Chapter Text
Aquarist Link had received the biggest news of his aquarist life. According to an email he had received from the head of the aquarium just a few days earlier, merpeople existed. Not only did merpeople exist, the aquarium that Link worked at now housed one. He initially thought it was a prank, even though his boss was never one for joking around. However, pictures and videos that were sent along with the email made it clear that this was no prank. Due to these recent developments, Link was extremely nervous for his next shift—nervous and excited.
Link was gripping his steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. He was almost to the employee parking lot. Soon enough, Link would meet a creature that, until very recently, was thought to be imaginary. When he walked into work, all of his fellow aquarists were restlessly standing around, eager to be lead to wherever their new merman was being kept. They had been instructed to wait in the main entrance for their boss.
Link stood next to his coworker that he was closest with: Rachel. She was actually the person who convinced him to apply for his current job. Initially, their relationship consisted of a healthy dose of playful flirtation. Another of Link’s coworkers convinced him to take her on a date. One date turned into three, and soon enough, they were a couple. After a few months of dating, they were talking about moving in together. It was during this time that Link realized something about himself: he was bisexual. After a lot of talking between the two of them, they agreed that they were the right people for each other, but it was just the wrong time. Link had a lot that he still wanted to experience. They agreed to break up, but their friendly relationship was practically unaffected.
“Hey, girl,” Link said playfully, trying to bury his merman-related nerves.
“Aaah, the Linkster is finally here! Are you ready for what we’re about to see!?”
“Nope. Not even a little bit,” he said honestly. “You?”
“I’m in the same boat…”
It was then that their boss entered.
“Good morning, Drew,” the aquarists greeted their superior.
“Good morning, everyone. As you all know, we’ve got a very exciting new creature here at our facility. We’ve got a lot to learn about him and his kind, and I trust that you’ll be able to do so efficiently as well as humanely. Our new friend is currently housed in the trout exhibit. He started out in the sea lion exhibit, but that didn’t work out too well.”
The aquarists all shared a concerned look. “Are the sea lions okay?” Chase, another one of Link’s coworkers asked.
“Oh yeah, they’re totally fine. The two just didn’t get along.”
The look of concern morphed into one of confusion.
“Anyway, let’s go meet our merman!”
Drew invited his employees to follow him through the many hallways, until they eventually arrived at the trout exhibit. At first, the only things visible in the tank were a few trout. The aquarists were all starting to think this whole thing was actually a prank, when suddenly, a large form darted out from behind the rocks. As the creature broke the surface of the water with great velocity, a splash flew over the walls of the exhibit and hit the first row of employees. The trout were all scared into hiding.
Link’s eyes were wide with shock. The creature in front of him was absolutely stunning. His upper body really did look just like a human’s. Well, the form did. The colors were different. The merman’s hair was light green. It stuck up in a perfectly sculpted up-do. Not a strand was out of place, despite the water. He had a beard of the same color. His body was different shades of green, the darkest shade belonging to odd stripes framing his arms, shoulders, and chest. The merman’s tail was shimmering all different shades of green and blue. The creature flexed, making him look absolutely enormous. The droplets running along the frame of the body only served to accentuate his impressive muscles. All in all, Link estimated that he was about 7 feet tall. The creature’s tail was moving back and forth in ways that absolutely dumbfounded Link, keeping the creature’s torso above the water.
After everyone recovered from the initial shock, everyone but Link, Drew announced that they decided to name the creature Trevor, since any and all communication had been a failure so far. The aquarists spent the next couple of hours listening to the scientific findings gathered from various DNA samples that were collected. Link wasn’t listening. He was too distracted by the looming, powerful creature before him.
“Can he talk?” Link wondered to himself.
The merman spent the time moving back and forth, scrutinizing each of the aquarists from head to toe. He arrived at Link last. Link gasped when they made eye contact, immediately looking to the ground instead. The creature was beyond intimidating. Link could feel his eyes analyzing everything about him.
“Link?” Drew called. The tone made it obvious that he had been trying to get Link’s attention for a while already.
“Uh, s—sorry… What?” Link realized after a moment that he had stopped breathing. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his tan shorts and stepped forward, showing that he was now listening.
“I’m adding Trevor to your schedule today. I have faith that you’ll be able to handle him.”
“I… Uh… Oh… Gosh, um… Alright. Thank you, Sir. It’s… It’s an honor,” Link managed to choke out. The merman was still glaring directly at him.
“Well, everyone,” Drew said with a clap of his hands, “let’s get ready for the day. The trout exhibit will be closed until we figure out how we’re going to handle our new friend here.”
Everyone went their separate ways, leaving Link alone with Trevor. At least, that’s what Link thought. He jumped in fright when Rachel’s voice broke the tense silence.
“He won’t stop looking at you, Link…” She sounded just as entranced as Link felt.
“I… I know…” Link had managed to gain the confidence needed to reciprocate the gaze, and now, he couldn’t break it.
“I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not…” she muttered, placing a hand on Link’s shoulder.
“Me neither…”
“Rachel, get going!” Drew reminded her via their radios.
“Good luck,” she whispered before running off.
Now, Link truly was alone with the marvelous being.
“Soooo, Trevor…” Link awkwardly said, walking cautiously closer to the wall of the tank. “I’m Link. I guess… I guess I’ll be taking care of you…”
“LINK!” Trevor bellowed.
It scared the shit out of Link, who nearly fell over out of fear. The volume of the merman’s voice shook him—at least that’s how Link perceived it. “Y—yes?” So, the merman could talk.
“HUMAN! HUMAN LINK!”
“Y—yes, Trevor. I’m… I’m a human named Link… Y—you speak English?”
“MY NAME IS NOT TREVOR, HUMAN!”
“S—sorry… What is it, then?” Link asked, slowly getting used to the volume, as well as the fact that this creature could speak to him in a language that he understood.
“MY TRUE NAME IS RHETT!”
“Rhett?” Link mused with a smile. For some reason, the name didn’t seem to fit the holier-than-thou vibe that the creature was giving off.
The merman, Rhett, sunk below the surface of the water and calmly swam to the wall where Link was. He rose once more so that the two men were face to face. Rhett’s tone was softer now, but no less intimidating.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Human Link. You are by far the most aesthetically pleasing human I’ve come across.”
Link couldn’t help but blush. “Uh… Th—thank you…”
“What is your face doing, human!? Are you alright!?”
“Oh, yeah… Uh… F--Fine.”
“You seem to be having trouble speaking, as well! Human, are you sure that you’re healthy!?” The merman was beginning to raise his voice again.
“Shhh, Rhett. I’m fine, really! Just, keep your voice down, okay?”
The merman squinted, not sure if the human was being honest with him, but soon, he gave up his questioning. “Human, your face is back to its normal hue.”
“Please, just call me Link, okay?”
“Yes, Link.”
“Well, Rhett… I guess we should get to know each other now that we’ll be working together.”
“Working together?” The merman asked, an eyebrow raised.
“You’re at an aquarium. We put on shows for the public so they can learn about sea life.”
“SHOWS!? I AM NO SPECTACLE!”
Link flinched at the sudden change in volume. “Shhh,” he reminded the creature again. “It’s alright. We’re not gonna have you put on any demeaning acts.” Link prayed that this wasn’t a false promise.
Rhett grunted. “Well, whether or not my ‘show’ will be ‘demeaning,’ I would like to get some rest beforehand.”
“It’s not going to be for at least a few days,” Link reassured him.
“I do not care.” Rhett stated matter-of-factly. “Please, allow me to rest before prodding me for information.”
Link felt like he shouldn’t bother the merman any further. It was alright. Link needed to tend to the sea lions during this shift as well, anyway. It’d give him a chance to do that. Although, if Link were being honest, he didn’t want to look away from the amazing sight before him. He sighed and began to walk off.
The sea lion exhibit was visible from the trout exhibit. When Link began to practice behaviors with the mammals, he heard Rhett’s booming voice once more.
“HUMAN! I FORBID YOU FROM HAVING ANY SORT OF CONTACT WITH THOSE RETCHID CREATURES EVER AGAIN!”
Link raised an eyebrow, but ignored the merman. At least, he ignored him at first…
“HUMAAAAAAN!” the merman bellowed. “COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!”
It didn’t seem like Rhett would stop his screaming, so Link walked back to the trout exhibit. Rhett was right where Link had left him.
“What is it!?”
“Human—“
“Link. My name is Link,” he corrected.
“Human Link, those sea lions are not to be trusted…” the merman whispered.
“What? Why!?”
“They were telling me of the behaviors that you and your fellow humans have taught them…”
“Um… And?”
“They refused to kiss my handsome cheek! REFUSED! THE REPULSIVE CREATURES REFUSED! DO YOU HEAR ME, SEA LIONS!? YOU NAUSEATING BEASTS!”
Link squeaked. “Rhett, please. Please calm down! I… I’m sorry the sea lions offended you... I… I’ll stay here and talk to you instead, if that’d make you happy.”
“Humph. As long as you’re not with them,” Rhett spat.
That settled it. Link would stay and get to know his new merman friend just like he had wanted to in the first place.