Fishing for Love

The frayed camping chair digs into Daniel's legs as the sun sets on the horizon, casting Amare Lake into the shade from the surrounding woods. His fishing line has sat unmolested since before sunrise, the bait not switched out even once. Daniel sips his water bottle, glancing at the water with its bowing cattails, dragonflies zipping around, water gliders moving about, a horde of nats converging on some random part of the water. The cooler barely holds any more ice, cubes bobbing.

Guess it's time to pack it in. He pulls himself to his feet by the armrests. Not a G-damn nibble.

The line twitches, his reel whirling. Stumbling, he quickly snatches it from its holder stuck into the mud, and reels it in. Whatever it is doesn't put up much of a fight, and in the manner of minutes, the fish flops out of the water. Pale white with beads sprinkling its skin, splotches of bright colors everywhere; eyes a deep blue. When he has it on the shore, it's unmoving, as though it has already died. He prods it with his boot, and it doesn't move, nor does its gills or mouth.

Oh well--a fish's a fish.

It doesn't smell rotten, so he figures it's fine to take. Tossing it in the cooler, he closes the lid and gathers up his things. It's a mile hike back to his truck parked on the shoulder of Isorok Road.

Daniel's exhausted when he parks in the gravel driveway in front of his garage, sitting in pitch black now the headlights are gone. He decides he'll gut and skin it tomorrow, so he transfers the fish to the small refrigerator in the garage. After putting away his fishing gear, he goes inside his one-floor house.

He does his nightly routine before slipping into bed, and despite his body wanting nothing more to sleep, his mind doesn't want to, not yet. It's been a recurrence every night, ever since his wife, Melody, passed a year ago from bowel cancer. She kept the fight going as long as she could, but in the end, the cancer won.

Tears run down his suntanned, wrinkled face, as he sighs. He loved her for fifty years, but there was always something missing in their marriage. A hole he couldn't fill--a scratch she couldn't itch. They never had kids, not for the lack of trying, but he never would admit it was because of him. He could never get his soldier 'at attention' long enough to finish, and on his cheap insurance, going to the doctor was out of the question. But, she loved him all the same, and him, her; and he was beside her all the while the disease caused havoc inside her until the very end.

She resides in a plot of land out at Brownrose Cemetery, next to a vacant plot meant for him when the time comes. Yet, he wishes more than anything to be there, or her, here, to fill the empty space next to him. Daniel closes his eyes, pushes the painful memories away, and finally, slowly, sleep takes him.

*

After breakfast, Daniel trudges down to the garage. He plans on prepping the fish for lunch, maybe freeze the rest for later or eat it for supper. Regardless, when he opens the refrigerator, the fish is gone.

What the heck?

He's certain he put it on the top rack, but he moves aside the tiny cans of soda on the bottom to make sure he didn't put it back there while he was tired last night. But, there's nothing there, not even in the tiny compartment at the top where things need to stay frozen. Scratching his head, he closes the door, and looks down at the ground to find footprints in the dust.

Wincing as he crouches, he touches one with his finger to find it damp. And, there's eight toes, not five, to each print. What coulda' left these? No raccoon or skunk--maybe a groundhog, but don't think they have eight toes or look anything like that. Looks more human. It doesn't matter. His knees pop when he straightens. Someone or something is trespassing on his property and stole the food he worked so hard to get. Didn't people know what's on a man's land his own? Daniel pulls down the hunting rifle hanging on the wall, loads it, then slowly follows the footprints.

They go from the garage to the backyard, stopping at the screen door leading to his room in the basement. He keeps his odds-and-ends in there: jackets, boots, mementos, and so on. The handle's cold to the touch, but he opens it and the door after, and cautiously enters.

Wetter on the cement than they were outside, beaded with water, heading to the closed bathroom door. Daniel hears something inside.

Did someone break into my house just to take a bath? What is this world coming to?

Rapping on the door, he shouts: "Whoever's in there better git. I have a rifle and I'll put a bullet in any person stealing from me."

No reply, only splashing water hitting the concrete.

"I'm coming in!" Daniel turns the knob and shoulders the door open. He raises the rifle quickly, aiming at the yellowed white tub in the corner. His fingers go numb, the barrel drops to the floor. What's in his tub is a nude man with pale, sleek skin; beads like rows of tastebuds line his back and chest; a blooming opening down his spine, layer upon layer giving way to beautiful, lush iridescent colors in its center, like a blossoming, bottomless flower; seaweed green hair, and eyes deep, deep, blue.

Daniel doesn't budge, his mouth agape, eyes wide. The man watches him, thin lips unmoving.

"Wh--what are you?" Daniel says, frustration gone.

"I could ask you the same," he says, voice like a tranquil pond.

"How'd you get in here?" he glances at the open door, back to the bath.

"Same way as you--walked."

His sight wanders to his broad chest, rounded smooth shoulders, the abdomen vanishing underwater, then snaps his gaze to the floor. "Where'd you come from?"

"Somewhere nicer than here." The man slides deeper into the bathwater, his head perching against the back.

"Hey!"

"What?" He turns, looking back at him. "Isn't the place you were born always better than anywhere you end up later in life?"

Daniel wants to retort, but the man's right. He fondly remembers his childhood days without care or responsibility, when life seemed to be less serious, the world with less strife, back... He shakes his head. "What's your name?"

"It'll be easier for you to call me, 'Socium'. And yours?"

Daniel sets the rifle down, knowing in his gut this man isn't dangerous. Heck, he's naked in my bathroom. Doubt he could do anything even if he wanted to. "Daniel," he says, closing the toilet and sitting.

"Nice to meet you, Daniel."

He perches his fingers against his mouth. I don't wanna admit it, but... No, that's crazy. Fish aren't human. They can't just become humans, grow legs, walk into a man's house to take a bath... But, his colors, the bead-things, those eyes... Despite himself, he refuses to utter such nonsense.

"Do you have a place to go?" he asks. Socium's hair splayed over the tub's rim.

"No."

Can't let him sleep outside--I'm not that upset.

"I can let you stay--for just one night--then tomorrow you'll have to find somewhere to go."

"That's generous of you, Daniel." The man sits up, and stands. Water trickles down his toned torso; his hairless body lithe but well built. The colors weave around his hips and down his thighs, petering out at the knees. Daniel's vision moves to his groin, but he faces away before registering what hangs there.

"Can you get a G-damn towel and cover up, please? Can't have you walking around naked while you stay here."

"For such a charitable man, anything."

He hears a towel pulled from the rack on the wall, then cinched around his waist. When he faces Socium again, an old towel covers his nether regions.

"Thanks."

Socium steps out from the water, staring idly at Daniel. It feels like he's waiting for something.

"Do you have any clothes you can put on?"

The pale man glances at the empty floor, then faces him. "None at all."

How'd the heck did this man live? No home, no clothes. If I wasn't a godly man, I swear... He huffs. "Lemme go grab you something."

After he's returned with a gray sweatshirt, faded sweatpants, and a pair of socks, he stands outside the door while Socium dresses. He knocks on the door, and the pale man comes out. Everything fits him well, but he isn't wearing socks.

"My feet aren't meant for those sorts of things," he says before Daniel asks. "And, I don't mean to be rude."

He recalls the man having the weird deformity of eight toes, and nods to himself. "Right, right; c'mon." Escorting him upstairs, he takes him to the living room off-shooting the kitchen/dining room, and has him sit on the recliner facing the TV. Daniel sits on the couch along the wall.

"So," he says, "where do you come from?"

He taps his long fingers on the armrests. "Elsewhere--not far from Amare Lake."

"Ah, Amare! I fish that often. I was just there..." He's the fish. He's the G-darn fish. No he's not. Stop being stupid! "Do any fishing up around those parts?"

Socium shakes his head. "Not a fan of the sport. Not much of a hunter either."

"Are you one of those vegetarians?"

"You could say that, but I make exceptions for the right circumstances."

Daniel retrieves the remote from the coffee stand to his side, littered with magazines Melody left there ages ago. "Anything you like watching?"

"Not one for TV, either."

"What are you 'one' for, Socium? You don't fish or hunt or watch TV. What do you do?"

"Swimming, I'm a big fan of that." He taps his lips. "Grazing can be enjoyable, given the right shoal... That's about it, honestly. Being outside, feeling the sun--I could do that for eons."

"Well, then... Do you want to go for a walk? There's a trail out back, goes past a creek and Chud's old farm."

Socium smiles. "Absolutely, Daniel."

It isn't quite noon by the time they're midway on the trail. The sun hides behind clouds, keeping some of the summer heat a bay. A cool breeze blows through the birch and pine, lush undergrowth and greenery sway. Daniel didn't have any shoes that fit Socium, but his sandals did. The man had his hands in his pockets, blue eyes peering at the tree canopies.

They walk in silence until the babbling of the winding creek permeates the quiet. Around the downward bend, they come to it. Water rolls over stones and roots, smoothly weaving around the dirt and leaves cluttering its banks.

"Used to be bigger," Daniel says. "When I was a boy, my daddy brought me out here to go swimming. Hard to imagine this used to be at least ten times its size."

Socium crouches and places his hand into the cool stream. "It's like growing older. You become smaller and smaller as time goes on until you're frail and weak, like this stream. Soon," he says, standing and running his fingers down his cheek, "this'll be as dry as the bones we leave behind."

"Huh, never thought of it that way." Weird thing to say, but he's a weird fellow. "Anyway, let's keep on. I wanna get back before the heat sets in."

Daniel turns, but his foot slips on the embankment, dragging his leg into the water. Socium grabs him before he completely falls in, and pulls him back onto the trail. Daniel stands, doubled over, his pants soaked.

"Thought I was going to go completely in," he says. "Legs don't work like they used to, huh?"

He keeps his hand on his back. "It happens to all of us. Sometimes it feels like I don't even have legs."

"Me, too," he laughs, now noticing Socium's touch, the pressure of his eight fingers. He wants to push into it. It feels so... It's wrong! It's wrong! He moves out from under him, and straightens. "Well, I guess I should head back instead. Don't want to take the chance to catch a cold."

"Oh?"

"You can keep going if you like." He points ahead, shielding his eyes from the direct sunlight. "Trail just veers a bit later, then there's a small rock path across the water, then Chud's Barn will be on your right. Then, you just head back the way you came."

"You don't mind? It's your property, after all."

Daniel waves his hand. "Not at all. Enjoy it, and I'll see you at lunch, all right?"

Socium nods, then they depart in opposing directions.

Daniel's sweating by the time he's peeling off his clothes. Not from the walk back, but from... Don't think it. You ain't one of those-- He turns on the bathroom faucet, and splashes cold water in his face. Rubs his forehead with the back of his hand, staring at his wide green eyes, bulbous nose, and chapped lips. Melody was always on him to use chapstick, but he couldn't stand the oily residue.

Why're being this, huh? One minute you think a fish turned into a man, the next you're, what? His friend? But, his hand... I haven't felt that way before. It was like warmth came from his palm. I wanted to... I wanted it not to leave.

He searches his reflection for answers not there, confusion filling his face.

Am I...? I loved her. I loved Melody with my heart and soul, but I never... She never. And this morning, him standing in the tub, the way the water made his skin glean, and all those colors all the way down to his--

"Daniel!" Socium calls from the entry. "I've returned."

"Coming," Daniel shouts, stepping back, looking down to find his man at attention.

Socium declines the offer of Daniel's supper.

"I don't hunger, often," he says, while they sit at the kitchen table. Daniel twists spaghetti onto his fork.

"So, do you have a wife or children?"

"No wife, per se, but many, many little fry swimming about in the world." He puts his hands onto the table, lacing them together. "What about your Daniel?"

"I had a wife, Melody. We were married for over four decades, but she passed a little while go."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he places his hand onto Daniel's. His touch soft, smooth. "How did she pass, if you don't mind my curiosity?"

"Cancer." He glances at their hands, the food forgotten. I should move my hand. I should move it. But he doesn't. "But let's talk about something else."

Socium nods. "What're your plans for the future?"

A weight presses on his shoulders. The noodles and sauce churn in his stomach. My future? He never gave it much thought after her. He just lived day-by-day. Now thinking about it, he doesn't know. His skin goes clammy. "I..." What is my future? Being alone? Old? Retired? Sitting by for the last twenty-or-so years, God willing, I have left doing nothing? Being nothing? His wide eyes search the air for something to grasp, but there isn't anything. "Uh..." His chest hitches and it's suddenly hard to breathe. He feels the tears coming but doesn't want to cry in front of his newfound friend. Socium cannot be prepared for that, for an old man to weep over his poor excuse of a dinner. "I don't... I don't..."

Daniel drops his fork, and before he can wipe his eyes, Socium takes his other hand. The man looks into the blue eyes--eyes he wishes to swim in, to dive deep like when he was younger, hold his breath until his lungs gave out. He can't ignore the warmth, can't push aside the yearning, won't look away or abate the swelling in his chest. I don't want to be alone. Melody would want him to do this. I want to do this. Leaning over the table, he takes his hands out from his, and holds Socium's face as his lips meet his.

*

Daniel's unsure of how they ended in the bedroom, but they were. Socium's bent over the edge of his bed, all the clothes given to him strewn on the floor alongside Daniel's. His ass awash in beautiful colors streaming from the slit in his back, the inner walls like that of a narrow canyon. Things seem to twinkle down there.

"Is everything okay?" Socium looks over his shoulder. "Are you certain you want to do this?"

No. But his hard cock pleads for him to enter Socium, so he nods, and he takes the man's narrow hips into his hands and gently at first, slides his member into his ass. Slippery like oil, allowing entrance without much push. When he's completely in, the muscles contract over him, and heat floods into his pelvis. Daniel moans.

"I haven't..." he stammers, as though something needs to be said. This is..."

"Please," is all he says, and Daniel does. Slowly as he gets his bearings, the rhythm of Socium's hips and the motion of his thrusting. "Harder." He listens, going faster, pushing his dick as deep as he can into his insides. Daniel moans again, a shutter tingling down his body. It's amazing. He feels amazing. Socium lets out a guttural groan. Flesh slaps flesh. I can't believe I waited this long to. I just. I can't. No wonder we had problems. I'm sorry Melody, I'm sorry--

Socium leans into the bed, and reaches under himself to grab his thick dick. He strokes as Daniel stands on his toes, thrusting faster at an angle, drilling the soft ass. The colors on his back bloom with light, casting the dark room in a rainbow hue, playing across the ceiling. It's like they're neon, tinted water, flowing from the middle around his sides, down his hips, up his rear. Daniel's fingers prickle with energy, like grasping a livewire.

"Oh," he says, an urge he hasn't felt since boyhood. He clenches his muscles. "I'm--"

"Wait," Socium says. "Wait. Not yet." He slips out around Daniel and slides onto the floor on his knees. Before Daniel knows what's happening, his cock is overwhelmed by his mouth.

"Goddamn."

Socium's blowing him quickly, saliva dribbling down his chin and torso. He's still pleasuring himself as he bobs on his cock. Daniel runs his fingers through his hair, grabbing the back of his head.

"I can't hold it--" He pushes Socium's head to him, and cums into the back of his throat. He spurts and spurts, every last drop drank, but he keeps sucking.

"It's too much!" Daniel says, but his partner doesn't listen, tightly holding his ass. "I can't. I can't!"

The man jerks himself off until he shutters, coming all over Daniel's legs and feet, the floor. Oddly cool. But then Daniel finds out he was wrong, for another wave of pleasure washes over him, and he cums once more into Socium's mouth.

Every ounce of strength leaves him then, and it feels like a miracle he makes it to his bed, dropping onto his back. His body throbs, resounding from his wilting cock. Tears are in his eyes, and he's smiling. He feels whole--feels like he's somewhere where he was always meant to be. To be here. Feeling like this. He laughs, looking over his damp belly at Socium, who now stands over him. He licks his forearm clean of his spill.

"Sleep well, Daniel," he says, "We'll meet in the morning."

He wants to stay awake, to be with him, but exhaustion overtakes him, and he plummets into sleep.

*

Daniel wakes up the next morning to find Socium gone. His crotch throbs with pain, muscles finally used. He rushes through the house, room to room, searching for the thing he withheld himself from all those years. When he can't find him, he thinks back to where he believes he met Socium only two days ago.

At the bankment at Amare Lake, Socium, nude, sits on the shore, looking out over the still waters. "Why'd you leave me?" Daniel asks, walking down to him. "After..."

"Home calls for me," he simply says. "I can't resist it."

"Can I..." Don't say it. Don't think it. It's one thing to be that way, but to admit Socium's actually a... "Can I come with you?"

He looks up at the old man. "You already have."

Daniel laughs. "You know what I mean."

Socium stands, looking into Daniel's eyes. "Once you leave, you cannot come back."

"But you--"

"I'm the exception, not the rule."

Give everything up? The house, the land, fishing, hunting, just being... Those are just things. What I feel in my G-darn chest is what matters. But.. I... Stop being an idiot and just do it! No more waiting. He nods.

"So it is," Socium whispers, then kisses Daniel, who closes his eyes. His chill and warmth and colors and everything makes up the beautiful, pale-blue man washes from him to him, drowning out all that kept him held back all those years, opening up chasms to fill and only Daniel to be who he truly is meant to be.