Whispers Beneath The Waves (Boy x Boy) [Shortlisted for The Wattys 2018!]

Chapter 12 - Bath Time

Hey everyone!

I am very excited to announce that this story has been Longlisted for The Wattys 2018 eeek! It made Top 800 out of 150,000 entries... I literally can't believe it! I've never reached the longlist before with any of my stories so this is super exciting and I really hope it will help new readers discover the story. Thanks so much to all of you who have been reading/voting/commenting so far, I really appreciate it and hope you're enjoying the TAIL (hahaha sorry) :D

Here's a really unrealistic picture I found of a merman in a bathtub, I know it's not perfect but hopefully it still gives you vibes for this next chapter haha!
Becky xx

Chapter 12

Bath Time

I slept in the next morning, longer than I usually ever did. It was good for me. I woke up feeling more refreshed than I had in weeks. I guess it wasn't just Kye exhausted from adjusting to a strange new world. I had to get my head around everything too.

Mum had already left for her stall and Kye was still asleep in the guest room. Or at least I thought he was. When I entered the bathroom he was lying in the bath, head back, eyes closed and tail exposed, shimmering in all its glory.

"S-sorry," I stammered, clutching the door handle. "I didn't realise you were up."

He sat up in surprise, splashing water all over the floor as his tail bobbed up and down. "Lennon! Hey, it's OK. Come over here."

I edged closer, sitting on top of the closed toilet seat like my Mum always did whenever I was in the bath. She wasn't one for giving people privacy. And evidently, I'd inherited the same trait.

"So..." I began, gazing at the tail. The glittering scales of beautiful emerald. This was the first time I'd seen it up close and personal. "It's not just sea water that does this to you then?"

Kye shook his head with a smile. "No. It's when I'm totally submerged in any water. Kind of annoying really. I was getting used to the legs." He caught me staring and reached out for my hand. "Do you want to touch it?"

The question caught me off-guard. "Erm... I... I don't know."

"It's OK," Kye laughed, guiding my hand to the middle of his tail and pressing it against the scales. "I know you're curious about it."

"It's smooth," I murmured. "It feels like a mirror or something."

"Yeah, we're not just regular old fish you know. We're way more special."

He didn't need to explain to me how special he was. I already knew. And I loved exploring this brand new piece of him. It was weirdly intimate. I ran my thumb against the shining scales as he gazed at me encouragingly. This boy I'd known so well for so many years without even knowing it.

"Aren't you going to miss it if you stay?" I asked. I wasn't sure I'd like the answer, but I had to know. "This is such a big part of you. It's your body. And it's beautiful. How can you just walk away from it?"