Chapter Text
"This is the biggest one we caught so far," Yu Ai said out of breath, excitement dripping through his voice, a mad glint in his eyes. "They say he is the size of a boat."
The emergency alert had woken them both up a few minutes ago, and before Shen Qiao could even wake fully he was dragged out of his room by Yu Ai. They only had time to wash their faces quickly and throw their scrubs on, and they have been running towards the facility from their dorm ever since.
"You sound like a fisherman," Shen Qiao let out a harsh exhale, putting his long hair in a bun haphazardly with an elastic. His half-worn lab coat was fluttering like a white flag behind him as he ran. "He wasn't caught by us, he washed ashore, injured."
He couldn’t help but correct Yu Ai; he actually hated when others treated merfolk like fish, or even when his co-workers referred to them as “ specimen ”. But Shen Qiao couldn't blame him despite everything; not when the general consensus was that they weren't considered people yet, even though they were not quite seen as animals either. Because Shen Qiao's thinking was an exception, he was somehow the odd one in this- fully believing in and advocating for human-level rights for them.
And how could he not, when he owed his life to one?*
"Well, he ended up here, didn't he? So same thing," Yu Ai huffed and made a dismissive face as they both slid their IDs through the card reader. After the gate beeped affirmative and let them in, they continued to run towards the back through the sterile looking corridors and the numerous sliding doors, until they reached the hospital wing- their white sneakers squeaking the whole way.
Turning the last corner they finally reached the entrance of the emergency unit where they parted, Yu Ai rushing to meet the rest of the medical staff and Shen Qiao to join other researchers in a small side room that could oversee the whole operation.
"How is the situation?" he asked, sitting down at the desk in front of the glass wall. He watched the medical staff and handlers moving around the unconscious merman from where he sat, hoping the poor thing wasn't injured too gravely.
"Not too bad, we think." Bai Rong, a young marine biologist doing her masters degree in the Merfolk Studies Department under the guidance of Shen Qiao, was the first one who answered. She seemed tired, having been on night duty she probably hadn’t gotten any sleep yet; her eyes were sunken and her skin was a bit dull unlike her usual carefully kept appearance. “Sorry I called you late, we didn’t have the time. They already ran the necessary tests and started the immediate treatments.”
Shen Qiao's breath halted as relief washed over him, judging by Bai Rong's tone and the other researchers' expressions the merman was probably doing okay.
“Do we know what happened to him?”
“According to the report, he was found unconscious on a rock by fishermen,” the young woman continued, stifling a yawn. “He is covered in wounds. Humans, or territory war- we don't know yet.”
Shen Qiao's serene face looked thoughtful for a second, his heart aching for the man who was either chased to death by some despicable humans, or exiled by his own kind. However, now that he knew the merman was going to be fine there was also some sort of excitement bubbling up; it’s been a while since there was a case like this and he couldn’t wait to find out his story.
Curious by nature, Shen Qiao had a thousand different questions ready to be asked. How could a creature as majestic as you could have ended up like this? Why were you not in a pack? How did you end up in such shallow waters?
His train of thought was cut off by Yu Ai's voice coming through the speaker on the desk- it connected the two rooms in case the two teams, scientists and doctors, wanted to exchange opinions.
"A-Qiao, we are ready for you."
“Coming,” Shen Qiao answered as he pushed the small button. Then he quickly put on his gloves and overshoes before going into the room where the merman lay unconscious, restrained on the examination table- just in case he was a violent one.
Well, he certainly looks the part, Shen Qiao thought as he looked over the huge being, barely fitting the table, his unusual size succeeding in making him look more threatening. For the human part the merman’s body looked ordinary; like a really tall person with strong arms, shredded muscles and thick neck- aside from his gills that were invisible at the moment, and the small fins around the shell of his pointed ear. But if someone covered the lower half and asked around, he could still be considered a somewhat normal sized man. Like a pro-wrestler, or a basketball player, maybe. Not that Shen Qiao was an expert on either of those sports.
What made him bigger than his peers was the massive tail, covered with jet-black scales shining iridescent purple under the white lights. Easily two times longer and wider than any other merfolk's Shen Qiao had seen in his whole career, it barely fit the table; the lower half hanging down from the surface. His translucent purple fins at the end were spread lax on the floor, seeming to be more than a meter wide.
Add in the various old scars decorating his tanned chest that added a certain aura of danger to him- their pale colors making a stark contrast with newly added blood-red wounds, and you’d understand why Shen Qiao thought so.
Seems like this one liked to fight.
"Can someone give me a rundown of his stats?"
Shen Qiao, still feeling a bit in awe by the sheer size of the merman approached the examination table, tentatively reaching for his head to examine him even though he knew the medical staff already took care of any wounds. He started by sweeping his extremely long hair away from his face, gathering it at the sides to check the condition of his ear fins first.
When his examination was done, he looked down at the merman's face- and what a striking face it was. Deep eyes with strong eyebrows, all sharp edges framed with salt-pepper hair around the temples. Shen Qiao thought he looked handsome, but he wasn't interested in their mer guests or patients in that way. He was just feeling happy that there were no newly added wounds on his face, as he unconsciously pressed his thumb on the old small scar he found on the merman's brow gently.
"Male, seems to be in his late 40s, including the tail he is close to three meters in height," the intern, Bonna, answered enthusiastically, not realizing Shen Qiao was a bit distracted. Then, one of the medical staff took over to explain her findings, and he finally remembered to at least nod to show them he was still listening. He couldn't help it, this was the first mer of this size he encountered in his whole career, and the curiosity had taken over him already.
"He has a minor head injury and various wounds across his body, could be from a fight,” the doctor said, talking in a way the interns could also understand. “We checked his head already, doesn't seem to be serious. He probably passed out from dehydration."
Shen Qiao turned towards her, his brows furrowing immediately- dehydration could be a serious problem for merfolk. But before he could even ask, the doctor added a "Don't worry, we put him through IV,” quickly, easing some of his worries.
Shen Qiao took a breath, and thanked them for their efforts with a soft smile that lit up the room. The medical staff that were on night duty were exhausted, so talking among themselves they all took their leave- except Yu Ai.
“When are you going to talk to him?" he asked as he removed his gloves, standing by the door. Shen Qiao hummed in response, lost in thought. He needed the merman to be awake to gather information and explain his current situation to him. But he looked weary, his slightly parted lips were dry and dark circles were becoming prominent under his eyes- none of them good signs for his species. Who knows how long he had been fighting to survive in the shallows?
Looking at his exhausted face, gradually softening as the pain subsided in such a way that made him look like he finally found some peace and quiet, waking him up now seemed almost unnecessarily cruel to Shen Qiao. And well, the doctors had to check on him again soon anyway…
"Let's put him back in the water first," he decided at the end, before turning to Bonna. "Make a request for our biggest tank to be prepared as soon as possible, please."
"The 5A tank?" The intern asked the code number for confirmation, but before Shen Qiao could answer her, he felt movement under his hands which were still cradling the merman's head gently.
And all hell broke loose in a split second.
As soon as the merman opened his eyes, his first instinct was to attack. Everyone in the room had full trust in the restraints, but none of them had actually dealt with someone of his size, so they were caught unprepared. First the man easily ripped the leather belt around his tail- his strongest defense, and used it to smack down all equipment around him to the ground, along with three people standing near the end of the table at once. In the meantime his arms were also freed with record speed, like the restraints were mere paper for him, and the IV line was taken out.
Before he could even brace himself, Shen Qiao, who had been the closest to him, was lifted and thrown sideways towards the nearest wall- taking everything in his path down with him before his back hit it with a crushing thud.
"Laoshi!" he heard someone scream, as another yelled for tranquilizers. Shen Qiao tried to get up, disoriented and hurt. But because of the pain on his back, he was only able to lift himself up halfway to sit leaning on the wall, where he lay there unable to move for a few seconds.
From his point of view he could see someone preparing a tranquilizer gun, and two interns trying to make it to his side. Shen Qiao desperately wanted to warn them, the tranquilizer could be too much for the merman in his injured state- so somehow he found his voice despite the burning sensation on his back, adrenaline taking over his body.
"Stay- stay where you are, I’m okay! Don’t shoot!" he managed a painful shout, “Let me talk to him first!"
He could hear the merman's low growls from where he cornered himself to the opposite side of the room, his powerful tail ready to strike anything that was moving.
"A-Qiao, you are hurt! You don’t have to- the dart gun is ready!" Yu Ai yelled, sounding worried. His voice came from somewhere around the chaos that was medical supplies and furniture, but Shen Qiao’s vision of that part was obstructed by the examination table flipped over in front of him.
"I can do it-" he countered weakly, but the rest of his sentence was cut off by the merman with a hiss-like sound that captured Shen Qiao’s attention. He unconsciously turned his head towards the man, wondering if he was injured further somehow, and he accidentally made eye contact with him.
To his surprise, once he looked deep inside them Shen Qiao realized that the emotion swirling in those golden eyes was not fear. The merman was not scared like he initially thought.
He was vengeful.
“If you try to kill me here, I am taking every single one of you with me,” his taut expression seemed to say. When he made eye contact with the researcher, he sneered like he dared them to shoot him. He also kind of looked like he would definitely enjoy snapping Shen Qiao's neck, although he made no further moves.
But the iron core of the researcher was aflame already- he wasn’t scared either. He had made his mind, and he couldn't back down at this point. Because no matter what the merman seemed to be feeling, Shen Qiao was sure that it wasn’t anywhere near comfort.
"Yu Ai- please, just give me five minutes." he turned towards the direction of his friend's voice once more, ignoring the merman's challenging expression. The answer came in the shape of a frustrated groan, but to Shen Qiao, who was sure of his choice, it was enough.
He was grateful for the opportunity whether it was given wholeheartedly or begrudgingly. After all, all he needed was to relay his intent to the merman, and maybe, maybe he could reach him.
The poor man was cornered in an alien world he didn't understand, tied down and poked everywhere with needles and cables. He must be scared, Shen Qiao thought, no matter how he was acting- the aggression could very well be stemming from fear.
Maybe he was projecting a little, since he knew that emotion too well- how it felt to be scared, hurt and alone. And it was one of the reasons why he was so adamant about communicating with him. Because as well as he knew fear, he also knew the warmth of a helping hand, and the everlasting effect it could make in someone’s life. He had that chance before, holding that hand outstretched towards him had saved him- and others by extent, so he wanted the merman to also have that opportunity.
This was why he wanted to gain his trust before striking him unconscious like a wild animal.
He did it before with others, countless times, that was why everyone trusted Shen Qiao now. With a bit of patience and resilience he knew he could reach anyone’s heart and melt any ice. He only needed-
A-Qiao, you only need to try your best.
With the ghost of his father’s warm smile carved behind his eyelids, Shen Qiao sat straighter, opened his mouth to take a deep breath- and an eerie, otherworldly song without words filled the room.
***
The merfolk couldn't talk like humans, but they were communicating in a beautiful language made up of combinations of sounds resembling whale songs, creepy and haunted to the unacquainted ears, ethereal to anyone who cared to listen and feel.
Shen Qiao's late mentor and adoptive father Qi Fengge was the first scientist in the world who approached these songs as a language. After years of research and studying the sounds, he succeeded in deciphering them, managing to gather them together for an audio dictionary for researchers.
Even though these bountiful melodies all referred to distinctive words that could be translated, for human vocal cords they were deemed impossible to copy. The fact that the language also had an animalistic, raw side to it didn’t help the case either. For example, when they were angry the members of merfolk growled and howled at each other, and when they were happy they let out short, joyful sounds like dolphin chippers.
This was why even with the vast catalog, so far Shen Qiao was the only human that was able to mimic the language to its full glory.
And with a heart that was as vast as the ocean he called home, ever since he was little the desire of wanting to help he felt deep inside his chest never subsided. Whenever he could, he used his voice for the good of merfolk and humanity, ever since his talent was discovered.
So he sang one more time that day, even though his singing was nowhere near perfect because of the injury he sustained, he was grateful to have a way to reach another soul. His song echoed through the walls, the angelic voice putting everyone in an almost trance, including the merman.
Calm down, Shen Qiao said- don’t be afraid.
Everything is okay.
You are safe.
We are trying to help you.
After saying these words, Shen Qiao, using all his bravery, slowly got up from the floor; fighting the urge to vince with pain that spread through his back. He risked approaching the merman with careful, deliberate moves- not stopping his singing for even one moment, and maintaining eye contact with him.
For a foolish, hopeful second, he truly thought that his melody reached the other man- judging by his silence, the slightly lifted corners of his mouth, and the changed look in his eyes that quietly burned like embers.
It almost felt like he was intrigued now.
But when Shen Qiao got one step too close, the tail raised in front of the merman tensed like a black serpent ready to attack, and another low growl reverberated through the walls.
A tranquilizer needle shot through the air with a distinctive low hiss, cutting Shen Qiao’s song off like a knife descended over it. It hit the merman on his tail, startling him for a second, before he fell unconscious in a matter of seconds- laying down unmoving on the floor.