Archive of Our Own

Excitement coursed through Jimmy's veins as he gazed at the large cylindrical tank in the middle of his lab. It reminded him of the ones at the aquarium he loved to visit years ago when he was a child. This one held something far more intriguing though, and Jimmy couldn't wait to study it. A strange creature floated peacefully in the water. Light gray skin covered the upper half of its body which looked more human than not, and chocolate hair floated around its closed eyes and partially open lips. Jagged teeth peeked out, and Jimmy noted the incisors were more prominent than the others. Moving down, the creature's sides were adorned with large gill-like structures. Then, beginning just below the waist, scales began to pepper its skin. The scales were a peachy pink, and they thickened and became a long, sleek tail. This was the most fascinating part to Jimmy, and he marveled at the flecks of gold scattered along it.

A sudden twitch of the tail increased Jimmy's excitement tenfold, and he rushed to finish setting up the gillgab 12000. He'd iterated on his childhood invention many times over the years, and he was positive this latest version could translate the language of any aquatic creature.

Slowly, the specimen's eyelids lifted to reveal glassy, electric blue irises. Jimmy held his breath and marveled at them before he leaned forward and spoke into the microphone. "Hello!"

The creature's eyes were now completely open, and panic spilled over its face. It raced around the tank in search of an escape, and Jimmy watched in astonishment at the speed and dexterity with which it moved.

"It's okay!" he tried to reassure it, "I'm not going to hurt you!"

Those intriguing eyes snapped towards the sound of his voice, and a look of pure menace spread across its face. A shiver ran down Jimmy's spine, as he stared at a mouthful of sharp teeth that looked significantly more threatening when bared in full.

"Can you understand me? Say something if you can!"

The pops and clicks that he heard from the tank lead to an error message instead of an actual translation. Jimmy cursed under his breath and hurriedly adjusted some knobs. "Can you understand me now?"

The creature's expression shifted slightly, and Jimmy heard a few more clicks came from the tank. Another error message. "Shit!" Jimmy said, and he fiddled with even more settings. A few taps on the glass drew his attention back to the tank. His captive was floating in place, and its menacing expression from before was nowhere to be seen.

"Can you understand me?" He asked again, with his expectations at rock bottom. Pops, clicks, and an error message. Letting out a heavy sigh he turned back to the control panel, but before he could adjust any more settings, there were several more knocks at the glass. He looked up, and decided to try a different approach. "If you can understand me, spin around." The creature did a pirouette and looked at him expectantly.

"You can! You can understand me!" He shouted with delight, and bounded towards the tank like an excited puppy.

The creature recoiled as he approached.

"It's okay, I already said I'm not going to hurt you." Jimmy tried again to reassure his captive. It swam in a circle once more and looked around the room before catching Jimmy's eyes again. "I… I don't know what you're trying to say. I have to fix the translator."

Chocolate hair followed by the pink tail gracefully ascended to the top of the tank and began pressing against the edges of the sealed cover.

"I can't let you out right now… um, Swimmy."

The creature made a displeased face, and Jimmy knew he'd picked a terrible name. He hummed as he tapped his head, "How about… Turner!" Jimmy said with delight, and watched the pink scales shimmer as the creature lived up to its new name. The scales! He thought, and approached the edge of the glass. "Turner, I know how to fix the translator, but… I um… I need one of your scales." The teeth were on full display again, and the merperson shot backward and took on a defensive pose. "It will only hurt for a second. I'll be careful, I promise." His words did little to reassure his captive, and Jimmy realized he'd need to take the scale by force. A feeling of guilt bubbled up inside of him, but he used the left side of his brain to push it back down. This was for science.

Walking back to the control panel, Jimmy pressed a few buttons, and a mechanical claw sprang out from the bottom of the tank. It clamped down on Turner's middle, and a struggle ensued. When thrashing around didn't work, the merman stretched his hands towards the middle of the robotic arm, and the water around it began to change. Jimmy watched in awe as the liquid around his contraption rapidly changed from frozen to boiling and back again. "You can control the vibration of the water molecules?" he asked excitedly, but there was no response. "Thermal shock isn't going to work; It's built to withstand kinetic fluctuations." His words had no effect, and he watched his captive panic and thrash even more. Jimmy's fingers danced across the display in front of him, and a smaller structure emerged from the floor. A dart pierced the creature's side, and seconds later, it went limp.

After several minutes, Jimmy had the scales he needed, and he worked quickly in hopes that he could get the translator working before Turner woke up. With his eyes nested into the eyepiece of his microscope, he was too engrossed in his work to notice when this actually happened.

"What the hell?!" The voice of his translation device made Jimmy jump.

His eyes widened in delight as he realized the adjustment he'd made were successful.

"It works!" He exclaimed.

"What did you do to my tail?!" Turner demanded, as he gestured at a bandage covering the patch of missing scales.

"I simply took a few scales to get the proper data to make the translation device function."

"You took my scales?!" Turner winced as his tail moved in a way that agitated the wound.

Jimmy felt that inconvenient guilt again.

"I didn't want to hurt you. This was necessary for us to communicate."

"I don't want to talk to you! You need to put me back in the ocean." Turner snapped.

"I can't. There's so much about you I don't understand yet; I need to study you." Jimmy had a pleading tone to his voice. This was his greatest discovery ever; he couldn't just let him go.

"Study me?!" Turner made a disgusted face, "No way! You're crazy if you think I'll let you do anything else to me."

Jimmy's guilt shifted into frustration. Why couldn't this creature be more cooperative?

"Well, I don't need you to participate willingly to study you." He moved his fingers across the control panel, but before he could execute any commands, his entire body seared with pain. Crying out, he doubled over and clutched his chest. As soon as it started though, the pain was gone, and he looked up to see a face full of menace.

"Try that one more time, and I'll make your blood boil," Turner said, and his needle sharp teeth were once again bared in full.

Fear welled up in every one of Jimmy's atoms. This thing was dangerous.

"You won't kill me. You need me to get out. I'm the only one with access to this lab, and the only one who knows how to open that tank."

"Then I guess you'd better open it," Turner said with a glare.

Jimmy realized this wasn't going anywhere, so he tried a different approach.

"Let me study you for a little while, and then I'll let you go, I promise."

Turner narrowed his eyes. "You have the rest of the day. Then you let me go, or I'll finish what I started, even if it means I rot in here."

"One day?!" Jimmy complained, "I need at least a month!"

"Looks like it's an early death then." Turner lifted his hands, and Jimmy flinched.

"Okay okay!" He held up his hands in surrender, and said "Give me two weeks?" He watched the creature consider his proposition. "Please," Jimmy pleaded.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Turner gave in.

"Fine. But no weird tests, and NO MORE SCALES."

"Yes!" Jimmy shouted with glee. "Okay, first, we can do a blood test, then we can-"

"No."

"You said I could study you!" Jimmy whined.

"You already took my scales today. You can do something else tomorrow."

Scowling, Jimmy accepted the condition, and resigned to study what he already had.

"So, I'm assuming when I found you, that you were pretty far from home. What were you doing so close to the surface?" he asked, while adjusting the scales on a slide for his microscope.

"That's not your business." Turner gave a short, almost angry response.

Jimmy groaned, "Turner, why can't you just give me something to work with here."

"We're not friends. I'm not going to make small talk with you while you stare at pieces of my body that you ripped off."

"That's not… that makes it sound awful." Jimmy frowned and looked down at the scales. They seemed a little less interesting now and a little more off putting.

"That's because it is. As far as I'm concerned, you're a monster, and I'm going to suffer through these two weeks and then never see you again."

The words cut through Jimmy. He knew he could get focused and become unaware of the consequences of his work, but he did try very hard to remember to be ethical.

"Look, I'm sorry. You don't understand how important this is for me. I… I need this."

"Whatever. Just leave me alone while you do whatever it is that's so important," Turner said, and silence filled the lab for the next few hours.

After a while, the translator's voice pulled Jimmy out of his intense focus.

"Hey, monster."

"I'm not a monster." Jimmy frowned at his captive.

"I'm hungry."

Jimmy set down his tools and walked across the lab to a large refrigerator. He pulled out a box and emptied its contents onto the nearby counter. Grabbing a vial and an eye dropper, he began adding liquid to the gills of each capelin.

"What are you doing?" Turner asked warily.

"Oh, now you want to talk." Jimmy's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Why can't you just give those to me? What are you putting in them?"

"It's vitamins. The way the fish are stored makes them lose a significant amount of nutrients."

"You expect me to believe that? What kind of shit are you testing on me?" Turner demanded.

Jimmy let out an exasperated breath, "Fine, if you want to be malnourished that's on you." He pushed the ones he'd prepared to the side, and put the others back into their original container. Walking up the stairs, he paused at the top of the tank. "Try anything, and you'll be stuck here, remember." Jimmy tried to sound confident, but he still felt his body tense up as he entered the code to retract the tank's cover.

As soon as it was far enough back, a stream of water blinded Jimmy, and he dropped the box as he recoiled. Wiping his eyes, he saw that Turner had pulled the entire box into the water and was devouring the fish at a rapid pace. A shiver ran down Jimmy's spine, as he made a mental note to never be in the same water as those teeth.

"Do you have any more?" Turner asked eagerly.

"Just the ones with the vitamins added. The rest won't be here till tomorrow."

He watched the merman weigh the risks of ingesting unknown fluids and then push the box back towards the edge of the tank. "Okay. I'll have those ones then."

Pulling the sopping cardboard out of the water, Jimmy walked back down the stairs to retrieve the other fish.

"You know, Monster, I guess you're not as bad as I thought." Turner said as the rest of the capelin were dumped into the tank.

"Please stop calling me that." Jimmy frowned. "My name is Jimmy. Jimmy Neutron."

"Okay," Turner said between fish. "I'm Timmy. Timmy Turner."

"Wait that's actually your name?" Jimmy said as he sat down and leaned back against the guardrail.

"Yeah, but, I gave you so many hints. Also Swimmy is such a basic name. You really couldn't think of anything else to call me?"

"Hey, Swimmy Turner is not that far off from Timmy Turner. They're almost identical, so really it was an amazing name to give you."

Timmy laughed and finished the last of the fish. "Whatever you say, Neutron."

They looked at each other for a moment, and uncertainty hung between them.

"It's late," Jimmy announced, as he stood up. "I don't know what kind of light conditions you're used to, so tell me how you want me to leave the lab."

Timmy looked at him curiously. "You care about what light levels I'm used to sleeping in?"

"Look, I'm not a monster like you kept accusing me of being. Just tell me what you're used to, and I'll make it happen."

Timmy described a myriad of small glowing spots that decorated the environment he was used to. Once Jimmy was finished setting everything up, the lab looked almost magical. The main lights were completely off, and only fairy lights and a few larger lamps emitted a soft glow.

"Is this right?"

"Yeah," Timmy said, "thank you."

"Why do you sound sad if I got it right?" Jimmy asked.

"Hmm?" Timmy seemed lost in thought. "It just makes me homesick."

Guilt crashed over Jimmy, and his exhaustion had eaten away at his usual ability to detach from it. He walked over to the tank, and for the first time noticed that in the dark, the flecks of gold on Timmy's tail glowed like the fairy lights.

"Timmy, I'll let you go in two weeks. I promise." He pressed a hand to the glass, hoping that he could grasp some sort of forgiveness or understanding from this creature to ease his conscience.

"I wish I could trust you." Turner gave a hopeless smile before retreating to the opposite side of the tank, and Jimmy's heart sank.

After sealing the lab door behind himself, Jimmy made his way to his car. He sat there for a few minutes before starting it, and then dropped his head forward onto the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, he tried to convince himself that this scientific knowledge he would gain warranted the temporary captivity of this being. The drive home felt longer than normal, and he must have repeated the words it's for science hundreds of times. Sleep eluded him, and he ended up working on his laptop for the majority of the night. When he finally did drift off to sleep, he thought he saw fairy lights in the corners of his vision.

Shuffling into the lab and nursing a cup of coffee, Jimmy flicked on the lights. Heavy eyelids opened, and he realized Timmy had still been asleep.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he lugged his satchel onto the nearby countertop and took another long sip from his coffee.

"Why are you here so early?" Timmy complained.

"It's not early, you're just sleeping in late. Also I only have two weeks with you, so there's no time to waste."

"Two weeks of hell." Timmy did a small flip in the water and played dead.

"It won't be hell," Jimmy said as pulled out an array of colorful rings. He walked up the stairs and opened the top of the tank. "Here. Play with these while I get some stuff set up." He tossed the rings into the water, before turning to go.

"What am I supposed to do with these?" Timmy made a face as he caught a few on his arms.

"I don't know." Jimmy's voice was tired. "I tried to research what aquatic creatures like to play with."

"I'm not a trained seal," Timmy said with disdain.

Jimmy let out a groan and said, "Whatever, don't play with them then." He turned his attention to gathering up the blood collection kit and getting all the vials in order. When he finally turned around, he saw Timmy had become quite engrossed in exploring how he could manipulate the rings in the water. Jimmy realized, not only could he control the temperature of the water, but also cause it to move and swirl however he wanted. Their eyes met, and Timmy dropped his hands. He looked embarrassed to be caught actually playing with the toys. It was cute. "Okay, play time is over." Jimmy teased, and once again climbed the steps to the platform at the top of the tank.

Timmy stayed low in the water, and cautiously said, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take some blood samples. It won't hurt, I promise."

"You know, my tail still hurts from yesterday. It's hard to trust you."

Jimmy frowned, "I know, and if you let me, I'll give you painkillers and change your bandage, but only if you want."

"I want your coffee."

"What?" Jimmy questioned, as he watched Timmy swim to the surface.

"Bring me your coffee." His eyes peered over the surface of the water while the rest of his body stayed submerged.

"Coffee after this. I don't want it affecting the results."

"Fine. What do you need me to do?" Timmy had swam to the edge of the platform now, and his whole head was above water.

"Can you breathe out of the water?"

"No."

"Okay, well, just put your arm up here then."

Timmy did as instructed, and propped himself up onto the platform. He was only able to keep the lower half of his torso submerged. "Make it quick. It's hard for me to breathe like this."

Jimmy did his best to move swiftly. "Make a fist." he walked Timmy through each step, and soon enough, blood was flowing into the vials.

"How much are you taking?" Timmy asked as he saw Jimmy switch out the fifth vial.

"Three more."

"Oh my god, are you trying to kill me?"

"No, I'm trying to make it so I don't have to do this again." There was silence as Jimmy got the last of what he needed. "Put pressure on this." He pressed a cotton ball to Timmy's arm as soon as he pulled the needle out.

Struggling to stay balanced, Timmy did as he was told, and Jimmy took the samples down to his chemical analyzer.

"Hurry, Neutron," Timmy said.

"Sorry." Jimmy bounded back up the steps and replaced the cotton ball with a waterproof bandage.

Timmy slipped back into the water, and relief washed over him.

"Coffee," he whined and dramatically showed off his bandage.

Jimmy retrieved his now cold pour over, and brought it back to Timmy.

"Why do you want this?"

"I've always wanted to try coffee. Adults always seemed so obsessed with it."

"Wait, you've been to the surface before?" Jimmy's curiosity was sparked anew.

"Not your business." Timmy's words had less of a bite this time, but it was still clear he wasn't going to spill anything.

"It's cold," Jimmy said as he crouched down and took off the lid. "You should probably heat it up," he said as he handed over the cup.

"Got it," Timmy said. He held his hand over the cup, and steam began to rise. Jimmy watched him carefully take his first sip. "BLAGH!" Sticking his tongue out in disgust, he shoved the cup back towards Jimmy. "This is terrible! Why are you drinking this stuff?"

"It's not bad! This is the best coffee in town!" Jimmy defended.

"Well then this town has AWFUL coffee."

Jimmy sighed and stood up.

"Hey wait, you said you had painkillers for me."

"You trust me now?"

Timmy hesitated, "I don't think I have many other options."

Jimmy brought him a few pills, and did his best to convince him to let him change his bandage.

"I don't want to be hung upside down." Timmy crossed his arms.

"How else am I supposed to access your tail while keeping your gills submerged so you can keep breathing?"

"You're a genius. Figure it out."

After several more minutes of bickering, Jimmy finally got Timmy to give in. He worked quickly, and afterwards said, "You shouldn't need this after tomorrow. I'm sorry, again."

"If you're really sorry, throw these rings for me." Timmy drew them up to the surface with his powers, and splashed them onto Jimmy's feet.

"Ugh! You got me wet!"

"Don't be such a baby." Timmy splashed Jimmy with even more water.

With a scoff and a scowl, Jimmy picked up the colored toys and began throwing them randomly into the tank. Timmy slid each one onto his arms with ease and then returned to the edge.

"Make it harder," He demanded.

"No, I need to get to work." Jimmy began to descend the stairs.

"You're no fun." Timmy pouted, and swam down so they stayed on the same level.

"I'm fun, I'm just busy."

"Yeah, that's what people who aren't fun say."

"Fine." Jimmy took this as a challenge, and marched back to the top. "Give me the rings." Once Jimmy had them, he sealed the tank.

"Hey, my rings!"

"I'm making this harder," Jimmy said and then spent the next hour transforming the plastic rings into mechanical ones. Once he was finished, he ascended to the top of the tank and retracted the lid once more. "Here," he said as he tossed each one into the water.

Timmy repeated his movements from before, but the rings responded and evaded his reach.

"Whoa! This is so cool!" Timmy exclaimed as he raced through the water in pursuit of his new toys.

"See, I'm fun."

"Okay, Neutron. You win; You're fun." Timmy smiled before returning to his quest.

Jimmy felt a sense of satisfaction when he heard those words, and felt a bit lighter when he saw Timmy's smile. He dismissed it as simply relieving his guilt from before, but as he continued working that day, his brain kept getting distracted with ideas for new gifts for Timmy. By the end of the day he felt frustrated that he hadn't made more progress analyzing the samples.

"Neutron, bring me fish," Timmy said.

"You could at least ask nicely." Jimmy frowned.

"Please, feed your captive." Timmy turned upside down and mocked distress.

Jimmy rolled his eyes and moved across the room to prepare some food.

"Wait, no, are those squid?" Timmy said with dismay as he pressed up against the glass.

"Yes, What's wrong with squid?"

"Jimmy, I hate squid. Give me capelin like yesterday."

"Those are still defrosting."

"Jimmyyyyy" Timmy whined.

"You sound like a brat who's used to getting everything he's ever wished for."

"Well I'm used to not eating squid…"

Jimmy let out a strong exhale. "Do you want to try human food?"

"YES!" Timmy's eyes lit up, and Jimmy felt another flash of happiness. "Okay, can you get me pizza? With pepperoni."

"Wait, how do you know about pizza?" Jimmy asked in confusion.

"It's a secret." Timmy winked.

"Fine," Jimmy rubbed his temples in frustration. Why was he trying so hard to make Timmy happy? "Is that your only request?"

"Mountain Dew."

"What is wrong with you?" Jimmy said with disgust.

"Please Jimmy, it's been way too long since I've had it."

"So you've definitely been to the surface before. Who gave you that stuff?"

"It doesn't matter, just bring it to me," Timmy said stubbornly. "It's the least you can do for all you're putting me through."

"Fine," Jimmy conceded, and slipped off his lab coat. "I'll be back in half an hour."

"Thank you!" Timmy sang as he swam in circles with delight. Jimmy couldn't help but be captivated by his bright smile. He's so cute when he's happy. The moment the thought bubbled up, Jimmy scrunched up his face and tried to chase it out of his mind. Focus, Neutron. You've got to stay on track with your research. Although, he wasn't quite sure what scientific discoveries he was hoping to get out of feeding a merperson pizza and mountain dew.

Once he got back, those energetic blue eyes were waiting for him.

"Pizza!" Timmy shouted and swam to the surface of the water. Jimmy met him there and uncovered the tank. He crouched down and set the offerings at the platform's edge. "Don't get it all wet. Some of it's for me."

"Okay okay, just give me the pizza." Timmy held out his hands impatiently, and Jimmy gave him a slice. Then, he sat back and grabbed a piece of his own and watched Turner's face transform into true bliss.

"This is SO much better than I remember."

"How did you get pizza before?"

"Dude, you need to buy me like, ten more pizzas before I tell you that."

Jimmy chuckled and said, "Okay. I think I have time to do that in the next two weeks." They sat together in silence for a while munching their pizza. Then Jimmy watching in horror as Timmy chugged the 20oz bottle of mountain dew in mere seconds.

"So," Timmy finally broke the silence, "Why is studying me so important to you?"

Jimmy felt his chest tighten.

"None of your business," he muttered and looked away.

"Okay, fine." Timmy's words were short, and the last two slices of pizza were covered in water as he used his powers to dump all the electronic rings from earlier into the box. Then he swam down to the bottom of the tank and stayed very still.

Jimmy cleaned everything up in silence.

"Goodnight," he called out before flicking off the lights. The lab transformed into that fairy like world, but the glow of Timmy's tail seemed more dull than before. Jimmy waited for a response, but there was nothing, so he sighed and left.

The next morning, Jimmy struggled with the lab door as he tried to balance two tumblers instead of one.

"I'm back," he called out as he began to deposit his belonging at his desk. Climbing the stairs, he brought one of the cups up to the top of the tank. "Here," he said, as he sat cross legged and placed the cup at the edge of the metal platform. "You'll like this more than yesterday's coffee."

"I don't want your peace offering," Timmy said, as he stayed low in the water.

"You sure? It's better than mountain dew." Jimmy smiled.

"Nothing is better than mountain dew." Timmy's eyes peeked above the water line as he swam towards the edge.

Jimmy leaned back against the rails, as he watched Timmy carefully sip the mystery drink. Warmth fluttered in his chest as he watched Timmy's eyes widen and sparkle.

"Jimmy, it's amazing!" he cried out, before proceeding to drink the rest entirely too quickly. "What is this?"

"Coffee."

"No. You're lying. This is way better than the coffee you gave me before."

"It's called a purple haze," Jimmy began, "it's espresso, steamed milk, and lavender and vanilla syrup."

"Can I have more?" Timmy placed the empty cup back onto the metal platform.

"No." Jimmy grabbed the tumbler and made his way back down the stairs.

"That's so unfair! You're torturing me; You owe me." Timmy complained as he followed Jimmy down.

"I'll bring you more tomorrow. Promise." Jimmy winked, and began setting up for the day's tasks. "So it's just x-rays and MRIs today. You don't have to do much, except for stay still, which I'm realizing is very hard for you."

"Just put me to sleep again," Timmy said.

Jimmy frowned and said, "It's not great to have that stuff in your system. I don't want to do it more than necessary."

"Since when do you care about my well-being," Timmy replied with a mocking tone.

"Since I first saw you." Jimmy caught a look of surprise from Timmy as their eyes met. "Okay then, let's start."

The day went fairly quickly. Jimmy ran his tests, and then spent the majority of his time analyzing the results. Occasionally, he would look up from his work to see Timmy playing with the rings, and he realized how nice it was to not be alone in his lab.

"No pizza tonight," he said, as he started to prepare the capelin.

"Jimmy please," Timmy drew out the last word as he turned and made a pouting face.

"You can't live on only pizza, and pouting all the time isn't going to work on me."

"Well it has so far…" Timmy crossed his arms and looked away.

Jimmy realized he was right. It had worked on him; he had given Timmy everything he asked for. It wasn't something he could justify logically, but he just wanted to make him happy. Maybe it was to make up for all the tests. Yeah, that had to be it.

"Pizza every 3 days, purple haze every morning, and a surprise at the end of the week. Otherwise, fish."

"A surprise!?" Timmy's eyes widened. Jimmy loved seeing him so excited.

"Yes, but only if you're good," he teased.

"I'm not your pet." Timmy frowned at him before swimming upwards.

"Well, I guess you don't want your surprise then." Jimmy met him at the top with the prepared fish.

"I'm so good already, I'm doing everything you ask." Timmy complained as he waited for Jimmy to pour the fish into the water.

"That's true. That's why you're on track for the surprise; just keep it up." Jimmy dumped the fish into the water and laughed when Timmy scowled at him before he began munching on the fish.

The next few days passed in a similar fashion. They would share coffee in the morning, Jimmy would run tests, and then give Timmy the latest toy he's made for him. Then, he would focus on his work for the rest of the day.

On their fifth day together, it was pizza night again. Jimmy was getting used to the discomfort of sitting on the floor against the guardrail, and hardly noticed anything besides Timmy's company.

"So, I thought you said you were good at math," Timmy said between bites.

"I am good at math; I'm the best," Jimmy said with easy confidence.

"So I guess you decided you don't want to find out how I had pizza before this."

"What do you mean?" Jimmy gave him a confused look.

"I said, you needed to buy me at least ten more pizzas for that information, and at this rate, with only one pizza every three days, you won't get there in time."

Jimmy laughed, "I didn't think you were serious."

"I'm serious." Timmy's eyes held the most sincerity Jimmy had seen so far.

"Okay, I guess it's pizza every night for the rest of your stay then."

"YES!" Timmy cried out in delight and did a small flip in the water.

"Hey!" Jimmy held up his hand to block the splash of water.

"Sorry." Timmy grinned as he swam closer, and propped himself up on the edge with his elbows. "You know, if you follow through with your surprise day after tomorrow, I'll give you a surprise too."

"How could you give me a surprise?" Jimmy said, confused. "You don't have anything to give me."

"Oh ye of little faith." Timmy slipped back into the water. "But you know, I'll only give it to you if you behave." He stuck his tongue out and winked.

"What, is all this pizza not enough?" Jimmy laughed as he reached down and sent a playful splash towards Timmy.

"Never enough pizza." Timmy dipped his head below the surface, and when he emerged sent an arc of water from his mouth into the air. It gracelessly landed on Jimmy's head, and ruined his carefully gelled hair.

"Hey!" Jimmy feigned annoyance and leaned forward, sending many more splashes toward his tormentor. "What happened to good behavior?!"

"This behavior is good for you." Timmy grinned and returned to the edge of the platform. Jimmy smiled back, and got a little lost in those sparkling eyes.

"Um, it's late." He looked away, and began to gather up the trash from their dinner.

"Aw, just when we were starting to have fun." Timmy swam circles in the tank as he watched Jimmy walk down the stairs.

"We have tomorrow," Jimmy reminded him.

"Not for long."

Timmy's words hit Jimmy harder than he'd anticipated. He'd been ignoring the fact that they were on a time limit, and had yet to come to terms with their inevitable end.

"That's…" he trailed off.

"Hold on," Timmy pressed his hands to the glass. "you promised you'd let me go."

"I know," Jimmy couldn't quite bring himself to make eye contact. "I will; I'll let you go," he struggled to say.

"You're not making it easy for me to trust you," Timmy said, his voice tinged with worry.

"I'll let you go," Jimmy spoke with conviction, and he matched a hand to Timmy's on the glass. "I promise."

They held each other's stare for a moment, before Timmy said, "Okay." Then he dropped his hands and floated away from the glass.

Jimmy sighed and turned to go. As he left the lab that night, he thought about why he'd wanted to study Timmy in the first place. Would he really be able to keep his promise?

The next day, they didn't say much to each other. Even pizza was eaten mostly in silence. But the day after that, things changed.

"After dinner, you get your surprise," Jimmy said, as they began to eat. "You've been incredibly helpful this past week, so thank you."

"I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" Timmy responded, and Jimmy felt that guilt gnawing at him again.

"Well, I appreciate it away," he said with a sigh and then pulled out a small box. "Here." He pushed it towards Timmy. "My mom makes the best cherry pie."

Timmy's face made an expression that Jimmy couldn't quite read. "Your mom," he said in a faraway voice.

"Yes? Sorry, you don't have to eat it, I just thought-"

"No, it's great," Timmy quickly said, and took a bite. "I love it." He smiled up at Jimmy, before thoughtfully eating the rest of the piece. Jimmy had never seen him move so slowly.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want,"

"No, I really like it!" he assured him.

"Okay." Jimmy sat back and stared at the ceiling for a while, before he felt a damp hand cover his.

"Your turn for a surprise," Timmy said with a mischievous grin.

Jimmy eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "Timmy, no-" He was yanked forward, and splashed into the water. "TIMMY!" he shouted, "this is not-" His words were cut off when something covered his mouth. Timmy's lips were pressed against his, and a shockwave went through his body. Before he could react, Timmy's mouth shifted up to his nose, and then Jimmy was pulled completely under the water. Oh my god, he's going to drown me, Jimmy thought, as he struggled helplessly against being pulled further and further down.

"Neutron, calm down!" Timmy commanded, as Jimmy continued to struggle wildly. "Hey!" Timmy grabbed his face, and forced Jimmy to focus on him. "Look." Timmy moved him so that he could see his reflection in the glass. His mouth and nose were encased in a bubble, and he inhaled sharply. Realizing he could breathe, he turned to back to Timmy. "You can talk too," Timmy instructed.

"How did you do this?" Jimmy asked, eyes sparkling with amazement.

"Surprise!" Timmy grinned and spread his arms out in a ta-da fashion. Jimmy turned back to his reflection and brought his hands to the bubble. It was stable, and held up against is poking and prodding. "It won't last forever," Timmy explained, "but it's pretty cool."

"It's more than cool!" Jimmy exclaimed, "It's… it's… we have to study this and discover all of its properties."

Timmy laughed, and said, "You want to do this again? You liked kissing me that much, huh?"

Jimmy felt his face flush, "No! That's not- this is For Research Purposes Only!"

Timmy let out a bright giggle, and swam circles around Jimmy. "Whatever you say, Neutron."

The rest of their night together passed quickly. When it was time to say goodbye, Jimmy felt his chest tighten; their time was halfway up. He needed to make the most of what they had left.

The next couple of days, Jimmy found himself spending more time visiting bakeries to get treats for Timmy and making him new toys than he did actually doing any research.

One morning, when Jimmy presented him with a chocolate croissant, Timmy said, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

The question caught Jimmy off guard, and his brain started working overtime to figure it out. "Um… to make up for putting you through all this," he said as he sat down at the platform's edge.

"All what? You've barely done any tests on me lately." Timmy munched on the croissant.

"Well… I'm still keeping you here against your will." Jimmy kept his eyes down as he spoke.

"It's okay; I agreed to this. Also, it's not that bad."

"It's not?" Jimmy turned to look at Timmy, who nodded as he took the last bite of his treat.

"Let's… practice the bubble thing again." Timmy said, as he propped himself on his elbows to be more level with Jimmy. "I have one more thing to show you."

"Okay." Jimmy leaned down. They hadn't actually tried this again since that first time. He paused briefly, before Timmy pulled himself up a bit and closed the gap. It felt different this time. It was softer, and his heart stuttered as he felt Timmy's hand on the back of his head. The almost pleasant sensation quickly turned to discomfort as lips covered his nostrils. He didn't think he'd ever get used to that awkward feeling. It didn't last long though, and he was pulled into the water.

"Okay." Timmy floated in front of him, "I need you to be still." Jimmy stayed as motionless as he could, but flinched slightly when Timmy placed his fingertips on his forehead. "Be still, Neutron."

"That's rich, coming from you."

Timmy smirked at him, before bringing his attention back to the task at hand. Slowly, he ran his hands down the sides of Jimmy's face, shoulders, arms, torso, and finally his legs and feet. A tingling sensation was left wherever he touched, and Jimmy felt his body start to shift.

"Done," Timmy announced as he floated away.

Jimmy looked down, and startled when he realized his legs were gone. They had been replaced by a deep blue tail with silver flecks, and he looked back at Timmy in disbelief. "No, this isn't possible!"

There was that bright smile again, "It's magic! Not everything has to make sense." Timmy smiled and grabbed Jimmy's hands, "let's teach you how to swim."

After a bit, Jimmy started to get the hang of using his tail. Timmy still swam circles around him though, and he realized he would need a lot more practice to be even half as adept as him.

"Oh! Can you teach me how to manipulate the water molecules?" Jimmy asked excitedly.

"Not exactly," Timmy frowned. "I'd have to make this permanent for you to be able to do that."

"You can make this permanent?"

"Mhm," Timmy hummed.

Jimmy took another look at his tail. What would it be like to have this permanently?

"You know, it's actually pretty great to have a tail." Timmy spun around before adding, "Way better than legs."

"How would you know?" Jimmy teased.

"Because I used to have them."

Jimmy was shocked that Timmy had actually said anything about his past. "You did? How did you become a merperson then? When did it happen?"

"Questions for another day," Timmy said as he swam towards Jimmy. He repeated the movements from before, and Jimmy felt his body change. Everything melted back to the way it used to be. Their was sense of heaviness now. Being in the water no longer felt light and easy.

"I wasn't ready to turn back," Jimmy said.

"You can't stay like that for too long." Timmy said, "Otherwise you'll take damage."

"Take damage?" Jimmy questioned.

"Yeah, like in video games."

"That's really the best way you could explain it?"

"Yeah. You've got a better vocabulary than me," Timmy said and took Jimmy's hands into his own. He swam back up to the surface, and when their heads emerged from the water, Jimmy felt the bubble around his mouth pop. "Just in time." Timmy smiled.

"We have to do that again," Jimmy insisted.

Timmy laughed and said, "I knew you liked kissing me."

"Stop saying that!" Jimmy demanded.

"Well, you're not denying it." Timmy swam a circle around Jimmy.

"I hate it when you put your mouth on my nose. It feels so gross."

"But here is fine?" Timmy grinned playfully as he touched a finger to Jimmy's lips.

Yes flashed into Jimmy's mind, and he felt his face flush. The absurdity of that thought made him to scrunch up his face, and Timmy started to laugh. "You're so easy to tease," he said, as he floated backwards. Jimmy attempted to regain his composure and swam back to the ledge. Once he was out of the water, Timmy dried his clothes in an instant and flashed him a smile.

"Thanks," Jimmy muttered, as he stared at the floor. After a moments pause, he turned back towards Timmy and asked, "Can you do the reverse? Can you turn human?"

"Yeah, but I've never tried it," Timmy said.

"Well, try it," Jimmy said.

Timmy nodded and closed his eyes. He looked more concentrated than Jimmy had ever seen him, and what happened next seemed truly magical. There was a shimmer, and Timmy's body began to shift. His skin brightened to a more rose tone, and his long tail was replaced by legs covered in bright pink shorts. Atop his now gill-less torso was a heather gray t-shirt with a yellow star on it, and when he opened his eyes, they were a more natural light blue.

"It worked!" Timmy's voice surprised Jimmy. It was so animated and cheerful; so unlike the voice of his translator.

"Your voice…" Jimmy was even more captivated than before.

Timmy pulled himself up onto the platform, and as he stood up said, "I've got vocal chords now, baby." His wide grin showed off his buck teeth, and he aimed his hands at his body and dried his clothes.

Then, with a mischievous grin, he darted past Jimmy.

"Turner!" Jimmy shouted as he watched Timmy slip on the wet floor and plunge forward. Reaching out, Jimmy caught him just in time.

"You have to be careful!" he scolded, "you almost fell down the stairs!" Tightening his arms around Timmy's waist, he realized just how small it felt. Timmy looked back at him with a smile and wrapped his arms around Jimmy's in return.

Startled by the gesture, Jimmy let go and stepped back.

Taking advantage of the distance between them, Timmy bounded down the steps and shouted, "I'm free!"

"Wait! Don't touch anything!" Jimmy begged, as he followed as quickly as possible. Timmy was faster though, and he made it to a row of shelves and started grabbing anything he could before he could be stopped.

"What does this do?" he said, as he pointed a device at Jimmy.

"Timmy don't, that's-"

Too late. The room around Jimmy began to grow, and he realized Timmy had used the shrink ray. "Timmy!" he called out, as he was scooped up into Timmy's palms.

"You're adorable when you're small," he said, before gently placing Jimmy in a nearby beaker.

"Hey! Let me out!" Jimmy protested, as he watched Timmy bounce off to explore the rest of the lab.

"Turnabout is fair play!" he called out, as he began to touch anything and everything he could get his hands on.

"Timmy that stuff is dangerous, let me out!" Jimmy pleaded, as he was filled with a newfound understanding for what he'd put Timmy through. He waited helplessly in his cage, and finally, Timmy returned. Picking up the glass with a bit more enthusiasm than necessary, Jimmy was knocked to the side and felt a sudden pain. "Ah!" he cried out, "you're hurting me!"

"Turnabout is fair play." Timmy's voice no longer held any playfulness, and Jimmy felt his guilt bubble up again.

Slowly, Timmy tipped the jar so Jimmy could climb out onto the floor. He picked up the shrink ray and asked, "How do I change you back?"

After giving careful instructions, Jimmy was back to his regular size.

"You shouldn't have gone through all my stuff!" Jimmy huffed, as he hid his guilt under anger.

"Relax, It's not like I broke anything." Timmy frowned.

"That's not the point. You shouldn't have gone through my lab without my permission."

Timmy's frown deepened, and he said "Well it's not like you had a problem taking my scales without my permission."

Jimmy glanced down to see a faint scar on Timmy's leg where the patch of missing scales would have been if he'd had his tail, and felt even worse.

"I said I was sorry," Jimmy complained.

"That doesn't change what you did. You know what, maybe I will break something." Timmy's hands moved easily as he guided a blob of water out of the tank and hovered it over one of Jimmy's computers.

"Timmy, wait! Please," Jimmy begged, "I- I'm sorry. I know I messed up. You have to forgive me."

Timmy narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to forgive you. I'll spare your precious equipment, but you have to tell me why you did all this in the first place."

"Yes, of course! I'll explain everything, just put the water back."

Timmy sighed and rolled his eyes as he guided his weapon back into the tank. "Start talking, Neutron."

They sat together on an old green couch nested between two bookcases, and Jimmy began to explain the events of the past year.

He'd hit a wall with his work. He hadn't been able to make any new inventions or discoveries for an entire year, and he was starting to fall out of both the public eye and the research circles he was a part of.

"But then I found you! And I knew if I could present this brand new discovery, people would pay attention again; they would recognize what a genius I am!" Jimmy finished up his story, and realized Timmy's face had turned to complete disgust.

"What?! Your plan was to experiment on me and then show me off like some trophy for an ego boost?"

"Why are you making it sound so bad?" Jimmy asked as he tried to process why Timmy was so upset.

"I'm not making it sound bad, it just is. I guess you really are a monster." Timmy stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"Timmy wait," Jimmy followed him, but Timmy didn't slow at all. He quickly made his way to the top of the tank, and then with a shimmer, dropped back into the water as a merperson.

"Timmy," Jimmy pressed his hands against the glass.

"Five more days, and then I'm gone," Timmy snapped, "and don't forget what I'll do if you go back on your word."

Jimmy felt an unexpected sense of loss. Silence filled the lab, and he wondered if he could ever recover from his mistakes.

The next day, Timmy didn't say a word. Jimmy still left coffee and cookies near the water, but they remained untouched. He resigned himself to study what he'd already gathered, and didn't even attempt to gather any samples or run any tests. When the night was done and even the pizza was left untouched, Jimmy turned to leave.

"You know this is pointless." Timmy's voice finally broke the silence. "No one is going to believe anything you've gotten from this if you don't have me as proof."

Jimmy paused, and then turned back towards the tank. "I know. I'm still trying to figure out a way to circumvent that."

"I hope it doesn't work. I hope no one believes you."

Jimmy could see the intense hatred in Timmy's eyes.

"I know. That's probably what I deserve." He turned to go, but then remembered, "That pizza still counts. Even if you didn't eat it."

"What?" Timmy swam to the edge of the glass.

"Ten pizzas. And you tell me how you became a merperson."

"You're still hung up on that? There's no point to this; no one will believe anything you say."

"I still care," he said and then turned and left.

The following day was filled with more silence and more untouched treats at the edge of the water, but Jimmy had a plan.

That night he returned with not one, but three pizzas.

"Timmy," he called out at the top of the steps. There was no response, and so he tossed two rings into the water and pressed a few buttons on his watch. They raced towards Timmy and slid onto his arms before pulling him up to the surface.

"Hey!" Timmy said sharply, as he yanked his arms free.

"Three plus seven is ten. Tell me your story."

"I'm not eating any of this, and I'm not telling you anything." Timmy glared at him, eyes just above the water level.

"Tell me, and I'll let you go tonight," Jimmy said.

Timmy's eyes widened, and he replied, "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Jimmy sat down, and waited patiently for Timmy to start.

"There's no way you're serious." Timmy swam over and perched on the edge of the platform like he'd done so many times before.

"I am. You were right, no one is going to believe me if I don't have you as evidence, so there's no point in keeping you here any longer. I have to satisfy my own curiosity though, so tell me how you became a merperson."

Timmy held his breath for a few beats, before he cautiously said, "You'll really let me go?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other, and then Timmy began his tale.

Shortly after turning ten, his parents had taken him on a cruise. They usually left him at home for these sorts of things, but ended up bringing him along this time. Just like they did at home though, they largely ignored him on the trip. They were always busy with something and difficult to find, so Timmy became increasingly bored and lonely. One night, he wandered the deck and looked at the reflection of the stars in the water. A glint caught his eye, and he leaned forward to get a better look. Suddenly, he slipped and crashed into the water. By the time he surfaced and called out for help, the ship was almost completely passed. No one heard him, and he was stuck treading water and panicking. Finally, his body gave out and he floated down into the black water. His lungs burned and his vision blurred, and the last thing he saw were two bright lights: one pink and one green.

"When I finally came to, I had been transformed. The world I was in was unrecognizable. It was much more magical than in any textbook you've ever seen. The two that had saved me introduced themselves as Cosmo and Wanda, and said they were my new adoptive parents. I learned that in mer-world, if adults found a child drowning, they would save them by changing them into a merkid and adopting them. I stayed with them until I turned eighteen. They said, once I was grown up I could turn back into a human. I wanted to see if my birth parents remembered me or if they cared at all that I was gone, so I came up here."

Jimmy stared at him in disbelief. "So this was your first time to the surface since you drowned, and I put you through all this?"

"Yes." Timmy rested his cheek on his arms and looked away.

"Timmy, I'm so sorry. Shit, I-" Jimmy had no idea what to say; he felt awful. "You were right. I am a monster. I'll take you to see your parents right now. Transform, and we can-"

"No, Jimmy, it's fine." Timmy gave him a weak smile. "I decided, while I was here, that I'm not going to see them. I want to go back to the ocean."

"Why? I thought that was the whole point of you coming up here?"

"It was, but, Wanda said that if I transform back into a human and make it permanent, that I'll forget everything about being a merperson and everything that happened because of it. Maybe my parents missed me and maybe they didn't, but I've made up my mind. I can't leave Cosmo and Wanda. They're my only real family, and nothing is worth forgetting them."

"But can't you just visit sometimes?"

"No." Timmy laughed sadly. "You showed me that's not a good idea."

Jimmy was drowning in guilt. "But surely if you visited them and decided to stay, we could write everything down. I could tell you everything you forgot; you could stay and still-"

"Jimmy, that won't work," Timmy interrupted him. "I won't believe you."

"Why not?"

"Because I'll forget you too."

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course Timmy would forget him; they'd met because he was a merperson.

The silence hung heavy between them.

"I'm glad I met you though," Timmy said softly. "You're… I don't know the right word… significant."

Their eyes met, and Jimmy's heart snapped in half. Suddenly everything was clear: why he'd been so nice to Timmy, why he'd given him everything he wanted, and why his heart skipped a beat when he saw him smile. He'd fallen in love.

"I don't want to let you go," the words tumbled out of his mouth, and Timmy's expression turned to one of intense worry.

"You promised!" he shouted and retreated away from the ledge.

"No, it's okay!" Jimmy held out his hands in assurance. "That's not what I meant. I'm going to let you go, it's just…" he sat back and pressed his palms together while he tried to think. "What do you miss most about being up here? What was the most fun place for you?"

"The arcade," Timmy replied, as he tentatively swam back to the platform.

"Okay, let's go." Jimmy stood up.

"What?" Timmy said in confusion.

"Transform," Jimmy commanded. "You have time before you take damage or whatever you call it. We're going to the arcade."

Timmy's body shifted, and he let Jimmy help him out of the water.

"Are we really going to the arcade?" Timmy said.

"Yes. We're going wherever you want."

Timmy grinned as they stood face to face, and Jimmy's heart did a somersault. He was going to miss that smile with every fiber of his being.

"Take my hand, Turner," Jimmy said and held his own out.

"Uh…" Timmy shifted awkwardly and looked away.

Jimmy scoffed and grabbed Timmy's hand. He laced their fingers together, and the two of them paused for a moment. A slight blush spread across Jimmy's cheeks, and it was mirrored in Timmy's as well.

"This is so you don't run away," he said.

Timmy nodded and squeezed Jimmy's hand a little tighter.

They walked out into the night, and for the next few hours, the past and the future ceased to exist.

Bright lights, and loud sounds danced between them as they went in and out of every arcade in town. They even found a coffee shop that was open late so Timmy could have one more purple haze latte.

But eventually, their time was up. They found themselves sitting at the edge of the abandoned docks staring over the dark water.

"You know, this doesn't have to be the end," Timmy said as he shifted closer to Jimmy.

Jimmy felt hope flutter in his chest and grabbed both Timmy's hands in his. "You're right!" he said excitedly, "you can come back. We'll just be really careful, and-"

"No."

Timmy's response sliced through Jimmy, and the butterflies in his stomach turned into rocks. "But, you can come with me." Timmy let go of Jimmy's hands, and ran the tips of his finger from his forehead and down the sides of his face. The same movements that he'd used to initiate transformation.

"Timmy…" Jimmy brought his own hands up to hold Timmy's again and felt like he was being ripped in half. How could he choose between the two most important things to him?

"…I can't leave my work." He chocked on the words, and saw sadness seep into Timmy's gorgeous blue eyes.

"Right. This was for research purposes only." Timmy's sad smile tore Jimmy up a thousand times over.

"Timmy, no, you're-"

A finger pressed to Jimmy's lips, and Timmy said,

"It's okay. I'll miss our research though." He slipped his hand behind Jimmy's head and dug his fingers into his hair. A shiver ran down Jimmy's spine as Timmy pulled him closer and their lips crashed together like waves on the shore. They soaked up every drop of each other's presence, until Timmy finally pulled away and said, "We're out of time."

Jimmy leaned forward and kissed him one last time. His brain worked overtime as he tried to figure out how to keep them together. He came up empty though, and Timmy stood up. "Bye, Jimmy Neutron."

With a smile, Timmy did the same spin he'd done so many days ago to hint his name to Jimmy, and then dropped backwards into the water.

"Timmy!" Jimmy shouted as he watched the shimmering form disappear. His breathing picked up, and his body started shaking. Eyes glued to the center of the ripples left behind, he waited for Timmy to come back. But nothing happened. Devastation permeated every atom of his body, and the emptiness inside was overwhelming. Jimmy's eyes matched the salty water, and for the first time in his life, he hated science.

The next few days, nothing seemed important. All the projects that had once given him so much purpose only reminded him of what he'd given up to keep working on them.

After deciding to focus on cleaning and organizing instead, he stumbled across a few microscope slides he'd forgotten to file away. He picked one up and examined it, and a wave of nausea washed over him. They were Timmy's scales. His hands shook and his breath became shallow. He simultaneously wanted to throw them as far away as possible, and stuff them deep into his pocket and keep with him forever. He ended up doing neither, and simply clutched them in his hands, as he melted to the floor and broke down.

After that, he couldn't bare to go to the lab anymore. He spent all his time drinking lavender lattes and loitering outside the arcade.

One night, Jimmy brought two lattes to the dock he'd lost Timmy at. The stars reflected in the water reminded him of how he'd lit up the lab at night for Timmy, and he let out a deep sigh as he sat down at the edge.

"I wish you were here," he muttered and dumped one of the cups into the water.

"What a waste."

The sound of that familiar voice was the most welcome surprise Jimmy had ever experienced, and his eyes snapped to the source.

"Timmy!" Jimmy felt tears well up in his eyes as he scrambled to help Timmy out of the water. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Me neither." Timmy's eyes sparkled like the stars in the water, and Jimmy pulled him into a hug without waiting for him to dry off. The feeling of those arms squeezing him back was the best feeling in the entire world.

"I missed you so much," Timmy laughed through his tears.

"Did you decide you could visit sometimes?" Jimmy asked, as he let himself feel hopeful for the first time in weeks.

"No." Timmy pulled back and struggled to find the words. "I really shouldn't be here I just… I don't know what to do. I can't come live in your world, but mine feels so empty without you."

Jimmy stared at him for a few moments before he said, "Okay."

"Okay what?" Timmy asked in confusion.

"I'll come with you," Jimmy said.

Timmy's eyes widened in shock. "What about your life here?"

"I don't have much of a life here anymore. I can't stop thinking about you, and nothing else feels like it matters. I've been stuck with my work for a while now. Maybe it's time I explore a new world."

"Only if you're absolutely sure." Timmy shifted away slightly, as if to give Jimmy space to think.

"I'm sure." Jimmy grabbed Timmy's hands and pressed them to his forehead. "Change me."

In the dark of the night, no one noticed the shimmer in the water as two forms melted into the waves. The night became quiet again, and no one ever saw or heard from Jimmy Neutron ever again.