Clothes

Marnthe pushed the container's nozzle down, filling his open palm with thick blue liquid. "It's just another form of soap that cleans your hair." He then rubbed it over Geale's wet tresses.

Geale winced as Marnthe's fingers dived deep into his hair, massaging his scalp. He had only experienced a similar sensation a few times with other merfolk and none of them involved shampoo.

Marnthe's ministrations were gentle and soothing. It made Geale want to surrender himself completely to the singer.

Sure enough, his eyes began to droop shut - a wave of exhaustion finally washing over him after staying awake all evening.

"You like it?" Marnthe asked, noting how Geale's shoulders slumped and his head began to bob along with his hand movements.

Geale opened his eyes to respond. The haze of sleep quickly replaced with panic. His eyes went wide at the sight of white, thick, froth crawling down his tresses.

He gasped; another sharp, clean and unnatural scent stuffing his nose.

"I'll comb your hair," Marnthe announced before taking the toiletries off of his lap and into the sink. He then stood up from the edge of the tub.

He washed the bubbles off of his hands with the shower nozzle before turning it off and leaving it near the faucet.

Marnthe picked up a comb from the cabinet before hovering behind Geale's back. The comb gently scraped against Geale's scalp and repeatedly ran through the tangled wavy mess dangling over the younger man's back.

"Is that also something I need to do?" Geale asked, the teeth of the comb teasing his scalp in all the right places.

"Yes, for the texture of our hair. You can also do it after rinsing the shampoo away, but it might cause your tresses to look more disorderly than it should."

"This is a lot of work."

Marnthe chuckled. "Wait until you learn how to clothe yourself."

"Clothe myself?"

"Give me the soap," Marnthe said as soon as he was done detangling Geale's hair.

Geale handed him the soap.

"Close your eyes."

Geale complied. Long fingers gently caressed his cheeks and massaged his forehead. It trailed down his brows, the slopes below his eyes, the ridges of his nose, the corners of his jaw, and a spot below his chin.

"Don't open your eyes yet. I'll wash it all off with water, okay?"

Geale felt Marnthe's breath brush softly against his nose, telling him how close their faces were. His heart raced at the thought of leaning his head forward; his hand sliding up to the back of Marnthe's neck, and his lips parting slightly to touch-

A gentle spray of water shattered his imagination. He frowned as the liquid washed away the slippery sensation on his face.

"Wipe your face."

Geale did as he was told until he could open his eyes. He held his breath as he saw Marnthe's profile against the soft light of a nearby window.

He looked more beautiful than he did under the bar's stage lights.

"Wipe the rest of your body until you don't feel the soap anymore."

Geale furiously rubbed his skin with his hands, hoping Marnthe didn't notice the way he dumbfoundedly stared at him.

Marnthe pulled a chain from underneath the tub. The muddy water surrounding Geale slowly drained out from the basin, taking away the bubbles that frothed on his skin.

He then continued to spray water all over Geale's body, too busy making sure that he washed away all the soap and shampoo to notice the scarlet tint on the younger man's cheeks.

Finally satisfied with his work, Marnthe stood up and turned the faucet off. "I'm going to dry the water off of your skin." He picked up a white towel from the sink and unfolded it.

Geale curiously watched him press the soft, fluffy fabric against his face. Marnthe was so gentle that he couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at him.

The older man chuckled before patting the towel across the rest of Geale's skin, drying his back, chest, and arms. Marnthe then wrapped the towel around Geale's long tresses, securing it atop the younger man's head.

He took another towel from the closet and gently patted it against Geale's tail until it absorbed all the water it could take. He wrapped it around the younger man's waist, covering the part where Geale's thighs would be.

Geale gasped in amazement as the scales slowly melted away into skin, morphing back into the two long legs he had been using to walk on land since the night before.

It wasn't the first time he saw the lower half of his body morph from tail to legs, but it was the first time he saw it happen outside the Crescent Moon Festival - the only time when merfolk received a goddess' blessing to walk on land.

"That's it," Marnthe announced, sighing in relief as he leaned away from the tub. "Let's now get you something to wear." He offered his hand to Geale to help him out of the tub.

Geale took it without a hint of hesitation, eagerly looking forward to what else Marnthe would teach him.

***

Merfolk didn't have much use for clothes and trinkets, unlike what human illustrations of their kind often portrayed. Anything beyond their long hair, fins, and tails could slow them down as they moved underwater.

The closest to body adornments they had were patterns on their scales and exoskeletons growing out of their fins as they aged.

So watching Marnthe flipping through something to wear inside a closet was an odd sight for Geale.

"Can't I just wear the clothes I wore?" Geale asked. The only clothes he knew how to wear were the floral shirt and boxers that he picked up on the island for the festival.

Merfolk emerged from the water on two legs as the moon rose to the sky for the celebration. The clothes would magically be splayed on the shore once they reached land.

They picked the first set of clothing that caught their eye and wear it - and eventually lose most of it - until the end of the festival. The clothes would then melt into the sea as soon as they jumped back into the water.

Geale had heard rumors that the clothes didn't disappear if it was left on land. He proved it to be true when he remained fully clothed after saving Marnthe from drowning.

"I already threw it in the washer to be cleaned. You need to change your clothes everyday here anyway."

"Another rule?"

"Yes."

Geale resignedly sighed.

Marnthe finally turned around to face him. "Wear this," he said, handing him a moss green tank top, a pair of white briefs, and a pair of red shorts.

"Is this…Is this the same as what I wore?"

"Oh right! It didn't come with underwear. You need to wear the briefs first, then the shorts, then the tank top."

Geale only stared blankly at Marnthe in response. "I have to wear the what and the what?"