Take me by the Hand, Lead me to the Land

Chapter 1

Sometimes, the greatest gift you can ask for is not having your slug-brother shit on your face before sunrise, on your birthday no less.

Kym insists that it was Tug's idea, but her poor attempts at muffling her laughter gave it away. She was smart enough to back a few feet from the bed before Mercy was awake enough to grasp the situation. He jolted up from his slumber and threw the clenched sea slug across his bedroom, wiping his face furiously.

"IT'S ON MY FACE!" screeched Mercy, with Kym already bolting out the door.

Mercy wasted no time lunging at Kym and swiftly chased her through the halls of the Atlantis Palace, which provided more than enough space for a merson to chase someone in. The structure was built with high walls and massive rooms that were intimidating to enter. It would have all but resembled a cavern if it weren't for the delicately sculpted aquamarine and sea-brick architecture.

Mercy and Kym swam past century-old paraphernalia that, after years of them being scolded for knocking over, were carefully avoided. Unfortunately, this gave Kym little room to hide. Mercy chased and backed her into the corner of the entry hall.

Kym threw up her arms sarcastically in surrender, and pouted her face as she "begged" for her life, "Before you send me the torture chamber, my good prince, I'll have you know that this was all Tug's idea."

"Tug?" asked Mercy, "Do I look like some kind of idiot?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Mercy was about to open his mouth, before Kym cut him off in her beggar's voice again, "But-...please, can I at least say my last words?"

"What?" sighed Mercy.

"Eat shit."

Mercy punched Kym in the shoulder, right before she grabbed him into a headlock, stuck one of her fingers into her mouth and shoved it up Mercy's ear.

"Happy birthday, dingus." she said affectionately.

"AH!" Mercy shouted, struggling to escape the grasp of Kym's headlock "You're so annoying!"

"Which is why you love me", Kym took her finger out of Mercy's ear and proceeded to rub her knuckles along his black curly hair.

"This is even worse" Mercy continued trying to escape Kym's clutches before he whipped out his talons and left an abrasion on her arm. Kym let out a yelp and immediately let him go, while he tried to catch his breath and fix up his hair.

"Ow" whispered Kym to herself. Though she really should have seen it coming.

Tug finally made his way to the corner, dragging his palm-sized little slug legs to the commotion. Going from Mercy's room to the entry hall at his size would have been no short feat, Tug managed to muddle through, he always did.

"Kym!" huffed Tug, "Did you say it? Did you say the line?"

"Oh man, you should have seen it, it was glorious." Kym swam over to Mercy and put her arm around his shoulder, "You ok, little bro?"

"Yeah, that's a real good one guys." said Mercy dryly, "totally not gross and juvenile at all."

Tug slithered his way up to Mercy and settled in the palm of his hand. That was always his natural place to climb and rest, "Well you gotta celebrate your last few hours of childhood somehow."

"Look at you, my little man's all grown up." said Kym, sniffing away non-existent tears, "I thought it was just yesterday when you were a little pup"

Mercy's shoulders slumped, which relaxed the grip Kym had on him. It was true, he was a man today. The morning sun glowed over the Atlantean waters on August 18th, Mercy's 19th birthday. His tail bore the physicality of an adult blue shark, but here he was. He half-heartedly smiled with his brother and sister like children. Do these moments last when you're a man?