FicWad

Frank was a little timid as he sat down on the couch in the apartment and waited for Gerard to come in from the kitchen.

On their walk home they had made a small detour to buy a bottle of wine, Gerard insisting they needed to celebrate the fact that Frank had come out to him.

Frank had to admit that he was surprised that Gerard was taking the whole thing so well. He was happy that he was, but he was also a little nervous that he was faking it in order to make Frank trust him and that he would then tell someone about him. Deep down he knew it was ridiculous, he knew that he really could trust Gerard, but years of being told that humans were dangerous made it difficult for him to not be wary.

As the artist joined him in the living room he smiled, trying not to let it show that he was still anxious as he accepted the small glass of wine Gerard handed to him. He was starting to prefer wine each time he drank it, but he still only wanted a small amount. But he gathered it was a human convention to drink wine in moments like these so he had agreed to buying it.

Gerard looked like he was incredibly happy as he settled back in his seat and swirled his own wine round its much larger glass. He looked at Frank and grinned at him, sliding his free hand across the small gap between them to rest on Frank’s thigh and squeeze gently.

“Frankie…” He sighed, his eyes soft and loving. “I’m so happy that you’ve told me about you. I never would have guessed you were a merman.” He whispered, the words still feeling strange in his mouth; saying them made him feel almost stupid, it just seemed so impossible. Such a ridiculous thing to say… and yet he had seen it, with his very own eyes he had seen the truth…

Frank forced a smile, nodding his head and taking a large gulp of wine to steady his nerves. He had been so sure earlier that telling Gerard was the right thing, but now he couldn’t help but hope he hadn’t made a mistake.

“Gerard…” Frank took another large gulp of his drink and then turned to face the older man, looking at him anxiously. “Gee… Promise me, promise you won’t tell anyone about what you saw.” He whispered, his voice desperate and Gerard rose his eyebrows in surprise. After the way they had lay in the ocean together, so happy and serene, it was hard to understand why Frank suddenly seemed nervous.

“What… I… Frankie, of course I wouldn’t tell anyone.” He breathed, putting his glass and then Frank’s down so that he could take both of his hands and hold them tight. “I swear to you, I would never betray you like that. No one would believe me even if I tried… Frankie… You’re safe, I promise.”

Frank stared deeply into Gerard’s churning hazel eyes, trying to read them; it didn’t take him long to realise he had been wrong to let doubt creep in and he sighed, relaxing as he nodded and leant forward to softly kiss Gerard’s lips.

“I believe you.” He sighed, wrapping his arms around Gerard’s neck and cuddling into his lap as he apologised softly. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. Of course I trust you… It’s just… I never thought I’d ever reveal myself to a human. It’s pretty much the biggest thing merpeople aren’t supposed to do.”

“I understand.” Gerard nodded, and he really did. He couldn’t imagine harbouring such a large secret; something that would impact on the lives of a whole community, and then daring to trust someone else with it. He was incredibly grateful that Frank had trusted him enough to tell him, and he wanted nothing more than to prove to him that he hadn’t made the wrong decision.

“I know it was hard for you to tell me the truth.” He continued to speak, handing Frank his wine again. “And it was hard for me to take in too… But seeing you in the water earlier it… I don’t know. It just felt amazing Frankie. It felt like I’d been waiting for that my whole life, and now I know that merpeople exist, I don’t want anyone else to know. I want it to be our secret; something special just for us, ya know?”

Gerard blushed slightly at his own words, only too aware that he sounded ridiculous but he had needed to say it. Frank didn’t look embarrassed though, instead he smiled warmly and nodded, taking hold of one of Gerard’s hands and squeezing softly. He sipped his wine, enjoying the buzz it created in his head.

“Thank you Gerard.” He smiled, cuddling up against the artist’s side and sharing a soft kiss with him. “I felt that way too… I don’t think I would have told anyone else, no matter how much I trusted them. I only wanted to tell you. You make me feel really special.” Frank blushed slightly, but continued to smile as Gerard gave a dreamy sigh and kissed him lovingly again.

“Mm… Listen to us, we’re starting to sound like an old black and white movie.” Gerard chuckled, picking up his glass of wine again and sipping from it as Frank smiled curiously. He knew what a black and white movie was but he didn’t fully understand Gerard’s reference, but he didn’t ask him to explain.

“Mm, talking of movies let’s put one on.” The artist added, grinning as he got up to do just that and Frank smiled as he watched him.

It was almost strange how natural things still were between them even though the truth had been revealed. Frank was still able to curl up against Gerard as the movie played, and he was still able to kiss him softly whenever he couldn’t resist any longer. The wine was new, but Frank was actually beginning to really enjoy it. By the time the movie had ended the two men had finished the whole bottle, and though Gerard seemed mostly fine, Frank was feeling strange.

Gerard suggested that the two of them move to the bedroom as Frank’s eyelids drooped, but when they got up to walk there Frank promptly fell down to the floor.

“Frankie!?” Gerard gasped, quickly scooping the shorter man up and planting him back on his feet. At first he was worried, but when he saw the comical look of astonishment on Frank’s face he couldn’t help but fall about into a fit of laughter.
“Hey! Hey don’t laugh at me! I don’t know what just happened.” Frank whimpered, his words slurring slightly and Gerard snorted with laughter as he wrapped an arm around Frank’s waist.

“I think you’re drunk Frankie.” He laughed heartily, unable to walk whilst he was weakened by his laughing. The merman just looked at him, confused, giggling a little himself though he really didn’t know why he was. He had never been drunk before, or anywhere near it, and so he relied heavily on Gerard to help him into the bedroom.

Frank didn’t know if he was struggling to walk because it was an already unnatural thing for him to do, or whether it was because of the wine he had drank. Either way Gerard’s laughter wasn’t helping; it felt like it took them forever to make into the bedroom and once they finally had Frank flung himself immediately onto the bed.

Gerard chuckled as he joined the younger man atop the sheets, his laughter dying down until he was only grinning as Frank rolled slowly over onto his side to look at him. For a minute neither man said anything, they just gazed at each other and found themselves gravitating towards one another. It seemed that the same idea was passing through their minds, even in his somewhat drunken state Frank was following Gerard’s more sober thoughts perfectly and neither really had to think about it before they were leaning in to each other to share a soft kiss.

Gerard sighed in quiet delight as his lips met Franks, this kiss seeming more important than any they had already shared. Even Frank seemed to be feeling it and he mewled softly as he slid closer to the artist and wrapped his arms loosely around him. Gerard eagerly returned the embrace and tightened his arms around Frank’s middle, pressing their bodies together.

Frank sighed and smiled into the kiss, lifting his hands to tangle into Gerard’s hair and tug gently as he eagerly pushed his tongue into Gerard’s mouth. Their fooling around had boosted his confidence and experience a little, but the added alcohol in the mix made him more confident than ever and he caught Gerard by surprise as he deepened the kiss and practically rolled Gerard over.

“Mmph…” Gerard’s eyes opened wide for a moment before closing again and he sighed as he relaxed onto his back and pulled Frank on top of him, eagerly rubbing his tongue against his lovers. A hand dipped down to rest on Frank’s backside, squeezing gently as they both got lost in passionate kisses. The sexual tension between them was never not present, but now it was thicker than ever and Gerard didn’t know if he’d be content with just fooling around tonight. Not after Frank’s revelation that morning and the taste of wine now on his tongue.

Frank sighed and groaned a little as he leant into Gerard more, kissing him hard and deep as his hands fisted through his hair. He thought fleetingly how wine was now his new favourite thing. He was sober enough to understand it was the alcohol that was making him feel so at ease in taking charge and he was having a great time as he sucked at Gerard’s lower lip and rubbed his hips down over the artist’s.

Gerard gasped as denim bit into each other from the friction of their hips, his cock beginning to swell already. It felt forbidden to be doing this with a tipsy Frank and yet he couldn’t stop. He knew that Frank had wanted this for some time now, and so had he, but he had been determined to take things slow. He was still determined… but how slow did they have to go, really? They had already explored each other numerous times, he reasoned, perhaps pushing things a little further wouldn’t be too bad.

“Mmm… Frankie… Frankie ah… You’re making me hard.” He warned quietly, his voice husky. He tipped his head back as Frank continued to kiss him eagerly, his lips sliding down to kiss and bite at his jaw when he moved and he gave a soft hum of delight against Gerard’s skin.

“Me too…” He growled, his words substantially less slurred due to his arousal. He rubbed his hips over Gerard’s again to accentuate his point, his hardened cock rubbing over Gerard’s and causing both men to gasp lustily.

Frank’s head was still lighter than usual, but he definitely knew what he wanted. He was even more eager than Gerard, kissing and sucking hungrily at his neck and throat to leave a trail of marks down to his collarbone. The alcohol gave him the courage to go ahead and do what he wanted without worrying about it. He was getting better at not worrying he was going to do something abnormal, but now those thoughts didn’t even cross his mind. The only thing he could think about was how good it felt to rub against Gerard and to suck at his skin.

Gerard sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, groaning quietly as Frank worked down his body. The younger man had been completely naïve to any kind of sexual advances when they had first started fooling around, but he was definitely a quick learner. He was finding spots on Gerard’s body the artist had never known were so sensitive and he eagerly helped Frank tug off his shirt before relaxing down again.

This was the first time Frank had ever attempted to take control and Gerard was more than happy to just relax and enjoy the way Frank was exploring his body. He had taught him as much as he could without actually having sex, assuring him that he was up for anything Frank wanted to do. Now that he knew Frank was a merman he could understand why the younger man had ever been anxious in the first place, but Gerard was sure there was nothing Frank would try that would turn him away.

“Mm… Mm… Gee, you make me feel so good.” Frank growled, his cock fully erect and aching in his jeans as he kissed hungrily down to one of Gerard’s nipples and sucked it into his mouth. He delighted in the sharp gasp he received because of it and lathed his tongue over the rosy nub which grew firm in his mouth. He had already discovered that teasing Gerard’s nipples produced good results and he took his time in licking and sucking gently on each one as his fingertips slid down his flat stomach.

Gerard could do nothing but sigh and breathe heavily, his fingers scratching at the bed sheets as his cock throbbed in his jeans. For someone with such little experience Frank really knew what he was doing. He kissed down Gerard’s stomach slowly, taking his time and mumbling over how good he felt as he continued to rub his hips against him.

As Frank shuffled down his rolling hips went with him, and soon he was rubbing against Gerard’s thigh and then his calves as his teeth nipped along his midriff. Feeling Frank’s cock, hot and demanding, against his leg was making Gerard even more turned on and he whimpered in need as Frank finally pulled open his jeans and his cock bulged through the opening. Frank mouthed at the shaft through his underwear, Gerard lifting his hips so that he could pull his jeans down his legs.

Frank pulled back long enough to yank Gerard’s jeans off him completely and toss them to the floor and then remove his own shirt before he fell back onto him, his mouth pressing hungrily to his erection once more. He lathed his tongue over the cotton of his underwear, inhaling deeply to breathe in Gerard’s musky scent before hooking his fingers into the waist band of his underwear and tugging.

Gerard sighed and lifted his hips again as Frank pulled the briefs over his erection and then down his legs. So far Gerard had given Frank a blowjob but had never received one back, and the thought that Frank was going to give it a go was making his head swim heavily. He tried to open his mouth to assure him that he didn’t have to if he didn’t want to, but his throbbing cock wouldn’t let him speak and he felt like it was fairly obvious what Frank wanted anyway…

Frank sat back on his haunches to drop Gerard’s underwear onto the floor and then he paused, just stopping a moment so that he could look down over Gerard’s body. One of his favourite things to do was examine Gerard all over, just so intrigued by his body. No amount of staring in the mirror at his own human form could compare to how it felt to look at Gerard naked, especially when he was hard and wanting like this. It gave Frank a heady sense of satisfaction and his mouth practically watered as he leant down and licked a long stripe up the underside of Gerard’s erection.

The artist inhaled sharply and struggled to repress a groan, his body on fire. His hands shook and clung to the bed sheets as Frank licked slowly all over his shaft, taking his time in exploring every inch and getting used to the different textures and tastes.

Frank had never really imagined that doing this with his mouth could feel so good, but Gerard had already shown him how amazing it felt and he wanted desperately to make Gerard feel that good too. His intrigue over this very human appendage helped his enthusiasm and he was quick to wrap his hand around the base and lift Gerard’s cock so he could suck the head into his mouth.

Gerard gasped and arched his back, struggling not to buck his hips as Frank sucked heartily at his tip and then began to slide down his shaft; mimicking what Gerard had done to him. It had been years since Gerard had done this, and he couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have kneeling between his legs. Even though he knew this was the first time Frank had done this it did nothing to limit his arousal; in fact it just made it increase even more.

Frank concentrated hard as he swallowed as much of Gerard into his mouth as he could. He only managed to take in half before he could feel his throat trying to close up and make him gag. He pulled off slightly, disappointed he couldn’t take in more but what he could fit in he licked and sucked for all he was worth.

“O – Oh God…” Gerard breathed quietly, pressing one of his hands into his hair as his cock throbbed. What Frank couldn’t get into his mouth he rubbed with his hand, his tongue swirling around the head and his cheeks hollowed. The myriad of sensations was making Gerard feel incredibly close and he moaned soft words of encouragement to let Frank know he was doing well.

Frank sighed and hummed softly, spurred on by Gerard’s moaning and words and he sucked harder around his cock. Pre cum had started to ooze onto his tongue and though the taste was stronger and much stranger than he had been expecting he was determined not to let it put him off. If he could get used to coffee and wine, he could get used to this too.

Gerard though had other ideas and he groaned softly as he gently cupped Frank’s cheek and pulled him away from his erection.

Frank let him slip from his lips with an obscene slurp, his eyes bright as he look up at Gerard in confusion. He smiled slowly, licking his lips and hoping he had done okay. He had been content to carry on but he was eager to see why Gerard had stopped him.

“Mm… What’s wrong?” He asked softly, stroking Gerard’s thighs as the older man sat up and shook his head.

“Nothing… God, nothing. That was amazing, but I don’t want to cum like that.” Gerard’s words came out deep and husky and Frank felt positively dizzy. He was sure all of the blood in his head had disappeared into his cock, Gerard’s voice alone was enough to make him feel close to climax.

“How do you want to cum?” He asked breathlessly, practically whimpering when Gerard leant forward and took hold of him, wrapping him up in his arms and not saying anything before he was kissing him hard and deep. Frank gasped and struggled to keep up, his hips jerking forward on instinct. His head swam with relief when Gerard moved his hands down and scrabbled at his jeans, yanking them open and quickly pushing them, along with Frank’s underwear, down his legs.

Frank sighed and shivered at the feeling of Gerard’s hands sliding over his backside, his cock weeping pre cum onto Gerard’s thigh as he leant against him for support. He wanted to ask what he was planning but he couldn’t say a single word. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt so turned on, he wasn’t sure how their evening had led to this but he didn’t want it to stop.

Gerard kept his hands planted on Frank’s ass, kneading and squeezing as he kissed him hard in the centre of the bed. They knelt for a while, but it wasn’t long before neither had any strength left and they collapsed in a tangle of limbs and hot, desperate kisses.

Gerard wanted to fuck Frank. He wanted it so bad he could barely think of anything else. But though he didn’t think Frank was acting this way because of the wine he knew he couldn’t let their first time together be influenced in anyway by alcohol and so he reluctantly pushed any ideas of sex out of his mind. Trying to think of something else to do though was proving difficult when he had just one thing on his mind, as such their kissing seemed to last for hours before Gerard finally made a move.

When Gerard finally rolled Frank onto his back the younger man was feeling dizzy and his lips swollen from all their heated kissing. He had been rubbing up against Gerard the whole time and had smeared pre cum over his hip and thigh. He was desperate for release and so was Gerard; he wasted no time in lying atop Frank and wrapping his hand around both of their erections so that they lined up against each other.

Frank sighed and moaned softly, closing his eyes and bucking his hips up eagerly as Gerard began to thrust his hips. He kept his movements slow and precise, pressing down hard to keep friction against their erections as the shafts slid together with each movement of his hips. Their pre cum served as a crude lubricant and the much needed friction came as a blessing for both of them.

“Ooh…” Frank sighed, his soft voice making Gerard’s cock throb as he thrust hard and slow, panting and moaning quietly himself. His spine was tingling and he was still fired up from his earlier blowjob, making his rhythm stutter and falter every time a particularly strong wave of pleasure washed over him.

Beneath him Frank too was beyond himself, his legs widening and his hips bucking as he sought orgasm. He groaned and flattened his hands to Gerard’s back, scratching gently as he gripped at his shoulders and sank his teeth into his neck. He was being driven wild by the delicious friction, but it just wasn’t enough. He whimpered and moaned, bucking his hips more and more and soon he was rutting wildly against Gerard, so desperate for release he was barely aware of the way Gerard was moaning and panting harshly against him.

Frank’s writhing body was doing something to Gerard he could barely stand. The head of his cock was pulsing and weeping cum and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. He was quickly proven right, one last squeeze of his hand around their erections brining him over the edge and he cried out loudly as he came hard across Frank’s stomach.

The merman gasped and bucked his hips violently, his eyes fluttering open half way before closing again as he realised what was happening. Knowing that Gerard was currently cumming against him just made Frank feel even hotter and he scrabbled at the older man’s back, whining and moaning his name over and over as he rubbed against him and delighted in the feeling of each spurt of cum against his abdomen.

Gerard felt as though he was cumming for an age; by the time he had given his last drop he felt like he could just collapse but he forced himself to move. Frank was still fully erect, his engorged cock red and throbbing angrily. He was whimpering with need and Gerard couldn’t wait to bring him relief.

Gerard slid down Frank’s body quickly, not wanting to leave him hanging. He licked some of his cum away from his stomach before quickly sucking his cock into his mouth. At the same time he moved two fingers down, brushing over his perineum before teasing over his anus.

Frank gasped and moaned wantonly, his legs spreading even more and he bent them up at the knee to give Gerard more access. He knew that gay sex would mean someone would be having the other inside them there but up until then Frank hadn’t considered about it being him. In his lust filled state though the sensation of Gerard’s fingers just rubbing and circling around the outside was incredibly welcome and soon enough he was cumming with a desperate cry into the artist’s mouth.

Gerard hummed softly and eagerly swallowed down all that Frank had to give. He didn’t push his fingers inside of him, not wanting to alarm him at all, but he felt as though they had taken another large step by Gerard even touching him there. Frank certainly seemed to like the contact, Gerard barely able to swallow the amount of cum spurting on his tongue before Frank finally slumped onto the sheets with a long sigh.

Gerard slowly pulled off Frank’s softening erection, licking his lips and smirking slightly as he gazed at the younger man. Frank looked exhausted and boneless and Gerard was only too happy to collapse beside him and take him in his arms.

“Mmm…” Frank smiled weakly and lifted a hand to rest on Gerard’s, too breathless to speak. For a long while the two men just relaxed together, Frank’s thumb sweeping back and forth on Gerard’s hand as a gentle touch of intimacy.

After they had regained their breath and their heads had levelled out Gerard had just enough energy to pull the duvet over them and turn to spoon Frank from behind before both men fell into deep, restful sleeps.

xXx

“So after nine months they just come back up here and give birth?”

“Pretty much.”

“But what if they don’t get here on the right day? What if the baby comes late, or early? I mean… No baby is born exactly nine months later… I mean, right?”

“Maybe not in the human world.” Frank chuckled sleepily, his eyes closed as he lay facing Gerard, their naked bodies entwined. “But for us labour can’t start until the human form has been resumed. I don’t know if it would harm the baby to wait longer than nine months because no one’s ever tried it, but the mermaid will go back on land when its time and turning into a human induces the labour… Other mermaids go too of course, to help… the women lay so that they’re on land but close enough to the water so that when the baby is born it can be moved straight into the sea. We’re born with our tails and gills, so we can’t breathe on land. We can’t take on human forms until we reach sexual maturity.”

“Wow…” Gerard breathed, gazing over Franks shoulder with a thoughtful gaze. “I can’t believe that’s been going on for all these centuries and no one’s ever noticed.”

Frank giggled and nodded, mumbling something about humans being unobservant but he was mostly drifting in and out of sleep. He had slept right through the night after his incredible orgasm, and he and Gerard had had round two that morning. Frank was no ready to drift back to sleep once more, just for a little while before breakfast, but Gerard was more interested in learning about merpeople than sleeping.

In his sleepy state Frank was happy to answer any questions, hardly having to think about anything he was saying. He was warm and content, and his mouth was running on its own.

“When we first met, and you taught me how to paint,” Gerard continued to speak, idly stroking Frank’s back as the younger man relaxed. “You told me the different names of the fins… Do all merpeople have the same colour tails?”

“Hm? No of course not.” Frank laughed quietly, smiling as he snuggled closer to Gerard and nuzzled his face into his chest. “We mm... We all have different colours. Bold colours though. The colour of our scales is always rich and deep, and then our fins are more translucent.” He sighed softly, smiling as Gerard’s hand on his back soothed him.

“We all have the caudal fin, and then either all of the pelvic and dorsal fins or just a selection of the three. Some of us have fish patterns too… I know a great mermaid with the tail of an Ocellaris.” He purred softly, Gerard raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“A clownfish?” He gasped, trying to imagine a beautiful mermaid with such a tail and he immediately knew he wanted to paint one like that. Frank nodded weakly against his chest, obviously close to drifting asleep.

“That’s amazing… So all these old time paintings of mermaids having plain grey tails are wrong then?” Gerard chuckled, not surprised that people used to think mermaids had the normal tail of a common grey fish. Frank snorted and nodded, yawning against his chest.

“Mhmm… They were probably just getting confused with Sirens.” He mumbled, Gerard frowning slightly.

“Sirens?”

“Yeah… They look like mermaids… But their tails are longer than ours, and they only have a caudal fin.” Frank purred, it never crossing his mind that he was revealing too much. “Their tails are all one colour, their fins translucent like ours. They only get either gold, silver, white or bronze tails though. I don’t really know why… The legend of their existence says it’s because those colours make humans think of treasure, and sex and treasure were what tempted sailors most. And everyone knows Sirens are all about seducing sailors so they can drown them...”

“Oh…” Gerard mumbled softly, looking at Frank with wide eyes but the younger man didn’t notice, too busy falling asleep. “Do Sirens still drown sailors?” He asked softly, trying to sound casual as he continued to stroke Frank’s back, the merman nodding.

“Mm… Course… But it’s hard for them now because of the size of ships so they try to snatch them off small fishing and sailing boats instead.” He purred, soon drifting to sleep without another word when Gerard didn’t ask him anymore.

Frank’s soft snores began to fill the room but instead of smiling at how cute he was Gerard lay stock still, feeling stunned. He didn’t know if Frank would realise what he had just revealed to him, but suddenly the mystery of the disappearing sailors was beginning to become a lot clearer.

xXx

Jamia sighed as she lay on her front on the ocean floor, her face sad as she looked at Bob who was lying opposite her. Rumours had been drifting through the small town about the presence of some Sirens not too far off, and finally some scouts had been sent out to confirm it. Now that everyone knew it was true they were under strict rules not to leave the boundaries of the town and to call an alarm if any Sirens were spotted coming too close… The town was in an uproar, but Jamia just felt sad.

“Bob… What if Frank tries to come back and they catch him?” She asked quietly, not looking into the blonde man’s eyes as she drew patterns in the sand with her finger. “It feels like everything is against us…”

“Jay…” Bob sighed, gently touching her hand. “Frank hasn’t come back yet… I don’t think he’s going to come back at all.” He tried to sound gentle and consoling, but honestly he had said this so many times now he knew that it wasn’t going to upset Jamia anymore than usual. It hurt them both to consider giving up on Frank, it was hard enough simply having to wait and hope he’d return, but even hoping seemed too much now.

“It hasn’t been two months yet, he still has time.” Jamia reminded Bob quietly, still not looking at him. She refused to give up hope, she still looked up every time a shadow past her to see if it was Frank returning. As impossible as it seemed she had to believe he would return, he couldn’t be dead… But now that the Sirens were here Jamia wasn’t sure if Frank would be able to make it into the town even if he did get into the ocean.

“I suppose…” Bob mumbled, though if he was being honest he had given up hope for Frank for a week now. “I guess we’ll just see.”

“But the Sirens, you don’t think they’ll stop Frank from getting home do you?” Jamia pushed, turning her gaze on Bob at last. “Why are they here at all? I thought they lived much deeper in the ocean.”

“They did.” Bob sighed, not sure himself why they were so close now. “But I don’t think they’d stop Frank reaching us. They’re dangerous, yes, but they’re more interested in humans than mermen.” He pointed out, though he really didn’t see why it mattered. Frank was gone, it was obvious as far as Bob was concerned.

“Oh I really hope so.” Jamia groaned, sighing as she rubbed her hand over the sand to get rid of the patterns she had drawn. “I almost feel like we should try and go back on land and look for him again.”

“Oh Jamia not this again.” Bob groaned, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he shook his head. He could understand why Jamia wanted to go, it was hard to move on without knowing whether Frank was even alive or dead, but Bob couldn’t let Jamia risk her own life to find out.

“Look… I know you want to find Frank, and so do I… But you know it’s no use. We’ll only end up getting into trouble again and we’ll never find him. You just have to believe he’ll find his way back.” Bob gently held onto Jamia’s hand, feeling bad for being so hypocritical as to tell her to keep faith barely moments after telling her it was no use; he just couldn’t bear to see her so upset. He wished with all his heart that Frank would return to them, but now the Sirens were around the town’s safety was more important.

“It’s hard though Bob.” Jamia sighed, leaning up onto her elbows and then pushing up off the floor to swim back to the town. “I just can’t rest until he comes home…”