Chasing Tide (A Merman's Tale And The Human Who Desired Him)

TREATS FOR HIS SOULPEARL.

Chapter: 106.
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'Since I am such a distraction how about I leave and never see your ugly face again'

To which Tide laughed when he received his message, he was so adorable and the cutest when he's grumpy, Tide wanted nothing more than to look at his face at that very moment, to watch his lips pout and his eyes flaring in anger but even more amusingly the erratic beating of his heart when he gets all irritated. He knew it was an empty threat, he's known the merman three months but it was long enough to know all about him since Alexander isn't exactly hard to read.

He was so simple, easily driven, and would speak the first thing that comes to his mind, his honesty was a treat Tide lapped up with greed. He couldn't help his heart from sinking deeper into the Merman who has suddenly appeared in his life and just as if he was meant to be part of it all along, everything became about Alexander, he was thinking about him in places he shouldn't be thinking about him, in class, with Neptune, right this very moment with a Merwitch spitting curse fire at them and here he was, sending soulbutterflies and smiling like a fool all for Alexander. Sending another butterfly he groaned when Nexie shoved his sides and muttered.

"Concentrate!" She eyed him evilly and he smiled apologetically, sent the soulbutterfly off, and began casting his magic toward the cage that held the merwitch stopping her from using her dark magic against them and from causing more damage to the city while Nexie casts binding spells and a young Merdragon by the name Seaton made a portal to send the merwitch back to Glasa.

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Alexander, who had sent a threat to Tide, still lingered by the gates, waiting impatiently for him while sending evil glares to the Merfairies by the gate. They in turn ignored his dramatic tactics and would often smile when he glared at them. He had only turned his back to them when he heard the gentle buzzing of the soulbutterfly. His heart rate rose as soon as he felt the soulbutterfly flit against his hand before he brought it to his ear.

'Why won't you return my love'

'Ask me again tomorrow'

He returned.

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That was three days ago and today he was asking him once again. Alexander bit the inside of his lips as he waited patiently for Tide. Thinking steadily about the question and when he will indeed return his love. A soft breeze blew past him making his hair curl and tousle and he glanced up to see Tide in front of him.

"Always with the dramatic entrance," Alexander remarked and Tide laughed.

"Always with the teasing" He retorted playfully and sat beside Alexander, "You seemed lost in thoughts, I had to get your attention somehow."

"I was." He admitted truthfully.

"What about?"

"I was worried you will get tired of my constant visit." He said with a shrug.

"Is that all you're worried about?"

Alexander sighed softly, that wasn't all, he was also thinking about his questions and when he would give his answer but he wasn't going to tell him that just yet so he nodded, his eyes looking up ahead to the vast of Aquarial, the many Merfolks going about their dealings, little merbabies practicing new spells while some rode on Seahorses, but his eyes caught the Feedless fountain surrounded by kelp trees and they lingered on the little mindless white fishes swimming around a fountain of fish-treats, nipping at the treats softly, happily. It was the fishermerman's trap. They fill the fountain with fish food and lie in wait for the fishes to come and once they have fed enough the fishermerman's would cast their magic nets capturing them in their hundreds.

"Look at those fishes," he pointed at them and Tide followed fin-laced fingers to the fishes. "Every day they gather around the Feedless fountain and every day they are caught in their hundreds, yet the next day they're there, happily nibbling on treats. Why do you think this is?"

Tide looked at Alexander perplexed by his question. "They always come back because they follow the lure of food and because they need them so much to survive."

"They can hunt their next meals elsewhere, it doesn't have to always be this same spot where they are captured for the meals of higher Sea creatures, like you and I yet, they come here, again and again."

"Why go off into the wide open Seas where they have little chance of survival when they can easily get their meal from here without being haunted first by bigger Sea beasts?"

"And yet still die," Alexander added.

"And yet still die..." Tide agreed but furrowed his brows in confusion while asking his next question. "What do the fishes have to do with anything?"

"It's simple, Tide, because even as they know that out there, it's dangerous, and it is not guaranteed that they would catch a bite before they become a meal for the next bigger hungry Sea creatures, they chose here where they know for a certain that even if they die in the end they will not be dying on an empty belly, in the end, they still die but one death is less awful than the other."

Tide thought over his words as his gaze lingered on the fishes as they swam around the fountain peacefully nibbling on the many treats they could reach, unaware of the impending dangers of the fishermerman's nets coming to sweep them up in their hundreds. Turning to look at Alexander he smiled and said. "You know, sometimes when you speak to me, it feels as if Naga is speaking to me. As a Tideian who has great knowledge, yet you, my Alexander, you speak words of confusion and words which require great thinking and concentration even then I still wouldn't understand your meanings."

Alexander signed loudly. "Just like the fishes, I can not keep my Soulpearl away from the treats it chased, in the end, no matter how I look at it, I will die and you will be left to wander the Seas alone, no matter how I look at it, your love and uttermost loyalty will forever lie with your Neptune such is the life of a Tideian and so it has always been and whether I chase my meal out there or here with you, the end remains the same, only one death will be less awful than the other."

Tide's eyes bulged as the meaning to his words began to settle within his Soulpearl and he gasped, looking lovingly at him, he asked. "What do you mean when you say one death will be less awful than the other?"

Alexander sighed heavily. "First death will be one where I die without chasing the love I have for you, thus Starving my Soulpearl of his half and the experience that comes with it and like the fishes I die with an empty belly, starved, with no meaning to the life spent, and while the other death is one where I die knowing that I gave my chase its best, ate of my treats until my Soulpearl content and die with a smile and the memories of the life spent with you, just like the fishes who are swept away by the fishermerman's nets and died but with filled stomach and happy memories, in the end, there will be death but one is less awful than the other."

"Alexander..." Tide called gently but the merman had gotten on his tail and was swimming away from him.

"Come on, Tide, swim with me!" He beckoned, laughing as the waters swept him farther away from sight. Tide has no choice but to follow.

Even though he has accepted his feelings toward him yet Tide couldn't help but frown knowing that Alexander still runs away from these feelings. Having concluded what their end would be, why worry?

He could not deny his Soulpearl of its treats and yet he's fighting it.

What could be done?

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