Oscar and Mer 🍆🪼

X

**PRESENT**

Once Mer learned how to brush his teeth, he ended up becoming a pro at it due to the fact that his fever never seemed to come down and he continually vomited at least three times a day. He was exhausted most of the time and due to his body fighting whatever was making him sick, he ended up staying in bed all day. Oscar was worried about him because his fever seemed to never go down, no matter what Oscar did. The high temperature of the fever was also causing Mer to hallucinate and so he would cry out Oscar's name in the middle of the night, fighting an unknown, invisible villain, and screaming at the top of his lungs in human tones as well as mermaid fish sounds that sometimes made it hard for Oscar to be close because he felt like his eardrums were going to burst.

It was hell, but Oscar wasn't going to abandon Mer. He did everything he possibly knew how to do, stayed close by, and tried different methods he found on the Internet to help out his friend. Nothing seemed to work and the constant stress was starting to get to him.

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A few days later, as Oscar tried not to nod off to a movie in the living room, his phone rang and he jumped. He grabbed his phone and saw it was a video call from his dad. He turned it on.

"Hey, Dad..." he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"No... Ever since Mer got here, he's been extremely sick and it's kicking my ass."

"Do you need any help? What's been going on?"

Oscar recounted everything that had happened in the past few days and Isaiah listened to him intently. Oscar rubbed his eyes, wanting to fall asleep.

"I just... I can't get any sleep and then when I try to sleep, he wakes me up and it takes a while for him to get calmed down. Something really, really bad happened to him, Dad. I can tell that he's in intense fear every time he screams my name and fights me. It's an invisible enemy but it's got a face for him. He's fighting someone... but I have to fight him to get him to recognize that I'm there. He's calling my name but he can't see me..." Oscar ran his fingers through his hair. "I want to be there for him and help him through..."

"Do you want me to come up there and help with him? You can't help him if you are always exhausted as well. Eventually, you'll get sick and then who will help him then?"

"I just... I don't know..."

"Besides, you'll be starting at the aquarium soon and as much as you want to be there for Mer, if you don't go to your job then it will be very hard for you to stay at the house."

"I know... I know..." Oscar said, starting to get frustrated and wanting to cry. "I can't... I just... I can't do it, Dad."

"Stay strong, Oz. I'll try to come up there by tomorrow to help you out."

"Dad, you don't-"

"Mer is like family to me as well, Oscar. I know you won't ask for it, so I'll come up there."

Oscar sighed. "Thanks... I'm so sorry for causing so much trouble."

"It's not trouble at all, son. I know you have gone through so much to be able to stay there and built your career so you can be next to Mer. I'm sure Mer is very happy that you've made this decision."

"He doesn't even know that I live here now permanently. It hasn't come up just due to everything that's happened."

"When he's better, I know he'll appreciate it. Try to get some sleep."

"Yeah, I'll try. I hope Mer will understand about the paintings and stuff, you know, with me using him as a muse."

"I feel like he'd be flattered. Have you ever considered painting that other mermaid you met? The pearly one?"