-Oliver-

I wasn't surprised the police were there in the least. No doubt the director had called them. It also didn't help that Parker and Jayson had run-ins with them on their previous fishy endeavors, making this one probably more negative-looking than it would have without that history.

Perfect.

Rolling my eyes, I watched as Parker set the gun he'd been holding down and raise his hands as his own eyes rolled. I was going to tell Ocar to set me down so that I could comply as well, but I knew he wouldn't listen when his arms began to tighten around me. He started to growl quietly as well when a few of the officers began to creep forward, but I shook my head just enough to get him to understand that standing up to them wouldn't help us at all.

While Ocar relaxed, to a point, Hice seemed to only be getting more worked up. His gills were fully open, the filaments and skin within them pulsing as he took deep breaths, warning growls slipping into them just in case the cops couldn't figure out that they would be gutted if they tried to get closer to him. I really had no idea what to think about Hice right then. He hated humans, which was obvious from the beginning, and I thought he hated other mers to a point as well, but with the new one...

Just as I was thinking about it, Hice gave out a particularly loud screech, making everyone flinch before he ran the few short feet to the rocky shoreline and jumped. A few gunshots followed him, but as far as I could tell, nothing got close to connecting. I didn't like the idea that he would be out of our sight, free to continue killing, but hopefully with his friend free, the hold Cal-Waves had on him was now null.

Either way, with him gone, the police were much more forward about getting us into their cars. They didn't try to cuff anyone yet, which was probably for their own safety.

Smart.

We rode to the station in silence, Ocar licking at my hair every few seconds. It was annoying, but I knew he was stressed and if it kept him from acting out, then by all means. I'll just have a weird hairdo until I can wash it.

When we arrived, we were all herded into a single large room with several chairs on either side of a metal desk. Parker, Callem, and Mellac were cuffed to the chairs, which were bolted to the floor. Not that a few rusty bolts would keep the mers there if they wanted to move... and they kind of forgot to cuff the most dangerous one. Kipper. As the officers got situated, standing on the other side of the table, I noticed the little mer reaching for a gun at a man's waist and inwardly winced. If he began shooting them, then this situation would get far worse.

"Kipper, come here please," I said, watching as the boy bared his teeth for a split second before quietly stomping over to stand behind us. The officers seemed a bit confused, but not really concerned.

Idiots should be.

A blonde female officer stepped in front of the other four present, all of whom were males. She looked familiar, and judging from the looks on Parker and Jayson's faces, she was the same person I could slightly remember from the last time Jay and Park had found themselves in jail and I'd been called in to help with Mellac's injury.

"Well, I'm not surprised to see you people here. We have been sent the video from Cal-Waves, showing you," she pointed to Parker, "causing bodily harm to another person with a deceased female and male nearby as well."

Of course he would only give them the videos that point to us being the bad guys.

"Listen," Parker said, trying to keep frustration out of his voice. "Did you get the other videos? The ones that showed the halls flooding and killing your officers? Or the ones where that dead woman tried to drown me after we escaped from the hall?"

I silently wondered why he didn't mention Hice, because he had to have had something negative to do with the situation since I'd seen Parker pointing the gun at him earlier, but I kept that to myself. He had his reasons, and Hice was gone for now, possibly not to return since he finally had the person being used to make him obey Cal-Waves.

The officer looked back at the others, then to us again and licked her lips as Parker continued to speak.

"I didn't shoot her, and I only shot the one man because he was shooting at us. It was completely self-defense."

I knew he wouldn't get out of being booked just by saying that, but at least the officers seemed to relax a little, their tense shoulders lowering slightly. The female officer holstered her gun after another minute and walked over, getting her cuffs out. Parker rolled his eyes and turned around, letting her cuff him without issue. They were smart and didn't bother trying to get Callem or Mellac in handcuffs, and considering I was stuck in Ocar's arms and he wasn't exactly smiling in a friendly manner, they left us alone as well. We did end up being taken back to the main room of the station, but only Parker, Callem, and Mellac had to stay. They technically had nothing to hold Mellac on, but hell if they would be able to get him away from his little brother without needing an entire firing squad.

Ocar, Jayson, Kipper, and I were all given a ride to Jayson's home. I had no interest in going to my own, and when Ocar set me down in Parker's spare bedroom, I felt my head try to fog over with a wave of sleep. When the bed dipped beside me with Ocar's weight, I forced myself to turn onto my side and look up at him with a tired smile. He returned it, but I could tell by the tense lines around the edges of his eyes and furrowed forehead, that he wasn't relaxing at all.

"Hey. Lay down, you. We're both still alive. Gotta celebrate with a little rest."

He eyed me awkwardly, and I stuck my tongue out, my usual serious self gone as the adrenaline drained away. I knew I needed a good shower and change of clothes, but I just didn't care right then. All I wanted was a good few hours of sleep and for Ocar to be able to rest some. Opening my arms, I gestured for him to lie down again and scoot into them, but of course he couldn't just do as asked. Well, he did lie down, but instead of moving into my arms, he took me in his own and squeezed gently as his nose nuzzled against my neck softly.

"I'm here. Just a few bruises. No real harm done."

I let my hands wander into his hair, getting a content grumble from his chest that I knew wasn't any kind of aggression.

"You are not Lyric."

His words caught me off guard.

"No... I'm not."

He gave out another quiet growl that rumbled through his chest and into mine.

"You are not Lyric."

I wasn't really sure what to say to that so I just kept quiet until, a few minutes later, he heaved a long sigh. "Oliver."

It didn't exactly sound like a question, but when I waited for a moment and he didn't continue, I replied, "Yes, Ocar?" He was quiet for another long stint of time before finally squeezing me once.

"Do I bother you?"

Bother?

"No, not really," I replied, still unsure of what he was getting at.

"Um, then. May I request something?"

His voice sounded wary. So unlike his normally sure, cocky one.

"Yes. What is it, Ocar?"

When he didn't reply and instead was unable to look at me in the eye, I raised my brows and smiled.

"It's okay. I'm not going to be upset or anything. Go ahead and ask what you wanted."

He hesitated for another few seconds before finally giving in.

"Oliver..."

His eyes narrowed in concentration, then widened as nerves took over. Then he promptly leaned over and attacked my face with licks! Ew! I was not a dog person, but I knew better than to shove him away. So I forced myself to keep my mouth closed and waited until he finished three minutes later and flopped down onto his back with a grunt of contentment.

"Uh, what exactly was that, Ocar?"

Not that I didn't know, at least part of it. I've seen Callem and Parker, and even noticed Mellac do it to Jayson once or twice while visiting me in the hospital. They were unwanted displays of affection, but if what he'd just done was any indication, he now wanted me like he had wanted Lyric. When he hugged me tighter, I squirmed and he loosened his hold.

"I want to say that you are mine, but I believe that is not fair. Maybe. So I think I must ask to your permission?"

His lack of knowledge on the subject was pretty cute. Not that I was going to bullshit and say that I wasn't gay. I was probably bi since I didn't care that he was posing the question to begin with. The only real problem I saw in the possible situation to come was the fact that he was a slightly aggressive orca mer that I wasn't sure was in control of his emotions. I knew I couldn't just say no without upsetting him, but I wasn't going to accept until I was sure he was actually safe. Kind of like Callem. Not like Mellac. When I didn't reply right away, his hopeful face fell slightly.

"I um, think I can try if we can go slowly. I'm not very good at relationship stuff. As in, uh, I've never really gone down that road." Mainly because of my temper, but that didn't seem to flare nearly as much with Ocar around. Maybe he was good for me. And maybe I'm insane.

Either way, Ocar was nuzzling against my face lovingly after I spoke, so perhaps he took it well.

"I shall inquire about love from Mellac."

Whoa. Brakes. Hit those. Right now.

"Um. Perhaps we can just work things out on our own?"

He seemed a bit surprised by that, but nodded after only a moment of deliberation.

"Very well."

The sound of the front door opening had both of us quieting. Footsteps could be heard, and then Parker and Callem's voices. Since we heard three sets of steps, though, I didn't doubt that Mellac was also home and just brooding per usual. I thought Ocar might want to get up since they were home, likely on bail or something of that sort, but when I tried to get up, he only snuggled in more.

"No," he groaned, answering my silent question. Since there weren't any worried-sounding voices in the other room, I decided to just relax and close my eyes. "Okay. Let's get some rest. I'm sure we'll be busy again soon enough."

I felt him nod and smiled.

"Sleep well. We will figure things out at a later date," he mumbled quietly.

I nodded at that. We would.