13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Leigh

T olly's lips were a constant temptation now that Leigh had given in, especially when he swam to the edge of the pool, hands moving to Leigh's thighs as he lifted up to claim a kiss. Tolly tasted far sweeter than he should.

"Come into the water with me," he said. Then, more seductively as he swam away, "Do you want to see what I look like in this form?"

Leigh did—he really did. His conflict stemmed only from fearing he was bad for Tolly, a bad element, bad example, bad everything. Here was this miraculous, beautiful being, offering himself up, and Leigh was caught in a net of violence and lies that could easily drag Tolly down with him.

Of course Leigh kept seeing something terrible in his dreams. Tolly might be from a race of killers, but Leigh was the one who would soon have murder on his hands.

"Holy shit."

The voice brought Leigh to attention, recognizing the alarm on Tolly's face only after he heard Alvin exclaim from behind him.

Alvin!

Whirling around, Leigh saw a bag on the ground that Alvin must have dropped—Tolly's papers—and the unmistakable shock on his friend's face as he saw Tolly's tail, that he had a tail, his tail . Shit!

"Alvin—"

"A mermaid? He's a freaking mermaid ? No wonder he talks so weird. This is huge! Like talking dog huge! Like… are fairies real too?" Alvin rushed toward Tolly in the pool. "Unicorns? Wizards? Do you grant wishes?"

" Al ." Leigh scrambled to his feet to ward him off. "He's not a fucking genie."

"I thought you were fooling around in here, not communing with Flipper!"

"Stop," Leigh warned him, since Tolly had already ducked down in defense. "You're freaking him out."

"What? Why? This is the coolest thing ever!"

"Leigh," Tolly called tentatively from the water, "I need to sing."

"No." Leigh spun to face him again. "You can't—"

"Sing? Like put a spell on me?" Alvin spoke over Leigh's shoulder. "I'm not gonna say anything!"

"Do you promise?" Tolly swam to the edge, his tail glittering beneath him but mostly concealed. "I would only wipe your memory of the past few minutes. I would never harm you, but should anyone untrustworthy discover what I am—"

"I'm trustworthy!" Alvin raised his hands in surrender. "You're helping me with Cary. You're my hero right now, Tolly."

Before Leigh could recognize what was happening, Alvin dropped into a cross-legged position right at his feet and scooted to the edge of the pool.

"We talked today. Like words exchanged. It was the best thing ever. No signing yet, I want to be better at that first, but it's progress and it's all because of you. Plus, you saved Leigh's life! I'll owe you forever, Nemo. Or should I call you Creature from the Blue Lagoon?"

"It's Black Lagoon," Leigh droned, calming now that he saw the warm smile blossoming on Tolly's face.

"Not looking like that he's not." Alvin winked. "Your tail, by the way, is gorgeous. Can I touch it?"

" No ." Leigh hadn't even touched it yet.

"You do not mind that I lied to you?" Tolly asked.

"You're a mermaid . Of course you lied. You tell the truth, people will think you're nuts. Or throw you in a government lab somewhere. But you can trust me, we're buds! So—" Alvin scooted closer, leaning forward enough that the proper momentum could have tipped him right into the water—and oh how Leigh was tempted…. "—if you sang, what would it do to me? Like hypnotize me?"

"In a way." Tolly glowed under the positive attention, surprised but pleased by Alvin's response. Leigh couldn't deny he felt the same, and really, he should have known better coming from his friend.

Suddenly, all the questions he'd been too afraid to ask could be asked by Alvin, who had no filter whatsoever, and Tolly didn't seem to mind answering a single one.

"Are there mermaid cities? What do you eat down there? How do you see underwater when it's so dark? Do you ever get attacked by scary ocean creatures?"

Tolly answered every question calmly and thoughtfully.

No, they did not have cities the way it showed in The Little Mermaid or stories about Atlantis. They lived near coral or in underwater caves in communities so they could hunt together and protect one another from predators. Some creatures might try to attack them, but most kept away from his kin. He ate fish and birds and anything he could get his hands on, but he loved fruit and vegetables when he managed to get some from a tree or garden near water.

"My eyes cut through the darkness, and it looks as clear to me as daylight."

"Do they glow like a cat's?"

"No, it is different than that," Tolly said with hesitancy, and Leigh wondered if his eyes changed underwater. He didn't remember them looking any different.

"You wouldn't eat a cat, would you?"

"Why would I eat a cat?" Tolly said, offended. "They are quite intelligent from what I hear, and affectionate creatures. I would much prefer to pet one someday."

"You've never pet a cat?"

"Alvin," Leigh spoke up before long, "leave the poor guy alone so he can catch his breath. It's late. We should go up."

Alvin looked thoroughly betrayed at the idea of calling it a night, but Tolly nodded, and Leigh grabbed Alvin's arm to hoist him up.

"How do you change back?" Alvin jumped right in again. "Does it take a while? Does it hurt? Do you have to be dry?"

"Not at all," Tolly answered all his questions in one as he started to lift up.

" Tolly ." Leigh stopped him. "Naked."

"Oh. My apologies." Tolly sank back down, hidden by the ledge of the pool. "Would you hand me my trunks, please, Alvin?"

"Spoilsport," Alvin grumbled after tossing Tolly his shorts. "I was hoping for some Free Willy ."

Leigh groaned, though he had a feeling he'd tracked down the source of Ralph's pickup lines.

"That is so cool," Alvin said when Tolly finally lifted out of the water with legs and wearing his trunks.

They went upstairs so Alvin could give them the ID and papers. It was official—Tolly could get a job now, buy alcohol, drive a car even. Well maybe not that unless he really wanted to learn.

While Tolly went into the bedroom to change, Leigh told Alvin his suspicions about the Morettis planning a takeover and the detectives hanging around more lately.

"What do we do? Warn Pops?"

"With the way he reacts? It'll only make things worse. We need to wait for the meet-up between Vincent, Sam, and Rosa."

"So we can take 'em all out?"

"So we can… figure out another plan."

Alvin stared at him with none of the usual mischief. "You don't want to do it, do you? Off Moretti."

"Would you?"

"I don't know." Alvin shrugged, looking young and unsure despite the collection of crimes between them. "Dad's gonna expect it of me someday. What, you thinking of going straight for Shark Week? Figuratively speaking."

Leigh cracked as much of a smile as he could manage while ignoring the bile churning in his stomach. "Not only for him, but I don't know. I don't know what I want."

He must have betrayed his concern over leaving Alvin to this life alone, because Alvin said, "Hey, I'll be fine. You do you. And definitely do him." He winked toward the bedroom.

"Al…."

"Please tell me I interrupted something super kinky—"

" No ."

"Aw, haven't sampled the sushi yet?"

"Seriously?" Leigh sputtered a laugh.

"You have got to tell me once you do. Like every weird merperson detail."

"You can go now." Leigh pushed him toward the door, since he'd already said his goodnights.

"He is seriously the coolest thing," Alvin said, "like wow."

"I'm glad you think so. Really. Thanks for being so good about all this."

"Anytime, man. You're my brother, you know." He tapped Leigh lightly on the chest with the back of his hand, as close as they usually came to hugging. "Even if you are dating a fish person."

" Out ." Leigh pushed him out the door, and Alvin chuckled before waving goodbye.

Only he could have taken learning mermaids were real that well, but Leigh was grateful. Whatever the future held, he couldn't stomach the thought of his best friend not accepting his… whatever Tolly was.

Speaking of Tolly, Leigh was surprised he was taking so long in the bedroom. It shouldn't take that much time to pick out something to wear to….

Leigh's thought process stalled as soon as he turned to see Tolly standing in the bedroom doorway wearing a fresh pair of underwear that hugged him snug and a T-shirt Leigh had been meaning to throw away because it shrunk in the wash and was currently giving a peek of toned abs. Tolly had no idea how much hotter he looked like that instead of standing in front of Leigh nude. Or maybe he did and that was the point.

"Are you angry with me?"