Salty Skin ☾cake au

2

The next day, Calum did the same thing after school and went straight to his spot at the beach. Some of the people he hated the most at school weren't there today so his day wasn't as bad as it could have been. Fridays were his favorite days because it meant he didn't have to see anyone for the next two days, except of course his family which he wasn't ecstatic about.

He untied his sneakers and rolled his jeans up to his ankles before dipping his legs into the water and letting them dangle there. His notebook rested on the stone ground beside him since he had no desire to write in it that day. Days like these didn't come often but when they did, he tried to enjoy them while they lasted.

Calum pressed his hands against the ground behind him and held himself up as he leaned his head back. He opened his eyes but all he could see above him was the gray stone texture of the bottom of the cliff. The dark haired boy sighed and faced forward again but nearly had a heart attack when he saw two bright blue eyes and golden hair peeking just above the surface of the salty water gazing at him.

Calum held back a scream and he shuffled hastily back until his back was pressed against the cliff. The creature in the water made itself more visible as it shyly rose it's head until a bright smile that matched its eyes were clear to the tan boy's view. Calum could see now that it was a boy and his fear subsided a little.

"Hi," Calum said nervously, "h-how did you swim all the way in here from the beach?"

Silence.

"Uh- I'm Calum. What's your name?"

The blue eyed boy swam closer to Calum until he was at the edge of the small pool. "Why were you crying yesterday?" he asked.

Calum's heart beat faster at the sound of the strange boy's smooth voice which confused him. His eyes widened at Blue Eye's question. He didn't think anyone could see or hear him while he was by the cliff. "I was just... sad, I guess..." Calum trailed off.

"Why were you sad?"

"Why are you asking so many questions. I don't even know you." Calum mentally slapped himself for what he said. This is why you don't have friends, idiot.

"I could be your friend," the blonde boy said then out of pure excitement, he lifted himself out of the water and plopped himself practically on top of Calum's lap who had an overly confused look on his face as he wondered how the blue eyed boy knew what he was thinking. The merman's bright blue eyes beamed into Calum's, inches away from his face. "My name is Luke."

Calum didn't notice until Luke did this that the boy's lower half was covered in scales and it was slimy and wet and Calum's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Every inch of fear he had a few moments before was back as, what looked like a heavy fish tail attached to Luke's torso, flopped around on the floor.

Calum hastily stood on his feet and scrambled away from Luke as far as the stone walls would let him. "W-what the fuck is that?!"

"Oh no," Luke mumbled. The boy looked up and Calum's breath got caught in his throat as Luke's eyes changed from a bright blue color to an unnatural glowing green. The merman shuffled back into the water and bobbed above the surface until only his shoulders and head were visible. "No, no, I'm sorry. Please don't run away, please? I didn't mean to frighten you, please don't run away."

Calum stayed silent and stared at the pleading boy in shock. So many thoughts were going through his head at the moment, he couldn't believe it was possible.

In a rush of confidence, Calum slowly walked closer to Luke who was timidly floating in the water. The curious boy crouched down on his knees until he was level with the merman and gazed at his face for what seemed like hours. "Your eyes," Calum began, "they just- one second they were blue and the next they were this, like, bright neon green and now they're blue again..."

Luke smiled, "Yeah, they do that. It happens when my mood changes."

Calum, deciding he had nothing to lose, gave in to the insane situation and sat down with his legs crossed at the edge of the pool. Luke's heart warmed at the gesture as he cautiously inched closer to Calum. "You still haven't told me why you were sad."

"Promise you won't tell anybody?" Calum asked. Calum still couldn't believe how unfazed he was with what was going on. He should have been freaking out or running away but he felt like he'd known Luke his whole life.

"Who would I tell?"

"Okay," Calum began, "no one likes me. I don't have a single friend and my parents act like I don't exist but give my older sister the world," Calum sighed and looked down as he said that last part.

"I like you," Luke mumbled truthfully.

A visible frown spread across Luke's face as he went to the side of the pool and reached his hand around a rock that was on the ground. He pulled out a sheet of paper from behind it and placed it on Calum's lap. "You wrote this yesterday. What does it say?"

Calum's heart dropped when he saw what it was and he looked at Luke. "Can't you read?"

Luke shook his head, "Will you read it to me?"

Calum flattened out the sheet of crumpled up paper and quickly skimmed over it, "Everything written on here is just random words and phrases. None of it makes sense."

"I just want to know what it says. Please read it?"

Calum sighed as he straitened out the sheet of crumpled notebook paper and began softly reading it out loud, "Um... they hate you. You're shit. It never gets better that's why you should end it yourself- I really don't wanna read the rest," Calum stated as he ripped up the crippled sheet of paper. "I have to go. It's getting late, my mom is expecting me home soon."

Luke nodded in response and lifted himself until he was, once again, inches away from Calum's face. "Just come back," Luke whispered, "The next time you think those things, just come back and I'll be here. I'll be your friend, Calum."

Without another word, the sweet boy's head sunk down and he disappeared beneath the water.

Calum went to sleep that night thinking of the mysterious boy with color-changing eyes, a bright blue tail, and a voice that could put even the most distressed man on the planet at ease.