"So your name is Patton," Logan said slowly, making sure he was following along with what he was saying. "My name is Logan. Can you say 'Logan'?"

The mermaid nodded and tested out the name on his lips. "Lo...gan, Logan," he said, getting it quickly.

Patton felt strangely comfortable saying his name. He couldn't help but felt that had something to do with their soulmate connection; he was meant to say his name. This was meant to happen. They were supposed to fall in love and live happily ever after.

"Logan!" he cheered, clapping his hands as he thought about the warmth in his chest. He swished  his tail back and forth happily. He suddenly winced and shrunk back with a whimper. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow..."

"Whoa now, calm down," the human said trying to make him settle. His gaze traveled down the merman's body, landing on his tail. There was a large gash, painting the beautiful scales red with blood. His eyes widened. "You're hurt."

Patton looked up at him pitifully as he pulled himself to caress his tail with a whimper. "You must've done it while you were saving me," Logan said, knowing the merman couldn't understand him.

He watched as he licked his hand and began to rub at the gash with the intentions of cleaning the wound, making the intellectual young man scowl. That would not help the cut, unless the creature had magic healing properties within its saliva, which he doubted. He reached out to take his wrist in his hand. "Don't do that," he said. "Aʻole."

"Aʻole?" he repeated, pausing in confusion as to why he was being told to stop.

"That'll make it worse, it'll get infected," Logan said. The merman stared at him with a blank expression, so he racked his brain for the phrase for infection, squinting his eyes a little as he tested out what he thought was correct. "Hoʻoponopono. Don't lick it, see? Lick, don't do that, you'll get hoʻoponopono."

Realization dawned on the merman's face as he drew back his hand with a nod. There was a beat of silence as he thought about what to do.

He couldn't leave the injured merman there, not after he'd saved his life. There was something about him that Logan couldn't describe; he wanted to stay with him, to hold him close and never let go, which was ridiculous considering they'd only just met.

The intellectual young man tried to focus on the problem at hand: what to do with Patton the merman.

He needed to tend to his wound and make sure it would heal clean. There was also so much to talk about, seeing as he was possibly only the second human to make actual contact with a mermaid of any kind. He needed to know everything there was to know about Patton. He wanted to know where in the ocean they lived, how sophisticated their society was, and he wanted to figure out how intelligent of a species they were.

"Logan?" the merman said softly, looking up with his tearful blue eyes.

Seeing him so sad made him make a split second decision to bring him home with him. "Okay, I'm going to take you with me," he said, moving forward to pick him up. Patton tensed was he hands touched him, but he smiled and cooed encouragements. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. It's okay, it's okay..."

The merman clung to him as the human stood up, holding him bridal style in his arms. He let out an adorable little yelp as they made their way along the beach toward Logan's house.