One would think that after being around Jason for almost so many months, one would get used to the weird and unexplained. Or perhaps just the weird. But, upon having heard that he had developed gills now, it was hard to take in. It didn’t change how I felt about him. I would forever and always love Jason. Nothing could change that.
What was so bizarre yet to me and hard for me to accept was the people behind this. How could any person purposefully experiment on a human being? No one deserved this fate that was bestowed onto Jason. He never asked to be different. He just wanted to fit in. The doctors that had done this to Jason may be fully human, but they were more monstrous than Jason would ever be.
“So, they really are gills,” I commented, fingering them gently. It looked out of place on his neck, but as long as he kept his hair shaggy, no one would ever notice. I smiled at him, “Well, how cool is that that you can breath in water. Go ahead, do it again, I’ll see if I can’t keep up. With you being able to breath underwater, it should make swimming a lot easier for you.”
He nodded and dove down into the bottom. I pulled the goggles over my eyes and dove down after him. The chlorine hurt my eyes too much to not have goggles on so I could open my eyes and see Jason underwater.
He wasn’t a strong swimmer by any means. Not yet. I assumed they had combined fish DNA with his own, and that was why he could breathe. So, if that was the case, he’d eventually learn to swim more strongly, too. Better than me, even. I wondered then what other DNA strands they had tried to infuse in with him, what else he might turn into.
I swam down to the bottom, and together, Jason and I swam around each other. HE was getting to be a better swimmer already. We were swimming circles around each other. He was getting more confident with himself. I needed air and was about to surface, when he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. I shook my head, I needed air. I wasn’t playing anymore.
He put a finger on my lips, as though to still me. I stopped struggling even though my lungs were beginning to burn. He pulled our bodies together and kissed me, pushing air into my mouth. I found that by doing this, I too was able to breath. Must be a side effect from the fish DNA. I didn’t understand how it was possible, but I wasn’t about to question it.
When I pulled away, I pointed to the surface and went back up. I swam to the edge of the pool and hopped out, sitting on the edge. Dangling my feet into the water, I took a deep breath, glad to be breathing oxygen. Breathing through the kiss felt different, like I was still half suffocating. This was better. I could breathe easier.
Jason surfaced and swam to my side. “Are you ok?” he asked me, he crossed his arms on the cement and rested his head in his arms, looking up at me.
I nodded. “I’m fine. That was a weird feeling. I could breathe, but not as well as I am now. How did you know that would work?” I leaned back and rested the palms of my hands on the cement behind me, my hair dripping water onto the ground.
He shrugged. “Instinct, I guess. The longer I was in water, the more I seemed to know what to do. Like swimming. I’m a good swimmer, now. It is all instincts. Instincts I shouldn’t have.” He hopped out of the pool to sit beside me.
I sighed and leaned over grabbing his chin gently in my hand. “But you do have them. And that doesn’t make you a freak. Strange, sure. But, you’re still human. No matter what.”
“How can you honestly believe that?” he looked down at me with worry filled eyes. He was searching my own eyes for some clue that I might be lying to him, that I wasn’t comfortable around him at all.
I smiled. “Because I know you. I love you. I see the good in you you fail to see. I see all the wonderful and amazing parts of you. I see the parts that are different, the parts that I am not like. And it doesn’t freak me out. It’s strange because I’m not used to it. Who would be? But, I’m not scared of you and I certainly don’t think you’re a monster.”
He looked as though he was going to argue with me, but I leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. I smiled against him as I placed my arms around him and pulled him towards me, deepening the kiss. He made me so happy. Why couldn’t he see that? It didn’t matter what he looked like, that his DNA didn’t look like mine. He was still human. More human than even me.
I pulled me over so that I was straddling him and we could have our stomachs touching, my breasts touching his chest through my bikini. “Jason,” I breathed. “I love you so much.” I brought my hands up to his face, running through his hair as I pulled him into another kiss. I could feel him through our bathing suit bottoms. I could feel how turned on he was at the moment.
Jason pulled away after a moment. “I love you, too, Elijah.” I smiled, crashing my lips against his again. He brought his hand up and untied my bikini top, my breasts bouncing free. He enjoyed the feel of them in his hands. I moaned against his lips as he touched me and started grinding my hips against his. I started trailing kisses down my jaw, my neck, my collarbone until he found one breast and pulled it into his mouth.
Grasping at his back, I trailed my nails along his skin. I leaned my head back and arched my back against him. I opened my eyes and realized where we were. “Oh, Jason,” I whispered as I slunk back down. “We’re at school. What if someone catches us!”
He chuckled, standing up. I never moved from his lap. I merely wrapped my legs around his waist. “Then we should move to a more private spot.” When had he gotten so bold? All this time in the water had to be messing with his head. But, at the moment, I was more than willing to go anywhere he wanted to. “The girl’s locker room should do nicely.” He grabbed our stuff and disappeared into the locker room.
