Atlantis, huh? Pushing around some noodles Robert has made nothing has really changed from last night. Well, where they live or anything about them? Not sure what he expected. The story is rough and the reason why Robert didnāt tell him was because he was afraid heād go towards the sea to save their mother. Sounds like something Robert wants to do. Something heās thought about a lot. Is the only reason he hasnāt because of him? He studies Robert. Robert raises his brow.
āYouāre not eating,ā Robert mentions.
āItās just weird,ā he replies.
Robert shrugs. Yeah he gets to shrug. He gets to shrug because he lived in Atlantis for sixteen years and he has all the memories of the world in the water. Where as he doesnāt. It doesnāt matter to him because heās kept to himself. Sure - Murrow already chastised him for this, but he doesnāt get to treat it so nonchalantly because it doesnāt matter to him.
āI know that look,ā Robert grumbles.
āYeah because you treat it like it doesnāt matter,ā he retorts.
Robert sighs, āBecause it doesnāt. Because if it does, itās much harder to put it behind me.ā
āSo itās about you!? And not me,ā Lukas shoves his plate aside, āI have a life here! And I amā¦.I am not even human. I have a girlfriend-
-you have went on two dates,ā Robert cuts him off, āthose kind of relationships donāt last. I know it seems important to you right now, but youāre going to break up someday with her and find another girl. No one stays with the same person forever, and when they do itās because they have a real connection.ā
āMy connection with Nadia isnāt real, either!ā Lukas exclaims.
Robert groans and rubs his temples, āYouāre fifteen.ā
āThanks, thanks for dismissing everything that actually matters to me,ā Lukas stands up.
āIt only matters now because life feels immediate right now Lukas, I know that feeling. But youāll mellow out, be rational about it,ā Robert replies.
Heās not listening to him any more. Heās looking for his shoes and his coat. Robert watches him as he puts on his canvas shoes and grabs his coat.
āWhere the hell are you going at this hour?ā Robert ask standing up.
āTalking to someone who cares!ā Lukas shouts opening the door and slamming it shut. Shoes hitting the concrete stairs as he runs down them. He stops midway staring at their apartment. A tiny bit of nervousness bubbles inside of him. What if Robert is right? What if he goes to see Nadia and she wants nothing to do with him afterwards? Robert doesnāt understand it, his life is somewhat different now and it isnāt. His vision is going blurry. Stupid tears. Stupid Robert! It would have been better if he was a mad scientist evil experiment because then he could justify not having a normal life because he got captured by an evil scientist. This. This. This just hurts. Because - what am I supposed to do with this information? Go on with life pretending like he doesnāt know?
Guess he just has to get this over with. Either Robert is right. Or he proves him wrong. Wiping his face. Stupid.
**
āI heard youāve been seeing a boy,ā Nadia raises her head from her plate, staring at her father. Heās home for the weekend and then he disappears for the week, in another city, in another state. Sometimes it feels like heās a complete stranger trying to probe into her personal life. He knows so little about her it feels sometimes.
āWell, we have been on two dates,ā she mentions, her mother is watching her. She already knows what she thinks about Lukas. Theyāve already had a talk after their second date. She tries to remain level headed like sheās being reasonable about it, if she admitted anything else sheād never hear the end of it. How mother has met several men before their father, she doesnāt know what true affection is. Itās the stance adults take. Her brother is watching as well. Thereās a cheeky smile on his face, as heās not in the spotlight right now.
āI see,ā he says, āWhere to?ā
āJust the movies,ā she replies.
āWhat do his parents do?ā he ask.
She just wanted to eat dinner without an interrogation, but she knew this would happen. She swirls around a piece of ravioli in sauce, smearing it like tomato sauce watercolor.
āThey are dead,ā she scrunches up her face, itās what she assumes since they donāt seem to be a part of Lukas life. And there are no photos of them in their apartment as she recalls. She watches as her father raises a brow.
āI see,ā is all he says putting it in his mental checklist, āDoes he have any family?ā
āHis brother, heās raised him,ā she replies.
āAnd what does he do?ā her father ask.
āWorks at a department store,ā she mumbles.
āI see,ā he says again.
āCan, I be excused?ā she ask.
Her father stares at her. She hates when he does that. He has more questions, but sheās beginning to break under the pressure. Sheās trying to stop her hand from shaking or from getting too angry or upset. Just be the good girl. Just be the good girl.
āWhat is the excuse?ā her father ask her.
āI...have...a lot of homework to do,ā she mutters.
He gives her a look. She looks away. He knows sheās trying to run away. He wants to keep her at the table. But he just sighs. Itās because heās probably exhausted from work.
āGo, your mother and I have a lot to discuss about this boy,ā he tells her.
She quickly slips off before another thing is mentioned. Running quickly off towards her bedroom, she finally lets tears fall. They donāt even try to get to know Lukas. Her mother met him just briefly and gave him the work, it was so unfair. They donāt understand the type of person he is. It isnāt like she just saw him and thought about dating him. They have the same classes, it isnāt like she didnāt notice him. She didnāt notice his feelings until they talked that day, or really the day he confessed. But what she did notice was an extremely loyal and kind boy in class who sometimes got taken advantage by the other kids because they took advantage of his empathy. Fleeing into her room, she closes the door and places her back towards the door frame.
Someoneās in the backyard. She cautiously walks towards her window, leaning over her computer desk.
āOh hi,ā Lukas? Heās standing at her window.
āLukas?ā sheās taken aback, āWhat are you doing?ā
āTrying to figure out which room window belong to which person,ā he nervously laughs. She giggles. She needed this tonight, she slowly unlatches the window.
āYouāre a terrible stalker,ā she tells him, āYou know that?ā
āYeah I probably would of gotten caught if I didnāt find the right window in time,ā he tells her stumbling into her bedroom.
āProbably,ā she says, āWhy are you here?ā
Lukas scowls and then averts his gaze, he moves over to the corner of her bed to brood for a second. He doesnāt realize how contemplative he can be. But she knows something is hurting him deeply. Sheās been glad and happy to see these sides of him, beside the guy in class who doesnāt let others take him down. She likes to know he can take down his defenses.
āRobert and I got into an argument,ā he replies.
She takes a second. Her heart flutters. The very first thing he considers doing after an argument is come to her? Is it wrong to feel special when heās troubled. That he thought of her as someone to come to. She sits near him.
āWhat about?ā she ask him putting a hand on his back in a comforting matter.
āEverything all at once, and itās all complicated, tied together into one really tight knot,ā he looks confused.
āWell start at one end,ā she tells him.
āYou,ā he mentions quickly.
She knows that. Though she never got the feeling Robert be the type to forbid Lukas from seeing her.
āOh,ā she says.
āItās complicated - more complicated than that,ā he tells her, he stands up. Heās wrestling with something.
āMy parents donāt really like you much,ā she confesses him in hopes to ease his mind.
He pauses, āItās not that. He says our feelings arenāt grown yet. And thatā¦.well things are different now. Theyāll be different forever now.ā
Wait? Whatās going on? She thought sheād understand, but now sheās just confused. Thereās a pit developing in her stomach. If this is a breakup, itās really awkward. And if it isnāt, then sheās lost completely track of whatās going on. Tight knot indeed.
āOkay I thought tackling this at a string at time would help, but I am completely at a lost,ā she tells him.
He looks at her computer desk, āLook I like you. I like you a lot. And I donāt want to lie to you. I want to be honest with you. Someone I just met a day ago said something that the truth is meant to guide people on their path and I want you to make the decision. I want you to make the decision. Because I donāt know what the right answer is. I am kind of impulsive sometimes and if it were just left up to meā¦..I wouldnāt put you through this. But that isnāt fair.ā
āJust tell me Lukas,ā Nadia stands up grabbing his hand, āBecause right now I am really not understanding.ā
Lukas stares at her and takes a deep breath, āOkay.ā he says. He exhales and then inhales, āOkay. Close your eyes and Iāll tell you when.ā
Okay? He better not be proposing. Itās way too early for that. She closes her eyes. Her heart is racing. Her stomach is squirming. Sheās confused. Scared. Not sure.
āYou can look,ā he says.
It better not be a ring. Please donāt be a weirdo. Please donāt be a weirdo. Donāt let her judgment be all wrong. Opening her eyes. Lukas, is? His skin is black, his hands are slightly webbed and so are his feet. His hair has become, tentacles? They are foaming? Foam is surrounding his neck like a fur scarf. He looks a bit like an aquatic prince. She feels sudden relief, it isnāt a ring. Heās just - an Ultra? His eyes glow a bit more in this form, sheās not sure how to react.
āI..um...whatās going on?ā she finds her words.
āThere is more -ā he mumbles.
āOh...oh? You want me to close my eyes, again?ā she ask.
āLike...youāre okay with this?ā he ask her.
She looks at him. Studies him.
āItās...um...different, but I can getā¦.use to itā¦.I mean youāre not planning to go to school like this?ā she ask him.
āNo, fuck no,ā he replies.
āOh...oh...yeah, thatās a good idea,ā she says, how does she even begin to process, aquatic prince? And there is more. More what?, āYou want toā¦.thereās more.ā
āYeah, close your eyes,ā he says.
āOkay,ā she closes her eyes. It feels like sheās waiting forever. She holds her eyes tightly. She thinks she can hear Lukas talking himself up. You got this. Just tell her when.
Which puts her at ease, but sheās not sure sheās prepared for what heās about to show her. She could get use to the aquatic prince look, but whatās next? Full octopus head. Tentacles for a mouth. Full Cthulhu monster.
āOkay, I think I am ready,ā he tells her.
She slowly begins to open her eyes. In hazy vision. More tentacles. Superpowers were fine, but sheās not sure how sheāll react if heās not entirely humanoid. Like if he is Cthulhu she doesnāt know if she can be into that. She finally opens her eyes. She has to hold onto her mouth so her mother doesnāt hear her gasp. She takes a step back. Itās heās!? Beautiful. Sure the tentacles are weird and sheās not sure how that works - physically. Oh god Nadia why would you think about this in the moment. But even more glowing foam surrounds him, the foam is like - more like floating jewels around him and he maintains a lot of himself. He really is like some aquatic prince and sheās beginning to question her aesthetic when this is okay to her. More than okay to her.
āI...uhā¦ā she canāt find the words.
āYou hate it,ā he says.
āNo...I didnāt say that,ā she quickly retorts, she doesnāt want him to get the wrong impression, āIām just...stunned...trying to find the words.ā
She watches as the glistening sea boy flops onto her bed. Sheās going to have to wash her sheets afterward.She wish he wasnāt so hard on himself.
āI think, you lookā¦ like royalty,ā she says, there we go sheās found her words again. He rolls onto the side, his tentacles curling and then uncurling.
āYou donāt have to say things to make me feel better,ā he mumbles.
āI am not that type of girl,ā she remarks at him. Scowling briefly at his back side and sitting on the bed. She puts her hand on his skin. Itās, um, glossy and smoother than what she was expecting, softer too. Fish normally are slippery, right, but this is like, sheās not even sure how to explain it, āI just donāt normally expect the boys I date to turn into fish.ā
āTechnically, I am an arthropod,ā he murmurs sadly.
Is he really going to correct her on his genus right now? She watches as his tentacles begin to shrink up. She once again is startled to watch within a few short seconds his tentacles turn into his black little webbed feet.
āItās the same thing, itās still aquatic,ā she retorts.
ā....just be honest with meā he murmurs.
āI am being honest, itās not so bad,ā she tells him, āI meanā¦ā that came out wrong, as he shies furth away from her, ā...imagine all the other things right now. If those lips I like were replaced by tentacles-
ā-eww,ā he cuts her off.
She giggles, āOr your eyes. They are already as deep as the ocean and now they shimmer like gems.ā
āThis isnāt really helping,ā heās now talking through her sheets.
She sighs and flops on her back side, āDo you remember what you told that boy?ā
āWhich one?ā he says through her sheets.
āThe one who told me he doesnāt date girls with short hair,ā she continues.
āYeah, I said I like girls with short hair,ā he replies.
āI donāt think youāve ever judged someone based on their appearance before Lukas, sure physical attraction is part of it - but what I like about you was you were willing to stand up for someone other than yourself for no praise or credit. You did it because itās you,ā she says, there are her words, āwhat kind of person would I be to judge you based on your physical appearance when you didnāt judge me based on mine? I donāt think it would have mattered to you whether or not I had short or long hair. Because youāre not that type of person and I donāt want to be that type of shallow person either.ā
āWell, itās easy to like you beyond your hair, youāre smart and have a really great laugh, youāre more mature than other kids in the class, and youāre really nice to everyone you meet,ā he replies, āYouāre genuine. Which is weird because most people arenāt.ā
āWell you are genuine too,ā she says, she feels her heart rushing again and her cheeks going hot. He thinks all those things about her, āI mean if you werenāt, then I wouldnāt have you on my bed right now with tentacles and foam coming out of your hair. Youād be in your apartment, not caring what I thought about you. But you came here. And thatās admirable. You came here and told me the truth. I much rather date a boy who turns into a fish-ā
He turns to finally look at her and she smiles at him sticking out her tongue, ā-then a phony guy. A guy who wouldnāt come to my house in the middle of the evening to show me another side of himself. I really believe you really like me, because you showed me this tonight.ā
āWell I only found out last night,ā he tells her, āI was really worried youād break up with me. Because I am not human.ā
Not human?
āI am not going to breakup with you just because you have - another form,ā she pauses and looks at him, āThere is more to this? Isnāt there?ā
āUh yeah,ā he turns pink, āSorry...Iā¦ā
āNo addressing it at a time is fine,ā she says, āSo tell me the rest.ā
āYeah sure,ā he says, he suddenly gets up, āShit sorry. I didnāt think about the bed.ā
She giggles, āItās fine, itās already soaked. Come back down and tell me the rest.ā