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Mumbo has never been scared of the ocean. Never found the endless depths and how little they know about it terrifying. In fact, he'd always been drawn to the sea as a child.
Growing up on the rocky beaches of Brighton, Mumbo loved to spend his time on the pier or just watching the waves, wondering what wonderful and interesting things could live in those depths.
It came as no surprise when he got his PHD in marine biology. He wasn't one to brag but he knew he was incredibly smart and talented when it came to sciences. So at 23 he got his dream job and swapped rocky beaches for sandy shores as he moved to Australia.
Living most of his life on a tiny fishing boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean obviously wasn't most people's desired lifestyle, which made getting the post incredibly easy.
He'd spend about a week on land every month, to stock up on supplies, see people and civilization before he was right back out on his boat to study the sea and all its life forms.
It was lonely, sure, but Mumbo was content.
He'd never been good with people anyway.
He was starting to think all the isolation was getting to him though. He'd left his notes on the edge of the boat before he went below deck to grab a bottle of water – the Australian sun was not kind, especially in the heart of summer – and when he returned, his journal was laying in a puddle of water and much more alarmingly, scrawled across an open page, in childish handwriting was a simple hello.
Taking a shaky breath to try and calm himself, Mumbo takes the journal out of the puddle of water and sets it somewhere to dry.
Maybe he just needs more sleep.
Yeah. He could use a nap.
Mumbo doesn't leave his notes anywhere near the edge of the boat after that.
About a week later, Mumbo suits up in full diving gear and ventures into the deep blue below. He's fully trained, and has been diving for years, but it still makes him nervous to be alone while he does so, a little voice in the back of his head reminding him of everything that can easily go wrong while he's under the waves.
Because of that, Mumbo double and triple checks his gear before he submerges.
It only takes five minutes of being underwater for his worries to subside. He loses himself in his work, exploring the ocean floor and taking notes of the wildlife and the coral around him.
It's colourful and it's gorgeous and Mumbo wouldn't trade it for the world.
About half an hour passes as Mumbo studies and takes notes of everything around him, and he decides to venture closer to one of the coral reefs, taking special care not to touch it at all, Mumbo looks up to see faint beams of light reflecting off the surface of the water, sparkling above and making the shadows shift down below.
Something grabs at him. Right around his ankle and panic seizes him as he kicks upwards.
It's only once he's on the surface again he realises he could have hurt one of the wildlife in his panic.
He refuses to acknowledge that whatever grabbed him felt like a hand, with fingers much bigger than anything human.
Maybe the isolation was getting to him more than he expected, good thing he has to go back to shore tomorrow.
He spends the night below deck, laying awake and listening to something scratching at the hull.
He doesn't get much sleep.
For once, Mumbo finds himself excited to be driving his boat back to land. The early morning sun radiating warmth all around as the docks come into view and the feeling of being watched slowly fades.
Mumbo spends his week ashore out and around people. He goes to parks, he eats out, he even goes clubbing one night and wakes up with a hangover so bad he swears of drinking for the rest of his life.
He has fun. And by the time he sets foot on his boat again, he feels rejuvenated – as much as he can with a lingering hangover, at least.
His boat sways under his feet with the rise and fall of the waves and Mumbo easily gets ahold of his sea legs again. He sails out into the sea until Australia is nothing more than a tiny shadow on the horizon and there he settles.
Memories of scribbles in his journals, hands grabbing his ankles and scratching at the hull are far from his mind as he settles down on the deck to watch the sunset. The sea salt scented air is warm, but not uncomfortably so, as Mumbo breathes in deep, letting himself relax before he has to start his work again in the morning.
There is a splash. And something clinks against the deck.
Mumbo pushes himself to his knees and looks around. There, on the deck, near the edge, is what looks to be a glittering seashell on a string of seagrass.
Shuffling closer, Mumbo picks it up hesitantly, scared it might disappear in front of his eyes and finds it's a necklace of some sort.
Biting his lip, Mumbo stands up and looks around. Predictably, he finds nothing that could hint at the necklace's origins, just shimmering waves reflecting the dying light of the setting sun.
Slowly, Mumbo lifts the necklace and settles it around his neck. The sea shell is a nice, warm weight against his chest.
And that's it.
Mumbo releases a breath he didn't realise he was holding as no thunder booms ominously and no curse settles across his bloodline.
Laying back down on the deck, Mumbo returns to looking at the sky, now that the sun has dipped below the horizon, the stars shine brightly above him. Tracing a finger over the constellations he knows and making up his own, Mumbo lets himself relax once more.
"Nice night huh?"
Mumbo turns, heart hammering so fast he can feel it in his throat as he jumps to his feet. Eyes travelling upwards to see that staring down at him is a bloody giant.
It smiles impishly at him, baring sharp fangs and tilting its head to the side, red scales on its cheekbones sparkle and wet hair tangles around what looks to be fins where human ears would be.
It's a mermaid, Mumbo realises suddenly. A real actual mermaid.
"Uh, hey there."
"You're not screaming," the mermaid notes, almost amused.
"No I-- well honestly I think I'm in shock. Uh, are you gonna eat me?"
The mermaid giggles causing Mumbos cheeks to redden as he suddenly feels embarrassed. "No, I'm not, I promise. What's your name, little sailor?"
"Oh my name? It's uh, Mumbo. Mumbo Jumbo."
The mermaid snorts a laugh at that. "Really?" They ask and Mumbo can only nod. "My name's Grian."
"It's nice to meet you, Grian," Mumbo says hesitantly.
"You don't sound so sure," Grian pouts.
"Well--" Mumbo begins defensively before realising the mermaid is teasing him.
Grian laughs softly. "I just wanted to say hi, and to apologise again for scaring you the other week."
Tilting his head to the side, Mumbo asks, "what do you mean?"
Grian bites at his bottom lip while seemingly thinking over his words. Mumbo waits patiently and startles when the mermaid reaches out suddenly, one finger settling gently under his chin and tilting his head up. His skin is smooth and cold against Mumbos, the smell of salt water overwhelming.
"I've always been fascinated by humans," Grian starts and pulls back suddenly. "When I saw you I thought it would be funny to mess with you. Writing in your little… What's the word, book? And grabbing you when you were exploring the reef. I didn't realise I must have been scaring you until you left the next day."
Mumbo feels his breath catch in his throat. Of course he knew there had to be something up. As much as he told himself it was because of lack of sleep or no human interaction, he just didn't want to entertain the reality that something spooky and/or mythical was going on.
Now however, in the face of the very handsome truth, Mumbo feels a mixture of embarrassment and horror.
Grian had been watching him.
"What, um--" Mumbo swallows thickly. "What do you mean apologise again?"
"The necklace," Grian explains. "In my culture you make seashell jewellery as an apology-- among other things I guess. But when you put the necklace on you accepted my apology!"
"Right." Mumbo says stiffly. "See, the thing is. I don't know if I do forgive you. Not yet, at least."
Grian's face falls, the fins on the side of his head drooping. "Oh," is all he says.
"Listen, mate–" Grian makes a strangled sort of surprised noise but Mumbo continues on nevertheless. "– I thought I was going bloody crazy that entire week. You really gave me a fright. But, if you would perhaps like to talk a little more I'm sure I could forgive you. I have to admit I have a lot of questions for you, as I'm sure you do for me?"
Grian's fins are raised again, Spread as wide as his toothy grin. "I'd love that! Ooh, there's always so much I've wanted to learn from land walkers!"
Mumbo smiles too, hesitant but relieved. "Do you mind if we talk later then?"
Grian nods, his wet hair shaking like a mane with him and splattering both Mumbo and the deck with salt water.
When the giant mermaid slips below the waves with a sharp smile and a promise to be back soon, Mumbo can only watch and wait until his truly huge shadow has disappeared beyond where his eyes can see before he falls to his knees, taking shaky, deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart.
Whether his fluttering heart is because there was a giant mermaid staring him down, or because said mermaid was unfairly pretty, even Mumbo can't be sure.
Head sore and throat dry, Mumbo stands and decides that he's taking that moment of weakness to the grave with him.
He spends the whole day researching mermaids. Looking anywhere on the internet he can think of, but he finds nothing more than the usual theories and myths.
Mermaids are beautiful creatures that lead sailors and pirates to their deaths with their voices. They're intelligent creatures who live in an underground city. They're humans cursed by the gods for their arrogance.
Mumbo can't find anything close to what he saw last night, but with more questions than answers, he can't even convince himself he hallucinated the entire thing when he steps out into the night and sees Grian's head peeking over the rails.
The mermaid perks up, reaching out with a hand the size of Mumbo's torso, and a lot gentler than seems possible, he picks up the necklace he still wears.
"You kept it on," Grian says in lieu of a greeting, a soft smile on his face.
"Yes, of course," Mumbo says, a lot more confident than he should be. In reality he had completely forgotten he was still wearing it, but he's glad now to see that smile on the mermaid's face.
Grian hums and lets go of the seashell, though his hand still rests near Mumbo. He really could sink this ship rather easily, Mumbo realises. Just a little bit of force and it would all be under water.
"You're so cute," Grian says, snapping Mumbo out of his thoughts.
A deep blush covering his face, Mumbo reaches up and smoothes his moustache nervously. "Pardon?"
"Are all humans as cute as you? I could just squish you."
"I'd rather you didn't, I'm quite certain you would crush me. And, well, all humans look different -- if it's about my size I'm actually very tall compared to other humans."
"I wouldn't crush you!" Grian exclaims nervously. "I mean I could but I wouldn't! I swear!"
Mumbo is surprised to see that Grian looks genuinely distraught that he would imply such a thing. It settles his racing mind somewhat, Grian truly just seems curious and friendly.
"I didn't mean to imply you would!" Mumbo tries to amend. "It's just, you're quite scary honestly."
"Scary!" Grian squeaks like the thought is unheard of. "Me?! I'm the least threatening looking mer ever!"
Mumbo laughs at that, wondering if the fact Grian said he was the least threatening looking mer and not just the least threatening had been on purpose.
"Well as someone who's never seen any other mer before, I have to say you're quite the sight."
"I hope that's a good thing," Grian giggles, tugging at the ends of his hair in a manner that could almost seem shy.
"Of course it is!" Mumbo exclaims quickly. "I mean look at you, mate, you're magnificent."
Grian's eyes go wide and he dips into the water, hiding his face behind the edge of the boat. If Mumbo didn't know any better, he could have sworn he saw the mer blushing slightly. Not that he has much room to talk, a blush of his own warming his face as his mind catches up with his mouth.
"Magnificent?" Grian asks, almost testing the word on his tongue.
"Of course," Mumbo says, shuffling in embarrassment. "Not to be too forward of course. Your scales are a lovely colour."
And they really are, glimmering bright red by the led lights of his boat illuminating the deck. They must shine so nicely in the sun, Mumbo thinks, a crown of rubies haloed by golden hair. And if it were just the moonlight above them, Mumbo thinks they would somehow still shine in the dark of night.
Grian pokes his head back up at that, grinning as widely as always. It should be so much more threatening, those pointed fangs bared to the world. As it is, Mumbo only finds it endlessly endearing. "You should see the rest of my tail!"
"I'd love to! I've been doing so much reading on mermaids now. Is your tail based off of a specific type of fish? How many fins do you have? How fast can you swim?"
"Oh, I'm uh, I'm not sure." Grian laughs, looking a bit overwhelmed and Mumbo curses himself silently.
"Sorry," he mumbles. "I'm just a little excited I guess. What does your tail look like?"
"Why don't you come see?" Grian asks him in a teasing voice, mischief shining clear in his eyes
"I feel like I've been warned about this," Mumbo laughs nervously. But despite his apprehension, a part of him wishes to dive in without another thought. "Sirens and sailors and all that."
Grian pouts. "I'm not a siren though, and I swear on the depths I wouldn't hurt you!"
"Oh, well, thank you," Mumbo stutters. "I mean I was mostly joking but well– I don't think I'll actually be able to see much when it's this dark."
"What do you mean?" Grian asks, tilting his head to the side, looking slightly panicked. "Can you not see without the sun?"
Unable to stop himself, Mumbo snorts a laugh. "Not quite. I mean I can see you just fine right now because of these lights, but I doubt my underwater torch would do you much justice."
"You're so fragile," Grian whispers, strained, then quickly he clears his throat and hesitantly says, "I could come back when the sun rises?"
"Really?" Mumbo smiles brightly. "That would be awesome."
A wave of emotions crosses Grian's face, too quickly for Mumbo to read before the mermaid is dunking his head down to hide again.
Mumbo's face falls and hesitantly he steps towards the edge. "Are you alright?" He asks, reaching out to place a hand over Grian's, still gently clutching the edge of the boat before stopping, unsure and hesitant to make the mermaid more nervous than he already is.
"I'm okay," Grian mumbles and peeks up at Mumbo. "It's just you're so–" he stops, words catching in his throat and he groans. "Thank you, for speaking with me. I'll be back tomorrow?"
Hiding the disappointment from his face, Mumbo grins. "Tomorrow," he promises.
Grian smiles back at him, something hesitant and shy without the usual glimmer of fangs and he silently dips into the pitch black water below and promptly vanishes from sight.
Mumbo stares at the place the giant mermaid had been for a long time, his thoughts running wild and his heart racing.
There's no way he's got a crush on a mermaid, right? There no way a giant creature of legend that could easily kill him is what he's attracted to?
Grian's image flashes in his mind. Cheeky smiles and curious eyes and promises to never harm him. His hand drifts to the seashell necklace still around his throat. Sharp fangs and big hands and the way he calls Mumbo cute–
"Pants," Mumbo curses to the empty air, his cheeks burning so warm he thinks he might combust.
He's totally got a crush on a mermaid.
Maybe he has been away from civilization for too long.
—
As promised Grian returns with the sunrise and Mumbo can't help the way his heart jumps and the smile that spreads over his face as he catches sight of the mermaid waiting for him.
He looks completely devine in the sunlight. Pale skin littered with small scars, little trails of water over his bare chest that drop from the ends of his hair by his shoulders. His scales aren't entirely red either, Mumbo realises, speckles of yellow and blue mixed in with the fins framing his face.
"There you are!" Grian greets brightly.
“Oh! Hello! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long,” Mumbo says, smoothing the ends of his moustache nervously.
“Not too long I suppose,” Grian teases “you humans need to sleep a lot right?”
“At least eight hours a day, but I have to say I’m not very good at that,” Mumbo laughs. “Do mers not sleep much?”
“We don't really need to, I suppose.” Grian shrugs. “We rest to conserve energy but from my understanding it’s very different.”
“Interesting,” Mumbo hums, turning his gaze to the ocean around him. “So should I. uh, put my gear on?” he asks “I’m not sure how you want to do this.”
“Right!” Grian perks up at the reminder. “How long can you hold your breath for?”
“Maybe like two minutes?” Mumbo says, unsure. He'd had to learn for his diving qualification, but it was not the most comfortable experience.
Grian pouts at that before sighing deeply. “Alright I suppose, I guess we can swim together some other time. Now jump in!”
As he says it, Grian pushes back slightly, giving Mumbo space to jump in after him. Thankfully he had already been wearing his wetsuit, because from the look on Grian’s face he's sure the mer wouldn't have the patience to wait for Mumbo to change.
So, hesitantly Mumbo steps up to the edge, nervously looking at Grian and – now that the water is clear enough in the light of day – the frankly huge shadow of his tail that seems to wrap around the bottom of his boat.
“Come on Mumbo!” Grian whines. “I promise you'll be okay! I’ll look after you.”
“Well if you promise,” Mumbo laughs nervously and with a deep breath jumps into the water.
It's cold, is the first thing he realises, his rational brain telling him to keep his muscles moving and not let them freeze up as the shock hits him. It's a bit of a struggle at first, made harder by Grian’s eyes boring into him over the waves.
He’s– well he seems impossibly bigger now that they're eye to eye. Mumbo feels like prey caught under a hunter's gaze as he flounders to stay afloat. It's both humbling to feel like he's facing down his own mortality and, shockingly, exciting.
Mumbo never thought he was the adrenaline junkie type, but hey! Mermaids are apparently real, so who's to say!
With a mouth full of salt water and his freezing limbs slowly warming up, Mumbo smiles at Grian as he takes a deep breath and dips below the surface.
His eyes sting when he opens them, bubbles of air escaping out his nose as he lets himself sink slightly. Grian is smiling wide at him as their eyes catch, the mers shining with delight and excitement. As Mumbo studies him, he sees Grian’s tail, long and brightly coloured – mostly red like the scales on his face, though the many sets of fins along his side and back fade to yellow to green with a dark blue along the edges – is curled loosely around him.
He's huge. It's something Mumbo obviously realised before but seeing him now– seeing all of him truely puts it to scale. He must be about twenty feet long, maybe even longer with how the ends of his tail-fins taper off into long points.
Mumbo’s lungs ache, screaming for air, but he doesn't want to come up quite yet. Doesn't want this moment to end as he meets Grian’s eyes and feels his heart skip a beat. Oddly, it doesn’t feel like fear.
Grian has a soft look on his face, his huge hands reaching out for Mumbo and he easily lets himself be held, even as Grian’s tail flicks and he inhales sharply, water burning his lungs before he's brought to the surface, the warmth of the sun beating steadily against his side and blessed air in his lungs as he coughs and hacks up sea water.
“Are you alright?” Grian asks nervously, still holding Mumbo gently in the palm of his hands.
“I’m fine,” Mumbo manages, still coughing and gratefully leaning his weight against Grian’s cupped hands. “Wow I just didn't realise how amazing you are.”
Grian makes a choked noise and tries to dip his head below the surface, stilling when he jostles Mumbo. There’s a steady blush along the mers face and the fins on his face flicker slightly.
“Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I think the lack of oxygen is getting to my brain,” Mumbo laughs nervously.
“No, it's fine!” Grian squeaks.”you're pretty amazing too. Probably the bravest human I’ve ever met.”
"Oh!" Mumbo startles and then laughs, more genuine this time. "Gosh, I think that is the first time anyone has said that about me."
"What?" Grian gasps in offence. "That can't be true! I mean look at you! Sitting nicely in the palm of my hand. Most humans would never step foot in the ocean again after seeing me."
Mumbo shrugs, smiling shyly at the words. "I guess. I'll be honest, mate, I think that says more about my lack of self preservation more than anything else.”
“Ha!” Grian snorts, his whole body shaking with his laughter. “That might be true, any other mer wouldn't have been nearly so nice to see you poking around like you do.”
“Oh,” Mumbo falters. “Have I been doing something wrong?”
"Not at all! You're just a little too curious for your own good, is all." Seeing Mumbo's still unsure look, Grian offers him a comforting smile. "If there was something to worry about, I promise I'd tell you."
"Glad to hear it," Mumbo smiles back, surprised when he feels a shiver up his spine.
"Oh, are you alright?" Grian asks him, holding Mumbo closer to his face and scanning him over with a critical eye.
"I'm alright! The water's just a little chilly, is all. Just need to get moving again to warm up."
Unconvinced, Grian pulls away. "It might be better if I put you back. Hold on–"
Mumbo feels himself lifted up, held like he weighs nothing in Grian's grip as the mermaid carefully places him back on the deck of his ship. Despite the chill of the water, slowly being warmed by the blazing Australian sun, Mumbo feels colder without Grian holding him and he tries not to seem too disappointed when he sees the mer is back to hovering at the edge of the boat again.
"– there you go." Grian says softly. "The sun is hurting my eyes a lot, I can barely see you anyway."
"What?" Mumbo stutters. "That can't be good. Do you need something to cover them with?"
"You're sweet, Mumbo. But I'll be alright." Grian hesitates, looking off to the side. "Are you– you go back to the shore a lot, right?"
"Well I don't need to for a while but I can go whenever I want. Why?" Mumbo answers, confused. He remembers when Grian first made himself known, he had been worried that he'd scared Mumbo off with his – admittedly very terrifying – pranks. Is he maybe worried that he's doing the same thing again?
Opening his mouth to reassure Grian that he's not going anywhere, he finds the words caught in his throat when the mer speaks first.
"I just have an idea, is all, something to make it easier for us to spend time together." Grian turns his eyes to meet Mumbos again, clear hesitance showing on his face. "Is that… would you like that?"
"Absolutely!" Mumbo agrees instantly and a bit too eager. He clears his throat with a forced cough and asks. "How would you do that?"
Grian smiles, brighter than the sun. "Don't worry about it alright? Just stay here. I'll be back in a day or so!"
Mumbo opens his mouth, to ask a question or wish him good luck, he's not sure, but Grian is already gone, his huge shadow disappearing into the depths of the ocean and for the first time in a while, Mumbo finds himself horribly alone.
He's used to being alone, usually. He likes what he does and he has ways to manage when the silence gets a little too overbearing, but it's never felt quite like this before.
It feels almost unsettling now, looking over the endless stretch of the ocean and knowing that this time, he is truly alone. No one around for miles, any sign of land far out of reach and the depths of the ocean below which is apparently filled with giant, potentially hostile mermaids.
Grian is… well he's a scientific wonder as much as he is wonderful. To find out the myths and legends of mermaids are true, that they've been right under their noses this whole time. Mumbo is extatic by the discovery. He wants nothing more than to be able to study Grian properly, to ask the millions of questions running through his mind without seeming rude.
He should– he should tell someone, right? That'd be the smart thing to do. Get pictures and video evidence and document everything he learns about mer and their culture and how they work.
But the thing is, Mumbo can guess what will happen if Grian – or any mer's – existence is found. He thinks of clinical white walls and tanks of water too small to hold his brilliant tail. He thinks of debates about the threat they pose, if they truly have sentience, if mer should be treated with any kind of respect that any living thing deserves, regardless of sentience or not.
He thinks of Grian and the thought of betraying him like that makes him sick to his stomach.
He won't be telling anyone, he decides quickly. Grian and his existence can just be his little secret for however long he's stationed out here, and when he needs to move post or head back home to England, he'll warn Grian to stay away from anyone sent in his place.
Grian had warned Mumbo that any other mer might have not been so welcoming, but he forgot to say that the same should be said for humans.
He imagines what humans would have planned for Grian would be much worse than anything a mer could do to him.
With a deep, heavy breath, Mumbo slowly begins peeling his wetsuit off his skin, changing into some shorts and a button up Hawaiian shirt, he washes the suit off and leaves it out to dry before heading below deck and getting comfy in his office.
It's a small space, the desk cramped with stacks of papers and pens and his laptop sitting half open, a web page about mermaid myths still open on the screen. He closes it quickly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Like he's invading Grian's privacy despite the fact that nothing he's read seems even slightly accurate. He knows he's done nothing wrong, but Mumbo still clears his browser history for his own peace of mind.
As soon as he's set up to do actual work, Mumbo startles as his phone starts ringing. He scrambles for it, because no one ever bothers to call him unless it's really important, and feels a pit open in his stomach as he sees the name of his boss across the screen.
After a second of stalling, debating if it's worth it to ignore the call altogether, he decides that it's very much not and hesitantly answers.
"Hey Doc!" Mumbo greets, a bit too loudly, his nerves making his leg shake.
He knows, logically, that he has nothing to worry about. There's no way anyone could know about Grian right now, and if things go well, they'll never know about him. But Doc has always been a bit of an intimidating guy, the fact made worse knowing he controls Mumbo's entire livelihood.
Doc isn't a bad guy though, he just knows how to be scary.
"Oh! Mumbo, I'm surprised to hear you're still alive." Doc laughs. It should be nothing more than a joke, but something about it – his tone, maybe, it sounds too close to genuine surprise – rubs Mumbo the wrong way and he purses his lips, forcing a strained laugh out.
"Yep, still alive!" He replies. "Not sure why I wouldn't be!"
Doc just hums. "So tell me, how have things been out there? You doing alright? See anything interesting?"
Mumbo let's himself relax. This is familiar, at least. Doc always likes to check up on him like this, just make sure everything is running smoothly and that Mumbo hasn't gone insane or something.
"I'm doing just fine Doc, don't worry." Mumbo thinks back to the last time he had gone diving, of the fish and their regular behaviour and the bright coral and the hand – Grian's hand – that has reached out and grabbed at him.
He swallows thickly. "Just the usual going on I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Doc hums again, this time disbelieving and Mumbo feels his heart in his throat.
"Really? I've been monitoring your radar and I've noticed that something's been lurking around. Something big."
"What?" Mumbo asks, unable to hear his own voice over the ringing in his ears. His flipping radar. His ship is set up to monitor the ocean below, of course it's picked up signs of Grian! He's huge!
But… Doc shouldn't be able to see that though. That's the whole reason Mumbo is out here, to report all his findings back to HQ, as it were. There would be no point of Mumbo if the scanners and radars and drones could be monitored from so far away.
"Ah, I didn't mean to worry you, of course," Doc says, sounding a little guilty. "It might be a misreading. Perhaps just a shark or dolphins swimming around. Nothing to panic about."
"Right," Mumbo says, forcing himself to breathe normally again. "That's fine. I must have missed the alert, I was worried it was a whale."
Doc laughs at that. "I doubt you would have missed that. Are you sure you're alright?"
Despite the seed of doubt now sown in Mumbo's gut, he finds himself touched by Doc's worry.
"I'm alright, I promise. I think I just need to be going back to shore a little more." Mumbo sighs and runs a hand through his hair, frowning as his fingers catch on tangles that tug painfully when he tries to pull them loose.
"As long as you get all your work done," Doc hums in agreement. "Oh, and Mumbo?"
Giving up with the tangles, Mumbo lets his hand fall, his antsy fingers picking up a pen and idly swinging it around. "Yeah?" He asks, nervous again at Doc's suddenly serious tone.
"You will tell me if you see something odd, won't you?"
Mumbo swears his heart stops.
He can't know… can he?
"Yep! O-of course I would, boss!" Mumbo stutters over his words, wincing at his unconvincing tone. He knows he can't lie to save his life but surely he can do better than this?
Doc hums, clearly not believing it. "Alright. I'll talk to you soon."
With that, the call ends and Mumbo lets his phone drop to the floor as he hides his head in his hands, groaning loudly in despair.
Gosh, he's never going to be able to keep Grian a secret at this rate. He's going to get found out and Grian will be experimented on and it will be all his fault and–
And Doc can apparently read all of his scanners from afar. Every piece of data and information he sends in carefully worded documents and emails he already knows.
What in the world is Mumbo doing all the way out here, he wonders.
His thoughts turn to Grian, as they so often have these past few days. If he does plan to come back and the radars pick up in him again – if Doc sees the alert again–
With a startling determination, Mumbo makes his way above deck to the navigation console. He just needs to tamper with the radar a little. Make sure he doesn't break it – not in a way he can't fix, at least – and if he can figure out how Doc is getting the readings, that would be even better.
Just a little bit of tampering. He tells himself. Surely it won't hurt. It would certainly be worse if he allows Grian to be discovered.
Next time he sees the mer, he decides, he needs to warn him. Something is going on. Something that Mumbo is sure won't end well for either of them.
—
Mumbo spends the better part of the day tampering with the radar, eventually figuring out a way to scuff the reading just enough that Grian should remain undetected, but anything bigger – anything that might pose a real threat to his little boat – should still be picked up.
He spends the rest of the day trying to do actual work, though his thoughts begin to wander too much for him to get much done. By the time he catches himself staring off into the distance, the image of Grian in his mind's eye for the fourth time, he decides to call it a night.
He finds his sleep is similarly restless, not just Grian plaguing his thoughts, but Doc's knowing voice and the fear of what he's stumbled into making his heart race, even as he lays motionless in bed. He would have thought the discovery of mer would be common knowledge, but if what he's beginning to fear is true, that might not be the case.
When Mumbo blinks his tired eyes open to the sun streaming through his windows, he forces himself out of bed, cursing his overactive brain for his lack of decent sleep and gets himself ready for the day.
He's halfway through a breakfast bar when he stumbles into the deck, blinking his eyes to adjust to the lighting when he freezes.
There's–
That can't be–
"Hey Mumbo," Grian says shyly.
He's… well he's human, for one. The red scales that glittered over his cheekbones and the fins at the side of his head are gone, leaving only pale skin and slightly pointed ears that poke out of his frizzy mane of dried hair and his legs are stretched out before him, skin as pale as the rest of him.
He's absolutely tiny for another.
Even sitting unsteady on the edge of the boat, Mumbo can tell that if he were to stand, Grian would maybe only come up to his chest. It's a startling difference to the giant that used to tower over him before. The mer that could hold Mumbo in the palm of his hand now looking like he could barely lift a feather.
And, finally, as Mumbos mind begins to work again, he realises Grian is completely bare.
"Good gosh!" Mumbo yelps, hand flying up to cover his eyes. "Youre– you–" he stumbles over his words, feeling his blush deepen as Grian starts laughing at him.
"I'm human!"
"You're naked!" Mumbo says, scandalised.
"Oh yeah," he hears Grian hum, seeming entirely unbothered. "That too I guess."
"Gosh, let me get you something to wear and then we can talk."
Stumbling over his feet as he heads back below deck and keeping his hands firmly over his eyes, he hears Grian laugh at him again.
"Don't you like what you see?" Grian teases after him.
Mumbo most certainly does not reply to that – despite the fact he does like what he sees, actually, but he's not about to say that out loud when even admitting it to himself feels like a crime. Slamming the door behind him as he bites back a flustered noise. He can feel how his cheeks burn and he knows he must be redder than any sunburn.
Taking a moment to compose himself and quickly grabbing the biggest shirt he owns, Mumbo carefully heads back to the deck, still keeping his eyes firmly closed as he holds the shirt out for Grian to take.
"Thank you, Mumbo," Grian says, still amused as he takes the shirt.
He waits a few moments, and then a few moments more for good measure before hesitantly peeking an eye open.
Grian is looking at him, a smirk on his face and mirth in his eyes. He's not naked anymore, at the very least, but something about the sight of him wearing only Mumbos shirt, completely drowning in the fabric feels almost as indecent.
"Happy?" Grian asks, amused.
Mumbo carefully clears his throat. "Yes, thank you."
"So? What do you think?" Grian asks a moment later, seeing how Mumbo struggles for words.
"I– I mean how is this even possible?" Mumbo asks in wonder.
Grian smiles, and pulls something out from below his shirt. A necklace, Mumbo realises. He must have missed it earlier in his panic, but it's a simple thing, plain thread and a shimmering seashell at the centre.
"I made a deal with the sorcerer of the sea," Grian explains. "I'll have legs but if I don't return to the ocean and break the amulet by midnight, I'll lose my tail forever."
Mumbo's eyes go wide with panic. "What! But you– what if something happens?"
"It's alright! That's one of Scar's better deals, if I'm being honest. We're pretty close friends." Grian explains, reaching out with an unsure hand to gently pat Mumbo's arm and he frowns suddenly. "I didn't think it would make me so small though."
"You are pretty small," Mumbo laughs in agreement, grinning wider when Grian gives him an affronted look.
"Oh you should be careful Mumbo, I don't have to pull my punches with you anymore," Grian warns, but he's smiling too, pushing himself up as he tries to balance on his unused legs.
Mumbo yelps as he watches Grian lose his balance, jumping forward to catch him before he falls. He does barely come up to Mumbo's chest, he realises as he holds Grian carefully. He's a lot warmer to the touch as well, not worryingly so, just warm, like he'd maybe been sitting in the sun for awhile.
Pants. Has Grian been sitting out here for awhile? Mumbo should really get him some sunscreen.
"Maybe I should learn how to walk before we start wrestling," Grian jokes, holding on tightly to Mumbos arms as if scared he's going to let go suddenly.
"That might be a smart idea." Mumbo laughs. "Come on, let's get you inside and out of the sun for a bit and we can plan what to do with your one day of having legs."
Grian nods and so Mumbo carefully helps him down the steps below deck, seeing how Grian's eyes go wide with wonder as he takes in Mumbo's rather abysmal living space. His boat isn't the most luxurious thing, afterall. A little rundown and a little too cramped for Mumbo's tall frame, but he's only one man, he imagines if he had to share this space, smacking his head off the doorframe would have gotten old a lot sooner.
Maybe he'd be a little less lonely though, but at least he's got Grian for now.
The for now sits at the back of his mind like a heavy weight he refuses to acknowledge.
With Grian sitting at his tiny dining table, Mumbo takes a minute to fully observe the mer-turned-human. He seems a little uncomfortable in his skin, seen in his hesitant movements and the way he moves his legs as if they were still a tail. It would be rather unsettling, Mumbo thinks, to have your body change so drastically and so suddenly.
But Grian chose that, for whatever reason. Had made the potentially devastating deal himself.
He clears his throat and asks. "So this deal? I would have expected you'd have to trade your voice."
Grian looks at him, his head tilted to the side in question. "My voice? I don't know why Scar would ever ask for that. Well– he might, actually. But like I said, we're friends."
"I see. I think the first thing we need to do is watch The Little Mermaid together." Mumbo chuckles. "But seriously, why would you– why even risk losing your tail?"
Grian averts his eyes for a moment, his hands reaching up to grasp at the amulet around his neck nervously.
"Because I trust you," he admits in a quiet voice. "As silly as it probably is, I like you alot, Mumbo, and I… well I want to spend more time with you, even if we only have this day together."
Mumbo swallows thickly, his heart fluttering in his chest as he tries to ignore the sticky, soft, affectionate feeling bubbling up in his chest.
"I–" Mumbo fumbles. "Thank you for trusting me, Grian. I swear I'll take care of you."
"Good," Grian's smile is blinding. "Now you can start by helping me walk. This seems needlessly complicated."
As he says it, he stretches one of his legs out with a little too much force and marvels at the appendage with a spark of apprehension in his eyes, rolling his ankle around experimentally.
Mumbo laughs. “Of course, that would be helpful wouldn't it.”
—
As it turns out, teaching a mermaid to walk is about as easy as it sounds. Not for lack of trying on Grian’s part, but Mumbo finds it’s hard to explain how to do something that’s intuitive for him, the process made worse by the constant rocking of the boat beneath their feet that keeps throwing Grian off balance.
It takes awhile – maybe a little longer than they’d like to admit – but eventually Grian gets the hang of it. He's a fast learner, it seems. Especially when he's determined. Once they're both confident Grian won't immediately fall on his face, Mumbo gives him a better change of clothes and with a promise to buy him his own outfit they finally set off for land.
Grian is almost vibrating with excitement the entire time, rattling off questions at a million miles an hour as they sail. “Where are we going? Are there lots of people? What are those huge structures that glimmer in the sunlight?”
And Mumbo, feeling only fond exasperation can only do his best to answer.
“I usually dock at Brisbane so yes there will be lots of people– and koalas too if you want to see them. And I think you're talking about the skyscrapers? They're just big buildings, usually offices and the like.”
Grains eyes sparkle with a childlike wonder as they finally pull into port and the warm sticky feeling in Mumbo's chest grows, becoming uncomfortable as he suddenly wishes to reach out for the mer, to run his fingers over his warm skin and lace their fingers together and to be able to hold him close again and see that smile all the time–
Despite Mumbos wandering thoughts they dock with no issue and receive only a few odd glances as Mumbo has to help Grian get his feet under him again, not used to the steady earth quite yet.
“Wow,” Grian gasps as they make their way into the city proper, the chatter of people overwhelming even to Mumbo’s ears as they mill around their daily lives. Grian looks dazed by all the activity, but there's still that sparkle in his eyes, wide with amazement as he turns to Mumbo to ask. “Where are we going first?”
“To get you clothes and shoes that actually fit,” Mumbo says decidedly. “Come on.”
Hesitantly he offers his hand for Grian to take, but the mer only looks at it confused, his head tilted to the side in question.
“We can um… hold hands, just so you don't get lost!” Mumo rushes to explain, cheeks burning.
Grain hums in understanding, carefully placing his hand in Mumbo’s and offering him a soothing smile.
“Thank you, Mumbo.”
Mumbo’s cheeks don't get any less red as they continue their walk through the streets, hunting for a clothes shop that will have something Grian might like. They browse though a couple, but nothing seems to catch the mer’s eye as he carefully runs his hands over different materials and picks through colours and designs like he’s always worn clothes.
As they’re carefully looking through another startling high-end boutique, Grian finally seems to find something.
“It’s so soft,” he whispers reverently, holding a simple red sweater in his hands.
“It is cashmere,” Mumbo nods agreeably. “You might get a little overheated though I won't lie.”
“It's fine, I want this one!” Grian demands. “I have never felt something so nice in my life, I must have it.”
Mumbo laughs and very pointedly tries to ignore the price tag and the cashiers prying eyes as he pays. It’s worth it to see Grian smile like that as he tugs his sweater on, fingers trailing over the fabric in wonder. It definitely won't be worth it later, when Mumbo is stuck with a sweater that's too small for him to wear, but he can probably donate it at the very least.
When Grian is finally dressed in proper fitting clothes and shoes, the sun is already a little past its peak, so they find a place to eat lunch fairly easily, and Grian is amazed by all the different options for food. They settle on a simple burger place, and Mumbo finds it endlessly cute how Grian dissects his and asks questions about every ingredient.
They head to the koala sanctuary after that, and Mumbo finds himself almost equally as excited to see them all, bouncing alongside Grian as they watch the adorable little things roam and play in their habitats.
Mumbo ends up telling Grian about all the cool and wonderful animals there are on land, pulling up pictures and videos of giraffes and lions and bears and wolves. He finds it surprising that out of all of them, Grian seems to like the look of simple house cats the most.
They end up seeing one as the sun begins to set, walking back to the beach together, still hand in hand despite the fact the streets are much quieter now. A small grey tabby cat runs across the street and they end up spending a better part of an hour trying to coax the adorable thing into liking them.
It works, somehow. The food Grian made Mumbo buy for him certainly helped, but it was certainly worth it to see how reverently Grian stroked over the cat's fur, how he startled and looked concerned when he started to purr, nuzzling his head against Grian's fingers.
"He's the cutest thing I've ever seen." Grian whispers, as if scared to startle the cat being held happily in his arms. Mumbo doesn't think he's ever seen a cat looking so content while being held.
"Cats are pretty cute." Mumbos nods agreeably and finds himself bursting out with laughter at the affronted look Grian gives him.
"He's the cutest though," he reiterates pointedly.
Mumbo looks at the cat, then at Grian, still holding him so gently with a soft look in his eyes, dressed in the red sweater he loved so much for being soft to the touch, his hair falling in front of his face and curling around his ears.
"The cutest," Mumbo agrees, not talking about the cat.
Eventually, despite their best efforts, the cat seems to get bored of them, scampering off into the night, leaving a heartbroken Grian behind and they continue on their way to the beach.
As pavement and concrete gives way to soft sand underfoot Mumbo looks up at the moon above and happily basks in this calm, quiet moment after such a busy day. With the sea salt wind gently blowing through his hair, the light of the moon and stars lighting everything in a soft silver glow and Grian, a warm comforting presence by his side, everything feels perfect.
If this were a date, Mumbo thinks this would be the perfect time to reach out and kiss him, something soft and tender and full of all the emotions he can't bring himself to say.
It’s not a date though, he reminds himself sharply when he feels his hand twitch to reach out for Grian of it’s own volition. It’s very much not a date and he can't let himself ruin the closest thing he's had to a friendship in years.
“I never thought the surface could be so beautiful,” Grian says quietly, snapping Mumbo out of his thoughts. With his back turned to the ocean Grian gazes at the city lit up before him in a multitude of colours. “I always thought it would be too crowded and warm but… you’ve really opened my eyes, Mumbo.”
“I’m sure the ocean is just as beautiful,” Mumbo hums, “the surface can be beautiful but we humans have ruined a lot of it to get to where we are.”
Grains sighs sadly at that. “I know all too well. You're not the only human I've met, you know, but you're certainly the nicest.”
Mumbo hesitates for a moment, not wanting to ruin the moment but deciding he has to. He won't get a better opening and he knows he’ll just chicken out later. “You should probably be more careful of humans going forward,” he warns nervously.
Hearing the shift, Grian turns to face him, grabbing Mumbo’s hands that he had been twisting and stretching anxiously to steady them.
“I know how to take care of myself Mumbo, there's no need to worry,” he tries to soothe, something so caring and honest in his eyes.
Mumbo just frowns, holding Grian’s hands tightly as he sighs and tries to get his thoughts in order. It’s just a theory right now, he knows that, but it's better to warn Grian about it, at the very least. “It’s just that, well, when we first met I thought mer were a myth, but I'm starting to get the suspicion that maybe the company I work for knows you're real and very probably want to do something bad to you.”
“Oh, um,” Grian flounders for a moment. “That's… not good?”
Mumbo nods wildly in agreement. “It’s really not and, well, I really care for you, Grian. Like a lot, and I want to protect you but I’m not really sure how and–”
“Mumbo!” Grian says forcefully, cutting off the beginning of his rambling by reaching up to cup his face and pull him down to the mers eye level.
“Thank you, for the warning, I promise you that I’ll be okay. It won't be the first time people have come after me.”
“It won't be?” Mumbo finds himself asking, leaning into Grian’s hands despite the beginning of an ache in his back.
“Not in the slightest,” Grian smiles and there's a glimmer of the predator he really is hiding there, beneath his happy smile and love of soft things. Oddly, Mumbo finds that he still isn't scared.
"People have been hunting me down for centuries, Mumbo, they're not going to get me now."
"Oh," Mumbo says, not sure whether to feeI disappointed when Grain pulls away, or relieved to soothe his sore spine as he straightens up.
A moment passes, and finally the words register. "Wait, how old are you?!"
Grian barks a loud laugh. “Older than you think, probably.” he teases as he drops to his knees on the sand.
“Really? That… makes sense, actually,” Mumbo chuckles, sitting down next to him. They're half facing each other, half facing the ocean, the crash of waves meeting the shore twenty feet away from them and the silvery moonlight reflecting off the surface, making the darkness of the sea look magical.
It’s quiet again for a moment despite all the questions Mumbo wants to ask. He’ll get to ask them later, he's sure, but this moment is once in a lifetime and he wants to let himself bask in it, toying with the thought of reaching out to grab Grian’s hand resting so close to his.
“Can I ask you something?” Grian hesitantly asks.
“Of course,” Mumbo says immediately, bringing his gaze to meet Grian’s.
“I know this might sound crazy and if you’re offended you can tell me to go away and you’ll never have to see me again, but I just had to ask,” Grian pauses and Mumbo barely resists the urge to start fidgeting out of nervousness.
“Would you ever want to enjoy the ocean like I do?”
“What?” Mumbo asks, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
“Like! Ugh,” Grian huffs, looking almost frantic as he turns to face Mumbo completely. “Do you want to become a mer, and– and you don't have to stay with me! But I would like it if you did and I know you probably have people you care about here on the surface but I really care about you Mumbo and I don't want to let you go even though I will if I have to just.. yeah.”
“I–” Mumbo fumbles for any coherent sentence. “I'm sorry I just, I want to make sure I’m reading this correctly. When you say you care about me you mean that romantically, right?”
Grian looks stunned for a moment. “Of course I mean it romantically!” he yells. “Mumbo, if you would let me I would give you anything you ever wanted.”
He says it so freely, and means it so wholeheartedly that Mumbo feels his heart skip several beats. “I like you too, romantically, I mean. I have romantic feelings for you and I– gosh what am I even saying.”
Grian laughs brightly, grabbing Mumbos hand as his shoulders shake with the force of his giggles and Mumbo finds he still really likes that sound, even when it's at his expense.
“I’m really glad you also like me,” Grian says when his laughter has subsided. “So do you… want to be a mer?”
Mumbo takes a moment to think, squeezing Grian’s hand in reassurance as he does so. He – as sad as it is to admit – doesnt have alot to cling to, living on the surface. He has family, yes, but he hasn't spoken to any of them in almost a year. He has his job, one he isolated himself completely for so he could explore the ocean and learn more about it. There's his boss that Mumbo suspects might be hunting mer.
Mumbo’s first love has always been the ocean, it’s the thing that’s motivated him for years. To be able to explore it freely, to learn from someone who has lived under the waves for centuries, apparently…
“I want to.” Mumbo says decidedly.
Grian looks startled for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he regards Mumbo. He must see the determination in his eyes, must know that he truly has nothing holding him back.
“Come with me,” Grian says, pushing himself to his feet and walking into the waves.
Mumbo hurries to catch up, feeling the cold water crashing against his legs, feeling it settle against his thighs, soaking his shoes and trousers through completely. When he finally catches up with Grian, the mer has stopped where the water meets his chest and turns to face him.
“Are you sure?” he asks for the last time.
Mumbo nods. “I’m sure,” he says with no hesitation. “I want this.”
Grian nods and wraps his arms around Mumbo’s shoulders, pulling their faces close until their noses almost touch. Hesitantly, Mumbo places his hands on Grian’s waist under the water, pulling their bodies flush against each other. He feels so warm against the coldness of the ocean around him, and feels so comfortable in his arms. Mumbo dips his head down slowly and Grian rushes to meet him, their lips crashing together in a deep kiss that pulls the air from Mumbos lungs and leaves him gasping as Grian nips at his bottom lip with sharp teeth.
Grian's hands move from his neck, but Mumbo's too invested in the kiss to pay attention to them, only feeling as something slips over his head and settles around his neck lightly before his hands are back, grasping at his shoulders and threading fingers through his hair.
When they finally pull apart, gasping for air and desperate for each other, Mumbo looks down to see the amulet Grian had been wearing earlier is settled around his neck.
"It's magic works both ways," Grian explains breathlessly. "If you're still wearing it by midnight, you'll be a mer forever."
"Nice," Mumbo nods, grip tightening around Grian's hips.
The mer smiles and leans up to kiss him again, much softer this time, but it leaves Mumbo just as breathless.
"Thank you for trusting me," Grian whispers, gently dragging Mumbo further into the water.
Mumbo follows along, letting himself be pulled into the depths, runes of ancient magic transforming him as they sink lower and lower.
The moon moves across the sky, reaching its peak and passing, and under the water Mumbo finds the ocean is as beautiful as he always knew it could be.