Captured

Waterworks

"Y/N, can you grab me the fish bucket? I think he's getting hungry." Dad laughs once again when Neil nudges the man with his head and lightly pushes the merman away so that he can reach the stairs leading into the pool.

"Okay, daddy!" I take my feet out of the water as he waits for me to perform my task. I race towards the door where a bucket of fresh caught fish sits by. It smells really bad. I don't know how Neil can eat this stuff. It's yucky. My nose scrunches in disgust as I pick up the bucket with both hands and bring it over to my father, who reaches in to pick up a fish by the tail.

Neil grins in excitement as the animal is thrown further into the water and rapidly swims towards his prey, nearly knocking down dad. All seemed well until the fish swam between my father's legs. Neil's mouth has opened wide and latched onto the limb with his sharp teeth. A loud scream startled me as a chunk of his flesh is ripped off, filling the pool with blood. I was frozen in place as the merman's pupils expanded.

Turns out, he's attracted to blood in the same way a shark is. My dad hurried out of the pool in hopes to escape his jaws, and, thankfully, made it out. I was still paralyzed in shock when I was grabbed and dragged out of the house. Though he was in pain, my father drove to the hospital before he could lose any more blood. We got there just in time too. He needed stitches for the large gashes, but was otherwise okay, thank goodness.

In the end, he passed the wounds off as shark bites, which wasn't questioned considering that he did fish in the ocean often to feed Neil, and it did look like a shark had bit him. I was scared to go near the pool for weeks, which concerned the merman. He would always whimper when I refused to come close to him, but, eventually, dad convinced me that what he did was an accident, that it likely wouldn't happen again as long as we weren't in the way of his hunting. Neil didn't leave my side the day I decided to dip my feet back in. He stayed there with me with his head resting on my lap as some form of comfort.

It was then that I realized he'd never purposely hurt us.

~End of Flashback~

Neil swims back to the ledge after having his fill, where I remove my sandals and stick my feet into the water. He grabs onto my legs gently, being careful not to leave scratches with his sharp claws. I reach my hand out to pat his head and feel my heart clench when he looks around me in search of my father, who I always came here with. This wasn't my first visit without him here, since I usually filled in whenever he was sick, but those times were rare. A sad sigh escapes my lips as I withdraw my arm, bringing the male's attention back to me.

"Neil." The merman tilts his head in confusion at my light, wavering voice. I take a deep breath as tears build in my eyes in attempts to stay composed. The creature gives a low chirp to usher me to continue. "Dad w-won't be coming today... Or... Or ever. He's," I pause and wipe my eyes. I don't know if I can even say it. A hard sob escapes my lips, causing Neil to whimper in concern. "He's gone." I pull my hand away from my face and drag my finger horizontally across my neck, causing the fish-man's eyes to go dim. "F/N is dead."

He didn't react immediately, but his hands slowly slid off of my legs as he stared into my eyes with no expression. He's upset; I can tell. Though his kind can shed no tears, his eyes tell it all. The creature growls before diving into the water and swimming off to the deeper end. I sigh and rest my hands on my lap, just staring at the water.

'I guess he's not taking it too well.' I wait and watch silently as the male swims laps around the pool, something he usually does when he's mad or upset. Every now and again, I'd feel him zip by my feet as he gradually slows his pace to a stop. He let out small huffs before placing his head on my lap again, this time hugging my legs tightly to make sure I sit still. I didn't plan on going anywhere anyway. He needs comfort, and so do I.

"I know, I know." My fingers entangle into the merman's short, ebony locks. His hair once reached all the way to his  lower back, but dad had to cut it after it had caught on a rock. "I'm going to miss him too."

The male let's out a low purr, and he gazes up at me when a tear slid down my cheek and onto his head. I must be crying again. My body trembles as I wipe my eyes again, feeling ready to lose control of my emotions. Neil whimpers and tugs at my army green shorts, signaling that he wants me to go into the water. I sniffle and nod before he releases my legs. I stand up and take off my white shirt and shorts to reveal my blue, one-piece bathing suit underneath. I always made sure to wear it whenever I came to this place, since Neil seems to like when I swim with him.

I used to wear bikinis in my teen years, but after a little... incident, I started wearing one-piece bathing suits.

~Flashback~

'At last, I can finally swim with Neil! It took forever to convince dad, but I did it! Took him long enough. I'm fifteen for Christ sakes!' I understood the reason why, though. Dad has been cautious ever since the feeding accident. Everything started out normal, with me walking down the stairs into the cold water. Meanwhile, Neil began swimming circles around me in excitement, for he knew I never put more than my feet into his pool. I laugh when he pokes at my legs and stomach, which tickled, but then he started picking at the strings of my bathing suit.

"H-hey! Leave those alone." I swat at the creature's hands. Since he didn't completely understand me, he continued to untie the knots. Eventually, both articles of clothing came off, despite my attempts to stop him. Then came a loud shout from the doorway, where my dad had entered the cave.

"What the f- Neil, get off now!" He takes the whistle from the string around his neck and blows hard into it. The merman shakes his head and screeches while covering his ears, having an extreme sensitivity to loud noises. To get away from the sound, Neil swims away and dives into the deepest part of the water. Dad then grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the water after I grabbed my bikini. I dress quickly and look over to where the creature sticks his head out of the water to watch from afar. Seems he was too scared to come closer because of dad's whistle.

After that, we left, and dad didn't let me come back for a long while.

~End of Flashback~

These memories, they made things worse. More tears spill from my eyes as sobs catch in my throat. This was so painful. I wish dad was here. I wish he was still alive.

Now, all I have is Neil, and I swear to take good care of him always.