked like he was eating something. Something that was still moving and squirming. Something small and grey... Something that looked like a baby seal. Tyler inhaled sharply, his feet didn't move. Josh shifted his body to look at Tyler. Josh had blood dripping down his hands, blood was smudged around his mouth, he had a fleshy chunk in his teeth and the thing he was holding in his hands was still alive and moving. It really was a baby seal. Dark crimson had stained the sand around Josh. The man was crying as he tore the chunks out of the animal's body. Crystal tears rolled down his cheeks as he chewed and swallowed the seal meat.

"J-Josh?" Tyler took a small step forward

Josh whimpered quietly as he slowly swallowed what he had in his mouth. Tyler slowly approached the merman. The seal had finally stopped moving but the blood wouldn't stop gushing out. Josh looked down at his hands crying. Tyler gently placed his hand on Josh's shaking shoulder. Josh sniffled and wiped his tears smearing blood over his eyes. Tyler, as disgusted as he was, took the dead animal out of Josh's hands and placed it aside. Josh slowly wrapped his hands around Tyler and quietly sobbed.

"It's okay." Tyler cooed "You're okay, everything's fine."

"I w-was h-h-hungry." Josh sobbed "Hu-u-ngry."

"Shh..." Tyler gently swayed Josh to the sides "It's okay."