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"Hey, can I come in already?" Laios asked, gently rapping his knuckles on the bathroom door. He put his ear up to the door and listened for an answer. Kabru told him that he needed to go ahead of him to rinse off before their mutual bath, and Laios was happy to give him the space to do whatever he needed, but enough time had passed for him to grow just a little concerned. Kabru had been in there for almost fifteen minutes by now, and even accounting for the fact he probably had to pee and stuff, it felt like a long time. The shower wasn't on anymore, as far as he could hear, so Kabru was probably done with that. What was he doing in here for so long, then? Maybe he needed help. Laios furrowed his brow. "Are you okay? Should I, uh, bring you something?"
The answer came after a moment, a frantic exclamation of: "Sorry, sorry! I'm almost ready!" Kabru's voice was anxious, but not strained. It didn't seem like he was in pain. That was good, at least, Laios thought as he let out a sigh of relief. Maybe he had just been looking at himself in the bathroom mirror and lost track of time, or something like that. Laios couldn't fault him for that at all. "Ah, I think I'm ready. You can come in. I'm sorry that I took so long, darling."
"It's okay," Laios said automatically as he opened the door. It would only have been a problem if he urgently needed to pee, or something. As long as Kabru was okay, it was fine. Laios closed the door behind him and finally turned towards the bathtub, intending to set the water running. He froze with one foot raised, dangerously close to losing his balance, and held onto the door to keep himself from dropping to his knees. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and blinked slowly, focusing his gaze on the sight in front of him. Maybe he was just seeing things, but he really hoped that what he saw wasn't a hallucination. "Huh," he said, feeling lightheaded. "Huh...?"
Kabru was studying his expression, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a playful smile dancing on his lips. He was seated on the edge of the bathtub, with his legs dangling off the edge – except they weren't his legs at all, but a tail, a beautiful, honest-to-god fish tail, with blue scales reflecting the harsh overhead light of the bathroom. Laios' eyes wandered from Kabru's smiling face to his new tail and back repeatedly, only growing more confused every time. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and covered his mouth with his hand. Kabru laughed, shifting the position of the tail. "Worth the wait, was it not?" Laios nodded, mesmerised by the sight.
"Yeah!" he blurted out, taking a step forward. He subconsciously reached out his hand, but immediately withdrew it, fingers twitching impatiently. It was rude to touch a mermaid's tail without permission. "Yeah, this is really cool!" He assured, nodding his head enthusiastically as he took another step. "But," he said, tilting his head as he looked into Kabru's eyes. "How did you...?"
With a deep sigh, Kabru closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you for so long. You see," he said, putting his hand up to his chest, "I really am a merman, just like you suspected. I couldn't keep this from you any longer. I thought your birthday would serve as a good opportunity to share the truth of my identity with you. I trust that you will keep it to yourself." Kabru cracked one eye open. Laios eagerly nodded his head and gave him a thumbs up. Seeing his serious expression, Kabru chuckled into his hand. "Ah, I'm sorry. This was an entertaining bit, but I can't keep it up any longer. The tail isn't real, of course, but it certainly could have fooled you, right? Your sister really is an incredible artist," he said fondly.
"Oh, huh. Falin made this?" Laios asked, his surprise immediately overpowering his disappointment. He kneeled beside the bathtub and took a closer look at the tail, knitting his eyebrows. From up close, it was immediately obvious that it wasn't real, but it still looked really good. The scales must have been the same kind that Falin used for her dragon costume for Halloween. He had no clue how they were sewn together, though. Presumably there must have been another material underneath, but he couldn't see it at all. Laios' eyes shot wide open, eyebrows riding up his forehead. "Wait! Is that why Falin asked me to find waterproof fabric at the market?" That was so long ago. This must have been it, though. There was nothing else she would have needed it for. So this idea has been in the works for such a long time...?
Kabru laughed. "Perhaps. I wouldn't know. To be honest, when I pitched this idea to her, I had no idea whatsoever as to how one would realistically go about making it. I trusted that she would find a way, though, and I'm certainly not disappointed. Incredible work, isn't it? It didn't feel appropriate to set a deadline for this request," he went on, swinging the tail back and forth, "but I'm definitely glad that she finished it today. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, right?"
Laios nodded absent-mindedly, only partially paying attention to Kabru's words. His heart felt as if it was going to burst in his chest. This was so close to the image he'd had in his head for such a long time now. Even the colour of the scales was perfect, similar to Kabru's eyes but a little deeper, with more of a teal tint. At the very end of the tail was a vaguely heart-shaped fin, delicate like a feather, and yet keeping its shape well. Wonder if it would stay like this once it got wet? Falin probably tested that already, but he wanted to see for himself. "Is it comfortable to wear?" he asked.
"The tail? Well..." Kabru furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. "You may have noticed that it took me quite a while to finish my transformation." Laios nodded. Kabru's long bathroom break made more sense now. "The reason for that," Kabru went on explaining, "is that, as you may have noticed, this garment is rather tight. Functionally skin tight, really. Putting it on was... How should I describe it..." Kabru rubbed his temple as he scrunched up his nose. "Well, it was like putting on a pair of tights or leggings, but with one hole accommodating both legs, I suppose. I had to be careful not to accidentally tear out any of the scales, as well. Not to mention that I don't exactly have use of my feet right now." Laios instinctively looked down. Kabru's feet were, of course, stuck inside the tail.
"Oh, yeah. You can't walk, huh." Laios carefully touched the tip of Kabru's tail, furrowing his brow. "Don't worry!" he said, looking up at him. "I'll carry you everywhere!"
Kabru laughed. "Thank you. Despite what I just said, now that I've put it on, it doesn't feel uncomfortable at all, actually. I will probably have to stretch my legs afterwards, though."
"Yeah. And you can't wash them, right? You'd have to take it off first."
"Oh, don't worry about that at all," Kabru said, waving his hand dismissively. "I have already accounted for it. I will simply have to wash my lower body later. I realise that it's impractical to have to wash my body twice, but to be honest," he went on, giggling, "I couldn't help myself. It would be a shame to pass up such a perfect opportunity to reveal my disguise, you see." Laios nodded. It definitely wouldn't have made such an impact on him otherwise. "So..." Kabru said, twirling a lock of hair around his finger, "what do you think...?"
"You look really cool!" Laios blurted out immediately, eyes twinkling as he admired the tail. "You know," he added, twiddling his thumbs as he licked his lips anxiously, "as long as you're wearing the tail, I thought we could do something cool before you take it off..."
"Of course," Kabru said, tilting his head. "Whatever you want, darling."
Laios hesitated for a moment, scratching his cheek. Something popped in his legs as he got up from his knees and sat beside Kabru on the edge of the bathtub instead. "I mean, I have a few ideas." He had a whole lot, but he probably shouldn't use them all at once. There was something he wanted to do more than anything, though. Something he'd been dreaming of for years. "Can you sing?"
"Sing?" Kabru's eyebrows rode up his forehead. He stroked his bottom lip, deep in thought. "I suppose I could. I'm not sure that I'm a good singer, really, but I've gone to karaoke before."
"You don't have to be good!" Laios insisted, putting his hands up. "I mean, it'd probably help..." He shook his head. He was so close, he couldn't afford to get distracted now. "Look," he said, putting both hands on Kabru's shoulders, "as a merman, you will have to sing to lure in sailors and adventurers. Obviously, you didn't know the song before, so you couldn't lure me into the bathroom before," he spoke quickly, lightly shaking Kabru by the shoulders, "but I know it, so I can teach it to you right now, and then I'll leave the bathroom, and you'll be able to lure me in!"
Kabru blinked slowly, staring at him with wide eyes. He remained silent for a moment once Laios was done talking, his eyes slightly unfocused. He grimaced, rubbing his temple. "Wait. How do you know...?" he murmured under his breath, visibly confused. Suddenly he burst out laughing, lightly shaking his head. "Why am I surprised? Of course that is something you would know." He looked at Laios with a smile and grabbed both of his hands. "Sure. Teach me the song. I can't promise that I will sound good, though," he added, sending Laios a playful wink.
Laios nodded, and immediately started to sing. He knew the song by heart. The words didn't resemble any human language he knew of, but he learned to pronounce them perfectly, having practiced for hours, days, weeks, until he perfected it. His voice echoed through the quiet bathroom while he squeezed Kabru's hands. Kabru stared at him, wide-eyed and quiet, with his mouth agape, as if he wanted to say something. Once Laios finished, Kabru inhaled sharply and squeezed his hands back. "I wasn't expecting you to have such an incredible voice!" he beamed.
"Me?" Laios looked away, stroking the back of his head. He let out an awkward chuckle, feeling his face grow warm. "Ah, it's nothing!" he insisted, flattered by Kabru's words. "I used to sing in church as a kid," the only time in his life when he went there at all. "Ah, there was this spot outside of my town with really good acoustics. Falin and I would go there and yell as loudly as we could, and wait for the echo," he recalled, stroking his chin, "and sometimes, when I went there by myself, I'd try singing too. I don't know if I was any good," he admitted, "but I was pretty loud."
"Well, judging by what I've heard just now," Kabru said fondly, "it appears that you're both. I'm no match for you," he said, sighing softly, "but if you want me to sing, I shall."
Laios nodded. He sang the song again, note by note this time, waiting for Kabru to repeat after him. Neither the lyrics nor the melody were particularly difficult to memorise, and the song was fairly short, so learning it in a way that would allow Kabru to sing it was a matter of no more than ten, maybe fifteen minutes. It seemed that Kabru was too shy to sing loudly, repeating the notes in a soft whisper. Hopefully once he memorised it, he would sing loudly enough for Laios to hear him through the door and over running water. "Okay," he said once it seemed that Kabru knew the song well enough, "I'm gonna leave now, but I'll be just outside the door. Let me, uh..." he stammered, helping Kabru sit down in the bathtub as it slowly filled with water. "When you're ready, just start singing. Oh, and," he added, already at the door, "I don't think mermaids can speak."
With that, he left and closed the door behind him.Leaning his back on the door, he touched his cheeks with both of his hands. They were really, really warm. Laios squeezed his eyes shut and let out a sigh. It was hard to contain his enthusiasm at the sight of Kabru with the tail. It really was just how he imagined it. Wonder if Kabru would pose for him like that sometime. It would be nice to have a real reference in front of his eyes. As long as Kabru was comfortable with it.
Just on the edge of hearing, Laios picked up on a new sound. He put his ear up to the bathroom door and listened. It was quiet at first, so quiet that he probably wouldn't have noticed it if he didn't know it was coming, but it grew slightly louder over time. Laios hummed along as he opened the door, and joined Kabru's song as soon as he stuck his head inside the bathroom. Kabru was leaning on the edge of the bathtub, with his arms folded over his chest. Blue eyes looked up at Laios, anxious and uncertain at first, but visibly relaxing once he came closer. Kabru beckoned for him as he moved towards one end of the bathtub to make room for Laios. He reached out both of his hands, and Laios took them as he positioned himself in the bathtub, careful not to sit on Kabru's tail.
Their voices sounded good together. They complemented each other well. Kabru's voice, soft, smooth, a little nasally and higher in pitch, and Laios' voice, lower, louder, and more forceful – but careful not to overpower Kabru's entirely. Kabru still didn't seem entirely confident in his voice. Laios squeezed his hands to reassure him. Once they finished the song, Kabru squeezed his hands back and looked at him inquisitively, as if to make sure that he did well enough.
"I've always wanted to sing along with a mermaid," Laios confessed, playing with Kabru's hand. "Of course, you're a merman, not a mermaid, but that's even cooler. Mermen aren't as common as mermaids. A lot of people don't know that they exist at all." He looked into Kabru's eyes and smiled fondly. "Actually, that's a big difference between sirens and mermaids. All sirens are female, at least as far as we know. Obviously, the biggest difference is that sirens are half-birds and mermaids are half-fish. Some people think they're the same thing, though. Some languages don't even have different words for them. Mine didn't. I was pretty confused about that as a kid." He put his index finger up. "Both of them sing in order to lure humans in, though. The difference is that sirens always do it to prey on humans, and mermaids, well..." he tilted his head quizzically, "it probably depends, but you seem nice. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have done so already, right?"
Kabru shook his head and pressed a kiss to the tip of Laios' nose to show that he meant no harm indeed. He ruffled Laios' hair with one hand, and picked up his sponge with the other. Having slathered it with soap, he started washing Laios' back. Laios sighed with relief.
"That's what I thought. Your voice is really beautiful, you know. We should sing together again sometime." Reluctantly, Kabru nodded. Laios sent him a reassuring smile. "And you look beautiful, too. I mean, mermaids are known for their beauty, so I shouldn't be surprised," he went on, leaning closer to allow Kabru to wash more of his back, "but nobody really talks about mermen. It's good to know that they're even more beautiful." Kabru playfully splashed water in his direction and giggled. "No, seriously! I mean it," Laios insisted. "You know, there's debate over whether mermaids count as mammals or fish. It always made the most sense to me that they would be mammals. It's not like there aren't a lot of mammals that live underwater, like whales, dolphins, porpoises and manatees. It's possible that mermaids are relatives of manatees, actually. I guess you wouldn't know."
Kabru offered an awkward shrug as he continued to wash Laios' back.
"Yeah, I figured. Our classifications don't really matter to you, huh? Anyway, it seems like I was right! You're a mammal! Obviously, you breathe air just like I do. That makes sense. Most aquatic mammals have to come up to the surface from time to time to catch a breath. Their bodies are capable of storing oxygen for a really long time. They couldn't survive underwater otherwise." He hummed, stroking his chin. "Now, I don't know anything about your reproductive system. Do mermaids give live birth, like most mammals, or do they lay eggs, like platypuses? I guess you wouldn't know that either," he said, noticing the look on Kabru's face. "Well, that's okay. There are so many things I want to ask you," he said, stroking the back of his head, "but it's not like you can answer. At least you can understand me. That's pretty cool. You've been really nice."
Kabru put his hand up to his lips, and then up to Laios'. An indirect kiss. Laios laughed.
"I shouldn't take up too much of your time. I bet you wanna get back to the sea already. I filled my bathtub with water for you, but it's pretty small. It's not like you'd be comfortable living here." Kabru shook his head and put his hand up to Laios' lips again, and then touched his chest, putting his hand up to his heart with a determined expression. Laios' eyebrows rode up his forehead. "Ah, you wanna stay here with me? Is that what you're saying?" Kabru nodded, bumping his forehead against Laios'. "Ah." Laios' heart melted in his chest. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead against Kabru's. "Well, if you wanna stay," he murmured, "then I guess it's okay."