Chapter Text
This was supposed to be a normal weekend for the always busy teacher Shen Qiao, in fact, he was going to take some time to relax and watch a movie with his cat, it has been about a month since he moved to his new apartment, so he was even going to indulge himself a bit, he was going to buy some snacks to eat while watching his movie! But oh, how much troubles did those snacks bring to his door, bathroom door to be more precise. If people heard this without watching the situation Shen Qiao was in, they would imagine something a little bit different, but the reality is this poor guy is in his bathroom watching an unconscious (please be unconscious and not dead!) mermaid? Merman?… Fish person? Whatever they’re called, they were lying in his bathtub now.
They were clearly injured when Shen Qiao rescued them, so he couldn’t just leave them alone to their luck, he didn’t know what other people might had done to them. Still, it was a risky move, to carry an injured (fish) man like it was the most normal thing in the world. Maybe when they saw him carry a half-human half-fish everyone thought it was some kind of weird cosplay or act and that’s why nobody questioned him. But now, he was facing the problem, he indeed carry an injured (fish) man to his apartment.
“Should I call a doctor? Or is it more appropriate to call a vet?” he muttered to himself, genuinely unsure of what to do.
He thought he was helping someone who might have drowned but in fact he ended up rescuing this… fish man. He was grateful he took Yu Ai’s advice to rent the apartment with the big bathtub, but he was really surprised at the moment and took them here on a whimp, he wasn't really sure if this was a good idea. They probably wouldn’t be able to communicate, would they? And besides that, was this creature like the Little Mermaid or like the myth? Or maybe like the ones in the teenage movies of these days? As he was thinking all this he heard the sound of movements.
“Ah, that hurt” it was low deep voice accompanied by some groans of pain, in human language to his surprise “Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here?” it seemed the eyes of the (fish)man were still getting adjusted to the light, but nonetheless they looked really angry “Don’t you understand chinese?”
He sighed, what a rude mythical creature “My name is Shen Qiao, I rescued you because you were injured and you’re in my bathtub” that answer only received a weird look from the other, but it seemed he decided Shen Qiao wasn’t a threat.
The man, who technically wasn’t really a man, was scanning Shen Qiao’s figure the same way Shen Qiao did with his. The merman (let's go with this for now) has a gorgeous royal purple tail, the scales gleamed gold in the light, some of those scales are also noticeable on his shoulders and some were sparsely on his wrists and neck, his hands are webbed and with long nails. Right now those hands are on his head, searching for something between his long hair, nothing too serious there apparently, and then searched in his lower back, when his angry face changed into a grimace of pain it seemed they found what they were looking for. Shen Qiao could see the blood and wanted to say something, ask him if he was okay, but the merman spoke first “Are you a human?”
Shen Qiao gave him a puzzled look “I don’t look human enough?” He was sure that sweatpants and plain shirts were the human outfit by default, maybe it’s because he also has long hair and that’s not common in guys?
“Shouldn't a human be afraid or interested in someone like me? What are you?” he said, looking almost annoyed at the idea that Shen Qiao isn't human.
“I’m sorry but I am a human” he said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry because the mythical creature was the one questioning him and not the other way around “You were in trouble and I thought I could help, I didn’t know you were a…” he still wasn't sure how to call him, he talked and acted a lot like a human but it’s obvious he isn't. He sighed “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“What? You really are a human and you want to help me?” he had a fierce expression in his face but laughed like Shen Qiao just told him the best joke “You are interesting, Ah-Qiao”
Shen Qiao frowned “Please don’t call me like that, you haven’t even told me your name”
“Yan Wushi, but you can call me Yan-lang”
And without either of them knowing, that’s how their life together begun.
After a couple of hours coaxing the other, Shen Qiao learned that Yan Wushi was the type of merman (do other types exist?) that could shapeshift his tail into a pair of legs so he could wander the human world, and so he did because the waters were boring, was what he said, but he didn't stay too much on the land either, because they have so many damn rules, he also said. He couldn’t shapeshift at the moment because of the weakened state he was in, or at least that’s what Shen Qiao understood, but either way Shen Qiao would let him stay until he could be fine on his own, just like nursing a wild animal until it can be released.
When Shen Qiao asked the other, he didn’t say much about his injury or what happened in general, something about someone trying to catch him and then he just kept diverting the topic and pestering Shen Qiao about how he couldn’t be human because humans can’t be kind. Yan Wushi at least let him treat the wound in his head (no need for a doctor or a vet) but he wouldn’t let him touch the one in his lower back. Even though it was an awful injury, he didn't complain. He then thought that maybe he misjudged the merman, until the pestering begin again. He demanded food, and not any type of food, only the best meat he could afford, because the food on land is so much better than anything else, Ah-Qiao!
Shen Qiao refused, because it would’ve been a waste of money (he already has delicious vegan food on the fridge!) but when Yan Wushi said it will only make him take more time to recover if didn’t eat the right amounts of food Shen Qiao began to think of it more as a necessity than a luxury.
He sighed again.
“How do you know the concept of money but don’t have any?”
“Usually I have” he seemed offended.
“How can you have money?” he asked with a stern look.
“Don’t look at me like that, I’m an honest merman, I work sometimes”
“… What do you do?”
“It doesn’t matter, just hurry up and get the meat Ah-Qiao” he said and almost splashed him with the flick of his tail, leaving a small puddle in the floor.
“Please try to keep my apartment dry” he said, wondering if this merman was actually a three years old and that’s just how three years old merpeople looked like, but he had white strand of hair, huh, he was a little curious about how that worked, “Fine I’ll buy you something, just for today” he said, trying to recall if he needed anything else from the store when a loud meow interrupted his train of thought.
“Oh you have one of those”
“Please refrain yourself from expressing about my cat in that way” he used the same tone he would use when scolding his students “What’s wrong, Xie Ling? You can’t eat him” he was talking to the grey fluffy ball that was his cat but the cat only had (fierce) eyes for Yan Wushi.
“I would like to see him try” he mumbled and the cat hissed at him.
Shen Qiao sighed again. And that’s how the silent war between his unwanted new roommate and his cat just begun.
At the end of the day, Shen Qiao got his snacks and watched his movie. It was a only a tiny bit different of how he imagined it would be: he had to cook some meat for the merman living in his bathtub (he complained the flavor was lacking), and he had to watch the movie in his bathroom because said merman also wanted to watch the movie, but his cat also wanted to be with him (maybe it didn't felt comfortable leaving his human with that menace?), so the annoying merman kept pestering the poor animal through the whole movie, which meant more water puddles in the bathroom floor. More fun for later. Yay.
On monday, his colleagues will ask him why he looks more tired after a relaxing weekend and Shen Qiao won't know how to answer them.