Chapter Text
Will glided through the water, feeling as it surrounded him. The chill prickled his skin as he almost flew through it. He sighed to himself, this was his favourite place. A vast blue sea filled with colourful coral and fish all around. He kicked his flippered feet, pushing himself forward. He looked to his right to be a blonde girl smiling at him. The bright sun dappled her face from above, her orange tail sparkling behind her, matching the suns light in colour. It was long and powerful, enabling her to swims lengths he could only imagine. He returned her smile and fought back the burn in his lungs. He gave her a quick nod before pushing himself back to the surface.
The light blinded his eyes as he met the surface but the relief of the air made it bearable. He made his trip as quick as possible, itching to get back to the blue wonderland he loved so dearly. When we did return, he saw two other girls with matching tails waiting for him. They smiled and laughed a little, holding out their hands to him. He sank and grabbed their hands, holding on tight. They pulled him through the water, of course he weighed them down but swimming as fast with hardly any effort was always a ride. They swam for a bit before reaching a small entrance to a cave, connected to Mako Island.
Will breached the surface once more, taking in the now damp air of the cave. It had jagged black walls that twisted high within the mountain, leaving an opening at the top of the volcano. The sun poked through the hole only slightly, leaving the cave dimly lit.
'Ah that was amazing' Will breathed, pulling himself to the small ledge that ran along the edge of the small pool. The three mermaids followed behind, resting their arms next to where he sat. 'Next time we should go even faster, see how fast we can really go!' Rikki excitedly said. Will looked at the blonde girl with a look mixed with concern but also excitement. Imagine if they could pull him as fast as they could swim! 'I don't know, I worry it could be dangerous to go super fast' Chimed Cleo, just coming through the water. 'Have you forgotten he's a free diver? He could hold his breath for enough time.' Bella responded, resting beside Will.
'Aha I'm right here yknow? And plus, we won't know until we try!' Will said a little to excitedly. The girls all chuckled at his excitement. 'But it's so nice to have someone to swim with. I mean, when I was on my own it was still good but there's nothing like swimming with a group.' Bella said, the other girls nodded in agreement. Will nodded to, not being able to help but feel the same. They were the first real group of friends that he's been able to make. He travelled around on his families boat his whole life, but now for his final year of high school, him and his sister are staying in some old family house. The thought of going to high school was not exciting but he's so glad he did in the end, or else he would have never met them.
'Right so! The full moon tomorrow' Started Cleo, clapping her hands together. 'When we were just new mermaids, as you know uh- let's just say some interesting things used to happen on the full moon. But we've not had any problems for a few months, how did you have it when you first became a mermaid Bella?' She asked turning towards the blonde girl. 'I can imagine it was hard because me and Rikki had help but you were on you're own.' She turn towards the other girls, twisting to rest the back of her elbows on the slick stone. 'Well, the first few times were similar to yours I think and when I was young my parents didn't really catch me sneaking out at all. I didn't get to violent or anything thankfully though and I usually just found myself at the moon pool in the morning. During the day on the full moon, I found myself drawn the moon pool anyway so I figured out a way to control it by spending the night at the moon pool willingly. I found that if you just soak it in and let it wash over you, it makes the whole thing a really relaxing and magical night and I haven't worried about it since.'
Rikki and Cleo turned to each other, 'That sounds amazing, why don't we try it all together tomorrow?' Cleo asked with a light smile to Bella. She returned it with her own smile, 'Yeah that'd be way fun! We could all set up beds and have a sleep over after!' The three mermaids giggled in their excitement. It wasn't the first time Will felt on the outside looking in. Of course they were his friends but there was only so much he could join in. Their time as mermaids together was special and Will understood that. The last he wanted to do was get in the way of that. He just wish he would be a bit more involved with it all.
'Yeah that sounds like a great time' Will smiled, trying to conceal his feelings. Bella gave him a look, 'I know it wouldn't be much but you could join us. Even if you don't feel it, this place is magical on the full moon, as I'm sure you know. It'll be quite the sight.' Will's chest sprang with happiness with being included but he couldn't help as it lurched back. 'I've got a diving competition the next day, Sophie would kill me if I'm not home and ready to go early' Will mumbled, watching the water swirl around his legs. 'Well, we could all go back to your place after? It'd be more comfortable then the moon pool and we could be out bright and early' Will heard Rikki suggest. 'Besides, I've got to help Zane set up the café for the party after, which will be fun' Rikki complained, sighing a bit. Cleo gave her a reassuring look.
Will debated the offer, the thought of the competition filled him with dread as it was. Maybe having a nice night before could make the day easier on him. He smiled at the girls, 'Yeah okay, sounds fun!' They all exclaimed in excitement, knowing it was going to be a night to remember.
---
'Right that's me done with my shift.' Will heard Rikki say from over the juice counter. The three of them were sipping on the last of some smoothies waiting for Rikki to get done. Cleo and Will were currently trying to explain a science project that they had been given to Bella but she seemed to just be even more confused. They stopped however when they heard the familiar voice of Rikki's boyfriend, Zane, speak to her. 'You're heading off? Now?' He asked her pointedly. She sighed a bit, 'Well yeah, I've got plans tonight' Rikki smiled, look back to the three. 'What with them? You can't serious, what about tomorrow?' Zane asked annoyed. Rikki stepped back, 'Don't you remember? Full moon tonight, you should have expected I'd need tonight off.' Zane rolled his eyes, 'Oh c'mon, the full moon hasn't been a problem for months. You just want an excuse to hang out with the three of them.' Rikki shook her head 'Don't worry about it, I'll have it covered, I'll be here tomorrow. It'll be quiet tonight anyways' Rikki's tone changed, obviously annoyed now. 'Right whatever' Zane turned, barely answering.
Will's stomach sank watching the two. He couldn't stand Zane talking to her like that. Zane never realises how much Rikki does for him and always takes her for granted, giving her the bare minimum. And when she gets rightfully upset, he always just complains she's moody. Rikki had been such a good friend to Will and he valued her so much, how Zane never seemed to see that as well boggled his mind.
Rikki rolled her eyes as she returned to the three. 'You shouldn't let him talk to you like that.' Will stated. 'It's whatever, he's just stressed right now.' She replied sighing. She shook her obvious feelings and put a smile on. 'Lets get to that moon pool, shall we?' They all smiled and followed her out the door.
---
Leaves crumpled under Will's boots as he made his way through the dense jungle on Mako Island. Though it was dense and dark, Will knew the path well to the moon pool's land entrance and made his way with ease. It would be a lot easier if he could just swim there, not having to faff around with a boat or equipment or walking. A longing ache filled his stomach as he thought of how incredible under the waves probably looked under the full moon.
Once he reached the hole in the ground, he hoped in sliding to the sandy floor of the cave. When he immerged from the entrance, he already found the girls there, their voices faintly echoing along the caves walls.
'Hey guys' he called, approaching the three mermaids. 'Aw Will! Glad you made it.' Replied Cleo, them all smiling up at him. He set down his backpack and sat along the edge of the dark pool. 'It should be starting soon' Bella stated, looking up at the deep sky through the hole of the cave. 'Are you sure Sophie isn't going to give you to much of a hard time?' Rikki questioned, raising an eyebrow. Will sighed at the thought of his sister. 'Yeah, she probably will. But I rather be here with you guys then training.' Bella smiled 'Don't worry, we'll get you back for your training.' They all laughed and Will couldn't help but feel warm in the presence of his friends.
Moments past, and the moon was upon them. The caves ragged walls glistened as the moons light danced of the water. Will sat back close to these walls, watching as the magic unfolded in front of him. The moon began to peak through the hole above and the water became alive in response. It's depths bubbled and swayed, light rose from the surface causing everything around to glow a soft blue. The three mermaids leaned back and allowed them to absorb the magic, closing their eyes and seemingly taking in all the moons power.
Will couldn't help himself. He stood, wanting to get a better look at the scene. But he had been a fool, it all seemed to happen so fast. He stepped forward, his thick boots caught and the next thing he knew, cold wetness engulfed him. It shocked his body and he could feel arms grabbing at him. He pushed himself to the surface, finding himself face to face with a full white moon. All the power seemed to dance around him, it tingled all over his body. He felt so connected to it all that he didn't even realise the voices calling his name, the arms pulling him to the edge of the pool.
He could faintly make out Bella's face in front of his, with concerned eyes looking at him. 'Will, you need to get out, now!' She urged him to get out, Cleo and Rikki's arms equally pulling him out of the pool. He felt himself rise out of the pool and he faintly pulled himself on to the rough surface. His world slowly came into focus, and he could finally really see the three faces now looking at him. 'What's happening-?' He asked faintly. 'Will, don't you understand what this means?!' Rikki yelled at him. Cleo sharply looked at her. 'We might have gotten out on time, he was in for lon-' 'No, Cleo I don't think so, we don't even know if that's how it works.' Rikki interrupted her, speaking quickly.
'Wait, what's happening?' Will asked, fully alert now. The walls had returned to their dim blue and all seemed as it was before. Bella looked directly at him, worry laced in her face. 'Will, don't you remember how we became mermaids?' They all looked at him, expectantly. His eyes bulged, 'What, you don't think-' They all shook their heads in response. 'Wha- is that even possible?! A mer-' He breathed last word, running his hand through his hair.
He finally realised what just happened. The moon pool, going into the water on a full moon is how they became mermaids. But he never meant for this to happen! It was an accident, like Cleo said, he wasn't that long! He thinks-. Thoughts raced through his head. He clutched his hair, anxiety racing through him.
The girls rose out of the pool and Rikki dried them off in a few seconds. Bella came over to Will and grabbed his hand. 'Hey, it's okay. Will, look at me.' She rubbed circles in his hand gently, easing him to meet her eye contact. He looked into her blue eyes, feeling his breath come back a bit. 'We're going to help you through this okay? You won't be alone.' Rikki and Cleo joined them as Bella said this, sitting close to Will nodding assuringly.
Silence filled the space for a few moments. 'We won't know until tomorrow if you've fully changed or not.' Rikki quietly spoke. Tomorrow. 'Oh god, the dive competition!' Anxiety seeped through Will again. 'Don't worry about it. We'll be able to handle it okay.' Rikki said, trying to reassure him. She gave him a soft smile. 'Just breath okay?' She began to take deep breaths, and he slowly began to copied her.
The girls exchanged anxious looks, all unsure about what this would mean for the future of their entire world. It had always just been three of them, of course Cleo and Rikki knew each other before they met Bella. But the three had grown really close, with the newest addition of Will. They had others in their little group as well, like Cleo's boyfriend Lewis, who had known about them from the start. But Will was different, he was a swimmer and therefore he experienced a lot of their underwater world with them. They gladly let him in as their friend, but now he was in deeper, in a way none of them were prepared for.
They all knew they would talk about it later. For now, their was the boy in question anxiously sitting in front of them. 'C'mon, let's get you home. We can still do what we planned and we'll work it all out in the morning. We'll be right with you.' Cleo assured him. Will nodded and they helped him up from the sandy floor.
They all made their way back in silence, taking Will's boat back to his house. A small house sat on the bank of the canal. It had light wood patios and was painted a crusted blue. He lived in it on is own as further up the property was another small building, where his sister Sophie stayed.
The four set up make shift blanket beds along the floor of his small house. Will was grabbing his spare blankets from his wardrobe when Cleo chimed up from the front door. 'I think I left something in the boat, could you guys come help me?' She look expectantly at the other girls. Rikki gave her an annoyed glance but they both followed her out the door. Will sat on a small chair underneath a window he forgot to close. He couldn't help but hear their hushed voices.
'So. Will's a merman' Rikki stated bluntly. 'Are we even sure yet?' Cleo whispered back, 'Yeah, he fell in right as the moon was at it's highest. I'd be pretty surprised if he doesn't have a tail tomorrow.' Bella responded. 'And, how do we feel about that?' Cleo said unsure. 'Cause I mean, the last time we had a forth, it wasn't exactly a good experience.' Rikki scoffed, 'That was Charlotte, she herself is a bad experience. But this is Will, we already hang out with him loads. He swims with us, supports us. I don't really see much changing really.' 'Yeah you're right. And I think we can all agree we need to be there for him through this. We all know hard it can be when you first change.' Bella said and the others agreed. 'But this is the first merman we've ever known. I wonder if it'll be different at all, I wonder if its even possible!' Cleo said curiously. 'Welp we won't know until tomorrow I suppose. C'mon, we shouldn't keep him waiting.' Rikki whispered.
Will clutched a pillow as he heard them speak. He felt so grateful. They excepted him, even though he knew he was treading on their toes now. Their mermaid stuff was their mermaid stuff and he always wanted to respect that. Now however, he didn't have a choice, he would definitely need their help. But they were right, he had never heard of real merman before. Well he never heard of real mermaids before meeting them but still. Would even be possible? Is he worrying over nothing? For whatever reason, the thought of him turning out to not be a merman only made his heart sink.
'Right, let's hit the hay, shall we?' Rikki clapped when she entered, causing Will to jump. 'Yeah, we gotta be up before Sophie comes to wake me up. That's 6:30 for you Rikki!' Will laughed, shook from his thoughts. Rikki groaned and the other laughed as they returned suspiciously empty handed.
Will could hardly sleep at all, thoughts swirling through his head. When the alarm rang, everything was hazy. Golden streaks of sun shown through the windows of the early morning. He yawned and rubbed his head, not feeling particularly rested. 'C'mon guys, rise and shine!' He called, causing the three girls to toss and groan. 'What kind of crazy person wakes up this early!' Rikki exclaimed, shielding her head with a pillow. Will chuckled and could only think a Sophie kind of person.
---
Once the sleepiness had mostly warn off, Bella and Rikki stood beside Will, who sat on his make-shift sofa bed. Cleo returned to them and handed his a shallow glass of water. 'Well, let's see this magic show.' Rikki joked. Will smiled but anxiously looked at the water. Well, here goes nothing he thought, and poured its contents onto the back of his hand. They all held their breath as they waited, the atmosphere thick with expectancy. Will watched as the water trickled off his hand. The seconds felt like hours. After a moment, he started to doubt if it was going to work at all. He looked up at the three girls, 'Maybe it di-'.
Right as his doubt was coming out of his mouth, a wash of energy poured over him. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. A second later, he looked down to find a big blue tail replacing his legs. His eyes bulged 'Oh shit!' He exclaimed. It worked! He had a tail! He gripped onto the bed trying to stay on, the heavy tail pulling him to the ground.
The three stood with wide eyes. 'Damn, it did work!' Bella remarked. 'Why is it blue?' Cleo wondered. They all laughed a bit as Rikki reached out to Will, using her power to evaporate the water on him. Will's face scrunched up 'Ow, that stings!' he said as he began to dry. 'Sorry, its the best way to dry you off.' She put dryly. After a few seconds Will felt the same energy wash over him again. This time when he looked down, his two familiar legs sat on his bed.
Will laughed, grabbing his legs. 'I can't believe it, I'm a merman!' He jumped up to cross the room to the girls. 'Yup, welcome to the club!' Bella smiled. Will was very relieved to see the three smile at him, looking happy for him rather then upset. All anxiety he had felt before had transformed to excitement. He was itching to go for a swim, to experience what he had only been able to observe. Of course, swimming with them before was great but now, it would be on a whole different level!
'We should go for a swim! Show me all the cool places I couldn't reach before and I can get a hang of swimming with this thing! How long can you hold your breath?' Will's excitement almost poured out of him. 'Slow down there.' Bella laughed, 'What about Sophie? The diving title today?' She remind him. The familiar pit in his stomach showed itself again. He had forgotten all about that. 'How on earth am I going to tell her I can't do diving anymore?' Worry crept over his face.
'I mean its not like you won't be able to dive anymore.' Rikki amused. 'That's not what I'm worried about. It's Sophie' He looked down to his shoes. 'I'm sure she's going to be disappointed, and probably a little mad.' Rikki lead Will to sit down on the sofa again, the others followed sitting in close by chairs. Will scoffed, 'Yeah, that's putting it lightly.' 'But she's your sister, if you just put it in a way where you say that you don't want to compete anymore because it doesn't make you happy, surely she'll come around?' Bella said. Will just sighed. 'You don't understand, I owe her this. She's done so much for me, setting up training, finding sponsors, pushing me to be my best. Taking care of me here while my parents are away.' He trailed off. Rikki winced when he mentioned 'sponsors', but didn't add anything.
'But you never asked for her to do that.' Cleo stated. He looked her in the eyes. 'Yes, you can be grateful but you don't owe her your life.' Bella said, trying to get through to him. 'Plus, she definitely likes your sponsor more then you do.' Bella added but immediately looked like she wished she didn't. 'Sorry Rikki.' She apologised. Rikki just shook her head. 'Na you're right. Zane's been an ass to you Will and I don't blame you. I assure you, you can assume that he will continue to be an ass about this. But its okay, I'll deal with it.' Rikki sighed.
'I can try to give him as much money as I can give back. I didn't want it anyway, I barely spent it. Sophie probably spent most of it though.' Will stated, finding his shoes very interesting again. 'Most of it? But it's your money, why is Sophie using it?' Rikki asked, growing angry. 'W-well she said she needed most of it to help with planning and paying for competitions.' Will stammered. 'She doesn't need that much! She already has a job in the café, why would she need the majority of your money? She's using you Will.' Rikki stated. Will only sighed. 'Yeah, your probably right. I've had a feeling for a while, I just- I just didn't want to start anything.'
'I can understand that, but you're going to need to sort this out.' Will nodded, when almost on que they heard 'Will!' from outside. 'Shit, that's Soph! I'll go talk to her, stay in here.' Will rushed to the door before Sophie could reach it. When he opened it, she was just approaching the entrance. He closed the door swiftly behind him.
'What are you doing? You should be training! Don't you remember how important today is?' She exclaimed. 'Yeah, about today.' Will said, avoiding eye contact. He breathed in deeply, almost trying to push the words out. 'I'm not going.' Her eyes narrowed. 'What are you talking about, we've worked so hard for this. C'mon you're just getting cold feet.' She grabbed his arm and tried to start walking away. 'And plus, we've got to deal with Zane.' Will stopped in his tracks, looking her dead in the eyes. 'I don't give a shit about Zane!' She stood there, affronted by how direct he was. 'What is all of this, where is this coming from?'
'I've just been thinking' Will said quietly. She moved to the offensive. 'Fine! You don't care about Zane. What about me? Don't you think it's unfair on me after all the work I've done for you?' Sophie fumed, folding her arms. 'No I-' Will stammered, avoiding her blue eyes. 'I'm just not doing it anymore.' 'You're not diving?' She asked. 'I'm not competing.' Will stated. 'Do you know some other way to become world champion?!' she demanded.
Angry boiled up through Will. 'I don't want to be world champion.' Tears burned the back of Will's eyes. Months of built up anger came up, anger that she never understands, that she always thinks she can make him do what ever she wants. Sophie just starred at the blond boy. 'I never did. You're the one who wants it so badly.' Sophie scoffed 'I want it for you.' Will almost laughed, 'The publicity, the attention, the sponsorship money have nothing to do with it?' Will snapped.
'I dive because I love it.' He spoke. 'But you only saw what I loved and thought about how you could make money off of it.' She just stood there, seemingly lost for something to say. He looked away, turning to return to the others.
'It's those friends of yours, isn't it?' She yelled. 'They've convinced you to throw away you're whole career! Are you seriously going to let them ruin your life like this?!' Sophie hissed, trying anything to get him to listen again. But Will had had enough, and dragging his friends into it was her biggest mistake. 'Sophie. Just stop. I'm done, alright?' Before he could see her reaction, he entered his house and leaned on the door, head in his hands.