Blue Scales || Muke ✓

twenty-eight

Luke tugged on a new pair of boxers and threw a spare pair to Michael.

"Aren't these Calum's?" Michael asked, looking at the toucans that were printed on to the fabric. He held them up and gave Luke a questioning look.

"I forgot to pack an extra pair a few practices ago and he gave me a spare. Nothing more," Luke said, "I just never gave them back."

Michael didn't say anything else, just got up from the bed and stepped in to the stretchy material. He let the band snap against his hips and crawled back in to bed, Luke following behind him.

"Explain."

"Well, I was running late that morning and literally only grabbed my swim bottoms and when I finished practice I realized that I didn't have-" Luke started but was quickly cut off.

"I was talking about the whole fish, well merman, thing," Michael said, chuckling at how easily Luke got confused.

"Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Sorry. Well my name is Luke Robert Hemmings. I live near the Great Barrier Reef, about fifty miles from it and I came on land to find my soulmate," Luke started.

"In a merperson's life to find true love, you must find your soulmate. Of course some people don't believe in it but I do. It was a gift that Aphrodite gave to Poseidon and his children so that they could find true love when he helped defend her castle. Everyone is born with a soulmate. When you touch your soulmate, you get your scales. When you kiss them, you get the color to your scales," Luke continued.

"We are soulmates. I originally thought it was Calum but that was a load of bullcrab. I was the only kid in my school that didn't have his scales yet so my parents went to Mermajesty and she told them that my soulmate was on land. I moved in with my aunt to find my soulmate. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do now that I've found you," the blue-haired boy muttered, "You're my soulmate!"

Luke leaned up and kissed boy, smiling into the kiss. Michael pushed Luke back once the younger boy tried to deepen it. 

"You're supposed to be explaining!" Michael exclaimed.

"Right. Right," Luke muttered.

"How am I a merman though? I have a tail Luke and a soulmate and I don't understand this. My parents aren't merpeople," Michael said. The black-haired boy groaned and rubbed his face with his hands.

"I mean you wouldn't have scales or a soulmate if only one parent was a merperson so both parents are merpeople. I don't know why your dad wouldn't tell you. Have you ever seen him go to the beach?" Luke asked.

"Never," Michael said.

"There you have it," Luke said, "I just don't know why he'd get you away from the ocean completely."

"It must've been because of Mom, oh my god.  It all makes sense. Dad hates the beach. It reminds him to much of my mom. Luke, do you think they were soulmates too?" Michael asked. He wanted some type of answer. He knew Luke didn't know all but it was the closest thing to an answer that he'd get.

"Possibly. There's two possible reasons. One is that he hates the ocean because she was taken from him that way. He didn't want to go back. The other is that they weren't soulmates and fell in love. Those types of merpeople are normally kicked out or ostracized to the point where they feel like they need to leave. Both could work," Luke explained.

Michael nodded his head, trying to understand everything. He had been lied to for seventeen years by his dad. He was a mythological -well not really a myth anymore- creature that he used to read about in stories and would only imagine.

Now he had a tail and fins.

"Are your parents each other's soulmate?" Michael asked.

"Yes! They met at thirteen years old on a school trip. They were partnered together and the rest was history. They were high school sweethearts. My brothers found their soulmates really young as well. I was kind of left out because of it and at school it was even worse. I was the only one that didn't have their scales," Luke said sadly. A small pout graced his features and Michael couldn't help but to kiss him softly.

"But now you do. And you have a hot soulmate to show off as well," Michael said smugly.

Luke hit Michael's arm softly but a slight giggle left his mouth at what Michael had said.

"I guess he's kind of hot," Luke trailed off. Michael frowned and the blue-haired boy laughed softly again.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Gosh, it's like I can be the clownfish of the class under the water but on land everyone's suddenly so defensive," Luke grumbled.

Michael laughed at Luke's "class-clown" ocean slang. He couldn't help it. Luke had said some pretty odd things- that Michael found endearing -but this one was just the best. Luke frowned at his soulmate and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Don't be a bully. We just stopped be anemones."

"Enemies."

"Yeah, that."

"I find your ocean slang cute Luke. Don't get defensive yourself. You may swim faster but I can actually run without tripping," Michael said, pinching Luke's thigh and earning a squeal from him.

"Shut up Michael," Luke muttered. Michael laughed and softly pinched Luke's thigh again.

"Can we put on some clothes and go to my house? I want to ask my dad about everything. And then maybe, we can go to the beach," Michael suggested.

"The beach? I thought you wouldn't want to go," Luke said, a confused look etched across his face.

"Yeah, but if I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you I'm going to have to learn," Michael said, pushing Luke off his lap softly. He climbed out of bed and started putting his clothes on again. Luke followed and did the same. Rather quickly honestly.

He wanted to see Michael try and use his tail for the first time. There was nothing stopping him from wanting to see his soulmate act like a complete idiot trying to figure out how to make it propel him. He'd probably flip over the first time and swim sideways for a bit until he figured it out. The blue-haired boy would just sit back and laugh for a bit before showing Michael how to properly swim.

Of course, Luke was going to be a little mean but this was payback to Michael for bringing him to a sushi restaurant.

***

There's four chapters left. I'm emo. I don't want to update and hold it off as much as possible. That still probably won't happen and I'll have it done in less than two weeks. I'm excited for it but I'm also excited to start Silver Dust (the fairy soulmate spinoff) and idk. I love you guys so much and I can't believe this is at 33k omg. Xx

-Lee