AVEL
We floated there for what seemed like hours, weightless in the water, with Kai still in his mer form and his golden tail gently swaying beneath us. His arms wrapped around me like a warm current, his chest pressing against mine as it rose and fell with every effortless breath.
Above us, the sky stretched through the retracted roof, littered with stars that sparkled like the scales beneath my fingertips.
I traced one absentmindedly, dragging a sluggish hand down his side. The texture was smooth, but with a hardness beneath it, delicate but strong, and I smiled to myself as I softly asked, "Do these ever fall off?"
Kai c****d his head toward me, eyes half-lidded. “Sometimes,” he said. “Not often. Only when I scrape against something hard or get hurt. Damaged scales fall away, allowi
