(Warning: Cringey Content)

[ ...“Try not to move.” I ask him. He nods and then as I go down the ladder slowly grips his arms around my ribcage. “Gentle.” I whisper. He clenches his fists as we pass the snarling Honey. I place him down on the table... ]

I check over his wounds carefully. He flinches or trembles every time I touch him, “You don’t like being touched very much do you?” I ask. He just shakes his head no. I go get him some painkillers and antibiotics.

‘I’ll ask him what a hunter is in a minute.’

“Here.” I say offering him a healthy sized piece of fish. He eats quickly and stares at me. “Do you...want more?” I ask him. He nods quickly. I watch him gently touch his gills and then when I bring him some more fish ask, “Do you want to go back in the tank or stay out.”

He grabs my coat, “I want to stay out!” 

I nod, ‘He has shown so many familiar emotions, it’s hard to think he’s a different species and not human.’ “How would that work?” I ask.

“Uh…” the merman flushes, “It’ll be easier if I just show you.”

I look at him incredulously, “Okay.” I say stepping back. 

    The merman gasps in pain. I watch frowning slightly as the merman arches his back and writhes. I’m frozen and a little grossed out.

‘What do I do with my face?’ I think, ‘I don’t want to look like I don’t care or that I’m enjoying his pain, but it’s actually quite interesting,’ I think as his tail splits apart.

He puffs softly curling into a ball. He stays there so long I almost step forward, and then he slowly weakly kicks surprisingly human-like legs out of a thin shell of a tail. I hurry forward and catch him before he falls off the table. He’s trembling. I’m surprised at how strongly he clings to me as he pants, shaking in pain. He buries his face in my chest for a second. Not unlike Honey on trips to the vet.

‘He’s so animalistically-innocent.’ I feel a drip of protectiveness and flick it away. ‘I can’t get attached, he’s not actually some helpless pet, he's dangerous.’

“Are you okay,” I ask.

“Need...some time.” He breathes weakly.

I look closer at the “legs.”

“May I?” I ask, reaching for them.

He barely nods.

Running my hand along the scales I notice that they’re exactly the same as the one’s on his tail. I squeeze his leg, making him squeak, to feel what seemed like bone.

“Interesting.” I say out loud.

‘If I were back at the institute I’d run tests to see if they differed from the ones I took when he had a tail. But I’m not back at the institute.’

I sit him back down on the table, he’s so limp I have to keep holding him up, his head hangs limply. I touch his neck, his gills are gone. I lean down, or they are pressed so tightly that I can’t see them anymore. He makes a discontented noise so I stop.

“How long can you stay out of water?”

“Hours, days, maybe a week.” He says, voice a little stronger. “It varies.”

“So you’ve been out of the water in human form before?” I ask.

“No!” He says as though I called him out for lying.

'He made it seem like he's done this before I should assume both that he has and hasn't just to be safe.'

“I was just told...how.” He finishes looking away.

I lean back a little, then observe that his eyes and nose were different too. A bit more human, enough to pass if he wore pants to cover his scales. 

“What are you willing to tell me?” I ask, skipping all the useless questions. He blinks and straightens with a little effort. 

“I would like time to think about it...but I want to-” He cuts himself off staring past me blankly. 

I say something that I wouldn’t normally, but I think it was a nice trade of trust for trust, “Would you like a cup of tea?” 

He perks up. “Yes, I’m cold.”

‘He knows what tea is.’ I note. Taking his hand I help him to his feet. He winces and stumbles, I catch him and look at the agonized expression.

“Does it hurt to walk?”

“N, no they’re just asleep.” He smiles pained. 

“You know a lot of human terms.” I call him out.

He flushes like I was complimenting him, “It’s coming back to me, slowly.” He mumbles happily.

‘Hmmm,’ I think, ‘maybe he’s been around humans before and is just embarrassed about it or something like he was a scientist's experiment.’

“Well come on then.” I say stabilizing him and leading him into my kitchen. “You can sit down there,” I say gesturing to the kitchen table and chairs. 

He points at the chairs, “Were there three others?” I stiffen so hard I almost burn my hand with hot water. I look back at him incredulously. 

“What do you mean were? Why not ask if there are three others?” He leans back as if he couldn’t handle the force of my words. 

“Did you lose someone?” He asks. Sounding so heartbroken that I have to laugh. 

“No, I never had anybody to lose, typically furniture comes with four chairs.” I say clunking two cups of tea down on the table. He gives me a look like he doesn’t believe me and goes to pick up his cup. I stop his hand by putting mine over his, ‘“Wait for it to cool down.” 

He bites his lip, “Can I have more fish please?”

I get up, “Can you eat other foods?”

“I think so.” He mumbles looking around the room. I pause realizing my current situation, I’m serving tea to a merman in my kitchen like it was just my normal Sunday.

I laugh silently for a second.

Grabbing my left overs from the fridge thinking, ‘Might as well put his high metabolism to good use.’ I offer them to him. He sniffs some curry and starts eating it. When he’s done he moves onto the chinese food and finally the spaghetti.

‘He’s going to get expensive to feed.’ I think to myself as he finishes.

“Is the tea ready yet?” He asks, tilting his head curiously. 

“Oh...yes.” I say sipping it to show him. Lost in thought I look past him casually sipping on the tea every now and again.

‘What in the world is going on with my life?’ I think to myself. I rub my face furrowing my brow, ‘I left my old job and moved here for some peace and quiet. I was supposed to get my life back together, not lose my mind.’ I draw my pointer finger on the wood table. ‘When is the government going to come for me? Or will they? What if they make me work for them? I was something like a prodigy until my drinking habits ruined everything for me. I ruined everything for me and yet I had absolutely no repercussions.’ I sigh. ‘I didn’t lose my job nor was I reprimanded, everybody still loved me, constantly. It was so annoying that they’d suck up to someone so unworthy.’ I look at the mercreature who is just gazing. A little in awe. ‘I wish...Well maybe it’s not too late to be worthy of such a gaze.’ 

I lean forward, his eyes widden and I stand. “Come on, I'll show you your room.” I say tiredly.