Work Text:
Meet me at the community pool at midnight, I have something to show you.
That was what the email had said, which was the flag raised for June. Orion wasn’t one to send cryptic messages like that, and he usually called when he wanted to make plans. Said plans usually started at one of their apartments, so they could ride out together instead of meeting at the venue. Also, they had never, ever gone swimming together, and the community pool closed at six, so why did he want to meet there, of all places?
She’d hopefully have her questions answered, as she pulled up to the pool. The whole block was deserted, the only car she could see being Orion’s truck, parked under the lamppost with the broken bulb. She parked next to him, and they climbed out at the same time.
“Hello, June,” he said, walking over to her. He looked how he should for a pool or beach date, blue swim trunks, flip flops, and a t-shirt under a red jacket, his long black hair tied back. They matched well with June’s own green t-shirt and blue jeans, which she wore over her yellow bikini and sandals. But while he smiled upon seeing her, it didn’t fully reach his eyes, and he was tense, his shoulders up and tight.
“Is something wrong,” she asked in lieu of greeting him back, her hand reaching for his.
Just that contact seemed to calm him, his shoulders dropping and he took a deep breath. “Nothing is wrong, per say. Just nerves.”
“Over finally showing me your swimming skills?” she tried to tease. Orion just gave her an awkward chuckle.
“Something like that.” He pulled her to the gate to the pool, where the lock had already been popped open. “I borrowed a key,” he explained before she could ask. “We’ll lock up again when we’re done.”
The pool itself wasn’t too special, an L shape with a wading area at the top, a slide at the corner, and diving boards on the short deep end. A large sandbox sat in the bend of the L, with beach chairs around it and the other edges of the pool. A couple of picnic tables scattered about and a small concession stand and of course the lifeguard chairs.
“We really couldn’t come here during the day?” June tried teasing Orion again as he walked them to the deep end, but he just turned towards her, taking of her hands in his.
“June, please listen to what I have to tell you without interrupting. I don’t think I’ll be able to say it unless it’s all at once.”
June’s worry and curiosity piqued at that, but she nodded her acceptance. Orion took a deep breath before speaking.
“I have been keeping a secret from you, and all our friends. It has never been a dangerous one, at least to anyone but myself, but if the wrong person were to learn it, I would not be the only one to suffer for it.”
What kind of secret could it be? He couldn’t be some kind of undercover operative, or agent for a secret organization, was he?
“Orion Paxton is not the name I was given at birth, but rather the name I took on when I came to land, to better blend in with the populace, and to hide from any who might be looking for me.”
A fake name to blend in? Undercover operative was looking more likely-
“My real name is Optimus Prime, Thirteenth Prince of Atlantis. I am a merman.”
… What?
She couldn’t help the burst of laughter that came from her. “You’re- You’re what?”
“I am a merman, June. That’s why I brought you here, to show you.”
“A-” June shook her head. “Orion, you can’t expect me to just believe you.”
“I know.” He pulled away from her. “That’s why we’re here.” He took off his jacket and tossed it over a chair while kicking off his flip flops. It was quickly followed by his shirt, then his hands hooked into the waist of his shorts, and June choked and spun around.
“Orion, we’re in public!” Her cheeks burned from the blush she knew was crossing them.”
“Why do you think I asked you here so late?” There was a hint of a chuckle in his voice, which was better than the serious tone he’d had before.
“You couldn’t have done this at home, in the bathtub?” The thought occurred to her. “We’ve taken baths and showers together, shouldn’t your merman magic have changed you then?”
“It doesn’t work exactly like that,” Orion said. “If just getting wet was the requirement, I’d be a complete hermit on rainy days.” His hand touched her elbow. “Please turn around, June. It’ll be easier to believe if you actually see.”
She took a deep breath of her own, willing her blush to calm, and turned around. She didn’t look down, but she could see his shorts tossed on top of his other clothes. “Alright. Show me.”
Orion smiled at her, that sweet, shy one that made her fall in love all over again. He took her hand and walked to the edge of the pool. He dropped her hand and, without another word, jumped into the water.
At first, nothing happened, just Orion treading water in the pool, and June started to feel a bit silly about the whole thing. Then the changes started. A shimmering ran over his body, and his movements shifted, his kicks becoming an undulation as his legs stuck and merged together, before lengthening, his feet turning into fins. More fins grew from his legs - his tail! - and on his lower back and arms, and scales started covering his body. They were tri colored, mostly red on the back of his body and blue on the front, with a silver dapple pattern over the red. Orion dove and twisted completely under the water, and when he popped up again, the scales has crept to the edges of his face, and his ears had turned pointed with practically no lobe.
He swam to the edge of the pool in front of June, who only then realized she’d fallen to her knees. His shy smile returned, giving her a glimpse of pointed teeth, more than a human had. “A bit of a shock, I know.”
June huffed a laugh. “A bit, yeah.” She reached out, but paused, unsure if she should touch him.
“You can touch, it’s safe.” He held his arm to her, and she could see his nails had sharpened, more like claws, and darkened to black. She took his arm, and the scales felt similar to the time she got to pet a stingray at a zoo, smooth one way and slightly rough going the other. She traced the top edge of the fin rising from the back of his arm, and pulled back when he shivered.
“So… a merman.”
Orion nodded. “Yes.”
“A merman… prince. Of Atlantis.”
“Yes.”
There were so many questions she could ask him, but really there was only one that was necessary.
“Why are you here, in Nevada of all places?”
Orion looked down, his tail flicking in the water under him. “I ran away, and this was the safest place I could think to go.”
That second part made some sense to June - landlocked desert Nevada would be the last place someone would expect to find a mermaid, outside Vegas - but the first just grew her curiosity. “Why did you run?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
“We’ve got time.” With that thought, June stood up and slipped out of her sandals, shirt, and jeans, tossing them on top of Orion’s clothes. She pulled out the smaller of the towels she’d brought, folded it, and laid it on the ground next to the pool edge. She sat down, her legs dangling in the water.
“Tell me what drives a merman to leave the sea for land.”
And Orion did, telling her of being the youngest child of thirteen siblings, each gifted in some talent or skill, and then himself, who was never quite as good as them. Never the best fighter, never the best crafter or scholar. Just the youngest, the surprise fry brought up in their shadows. The only thing that made him stand out was his interest in the human world.
“Prima had taken the throne by this time, and openly disapproved of any contact between humans and mer. He even discouraged the collection of materials from shipwrecks, even when they are useful or needed. When he'd found out I was collecting human trinkets and storing them away, he wasn't happy and banned me from the expeditions.”
“You know, this is sounding very familiar,” June teased, and Orion chuckled.
“I assure you, I was nowhere near the Disney studios as that movie was being made. I actually didn't come up to land until ‘91, and as you can see”- he gestured to himself -”there were some things they got wrong.”
“So you didn't make a deal with a sea witch to get legs?”
“No, after my restriction, I went to help my brother Alpha in the library, just for something to do. In one of the archives, I found a spell to allow me to switch between mer and human. It honestly wasn't that complicated, a simple chant and a very minor blood sacrifice from the subject. The problem was the spell initially locks you in human form for a moon cycle, so I couldn't just cast it in Atlantis. As well, the power required to make the spell reversible at will was beyond my own magic reserves, meaning I'd either need to make it a spell circle, or steal one of my family's magical artifacts to power it.”
June instantly knew which he had chosen. “The painted conch shell you keep in that glass case.”
Orion nodded. “It was part of a tribute being sent to Megatronus and Solus, who had established their own kingdom in the south pacific. Alpha convinced Prima I should be part of the convoy, and partway there, I managed to break into the transport, steal the conch, and fled.
“I performed the ritual and washed up on Daytona Beach, in front of a rental house. Luckily, Jazz was perfectly willing to not only keep my secret, but also help me acclimate to being a human, and took me back with him to Atlanta when his vacation ended. Once I had gotten my bearings, and we got my paper work sorted out, he suggested I move further west and inland, so there’d be even less of a chance for Prima and the others to find me.” He shrugged. “So, Nevada.”
“So that’s how you and Jazz became friends.” She’d met the man a few times, when he came to visit Orion. She’d always assumed Jazz’s claim that he found Orion face down on his lawn was referring to a wild party of some kind, but it never quite clicked with what she knew of Orion, whose preferred night out was to dinner and a show or museum. “Is he the only one who knows?”
“His partner Paul, we met him when he caught us swimming in a river, and Richard learned after I got sick and lost control of my shift briefly. And now you.” Orion looked up at her, rising a little out of the water so he was closer.
“And now me. Why?”
“Because I love you.” He took her hands in his, his eyes shining with love, affection, and sincerity. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. My whole life, not a half one.”
She didn’t know why that brought tears to her eyes, but really, there was only one way to respond to an answer like that. She leaned in and kissed him, soft at first, then harder as she adjusted to the new texture of his lips. It was different, smoother than his arms, but definitely scaled, and yet just as sweet and tender as usual. She ran the tip of her tongue against the seam of his lips, and he opened easily, letting her explore his mouth as her hands reached up to hold his face as she deepened the kiss.
His new fangs sent a thrill down her spine, and she pressed closer, assisted by Orion’s hands moving to her hips. So close, in fact, she slipped off the edge and right into the pool.
She yelped and grabbed Orion’s shoulders as the water splashed over her, before breaking into a laugh that he echoed. What a sight they must have made, a woman and a merman, giggling like idiots in a public pool in the middle of the night.
“I love you too, Orion,” she said once she finally got control of herself, kicking to keep afloat, even if she was certain Orion would be able to hold her up if needed. “Human or merman, I want you, now and always.”
Orion’s arms on her tightened slightly, and he smiled before leaning down to rest his forehead on hers. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”
She smiled back, then pushed away from him, swimming towards the middle of the pool. “Why don’t you show me what you can do with that tail, Mr. Prince of Atlantis.”
Orion grinned at her. “Plenty and more, Miss Nurse of Nevada.” He lunged for her and she laughed as she darted away. The chase that ensued was full of splashing and laughter, and when Orion did catch her, she got to learn just how romantic kissing underwater could be.