***

Starr had spent most of the morning outside, lying on the beach. He swam, naked as the day he'd washed up. Whenever he thought anyone approached,the former merman dove beneath the waves. There were beautiful shells on the ocean floor. Every one of them was an example of natural perfection. Curves of white, ridges and spikes, there were so many different kinds in just one spot.

Each dive beneath the ocean's surface, Starr took the time to grab a shell. By the time Andy returned, the merman wanted to have quite the little collection. It was the only real way he could think of to repay the man for offering him a place to stay, and food. The more usual way was out of the question, because of human sensibilities.

It was nearly one in the afternoon by the time Andy finished at the market. He had been surprised at the selection of fresh, unmolested fish that sat on ice and were alive in large tanks and barrels. Tuna, clams, lobster, crab crayfish and shrimp sat alive and freshly killed alongside bass, salmon from nearby freshwater rivers, and halibut. He bought a little of whatever he could, having to go back to his truck to get the cooler he kept in the back to line with ice that would keep the fish from going bad quickly. He would have to clean out one of his freezers to store it all.

After loading the heavy cooler back into the truck, he went around and was caught entirely off guard by Cory. Dark hair and dark eyes laid out on a smooth, caramel complexion, he was wearing casual clothing. "H-hey, Cory! Didn't expect to see you here." But it was Sunday,

"Didn't expect to see you here either." Cory flashed one of his breathtaking smiles and Andy felt his knees go weak. "Buying the place out?" He nodded at the cooler.

"Uh, yeah, on a bit of a fish thing... y'know, cravings and all."

"Hah, you pregnant, Andy?" Cory poked Andy's stomach and he recoiled, yelping involuntarily then narrowing his eyes. "Okay, okay, sorry. Hey, how about I come by today?" Cory's voice dropped a few levels and made Andy shiver. He could forget anything when Cory used that voice, but he was preoccupied with other, very pressing issues elsewhere, even with Cory so close that his body heat overpowered the warm temperature around them.

"Uh, when...?" Andy asked, bringing up a hand to twist into Cory's hair.

"Oh, later this afternoon...? I have a few things to take care of, gotta get some plans in order for the week and all." Cory smiled, grasping Andy's hand and pressing his lips to the palm, which sent a shiver through the man.

"Uh, sure..." He knew he sounded like an idiot, but Cory's subtle tones, scents, and body language made him stupid. "Sounds really good..."

Cory gave him that smile again, leaning in to kiss him quickly before pulling back and nodding. "Sounds really, really good..." He brushed past, barely close enough to touch, and Andy shivered a little even as Cory was putting distance between them. Breathing in, Andy got into his car and started it up. Maybe he was just desperate for Cory's words, touches, promises... Maybe Starr was right...? He shook his head. No. He turned the key. No. Pulling back out of the parking spot on the side of the street, Andy started back toward his home. "No."

By the time he was on the winding road to his home, Andy had nearly forgotten the problems he had been fighting internally. His doubts, and subsequent denial of those doubts. Cory was in the back of his head, and Starr was at the front for now. He just couldn't help but worry about the guy. If someone had told him that he'd have taken in a merman that had apparently been cursed to live as a human a few days ago, he would have called the police in case they had snapped or escaped the mental ward at the hospital. It was crazy, and yet he was living it. He just couldn't tell Cory that.

Pulling up to his house, Andy got out and decided to check on Starr. Halfway up the path, his eyes caught shining rows on the porch, and a collapsed Starr nearby. "Hey, you've been... busy." Andy laughed, stepping over the shells and studying them. "Wow, really good collection... Did you wear yourself out?" He moved over to Starr and offered a hand to pull him up if he wanted to stand at all.

Andy gasped, grabbing Starr before he managed to fall to the ground. "Wow, really?" He carefully arranged Starr in one arm to the doorknob and push the door inside. A breath of cooler air reached them. "Thanks a lot, Starr. I kind of wanted a collection for a while but I don't go into the water deep enough to find the good things." He scooped Starr into his arms and moved inside. "You feel a bit warm, too... I hope you didn't overwork yourself if you're not used to this weather." Inside, it was naturally cool, and stayed that way because the house retained the cool air from the night, even with open windows and doors. Carefully Andy set Starr on the couch. "I'll be right back, okay? I went to the market in town and got some fish for you. They're not alive, since it'd take a lot to keep them that way, but they'll stay fresh with the ice to preserve them..." He stepped away, and outside, Andy gathered the shells and studied each before setting them in a small, neat pile. He would have to mount them on some plywood, perhaps, in a nice, organized manner.

Andy fought with the cooler, dragging it around the house and to the back porch, where the freezer was. It was plugged in, but he kept the temperature just above freezing. It helped keep drinks cold for a long time without causing the bottles or cans to expand and leaving him with a sticky mess. When he positioned the cooler, Andy scooped out ice to line the bottom and then started bringing out the fish. It was cold, but not frozen. He'd gotten everything he could, even a portion of marlin. Sprinkling ice over each layer he set in, Andy reached down to lower the temperature just enough for the ice to keep for several days. Closing up the cooler, he set it aside and went around to the front door. "Come on out when you like, I'll show you where it'll be kept." He nodded to Starr, then hurried back around to grab his hose and clean the cooler out with chilled water. Halfway through Andy went from spraying down the inside of the thing to holding the hose above his head.

It was a pretty hot day today, Andy realized halfway through the cleansing of the cooler. Starr would have to take it easy until his body adapted to not being able to dive to cooler temperatures like he used to. He would have to show him how to use the bathtub safely so he could cool himself down when necessary, perhaps. He startled and gasped when he felt hands on his back, twirling around and putting a hand to his heart. "Gad... Starr, you scared me! You're really quiet on those feet..." Laughing almost shakily, Andy stepped aside to turn the flow of water off and shake his head.

"Oh, Starr..." He had just remembered, yet he didn't really want to bring it up. "Cory's coming by a little later, okay? It might be a good idea to... er, wear clothes for a while..." He shrugged a bit, hoping he wouldn't mind being bound up a bit for a while. Andy had to endure it, after all, though he didn't much like it.

Andy closed his eyes and breathed out carefully. He almost felt like a parent trying to find the patience to deal with a misbehaving child, but Starr was no child and this was more delicately balanced than something being broken or stolen. "Starr, please don't do this to me." He said, as evenly as he could. "You haven't met him, you don't know him. I was hoping to be alone with him for just a little while, and you at least giving him a chance..." He let out a curt laugh and turned around. "I can't even believe I'm having this conversation with you, why don't you stay upstairs if you don't want to see him around? He's not gonna stay all night, and you can get outside from your room if you want." He pushed his hands into his pockets and went the long way around the house, shaking his feet out of his shoes so he didn't track much water along the floor.

He had gone upstairs to change into clothes that would actually be dry. A too-large white button-down and a pair of threadbare jeans, nothing else. But he took his sweet time changing, staring at himself in the mirror on the wall and thinking about what he'd heard. And said. Andy had hoped that Starr would at least give Cory a chance. He'd been with the guy for a long time---or a long time in Andy-time. Anything more than a month was considered long-term. Maybe he was just starved for attention. He had others, of course, and they were going to get together in just a few days. He'd wanted Starr to be okay with Cory, the way Andy was.

Was he just 'okay' with Cory? No, of course not. Andy shook his head and left his room, glancing toward the door to Starr's. It was closed, so Starr was in there. At least he didn't have to condition the guy to lie about where he came from and his relationship with Andy. He went downstairs, flopping on the couch and sighing. Not all his friends had to like Cory. Hell, Dean was rather short with the guy and wasn't afraid to show it. But Starr hadn't even met him yet. It was frustrating.

He didn't have to wait too long for the knock at the door. When it came, Andy jumped up and more or less ran to the door, pulling it open and finding Cory in the same clothes he had worn earlier in the day, with a light smile that didn't do much to hide his true intentions. "Hi, Cory." Andy's voice was almost strangled by the time he pulled Cory inside and closed the door, pushing him against the wood and pressing their lips together. "I've been looking forward to this for a while."

"Too long, baby?" Cory pulled back to speak, and Andy could see the smile there again. "I love to get you crazy like this."

"Wish you wouldn't." Andy sighed, his forehead against Cory's, arms wrapped around the man's neck. "I can go crazy for you every day if you wanted me to."

Cory chuckled, the low, reverberating sound sending a shiver through Andy. He'd already forgotten the frustration he'd had with the man a bit more than a day ago. Being a teacher was difficult, after all. "Really? I like the sound of that." He moved, and Andy was surprised to find himself on his back on the floor, with Cory on top of him. Starr had fled his mind already.

The sound was like an explosion---a small one, but loud and sudden enough to send Cory back and Andy bolt upright. "What the hell was that?" Cory asked, sitting back and staring at the ceiling as if whatever it was would crash down on their heads at any moment. Andy sighed shakily, more out of annoyed anger than anything.

"A friend of mine from out of town." He said easily. "He's pretty damn klutzy."

'Friend? Where from?" Cory narrowed his eyes more out of curiosity than anything. He knew Andy well enough to know he wouldn't go behind Cory's back.

"Down south." Andy replied, standing and sighing. "I oughta go see if he's okay... Stay here, I'll be back in a sec."

Cory nodded, but got onto his feet as Andy stalked up the stairs and saw the door was wide open. No doubt the handle had left a dent in the wall that he'd need to repair. Stepping into the doorway, Andy had his hands on his hips and his jaw set in a show of emotion he hadn't revealed before now. "Starr, what the actual hell are you doing?" His voice was a hoarse, sharp mutter.

Andy breathed in carefully, schooling his features. "Starr, I appreciate it and all, but you have to learn to calm down. What happens on dry land is so different that you'll have to get over it eventually, or we'll have to find a good way to get you your tail back. But you're in the red here, Starr. Cory knows you're here and he'll probably have a lot of questions if you do something again." He crossed his arms, turning halfway. "And for the love of God, stop banging doors open, I have a hole in the wall to patch up now."

He stalked back downstairs, wiping the tension from his body so Cory didn't question it. He was standing, looking at Andy curiously. "So, things okay?" He asked. There was a concerned look on his face that made everything Starr said earlier fall away. He seemed really, truly interested. Concerned. Just because he had come in with a one-track mind didn't mean that was all Cory wanted. He'd been acting in a way Andy would have if he'd shown up at Cory's place, after all. They were only human. Human men.

"Yeah, fine. He knocked a picture down on accident. Guy's pretty tired, drove for twelve hours to get here."

Cory nodded, stepping forward. "So... we're basically alone now?" Andy only managed a nod when Cory slid his arms around his waist, and pulled him forward. "Good..."

Andy was worried about being interrupted again. Really Starr had no warrant to consider that Cory was a lout or only using him. Maybe it seemed that way right now, Andy having pushed Cory down on the nearest surface he could find---the couch---and effectively scrambling his brain, but it was an outsider's perspective. They had rough patches obviously, but who didn't? Evidently not Starr's kind, who seemed to find love and coexist peacefully and without a single disagreement. Whose kind worked in a way that allowed them to always be with one another. It wasn't fair, really. So Andy too every bit of what time he could get now, right now.

He smiled deviously when Cory gave him a look somewhere between disbelief and shock, barely succeeding in dressing until Andy helped. "Good God, Andy... What the hell got in your head?"

"Consider it incentive not to cancel on me again." Andy smiled, and Cory shook his head.

"No... Hell no, not gonna happen. We should get out tomorrow, y'know? There's a few late movies playing. Since it's a weekday, it'll be all quiet in the theater..."

Andy's smile widened. "Sounds nice." He nodded slowly.

Cory and Andy stared at one another in a mix of surprise and concern. "That... your friend again?" Cory asked, hesitating a little.

Andy nodded slowly. "Yeah... I'll... hell..." He shook his head and stood, going around to the staircase and gasping. "Holy shit, Starr, did you fall down the stairs again...?" He bent down, lifting the man up. Of course he wore no clothes. "And you're still naked..." He added with a groan as Cory came by.

"Uh, so he's like you?" Cory crossed his arms, looking the merman up and down. "Nudist?"

'Yep." Andy said before he could stop to think. When he wasn't looking at Cory, he was glaring at Starr. "What are you doing down here, anyway? I thought you were upstairs...?" He raised a brow.