Work Text:
Mermaid Research
(A Transformation Story)
This is a long one that I wrote in about two days.
Dr. Michael Reeds, Oceanographer. An intelligent man. And nothing much to live for. He was without family, close friends, hell, he didn’t have any hobbies besides his oceanic research. He wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t wealthy either. So, when he decided to move to the California coast to research marine wildlife and their environment, his colleagues thought he was crazy.
It would be a high cost of living, an overpopulated scientific field, and a lack of stable, paying work. But still, Reeds needed a change of pace from the East Coast. He started by looking up and down the west coast, finding this darling cave that had been retrofitted with clean water and electricity, turning it into a semi-habitable space. It had sea access, but an entrance way to the outside world as well.
He bought the lab and converted a single room into sleeping quarters. That reduced his overall cost of living as he could live on site 24/7. Michael started his day by measuring the sea. Microplastics, microorganisms, oxygen levels, and CO2 levels. Everything. No real difference there. He used bait and a trap to grab some fish samples for testing, all while trying to be as humane as possible.
For months, nothing of high value was achieved. Any data he got, he forwarded it to peers, and even got a few low-paying bonuses from his sponsors, but nothing valuable was ever achieved—mediocrity at its finest.
Michael walked out of the living space one September afternoon. It was another day of boring sea research to be had. Maybe he’d catch a starfish to study. He started with the basics. Temperature, CO2 levels, Oxygen levels, and Salt content. Then he moved on to the more exotic testing. He took samples of water and placed them under a microscope to watch the microorganisms. He cycled through his usual routine, hours passing by. Right before he was about to take a lunch break, something was heard splashing from the cave’s pool.
Michael rubbed his eyes. “Did a fish launch itself?” He asked himself as he opened the door to the room. It wouldn’t be the first time. He looked down. He paused. He closed the door, counted for ten seconds, then reopened it. Nope. Still the same picture. He then pinched himself to make sure it wasn’t some elaborate dream.
Michael Reeds was at a loss here. This… shouldn’t be possible. And yet, it was right in front of him. Lying on the ground, with wounds on its body, was a female mermaid. She had long red hair, and her tail was made of this green color that contrasted with her red hair. She wore a pair of shells where her areolas were supposed to be, and had rather large boobs. Finally, her hands were webbed and clawed, and her head had fins on the side where human ears would go.
“Ok.” Michael paced himself. “Study this later. Right now, figure out if she’s in danger of death and sapient.” If she were sapient, then human rights applied to the mermaid, meaning he couldn’t conduct research on her without permission. Then again, it’s not like anyone would believe him unless he willingly carted her in front of an audience of scientists.
He shook his head at that extreme thought. He might need money, but he wasn’t evil enough to suddenly sell her to be experimented on. He took off his lab jacket and covered the upper portion of her body, hefting her up and ignoring her whimpers of pain. Her skin was colder than expected, but her heart was beating, and she seemed to be breathing despite the lack of water. Did she possess both the ability to siphon oxygen from water as well as breathe like a human?
FOCUS! He carried her to his bedroom, unconcerned with the saltwater staining his sheets. He had a bed cover that repelled moisture, so the mattress itself would be fine. He kicked on the ventilation fan and looked for any injuries. She seemed to have multiple scratches and puncture wounds—non-bleeding, but very red. But her hands were where she appeared to have the worst damage. He’s seen these wounds before.
The Venomous California Scorpionfish. Unless your body was extremely weak, it wasn’t fatal. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a bitch. It was comparable to a rattlesnake bite in intensity, causing swelling and redness as the primary result. There was no common anti-venom, although another type was shown to reduce the effects. The best cure was to clean the wound and soak it with hot water. Ideally distilled to avoid irritants.
She must have caught the fish in her hands, not understanding the danger she was in. He got a tub of hot water and pulled out some disinfectant to kill any surface-level bacteria. After a few minutes of work, he had her hands draped over her torso, soaking in the hot water to help alleviate the pain. He left the room to see if he had any of that Anti-venom that was known to help with the pain, but found no such luck.
He returned to his living quarters, noting how she seemed to be doing better. He prepped a glass of lukewarm water and began to prepare a small meal of instant soup. She would be weak for several hours after she woke up.
Ruby’s eyelids twitched. ‘Am I… still alive?’ All she could remember was her hands screaming in pain when she grabbed that fish to end it. Why did she have to lose her pod? They usually kept her out of harm’s way with their longer life experience. And now, she was the sole survivor.
The mermaid’s blue eyes blinked open, wincing at the sharp light. That wasn’t the sun… right? A dull roar was heard, and cold air rushed over her face. There was something on top of her body. What was this material? She wasn’t familiar. And why were her hands in lukewarm water, but the rest of her body not?
She turned her head to the right, seeing a figure in the space. He walked on two legs and seemed to be doing something that was causing steam to rise. She forced herself to remain still. ‘A human!?’ Ruby almost yelled out. The last time she interacted with one was nearly fifty years ago, when a bunch of fishermen saw her too close to the surface and tried to catch her. As a result, she and her pod only came out of the ocean when they were sure nobody was in the vicinity. They were rightfully scared of humanity.
She remained immobile, trying not to get his attention. Clattering was heard, and a liquid was poured. She could hear him approach, but forced her body not to audibly react. “Still not awake? Hmm.” The man said to himself.
She, like most mermaids, was taught the local human language by those of them brave enough to interact with humanity. But it was rare. One wrong move and mermaids would be hunted down by the greedy humans who had some weird ideas of immortality or the like. But the dialect was a bit off from the version she was used to. Still, it was close.
Ruby said nothing as the man put something down next to the bed, an aroma floating off the item. It nearly made her grumble. The man reached over and pulled her hands from the water. “Looks like the swelling has gone down. But to be safe, I’ll replace the water.” The man mumbled to himself. He took away the pot of water and dumped it into a basin. A flow was heard, and two minutes later, the water pan was back, this time with hot water.
Ruby couldn’t help the whimper she let out. The man stopped. “Are you… awake?” Ruby did not attempt to confirm that. “Hmm, must just be an instinctual reaction. The swelling has gone down, so the skin is now far more sensitive than before.”
Michael removed the top layer of bedding. He pulled out a stethoscope that he used to measure the heartbeats of animals. He popped the tubes into his ears and felt around for a heartbeat and her breathing. “Let’s see. Heart rate is rapid. No clue if that’s normal or situational, considering you’re a mermaid. Your breathing is steady, so there’s no issue with you not being in the water despite it being over two hours since I found you.”
He pulled out a recording tool. “Log date, 9/13/20XX, 2:43 P.M. Dr. Michael Reeds. I’ve come across an odd… specimen, for lack of a better word. Will not attempt any further experiments beyond basic vitals until she awakens and consents to experiments if sapient. Beats per minute is roughly 110. Breathing is steady. Testing temperature.”
He stuck a thermometer under her tongue for a minute. “Internal temperature is roughly 91.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The standard human range is 96 to 98. Subject has multiple wounds across her body that have been disinfected and cleaned with hot distilled water so as not to irritate the skin with artificial products. The tail is missing a few scales, but no major injuries seem to be present. Can’t take a blood sample without the subject awake. End Log.” The recorder switched off.
He wasn’t a medical doctor, but he knew enough to at least check her vitals. He also held a red cross certification for CPR, so there’s that. Suddenly, and without warning, his stomach growled. “Right. I was about to have lunch.” He glanced at the bowl of hot soup he had made.
“It would be rude to steal a meal from you.” He walked off to make more soup for himself. The pot was still there, unwashed, so he might as well.
Ruby tried not to react. The human… wouldn’t experiment on her without permission? But… the humans she encountered and often spoke about in stories were selfish and greedy, ignorant of the wants and needs of others. Was this… Dr. Michael Reeds, different?
Soon, the sound of sizzling soup sounded through the sleeping quarters. She fought hard not to ask what he was making. The man ladled some more soup for himself and sat down in a chair, facing away from her. She opened her eyes and watched him slowly eat his food. He pulled out this strange device.
The device started to play sounds and show images that moved on their own. She was so enraptured that she didn’t pay attention when he turned his head. “Ah.” She flinched as they made eye contact. “I thought you might be faking it.” The man said as he put the phone down. “In human society, ignoring the one who helped you is seen as rude, but you’re not human, so different customs.”
Michael took a deep breath. “Eat the soup I prepared for you. Then we can discuss what’s happening next.” He ordered.
Ruby leaned against the bed frame, lifting herself upward. She looked off to the side, seeing a bowl of soup similar to the one he was consuming. She dipped her finger in before yanking back in a hiss, the soup still too hot.
The scientist took a deep breath. He got up and walked over. He grabbed the spoon and took a bit of the soup. “Open wide.” Ruby shook her head. “Come on, if I wanted to kill you, I had plenty of opportunity to do so. Open up. You need your strength if you want to fully heal from that blunder.”
After a silent minute of contemplation, Ruby opened her mouth. The spoon was fed, and she swallowed. Her eyes sparkled. She moaned at the flavor, far better than she was used to. “Pretty good, huh? Can you feed yourself now, or do you want me to keep feeding you?”
Ruby looked down at her hands, noticing the redness. She clenched them and hissed at the sting, showing she was unable to grip at the moment. “P-Please kee-ep f-feeding me?” She asked more like a question.
Michael sighed and scooped up some more liquid. “Alright. Hopefully by tomorrow, you’ll feel better enough to feed yourself.” He said in a half-hearted, annoyed tone.
Ruby felt something at the moment—a click in her chest. ‘Pod?’ This man… he gave off the same presence and feeling as her late pod’s leader. And that caused her to tear up a little. She had lost her pod to a series of unfortunate events, leaving her alone.
Mermaids bonded for as long as life lasts, so when that life was snuffed out, they often sought out people who could fill that missing part. And her instincts were telling her that Reeds was the person meant to lead her new pod. Three big problems, though. She did try to kill herself, he was a man, and a human. Mermaids were female only. And Ruby couldn’t remember any story where a human became a mermaid.
She silently ate the food fed to her and, after getting a full stomach, drifted off to sleep.
Michael took the small couch to rest. He had it for the rare times when people showed up. He got up bright and early and looked at the Mermaid’s hands. They were fully healed. She was startled awake when he poked and prodded her body. “Apologies. Just making sure you were fully healed. Are you willing to make conversation, or do you want to go back to the ocean?” He asked.
He… he was giving her an option? He was far too kind to be a human. Was he supposed to be born a mermaid? “O-Ocean.” She said in a whisper so quiet he almost didn’t hear. Michael nodded and hefted her up into the bridal position. She let out a scandalous gasp.
“Sorry about this. This is the easiest way for me to move you. Hold on.” He walked over to the door, fumbling a bit before hitting the latch. The smell of seawater immediately hit Ruby’s nose.
Michael walked to the underground pool and lowered her into it, taking back his lab coat, which had been thoroughly soaked in sea smells. Ruby floated in the pool, watching Michael in confusion. “Are you… not going to do anything more?” She asked.
Reeds shrugged. “You’re intelligent. It would be wrong of me to take advantage of you. And uh… don’t worry about me revealing anything to people. Nobody would believe me anyway.” He gave a shooing motion. “Now off you go. Do whatever it is mermaids do.”
Ruby felt her soul ache. She wanted to stay with her new pod leader, but understood that he wasn’t a mermaid, so he didn’t feel things like she did. She lowered her head into the pool and swam away.
Ruby tried not to cry as she swam towards where she knew the nearest mermaid enclave was. It was a location where ten to twenty pods lived together to maintain safety in numbers. She could feel her heart and soul twist in pain as she swam further and further away from her podmate, even if he didn’t know he was her pod.
After several minutes of her swimming at her fastest, she arrived at the enclave. A few mermaids were swimming about, silently chatting with each other. Sound couldn’t travel through water, so mermaids possessed short-range telepathy. The downside was that it only worked on those a few meters ahead, and only mermaids could hear and speak in such a way. Humans and animals didn’t hear anything.
“Selena?” Ruby asked as she poked into the dwelling of the Encalve’s elder. “Are you here?”
“I am, little Ruby.” An older mermaid swam out to meet Ruby. “It is so good to see you alive and well. I had feared that you had fallen to some predator after the death of your pod. Or you had done the unthinkable.” Ruby tried not to flinch at the end of that sentence.
Selena was a mermaid who was over 300 years old. But she didn’t look it. She looked like she was in her mid-30s. She had long black hair, a complexion that said she sunbathed daily, and her green eyes could read you like an open book. She also had a tail of these beautiful red scales that glimmered when the sun hit just right.
“I… made a mistake. Caught a fish that hurt me.”
Selena’s face turned grim, remembering Ruby’s pod leader and how they died. “Let me see the wounds.” She ordered.
“Where are they?” The Elder asked after checking Ruby’s hands.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head. “See, that’s the thing. A human saved me.”
Selena’s eyes widened in shock as she noticeably gasped. “Tell me everything. Now!”
By the end of the story, Selena was silent.
“Selena?” Ruby began. “Did I mess up?”
The elder was silent, thinking about everything.
“Selena?”
“Hold on. I need to gather my thoughts.” The elder said. “…and this human didn’t demand anything of you?”
Ruby shook her head. “Dr. Michael Reeds was kind and respectful of my wishes. He didn’t ask for my name or force me into a situation I wasn’t willing to be in. He even fed me this tasty thing he called soup!”
Selena nodded. After a minute, she swam off. “I need to go grab something.” Ruby didn’t object. Selena soon returned with shiny pieces of circular metal. “Perhaps we could give him these in exchange for healing you?” The elder suggested.
Ruby looked confused. “Why?”
“Humans use this thing called money and currency to exchange for goods and services. Even if he didn’t ask for anything, helping you cost him something.” Selna argued.
“And… about the bond?”
Selena held up her webbed hand. “I want to assess the character of this Dr. Reeds before I say anything more on the matter.” Her eyes sharpened. “But don’t think you’ll get away with attempts on your own life.”
Ruby gulped.
Michael had resumed his life like nothing had ever happened. He erased the security footage of the sea pool and deleted everything save for that one log kept on his recorder. It was best for the mermaid he knew not the name of to remain unknown to the world. Who knew what humanity could do if mermaids stopped being myths?
Several days had passed since that bizarre event, and although he’d gotten back into the swing of things, he couldn’t help but wander back to the mermaid he’d helped. She was beautiful, and her life must be full of things humans could only dream of. But… focusing on someone else’s life was an unhealthy mindset. Focus on his own. He let go of that stupid dream to be a mermaid when he was a child.
He left his desk to take another sample when he paused, looking inside. There, he saw two mermaids, one of them being the mermaid he had helped earlier. He took a deep breath, counted to ten, then let go. He tapped on his smartphone, deleting the video camera recording of the day and turning off the camera again.
He sat down on the ground. “So… what can I do for you two?”
“Are… you Dr. Michael Reeds?” The black haired one started.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Is… Dr. or Micheal, your given name?”
“Dr. is a title granted to those who have reached a high enough level of education.” The oceanographer explained. “My given name is Michael.”
The black haired mermaid hummed. “Well, we’ve come to give this to you in exchange for saving my friend.”
The red-haired mermaid swam forward and dumped a few coins on the ground. Michael bent over to pick them up, freezing in shock. “These are… golden doubloons!” He said in shock.
“Are they… valuable?” The red-haired one asked.
“That’s an understatement. Aside from the raw metal being worth quite a lot, the historical value is easily hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The two mermaids looked confused. “Oh, sorry. To give a point of reference, that’s enough to sustain my lifestyle for over a decade.”
“I… I had no idea.” The black haired one said.
Michael Reeds paused as he put away the coins. “Oh, where are my manners. You’re guests. Do you want anything to eat or drink?” He offered.
The red-haired mermaid perked up. “Oooh, can I have some of that Soup?” She asked.
Michael laughed. “Sure… uh, sorry if this is rude, but what’s your name? I never got it.”
Ruby looked scandalized. “Oh, by the sea! I can’t believe I never introduced myself to the human who saved me! I am Ruby.”
“And I’m Selena.” The black haired mermaid.
Michael nodded. “Alright. I’ll need to move to the next room to prepare some soup. Do you want to stay here or have me bring you there?” He asked.
“I want to come with!” Ruby said like an excited puppy. Selena giggled in amusement at Ruby’s lack of subtlety.
Selena took a deep breath as her body began to change. The fins in her head receded, her webbed fingers thinned, and her tail split in two. Ruby and Michael looked at Selena in shock. “How’d you do that?!” Ruby asked in surprise.
“I’ve never told you?” The black haired mermaid said as she pulled herself from the pool, taking a moment to reorient her balance. “I’ve walked among humans before.”
“How do I do that?!” Ruby asked, excitedly.
“You need a lot of practice before you can match my level of skill. When we get back to our… place of residence, I’ll start teaching you. For now,” Selna pulled the Ruby out, lifting it over her shoulder.
Michael said nothing, trying not to scream in excitement. He needed to be prim and proper. He led the pair to his living quarters and had Ruby placed on the bed. She lay down and took a deep breath of the smell the bed gave off. Ok. A bit creepy, but he wasn’t a mermaid so he couldn’t keep her to human standards.
Selena took a seat at the dining table, watching Michael prepare enough soup for all three of them. “So… do you live here alone?”
Michael hummed. “Yep.”
“Why… here? I was certain humans lived in homes of wood more inland.” The elder asked.
“I’m an Oceanographer. That means I study the ocean.” Michael started as he poured the contents of his instant soup mix into his pot. “This lab was for sale when I moved from the East Coast to the West. So I took the chance, bought it, and converted one of the storage rooms into sleeping quarters for myself.”
“The East Coast?” Selena asked in surprise. “You mean, the other side of the land mass? But that takes nearly two months of swimming to make the journey.”
Michael hummed. “Well, if you had to swim south between South America and the Antarctic, I suppose that’s right. But we humans have reached a point where we can travel the globe in less than 24 hours. They’re called airplanes.”
“…wait, are those the giant odd birds in the sky that have been getting more common in recent years? Those are airplanes?” Selena asked in surprise. “I thought those were some exotic birds.”
Michael paused and looked at her. “How long has it been since you last interacted with humanity directly?”
Selena thought. “I think it’s been… 80 years maybe? Ruby had an encounter nearly 50 years ago.”
Michael nodded. “Alright. That makes sense. Wait…” He turned to Ruby. “Was that why you pretended to be asleep? Because you had a bad experience with humanity?”
Ruby silently nodded. Michael didn’t ask any more questions, figuring it wasn’t his job to pry. After a few more minutes, the soup was ready, and he dolled out the portions. The three ate in silence, enjoying the good food. Selena and Ruby, in particular, were in heaven, while Michael silently thought he could’ve added more seasoning to make it taste better.
Later, after the pair of mermaids left the lab, they met up at Selena’s residence. “So..?” Ruby asked.
“Yes. He is quite different from other humans.” Selena said. ‘A perfect match for a Pod Leader.’ That second part was kept to herself.
“What do I do about the bonding?” The younger mermaid asked.
Selena thought for a moment. “There is a tale of a human shedding their legs to become a mermaid.” Ruby moved to interrupt, but Selena put her hand forward. “The human had unknowingly bonded with two mermaids. The mermaid then spent an unknown time with the human, building up feelings until one day, they fed the human their blood. Because the human had willingly ingested the blood, the innate magic changed their form to that of a mermaid as well. The new mermaid swam off with her pod, away from humanity.”
Ruby looked ecstatic. “So all I have to do is feed him my blood?”
Senla grabbed Ruby’s shoulder before she could swim off. “Hold on. If you feed him blood and he rejects the idea, it would more likely kill him from bodily rejection. You need to build up a relationship with him before you convince him to drink.”
Ruby looked hesitant. She wanted her pod back already, and getting the leader was the best first step. But she stopped and listened to the Enclave elder. She didn’t want to kill Michael. “Can you teach me to take a human form?”
Selena smiled. “After I punish you for that stunt you pulled before he saved you.”
‘Uh, oh.’
A week later, Ruby returned. Alone. She surfaced as Michael was taking a sample. He took a deep breath. “Might as well turn the camera off permanently. I don’t know when you’ll show up next.” He said to himself.
“Cam-er-a?” Ruby asked as she pulled herself from the water.
“Something I’ll tell you about later.” Michael waved off. “How can I help you today?”
Ruby nodded as she pushed herself up. Michael moved to help her, but she dismissed him. “Don’t help me. I need to do this.”
Ruby’s body began to twist and morph, her fish-like features disappearing and her body taking a human shape. She rolled over and tried to stand, collapsing immediately. Michael bit his tongue not to laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.” She muttered as she tried to stand again. “I’ve never done this before.”
Eventually, Michael took pity on her and took her hand, lifting her and helping her balance. “You can lean on me until you get the hang of it.” Ruby felt like swooning, but said nothing as she leaned a lot of her redistributed body weight on Michael.
He led her into his living space, where she was given a seat on the couch. “What do you want to eat?” Michael asked her.
“Soup?”
He chuckled a bit. “I can’t keep making you Soup. How about I order us a Pizza?”
Ruby tilted her head in confusion. “What’s… pizza?”
Michael grinned. “Something… Amazing.” He pulled out his phone and made the order. “It’ll be here in 30 minutes.”
Ruby looked at the rectangle in his hand. “What’s that?”
Michael looked down. “Oh. It’s a smartphone. A tool that allows me to communicate long distances with other humans.”
“Really?” Ruby asked. “We mermaids don’t have anything like that. It’s all by… word of mouth, I think the saying goes.”
The scientist nodded. “Fair enough. These don’t do well in water.”
The Pizza arrived with a knock at the door. Michael got up to grab it. While he was out of the room, Ruby’s body involuntarily changed back. Michael noticed the change right away. “Can’t keep the form?” He asked as he put the pizza down on the coffee table in front of the couch.
Ruby pouted. “Selena said it would get easier with practice. She can keep a human form for over two hours.”
Michael nodded. “Makes sense. Practice makes permanent. Anyways, about the pizza.” He opened the box, and a heavenly aroma wafted out. “Didn’t know what kind you’d like, so I went with a plain cheese.”
“Cheese?”
“Uh, cow milk that has been treated and turned into a semi-solid,” Michael said, trying to describe it. He pulled out a piece of the pie. “You hold it by the brown edge not to burn your fingers.”
The mermaid hesitantly took a slice and mimicked Michael’s actions with the food. Her eyes immediately lit up in joy. “By the sea! This is delicious!” She and Michael spent that afternoon eating while he explained human life as best he could.
Over the next few months, Ruby made it a habit to come every two to three days. Michael wouldn’t admit it, but those days were when he was happiest. They would hang out while Ruby simultaneously grew her ability to maintain a human form. One day, after she had shown she could keep her form for nearly 5 hours, he’d surprised her with clothing that would roughly fit her body.
He had recently taken measurements and ordered the clothes online to avoid being seen at the clothing store alone. While Ruby did not need clothing in the lab, she now had a wardrobe that allowed her the capability to explore the human world, so long as Michael was around to guide her, which led to funny situations.
“WHAT IS THIS DEVICE AND WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO GET IN?!” She screamed at her unknowing Podmate.
“It’s a car.” The oceanographer said. “We use them to get from place to place faster than he could on foot. Here, I’ll show you how to get in.”
And there was that time that Michael took her to a movie. The story in the cinema enraptured her. She had to be shushed multiple times to get her to keep quiet for the other moviegoers.
They even went out to dinner, despite it not being a “date.” The waitress at the restaurant made an offhand comment about happy couples that caused both of them to blush.
It was a late January afternoon when Ruby came up from the sea pool. She looked around, confused at the lack of Michael working when she entered the living quarters. “MICHAEL?!” She screamed out as she rushed to his side. He was lying in bed, red-faced and wearing a mask.
“Oh… Ruby.” He said in haggard breath.
“Are you alright?! Are you dying?!” She said as she panicked.
Michael grabbed her arm. “Relax. We humans get sick from time to time. It’s just the flu. I’ll be fine in about a week or so. Go home and come back after I’ve recovered.”
Ruby looked at him in shock. “No.”
“No?” He blinked in surprise.
“No. You took care of me when I was sick, so now I’m taking care of you. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll stay by your side until you're better.”
Michael turned over, away from the mermaid. “I’d prefer if you didn’t stay. The Flu can kill those who have weak bodies or don’t have experience fighting off similar diseases. For all I know, it’s deadly to mermaids.”
Ruby’s face gained a fierce look of determination. “That doesn’t matter. You're my p-friend, and I want to help you.”
Michael snorted. “Alright. Guess I can’t convince you otherwise. But you’ll need to wear an N95 mask when near me. Did I ever show you how to put one on?”
Ruby shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I can use the phone you got me to figure it out.”
Michael had bought Ruby a cheap phone with limited service, that lived at the lab. It was more of an emergency device and a learning tool so she could navigate someone else’s if she got lost from her guide. He ever made her memorize his number.
She found the device plugged in on the counter and powered it on, looking up how to put on a medical mask. “Masks are in the bathroom cabinet under the sink,” Michael called out from the bed.
Soon, Ruby had returned with the mask, properly adjusted. “What do I need to do?”
Michael hummed as he took off his mask to breathe better. “Right now, my body is going through a fever to kill the disease. I need you to fill up a bowl of cold water and get a clean towel. Use the towel to soak up the water, ring it out, and put it to my forehead. It’ll help me with the fever.”
“Why not ice?”
“Putting ice directly on someone having a fever could induce a thermal shock to their system. It’s the same principle of not dropping someone in a hot bath after they’ve gotten frostbite. A slow approach is best.” Michael explained before coughing a bit.
Ruby nodded as she followed his instructions. “How often should I replace the towel?” She asked.
“About every twenty minutes or so until I fall asleep,” Michael said. “Also, while I’m like this, I’m unable to eat solid food. I was going to order to-go soups and drag myself out of bed to get them, but I suppose now you can do that for me.”
Ruby nodded. “You can count on me, Pod leader-MICHAEL.” She said in a hurry.
Michael said nothing about the slip-up, thinking he was hallucinating a bit from the fever.
A couple of days later, Selena surfaced from the pool. “Ruby? Are you here? I haven’t seen you in days.” She called out. She left the water and took a human shape, walking into the living space. There, she saw a sight she wasn’t expecting. Michael was in bed, while Ruby was sleeping peacefully on the couch. “Oh… Selena, right?” Michael started as he turned to her. “Haven’t talked with you in a while. Sorry, but I’m too sick to get up at the moment.”
“Sick..?” Selena asked in a quiet tone.
“Yeah.” Michael chuckled. “Just the flu.”
“THE FLU?!” She yelled, causing Ruby to be startled awake.
“Selena, when did you get here?” She said, rubbing her eyes.
“Never mind that! Ruby, see me in the other room right now!” She ordered the younger mermaid.
The mermaids met in the lab portion of the structure. “Why is Michael so calm about the flu?” The elder asked. “It was known to kill millions!”
Ruby looked shocked. “Really? He told me that it only kills those who have weak bodies or have no experience fighting the disease. It’s why he ordered me to wear this mask.”
“What mask?”
Ruby felt her face. “Aw, pearls. One second.” She returned from the bathroom less than a minute later. “Ta-da!” She wore the mask without issue.
“What is that supposed to do?” Selena asked incredulously.
“According to Michael, it keeps the tiny path-o-gens from spreading. Pathogens are what cause sickness.”
Selena looked at the mask in shock. “Have humans reached that point in understanding life?”
“Um, I think they went far beyond that. Life is incredible on land. Almost makes me want to stay. Almost.”
Selena nodded. “So, you’ve been taking care of him for the past couple of days?”
Ruby nodded. “Yes. It is the duty of a pod to take care of each other.”
Selena smiled at the answer. “Excellent. So I assume you’re going to ask him soon?”
Ruby frowned. “I… don’t know if I should. What if he has a family? Friends?”
“Did he take you to meet them?” The elder asked.
“…No. He never mentioned family or friends.”
“That means it’s more likely that he’s alone. Wait until the right time to ask.”
Selena left, promising to visit daily to make sure Ruby was good. As Michael’s fever finally broke, he started to giggle a bit. “Ruby, have I ever told you how pretty you are?” He asked in a delirious voice.
Ruby blushed under the mask, but said nothing. “Sometimes, I imagine kissing you, but then I get icky because the image doesn’t look right?” He continued.
“Doesn’t look right?” She asked in surprise.
“Yeah, cause I look like a man in it. The image looked nicer if I were a girl kissing you as another girl.” He said in a happy tone.
Ruby’s eyes blinked in shock. What was Michael talking about? “Uh, how about I help you get better?”
“You know, I wanted to be a mermaid when I was younger. A girl, too.” Michael suddenly said. “I eventually grew out of it because people around me told me it was weird to have fantasies like that, but I always wondered if I was born in the wrong body, you know?” He said.
Ruby looked down at him, almost begging for it not to be a dream. “You’re so pretty. I just want to love and spoil and live with you.” He said.
Ruby nervously swallowed. “If… if the option to become a mermaid was suddenly available to you, would you take it?” She asked after a moment.
“I’d take it,” Michael said with no hesitation. “I became an ocean… ocean… ocean studier because it allows me to be close to that childhood dream.”
“R-Right,” Ruby said in a quiet tone. “Excuse me for a minute.”
Ruby left the room and closed the door. She squealed to herself. He’d admitted he wanted to be a mermaid. It took all her willpower not to barge in and force some of her blood down his throat.
She took a deep breath and paused the excitement. “…After. After he’s better and of sound mind, I’ll ask him.” She said quietly.
“This is a surprise,” Selena said as she left the pool, one of her pod mates following behind. She was a blonde mermaid with blue scales.
“Oh, Selena! And… uh…” Ruby’s mind blanked on the name.
“It’s alright, dear. It’s been a while. I’m Jasmine.” The third mermaid introduced herself.
Ruby bowed. “I apologize. And uh, what brings both of you here?”
Selena looked sheepish. “When I mentioned to my two pod mates what you were doing, they both wanted to come and support you in taking care of yours. But our third is currently busy doing something else.” She paused, noticing the body tone of Ruby. “What has you so excited?”
Ruby almost spilled the beans, but bit her tongue, knowing that what Michael had revealed belonged to him alone. It wasn’t her right to share information like that. “…Nothing of importance right now. Let me help both of you with some masks to keep yourselves from getting sick.”
Soon after, the pair left, leaving Ruby alone with Michael. For the next few days, she took care of him, helping him eat and moving him to the bathroom when he felt too weak to stand. Eventually, he got better and better, until one morning, nearly a week after she started caring for him, he woke up energized. He got up, and after a momentary dizzy spell, stabilized on his feet.
He walked to the bathroom, took care of his morning routine, and slipped on a mask. He started cooking a meal for Ruby as a thank you for caring for him. The smell caused her stomach to gurgle as she rubbed her eyes. “Michael? What are you doing out of bed?”
Michael turned and smiled under the mask. “Oh, Ruby. Good morning. I’m making breakfast as a thank you.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She said, stretching out. The couch got very uncomfortable to sleep on for long periods.
“Oh. Well, I’m feeling a lot better. My body still has traces of the disease that will take a day or two to pass, but physically I feel great.” He said as he moved to simmer the stove.
Ruby nodded. She watched from the couch as Michael finished cooking before handing her a serving. He took a seat at his computer desk, on the other side of the room, and pulled down his face mask. They ate in silence until Ruby broke the tension. “Michael, have I ever told you about my pod?”
“Not familiar with the term. At least when it comes to mermaids.” He said after taking a bite.
“Pods are… pods are families. Friends. Lovers. Pods are everything to mermaids. Usually in groups of three or four people.” Ruby said as her mood visibly dropped.
Now Michael felt bad. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“But I want to!” Ruby suddenly exclaimed. “It… it makes what I’m about to say make more sense.”
Michael took a deep breath, “Ok. Hit me.”
“Pods are our units. Among us is the leader, and the rest of us follow. The leader is not necessarily the oldest, but the most mature. We live, we love, and we grow together.”
“And the fact that you’re here alone…” He said. “I can assume Selena is not one of your pod?”
“Podmates. But yes,” Ruby told him. “She’s an enclave elder. Enclaves are larger gatherings of 10 to 20 pods in one location. I… lost my pod months ago to bad events.” A tear fell.
“Hey… you don’t have to tell me.”
“BUT I DO! How can I explain if I don’t give context!” She yelled at him before pulling back in a yelp. “I’m sorry.”
Michael put down the food, slipped up his mask, and approached Ruby. “It’s okay to cry. I did so when my parents died five years ago.”
She nodded and teared up a bit. She wept into his shoulder, taking comfort that he didn’t know he provided just from physical contact. Eventually, after she’d had her fill of tears, she’d pushed him back. “Go back to eating. I’m not done with my story.” She said in a tired tone.
Michael nodded and sat back down at his desk, resuming his consumption of food.
Ruby watched, taking a deep breath and blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I lost my pod to some bad things. First, Isabelle died in a cave collapse. Then, a few days after, Hailey was killed in an undersea attack by a rather ruthless stingray. Finally, my Pod Leader, Lily, died from two things. Heartbreak, and grabbing a fish that poisoned her.”
Michael jumped, remembering the wounds the mermaid had when he helped her. “Ruby… you didn’t…” He started in a horrified tone.
“…I did. I thought that by finding a similar fish and intentionally harming myself, I could pass on to meet my pod mates wherever they went.” She said, her eyes closed. She had found the wrong fish, but in her defense, it looked similarish.
A whooshing sound was heard before a slap was felt on her face. Ruby looked up in shock as Michael’s eyes threatened to cry. “Don’t you ever… ever do or say that again. You deserve to live, and they wouldn’t want you to throw your life away. Am I understood?” The man said in a low tone.
“But, I…” She touched the red mark on her cheek.
“I SAID AM I UNDERSTOOD!?” Michael yelled.
“Y-Yes!” Ruby shied away.
Michael jumped. “S-sorry. Had a bad memory. Lost a best friend in high school to suicide. C-Continue.” He explained, walking back to his desk.
Ruby nodded, understanding Michael’s anger and frustration. She knew her podmates would react the same way if she ever said those words to them.
“I… I lost them. I had nothing left. Until a current carried me to your lab. Maybe it was hope, or desperation, but I instinctively pulled myself out of the sea pool.” Ruby said.
Michael leaned back. “And the rest is history. But what does telling me about your pod have to do with anything?”
Ruby looked down. “Do you have anything to live for among humanity?”
Michael paused. “My parents died five years ago in a hit and run while I was off getting my PHD. My grandparents both passed in my high school years from two kinds of disease. And I’ve never been particularly close with my two aunts and my uncle. Nor their kids. Finally, I don’t have any close friends, save for you. So. No, I guess I don’t have much left in humanity.”
“When you were delirious… I heard something. About your childhood dream.”
Michael felt a pit form in his stomach. This is it. This is when she breaks off the friendship because he’s a weirdo human.
“There’s a story about a human who became a mermaid…” Ruby started.
Michael blue-screened. What? What… did she say?
“I know the process needed, but I wanted to offer the option to you when you were of sound mind.” Ruby continued. “When you saved me, when you helped me without regard for reward or self, a feeling clicked. We mermaids are slightly psychic, so we form mental bonds with each other. Humans don’t, but when I’m near you, I feel that same bond that I felt with my late Pod-Leader.” She looked up, her eyes full of life.
“Please. Become a mermaid and join me forever in the sea!” She begged.
Michael sat there. Conflicted on what to do. “J-Just for reference. There are only female mer-creatures, right?” He asked in a hesitant voice.
Ruby nodded. “Yes. And I understand that people mocked you for wanting to be a girl, but nobody in our enclave would do such a thing.”
“You’re saying that like it’s a done deal,” Michael said in a quiet tone. “Could… could you leave so I can figure out what I want to do?” He leaned back.
Ruby said nothing. She finished her food and left the lab in silence, leaving Michael to his thoughts and inner voices.
The next night, Michael turned in bed. A dream was playing in his mind.
“Hey! Wait up, Ruby.” A wonderful female voice called out to the mermaid. They were swimming out in the middle of the ocean.
The cheeky brat just looked back and grinned. “Come on and catch me, XXXX!”
“Don’t make me take desert privileges away from you. The other two are waiting at the lab!”
Ruby ducked under a cave and waited for the other mermaid to pass before jumping out. “BOO!” She screamed, grabbing the unknown mermaid in a hug.
The two swam around in a ball, play-fighting for dominance when they separated. “You tired out yet?” The unknown voice said.
“Not a chance, you whippersnapper!”
“I’m your Pod Leader! Listen to me when I say we need to go have dinner!”
Ruby just giggled and took off again, but this time in the right direction. The mermaid smiled at the youthful emotions displayed by her podmate. A far cry better than the person who existed almost two years ago.
She stopped and looked in a sunken mirror that hadn’t fully rusted over. The gorgeous, flowing orange hair made her smile. The best choice she ever made.
Michael awoke with a jolt. That dream. It felt so real. So… attainable. But… was that really a vision of the future, or just some fantasy concocted by a mind that refused to accept the hand it was dealt at birth?
He got out of bed and slipped on his shoes. He needed some fresh air; he’d been stuck inside for over a week! Ungodly hour be damned. He walked outside, and the moon was clear overhead. A full moon, oddly enough.
A melodious voice was cast over the stony shoreline. Michael didn’t quite know what was pulling him, but he followed the voice until he came upon a sight. Sitting on a rock, illuminated in the moonlight, was Ruby. She was in her mermaid form, singing like nobody was there.
Her voice was beautiful, but the song was incomplete. He would hear the missing voices in it. Unknowingly, he started humming along, matched the tune perfectly, and didn’t stop himself when he began audibly singing as well, something he hadn’t done since puberty. Ruby jumped, but her voice continued functioning as she turned around, wide-eyed.
The mermaid’s eyes softened as the pair sang, the song still incomplete but far stronger now. After a few minutes, they stopped, and Ruby looked at the human. “Did you also have that dream?” She asked. Michael could only nod. “Do you want to make it a reality?”
“…Yes,” Michael said. “Yes. I don’t want to be alone again.”
“Neither do I,” Ruby said. “I fell in love with you the day you saved me, all while concerned for me and my autonomy. And I would be happy to spend the rest of my life with you in the sea.”
Michael jumped down from the rock, uncaring of his pants getting soaked in salt water. In a few minutes, they wouldn’t be needed anyway. Ruby took his hand and began to swim him away from shore. Silently, he was happy he didn’t take his normal jacket with. The water would’ve destroyed everything he was carrying otherwise, but that was a minor thought.
“My pod, lost to tragedy,” Ruby started singing. “I wish to bring you back, not the same, but in new forms. In new life. I wish to bring you back from calamity.” She sliced her lip open and met Michael’s. He could taste the copper on his tounge as she continued singing. But something was different now. “To the ocean I ask, make my pod live once more. Let this human become the first that I need to live forevermore.”
That second verse wasn’t in her voice. It was her mind. Michael could hear her mind! He didn’t have time to process that because he felt his pants tear as his legs thickened. He didn’t mourn the loss as Ruby suddenly pulled him into the water.
He almost flailed around, subconsciously needing to breathe. “Pod-Leader! Breathe. You can breathe!”
Michael sucked in and felt his need for oxygen be satiated. His hair lengthened and turned a shade of orange. The pants came clean off, floating away as his skin merged and his spine elongated. A subtle itchiness was felt, as scales began to climb his lower body. They started at the end of the new appendage, climbing like bugs, stopping at his waist. He could feel his sexual organs retracted, his testes pulled in to form the start of a womb, and a new opening appeared before the interlocking scales covered it up.
This was right. This was what he’d been missing all his life. He’d never felt more sure of anything before.
His waist narrowed, his hips widened, and a set of boobs grew on his chest. He could feel his face round out, and his eyes adapted to seeing underwater. He looked down to notice his tail had taken a shiny pink hue, which made him happy. All through, he could feel a tingle of pleasure mixed in with the awkwardness of transforming, his moans very noticeable to his podmate. It was perfect.
His hands turned into webbed claws, and his ears disappeared, transforming into fins that he could control with his muscles. And in his mind, there was only one thing. “I WANNA BE MIRA!” The new mermaid sang in the ocean, her vocal vibrations meeting her Pod-mate.
Ruby took the opportunity to kiss her leader, and the pair began to engage in intercourse. The older of the pair used one of her hands to play with Mira’s right boob while her left hand found the vaginal opening under the scales, and delicately intruded.
“Ah, ah, AAHH!” Mira moaned over the psychic link that all mermaids shared. Ruby took that as permission to start scratching that itch within Mira’s newly formed core.
“We mermaids don’t have to worry about human affairs. It’s mostly a sexual loving paradise under the sea.”Ruby boasted as she teased her pod leader’s new body. A twist of the nipple and Mira felt even more pleasure.
Was this paradise? Cause if so, she never wanted to leave. The pair continued to deepen their bond, sharing love. Sometimes, Mira took over, but as the inexperienced one, she let Ruby lead more. It lasted several hours of them rotating between, but they couldn’t help but notice two more missing people. They needed to get their other podmates soon. Eventually, Mira just sang out, signaling her satisfaction and beaming from the intercourse.
Ruby matched the song as they continued dancing together, uncaring for anything else. All that mattered was each other. They didn’t track how long they had been hugging each other, but eventually, one pulled away, to the dismay of the other. Ruby pulled Mina along. “Come on, I want to show you the enclave!”
Mira let her pod mate drag her along to a whole new world, unexplored. They’d figure out the human side logistics later. Right now, she was a fucking mermaid. Not experimenting on Ruby was the best decision she had ever made!
This is a rather long one-shot of mine. Please comment, I feed on engagement.