“Elick! Come here!” said his mother.

Elick leaped out of bed and felt weak in the legs. He wobbled forward and collapsed on the floor with a thud. “Ouch! Hold on mom!” Mallard rushed to help him up and pressed their naked bodies together. “No.” Elick blushed and pushed Mallard away. “Don’t tempt me. She’s calling.”

“Are you alright?” Mallard asked.

“I’m fine. I hadn’t adjusted yet.” Elick dusted himself off and quickly put on his pajamas and robe. He shooed Mallard away with a flick of his hand. “I’ll go first, you go shower in the meantime.” Elick shook his head and moved the chair away from the door. His mother really knew how to ruin the moment and put a strangle on his bliss.

Elick trudged across the cool hardwood and shielded his eyes in from the sunlight creeping through the windows. He could smell the scent of burnt bacon sizzling from the kitchen ahead. When he walked towards the island to take a seat, his mother whirled around and threw the ribbon at him.

“What is that Elick?” she asked.

Elick picked up the ribbon and held it up at her. “It’s the ribbon I bought you. What of it?”

“That’s the wrong kind, son.” She shook her finger at him and pulled the ribbon from the package.

“But it’s gold, what does it matter?”

“It isn’t a good enough quality. When you pull it from the package the fibers split and unravel.” She tossed the ribbon in the trash. “I can’t have that on my items. I want it to look nice and neat for prospective customers.”

Elick sighed and slide down in his chair. “Fine. I’ll get you some more, today.”

“No, I’ll go out and get it myself.”

“Whatever.” Elick tried to slip away and sneak back to his room.

“Another thing, son.” She walked over towards him holding a spatula. “When’s that friend of yours going to leave? He can’t stay here forever. He’s not a lost puppy, is he?”

Elick was appalled and snarled angrily. “What do you mean? He’s my friend!”

“Friend or not, you know I don’t like having guest in our house for too long. It disrupts everything.” She whirled around and returned to her stove. The bacon sizzled and the pancakes steamed. “If someone overstays their welcome, they might not leave. We can’t have that or else you’ll be paying for him.”

Elick scoffed and stormed off to his room. He couldn’t believe she’d say something so rude about Mallard. He knew she was crude towards guests but not so much that she’d kick someone out. It made him angry, and he wondered how long it’d be before she would kick him out as well.

“Oh, and tell your friend he can come eat. I like seeing someone enjoy my cooking,” she said.

Elick took a deep breath and screamed internally. He slammed his door shut and walked into the bathroom. He immediately swept Mallard up into his arms and hugged him tightly. He buried his face in Mallard’s chest.

“What’s wrong, Elick?” Mallard asked.

Elick didn’t want to explain the situation, he merely wanted to go back to how things were. He wanted to go back to this morning when he and Mallard were lying in bliss. He sighed, feeling defeated and went limp in Mallard’s arms. He looked up with teary eyes. “We’ve got to move out as soon as possible.”

“What? Why?”

“My mother doesn’t expect you to stay for much longer.”

“Perhaps, we should tell her the situation then. I can tell her who I am.”

Elick jolted out of fear and clung onto Mallard. “No! Please! You can’t do that. That’d be worse than showing the public you’re a mermaid. You think they others will do some freaky tests on you, but my parents will outright hurt you…I know it.” Elick squeezed his eyes and trembled. “I don’t want to lose you, not now.”

Mallard pried Elick loose and kneeled before him. He brushed his silvery hair back and rubbed Elick’s face. “What if I went back to being a fish?”

Elick was overwhelmed with his response. “No! You can’t leave me like that. I need you here.” He looked away feeling conflicted. He wanted everyone to know about this exciting new man in his life, but he didn’t want to share him either. He was afraid of everything that could happen and expected the worst.

“It’s alright. We’ll get through this together.” Mallard took Elick’s hands and pulled him up into a kiss. “Don’t worry my darling, I’ll make sure everything is okay.”

Elick sulked his head. “We need to find a job.” He looked up with a sparkle in his eye. He felt hurt and unsure, but it was the best plan he could come up with. “If we both get a job, we can move out.”

“I…I never expected I’d get a job. I don’t even know how to do one,” Mallard said.

“It’s okay, we’ll do this together.” The road ahead felt overwhelming and frightening to Elick. With Mallard at his side, he felt like he could do anything, but now, something was starting to affect him. Elick said he couldn’t be without Mallard because it means he’d lose someone who seemingly accepts him and allows him to have sex. Yet Mallard felt like he was more than those things as if he was meant to be a part of Elick’s life. Would Mallard be interested in having a real relationship with him?

After they washed up together, Elick picked out the clothes he and Mallard would wear. Then, they dashed out the door without letting his mother know. The day was hot and bright, but Elick remembered to bring water and snacks in case something went wrong.

“What are we doing today?” Mallard asked.

“We’re going to find ourselves a job. I’ll beg if I must.”

“What kind of job do you want? What can we do?”

Elick hadn’t thought this through, he was in such a rush to get a job and move out he didn’t know where to begin. Often, he’d apply online and wait for weeks to be rejected for whatever reason. Then, he thought he’d try asking local jobs instead. “We’ll go to every grocery store, gas station, restaurant, or wherever until someone hires us.”

“I’ll follow your lead,” Mallard said.

Together, Elick and Mallard drove into town a few minutes away. Elick would prefer to get further away from his parents so they couldn’t criticize him or interfere in his plans. Although on such short notice, it was all he could come up with. He was willing to do anything to protect Mallard and their relationship. He wanted to see what could come about them as Mallard learns more about himself. Elick didn’t have time to ask, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Mallard calling himself a mermaid. Was this tied to his past or to his grandmother? No matter what the finer details were, Elick was determined to resolve everything.