[Closed] @eidxiety🧜‍♀️🔬

[winterbolt]

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[dyn4m0]

Seagrass...?

[He stirs his soup with his chopsticks a little, picking out a piece of meat from deep inside.]

A little, maybe. It would thrive better in a larger tank.

[He twists some more noodles around his chopsticks, lifting them up and out of the cup.]

This isn't seagrass, anyway. They're noodles. It's made from a grain called wheat.

[eidxiety]

Wheat... what does wheat look like?

[Land grass—

But a more pressing question is in the back of Ain's mind. Namely:]

Why is this tank so small anyway? Am I isolated 'cause you need to run checkups on me all the time? Did you just think I was pretty and wanted to put me here to look at me~?

[Definitely not that last thing—]

[dyn4m0]

Ugh. You ask too many questions...

[How is he even supposed to finish eating if Ain keeps asking him questions? Seriously...

He pauses to take another sip of broth before he says anything else, his eyes drifting closed.]

It looks...a little bit like grass, but a lot drier. Usually brown or tan. It's not wheat until it's been ground up and processed. As for your tank, it's small because it's easier to examine you that way, and this office isn't all that big to begin with. You came from a tank with an entire pod inside, so of course it was bigger.

[eidxiety]

[Don't be a coward and take bites while Ain asks the question? What the fuck girl have you never eaten in front of people before.

Ain biiiig yawns, then folds his arms up under his little chin to form a pillow. Now he's comfy out here, and still watching Add eat too.]

So you didn't pull me in here 'cause I'm pretty...

[He'll let Add eat for a minute or two longer before he asks another question.]

Have you tried to breathe underwater yet? Can you even do that without melting?

[dyn4m0]

[Add rolls his eyes.]

I put you in here because you seemed like the most promising candidate for my studies at the time. You're young, vibrant, and stood out in the crowd.

[That's Add speak for "yes you're pretty".

It's probably a good thing he's mostly done by the time Ain asks that, because otherwise he would have started choking. So yeah he kindof blacked out before he realized he was actually breathing water back then...so he looks back at Ain like he's grown a second head.]

Can I-...what? Do you think humans are made of salt or something? We don't melt in the water.

And what do you mean, "breathe underwater"?? That's scientifically impossible for humans, even if we wanted to. We're not designed for it.

[eidxiety]

That's part of the Siren's blessing that saved you from dying while I pried the grate open, remember? We talked about that... you must be very forgetful. But humans always have to wear special skins when they go in the water, with those big metal thingies on their backs. I've seen you guys dive into the ocean before. I know what humans look like when they're not in their skins.

[He does not know what to call diving suits, sorry.]

You can breathe underwater because you'll have gills splitting open, which you did after I kissed you, but I rushed you out of the water because I didn't want you to melt.

[dyn4m0]

I am not forgetful! [Add puts his now-empty cup on his desk, a little forcefully. It causes the cup to crumple just a tiny bit.] I've had a lot on my mind since that happened, as I'd hope you'd be well aware.

[Well he isn't aware of the fact you're fish-horny but go off king.

He sweeps the cup into the trash as he stands, dusting himself off as he heads to the supply cabinet while he talks.]

You're talking about diving suits. Diving suits, and oxygen tanks. They need those to breathe underwater, yes, but the suits don't keep us from melting. Water is harmless under normal circumstances, we just can't freely dive down as deep as Sirens like you can. It's like I said, we're not built for it.

[As Ain goes on to mention him having "gills splitting open", Add's hand immediately goes to his neck subconsciously, his fingers rubbing over the scar that wraps around his throat. He scratches into it with his nails, his expression tightening.]

That...can't be possible.

[eidxiety]

But that's how you were able to stay underwater!! If you get into my tank, will it close on you again? We could test it. Maybe you should wear a "diving suit" or something though, unless you wanna come in naked. I'm scared you'll get cold if you're naked, even though my water is nice and warm.

[Ain he doesn't want to come in naked. Trust him bro.]

Either way, if you come in and submerge yourself, it should prove one way or another to you, since you don't believe me.

[dyn4m0]

[Trust him bro.

Add pauses, his hand lingering on the cabinet he just pulled open.]

...you don't understand. I can't just get into your tank whenever I want. Unless for an emergency, it's strictly forbidden. The only reason my coworkers don't know I got dragged into your tank is because they trust me to review your footage, so no one else is going to see it unless they start getting suspicious of my actions. If they were to catch me doing something like that, I'd get fired on the spot.

[Or worse, just straight up arrested.]

[eidxiety]

Aww... that's not fair. Where will they set you on fire? [Well the courtyard in front of witnesses if he's lucky—] Whose feet are you reviewing? Mine??

[The issue is these are a lot of big words that are unfamiliar to Sirens. Sorry bud. He really wants to know more about your world but y'all really be sayin' words.]

Is there nowhere you can go to test the blessing out? Can you accidentally slip and fall in and then tell your "co workers" [two words there] that I was nice and saved you? And then maybe they'll give me lots of treats!!

[dyn4m0]

…right. I’ll have to stop using so many phrases with you.

[Or at least, words Ain would have no way of really knowing.

Sighing, Add pinches the bridge of his nose.]

Forget about all of that. If I “fall in”, the alarms will be triggered again, and who knows what will happen then. The most I could maybe do is try sticking my head underneath the water…would that make you happy?

[eidxiety]

I just want you to believe me is all! I don't care how you do it, but you always sound like you don't believe what I'm saying.

[He's this fucking close to another tantrum, Add. Watch this adult man, this sentient creature, start kicking up sand with his tentacles because he's Frustrated you won't just believe him.]

[dyn4m0]

[Is that what you want, Add? Do you want to see this grown man throwing a tempy tantrum??

Well, no, even if he thinks seeing Ain pout is cute. (What?)]

I just believe in what I can see, that's all.

[Add's still scratching at his neck...but eventually it dies down to rubbing, and then he stops altogether, holding onto his wrist for a moment like he's reminding himself to Not do that.]

Fine...but first. Do I need to feed you before I do this?

[Because he's not going to stick his head in there and have you try to eat him-]

[eidxiety]

I'm not going to bite you if you dunk your head in...! Are you still mad at me for accidentally biting your arm? You should have told me you were mad at me...

[Why didn't you tell him he was a bad boy and banish him to the back of the cave to never be seen again?]

I'm too tired to move that much 'cause of earlier, so even if I did want to bite you, I wouldn't be able to. I just want to lay here.

[dyn4m0]

[Ain, babe, your anxiety-]

I never said I was mad at you to begin with! I'm not stupid, I know that was your instincts kicking in. That's why I asked.

[Since Ain IS technically still in heat...even with his hormones pacified, you really never know what might happen.

Add moves away from where he'd been rifling through the cabinets after that, making his way straight for the tank so he can climb to the top and pull the grate back.]

How is this supposed to work, anyway? It's not natural for me to want to breathe water, even if gills actually appear.

[eidxiety]

You should have been mad at me...

[Wehh... but Ain will stay flat in the sand, kicking up piles of it over his back so that he's partly submerged. Warm... he loves a warm sand bath. Add would never do this but Ain? Ain is thrilled. We need to teach Ain about spas clearly.]

I don't know how the anatomy works, but when you were submerged for thirty seconds or so, gills split open on your neck and let you breathe. That's also why you hacked water up when you woke up, I think. Just hold your head underwater for a minute. Do humans know how to count minutes? Minutes are how long it takes you to sing the fish song~.

[Ain what the FUCK is the FISH SONG]

[dyn4m0]

...what the fuck is the fish song?

[Said while he's just. Paused at the top of the tank, his hands on the edge now that the grate has been pulled back.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain sits up properly and coils up his lower half like a snake.]

It's a song they teach baby Sirens. It tells baby Sirens what fish they can eat safely, since some of them are poisonous or venomous, and others will get you high or sting you and hurt you when you're little. There are different versions of it depending on where your pod migrates around~. Basically, if a fish isn't in the fish song, babies shouldn't eat it.

[And then Ain sings the fish song. This would be extremely super cute if it was just clicks and chirps, but Add now understands the clicks and chirps. Underneath the pitch of Siren sounds are lyrics that sound vaguely like the alphabet song, only it's describing the colours and appearances of edible fish. Like salmons being "silvery and sleek".

It is extremely childish, but it's exactly like human ABCs.]

[dyn4m0]

[Fascinating how human and Siren culture has somehow managed to overlap this much. Even Sirens have their own version of the ABCs.]

I...see.

[Add sighs, shucking his hair back with his fingers even though it doesn't do much for it since it's already stupid and spikey as it is.]

I know how to count minutes, so I'll be fine.

[Which means...Ain is going to get to watch from the sand below as Add rolls up his sleeves so they won't get wet before he leans forward and dunks his underneath the water's surface, blinking a few times to get his eyes used to the unique saline mixture they have to ensure the water has so the Sirens thrive. They are from the ocean, after all. Weirdly, it would normally burn a lot worse than it is now...is this part of the Siren's Blessing?

Well, something to experiment more with later. For now, he keeps his head under the water, and for thirty seconds nothing much happens. He's counting mentally as he waits, looking down at Ain who is currently a bit of a fuzzy blob due to the distance.

But then...as the seconds tick by, and time gets closer and closer to a full minute, he starts to feel...strange. His lungs start to feel uncomfortable, that familiar sort of ache for oxygen you'd expect if you've been holding your breath for a long time. His skin prickles like it's preparing itself for something. He feels a weird sense of trepidation, and then....

Before he's even properly prepared for it, the sides of his neck start splitting open. The skin literally opens up as the gills appear, causing Add to plunge his hands into the water without thinking to grab for his neck. His fingers start to press at them, even claw anxiously, but the second he tries it hurts and he jolts away, an alarmed stream of bubbles leaving the gaps in his teeth.

His next reflex is to want to pull out to breathe air, but his body is frozen in place, locked where it is because now it's changing to need water. Water is where the oxygen is.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain sort of registers this as a struggle and gets off his ass to swim toward Add. Maybe in a minute he'll become clearer, too, no longer blurry to Add's human eyes. Very gently, two tentacles hold Add's shoulders so he doesn't fall forward and pitch into the tank again, and his two hands gently hold onto Add's. Don't scratch your neck, that's where your gills are!!

(He does not realise why, exactly, Add is scratching like that.)]

Shh-shhh... you're okay, it's okay. I'm not going to let anything bad happen, just stay calm. Don't pick at your gills or you'll damage them.

[Ain's gills are on his sides where his ribs are, and he's not sure why Add's didn't show up there, but maybe it has something to do with how humans breathe. Maybe there's no logic behind it at all and Ain's overthinking it. Some Sirens have their gills lower down, and Ain's never claimed to be an expert on how his own kind works.

He chirps a soothing song in Add's ears. Unfortunately the chirping has actual words this time too, and so it's largely "it's okay, you're okay, I'm right here" type comforts. At least it's not a children's song about fish.]

[dyn4m0]

[Honestly, Add doesn't understand it either. If he had to guess, it's maybe because humans take in oxygen primarily through their lungs via the mouth and nose, and maybe something about it makes more sense to have the gills located closer to the esophagus? He can't claim to understand, just that it stresses him wildly the fuck out. Maybe it's because he's in this weird inbetween form, a middle ground between human and Siren. Perhaps if he were fully a Siren, they'd be located elsewhere.

OR...maybe it's because he only has his head underwater, and if the gills appeared on his sides he'd just start asphyxiating. It could also be that.

Whatever the case, Add still has yet to take a breath. He's still holding it as precious bubbles of air escape his mouth and nose despite him trying to hold it together, only kept from scratching his neck by the way Ain gently holds his hands. He grips back a little too tight, only saved from falling in as well by Ain's tentacles holding him back.

He can't keep doing this forever. He has to breathe.

He looks back at Ain with his eyes blown wide as the Siren sings to him, chirping soothingly to try to help calm him down just as the ache in his body reaches an apex, and the cells screaming for air take matters into their own hands. He inhales sharply, water rushing in as he coughs and gags against the feeling, his body rejecting the sensation of it at first despite the fact he does feel relief from taking a breath as he does. He sucks in another, and another, his gills flaring and doing their work as his body acclimates to having water in its system instead of air.

This goes on for a time, and he's certain his eyes would be streaming with tears if he were above water, until eventually he calms down enough to actually say something.]

F-...fuck....what the fuck...

[eidxiety]

Are you mad? Do you not like it? It's a bit too late to take it back...

[His final two tentacles rise up through the gentle current to give Add's face a little squeeze. This is meant to be comforting, but it's also just as gooey as one can imagine a bunch of tentacles against their face would feel.]

You don't have to use it. Just don't dive underwater and it won't even be a thing! ...and don't keep fishies as pets because you'll hear them talk!

[what]

[dyn4m0]

I'm not...mad! I just-

[He's still wheezing, which sounds a bit strange underwater as you might expect, but more than anything he's just kindof having a Moment about this. Sometimes you need to have a moment.]

This...this shouldn't be possible...this isn't....

[Add you threw logic and science out the window the moment humanity discovered Sirens even existed, but he's still clung to the idea that there's a logical explanation for everything, magic isn't real because he has no whimsy in his heart, etc etc.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain, meanwhile, who is full of joy and whimsy, cannot imagine being so lifeless you think there's no magic in the world. Buddy shrimps see colours that don't exist on the visible light spectrum for humans and some fish make bubble nests. How is this not magic.]

Why not? It is possible because you're right here doing this. You're breathing underwater and not dying! And talking! And I bet you can see me very well, right? I was told human eyes don't work underwater which is why your diving skins [close enough] have the big glass eyes.

[The goggles. That are not glass by the way.]

[dyn4m0]

[Add is only just now starting to get whimsy in his heart, thanks to Ain. Otherwise, he's just boring and logical and ppbbbttt all the time. Ain, of course, still doesn't know he's in the middle of having a bit of a crisis of self, given that he jerked off to a fish earlier. Is something just wrong with him? Is he that much of a freak that he's not fit to be a scientist? Maybe he should just turn himself in to the authorities now-

He takes another few slow breaths, still pressed by the feeling of water entering and exiting his lungs in a sensation he would never be able to describe if asked. He can feel his blood rushing to his head a little since he's half upside-down with his head under the water, so it's making him feel a bit woozy on top of everything else...

Add has to admit it. Ain was right. He has gills, he can breathe underwater...and there's no scientific explanation for this happening. It just happened. He's living proof of it, being able to hear and understand Ain just being the tip of the iceberg.]

I...

[...]

...let me go. I'm coming in.

[?????]