Troller

About halfway into the season, the crew and I surprised Royce with a birthday party. We’d come back in for the weekend, and just as we moored up, Marcy came down to the dock, and Pete helped her aboard. They set up the cake, and I got dressed. I’d been saving my dress for a special occasion, and this seemed like a good moment.

The crew gathered up behind me as we lit the candles on the cake. When Royce yelled to find out where everyone was, we came out of the cabin area onto the deck. I held the cake in my hands as we approached Royce. The look on his face was the best present I could have asked for if it was my birthday. I had learned about birthdays through Pete. We didn’t have such things among my people, plus we reckoned time differently under the water.

The crew sang happy birthday. I presented the cake to Royce, and the rest of the crew with Marcy made a circle around Royce.

“Make a wish, Royce,” Pete said as he patted his friend’s back. Royce looked right at me and blew out the candles. When he took the cake from me and handed it to Marcy, I wasn’t sure what was happening until he took my hand and pulled me into his arms for a kiss. The crew hollered around us, and Pete managed to herd the school of fish back to the galley for cake.

“What was that for?” I asked. Royce ran his hand along the sleeve of the dress I was wearing.

“It was for being you. That’s what it was for,” Royce said.

I kissed him back, and he wrapped his arms around me. “You let me be me. And that means a lot.” Music started up from the galley, and we started swaying to it. Royce even spun me around. The dress flared a little, catching what was left of the light as it shimmered with dark blue sequins in swirling patterns. It had lovely shoulder slits and draped across my body well and wasn’t too long, so it showed off my thighs. I couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t wear dresses more often. It might not be practical for working, but in my off time, they were comfortable. In the water, it would have been perfect for my other shape too.

He touched my hair, then my face. “You knew about all of this. Is it the reason you had me fix your hair differently, to put your braids in a crown?”

“On important occasions with my pod, I would have had my hair woven with our family’s mementos and charms. I don’t have that here, but it means just as much to have you braid my hair and pen it in a similar style.”

Royce was quiet for a long time. “I know you miss them. I know if you had another choice, you wouldn’t have left.”

“If Halic had given me another choice.” I shook my head. “I have you in my life, Royce. And that’s worth everything.”

We held each other until Pete found us. “Are you two going to come eat some cake before these vultures eat it all?” Pete asked.

“We’ll be right there,” Royce said, his voice soft but strained. He looked down at me again. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“It’s not over yet,” I said with a big grin on my face. Royce laughed, and that sound brought so much joy to my heart, it was fit to burst.

We had cake, wine, beer, ice cream, and so much singing. It turned into an entertaining night on the boat. The crew stayed up, Pete and Marcy left for Marcy’s place, and eventually, Royce and I went back to our room. The soundproofing spells were proving invaluable.

It was quiet in our room as Royce kissed me, and we swayed with some shared, unheard music between the two of us. When his hands slipped to my buttocks, I had to stop him. Though I regretted it a little.

“Wait, wait…. I have one more present. But I wanted to give it to you when we were alone.”

“Oh? Does it require getting naked? I like this present already.”

I shook my head. “Sit down, and I’ll get it.”

He sat on our bed and watched as I pulled the gift out of one of our storage bins.

“How did I not see that? That’s our underwear bin, isn’t it?”

“When’s the last time you retrieved your own underwear?” The storage was on my side of the bed, so I often selected our clothes for the day.

He laughed, “Okay, you have me there.” He reached out and pulled me into his lap.

“I have no complaints, love.” I handed him the box.

“It’s heavy.” I nodded. He reached around me to tear off the paper. It revealed a wooden box. He opened it and saw the iridescent purple liquid sealed into a bottle. When he saw the small envelope in the lid, he put the box down and took out the note.

I knew what it said. I’d helped organize this after all. It had been hard to keep a secret from Royce. But the look on his face as he read the note from his parents was worth it. I kissed his cheek and wrapped my arms around his neck as he cried. Leo’s handwriting was distinct.

Dear Royce,

We wanted to get something for you that we thought would be special. So when Troller said the crew was going to have a party for you, he’d help us figure out what we could give you. This is from the three of us. It’s a transfiguration potion. It will let you be like Troller for as long as you stay in the water.

It’s no small thing to say we love you. Ben and I wish you and Troller a long and happy life together.

All our love,

Leo & Ben

Royce looked at me. “I had to send them some of my cast-off skin after I shifted. Leo knew someone that could do this kind of magic. They really love you, Royce.”

Royce smiled. “They love you too. They did this knowing that they might never see either of us again if I take this potion.” He traced his fingers over the bottle, then put the note on top of it and closed the lid.

“Your parents want us to be happy. They want you to be happy.”

“How did they even know?”

“I might have mentioned that you said something to me about wishing you had gills.”

Royce laughed. “I bet Dad was not thrilled with the idea.”

“On the contrary, Ben was very agreeable to it. He even arranged for a personal courier to bring the package to me to ensure we received it. He also arranged to get what they needed from me for the potion. He was worried about security and people knowing we had something like this.”

“Now that does sound like Dad.” Royce smiled.

“Do you like it?” I was nervous about it and what Royce might think. I didn’t want to push him to use it, but I wanted him to have the chance.

“I love it. It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever had. You’re so amazing, Troller. I’m so incredibly lucky you are in my life.” Now I was crying, and he smiled as he wiped tears from my face.

“So, where were we?” Royce asked.

I took the box, stood up, and put it back in the underwear bin. When I returned to Royce, I knew where his mind was, and sleep was far from it. When his hands gravitated to my buttocks again, I didn’t push him away. I leaned down to kiss him. He slowly stripped me of my dress.

Royce stopped to admire the tiny pants I decided to wear for the evening. “You’re wearing panties.”

“Kristy helped me. She said they matched my dress. Do you like them?” He nodded and slowly pulled them down from my hips and off my body.

When I bent to untie the laces wrapped around my calves from the sandals I wore, Royce stopped me. “Leave those.”

Then he stripped out of his shirt as I pulled at the drawstring of his shorts. His hands drifted slowly up my thighs until they caressed my ass cheeks. His fingers gently spread my cheeks, and his middle finger teased at my hole. I moaned in response.

I dared hope for something that I hadn’t thought possible. I could not survive Halic on my own, but maybe with Royce, we could return home and challenge him together. Or we could start our own pod, away from the others, and teach them what I knew.

(You might have seen this on Twitter already, but it was inspired by this chapter!)

Created by Andy_Drws. You can find their links in the author comments.