FicWad

Gerard handed Frank a paintbrush with a soft smile, watching the younger man curiously as he grinned and ran his fingertips against the fine bristles of the brush. He had already mentioned that he had never painted before but he seemed eager to try and Gerard was more than happy to let him use a few materials.

Since there were already plenty of canvases already set up Gerard only had to open a few tubes of paint and grab one of the many paint stained cups of water and they were ready to go. Whilst he was quickly preparing everything Frank just stood staring at everything with sparkling eyes full of curiosity. He had a strange look swirling in his irises, not unlike the one found in the eyes of a child. It was like Frank was seeing everything for the first time but of course Gerard knew that was impossible. Such innocence was a rare thing to find in a grown man though and Gerard found it seemed to have a strange affect on him, as if Frank was charged with a sort of magnetism that sucked him in.

“Alright, so... Have you done much drawing before?” Gerard finally asked once he had finished setting out the paints. He looked at Frank with a soft smile, watching with intrigue at the way he was stroking the brush against his palm.

“Mm... No. Not really.” Frank replied without looking at Gerard, his eyes fixed on the blank canvas infront of him. “Only a little.” He confessed. He had only ever drawn things with his finger in the sand, like all merpeople did. He had seen paintings though, done by humans. Some of the sunken ships had large portraits and paintings still inside, and though the water had damaged most of them beyond repair Frank knew that the details the humans could put into their paintings could never be matched by a simple drawing in the sand.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter.” Gerard assured Frank, turning back to his own canvas. “The important thing is that you enjoy yourself.” He smiled softly but his cheeks flamed red over how cliché his words sounded. He didn’t want to come across as some stupid artist just full of ridiculous one liners, but when he glanced at Frank it didn’t look like the younger man thought he was ridiculous at all. In fact he was smiling at him so warmly Gerard felt like he was melting.

“Well, how do we start?” Frank asked brightly, looking at the canvas again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was aware that he should be worrying about Jamia and getting back to the sea, but he was starting to realise that the human world was actually just as exciting as he had always believed and the bigger, much more dominant side of him wanted nothing more than to stay and just learn everything he could. Starting with painting.

“Well uh... I guess you just pick a colour.” Gerard answered Frank’s question, indicating the open tubes of paint that he had squeezed small amounts from onto a palette. “You wanted to paint a mermaid right?” He asked softly, Frank’s smile growing so wide it lit up the whole room. Gerard couldn’t help but stare for a moment; his dingy little apartment had never seemed so bright.

“Definitely.” Frank beamed, Gerard smirking slightly. “Are you going to paint one too?”

“Sure.” Gerard shrugged, dipping his brush into a pale yellow colour, not too far from being cream. Frank immediately chose the same colour, copying Gerard’s actions since he had no idea how to paint at all himself.

“So, every artist paints differently but I like to start off by doing a sort of basic outline.” Gerard got the impression Frank was after some sort of instruction so he tried be informative as he put his brush to the canvas and began to paint. Frank watched him closely, observing the way he moved the brush before turning to his own canvas and trying to replicate it as Gerard continued to speak.

“I guess the thing with painting is to just do what feels natural to you. Just have the picture you want to make in your head and just... go for it.” Gerard had always had a natural talent for all things artistic, so he found trying to explain how to paint incredibly difficult. But when he glanced at Frank it was to see that the younger man was already focusing intently on his own canvas. His skill with the brush was practically nonexistent, his hand was shaky and he pressed down too hard. But the look of delight on his face was genuine.

“And so you get paid to do this?” Frank asked softly as he stared at his canvas, drawing like he did when he used his finger in the sand. The sensation of the brush on the canvas was strange; trying to draw upright stranger still, but he was enjoying himself.

Gerard smirked a little at Frank’s question, focusing on his own canvas again as he worked on drawing the basic outline of a body and tail. “I get paid if someone buys my work... Recently though I haven’t been getting much business.” He shrugged, trying to sound casual and not let on how bad things really were. It was his own fault, he knew. He had always been able to get by on the money from his paintings. There had been good times and hard times, business was rarely consistent... but this was the worst things had ever been and he knew it was all down to his artist block. But as he worked steadily on his canvas he realised with a jolt in his stomach he was enjoying himself... He was feeling the vague, impatient excitement he used to feel when he would work on a piece of art and just be over eager to finish it. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Frank continued to ask questions as he and Gerard stood side by side and worked on their canvases. Gerard answered everything in detail, seeming to understand Frank didn’t understand things like other people did whether he was conscious of the fact or not. He talked to him about his favourite artists and the many techniques you could develop. He told him about his work and how he sold different pieces; about his love for the sea some more and what his family were like. He wasn’t even aware of how much he was opening up, he just felt so comfortable around the strange man he had found on the harbour. Frank just seemed to emit a comforting aura and Gerard found himself talking more than he had in years.

“I still go down to the harbour most days. I love looking at all the boats and the water and stuff.” He smiled, changing the colour on his brush and starting to fill in the basic outline he had painted with detail. “I guess I feel sort of at peace when I’m near the sea. But it just didn’t inspire me like I imagined it would.”

“Well you seem to be painting okay now.” Frank pointed out with a smile, glancing over at Gerard’s work and watching as he began to blend colours together. He hadn’t done so much that Frank could tell what it was, though of course he knew it would end up being a mermaid. His own painting was looking rather crude, but he was enjoying himself too much to care. He knew he wouldn’t be able to paint like Gerard having never done it before, there was no way he’d know how to mix and blend colours like Gerard was doing and so he simply painted his own mermaid using one colour at a time.

Gerard smiled at Frank’s words, nodding as he continued to paint. “I haven’t been able to stand and paint like this in months. You must have a good influence on me.” He said playfully, making Frank grin and chuckle as he abandoned his mermaids face to work on the tail instead.

“Do you think you’ll be able to start selling your work again then?” He asked curiously, loving to hear that he had provided Gerard with some inspiration though it made him feel a little worried too. Now that he was painting a mermaid he was becoming conscious of the fact he needed to get away. He couldn’t let Jamia slip from his mind; he needed to get back into the sea and spread the alarm that she needed help. He didn’t know where she was or if she was hurt or not, and people were probably worried about him too. The last thing he should be doing was painting with a stranger in his apartment.

“Well, I certainly hope I can.” Gerard responded to Frank’s question, oblivious to the younger mans concerns. “I need to get back on my game. Rent doesn’t pay itself.” He laughed, trying to remain light hearted.

“Uhuh.” Frank nodded, not really listening. He didn’t even know what rent was but he didn’t ask. He was staring at his shaky, child like painting and adding the scales and fins to the tail almost without thinking. He was worrying about Jamia again and starting to feel guilt rise in his chest. He had told Gerard he would stay just one more night so that he could rest, but now he wasn’t sure that was such a good idea.

“Hey, that’s interesting.” Gerard interrupted Frank’s train of thought as he turned to look at his canvas and at what he was painting. “It’s really good.” He complimented him, looking at the tail that was now in full colour, Frank just adding the different fins. Gerard’s own painting still only had the basic outline for the tail, but when Frank glanced over he could see he was already missing a lot.

“Thanks.” He responded idly, smiling as he looked at Gerard’s mermaid. “Are you only going to add the caudal fin?” He asked curiously, Gerard quirking an eyebrow at him and following his gaze to his canvas before looking at Frank’s face again.

“I uh... Add the want?” He asked, blushing slightly. It sounded to him like Frank had just spoken in a whole other language.

“The caudal fin.” Frank repeated, Gerard’s face still oblivious so he leant forward to tap the wooden end of his paintbrush against the outline of the fins at the end of the mermaid’s tail. “These.” He clarified, turning to tap the same fins on his own painting.

“Oh I... I didn’t really think about it.” Gerard confessed, not sure what Frank was asking him. “I mean, Ariel only has a caudal fin doesn’t she?” He asked with a chuckle, wondering if he had done something wrong. “I didn’t even know they had a name.”

“Of course they have a name.” Frank smirked. “Who’s Ariel?” He added, wondering if Gerard knew a mermaid after all.

“Ariel? Haven’t you ever seen the little mermaid?” Gerard chuckled, looking at Frank’s blank expression and raising his eyebrows. “You know, the movie?”

“Movie?” Frank repeated slowly, furrowing his eyebrows in clear confusion. “What’s a movie?”

Gerard stared at Frank for a long moment as if he had gone crazy. He was still holding his paintbrush but he had completely forgotten his painting by now. He wondered if Frank had simply not heard him properly or whether he really didn’t know what a movie was.

“I... You... Don’t you know Disney?” He asked, Frank’s look of confusion only growing worse and Gerard realised he really didn’t know what he was talking about. “Wow. I... Wow. You haven’t ever seen a movie before?”

“I don’t think so.” Frank said slowly, blushing deeply. His heart was racing again, conscious that he was revealing that he was unaware of something that was obviously an integral part of being human. “Anyway, if you want to paint mermaids then you need to know how to give them the right fins.” He quickly added, eager to change the conversation topic before it became anymore obvious how out of place he was.

Gerard continued to gaze at Frank with some intrigue, making a mental note to watch The Little Mermaid with him at the next opportunity. He still couldn’t believe Frank had never seen a movie before, in fact he got the distinct impression that he didn’t even know what a movie was. But he could also tell that Frank was going flustered over this fact and considering he was supposed to be resting as it was Gerard decided it was probably best not to stress him out even more.

“Alright then.” He smiled, going along with Frank’s topic change. “What fins am I supposed to paint?”

“I’ll show you.” Frank smiled, relieved to be back on a subject he actually knew something about. He took Gerard’s wrist and pulled him gently to stand beside him at his easel, the artist looking at the painting there and the different lines on the mermaid tail. Frank’s drawing skill wasnt much better than the average four year olds, but Gerard could see what he had tried to create.

“Okay, so these are the caudal fin right?” He asked, nodding at the fans at the very end of the tail. The word for them was strange sounding, Gerard was certain he had never heard it before, but then he supposed Frank had said he was on expert on these things.

“That’s right.” Frank nodded, smiling as he used the end of the paintbrush to indicate another two fins. They were long and flowing on the sides of the tail. One was on the left side nearer the top of the tail, and the other was on the right side nearer the bottom. “These are the dorsal fins, they’re always on the side of the tail and usually one is higher than the other but it differs.” He explained, pointing at the left one again. “This is the primary dorsal fin. And this,” Frank pointed to the right. “Is the secondary dorsal fin. The primary dorsal fin is always whichever fin is highest.”

“Right...” Gerard nodded, listening carefully as he looked at the painting. He had never known that mermaids had specific fins and that there were names for them, but he found it incredibly interesting. “And that just leaves those ones?” He asked, pointing at two more fins side by side at the front of the tail, just below where the scales began on the abdomen.

“Yep, those are the pelvic fins.” Frank smiled, Gerard nodding with a small ‘oh’.

“Pretty self explanatory then.” He chuckled, Frank nodding though he wasnt sure what Gerard meant. “How do you know all this stuff?” Gerard asked, still looking at the painting and going through the names for each fin again in his head. He was even more eager to do his own painting now.

“Oh I...” Frank trailed off, shrugging and biting his lip. “I guess I just pick up bits of information.” He eventually mumbled, not knowing how to explain how he had got his knowledge without revealing what he was. “I’m really into mermaids and stuff.” He shrugged, Gerard chuckling as he stepped back to his own easel to carry on with his painting. He found it endearing that Frank was happy to tell him that, most full grown men would be too embarrassed to admit liking mermaids but it was as if that thought had never even crossed Frank’s mind.

“Well I love that you know a lot about them.” Gerard smiled, continuing his painting. Frank smiled back and gazed at him working for a moment before he turned to sit down on the sofa. He was feeling a little tired after standing up for so long when he wasnt used to it. Being out of water was strange, it seemed that everything just took so much more energy. Though he supposed the wound to his head didn’t help.

“I could tell you anything about them.” He said idly, relaxing back on the sofa and just watching Gerard paint for a while. “I love the sea...”

Gerard glanced over his shoulder at Frank with a smile, noticing that he was looking a little tired and he turned to face him properly. “Are you feeling alright? You can go back to bed if you like.” He told him gently but Frank shook his head.

“I’m fine. I just need to sit for a moment.” He assured the older man, Gerard nodding though he gazed at him for a moment longer, worried that he had over worked himself. He knew people with head injuries were supposed to stay in bed but Frank’s smile was genuine if a little tired. “Alright, well... How about I put on the Little Mermaid for you to watch?” He offered, blushing slightly over how strange it was to suggest such a thing to a full grown man but he knew Frank would be up for it.

“Oh?” As expected Frank’s face lit up immediately and he nodded. “Please do. I’m interested to see what it’s like.” He smiled, still not sure what the Little Mermaid or movies were, but he didn’t say anything as Gerard moved to pick out a small case from a shelf besides the TV and put the DVD into the machine. Frank watched the motions with interest, not knowing what any of these items were and he jumped in surprise when the black screen of the TV suddenly lit up with colour.

Gerard was oblivious to Frank’s amazed stare as he skipped the trailers and scrolled the menu options. Frank of course had never seen a TV before and he gazed in astonishments at the moving pictures on the screen. He was desperate to ask how it worked but he knew it would only make it more obvious how out of place he was and so kept quiet and simply watched.

Once Gerard got the movie playing he got back to his feet and moved back to his easel so he could carry on painting as Frank watched the screen. He smiled at him and told him not to worry if he fell asleep or anything, but Frank was clearly not listening, to busy staring in amazement at the cartoon playing.

Gerard watched him staring at the screen with a fond smile for a moment before he turned back to his painting and concentrated on that. Frank was silent as he watched the movie, the only sounds in the room the ones coming from the TV.

Frank watched film with some interest, finding the whole thing absurd at first. The merfolk depicted on the screen were nothing like the ones in the ocean, though he liked the look of their giant palace, he wouldn’t mind one of those. It was obvious the movie was human made, but as it played on Frank began to find it somewhat educational. There were hints and explanations in the movie towards what human life was like, and Frank found he could relate to Ariel all too easily. He may not have come to the surface seeking a prince, but he could sympathise over the difficulty to fit in.

As the movie was drawing to a close Frank felt his eyes begin to droop. Though he hadn’t been awake for much more than six hours coming to terms with where he was and his new body had taken it out of him and before he knew it he was soon falling asleep. By the time the credits rolled onto the screen and Gerard turned to see how Frank had found it the younger man was slumped down against the cushions, his lips parted as he breathed deeply.

Gerard bit his lip and smiled warmly, turning away from his painting to consider taking Frank back to the spare room to put him to bed. He knew it would probably be best if he did but in the end he decided he simply didn’t want to. Although he was only sleeping, and although Gerard had his back to him, he actually enjoyed having Frank in the same room. It brought him a strange sort of comfort and so he simply turned the TV off and let the younger man sleep as he went back to his painting.

*

“Jamia! Oh goodness it is good to see you back, I came as soon as I heard.” Jamia looked up blearily as Marigold hurried over to her, taking her hand and clasping it between both of her own. Jamia was lying on a flat rock not too far from the drop off point where she had left with Frank the day before. The other merfolk of the community had crowded around her, fussing over her and all talking at once; but now that Marigold was here everyone had fallen silent.

“We got so worried about you when you didn’t come back last night. Is everything alright, are you hurt?” Marigold asked urgently but delicately, not wanting to frighten the already clearly anxious girl. “I can see that Frank isn’t with you.”

“We got caught in a storm.” Jamia whimpered, her voice a little croaky from all the crying she had done. “The waves were so big... And the current was too strong for us. It tore us apart but I don’t know what happened to Frank.”

All around her the merfolk exchanged nervous glances. It had been centuries since anything like this had happened and it was clear that most people were already assuming they would never see Frank again. Jamia was coated in cuts and bruises though for the most part she didn’t look too hurt.

“We need to find Frank, we need to-”

“Hush dear.” Marigold cut Jamia off quickly, laying a finger over her lips and shaking her head. “You need to rest. We will send a search party after Frank. You needn’t worry.” She assured her, though it had been so long since anything like this had happened Marigold didn’t know if a search party would be any good. It was part of her job to find merfolk who may be lost or hurt on their way to the surface, but she had never actually had to do it before.

“Do you have any idea of where he might be?”

“No I... I tried looking for him.” Jamia mewled, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to force down the lump in her throat. “I was thrown into a fishing net during the storm... but I was able to get out when it ended. I went everywhere looking for Frank but I couldn’t find him. He could be hurt or caught or dead for all I know.” Jamia’s shoulders began to shake as she began to cry, her tears invisible beneath the water but her sorrow only too plain. “I knew going to the surface would be too dangerous!”

“Now don’t you speak like that.” Marigold quickly quietened her. There were plenty of the younger merfolk around who would be looking to go to the surface in the next year or two and it was important that this incident didn’t put anyone off going. “We’ll find Frank, I can promise you that.” She said gently, smiling as comfortingly as she could before she turned to a mermaid with a gold tail and dark red hair. “Immy you can help Jamia can’t you?”

“Of course.” The mermaid, Immy, nodded. She smiled comfortingly at Jamia and swam closer to her. Though the merfolk didn’t use medicine as such, they had basic ideas of how to take care of anyone who was injured and Immy was the most gifted in this area. She turned to Jamia then, examining the extents of her cuts and bruises and murmuring comforting words to her to calm her down as Marigold swam away and began to pick out a few of the mermen to form a search party.

“Bob, David and... Ah, Jake, you three won’t mind going in search of Frankie will you?” She smiled as the mermen pointed out swam forward. All three of them had been to the surface before, and they were also the strongest in the community. None of them hesitated in answering Marigold, assuring her they would look for Frank straight away.

“Good.” Marigold smiled, though her stomach was still swirling nervously. “Be very careful, and don’t go up to the surface. If you can’t find him in the water then there will be no hope for him.” She said quietly, careful not to let Jamia hear. It pained her to say the words, she wanted desperately for Frank to be okay but she would not jeopardize the entire community for the sake of one life.

Bob, Jake and David exchanged glances, their faces carefully expressionless but their sadness could be seen in their eyes. Frank was popular amongst the whole community. He was energetic and friendly and always up to something. No one wanted to imagine him not returning.

“We’ll find him.” Bob finally spoke, his voice full of conviction. Frank was his neighbour and his friend, he refused to believe that they wouldn’t find him. Jamia herself had come back with little more than a few cuts, Bob refused to believe that Frank had been seriously hurt. “We’ll return as soon as we have him.”

Bob turned and swam away without another word, David and Jake hesitating just a moment before they too swam after him. They knew the way to the harbour without having to go above the waves and they swam with all the speed they could muster. If Frank was alive then they were determined to find him.

*

Frank awoke to the scent of something delicious. He didn’t know what the scent was, but it stirred him from his sleep like a gentle caress to his cheek and he sighed as he rolled onto his front and lifted his head to inhale deeply. He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer, letting his body come to terms with being awake before he slowly opened his eyes and gazed around.

Gerard was no longer in the living room, but Frank could see his now completed painting still on its easel. The window showed that it was now dark outside, but the lights on the side had been turned on and the TV was on quiet, bathing the room in a warm glow that made Frank smile. Colours like this just didn’t exist in the ocean.

Frank could hear that Gerard was moving about in the kitchen and he imagined that was where the smell was coming from too. But in that moment he was more interested in taking a look at the painting. The mermaid was finished, looking so real Frank could hardly believe Gerard had made her out of paint. He had depicted her lying on her back on the beach, her wet hair splayed out around her. He had started to fill in the background though it didn’t reach all the way to the edges of the canvas, but Frank had eyes only for the maiden.

Now that she had all the right fins on her tail she looked just as if she had truly come from the sea. Her tail was a fiery red colour with fins painted to look more transparent. Her long hair was blonde and seemed to glisten on the canvas. She had full lips and long lashed eyes and Frank wondered if this was the face of a woman Gerard knew... Whether he liked her.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Frank jumped at the sudden sound of Gerard’s voice though he had spoken softly. He turned to face him, smiling and nodding as Gerard walked over with a strangely shaped glasses in his hand. “I’m making us a vegetarian pasta for dinner. I wasn’t sure if you’d eat meat or not so...” Gerard handed Frank one of the glasses, smiling softly at him. “It will still go nice with this wine though. Do you like wine?”

“I’ve never tried it.” Frank admitted quietly, turning back to the canvas as he took a sip of the deep burgundy liquid inside the glass. It wasn’t a surprise for Gerard when Frank immediately began choking, gasping and spluttering in surprise at the strange sensation of the alcoholic fumes rising in his throat.

“I probably should have warned you about that.” Gerard chuckled sheepishly, getting the feeling he was probably making the poor man’s life hell but before he could offer to get Frank something different to drink he was already taking another sip and this time managed not to choke.

“It’s fine.” Frank assured him, finding that he rather enjoyed the taste even if he didn’t like the alcohol content. “You finished your painting.”

“Ah, yeah. I uh... I just need to finish the background and let it dry and then it’ll be ready to sell.” Gerard smiled, looking at the mermaid too. Frank looked at him in surprise, a grin splitting his features.

“You’re going to sell it?” He beamed, thrilled to hear that Gerard liked it enough to do that. But then at the same time Frank was going to be sad to see it go; but, he reasoned with himself, he too would be leaving in the morning so it wasn’t like he’d be around to see it anyway.

“I sell all my paintings.” Gerard responded, still gazing at the beautiful woman he had painted. “I need to, to get by. I’m hoping this one is going to be the first of many... It felt good to be painting again.” He sighed, smiling to himself. He felt much more positive now he had got so much painting done that day; like his artists block had finally shifted and he had already been inundated with more ideas. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Frank quickly nodded, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the beautiful face of the maiden unless he ruined it. “Is she based off someone you know?” He asked softly. He knew that when humans took a partner it wasn’t like when merfolk did. Humans took partners for love whereas merfolk were paired off based on fertility. It wasn’t uncommon for merpeople to fall in love, but sex rarely came into it. He knew that with humans though sex and attraction was a large part of their relationships.

“Someone I... No. God no.” Gerard couldn’t help but laugh at Frank’s innocent question, quickly shaking his head. He was something of a recluse, and other than his own family he didn’t really know anyone else. He didn’t have any friends. “She’s just someone I made up.”

“She’s very pretty.” Frank smiled, glancing at Gerard again. “I thought she might be a past... lover.” Frank knew that humans had terms for their partners in different stages of their relationships, but Frank had never really paid much attention to them so he used the term he knew to be unisex.

“A lover?” Gerard laughed even more at that, causing Frank to smile at him curiously. “No, no no no.” Gerard drew out the last ‘no’, shaking his head and taking a quick sip of his wine. “No I uh... No I don’t put any of my past lovers in my paintings. And uh... Well, she certainly isn’t one.” Gerard looked at Frank a little nervously. He had always believed in being open about his sexuality, but when being open about it to a stranger who was also incredibly attractive and remarkably strange Gerard couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. “I’m actually gay, you see.”

“Gay?” Frank repeated, cocking his head to the side. The word rang a bell, but he couldn’t quite place it. “What’s gay again?” He asked, trying to act as if it was completely normal to forget the words meaning but he could tell from Gerard’s face it wasn’t. But the artist was growing used to being surprised by the little Frank knew and so he quietly explained it to him without question.

“It means that I am attracted other men, not women.” He said gently, Frank nodding with an ‘oh’ and smiling. Of course, he remembered now. Humans weren’t like merfolk. Although merpeople fornicated in male/female pairs they didn’t have anything like a sexuality. When they were in the sea they couldn’t have sex, and so it didn’t matter who you fell in love with. All merpeople in a relationship didn’t have sex, that was just the way it was. But humans of course did, and Frank could remember being told that it was considered normal that everyone fornicate with someone of the opposite sex, but that in some cases humans had sex with someone who was the same sex as them and this had a label – Gay.

“Well, she’s still very pretty.” Frank smiled, referring to the painting again. “But maybe you could paint a merman next time. I prefer men too, ya know.” He smirked, wanting to let Gerard know he didn’t mind that he was gay. It wasn’t strange to merpeople to love someone the same sex as you, but Frank was beginning to notice more and more since being in Gerard’s apartment that he was connecting with him on a level he never had with anyone in the sea. He was also enjoying the small flashes of chest he could see through the gaps where his shirt buttons were much more than he had ever enjoyed looking at the chests of mermaids, or even mermen. Though a male chest was more attractive to him, he had always just assumed that was because it was more familiar to him.

Gerard looked at Frank with some surprise, thrilled to hear he was gay though he knew that he shouldn’t assume anything. Just because they were both gay didn’t mean that anything was going to happen. Just because he was attracted to Frank it didn’t mean that Frank was attracted to him, besides they didn’t even knock each other that much at all.

“Well um... That’s uh, good.” Gerard coughed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and taking another gulp of wine to make himself feel less shy around Frank who was smiling calmly at him. “Well I better go check on the dinner anyway. I hope you’re hungry.” He smiled, going back towards the kitchen, Frank following him.

“Mm, starving.” Frank responded, sipping his wine and looking around the apartment, finding the artificial light intriguing. The smell of the food alone was making his stomach growl and he couldn’t wait to taste it. The pancakes that morning had been incredible and he just wanted to try everything Gerard could make.

He sat at the kitchen table as Gerard put his wine down and began to stir the pasta and bustle about sorting out plates and salad. Frank kept quiet as he watched the older man, finding his eyes drawn to the most absurd places, like the artists backside. Frank had never seen a humans bottom until that day and he found it to be quiet... tempting. He wanted to grab and cup it, to squeeze it and feel how firm it was. He supposed it was because merpeople didn’t have anything like that. He smiled to himself as he turned back to his wine and sipped some more, at least when he was back in the spare room and alone he could take some time to explore his own body and learn a little more about being a human.

Frank didn’t even realise he wasn’t even thinking about Jamia anymore. Once again the mermaid had disappeared from his mind, taken over from the amazing things happening around him and as the food was served and Frank took his first bite all he could think about was how he wished he wouldn’t have to leave in the morning.