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Bruce kept his eyes on the horizon as he sailed his boat far beyond the coast. Given, this area of New Jersey wasn't the most popular for boating, especially while the weather was still somewhat chilly, but he had to be sure he wasn't being followed. As far as his research partners were concerned, Bruce was investigating a potential new species of shark, which wasn't entirely a lie.
Deciding he'd gone out far enough, Bruce stopped the boat and went portside, where sat a cooler with a fresh snapper in it. He watched the water for a bit, hauled back and threw the fish overboard into the water. For a moment, nothing happened. Other fish came up to nibble at the catch, but for the most part, it remained undisturbed.
Then, from deep in the dark, Bruce saw a huge shape rising to the surface. Bruce had just enough time to back away from the edge of the boat before a massive shape snapped up the fish like it was nothing. The creature breached the water like a whale, sending up waves which mercilessly rocked Bruce's boat.
And yet, Bruce wasn't afraid. If anything, the look on his face said that this was exactly what he'd wanted to see.
The creature resurfaced with a spray of water around it, and Bruce could finally see who he'd come to visit. He was a merman of the giant variety, a leviathan in every sense of the word. From the waist up, he resembled a great, strong man. His skin had a blue-gray tint to it, marred by the occasional scar. Big, brilliant blue eyes fixed Bruce with a curious expression. His mane of wavy black hair cascaded down his neck and back. Finned ears twitched in different directions, paying attention to everything around him. The rest of him resembled a great white shark, complete with a tall fin on his back and a muscular tail marked with battle scars.
"Hey there, Clark," Bruce said, looking up to meet the giant shark man's gaze. "I missed you."
He knew it wasn't exactly the most majestic name for a creature like Clark, but it seemed to fit him. Admittedly, Bruce had chosen the name from an actor he'd had a crush on growing up. Sure, it was childish, but he couldn't help himself with how beautiful Clark was to him.
Clark grinned down at Bruce, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth, and started to hum, a noise akin to whale song. Bruce had been around Clark so much that he'd started to pick up on what different songs meant, and he knew that this one was meant just for him. Truth be told, Bruce wasn't sure if Clark could understand his language yet. The two just seemed to have a general understanding of each other, which made Bruce feel like the luckiest man alive.
Something about now felt off to Bruce, though. Peering over the side of the boat and into the water, he noticed something that looked like it was stuck to Clark's tail.
"What's that?" Bruce asked, pointing to the glint in the water. Clark turned his head away, ears falling, before lifting part of his tail out of the water to reveal a rather large fishing hook embedded in his tail.
"Ouch," Bruce mumbled to himself. Louder, he said, "Here, let me see," as he motioned to Clark's tail. Clark gave Bruce a nervous look, but eventually moved his tail closer to the boat, allowing Bruce to reach it.
"Who did this to you?" Bruce murmured under his breath as he inspected it. He knew he couldn't just tug the hook out, lest it tear through Clark and do more damage. An idea popped into Bruce's head, and he ran to grab something from inside the cockpit. Sure enough, hiding somewhere amid research equipment, was an as of yet unused tackle box. It, along with a sturdy rod, had been a gift from some of his socialite friends when he'd first gotten the boat. While Bruce was never too fond of fishing, he was grateful for their gift now as he rifled through the box and found some wire cutters.
Returning to the port, Bruce settled himself next to Clark's tail and got to work. He gingerly pulled on the hook, which made Clark hiss and flare his gills, but Bruce murmured an apology as he lifted a long section of hook away from the tail. Then, he snapped the hook in two pieces with the wire cutters and pulled the separate parts out of Clark's tail without the barb catching.
"There we go," Bruce said, patting Clark's tail a few times. The giant shark man let out an excited trill and splashed back into the water, circling the boat. Bruce felt himself start to smile, amused at such a giant creature behaving so playfully.
After a few laps around the boat, Clark made his way back around to bruce and extended his webbed, clawed hand towards the edge of the boat. Bruce nodded once and climbed over the edge of the boat, stepping into Clark's palm. Clark lifted Bruce up to his chest and wrapped both hands around him in a hug, humming gently.
This was what Bruce had come here for. This was an opportunity most could only experience in their dreams. Here, Bruce could feel this incredible creature's strength, the gentleness of his hands, the rise and fall of his chest, the might of his slow, steady heartbeat, a hum so deep Bruce could feel it in his entire body.
Clark leaned back in the water, floating on the surface, and began to swim in lazy loops around the boat. Bruce lifted his head and saw Clark watching him with a smile, eyes full of bliss. Bruce smiled and rested his head against Clark's chest, relaxing in his grip.
Bruce knew he would have to return to the shore, but that could wait. For now, the only people in the world were Bruce and his lonely leviathan, and he wouldn't have it any other way.