by L. M. Brown
“I think we should purchase a custom-made tail and fins for one of our staff and she can swim around the tank for the guests. Give them a wave and a smile, maybe even sing the odd song. The public will love it.”
Natalie coughed loudly. “Why does it have to be a woman?” she asked. “Isn’t that a bit sexist? The picture, if it’s real or not, clearly shows a man. Why not have one of the men swimming in the tank.”
Bill nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right. Now, who’d like to volunteer for the job? I should warn you, those custom-made tails are quite pricey, so once you’ve been measured and we’ve ordered it, there’s no changing your mind and backing out.”
No one seemed in any rush to put themselves forward.
“What about you, Amy?” Bill asked. “You certainly look the part.”
“I can’t swim,” Amy replied. “I’ve a fear of going underwater.”
“Oh.” Bill appeared somewhat taken aback, but quickly recovered.
“What about Kyle?” Doug suggested. “He obviously likes being the center of attention.”
Kyle glared across the room. Most of the staff were perfectly pleasant, but Doug was a touch homophobic and had made plenty of snide remarks over the months they had been working together. No doubt this was his way of making Kyle feel uncomfortable for what he had revealed earlier, when, in fact, Kyle felt awkward enough as it was.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Natalie said. “Kyle, you work out, right?”
“Yes,” Kyle muttered. It wasn’t strictly true, but he’d done some heavy lifting at the aquarium and that had been the explanation he had offered for his strength. The truth was mermen were naturally strong on land, after spending so much time swimming—the best sort of exercise.
“Perfect. Women will flock to see a merman with a nice six-pack.”
Kyle frowned. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going in. He could only think of one way to stop this idea dead in its tracks. “I can’t swim either.”
“Really?” Natalie asked. “I think you said you could on the forms we had you fill in when you started working here. Since, unlike Amy, your position involves being around the water exhibits, we like to ensure you can swim before hiring.”
Kyle was caught and he knew it. “I can swim, but I don’t think I’m the best person for this job. Who’d want to see me in a tank?”
“I would,” Amy piped up with a grin.
“Surely there’s someone else?” asked Kyle, frantically scanning the room for anyone who appeared even slightly enthused about the idea. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be relieved that Kyle was the focus of attention and they were off the hook.
“We’ll get you measured by the end of the day,” Bill said.
Kyle couldn’t think of anything worse than being measured for a fake fish tail. Would the thing be waterproof, or would his real fins tear through the material as soon as he submerged himself? One thing was certain. If that happened, he’d never leave the tank, unless it was to be taken to some horrendous government facility where he’d be tested and chopped up into bait.
* * * *
The rest of the day passed by in something of a daze. Finally, Kyle arrived home, where he immediately tracked down Jake and Finn.
“What is it?” Jake asked as Kyle flew into his arms and buried his face in his chest.
Kyle breathed deep and long, reassured by Jake’s calm strength.
“What’s happened?” Finn asked as he joined them in the embrace.
Kyle laughed, slightly hysterical at the events of the day. “The manager of the aquarium wants me to play the part of a merman in the new tank.”
“He knows what you are?” Finn stared at him, aghast.
“No,” Kyle quickly assured him. “There’s been a photo of a merman published in some fish magazine. Everyone thinks it’s a fake, but now the boss wants to make some profit from what he thinks will be a new mermaid craze. That’s not even the worst part.”
“What can be worse than that?” Jake asked. “After all, they’ll find out what you are as soon as you get in the water.”
“I grabbed a copy of the article,” Kyle said, producing the magazine. “The picture isn’t a fake. This was taken at the far side of the huge cave network, not far from the sunken city. They’re practically on the doorstep of the largest colony of mer in the world. Whoever took this picture knows what they saw is real, even if no one else believes them.”
Finn stumbled to the sofa and dropped down, reading the magazine in silence.
“What do you think will happen if they actually capture one of us?” Kyle asked.
Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. I would think the government would try to cover it up, but if proof had already been made public… I wish I knew what would happen, but no one does. It’s like aliens. Lots of people believe they have already visited Earth and the government hides the evidence, but if a spaceship appeared over the Houses of Parliament, there’d be no hiding it.”
“Maybe the fake fins will keep your legs dry,” Finn suggested.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to test them here first, without an audience. I took down the details of the man who makes them and I’m going to email from here and change the delivery address.”
“Hopefully, you can play a merman and not reveal you’re a real one,” Jake said. “If the fake tail doesn’t work, we’ll have to decide what to do.”
“You could quit your job,” Finn said. “If it looks like you’ll be exposed, hand in your notice.”
Kyle snorted. “Nice idea, except I have to work a notice period, and I’ve no doubt I’ll be expected to spend it in the tank.”
“In the meantime, one of us needs to get to Atlantis and warn them how close the humans are to the colony,” Finn said.
“I think it would sound better coming from you,” Jake suggested.
Finn scowled.
“Like it or not, when you’re in Atlantis, you are a prince,” Jake said. “You have to speak to your father and see what he suggests can be done to keep everyone safe.”
“I guess I’d better go then. Have you got something for me to offer to Medina?”
“Go pick her some flowers from the garden,” Kyle suggested. “I’m sure she’ll like them.”
Finn stood to go do as Kyle suggested.
“Oh, there’s something else,” Kyle said, halting Finn in his tracks. He cringed as his two lovers looked at him expectantly. “I said we’d go to the aquarium anniversary party.”
“All of us?” Finn asked. “I thought the people you work with only knew about Jake?”
“They did,” Kyle admitted. “But they shouldn’t have, should they? I had no right to feel like I’m on the outside of you two, not when I’ve put you in the exact same position. I told them about us. They agreed I could bring you both.”
Finn grinned widely and kissed Kyle quickly on the lips. “I love you, you know.”
“I know,” Kyle replied as he kissed him back. “I love you, too—both of you.”
He pulled Jake into his arms and they cautiously shared a three-way kiss, bumping noses as they connected, both emotionally and physically, once more.
Chapter Eight
“That looks pretty cool,” Jake said as Kyle spread out the fake mer tail by the side of the pool.
The custom-made tail had taken three months to arrive. When Kyle had found out how long it would take, he had considered quitting his job and working his one-month notice before the delivery date. Only the fact that he enjoyed working at the aquarium stopped him from doing just that. The website said the tail was supposed to be waterproof, and Kyle was banking on it keeping his legs dry and his real fins safely hidden. If not, he supposed he could quit on the spot and deal with the consequences. At least Caspian had provided them with enough money to live on for the rest of their lives, as well as deal with any disgruntled employer who wanted to take him to court.
“It looks like it’ll be prett
y snug,” Finn said, “and it feels waterproof. Maybe you’ll be able to do the whole fake merman role without anyone suspecting.”
“Maybe,” Kyle agreed. “There’s only one way to find out. If it doesn’t work, we’ll soon know.”
Ten minutes later Kyle eased himself into the pool, his fake tail covering his legs. “Here goes nothing.”
Above him, Jake and Finn held their breath.
“I think it worked,” Kyle said. “I can’t feel the transformation coming on.”
“Not at all?” Finn asked. “How does it feel, being in water without your fins?”
“Weird,” Kyle said. “I… Er… I’m not sure I can swim in this, though.”
Finn snickered. “It might help if you push off from the side of the pool.”
Kyle glared at Finn, but did as he suggested, promptly sinking right to the bottom.
Thankfully he could still breathe under the water, but he couldn’t seem to propel himself in the direction he wished to go.
Finn splashed into the water beside him, and when he’d stopped laughing at Kyle’s dilemma, he pointed to the surface.
After a couple of false starts, Kyle broke through the water.
“You can’t communicate underwater as a human,” Finn commented. “Or you were ignoring me.”
Kyle grabbed Finn and pulled him into his arms. “I’d never ignore you. Now, how about you give me a kiss then we’ll start my swimming lessons. Bill is expecting me to start my performance in the tank next week.”
“That doesn’t give you much time,” Jake said. He sat on the edge of the pool to watch.
“You’ll do great,” Finn assured Kyle with a smile and a kiss. “You’re a merman. You’re built to swim.”
“Yeah, but with an actual tail and fins,” Kyle reminded him. “I need to find a way to steer myself without fins.”
“The tail has fins,” Finn pointed out.
“I can see that,” Kyle replied with a roll of his eyes. “But they’re not a part of my body, so I can’t control them.”
“I guess you’d better get practicing, then,” Jake said.
Kyle gave him another glare. “Are you just going to sit and watch?”
“Yep. I think this is going to be very entertaining.”
“Git.”
“I like the colors,” Finn said. “It’s much prettier than your real tail.”
Kyle scowled at Finn, though he privately agreed that the light rainbow-colored tail and fins were beautiful and eye-catching, exactly as Bill intended. In the darkened rooms of the aquarium, Kyle would positively glow.
He hoped when he finally entered the tank, the visitors would stare at him in awe and wouldn’t collapse into fits of laughter. From Jake’s and Finn’s current states of amusement, Kyle suspected he would need to spend the next week in the pool, without his beloved tail, so he could learn to swim as a human. At least it would be a distraction from the increasing shark attacks in Atlantis and the continuing squabbles of the Atlantean gods.
“No, like this,” Finn said, the impatience clear in his voice. They were well into Kyle’s swimming lesson. “You need to swim with your whole body, like you do normally.”
Kyle smacked his hand on the top of the water. “I’m trying but this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
Finn sighed and swam up to Kyle, wrapping his arms around him. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t mean to be sharp with you. I know you can do this, and you’ll be the best fake merman the world has ever seen.”
Kyle buried his face in Finn’s neck. “Thanks, baby. I’m sorry for snapping, too. Now, I’m hungry, so I think we should take a break, get something to eat and start over this afternoon.”
Finn guided him to the edge of the pool and Jake helped Kyle get out of the water. Kyle missed being able to swing his tail up and out of the pool with ease. It didn’t seem to work when he tried to do the same thing with his legs.
He hoped he got the hang of this soon, because he missed his real tail, and the sooner he got his fake fins under control, the quicker he could get back to swimming in his own pool, with his own tail.
* * * *
Although Kyle still wasn’t comfortable with his fake tail, Bill wanted him in the tank and ready to greet the visitors.
Until the long summer holidays started, business was slow, as it always was at this time of year, and they needed something to lure in guests. Hopefully, Kyle, the aquarium’s exclusive merman, would be enough.
“Excellent,” Bill said as he saw Kyle climbing into the tank in his rainbow fins.
“Is it?” Kyle muttered under his breath.
Natalie hissed at him to keep his voice down. She had helped him get into his tail, much to Kyle’s embarrassment, since it wasn’t his most graceful of moments.
He landed in the water with a splash. Thankfully, he didn’t sink straight to the bottom this time. He trod water, using his legs, snug inside his tail, to stay in place.
“How long can you hold your breath for?” Bill asked.
Kyle shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never timed myself.” It sounded better than ‘forever’ and he was grateful Bill had brought up the question, because without the reminder, Kyle might have stayed underwater permanently and drawn as much attention to himself as if he’d transformed into his mer form itself.
“Well, don’t overdo it when you get into character,” Bill teased. “We can’t have our merman drowning now, can we?”
“No, sir,” Kyle replied, and to avoid any more questions, he lowered himself under the water, ready to play his part.
Despite his initial horror and later reservations, Kyle actually began to enjoy his time in the tank.
A school trip from one of the local schools was the highlight of his day.
“Look, a mermaid!” a young girl at the head of the group shouted, pointing at Kyle. Even underwater, he could hear her squeal of joy.
He waved back at her and smiled.
As the class crowded around the tank, he twisted and turned under the water, not quite as graceful as he would normally be, but good enough for the delight of the guests.
He pointed to the stairs to the left and followed them to the other side of the tank, ready to greet them properly.
“Well, hello there,” Kyle said to the students. “How are you today?”
“You speak English!” The young boy stared at him accusingly. “I thought mermaids spoke fish language.”
Kyle grinned. “We do, but I was taught English when I came to land.”
“You speak it very well,” the teacher said. “Doesn’t he, class?”
There were lots of nods from the kids.
“Where did you live in the ocean?”
“Have you met Ariel?”
“What about Sebastian?”
“Can you sing?”
Thankfully for Kyle, Caspian had given him knowledge of the English language, as well as providing him with plenty of pop culture, including the famous Disney movie.
“I’m afraid only the mermaids can sing,” Kyle said. “We mermen are pretty tone deaf. You’ll meet Sebastian a little later on along your tour. He’s around here somewhere.”
“Did you live in Triton’s palace?”
Kyle grinned. “No, I lived in Atlantis, which is a huge underwater city where lots and lots of merpeople live. We have our own king called Nereus.”
“Is he powerful, like Triton?”
“Oh yes. He has his own trident that shoots fire.”
“Cool!”
“Very,” Kyle agreed.
“Come along, class.” The teacher urged the class to continue their tour and they filed away.
The second teacher hung behind a moment. “Great job,” he said. “I’m Ivan, by the way.”
Kyle smiled at him, noting the admiration in the man’s eyes. “I’m Kyle.”
“Yeah, I heard. You certainly have the kids fooled. I think they’re convinced you’re a real merman.”
Kyle ch
uckled and leaned forward. “That’s because I am,” he teased, knowing Ivan wouldn’t believe him anyway. It was freeing somehow, to tell the truth and know he’d be safe from exposure.
Ivan laughed. “Um, so, I’ve seen you working here the last year, and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have dinner some time.”
Kyle smiled sadly. “Sorry. I’m seeing someone at the moment—two someones, actually.”
Ivan grimaced. “Seems like all the guys who work here are cheaters.”
Kyle grinned. “I don’t know who else you’re referring to, but I’m not. I live with my two guys and it’s definitely not cheating.”
“Oh, sorry,” Ivan said. “I guess I assumed…”
Kyle shrugged. “That’s okay. So does everyone else. I’m still getting used to telling people what sort of a relationship I’m in. It’s not uncommon for us mermen, even if it is for humans.”
Ivan laughed. “You do love your merman role, don’t you?”
“Oh yes. You could say it’s my entire life.”
The sounds of children laughing grew fainter and Ivan glanced toward the door the class had gone through. “I should catch up with them before they send out a search party. It was nice to meet you, Kyle. If you ever break up with your men and want to get together, I come through the aquarium quite a lot, with and without the class.”
Kyle nodded. “I doubt I will…but thank you.”
Ivan went after the rest of his group, stopping at the door to wave. “Maybe I’ll meet a merman of my own if I keep my eyes peeled.”
“Maybe you will,” Kyle replied, waving to Ivan, before sinking back into the water, ready to greet another round of guests.
His boss checked in on him several times throughout the day, seemingly pleased with Kyle’s performance. Kyle made sure he was under water every time he spotted the man in the doorway.
Even though he had fun with the children, Kyle found the day rather long and dull. He contemplated whether he should bring a trident to work the next day but quickly discounted that idea. There was no way he could explain sea-fire. He would just have to make the best of things and look forward to the end of the day when he could go home and stretch his real fins, which he had really missed the last week.
