Len was only half awake, but even in his sleepy state, he knew he wanted this—wanted Barry and the comforting weight atop his hips while they kissed much more deeply than they had when Barry saved him from drowning.

Barry had saved Len again only moments ago, his song chasing away the monster that plagued Len's nightmares, because while at first the creature had been vicious and terrifying as it circled him in an endless ocean, Barry's song transformed it into something beautiful, elegant and ethereal, like Barry himself with his glittering tail.

Len had soon realized he was dreaming, eyes opening in the wake of that song to find Barry against him, lean body pressed to his with a hand holding his face.

Kissing Barry now, slow but heated in the morning light, Len's mind and surroundings were equally fuzzy, almost like he was still asleep, but this was much sweeter than any dream or monster that wasn't even real.

Len moved his hands to Barry's waist to hold him closer, and Barry responded eagerly by grabbing both sides of his face. He scooted lower where he straddled Len and rocked his hips, brushing his underwear against Len's sleep pants. It was morning and they were both very much awake. Len could feel every detail of Barry pressing into him, with a surge of something outside himself mixing with his desire that was so very hungry.

While Barry ground into him, Len couldn't help grinding up in return while Barry's hands slid from his face and down his chest to the hem of his shirt. He pushed up underneath it, and Len had the instinctive urge to flinch, but Barry's touch wasn't harsh like the world around them, it was kind and giving like a welcome beacon of home.

They were both starved for contact, but even though Len usually shied from what was offered him, Barry dove in head-first the same way he'd jumped into the river yesterday.

Their connection—Len could feel it, the calm Barry projected like his soothing song, contrasting the ravenous desire in him to get Len's shirt off. He pushed it up Len's chest as they kissed, but he didn't want to break away and drew one hand downward instead, slipping beneath his waistband with tentative but curious fingers.

"Barry…" Len panted.

"I want to be inside you."

Whoa. "Uhh... Barry…"

"Or you inside me. I have no preference," Barry said, palming Len steadily with only happiness and enthusiasm pouring through their connection.

It would be so easy to give in, but one of them had to think sensibly.

"Hey," Len grabbed Barry's wrist to stop him, and wow, did he look even more beautiful than usual kiss-bitten and staring down at him, "there's a lot of prep and thought and…and supplies we'd need. Plus, I don't… It's, uhh… It's been a while for me."

Barry blinked as if not fully understanding. "That is all right. It has been forever for me," he said and leaned in for another kiss.

Len gripped his wrist harder and kept out of reach. "You mean you've never…"

Of course he hadn't. He hadn't had legs until now, and he never would have been with one of his own kind. Len wasn't even sure what Barry's anatomy was like when he had his tail out.

"Does that bother you?" Barry asked innocently.

Innocently.

"No, I've just never been with someone who's…never been with someone. Even my first time, the other person was experienced."

"Oh," Barry said as though he must have disappointed Len. "I will do my best to please you. You can tell me everything you want me to do."

There he went sounding like a porno again. "I need to process this." Len pulled Barry's hand out of his sleep pants entirely. "We shouldn't rush, not when you've never… Someone's first time isn't always special, but it should be."

Barry sat back on Len's hips with a pout. He had no idea how much that made Len want to throw him to the bed. "It would be special if it was with you. But we can wait for the right time if that is what you wish." He chewed his lip like he needed something to bite to stave off his hunger and slowly dragged his fingertips to the edge of Len's sleep pants again. "May I still touch you?"

Clearly, Barry had been sent here by the powers that be to torture him.

Len should say no, even if he desperately wanted to say yes. He didn't want to take advantage of Barry's inexperience, but when Len didn't respond, Barry teased his fingers beneath the elastic. Maybe he was the one taking advantage of Len, and damn, if it wasn't hot.

A knock at the door made Len's breath catch. Could he get one morning…?

"Must you answer it?" Barry whispered.

"I have to."

"Then...can we revisit this later?"

Later would be good. Len needed five minutes to think this through and untwist his insides. He and Barry were both adults who knew what they wanted. That should be enough. But most crises of conscience didn't involve mythical creatures.

"Yeah," Len said because he was only human, even if Barry wasn't. "Later."

At least the sight of Carla and Mai through the peephole was the final bucket of ice water he needed to cool down before answering the door.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Can you watch Mai today?" Carla asked, looking frazzled while she held her little girl's hand. "Michael's waiting downstairs and we're already running late. Maggie isn't feeling well, and you know that woman would power through a nuclear explosion if she had to, but she doesn't want Mai to catch anything."

Crap. This neighborhood wasn't exactly teaming with viable options for a babysitter, and Carla couldn't afford normal daycare. The desk job she'd finally wrangled after being a waitress for years paid well, but she hadn't been there long enough to save anything.

"If there was anyone else, Leonard, I wouldn't ask. I know things can be…complicated for you." She glanced into the apartment, no doubt looking for signs of trouble, but instead she saw Barry wearing one of Len's sweatshirts and an extra pair of sleep pants he'd pulled on. She relaxed at the sight of him just like Ralph had.

"It's okay," Len said. "Honestly, here might be one of the safest places right now. It's better for me to stay home anyway and wait on some info. We'll be fine. Barry can help, right?" he said loud enough for both Mai and Barry's benefits.

Mai peered around Len's legs with an excited smile, and Len looked back to see Barry wave at her.

"It would be our honor to watch over Miss Mai," Barry said. "I did promise my assistance. Shall we play merfolk again?" he winked at her.

"You two are amazing," Carla sighed as she let Mai scramble inside to reach Barry and handed Len a bag he assumed was filled with toys she might want for the day. "I'll be back with Michael in time for dinner. You're sure it won't be any trouble?"

Len glanced once more at Barry dropped down to a crouch with Mai while she regaled him with tales of some cartoon she'd been watching that Barry had to see, and Barry nodded along happily completely enthralled.

It wasn't exactly the morning they'd had planned, but maybe for the better.

"I'm sure. Barry's a double threat, you know, as bodyguard and babysitter."

Carla giggled, putting all her faith in them without question. "At this point, I'll take anything."

Len set the bag down next to the sofa after she'd left. "You eat breakfast yet, little miss?"

"Nope!" Mai jumped on the balls of her feet, hair bouncing with her in two puff-ball pigtails. "Maggie was gonna make muffins."

"Don't think I got the right stuff for muffins. How about we have cold pizza and you don't tell your mama? We'll eat something healthy come lunch time, deal?" He held out his hand to her, and she gave him a swift high-five.

"Deal!"

"Pizza can be eaten cold?" Barry followed them into the kitchen.

"Pizza can be eaten pretty much any way you want. Sometimes cold really hits the spot."

Taking the day off would have been nice, but having to play babysitter didn't mean Len could be lax. He still checked in with Axel and kept the cogs in motion. He also discreetly asked Barry to scan for any strange figures outside the apartment every couple hours. If Mai needed to use the bathroom or was distracted enough, Barry would step up to one of the walls and project his sonar. Nothing ever came back suspicious but it gave Len further peace of mind.

He didn't like that most of his next move relied on sitting pretty at home while Axel did the leg work, but he'd been out and about too much already. Everyone knew he was alive by now, but that didn't mean he should make it easier for them to take him out by walking the streets.

Naturally, as soon as he thought that, he realized he didn't have much of anything other than leftover pizza in the fridge or cabinets. He hadn't gotten groceries in a while, but he couldn't send Barry out alone, and he didn't want to take them both along.

"I'm gonna run out for like twenty minutes to get groceries. We'll make sandwiches for lunch, how's that, Miss Mai, and I'll pick you up some chocolate milk?"

"Will you be okay alone?" Barry asked in concern. "Perhaps we could all—"

"Twenty minutes," Len reiterated, grabbing his ball cap and glasses. "If I'm gone longer than half an hour, then worry."

There was a general store not far away where he could get what he needed, though it did take him past the shop he and Barry had passed the other day that was locked up now, empty. He hadn't heard anything from Sara yet about a loan. It was a shot in the dark anyway, he didn't think anything would come of it, but he wondered…

Picking up food went by uneventfully enough, until he passed the aisle with the supplies he'd been thinking about that morning.

Did he even need condoms with a mermaid? Did Barry know what condoms were?

Len probably stared for a solid minute in indecision before he swept a box into his basket—and a bottle of lube. He'd never been embarrassed purchasing such things before, but today felt like everyone's eyes were on him.

He scanned his periphery. No eyes were actually on him, but when he stepped out of the store and turned an immediate right, he nearly ran headlong into detectives Palmer and Rory.

Making a smooth about-face, Len headed the other direction, circling back around to the alley where he could get a look at them without being seen. He wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but things were getting serious if they were hanging around this much. They were worried, which meant there was something to be worried about.

This wasn't only cat and mouse undermining from Santini. With the snitches he had in Jesse's organization, he had to be planning something bigger.

A take-over. Why hadn't Len seen it?

Heading a longer but more hidden path back to his apartment, he contemplated how easily he could secure anything he wanted from Jesse if he ended a war before it began. He wouldn't just be back in Jesse's good graces, he'd be set.

Set for life and part of this world forever.

Seeing Rory—Mick—always spiked resentment through his chest. The detective had been understanding once, always giving Len a break when he was a kid, because he understood that you couldn't change who your father was or how options were limited coming from these streets. But as soon as Len started running for Jesse in earnest, those slaps on the wrist escalated.

Sure, Len had let Mick down, but what else could he have done?

He was fully aware how much he sounded like Ralph.

After waving with a forced smile at Barry and Mai playing with a combination of dolls and action figures on the living room floor, Len retreated to the kitchen to put away the groceries. Their voices filtered to him clearly.

"Then what happened, Barry?"

"Then Iris bopped it right on the nose so Cisco could steal the fruit. The pelican was not happy, but I splashed it with a wave and the three of us swam away before it could recover. We ate the fruit in the shade of a large cliff by the beach, laughing at our cleverness. After all, he stole the fruit first. I was not much older than you then."

"Are you still friends with 'em?"

Barry's voice took on an edge of sadness. "No."

"Why not?"

"They...had to go away," he said, careful not to tell any part of his story that would scare her or admit what he was. "I miss them, but it is nice to think of them sometimes."

It was only when Barry came into the kitchen to help with the groceries that Len realized he'd been staring at the counter for far too long.

"I got it," Len said, still embarrassed about the supplies tucked into one of the bags. But before Barry could leave, he asked, "What really happened to your friends?"

Barry paused in the doorway. "They were not fast enough swimmers either."

"Barry," Len called to keep him just a moment more. "How long have you been alone?"

At first Barry didn't turn, but when he did, there was a sparkle of wetness in his eyes. He didn't say anything but he smiled as if to say it was okay, even though it obviously wasn't.

Len couldn't do this. He couldn't let Barry be part of killing Vincent Santini, but there was no way Barry would agree to stay back. What was Len supposed to do without turning into the type of monster Barry had escaped?

To distract himself, he focused on making lunch—sandwiches and chocolate milk as promised. Barry devoured his pastrami. He had yet to try anything he didn't like. He also ate a lot for someone with such a small frame.

The usual interruptions came as the afternoon ticked on and helped alleviate some of Len's unease. There was always something broken in this building. If it was brought to him instead of taking him out of the apartment, Mai and Barry would watch over his shoulder.

Len could see the same hunger in Barry's eyes to learn and experience something new as he showed with everything else. Before long, he was offering Len suggestions on how to fix things, and he was usually right.

"I am a fast learner."

"I got that impression." Len smiled, and Barry beamed back at him like all the loneliness he'd known most his life could be erased if only Len willed it.

Maybe if Len could buy that shop, he could get out from under Jesse's thumb. That wouldn't solve his Santini problem though. He'd just be another business expected to hand over cash on the regular, and if he didn't, they'd do far more painful things to him than a drop in the river or gun to the back of his head. He needed to solve that problem first, he just didn't know how to without bloodshed.

Later, Len and Barry emptied the dishwasher and then filled it with dirty ones while Mai napped. Their hips would brush every now and again, and Barry would glance at him with a hopeful smile.

It was strange but also reassuring to feel Len's own anticipation and nervousness echoed back at him from Barry, just enough through their connection to be sure they both wanted the same thing, new as it may be.

"Out of curiosity," Len tried with an awkward clearing of his throat, "how would we have sex if we did?" He was twelve. He was twelve years old and making a fool of himself.

But Barry didn't laugh. "You can show me the first time. As humans," he said as if it was a simple thing to be discussing over dishes. "Though I would like to know you with my tail someday as well."

Know you. It was just so…Barry.

"And like that…we'd…?"

"Oh. I am quite different in that form. More like a…shark? Perhaps that is the wrong analogy. I do not know of other creatures exactly like merfolk. Do you fear you will find my sex…hideous?"

Len looked at him, but Barry kept his eyes on the dish he was rinsing. "I don't think it's possible to find any part of you hideous."

Barry smiled so brilliantly then, green eyes twinkling as they met Len's that he almost convinced himself he could be fine no matter what Barry looked like as a merman aroused.

Then he made the mistake of Googling shark penises after they finished the dishes. He should not have done that. Barry looked perfectly normal, extremely attractive and frankly well-endowed as a human. As a merman, did he have…claspers?

Len erased his search history and tried not to think about it.

XXXXX

Barry could see the flush in Len's cheeks steadily growing ever since the afternoon. There was trepidation in him but also an eagerness to be alone with Barry again. Barry would be so good to him if only he gave him a chance. He would follow Len's every whim to please him. Then, surely, Len would begin to love Barry and would speak a vow of love long before their time was up.

It was a joy to watch over Mai in the interim. Human children were precious and allowed to be precious. Mai behaved well, but even when she pouted tiredly after her nap to have another unhealthy snack or refused to listen and settle down, calmly getting down on her level and speaking firm but plainly would bring back the reasonable girl Barry knew her to be.

Children did not need to be treated harshly to get them to listen. They were still learning. One needed to be patient with them. It was careless and cruel to kill them simply for disobeying—for going off alone from a hunting party to play instead.

Iris and Cisco's parents had done their duty by merfolk law, but Barry's had refused and escaped with him. It was for his sake they became renegades, and he would always be grateful for that.

Dinner was at Carla's after she returned home. Len could not refuse the offer, not when she mentioned empanadas, which Len was certain Barry would love. He did.

Ralph joined them as well. "Your cooking is always the best, Carla," he said with a look that Len had called 'moon eyes' to Barry in a whisper.

"Thank you, Ralph."

"You know what else could be on the menu?"

Len kicked Ralph under the table. It seemed such an obvious action to Barry, but everyone pretended it had not happened, and Ralph grew quiet.

Mai pleaded for another playdate at the pool, and since Barry was always happy to be in the water, he convinced Len to go along. Barry had his own swim trunks now that Len had bought him, red with yellow stripes down the sides that he thought looked a bit like lightning bolts.

"Why did you kick Ralph?" Barry asked when they were headed downstairs to join the others.

"You know what's on the menu? ME-N-U," Len said with a sneer. "Kid's a walking disaster of pick-up lines. He's got no idea how to talk to a woman."

"ME-N-U," Barry repeated, then laughed. "I get it. Perhaps he merely needs direction in how to be thoughtful and attentive toward a potential partner."

"I've tried. Kid always panics and defaults to cringy bullshit instead."

Ralph was in the pool with Carla and the children when they arrived since he had his own trunks on. He was talking to Carla animatedly, while also playing with Michael and Mai. The subtle smile on Carla's face said she knew exactly what his intentions were, but she did not have the heart to tell him to stop.

"Don't go trying to matchmake them like Axel and Hartley," Len said.

"Oh no. Perhaps if Ralph was twice his current age. He needs to find someone with the same qualities he admires in Carla but who is more…attainable. He should also not rush. Sometimes one must be patient for the right match." Barry looked at Len with whole-hearted affection, adoring the way Len closed his eyes when he glanced away, wide smile stretching his face like he too was young and bashful.

"You watch a lot of rom-coms, don't you?"

Barry stared in confusion since he was not familiar with the term.

"Romantic-comedies."

Ah. "Are they not wonderful stories?" he said. "Love and humor are the best parts of life."

"You're a walking rom-com," Len teased him. "I've never met anyone else like you."

"I take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one."

Maybe if there were not others present, Barry would have braved another kiss right then, but perhaps now was a moment to—what was the phrase? Play hard to get.

He dropped his towel on one of the chairs and backed toward the pool, eyeing Len with open hunger that made Len shiver visibly. Barry would make up for his lack of experience. He would show Len all the ways he could please him.

For now, he reached the pool's edge and dove in at the deep end further from the others, before swimming around to join them. The water rejuvenated him, even though in his new form, he no longer needed as much regular submersion.

It felt strange but still enjoyable to feel the flow of water around his legs. Being in the water made him want to let his tail out the moment he dove in, but it was merely a matter of will to resist. The occasional tug to let out his claws or any other part of his true form would increase as the full moon drew near, but he had time. Losing his temper and letting a few aspects out had been dangerous enough fighting those men. Barry preferred to be something Len looked at with desire.

Carla and the others did not stay long, but she expressed much gratitude for their help today. Little Mai gave both Barry and Len high-fives before they left, and Ralph trailed behind Carla with those same 'moon eyes'.

Len locked the door once they had gone, prompting Barry to waste no time shifting forms. It was like a great stretch. Not that his legs were constricting, just different. Perhaps now he could convince Len to join him in the water.

"We can't stay long. Axel's on his way with your ID and all that."

"We can stay a bit longer, yes?" Barry arched up to float atop the water on his back, arms and tail extended. He felt Len's eyes scan the length of him, tempted whether Barry had legs or not. It filled Barry with warmth far more wondrous than the heated pool.

Like before, Len shed his shoes, rolled up his jeans, and sat at the edge, dangling his feet in the water.

Barry dove down deep, zipping from shallow end to deep end and back again to show off for him, delighted at Len's pleased chuckle when he surfaced. Then he floated toward Len, close enough to slide his hands onto the concrete, framing Len's thighs between his arms.

When Len's legs spread apart to allow him closer, Barry moved his hands to Len's thighs and lifted enough to angle for a kiss. Len tilted down to meet him, the chlorine on Barry's skin making the taste between them salty but not at all unpleasant.

Barry floated away with a grin after they parted just out of Len's reach. "Come into the water with me."

Though he did not speak in answer, Len's eyes strayed down the front of Barry's tail beneath the surface.

"Do you want to see what I look like in this form?" Barry asked, already having trouble keeping his sex from appearing since he felt the heat building between them. He flicked his tail up, floating away further to give Len a good view should the answer be yes.

A thud alerted Barry to something behind Len, but the entrance had been so seamless, like someone used to picking locks, that he only saw Axel over Len's shoulder after it was too late and his eyes were already taking in Barry's tail.

"Holy shit."

TBC...