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Knox!

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Aug 4, 2013
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Emilio had scrawled a word upon the glass, for a moment, Leo's eyes flickered across the letters, and suddenly an awfully obvious blush touched the merboy's cheeks. Te amo. Pulling back from the glass suddenly, the boy stared at the pirate, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. His hands retracted into his chest and he dropped his gaze away from the man, pouting and casting him coy little glances every couple of seconds. Of course he knew what that word meant, merfolk tended to mate for life, and so love was a concept painfully important within their culture. The term made him blush so violently that his cheeks felt like they were burning up.

He would have tried to hide if there had been anywhere, but the tank was currently devoid of places like that for now, and besides, where could you get a fake cave that could fit a fully grown merboy? Leo backed away a little further, whimpering softly and pushing himself away to take refuge back up in the top section of the tank again, the one in Emilio's bedroom. Te amo. Pfft. Leo was painfully gullible, and far too easily manipulated, despite his distrust for Emilio.​
 

Fidget

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Nov 12, 2013
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The reaction he got was the reaction he so desperately desired, and his grin widened. Of course he didn't love the boy, but he was really starting to appreciate the unique little creature he would be taking care of. Blushing furiously, the merboy hurried away from his post at the glass, making Emilio pout a little bit. He wanted him to come closer, not go farther away. The cute little blue flush on the boy's cheeks were too good to get mad at, though, and he felt a small something tugging at the bottom of his chest.

Glass paint would be even nicer, he could decorate the tank front and maybe if Leo behaved, he could decorate a little bit, too. He was left feeling a little lonely when the merman swam away again, and was grateful for the restricting design of the tank. At least Leo couldn't wander very far. Wondering what would happen if he followed the fish, Emilio quickly pushed himself back to the hidden stairs, trotting up the steps to his bedroom. Throwing open the door, he went straight for the new tank, staring at the boy trapped in his walls. What would happen if I just ... Sliding his hand between the bars trapping Leo inside, he dipped his hand into the water, swishing it around and making a face at the cooler temperature. He had been expecting something ... Hotter. Maybe he could kick the heaters higher.
 

Knox!

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Aug 4, 2013
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Leo shied away again when Emilio followed him, staring at him with a bemused sort of expression, and backing away even further when a hand dropped into the water. Leo paused for a moment, weighing out his options, of course this was the absolute perfect opportunity to bite those stupid finger off, but did he really feel like doing that. Edging closer, almost cautiously, the boy pushed his head into the palm of Emilio's hand, rubbing against it almost like a cat for a brief moment. Enjoying his touch for a moment, the boy's eyes fluttered shut. He'd let his guard down, and that was exactly what he hadn't meant to do.

The water perhaps wasn't as warm as Leo would have liked, though he'd gotten used to the temperature, his skin had risen up in goosebumps that covered his arms and chest. Pressing himself close to the glass again, head still nuzzled affectionately against the pirate's hand, merely appreciating the feel of fingers tangled in his wet hair. Frowning a little, the boy's eyes darted open and he quivered just a little, cold. His gaze shifted up to settle on Emilio's again, the frown shifting to a soft pout.
 

Fidget

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Nov 12, 2013
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It almost came as a shock to him, feeling the wet texture of hair mesh into his outstretched fingers. He had really been expecting a bite, or something a bit more ... Violent. He wanted a reason to resent the creature, not one to love him even more. The feeling in his chest swelled for a moment, and his fingers twitched, tentatively stroking the boy's scalp. He looked peaceful for perhaps the first time since Emilio had met him, and he felt his own guard lowering against his will.

He got a little bolder in his petting, running long strokes through Leo's hair. Daring to slip another hand in past the guard, Emilio dipped the other hand under water now, cradling Leo's head with one and stroking his hair with the other. A pout mirroring the merboy's appeared on Emilio's face. "What is wrong, meu amor?" His eyebrows ducked down into a frown, and his hand slid down from Leo's hair to his face, stroking it as gingerly as he dared. He didn't like those teeth the first time he encountered them, he didn't think he would enjoy them very much the second time.
 

Knox!

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Aug 4, 2013
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The boy pulled away from Emilio and pushed his head above the water, taking a moment to shake out his sodden hair that sent droplets out through the bars and against the glass of the tank. "Out." He answered, frowning at the pirate, "I want out." He'd picked up a little English since Emilio had kidnapped him, not very much, but a little to form sentences now, they were only ever a few words long though. "Out." He demanded again, hands pushing up at the bars that prevented him from escaping.

Staring at Emilio, Leo waited patiently for his demands to be met. He wanted to get out of the tank now, it was cold and he wanted to wander around for a little while. He hadn't really explored the interior of the shop aside from his tank, and frankly that bed looked really squishy. Tugging at the bars again, Leo pushed his head up against it too, "out, out, out, I want out."
 

Fidget

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Nov 12, 2013
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Emilio hesitated for a moment, pulling back at the drops of water that splashed against his face. He didn't trust Leo anymore, not after that incident on the boat. Without thinking, his hand drifted up to his shoulder, fingers curling around the fresh scar that had scabbed over. He loved battlescars as much as the next pirate, but that didn't mean he wanted to intentionally go looking for trouble if he could help it. "No more biting...." He could handle being attacked again, but he didn't want to handle a merman on the loose around his home and shop without supervision.

Padding to the door, he locked it, pressing against the handle to make sure it was secure. Now, the hard part was figuring out how to undo the grate thing that separated him and Leo. There was a little door that had been built into the top here just for this purpose, but he hadn't expected to be using it so soon. His tongue poking out to the side as he studied it, Emiliano tentatively slotted one of the keys into the waiting lock, lighting up as he turned it on the first try. Pulling open the little barred door, it reminded him far too much of a prison cell, and Emilio's nose wrinkled for a moment.

"Behave, or I'll shoot you." Offering his hands down, Emilio wondered if Leo would need help getting out of the water. Last time, he had a bit of a rough time with getting into the boat.
 

Knox!

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Aug 4, 2013
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"No biting." Leo echoed, with a nod, whether that was a promise or not it wasn't all that clear, but that little set of legs had replaced the boy's tail again and he was scrabbling frantically at the glass of the tank with his feet. He didn't much like the idea of being shot, besides, perhaps he'd be forced to be good right now. Maybe he could unintentionally cause some trouble, anyway. He snatched the pirate's wrists in each of his hands and struggled up over the side of the tank, in the most ungraceful manner, one of his arms wrapped it's self around the top of Emilio's head and the other around his neck, pulling himself down to cling to the pirate like an odd sort of koala bear.

"Behave," he answered, letting out a little pfft after the word. "Always good. I never bad." He pouted a little, squirming away from Emlio and landing on the floor with a soft thud. He was already dripping all over the wood and evidently searching for something by the way his gaze darted back and forth.​
 
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