Mermen and Blackmail

Virgil looked out the window and saw it was an ideal time for himself and his boyfriend: it was late enough in the day for them to be out and about without being devoured by a crowd, but it was still early enough in the day for the sun to shine. Virgil and Logan walked out of their shared apartment and headed for the lake and felt satisfied when they didn't see anyone else around them. They removed their clothes until they were both only in their boxers. After a game of "rock, paper, scissors," Virgil did a cannonball in the lake and watched as Logan dove into the lake. As if on cue, Logan's legs turned into a fish tail and Virgil smiled.

Virgil and Logan swam around the lake as well as under the water. It was as if they were the only two sentient beings in existence, kind of like how they felt when they first met at the ocean while Virgil left town for Spring Break. As much as Logan has told Virgil that he didn't mind being away from the water for a longer period of time than he used to be as long as they're together, Virgil still insisted on them going to the lake with the intention of helping him feel comfortable while being in a new environment. Ever since Logan came back home with Virgil, Virgil has shown Logan the beauties of the land that make the average struggles of a human worth it. In return, Logan has helped Virgil see more reasons for why swimmable bodies of water must be protected.

The two swam around under the water and gazed at each other lovingly before they shared a passionate kiss. They thought they heard a click, but they were only focused on each other. Eventually, for the sake of neither of them pulling away, Virgil clung to Logan as he swam them back to the surface. As a result, it only looked like two college students making out while presumably skinny dipping.

Eventually, they pulled away to look at each other.

"Do you miss the ocean, Logan?"

"A little bit, but, you know, you and that tour guide job at the aquarium certainly helps."

Virgil chuckled before saying, "I hope they treat you with respect since they need you more than they realize."

The next day, the two woke up while snuggling close to each other. They weren't in the mood to cook, so they decided to go to the cafe at Virgil's college for breakfast. It was a small cafe and, as far as anyone else who saw them knew, Virgil and Logan were boyfriends that kept in touch on social media first before they met in person during Spring Break and the rest is history.

The couple enjoyed their time together while having breakfast at the cafe until Virgil glanced over Logan's shoulder and saw Derek Charmer. They used to be friends in high school until they had a falling out that resulted in them not necessarily arguing with each other as long as they stayed out of each other's way. Logan didn't hate Derek, but recognized that Virgil felt uneasy when he was near.

"Ah, good morning to the lovely couple. What brings you here?" Derek asked confidently.

"Too lazy to cook," Logan answered concisely.

"Mind if I sit here? I'd appreciate your advice on some pictures I took for Photography."

Virgil pulled out an empty chair for Derek. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Derek, but he knew that the man would stick around whether Virgil answered "yes" or "no" to the question. Derek showed the pair some generic pictures he took of nature in the evening and they didn't seem interested until they saw a picture of them underwater kissing while Logan was a merman.

"Where were you?" was all Logan could think to ask.

"In the woods for a good while and in the lake testing the waterproof feature of my camera last night. I'm sure more than just my professor would be eager to find out that there is a merman among us," Derek answered with a sinister grin on his face.

Before Logan could make any excuses to deny Derek's claimed, Virgil immediately jumped in with "What do I have to do?" which led to Derek chuckling.

As a result, for three weeks and then some, Virgil had to tolerate tasks Derek would put him through that he wouldn't do willingly; watch the Gummy Bear Song on repeat for an hour, get dragged to night clubs to serve as Derek's wingman and listen to the one-night stands from outside a closed door, walk through crowded hallways without anxiety toys in his possession, pretend to be drunk while at work and allow himself to be recorded, even wear a pink crop top throughout the day with the full knowledge that he's not comfortable with anyone that wasn't Logan seeing his body.

One evening, Virgil walked back to the apartment building and was greeted by Logan who was waiting outside for him. He saw that Virgil was covered in a few burns and soaked coffee.

"Dewdrop, what happened to you?"

"Oh, Derek came into the diner with some friends while I was cleaning tables at the diner and had them throw coffee on me if I said anything related to the word 'tired'."

Logan gasped from shock and found himself growing frustrated.

"Please tell me your boss did something!"

"Oh, he kicked them out after the 15th cup and realizing that they were just going to keep harassing me."

Logan grumbled and started to march off.

"Which dorm does that eel live in? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

Virgil ran after Logan and pulled him back to stop him.

"No, Logan! I don't want you to get involved with him!"

"Why not? He's been putting you through (ooh, how do humans describe it?) Hell and he knows it! You're insecure, you're anxious, loud noises scare you, noises of copulating make you uncomfortable, and you're letting him take advantage of all those weaknesses? Why would you allow that?"

By the time Logan was done ranting to Virgil, he was releasing tears of anger and Derek hid around the corner of their apartment building after just walking by.

"You really want to know why? Derek took away my credibility when he revealed to our old high school that I had an anxiety disorder. He took away my trust, my security, my ability to be taken seriously, and old friends who left because they thought I was mentally challenged or only wanted sympathy. When he showed us that picture he took, I knew that not doing what he wanted me to do would result in him taking my everything away from me!"

"Am I really worth you allowing yourself to go through uncomfortable situations?"

"Of course you are. You know why I fell in love with you in less than a week? I saw you as smart, a great listener, someone I could trust, someone I felt I could share the same daydreams with, and someone I couldn't risk losing. If you were discovered, maybe you'd get hunted, displayed at a zoo, dissected by scientists, I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances!"

The couple looked at each other as the stars twinkled above them and the lights in the buildings around them turned off one by one.

"Look, if you allow me to, I'd rather partake in these stress-inducing and uncomfortable tasks that will eventually lead to me coming home to cry in your arms if it means you'll be safe with me for another day."

Logan approached Virgil and hugged him tightly. After hearing everything from his hiding spot, Derek felt guilt devouring him from the inside out before he ran off to his dorm.

The next day, Virgil left his class and hugged Logan the instant he saw him waiting in the hallway. They held hands and slowly walked to the diner Virgil worked at. Once they made it outside, Derek saw them and jogged their way.

"If you need me in another crowded hallway, I'll give you my fidget cube right now," Virgil said before reaching in his pocket.

"Wait, I don't need your fidget cube. You need it more than me along with something else," Derek claimed.

He reached into his bag, pulled out an envelope with the label "Portfolio Photos" and took out a picture to hand to Virgil. Virgil turned it around and became stunned when he saw it was the picture of himself and Logan underwater.

"I... I thought you were going to use it for your portfolio," Virgil expressed confusion.

"Well, I was on the fence about using it, but then I found out how much of an ass I really was putting you through so much and realizing you wouldn't really go through with half of what I put you through if it wasn't for someone you actually loved," Derek confessed.

Virgil wasn't exactly sure what to say, so Logan chimed in.

"If you want us to stay out of your way, we can still do that. However, if Virgil is okay with it, maybe we can reach some kind of acquaintanceship of some sort," Logan suggested.

Virgil looked at his boyfriend with a smile before glancing at Derek.

"Maybe we can meet up at the aquarium when Logan's not too busy," Virgil suggested.

"Oh, you have some friends or family there?" Derek asked.

"Of course not. If I did, I'd experience embarrassment and the tour groups wouldn't know why," Logan retorted with a clever smirk.