Abyss
I had gotten the courage to tell him my true intentions; there was no point in hiding it now. I also recognized it was too late for my feelings to kill him now.
I stared at him, knowing I had just asked him something that no ordinary person would accept. However, I knew I wouldn't be able to manage being around him if he chose his family in this case.
As far as I was concerned, only innocent people, children, and Pixie should be spared. I quickly communicated my intentions regarding that. "I'll help you."
His voice interrupted me; I did not expect him to agree so soon. Wasn't he loyal to his family? What I had seen of him was that he only slaved away for them. I didn't believe him when he said he would join forces with me to conspire against them.
"What?" I paused to stare at him, baffled.
"Mmm, I will help you," he repeated for emphasis. "But why?" It was the only thing I could think to ask. I knew I had given him an ultimatum, but still...
"Honestly, it's time I start breaking away from my family. What happened all those years ago still haunts me. I still can't accept it, and Abyss, I am so, so, so sorry. I'm so sorry."
I sighed. "I wasn't asking for an apology. Your family is here to take over more power again, right?" I let him nod in front of me.
"I want to see them burn for their actions. I want revenge and for no one to harm my waters or the species in it ever again. I'm not convinced I can trust you; your powers are volatile. What even happened for you to have that surge that led us to this situation?" I said, conviction in my voice.
He shifted again; the awkwardness in his stance reminded me how close we were. Our limbs were already bumping and I was almost pinned against the wall. I wondered if I would ever get used to my crystal's sheer size in the water. Sarit was right to joke it was a "long distance relationship."
He put his hand to the anticoagulant dressing I had used to cover his wound. "Nuh uh, no touching that," I said, grabbing his hand and putting it back on his lap. "Speak. Don't just give me words. Now is the time to communicate."
I was aware that was a bit rich coming from me, but I meant it for myself as well. We needed to actually be straightforward, or gay-forward, if we were to get anywhere.
He seemed to agree as we were finally on the same page. "Well, what happened was that I was away from the water too long. This isn't my climate. My species is better evolved for Japanese waters, as I'm sure you're aware. After what happened in the past, I didn't want to go back more than necessary so that I wouldn't be a danger to anyone again."
I nodded; this much I knew or had surmised. "Continue." He waited for a deep-sea jellyfish to float by, ensuring it didn't get too close to me as I stared at him, waiting for his reply.
"Well, unfortunately, I still can't help but be drawn to natural bodies of water, as I'm sure you know. I was fine; I didn't realize it was getting so bad. I think I know what the trigger was now." He looked almost abashed as he avoided eye contact.
"What was it?" Why did he hesitate to speak his mind?
"I always get these nightmares about that day, and sometimes I wake up distressed, longing for... you. Except I didn't realize it was you that I was longing for that deeply. I think what triggered me was that day you were in my office and sitting on my desk. I wanted to..."
"Wanted what?" I asked; my impatience was rising. I couldn't even tell what was so special about that brief office visit to lead to all of this. I had almost forgotten about it in the commotion.
I just remembered helping him with some work and having some light conversation.
"I wanted to kiss you." His voice came out quietly, barely a whisper as the admission reverberated in my head like looped audio.
"D-did you just say that?" My jaw went slack as I looked at him in surprise. This was extremely straightforward for him. Did he really just say it aloud? I almost couldn't believe it as he nodded shyly.
"I think we got off topic," I said as I fidgeted with anything and looked anywhere but his face.
We needed to get back on track fast before I died of shyness. I was not prepared for this level of communication.
"So you're helping me with eliminating your family?" I inquired; I needed to double-check. I needed to know he really understood for sure.
He seemed to sense my need for reassurance and said, "Yes. I want a family, a true family." He looked me directly in the eyes as he said that; for a moment I felt like I would get lost in that expression as I said, "Okay, if your wound isn't feeling too horrible, we can slowly try to get you up to shore so you can see Pixie. However, you're going to be strictly on bedrest when we get there."
"Haven't I gotten enough rest?" he asked softly. "I miss Pixie and want to play with her."
"NO, comas don't count as rest. Need I remind you that you all but died? You're lucky the deep sea is this good at patching up wounds because of how hard life is down here."
He nodded. "Fine, fine, but you'll stay with me, right?"
I hadn't stayed on land overnight much since I had started to traverse back and forth, but I didn't want to leave him unattended. "Okay, but we're not sleeping in the same room."
He laughed. "Understood. Being close to you is more than enough already."