Marin shook his head.“It shouldn’t be a problem so long as I’m careful not to reveal myself.”
“I’m… I’m really happy you had fun,” Blake said, reaching out to lay a hand over Marin’s knee.Marin smiled and covered the back of Blake’s hand with his palm, brushing his thumb over the rough skin there.
“You’re fun to be around,” Marin told him.“I enjoy being in your presence, even if we’re just working next to each other quietly.That’s something I really appreciate in a friend… and in a partner.”
Blake flushed, but his eyes fell upon the posterboard lying face-down on the table in front of them.The poem formed in his mind, written in Celeste’s clean and elegant handwriting:these four days you have to prove your heart.
“I don’t—and please don’t take this as a rejection,” Blake added quickly, “But I don’t want you to feel any pressure to pursue anything romantic with me.It’s… the ethics of this entire situation have been bothering me.”
“Because of the third condition?”Marin asked.“That you have to ‘prove that you’re worthy of my love’.”
“Yes.I don’t want you to feel like I’m your only choice, just because I’m the one that woke you up,” Blake admitted with a nod.“And I don’t want you to think that you’reobligatedto be in a relationship in order to keep living.”
Blake took a moment to restructure his thoughts.“Love doesn’t have to be romantic.It… it can be platonic.If you’d be happier loving me as a friend, please don’t neglect that option.I want you to be able to choose.That’s… so,soimportant to me.”
Marin smiled, affection coloring his expression as he gave Blake’s hand a reassuring squeeze.“Thank you.It means a lot to me that you’re willing to be so open about all of this.I appreciate your honesty.But…”
Marin drew Blake’s hand to his mouth, brushing his lips over his knuckles.Blake was shocked by the intimate depths of the gesture and his breath hitched in his throat, heart pattering a tattoo into his chest.
“I like spending time with you, Blake,” Marin said, eyes glowing with fondness.“I’m more than willing to see how this relationship develops.I’m not worried about ethics.I might have just met you, but I can already tell that you’re a straightforward and trustworthy person.I’m confident that you wouldn’t take advantage or hurt me.I know the circumstances are unusual, to say the least,” he added with a chuckle.“And that I’ve only known you for a day, but I enjoy the time we’ve spent together so far.”
“I’ve enjoyed it, too,” Blake told him, reaching out to caress a loose tress of Marin’s hair; he rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, enjoying the silkiness as a distraction.“I… I like being around you, too, Marin,” he admitted in a low rumble, too shy to meet Marin’s eyes.However, in the corner of his vision, he saw Marin’s mouth slope up into a sweet smile.
“C-can I take you out again?After the library tomorrow.”Blake quickly changed the subject, pleased but overwhelmed with how the conversation had progressed.His heart was still attempting to beat its way out of his ribcage.He released Marin’s hair, squeezing the merman’s fingers with the hand that Marin was still petting with his thumb.“There’s somewhere I wanted to take you.I know that you wanted to go back to the studio to finish your sculpture, but I was reminded of something earlier today that I think you’ll like and I really wanted to show it to you.”
“I’d enjoy that,” Marin said, lowering his lashes as he nodded his assent.“It’s a date.”
?
Blake had never had the pleasure of getting ready for bed with another person before.There was something warm and domestic about standing next to Marin in the bathroom, mouth full of toothpaste foam as the merman fastidiously combed through his long, silky hair.
“Would you mind braiding it again?”Marin requested with a sheepish grin, holding a hank of hair up to Blake.“You did a great job earlier and it stayed all day—I think it might be annoying if I braid it over to one side.”
Blake leaned over the sink to spit out his mouthful of toothpaste before agreeing.“Sure thing—you can go on ahead and get changed.”
Marin smiled, content, and left the bathroom.Blake scrambled into his pajamas before awkwardly idling outside of his bedroom door.
It felt atadsilly to give Marin such privacy, especially since it was nothing worse than changing at the gym or with a roommate.Not to mention, he’d seeneverythingthe merman had to offer the other night in the pool.
However, Blake’s heart was already rushing at the prospect of sharing the bed with Marin again—and since he wasmuchless exhausted than the night before, he had plenty of time and brain power to overthink things.
Moments later, he found Marin sitting on the edge of the mattress.He was resting his chin upon his folded arms and knees, staring up at the thumbnail-thin sliver of the moon peering down through the window.
“Can’t see it too well from out here in the city,” Blake began, easing down next to him.He tucked a lock of Marin’s hair behind his ear, surprised when the merman leaned into the gesture.
“I can see so much more than I ever did tacked on the front of that boat,” he told Blake.“Even if the city lights drown it out, it’s still more sky than I ever could have hoped to see before.”
Blake combed his fingers through Marin’s hair, methodically beginning to separate it into equal parts to weave into a proper braid.
Once he was completed, Marin curled up in the corner of the bed against the wall with a content sigh.
Shit, Blake thought, the throb of his heart catching in his chest.Would it be wrong of me to assume he wants to share again?I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“Hey uh,” he began with a small cough.“Did you want me in here with you, or…?I mean, I don’t want you to feel obligated if that would be too weird.”
To his surprise, Marin worked his mouth into a disappointed moue, rolling over to face him.“We already shared the bed last night, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, but…” Blake flushed.“Those were kind of extenuating circumstances, yeah?”
