Chapter Text
Andrew nodded at the security guard as he swiped his key card and pushed his way through the heavy black door to the little staffrom filled with fitting all black furniture. On the outside, Nevermore Aquarium was a colorful parade of blood reds and threatening black architecture, designed to entice customers to enter and gawk at the weirdest sea creatures the Moriyama’s could find. It was what Nevermore did best, locating strange things and presenting them to the public under the guise of “research”. Andrew was fully aware that there was something more to it than that but he could never bring himself to think too hard about it. He arrived at the aquarium, cleaned up everyone's trash and then left again with cash in his pocket. He asked no questions and Nevermore offered no answers. If they were doing something nefarious behind closed doors, Andrew wasn't going to give a shit. They hadn't asked him why a man with a college degree had moved across the country and become a janitor and Andrew didn’t ask why he was sometimes cleaning up blood.
That didnt mean he wasn't curious - it was quite the opposite, actually. Several times a night Andrew wondered about the consequences of opening those closed doors, just for a peek. He’d no doubt find clones of the Moriyamas floating in tanks or something.
The doors Andrew was allowed to enter for the night were marked with a red sticky note. He just had to go in, clean up whatever mysterious fluid was on the floor and leave.
Back home wasn't much better. He had followed his twin to Chicago to help him through medical school. Everyone had always joked that they were inseparable. In a way, they were. Since they’d met almost a decade ago, Aaron and Andrew had been joined at the hip. Their two bedroom apartment was small, but that didn’t matter because they were too. It wasn’t like two five foot twins took up a crazy amount of room.
Aaron disapproved of Andrew's job, much like he did with everything else Andrew did with his life. Andrew didn't mind the aquarium. On his first day, he'd been background checked within an inch of his life, handed a black uniform (which Andrew very much appreciated the aesthetic of) and sent to work. There was no interaction with people- at most he'd have to nod at the security guards. The guards always traveled in twos, but they mostly remained silent.
That’s why it was odd that, as Andrew mopped up a spilled drink in the shadow of a tank, he watched two guards wander around the corner talking loudly.
The guards wore heavy clothing; bulletproof vests and along with military pants with six million pockets. Andrew was almost envious. He wondered if they’d answer if he asked where they got their big stompy boots.
The tall one on the right laughed and nudged his coworker.
“What mood do you think he’ll be in today?”
The left guard shrugged, “His tank was cleaned yesterday. Hopefully good.” The two of them grinned at each other.
“Maybe he’ll talk to us.”
Andrew scowled down at his bucket of dirty water. He wasn’t exactly great at marine biology, but he was fairly sure that fish couldn’t talk. Which meant they were talking about something that wasn’t a fish, but still lived in a tank. Andrew strained to listen, but they’d already started to walk, voices disappearing down the hallway.
Andrew kicked his bucket to the side and jogged after them. He was pretty good with the layout of the place, and the guards seemed to be going to the main stage where they held dolphin shows and other such nonsense that Aaron would probably love to watch. They headed to the blood red stage door and descended the stairs. Andrew hated those stairs. They were made of grating, allowing him to see all the way down to the ground, far, far below.
He struggled for a moment between the curiosity in his chest and the queasy fear in his stomach. Curiosity won and he followed the men down to the bottom landing and through a random door in the side.
Andrew was caught off guard. The room seemed impossibly large, far too big to just be hanging around under the aquarium.
It was as big as a warehouse, with a ridiculously sized tank in the center, lights pointing at it from a hundred different angles. A set of more hideously see through stairs led up one of the sides and ended in a platform at the top. Andrew slipped into the shadows in the corner as the two guards ascended the stairs. The two of them each grabbed one of the buckets from the line at the top.
“Open up, buddy!” Left guard shouted gleefully, holding out the bucket and tipping it into the water. Whatever food it was tipped grossly in with a splash of blood and bone. There was no movement from the water and both guards booed loudly.
“Come on!” Right guard complained, “we wanna see your pretty tail!” Still nothing. Goosebumps prickled at the back of Andrew’s neck, spreading down his back. Something just felt a little wrong as the right guard dumped his own bucket in.
“Not today?” The guard asked, “we’ll be back tomorrow! And every day after. See you then, sweetheart!” Andrew grimaced at the weird nickname for a fish and watched as the two unceremoniously dumped the rest of the food in before clanging their way back down with the buckets and wandering out.
Andrew took a deep breath, almost gagging at the smell of blood and stale water in the air. Slowly, he took a step out into the light, sneakers splashing in a puddle.
It didn’t really make sense. Sure, the guards could be two weirdos who were attracted to sharks but it was all a bit too odd.
Andrew circled the tank. It was massive, the water lit with ugly artificial blue and purple lights. The water was murky and opaque enough for Andrew to not be able to see what was hidden inside. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, but other than that the room was silent.
Who are you?
Andrew jumped, slipping on the wet floor and landing hard on his back. There was a voice. Like he could hear it but it wasn’t quite there . Andrew shuddered and climbed back to his feet, shoving his shaking hands into the pocket of his hoodie.
“Who said that?” Andrew asked, voice echoing into the silence. The back of his hoodie was damp from his fall, sticking to his back in a chilly, unpleasant way. The water shifted in the tank a little, like something was moving towards him.
Who are you? The voice asked again. Andrew felt unsettled right down to his bones. The words formed in his head like they’d been picked for him.
“I’m Andrew,” Andrew said, simply, with the hope that whatever it was would get out of his head. The thing knew English. Andrew wasn’t an expert but he was fairly sure that sea creatures did not normally know English. The Moriyama’s were known for their discoveries and dramatic reveals, and Andrew thought that maybe their next one was going to be a talking dolphin or something.
He was so wrong.
The murky water bubbled and shifted as a shadow made its way forwards, gliding smoothly through the water.
It wasn’t a dolphin. It was a man.
Or, not quite a man- he resembled a pale, bare chested man, skin littered with deep scars. Except, just like the voice, he wasn’t quite right. In the place of legs, the man had a tail. A long tail, made of scales that shifted a hundred different shades of red, shimmering in the water like a trail of blood. The man swished it side to side as he gazed down at Andrew like a lord looking down from his horse. He had eyes as blue as the cleanest ocean water, bright enough to knock the wind out of Andrew’s chest.
Not really a man, then. A merman.
Against what felt like his own will, Andrew took a step forward and put a hand against the wet glass. The water inside was warm and shifting. He could feel it against his palm like a heartbeat.
Why have they sent you? What do you do? The merman kept staring at him with piercing eyes, tail swishing back and forth hypnotically. He had pointed ears, cocooned in delicate fins that twitched like he was listening for an answer.
Andrew frowned, “No one sent me. I’m just the janitor.” The merman sneered, showing little fangs that glowed threateningly white in the lights.
Just a janitor?
“You heard me. I just clean shit up.”
Then why are you here?
Andrew opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He didn’t really know . He didn’t know why it had felt so important to follow those guards into the room. He didn’t know why he’d stayed to watch while they checked up on their latest secret project.
The merman swished his tail rather violently, sending little dirty particles whirling through the water.
“I don’t know,” Andrew whispered. “I don’t know why I’m here.”
The merman gazed at him for a moment, seemingly deciding whether or not he believed Andrew. The merman nodded once, auburn hair shifting like a halo. He swam forwards a little, and pressed his hand up against the glass, right on the other side of Andrew’s.
I believe you.
Then, with a flick of his tale, he receded into the murky depths again.
Andrew breathed in a lungful of air, feeling like it was the first breath he’d taken all night. He turned on his heel and started to wander away.
Will you come back? The voice was small, nervous and far away. Andrew closed his eyes, nothing but the merman flashing across his vision.
“Yes.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew’s apartment was just about big enough for two people. Nicky once joked that for the twins it must be like being back in the womb. Nicky was subsequently banned from the apartment for the rest of eternity. Andrew didn’t mind sharing his space all that much. He had a bedroom with a door that locked and a shower that turned on (almost) every time, so things could have been so much worse.
Everything was fine when they first moved in. It was convenient having someone at home at night when Andrew wasn’t there.
For at least three months, though, Andrew suspected he’d been having someone over while Andrew wasn’t there. It didn’t particularly matter, but it was a girl and Andrew would prefer that Aaron be at least 70% more subtle about his secret hetero sex. Andrew had found a bra on the sofa (which ew , he sits there), smelled sweet perfume in the bathroom and Aaron’s hickeys could be seen from space.
And Andrew was fairly certain that Aaron thought he didn’t know.
Andrew was perfectly fine living in the dark.
Unfortunately there was a girl in his kitchen when he came home from work. She was a few inches taller than himself and completely oblivious to the fact that Andrew was standing right behind her. She looked far too comfortable in his home, standing in his kitchen in her pyjamas, long auburn hair tied back.
“Can I help you?” Andrew asked, just as she picked up a mug. The girl gasped and dropped the mug. Andrew watched it smash satisfyingly on the floor. That was Aaron’s favorite too.
She whipped round, eyes wide. Andrew leveled her with an unimpressed look as she gathered herself.
“Sorry!” The girl said quickly, “You scared me!”
“That was the intention, yes.”
“You must be Andrew. Let me clean this up,” the woman busied herself with hunting for a dustpan, avoiding Andrew’s gaze expertly. The floor creaked down the hall and Aaron thundered into the kitchen with his usual bull-in-a-China-shop level of grace.
“What was-“ he spotted Andrew standing in the doorway, then the girl brushing up the broken pieces of his favorite mug. Several expressions warred over his face for a moment before he settled on concern.
“You’re home early,” Aaron noted, “I didn’t think-“
“Clearly,” Andrew interrupted. “Won’t you introduce me?”
“I don’t think-“
“Aaron!” The girl said indignantly, before turning to Andrew. “I’m Katelyn. Has Aaron not mentioned me?”
Andrew gave her a shark-like smile. “Not a word.” Katelyn’s reaction was not what he hoped. Andrew wanted shouting and slamming doors, but instead Katelyn tilted her head and gave him a matching smile.
“I can’t imagine why.” She turned to Aaron and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be in your room.”
Aaron turned to Andrew the second she was out of view, pale faced. Andrew raised an eyebrow at his brother.
“She’s pretty,” he said, nonchalantly, picking up a broken shard of cup and placing it on the side.
Aaron huffed. “Can you not? I actually like Katelyn and you are a master of ruining everything. Can you just let me keep this one thing by not being yourself?”
“I don’t want to live with her,” Andrew argued, even though deep down he knew she wasn't exactly moving in.
Aaron folded his arms. “Maybe it’s time you went somewhere else, then.”
“Excuse me? I pay rent too, you know.”
“You have no friends, Andrew!” Aaron snapped, “you have a college degree and you’re a janitor! We’re not teenagers anymore Andrew, you need to find something to do with your life before you end up a sad old man with no family!”
“No family?” Andrew asked, failing spectacularly at keeping the shocked hurt out of his voice. Aaron sighed and ran a hand through his hair, blond strands falling about messily.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. I’ll still be there but if I have a family of my own, kids or whatever, I can’t be around you all the time. You won’t be my main focus anymore and I shouldn’t be yours.”
“You want me to think about the future ?” The idea was almost laughable. Andrew’s past determined so much of his present he didn’t have time for the future.
“Yes!” Aaron exclaimed, gesturing at Andrew. “You’ve got your wildlife degree or whatever, use that! Get an actual job where you see the sun and make some friends.”
“You have a very weird view of what constitutes an accomplished life.”
Aaron opened his mouth to keep arguing but stopped himself. He sighed in Andrew’s direction and wandered off down the hall.
No family . Huh.
Andrew realized with a small shudder that he was used to having family. When Nicky was in the country and used the words “family dinner”, it didn’t make him feel icky like it used to. It was a family dinner, no matter how fucked up their little circle was.
Betrayal was a hot spike in Andrew’s stomach. Logically, aaron wouldn’t leave Andrew behind, abandon him like their mother and so many of his foster parents, but Aaron had
Andrew bent down and picked up one of the broken shards of Aaron’s mug from the floor. It glinted off the ugly yellow bulb hanging from the ceiling (“they’re more energy efficient, Andrew”), glittering menacingly. Andrew threw it into the sink with as much force as possible. He would not be laughed at by a bit of ceramic. His stomach rolled like he was standing on a rooftop looking down and he stumbled to the counter to keep his legs from giving out.
Aaron would give him up for Katelyn.
Aaron wanted him gone.
No family.
Andrew dug his fingers into the edge of the countertop until the formica creaked and his knuckles were white. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He wasn’t angry. Well, he was, but he was angry because he was so hurt .
Andrew was under the impression that things were good with Aaron. Good probably wasn’t how others would describe their relationship but they coexisted without drawing blood and for a Minyard, that was quite the feat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew was shamefully excited to go to work the next night. He left the apartment ten minutes early and had to sit in his car for a little because he had a reputation of not being punctual. He diligently cleaned up spills and wiped down tanks until he felt he’d waited long enough. Andrew hid his things in one of the cleaning cupboards and snuck down to see the merman.
The warehouse was dark save for the artificial blue lights in the tank.
“Hello?” Andrew called into the emptiness, wincing when his voice echoed back loudly. The water barely had time to shift before the merman was up at the glass, palms pressed pale against the inside.
You came back , he said.
“I said I would,” Andrew replied, valiantly fighting a shudder at the voice in his head.
People don't normally come back.
Andrew shrugged nonchalantly and stuffed his fists in his pockets. “Yeah, well, most people would argue that I'm not normal.”
The merman's lips twitched like he was considering a smile. Edgy .
Andrew tilted his head, rolling the merman’s word over in his head. He couldn't stop himself from wondering aloud, “Why do you talk like you’re human?”
I was human. At some point. What month is it? I don’t know how long I’ve been here.
“It’s February,” Andrew replied. The merman’s face fell, his tail flicking sadly behind him.
Nine months.
“So, Andrew said, stripping off his jacket and spreading it out across the ground so he could sit without getting wet, “How come you’re a fish boy then? Is it genetic?”
Don't call me fish boy.
“Is Aquaman better?”
The merman blinked confused ocean blue eyes at andrew. I don't know what that is.
Andrew huffed, the closest to laughing he'd been in a long time. “You never answered my question.”
The merman shrugged gracefully. It’s slightly genetic. My mother was a mermaid. I inherited part of it, but my father cursed me to be stuck in this form. So I couldn't run away. Andrew’s chest hurt at the implication that the merman might have had to run from his father. He was beyond tempted to push further, to ask for his entire life story. Andrew would happily sit there for hours to hear him talk, but the merman held all the cards. He could leave whenever he wanted and Andrew couldn't follow.
Andrew chose what he thought was an easier question. “What’s your name?” The merman paused, like the question Andrew had asked was hard. Andrew huffed another laugh. “Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it. Just choose one.”
Neil. Neil Josten.
“I’m Andrew.”
Neil scrunched up his nose adorably. That’s a boring name. I thought it would be something more exciting than that.
“Says you, Neil . How are you doing this?” Andrew gestured to his head to show what he meant, “I didn't think mermaids were telepathic?”
Neil shrugged. I just do it .
“But not to anyone else?”
No one. Go to the platform and I can talk to you for real.
Andrew glanced up at the walkway, hanging over the tank, thirty feet above his head. Andrew shook his head, and was relieved that Neil didn't ask again, though his expression turned curious.
Instead, Neil asked him about his family and Andrew briefly told him about Aaron and Nicky and his desire to get a cat that would undoubtedly be a better roommate than his brother. Neil listened intently, throwing in catty commentary until Andrew's watch beeped, telling him to get back to work.
Andrew had never felt lonelier than when he said goodbye to Neil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why won’t you come onto the platform? Neil asked the next night.
“Would you even come up if I did?” Andrew retorted.
Stop deflecting
“Stop asking questions you can figure out the answer to.”
Neil blinked slowly and curiously at him, more cat-like than fish. Andrew met his eyes, mask carefully in place to hide the answer from the merman.
You’re afraid, Neil concluded. Of me?
Andrew clicked his tongue in disappointment, “Not of you. You’ve got two more guesses.” Neil pursed his lips and frowned a little. Andrew couldn’t ever imagine being afraid of him. Even with sharpened teeth and a tail, Neil couldn’t have been anything other than friend shaped.
“You can get back to me on it,” Andrew decided after Neil paused for too long. Neil frowned, eyebrows pulling together. He was almost pouting . Andrew rapped his knuckles hard against the glass.
“Stop making that face,” he demanded, “you look stupid.” Neil scowled and flicked his tail. Andrew wasn’t a master of physics but there was something unusual about the way he moved. He hovered in the water like a hummingbird, each muscle moving in perfect sync to keep him where he wanted. If given the chance, Andrew could stare for hours, just watching Neil swim.
Why won’t you just tell me? Neil’s voice dragged Andrew’s eyes up from his tail.
“That’s too easy.”
Neil made a face like he was scoffing, bubbles rising from his mouth. Nothing is easy with you. You’re difficult.
“You wouldn’t believe how often I hear that.”
Just tell me.
Andrew tilted his head like he was considering then smiled. “Eh, no. You should figure it out. I’ll see you tomorrow night. See if you can get it by then.” Neil thumped his tail against the glass like he was having a tantrum just as Andrew turned and started to walk away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took Neil a surprisingly long time. Andrew assumed he had little else to do than think, and it was a few days later that Neil met him with a smug grin.
You're scared of heights, Neil said without greeting. Really? You?
“Took you long enough,” Andrew huffed. “Fine.”
You don't have to-
“I don't do anything I don’t want to,” Andrew said defiantly, matching over towards the heavy metal stairs. They stretched up and up and Andrew felt queasy just looking at them. Never one to give in to a challenge, he set to climbing, keeping his eyes on where Neil was worriedly swimming up alongside him.
I’m serious, Neil said, if you don’t want to-
“It’s not the height I’m afraid of,” Andrew interrupted. “It's falling. I just won’t fall.” The stairs were slippy, but Andrew just gripped the railings harder and pointedly avoided looking down. He didn’t understand why they had to be made of grating and not solid metal. It made everything a hundred times worse.
The majority of the walkway hovered just over the surface of the water and Andrew practically ran to get away from the little part that hung over nothing but the floor thirty feet away. If he fell into the water, he’d be cold and wet but unhurt.
Neil broke the surface just as Andrew sat down. He grinned and leaned his arms on the walkway, resting his head against them. Andrew poked him in the cheek and Neil kept smiling.
“I came all the way up here and you’re not even going to talk to me?” Andrew asked, flicking a piece of Neil’s hair out of his face. He didn’t know why he kept touching him, it just felt right that now he could.
“Hello,” Neil said. Andrew was a little surprised by his voice. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting- an accent that wasn’t generic American, probably. The voice in his head had spoken more in the manifestation of words than actual sound, so he’d kind of had to make up a voice for Neil.
“Your voice is boring,” Andrew complained. Neil laughed at him and Andrew revelled in the sound, glowing from the inside out. His voice may have been unimpressive but his laugh was something else.
“Sorry to disappoint,” Neil said, lip curled in a fake pout. Andrew took a moment to survey the man. The scars littering his torso were an angry pink out of the water, less graceful, more brutal. Andrew poked at the burn scar on his cheek. Neil playfully tried to bite his hand. Under him, his tail swished hypnotically from side to side.
“Not disappointed,” Andrew promised, then paused. “Well, I’m a little disappointed. I wanted you to have a fancy accent.”
“I don’t know what you mean, my voice is fancy,” Neil said haughtily. Andrew sighed and Neil gave him another blinding smile. The fins around his eyes fluttered joyfully. Andrew wanted to touch them.
“Tell me about your day,” Neil said, “what happened?” Andrew launched into an entirely accurate description of literally everything that had happened to him that day. Neil closed his eyes and seemed content to listen. Andrew wanted to hear him talk more. He wanted to know what sounds he made when he was surprised, happy, sad and perhaps hear the noises he made during some less family friendly moments.
Neil let Andrew finish and graced him with his one sentence story of how his day had gone. Andrew felt guilty when he said goodbye. He wanted to make Neil’s stories more exciting, more full of life. He wanted Neil to be free.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew started seeing Neil almost every night. He waited, doing his work cleaning up before sneaking away to the back room as soon as the guards had returned to their desks. Neil had told him there were no cameras in the room or outside of it. Camera tapes could be stolen and their surprise would be ruined.
“Tell me what’s going to happen to you.” Andrew said in lieu of a greeting one night. Neil shrugged lazily, droplets of water rolling off his shoulders. It was the same as always. Neil leaning against the platform, Andrew sat cross legged next to his head. Neil had tried to convince him to take his shoes off once.
The water’s disgusting , Andrew had said, no way .
Hey, that’s my house, Neil had replied, before grabbing Andrew’s ankle and pulling him into the tank, leaving him dripping wet for the rest of the night.
“You already know,” Neil said, “they’re going to reveal me as an exhibit. The public will love it, Nevermore will get millions in research grants and I get to stay in my tank.”
“I could help you leave,” Andrew offered.
“No,” Neil said firmly, “you’re not getting wrapped up with the Moriyama’s for my sake.”
“What if we could undo this?”
“Is there something about the word curse you struggle with?”
“Curses can be broken.”
“This isn’t a fairytale. I’m not going to turn back into a man with a true love's kiss, ” Neil sneered at the last part as if it was horrible. Andrew rolled his eyes.
“I meant…I could find someone who knows about this kind of stuff,” Andrew offered, “a local neighborhood wizard or something.” Neil’s tale swished violently, sending up a spray of water and making a sharp slapping noise.
“What part of no don’t you understand?” Neil snapped.
Andrew stilled, staring at Neil for a moment before climbing to his feet. He turned and climbed down the stairs, ignoring Neil calling after him.
Andrew knew he was being stupid. It was stupid to ever go in there, it was stupid to talk to a merman and it was even stupider to fucking like him. If his resolve was good enough, Andrew knew he would never go back, never speak to Neil again and just move on with his life.
The very idea was almost laughable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey,” Andrew said as he stepped into the warehouse the very next night. He knew Neil would hear him, even if he didn't shout. It had been a long day of debating whether or not to go back, but the idea of not seeing Neil even for one night made his insides curl. There was a heavy silence when Neil didn't appear at the glass. He liked to ascend as Andrew climbed the stairs to the walkway, swimming in spirals up and up. The water didn't even move. Andrew huffed at Neil’s dramatics.
“Neil, come on, don’t be petty,” he called out. “This is dumb.” There was still no answer. Upon approaching the glass, Andrew couldn’t see the water swirling in the way that usually meant Neil’s arrival. Frustration trickled out of Andrew’s stomach and settled into something much worse; dread.
“Neil?” He called out again, racing towards the ladder and practically falling up it in his hurry to get to the platform. Neil was nowhere to be seen. Even being petty, Neil wasn’t stupid. He’d at least tell Andrew to fuck off.
Andrew knelt down and peered over the edge into the water. It was too murky to see anything, but Andrew stared anyway.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something floating. Andrew reached out and scooped it from the water. With a shudder he realized it was part of Neil’s tail. Just a handful of scales, but clearly brutally detached.
Andrew tossed them back into the water and stood, ripping his shirt over his head and pushing down his jeans before taking a deep breath and diving in.
Andrew never claimed to be a strong swimmer, but desperation helped. Neil had described the tank before- or at least the way he saw it- and Andrew knew he had a little rock cave somewhere on the bottom. Andrew’s lungs and eyes started to burn by the time he found it. Black dots danced on the edges of his vision as he gave up the last of the breath he had in him. He blindly slapped around for the entrance and spotted the telltale red glint lying in the dark.
Andrew grabbed him without really looking and swam for his life. Once in college, Aaron had forced him to do a lifeguarding course with him and finally Andrew could admit it wasn’t a horrible idea.
The breath Andrew took when he broke the surface was fantastic for three seconds before he clambered onto the platform, dragging Neil with him and retching up whatever water had made its way into his lungs.
Oh, Neil.
Neil was unconscious, his tail half draped into the water. A gash ran up his right side, deep enough to have Andrew worried. It had ripped through his skin, from his ribs down to where his tail met his torso. His body was still warm, though and Andrew pretended he didn’t notice it was his first time touching Neil as he reached for his pulse point.
The steady beating of his heart under his fingers was a heavenly experience. Neil was alive. Mostly, at least. Blood poured from his wound far too fast. Andrew grabbed his abandoned shirt and stuffed it against the gash, trying fruitlessly to stop it.
Andrew fumbled for his phone and mashed the first number in his speed dial. The ringing was deafening in the otherwise silent warehouse.
“Andrew?” Aaron's sleepy voice was tinny through the speaker, “You okay?”
“Aaron,” Andrew croaked, voice thick from inhaling water and fear, “go to my closet. Put on my clothes. There’s a spare ID in my bedside drawer. Come to Nevermore and bring a first aid kit.”
“What the-is everything alright? Are you okay?”
“It’s not me, it’s…” Andrew tried to find the right word, “it’s my friend. He’s been hurt and I need your help.”
“You-okay. I’ll be as fast as I can. Do you want me to stay on the phone?” Aaron offered. Andrew hung up instead of answering and looked back down at the merman in his lap. His skin was sticky, the scars littering his torso a ferocious purple out of the water.
What’s one more? Andrew thought.
Aaron got there faster than an ambulance could have ever and no doubt he’d broken many speed limits. He phoned Andrew from outside the aquarium and Andrew gave him very specific directions to his location.
“Andrew?” Aaron called out cautiously into the warehouse. Andrew peeked over the side of the railing and spotted his brother down on the floor. The height scared him less than the amount of blood his Neil was losing. Aaron was just a tiny dot on the far away floor. He’d Andrew’s dress sense entirely correct, save for the large green first aid kit he had hanging from his shoulder.
“Come up!” Andrew called down. Aaron blinked up at him and got a move on. The stairs creaked under Aaron’s feet and he was by Andrew’s side in seconds. Andrew let himself be gazed at and checked for invisible injuries before shifting Aaron’s attention to Neil.
Aaron was silent. Then, he took a breath, opened his mouth and made a noise that was part confusion, part gag.
“What is that ?” Aaron asked, shuffling to get away from Neil, lip curling. Andrew’s heart thumped at his twin's reaction. He didn’t get how Aaron wasn’t seeing what he was. Fear twisted itself in Aaron’s expression. Neil wasn’t scary. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed. He looked so peaceful, even bleeding like he was. The tail didn’t matter, nor did the sharp teeth or the delicate fins along his torso.
Andrew pulled Neil’s body closer to him, fingers twisting in the blood soaked shirt.
“ He is Neil,” Andrew said quietly, voice a lot more vulnerable than he intended, “You’re a doctor, help him.”
“Andrew-“
“ Please ,” the word was broken and desperate, tasting like bile and horror. Aaron stared at Andrew and nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Aaron sank down to his knees next to Neil’s torso and placed his hands over Andrew’s where they were tangled in the shirt. Aaron peeled his fingers away and pushed Andrew back. Andrew rocked back into a sitting position and picked up Neil’s hand. It was cold and damp. Andrew squeezed hard as if he could force life back into him with just a touch. Even unconscious, he hoped Neil could feel it.
“I’m a doctor,” Aaron said. Andrew thought he was reassuring himself until he continued. “Not a vet. I don’t know if it’s the same sort of thing.” Andrew just nodded once and let Aaron get to work.
Andrew carefully avoided looking at whatever Aaron was doing as he dumped down his first aid kit and unzipped it.
It felt like an eternity. Andrew held Neil’s hand and watched his face as Aaron fixed him. A couple of times, Neil’s blue eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused, his breath picking up before he passed out again. Andrew hoped that Neil was at least somewhat aware of his presence and maybe that it helped just a little.
Andrew was snapped back to the present with Aaron throwing his inside out glove covered in blood at his head. Andrew glanced at Neil’s wound. It looked clean, albeit an angry red. Andrew looked up at Aaron who was studying Andrew’s face thoughtfully.
“What?” Andrew asked. Aaron shook his head and looked back down at Neil.
“It looked worse than it was,” Aaron said, “nothing too deep. I don’t know about putting him back in that dirty water, though. It might get infected.”
“You do know that an important part of being a merman is living underwater, right?”
“He doesn’t seem to be having much trouble at the moment,” Aaron pointed out, gesturing towards Neil’s shallow but calm breaths.
“Can you not be an asshole right now?” Andrew snapped, tugging Neil’s hand into his lap and squeezing it once.
“Whatever,” Aaron muttered, “I just think this is ridiculous. I mean this Andrew, really? When I told you to get a life of your own, I meant move out and get a job during the day and maybe a cat or something not start crushing on a mermaid .”
“Merman,” Andrew corrected, though he couldn’t correct Aaron on anything else he had said.
“You’re an idiot,” Aaron said, running his hands through his hair like he did whenever he was stressed, “I’m going home.” Andrew looked down at the merman in his lap and nodded, too tired to argue.
“Okay.”
Aaron opened his mouth to say something else but cut himself off with a huff before turning and climbing down.
Andrew listened to the clunk of Aaron’s footsteps and the slamming of the door behind him before taking a deep breath. He reluctantly let go of Neil’s hand just as Neil’s eyes flicked open again. Andrew expected the same routine of waking up and passing out again, but Neil kept looking at him. He blinked at him a couple of times before his eyes cleared.
“Hey.” He was trying for casual, but it came out strangled and hoarse. Andrew cleared his throat. Neil attempted to sit up, but winced. Andrew hovered a hand over Neil’s shoulder in offer. After Neil’s nod, Andrew helped him into a sitting position. Neil shivered and Andrew instinctively pulled the hoodie he’d abandoned closer and draped it over Neil’s shoulders.
“Okay?” Andrew asked. Neil nodded and looked up at Andrew thoughtfully.
“Thank you.”
Andrew tugged Neil impossibly closer, tucking Neil’s head under his chin. Neil hummed appreciatively, running a hand down damp scales. Andrew’s own hand followed the path down, feeling the ridges and bumps with his own hands for the first time. Andrew pulled his hand back sharply, feeling like he’d been burned.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Andrew snapped. Neil pulled back and rolled his eyes.
“I like looking at you,” Neil said, defensive though he seemed to be trying to keep his tone light.
“Don’t.”
Andrew removed his hands from Neil entirely and pushed the merman off his lap.
“You can’t stay out of the water much longer,” Andrew said, pulling his boots back on and standing up. His socks squished unpleasantly. “Get back in before you reverse drown.” Neil’s face had fallen considerably, his lashes wet but not from being in the water.
“Andrew-”
Andrew shook his head. “Just leave it.”
“Thank you for helping me,” Neil said quietly, “will I see you tomorrow?”
“Of course you will,” Andrew promised, turning and grabbing hold of the stair railing. Neil smiled sadly at him.
“Good.”
Andrew climbed down and practically fled the warehouse.
Aaron was leaning against his car when he got out to the parking lot. He took one look at Andrew's expression and sighed. Andrew let Aaron open the passenger door for him, let Aaron buckle him in, let him drive them home and do the opposite when they arrived. He barely realised he’d forgotten to ask what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew sat on his bed and stared at his palms. He could still feel Neil’s smooth scales like he still had his hands on them. It was so impossible. Andrew was addicted. To a man he couldn’t be with. It’s just a crush , the reasonable part of him said. I’d give my life for him , the tiny dark corner in the back of his brain replied.
A dumb thought, Andrew mused. He’d known Neil for maybe two or three weeks tops.
But he'd never let anyone touch him like that. He'd never met anyone who he felt comfortable holding. He’d wanted to kiss him. When Neil had looked at Andrew like he actually meant something, Andrew had considered how easy it would be to just lean in.
But Neil was injured, and Neil had been unconscious minutes before. A yes in that situation couldn't really be a yes. Neil was fragile, and if Andrew had kissed him then, he might have ruined him. Andrew wanted to see Neil again. He also never wanted to see him again.
Andrew curled his hands into fists and quietly let himself feel.