Another week went by without much of a hitch. Oscar finally got on a regular schedule at the aquarium and Mer was finding things to occupy his time at home. He would get sick every once in a while, but it wasn't like before, and the nightmares had all but come to a halt.

Well, that was probably because even though Oscar acted like he didn't want Mer in his bed, he never really made him get out of his room either. With Oscar by his side at all times, Mer was able to feel safe and not worry about the past and the memories he still harbored. Oscar kept his own promise and didn't ask anymore about what happened with Mer. He knew that Mer would tell him in time and until that time, he would just try to do what made Mer happy and safe.

Even though Oscar didn't ask questions, he still kept an eye on Mer's behavior to be on his toes, and he noticed that there were some small changes in Mer. They were very subtle, but Oscar knew that they were changes. He couldn't quite put his finger on it though...

***************************

/╲/\╭•̀ﮧ •́╮/\╱\

Oscar made a face as Kyle opened the top to her thermos and looked at him.

"What is it?"

"Do you know what the heck that means?" he asked, showing her the phone.

Kyle looked at it for a moment and squinted. "I think that's a spider."

Oscar frowned and texted Mer back. SPIDER?

-KRAB.

-WHY ARE YOU SENDING ME A CRAB?

-CAN U GET ME WUN?

-A CRAB?

-(ᵔ◡ᵔ) – YES.

Oscar looked at the screen in confusion. "Why does he want a crab?"

"Are you going to talk to yourself or me?"

"Well, I'm talking with Mer and he wants me to get him a crab. He's never asked for one before."

"Well, if he's a merman, then I can understand him wanting one. I'm sure they eat them."

"That's great, but where am I going to get him a crab?"

"They sell them at the grocery store in the freezer section. Well, it's crab legs, not just a whole crab."

"He's just never wanted crab before. He's been acting kind of odd lately."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been abnormally clingy, for one. I mean, he's a bit... close when it comes to his interactions with me, but for some reason he's gotten extremely clingy. When I walk through the door after work or if I'm gone a while, he pounces me and won't let me out of his sight. He's usually right on top of me and hanging on me and doesn't want to be far from me."

"He sounds like a puppy." Kyle said with a laugh.

"It's a little annoying-" His phone went off again and he looked at it. He sighed. "What is with the crab?"

"Why are you so worked up? It's just crab. It comes in the freezer section next to the frozen shrimp. Just get him two or three packs and let the guy be."

Oscar sighed and texted Mer back about the crab legs. He was irritated because the crab was expensive.

I WANT A REAL KRAB. WITH A BODY.

Oscar threw the phone onto the table. "Now he wants a whole crab..."

"When do I get to meet Mer? He seems like a trip."

"Never probably. He's not good with people he doesn't know."

"All you have to do is just invite me to the house and tell him that. It's not like I'm going to do anything to you. I can tell that you're all Mer's."

Oscar was drinking his soda when she said this and he almost choked. He coughed a little and then glared at her. "We're not together like that."

"Could have fooled me."

"You finally got yourself a girlfriend, Pimento?" Oscar froze for a moment and then looked over, finding Trent with some take out in his hand. "Mind if I sit with you guys?"

"Um..."

"Go ahead." Kyle said, opening her juice pouch.

Trent sat down and opened the box his lunch came in, sipping his drink.

"So, you got a girlfriend now?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." Oscar said. "I was talking about... my roommate."

Kyle lifted an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Trent nodded as he ate some fries.

"Where you living now? We haven't been able to catch up since you started working here."

"Oh... uh... yeah... such a shame." Oscar said with a nervous laugh.

"So?"

"I'm at the beach house. My dad gave it to me..."

"That's pretty cool."

"So, you guys know each other from somewhere?" Kyle asked.

"We were summer buds, mostly. We used to play together when he came during the summer." Trent said with a small smile. "We used to play on the beach in the back of the beach house in that nice little community off the pier. You know the one I'm talking about?"

"Yeah, I've seen the neighborhood before. It's got that private beach that only the four or five owners get to be on."

"What's that complex called?" Trent asked Oscar.

"Seaport Bay."

"Right..."

Oscar stood up. "Thanks for having lunch with me, Kyle. I have to get back to work so, I'll see you later. Nice seeing you, Trent." He said, getting up and leaving for the gift shop.

He left the break room and walked down the back hallway, his hands shaking. He just couldn't believe that Trent could be so nonchalant and act like he didn't try to actually kill him on multiple occasions. Did Trent hit his head when Oscar wasn't looking and got a brain injury that keeps the bad things from his mind? Did Pearly or Mer do something to him when Oscar wasn't taking vacations there? Oscar tried to get over what had happened to him, but there are some things that just can't be locked away and almost getting hurt by Trent made Oscar go into flight mode all the time. He seemed to collect himself enough to go to the gift shop without looking like he wanted to hurl, so he went down the hallway to his post.

********************

"This is such a magnificent piece! You painted this?" the man asked, looking at a beautiful beach scene with a golden yellow and pink sunset and the remnants of the sun reflecting off the water.

"Yes, sir, I'm OCP."

"Not going to lie, I thought this was done by a professional, but the intricate brush strokes and detail is exquisite." The man gushed as he looked over the painting, trying to figure out the best angle to look at the piece. "It's a bit expensive though..."

"These are all unique pieces that I create every month, one of a kind. I have a few that I sell on site here with permission, but I also have a site that has more things. I take great care with my paintings and, like I said, I try to make them as unique from each other as possible. Even these sunset paintings are all different, just like every sunset."

The man nodded, seeming to be a very cultured connoisseur of the arts.

"I can tell you take great pride in your work, kid. I'll take this one and the two small ones."

Oscar's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"I can see the passion in your eyes and demeanor and I know someone with that gusto when I see it. I love collecting works like that, especially when I get to meet the artist. This is also your lucky day, Mr. ?"

Oscar put his thumb behind his name tag to hold it out. "It's Oscar. My last name is Canto-Pimenta but it's a mouthful, I know." He said with a nervous laugh.

"I see; so that's why you autograph with OCP... Well, I happen to be the co-owner of a hotel chain that runs along the coast and I think your unique paintings would be great for our hotels." He handed Oscar his card. "Take a look at our other hotels and see if we might be able to work together."

Oscar took the card and then grabbed his own that was in the holder at the reception desk and handed it to the man, a Mr. Swenton.

"This is my card with my website if you'd like to see my other works. I do have to warn you though, a lot of my works usually have a um... merman in it."

Mr. Swenton lifted an eyebrow. "A merman?"

"Yes, I do a variety of beach scenes and water themes but I also have a long standing series that feature a merman and a mermaid. I just wanted to let you know. Some people think that it's a bit... juvenile, but they do sell really well."

"I see. I'll give the site and look. Maybe we can collaborate on future pieces."

Oscar nodded and they spoke some more as Oscar wrapped up the paintings he wanted. They parted and the other girl that worked in the souvenir shop walked up to Oscar.

"Do you know who that was?"

Oscar looked at the card. "Looks like an Arnold Swenton."

"Yeah, Arnold Swenton, the multi-billionaire co-owner of the Swenton Hotels." Oscar stared at her blankly. "Have you never heard of celebrities having a Swenton Weekend Extravaganza?"

"No..."

"How out of touch are you?" Oscar laughed a little. "Seriously though, if he's actually interested in your stuff, that's fucking amazing. I really hope he likes your stuff and collaborates with you. Those hotels are for the rich and famous. If they make an impression, you will be rolling in dough. Remember us little people when that happens, lol."

Oscar was a little taken aback by this news. He texted his dad about it and continued his shift.

***************************

As he went to clock out for the night, Kyle walked up and smacked her hand over his time card.

"Arnold Swenton bought your stuff?"

"Yes?"

"Holy shit, are you kidding me? Getting Swenton to be interested in anything is a huge feat! Congrats, man."

"Thanks... He gave me his card and I gave him mine. He said he'd be in touch maybe."

"Dude, this is a time to celebrate. Let's get that crab for your beau and have a cook out."

"You just want to come over and meet Mer."

"Yes, but seriously, this is so cool. You should invite some other people. We can invite Trent and Bethany-"

"NO!" Oscar yelled unconsciously. Kyle blinked at him in confusion. "No, um... not Trent. I could maybe call my friend Jeff but not Trent."

Kyle narrowed her eyes. "What's the story between you guys? I've noticed that you seemed pretty nervous around him."

"We have a... spotty history. I don't know what he thinks in his mind but it's not the happy-go-lucky time he's remembering. Then again, maybe it was for him, but not for me."

"I see..."

"And if you come over, don't ever, ever mention Trent. You want Mer to hate you? Mention him."

"Noted... Okay, so no Trent then. You wanna call up your buddy then?"

"Why does it have to be a party?"

"Four people isn't a party." Kyle said with frown.

"For me it is."

"Listen, you may have just scored the biggest contract you will ever have in your life; this is an awesome occasion and it needs to be celebrated with your friends and family. Your family is a bit far away, so celebrate with the friends you have."

Oscar sighed but if Arnold Swenton was the real deal and he actually liked what Oscar had, he wouldn't need to work at the aquarium and he'd be set for life. It really was a big deal. He sighed and pulled out his phone, pulling up Jeff's contact information.

***********************

A few hours later, Oscar and Kyle were at the front door and Oscar knocked on it since his hands were full. He turned to look at Kyle.

"He's not going to like you at first, but he's wary of everyone, so don't take offense."

Kyle nodded as Oscar knocked on the door again. It opened up a tad as Mer's blue eye looked through the crack in the door. Seeing it was Oscar, he opened the door more and then frowned.

Who is that? Mer signed as Oscar pushed past him with groceries with Kyle behind him.

"This is Kyle Hersch, the one who helped me with the bite."

Mer closed the door and walked behind the two into the kitchen, where they put the bags on the counter. Kyle turned around and blinked in surprise, not realizing that Mer was so tall. He was glowering at her and she smiled, holding out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Kyle. I've heard a lot about you..."

Mer just stared at her hand for a moment and then looked back up at her. Oscar watched the interaction from the other side of the bar where he was taking the groceries out of the bag, honestly wondering what his friend would do. Kyle was still holding her hand up but Mer ignored it and looked back at Oscar.

Why is she here? he signed, moving around Kyle to get to Oscar.

"We are celebrating some good news and she is my friend."

But we are friends.

"I can have more than one friend, you know." Mer pouted as Oscar took the crab legs out of the bag and held it up. "Look, I got you some crab legs."

Mer took the bag and looked at the crab legs for a moment, moving the package around to try and get them out. Oscar took the bag back from him.

"You have to thaw it out; they have to put it on ice to keep it fresh."

Mer frowned again. I wanted a crab with a body.

"Kyle got you one, didn't you, Kyle?" Oscar said, yelling over Mer's shoulder.

Kyle was unbagging some milk and looked up at him. "Huh?"

"That crab."

"Oh yah. Give me a second."

Kyle left the house to go back and get the crab she got for Mer. When she left, Mer walked behind Oscar and put his arms under Oscar's, laying his head on his back. He nuzzled his face into his shirt and made a few little trilling noises to indicate his happiness. Oscar smiled a little and pat his hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you know anyone was coming. It was a sudden decision."

Mer took his arms from under Oscar's and then turned him around quickly, making him lean up against the bar. Mer put his hands on either side of Oscar and pressed into him, looking down at him. They stared into each other's eyes for a good minute before Mer leaned away from him.

Are there more people coming?

"Just Jeffrey." Mer growled and pulled away. "What? Jeff is okay."

I do not like him.

"He isn't like you-know-who, so just be nice okay? And Kyle isn't a bad person either. They are the only two that are coming, so just be nice."

Mer huffed, crossing his arms, but have a small nod. He turned his head a little, his ear flaring out. The woman is taking too long.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be right back."

Oscar went to the door to see what was taking Kyle so long when it opened on it's own and someone carried in the small tank with three blue crabs in it. Kyle was behind them and Oscar thought it was Jeff... until Jeff walked in behind her. Confused, Oscar looked at who the other person could be that was carrying in the tank.

"Thanks so much for doing that for me. You didn't really have to." Kyle said as the person walked it over to the bar.

"Not a problem." The person said and Oscar's heart dropped. "You looked like you and Jeff were struggling there."

Oscar immediately looked at Mer, who looked like he was about to murder someone, and then turned to the intruder. Trent wiped his hands on his pants from the water getting on his hands and looked around.

"This place hasn't changed at all." He looked at Oscar and gave a small wave. "What's up, Pimento? Heard you're having a party!"

Oscar's gaze shot right at Jeff and Jeff held up his hands. "I can explain."

"You had fucking better."