The Soul of Muir Éireann

Unexpected guests

(Written by SinpaiCasanova and Enterthetadpole)

It was mid-afternoon by the time Mark had Seán property fed and dressed once again. The entire morning was spent exploring Seán's body, sharing sweet kisses and loving words of praise. It was understandable that Seán was utterly exhausted by their third round of sex, made evident by his dreamy babbling that was nothing more than a mix of English, Irish, and that strange clicking he used when he was in the water. It was incredibly adorable, and Mark felt his heart melt at the sight. He was almost certain that he couldn't love Seán any more than he already had. But he was dead wrong.

His heart clenched in his chest as he held Seán close to him, watching as he slept so soundly in his arms. His brown hair was a mess, sticking up in odd places all over his head. His cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink, lips parted as he softly snored. Mark couldn't take his eyes off of him, and for a moment he wondered what would have happened to Seán if he never heard those cries for help.

How long had he been down there, stuck in that cramped tank filled with dirty salt water? Those conditions were inhumane, to say the least, and Mark's jaw tightened with anger at the thought of Seán begging to be set free day and night, only to be met with silence. Humanity can be so disgusting when it wants to be, but Mark making a conscious decision to return Seán to the sea was a step in the right direction. However, it was getting harder to follow through with that decision, and Mark couldn't stand how torn he felt over this.

Seán didn't belong here. He knew that. But his heart was screaming at him, throwing a tantrum on the floor in defiance. He wanted to keep Seán with him, to grow old and have a life filled with love and adventure with him. It sounded heavenly, but it just wasn't possible. No matter how much Mark wanted it to be so. Seán had to go home, and Mark would have to say goodbye. He loved Seán enough to let him go, even though it felt like a knife to the chest.

Hours passed by like seconds, and Mark was soon fast asleep, dreaming of Seán and the life he wished they could have together. It was the same vision he'd had before while they made love in the bathtub. Mark was a merrow, swimming beside Seán in the clear waters of Muir Éireann. His tail was a striking shade of red, glimmering against the sun's rays that pierced the water below. He'd never felt such joy before, and when his tired eyes opened again, he was slapped with a bitter sense of disappointment, knowing that it would only ever be an unattainable fantasy for them. It was a desperate plea from the recesses of Mark's mind to keep Seán close to him. A plea that he would have to painfully ignore.

It was only due to the subtle glow of sunset colors that Mark realized how late in the day it actually was. Seán was still asleep, nestled deeply in the folds of his arms with the tranquility of them being on a vacation near a shimmering lake. Mark couldn't help but envy the merrow's relaxation, and wondered what types of dreams, if any, were flitting underneath the closed eyes of his lover. The smile melted off of Mark's lips, however, when a soft knock was heard from the front part of the house.

He instinctively pulled Seán tighter to his chest, though he couldn't tell who was protecting whom at the moment. The sound had done nothing to rouse the merrow from his slumber, and there was no way in hell that Mark would frighten him awake unless he had no other choice. Seán was exhausted from the day's events, and who knew when he would get to sleep so soundly again.

The knock was back, and this time slightly more insistent. It definitely was coming from the large door in the front where less than a day ago Mark and Seán, still fresh from the lake, had stood. Mark's brain raced as to who in the world it could be. The car was stolen, and at the moment, still rusting at the bottom of the lake. They had escaped death just to be discovered by an overzealous relator?

Mark gently slid underneath Seàn's weight and onto his bare feet. The merrow only grunted slightly as he hugged the pillow Mark's head recently left just a little tighter. Heart hammering hard and dark eyes narrowing as he moved towards the front, he had no idea what would greet him when he got there. Either way, he knew that he would protect Seán to his dying breath.

Vaguely, Mark tried to come up with a believable story as to why the two of them were here. If it was Novak then nothing would stop them from shooting, but that was a risk that he was willing to take. It would be far more suspicious to not answer the door.

Whoever was at the door seemed just as scared as Mark did by the way they shuffled from foot to foot while they waited. Mark could see them from the small side window as they were blanketed in shadow as their head turned this way and that. It was the next time that they raised their hand and banged on the door that there was a flare of recognition. Mark gasped as he raced the rest of the way and opened the door to be greeted by the red and sweaty face of the last person he'd thought he'd ever see again.

"Thank god," Bob muttered as he smiled with relief up at Mark. "It's been so quiet that I thought that you had died. Let me in. I'm here to help you and Seán."