The group walked outside the doors. Austin was almost expecting Tristan to be all over them, begging them to take him with them, but he seemed very calm when they reentered the hallway. He was talking to a Capricorn, her tail lit up much like Isaac and Trent's used to. She had bright pink-ish orange-ish hair, a big grin on her face.
"Oh, hey guys! This is Monika. Monika, this is my Teach, Tanner, Austin, and Ian," Tristan said. Austin waved awkwardly, and the girl just kept grinning. "She has been telling me what it is like up here, in the North. They seem so much more classy," he said with a shrug.
"Yeah, I can see what you mean by that," Tanner said. Austin took another glimpse at the room's decor. He was surprised the water wear was held at such a minimum.
"Guys?" Oli said, peeking out of a door across the hallway. "Do you know where you are staying?"
"No, not really," Tanner said.
"Okay, cool. I think there is two rooms free on the second floor if you don't mind sharing. We're pretty packed right now- everyone's heading towards the boundary for the winter, you know, with it being so much warmer here."
"Uh... yeah. We are good with that. Ian, Tristan, are you guys up for sharing one?" Tanner said, looking between the two boys.
"I mean, I guess," Tristan said, and Ian just shrugged again.
"I missed sharing a room with you, you know," Tanner said, as they swam down the underwater hallway. "You have a comfortable presence."
"Thanks," Austin said with a smile. Tanner smiled back sweetly.
The one thing Austin disliked about this underwater hotel was the lack of an elevator. And it didn't really make all that much sense to have one, especially when swimming up the ramps set in place took no effort, and sliding down seemed to take even less. Still, there was something about hotels needing elevators that he couldn't let go. The idea of Tanner, especially, jumping up and down in one, laughing at the way it moved.. or, alternatively, the idea of Tanner pressed up against the elevator wall, moaning his name as Austin pressed kisses to his neck, hands roaming...
Austin just really wished they had an elevator.
Their room was a sparkling white, fitted with the one thing in a hotel that could Austin happier than an elevator- a bed. "You're kidding me," he whispered, walking in the oak door to the bedroom. "There's actually a bed. I- I must be dreaming. There's no way." In contrast to the white walls and oak floors, the bed was the stark shade of pomegranates in the summer- a dark red violet. Austin grinned in anticipation to sleep, finally sleep, on something other than the cold, hard ground.
"What is that thing?" Tanner asked. Austin paused, turning to face him. Sure, it had occurred to him that mermen usually slept on the floor, but not knowing what a bed was? Unacceptable, Austin thought, shutting the door behind him and Tanner. "Is it food?"
"Why the hell..." Austin said, looking at Tanner. "There is no way that thing can fit in your mouth."
"You have no idea what my mouth can do," Tanner said. Austin paused, biting the inside of his lip. He really hoped Tanner meant that the way it came out.
"Oh yeah?"
"Oh yeah."
"Really? Because I think I have a hunch," Austin said, moving close to Tanner. A smile fell on his lips as he pressed his forehead to Tanner's. He began pressing his lips, quick and rough, to Tanner's. Tanner leaned deeper into the kiss. He pulled his arms around Austin's neck, tangling in his hair.
"Yeah, I think you might be right," Tanner said between kisses. They were pressed together tightly, wound like wire around a spool. Austin found himself backing up under Tanner's strength. Before he knew it, he felt the feeling velvet on his back.
"This," Austin said, adjusting his position, "is what a bed is for."
"Remind me to get one of these," Tanner joked, falling back onto the duvet.
Austin smiled over at Tanner, resting his own head on the pillow. "Tan, I've got a weird question," Austin said.
"Feel free to ask," Tanner said.
"Do you guys have like... a way of..." Austin trailed off.
"You want to know if we have casual sex," Tanner said. Austin looked up, surprise in his eyes.
"Are you a mind reader? I'm pretty sure you're a mind reader," Austin said. He didn't want to ask the question in the first place, but if he was going to be a merman for the rest of his young life, he was going to know.
"No."
"No you're not a mind reader? Or, did you mean you guys don't fuck?"
"No, we cannot have casual sex. People only... fuck... to reproduce," Tanner said. Austin nodded, looking away. He was not ready to have this conversation with Tanner, there was no way. Nope. Too uncomfortable. No thank you.
"Cool. Alright. That's... cool. I think I'm gonna go to sleep now," Austin said, looking anywhere but Tanner. "G'night.."
"Good night, Austin. See you in the morning," Tanner said. Austin tucked himself under the duvet. Tanner mimicked the movement, pulling the blanket up to his chin like a child. Tanner sent him a small smile, not quite wanting to meet his eye. Austin took a deep breath, sliding his eyelids shut.
For the first time in a long, long time, he could finally get some damn good sleep.