Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"You know, they say that there's sharks around the island!"

"That's... not helping Tubbo," Ranboo sighed as he turned his head away from the shorter brown-haired teen standing in his doorway and gently folded up a shirt, tucking it into his bag. "It's been almost a year since the three of us have been able to see each other, let alone go camping like this together, and the only thing on your mind is the myths and rumors?"

"Aww c'mon Boo!" Tubbo whined as he walked back to his room, "You and I both know the legends are the best part about Mako! And plus, Tommy and I both love scary stories so we out rank you 2 to 1," he finished matter-of-factly. 

"Right, so... when's Tommy supposed to get—"

"WHAT'S UP BITCHES?" 

A screamed, familiar greeting rang through the house as Tommy stepped through the front door. Ranboo chuckled, calling back, "We're in the back Toms!"

A few seconds later, footsteps sounded down the hall as Tommy approached. He stopped in the hallway between the two bedrooms and threw down his bags.

"Who's ready to get stuck in a shipwreck and meet some mer ladies?" He smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows at this, and Tubbo laughed from his room before running over and embracing Tommy.

"Eyyy bossman! It's been too long, I'm so glad we can finally hang out again!" Tubbo pulled back with a wide smile, which was quickly replaced with a squawk of indignance as Tommy immediately scruffed his hair. Ranboo quickly exited his own room and scooped up Tommy in his own hug. It had been way too long.

Tommy giggled and squirmed his way out of all the attention with a smirk. "Well, now that this big man's able to move out of foster care and into his own flat, we can finally go back to doing stupid stuff again!"

The foster system. The bane of existence for all three of them. 

The three of them met in a group home a few years back when Ranboo and Tubbo were just barely fifteen and Tommy was fourteen and a half. While Ranboo and Tubbo had managed to find places to bide their time until they eventually turned eighteen, Tommy wasn't quite so lucky.

He was constantly being fostered and then sent back, rinse and repeat almost monthly. Most people couldn't put up with his brash, rude temperament and the tendency he had to swear like a sailor. He was a spitfire, and most people just couldn't handle him.

But at last, he had turned eighteen and the three of them had made true on their shared promise to move to the beach town of L'Manburg together. Ranboo and Tubbo were able to get a flat together the year before, and Tommy had recently managed to find one of his own a few streets over.

Now everything could go back to how it had been almost four years ago. The three of them against the world. They all were beyond ecstatic.

Tommy was currently in the hallway, which separated the two bedrooms of the small flat. To his left was Tubbo's and to his right was Ranboo's. He hadn't had the chance to explore their flat very much, so he took the opportunity to quickly look over the two bedrooms.

Tubbo's room was small, but quaint. His twin-sized bed with green sheets was pushed into the far-right corner against the wall, with a desk along the rest of the right wall, and a keyboard set up under the window to the left of the bed. A variety of things were strewn around the room, from wires and gadgets on the desk and floor, to clothing on the bed as he packed.

Ranboo's room was an identical size to Tubbo's, looking like a mirror reflection structurally. Ranboo had their bed pushed up along the far wall underneath the window, and the black and white comforter was currently covered with all matter of items for their trip. Unlike Tubbo, Ranboo's room was rather clean, with a white desk positioned up against the left wall, and various Minecraft posters and item cutouts dotting the walls. 

Tommy smiled as an Ender Pearl cutout caught his eye. Ranboo always said he felt like an enderman, with his hard time making eye contact, and his tendency to mindlessly pick up and move random objects, much to Tubbo's annoyance. 

Sometimes Tommy could almost picture Ranboo as an enderman, thanks to the face mask he always wore and his blue and green heterochromia. Even if endermen didn't have heterochromia in the game, Tommy thought that they should, and that Ranboo would, and did rock it. And of course, Tommy couldn't forget the fact that the fucker was still taller than him, much to Tommy's annoyance.

Tommy was suddenly snapped out of his head by Tubbo tugging gently on his arm, pulling Tommy into his bedroom, a smile on his face. "Come in and sit, Toms! You don't have to stand in the hallway like a lost puppy!" Tubbo looked up at him happily.

Tubbo went back to packing as Tommy shuffled over and sat on the bed, gently moving aside a small pile of clothes. "You act like you're packing for the apocalypse Tubs! We're only going to be a few days at most."

"But the sharks Tommy! And the legends of the dangerous mer, and the wild beasts!" Tubbo exclaimed with a glint in his eye, "You never know what we'll run into on the completely illegal, 'off-limits' island we're sneaking on to!"

"Wait... I thought you said you got permission for us to be there?" Ranboo looked over to them from his room, a look of concern plastered over his face as his multi-colored eyes flitted around anxiously, "Tubbo... please don't tell me tha—"

"If I don't tell you then we're good right?" he shot a shit-eating grin over to Ranboo, "Plus, Jack and Quackity go over there all the time and they've never gotten caught. Any people that do get caught just get a slap on the wrist. It'll be fineeeee ," Tubbo smirked and gave a little flick of his wrist, "Besides, aren't you at least a little curious about what's over there that has the coast guard in such a fuss?"

Tommy leaned back against the wall, his hands resting behind his head, "Well, I for one am extremely curious, and extremely uncaring about breaking a few rules."

Ranboo groaned from the other room, putting his hand on his forehead, "Seriously, remind me again why I'm friends with you two?"

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"So... which one's our boat?" Tommy asked as he gazed out over the small pier that Tubbo had led them to. 

The sun was still high in the sky, and all kinds of small watercrafts were rocking gently back and forth in the waves. The salty air nipped at Tommy's senses as he absentmindedly bounced up and down, ready for the adventure.

"Well... I asked Big Q and Jack if we could borrow the boat they always use," Tubbo explained as he continued to lead them down the pier, "They said it's better to take a small one that you can drag up onto the shore and hide."

"Tubbo..." Ranboo started with an anxious tone in his voice.

"Geez Boo, can you stop being an anxious mess for like... two days. We're fine, nothing's going to happen, promise," Tubbo sighed, "And besides, there's no docks on the island, so we'd have to drag it up on shore anyways. Oh! Here we are!"

Tommy stopped and just stared at the small... raft —he couldn't really call it a boat— in front of them. It looked to be just big enough for the three of them and their stuff, but he was relieved to see that it had a motor. He did not want to row the raft all the way to Mako.

Tubbo smirked at the two of them before throwing his backpack and tent bag inside and gently hopping off the pier into the raft. Tommy and Ranboo both shared a glance before Tommy shrugged and did the same. Ranboo was the last to follow, hesitating slightly before also placing their stuff in the raft and climbing in.

"Okay so, Jack did say that the motor might be a bit finicky, but I think I know what's wrong with it, if it does what I expect it to," Tubbo explained as he grabbed the cord on the side of the motor and yanked it.

Nothing happened and Tubbo let out an amused huff.

"Yep okay, that's about what I expected. Hey Boo, can you reach in the left front pocket of my backpack?" Tubbo asked as he flipped up the cover of the motor and started digging around inside.

"There's a small wrench set and a... bulb thing?" Ranboo asked questioningly. 

"Just hand me both of them," Tubbo responded, reaching his left hand out to take them from Ranboo.

After a few minutes, Tubbo reached his hand out again to Ranboo, who took what looked to be a blackened version of the bulb thing he handed to Tubbo earlier.

After another minute, Tubbo stood up and flipped the cover back on the motor, "Alright, moment of truth!" He reached over and gave the cord another yank, and this time the engine roared to life. 

Tubbo fist pumped into the air, "Woo! Victory! Remind me to tell Jack he owes me a spark plug next time I see him."

He gently lowered the rudder into the ocean, and then untied the raft from the dock, turning to the other two sitting in front of him, "You ready for an adventure?" he asked with a glint in his eyes. 

Tommy and Ranboo both shared a glance before bursting into laughter.

"ADVENTURE!" The two of them screamed as they pulled away from the dock.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The ride to Mako was honestly more uneventful than any of them were expecting. The salty wind whipped through their hair as they gently bobbed along the ocean. It wasn't super far, far enough that you couldn't swim to it, but close enough that you didn't need a really expensive boat to get to it.

When they spotted the yellow buoys marking the edge of the island's waters, Ranboo once again started to fidget, but they continued on right up to the shore. Tubbo drove right up onto the sand, making sure to keep the rudder from hitting sand, flipping it up and back into the boat. He shut the motor off and jumped out, motioning to the other two to follow, and the three of them started to haul the raft up the beach. 

Once they got to the tree line, Tubbo walked over and dug around in the tree roots for a bit before coming back with what looked like a net with leaves on it.

Seeing the other two's questioning looks, Tubbo smirked, "Jack told me they leave this here to cover the boat with. It makes it harder to spot from offshore. Now come on, let's grab our stuff and go find somewhere to set up camp!"

Ranboo looked absolutely horrified at this statement, but the three of them gathered their things and covered the boat, before walking deeper into the jungle of the island.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Mako island was pretty. No, that was an understatement. Mako island was gorgeous. 

Tommy smiled as the three of them walked through the plants and trees. The greenery of the island was mostly untouched from the fact that the island was completely off-limits to tourists. Most people straight-up avoided the island, other than the random groups of teenagers that would travel to the island from time to time to drink, or to hang out without adults around. 

As they continued walking, Tommy noticed the faint sound of flowing water in the distance. "Where are we going Tubs?" he asked and Tubbo smiled.

"Oh, you two are going to love this, we're almost there, come on!" Tubbo exclaimed as he took off running.

Tommy and Ranboo both shot a glance at each other, quickly deciding that they should probably hurry and follow so that they didn't get lost. Eventually the three ran into a clearing and Tommy gasped as he took in the sight.

In front of them was a giant waterfall that poured gracefully out of the mountain in the center of the island. The waterfall drained into a giant pond of crystal-clear water, with the smooth pebbles of the beach-side glinting as the water gently lapped over them. To the left of the pond, Tommy saw a small dirt clearing that looked to be the perfect size for the three of them to set up camp. His eyes were flitting all over the scene trying to take it all in when Tubbo turned around, "So? What do you two think? It was totally worth it right?"

"Worth it? Fuck, Tubbo this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Tommy breathed out.

Ranboo nodded, "Okay yeah, I'm still upset about us breaking the law but, you're right. This is really, really pretty."

"Well then, c'mon! Let's go set up our tents and then we can go swimming!" Tubbo called out, waving as he started to run over to the clearing.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It took them a little bit to set up their tents, but eventually they were all settled in. Tommy and Tubbo rushed to go play in the pond, while Ranboo carefully made a campfire and started cooking dinner.

Excited shrieks and splashes erupted from the pond as Tommy and Tubbo got into a water fight, sending waves of water at each other and completely soaking themselves.

Eventually Ranboo called them back over, and Tommy whined, "Aw Ranboo, but we're having so much fun! And, you haven't even come in either!"

Tubbo giggled next to him, splashing Tommy with water again, "You're such a little fish, the water will still be here after dinner."

Tommy playfully scowled and sunk into the water until the only thing Tubbo could see was his eyes and the top of his head. Tommy defiantly shook his head and Tubbo laughed again, "We'll eat and come right back, I promise! I know you haven't been swimming in a while."

Tommy rolled his eyes, seeming to come to a decision as he swam towards the shore. Ranboo smiled as the two walked over to huddle next to the fire. They wrapped up in towels and grabbed their bowls of soup.

Tommy took a sip of his soup and sunk back into his towel with a pleased hum. "Fuck Ranboo this is so good. I seriously missed your cooking."

Ranboo gently pulled his mask down to take a sip of soup, and Tommy could finally see him smile, and not just through his eyes, "I missed cooking for you, it's been really quiet without you around for so long. This is really nice."

"You know," Tubbo piped up, "It's supposed to be the full moon tonight, we could finish up dinner and then all get in the water until the moon rises. Or...” he paused for suspense, “we could check out that cave over in the mountain," his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"A cave?" Tommy perked up as he looked over at Tubbo, "I mean... we still have some daylight, and who knows, maybe there's something cool in there."

"Or a bear," Tubbo teased back with a wild look in his eyes.

"Hey, could be a bear den, could be a mermaid cave. I for one am willing to take that chance for the ladies," Tommy shot right back at him, before they both devolved into giggles.

"Well, if you guys are going, I'll go too."

The other two shot Ranboo looks of surprise. 

"What? Someone's gotta be responsible and make sure you don't get stuck and die or get charmed by mer ladies," they finished with a smirk.

"Alright that settles it then! After dinner, it's mer ladies or bust!" Tommy shouted, much to the amusement of the other two.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The cave was much smaller, and much darker than any of them expected. Tommy wiggled his way into it for a bit, and upon not finding anything interesting, he called back, "I don't think there's anything he— WOAH!" 

He screamed out as all of a sudden, he was sliding down through a twisting tunnel. Just as he thought he was going to get stuck at the bottom of some random hole, he shot out of the wall and slid along... sand?

He paused for a moment as he looked up and gasped. He was in some sort of open cavern, with a small sandy floor that met with a pool of water that seemed to glint and shimmer in the… sun?

Wait what?

Tommy looked up and sucked in another breath as his eyes met what was allowing the sun into the cave. It was the mouth of the volcano. Tommy was currently standing inside the volcano.

"TOMMY, ARE YOU OKAY?" Tubbo's voice echoed down the tunnel, snapping Tommy out of his trance.

Wait shit, his friends.

"YEAH, BUT YOU GOTTA COME SEE THIS!" Tommy screamed back up the hole. 

There was silence for a few seconds, and then another scream echoed through the hole. A few seconds later, Tubbo shot out of the hole and rolled across the ground, groaning at the impact.

A few beats later, Ranboo also shot out of the hole in the wall, notably without screaming, and skidded to a stop next to Tubbo and Tommy.

"What even is this place?" Tubbo mumbled from the ground as he pushed himself up to his knees.

Tommy pointed upwards, "You're never going to believe this."

"Holy shit! Are we...?"

"Inside the volcano. Yep, sure seems like it." 

The three of them looked around for a few minutes, taking in their new scenery before turning their eyes back to the hole.

"So… this is great and all but…" Tubbo started, walking over to the hole, "How are we going to get back up?"

Shit, he really didn't think much about that.

"We could try climbing back up," Tommy shrugged. It was as good of an idea as any.

The three of them spent the next few hours trying to climb back up the hole, only to slide back down every single time without fail. Before long, darkness started to creep into the cavern, and the three of them could tell that the moon had already risen.

"This is pointless!" Tommy whined as he slid back out of the hole again, "The slope is too steep, and the walls are too smooth to get any real footing."

"So, we're stuck inside of a volcano, with no food and no water," he emphasized by listing them off on his fingers, "and oh yeah! NO ONE KNOWS WE'RE HERE!" Tubbo yelled as he slouched down against the cave wall.

"Well, there is one way we haven't looked at," Ranboo pointed out.

Tubbo scoffed, "AND THAT IS?"

Ranboo raised his hand and pointed to the pool of water.

Tommy tilted his head, "What about it?"

"Look at the rocks, along the wall. There are tide rings, which means that the water level rises and falls. Which means..."

Tommy walked over and dipped his fingers into the water and then stuck them in his mouth. His eyes immediately widened.

"It's salty! Holy fuck! Guys it's salty! This pool is connected to the ocean!" Tommy shouted excitedly as he immediately jumped into the pool.

"Tommy, wait we don't—" Tubbo started as Tommy's head dipped under the water, effectively cutting him off. He sighed. Tommy was the best swimmer out of all of them, so of course he would be the one to check out the weird ocean pool.

One, two, three...

Four, five, six...

Seven, eight, nine...

Okay shit, where was Tommy?

Tubbo's eyes stared intently at the pool as he continued to count in his head. Just as he reached twenty-four though, he saw movement in the water and he sighed with relief as Tommy's head broke the water and he gasped in air, coughing a bit.

"It goes out, all the way. It's about a 12 second swim each way," Tommy managed out between gasps of air.

"So… we can get out?" Tubbo asked hopefully.

"The tunnel's not super wide, but we should be able to get out if you guys practice holding your breath for a bit," Tommy responded, his breathing leveling out now, "It won't be the easiest swim ever, but I believe you two can do it."

Tubbo and Ranboo both stood up from the places they were sitting by the wall and walked over to the pool. Tubbo stepped in on the natural step and then walked off, letting gravity plunge him into the water. Ranboo hesitated slightly.

“You sure about this?”

Tommy nodded, “It’s the only way out. I’ll help you, come on.”

Nodding, Ranboo followed Tubbo’s example, and quickly joined the two in the small pool. He was pleased to find out that the water wasn't particularly cold or hot. It was actually a rather nice temperature for being connected to the ocean.

The two of them swam over to Tommy, who was gently bobbing in the center of the pool. Tommy was right in the middle of helping the others practice holding their breath when his eye caught the crater above them. He suddenly pointed upwards, "Woah… guys look!"

As the other two looked up, they saw the full moon slowly starting to encompass the entirety of the crater's opening. As the moon passed over the crater fully and completely covered the sky, the three gasped as the water of the pool started to bubble and froth.

Not knowing exactly what to do, the three of them just hovered there in awe as what could only be described as fireflies or magic floated up from the water and swirled gracefully up towards the moon.

Tommy had no idea what was happening, but a gentle feeling of calm settled in his veins as he just stared in awe at the spectacle that he was seeing.

After a few minutes the moon no longer completely covered the crater, and the sparkles and frothing faded away.

"What… what the fuck was that?" Tommy breathed.

Tubbo and Ranboo had equally confused expressions on their faces and just shrugged.

"Um... anyways we should probably go. Are you two ready?" Tommy looked over at the two of them, and they nodded.

Taking deep breaths, the three disappeared into the water, swimming through the tunnel as Tommy gently guided them by their wrists. By the time they made it out and broke the surface of the water, Tubbo was choking on water, and Ranboo had to hold onto a rock and take deep breaths.

They had made it, they were out. But… where was out?

Tommy quickly scanned around trying to find something, anything in the dark abyss of the night. Until suddenly, he was hit with a bright light and he hissed as his hand instinctively shot up to shield his eyes.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING OUT HERE?" A voice boomed out at them.

Fuck, it was the coast guard. Well at least they weren't going to drown now.

At the instruction of the guard, the three of them swam over to the boat and proceeded to get grilled on how Mako was off-limits, and swimming in the ocean at night was dangerous and yada yada.

The guard asked them if they were illegally camping on the island and the three of them couldn't find a reason not to just admit it.

As Tubbo insisted earlier, the coast guard let them off with a stern warning, and even went and collected their stuff for them. Tubbo mentioned the boat, and that was also retrieved and towed back to the mainland.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy collapsed in his bed as he stared up at the ceiling. 

Well, that was a bust, he thought as he flipped over and grabbed his phone, scrolling through his messages before sighing when the only messages from Tubbo and Ranboo were telling him goodnight and that they were fine after the pool and to not worry about them.

He had so many questions, and not enough answers. What had happened in the volcano, and why did that feel so natural to him when it was very clearly not?

He sighed as he pulled the blankets up around his neck. Those were questions for future Tommy. Current Tommy was too tired for this shit.

He rolled over onto his side and immediately fell asleep.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy's eyes fluttered open as he awoke. He groaned and ran his hand through his hair, trying to get over the crazy dream that he had the night before.

He blinked a couple of times as he reached over for his phone and unlocked it. He looked at the time, 10:15am. Tubbo and Ranboo would both be at work by now.  

He made a mental note of this before going to his messages to send Ranboo and Tubbo a quick text about his dream.

He saw the text messages that they had exchanged the night before and inhaled sharply.

It wasn't a dream.

Going to Mako, the weird cavern, the pool.

Tommy sighed, running his hands through his hair again before he climbed out of bed and walked into his bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror for a few seconds before reaching out and turning the tap on. He was just about to put his hands in the water when his phone vibrated and scared the hell out of him.

He reached over and shut the tap off again before grabbing his phone. As he turned on the screen, he was met with a very concerning message from Ranboo.

Ranboo: > SMOOTHIE SHOP NOW. DON'T TOUCH WATER!!!

Tommy blinked a few times at the message before typing back.

Tommy: > ran what's going on? what do you mean dont touch water

Ranboo: > Just hurry down here, avoid water and knock on the fridge door with the secret knock.

Okay seriously, what the fuck?

Tommy shook his head as he walked back out of the bathroom and got dressed. Finally, he pulled on his hoodie and ran out the door.

The smoothie shop that Ranboo and Tubbo worked at, Fruitsplosion, was out on one of the many piers of L'Manburg. It was a cute little joint operation, with the front of the store being a small clothing shop and the back being the actual smoothie joint. 

As Tommy walked up, he noticed that the sign on the front door was flipped to "Be Right Back!" and he couldn't see either Tubbo or Ranboo in the store. Taking a breath he opened the door, and following the instructions in Ranboo's text, walked over to the door of the shop's walk-in refrigerator and did the group's secret knock.

Instantly there was a click, and the door swung open, putting him face to face with Tubbo.

"So, I would say 'Don't freak out' but I'm pretty sure that's impossible."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Opening shifts were the worst.

Luckily the store didn't open until ten, so Tubbo and Ranboo had a bit of time to perform their opening duties before people actually started showing up.

Ranboo went over to the clothing portion of the shop, going through his normal routine of taking inventory before the store opened.

Tubbo sighed as he put on his apron, going through and making sure all the fruit was in its proper place, and that all the equipment was still there and clean.

He pulled out a few trays of different fruits and started chopping them into the perfect portions for the smoothies. Once he was satisfied, he set the trays back in the mini fridges under the counter.

Looking back through his inventory, he noticed that he was running low on raspberries and blueberries, so he decided to go wash some and bring them up front before the store opened.

He looked up at the clock, 9:55am, he could make it.

"I'm going to go wash some fruit, you know how to run this side if you need to, but I should be back before we open," Tubbo called out to Ranboo, who gave him a thumbs up from their register.

Tubbo hummed, pulling open the giant fridge door and shuddering as the chill air hit his skin. He walked through the aisles of different types of smoothie ingredients before finding the berries he was looking for.

He poured a container of raspberries into one strainer, and a container of blueberries into another. He carried both over to the small sink that was in there for prep and started to wash the fruit.

Just like he did any other day.

But today was not any other day.

Because unlike every other day, he only washed the fruit for about ten seconds before he started feeling... strange.

There was an intense prickling sensation in his legs, and he winced as he squeezed his eyes shut, dropping the strainer in the sink as he fell to the floor.

Blinking his eyes open, he suddenly realized he felt much colder than he did before. He reached down absentmindedly to pull down the sleeves of his shirt... that wasn’t there anymore.

What?

Tubbo tried to sit up and froze as his eyes locked onto something shimmering green in the fluorescent lights of the fridge. Something he wasn't supposed to have.

Holy fuck, why did he have a tail?

His eyes traced down his grass green scales, admiring the smaller scallop-shaped fins that had swirls of silver. His main fin was a large scallop shape, with a silver outline and silver rays that fanned out from his tail to the edge of his fin.

Tubbo reached down to touch it and realized that it felt just like what fish feel like. It was all scaly and moist, but he could feel himself touching it as if he was touching his own skin.

"What the actual fuck?" he breathed out.

Bang Bang Bang

Tubbo jumped out of his skin at the knocking of the fridge door, "Uh who... who is it?" he called back, trying to sound as calm as possible but failing miserably.

Ranboo's muffled voice came through the fridge door, "Bo? We're supposed to open now, but since you weren't out here, I just swapped the sign out for the 'Be Right Back' one. Can I come in and help?"

Tubbo laughed. Ranboo was not going to believe this. He barely believed this.

"Uh... sure bossman, but you gotta promise to do better at not wanting to scream then I am," Tubbo called back.

There was a pause. "Not wanting to... Tubbo what? Is there a spider in there or something?" Ranboo asked as the door gently swung open and he stepped inside.

They locked eyes and Ranboo's eyes seemed to pop out of their head.

"So, yeah... hi," Tubbo said with a small wave. "This is new" he smirked, gesturing to his tail.

"What the fuck did you... you have freckles," Ranboo breathed out.

Tubbo's laughter echoed throughout the fridge, "I'm lying on the ground with a fucking mer tail and your first thought is that I have freckles?"

"No like... they look like scales along your cheekbones. They're a similar color to your tail. They’re on the back of your hands too. Here let me…" Ranboo turned and exited the fridge momentarily before returning with a mirror from the clothing shop.

As Tubbo held the mirror he gasped. Ranboo was right. While his tail was a grass green, along his cheekbones and extending up towards his hairline were darker, shimmering forest green scales. His eyes now seemed to have little silver flecks in them, and he also had shimmering forest green scales on the backs of his wrists and hands.

"This is fucking insane. I literally don't get this one bit. I was washing the fruit and then..." Tubbo froze for a second before a realization hit him.

"Ranboo... I touched the water in the sink. You don't think..."

"The sink water has magical mer making chemicals in it? I highly doubt that," Ranboo answered, the concern on his features being replaced with amusement.

Tubbo rolled his eyes, "Well, why don't you try then?"

Ranboo just blinked at him, "What?"

"Put your hand under the sink water. Look, most likely scenario is nothing's going to happen," Tubbo said with a shrug.

Ranboo froze for a moment, seeming to consider something before he walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed a water bottle off of it.

"What are you...?" Tubbo started, but Ranboo twisted the cap off, held his hand out and poured some of the water on it.

"A test. We need to make sure it's not something strange, y'know? What if it's any water? We did have whatever the hell happened in that cave pool last night."

The pool …

Tubbo had completely forgotten about that. But right now, his eyes were locked with Ranboo's in a silent staring contest until...

Ranboo also seemed to wince and stumble to the floor, and in a flash of sparkles that reminded Tubbo so much of the pool, Ranboo completely transformed.

His hair was still the same, but his eyes had the same flecks that Tubbo's did, except they were different colors. Black in his left, now red iris eye, and white in his right, now green iris eye. 

As Tubbo's eyes traveled further down his face, he noticed that the familiar black and white split face mask that Ranboo always donned was now... scales? They shimmered lightly in the lights of the fridge, and Tubbo gawked at it for a moment before looking down to his tail.

His tail was honestly something else. It reminded Tubbo of marble. It was mostly black, but had splotches of white, mostly around his smaller fins. The marble-like coloration was most prominent on his main fin, which was in a V shape, and almost looked more webbed.

"Well, it wasn't the water. It just is water," Ranboo whispered as their eyes traced down their new form.

"So… now what do we do? There's no shot we're stuck like this forever, right?" Tubbo huffed and Ranboo just hummed.

"I... I'm not sure, I can't say I've ever heard stories of humans turning into mer before."

Just as Tubbo was about to say something in response, he felt the prickling sensation again and took a sharp breath as he was encased in the same sparkles as before. 

Suddenly as if it never happened, he was back on the ground in his work uniform, with his legs.

"There is no fucking way that this is real!" Tubbo exclaimed as he stood up, walking over to Ranboo who was still on the ground.

They both locked eyes, suddenly coming to the same realization.

"We gotta warn Tommy!" Ranboo exclaimed as he reached for his phone that had gone clattering across the vinyl flooring. Tubbo noticed this and walked over to pick it up, quickly handing it to Ranboo.

Ranboo sent two text messages to Tommy:

Ranboo: > SMOOTHIE SHOP NOW. DON'T TOUCH WATER

Ranboo: > Just hurry down here, avoid water and knock on the fridge door with the secret knock.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It was another few minutes before there was a knock on the door. It was a very deliberate pattern of five knocks, and Tubbo quickly walked over to the door to open it.

"So, I would say 'Don't freak out' but I'm pretty sure that's impossible," Tubbo told Tommy as he stepped back to let him in.

"What do you mean 'Don't freak...'" Tommy locked eyes with Ranboo before covering his mouth in a silent scream.

"Yeah so," Tubbo came up behind Tommy after shutting the fridge behind him, "This is a thing now," he said almost breathlessly as he stood next to Tommy.

"Okay seriously guys, if this is some kind of fucking prank, I swear to—" Tommy stopped dead in his words as Tubbo splashed him with water from the water bottle they were using earlier.

"Sorry bossman, just have to test a theory!" Tubbo chirped with a grin on his face.

"What do you mean a theo— shit" Tommy hissed out as a prickling sensation exploded over his legs and he slumped back against the wall he was up against. 

In a flash just like the other two, Tommy was enveloped with the same sparkles and came out of the situation with his own tail. Tommy's tail was a vibrant reddish orange color, with golden scales creating swirls and small splotches along the sides of his tail. His smaller fins were flowy, and almost entirely gold, reminding Tubbo of betta fish. His large fin was a wide U shape, with the edges reaching farther down than the center. The fin was a translucent red, with golden splotches mixed in. His normally crystal blue eyes had golden flakes in them, and he gawked as he noticed that the backs of his hands now had golden scales on them.

I have to be dreaming was the first thought that came to his head.

"Woah Toms! Your tail is so cool! And your freckle scales are golden!" Tubbo exclaimed from right next to him.

"Tubbo... YOU'RE ACTING LIKE THIS IS FUCKING NORMAL! THIS IS NOT FUCKING NORMAL!" Tommy screeched back at him, "I... is it permanent?" his voice turned to a whisper as he stared in horror up at Tubbo.

"Nope! Mine lasted for about oh..." Tubbo glanced down at his watch, "shit, like fifteen minutes? Fuck, the shop's supposed to be open now and..."

"Wait, if we turn into mer by getting wet, do you think we turn back when we dry off?" Ranboo asked curiously.

Tubbo and Tommy locked eyes and Tubbo shrugged, "It's worth a shot I guess, I'll go grab some towels."

It was a lot harder than they thought it would be, but after only about ten minutes, they managed to get both Ranboo and Tommy back to being human again.

"So, what happens now?" Tommy asked, eyes wide, "How do we live without touching water?"

Tubbo sighed, "Well for starters, I'll have to start wearing gloves when I wash stuff... As for hygiene... guess we're taking baths from now on, since I can't imagine trying to balance in the shower on a fin would be comfortable."

"I know it's really ironic of me to be the one saying this," both Tommy and Tubbo shot their glances over to Ranboo as he started talking, "but we need to go back to Mako. This has to have something to do with that weird pool in the volcano."

Tommy pondered this for a minute before piping up, "Well… we won't need a boat this time, will we?"

The three shared a look before laughing.

"Okay meet up at the beach meeting spot at 6:30, right after we get off work," Tubbo told the others, "Then we'll go see what we can find at Mako."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The meeting spot on the beach was a little cove the three of them had found the year previous. It was secluded enough that they never saw another person, but open enough that they could still enjoy the waves and play in the sand.

Tommy hopped over the small rocky outcropping that separated the cove from the rest of the beach, careful not to touch his hand on any spots that seemed even remotely like they could be wet.

When he got there, he noticed Tubbo and Ranboo already sitting in the sand talking. Probably about their new predicament if he had to guess. He waved and they waved back as he walked over to them.

"So, what's the plan?" Tommy asked as he got closer.

"Well, we're thinking that the best course of action is probably to explore that cave more. Maybe there's something in there that can help us figure out what's going on," Ranboo explained, his eyes catching on the bag Tommy was sporting, "What's in the bag?"

"Oh! I found a waterproof bag at one of the surf shops on the pier! It's big enough to fit some towels and I also put some snacks in here too. I figured if we're going to go on the island, we won't want to be stuck as mer for 15 minutes at a time," Tommy smirked as he rummaged through the bag, showing the two a few things to prove his point.

Tubbo clapped his hands together, "Well, what are we waiting for? We should probably go before it gets dark after all," he pointed up at the sky as he spoke.

Being summertime, the sun was still relatively high in the sky, but the three of them knew that they only had a few hours tops before the sun completely set.

But a beat would pass, and then two, as the three of them just stared at the water.

"I'm going to be honest guys, I don't think I've ever been so nervous about going swimming," Tommy chuckled nervously before re-adjusting the bag over his head and shoulder and walking towards the water.

Taking a deep breath, he ran and dove into the waves, staying underwater for a few seconds before poking his head back above the water.

Just like at the smoothie shop, he could feel the prickling sensation in his legs, but he could have sworn it didn't hurt at all as he was engulfed in sparkles again.

"Okay wait, guys this actually is really fucking cool!" he called back as he dove underneath the water, his tail splashing the surface as he completely submerged.

Tubbo and Ranboo both shared a glance before also following Tommy into the water.

It was strange, what felt so awkward in the fridge of the shop suddenly felt like the most natural thing in the world as the two boys exchanged their legs for tails in similar flashes of sparkles.

As the two of them scanned the murky water for Tommy, anxiety started to creep in as neither one of them could see him in the cloudy water.

All of a sudden, Tubbo shrieked as his hand was grabbed and he was forced under the water. His eyes instinctively squeezed shut as he tried to hold his breath for as long as he could before...

"Dude relax, we're mer remember?"

A bubbly voice would echo slightly next to him. Tubbo opened his eyes and found that one, his eyes didn't burn, and two, he was staring face to face with Tommy who just laughed.

After staring for a few seconds, Tubbo gingerly forced himself to breathe and... found that it felt like normal breathing. "What the fuck..." he whispered.

Ranboo appeared next to them a few seconds later, seeming to somehow grasp the whole "breathing underwater" thing almost instantly.

"So, are we going to Mako or what?" he asked with an adventurous glint in his eyes before he took off swimming.

Mer were fast. Faster than any of them were expecting.

The three of them raced along through the water, but were constantly distracted with just how beautiful the ocean really was.

Schools of multi-colored fish swam around in dizzying patterns, and the coral and plant life that covered the ocean floor was a sight to behold. It was a rainbow of color that the three had never experienced before, and they were determined to see as much as they could, stopping many times in their journey to just explore the reef that was right out of their view as humans. It was a breathtaking sight.

It took a bit of effort to find the entrance into the crater's pool, but Tommy remembered a specific patch of coral that he was able to use as a landmark.

The three of them surfaced inside of the cavern and just floated for a few seconds. Tubbo was the first to speak up.

"Holy shit, this is literally the coolest thing to ever happen to me, to us! You know... other than the no touching water bit."

"Look, I had my doubts at first, but seriously this is unbelievable. Did you see the fish? And the reefs! All the little creatures hiding in the plants and coral!" Tommy chattered excitedly as the three of them just floated for a moment in the pool.

As they stared up into the sky that was visible from the volcano's mouth, a calm quiet overtook the three of them as they just took in the moment.

Ranboo was the first to break the silence, "Nothing looks particularly out of the ordinary here."

To their disappointment, he was right. Nothing about the cavern immediately caught their eyes. It just looked like a normal cave.

"Okay well, we're not going to find anything just by swimming here and staring," Tommy sighed, snapping out of the gentle trance the three of them were in. He lifted the bag out of the water and gently shook it off before he set it on the sand.

It was a bit of a struggle, but he managed to lift himself out of the water and into a sitting position against the wall closest to the pool. Unzipping the bag, he took out a towel and began to start to dry himself off.

The others did the same, with Tubbo having a bit more trouble, but with some help from Tommy they were both able to get out. Tommy tossed them towels also.

After about ten minutes, Tommy sighed as finally he was able to stand up again, stretching as he started walking around the cave with the other two right behind him. "So... what exactly are we looking for?"

Ranboo shrugged, "Not sure, anything that would be able to tie this place to mer I suppose. Cave paintings maybe?"

They split up, with the three of them taking different sections of the cave, looking for something, anything that could possibly tie this strange cave to mer.

Their search was interrupted after only a few minutes by the water behind them rippling and a voice calling out to them.

"Who the fuck are you three?"

All three of them instinctively spun around to face the sound and Tommy took in a sharp breath at the sight in front of him.

It was another mer.

The mer looked to be older than the three of them, with brown hair stuck to his forehead from just coming out of the water. He had scales trailing around his face like Tubbo and Tommy did in their mer forms, except they were a golden color, like Tommy's. His chocolate eyes had golden flecks in them, and his tail was a vibrant gold that seemed to shimmer as he hovered in the water.

"I'm not going to ask again. Who the fuck are you, and how did you find the Moon Pool?"

The... Moon Pool?

"Uh... look," Tubbo started, anxiety dripping off of his voice, "we're just looking around to try to find..."

"So, you're stupid teenage tourists. Great," the mer rolled his eyes, "I thought Phil got this island off-limits. You’re not supposed to be here."

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo just blinked at him.

"Look we just have a few quest—" Tommy started before getting interrupted again.

"Just... leave this place now, however you came in before I force you to."

Tommy huffed, figuring that words weren't going to work here. Without missing another beat, he walked right up to the pool and dropped into the water.

"Excuse me, what the fuck are you do—" the other mer snapped as Tommy transformed.

The mer looked with wide eyes at Tommy, who was now sporting his own tail, "What in the stars...?"

"Now will you just fucking listen to us for two seconds?" Tommy snapped, "Yes, we were 'teenage tourists' as you call us. We fell into this cave last night, experienced some weird sparkly shit, and now we have to deal with this," he gestured to his tail before continuing, "We came back to try to figure out what the fuck is going on!"

"You're... that... shouldn't be possible. I didn’t think last night was..." The other mer whispered out before Tommy sighed in exasperation, "Yeah, no shit sherlock, how do you think we feel?"

"Wilbur."

"What?"

The other mer sighed, "My name's Wilbur, what are yours?"

Tommy blinked a few times at the mer, who was now wearing an expression of 'well?'. Tommy sighed, "I'm Tommy, and that's Tubbo and Ranboo," pointing to both as he said their names.

"Has anyone seen you?"

The question hit the three of them like a smack in the face.

"No, we've been careful to avoid that," Ranboo stated with a serious tone in his voice.

Wilbur sighed in... relief? "Good. Make sure you keep it that way. I don't even want to think about what would happen if humans got their hands on one mer, let alone three," he paused, seeming to consider something before shaking his head and continuing, "Alright well, where are you three staying then? If it's just on the island or in the reefs or something you can probably stay in here until we can figure out if there's a part of the pod that will take you..."

wait what?

"We're staying on land because we're human,” Tubbo firmly stated, "I don't know how you're not understanding this!"

Wilbur just blinked at them, and suddenly it seemed like a realization only just hit him.

"You can switch back without a moon stone."

It was a question posed as a statement, and the three boys just stared at him with confused expressions before Tommy spoke up.

"What the fuck is a moon stone?"

"Right. I... I gotta tell Phil about this. You three stay out of sight. And do not under any circumstances tell anyone about any of this," Wilbur hissed before submerging under the water.

And just like that the three of them were alone again.

The three of them just stared at where Wilbur had been for a solid minute before Tubbo squeaked out, "We all saw that right? I'm not hallucinating or something?"

"No, you're not crazy Tubbo, but he might be," Ranboo shook his head, "Come on, it's getting late. We should probably get home. We still have to dry off on the beach too."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The next few days passed by with only minor hitches for the three of them. Life seemed to stabilize, despite the fact that all their friends were now pressing them on why they suddenly no longer wanted to hang out and go swimming, either at pools or at the beach. It was severely abnormal, as the three of them used to almost be inseparable from the beach, especially Tommy when he came to visit the previous summer, but they didn't really have a choice anymore.

It was exhausting trying to deal with salvaging relationships, lying to keep their secret, and trying to figure out what was their next plan of action. But one thing was for certain, life didn't slow down for them at all.

Tommy was hit with this realization when he woke up to the sound of an alarm clock.

Shit, he had work today.

He groaned as he rubbed his hands down his face and got out of bed. He walked into the bathroom, instinctively reaching for the tap to wash his face before remembering. He sighed as he changed course and instead went for the tub of non-water-based wipes that Ranboo had gotten all of them. He spent a bit scrubbing his face with the wipe before discarding it and brushing his teeth, thankful for the fact that his mer form didn't seem to care about water that was in his mouth.

After a bit he walked back into his room, changing out of his pajamas and into his work uniform. As he walked back into the bathroom and straightened out his hat, he took a deep breath.

You're gonna be fine. You just work at a café that's filled to the brim with beverages and all sorts of things that could get you wet. No sweat.

He wasn't making himself feel better.

He grabbed a pair of clear plastic gloves from the box that Tubbo had gotten for him and pulled them on. They were longer than normal gloves, going about halfway up his lower arms. They felt gross and made his hands and lower arms sweaty as hell, but he did admit that they did save him several times over the last few days from accidents, and he hoped that his boss Puffy wouldn't mind him suddenly insisting on wearing them.

Taking one last deep breath, he left his flat, ready to face the new hell that was his job.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Work almost passed by without a hitch.

Almost.

Of course, the dumb water machine had to break and decide not to get hot right as he was on his last few minutes of his shift. And of course, the customer at the counter just asked for a hot tea.

Great.

After informing the customer that the machine was broken and that it would be a few minutes while he tried to fix it (he silently hoped they would have just told him not to worry, but they didn't and instead said they weren't in a rush), he walked over with a small sigh and started to face his worst enemy.

The machine had a tendency to spray water at even the most delicate and deliberate employees that tried to fix it, and Tommy quickly mapped out his possible escape routes in his head.

He took a deep breath, flipped open the metal box and started examining the pieces inside.

Everything looked connected. It just wasn't getting hot.

He wiggled a few wires, and tightened a few of the commonly loose knobs, gentle not to knock any of the water tubing. As he twisted one of the knobs, the machine let out a hiss and Tommy quickly stepped back out of the way. When he determined that he wasn't going to get soaked, he let out a breath and continued working on the machine. Finally satisfied with his inspection, he closed up the machine and tried to dispense water into a mug. It was still not hot.

Absolutely annoyed with his shit luck, Tommy raised his hand up in frustration and then clenched it into a fist, about to straight up punch the machine. As he did though, he heard something. Bubbling water.

He looked down in shock at the mug for a second before he realized.

The water was boiling.

Tommy instantly unclenched his fist, and the water slowly started to cool down, with the bubbling fading and being replaced with the warm steam he was used to seeing from hot drinks.

Did... Did he do that?

Wanting to try again just for science, he grabbed another mug and filled it up with water. He stuck his finger in it, and even through the gloves he could feel that it was cold.

Looking around to make sure that no one was directly staring at him, he lifted his hand up, palm above the water, and then gently closed his hand into a fist. He watched with wide eyes as the water started to get small bubbles in it as it heated up, and then just like before, it started boiling.

"Holy shit..." he whispered before his eyes widened as he remembered the customer that wanted the tea.

He quickly went through the motions of making the tea, using his new powers to make sure the water was sufficiently hot. He handed it to the customer with an apology for the wait before looking at the clock and breathing a sigh of relief that his shift was over.

He hung up the machine's "Maintenance Requested" sign before hanging up his apron and getting ready to leave.

He had to tell Ranboo and Tubbo about this.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. He knew that right through the tunnel in front of him was going to be a fight for information, from a man that treated him like a wayward child running from his responsibilities.

Which... wasn't entirely inaccurate, but still.

He pushed through the kelp hiding the small man-made cave entrance, trying to focus on his breathing to keep from seeming too anxious.

As his head emerged from the water in the small underground pool, a voice echoed across the room, "Honestly mate, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. Is everything alright?"

Wilbur took another deep breath as he looked around the small cave that they called their basement. All manner of jewelry and treasures were scattered around, and if any humans ever saw the place, they'd probably think it was some sort of hidden pirate hoard.

Finally, his eyes snapped to the man sitting on the couch, reading a book. His blonde hair fell gently out of the oversized green and white bucket hat that he always wore on his head, and he was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, with an emerald green robe wrapped around him.

"Phil, we have to talk about something," Wilbur rested his arms on the side of the pool as he spoke.

"I already heard about the three boys that they found off the coast of Mako. They were given a firm warning. The others haven’t mentioned much, but it's nothing for you to trouble yourself about."

"That's not what I—"

"Wilbur, please. I know you're upset that there were possibly people around the Moon Pool, but it's all taken care of now. Plus, shouldn't you still be in Essempi?"

Wilbur rolled his eyes, "For fuck's sake Phil, this isn't about me! Look, there's something strange going on and this could be the start of the..." Wilbur sighed, changing his train of thought, "Phil just let me borrow a moon—"

"Absolutely not," Phil's voice echoed through the room, stern and with a warning tone.

"Excuse me?"

Phil answered in the same tone, "Orpheus, you and I both know what happened the last time that you were on land. Plus, you're needed in Essempi now, you can't just run away from your responsibilities to go on a wild goose chase. My answer is final. No."

Wilbur just gawked for a few seconds before pouting, "I am not! Also, Phil that was ten years ago, I've gotten bett—"

"That's what you said the last time, that you were getting better, and you ended up almost drowning someone," Phil sighed, closing his book and setting it on the table, "Look, I'm just trying to keep you safe and out of trouble, and unfortunately, sirens are the most dangerous type of mer. Your powers are still so tightly knit with your emotions that if you lose control for even a second you could accidentally do something you regret. It's not happening. If you truly need something on land I can do it for you, but you can't go running off by yourself."

"I... I never meant to hurt him!" Wilbur shook his head, "Phil, look this isn't about the pool, this is about the prophecy—"

"Orpheus, you can't keep coming up with excuses to get out of your responsibilities. You're needed in Essempi. That is final. You have duties to fulfill and whether you like it or not, you are the only one that can do them."

"Phil, just let me—"

"We're done here. Go back to Essempi." Phil stood up and walked up the staircase without saying another word, a clear signal that Wilbur knew all too well. He had overstepped and the conversation was over. As Phil reached the top of the staircase, the wall shifted twice, once to open and once to close, and then Wilbur was alone again.

Un-fucking-believable

He wasn't a child anymore, this was so stupid. Mer were supposed to get their own moon rings at 19, but of course Wilbur had to make one tiny (okay maybe not so tiny) mistake at 16 and now Phil won't give him one at all. While Phil did have a point about his responsibilities in Essempi, he should have the option, not just be forced out of it.

As Wil scanned the room again, his eyes fell on something that made him draw in a sharp breath. There was a moon ring amongst the jewelry near where Phil had been sitting. Far out of his reach but... there was a small mouse that might do the trick.

Now sirens normally couldn't manipulate animals, but ten years of keeping himself entertained in boring classes, and long nights practicing his voice had Wilbur curious.

He took a deep breath, focusing to get a clear picture on what he wanted the small animal to do, and then in an echo-y voice that reverberated throughout the entire room he commanded "Bring me that ring."

The mouse froze for a second, and it was taking all of Wilbur's concentration to keep the connection, as he kept trying to push his will onto the creature. Eventually though, the mouse walked over to the tray and bit the ring, picking it up, dropping to the floor and then scurrying over to the pool.

As soon as the mouse got close enough, Wilbur dropped the connection, hissing in pain —it wasn't easy connecting to things that weren't human— and the mouse dropped the ring and took off back into the walls.

He reached out for the ring, and softly gasped as his fingers surrounded the cool metal. He carefully slipped it on his right ring finger, before the band magically adjusted itself to fit perfectly on his finger, as if it was meant to be there.

Smirking with satisfaction, he dipped back into the water and swam back into the ocean. He had an idea, and it was just crazy enough to work.

If Phil wasn't going to get to the bottom of what was happening, then he was, responsibilities be damned.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo and Ranboo had worked full shifts at the smoothie shop every day since Tommy's discovery in the café, but he insisted on meeting up to show them in person, instead of just explaining over the phone. He had to wait for a few days, but eventually found himself sitting face-to-face with Ranboo and Tubbo in their flat.

"Okay Tommy, what was so important that you couldn't just tell us over the phone?" Tubbo huffed with a roll of his eyes in mock annoyance. Tommy could tell it was fake though, because his best friend still had his normal smirk on his face.

"You guys are never going to believe this, but I'm pretty sure we have powers."

Tubbo and Ranboo both looked at each other, mouths agape, and then at Tommy, "Hold on, we WHAT?"

"Okay look, let me just..." Tommy shot up off of the couch and ran into the kitchen. He took out a cup from the cabinet and filled it up with water, carefully walking back out into the living room and setting it on the table.

"I'm not sure if we all have the same powers, but this is what I can do."

Tommy raised his hand above the cup, and slowly closed his hand into a fist. Like in the café, the water started to heat up almost instantly, and before long started to boil. As soon as the water started boiling, Tommy unclenched his fist, and the water started to cool.

"Holy shit..." Tubbo whispered as all three of them now had their eyes locked onto the cup, "You just made that water boil!"

Tommy beamed, "Yep! Sure did!"

Ranboo was the first one to lift his hand and try to mimic the same gesture that Tommy did, but nothing seemed to happen. Shrugging, they gestured to Tubbo, who did the same thing, but also achieved no result.

"Strange, it seems like you're the only one of us that can do that," Ranboo mused.

"Ooookay, so maybe you two have different powers with, like, different hand gestures. I dunno," Tommy shrugged, leaning back into the couch, "I only found mine out because I was about to beat the shit out of our water machine at the café."

Tubbo laughed, "Of course that would be how you figured it out."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The other two spent the next half hour making all kinds of hand gestures at the water, with neither of them making any sort of progress at all. 

"This is pointless!" Tubbo whined as he slumped back into the couch, "Maybe you're the only one that has water powers Tommy."

"You probably just have to find something specific," Tommy shrugged as he kicked his feet out, hitting the leg of the table and managing to tip the cup, sending the water straight at Ranboo and Tubbo.

Before he even had a chance to make any sort of reaction, Ranboo instinctively put their hands up and the three of them stopped and stared as the water that was sloshing towards them had instantly frozen completely solid.

The three of them blinked at each other for a few seconds before Ranboo softly asked, "Did I do that?"

"Well… it wasn't me, and Tommy makes water boil, not freeze. I'd say you found your powers Boo!" Tubbo exclaimed with a bright smile.

The three of them got up and ran into the kitchen, filling up another cup with water and setting it onto the counter. Ranboo took a deep breath, and then thrust his hand forwards in a 'stop' motion like he had done before. Just like before, the water instantly froze over.

Smiling, Tommy reached his hand out and clenched it into a fist, causing the ice to heat up and start turning back into water.

"You two are like opposites!" Tubbo chimed in after the display, "I wonder what my powers are."

Gesture after gesture was tried, with absolutely no success. Frustrated, Tubbo flipped off the water, much to the amusement of the other two.

Eventually, Tommy's phone beeped, alerting him that he had to leave to get home because he had work in the morning.

"This sucks! I'm still no closer to figuring out what my powers are! You two got yours so easily!" Tubbo whined with a pout on his face as Tommy opened the door to leave.

"You'll figure it out Tubs, but you know, yours are probably going to be the coolest since they're seemingly the hardest to use," he would reach over and scruff the shorter boy's brown hair, much to Tubbo's annoyance as they both started laughing.

"Well good night, Toms. Be safe!"

"Good night, guys! See you tomorrow!"

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

A few days later, as Wilbur was making his way through the tunnel into the Moon Pool, he heard the distant sound of chattering voices. This was it. Another interaction with the three new mer.

Just as he thought, he emerged out of the water face to face with the three teenagers.

The three looked at him with surprise.

Ranboo spoke up first, "You're back."

"Of course, this is basically my home after all."

"You live here?" Tommy asked, his head tilting to the side slightly.

Wilbur scoffed slightly, "No, but with my dad being the asshole he is, and how overbearing things in Essempi are, I might as well."

"Essempi?" Tubbo asked and Wilbur chuckled.

"Right, you wouldn't know. It's off the coast of the island, quite a way off the shore. It's the home city of the Mako mer."

The three gawked at him for a few seconds, "I'm sorry wait, there's an entire city in the ocean?" Tubbo sputtered out, and Wilbur laughed.

"Of course, you have L'Manburg, and we have Essempi."

"Can we see it?" Tommy asked and Wilbur shook his head wincing slightly.

"Not now, and uh... not with me. Later, okay?"

The room fell silent for a few moments, with only the sound of trickling and splashing water echoing through the cave.

"Um, another question. Do all mer have water powers?" Tubbo asked in a quiet voice.

Wilbur blinked a few times, taken aback slightly by the question, "Not all of them are based around water… Have you three started getting your powers now?"

Tommy nodded, "I can make water boil, and Ranboo can make water freeze, but Tubbo can't figure out what his are."

"Interesting…" Wil paused for a moment as he thought, "Well, all mer come into their powers at different points in development, depending on the power. You three are special cases because you're not natural mer, so I'm not really sure."

Wilbur frowned in concentration, trying to recall everything that Phil had taught him about mer powers, "You two control the two extreme states of water, so it's possible since you three got your powers from the Moon Pool at the same time, that Tubbo can control water in its liquid state. Of course, I'm not sure how exactly, as I don't have that power myself, but it would make sense."

Tubbo took his hands out of the water and started messing around with hand gestures again, "Maybe one day I'll figure out what I can do."

Tommy paused for a second, seeming to ponder something. "Wilbur, what are your powers?" he looked up with a curious expression and a smile crept onto Wilbur's face.

"I can control the weather. Here, why don't I just..."

Wilbur would breathe for a moment before raising his hand out of the water and focusing on the crater above him. In just a few seconds, a small breeze picked up as a small cloud appeared to form out of nothing.

"Woah..." the three boys spoke almost simultaneously as they stared in awe at the small cloud that was now covering the opening.

With a small smirk, Wilbur closed his hand into a fist, and rain started pouring from the cloud right on the four of them, causing the three boys to shriek as the cool water attacked them relentlessly.

Taking a breath and finding his center again, just like Phil had taught him, Wilbur opened his fist and lowered his hand, dispersing the tiny rainstorm that he had created.

"And that is what we mer call Atmokenisis. Control over the atmosphere, or more simply: the weather," Wilbur finished with a smile.

"You gotta teach me how to do that," Tommy whispered, still slightly giggling from the sudden rain attack.

"I would, but not all mer have complete control over it like I do. Most have at least some control over certain aspects of it though... hm, since you have hydro-thermalkinesis…" Tommy blinked at the big word but didn't interrupt, "with enough training you could probably learn to control lightning—"

"HOLY SHIT, LIGHTNING? I CAN LEARN TO CONTROL LIGHTNING?"

Wilbur would put his hands up laughing, "It's an educated guess. Only the Moon will know what powers you have until you discover them, but most mer get abilities that are tied to their main power so it's not entirely far-fetched," Wilbur gave Tommy a small smile.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

They spent the next few hours talking about random mer stuff, with Wilbur explaining different things to the trio like their moon calendar, and a few of their traditions. Wilbur found them outdated and boring but much to his amusement, the boys seemed to absorb everything like a sponge. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about their enthusiasm reminded Wilbur about his own excitement for learning about human stuff.

Maybe the four of them weren't so different after all.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

This was so incredibly dangerous.

Tubbo's breath caught in his throat as he stared down at the three invitations in his hands before looking back up with a pained smile at the pink haired girl that had given them to him.

The girl pouted, "Come on Tubbo, don't tell me you forgot about my birthday party!"

"No! No, of course not Niki, it's just... I think we have something—"

She scoffed, "Tubbo, come on, you guys always have something going on when we invite you swimming lately. There's no way you're backing out on my birthday, I won't let you. I will see you, Ranboo, and Tommy at my pool party or I will show up to your flats and drag you there myself," Niki huffed, her cheeks getting ever so slightly pinker at her display of emotion.

Shit, she was terrifying when she wanted to be.

Tubbo gave her a timid nod and her face lit up.

"Great! I'll see you guys at 5 pm tomorrow then! See ya!"

Niki waved at him as she walked away, stopping a bit further down the pier to talk to someone else.

Tomorrow was going to be a really shitty day.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"I'M SORRY WHAT?"

Tommy's voice rang throughout the flat, and Tubbo shrunk into himself. Ranboo sat with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

"Tubbo, are you stupid? We can't go to a fucking pool party when we turn into mer when we get wet! What are we going to tell people? 'Shit sorry, I have to make a mad dash to somewhere safe before I turn into a mer and fall on the ground!'"

"I didn't mean for this to happen, and you know that!" Tubbo snapped, "You know how Niki gets, you can't really say no to her."

Tommy started to open his mouth again, but Ranboo interrupted him, "Well, we can't do anything about it now, so we'll have to make a plan. Planning this out as meticulously as possible may be our only chance of survival."

Survival

Not only 3 weeks ago, none of them would have thought of a pool party as a fight for survival, but here they were, about to draft a plan like they were going to war.

Tommy hesitated for a moment, "We could... maybe ask Wilbur? He might know of a way to get us out of this. Oh! Maybe he could make it rain or something!"

Ranboo shook his head, "I highly doubt Wilbur would help us. I still don't fully trust him. He keeps hiding things from us and I don't like it. Regardless, your plan wouldn't work because no one there cares about swimming in the rain. We did it all the time last summer."

"We could just not show up," Tommy shrugged, but Tubbo shook his head.

"Niki said that if we didn't show up, she'd come over and personally drag us down there."

Tommy sighed, "Of course she did. And she would too. So... now what?"

Ranboo started tapping on their phone, "We need to start with a plan, Niki posts a lot on her social media pages, maybe there's some pictures of her backyard that we could use as reference, since it's been a bit since we've been there."

The other two nodded, and they huddled together as Ranboo scrolled through Niki's socials. They spent the next hour going over the layout of Niki's backyard, where the exits were, places they could hide, and what to say if something happened.

They discovered from the pictures that there was a small shack by the back of the pool, and Ranboo pointed out that that must be where the filtration systems and other pool controls were. If it was open, it would make a good place to hide.

But even after all their planning, Tommy leaned back with a huff, three words escaping from his lips.

"We're so fucked."

Ranboo sighed, "It's definitely not ideal, but it's not entirely impossible..."

"Why don't we just pretend to be sick with... I dunno, the flu or something?" Tommy asked sharply.

"Well bossman, we probably could have... if last summer Niki didn't have to force you to go home and sleep because you insisted on going swimming with a fever," Tubbo rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Well excuse me, I used to and still do love swimming. It's literally my element, and you know that!" Tommy snapped.

"Well that's why your plan won't work!" Tubbo yelled back.

"GUYS PLEASE!" Ranboo shouted over the both of them.

"We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. While I agree that it would be better if we weren't in this situation, the truth is we're stuck. We know something is inevitably going to happen, so our best bet is to just have a plan and stick with it."

Tommy sighed as he flopped back into the couch, and Tubbo just pulled his knees up and hugged them.

"Can I at least wear a raincoat Ranboo?"

"No Tommy, absolutely not."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Doomsday

That was the only way that the three of them could describe it as they stood outside of Niki's house, wearing swimwear that they knew they wouldn't be using.

Tommy looked between Ranboo and Tubbo, who both nodded, then he knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and Niki and her bright pink hair were waiting for them.

"You made it! I knew that you wouldn't make me come over there!" she smiled brightly, "Come on in, everyone's out back already, and there's pizza!"

The three of them awkwardly shuffled behind Niki as she led them through the house to the backyard.

There were more people than they thought there would be.

The backyard was full of young adults. Some that the trio recognized from school, and some that they didn't. But one they did recognize was a very wet Sapnap that had just climbed out of the pool and was headed straight for them.

"Hey guys! Honestly didn't think you'd make it!"

The black-haired boy reached out to hug Tommy, but all three of the trio instinctively backed up at his approach. He just gave them a puzzled look.

"Come on, I know I'm wet, but you are getting into the pool, right? What's a bit of water before that?"

Ranboo was the one to speak up, "We'll be there soon, just don't want Niki's present to get wet!" he gestured to the gift that Tommy was holding.

"Okay okay! Suit yourself. You know where to find me," Sapnap winked at them before running back and jumping in the water. He swam over to two other guys and began chatting with them.

"That was too close," Tommy hissed, still staring at Sapnap.

Tommy noticed the dark-haired guy that Sapnap was talking to wave at him. The other blonde just gave him an uninterested stare. Tommy gingerly waved back.

"Well, now what? We can't just stand here forever," Tubbo asked, as tense as the other two had ever seen him.

"You're right about one thing, you really shouldn't just stand around!"

A hand landed on Tubbo's shoulder, and he jumped like a scared cat.

"Geez, calm down Tubso! It's just me, amigo."

"Big Q, geez you scared the fuck out of me," Tubbo hissed back at him.

The other laughed, his black hair still in a beanie that the trio never saw him take off. He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders and he was wearing a pair of blue swim trunks, but Tubbo was relieved to find out he hadn't been in the pool yet.

"I noticed that you guys don't seem to want to swim yet. You're welcome to come sit with me, Jack, and Karl if you want?" Quackity gestured over to a table a bit away from the pool, where Jack and another person that the trio didn't recognize were talking over their pizza. Neither of them had swimsuits on, meaning a lower chance of getting wet. The three boys quickly nodded.

"Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo!" Jack waved at them as they came over and got up to give each of them a hug, "It's so good to see you guys, it feels like you've been hiding from an apocalypse or something."

Tommy winced slightly at the words.

"Anyways," Quackity spoke up from the trio's right, "This is Karl, he's a good friend of mine. You know the one I'm always talking about that lived far away and couldn't visit a lot? Well, he's visiting for the summer, and now I can annoy the shit out of him in person!"

Karl smiled at the three of them as Quackity was talking, his dirty blonde hair threatening to cover his eyes if he didn't keep brushing it away. He looked like he could sink into the purple hoodie with a teal swirl that he was wearing.

Tommy's eyes briefly caught on a silver ring with a gray stone on Karl's right hand, but he was quickly pulled back into the conversation as Karl stifled a laugh as he looked over at Quackity, "Something like that. But yeah, like Q said. I'm Karl. It's really nice to meet the three of you. I've heard quite a lot."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The evening progressed rather smoothly for how nervous they were. Most of their time was spent at the table with Quackity, Karl, and Jack, but Tommy couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Finally, he looked over his shoulder and his eyes met a pair of vibrant green ones from across the pool. The owner of the eyes tilted his head slightly and Tommy just scowled as he turned back around. It was the same blonde that Sapnap was hanging out with earlier.

What the fuck was his problem?

Tommy was about to ask Quackity what the guy's problem was when he felt a stream of water hit the back of his head.

"WATER TAG, YOU'RE IT TOMMY!" Sapnap screamed out.

Fucking shit

Tommy leapt out of his chair, and while literally everyone was expecting him to jump in the water and get back at Sapnap, he instead took off running to the closest structure. The pool shack.

As he got behind the shack, he jiggled the handle, and to his relief he found it open. He yanked the door open, ran in, and then slammed the door shut, squeezing his eyes shut as the prickling sensation returned.

He groaned in exasperation as he sprawled out on the ground with his tail, taking note of what was around him, and what he could use to dry off. His mental search was interrupted by a knock on the door and Tommy's blood ran cold.

That wasn't their knock.

"Hey Tommy, you good man? I didn't mean to freak you out with the water."

Fuck it was Sapnap

"Uh yeah, no I'm fine, just uh..." he paused looking desperately for the right words and not finding them, "Can you uh, tell Ranboo to come here a sec?"

There was a beat of silence, and then Sapnap said, "I can help you if you need, I just gotta come in."

The handle started to turn, and Tommy screamed out, "NO! NO, I'M FINE JUST..."

The handle snapped up again and Tommy let out the breath he was holding.

"Just get Ranboo please?"

"...Fine."

Another few beats of silence, and then the string of five knocks that the trio used as their secret knock. Tommy exhaled as the door opened slightly and Ranboo slipped in, before shutting the door and locking it.

"Thank the stars, I thought Sapnap was gonna see me," Tommy groaned as he slid his hands down his face.

"Thank the stars" Ranboo parroted back with a chuckle, "You're starting to sound like Wilbur," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah yeah, very funny," Tommy deadpanned, "Now can we please focus on this?" he asked, gesturing to his tail.

"Alright alright. I brought a towel," he held up the towel he was holding, "...but I've been thinking about something, if you'd be willing to try it."

Tommy just stared up at him, "Try what?"

"Well… we turn back when we dry off, and hot water evaporates..."

"Ranboo, you're not asking me to use my powers on myself, are you?"

Ranboo shrugged, "Isn't it worth a try?"

Tommy sighed. He knew Ranboo was right. With Ranboo's help, he managed to prop himself up in a sitting position against the interior wall. Then Tommy reached his hand over his tail and made a fist.

Steam erupted from the tail and Tommy winced in pain. It felt like he was drying out, and all of his instincts were screaming at him to stop.

Just as he thought the pain was about to get unbearable, he erupted into sparkles and was back to being human. He collapsed into Ranboo trying to catch his breath.

"That felt fucking awful," he wheezed out as Ranboo dug a water bottle out of his bag. Tommy grabbed it from him and started chugging it. He wasn't expecting that to take as much out of him.

"Okay note to self, drying out scales feels as bad as it sounds. But it sure is faster than with towels," Ranboo spoke with a kind smile, "Can you stand up?"

Tommy nodded and Ranboo helped him keep his balance for a few seconds until he was able to move again.

Tommy exhaled and unlocked the door, pushing it open and almost walking right into the blonde that had been staring at him earlier.

"What the fuck do you want?" Tommy snapped.

"What were you doing in the pool shed?"

"That's none of your fucking business."

The two stared at each other for a while before the guy's other hand shot up with a water gun in it. And Tommy knew in that split second, that he was going to get drenched again.

Suddenly, Tommy heard the guy hiss, and he looked in shock to see the wave of water frozen solid. Tommy barely blinked before Ranboo grabbed his hand, the two of them running to grab Tubbo before sprinting through the house and out of the party.

"What the fuck are you people?" they heard the guy call out to them.

But they were already gone.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Dream, are you okay?"

George walked around behind the pool shed where he saw his friend go just a few moments before those other boys had sprinted out of the party.

He stood there for a second blinking at the sight in front of him.

Ice was covering the ground around Dream, and he was covered in small ice crystals where he had still been wet. His hair was frozen over and George looked down to see a frozen wave of water coming out of the water gun that Dream had been carrying.

"Dream... how the fuck?"

"I told you they were real. And now you have proof."

George groaned, "Dream we've been over this, mer aren't real."

"How do you explain this then?" Dream asked, gesturing to himself.

George looked at his friend up and down. How did he explain it?

"Exactly. You can't. Now come help me get inside and into a shower, I'm literally freezing."

George couldn't argue with that.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"I really, really shouldn't have done that."

Ranboo paced back and forth through the living room as Tommy and Tubbo sat on the couch.

"He knows now!"

Tubbo rolled his eyes, "He knows that you can make water freeze somehow, that doesn't mean that he immediately comes to the conclusion that you're a mer. Most people don't even believe in us."

"But still," Ranboo fidgeted with his hands as he paced, "we told Wilbur that we wouldn't tell anyone!"

"And technically, we still haven't!" Tubbo pointed out, "You froze the water on some kid at a party that was being confrontational. I'd say that counts as self-defense. Plus, it's not like you killed him." He shrugged.

"THAT'S NOT HELPING TUBBO!"

Tubbo waved his hand, "Yeesh, relax Boo. There's nothing we can do about it anymore. Plus, the guy seemed like a right dick so I'm sure whatever you did was justified."

"He did try to squirt me with a water gun after he asked what I had been doing in the shed," Tommy pointed out.

Ranboo ran their hands down their face, "Right, right. There's nothing we can do about it now, and I just have to put it behind me and pretend like it didn't happen."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

That was easier said than done.

Especially when Tubbo ran into the guy on the pier right outside the smoothie shop a few days later. He had just finished his shift and was walking back to his flat when a voice next to him called out.

"Look George, it's one of those kids that was scared of water at the pool party!"

"Dream, knock it off," George hissed at him, "you could at least be a bit nicer to random people you know."

Dream smirked, "It's just strange don't you think? Going to a pool party and not getting in the pool?"

Tubbo tried his best to just ignore them as he walked by but of course...

"Seriously, you're just going to walk by and ignore me?" the blonde jeered at him. George groaned, "Dream, let it go..."

Tubbo spun back around to face him, "What the fuck is your problem man? Why do you care so much about me and my friends?" he snapped, feeling his anger beginning to boil over.

Dream chuckled, his green eyes seeming to glimmer with mischief, "Honestly? I have no real issues with you. It's just not every day that you see not one but three people who are hydrophobic."

He paused for a second before adding on, "That means that they avoid water."

"I know what hydrophobic means, bitch," Tubbo growled at him, "And I don't know what you're talking about. People can just not feel up to swimming sometimes. Now if you'll excuse me, I do need to be..."

Tubbo froze as Dream pulled a bottle of water out of his hoodie pocket and unscrewed the cap, before he started tipping it slowly towards Tubbo. His voice lowered, taking on a more threatening tone.

Were his eyes glowing?

"You know, you say that, but it'd be a real problem for you if this water were to end up on you right now, wouldn't it?"

George quickly stepped between the two of them, "Dream seriously knock it off man! Let the kid go! Why do you care so much?" he exclaimed, trying to grab the bottle from Dream, but the taller just raised his arm higher.

"I told you I have a theory, and I can't find out the truth if I don't test that theory, now can I?"

Tubbo's blood ran cold. There was no way he could have figured it out that quickly, there was no reason for him to really suspect anything... right?

He took one step away, and then two. Slowly... carefully...

But Dream's eyes were tracking his every move.

Tubbo's eyes were flitting rapidly around the scene around them, trying to find something that would let him escape. His eyes landed on a fire hydrant that was closer to Dream than to him, and he could have sworn that all of a sudden, he could feel the water in it.

Curious, and trusting his instincts, Tubbo gently shifted his hand, before locking eyes with Dream again.

Tubbo could feel the water in the hydrant responding to him as he moved his hand ever so slightly, twisting slowly. He felt the cap start to loosen, and then he smirked.

Gotcha.

He flicked his hand forward and then turned and ran.

He heard the pop and then woosh of the fire hydrant access coming loose and gushing water.

He heard Dream shriek as he got pushed away by the strong stream of water.

But Tubbo never looked back.

He just ran.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo took deep breaths as he filled up the tub. Ranboo had gone out to do their grocery shopping, so he was alone with his thoughts for a while.

There were two things that were currently crossing his mind.

1. That guy, Dream, seemed to have somehow known that they were mer before, and most definitely did now.
2. He may have finally found his powers.

This whole situation with Dream was really bad. He honestly had no idea how they were going to possibly get out of it.

He climbed into the bath, settling in as he waited. Before long, he had his tail and he took in a deep breath. The tub was too small to fit his tail, but he had gotten used to it.

He sighed with relief as he sunk down farther into the water, the warm water melting the tension off of his muscles.

But... despite all that, there was one thing he had to try that just might make his day a bit better.

He lifted his hand out of the water and gently started running his fingertips along the water, feeling the connection click in his mind. He pulled his fingers higher off of the surface of the water, and smiled as the water followed them. He detached the small pillar of water from the rest of it and watched as it hovered in the air under his hand.

He took his other hand and gently conformed the water into a small ball that he then started tossing back and forth between his hands.

Pulling his hands away, he let the connection he felt to the water drop, and the water splashed back into the bath.

He laughed, grabbing his shampoo and lathering up his hair, repeating the gesture with his hands, this time creating a larger sphere. He leaned forward and directed the bubble of water to perch on top of his head before releasing it. The water rushed down around him, and he repeated this a few times to fully rinse the soap out.

Tommy was right. His powers were the coolest.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"GUESS WHO FOUND HIS POWERS!"

Tubbo burst into the kitchen to see Ranboo and Tommy putting away groceries. Both of them immediately turned to face him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Oh good, you're both here! That makes this easier. Ranboo, can you open that water bottle for me?"

Ranboo gave him a weird look as he twisted the cap off the water bottle. He was just about to walk over and hand it to Tubbo when Tubbo held up his hands.

"Wait no, stay over there."

Tubbo held his hand out and smiled when he felt the connection to the water in the bottle form. He lifted his hand up, and Tommy made a surprised squeak as the water flowed up through the mouth of the bottle like a snake, floating through the air over to Tubbo who started to bend and play with the water.

"Woah... You're like a water bender!" Tommy exclaimed, his eyes shining.

Tubbo nodded, "Something like that. I can just... feel the water, and it does what I want it to. I guess I couldn't figure it out before because I just... wasn't paying attention."

A confused look formed on Ranboo's face, "So then, how did you start paying attention?"

Tubbo froze, and in the split second that his focus snapped the water fell out of the air and onto the ground.

The three of them yelped as they all jumped back to avoid the water, and Tubbo winced.

"Shit, sorry, let me just..." he used his powers to gather up all the water, and deposited it safely into the sink.

"Bo... did something happen earlier?" Ranboo looked at him with a concerned stare.

"I uh... ran into that guy again. From the party."

"YOU WHAT?" Tommy dropped the box of cereal that he was holding on the ground and ran over to Tubbo, grabbing his shoulders.

"Dude what happened, are you alright?"

Tubbo pushed back away from Tommy, "Not uh, not exactly. I think he knows. Like more than we originally thought. He seemed so adamant about getting water on me, even though his friend was just trying to get him to leave me alone. I got scared, so I was looking for a way out. I saw a hydrant, and instantly I felt this like, link to the water inside of it."

Ranboo blinked at him, "Wait, the hydrant that was leaking on the pier by the smoothie shop?"

Tubbo nodded, "That was me."

The three of them just stared at each other in shock for a few seconds until Tommy broke the silence with a whisper.

"We gotta tell Wilbur."

Tubbo stiffened, "And why's that? We can handle—"

"No, we can't Tubbo! We have a crazy guy who's after us, who seems to know too much about mer. That's a big deal! We can't just pretend like nothing's going on!" Tommy snapped back at him, "I know that you two don't fully trust Wil, but I do. I don't know why, but I just feel like he's... safe, you know?" His voice dropped to a whisper as he finished his sentence, "We can't go through this alone. Please let's just ask him."

Ranboo sighed, "Alright, we'll go see Wil tomorrow."

Tubbo looked up at Ranboo with a shocked expression and blinked at him. Ranboo shrugged as they continued, "We might as well go to Mako. The smoothie shop is closed anyways because the whole section of that pier flooded."

"Prime, I really made a mess, didn't I?" Tubbo winced as he spoke.

For the first time that night, the three of them laughed.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The three of them surfaced in the Moon Pool, anxiety dripping off of them as much as the water was.

There was no one else there.

Tubbo sighed, "Great, we still don't know much about this other mer besides the fact that his name is Wilbur, and he shows up here sometimes. It'd be great if we could just scream at the ocean and be like 'Yo ocean, where the hell is this bitch?'"

The water rippled behind them, and they all spun around.

"It doesn't quite work like that, but it is a funny thought."

Instead of a warm welcome however, Wilbur noticed the anxiety and tension in the room almost immediately, and concern crept onto his features.

"Is something wrong guys?"

"We royally fucked up," Tommy groaned as he ran his hands down his face.

"What happened? Are you guys okay?"

Ranboo twisted his hands together as he spoke, "Our friend Niki invited us to a pool party a few days ago, which before you say anything, yes, we knew it was a bad idea but Prime, she can get so scary if she wants to be. Anyways, so everything was going fine, we were just hanging out with Q and his friends but then Sapnap hit Tommy with a water gun, but he managed to get away and hide but..."

"Boo take a breath! Wilbur's not going anywhere!" Tubbo started to rub the other's back as Ranboo shrunk down into the water.

"But," Tubbo continued on for them, "there was this guy at the party, and he was acting really weird. He kept staring at us the whole time. When Tommy came out of the shed, the guy confronted him and tried to spray him with a water gun again."

"Which is a proper dick move if I do say so myself," Tommy grumbled as he crossed his arms, "Ranboo saved me though by using his powers, but unfortunately the story doesn't stop there. Because Tubbo ran into this guy again and he was just as much of a dick that time."

"On one hand," Tubbo started, "I figured out what my powers are. On the other hand, the pier is now flooded, and he has seen two of us use our powers. He even said to his friend 'I told you I have a theory about them' when he was trying to splash me with water."

"After the party, we all assumed that he was just curious, but after Tubs ran into him, we think there's a possibility that he could have known before. We just don't know how," Tommy concluded the story as Wilbur just floated there absolutely floored.

"What... what did this guy look like?"

The trio just blinked at Wilbur for a second before Tubbo spoke up, "Sandy blonde hair, vibrant green eyes. Equally as annoying lime green hoodie. About 6'3", probably around your age, possibly a little younger..."

Wilbur froze.

"You said he was at the pool party, right? Did he go swimming?"

Tubbo shot Wilbur a confused glance, "Uh yeah, why?"

Wilbur relaxed slightly, "Uh, no reason really."

The three of them stared, disbelief written all over their faces.

"Wilbur..." Tommy started, but Wilbur held his hands up, "Look guys, if I thought it was important for your safety for you to know, I'd tell you. Honestly, I'm not sure where everything fits together yet, so I hope you understand me keeping some things to myself. In all honesty, that description just reminded me of someone I used to know a long time ago."

The three seemed complacent with that response, but still looked on edge.

"So, we came here to talk to you, but were you coming here to ask us about something?" Ranboo questioned, changing the subject.

Wilbur smiled, "Well, with certain developments, I'm even more eager to explain my idea to you. I want you three to teach me how to be human again."

"Wait... WHAT?" The three of them exclaimed almost at the same time, looks of shock and confusion written all over their faces.

Wilbur just laughed, "That's about the reaction I thought I would get. You see, even natural mer can turn into humans. We just need a little extra help. It's quite a powerful spell."

Wilbur lifted his right hand out of the water and showed the trio his silver ring, "This is a moon ring, and that," he pointed to the silvery gray stone in the middle, "is a moon stone."

"That's the thing that you asked us about when you first met us." Tommy looked down at the ring that he could have sworn he'd seen somewhere before.

Wilbur nodded, "Exactly. While mer contain enough of the moon's magic to use our powers, there are a few spells that need a bit more than we can offer ourselves. So, we use moon stones in order to store the moon's energy so that we can call upon it later to do more complicated magic. Like giving ourselves legs."

"So wait," Ranboo was still staring at the ring as he spoke, "you're telling me, that we could be living with mer and not even know it?"

"Ranboo, my dad's literally on the L'manburg city council," Wilbur chuckled.

"What the fuck?" Tommy breathed out as he ran his finger along the ring, "Wait, so why can we change without one?"

"You’re all changelings," Wilbur explained, a small smile on his face, "The moon magic bridges the gap to your mer form, instead of the other way around."

Tommy blinked, "So we’re the only mer that can do that?"

Wilbur shook his head, "Any changeling can. Well, and Nyx I guess, but he’s… different."

"Nyx? Who's that?" Tubbo asked.

Wilbur paused for a second, then sighed, "He was one of the most powerful mer in Essempi despite being young, and was set to be one of the advisors for the crown prince once he was old enough to take the throne. However, the power he had went to his head, and he disliked that the crown prince was getting the crown. Nyx thought he deserved it more since he was more powerful. So, on the night of the Blue Moon ceremony, when the moon goddess was to give a special blessing to the prince, her son, Nyx locked the prince in his room and took his place after the spell had started. The court mer tried to stop him, but there wasn't much they could do."

"So... what happened?" Tommy asked softly.

"Nyx became an absolute menace to mer society. His new gift on top of his old powers put him in a perfect place to become a tyrant and terrorize this entire half of the ocean, since he was essentially able to control every mer's access to moon magic and their powers."

"Is he...?"

Wilbur nodded, "Gone. As of about 11 years ago."

Ranboo spoke up, "What happened to the prince?"

Wilbur frowned, "Once it was determined just how much of a threat Nyx was, the moon goddess' final act as a mortal before she..." he paused, his breath catching,"...left, was to trade her mortal form to gift him the same blessing that Nyx stole, as well as a prophecy that one day he would be able to rival him in power. Nyx obviously saw him as a threat, so he sent for the prince to be brought to him and ordered one of the court mer to get rid of him."

"Is he dead?" Ranboo whispered, and Wilbur quickly shook his head.

"No, well... no one's really sure where he is now. All we know is that Nyx sealed away his powers and the mer that was tasked with him, Soteria, put him in your human foster care, and he was given to a family on land. The spell was so powerful that it would take an extraordinary amount of moon magic to break it, so his mer side is probably still sealed away. He probably doesn’t even know he’s a mer.

Wilbur sighed, "My dad and the entire Essempi court have been trying to track him down since they dethroned Nyx, but your human systems are a mess. Even Soteria lost track of him, and she works in the system. She's been on land almost the entire time trying to find him."

A silence fell over the pool as darkness began to creep in.

"Shit, it's getting late," Tommy spoke as he looked up at the crater, "We probably need to get going."

"Wait! My question earlier, about living on land... what do you three think?"

"I... what do you want us to do exactly?" Tommy asked, his head tilted to the side a smidge.

"Let me live on land with you. Just for a bit, until I can get to the bottom of what's going on with you three. In return, I'll be around to help you with mer stuff, like learning to harness and control your powers better."

"How long has it been since you were last on land?" Tubbo asked, a clear smirk on his face and in his voice.

"Uh, about ten years? It's been a while."

"Do you have like... clothes and stuff?" Tommy asked and Wilbur winced.

"I mean, I took some stuff off of the boats in the harbor, so yes I'm covered but I look fucking stupid."

"Boo do you think the pier would still be closed off?" Tubbo turned to look at Ranboo, who shrugged, "Well I think it's worth a shot. Come on Wilbur, it's your lucky day. Boo works in a clothing shop."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It was dark when the four of them emerged at the pier, and just like Tubbo thought, it was still closed off from the scene he caused earlier, although most of the water had drained off.

Tubbo hoisted himself up on the small water access platform, before turning to Tommy and reaching out his hand for a towel.

"So, Ranboo actually found a way that's way faster than towels big man, but it hurts like a bitch," Tommy looked up at Tubbo who stared at him.

"Fine, go ahead, we're in a rush anyways."

Tommy grabbed Tubbo's left hand with his right, and then angled his left hand above Tubbo's tail. He clenched his left hand into a fist, and instantly Tubbo started squeezing his other hand.

"Holy shit, you were not kidding," Tubbo hissed out.

Once they got Tubbo transformed, Tommy tossed him a water bottle from the bag, while he turned his focus on Ranboo. They did the same process, then Tommy pulled himself up and proceeded to do the same to himself. As he finished his water bottle, he looked expectantly at Wilbur, who was still just nervously swimming there.

"Come on man, we can't wait here all night," Tommy sighed, using a towel to grab Wilbur’s hand and hoist him onto the platform.

"Okay so, now what? I know you're like, different than we are right?" Tommy asked as he looked down at Wilbur.

Wilbur held his right hand over his tail, and his ring began to glow brightly. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and he looked up to Tommy, "Now you're going to have to help me like you did with your friends."

Tommy knelt down by Wilbur, and proceeded to use his powers on the other mer's tail.

"Stars, you guys really weren't exaggerating, were you?"

When Wilbur transformed, it took everything in the three teenagers to not burst out laughing. In front of them was a skinny young adult that was currently wearing a shirt that was multiple sizes too big for his lanky frame. He also had a pair of swim trunks on, that judging by how tightly the strings were drawn, were also much too big for him.

"Quit staring at me, I just grabbed some stuff off of boats, I already told you that," Wilbur snapped at the trio, who were wearing identical looks of amusement on their faces as he drank his water bottle, "Now you're going to have to help me balance for a bit, I haven't walked in ten years."

Ranboo and Tommy walked over to help Wilbur up, while Tubbo, being the shortest by quite a bit, decided that he would be more of a hindrance than a help. It was rough trying to get Wilbur to his feet, but the two boys managed, and the three of them hobbled along until they got to the ladder that led up to the rest of the pier.

Tubbo clambered up first, and Wilbur balanced with his hand on the ladder as Tommy climbed up. Ranboo and Tommy both helped Wilbur climb the ladder, then Ranboo made his own way up.

Going back to basically carrying Wilbur, the three of them scooted along the pier until they got to the smoothie shop. Tubbo went in first and quickly disabled the alarms, grabbing a chair from one of the tables and bringing it over into the dressing room so that Wilbur could sit down.

Ranboo looked Wilbur over a few times before walking around the store, grabbing a few sweaters in different sizes and handing them to Wilbur, "Start with the smallest size you think will fit, and then we can go up from there."

After a few more trips around the store to exchange sizes or fabrics and styles, Ranboo and Wilbur seemed to finally find something that both of them seemed happy with.

As Ranboo pulled back the curtain and helped Wilbur up, Tommy and Tubbo both blinked at the sight of the person in front of them.

If he wasn't currently propped up against someone (he was getting better, but still had to balance on Ranboo), Wilbur would look like any other young adult that visited the pier regularly. He had on a yellow sweater that was just a smidge big on him, with a pair of jeans and some brown ankle boots. He had a maroon beanie on his curly brown hair, and sitting on his nose were a pair of silver wire frames that had the lenses popped out of them.

"What's with the glasses, big man?" Tommy asked as he looked over Wilbur, impressed with the transformation.

"I just think they make me look smart. They kind of tie the whole look together," Wilbur said as he fiddled with them a bit, "My brother wears glasses in his human form and I always thought they looked good on him."

Wilbur was passed from Ranboo to Tommy, and Ranboo walked over to the register to check out and bag the other clothes that they had picked out from the store. He took some money out of his wallet and put it in the register, before leaving a sticky note to himself so that he would remember why the extra cash hadn't been accounted for.

"Wilbur can stay with me," Tommy blurted out as the four of them were leaving the store, with Wilbur now using Tommy more as a support than a crutch, "I have a spare room anyways, and a blow-up mattress from camping. If... that's okay with you Wil?"

Wilbur smiled, "That sounds great."

The other two looked at each other before shrugging. They nodded in agreement as the four of them walked down the pier.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy helped Wilbur into his flat and set him down on the couch before going and making up the spare room.

After a bit he walked back out, calling out as he went in the kitchen, "Are you hungry? I know it’s late, and I don't exactly know what mer eat but I have some soup that I just bought."

"That's fine, I have eaten land food before. It's just been a bit."

Tommy got out two bowls and split the soup into them before using his powers to heat them up. It was much faster than the microwave, and Tommy found that it seemed to cook better.

He walked back into the living room and handed Wilbur one of the bowls of soup and a spoon.

Wilbur stared at the spoon for a few seconds, before flicking his eyes over to Tommy. He watched as the boy scooped up soup and then stuck the spoon in his mouth.

Wilbur mimicked what Tommy did, taking a small spoonful and bringing it up to his lips. He winced as it touched his lips and immediately put the bowl down on the table.

"What's wrong?"

"Too hot, I just need to..."

Wilbur created a small cloud above the soup bowl, and Tommy watched with wide eyes as snow started falling from the cloud into the bowl. He spun his finger around above the soup, creating a small vortex that mixed in the snow that was gently falling into the bowl. Once he was satisfied, he dispersed the cloud and picked up the spoon again.

"Show off," Tommy giggled as he took another bite of his soup.

"Hey! I have powers, and we're in a private space. There's no need to get up if we don't have to," Wilbur responded in a teasing manner.

Tommy liked this a lot.

Once their soup was done, Tommy got up and stuck the bowls into the dishwasher, before returning to the living room and plopping back onto the couch.

He reached over and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on and starting up Netflix.

"Have you ever watched a movie before big man?" Tommy asked as he flipped through the different selections on the screen.

"Not for a long time, but I have seen one before."

Tommy paused on a movie in his recommended list and clicked on it. He had seen this before with Ranboo and Tubbo, but he bet that Wilbur had never seen it.

As he turned the movie on, he leaned back into the couch.

It had probably been only 20 minutes when Wilbur noticed Tommy starting to fall asleep. As he did, his form slid down the couch, towards Wilbur, and Wilbur chuckled, re-adjusting so that Tommy's head was on his chest. He ran his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair, and he smiled as Tommy seemed to lean into the touch.

It didn't take much longer for Wilbur to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Seriously Dream, you can't just harass those kids just because of a 'hunch' you have," George sighed as he twirled around gently in an office chair in his friend's office, "I know you've been having some weird stuff happen lately, but honestly you should probably go see someone about that instead."

The blonde leaned back in his own chair, "And tell them what exactly?"

"What you told me."

"Oh, that I get random flashes of memories that aren't mine? That I feel this inexplicable draw to the ocean? Yeah, sure George, they're definitely not going to instantly lock me up in a facility or something," Dream snapped as he rolled his office chair away from his computer.

"Well, the memories could come from repressed childhood trauma, and maybe you just really like the ocean. There's nothing wrong with that, you know," George pointed out, "And they're not going to call you crazy for clearly going through something before you were adopted by Puffy when you were like what, fifteen?"

"You think I'm crazy," Dream turned around to look in his friend’s eyes.

"Dream, I've never called you crazy."

"You don't believe me when I talk about the mer."

George sighed, "That's different, you literally claim to know that creatures that are proven to be myths are real, because of some of these flashes you say that you have."

"The taller brown-haired kid literally froze water instantly, and the shorter one made a fire hydrant explode without touching it. What more proof do you want George?"

"I want my best friend back!" George snapped, an unfamiliar anger seeping into his voice, "I want the Dream that I would stay up playing video games with, that always knew how to make me laugh. Not some dude that's obsessed with three random strangers because you had this dream once."

"George..."

"Don't George me. Just, leave me alone for a bit, okay? I'll call you later."

George stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket and walked out of the office.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

You'll stay here for tonight little guppy. Maybe that will teach you some manners.

No, Nyx please, I promise it was an accident! Please, I haven't had moon magic in so long, it's starting to hurt!

Well, you should have thought about that before you disobeyed me. Don't you know I'm the only friend you have, the only one who cares about you?

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur awoke with a start, his breath heavy and uneven as sunlight streamed through the window. As he stirred, he heard another voice mumble out "fiv'mo'minu's" before the boy tried to snuggle back into his chest.

Wilbur’s heart started to calm as he took in the new scenery around him. He was on land, with Tommy. Tommy had let him spend the night in his flat. He smiled, looking down at the sleeping teen and ran his fingers gently through Tommy's hair, "Tommy, it's time to get up."

"Don't wannnnna," the other whined as groggy blue eyes met chocolate ones.

Tommy bolted upright and stared at Wilbur with a horrified expression, "I... I'm so sorry I didn't mean to! We were watching the movie and I must have fallen asleep and..."

"Tommy, Tommy, shh it's okay! I really don't mind," Wilbur smiled, "I would have moved if I wasn't comfortable."

Tommy blinked at him for a few seconds before standing up and shuffling into the kitchen awkwardly, "Uh, do you like cereal?"

"Mm, not sure. I don't think I've had that before. What is it?"

Tommy poked his head back around and held up a box of Fruit Loops, "It's like... sweet? It’s basically all sugar," he looked down at the box, his brow furrowing, "Honestly I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's good."

"Sure, why not," Wilbur shrugged.

Tommy brought two bowls over to the small coffee table that was in front of the couch, and set one down in front of Wilbur.

Wilbur looked down into his bowl and was met with multi-colored loops floating in a white liquid that he assumed was milk.

"If you don't end up liking it, I have a few other kinds in the cupboard," Tommy said as he took a bite of his cereal.

Wilbur stared at the contents of the bowl before mimicking Tommy again, scooping up some of the loops and sticking the spoon in his mouth.

He winced as the sugary loops touched his tongue — Stars, humans liked absurdly sweet things — but, he decided that it wasn't the worst thing he had ever eaten.

"Is it okay?" Tommy asked with concern in his voice.

"It's just really sweet. I'm not used to it is all," Wilbur responded before taking another bite and having a similar, but lessened reaction.

The two of them finished their cereal in a comfortable silence, but just as Wilbur set his bowl down on the table a chirping tune rang through the room making him jump.

"What in the stars is that?" Wilbur hissed as Tommy fished through his pockets.

"It's my phone, sorry."

"Your phone?"

The two of them stared at each other as Tommy pulled a small, box-like thing out of his hoodie pocket. He swiped his finger on it, and then tapped it.

"Hey Tubso, what's going on?" Tommy spoke cheerfully into the box.

Wilbur sat with a confused expression on his face before all of a sudden Tubbo's voice echoed through the room.

"Nothing much, just wondering how your guest is?"

What in the stars?

Wilbur leaned over to stare at the small box in Tommy's hand, "How is Tubbo trapped in that small box?"

A laugh erupted from the other side of the line. "Wil, have you never seen a phone before?"

"No? At least not like that. How do you shrink yourself into it?"

Tommy was trying everything to keep himself from laughing.

"He's not in the phone Wil, he's at his flat. The phones let us talk to each other by sending our voices through them."

"So... like linkshells?" Wilbur asked, his eyes still tracing over the phone.

"I'm going to be honest, I don't know what those are," Tommy responded.

"They're small shells that are enchanted. They let mer contact each other even if they're far away. They can also help mer find each other if they get separated from their pod."

Did you really think I didn't know where you'd been guppy?

Wilbur recoiled with a wince as the memory flashed in his head.

"Wil are you okay? What's wrong?" Tommy's eyes were wide with concern.

Wilbur gripped the couch and counted to five.

He wasn't here, he hadn't been around for years. Wilbur was safe. He was safe here. It was okay. He was okay.

"What happened Tommy, is everything alright?" Tubbo's voice came from the speaker again.

"I uh... sorry. I'm okay," Wilbur gave a small smile to Tommy who still looked concerned.

Tubbo spoke again, "Okay... well, I have to go get ready for work now, but Boo is off today if you guys need anything. Talk to you soon! Bye!"

"Bye Tubs!" And with a tap of Tommy's finger the line disconnected and the room was silent again.

"Seriously man," he turned to Wilbur, "are you alright?"

Wilbur nodded, his mind still lost in thought.

Tommy wasn't convinced.

"Can you walk?"

"Huh?" Wilbur’s eyes snapped up to meet Tommy's.

"Do you think you can walk?" Tommy repeated.

Wilbur stood up, and after a few seconds of trying to get his balance, he shook his head, "I think if I try I'm going to fall."

Tommy stood up and offered his hand to Wilbur. "If you hold my hand, does that make it easier?"

Wilbur took his hand, and using it as a balance, they managed to walk to the kitchen and back.

"Alright, let's go get cleaned up and ready, and then I want to take you sightseeing!" Tommy chirped as he helped Wilbur back towards his room.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

If there was one thing that Wilbur found out quickly about land, it was that it was loud. Much louder than he remembered.

Voices chattered and music danced through the air as the strange metal contraptions that he couldn't quite remember the name of whooshed past them. Wilbur clenched Tommy's hand tighter and Tommy looked up at him with concern, "Are you doing okay?"

Wilbur nodded, "It's just... those. They're loud," he gestured over to the road and Tommy giggled.

"Oh, the cars! Humans use them to get places faster because walking takes forever and makes us tired after a while."

Wilbur was lost in thought for a few moments before a voice called out to them. He looked up to see a girl walking towards them while waving.

Her light pink hair sat just past her shoulders, and she had on a white tank top with strawberries on it, and jean shorts. A small red bag hung from a strap that was sitting on her left shoulder.

Tommy winced slightly, "Nikiiii! It's uh... really good to see you again!"

Wilbur could tell he was a bit nervous, but couldn't place why until...

"It was quite the scene you made at my party the other day. Everyone's worried about you guys, are you three alright?" Niki's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she looked at Tommy.

Oh, so this was pool party girl.

"We're fine. Uh, something just came up. Really sorry about that," Tommy fidgeted for a second before he blurted out, "Have you met my older brother Wilbur? He's visiting from out of town."

His... what?

Wilbur short circuited, before remembering that there was a human in front of him and he should probably do something. He sheepishly waved at the girl and her face lit up.

"TOMMY WHAT? YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU HAD AN OLDER BROTHER!" she exclaimed, shaking Tommy a bit, then turning back to Wilbur, "Hi! I'm Niki, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Wil nodded at her, "I'm Wilbur, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh! You two should come with us to the cove tonight! Quite a few of us are going to be doing stuff like metal detecting and just hanging out. It'd give you a great chance to meet everyone Wil, and it would give you a chance to catch up with everyone Toms, we've missed you these past few weeks."

Tommy stilled for a second as he took in her offer, but he shook his head, "Sorry, we can't Niki. We promised Ranboo that we'd meet them at the movies tonight."

Niki frowned but quickly smiled again, "Oh! No worries, there's always another day. You two have fun!" She waved as she practically bounced away.

"We didn't tell Ranboo we were meeting them later, did we?" Wilbur looked down at Tommy confused.

"No, but that was the first plausible lie that I could come up with to get us out of going to a beach."

"Oh. Right, good thinking."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Ranboo was bustling through the kitchen when Tubbo led Tommy and Wilbur into their flat later.

"I'm running a bit behind, but dinner should be ready soon!" they called out as the three of them took a seat in the living room.

"Thanks Boo!" Tubbo called back before he pulled something out of his pocket.

"So, I know you said that you've never seen a phone before, but it's kind of important for you to have one. This is one of my old phones, and I fixed it up a little, and put it in a waterproof case so that you can use it in the water if you need to. I already checked, and if it's in your pocket when you transform it stays there, so no worries about that."

Wilbur just blinked at the device that was being offered to him. He gingerly took it and started rotating it around in his hands.

Tubbo scooted closer to him, "So if you press this button," he pressed a button on the side and the screen lit up, "that turns the screen on. Then you swipe it."

Tubbo watched expectantly as Wilbur took his left index finger and swiped across the screen. 

"Good job! Next it will ask you for a password. We can change it when we get into the phone, but I just set it to 'mer are real' all lowercase, no spaces."

Wilbur smiled as he touched each letter with his finger. The phone screen changed, and he was met with a bunch of tiny pictures that were on top of a picture of Mako Island.

"This is your home screen. It's where you can open your apps," Tubbo reached over and touched one of the icons, and the screen changed again to a messaging app, "This is TubNet, the app I wrote for Ranboo, Tommy, and I. I already set up your connection, so you can call or text any of us, and anyone else whose number you have, but you don't have to worry about that yet." 

He tapped on Tommy's name, and then on the green phone button. A ring filled the room as Tommy swiped on his phone and answered, "Hi big man!" before ending the call again.

"What else does it do?" Wilbur looked over to Tubbo.

"Well, that's the main functionality of the phone. But..." Tubbo pressed the big button in the bottom center of the screen, and then touched a different icon. Suddenly the screen changed and Wilbur jumped as his face suddenly was on the screen.

"This is the camera, you can take pictures with it. Here look," Tubbo took the phone gently from Wilbur and posed for a selfie before pressing a button on the phone and handing it back to Wilbur. He reached over and touched the square picture in the bottom left, and the picture of Tubbo appeared on the screen.

"See? You can use this to take pictures of things."

"You stopped time? And then put it in the phone?" Wilbur stared at the picture with concern.

"Uh... no, it just took a picture. I suppose you could think of it like a snapshot in time. But it's not magic," Tubbo explained, "I think that's it though, if you have any basic questions, Tommy or Ranboo can probably help you. I can help you set it up more later, I'm leaving right after dinner."

Wilbur nodded, but Tommy frowned.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked, and Tubbo glanced over at him.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I don't see why that's something you need to know."

"Why the hell not? It's kind of important considering our circumstances!"

Tubbo scoffed, "Because. Since when were you the boss of me? What, I can't go out and hang out with friends anymore?"

"Not when your idea of 'hanging out' always revolved around going to the cove! You turn into a mer when you touch water!"

"Just because something happened doesn't mean my life has to be controlled by it! Did you forget that I can literally move water? I'll just make it not touch me."

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Oh sure, like that won't be obvious or anything."

"Oh, and us suddenly becoming antisocial isn't obvious? Tommy, Ranboo and I went from hanging out with our friends almost every night to hardly seeing them at all over the past three weeks! Does that sound normal to you?"

He sighed, "Look, I get that you're worried, but you have to have at least a little trust in me. I'll be careful I promise."

Tommy shrugged, "Fine. But if anything happens, I warned you."

"Alright guys!" Ranboo called from the other room, "Dinner's ready! Get in here before you bite each other's heads off."

Tommy helped Wilbur into the kitchen, and the three of them sat down at the table.

Wilbur blinked at the dish in front of him, "You cooked... fish?"

"Is that a problem?" Ranboo asked with concern in his voice.

"I've never had cooked fish before. It's not something we usually do," Wilbur shrugged before he tried to pick up the fish and winced as it burnt him.

Tommy laughed from beside him, "No look, you gotta use these," He held up his fork and knife, and Wilbur just stared at him. "You take the fork, and jab it into the fish, and then you use the knife to cut the piece off, see? Then you can blow on it if it's too hot, and pop it in your mouth!" Tommy took the fork and stuck it in his mouth, before pulling it out and chewing the bite of fish, "You try."

Wilbur carefully picked up the utensils, not sure quite how to hold them, but he tried to mimic Tommy as best as he could, like he did with the spoon earlier. He stuck the fork into the fish and then used the knife to separate the bite from the rest of it. He carefully blew on the fish like Tommy had done, before putting it in his mouth.

Oh stars he had never tasted anything so good.

He hummed as he sank back in his chair, enjoying the flavors as they hit his tongue.

Tommy giggled, "It's better cooked, isn't it?"

"I gotta give it to you humans, this is so much better than eating it fucking raw."

The four of them chattered happily as they ate, and Wilbur smiled to himself.

You were wrong Nyx. There are other people who care about me.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The salty air nipped at Tubbo's senses as he practically skipped down to the cove. It was a perfect night for hanging out on the beach, not too warm, but not too cold either. It honestly would be perfect weather for a midnight swim if things were still normal.

Doubt caught in his mind a few times as he made his way down to the cove, but Tubbo ran through all of the logical scenarios in his head. Sure, things were different than before, but he could handle it. He just would hang up further on the beach. Most of the time they never even got close to the water, other than maybe when they wanted to do metal detecting. If by the off chance he managed to get wet... well, that wouldn't happen without going through his powers first. As long as he could see the water, he could stop it from touching him.

There was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine.

Tubbo smiled as he neared the cove, the smokey scent of a fire mixing with the salty air, as well as the chattering of voices made him feel right at home. He'd missed hanging out with his friends.

"No way! Tubbo!" Aimsey called out as they ran up to give him a hug. As they pulled away, the two of them laughed, and Aimsey smiled, "It's been so lonely without you and Ranboo around. We've all missed you so much! Tommy too, he's moved here now, right?"

Tubbo's smile faltered a bit, but he nodded, "Yeah, I know. I've missed you all too. Something's just... come up, and it's been a bit of an adjustment period."

Aimsey gave him a sympathetic look, "Do you want to talk about it? It sounds like it's something pretty rough. You know we're all always here if you guys need anything."

Tubbo nodded, "I know. I wish I could talk about it but just... not right now, okay? Maybe one day though. I just really want to get my mind off of stuff right now."

They nodded, "Well, Jack brought his metal detector, and him and Niki are going to go along the shoreline to try to find anything interesting," Aimsey spoke with a smile in their eyes, "If you don't want to go near the water though, we could always go up with Q, Karl, and Sapnap and make smores and just tell spooky stories or something like that!"

"Smores sound good. I hope you don't mind I'm really not feeling up to the water right now."

They smiled, "Absolutely no worries, come on! Let's go claim our seats around the fire!"

Aimsey grabbed Tubbo's hand and gently pulled him over to the fire. The smokey scent was much stronger now that they were closer, but Tubbo didn't mind. It reminded him of summer. It reminded him of before.

Quackity smiled as the other two approached the fire, "Hey Tubbo, it's been a bit yeah? You doing alright after what happened at Niki's party?"

Aimsey turned to Tubbo, a look of surprise on their face, "What happened at Niki's party?"

Tubbo lowered his eyes to the sand, "Nothing."

Quackity raised an eyebrow, "You, Tommy and Ranboo sprinting out of a party is 'nothing'? That seems like a pretty big something to me."

Sapnap frowned, "I'm really sorry about squirting Tommy with a water gun like that, you guys usually don't really mind, but I should have asked."

Tubbo shook his head, addressing both of them at once, "It's... it's a really long story. I can't tell you, I'm sorry."

Quackity shrugged, "We've got time, long stories are what campfires are—"

Karl gently tugged on Quackity's hoodie sleeve, "Let it go Quackity, if he doesn't want to say he doesn't have to."

Quackity chuckled, "Fine, no worries. I'm just trying to say that we're here for him if he needs to talk."

Sapnap nodded in agreement.

Tubbo gave an appreciative smile to Karl, who smiled in return, before his face lit up in remembrance.

"Oh! Actually, Tubbo could you come with me for a moment? There's something I need to talk to you about in private," Karl stood up and motioned for Tubbo to follow.

Tubbo gave a look of confusion to the others, but they all shrugged. It seemed like they didn't know what Karl wanted either. He followed Karl away from the others, only stopping when Karl stopped and turned around in front of him, a serious expression on his face.

"You have to leave."

Tubbo took a step back, "I'm... sorry?"

Karl shook his head, "Something bad is going to happen if you stay. I'm just trying to look out for you. You need to leave."

Tubbo folded his arms, "And how could you possibly know that?"

Karl shrugged, "The same reason you had to leave the pool party."

Tubbo froze, "I... don't know what you mean—"

"You're not able to control them yet. And if you can't control them, they will control you. Heed my warning or not, just be careful, child of the sea."

And with that, Karl walked back towards the others, leaving Tubbo to gawk as he stood almost frozen in place.

Did Karl know? He called him a child of the sea, what did that mean? It was pretty obviously referring to him being a mer, but... how would Karl know that? Except... Karl had mentioned the reason he knew that something bad would happen was the same reason they left the party. Was Karl a mer? No, that would be silly... right?

Thoughts swarmed through Tubbo's mind as the conversation he just had played over and over in his mind. If Karl was a mer, then wouldn't the best idea be to follow his warning and leave? But leaving would put Tubbo back in the same place he was before. He was trying to act more normal. Leaving was decidedly not normal pre-mer Tubbo behavior.

Instead, Tubbo took a deep breath and returned to sit at the campfire again. Aimsey smiled as Tubbo sat down next to them, but Tubbo couldn't read Karl's face. There wasn't disgust or confusion, no happiness or frustration. There was seemingly only... indifference. Like he had already accepted that Tubbo was going to stay. Did he know that he would make that choice? How would he know that? And if he did, why did he try to get him to leave?

While Tubbo was nervously sitting there at first, Aimsey and Quackity quickly pulled him into the stories that they told. Aimsey talked about their job at the marine park, where they rehabilitated sea creatures that were injured until they could be released back to the wild. Quackity talked about an old friend of his with a quick tongue and a singing voice that would bring a smile to Quackity's face even on the darkest days. Tubbo even chimed in with a few stories of his own, regaling the tale of their failed camping trip to Mako, without including the part about the Moon Pool.

Just as Tubbo was about to launch into another story about something that happened the previous summer, Niki's voice caught everyone's attention.

"You guys! Look at what we found! You're never going to believe this!"

Sapnap laughed, "Is it another 'vintage' bottle cap?"

Jack looked offended, "For your information, some of those caps are rare and are worth a pretty penny. But no, it's not a bottle cap."

Niki smiled, "It's a ring. A pretty expensive looking one too. Here look."

Niki crouched down by where they were all sitting at the fire and held her hand out. Sitting in the center of her palm was a silver ring.

Tubbo's breath caught when he realized it was a moon ring, like the one that Wilbur had shown them.

Niki picked it up gently to show off the ring better, "Isn't it pretty? I'm not sure what kind of stone it is, maybe an opal or something? It could just be costume jewelry, but it's in pretty good condition for being in the sand for who knows how long!"

As Niki gently put the ring back in her palm, Tubbo didn't know why, but he had the strangest feeling in the back of his mind that she wasn't supposed to have that ring. Obviously she wasn't a mer, but this felt like more than just being wary about Niki having a mer ring. Tubbo felt like he needed to do everything to get that ring away from her, and fast.

No that's silly, he's obviously just nervous about nothing. There's no way that Niki would link a random piece of jewelry to creatures from the sea that are widely believed to be myths.

But humans don't deserve to hold their vessels for moon energy.

"Tubbo?"

Tubbo gasped as he shook his head, coming back from whatever that was.

"You okay?" Aimsey asked as they gently nudged him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about, just thinking about something."

get the ring away, get the ring away, get the ring away

Tubbo winced slightly as another wave of the thoughts ran through his head again. What was happening?

"Hey Niki? Would you mind if I took a closer look at the ring?" he asked and Niki smiled.

"No, not at all!"

Niki held her hand out towards Tubbo, and he slowly reached out his hand to pick up the ring. When his fingers made contact with it, a bright light erupted from the ring causing everyone to shield their eyes, with Niki instinctively closing her fist around the ring and pulling it back towards her.

After a few seconds the light disappeared, and the beach was once again plunged into relative darkness, with the only light being the flickering flames of the campfire.

"What the fuck was that?" Quackity asked in a hush, and the others mumbled their confusion, as they all looked around for the cause. But Tubbo just sat, still as a statue, still looking towards where the ring had been a few seconds prior.

Aimsey sighed, "Whatever that was, it's gone now. Maybe it was a weird shooting star or something. What do you think Tubbo?"

Tubbo didn't respond, he just continued to stare at Niki, who chuckled nervously, "Tubbo are you okay?"

"Tubbo? Earth to Tubbo?" Aimsey waved their hand in front of his face, but he still didn't respond, "Seriously, this isn't funny! Are you okay?"

Tubbo stood up almost robotically and walked over so that he was standing directly in front of Niki. He held his hand out, "Give me the ring Niki."

The rest of the group stopped talking, all eyes instantly falling on Tubbo. Niki shook her head, grasping the ring into a fist, "You're acting... strange."

"Give me the ring."

Niki shook her head, "No. I don't think you should have it right now."

Tubbo backed up a few steps, and then flicked his arm out to the side. A huge gust of wind seemed to appear out of nowhere, extinguishing the fire and causing the sand to kick up into the air.

As the group instinctively put their arms up to cover their faces, Niki let go of the ring, which dropped to the ground. Tubbo bent over and picked it up, sliding it onto his right ring finger, then started walking towards the water.

Aimsey stood up and sprinted over to Tubbo, grabbing onto his wrist as he turned to leave, "Tubbo, what the fuck is going on?"

"Let. go. of. me."

"No! This is insane! You're acting super strange Tubbo, come on snap out of it!"

With another flick of his wrist, there was another gust of wind. When the sand died down enough for Aimsey to see again, Tubbo was gone, and no one had seen where he went.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Beep Beep Beep

Tubbo awoke with a groan and hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. He was so tired. He must have stayed out at the cove way too long.

As he rolled over and pulled the blankets back up over him, he sighed as he realized that he was still in his clothes from yesterday. How long had he stayed out to make him get home and immediately go to bed without changing into his pajamas?

The alarm rang again and he sighed, deactivating it and rolling out of bed. He sleepily trudged his way into the kitchen to make himself some coffee, but Ranboo smiled and slid him a mug as soon as he entered.

Tubbo smiled back, "Thanks, you know me so well."

Ranboo chuckled. "How long did you stay out for? I never heard you come back."

Tubbo shrugged, "I don't know, I'm so tired though so it must have been pretty late."

He raised the mug to his lips, taking a few sips before he set it back down on the island, but when he looked back up, Ranboo was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Where did you get that ring?"

"What... ring?"

Tubbo looked down at his hands and froze as soon as his eyes caught the silver ring that was sitting on his right ring finger.

"I..."

Part of him preened at having the ring on his finger. It felt right somehow. But the other part of him had no idea where it came from. He racked his brain as hard as he could. He had gone to the cove, Aimsey had pulled him over to the fire, Karl had pulled him aside and gave him this weird warning, they sat around and talked for a while, Niki had shown them the ring she found while metal detecting and...

And...

Tubbo looked at Ranboo with horror on his face, "I don't remember... Boo, why don't I remember?"

Ranboo furrowed his brow, "I... did you guys have any drinks?"

Tubbo shook his head, "No. I remember everything up until Niki showed us this ring that she found while metal detecting, and then..." he paused, "the next thing I remember is waking up this morning."

There was a pounding at the door, and both Tubbo and Ranboo looked at each other in confusion. It obviously wasn't Tommy, because he would have just walked in with his key, and Tubbo couldn't recall inviting anyone over.

Tubbo walked over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

"Hel—"

"TUBBO UNDERSCORE YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!" Aimsey exclaimed as they pushed past him into the apartment.

"I... what?"

He closed the door, and turned back to the kitchen, meeting eyes with Ranboo who looked just as confused.

"Don't you 'what' me! Last night at the cove! You were not acting normal, and I know you said that you couldn't say whatever was going on but I'm not leaving without an explanation! Tubbo, gusts of wind just appeared out of nowhere, and if I wasn't sure that it was impossible, I'd say you were somehow causing them!"

Tubbo looked between Ranboo and Aimsey with a confused expression, "What?"

Aimsey scoffed, "Come on! You've known me for how long? Whatever this is, I know you don't want to tell everyone but... I'm scared. You weren't acting like yourself last night."

The door swung open again and Tubbo jumped away from it, locking eyes with Tommy as his eyes were flitting between Tubbo, Ranboo, and Aimsey. "Uh... sorry is this a bad time?"

Wilbur sighed from behind him, "This is why you knock, you gremlin. Even I know that."

Tommy spun around, "It's usually not a big deal!"

Tubbo sighed, "Just come in, I think we all have a lot to talk about."

Tommy gave him an odd look as he passed by, but ultimately settled into the couch, with Wilbur sitting down next to him.

Tubbo bit his lip, seeming to contemplate something, before blurting out, "Look, Aimsey, if you spill anything that we say in this room, I will personally track you down and murder you. And you know I will."

Ranboo's eyes widened, "Wait, Tubbo we're not actually telling them, right?"

Tubbo threw his arms up in the air, "I really don't see another way out of this. Aimsey was there, I don't remember what the fuck happened last night, and apparently I now have wind powers."

Wilbur and Aimsey spoke at almost the same time.

"What do you mean you don't remember?"

"Wait... what do you mean you have powers?"

Tubbo sighed.

"Aimsey, you're probably not going to believe me at first, but I promise that I'm telling you the truth, okay?"

They nodded.

"I... well, all of us here, are mer. You know, like uh, mermaids? Mermen? Mer is the technical term I suppose."

Aimsey laughed nervously, "What? Tubbo what do you mean you're... mer?"

"I mean, when we touch water, we turn into mer, with tails and everything. We have powers and stuff too. That's why we've all been acting off; we're trying to deal with this now."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Aimsey looked back and forth between all of them. "...You're not joking."

Tubbo shook his head.

"All of you?"

Tubbo nodded.

Aimsey frowned slightly, "How?"

"We don't know. But it has something to do with Mako Island. Tommy, Ranboo and I went camping, I told you that story. What I left out was, we fell into this cave with an ocean linked pool in it, inside the mouth of the volcano. The only way out was to swim out through the pool. Magic shit happened when we got in the water while the full moon passed over the mouth of the volcano, and now we turn into mer whenever we touch any water. We met Wilbur a little while later, and he's been trying to help us get acquainted with our new situation."

Aimsey frowned in thought, "Okay... so is that what happened last night? Some kind of... mer thing?"

Tubbo shrugged, "You'll have to tell me what happened. I truly don't remember anything after Niki showing us the ring, other than the fact that I now have it."

"What ring?" Wilbur asked, and Tubbo gently removed the ring from his finger (much to the sadness of that other part of his brain. Was that a mer thing?) and handed it to Wilbur, who stared at him in immediate shock.

"Where the fuck did you guys manage to find a moon ring?"

Tubbo shrugged again, "Niki and Jack found it while they were metal detecting at the cove. She brought it over to show us, and I asked to see it and... I uh, don't remember anything after that."

"You touched it."

Four heads snapped to look at Aimsey, who sighed.

"You touched the ring. There was this bright flash of light, none of us could figure out where it came from. It was gone after a second or two, but you started acting really strange. You kept demanding that Niki give you the ring, and when she wouldn't, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere. It was strong enough to blow out the fire, and kick up the sand. When it died down, you had picked up the ring and walked further down the beach. I tried to stop you and figure out what was going on, but another gust of wind came up. When I could see again... you were gone."

Wilbur was lost in thought, "How strange... Mer are fiercely protective of our moon rings, as they're one of our most powerful tools for harnessing and using the moon's magic. As for why you don't remember anything... you mentioned there was a bright flash of light. The moon ring probably released all of its moon energy straight into you when you touched it. With how little time you've been mer, that much might have thrown you deeper into your mer instincts, and since they're so new to you, you completely lost control. But that doesn’t explain why you can’t remember anything, because you shouldn’t react that way."

"That's great and all, but are we going to discuss the fact that apparently I have wind powers? I didn't have those before!" Tubbo exclaimed, "How did I do it Aimsey?"

Aimsey looked at him with a weird expression, "How would I know?"

"No like, how did I move my hands?"

They shrugged, "Um, you just sort of flicked your hand out? I'm not really sure."

"Like... this?" Tubbo flicked his hand out, and instantly a gust of wind whipped through the living room. Tubbo quickly put his hand down and it subsided just as fast.

Wilbur furrowed his brow in confusion, "I... Mer don't just get new powers. Usually, the power that manifests is the power that you carry with you. I mean, mer can learn to weave their essence in different ways, but they’re all linked together. Like how mer with hydro-thermalkenisis can learn to make and control fire. Or like mine, I technically have three powers, but they all work together as control over the weather. I've never heard of hydrokinesis and aerokinesis manifesting together."

Aimsey looked around with excitement in their eyes, "Wait, you guys all have powers?"

Tommy nodded, "Yup sure do! Like he said, Wilbur can control the weather. I can boil water, Ranboo can freeze water, and Tubbo can manipulate water in its liquid state, and I guess make wind now?"

To demonstrate, Tubbo lifted his hand, and a sphere of water floated out of a vase of flowers that was sitting by the windowsill. He brought the sphere over so that it was sitting in the middle of the group, and then gestured to Ranboo. Ranboo lifted up their hand, and froze the sphere, then turned to Tommy, who raised his hand and made a fist, quickly raising the temperature of the water and melting the ice. He continued, and the sphere of water started to boil. Tommy opened his hand, and Ranboo put his hand back up, cooling the water back down without completely freezing it, and then Tubbo guided the sphere back over to the vase and deposited the water back inside.

Aimsey stared with wide eyes, "That is so fucking cool."

Tubbo sighed, flopping onto the couch next to Tommy, "It's cool but so incredibly dangerous. If we touch water, we get tails and everything! I don't doubt there will be people like you who are just totally chill, but if we told anyone else..."

Aimsey nodded, "The marine park and their biologists would probably be all over you guys. They'd probably want to do experiments to see how you guys react to different stimuli and how your powers react under certain situations. I can definitely see why you wouldn't want that. I mean you're people after all!"

Ranboo bit his lip, "So you'll keep our secret?"

Aimsey smiled, "Of course I will. This is a big deal for you, and gosh, I now know that mer are real. That's insane!"

Tommy looked down at his phone and cursed, "Shit, I'm going to be late, I promised that I'd meet Niki at the library and help her find some books for her presentation that she's doing at the marine fair this weekend. You guys good if I bounce?"

The other four nodded, and Tommy looked back at Wilbur as he stood to leave, "Don't get into any trouble."

Wilbur scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully, "I should be the one telling you that gremlin."

"I'm the human here though, so I'm the expert between us. Stay dry!"

Tommy walked through the door right as Aimsey exclaimed, "Wait, wait go back, you're a natural mer?!"

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy breathed a sigh of relief when he got to the small library before Niki did.

As he looked around the library, he giggled realizing that no one else was there besides Techno, the librarian that was sitting behind the front desk reading.

"What'cha reading big man?" Tommy asked (loudly) as he bounced up to the front desk.

Techno sighed, "A book that offers a deeper dive into some of the more popularized Greek myths. And you're in a library Tommy, at least use a quieter voice."

"What do you mean? I'm the quietest ever," proclaimed Tommy, decidedly not being quiet.

Techno shook his head disapprovingly, "Are you here for a reason other than torturing me at work?"

"You seen Niki?"

"Nope."

"Then nope, not yet!" Tommy grinned and Techno just pointed at the door.

"Out until she gets here."

"But Technooooo."

"Out or be quiet."

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Fineeee."

He turned and walked out of the library, making a show of looking back with a face like a dejected puppy to see if Techno would let him stay. When the older didn't, only shaking his head with a small smirk on his lips, Tommy yielded. He exited the library, deciding to lean against the front of the building as he waited for Niki.

"Hey Tommy!" A voice called out, but it wasn't Niki. Nope, it was a person that he'd been avoiding since the party.

As he turned to his left, Tommy locked eyes with Sapnap, who was waving at him, and the blonde that he now knew was called Dream, who was sipping out of a water bottle. He gingerly waved back as the two approached him.

"Hey man, we all missed you at the cove last night. You doing okay since the party? I wanted to apologize for that."

Tommy smiled a bit forcefully, but he hoped Sapnap wouldn't notice, "Yep! Nothing's going on, just been busy with other stuff, you know adulting and shit."

"Alright I get that, if you need anything, you know where to find me or any of the others. Are you going to help Niki with her presentation?"

Tommy nodded and Sapnap smiled, "That's great, we'll leave you to it then, don't want to hold you up. Have a good one Tommy!"

Sapnap started walking away, but Dream smirked. As he walked by, he tipped his water bottle, spilling a bit onto Tommy who flinched in shock.

"Woops, sorry about that. Good thing it's just water," Dream shrugged as Tommy scowled at him, eyes darting around for a place to hide.

To Dream's annoyance, Tommy threw the library door open, running right past Techno, and into the back room. He slammed the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief as he transformed.

He was safe here. No one had seen him.

He reached his hand out over his tail, getting ready to steam-dry himself when a knock at the door startled him, and he let out a chirp of surprise.

Did he really just chirp?

"Tommy, you good?"

He clenched his fist, willing his powers to go faster, and hoping that Techno hadn't heard whatever that was. "Yep! I'm all good Techno, no need to worry about me."

"Can I come in?"

The door handle started to turn, and Tommy let out another scared chirping sound. (The fuck was that, was that a new mer thing?)

"Yes, I know you're scared guppy, but I can't help you if you don't let me in."

wait what?

The door opened slowly, Tommy frozen in fear as Techno quickly stepped in, closing the door behind him.

Tommy stared with wide eyes up at Techno, then reality finally hit him again.

"Techno, you can't tell anyone about this, it's a really long story and—"

Techno smiled, "It's actually one I know quite well, guppy."

He looked over Tommy and his face softened, "You're really young, what are you doing without your pod, or on land for that matter? I had no idea you were a mer."

Tommy sighed, "I wasn't. This is new."

Techno hummed, lost in thought, "I'm going to move you somewhere more comfortable than the floor, okay? Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you."

"...what?" Tommy squeaked out.

Techno held his hand out, and Tommy shrieked (except this one was more like a trill. How did he keep making these sounds?) as he was lifted by nothing up off of the ground and gently placed onto the couch. As soon as Tommy made that sound, Techno let out a low rumble (a purr?), and a strange sense of calm washed over Tommy.

"You're..."

Techno nodded, "I'm sorry I scared you, telekinesis is my power and I thought it would be quicker to just show you that I was a mer. Now, you mentioned that being a mer is new."

Tommy nodded, "Tubbo, Ranboo, and I went camping on Mako a little under a month ago, and this ended up happening. I really don't know what else to say about that."

"You're one of the three boys that Dad said they found around the Moon Pool last full moon." It wasn't a question.

Tommy nodded.

Techno paused for a second, "Although, that shouldn't be possible, I don't recall last full moon being a Blue Moon."

Tommy tilted his head, "A Blue Moon?"

Techno nodded, "Every few years, a partial planetary alignment paired with the full moon causes the moon to turn a silvery blue color, and release its most potent, purest moon magic. It's powerful enough that if a human, or multiple, are in the Moon Pool, which is one of the gathering points for moon magic, they can form a connection to the moon and undergo metamorphosis, becoming mer, like you three did. It takes a ridiculous amount of moon magic though, and as far as I know, is only possible under a Blue Moon."

Tommy froze, part of him wanting to call Techno a nerd, but the other part caught onto something that he said, "This... this has happened before?"

"It's certainly not common. Very few instances of Moon Pools turning humans into mer have been noted. In fact, I personally only know of one other instance," he sighed, "My brother would probably be much better at dealing with this than me. He's better at easing people into new situations."

Tommy just continued to gawk at him, "Wait, so your brother you're always talking about..."

"Is a mer too, yes," he sighed again, with more annoyance this time, "Orpheus has also decided that running away from his responsibilities is the best course of action, and didn't tell any of us where he went off to."

Tommy blinked, "Orpheus? What kind of a name is that?"

Techno huffed, "A mer name child. My mer name is Technoblade, but I just go by Techno on land because it's easier."

"Do all mer have two names?"

"Not always, it depends on the mer and the name that they were given. Some of us shorten our names, others change it slightly. Others prefer a completely different one, like Orpheus."

Tommy gasped as he transformed back, his legs replacing his tail in a flash.

Techno looked over at him, "Are you alright now?"

Tommy nodded slowly as he stood up, his eyes locking with the clock as he cursed, basically sprinting towards the door to the rest of the library, "Shit, I really did promise Niki I'd help her out, she's probably worried about me by now."

Techno nodded as he opened the door and let Tommy walk out, gently closing the door behind them both.

Techno hummed (purred? Why did that sound make him feel safe?), "If you ever need anything, a place to hide or just need someone to ask questions to, I'll be here."

Part of Tommy was still a little wary as he nodded and walked away, but something about Techno felt safe, just like Wilbur.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Techno sighed as he pulled down another planetary star map, the light of candles flickering in the dark. Electric lights hurt his eyes after a while, candle light was far superior for late nights.

As he kept tracking the moon and the planets' rotations over the past few cycles, he frowned. The last Blue Moon had happened two years previous, and the next one wouldn't happen for two more years.

He did his calculations two more times to be sure, but came to the same conclusion every time. The timeline just didn't add up. There was no possible way that only less than a month ago, three humans had turned into mer, without a Blue Moon. It wasn't only unheard of, but Techno was almost sure it was completely impossible. So then how were they here?

There was a piece that Techno was missing, and until he figured it out, he wouldn't be able to get the answers that were evading his grasp.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur sighed as he fiddled with the new moon ring in his hands for the umpteenth time that day. Something had happened with Tubbo, and it had something to do with the moon magic from this ring.

As far as he knew, even younger mer hatchlings didn't completely lose control to their instincts when they were subjected to moon magic. It might make them a bit more mischievous, stars know he was when he was younger, but for Tubbo to not remember anything at all was concerning. Was it just the sudden blast of moon energy from the ring, or was it because they were humans that had turned into mer?

There were a few other people that he could ask, but considering his own circumstance, Wilbur didn't particularly want to see them right now. Especially not his dad, not when he was right in the middle of trying to figure out what had happened to turn the three boys into mer.

And also, the fact that Wilbur didn't exactly tell him where he went. That was also important.

He sighed again, looking up at the clock. Tommy would be at work for another few hours, he had time if he left now. While Wil wasn't about to go back to his dad yet, he guessed his brother might react better. 

Maybe.

Hopefully.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The bell above the door to the library chimed as Wilbur walked in, anxiety clawing at all his nerves and making him feel sick. It was going to be okay, just an easy in and out. He'd ask his question, and then be out of his brother's hair. Nothing to worry about. Techno might not even be he—

Wilbur jumped as the shades for the store fell on their own, with the hanging sign on the door behind him flipping around to closed. Wilbur braced himself for what he knew was coming, and then he was being pulled through the air, coming to a stop right in front of the desk. Techno had his hand raised, and was staring him down with the deepest glare Wilbur had ever seen.

"Orpheus, I will give you one chance. Where the fuck have you been?" Techno growled.

Wilbur winced at the swear, especially since his twin never swore, "I... uh, I've been staying with new guppies... I don't... know if you've heard about them?" he stuttered out and Techno frowned, before sighing in exasperation.

"I've been lucky enough to meet one of them yes, but do you even think about the consequences of your actions before you do them? Stars Orpheus, Dad and I have been worried sick about you, and the rest of the court is up in arms! One day you just vanish without a trace!" Techno exhaled sharply as he dropped his hand, letting Wilbur fall to the ground, much to the latter's annoyance.

Wilbur huffed as he regained his composure, "Look, I visited the Moon Pool the day after the last full moon, and was met with three boys that said that they suddenly started turning into mer. I tried to tell Dad but he wouldn't listen to me, and I just couldn't let it go!"

"Maybe you should have! Dad or I could have taken care of it, or any of the other court mer! It's literally our job to do things for you Orpheus!" Techno snapped back, "Have you ever considered that you're needed back in Essempi? Does the way our society works mean nothing to you? But no, why not run away and abandon the throne instead of facing your responsibilities!"

Wilbur folded his arms over his chest, a scowl forming on his features, "I'm not going back to the court. After everything I went through, I can't be there anymore. It’s like hell being there for me, you and Dad of all people should understand that!"

"Orpheus, you are one of the sons of the moon goddess—"

"And so are you, and so was he!" Wilbur threw his hands up, "There's nothing tying me specifically to the throne. You're even older than me technically!"

"We both know your connection to the moon is stronger than mine. You're the second most powerful, that's your tie. You have the power to be a great leader for the pod."

"What if I don't want to be?" Wilbur yelled back, "Then what?"

A dark cloud started to form in the bookstore and Techno sighed, rolling his eyes, "Orpheus, control your powers please. The books."

"Oh, forget about the books," Wilbur snapped, the cloud getting darker, "I made one mistake when Dad brought me on land to help me recover, and then he turns around and traps me back in the place that I desperately wanted to escape! For what? To play crown prince until the random day, sometime in the future, that we find the actual crown prince, our little brother, who in case you forgot, the court lost!"

Techno frowned, "Orpheus, you lost control of your powers and almost drowned someone. That's hardly a small mistake. You could have killed him! The court was the best place for you to get training for your powers. Also, we're still looking for Theseus! Stars know we've never stopped looking!"

Wilbur scowled, "I've gotten better. I would have gotten better without them."

Techno gestured in exasperation at the cloud that was now almost filling the entirety of the library ceiling, "Orpheus, your cloud that you definitely meant to summon is going to ruin the books."

"I'm not going to ruin the damn books!" Wilbur yelled, and a bolt of lightning struck the floor in front of the desk between the two of them, scorching the rug and causing Wilbur to jump back, eyes wide. He looked back up at Techno, and as quickly as it had formed the cloud disappeared.

Techno sighed, anger dropped from his features, quickly being replaced by concern, "Even after all the training you did in the court, your powers are still deeply intertwined with your emotions. When you get wrapped up in the moment, you still lose control of them. You're still in the same place you were 10 years ago Wil."

Wilbur sighed, fiddling with the hem of his sweater, "It's all his fault. Nyx did this to me. You don’t get it."

"He's gone Wilbur, he's been gone for over 10 years."

"And he's going to come back someday! Mom's prophecy said so! And until we find Theseus, we're completely powerless against him! We’ll be right back where we started. I’ll be right back to where I started."

Techno frowned, anger coming back to his features, but this time it wasn't directed at Wilbur, "He's not going to hurt you again. Either of you. I swear on my life that I won't let him hurt you guys again. I already failed you once."

Wilbur just stared at the floor, and Techno could see the starts of another cloud forming.

"Wil... are you okay?"

Wilbur shook his head as he began to cry, and Techno quickly stepped out from behind the desk and wrapped Wilbur in a hug.

"We'll get through this together, you don't have to do this alone anymore Wil. I know that you think Dad's being overprotective but he's just trying to keep you safe. We both are."

"I just wish things were different. I wish none of this had ever happened, and I wish Mom and Theseus were still here," Wilbur sobbed into Techno's shoulder as he held him.

"We all do. We'll get them back Wilbur. I swear it."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy groaned as he shuffled from table to table, cleaning them, taking orders from the sit-down patrons and then running back behind the counter to prepare drinks, all while Quackity manned the take-out orders and helped with drink preparation.

Rushes were the worst part of the job, and no matter what he did, there was always this overwhelming anxiety that he was going to make one tiny slip up and reveal his secret. This was exacerbated by the anxiety that rushes produced, which always led to Quackity and him running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

He really needed to ask Puffy about possibly hiring another barista.

When there was finally a lull in activity, Tommy slinked behind the counter and into the back room, sliding down the wall and sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest.

It was too much.

All of this was too much, and he couldn't breathe. The room was getting warmer (was that his powers?), and that made his anxiety spike even more. 

control it, control it, control it, you have to—

"—ommy?"

Tommy gasped, his breathing still erratic and shallow. Was someone talking to him?

"—y, Tommy you okay man? Man, it's warm in here... Hey, it's okay. Take deep breaths with me. In... and out..."

Tommy tried to take deep breaths, and although they were extremely shaky at first, he eventually managed to get his breathing under control again.

When he finally was aware of his surroundings again, he flinched as he registered Quackity in front of him.

He had to try really, really hard to suppress a distressed chirp from coming out. (Why was that becoming second nature to him?)

At Tommy's terrified expression, Quackity's face softened, "Hey, hey it's okay. You just had a bad panic attack. You're in the café, and I'm right here if you need me. That rush was really intense. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were panicking that much."

Tommy gingerly nodded, and Quackity smiled, "I know you guys haven't been wanting to go to the beach lately, but I'm hosting game night tonight if you guys want to come. I think it would be fun to take your mind off of things. Tubbo said you three were going through something pretty rough at home."

Tommy nodded again, and Quackity frowned, "Is it anything that we can help with? We're all here to help you guys through anything."

Tommy shook his head, still not entirely trusting himself to speak.

Quackity gave him a small smile, "Okay well, I know you guys have been having a hard time with the beach yeah? So, why don't we have game night at the beach house by the lighthouse? It'll be warmer, and you won't have to worry about whatever's going on with you three and the beach."

Tommy thought about it for a moment. On one hand, it was a nice gesture, but on the other hand it was still dangerous to have a bunch of people around.

He thought back to the argument that he had with Tubbo a few nights ago and internally sighed. Tubbo was right about him being too scared of everything. For fuck's sake, Tommy could handle game night, even with this new problem. Plus, it would give Ranboo and Tubbo a chance to socialize, since that seemed to be a sore point for them lately.

Tommy nodded, whispering softly, "I… can come, I'll ask Tubbo and Ranboo too."

Quackity's face lit up, "Great! I'll let everyone know and we'll see you at 8-ish. Feel free to sit here as long as you need to fully recover, the rush seems to be over. Let me know if you need me, okay?"

Quackity walked back out to the front and Tommy sighed. He was okay. Everything was fine.

He was Tommy Innit and he wasn't letting his fears get the best of him.

No matter how much he wanted to.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"The whole reason I came here in the first place... is that the full moon's tonight and I'm scared of how they'll react," Wilbur sighed as he paced back and forth in the back room.

Techno shrugged, "What's wrong with the full moon? They'll be a bit more antsy, have a bit more energy, but take them out for a swim and they'll burn it off. That’s what the pod did with the other two."

Wilbur frowned, "That's the problem. I know that's normal, but I don't think that's what's going to happen."

Techno raised an eyebrow, "And why's that?"

Wilbur gently tossed the moon ring to Techno, who caught it with a frown, "Where did you get this? Actually, where did you even get the one you have?"

Wilbur brushed off the question, "Tubbo's friends found that on the beach last night. Tubbo touched it, and has absolutely no idea what he did afterwards. His friend described it like he was possessed. The ring flashed, and then he started acting completely different than normal, like he fell completely into his instincts and forgot he was human."

Techno blinked at him with a look of disbelief, "That's... what?"

"That's what I said!"

Techno frowned, "Something's weird about these new guppies, and this adds yet another question without any answers," he muttered while he stood up, walking over to the table with the star maps on it and writing something down in his notebook.

"How so?" Wilbur asked as he followed him, pausing at the edge of the table, eyebrows scrunching, "Are those lunar maps? They look weird."

Techno nodded, "Sort of. They're maps created by the humans that track the moon and planets across the sky. They're not as in-depth with the moon events as our lunar maps, but they're enough for me to know that last full moon wasn't a blue moon."

Wilbur shook his head, "There's got to be a mistake in these then, because the boys said they turned into mer last full moon."

Techno rolled his eyes, "I know that. That's what's odd. I triple checked the calculations and as far as I can tell they're accurate. It shouldn't be possible and yet it is. Then you say that they act vastly different around moon magic. A guppy, even if they’re a changeling, shouldn't have issues with moon magic, especially not from a moon ring. Nothing's adding up here."

Wilbur frowned, "Are you sure it's only possible on a blue moon? There's absolutely no other way?"

"I mean, Mom turned Dad without a blue moon, but she used her powers, that's different. Unless they somehow already had a connection to the moon..."

Wilbur huffed as his eyes darted out the window to the sun getting deeper in the sky, "We can think about this more later. What are we going to do about tonight?"

Techno looked over to Wilbur, annoyed that his twin had cut him off mid thought, "What are you going to do about tonight?"

Wilbur sputtered, "W—what?"

"You abandoned your court responsibilities to look after the guppies. So, look after them Orpheus. I'll be around to help if you need me, but this is your new responsibility."

Wilbur stood in shock for a few moments but scoffed, "Fine, be that way," he growled as he turned and walked out of the library.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy glanced over at the clock as he got ready to clock out of his shift. If he hurried, he should be able to catch Tubbo and Ranboo on their way home and tell them about his plan.

As soon as his shift was over, Tommy practically sprinted out the door, heading out towards the pier. As he approached the smoothie shop, he noticed both Tubbo and Ranboo chatting to each other as they walked back towards their flat.

"Hey guys!" Tommy waved, and the other two smiled, gesturing for him to walk with them. Tubbo looked tired, and Ranboo seemed on edge for whatever reason, but they both seemed to light up a little when Tommy slotted himself between them.

"Were your shifts as rough as mine? I feel like I'm literally going to die right here," Tommy groaned and Tubbo laughed.

"You're such a baby sometimes, you know that?"

"Am not! I'm a big man!" Tommy squawked and Tubbo just laughed harder.

"Keep telling yourself that, maybe it will stick sometime."

Tommy pouted for a moment, then lit up as he remembered his plan.

"Oh! I came over to tell you guys that Quackity invited us to game night tonight, but he's having it at the beach house instead of out on the beach."

Ranboo frowned, "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, with that many people..."

"Ranboo relax! It's either inside or out on the covered patio, nowhere near the water. The only things to worry about are drinks, and Tubbo and I literally have jobs that are more dangerous for us than a party."

Tubbo shrugged, "He's got a point."

Tommy smirked at his success, "So... d'ya wanna go?"

Tubbo nodded, "I'm down. What about you Boo?"

Ranboo fidgeted with his hands, "Don't you think we should ask Wilbur or something?"

"Aw come on Ranboo," Tommy whined, "If I can't be a baby about things, then you can't either. All for one and whatever that is."

Tubbo burst out laughing again, and Ranboo just sighed, "Yeah… okay fine. I'll come too."

Tommy lit up, "Great! Let's head over, we can help Q set up before it gets dark and everyone else gets there!"

Tubbo and Tommy started sprinting off towards the lighthouse, but Ranboo just sighed.

He had a bad feeling about tonight.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The beach house was nestled not far from the cove where they liked to hang out. To the left, high up on an outcrop of rock was the L'Manburg lighthouse. The beach house itself was more a glorified shack than anything, it really only had a conjoined kitchen and living area and then a small hallway that hosted the bathroom and bedroom. It was small, but quaint and cozy. It used to be a little abandoned shack, but Sapnap had started fixing it up, and then eventually Karl and Quackity joined in. Now it was a hangout for all their friends.

As the three arrived, they spotted Karl helping Quackity hang up paper lanterns and other decorations on the small patio that faced towards the beach. Karl locked eyes with the three of them and shot them a concerned look, but before he could say anything, Quackity noticed the trio and a grin spread across his face.

"Look who it is! I'm so glad you three could make it! It feels like forever since we've all hung out!"

Tommy chuckled, "It has been a bit, but we're here now."

"That you are! Everyone should be showing up pretty soon. I'm just finishing up with the décor and then we'll be all set to have a great night."

Ranboo glanced over at Quackity, "Who... who's all coming?"

Quackity shrugged, "The normal gang probably. Sapnap's on his way here, Aimsey stopped to get snacks. I would assume that Hannah, Bad and Skeppy will probably come too. Niki's coming with Jack, and I think they invited George and Dream. Dream can't make it though, I guess he's been under the weather today, and George is busy working on stuff for his job."

Tommy let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. At least Dream wouldn't be there. He didn't know what his problem was, but he didn't want it to ruin tonight. Tonight was going to be perfect. A way to forget all the crazy stuff that had been happening lately.

An hour passed quickly as the trio helped Quackity and Karl set up the beach house. Aimsey and Sapnap made an appearance a bit later, and then slowly everyone else started to arrive.

Soon the house was bustling with people, and the trio was being pulled from one person to another as they caught up with their friends. It was nice to be out again.

The sun had just started its descent into the sea when Tommy's phone buzzed. It was a message from their group chat.

Wil: > Where the fuck are you guys? You're off work by now, right?

Big Man: > We went to game night. Why?

Wil: > You've got to come home, now.

Tommy nudged Tubbo and showed him the texts.

Bee: > Wil what's up?

Wil: > I can't really explain it all, just that it's probably not safe for you tonight because of the full moon. Just tell me where you are, I'll come get you.

Bee: > The beach house on the cove. But seriously, what is going on? What's up with the moon?

Wil: > Stay inside, don't stand outside in it. I'm coming over.

The three shared a concerned glance, but Tommy shrugged, "Don't be under the moon. Seems straightforward enough if not cryptic as hell. Come on, the card games are starting!"

The party started to move outside to the covered patio as the sun set, and people gathered around the different tables as the many types of card games started.

Tubbo had a mischievous glint in his eye as he delt himself into one of the games, but the other two didn't pay him much mind until he eventually returned to them in record time with sunglasses, Skeppy's left shoe, and 100 bucks in cash.

He'd end up (begrudgingly) returning the shoe after Skeppy complained that his toes were getting cold. He pitched a fit about winning it fair and square until Bad bribed him with another 10 bucks. He haggled to fifteen.

Soon the beach was illuminated in the soft glow of the moon as the partygoers all chattered and screamed profanities at each other when they lost.

"Can we ban Tubbo? He's going to fucking run us dry!" Sapnap laughed and Tubbo huffed with a smirk on his face.

"Shouldn't be so obvious about what you've got then. Skill issue and all that. Anyways deal me in again Q, I'm just going to run and grab some more fruit punch."

Quackity chuckled, "Sure thing man!"

Tubbo walked over to the punch bowl, picking up a glass on his way there. He went to fill up his glass but froze as soon as his eyes locked on the reflection of the moon in the bowl. He stared at it for a few seconds, before he bit his lip with a mischievous grin and padded off to go find Tommy.

Tommy had found himself at the Uno table, preferring to keep away from any and every game that Tubbo was currently playing, because he was not about to lose his first-born son to Tubbo. Stars know that Tubbo would manage it somehow.

Just as Tommy laid down one of his cards, he felt a chin come and rest on his shoulder. He jumped, spinning his head to the side and sighing when he saw Tubbo.

"Geez Tubs, you scared me. You doing okay?"

Tubbo giggled, "Whatcha doing?"

"Playing Uno? What do you mean?"

Tubbo tilted his head so he was basically laying on Tommy's shoulder, "I wanna go for a swim."

"What? You know we can't do that," Tommy whispered but Tubbo just whined softly back.

"But I feel weird! Why do we even have these anyways? They feel much weirder than our fins," He jabbed Tommy gently in the leg, and Tommy fully set his cards down at that point, getting off his chair and pulling Tubbo aside.

"What's wrong with you? Subtlety much?" Tommy hissed with his eyes narrowed, and Tubbo just pouted.

"You're being a meanieee," his eyes lit up, as he giggled, "We should go swimming to the Moon Pool, that'll make you feel better. Oh! We should bring Ranboo too! Get you two off of your legs, you can't seriously be comfortable."

Tommy just stared at him shocked, "Seriously, what is wrong with you? You're acting strange."

"No! You're acting weird. I want to go home and you're being weird about it."

"Home... to your flat?"

"No, to Mako silly! Don't you want to go home too?"

At this point Quackity called over, "Hey Tubbo, we're starting again!"

Tubbo looked confused, "Why are we with the humans again?"

Tommy's breathing started to quicken as he grabbed Tubbo's hand and started pulling him towards the house. He called over his shoulder, "He's sitting this one out Q!" as he continued to try to practically drag Tubbo inside, much to the other's displeasure.

"Where are we going? The ocean's that way," Tubbo pouted, but Tommy did his best to ignore him.

When he managed to get inside, Tommy locked eyes with Ranboo who was chatting with Aimsey.

"You two, we have a situation, is there anyone else in here?"

Aimsey shook their head, "Not that I know of, Karl just left. Why, is everything okay?"

"Why can't we go to Mako Tommy? Why do we have to stay here? We're not meant to be like this, it feels weird!" Tubbo whined again and Tommy gestured to him in exasperation.

Aimsey and Ranboo immediately turned to Tubbo with looks of confusion on their faces.

"Tubbo," Ranboo started, "What are you?"

Tubbo looked confused, "I'm a mer, and so are you and Tommy. We're supposed to be going home now, why are we still here?" he paused for a second, "Also, why are we pretending to be humans?"

They looked over at Tommy who just shrugged, a worried look on his face, "I don't know what happened. He was playing card games and then he was behind me asking me to go to Mako and almost spilling the secret to everyone."

Ranboo bit his lip, "Maybe Wil would know what's happening with Bo, he did say he was coming over."

The four looked up as there was a knock from the front door, and Aimsey and Tommy quickly went to answer it. Ranboo called out, “Aimsey, don’t let Tommy get exposed to the moon!” as they left.

Tubbo giggled, walking around to face Ranboo, "Come on Boo, I gotta show you something!"

Ranboo shook his head, "Absolutely not. I'm staying right here."

Tubbo stared at him for a moment, then got a mischievous look on his face.

"Tubbo. No. Tubbo don't—"

Tubbo sprinted towards the back door, and Ranboo jumped up to catch him. The two of them ran through the party and down the beach, with Ranboo trying to keep his head down and Tubbo laughing maniacally.

Finally, Tubbo slowed down enough that Ranboo managed to grab him, pulling both of them down to the ground in a tangle. They had managed to run down to the cove, being shaded from the party by the cliffs.

Ranboo was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath as he practically forced out, "We... we need to go back, we can't stay out here. Something happened to you, the moon's not safe."

"Come on Boo, I'm fine!" Tubbo whined, "The moon's so pretty tonight, can't you hear it calling? Let's go swimming!"

Ranboo closed his eyes tightly, "I really don't. Tubbo please, you're acting really weird!"

Tubbo frowned, "I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends."

Ranboo's eyes snapped up to meet Tubbo's, "We are friends but that doesn't mean—"

Ranboo gaped for a second as he took in Tubbo’s face. His eyes had the familiar silver flakes in them that they had when he was a mer.

Tubbo took the distraction and gently tilted Ranboo’s head up, giggling, "See, isn't it pretty? That wasn't so hard."

A wave of calm washed over Ranboo as he stared at the moon. Everything was fine. They were all fine. They just had to go home, except...

Ranboo let out a questioning chirp, instantly falling into his mer instincts. where pod?

Tubbo shrugged, "He ran off with that human, Aimsey. We need to get him home though."

Ranboo let out a sad warble, and Tubbo responded with his own encouraging trill.

Tubbo smiled, "I know it's easier to not, but you have to use your words. At least until we can get Tommy home. He's pretending to be human, so we have to also."

Ranboo frowned, "Do... do I have to walk on these? They feel weird."

Tubbo giggled, "That's what I said! Humans are weird. Come on though, we gotta go get Tommy."

Ranboo let out a trill and Tubbo copied him happily.

Their call

Pod

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy went to open the door only to immediately be pushed aside by Aimsey.

"Ack, what are you—"

Aimsey hissed, "Ranboo said you can't see the moon Tommy," they paused as they saw who was at the door, "Oh. Hi Wilbur… Your eyes…"

“Is anyone inside?”

Aimsey shook their head as they guided Tommy aside, only removing their hand after they let Wilbur in and closed the door.

“Are your eyes… glowing?”

Wilbur looked like he was either about to have a panic attack, or currently having one. Tommy couldn't tell.

"All mer’s eyes show off their true form during the full moon. It’s one of the main reasons we tend to stay away from... Where are the other two, I need to get you guys home now. I have no idea how you guys are going to react to full moon magic."

Tommy nodded as he led Wilbur into the living room, "About that... Tubbo's acting really weird, Ranboo and I were hoping you'd know how to—"

Tommy groaned as both of them were gone, "—help. Fuck, where did they go?"

"Acting weird? Weird how?"

"Tubbo was acting like he was a mer. I mean we are I guess, but we're humans first, mer second. Tubbo was acting like he was a mer pretending to be a human. His words. He kept talking about wanting to go home."

"To his flat?" Wilbur asked hopefully.

"To Mako."

The three jumped, quickly moving to hide Wilbur as the sliding door opened, and Tommy let out a breath as he saw Ranboo. His eyes glanced back to the party behind him, but it seemed like no one had noticed. What he did notice was Ranboo’s eyes. They were red and green, like when he was a mer.

"Where's Tubbo?"

"He ran off, can you come help me find him?"

Tommy went to move forward but Wilbur grabbed his arm, "Absolutely not."

As soon as Wilbur touched Tommy, Ranboo let out a sharp hiss, enough to make Wilbur immediately let go of Tommy's arm.

"Leave pod alone."

"Pod?" Tommy asked turning to Wilbur, and Ranboo let out the same trill that he did for Tubbo.

It took everything in Tommy not to repeat it.

Ranboo pouted for a moment at the lack of response, but went to grab Tommy's hand, "We have to go. It'll be too late."

"Too late for what?" Wilbur asked, but Ranboo let out a warning trill and glared, "You're not pod. This doesn't concern you."

Wilbur scoffed, "I may not be in your pod, but you're too young to be on your own. I'm taking care of you."

Ranboo pulled Tommy through the door and shut it, freezing the lock so the door wouldn't open.

"Come on! We're going to miss it!" Ranboo cried as he pulled Tommy out towards the beach.

"Miss what? Ranboo let go!"

Once they got close to the water, Ranboo finally let Tommy's arm go, with a happy chirp.

Tubbo sighed as he stood up and walked towards the water, "Took you long enough. High point's going to start any minute now." He took a running start, diving into the waves, poking his head up a moment later when he fully transformed.

Ranboo let out an annoyed chirp, "He wouldn't come."

Tommy was still covering his eyes with his hand, and Tubbo let out a sad warble, "Tommy come on, it's us, don't you trust us?"

Tommy shook his head, "This isn't you, the moon's done something to both of you. You're being controlled."

Tubbo trilled pod again, and Ranboo repeated it. Tommy couldn't stop himself fast enough before he also repeated it.

Tubbo smiled, "See? You're pod. We’re not being controlled, we’re being us. Come home with us."

Tommy moved his hand to glare at Tubbo, but as soon as he did, Ranboo gently tilted his head up and his eyes met the moon.

He felt any resentment or inhibition leave almost instantly as his eyes began to glow a soft crystalline blue. He started to walk towards the water, but he suddenly found himself unable to move.

An unfamiliar voice spoke behind them, "I wouldn't do that if I were you mate. Just come here and we can get you three inside and figure this out."

Tubbo was already in the water, but Tommy and Ranboo were forcefully spun around to face the voice. They found themselves face to face with two figures, one of which had their hand raised.

The one on the right with his hand raised they recognized as Techno, his eyes glowing a dim red, but the one on the left was new to them.

As soon as he saw Tommy however, he seemed to pause for a few seconds before shaking his head.

Ranboo and Tommy both let out warning hisses, but the person on the left just chuckled.

"You three really are just guppies. You're all trying to protect each other, where is the rest of your pod?"

"Techno! You weren't supposed to tell Dad!"

Another voice called out from behind them as Wilbur and Aimsey finally managed to catch up with them.

"Not now Orpheus!" Techno snapped back.

"Let them go! We're going to miss it!" Tubbo yelled as he raised his own hand, making a water tentacle that snaked out of the water and shot right towards Techno.

Techno easily dodged it, but his concentration on his telekinesis broke and the other two took off towards the water again.

"Wilbur!" Phil called and Wilbur took a deep breath.

"Stop and come back here."

The two paused, then turned around and started walking back up the beach. Once they were close enough, Techno grabbed Tommy, while Phil grabbed Ranboo.

As soon as Wilbur's spell wore off, the three of them started thrashing.

"Let them go!" Tubbo cried, "We're going to miss high point!"

He thrust his hand out and a wind gust whipped up the sand, giving the duo enough of an opening to escape.

When the winds died down, the trio was gone.

Techno growled under his breath, but Phil just chuckled, "I remember when you two were that feisty. They talked about high point. I was hoping to take them with us, but we’ll find them in the Moon Pool after the pod's ceremony."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The trio emerged in the moon pool right as the water started to bubble and froth.

They faced each other in a circle, gently grasping each other's hands as they looked up to the moon. Soon, the bubbles of the pool's magic began to gently flow up towards the moon.

Pod, safe Tommy trilled, and the others mimicked him.

They were together and they were home. They were safe.

After the water calmed down, the three of them huddled together on the natural stair of the pool, resting against each other until they fell asleep.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo was the first to wake up. He groaned as he sat up, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. They had gone out to the beach house for game night last night, but he never remembered getting home.

In fact... he still wasn't home.

Tubbo suddenly snapped to awareness as he took in his surroundings. He had been curled up on a couch, with a blanket draped gently over him. Tommy was sitting at the other end of the couch curled up in a blanket, still asleep.

Tubbo glanced to his left and saw Ranboo asleep in a chair, also with a blanket over him.

Where the fuck were they?

As he started looking past his immediate surroundings, Tubbo found that they almost seemed to be in a cave of sorts, except for this cave looked like it was someone's living room mixed with a treasure hoard.

Trinkets of all sorts were strewn about on tables and shelves, on bookcases and even hanging from the walls. A dark green robe was hanging from one of the hooks on the walls, and if Tubbo listened carefully, he almost thought he heard dripping water, like when they were in the moon pool.

He pushed up off the couch, and gently shook Tommy, whispering, "Tommy, wake up!"

Tommy pulled his blanket closer around him and turned away from Tubbo. Tubbo huffed.

"Come on Tommy, wake up! I have no idea where we are!" he hissed a bit louder, but not loud enough that he would alert anyone else that they were awake. Hopefully.

"Bee, what are you..." Tommy trailed off as he finally opened his eyes, suddenly snapping to awareness, "Where...?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Now help me wake up Ranboo."

The two of them crept quietly over to Ranboo's chair, and proceeded to shake him awake as well. He jolted awake with wide eyes, and only calmed down slightly when he saw both his friends next to him.

Tubbo sighed, "Alright, step one. Do either of you have any idea how we ended up here?"

Tommy shook his head, "We went to game night, and I remember you started acting weird. Wilbur came... and I don't really remember much after that. It gets really fuzzy."

Tubbo nodded, looking to Ranboo, "You?"

Ranboo shrugged, "About the same thing, except I don't remember Wilbur ever showing up."

Tubbo frowned, "I don't remember anything after wanting to get some punch before Quackity dealt me back in."

"Moon magic'll do that ya, mate. Especially in your circumstance. You're not used to it."

The trio jumped as they finally noticed Wilbur, Techno and another man walking towards them.

"What the hell happened, where are we?" Tubbo growled.

"Wait... Techno? And... who are you?" Ranboo asked, pointing to Phil.

"You can call me Phil, I'm Wilbur and Techno's dad," The man smiled warmly before turning to look at his son, his face becoming much more serious.

"Orpheus, you have a lot of explaining to do."

Wilbur hung his head, "Yep, I know."

Tommy gawked, "Wait you're Orpheus?"

Wilbur nodded, a bit confused, "How do you know my mer name?"

Techno chuckled, "I may have mentioned you when I helped Tommy out before."

Wilbur sighed, "Of course you did. Well, Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo, you already know Techno," Techno nodded as Wilbur gestured to him, "And this is my dad, Philza."

"It's a pleasure to meet you boys. You can call me Phil."

Tubbo frowned, "You never answered my question. Where are we and how did we get here?"

Phil chuckled, "You're in my basement. The three of us brought you here from Mako after you fell asleep in the moon pool."

Wilbur spoke up, "We figured it was the best place to bring you, since it has easy access to the ocean, and we couldn't really drag you back to your flats."

Techno shrugged, "I could have."

Wilbur rolled his eyes, "Without drawing attention to ourselves."

"Fair enough."

Phil smiled, "I'm sure you boys have a lot of questions, but for right now, try to take it easy. I'll try to answer whatever questions I can, but first I need to talk to Wilbur."

Wilbur winced, "Do we have to?"

"Yes Orpheus, we have to."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"And that's pretty much it."

Wilbur slouched back into the chair he was sitting in, trying not to make eye contact with Phil, who was sitting across from him.

Wil expected so many things in that moment. Sharp words, harsh punishments. He knew deep down his dad wasn't like that, wasn't like him, but the experience of being in the court had never really left him.

So, Wil's entire brain short circuited when the next words out of Phil's mouth were, "I'm so sorry that I didn't stop to listen to you before."

Wilbur’s eyes snapped over to his father's, fear still present in them, "So you're not...?"

"Don't get me wrong mate, I'm still upset that you left without saying anything. I'm also upset that you stole a moon ring from me, but I'm not mad at you," He would pause before continuing, "I do have one question though."

Wilbur’s eyes darted back to the floor, "What's that?"

"The boys, do they know about your powers?"

Wilbur shook his head, "They know that I can control the weather, but no, they don't know I'm a siren. And before you ask no, I haven't used my powers on them. Well, before last night."

"I know you care about them. They seem like good kids. Although, I can't help but be concerned. The Moon Pool can't turn humans into mer on its own. The only time that that could happen naturally is under a blue moon. It's a stretch, but maybe..."

"No. Either way that doesn't explain all three of them getting powers," Wilbur cut Phil off, his eyes still looking everywhere but at him. He was beginning to fidget now. It was getting closer.

"Wil, it's becoming more likely to you that they have something to do with the prophecy, is it not? You even told me that you suspected it," Phil asked, his eyes still staring directly at Wilbur, "And Tommy he looks..."

"No, please. Not right now. I can’t do this right now." Wilbur started to bounce his leg, suddenly desperate to leave the conversation.

Phil sighed, a tired, yet patient look on his face.

"Now, about the moon ring. Wilbur, you can't stay on land. You're needed back in Essempi."

Wilbur’s head shot up, his eyes finally meeting Phil's, "No I... I need to be here, just... get Techno to take over for me until this gets sorted."

Phil frowned, "Wil, you know that's not how it works. Your magic is stronger than his is, other than Theseus, you're the only one that can—"

Wilbur shook his head, "I... I'm not going back. I can't go back there. Please, you know why. You know why I left."

Phil's features softened as he leaned over to put a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, "I know this isn't a position that you want to be in, but until we find Theseus, with how pure your moon magic is you're the next mer in line to the throne. Essempi still needs you. You can't just abandon it Orpheus."

Wilbur curled up into himself and Phil sighed.

"Look, I... I won't take your moon ring from you, but you can't run away from Essempi forever. I'll inform Techno and the others, and we'll see if there's something that we can work out."

Phil stood up and walked over to Wilbur, giving him a hug and ruffling his hair.

When Wilbur didn't respond, he turned and exited the room, leaving Wilbur with his thoughts.

They weren't good ones.

Wilbur felt himself drowning.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The basement was... extravagant to say the least. It reminded Tommy of a cavern not unlike the Moon Pool cave (it even had a pool that Wilbur said led out to the ocean).

But upon walking up the stairs, the three boys were surprised to find themselves in a completely normal looking house. The basement was hidden from the rest of the house, with one of the bookshelves in a small library nook receding to reveal the stairs to the basement.

Other than that, it seemed perfectly normal.

It was morning now, and the sunlight was streaming through the many windows of the house.

The three of them hated the fact that they could barely remember anything from the night before but pushed through it as best they could.

When they emerged into the house proper, Phil had pulled Wilbur aside into another room, and Techno had left to go to the library, which left the three boys to their own devices as they waited around. They found a living room, and proceeded to sit awkwardly on the couch until Phil came back out, looking more tired, but not really worse for wear.

"Are you boys hungry? I can make some pancakes up for you guys," Phil asked with a warm smile on his face, as he started to prep the ingredients.

There was one question burning a hole into Tommy's mind, and he knew that it was a bad time to ask, but it was just bugging him and...

"If you have a house like this, and Techno has a job on land... why hasn't Wilbur been on land in 10 years?"

All activity in the room seemed to stop as Phil stiffened up, and Ranboo and Tubbo just stared at Tommy with equal expressions of 'dude what the fuck?'.

"That's... a story for another time. He has some responsibilities back in Essempi," Phil said, his voice sounding less warm and more strained.

Tommy was about to open his mouth to ask about it again, but Wilbur walked into the room. His hair was unkempt, his glasses were hooked onto his shirt instead of sitting on his nose, and he just looked tired, almost like he wasn't there.

"Is everything okay Wilbur?" Tubbo piped up, trying his best to move the conversation on from whatever the hell just happened.

There was no response. Instead, Wil just stood there, seeming to stare off into space.

"Wilbur?" Tommy had stood up now and was walking over to him. He reached out to grab Wilbur’s arm, and Phil noticed a bit too late.

"Wait! Tommy don't..."

As soon as Tommy's hand wrapped around Wilbur’s wrist, Wilbur started squirming trying to get away.

"Wait! Wilbur it's me! What's wrong?" Tommy asked as he pulled his hand away, but the deed was already done.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, don't take me back there please! Please!"

Wilbur would slump to the floor as he started sobbing, and Tommy would back away quickly, fear on his face.

Phil rushed over and gently started to rub Wilbur’s back, "Tommy it's okay mate. You didn't know. This… this happens sometimes."

Wilbur was still whispering "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over. Phil reached down and gently took Wilbur’s hand.

"Wil, can you hear me? You're safe, he's not here. Can you squeeze my hand?"

There was a gentle squeeze after a few seconds and Phil let out a small sigh of relief, "Can you tell me three things that you can feel right now?"

Wilbur was quiet for a moment, tears still flowing down his face, and then he whispered, "my sweater, your hand, and the rug."

"Good, can you tell me three things that you can see?"

"The boys, the sea outside, and you."

"Good job. Can you do ten breaths with me?"

With Phil's help, Wilbur counted his breaths and started to relax, finally letting go of Phil's hand as he felt the darkness subside from his mind.

"Are you okay now?" Phil asked, still sitting next to Wilbur on the ground.

"I... I think so. He's not here," Wilbur looked over to Phil for reassurance, who nodded.

"He's not here. He can't hurt you."

Phil gently placed a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, "I'm sorry I stressed you out that much mate, I didn't mean to send you back there."

"I know you didn't. It's just hard to stay out of there lately, that's why I left," Wilbur responded softly, as he used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his tears away.

Phil stood up and then helped Wilbur up. Wilbur looked over to the three boys that had just watched him have a mental breakdown.

Tubbo and Ranboo were giving him looks of understanding, but Tommy just looked horrified.

"It's okay sunshine, that wasn't your fault," Wilbur whispered, his voice still not steady yet.

"It was mine," Phil frowned, "I pushed our conversation too far when we were talking before. I'm sorry Wil."

Wilbur walked over and sat next to Tommy, reaching his arms out in an unspoken offer. Tommy immediately collapsed into Wilbur’s arms. "I'm sorry, sunshine," Wilbur whispered into Tommy's curls, not even noticing the nickname he used, "I didn't mean to scare you. Everything's okay now. I'm okay. We're all safe."

Wilbur didn't feel like he was lying that time.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy sighed as he clocked into his shift. The café was rather busy this time of day, and after the night before and the morning he just had, he almost called in sick.

But he didn't, and despite being tired the day mostly continued on as normal.

Well, not really.

Something was wrong.

He was having an unusually hard time keeping his powers under wraps. It was like a storm was raging inside of him, and it was taking every ounce of concentration that he had to keep it at bay. He kept accidentally boiling ingredients and drinks that weren't supposed to be boiled.

He'd never had a hard time controlling his powers, they'd always just been there when he called on them. He was getting more and more stressed, and Quackity was giving him weird looks every time he tossed a drink into the bin.

"Tommy, you good man?"

"I... I'm just tired I think... I keep messing up simple things," he lied, although it really wasn't a total lie.

The more he messed up, the more he panicked and the harder it got to control his powers.

Tommy jumped as a hand gently rested on his shoulder, "Take a break Tommy, I can handle the counter for right now. You look like you need to chill a bit," Quackity smiled at him and Tommy nodded.

He just needed to relax, and everything would be fine.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo and Ranboo walked into the café, waving at Tommy who was sitting at their normal booth.

He perked up as he saw them, and waved back, "Hey guys! I wasn't expecting you to come by!"

The two of them walked over and slid in on the one side, while Tommy sat on the other.

"Would you guys like some ice cream? I can go grab some from the back for us."

Ranboo and Tubbo smiled and nodded, and Tommy quickly got up and walked behind the counter into the back room.

After a few minutes, they saw him walk back out with three small bowls of ice cream. He smiled as Tubbo got up to help him, and the two carried the bowls back to the table.

As soon as the three bowls touched the table, Tommy slid back into the booth, slouching against the cool plastic of the benches.

"Ah man, I'm so fucking tired. And I still have a few hours until I'm done with my shift," Tommy groaned as he stretched out before going back to slouching in the booth seat.

Tubbo seemed to stare Tommy down for a few seconds, "What's wrong? You seem... more frazzled than usual."

"It's nothing, I'm just tired I guess," Tommy replied, as he was poking at his ice cream with his spoon.

Tubbo wasn't taking that for an answer, especially when Tommy's ice cream started melting faster than theirs, "No, something's wrong. What is it?"

Tommy frowned, "It's nothing. Seriously drop it."

"I'm not going to fucking drop it, something's wrong and you're not telling us what!"

"Tubbo calm down, if he doesn't want to say he doesn't have to," Ranboo tried but he went ignored.

Tommy slammed his hands on the table "For fucks sake Tubbo knock it off, why don't you just get us some damn napkins or something!"

At this, Tubbo just froze, and it seemed almost as if his eyes glazed over. He got up from the table and walked over to where the napkins were. He grabbed enough for the three of them, and then returned, stopping right in front of the table again.

Then he blinked once... twice... and then he looked down at the napkins in his hand, "What the fuck just happened? When did I...?"

Tommy and Ranboo just stared at Tubbo, with Ranboo having a concerned, yet confused face while Tommy just looked absolutely horrified.

"Did... was that a new mer power you decided to try out on me?" Tubbo hissed at Tommy.

"I... I don't... Tubbo I have no idea I swear!" Tommy stammered out, "Let's just... not freak out. Whatever just happened I didn't mean it! I-I should call Wil. Maybe he'll know—"

"Tommy, I swear to Prime, you literally just forced me to get you napkins against my will, how the fuck do you not expect me to be freaking out?" Tubbo hissed, sitting down at the table next to Ranboo.

"I don't... I didn't..." Tommy tried before giving up and instead yanking his phone out of his pocket and giving Wilbur a very panicked voice message.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur rushed over to the booth the three boys were sitting at, concern plastered all over his features. He had no idea what had happened, but Tommy sounded like an absolute panicked mess on the phone.

As he slid in next to Tommy, he noticed that instead of the loud, boisterous teen he was used to, Tommy was now acting small, trying to curl himself in a ball and avoid the looks of the two others across from him.

It reminded him of himself, and that terrified Wilbur.

"Hey Toms, I got your message, and you sounded like an absolute wreck, what happened?" Wil addressed Tommy specifically but opened his question up for the entire table.

"I... I... um," Tommy started to stutter out.

Oh stars, his voice was so small.

"Do sirens exist?"

Wilbur’s eyes shot up from Tommy and straight to Ranboo, "What?"

"It's a yes or no question bossman," Tubbo hissed at him, "I've had enough shit these past few days, and I really don't feel like playing your mer games right now."

Wilbur blinked back at the two of them, and then shifted his eyes briefly back to Tommy, who seemed to have slouched even more into himself.

With a sharp exhale, Wilbur turned back to the other two, "Yes, of course. You think the only remaining tales of mer just appeared out of nothing?"

Tubbo and Ranboo shared a brief look, and then glanced at Tommy before turning their focus back to Wilbur.

"Seriously guys, what is going on?" Wilbur hissed, dropping his voice lower so that they could avoid attention.

Ranboo was the first to speak up, "So Tommy brought us all ice cream to enjoy together while he was on his break," He paused and Wilbur nodded, encouraging him to continue, "Tubbo noticed something was wrong with Tommy, so he kept pressing him to tell us what was wrong."

Tubbo huffed with a roll of his eyes, "And then of course we started bickering back and forth because it's just a given at this point that Tommy's so fucking stubborn."

"And then Tommy got annoyed," Ranboo started again, "and he told—"

"And... I told h-him," Tommy quietly stuttered before taking a small breath, "I t-told him 'For fucks sake Tubbo, just get us some damn napkins or something,'" he ended his words in a whisper, as if the words were going to bite him.

"And I..." Wilbur’s eyes snapped back to Tubbo as he began talking again, "I just did it. I still have no idea why, or even what exactly happened. It's like... fuzzy. But I just remember blinking back and being stood in front of the table having napkins in my hands. And then this intense feeling of why the fuck did I do that? "

That wasn't possible.

Sirens were born, even under a blue moon the Moon Pool couldn't... There was only... No.

Wilbur gently shook his head, "You guys said that you got your powers from the Moon Pool, right?"

Tubbo and Ranboo both stared at Wilbur, confused looks on their faces before Tubbo started with, "Yeah, why does that..."

"Wait... Wilbur?"

Every single muscle in Wilbur’s body tensed at the sound of his name. No, at the voice of the person calling his name. The one mistake he wanted to forget ever happened. Wilbur took a shaky breath as his eyes lifted up from the table and over to the person addressing him.

"Holy shit dude, it really is you! It's been what, ten years? I don't think I've seen you since that day on the pier!"

Ten years had been a long time, and they'd both grown up, but he would recognize the person with the black hair and blue beanie in front of him anywhere.

Quackity

"Uh yea, something like that... Look guys it was great catching up with you but..." Wilbur fished his phone out of his pocket, pretending to look at a notification that wasn't there, "Phil just texted and says he needs me to cover a shift. We'll meet in our usual spot after I get off work, okay?"

Wilbur slid out from the booth, trying hard to ignore both the three teenagers who were now extremely confused, and the person that was now directly in front of him.

"Wilbur, look—" Quackity started but Wilbur cut him off, "Sorry, but I really do have to go. Tell you what. Next time I see you, we can stop and catch up."

Wilbur turned almost robotically to start to walk away.

This couldn't be happening right now.

"Wilbur, wait. Just, let me say this one thing."

Every part of him froze over in an instant as his breath caught. Time seemed to slow down as he turned back to face Quackity again, fear and anxiety threatening to take over.

"Look, I just want to say that I don't blame you for what happened. We were dumb kids playing a fucking stupid game. You didn't know I would take you up on that dare to jump in the ocean despite not knowing how to swim well. It's not like you forced me."

It's not like you forced me.

Those six words echoed throughout Wilbur’s mind, ringing through the hallways of his brain, leaving cuts and wounds wherever they touched.

"Truth or Dare? "

"Mmm Dare "

"I dare you to go jump in the water!"

The memory flashed in his head and made him wince. It was an accident; he didn't mean to use his voice.

He could feel himself spiraling again. He couldn't, not now.

He quickly shook his head to try to be rid of it, and answer Quackity's silent gaze at the same time.

"It's fine Quackity, we're fine. I just really have to go," Wilbur stated with a perfect fake smile as he turned around again.

"Wilbur, please just talk—"

"Let me leave! "

Quackity stopped talking and froze as Wilbur turned and basically ran out of the cafe, the spell only breaking when he was completely gone.

It's not like you forced me.

At least Quackity could lie to himself.

Wilbur could not.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Quackity blinked back to awareness a few seconds later, only to discover that the person he had just been talking to was gone.

He glanced around the café, frustration bubbling on the surface. He did see Wilbur, right? Was he just making something up? Was he going crazy?

The voice of his coworker quickly snapped him out of his thoughts, "You know Wilbur?"

Quackity turned to his right to see Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo sitting at the table right next to where he was standing. The fact that Tommy brought up Wilbur made him ease a bit. He hadn't been hallucinating... but then what had happened?

"Knew," Quackity scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "Although, when someone you thought you were really close to disappears for ten years, you start wondering if you were really as close as you thought you were."

"How... how did you meet him? If you don't mind me asking?" Tubbo piped up a question, curiosity getting the better of him.

Quackity chuckled, a small smile on his face, "His dad works for the city council yeah? So, Wilbur would come in and get coffee for him every morning. I wasn't working here at that point, but I would always come study in the mornings while I waited for my classes to start. I didn't pay him much mind at first, but when you run into someone every day, you start getting curious about them.

"And so, we started talking, I was just trying to make my way through school, and Wil was helping his dad out with stuff. Wil ended up in the same classes as me, and we started hanging out a lot. He had stuff he didn't like talking about, I could tell something had happened, but I didn't pry. He seemed like he just was trying to escape from his past, and honestly, I felt the same. We became inseparable."

Quackity's face fell a bit, "Or well, I thought we did. I guess my impulsive antics got to be a bit too much for him. We were messing around on the pier by his dad's house one day, playing Truth or Dare like the stupid teens we were. My memory gets a bit fuzzy around there, the assumption is because I ended up almost drowning. I guess he dared me to jump in the water, and I took him up on the offer trying to be brave or whatever. I never saw him again after that. Well... until today, I guess. Being alone again hurt more than anything I went through that day."

The three boys shared a look, and Ranboo was about to ask another question when the bell on the counter rang a few times. Quackity clapped his hands, making his way back to the counter, "Ah well, duty calls! Come on Tommy, you're still on the clock!"

Tommy let out a groan but got up and followed Quackity back behind the counter of the café. Questions would have to wait until later.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

A knock on the door.

"Dream? You doing alright?" George asked worriedly, "I know you weren't feeling great last night, so I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was alright."

"Come in," was the short reply, and George huffed a little. He at least sounded a bit better.

But when George opened the door, he froze. Orbs of water, about 5 or 6 of them, were lazily floating around the room, as Dream sat cross-legged on the bed, seemingly watching them.

"Dream? What...?"

"Hm?" Dream's eyes snapped up and the water came to a halt, "Oh this?" he gestured to the water, "I'm not entirely sure."

George just stared at him in disbelief, "Are... are you doing that?"

A smile crept onto Dream's lips, "Mhm."

To demonstrate, the orbs flew in a line towards George, spinning a few times around his head before they went back off into the room again.

"I... how?"

Dream shrugged, "Dunno, started after last night. But something tells me everything I've been going through is connected to this somehow."

"This isn't the least bit concerning to you?"

Dream shrugged, "That's not all."

George blinked at him.

The spheres gently floated back into George's line of sight again, and George shrieked as they froze over.

He stared up in shock at Dream, "Did you just...?"

Dream smirked. He spun the orbs around a few times and then held them in place as the ice started crackling and popping. Before long, the ice was turning straight into steam, and Dream leaned back as the water disappeared into the air.

"What the fuck?" George breathed, and Dream just chuckled.

"Told you I wasn't crazy."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur sat on the step in the Moon Pool, head in his hands.

Why did it have to be him? Why today of all days? Why couldn't his past just disappear?

Why couldn't he just let him stay?

No.

No no no.

He had gotten too close once and look where they had ended up. It wasn't meant to be. He had played pretend in a life he shouldn't have had, pretending that he was normal when he wasn't. He was dangerous and he had hurt him and he needed to get away and...

A small ripple of water as a head emerged.

"Wil? Are you okay?"

And...

"Wil?" the little guppy sobbed as he peeked into his older brother's room, "I'm scared, I had a nightmare again."

The older smiled softly, gesturing to a place on the nest next to him. The younger swam over, curling up next to the older and burying his hands in the material that acted as the blanket.

The older chuckled, gently running his fingers through the younger's hair, "You really like that name, huh sunshine? Guess I'll stick with it."

The younger nodded into his older brother's shoulder, "S-suits y-you," he forced out through hiccupped sobs.

"Your nightmare, do you want to talk about it?" the older asked softly and the younger shook his head, still sobbing, breaths still coming rather uneven and fast.

"Theseus, you have to breathe. In... Out..."

"In... Out... come on Wil you can do it."

Wilbur shook his head as tears started to drip down his face and into the water.

"I... I can't. You're... He's... gone."

"Wil, I'm right here. It's Tommy, I'm right here."

"You're... not him. Not anymore. He's gone."

Tommy pulled back a little, "Wil? You're okay. I'm okay, I promise. You're just having a panic attack."

Wilbur shook his head again. It was all so obvious now. How did he not see it before? Of course he thought it a bit coincidental at first, with Tommy having the same scale colorings that Theseus did, but with Tommy developing a siren voice...

Wilbur’s world shattered as all of his interactions with the teen brought up memories of interactions with the little brother that he no longer had. That time had taken from him. While there were similarities in their interactions, it was strikingly clear to him that the person in front of him wasn't his little brother anymore, and that broke him.

It was still too hard to breathe, he was starting to see spots in his vision. At least he would get some rest from his thoughts.

"Wil, Wil... oh please work... Wilbur calm down. "

A wave of calm washed over him as he was able to take a deep breath, then another, until finally he was breathing evenly again.

Tommy sagged in relief, "Oh thank Prime. Wil, are you okay?"

"Theseus?"

Tommy froze, his breath catching at the mention of the name. It was foreign and yet so familiar.

"Wil... it's me, Tommy."

Wilbur blinked a few times, slowly coming back to the world around him. He looked over and softly smiled, "Tommy," he repeated, seemingly testing out the name on his tongue, "Sorry, thanks."

"No problem big man, are you alright?"

Wilbur shrugged, "Not really. There's so much going on and I can't seem to stay above it all."

They sat in silence for a few seconds, only breaking when Tommy sighed gently, "I don't want to pry, but... who's Theseus?"

Wilbur curled into himself a bit.

"If you don't want to talk about it, just say, it's okay—"

"The crown prince," he whispered,

"Wil I'm s—"

"And my little brother."

Tommy snapped his mouth shut, choosing to just stare at the mer in front of him.

"You're...?"

"One of the three princes of Essempi, yes. Second heir."

"I don't want to be like, rude but, how was he the crown prince if you're older?"

Wilbur chuckled, "I forget your human monarchies work differently. Each mer has a connection to the moon, and some are stronger than others. The stronger your connection, the easier magic is and the more powerful magic one can do. Our ascension to the throne is based off of the strength of the heirs' connections. Basically, who’s in the best position to protect the pod."

Tommy hummed, he supposed that made sense.

"That's what you've been running from."

Wil's head snapped up and the younger teen just smiled sadly, "You're the heir now that Theseus is gone, yeah? And I'm sure being there hurts since it reminds you of losing him."

Wil sighed, turning to lean his arm and head on the side of the pool, "Among other things."

Tommy paused for a few seconds, "Is... is there anything I can do to help?"

Wilbur shook his head, letting out a sad warble that Tommy instantly recognized as mourning something lost. (It was honestly kind of scary how quickly he was getting good at understanding mer).

Tommy responded with a chirp that he hoped was comforting, and then Wilbur let out a trill. His brain supplied that it was similar to the trill that Tubbo, Ranboo, and him shared (when did they do that?).

Pod

And yet, somewhere deep in his mer brain, Tommy felt like he should respond.

He quickly shot that idea down, as he started fighting with himself. It wasn't his place to slot himself into Wil's pod, even if he had started feeling like the mer was an older brother figure to him. Especially not now, especially not with what was just shared.

Wilbur trilled again, but this time Tommy couldn't stop himself fast enough, letting out half of the trill before forcibly putting his hand over his mouth.

"It's okay sunshine," Wilbur whispered as he scooted closer to Tommy, "You can respond."

Tommy trilled back, curling up against Wilbur, and the older started running his fingers through the younger's hair, tears still silently falling.

Tommy liked this. He also liked that nickname.

It reminded him of something, maybe in his past, but he couldn't quite place it.

He found he didn't really care. He felt safe.

He felt loved.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur took a deep breath as he stood outside of his father's office. He hadn't planned on coming back so soon after this morning, but he was ready to talk now.

He knocked.

"Come in."

Wilbur opened the door gingerly, and Phil met his eyes with surprise, "Oh, I wasn't expecting you to come back. Is everything alright?"

Wilbur took another deep breath, "I found him."

"What?"

"Theseus, I found him."

"What do—"

"Tommy. Tommy is Theseus. He developed a siren voice earlier."

Phil let out a chuckle of disbelief, "Does he know? Does he remember anything? Stars, I thought he looked similar but to know that he's okay, after all these years I—"

"No, and I'm not going to tell him."

Phil stopped, looking at Wilbur with a look that he couldn't quite discern.

Wilbur took another deep breath, "Tommy is Theseus, but he isn't. Not anymore. He has his own life Dad; I can't take that away from him for a life he doesn't know! Stars, he only found out mer existed a month ago!"

"You can't mean that, we have to take him home!"

Wilbur felt his anxiety rising, but he shoved it down with more ease than he had in a long time.

"No! I won't let you do that to him. He doesn't know Dad! And until he does, if he ever does, he's staying on land with his friends."

Phil's face darkened, "That's not your place."

"As the acting prince of Essempi, I believe it is."

Phil threw his hands up, "Oh so now you want to be prince, because you think Theseus is better off here?"

"Tommy is better off here! Theseus hasn't been around for years!"

Phil scoffed, "It's dangerous for him here, he needs to return to Essempi! He's the crown prince and my son. At least let me protect him!"

Wilbur let out a choked laugh, a cloud starting to form, "Protect him? Protect him? Oh, so like you 'protected' him from Nyx as the court sent him away and lost him on land for 11 years? Or, or! How you protected me from the tyrant that abused me while he reigned? Did you forget about that? You didn't protect either of us, why the hell should I trust you now?"

Phil's shoulders slumped as he placed his hands on the desk, leaning into it, "I didn't have a choice, I was doing everything I could."

"No! You knew that Nyx was using me as a power card to get to you, and it worked. I suffered, for three years, believing that no one cared about me. That the only thing I was good for were my powers of making people do what I wanted. No, what he wanted."

"Wil, I—"

"No, I'm done. You stay away from Tommy. I won't let you hurt him anymore."

With that the door slammed, and rain started pouring in Phil's office where Wilbur had been standing.

Phil couldn't care less, he could only lament over how much he failed his sons.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The first thing Tubbo registered as he woke up was that it was cold. He grumbled as he pulled the blankets closer around him, hoping that the chill would subside and he could go back to sleep.

It did not.

Teeth chattering as he pulled himself out of bed, he wrapped a blanket around himself and walked over to his door. The heater clearly wasn't working, he'd just go turn it up and go back to bed.

Wait... wasn't it the middle of summer?

Regardless, that didn't change the fact that he was fucking freezing so he returned to his mission of turning on the heater.

As he pulled open his door he blinked a few times, in shock at the sight that was in front of him.

Ice and frost decorated the walls in swirls and spikes, tracing down the walls, around the end of the small hallway, and towards Tubbo's door.

It seemed to be coming from Ranboo's room.

Tubbo walked carefully over, teeth still chattering, and knocked on Ranboo's door. He winced as his knuckles met the frozen wood, the uneven ice crystals leaving small cuts in his hand.

"Boo? Is everything okay?"

Silence, and then a sneeze came from the room. Tubbo stumbled back as the ice expanded further.

"Boo, I'm coming in, okay?" Tubbo called, and a mumbled "Okay" came from the other side of the door.

It took a bit of effort to get the door open, it was almost completely frozen shut. Finally, Tubbo just threw his whole weight into it and the door popped open.

Instantly, Tubbo was hit with the most bone-chilling cold he had ever experienced. Everything in Ranboo's room was completely frozen over, and ice and frost glittered in the early morning light.

Ranboo was sitting on his bed, wrapped up in blankets with a box of tissues next to him. "I think I caught a cold," he mumbled out and then sneezed again, causing the ice in the room to crackle and shimmer as it expanded.

"This is not good," Tubbo whispered as Ranboo gave him a weird look, "It's not too bad, it's just my room... right?"

Tubbo slowly shook his head and Ranboo leaned back against the wall with a groan.

Tubbo sighed, "I'll call Tommy and Wilbur, we gotta figure out how to at least contain this so it doesn't spread over the whole complex."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

If there was one thing Tommy hated more than anything else, it was waking up super early. So, when Tubbo called him at five in the morning... Tubbo better have had a good reason.

"Whatdyawan?" He mumbled into the phone.

"Toms, I'm so sorry, I know it's early but we have a problem. Ranboo's sick and his powers are going haywire."

"S'not my problem"

"Tommy please, just ask Wil?"

"Ughhhhhh, Tubbo s'like five AM, let me sleep."

"No. I'm not hanging up until you ask Wil."

Fine.

"WILBUUUURRR" Tommy drowsily yelled through the flat and Tubbo groaned, "Are you serious right now?"

After a few seconds, there was clambering as Wilbur rushed into the room, "Tommy, are you okay? What's going on?"

Tommy sleepily held out the phone to Wilbur, who just gave him a weird look.

"Jus' take the phone, m'sleepy."

Wilbur walked over and took the phone, and Tommy immediately snuggled back into his blankets.

Wilbur chuckled and rolled his eyes as he pressed the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Wilbur!" Tubbo's voice came from the other line, and Wilbur could sense his panic.

"What's wrong Tubbo?"

"Ranboo's sick, and their powers are going haywire. There's ice all over the flat, and it's freezing. Can you please just come over?"

"I'll be right there. Don't worry Tubbo, we'll figure it out."

Wilbur hoped that he could.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo was not exaggerating when he said that ice was all over their flat.

As Wilbur stepped in, he first felt the chill. It was like walking into a freezer. He immediately started shivering and pulled his coat closer around him.

The second thing he noticed was the ice, it was all over the walls and the furniture, and even in some places on the floor. It seemed to be emanating from the back hallway where the bedrooms were, so Wilbur assumed that Ranboo was probably in their room.

"Oh Wilbur! Thank Prime!" Tubbo exclaimed as he bounced up off of the slightly frozen couch. He was dressed head to toe in winter gear, with a big fluffy brown coat on, and a green scarf wrapped around his nose and mouth.

"How long has this been happening for?" Wilbur asked in awe as he looked around the flat.

"Well, it hadn't started when we went to bed, but when I woke up it had already left Boo's room, so quite a while," Tubbo explained as they walked back towards the bedrooms.

Wilbur gasped as Tubbo opened the bedroom door. Ranboo was sitting on the bed, and the ice and frost that wrapped its way around the room seemed to center on him, glittering in the light coming in from the window. It would have honestly been breathtakingly beautiful... if he wasn't in danger mitigation mode at the moment.

Ranboo waved at Wilbur as he walked in, and then scrunched his face up as he tried to hold in a sneeze.

He failed, and the ice expanded once again.

"Sorry, I am trying not to," Ranboo mumbled out as he grabbed a tissue from the box and blew his nose.

"So... what do you think Wil?" Tubbo asked, and Wilbur just stood there, still taking in the sight.

What did he think? Even when he had gotten sick before, he had never lost control of his powers, and no other mer that he knew had either.

But something else that didn't add up was on his mind as well.

"You're... you're creating that ice. You're not freezing any water," Wilbur pointed out and Tubbo and Ranboo both stared at Wil, equal faces of realization and confusion.

"So... what does that mean for me exactly?" Ranboo mumbled pulling the blankets around him tighter. It seemed not even he was immune to the cold he was creating.

"Your powers seem to be getting... stronger, which is probably the reason you're having a harder time controlling them. The fact that you're sick and don't have the mental strength to stop your powers from activating probably isn't helping either."

"Wait... I thought that you said once mer get their powers, they just have them?" Tubbo gave Wilbur a confused look.

"I mean, normally yes, this is completely unheard of. But we already knew you three were the farthest from textbook cases, you're literally changelings. Lest we forget that you Tubbo, have wind powers now too. Gaining a second power later has also never happened before," Wilbur sighed, chewing gently on his bottom lip.

"Can I stop making ice?" Ranboo gingerly asked before he sneezed again, and more ice flowed across the room.

"I'm going to go call Techno. Then I'll go and pick up Tommy, kicking and screaming if I have to," Wilbur chuckled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed the number.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"The flat is going to flood when all this ice melts," Tubbo groaned and Techno huffed softly, "We're mer remember? Water is our element. You should be able to move it out with your powers once it's melted a bit. If we can get it detached from the wall you can technically move it now."

Tubbo nodded, and the two looked up from their conversation as Wilbur ushered Ranboo out of his room, still wrapped head-to-toe in blankets.

"You don't look so good," Techno frowned, and Ranboo chuckled, "I don't feel so great right now ei—"

Ranboo sneezed, and Techno's eyes widened as a spiral of ice formed right under Ranboo's feet, spiraling outwards almost across the whole living room.

Techno's wide eyes met Wilbur’s, and Wilbur just shrugged, "See, I told you."

"We have to tell Dad."

Wilbur shook his head, "Absolutely not. Me and him are not on speaking terms and we can handle this alone."

Techno rolled his eyes, but turned back to Ranboo, "I've never seen anything like this before. You could freeze water before right, but to create ice and frost is another power entirely."

"Can you at least help him not freeze everything when he sneezes?" Tubbo asked, and Techno frowned deeper.

Wilbur shifted back and forth for a few seconds before he asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice, "Can we... take him to the hot springs?"

Techno hummed, seeming to consider this, "There's a high possibility of other mer being there. It wouldn't really be safe or smart for the two of us to suddenly show up again. Although if Dad..."

"We can go somewhere else if there are too many people, but the best way to help Ranboo is the hot springs."

Tubbo and Tommy shared a look before they both spoke at almost the same time, "What are the hot springs?"

Techno huffed gently, "You know how the Moon Pool is in the crater of the volcano right?" the two boys nodded, and he continued, "Well, there are other caverns around Mako Island that you can access from the ocean, and some of these have natural hot springs in them that are fed water from the Moon Pool."

"So wait, if the Moon Pool is magic, and the springs get their water from the pool... are they also magic?" Tubbo asked.

Techno chuckled, "Not as magic, but they are known to help mer heal quicker from injuries and ailments."

"I don't know if I can swim to Mako right now," Ranboo whispered, and Wilbur gently placed his hand on their shoulder, "I can help you, and Techno will be there too. We'll get you there."

"The easiest and safest way to get 'em to the ocean is going to be through Dad's house."

"I already said, we're not involving Dad."

"Just because you two are having an argument doesn't mean that you have to drag everyone else into it. I'm older, we're going to Dad's."

"And I'm the—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Orpheus."

Wilbur shut his mouth, sulking, "Fine."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Techno guided them into the house, leading them to the living room while he went to go speak with Phil.

Wilbur wanted to leave, but Tommy and Tubbo were worried about Ranboo, and Wilbur couldn't exactly tell them why he wanted to leave. So they stayed, and Wilbur sulked.

Eventually Techno returned with Phil, and Wilbur folded his arms and turned away.

Phil looked over at him with a mournful smile but opted to focus on the issue at hand.

"Techno tells me you're not feeling well mate, what's going on?"

"I can't control my—"

He sneezed, causing another spiral of ice to emanate from him.

"...powers," Ranboo finished with a sigh.

Phil's face morphed into confusion, "They're getting new powers..."

Techno huffed, "Nothing that I'm aware of explains it, but we're just trying to get it under control for now."

Phil turned to Wilbur, "You're telling them. Now."

Wilbur sputtered, "Excuse me? What does that have to do with anything right now?"

Phil sighed, "The prophecy, Wilbur."

Tommy's brows furrowed, "Prophecy?"

Wilbur turned to face Tommy, "Nothing! Forget he said anything."

"Wilbur!" Phil exclaimed, and Wilbur just shot a glare back.

Techno glanced back and forth between them like a tennis match, "Am I missing something?"

Wilbur scoffed, turning to the trio, "You three, you won't remember anything about what's happening while you're under this spell. Now freeze and sit tight."

The trio's eyes glazed over as they sat obediently on the couch.

Phil frowned, "Now that's just uncalled for. You want him to not know that badly?"

Wilbur scoffed, "It's for his own protection! Like you would understand that!"

"Protection? From what?!"

"You for one!"

Techno growled, "Who to not know? Who are we protectin'? Stop leavin' me out of this!"

"Tommy is Theseus!" Wilbur and Phil snapped at the same time, and all of the anger in the room fizzled out.

Techno froze, hurt seeping into his features, "What?! And you didn't think of telling me that my little brother was okay?!"

Wilbur sighed, "It's not that simple. He doesn't remember anything. He's not the Theseus we knew, he's just Tommy now, but someone can't understand why I don't want to just jump him with this information!"

Phil threw his hands up, "He doesn't belong here! He's a mer! He deserves to know the truth!"

"He deserves to live his life! And we're also mer, but we're here!"

"That's different and you know that!"

"ENOUGH! Both of you!" Techno snapped, and both Phil and Wilbur fell silent.

Techno let out a drawn-out sigh, "I get we're all going through a lot here now, but let's back up a few steps. Dad mentioned this after learning about them getting more powers. Explain."

Phil nodded, walking around the couch, "You both have said that they were turned in the Moon Pool, yes?"

The twins nodded, but Techno frowned, "It wasn't a blue moon though, which doesn't make sense. It isn't possible unless they already had a connection to the moon."

Phil hummed, "Under normal circumstances, you'd be right."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Wilbur snapped, and Phil let out a warning rumble, making Wilbur back off.

"As I was saying, normally it would be impossible, you're right. But you two were missing one crucial piece. Tommy is Theseus."

Wilbur’s face molded into one of confusion, but Techno's lit up in realization.

"That's why you mentioned Mom's prophecy, they're sharin' his powers."

Wilbur spun around to face his twin, "They're what?"

Techno hummed as he paced across the living room, "The concentrated full moon energy from the Moon Pool must have been enough to break Nyx's spell on Theseus, but since the other two were also in the pool..."

Phil nodded, "Part of his powers connected with them. They're three parts of a whole now, just like it mentions in the beginning of the prophecy. Which means..."

Understanding finally dawned on Wilbur, "They're going to keep getting stronger, and keep getting new powers until they've fully manifested all of Theseus' powers. Which are all mer powers."

Phil's face fell slightly, "I know you want to protect him Wil, but we've got to tell them. It's too dangerous for them not to know. These boys are going to be the most powerful mer here."

Wilbur shook his head, "He... you can't. At least... at least give it a bit longer. See if he remembers anything naturally. You can't just uproot him from what he has, especially if you're just telling him things that he doesn't even remember himself."

Phil sighed, "Wilbur, I—"

"I won't let you hurt him! You can't just treat Tommy like he doesn't exist. He's real, his life is real. It should be his choice if he wants to go back. At least give him the choice you never gave me."

Phil pursed his lips, as regret filled his features, "Alright. I trust you. But if the time comes, we'll have to tell them, regardless if you think he's ready."

Wilbur nodded, "I know."

Techno turned back to the three teenagers who were still patiently sitting on the couch. Ice was slowly creeping its way around, as Ranboo had sneezed a few times during their conversation. "We were thinking about taking Ranboo to the hot springs."

Phil nodded, "I think that's a good idea, the magic in the water should give him enough control that he should be able to start getting used to his new powers. Wil, can you?" he gestured to the couch and Wilbur nodded.

"You can come back to awareness and unfreeze now."

Tommy winced as he shook his head, "What were you saying? Sorry, I think I zoned out for a minute there."

The others mumbled their agreement.

Wilbur smiled, "It's okay sunshine, we weren't talking about anything important. Let's get you three down to the basement."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Won't he just freeze the water?" Tubbo asked as the five of them stood next to the small pool in Phil's basement, while Phil was gathering supplies for the trip.

Wilbur shrugged, "Well, honestly I'm hoping his mer form will give him a bit more control of his powers, but it might be worth helping Ran in first and then just watching him for a little bit."

Ranboo nodded, and Tubbo started helping him shed the blanket fort he had built around himself.

"Did you really need five blankets Boo?" Tubbo asked in a tone that was a mix somewhere between shock and awe.

"I'm so cold it's not even funny. Guess that's what happens when you have ice powers of all things," Ranboo sighed, his teeth beginning to chatter as the blankets were removed.

"Okay well, let's get you into the water then," Tubbo smiled gently, taking Ranboo's hand and helping him down onto the steps of the pool, on which Ranboo chose to sit down instead of fully swimming.

Tubbo watched as Ranboo transformed, and couldn't help but stare at his friend. Even in their mer form they looked sickly, with their scales being duller than they normally were.

"The water's nice, it's warmer than being outside," Ranboo said as he slid down further into the water.

The other four sat in silence around the pool for a few minutes, not knowing exactly what they were waiting for. Then, Ranboo's face scrunched up again and he sneezed, but this time not as much ice formed around him.

"Good, it looks like I was right, your mer form is making it a little easier," Wilbur smiled, and Ranboo nodded.

Phil emerged from the back of the basement, a bag strung over his shoulder, "Alright, I think I have everything we need. I need to grab some specific flora on the way over, but otherwise this should be good. Are you boys good to go?"

"I think so," Wilbur turned to look at Ranboo again, "Are you ready to go?"

Ranboo nodded, moving away from the steps so that the others could get in.

Tommy looked at Tubbo, who gestured with his head to the pool. Rolling his eyes, Tommy walked over and carefully walked down the steps, hopping off the last one and plunging into the water. Tubbo followed in after him, and the two made their way over to Ranboo.

Wilbur and Techno got in next, and the trio paused as they took in Techno's mer form.

His tail was longer than Wilbur’s, a vibrant pink with golden swirls and accents. He had pink scales along his arms and along his cheekbones, but unlike the others, he had fins that protruded from his head and covered his ears.

The two of them swam over to Ranboo, with Wilbur and Techno gently positioning Ranboo's arms so that they supporting them.

"Does that feel okay?" Wilbur asked, and Ranboo nodded.

Phil took off the bucket hat that he always wore, and set it on the table in front of the couch. It wasn't waterproof, and it would come off when he was swimming anyway.

Phil ignored the steps entirely, choosing to just jump gracefully into the deeper side of the pool. When the trio saw him resurface, they had to hold back gasps, but their faces betrayed their emotions.

Phil's mer form was majestic, and that might be an understatement. Black scales started at his cheekbones and spiked out into two spiked fins on each side over his ears. More black scales dotted the backs of his hands and trailed up his arms, coming to a stop at his shoulders. His tail was a brilliant dark forest green that was much longer than even Wilbur’s and Techno's. Instead of golden accents on his tail, like Tommy and Techno, there were intricate swirls of black scales on the left side of his tail, contrasting with the rest of the shimmering scales.

Phil just chuckled at their reaction, "Shall we be off?"

The three of them nodded, and Wilbur and Techno helped Ranboo under the water, adjusting until they found a position that was comfortable for the three of them. Once they were situated, they nodded to the others, and the group of mer took off for Mako Island.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The five of them hovered in the water just outside of the entrance to a small cavern that was on the opposite end of the island from the Moon Pool. Before long, Phil exited the cave and nodded to the group, "There's no one here right now, we're safe."

Wilbur nodded to Techno, who helped Ranboo into the cavern, while Tommy and Tubbo followed closely behind them. When they surfaced into the small cavern, Tommy winced slightly as the hot, steamy air touched his face. It felt like a sauna. Looking around the cavern, it looked similar to the Moon Pool's cavern, except for it wasn't open to the outside, at least not completely. The pool where they surfaced wasn't connected to the gently steaming pool that took up most of the room.

Wilbur and Techno helped Ranboo up onto the rocks that separated the two pools, while Phil swam over to the small bit of land on the opposite side of the pool, carefully removing things from his bag and setting them on the rocky surface.

"Tommy, can you come help me make Ranboo a tea?" Phil called and Tommy nodded as he swam over to help.

The two worked together, with Phil explaining each of the ingredients and their properties, while Tommy prepped the tea using the mug and water bottle that Phil had brought.

Tubbo leaned against the rocks, pulling himself up so he was leaning on his arms, "Is that helping any Boo?"

Ranboo nodded, his eyes closed in contentment, "It's better. I don't feel so out of control."

Tommy carefully took the hot tea and handed it to Ranboo, "Here, Phil says this'll help."

Ranboo nodded, taking the tea and gently sipping at it as he soaked in the spring. After a few minutes he hummed softly, "I think it's helping, I don't feel the torrent anymore."

Tommy scrunched his brows up and propped himself up next to Tubbo, "The torrent?" he asked with a confused voice.

"Mmm, it was like an angry storm that wouldn't stop. I could barely keep it under control when I was keeping concentration. Then I would sneeze and that went out the window."

Tommy bit his lip, "It's like... your powers were too big for your body."

Ranboo nodded and Wilbur stared at Tommy in confusion, "Has this... happened before?"

Tommy looked to be deep in thought for a moment, shaking his head, "No... well. Not exactly like this. The day after the full moon and even a little bit before then, I had a really hard time keeping my powers from activating on their own. I boiled so many things at the café. Uh, I guess that's how the incident a few days ago happened too."

Wilbur paled, and Phil shot Wilbur a look as he swam back over to join the group, "What incident?"

Tommy froze, "I... um."

Tommy's mind started spinning. He still didn't know entirely what he had done. He started to feel warm, too warm. He gasped for a breath, finding that it wasn't coming to him. He was panicking, great. What was the breathing exercise? He gasped in another breath as he started feeling the room tighten around him. He was trapped, there were too many people and they were talking and what were they saying ? It was still too hot.

"..ommy? ...hear me?" He heard a faint echo of a voice but couldn't place it. He shut his eyes and buried his fingers in his hair, tugging at it hard.

Pain, at least he could still feel something.

He vaguely registered someone next to him, but it was a fleeting feeling in the swirling depths of his mind. He could feel someone touch his shoulder, and he flinched, "Do— don't touch me! " he screamed out, tears falling from his eyes. He immediately felt the hand retract, but couldn't stop the swirling storm that was now threatening to send him under. His breath was shallow and his vision was spotty and he couldn't think straight and....

"Tommy, Relax."

The voice washed over him and he whimpered, feeling the tension and panic fade away from his body. "Now breathe, in for four, out for four," Tommy obeyed, the command washing over him. In for four, out for four. The storm inside him started to fade away as he focused in on his breathing. His eyes fluttered open again and Tommy took in the scene around him. Wilbur was swimming next to him, and Tubbo was off to the side, hurt on his face like he had been bitten. Phil was off to the side with an expression of pure surprise. He was the first to speak up in a whisper, "You really are him."

"Tommy," Wilbur cut Phil off, looking right into Tommy's eyes, concern dripping from his voice, "Are you alright?"

"I... I think so..." Tommy whispered, clearly still afraid of what just happened, "It... it happened again."

"What happened again?"

"I couldn't control it," his voice broke as he started crying, "I started to panic and then I couldn't control it and then—" Wilbur interrupted him, gently coming closer, but not enough to touch him, "Shh, Tommy it's okay, we'll figure this out."

"Wil."

Wilbur ignored the voice behind him. He was in "comfort the child" mode thank you very much.

"Wilbur."

"Orpheus!"

Wilbur spun around and glared at his dad, "What?" He hissed and his father just sighed, swimming over to whisper in his ear.

"Wil, you're going to have to tell them. I know what we said but..."

"No."

"Wilbur..."

"Not now, and certainly not after that. Give them some time."

Tubbo swam up next to the duo, gingerly hovering by Tommy. Tommy tried to reach out to pull Tubbo and Wilbur into a hug, but they both pulled away.

Tommy frowned, "Guys? I'm sorry, you can touch me."

Tubbo frowned, "I can't. I want to but I can't."

Tommy looked up to Wilbur, who gave him a patient smile, "You used your voice. You have to release the command before we can touch you again."

"How do I do that?"

"Well, usually you can just drop the spell, but since you're learning, you can use your voice again to break the spell. Just tell us with your voice to ignore your previous command."

Tommy frowned in concentration, "Ignore my previous command."

He looked over to Tubbo, "Did it work?"

Tubbo shook his head and Tommy frowned.

"I don't even know how to use my... voice? What voice exactly?" He asked as he turned back to Wilbur.

"Your siren voice. It's a very special type of moon magic, one that allows the user to impart their wishes onto the will of another. Humans have tales of sirens that would lead humans to their death, and maybe old mer would, but now we mostly just use it to keep our world hidden."

Ranboo frowned, looking over the side of the hot spring, "You're a siren too, right? That's what happened in the café when you saw Quackity."

Phil spun to face Wilbur, "You saw Quackity again?"

Wilbur winced, "Can we not talk about that right now?" He sighed as he looked back to Tommy, "Focus, close your eyes and try to feel your connection to the moon in your being. Try to reach out and grab it, then state your command."

Tommy nodded, closing his eyes, after a few seconds he spoke again, "Ignore my last command."

By the time he opened his eyes again, Tubbo was already slamming full force into him, wrapping him into the tightest hug.

"It worked," Tommy whispered, "I did it. I'm so sorry Tubbo."

Wilbur smiled, and Phil swam up to place his hand on Wilbur’s shoulder. He gently whispered, "Do you want to talk about... him? I know it wasn't..." he sighed, "...easy for you to leave."

Wilbur shook his head, a pain in his eyes that was quickly blocked out by forced indifference, "I just keep telling myself what you said 10 years ago."

Phil frowned, "What was that?"

"It wasn't meant to be."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The six of them spent most of the morning and afternoon in the hot spring cavern. Tommy and Tubbo had joined Ranboo in the spring proper, and were all happily chatting together while Ranboo continued to sip on the tea Phil and Tommy had made him.

Techno, Phil and Wilbur were in the other pool, with Techno and Phil softly talking while Wilbur kept to himself.

Eventually, Phil swam over to the rocks separating the two pools and smiled at the boys, "Are you feeling any better Ranboo?"

Ranboo nodded, "I still don't feel 100%, but I feel much better than I did this morning. I think I can control it now."

Phil nodded, "Good. Now, the next thing. You three have been getting by just fine so far, but it's clear your powers are getting stronger. I wanted to offer to trai—"

"You agreed!" Wilbur squawked and Phil sighed, "I agreed not to talk about things, I never agreed to just abandon them."

Wilbur opened his mouth again but hesitated. He sharply exhaled as he folded his arms and went back to sulking in the corner.

Techno turned to Wilbur, "I know you blame yourself; I blame myself too, but letting them around Dad isn't going to hurt them."

Wilbur scowled, "I don't blame myself," he hissed, barely a whisper, "If I blame anyone, it's him," he gestured to Phil, then dipped his head under the water and left, leaving the room in an uncomfortable silence.

"Kristin, help me," Phil whispered, soft enough that no one but his love could hear him.

He turned back to the trio, and put on his best smile, "We should get you home yeah? It's been a few hours."

"Shit, I have work today!" Tubbo swore as he threw himself over the rocky barrier and into the other pool, immediately regretting the decision at the swift change in temperature.

"Thank you, sorry!" he waved as he dipped under the water.

Tommy chuckled as he pulled himself into the other pool slowly, then helped Ranboo, who sadly warbled at the loss of the warm water.

"I know, we'll get you home and you can wrap up again."

Ranboo shook his head, "I have work too. I gotta go."

Tommy frowned, "Ran, you're still not feeling great, just call out."

Ranboo crossed their arms, "I've worked sick before. I have control of my powers now. I can do this."

Tommy shook his head, "And I'm putting my foot— er, fin down. You're staying home today. End of story."

The two stared at each other in a silent staring contest until Ranboo sighed, "Fine, I'll stay home today."

Tommy trilled happily, a little melody of victory and happiness. Ranboo rolled his eyes fondly, while Phil watched with a warm smile.

Ranboo huffed, "You're only coddling me because Puffy didn't call you in today. If you had work, this would be a different story."

Tommy shrugged, "Maybe so, but you're sick and you need to stay at home," in the nest his brain whispered, but he ignored it.

"Wait... did you say Puffy? Like the Puffy that owns the café?" Phil asked and Tommy nodded.

"You got it big man! I work there part time. Got the job there this summer since I helped out when she was short staffed last summer."

Phil stared at Tommy with an expression of utter bafflement, "I— last summer?"

Tommy frowned, "Uh yeah... why?"

Techno cleared his throat and Phil pursed his lips, "Ah, sorry no reason. It's very rare she takes on new people, she's quite strict with the help she hires," he chuckled and Tommy relaxed with a shrug.

"I suppose, but we all make it work."

"Techno, will you help the boys home? I have someone I need to talk to."

Techno rolled his eyes as he smiled, "Course you do. Will do. Come on guppies, back to your nest. Chop chop."

The three of them dipped under the water, and Phil was left in the cave as the sound of gently dripping water filled the air.

This was the second summer.

He had a café owner to have a discussion with.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The bell chimed as Phil walked into the café, the smell of coffee drifting through the shop as the chatter of voices and the noise of the machinery filled the air.

He walked up to the counter, smiling at the girl that was standing there, "Would you mind fetching me Puffy? Let her know Phil would like to speak with her."

The girl gave him an odd look but nodded, leaving the counter to go into one of the back rooms. When she returned, an older woman was with her, her long curly hair split down the center, brown and white.

"Ah, Phil! To what do I owe this visit?"

"I'd like to talk to you about Tommy."

Puffy furrowed her brow, but nodded, gesturing to a room off of the main café, "Come to my office."

As soon as Puffy closed the door behind them, Phil turned to her, "Did you know?"

Puffy startled a bit, "Know what? Phil, what's going on with Tommy?"

Phil chuckled in disbelief, "You really didn't know Tommy was Theseus, did you?"

Puffy's face went white as a sheet, "I... thought he looked similar but I couldn't find any papers on him other than a confirmation that he had been in the system at some point. I looked through the records at the city offices but he's 18, most of that just becomes a note on his files."

"You thought he looked similar and you didn't tell me?"

Puffy scoffed, "For you to do what exactly? Interrogate him on if he remembers anything?" she paused, "Does he remember anything?"

Phil stiffened, frowning, "Well no—"

Puffy sighed, "Then how do you know Phil?"

"Tommy has powers, Tubbo and Ranboo too. They got them from the Moon Pool two full moons ago."

"But that moon wasn't a—"

"And, he's developed a siren voice."

"Oh stars," Puffy whispered as she ran her hands through her hair, "The other two, the prophecy's coming to pass then."

Phil nodded, "I believe so. I want to tell them but Orpheus is being protective."

Puffy chuckled at that, "Now who's not telling the other things? Where'd you finally find him?"

"He found the trio at the Moon Pool the day after they turned into mer and followed them home, promising to teach them how to deal with their powers."

Puffy laughed, "Creative, that one. Last place we would look for him is on land, and he knew that. It's a brilliant hiding place."

She frowned as she contemplated, "So what is it exactly you want me to do with this information about Theseus?"

"Orpheus won't let me talk to Theseus, but maybe one of you'll have more luck. I figure you will be informing the rest of the court."

She nodded, "Tommy's a good kid. I'll see what happens, but I don't think the best course of action is to pull him away from his life. Especially if he doesn't remember anything."

Phil chuckled softly, "You sound just like Orpheus."

"Maybe he's smarter and more mature than you give him credit for. You have to trust him eventually Philza."

"Maybe. Take care Puffy."

The two nodded to each other as Phil left the room.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Has anyone told you that your mer brain makes you a mother hen?" Ranboo chuckled.

Tommy stopped to turn and glare at him, but Ranboo just laughed.

"Do you really need to take all the pillows and blankets in the flat to build a nest on my bed?"

Tommy let out a content peep as he finished settling the last blanket, then let out a sharp affirmation chirp.

Ranboo shrugged, "Alright then."

Tommy trilled their call, and Ranboo answered.

pod safe nest

Tommy smiled as he crawled into the nest and situated himself next to Ranboo, clicking on the TV and flipping through the shows they could watch.

"You don't have to st—"

Tommy let out a hiss and Ranboo snapped his mouth shut.

Tommy chirped protect, safe, nest and Ranboo gave a small warble in return, pulling a blanket up around him.

He didn't know exactly why Tommy had fallen so deep into his mer brain (that's what they collectively decided to call it) but it had started sometime around when Techno had mentioned going back to their nest.

They didn't have a nest, they had beds.

As soon as they got home, Tommy set out to change that fact.

Ranboo did have to admit that being in the blanket nest soothed an itch in his brain that he had been shoving aside for a while. It felt nice. Safe. Home.

Except.

Ranboo warbled sadly and Tommy mimicked him.

Tubbo wasn't there. Not in their nest. Not with them. Not safe.

Ranboo let out a needy trill as he finally slipped into his instincts and Tommy curled up closer to him, responding with safe pod nest.

Ranboo shook his head, pod missing

soon

now

calm

anxious

They went back and forth, neither one seeming to gain any ground in their little argument. Tommy huffed as he turned on a movie, which was protested by Ranboo. He wasn't done with this conversation thank you very much.

Tommy let out another sharp hiss, a knock it off, and Ranboo fell silent, sulking.

The two watched the movie, and just as it was ending there was a faint sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and then the door opening.

Instantly Ranboo trilled out, and footsteps made their way down the hallway.

"What's going on, why are you—"

Tubbo's eyes met the nest and his eyes widened, "Oh."

pod home nest, Ranboo and Tommy trilled and Tubbo chuckled, a soft smile on his face, "What happened while I was gone? You two are like, full mer brain."

Ranboo frowned, crawling out of the nest to grab Tubbo's hand and pull him over to it.

Tubbo let out a surprised squeak as he was dragged across the room, "Ranboo, wait I'm still in my work uniform."

nest pod safe

Tubbo sighed and shook his head fondly, "Fine. Just for a bit though."

He kicked off his shoes and crawled up into the nest of blankets. He frowned as he looked at the mismatch of blankets and pillows, "Did you... steal my bedding for this?"

Tommy chirped happily, nuzzling into Tubbo's shoulder and oh it was so hard to keep his mind straight. This was silly and they had said that after the full moon they wouldn't indulge their new mer instincts but... just a bit couldn't hurt right?

Tubbo sighed as a small peep left his lips and the other two visibly lit up.

pod they trilled and he answered, letting himself fall deeper.

It didn't take long for the three of them to be happily trilling, chirping, and whistling to each other as they fixed the nest, making it comfy for the three of them.

And if they fell asleep curled up next to each other in it... well maybe they just were too tired to leave.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The moon was high in the sky when Quackity made his way down the beach, to a very specific place nestled in between the rocks by the base of the lighthouse. He didn't know why tonight of all nights he decided to go there, he hadn't been there for at least a year, but something had led him down there.

As he got closer, he heard a voice drifting over the wind and a small smile crept onto his face. He was glad he decided to go.

~

"A thousand stars, up in the sky,

Reach out and link our worlds, yours and mine.

Let the tide rush over you,

And one day I know we shall meet again."

~

"I was kinda hoping you'd be here."

Wilbur’s head shot up, his song stopping as their eyes met. Quackity could see the pain in his eyes almost instantly and frowned, "Are... are you okay Wil?"

Wilbur pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out to the ocean, not responding, but not rejecting. It was a quiet offer that Quackity was familiar with, although the familiarity of the situation made his heart hurt.

It was almost like nothing had changed, and yet everything had.

Quackity walked over and sat next to Wilbur, keeping a distance while still providing a presence. They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the waves lap at the shoreline.

"You know... I am truly sorry about what happened Wil. I don't know exactly what I did but I never meant to hurt you."

"It wasn't your fault. It was mine," Wilbur mumbled, "I'm... not the kind of person you want to be around."

Quackity frowned, "How so? From my perspective, you didn't do anything. I was the one that took you up on your stupid dare."

"I wish it was that easy."

"It is."

"It really isn't."

"Why?"

"I can't..." Wilbur sighed.

"You can't say? Another secret?"

Wilbur nodded, resting his head on his knees, "...sorry."

Quackity hummed, "I don't mind you know."

Wilbur looked up, "Mind what?"

"You keeping things to yourself. I don't know what you've been through, and for all I know I triggered a trauma response with my antics that day. Everyone has things that they don't want to talk about, or at least things they aren't ready to share yet. And that's okay."

Wilbur scoffed softly, "You wouldn't say that if you knew."

"How do you know?"

Wilbur paused, deep in thought. He shook his head and Quackity smiled softly.

The two sat in silence again, neither really knowing what to say.

Finally, Wilbur spoke up in a whisper, "Do you... do you remember me telling you about my little brother?"

"The one that was taken into the system?"

Wilbur nodded and Quackity hummed in agreement, "Yeah, a bit."

"We found him."

Quackity startled, turning to Wilbur, "Oh my Prime, Wilbur are you okay? This must be a big deal for your whole family."

"It's been thirteen years," Wilbur whispered as he curled further into himself.

Quackity frowned, "He doesn't remember you at all, does he?"

Wilbur shook his head, dropping it back onto his knees as tears began to slip from his eyes.

Quackity scooted closer, trying to comfort him, "I'm sorry."

"Dad's being an ass about it, he wants to tell him and pull him back into the family, but I just... can't. He's his own person now. Stars Quackity, he's eighteen. We can't just yank him away from the life he has."

"You two were close, yeah?"

Wilbur let out a choked sob, "I miss him so much. He was so little. He would come into my room whenever he had a nightmare and would beg me to sing him to sleep. He was such a bright little ball of sunshine. My sunshine."

A soft smile crept onto Quackity's lips, "What's he like now?"

"What?"

"Your little brother, he's grown up now, but what's he like?"

Wilbur paused, sobs still threatening to completely overtake him, "He's... a little spitfire. He has so much confidence and it just radiates off of him. He's not afraid to tell you exactly what he thinks about you, and he puts up a brave front... but is really soft underneath it all," he chuckled, his face softening into fondness, "The little child that longed for someone to hold him and comfort him is still there though. He's been through so much. I just wish I could go back and sing to him one more time."

Quackity shrugged, "Why don't you sing to him now?"

"I don't..." he paused, "'s not really my place as a random person that just met him a month ago."

"Are you just a random person though?" Quackity pressed, "Or are you a friend now?"

"I..."

Silence overtook the small cove again, the only sounds being the lapping of the waves and the gentle call of the insects.

"You're afraid to get close to him because you're scared he won't ever remember you."

Wilbur’s head shot up and his glistening eyes met Quackity's. Instantly Quackity could tell he hit the nail on the head.

"Hey, hey. Wil, it's okay. He'll remember you. I'm sure of it. And if not, you guys can forge a new relationship."

Wilbur slumped down again, "You can't say that, you don't even know him."

"True, but I know you, and you're one of the most unforgettable people I've ever met in my life."

Wilbur let out a surprised chuckle.

Quackity lit up, "It's true! Who else would have flooded Mr. Sam's lab room just to get out of a chemistry exam? I still don't know how you managed to do it, but it was pretty great."

Wilbur actually laughed at that, "It was pretty funny. His face was priceless."

"Or what about that time that we got called into Ms. Rita's office after you set something on fire while playing with electricity, and you managed to walk away with not only no suspension, but with a free rest of the day for the both of us!"

"What can I say, I'm awful charismatic," Wilbur teased, gently bumping shoulders with Quackity who laughed, a fond smile creeping onto his face.

"There you are. I missed you."

Wilbur sighed as he stretched out, looking up towards the moon, "I didn't want to leave."

Quackity startled slightly at that, "What?"

"My Dad. He sent me to a... private school after what happened. Was worried that one of us would get hurt again. Thought it wasn't safe for us to be around each other."

Quackity froze, his mouth slightly agape. He sighed, "I don't blame you for what happened Wilbur."

"Quackity, you don't..."

"No. I don't care. It was my fault for not telling you that I couldn't swim well. You didn't know. I don't blame you."

It took everything in Wilbur not to throw himself at Quackity, instead opting to scoot closer so that their shoulders were touching. His mind kept screaming at him to leave, that it wasn't safe for him to stay, but another part wanted nothing more than Quackity's grounding presence. Noticing his hesitation Quackity reached over and grabbed Wilbur’s hand, turning to him with a smile, "It's okay," he whispered, "We're both here now yeah? We can start again. It won't be the same, but neither are we."

"Neither are we," Wilbur softly muttered as he gently pulled his hand away, returning to his spot on the sand.

"Do you mind if I ask... about that song you were singing when I got here?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Wilbur’s lips, "It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to my twin and I when we were younger. I used to sing it to my little brother when he was afraid after a nightmare. It reminds me of both of them."

There was silence for a few seconds, then, "Do you want to keep singing it?"

Wilbur looked back over the waves, "Do you mind?"

Quackity smiled, "Not at all. You have a nice voice."

Wilbur took a deep breath, his voice carrying out through the cove and over the waves.

~

My Dearly Beloved,

Be strong, I shall be there.

Always here beside you,

So keep your head held high.

The shadows of this world will try to steal you away into their arms,

But you belong in mine.

We are one within a dream,

I'll hold you close, so count the stars with me.

All our scattered memories,

I will find the pieces, one by one.

Ocean waves drift over me,

I'll keep you in my memory.

This dream that lives within your eyes,

I wish to see it come to life.

A thousand stars up in the sky,

Reach out and link our worlds, yours and mine.

Let the tide rush over you,

And one day I know we shall meet again.

My Dearly Beloved

~

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

George sighed as he walked around the tables of machinery, pausing to peek into a microscope before continuing on to the next.

"I'm telling you this is pointless, plus you're not even supposed to be back here. Especially not while I'm supposed to be setting up the research reports for the fair."

Dream shrugged from where he was sitting on one of the back tables, "That's why we got here super early, no one's here. So... what did you find?"

George rolled his eyes, "I'm training to be a marine biologist, not a human one. I don't even know what you expected me to find."

"Mer are marine creatures."

"That are mythical and not real."

"I literally have powers, and I am literally sitting right here."

"That doesn't mean you're a mer, you don't even have a tail!" George sighed with a frown, "And I still can't come to a scientific conclusion on your 'powers' other then: you're pranking me."

Dream sighed, "It's not a prank, you literally saw me move water around in my room."

George waved his hand, "Fine, fine. I'll shelf the prank theory for right now. That still doesn't explain literally anything."

Dream shrugged, "That's why I asked you to do this, I figured something must be different—"

A sharp 'click' echoed through the room as a key was inserted into the door.

George swore under his breath as he pulled Dream off of the table and shoved him into one of the empty cabinets with a hissed, "Be quiet!"

Just as he turned back around, the door swung open and Aimsey walked in, clearly as surprised to see George as he was to see them.

Aimsey glanced up at the clock, "You're here really early, what are you up to?"

"You know, prepping extra research and stuff," George replied nonchalantly and Aimsey gave him a weird look as they peered over at the table he was standing behind.

Aimsey gave him an odd look, "Is that blood?"

"Nope! It's uh... dyed. To see better in the scopes," he gestured to the microscopes.

Aimsey shrugged, "Sure, you're the marine biologist in training. I'm going to go start getting ready for the fair, the others should be here soon. If you need anything let me know. Speaking of the others, was... anyone else here?"

George froze, "Uh no, why?"

Aimsey shook their head, "Thought I heard you talking to someone. It's okay, I talk to myself all the time when I work too."

George laughed nervously, "Yeah, gets pretty lonely back here. I'll see you around?"

Aimsey nodded, "Yep, you know where to find me!"

With that, they grabbed their apron and hat that were hanging on the hooks next to the door, waved, and then left the room, closing the door behind them with a loud click.

The cabinet door creaked open behind George, who jumped.

Dream laughed, "Dye? Really? Don't you guys normally test blood and stuff?"

George sighed, "I'm not supposed to do my own research yet. So not usually, no."

Dream walked up to the machine, "So you really didn't see any differences between our blood?"

"Not from what I'm able to see with this machinery. If it's in, like, your DNA or something I wouldn't be able to tell."

Dream hummed as he dipped a dropper in water, filling it up carefully.

"Dream what are you—"

Dream deposited a few small drops onto the slide, letting it mix with the droplet of blood.

The two waited for a few seconds, but nothing seemed to happen at first. Then, the whole droplet seemed to ripple slightly before returning to normal, like something tried to happen but was stopped.

Dream laughed in disbelief, "I didn't imagine that right? You saw that too?"

George rolled his eyes, "You probably bumped the table."

Dream frowned and gently dropped a drop of water on the slide marked 'Control 1', George's blood. Nothing happened. He then took the water and directed George's attention as he gently dropped a drop on one of the other slides with his own blood on it, then stepped back farther from the table. After waiting a few seconds, it again seemed to ripple like the first, but didn't change after that.

Dream hummed, "It's reproducible."

George frowned, "It doesn't make any sense. What does that mean?"

"None of this makes any sense, but there's something bigger going on here, and it all somehow ties back to the ocean and those three teens."

George groaned, "What is your problem with them anyways? You're so hostile with them, I've never seen you act like that before."

Dream frowned, "I wasn't hostile."

"Yes. You were. Now spill."

"You're just going to call me crazy."

George scoffed, "At this point, what else is new?"

"You know those dreams I was having?"

"Mhm"

"I think I was some sort of prince? I don't know, I was in some position of power. Now, like I've told you, I only get flashes, it's nothing really concrete. But something just tells me that I'm supposed to be wary of the blonde kid, Tommy."

George blinked, "Say we took all of those definitely real pieces as fact. Why would you need to be 'wary' of him, and what do the other two have to do with it?"

Dream shrugged, "Not sure, but they're always together, and it's clear they have powers like me. In fact, them using their powers is how I found mine."

"Explain."

"I can feel energy coming off of them, especially if they show strong emotions."

George paused, "You... what?"

Dream nodded, "At the pool party, when the blonde kid, Tommy, first came out of the shed. At first, I was just curious why the kid went into the shed, thought I would figure it out if I got him wet again. Then, I just felt this like, string of energy? I'm not sure how to describe it."

George raised his eyebrow, "Like mentally?"

Dream shrugged, "I dunno, something like that. It was warm, fiery. Then when I tried to shoot him with the water and it froze, I felt another. This one was like, cold and brittle. I noticed that I could reach out and grab it, and that it no longer felt completely external once I noticed it. Then when we met the third on the pier, with the fire hydrant. That one felt wavey, like a stream of water. And I was able to grab that one too."

"You're trying to tell me, that you not only felt weird 'energy' from these teens, but that you took it?"

"I think? Maybe it’s more like seeing them use their magic made me realize I could use it too. I’m not sure."

George sighed with a roll of his eyes, "Dream come on, all of this is crazy and you know it. They're just kids. Leave them out of whatever's going on with your mental state."

"I'm not lying!" Dream shot back.

George scoffed, "So these kids are... what? Other human-mer then? Running around on land just to taunt you because you're... what? Some weird human-mer that doesn't have any real memories of being a mer, but relies on weird dreams instead, and somehow has developed unexplainable powers over water?"

Dream stood there awkwardly, "I..."

George sighed, "Dream, I've got work, real work to do. The park's going to open for the fair in an hour and 45 minutes. We'll talk about this later alright? I'm still sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Shared hallucination maybe? Have you touched any weird chemicals?" he paused, thinking, "Have I?"

Dream pouted, "I'm not hallucinating!"

George started cleaning off the machines, carefully disposing of everything in the proper bins, "Well there's gotta be some explanation for all of this that isn't fictional. But that's for later, now shoo, before one of the other assistants shows up."

"Fine, see you later."

Dream turned and silently left the room.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"D'ya know what today is?"

Wilbur fought a smile as a head of blonde curls stared down over his face where he was currently sprawled out on the couch.

"Um... Saturday?" he tried, but Tommy shook his head.

"Yes, but not quite. It's fair day!"

"Fair day?" Wilbur questioned and Tommy nodded.

"Mhm! It's the Marine Park's Wildlife Fair day. Today the park's open to the public for free, and there's like a big party and research fair where several students and actual researchers present their research to the public. It's pretty poggers. There's free ice cream!"

Wilbur chuckled, "Is this the presentation you were helping Niki with?"

Tommy lit up, "Yep! I was helping with organization of her points and stuff."

Wilbur looked him over, "You? Organize?"

Tommy giggled, "Oi, fuck off! I can organize shit if I need to!"

"I didn't know Niki worked at the marine park."

"Oh she doesn't, not yet anyways. She's one of the student presenters. Tubbo actually has some research at the fair too, but it was for a contest or something. I can't quite remember, it's been like a year. He finished like, within a month after they gave him the opportunity."

Wilbur chuckled, "Sounds like Tubbo."

Tommy nodded sagely, "It does," he lit up, "Oh! Did you want to go to the fair with us?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

Tommy bounced up and down a little, giving Wilbur a big smile as he bent down and gently bopped their heads together, before sprinting off, most likely to tell Tubbo and Ranboo.

Wilbur froze for a few seconds. It had been forever since Thes had done that... since that had been their thing. It was pretty much their way of expressing love and happiness. It started when Theseus was really young, and Wilbur would gently bring their heads together when he was really happy and wanted Thes to know it. Then it just kinda became their thing as they both grew up.

He missed it, but at the same time...

Tommy had just done it, presumably without thinking too much about it.

Maybe deep down, Tommy remembered more than he had originally thought.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"You can't get more ice cream. It's one per person Tommy," Wilbur sighed, and Tommy gave him a pout.

"You could give me your ice cream."

"I want to eat my ice cream."

Tommy frowned, a thought in his head, "I said you could gi—"

Wilbur jabbed a finger into Tommy's side and he pulled away with a giggle, "Hey, no fair!"

"No voice," Wilbur said sternly, and Tommy sighed.

"You're lame."

"I'm practical. Your voice is dangerous, since you haven’t trained it."

"Practically lame."

"Tommy what...?"

Ranboo walked up next to them, their own ice cream in hand, "Should we find someplace to sit or...?"

Tubbo appeared suddenly behind them, tapping Tommy on the shoulder and dumping a few of the ice cream cups into his arms.

"TUBBO WHAT?"

"Shh! I think..." he looked over his shoulder, "I think we better go."

Wilbur stared at them with a look of absolute bafflement, "Where the fu—"

The four of them took off running as Tubbo laughed, "They're kept in tubs in the back, not really hard to take from if you know."

"I thought you were the responsible one!"

"I'm responsibly irresponsible!"

The four of them found a table, and split the several containers of ice cream, getting several odd looks, but no confrontment.

Wilbur sighed, "What am I going to do with you three?"

Tommy scoffed playfully, "You love us. Don't lie."

"Maybe I do."

A voice called out, "Tubbo! There you are I've been looking all over for you!"

The four turned their heads as Niki ran up to their table. She gave a once over to the ice cream and shook their head.

"I'm... not even going to ask. Have you seen the results yet?"

Tubbo shook his head, "We haven't been over to the research booths yet. Why, something up?"

Niki smiled, "Something up? SOMETHING UP? Tubbo, you won the scholarship!"

Tubbo paled, "I... what?"

Niki paused, "Are... are you okay? You're not as excited as I thought you'd be."

Tubbo shook his head, "No no, I'm thrilled, I am. It's just... a lot to take in y'know. Still processing it."

She nodded, "Well, I have to go get ready for my presentation, congratulations again!"

She walked off and Tubbo dropped his head on the table, with the other two looking equally stressed.

Wilbur frowned, "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy?"

Tubbo looked up, a frown on his face, "How can I be happy about something I can't do anymore? It's a scholarship to a marine research program, where most of the stuff has us working underwater."

Ranboo sighed softly, "It's okay Tubbo, there will always be oth—"

Tubbo shot up, slamming his hands on the table, "No, there won't! I've wanted to get into this program for years! It's part of the reason I wanted to move here! The engineers work with the researchers to make stuff to make underwater research better. It's like... everything I've ever wanted to do. And it's gone because of this stupid... argh! I wish this never happened!"

Tommy looked like he had been smacked, "You... you can't mean that."

"I do! It's been nothing but trouble! We've all but lost our friends, we have to avoid water, we go crazy under the full moon, we have these stupid new instincts! This is literally hell. How can you not see that?"

Tommy shrunk closer to Wilbur, who frowned, "Come on, I know this isn't what any of you were expecting but it can't really be chan—"

Tubbo scoffed, "'It can't really be changed'", he mocked, "Doesn't mean I have to be okay with it. In fact, I wish we never went to that goddamn island. I wish we never got these stupid powers, and I wish I never found out about the mer!"

The sky darkened, and Tubbo scowled at Wilbur, "Fuck off with your cloud magic."

Wilbur held his hands up in surrender, "It's not me. I haven't done anything. I think you're just manifes—"

"GREAT! More shit for me to worry about! There's got to be a way to reverse this. And so help me I'm going to figure it out."

Tommy took off running one direction as Tubbo stormed off the other way.

It was only a few seconds after the two left and the sky lightened that Wilbur realized he was alone.

"Ranboo? Where did you go?"

"I uh... didn't go anywhere?"

Wilbur blinked a few times, "Well, looks like you got a new power also."

"What do you mean?"

"You're invisible Ranboo."

Ranboo squeaked, and in a flash of magic he was visible again, "How... how did I do that?"

Wilbur shrugged, "Powers, especially when you're first learning, are tied to your emotions. You probably wanted to disappear, so you did."

A silence overtook the table and Wilbur sighed, "Do you guys really hate being mer?"

Ranboo looked up, "I... didn't think so. Tubbo's just upset. He tends to either simmer or explode, and there's really no in between. Tommy's probably hiding somewhere, he tends to either fight or flight. Guess this time was flight."

Wilbur stood up, "Are you okay if I go find him?"

Ranboo nodded, "I'll go try to calm Tubbo down."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy shakily sighed as he leaned against the tank of the underground aquarium. There weren't any people here, and he just felt safe here. Something about the sight of being underwater calmed a part of him in a way nothing else really could.

Did... did Tubbo really hate being a mer that much? He knew it was hard on his friends, but he didn't realize it was that bad. It didn't feel that bad to him. Was he being insensitive?

A tear ran down his cheek and he swiped it away with the palm of his hand. Was he wrong to feel like a piece of him that was missing had come back to him? He thought that's how the others felt too but apparently that was wrong. Should he feel the same? Why didn't he?

"Hey are... are you okay?"

Tommy stiffened, and with tears still running down his face he growled out, "I'm not in the mood, fuck off."

Dream sighed, "I know we got off on the wrong foot before, I jus—"

"I said fuck off, you green hoodie bastard!"

"I... wanted to apologize."

Tommy froze. what?

"...what?"

"Can I... can I come sit with you?"

Tommy eyed him warily but shrugged, "If you do anything I'm going to..."

Dream nodded as he sat down, close to Tommy but still giving him space, "I'm not going to do anything. Promise."

Tommy grumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest, "Do it then bitch."

"Huh?"

"Apologize."

"Oh. Right. I uh... I'm sorry."

Tommy snorted, "That's a shit apology."

Dream scoffed, "Will you let me talk?"

Tommy rolled his eyes and sat back, waving his hand.

"I know I've been a dick to you and your friends. And I shouldn't have done that. I've had weird shit happening in my life, and was taking my troubles out on others."

Tommy frowned, "What kind of weird shit?"

Dream looked both ways, up and down the room they were in, "Promise not to tell?"

Tommy huffed, "If you don't tell anyone you found me here."

"Deal."

Dream raised his hand and a small snake of water formed from a puddle that was off to the side of where they were sitting. He contorted it into different shapes, and then clenched his fist, causing the water to erupt into steam.

Tommy froze, eyes wide, "You... you're..." his voice dropped to a whisper, "You're a mer too."

"Too? Do you have powers too?"

Tommy nodded slowly, "Uh yeah, I can boil water, like you just did."

Dream hummed, "It's nice to know I'm not alone," he frowned, "Why were you crying though? What happened?"

Tommy frowned, "Had a fight with my friends."

Dream nodded, "The other two you're always around? Do they know about you?"

"Tubbo and Ranboo. Yeah, uh, they're actually mer too. That's what we got in a fight about."

"What were you fighting about?"

"Tubbo won the scholarship to that marine research division, but he can't take it because of our situation. He blew up about it, saying he wished it never happened."

Dream glanced over to him, "You haven't had your powers long?"

Tommy shook his head, "It's been a little over a month. It was a complete accident but it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I just don't get why they don't feel the same."

He looked over to Dream, "Does anyone else know about you?"

"Only people I really trust, but they haven't taken it really well. They think I'm crazy, or that I'm pranking them. So, I just stopped trying."

He sighed, "The reason I've been so forward with you is... I guess after the pool party I thought that I finally found someone else like me," he chuckled, "I'm really sorry, there were definitely better ways then what I did, but that I wasn't thinking straight. I just needed answers."

Tommy hummed, "It makes sense. I'm still not happy, but I kinda understand. This is a whole new world. I know I'm still overwhelmed. I feel like so many things are just barely out of my reach. That there's something I'm not remembering."

Dream nodded, "I get flashes, memories that I don't remember being mine. It's weird, but at the same time it feels natural. Like I'm finding something I lost."

Their silence was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Tommy, sunshine are you in here?"

Wilbur walked down into the tunnel, softening when he saw Tommy, but then instantly freezing when he saw Dream, his eyes glowing a dim honey.

"You get away from him."

Dream started to get up, but Tommy reached over and grabbed his hoodie, his own eyes glowing a bright crystal blue.

"Don't listen to him."

Dream blinked back to awareness, "Tommy? What's going on?"

Wilbur scowled, his voice low, "Tommy, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing? You just barged in here and tried to voice someone!"

"Because he's dangerous!"

"He was helping me! And he apologized! He's not a bad person!"

"You don't understand this Tommy! You don't know him like I do."

Dream frowned, "I'm sorry do I..." he paused, recognition flashing over his features, "Oh, hello Wilbur. It's certainly been a while."

Wilbur grabbed Tommy's arm and pulled him up and away from Dream.

"Wilbur for fuck's sake let go of me!" Tommy squawked but Wilbur just tightened his grip.

"You stay away from him. I won't let you hurt him again."

An easy smirk crept onto Dream's face, "I wasn't hurting him, in fact I was comforting him. Something that you're not doing."

Wilbur's scowl faltered and he loosened his grip enough that Tommy shoved out of it.

"You need to chill! I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

"Tommy, you don't understand that's—"

"Oh, just leave me alone! Now! Leave! " Tommy snapped and Wilbur went rigid, turning and walking away.

Tommy waited until he was completely out of sight and then he sighed, slumping back against the wall as the glow faded from his eyes.

Dream hummed, "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get him to leave. That didn't seem like he wanted to leave."

Tommy bit his lip, "Oh I'm... I'm a siren. That was my voice. It's uh, one of my powers."

"Can all mer do that?"

Tommy shook his head, "It's extremely rare from what Wilbur told me. He's a siren too."

A silence overtook the tunnel, after a few seconds Dream spoke again.

"Are you okay?"

Tommy shook his head, "I feel like I'm completely alone."

Dream opened his arms and Tommy leaned into them in a side hug.

"You'll always have me. We'll figure something out. If you ever need anything, let me know. I'll always be there for you."

After a few second, he added a whisper that was almost inaudible.

"You're too special to ignore."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It had been about a week since the fair, and things had mostly returned to normal. Tubbo mostly made up with the others, but still insisted that he was going to find a way to reverse their new situation.

Wilbur and Tommy's relationship was more strained than normal, but for the most part, they just both decided to ignore what had happened and not talk about it.

Which wasn't the best way to handle things, Wilbur knew it wasn't the best way to handle things, but it was what he was used to and what he was good at.

That led him to where he was now, wandering along the pier trying his best to avoid the hustle and bustle as the salt air nipped at his senses. It was weird, it felt like home but not at the same time. He would much rather be enjoying the salty air from one of the beaches or land pools on Mako, but it was better than being alone in the flat. He was going a bit stir crazy in there.

He didn't really have a destination in mind when he set off, he was just wandering. Part of him wanted to jump into the sea and swim for miles until the anxiety in his veins abated, but another part just wanted to stay here, strolling around without any place to be. It was strangely calming in a way that he didn't really understand.

It didn't take him long to end up on the pier that the smoothie shop where Ranboo and Tubbo worked at was on. He sighed gently as he leaned against the wooden railings, the air swirling around him as the sound of the waves lapping at the posts of the pier soothed his nerves and anxieties. It was peaceful, relaxing. Even with the noise of chatter still prevalent around him, he could almost understand why humans enjoyed just staring at the sea like this.

Wilbur paused as he sensed that someone had come up behind him, and he stiffened slightly, glancing quickly over his shoulder. He wasn't expecting to see the person behind him, but the boys had mentioned he was around, so Wilbur supposed it was only a matter of time.

"Orpheus."

The other nodded as he took a place next to Wilbur.

"Chronos," Wilbur nodded back.

"You're a long way from Essempi."

"As are you."

"I at least have a job up here, what's your excuse?"

Wilbur chuckled, “Your job started with you running away too. Anyways, I assume you've met the guppies? I'm taking care of them."

Karl frowned, "That's not your job. In fact, you're the last person that should be doing that."

Wilbur sighed, turning back to look at the sea, "Did you know? About Tommy?"

Karl tilted his head in slight confusion, "That he was Theseus?"

Wilbur nodded and Karl shook his head, "Not until recently. My visions never specifically showed that. From what I hear even Soteria didn't recognize him until Thana—."

Another voice cut through the air, cutting Karl off, "Karl where did you... oh! Hey Wil."

Quackity walked up on the other side of Karl, handing the other a smoothie that was in a styrofoam cup.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here, how are thing's going?"

Wilbur shrugged, "Pretty alright, it's peaceful here, watching the waves."

Karl nodded, "It is. Quackity and I were just getting smoothies..."

Karl's voice faded off as he stared out towards the sea, his eyes slightly un-focusing.

Quackity nudged him, "Karl? You okay?"

Quackity glanced over to Wilbur, "Uh, this happens sometimes but I don't—"

"He's fine," Wilbur cut him off, and Quackity gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean? How do you..."

After a few more seconds, Karl blinked back to reality, shaking his head slightly, "Um, sorry what was I saying?"

Wilbur hummed, "Was it bad?"

Quackity frowned, "Was what bad?"

Wilbur turned to face Karl, his voice getting quieter, "You haven't told him."

Karl rolled his eyes, "To be fair, neither did you," he hissed back softly.

Wilbur flushed slightly, turning away.

"Is... everything okay?" Quackity asked gingerly and Karl nodded.

"Everything's just fine Q," Karl smiled at him before he turned to Wilbur, "Tomorrow's the new moon. I assume you understand what that means Wil."

Wilbur frowned, "What did you se—"

Karl hummed noncommittally, "You know more than anyone what it's like to have all the attention on you."

Quackity huffed, clearly confused, "I hate when you get like this, you make absolutely no sense sometimes Karl."

Karl laughed, "Sorry sorry. Come on, Sap's waiting for us back at the flat. See you around Wil!"

Wilbur waved at the two of them as they walked away, fighting to shove down his jealousy by thinking about what Karl had said.

He was not upset someone else was hanging out with Quackity—

Okay, breathe.

Karl had mentioned the new moon being tomorrow night, which wasn't a normal thing that most mer cared deeply about. To most mer, it was the night where the ebb and flow of their powers was at its weakest, a time that was typically spent with the pod in the nest.

But he wasn't most mer, and unfortunately neither was Tommy.

You know more than anyone what it's like to have all the attention on you.

That sounded like one of Karl's prophecies, and Wilbur had only the faintest idea of what to make of it.

And that idea utterly terrified him.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The sun was just beginning its slow descent across the sky as Tommy stumbled into his flat after getting home from work. He was tired, exhausted, and every other synonym for tired that he couldn't think of right now. First things first, he needed a nap. He didn't care what was going on, he just needed a nap, now.

Tommy trudged into his room, threw his hat and shoes off, and practically dove into his bed. He pulled the blankets up around him and almost instantly fell asleep.

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

A black expanse as his mind drifted from consciousness.

Gentle hands and even gentler touches.

Piercing blue eyes that demanded complete attention, followed with a flow of love and acceptance.

Love, Safety.

Scratchy headpieces and uptight manners.

Boredom.

An offer of escape from an unwanted situation.

Peace, Fun.

Confusion.

Soft hands holding him, soft whispers dancing through his hair.

A featherlight kiss to his scalp, and then an empty room.

Fear.

Blue eyes that tried to grant comfort, but were bleeding with more fear.

A gentle touch, a whispered apology.

Everything went dark.

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

He didn't recognize where he was when he woke up, but the air around him felt heavier, and he felt different.

Blinking back to awareness, he looked down and realized he was in his mer form, and that he wasn't on land anymore, but underwater.

He spun around, not entirely sure where he was. The scenery didn't look like any of the reefs around Mako island, but they felt strangely familiar to him. In fact, this whole situation felt familiar. Shouldn't he be freaking out?

He gently shook his head, using his tail to propel himself gently forwards through the water. Wherever he was, it was beautiful. The rainbow colors of coral dotted along the sea floor as long strands of kelp and algae stretched towards the surface. The dwindling light from the sun filtered through the water, casting rays on the schools of small tropical fish that swam around him in dizzying patterns. He laughed as he chased them around, dipping and swirling through the reefs with the small fish. It was freeing, and yet so painfully familiar, like something important was just out of reach no matter what he did.

As he made his way deeper into the reef, he noticed that in front of him, the sea floor dropped much lower than where he was currently swimming. He pressed deeper into the ocean, swimming further down as he continued to travel in the same direction. The light from the sun got fainter as he got deeper, and just as he thought it was going to get too dark for him to see, he noticed light.

He gasped as he swam closer to what he could now make out to be what seemed like a city underwater. Opaque crystalline formations formed what looked to be houses and buildings, and all throughout there were balls of light that seemed to gently pulse and flicker with the waves.

Tommy wound his way through the city, seeing many figures but he couldn't put a face to any of them.

As he kept being dragged along by what seemed like an invisible string in his heart, he froze at the sight of what looked to be a castle, decorated in pearls, jewels and shells. It had balls of light floating around it like the rest of the city, but even Tommy could tell that this structure was important.

He swam towards the front doors of the castle, expecting the two figures acting like guards to stop him. Instead, he swam right up to the doors and...

He blinked and suddenly he was in a hallway leading to what looked like a large open room. He didn't remember opening the doors, or swimming in here, but he must have done it.

He gently swam into the room, and looked around in awe. The hallway opened up into a large circular room, with golden pillars that stretched up towards an open dome at the top. On each of the eight pillars, there was a decoration depicting one of the phases of the moon. Even though they were so far underwater, Tommy could see moonlight gently filter down through the dome into the center of the room, which had a mural of the moon on the floor.

As he looked up through the dome of the room at the moonlight, he felt calm. He felt safe. Like this was where he was supposed to be.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find this place."

Tommy let out a surprised chirp and spun around, coming face to face with an older female mer.

She had long dark hair that swirled through the water as she floated next to him. Her scales were a dark purple, that faded into black the closer they were to her fin, and she had purple and black scales dotting along her cheekbones and arms.

She gave Tommy a small smile as she swam towards him, "You don't have to be afraid of me, you don't remember me but I promise I won't hurt you."

"Where... where am I?" Tommy whispered, and the other mer's face seemed to fall slightly as she turned away, gesturing to the room.

"The sanctuary of the moon. It's the heart of the castle, and the heart of mer society."

Tommy bit his lip, that wasn't exactly what he meant, but he supposed it would do.

"I'm so very proud of you."

The words caught him off guard, "What?"

The other mer turned back to him, her gentle smile back on her face, "You've been through so much, even if you don't remember right now. You're so brave, and I'm so proud of you Theseus."

Warmth curled around his heart at the unfamiliar name, just like it had when Wilbur had called him by it, but Tommy didn't know why, "I... I don't—"

The mer closed the gap between them, wrapping him in her arms, and burying her face gently into his curls.

"I know none of this makes sense to you right now, but the spells over both of your memories are starting to fade. You must find and learn to control all of your powers. It's the only way to keep both of our worlds safe."

She paused, trailing her fingers softly along the back of his head, "There is nothing to be afraid of. Find your brothers and father. Trust in them, and in me, and you'll be safe. I promise."

"What about my friends? Tubbo and Ranboo?"

The mer pulled back gently, a motherly smile still on her face, "They are a part of you, just as you are them. If the three of you work together as one, there is nothing you need to be afraid of."

Tommy's vision started to darken and he began to panic, "Wait, who are you? What's your name?"

And everything went black.

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

He shot up in bed, feelings burning through his veins like fire, and yet staying ever so painfully out of reach.

His breath was heavy and uneven as he looked around the room, and he frowned. Was that a dream? It had seemed so real to him.

He laid back down, gently staring up at the ceiling. He took a breath in, then out.

In, then out.

Everything was fine.

Tommy sighed as the last fragments of sleep left him. He supposed that's what he got for taking a nap.

He rolled over, fishing for his phone on the nightstand. The few notifications that he had were mostly from Tubbo and Ranboo, telling him that they were working the closing shift again.

One was from Wilbur saying—

Tommy stilled, Wilbur didn't usually text him.

Wil: > Saw you were asleep, come talk to me when you wake up :)

Tommy blinked at the message, then glanced up at the door.

He rolled the rest of the way out of bed and padded his way down the hallway out to the living room, where Wilbur was sitting on the couch reading what could only be a book that he borrowed from Techno.

Wilbur's eyes flicked up from the book and he smiled, "Did you sleep well?"

Tommy shook his head, "Not really... nightmare," he muttered the last word.

Wilbur frowned, setting his book down and patting the couch next to him. Tommy took the invitation to curl up on the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Don' really remember it well. Just scared me."

Wilbur hummed in understanding, "You okay with touch?"

Tommy nodded quietly, and a hand moved to card through his curls. He leaned into the touch with a gentle sigh.

A gentle melody filled the air, and it took Tommy a few seconds to register that Wilbur was humming. The song was foreign to Tommy, and yet painstakingly familiar, as if he had heard it a million times before and yet had never heard it.

As he laid there listening to the song, he suddenly felt an intense feeling of love and adoration.

He glanced up to see Wilbur staring down at him with a look of complete fondness, his eyes glowing a soft honey color.

Tommy giggled softly, "Your eyes..."

The feeling seemed to intensify, and Tommy again giggled. It was soft, like a blanket wrapping around him. Like he was safe, and no matter what happened he would never be loved any less.

"Sorry, I..." Wilbur chuckled, a fond smile still on his face, "It takes a lot to not right now with the moon, and I... don't really want to stop it if I'm honest."

Tommy gave a questioning hum as his own eyes started to glow a shimmering silvery-blue, and Wilbur pulled him closer.

"My sunshine. You're perfect, you know that?"

Tommy hummed in contentment as he snuggled into Wilbur's hold more. Whatever it was, if it was important Wilbur would tell him later.

A few minutes passed and the two were brought out of their thoughts by a knock at the door. Wilbur's head snapped up, his eyes fading back to his normal brown, and Tommy whined at the loss of the feeling of love that had wound its way around him.

"Sorry sunshine, I have to see who's at the door."

Tommy pouted, his shimmering eyes met Wilbur's normal eyes and Wilbur smiled softly. "Just for a second, I'll be right back."

Wilbur gently rose from the couch, and walked over to the door, opening it and peeking out, only to come face to face with Tubbo and Ranboo.

"Is Tommy here?" Tubbo asked and Wilbur nodded, opening the door wider, inviting the two of them in.

Wilbur frowned slightly as the two of them walked into the flat. Something was off, and yet he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Tommy peeked over the couch and smiled at his friends, "Hey, wasn't expecting you guys to come by tonight."

Tubbo frowned, "How could we not? You're here."

Tommy blinked at Tubbo, "Aren't you still mad?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

Tommy scrunched his eyebrows, "Okay... Sooo what do you guys want to do?"

Ranboo and Tubbo made their way over, with Tubbo opting to sit on one of the armchairs, while Ranboo just sat crisscrossed on the floor staring up at Tommy.

"What do you want to do?" Ranboo asked, and Tommy froze.

"Is... is everything okay guys?"

"It is if you're okay!" Tubbo chirped and Tommy glanced back at Wilbur, a frantic look in his shimmering eyes.

Wilbur crossed the room, gently putting his hands on Tommy's shoulders. His eyes began to glow dimly again, and Tommy felt a wave of soothing comfort wash over him.

"It's okay, you're okay. I'm so sorry, I truly didn't think it would leave the apartment, and I didn't have time to warn you earlier."

"Warn me about what?" Tommy mumbled, fighting to not completely melt under the calming feelings wrapping their way around him.

"The new moon," Wilbur sighed, gently taking his hands away as Tubbo and Ranboo just kept staring eagerly at Tommy.

Tommy mourned the loss of the feelings again, but he could at least think more clearly.

"Am I—"

Another knock on the door, and this time Wilbur visibly stiffened alongside Tommy.

"I really didn't think it would... fuck," Wilbur whispered as he stood up and walked over to the door again. This time he opened it to see Aimsey at the door.

"Is Tommy here?" they asked, and Wilbur shut the door with a firm no.

A few seconds later, there was another knock, and he opened it again to the same person.

"I know you're lying. Let me in, I want to see him."

Wilbur frowned, "He's not feeling well right now."

Aimsey lit up, "Then I have to make him feel better!" they exclaimed as they pushed past Wilbur into the flat.

Tommy and Wilbur's eyes met, and the panic emanating off of Tommy was palpable. His eyes seemed to glow even brighter, and instantly everyone in the room was asking him if he was okay, and what he needed to make him feel better.

Tommy covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut, "You all need to just back off!" he cried, and the others retreated, stepping away from Tommy, but ended up still facing him, seemingly fixated.

Tommy opened his eyes, and stared at Wilbur with a pleading glance, who instantly walked over and helped the other up.

"We've got to find Phil. Now. This is just going to get worse."

Tommy's eyes widened, still shimmering, "What do you mean worse? Wil, what's happening?"

Wilbur chuckled darkly, "Entrancement. You'll be fine, we just have to get you out of here and to Phil before others start showing up."

"Others?" Tommy whispered, barely a sound coming out.

Wilbur dug his phone out of his pocket as he ushered Tommy out of the apartment, the small group trailing behind him. He sent one text to Phil.

Wil: > Phil, come contain your stupid magic.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy was practically hiding behind Wilbur as they made their way down the streets towards Phil's house. There was practically no light besides the dull flickering of the streetlamps, but regardless, there were still a decent amount of people mulling about.

As the two passed, regardless of what someone was doing, they'd turn to look at Tommy, who just slouched deeper into Wilbur's side. He hated the attention, and he still didn't even know why it was happening.

"Why..." Tommy whispered and Wilbur hummed to acknowledge him, "Why is everyone staring at me?"

"They're entranced by you, to put it simply. Your powers are directing their attention to you."

"I... but I'm not trying to do that. Wait... why aren't you affected?"

"Oh, I am," Wilbur laughed as he ruffled Tommy's hair.

"Then why aren't you acting any diff—" Tommy flushed as he finally realized and buried his head into Wilbur's shoulder with a mumbled, "You're a sap."

Wilbur laughed, bright and airy and a little bit of the tension faded out of Tommy, as the feeling of love wrapped around him again.

"Are you doing that?"

"Hm?" Wilbur looked down at him, his eyes back to glowing a soft honey.

"I feel... just, I dunno... loved? But like, a lot."

"'S how I feel about you. That's my new moon magic. Sharing feelings."

Tommy furrowed his brow, "New moon magic? I thought we just had problems with the full moon? Wait... why aren't Tubbo and Ranboo affected other than..." he looked gingerly behind him and the small group was still in fact, following them, "following us?"

Wilbur stiffened, a frown taking over his face. If he fully explained, he would have to tell Tommy the truth, and well...

"Humans don't have many stories left of mer, but you're familiar with the stories of what humans consider sirens right?"

He chose deflection. Again.

Tommy frowned, "Yeah, they're sea creatures that would charm sailors and lead them to their death or something."

Wilbur nodded, "Every myth has it's truth. What humans refer to as sirens, are simply mer that are able to use a very special type of magic. Darker magic. While the Full Moon brings life and healing, the new moon brings death and manipulation. Two halves of a whole.

"While full moon magic typically revolves around water and the elements, new moon magic revolves around feelings and emotions. There aren't as many powers with new moon magic as with full moon magic, but the main ones are entrancement, sharing feelings and thoughts, reading minds, and the siren voice."

Tommy frowned, "So I'm... causing them to stare? And causing my friends to follow us?"

Wilbur nodded, "You can't control that power yet, especially when it's at its strongest. They're fine, their attention is just fully consumed by you."

"And when I told them to back off earlier?"

"You used your voice."

Tommy sulked into Wilbur's side again, "Mer stuff is dumb. You don't tell me things."

Wilbur stiffened, silently cursing himself. He jumped slightly when his phone vibrated.

Dadza: > Are you two okay?

Wil: > Got a bit of a crowd, and we're avoiding the roads but we're fine.

Dadza: > Techno's already here, we'll get through this Wil, we always do.

Wilbur sighed as he clicked off the phone and dropped it back in his pocket. Tonight was going to be a long night.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

When Phil opened the door, Wilbur practically shoved Tommy inside, ushering the other three into the house before he walked inside and slumped against the wall.

He sighed, "You didn't mention it would be this strong."

Phil frowned, "I didn't know, it's been so long since I dealt with it, and those powers hadn't manifested yet before he..."

Tommy quickly attempted to retreat into the living room, but the other three people followed him loyally.

Phil sighed, "You know we have to tell him why this is happening."

Wilbur frowned, "I was kinda hoping that—"

"That he wouldn't get my magic?"

Wilbur curled into himself and Phil gave him a soft smile.

"Hey, it's okay. You care about him a lot, and I know you just want to keep him safe, but telling him will keep him safer."

"I know. I want to tell him, but I wanted you two around too."

Phil stilled, "What?"

"I saw him with Dream, with Nyx yesterday. They were talking and I really think Tommy thought he cared."

Phil's face darkened, "Does Nyx remember anything?"

"I think he's starting to; I think they both are. I'm hoping that by telling Tommy, that maybe he'll understand why I acted so drastically. He was so upset with me..."

"Hey, you did what you could to protect him. He's safe now. Let's get your brother and we'll go explain."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy shifted uncomfortably as the three others had their eyes on him.

"Please stop looking at me?"

No one moved, and he sighed.

Phil entered the room, followed by Techno and Wilbur, and Tommy perked up.

"Have you guys figured out how to turn it off?"

Phil chuckled, "I'm afraid it's not that easy. At least until you train your powers."

Tommy slouched back into the couch with a frown, and Techno chuckled.

"You're right, mer stuff is the worst."

Tommy froze, he hadn't said that out loud, had he? He looked up and noticed Techno's eyes were glowing a dim shade of red.

"You didn't, I can read your mind though."

Tommy blinked at him, "You can what?"

Phil smiled as he sat down, gesturing to the other chairs as his other two sons took a seat also.

"Tommy, there's something that we need to tell you, and it's going to be really hard to take in, but you have to listen alright?"

Tommy frowned, but nodded.

Phil smiled warmly, "I would like to formally introduce myself. My name is Thanatos, and I am the husband of the moon goddess that you humans refer to as Selene. Although I know her as Kristin. You may not believe it, but hundreds of years ago, I was like you."

Tommy tilted his head, "Wait... you were human?"

Phil nodded, "I met this beautiful girl who seemed just a bit out of place. I showed her around and we became really good friends. After a while, she seemed really distant, so I asked her what was wrong. She confided in me that she had a secret, and that she would have to leave soon, that she wasn’t able to stay any longer. I pleaded with her to tell it to me, but she refused at first. She thought I would leave her over it.

One day, she came up to me, saying that she was leaving, and asked if I would see her off. I was crushed, but agreed. She took me down to the cove and showed me her secret. When she asked me if I thought any differently of her, I pleaded her to take me with her, someway somehow. She did. She showed me the wonders of the ocean and we had three beautiful sons that I would hang the stars for."

"Wil, Tech and uh, Theseus right?"

Phil nodded, "The twins Orpheus and Ares," he gestured to the two.

Tommy furrowed his brow, "I thought your mer name was Technoblade?"

Techno chuckled, "It's what I go by, it's what my little brother nicknamed me. Thes actually helped Wilbur choose his human name too."

Tommy frowned, "Your little brother is the missing prince."

Phil nodded, "Theseus."

Tommy bit his lip at the name, "What does that have to do with me?"

"Selene was the goddess of the moon, she had full control over all of the powers of the moon, both light and dark. When she changed me, I took up the handle of the darker side of her powers. New moon magic as it's known. When we had our sons, a piece of my magic was passed to each of them. Orpheus can manipulate others' feelings, Ares can read minds, and Theseus..."

Phil smiled warmly, "Theseus can direct attention onto him."

Tommy froze.

"I... there's got to be a mistake here. I'm not... I'm human! I was human until a month ago I—"

"You've been in the system for as long as you can remember though, right?"

Tommy went silent, "I..."

Wilbur stood up, walking over to him, "Remember in the coffee shop? I said that sirens couldn't be created by the moon pool. That's why. The moon pools amplify Mum's magic, but siren's voices are under Dad's realm. The only way you could have a voice is if you were either specially blessed with one, or if you were Thes."

Tommy laughed in disbelief, "You're telling me, I'm the crown prince?"

Phil nodded, "We've missed you."

"No. No. You're wrong!"

Wilbur looked pained, "Tommy..."

"No! Because if that was true, that means you left me! You left me here without anything!"

Phil's face fell, "Theseus, please, there wasn't a choice..."

Tears started falling, "There had to have been a choice, I... no. You're lying to me. I don't know why but you're lying to me! This is some sick joke and you're just getting some twisted fantasy from it!"

He bolted out of the room, and his small group slowly followed after him.

Phil sighed, dropping his head in his hands, and Techno sighed.

"Well that went well."

Wilbur frowned, "Give him time. He just needs a bit to process everything. There's something else we need to discuss though."

Techno raised a brow, "That being?"

"Nyx is back, and he's starting to remember things."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy ran.

He didn't know where he was going, other than away. Away from Phil, Wilbur, and Techno. Away from whatever the fuck had just happened. Away from something that couldn't be the truth.

Away.

He had just reached the cliffside overlook, just a bit from Phil's house, when a voice called out behind him.

"Tommy, wait! You're going too fast!"

He silently cursed to himself.

Right. His stupid magic was still making his friends act all weird. If only there was a way to turn it off—

Tommy slowed to a stop at the overlook and waited for his friends to catch up, the three of them panting as they tried to catch their breath.

Tommy took a deep breath, and remembered back to the hot spring cave, when Wilbur had helped him use his voice. Maybe he could do it again.

He hoped it would work.

"Until I tell you otherwise, my entrancement powers won't affect any of you three."

The three seemed to freeze for a brief second, before they blinked back to reality.

Tubbo spun around, taking in his surroundings, "How... where are we? Why are we out here? I know we were following you but I don't remember why."

Tommy paused, still breathing heavily as his eyes met Tubbo's. The two of them had a silent conversation with their eyes before Tommy bit his lip, shaking his head as he turned and ran again.

A clear sign between him and Tubbo: leave me alone right now.

"Tommy! TOMMY WAIT!" Tubbo yelled after him, but he didn't look back.

He couldn't.

He just needed to be alone.

There were so many thoughts, and yet nothing made sense.

Memories that he remembered vividly mixed with fragments that he didn't. It was like he was seeing flashes of someone else's life through his own eyes.

Was this what Dream had meant? About memories that weren't his?

But...

They were his. Weren't they?

Or at least they were... before.

His feet pounded on the pavement as he ran down the trails along the cliffside that led down to the ocean. The pounding of his feet matched with the pounding in his skull. A never-ending thrum of Theseus, Theseus, Theseus .

It couldn't be true.

It couldn't be true.

Because if it was, nothing made sense anymore.

And yet...

Everything did.

The strange feeling of familiarity that he felt around Wilbur, even when he first met him. The songs that he sung that felt foreign and yet oh so familiar.

The way that he had always felt safe around Techno, like if he ever needed anything, Techno would drop everything to be there to help him.

The way that Phil looked at him. Like he had found a stash of gold hidden away. Like he was worth something.

He... he was... wasn't he?

A prince, they had said.

A mer prince.

He stopped, and the world went still. His breath came heavy as he looked down at the waves that lapped just inches from his shoes.

He hesitated and then took one step back.

And then two.

Instead, he stared out over the ocean, at the dark swirling abyss in front of him. It didn't look nearly as inviting as it did on the full moon.

And yet, it still felt safe.

He took a shaky breath.

And then another.

And then he took off running, splashing through the water until he was deep enough.

He took one final breath and disappeared under the waves.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Phil sighed, dropping his head in his hands, and Techno leaned back in his chair.

"Well, that went well."

Wilbur frowned, "Give him some time. He just... he needs a bit to process everything. It's a lot for him to take in," he sighed, gripping at the hem of his sweater anxiously, "There... there is something else we need to discuss though."

Techno raised a brow, "That being?"

"Nyx is back, and I think he's starting to remember things."

Techno leaned back in his chair, "So both of them are starting to remember now?"

Wilbur nodded, "Tommy mentioned he had a nightmare during his nap earlier. He's been having trouble sleeping, and I really wonder if the 'nightmares' are old memories that are resurfacing. If they're scaring him because he doesn't recognize them."

Phil stood up and started to pace around the room, "It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to take us so long to find him. A couple years at most. Not ten.

"We were supposed to find him and bring him back, I was supposed to unlock his memories, and he was supposed to grow up in Essempi and learn how to control his powers. Instead, we're now in the situation where the magic has run its course. It was never meant to be permanent. It couldn't be. But, now instead of having a sure shot against Nyx, we're having to gently bring Theseus back and deal with Nyx at the same time."

"You just wanted him to be safe," Wilbur insisted, "You didn't know that Nyx could seal his powers and memories away."

Phil stopped pacing suddenly, and the tension in the room increased tenfold.

Wilbur stared at Phil, his voice wavering slightly, "Dad... you didn't know... right?"

Phil let out a shaky sigh, still not turning to face his sons.

"Nyx... Nyx can't do that."

The tension in the room seemed to reach a high, and Wilbur let out a small shaky "...what?"

"Even with his powers, he wouldn't be able to take enough magic to do that. If he could, it wouldn't have lasted this long."

Wilbur looked like someone had shattered his entire world.

Techno leaned forward, "Dad... what do you mean by that?"

Phil shakily turned around to face his sons, regret and sorrow painted on his features, "Your mother and I sealed away Theseus' memories and powers. We wanted to protect him in case Nyx decided to go after him. If he remembered he was in more danger than if he didn't—"

The tension snapped.

"You... you took him from us? YOU DID THIS?" Wilbur screamed and Phil winced.

"Orpheus, you know I had no other choice—"

"There's always another choice! We could have—"

"I COULDN'T PROTECT HIM THERE."

The room fell eerily silent as Phil's expression crumpled. "I couldn't protect Theseus in Essempi. I couldn't protect him in the ocean. It wasn't safe for him, not with his powers. Your mother knew what Nyx wanted. He was young, jealous, and hungry for power. He was willing to do anything to get it. After he stole Theseus' blessing, your mother and I decided the only thing for us to do was to hide Theseus on land so Nyx couldn't find him. Because if Nyx couldn't find Theseus once he realized he had what he wanted..."

Wilbur’s breath was coming uneven and quick, a small storm was swirling around just above his head. "Nyx... Nyx had him exiled. You told us Nyx had him exiled!"

"He... did, in a way. He told Soteria to get rid of Theseus. And she gave him the plan to strand Thes on land."

Techno frowned but nodded, "He took your plan as his own. You tricked him into thinking it was his idea."

"Mum knew..." Wilbur whispered, and Phil's face fell, "The prophecy then... was that...?"

Phil shook his head, "That was real. It is real, but..."

Techno looked between Wilbur and his father, "But..?"

"Your mother isn't the vessel of the moon mentioned in the prophecy."

Wilbur blinked once,

Twice,

Three times.

He repeated the prophecy over and over in his head. He had always assumed that the one that was taken referred to his mother. She was the vessel of the moon after all, and she would return to stop Nyx.

Except...

Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Stop lying to us! "

Phil sighed, "Orpheus I'm not lying to you. There's a reason your mother and I went through such drastic measures to protect Theseus from Nyx—"

Without another word, Wilbur practically bolted from the couch and ran out the door.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The ocean was cold, and yet the water wrapped around him like a hug.

It was dark, with barely any light permeating the surface. There weren't any giant schools of fish weaving through the reefs like during the day.

Instead, the ocean was still, with the only movement being the waving of the sea plants as the current shifted them around.

He couldn't go back to the house, not right now, not with them there. He also couldn't go back to his flat, because his friends would most likely look for him there. He considered the Moon Pool, but decided that was also too obvious of a choice.

Techno had mentioned there being lots of small underwater caves around Mako, much like the hot springs that they took Ranboo too.

A small cave. It sounded perfect.

He knew they would all be worried about him. He knew that they would run themselves ragged trying to find him but...

He just had to be alone.

He just... needed time to get his thoughts straight.

Destination decided, Tommy took off towards Mako, relishing in the way that he glided through the water. It was refreshing. It was familiar.

It was soothing.

So many things crossed his mind. First off, if they were really telling the truth, that meant that the dreams he had been having might not have been dreams at all.

If that was the case, who was that mer that he saw?

He racked his brain, willing anything to come to the surface, but besides the weird flashes he had gotten through his dreams, his memories were of living on land. Of being in the system, and of spending the last few years of his life with Ranboo and Tubbo.

As he glided gently around the island, he noticed quite a few underwater caves. He didn't specifically know why, but he was drawn to one in particular, swimming through the rocks, through the small tunnel until it opened up into a larger cavern.

Unlike the hot springs cavern, this one was completely filled with water. Other than that, it was hard to make out much of anything in the pitch black.

Something in the back of his mind was bothering him. A small fragment of a memory. Like he should just reach his hand out to the right side and brush it against the wall...

Tommy jumped as the room illuminated into a dim blue glow. The wall he touched was covered in what looked like moss, but shimmered and shined in the water. He reached out and rubbed his hand over it again, and the moss glowed brighter.

Weird.

But familiar.

Now that he got a good look at the room, he paused, spinning slowly to take it all in.

If he was on land and this was an abandoned building, he would have guessed he wandered into someone's hideout.

The right wall was mostly covered in the moss that was currently illuminating the room, but the back wall had what he could only describe as shelves seemingly cut into the rock. Whether they were natural or not was up for debate, but they were filled with little knickknacks and treasures. Stuff like an old, cracked pocket watch, some sea shells, pearls, jewelry, some utensils, even what seemed to be a damaged music box.

On the left wall was another indentation, but this one was much, much bigger. If he didn't think too hard about it, it almost seemed like the entrance to a loft bed, without being in a loft. At the foot of the 'bed' was what seemed to be material that was woven from the sea plants. It almost looked like bedding. The inside of the 'bed' area seemed to be almost like a nest. The indentation in the rock was smooth and curved, and as Tommy gently swam inside, he found that, it did in fact seem like a nest. More of that woven material was placed around and inside the nest, making it much softer than just the stone that it was carved out of.

His mer brain preened. This was safe. This was comfort. There was a nest. Just for him! He missed his pod (pods?) sure, but he needed space. And what a perfect little place to do it in!

Tommy curled up in the nest, and before long found himself drifting off.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Wilbur expected someone to stop him when he left the house. He assumed either Phil or Techno would come after him, telling him to come back inside and to stop being so dramatic but... they let him go.

What he didn't expect, was to run straight out the door into Tubbo, who looked like he was also about three seconds away from a mental breakdown.

"Sorry, sorry Tubbo I didn't—"

"Tommy, did Tommy come back here?"

Wilbur blinked once, twice.

Wait.

He wasn't entranced anymore.

"Tubbo, what happened? Where's Tommy?"

Tubbo threw his hands up, "I was hoping you would know! We were suddenly out by the overlook, I don't remember exactly why we were there, only that we were following Tommy, but knowing everything it's probably some mer thing. Tommy just gives me this look. Did I mention his eyes were glowing ? Anyways, this look, it basically means 'I'm sorry, but I need to be alone' and then he just bolts! I thought maybe he'd come back here, but he obviously hasn't and Aimsey and Ranboo are out looking along the beach and—"

"Woah! Woah Tubbo, it's okay. We'll find him. Take a deep breath. Do you have any guesses to where he went?"

Tubbo frowned, still fidgeting with his hands, "I've already checked the main spots he usually goes when he gets like this. Under all the beds in the flats, inside the closets, the coffee shop, the smoothie shop, the cove," he listed out on his fingers, and Wilbur almost interrupted him to ask why under the beds? but he figured that was something they could explain later.

"The only place we haven't checked is the Moon Pool, but that's too obvious. He won't be there. We'll check anyways of course, but just like he wasn't in the flats, he won't be in the Moon Pool."

Wilbur tilted his head, "Why not?"

Tubbo sighed, "Tommy wants to be alone. He knows the spots that are the most obvious are the places we're going to look first. So his flat, our flat, and the Moon Pool would be shit places to hide."

Wilbur bit his lip.

Hide.

There was one place that immediately popped into his mind.

"I... I think I know where he is. Or at least, where he might have gone. There's a small underw—"

Tubbo shook his head, grabbing Wilbur’s arm and then pushing him out towards the pier behind Phil's house, "No time. Search first, explain later. I'm going to go check somewhere else. I just need him to be safe."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Thes? Are you in here?"

The small mer pushed deeper into the small nest, until he was curled up against the wall, throwing the blanket over himself. He didn't want to see anyone! They were being mean!

"Thes?" A head of brown hair would peek into the wall indentation that they had turned into a small nest. The younger mer let out a hiss.

"Go away. Don' wanna see you."

The older frowned, swimming over so that he was sitting on the edge of the nest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The little mer hissed again, "Go away Orphie!"

The older mer's face morphed into one of concern, "But what if I don't want to? What if I want to help you feel better?"

"You can't," the younger mumbled, his face buried in the blankets.

Orpheus hummed, "Was it Ares?"

Theseus peeked his head out just enough to glare at the other mer.

Orpheus tilted his head to the side, "Was it me?"

Still, he didn't move.

Orpheus sighed, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Go away."

"You know I can't leave you here. I'd miss you. We all would."

"Nuh-uh."

His head slipped under the blankets again.

"Theseus..."

Crystal blue eyes poked out from the blankets again.

Orpheus sighed, "Just because Ares and I are busy with training and classes doesn't mean we don't miss you or want you around. We're just busy."

"You're bein' mean."

Orpheus gave a soft smile as he crawled up into the nest, opening his arms and waiting. It didn't take long for the younger to dart over and curl up in his arms.

The younger mumbled something and Orpheus chuckled, "Hmm?"

"...miss you."

"I miss you too sunshine. Every day when I'm in my classes I think about you, you know. How you're gonna grow up and be big and strong just like me and Ares."

Theseus giggled, "Really?"

"Mhm! You're gonna get your own powers soon, and then you'll be just like us."

The younger snuggled deeper into the older's hold.

"Just like you."

A gentle melody drifted through the small cave as the older began to sing.

A few more minutes by themselves couldn't hurt.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Tommy? Are you there?"

The younger mer pushed deeper into the small nest, until he was curled up against the wall, throwing the blanket over himself. He didn't want to see anyone. Maybe if he was really quiet, they wouldn't notice he was in there.

"Tommy?" A head of brown hair would peek into the wall indentation that they had turned into a small nest. The younger mer let out a sharp hiss as the older crossed the threshold into his space.

"Leave me alone."

The older frowned, hesitantly swimming over so that he was sitting on the edge of the nest. "Do... you want to talk about it?"

The younger hissed again, "Go away Wilbur!"

The older mer's face morphed into one of concern, "But... what if I don't want to? What if I want to help you feel better?"

"You can't," the younger mumbled, his face buried in the blankets.

Silence...

then, "...I know."

Tommy's head peaked out from the blankets, his blue eyes still faintly shimmering.

Wilbur sighed, "I... I didn't want it to go like this. None of us did."

Silence took over the room for a few beats.

"Do you remember this place at all?"

Tommy looked around, it was so familiar, the memory just barely out of reach.

"I..." he hesitated, "I was upset. About you... being busy, I think. I hid in here."

Wilbur nodded, "Do you remember when I first brought you here?"

Tommy frowned in concentration, "I... was scared at first. It was really dark. And then you touched the wall and it lit up... you had made a little nest," Tommy looked up at Wilbur, "You called it our hideout."

Wilbur smiled, "Our secret. No one knew about it but us. It was a place where we could sneak off and hang out. Just us. And sometimes Techno ended up here too."

Tommy hummed, "You would sing for me. Those songs you've been humming."

"Some of them are old lullabies Mum used to sing, others were songs that I wrote. A few you helped with as much as you could." He laughed.

A few beats, then—

"Tommy..."

"Yeah Wil?"

Wilbur shifted so that he was lying down in the nest. It was a bit small for him now, but he did his best. After a few seconds, Tommy emerged from his blanket pile and curled up closer to him.

"What was it like for you? On land I mean?"

Tommy chuckled, "You don't even want to get me started about the foster system. They just throw you around to whoever will take you. Doesn't matter if you get moved near or far.

"Tubbo and Ranboo are originally from up around Snowchester, way up north. We met when we were all in a group home in Kinoko City, which is to the east of here.

"Ranboo and Tubbo had been passed around so much, bouncing from one home to another. Eventually it was pretty clear that no one was going to take them together, and they fought the social workers tooth and nail to keep from being split up," he chuckled.

"I remember when I moved into the group home, I went straight up to the room I was assigned while the rest of them were having dinner. I crawled under one of the beds and refused to come out for anything for like three days. The social worker was upset at first, then she started getting super worried about me because I wouldn't come out to eat or anything," he chuckled, "But Tubbo and Ranboo figured out pretty quickly that I'd sneak out when everyone was asleep or gone. I just didn't want to interact with anyone."

Wilbur laughed, "That's why Tubbo was checking under all the beds!"

Tommy let out a surprised laugh, "Did he really?"

"Mhm, that's what he said."

"He knows me too well."

"He's a good friend. They both are. I'm glad you three found each other."

Tommy laughed, "It wasn't always like that. Like I said, the first day I went straight to hiding under the bed—"

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

Tommy curled up tighter into himself as the chatter from the voices in the other room wrapped around him. He was fine. He was a big man, and he wasn't still crying about getting thrown out again.

He took a shaky breath as another sob threatened to escape. He had to be quiet. If he was quiet maybe the social workers would forget he was here. They'd forget about him and he could forget and just hide away for eternity. At least then he couldn't fuck anything up.

It wasn't his fault. He wasn't trying to be a 'problem child.' Everywhere he went just felt wrong. It felt too quiet, even in the noisiest environments (it was the wrong type of noise, he would tell himself, but he could never find the right type of noise). It felt too vulnerable, like he was seconds away from being ripped away (to be fair he was). Like something was missing. That feeling of safety, of peace that he longed for was never in any of the homes that he went to. In fact, he'd only ever felt it once.

It was when one of his foster families had taken him with them on vacation when he was about ten. (He liked that family. He wondered how Shroud was doing. He misses her). It wasn't usual that foster families would take him on vacation, but this one did, and he will never forget it. He'll never forget the way that he perked up as the salty air nipped at his senses as he got out of the car. He'll never forget splashing in the ocean with Shroud, or how peaceful the ocean made him feel, despite his foster parents telling him it was okay to be wary of it.

He felt safe there. He felt at home there by the sea.

And then it was gone. Back to the city, back to moving around. He had hoped he would be able to stay with Shroud and her family, but it didn't work out. Instead, he begged to be moved to L'manburg, but of course that didn't happen either. Rather, he was carted around to a few more houses in that city before he was taken to yet another big city, Kinoko City. He went in and out of homes, going through four in two weeks one time, a feat which had seemed impossible to the social worker assigned to him, and yet she sighed heavily every time Tommy ended up back in her care with a tight 'He's not a good fit for us.' Eventually she gave up, and he was put in a group home.

Which brings him back to where he is now. It's so loud. And it's still not the kind of noise that he's longing for. He frowned, curling up even tighter into a ball as he willed his tears to stop. He lifted his head up slightly as the bed shifted, and then suddenly he was face to face with another boy who was staring at him upside-down, his green eyes brimming with concern.

Tommy did not shriek. Definitely not.

"Are you okay? You've been under there for a couple days. It can't be comfortable."

Tommy's voice was hoarse from his half-crying, so he instead decided to glare back at the boy, baring his teeth with a sound that was almost like a hiss. His face was barely visible in the shadows of underneath the bed, but he hoped it would instill a sense of 'get the fuck away from me'. He wanted to be alone thank you very much.

To his annoyance instead of leaving, the boy just flopped onto the floor, rolling so he was right-side up. "I'm Tubbo, and my best friend Ranboo is sitting out on one of the other beds, but we're your roommates. What's your name?"

Tommy just glared back at him deeper, not saying anything. (Would he get the hint and just go already?)

"That's okay. I know moving to a new place can be rough. I'm from Snowchester. It's a lot colder up there than it is here, and that's been throwing me off a lot..."

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

Tubbo was... odd. That's the only way Tommy could really describe him. He didn't really care that Tommy wasn't responding to him, he just proceeded to ramble on about Snowchester and the weather, and about the different places that Ranboo and him had been placed in. Apparently, they were a package deal. It must be nice. He never had anyone like that.

Except Shroud. And some distant fleeting thought that scratched at his brain and made him long for a person he knew didn't exist. Made him long for a family, for soft touches and love that he didn't have. That as far as he could remember he never had.

It took a few hours, but eventually Tommy scooted closer and closer and eventually crawled out from under the bed. Tubbo gave him an encouraging smile, but didn't stop his story. It was a gesture of 'I see you, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of it.'

He appreciated it.

They sat together for a few hours, Tommy finding himself enjoying the company.

Eventually the three of them became inseparable. If the social worker thought it was impossible to find a home that would take both Ranboo and Tubbo, now it was even worse as they insisted on staying with Tommy too. (He's pretty sure Tubbo blackmailed the social worker somehow. He's never seen someone change their tune so fast before. Especially not a social worker.)

He eventually opened up to them. He told them about his fears and wants. His hopes and dreams.

But through all of it, there was a constant that stayed with him.

°•☆•°•☆•°•☆•°

Tommy shrugged, "I... really don't... didn't remember much about my life before going into foster care. Visiting L'manburg with a foster family was one of my most cherished memories though, so when Tubbo and Ranboo asked me what my vote was for where to live, it's what I chose almost immediately. Here always felt the closest to home, it felt safe," his voice fell to a whisper, "I never could figure it out, but I... I finally know why now. It was the closest to home."

"You know, I never stopped worrying about you."

Tommy shifted his head so he was looking at Wilbur, "Really?"

"Really. I told Techno that as soon as we could sneak out without the whole kingdom coming down on us, we'd travel to find you. That never ended up happening, but it's the thought that counts."

Tommy hummed, and Wilbur chuckled.

"Do you think you can go back to the house?"

"Only if you come with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo had been pacing around the room since Wilbur left. Ranboo and Aimsey had come back a little while later, both without any trace of Tommy. There wasn't a sign of Tommy anywhere. He could only hope his best friend was okay.

Techno sighed, eyes not leaving the book he was reading, "I keep telling you, we'll tell you when Orpheus brings Theseus back."

Tubbo spun around, "One , how do you keep doing that, I swear I'm not saying that out loud. And two, why do you keep calling Tommy that?"

Time seemed to slow as the front door creaked open.

And then everything moved at once.

As soon as Tommy walked into the room, Tubbo flung himself at him, sending them both to the floor in a tangle of limbs and a cacophony of chirps and trills.

Eventually Tubbo ended up on top, pinning Tommy to the ground and staring at him with a deep glare, "Don't you ever fucking do that again! I was so worried about you!" Tubbo hissed, sharp enough that Tommy let out a small warble of an apology.

Tubbo hummed, "Okay, I guess I can forgi— ack!"

Tommy took the opportunity to throw off Tubbo's balance, and the two started playfully wrestling on the floor.

Phil was instantly on his feet, looking between the two boys that had gone from practically fighting to playing in literally no time, and his middle child who just walked in the door.

Wilbur bit his lip gently, "I think..." he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I think we're both ready to talk now."

Tubbo and Tommy had managed to untangle themselves and were now laughing on the floor.

When Wilbur fully walked into the room, Tommy quieted down, shooting him a questioning look. Wilbur nodded back, gesturing over to the couch. Tommy's face fell slightly but he nodded, sitting up and making his way over to sit next to Wilbur on the floor.

Tubbo looked over to where his friend was retreating, suddenly very aware of Tommy's sudden shift in mood, "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Phil glanced between Tubbo, Ranboo and Aimsey, "Do you want them to sta—"

"They stay. They're as much a part of this as I am now," Tommy insisted and Phil nodded.

He gestured to the couch where Ranboo and Aimsey were currently sitting, and Tubbo silently crept over to sit with them, still stealing worried glances over at Tommy.

Once everyone was situated, Phil took a deep breath, sighing softly.

He looked to Tubbo, Ranboo, and Aimsey first, "Since the three of you were under entrancement the last time I saw you, let's start at the beginning again. My mer name is Thanatos, I'm the husband of the Moon Goddess Kristin, who you humans refer to as Selene, and these are my sons. The twins, Orpheus and Ares," he said, gesturing to Wilbur and Techno, then he paused, a warm smile on his face as he glanced over to Tommy, "and I believe you know Theseus very well."

Tommy's gaze fell to the floor as the other three's expressions first morphed into confusion, then shock.

Tubbo laughed uneasily, "Wait... you mean Tommy? You're... joking right? You've got to be. Tommy was human until last month. I've known him for years. We've been swimming together so many times, and nothing has ever happened. There's no way he's a natural mer. We would have known. Tell him Tommy!"

Tommy pulled his knees up to his chest and kept his gaze to the ground, "I didn't want to believe them either but... I think they might be right. That... I'm the crown prince. I'm their missing little brother. I... I apparently have his powers."

Silence wrapped its way around the group.

Ranboo shook his head, "Tommy, that's a big thing to just dump on you." He glared over at Phil, "That's a big thing to just dump on him! Also... multiple mer can have the same powers," they pointed out, "Both Wilbur and Tubbo can make storms. How do you know for certain Tommy is Theseus?"

Aimsey sputtered for a second, "Wait, go back, Tubbo can make storms now?"

Tubbo held up his hand, "Kind of, it’s a long story. I'll tell you later."

Wilbur nodded to Ranboo, "You're right, to a point. That's full moon magic, but Theseus is also able to use new moon magic. That's magic like the siren voice and entrancement, which Tommy has used. Only Phil's three sons can naturally use it, because we inherited it from him. So... it kinda can't be anyone else."

Tubbo scooted closer to Tommy and pulled him into a hug. Tommy immediately curled up into his best friend's hold.

"Hey, hey Tommy it's okay. This isn't something to be scared of, in fact this is what you've always wanted! To find a family that loves you and will take you for who you are. And... even better, if this is true, you've found your real family, who are mer. Tommy that's fucking sick as hell!"

"If I am him, then why..." Tommy glanced out at Phil, "Why did you leave me? Why don't I remember you? Why don't I remember anything about being a mer?"

Phil closed his eyes for a second, steeling himself for the conversation that was about to unfold, "In order to answer that, I have to explain what happened 13 years ago. Does the name Nyx mean anything to you?"

Aimsey shook their head, while Tubbo and Ranboo shared a glance.

Tubbo went to answer, but he noticed that Phil's gaze was focused on Tommy, and that Tommy was frowning in concentration.

"Like everything else, the name seems familiar but... not quite there. Were they... a friend?" Tommy turned to Wilbur, "Were you and Techno friends with them?"

Emotions quickly flashed over Wilbur’s face, but he sighed, shaking them away gently, "Once. We were the same age. He was a changeling like you three. We were taking some of the same classes, although he thought he was better than everyone else because of his powers."

"Okay... so you were friends at one point," Tommy paused for a few seconds, then shook his head, "Other than what Wilbur told us, of him overthrowing the crown prince, nothing else comes to mind. Sorry."

Wilbur looked up at Phil, "Can't you undo it? It's your magic."

Phil shook his head, "Not now. It would be too dangerous for him. He could lose the memories he's made since, or his old memories could disappear completely. It's safer to just let the magic fully unwind itself at this point, even if it is slower."

Wilbur huffed, "'Course you can't. That would be too easy."

Techno shot Wilbur a glare, "Orpheus, calm down. He's trying his best."

Wilbur scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "Oh, forgive me Ares, for thinking the one that got us into this mess could get us out of it!"

Tommy's gaze bounced between the two of them, "What are you arguing about?"

Wilbur shrugged and leaned back against the couch, "Well that's up to Phil to tell you."

Techno sighed heavily, "Will you knock off your attitude? You're making this harder than it needs to be for all of us!"

"You know what? That's it !"

Wilbur launched himself at Techno, who wasn't expecting the sudden attack. The two ended up rolling in a heap on the floor, while Phil ran his hands down his face, clearly wanting to be anywhere but in the current situation.

The moon ring on his hand lit up, and then he spread his arms, and both Wilbur and Techno were pulled apart to opposite ends of the room.

"Will you two knock it off! This is not the time ."

"He started it!" they both accused and Phil gave a low warning hiss.

"Last warning. I'm not playing this game right now."

Both immediately fell silent, refusing to look at each other or their father.

Phil sighed, "That's what I thought. Now behave. We have a lot to discuss. If you can't behave, I will make you. This is important enough."

He set the twins down, and Wilbur sulked back over to where Tommy was sitting, pulling his knees up to his chest and settling with a huff and a roll of his eyes.

Techno on the other hand smoothed out his clothes as he returned to his own chair, refusing to look over at Wilbur.

Phil looked between the two of them, "Now that that's been taken care of, we can go back to what we were talking about. First off, Wilbur told me you've been having nightmares."

Tommy nodded, "Well, I called them nightmares because I didn't know what they were, and they were freaking me out. Not all of them were clear, but the one I had earlier was so real that I still can't believe it was a dream."

Wilbur nudged Tommy's shoulder gently, "You don't have to, but do you remember what it was about?"

He nodded, "I was a mer, and I was in a part of the ocean I've never been in. The sea floor dropped off, and I swam down deeper into it. Eventually there was like, this giant underwater city with all sorts of crystalline structures built into the cliffs."

"Essempi," Wilbur spoke softly, and Tommy shot his head towards him.

"Wait... what?"

"You're describing Essempi. Anyways, sorry keep going."

Tommy hummed in concentration, "Okay so... there was a castle, and I went up to the doors and then I was in a hallway. It opened up into this gorgeous room with a moon mural on the floor. Then I met another mer. She had long dark hair and purple and black scales. She was really pretty."

Wilbur, Phil, and Techno all visibly reacted. Tommy furrowed his brow, "Who... do you know her?"

"Mum. You saw Mum Tommy," Wilbur whispered.

"Did she say anything to you?" Phil asked and Tommy nodded.

"She told me that she was proud of me, and that... I needed to find and learn to use all my powers. I needed to find you three, and Tubbo, Ranboo, and I needed to work together as one."

A silence wrapped its way over the room, until Techno spoke up in an unusually soft tone, "Did she look... I mean was she doin' alright?"

Tommy nodded, "I think so."

"If Kristin says that you boys need to work together, then I think it's best to get all of you up to speed on our situation. Forgive me, but there's a lot to catch you up on."

Tommy looked back to the others, who all nodded. He turned and nodded to Phil, who began.

"When a new ruler has to be chosen, the mantle typically falls upon the mer with the powers best suited to protect the pod, which usually ends up being the mer with strongest connection to the moon. Other mer may have strong powers that may not be useful in protecting the pod on their own, but are useful in the bigger picture. In this case, most mer pods, ours included, have a group of mer that work with the "leader" for the betterment of the pod. In Essempi, we call them the court."

He continued, "What no one was expecting, was for the moon goddess to have children, let alone twins. Everything seemed to shift overnight. Instead of going based off of a mer's moon connection, wasn't it right that one of the goddess' sons would get the throne? They were the literal children of the embodiment of the moon after all. How would they decide which one got the throne? The oldest? The most powerful? The court was up in arms, but Kristin specifically said that the tradition would continue. She didn't want to turn our society on its head because of her own desire for a family. For life."

Aimsey spoke up, "Why wasn't the moon goddess ruling?"

Phil smiled, "She was, but she couldn't stay in her mer form forever. She already toed way too many lines and crossed many more. I shouldn't be here in my current form, and neither should the boys," he smiled, "She always told me that the gift of life, of change and growth was more beautiful than anything that she could ever hope to attain as just a goddess. She knew she couldn't stay forever, but she didn't realize quite the effect her actions would cause. Neither of us did.

"It was fine until Orpheus started developing a siren voice, a strong one at that. A dark magic that hadn't been seen since the last crownguard was disbanded. It turns out, the twins had inherited bits of the magic she gave me as well. Magic that had been lost to time. A mer that could use both full moon and new moon magic without specifically being blessed with it was both unheard of, and ridiculously powerful. He was slated to take the throne almost immediately."

Tubbo frowned, "What does that have to do with Nyx?"

Phil chuckled, "Patience Tubbo, I’m getting to that. You need to know the full picture in order to understand."

Ranboo chuckled as Tubbo slouched back into the couch.

Phil continued, "Nyx was a very special mer. The pod was made aware of him when he was eleven. On top of being a changeling, which is rare in and of itself, he had one of the strongest magics out of any mer that I've ever known. His power was unlike anything that I had ever seen. Kristin called it Essence Manipulation."

Tubbo tilted his head, "What's that?"

"Each power of the moon has its own essence, which is energy that we create from the moon's energy to use our powers. Most mer have one specific power or a group of powers that they can weave essence for. Nyx was able to use his powers to take that essence from other mer."

Aimsey frowned, "Wait, so he could steal other mer's powers? Does that just leave the other mer powerless or?"

Wilbur piped up, "Since the moon's not always full, and we're not always directly receiving new energy, every mer has what we call an essence well. It's basically a battery for our powers. Every full moon, we store the moon's energy in the well, and then when we need to use our powers, we weave that energy into essence that we can use to channel our powers. Our specific connections to the moon dictate the type of essence we have an innate ability to create from the moon's energy."

Techno continued, "Like Dad said, most mer have one main power, maybe two. If they have multiple, they're all linked together in some way, like Orpheus' powers over the weather. While we can combine our powers externally, certain essences don't tend to mix well, which is why you never see certain powers manifesting together."

Phil nodded at both his sons, "Nyx on the other hand is different. His powers allow him to take and store any essence in his well for later use, essentially like mini bursts of those powers. Once he uses the essence, it's gone unless he refills it. So yes, he can 'steal' powers, but it's only in a limited amount. Although Nyx..."

Wilbur scowled, "Nyx liked taking powers, without warning mostly, and he liked to take a lot. I found myself drained quite a few times because he took way too much. Which when you only are able to get moon energy once a month…"

Ranboo piped up, "So mer with Essence Manipulation take essence from other mer, and then can use that essence to use that other mer's powers. But they can only use it until they run out of essence, and then they need to get more essence in order to have powers again."

Phil nodded, "That's correct."

"The twins and Nyx were put in the same classes for two years, all of them learning how to train and use their powers. Nyx was a bit of a special case since we had never seen powers like his before. Kristin and her court decided that Orpheus would still get the throne, but that Nyx would become a member of his court."

"And then Theseus started getting his powers," Wilbur said with a soft smile, reaching over and ruffling Tommy's hair gently.

Phil smiled fondly at Tommy, "Our little light. None of us expected how much you would change everything."

"What did I do?" Tommy gingerly asked.

"Remember how Wil and Techno mentioned essence wells?"

Tommy nodded.

"While Kristin had no specific power of her own, she could manipulate pure moon magic, and easily weave it into any essence she wished. She could freely mix powers too."

Wilbur spoke up, "Moon rings actually also contain pure moon magic. Mer can release that magic for more complex spells, like for example giving ourselves legs. They can also be used to quickly recharge a bit if needed."

Tommy tilted his head, "If she could manipulate pure moon magic, could she change forms without a moon ring?"

Phil nodded.

"Then what does that mean for us? The three of us can change without a ring too," Tubbo questioned.

"Well... what none of us were expecting, was that Theseus inherited his mother's ability to control moon magic. We didn't suspect anything at first, but when Thes was being taught how to weave essence, he was able to easily weave any essence he was taught.

"Since you two were in the moon pool when Theseus regained his connection to the moon, you three actually split those powers and his blessing. The split must have given you each the intuition to weave and manipulate specific essences."

The three boys shared a look.

"Blessing?" Tubbo asked and silence crept around the room.

Tommy's eyes widened, "The moon was blue," he whispered and Wilbur’s head shot towards him.

"That night, the moon was blue, and there were people trying to get me all dressed up nice. I absolutely hated it," he paused for a second, and Wilbur nodded.

"The night of the ceremony was the night of the blue moon, a very special alignment of the celestial bodies. It releases the purest form of moon energy. That year, when you turned five, the goddess of the moon was among mer, and was set to use the blue moon to give a blessing to her youngest son, the new crown prince. You."

Tommy hummed as he thought a bit more.

Scratchy headpieces and uptight manners.

"I didn't want to do the ceremony. I wanted to play, and the advisors, the court I think, they kept insisting that I had to hold still and be proper and wear this scratchy headpiece."

Boredom.

"I remember being in a hallway... and I remember being really bored."

Tommy looked up from the ground to see Phil, Techno and Wilbur staring at him intently. He bristled slightly.

"What?"

Wilbur set his hand gently on Tommy's and gave it a slight squeeze.

"It's just... we've never known exactly what happened to you that night."

"Oh," Tommy whispered and Phil gave him a soft smile.

"If you're willing to continue thinking about it, we would love to know what you remember."

An offer of escape from an unwanted situation.

"There was another mer. He wasn't an advisor I don't think? He had a bright green tail."

"Nyx," Wilbur supplied, and Tommy nodded.

"Okay, Nyx. He... I remember him taking me back to my room I think it was."

Peace, Fun.

"I remember playing. I didn't have to wear the scratchy headpiece anymore."

Phil frowned, "Did Nyx stay with you?"

Tommy thought for a moment, "I don't really remember, I don't think so? I think he may have led me in there and then left."

Confusion.

"I remember confusion. Mum, I think found me, and she was crying and looked scared. I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't know what I did wrong."

Soft hands holding him, soft whispers dancing through his hair.

"She held me, I think remember her holding me. I remember..."

A featherlight kiss to his scalp, and then an empty room.

"She whispered something and then I opened my eyes, and she was gone. I was so scared."

He frowned, "Then it's fuzzy. Well... fuzzier."

Tommy looked over to Phil to see tears starting to form in his eyes.

"What happened for us was a bit more chaotic. The advisors lost track of you and panicked. Nyx said over linkshell that you were with him, and he was bringing you to the ceremony. Your mother started the ceremony, preparing everything for you to just swim in to receive your blessing. But instead of you..."

"Nyx swam in and took your place," Wilbur hissed, "Mum tried to stop it, but the deed was done."

"Once we realized that you were still missing, your mother took half of the court and moved to find you while the other half stayed with me to deal with Nyx."

"What did the blessing do?" Ranboo asked

"Remember how we mentioned that Nyx had to take essence from others in order to use his powers?" Techno asked, and they nodded, "Theseus' blessing was a full link directly to the moon's energy, like Mum's. He wouldn't be reliant on the full moon to use his powers. It's different from a normal mer's connection, in the sense that it basically meant he would never run out of magic. For Nyx, this meant that he no longer ran out of essence that he stole. At all. Considering the fact that he could take and store any and all powers, you can see how that would get out of hand."

Phil frowned, "Your mother found you in your room, with the door locked. You seemed fine, but your mother and I knew that what Nyx wanted was power, and it was only a matter of time before he went looking for more. If he ever found out that you could manipulate pure moon energy, that your powers could weave any essence..."

"He would be a god," Wilbur spat, and the room fell silent.

"Your mother went to me and explained her concerns and her idea. Together we used the last of her magic to cast a spell before her mortal form faded. She blessed you with the same blessing that Nyx stole, but she did something more. She closed off your connection to the moon. We both knew that sooner or later, Nyx would figure out that you had your mother's powers. We thought the best thing to do was to hide you where Nyx couldn't find you," he sighed, sadness crossing his face, "We also knew that if Nyx did try to find you, you would be safer if you didn't remember that you were a mer. If you blended into the place you were hidden in. So, we used my magic to seal away your memories."

Tommy looked over to him, tears in his eyes, "You...?"

"I'm sorry. We truly believed it would give you the best chance to survive. We couldn't lose you. Not forever at least."

"You still lost me," Tommy pointed out, and Phil laughed wetly.

"We did, but you're alive. That's the most important thing to me."

Wilbur spoke up softly, "Before Mum left, she gave a prophecy we've been guarding for thirteen years."

"A prophecy?" Ranboo asked, and Wilbur nodded.

He recited,

One will become three, the moon's powers again free. Gifts given to young mer who call the land home instead of the sea.

A landlocked siren, with others his destiny is intertwined. Hidden from the sea, his heritage denied.

The spoiled will return, his conquest unending. The siren his prize, his fate impending.

The vessel of the moon awakens, the destiny of the one that was taken.

The moon becomes red, the fates of each sealed. A sacrifice made, a choice now revealed.

Chains are bound, and memories fade. A deal is made, a jab at fate.

The four shared a look before looking back to Wilbur.

Techno spoke up, "We know that the three of you are the 'mer that call the land home instead of the sea.' That's actually why Wilbur basically attached himself to you when he found you."

Wilbur nodded, "We've also come to the conclusion that Thes is the 'landlocked siren'. Which makes 'the spoiled' most likely to be Nyx. I... always believed the vessel of the moon to be Mum, but now that I'm finally learning about your power, I think it's you."

Tommy looked confused, "Wait, you didn't know?"

Techno shook his head, "We always thought Nyx took your powers and memories. That's what we were told."

The room turned to stare at Phil who looked pained, "I was trying to protect both you and your brothers. If I told the twins the truth and Nyx took them for information..."

Tubbo nodded, "It's a hard place to be in, but I can honestly see both sides. It's really a no-win situation."

Aimsey looked between them all, "What does the end mean?"

Wilbur shrugged, and Phil sighed, "We're not sure exactly, but the moon turning red is a tell of a lunar eclipse."

"And to top it all off," Techno added, "Star charts point to a total lunar eclipse happening in the area in two cycles. Not this full moon, but next."

Aimsey nodded, "It could happen soon then."

Tubbo and Aimsey began to chatter about the prophecy, while Wilbur sighed, turning to Tommy, "There's... one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Dream is Nyx."

Chatter from the couch immediately stopped.

Tubbo folded his arms, "Well that certainly explains a lot."

Tommy shook his head, "He apologized for how he acted. He said he just wanted to find other mer, that he was alone, and he just went about it the wrong way."

Tubbo bristled, "You talked to him?"

"He found me after our fight. Nothing happened until Wilbur came and practically tried pulling me away from him for no reason."

Wilbur frowned, "Tommy, knowing what you do now. You were with Nyx. You know, the person that tried to overthrow us? Manipulated and terrorized mer society?"

"He doesn't remember that!" Tommy protested and Wilbur shook his head.

"He remembered my name. I've never met Dream before."

Tommy froze.

That... was true, wasn't it?

"But he... he said."

"He was trying to manipulate you, Tommy. To get you to trust him."

Techno spoke up, "Even if he didn't remember at first, he's in the same place you're in. His memories are starting to come back. It won't be long until we're right back where we started. But this time... we have you."

"This is a lot to take in," Tommy whispered, and Wilbur wrapped his arms around him, a gentle calm washing over him.

"I know it's a lot right now, but it will make sense later. We just wanted to try to help catch you up."

Wilbur looked over to Phil, "I'm taking him home."

Phil nodded again, and the others stood up.

"We should be going too. It's super late," Aimsey commented and Phil nodded.

After the group of people filed out of the house, Phil let out a sigh, going back to pacing around the room.

Techno stood up, putting a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You did fine. It's a lot to take in, and he's got Wil and his friends. You didn't break him, he's a strong kid."

"But what if—"

"Nope, none of that. Now come on old man, it's time for bed. Even ancient mer need sleep."

"I'm not ancient."

"Keep telling yourself that," Techno laughed as he retreated to his room.

"ARES, I SWEAR—"

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo never missed work.

He would get sick occasionally sure, but he would always call out, or at least say something to Ranboo beforehand.

So, when Ranboo showed up for his shift after a swim and Tubbo wasn't there, he checked the time to make sure he wasn't early.

When Tubbo's shift start time came and went, he checked to make sure it really was Tuesday.

When Clementine pulled them aside and asked if they had heard from Tubbo, they shook their head.

She frowned, "But... don't you live with him? Surely, he must have said something to you. Tubbo never misses a shift without telling someone."

"I've been gone most of the morning, and Tubbo was still in his room when I left. He didn't mention anything so I just assumed everything was fine. I can try calling him?"

"Please. He's not answering any of my calls. It's really unlike him."

Ranboo frowned as he tapped on Tubbo's contact and dialed.

It was really unlike him...

Unless …

It went to voicemail, and Ranboo sighed, leaving a message before hanging up.

The only times they had ever seen Tubbo completely neglect everything was when he was completely engrossed in a project.

Clementine shot him a look from the counter, and he shook his head in response.

She sighed, taking a customer's order as Ranboo's thoughts were interrupted by a customer asking a question.

Something was off with Tubbo, and he was going to figure out what.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The flat was silent when they got home. The lights were off, and everything was just how it was when they left that morning.

Ranboo took his shoes off at the door, and then walked down the hallway to Tubbo's door.

They contemplated for a few seconds, and then knocked.

"Tubbo? Are you okay? You missed work today."

After a few seconds of silence they sighed, knocking again, "I'm going to come in, don't be upset."

The scene on the other side of the door was about what Ranboo expected to see. Quite a few of Tubbo's things were scattered on the floor and bed, as his desk was cleared off for what he was currently working on. On his desk sat two microscopes, and Tubbo was peering into one of them, while using one of his hands to use his powers to gently add droplets of liquid onto the slide he was looking at. On top of the liquid that he was depositing onto the slide, there were small orbs of different colored fluids floating around the desk, with still other liquids in glass beakers on the windowsill and what space was left on the desk.

What Ranboo honed in on though, was a bandage that wrapped around Tubbo's leg, just below his knee.

"Tubbo... how'd you get hurt?"

Tubbo exhaled sharply as he gestured at one of the bubbles of liquid to bring it closer.

"'M fine."

"You missed work today, you're injured, and you're not talking to me. I'd say that's pretty not fine."

"Leave me alone, I'm busy."

Ranboo walked further into the room, peaking at the liquids and other machinations that were on the desk.

"What are you researching?"

Tubbo rolled his chair over to the other microscope.

"Us."

Ranboo paused, a confused look on their face.

"Us?"

Tubbo sighed heavily, finally turning to face Ranboo.

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

Ranboo shrugged, "No promises. I'm worried about you."

Tubbo rolled his eyes, "Fine. I'm keeping my word."

Ranboo blinked at him, "Your... word?"

"I'm figuring out what changed us and how to reverse it, or at the very least negate it temporarily."

"I... Tubbo are you serious? After everything Phil said to us?"

"After everything Phil said to us, it's clear we weren't meant to be mer. Just Tommy. So that means if I can figure out exactly how we got our powers, I can figure out how to get rid of them, or at least negate our transformations for a while," He paused, "Do you think Phil knows how to get rid of our powers?"

Ranboo was stunned.

"You're... kidding right? Tubbo, you're literally using your powers to research how to get rid of your powers. You're mixing chemicals and substances without even having to touch them. And you love going for swims out on the reef. Why would you want to give this up?"

Tubbo stiffened, turning his back to Ranboo again as he announced, "I'm accepting the scholarship. That gives me from now until the end of the summer to find a cure."

"A cure? Tubbo you're treating this like it's a harmful disease, not... I don't know, basically getting superpowers. Do you really want to give this up and just go back to being normal?"

"You don't get it! Neither of you do! You both only seem to see the good in this, what about all the bad it's caused? We're freaks! We can barely live normal lives, instead we're tip-toeing around not spilling this secret out for the world to see. You two may be fine with this, but I can't be. If I don't take this scholarship, I have nothing. Nothing Boo!"

"You have us," Ranboo said softly.

Tubbo spun back towards his desk, "It's not the same. You wouldn't understand. Neither of you would understand."

Ranboo tried to gently pry again, "I... I can try. We've been through so much Tubbo, and I went through a lot before you met me too. I may not be able to understand fully, but I'm here to listen. I'm here to help you."

A shaky exhale left Tubbo's lips as he went back to working on his experiment. What would seem like dismissal to most, Ranboo knew was just contemplation.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tubbo sighed, "I need to take this scholarship. I've never been good enough at anything else. To lose this is to throw away the only opportunity I'm ever going to get."

When Tubbo paused long enough that Ranboo was sure he wasn't going to interrupt, he responded, "Tubbo, that's not true. You're so smart! Sure, you have trouble with some things, but everyone does. For example, I know you can list every single chemical that you have floating around you, and tell me exactly what they do. You know I couldn't tell you what they were besides stuff like 'the blue one' and 'that clear one.'"

"I need it Boo. You don't... you don't get it."

"Then help me get it Tubs."

Tubbo stiffened, shaking his head as he tried to go back to his experiment again, but it was clear to Ranboo that he was just poking at it. He was trying to deflect.

"Tubbo, I'm sorry but we have to talk about this. This is a big deal—"

"IT WAS THE ONE THING," Tubbo yelled, and Ranboo immediately quieted.

"The one thing my dad said I'd never be able to do," Tubbo finished, quieter this time, "He always said I'd never amount to anything and I'd never be able to accomplish what I wanted to. Hell, I told him my dream of getting into the marine park's scholarship program and he laughed in my face. He told me I would never be smart enough to finish school, let alone get into a prestigious program because of my dyslexia and learning disabilities. And besides that, we lived so far away from L'Manburg that he insisted it wasn't an option. That I should just give up on my dreams and pick something more 'practical'. After I went into the system and got a chance, my whole goal in life was to prove him wrong. To prove that I could."

He scowled, slamming his hands on the desk, "And look what happened, I get the opportunity and the universe laughs in my face, because no matter what I'm still not good enough!"

Ranboo was quiet for a few seconds, before he softly spoke again, "Tubbo, you've accomplished so much. Your worth isn't measured by what program you got into or what grades you got. It's your personality and your sense of humor. It's your kindness and ability to hold Tommy and I up when we're having a rough day. Tubbo, you don't have to prove yourself to us or to any of our friends. You're special, and worth so much just how you are."

Tubbo shook his head, "I have to do this, I have to prove myself to—"

"Why?"

Tubbo's eyes shot up to meet with Ranboo's for the first time.

Ranboo pressed again, "Why do you feel the need to prove yourself to someone who's not in your life anymore? He's gone Tubs. Your self-worth is your own. It's not his."

Tubbo stayed silent, eyes dropping to the ground as he pulled on the hem of his shirt.

Ranboo's features softened, a realization finally hitting them, "Tubbo... do you think you're good enough?"

Tubbo silently shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. Ranboo's heart shattered as he quickly closed the gap between them, scooping Tubbo into a hug as he began to cry.

"Oh Tubbo... Bo, you're amazing, you'll always be good enough for me and Tommy. You've done so many amazing things from the time I've known you. You brought Tommy out of his shell. You brought me out of my shell. You're genuinely so good at science-y stuff. Honestly Tubbo, if anyone's going to learn about what happened to us and the intricacies of our powers, it's going to be you."

Ranboo paused for a few seconds, then quietly added on, "If you truly want to take the scholarship, I'll support you. So will Tommy. We love you Bo. But, you have to promise me that your decision will be what you want to do. Not what your dad wanted, not what you think you should want, but what you actually truly want."

He felt a small nod, and then Tubbo pulled away, tear marks still on his face, but with a soft smile.

"...thank you. I really don't deserve you."

"Nope, you definitely do," Ranboo smiled back and Tubbo giggled.

Ranboo's eyes fell back to the bandage, "Now, how did you get hurt?"

Tubbo's eyes followed Ranboo's and he winced slightly, "It's not as bad as it looks, it was just bleeding a bit and I didn't want to get anything in the wound while I was working."

"Bo..."

Tubbo rolled his eyes fondly and turned back to the scopes. "You're such a mother hen sometimes. I just plucked some scales from my tail and it transferred to my human form. I'm fine."

Ranboo blinked. That was... actually good to know.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Tubbo carefully took off the bandage, making sure to show Ranboo. The wound had closed itself up, and there were the beginnings of scabs where what looked like a few small scrapes had been.

"See? I'm fine. The bandage was to keep it safe from any accidents more than anything else."

Ranboo nodded, still not entirely convinced. "Okay... well did you find anything?"

Tubbo exhaled, "Not as much as I would have liked. Apparently, almost anything with any sort of water in it triggers a reaction."

He used his powers to drop a few drops of a liquid on what looked like a piece of skin on one of the slides, and within a few seconds it was a scale again.

"However "

Ranboo's eyes shot from the slide to Tubbo.

"If I dab up the water with a towel fast enough, it doesn't transform. That's great to know for accidental spills."

Ranboo tilted their head, "How fast is 'fast enough'?"

"Before the transformation occurs. If the skin isn't in direct contact with water, it won't transform."

"Huh."

Tubbo nodded, "It's good to know though. I'll have to let Tommy and Wilbur know. Well, Wil might already know but—"

"How long have you been here for?" Ranboo interrupted.

Tubbo paused, "What time is it?"

"Like 6?"

Tubbo winced, "Uh..."

"Nope! You're face says enough. Come on, we're going for a swim. No buts!"

"Bu—"

"No buts!" Ranboo repeated as he laughed, pulling Tubbo along as they left their apartment.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo sighed softly as they glided gently through the water

There was something so different about swimming as a mer. It felt like the difference between being a part of the ocean and just being a visitor.

It felt like home.

And yet... that scared him a bit.

He knew that some mer lived on land, at least part time, but at the end of the day, they were creatures of the sea. Could he really realistically leave everything on land behind?

He hated how quickly part of him said yes.

He had his best friends with him, with access to a whole new world underwater that he had only ever seen in pictures and research presentations.

It seemed so easy to just lean into it, but at the same time... what about their other friends? They could probably make the case in the short-term that they'd moved, but what would they say if they were really questioned about it? What would—

"I can see you overthinking something."

Tubbo snapped out of his thoughts as Ranboo gently teased him.

"It was nothing really—"

Ranboo shrugged, "It's important enough for you to zone out. If you want to talk we can, I just thought you needed to get out of the house. Which... leads me to my idea."

Tubbo tilted his head, "Idea?"

"You said the marine program did a lot of underwater research on the wildlife and stuff right? So... why don't we mimic some of the research you'd do? Just for fun to see if you'd like it."

Tubbo was stunned for a few seconds before he let out a chuckle, "You're really something else you know that?"

He could see Ranboo's face light up, "Well?"

Tubbo thought for a moment, "There are several species that are tracked that live around Mako Island. Some are endangered, so the only way that they can really research them is if one goes into the park for rehabilitation. They'll give the specimen a tracker of some sort when they release it, and then they can map out habitats of it and the others around it. Other than that, we don't interact with them. It could mess up their balance, or the balance of their habitat."

Ranboo paused, deep in thought, "Humans might not be able to interact with them... but I bet we can!"

"What do you mean?"

"We're sea creatures Tubbo! We have an opportunity no human could have. I bet the scientists in that program would kill for the opportunity to explore the ocean like we can Tubs. We're a part of the ocean now. We can go wherever, interact with anything, see everything!"

And he couldn't really argue with that sentiment.

"Alright, but if we're doing this, we're following park protocol. No messing with the fish or animals. We're strictly observers unless a life is in danger."

Ranboo nodded, "That's fine with me. Lead the way, Bo."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tubbo had been diving before. Several times actually. It was required for one of the electives he took his senior year.

This was nothing like diving.

There was no awkward equipment to wear, no different way to breathe. There were no time limits, and there wasn't plastic between your eyes and the sea.

This was natural. Maybe even more natural than being on land.

He knew that goggles gave the best view of the sea to humans, but there was something about his sight as a mer that just made everything more crisp and clear. The sun was filtering through the water, giving a soft light to the seascape, but even as he peered into the darker crevices and small caves, he noticed his eyesight was much sharper and that he needed less light to see perfectly clearly.

He often had cursed the cumbersome lights that he had to carry around while diving, because it would often scare the fish away, or alert the creature he was tracking to his presence. Now however, he could observe from afar easily.

And oh, was it beautiful.

They quickly learned that while most of the sea creatures were wary of humans, that didn't really apply to them as mer. On several occasions Tubbo was startled by fish who would just swim up to him and swim circles around him. Still others would even seem to be trying to play with him.

Tubbo was chattering excitedly to Ranboo when he felt a bump on his shoulder. He quickly spun around to see a fish hovering in the water a few feet from him. He gave a confused look to Ranboo, who shrugged.

What shocked him was that same fish quickly swam up and bumped into his shoulder again, before it darted away, looking back to see if he followed.

It suddenly clicked, and Tubbo raced off to tag the fish back.

A few other fish joined into the game, and Tubbo and Ranboo laughed as they played with them. It was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced, but it was fun .

There was a magic to the sea that he had never experienced as a human, that he didn't think any human could ever truly experience.

Ranboo's words from before slammed into him like a truck.

Did he really want to give this up? To just be a human peering in?

A few hours ago, he was dead set on taking that scholarship, but now... why would he research ocean animals as a human when he could spend his time playing with them as a mer? He's learned so much in the short time that they had been out there (and he swears he's made some friends.)

"Do you want to explore the island a bit?"

Tubbo turned to look at Ranboo, "Like... on the island proper?"

Ranboo nodded, "We didn't really explore much when we went camping, and we haven't really explored places other than the Moon Pool since. Sooo, why don't we go explore on land a bit?"

On one hand, Tubbo didn't really want to leave the ocean, but on the other hand, Mako didn't seem like it was that far removed from it either.

He nodded, "Sure, I'm down. Maybe we'll find some other cool mer stuff."

Ranboo nodded, and the two of them took off towards the island.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Getting on the island was harder than they expected. While the Moon Pool gave them ready access from the sea, they didn't have an easy way to get up onto the island proper.

So... plan B.

Which was sunbathing on one of the more secluded beaches for a while. Dragging themselves up onto the shoreline far enough that they could dry off was rough. Tubbo never wanted to do that again. The wait was more relaxing than anything, although as he got closer and closer to transforming, he wanted nothing more than to get back in the water. Drying out sucked, and took so long without Tommy.

Eventually the two of them were able to go further inland to explore.

The island of Mako was mostly untouched by humans. It was off-limits from the general public, although illegal trespassing was a thing and he... had definitely not participated in it. Nope, not at all.

Because there wasn't a lot of human interaction with the island, most of the island was overgrown with hundreds of native species. It was gorgeous... and also somewhat dangerous. Tubbo managed to narrowly pull Ranboo away from several poisonous plants, while Ranboo couldn't seem to figure out how Tubbo could tell the difference. He could though, and Ranboo was very thankful.

During their brief exploration, Tubbo counted at least 30 plants that he had never seen on the mainland, but recognized from books that he had read on the island's unique ecosystem. He wondered how mer fit into that system. Did they help the island grow at all? He knew the pool provided somewhat of a catalyst for their powers. Was it a mutually beneficial relationship?

Tubbo was forcefully yanked from his thoughts as the two of them heard voices. The two shared a look as Ranboo grabbed Tubbo's hand and immediately vanished. Tubbo's hand shot up to his mouth as he tried not to let his squeak of surprise out.

A second later, Ranboo reappeared with a frown on his face, whispering, "I can't hide you with my powers. What are we going to do?"

"When... fuck, never mind. We have to hide somewhere, fast!"

The two ducked into some bushes (Tubbo deemed them safe for hiding), and stiffened slightly as two figures came into view.

Scientists.

More specifically, the head of the marine park, Eret, and a guy that Tubbo recognized as Fundy, Eret's assistant.

"What are they doing here?" Ranboo hissed, and Tubbo shrugged, whispering back, "They probably are doing research on the island. I've heard there were projects that involved the island, but I didn't realize they could come on the island."

The two huddled in the bush for a couple of minutes before Ranboo's face scrunched up. Tubbo shot him a questioning glance, and then realization clicked as he quickly shoved his hand over Ranboo's mask.

The sneeze still escaped, and the two figures stopped talking instantly, spinning around to face their bush.

Eret called out, "Whoever's there, you're currently trespassing on sanctioned property. Come out on your own, or I will come looking."

Silently cursing their luck, both of the boys stood up to their full height, coming into view.

"Tubbo?"

"Uh... hello Eret."

Eret was standing with their arms crossed looking very unimpressed.

"What are you two doing here?" Eret hissed, "You of all people should know this island is off-limits without a license, which I know that you don't have. You're illegally trespassing, and I'm going to need a good reason, or you both are going to be in serious trouble."

It took everything in Tubbo to hold back the hiss that his mer brain wanted so desperately to release. Trespassing? Trespassing?

"You're the one who's fucking tre—" Tubbo began to hiss as Ranboo grabbed his arm, pulling on it slightly while giving a quiet warning warble.

Control.

He had to...

Tubbo took a deep breath as he tried to shove the mer brain aside (how the hell did the other mer deal with it so easily? He swears he's never seen Wil struggle with it like they do—)

"Well?"

Tubbo snapped back to the situation. Right, Eret.

"It was a dare," Ranboo quickly spit out, giving a side glance to Tubbo who just nodded.

Eret raised a brow.

"We didn't see another boat, how did you two get out here?"

Tubbo started to panic.

"We, uh, got dropped off. We have to chill for an hour and they'll come back and get us."

He paused, hoping that he would sell the lie and they'd get off with a disappointed lecture and a warning.

Eret sighed, "Tubbo, this is the second time that you've been caught illegally trespassing on Mako Island, and I assume your friend was also with you the first time, meaning this is both of your second offenses."

Fuck.

Tubbo was fully panicking at this point. He was struggling with trying to act normal while his mer brain was practically screaming that there were intruders on the island and they needed to go and he agreed, but there were more pressing issues here. A glance at Ranboo led him to believe they were feeling similarly.

"Well, we're going to have to take you back to the mainland and take you in—"

A shrill whistle echoed throughout the trees. Tubbo first thought it to be a bird call, but it was loud enough that all four of them jumped, trying to find the sound.

Looking up in the trees above them, Tubbo noticed what seemed like a stream of water snaking through the trees. He bumped his foot gently into Ranboo's to get his attention, then gestured with his head towards the tree. Ranboo's eyes widened as they also saw the water.

The two boys watched as the water positioned itself over the two scientists before it started to fall, but midway through the fall, the water seemed to gain a consistency that Tubbo could only describe as slime.

The two watched with wide eyes as the two scientists were drenched in slime seemingly out of nowhere.

Then there were hands grabbing Tubbo from behind, and he bit back the urge to scream. Within seconds, he felt like he was being pulled back into the shadows, a haze descending over his vision, and looking to his right he couldn't see Ranboo. He inhaled to call for him and got a sharp warning hiss from behind him.

"Don't you dare blow our cover. I can only keep you hidden if you keep quiet. Now, walk with me, this way."

Tubbo made his way away from the slimed scientists, feeling a forceful palm, but not overly-so, nudging him along. Eventually they arrived in a clearing that had an inland lake in the middle of it.

The hand retracted, and Ranboo popped into visibility beside him. Tubbo didn't hide his shriek that time.

A chuckle sounded from behind them, and they both spun around to see a kid about their age, with dirty blonde hair and a purple hoodie, take a few steps away from them towards the lake.

"You two good?"

"Who... are you?" Ranboo questioned and the kid smirked.

"First thing's first," the kid said, then let out a whistling trill.

Tubbo and Ranboo responded with their own, although it was slightly different.

The kid lit up, "I was right! You two are mer! Mer name's Erebus, though you can call me Purpled. You're not from around here, are you? I don't recognize you."

Tubbo and Ranboo shared a glance.

"I'm Tubbo, that's Ranboo. We're uh... not natural mer."

A new voice appeared from the trees, "I think we're good, those scientists are trying to get the slime off their precious equipment."

Tubbo, Ranboo, and Purpled all spun around to take a look at the newcomer. They had dirty blonde hair like Purpled, but wore a white hoodie instead.

Purpled gestured to the tree line, "That guy's Caerus, you can call him Punz. Now... what's this about you two not being natural mer?"

Punz snapped his fingers, "You're the new changelings!"

Tubbo furrowed his brow, "Changelings? I've heard that before but—"

Punz nodded, "Humans that undergo metamorphosis from the moon pool, mer call them changelings. Wasn't there another one of you?"

Ranboo nodded, "Yeah, he's not here right now."

They weren't getting into that right now.

"Cae where's—"

"Did I goop them alright?"

Tubbo and Ranboo spun around to see a mer staring at them from the lake, bright green eyes with green scales that almost looked like slime dripping down his face.

Purpled smiled, "You gooped them very well Slime."

Tubbo shot Purpled a look, "Slime?"

Punz shrugged, "No one knows his real name. Everyone just calls him Slime, cuz that's what he does."

Ranboo blinked, "Wait, he turned the water into slime?"

"Yep, sure did!" Slime chirped, "I gooped and gunked them!"

Tubbo nodded, pointing to Slime, "Okay, you make slime," he pointed to Purpled, "You can make things…"  

"Invisible," Purpled supplied. Tubbo nodded, pointing to Punz, "And you..."

"Hydrokinesis. I can move water around."

Tubbo lit up, "So can I!"

Ranboo glanced between all of them, "So, who are you guys? Are you guys from Essempi?"

Purpled shrugged, "Not directly, we're the island guardians. We mostly stay hidden and don't really chase people off unless they snoop too much."

Punz nodded, "Those scientists were definitely too close to stuff. We'll have to tell Phil."

"Is Phil like... your boss or something?"

Purpled laughed, "Huh? No, he's just the one on the L'Manburg city council. If we want the humans to stay away from something he's the person to tell."

"Did you two need an escort back to the mainland?"

Tubbo and Ranboo shook their heads, "If we can get to the beach or the Moon Pool we can get home."

"Ooh! I can take you!" Slime piped up, "There are underwater tunnels mer have made that go around the island. I can take you to one that goes out to sea."

The two nodded before turning back to the others.

"Thanks, we really appreciate it," Ranboo said and the other two waved.

Purpled smiled, "Don't worry about it, we watch out for each other here. Stay safe, we'll see ya around."

The two dove into the water to join Slime, who showed them out to sea.

Even though he had to, Tubbo found himself not wanting to leave.

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Tommy sighed as he picked up another cup and started to make a coffee for a customer. It had been a few days since the new moon, but he still couldn't seem get rid of the buzzing underneath his skin.

He didn't really have a word to describe it. It wasn't quite fear, but it had the same effect on him. The best way that he could describe it would be anxiety, but that didn't feel right either. Anticipation? No, that seemed too positive.

He felt... off. Wrong. Out of place.

The part of his brain that was happy with who he was and what he was doing was suddenly at war with another part that he hadn't even known existed. To make matters worse, that alien part of his mind was apparently his actual mind, before whatever magic erased his memories. Sealed them away? He supposed they weren't really erased if he was starting to remember them.

That's what was happening... right?

He frowned. This was way too much to think about.

Being a mer? Cool.

Finding his family? Cool.

Being the crown prince of a kingdom that he didn't know existed while also apparently being the son of a moon goddess who passed her powers onto him?

Jury's still out on that one.

The one thing he really didn't want to touch was his whole 'vessel of the moon' situation. He didn't even want to think of what that meant for him. What did that even mean in general? Wilbur and Phil seemed to describe it like it was something different than his mer powers, but it also was interconnected? It had something to do with his mum, he knew that much.

His mum was a goddess. Did that make him a god? Demigod?

He set the cup of coffee down on the counter, calling the name as he turned to grab the next ticket, still lost in thought.

He thought it would be hard having Wilbur around, especially with the revelation that he was apparently his missing little brother. That it would change things, or that Wilbur would try to force his new identity onto him.

But he hasn't.

If anything, things have been the same as always, just with more hair ruffles and soft moments. Wilbur doesn't pry things from him, or act any differently. If anything, it almost seems like Wilbur’s content with letting Tommy be Tommy.

He's grateful for that. He's so grateful for that, at least until he can sort through his mind.

There are so many things he still doesn't understand, especially from his shattered perspective. Like Dream. Is he really as bad as his family (that was still weird to say) made him out to be? He seemed to be genuine when they were talking, but was Wilbur right that it was all a big ploy?

Tommy sighed. He knows Dream is Nyx, and that Nyx was a problem in the past... but maybe his halves were now fighting too. Maybe human Dream isn't a bad guy and he can win over whatever Nyx's ideas are... or were. Maybe he can change, maybe he has changed.

Was that too naïve a thought?

A quick tap on his shoulder from Quackity startled him out of his thoughts.

"Wilbur’s here, thought you'd want to take his order."

Tommy chuckled, "Sure you don't want to? I can tell you two have something going on."

"E-excuse me?" Quackity sputtered, while Tommy just stared him down.

"You heard me."

Quackity's face flushed slightly, "I... don't know what you mean. Anyways, he's your friend or whatever, go serve him!"

Quackity gently shoved him towards the counter, and Tommy chuckled under his breath, shaking his head gently as he mustered his best customer service voice.

"What can I get 'cha, ocean man?"

Wilbur blinked back at him with a look that was somewhere between complete bafflement and fondness.

"I beg your pardon?"

Tommy snickered, as he leaned his arms on the counter, "Ocean man."

Wilbur leaned down to meet his eyes with an easy smirk on his face.

"Ocean boy," he responded while booping Tommy on the nose, then in a voice that was just barely above a whisper, "Little guppy."

"Oi! Not a kid!" Tommy laughed as he batted Wilbur’s hand away, "Now what'll it be dumbass, you're holding up the line!"

Wilbur rolled his eyes, gesturing with a wave of his hand at the clear lack of people behind him.

Tommy shook his head, "Fine, but you're still holding up, my line. I've got lots to do you know."

Wilbur chuckled, his voice still quiet, "Is it a crime to want to hang out with my little brother?"

Tommy looked him up and down.

"In that outfit maybe."

Wilbur looked down with surprise on his features, "Oi! Tubbo helped me pick this out the other day! I only have so many, and he said it looked nice."

Tommy nodded sagely, "That does explain a lot."

Wilbur reached over to scruff his hair, "You're a little pest you know that?"

Tommy laughed as he ducked away from Wil's hand, "Takes one to know one! I'm making you your usual!"

Wilbur rolled his eyes fondly as he slid money across the counter to Tommy.

"I'm going to go read until your shift finishes. There's some things I'd like to talk to you about."

Tommy's playful mood dropped almost instantly, concern seeping in, "Is everything okay?"

Wilbur’s eyes widened at the sudden shift, "Huh? Oh! No! No, Tommy nothing's wrong! I just wanted to see if you wanted me to..." he leaned a bit closer, "help train you with your powers. And maybe we can talk a bit about them."

Tommy's face lit up, "Wait really?"

Wilbur nodded.

"Hell yeah! That sounds like fun! I'm almost done here and then—"

Wilbur laughed, "Take your time. I'm fairly certain that you won't be so excited once we start, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."

"You underestimate me big man. I'm Tommy Innit. Nothing's too boring when it comes to sea stuff!"

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"Wilburrrr," Tommy whined.

"Shh. You're supposed to be concentrating," Wilbur responded, his eyes still closed.

Tommy huffed, shifting slightly, "This isn't training. This is sitting in the cove with our eyes closed."

"Rebalancing your mental is important. Meditation helps align your emotions with the physical. Your powers are tightly intertwined with your emotions since you're young and inexperienced with them. It's important to know how to properly separate your essence from your emotions."

Tommy pouted, "What does that mean though? You keep saying things like that but it doesn't make any sense to me."

Wilbur took in another deep breath, letting it out slowly, "Our magic is influenced by our emotions. Strong emotions can lead to stronger spells, but at the same time can have unpredictable effects. As mer mature, we learn to control our essence more and slowly unbind the two. Emotions still play a part, but they aren't so intertwined. They don't control your powers, you do. It's important to remember that."

Tommy frowned, "So... when my powers go off without me trying to use them?"

"They're reacting to your emotions. If you feel in danger, your powers are going to try to help remove you from the situation. It's instinct. As you learn more, you'll learn to control those instinctual reactions and give yourself greater control over your powers."

Tommy hummed, "Okay, I guess that makes sense."

"Now, close your eyes, and focus on yourself. What do you feel?"

Tommy tilted his head, "Feel?"

"Just do it, you'll understand."

Tommy closed his eyes, settling back into his meditation.

What did he feel?

At first, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary from when he normally just sat still. It was just... sitting. He assumed that wasn't what Wilbur was looking for though, so he started really trying to take note of what he was feeling.

He was still a bit confused, but he was determined.

It was strange, the more he dug around in his mind, the more he noticed small things that he had never particularly paid attention to.

The main thing was the thrum of energy that he felt under his skin. Was that the buzzing feeling?

"I... can feel energy, I think. It's like this buzz under my skin."

"That's your essence. Your magic. Now, I want you to open your eyes."

Tommy opened his eyes and shot Wilbur a questioning look. In between the two of them was a small cloud that Wilbur seemed to have conjured.

Wilbur smiled, "This may not work, but training is all about seeing what works. I want you to focus your energy into the cloud. See if you can make lightning."

Tommy's eyes widened, "I can do that?"

"I told you before it was a possibility, let's see if you can."

Tommy reached out his hand towards the cloud, closing his eyes again. He could feel his powers start to react as he reached for them. It felt slightly different from when he normally used his powers, but it didn't feel wrong.

Instead, he decided to latch onto that feeling as he snapped his hand into a fist.

A loud crack echoed through the cove, causing Tommy to jump, eyes flying open to see a scorch mark under the cloud, and Wilbur’s bright smile.

"You figured that out faster than I thought you would," he chuckled, "although you were always a quick study when it came to magic."

He paused, "Now, the real question. Can you feel a difference between the two?"

Tommy thought for a moment before nodding, "When I try to boil something, it's a flow of energy. It's like, constant. With the lightning..."

He reached out a hand and performed the same motion, causing lightning to jump from the cloud and strike the ground again.

"It's very similar, but somehow more like a jolt of energy. It's like it's trying to get out as fast as possible."

Wilbur nodded, "Good. Learning to recognize what your different essences feel like will help you be able to separate them, especially when you're learning."

"What do your powers feel like?"

"They're all similar, since they all have to do with the weather, but they do have their tells. Lightning, like you said, is more like a jolt of energy. Wind is like a flow, and by increasing or decreasing that flow I can make the wind faster or slower. Rain is like a flow also, but it's less... airy? Snow is like rain but the magic feels a bit colder, almost like it has a bit of a nip to it. Of course, the reality is the differences are quite subtle, but if I had to try to differentiate them, that's what I'd say."

The small cloud faded away, and Wilbur leaned back on his hands in the sand, a gentle smile on his face.

"I know we've kinda been side stepping around the conversation these past few days but... is there anything you'd like to ask me? I promise I won't be upset if you don't remember things."

Tommy stilled for a second. He... knew this was coming, but to have Wilbur ask him if he wanted to talk instead of forcing him into the conversation...

"What were my powers before?"

Wilbur hummed, "Well, you were about five, so you were just learning the basics. What essence was, what that meant and then learning to use the powers that all mer know and can use."

"Wait, there are powers all mer can use?"

Wilbur nodded, "One of them is invisibility. All mer can make themselves invisible for brief periods, but there are mer where that is their main power. Their invisibility magic is much, much stronger, and can turn others invisible, and even entire pods or structures invisible if multiple mer with that power work together."

Wilbur chuckled at Tommy's look, then gently twisted his hand towards himself as he gently formed a fist. Instantly he vanished, and Tommy let out a squeak of surprise. A few seconds later Wilbur dropped his hand and he reappeared.

"That one... is a bit tricky for guppies to get control of. Sometimes they can get stuck being invisible, and a mer that can sense invisibility has to help them out of it."

Tommy thought for a moment then raised an eyebrow, "Did... that happen to you?"

He paused, cringing slightly, "...We don't talk about that, gremlin."

Tommy lit up, "WHAT! Wil, are you serious?"

Wilbur laughed, "The chronically invisible twin and the twin who has invisibility detection. It was a wild few months. Every time something would startle me even a little, my powers would kick in and poof! Gone. Techno was thankfully able to see me because of his powers, otherwise I'm not sure what Mum and Dad would have done. Dad freaked out the first time he couldn't find me, all while Techno insisted I was there. That's when he finally put two and two together."

Tommy giggled, "What else, what else?"

"All mer also have minor healing powers. If you've ever heard stories of mer healing humans, that's why. It's honestly funny how for every story about mer being ruthless killers, there are myths with them being helpful too."

"Wait, we can heal people?"

Wilbur nodded, "Only minor surface injuries like cuts, scrapes, and minor gashes. If it's much worse than a surface wound, you'd have to find a mer who actually has full healing powers like Soteria," he smiled, "Finally, every mer has super speed while swimming. We already swim faster than most humans, but using our powers, we can get from here to Mako in a few seconds."

"Wait, seconds?!" Tommy exclaimed, eyes wide, and Wilbur nodded.

"Makes getting away from or to most things pretty easy."

Tommy tilted his head, "How do you learn all this?"

"Well, a good chunk of it is instinctual at first. For example, if you were in a situation where you needed to hide, your invisibility might kick in, or if you needed to get away from something, your super speed would activate."

"Like how I found my powers by almost punching our water machine at the café."

Wilbur let out a laugh, clearly caught off guard, "I'm sorry?"

Tommy laughed also, "Yeah, I wanted to punch it because it wasn't getting hot and I was getting stressed out. Then bam! Boiling water."

Wilbur shook his head, "Only you, I swear. But yeah. Your initial grasp on your powers will come naturally, some through instincts, and some just by messing around with others or meditating and learning like we've been doing. Our powers are connected to our emotions, and learning how they affect them and how we can control the effect they have is an important part of learning. Eventually you learn to separate the two as to not let them get affected unless you want them to be."

"...However, if a mer is in a situation where they are forced to rely on their instincts to survive for long periods of time, their powers become so intertwined with their emotions that it becomes a significant effort to break those habits."

Tommy startled, whipping around to face the new voice, "Fuck, I didn't even hear you! Where did you come from?"

Techno softly chuckled under his breath as he sat down next to Wilbur, "I've been told I'm a quiet soul. Wilbur told me you guys would be training down here, and asked if I would come assist."

The two nodded at each other, then Wilbur took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he lifted his hands up in front of him, palms facing each other. In the space between, a small cloud formed.

After a few seconds, Techno reached over and started poking Wilbur’s shoulder. Gently at first, but quickly becoming more insistent.

It was clear that Wilbur was trying his hardest to keep his concentration, but that he was getting progressively annoyed. Tommy stared at the scene with a questioning look, "What are you—"

"Okay, will you knock it off! That's too much!" Wilbur snapped, as a tiny bolt of lightning leapt from the cloud and shocked the ground in front of him.

As soon as he realized what happened, Wilbur sighed, waving his cloud away as he set his hands back in his lap.

Techno leaned back to give him some space. He shrugged, "You're getting better. Sure, the lightning still struck, but your cloud didn't get bigger, and you were able to disperse it quickly."

Tommy glanced back and forth between the two of them, "What... You poking him was part of training?"

Wilbur scrunched his nose, "Look at me, trying to teach you when I can't even control my own powers properly."

Techno frowned, "Wil, don't say that. You've come so far over the past 10 years. Sure, you're still struggling, but if you look back at the day that Dad found you—"

Tommy pressed again, "What am I missing here?"

Wilbur sighed, staring out at the sea, "I'll tell you later, okay? Just... not right now."

Tommy frowned but didn't press further. It was only fair; Wilbur wasn't pushing him to talk. Instead, he went back to meditating, mimicking what Wilbur had taught him.

He could hear Techno and Wilbur talking softly, but their voices seemed far away as he honed his focus onto his energy. The more he noticed it, the stronger it seemed. It was... warm, inviting even, and yet at the same time, felt like a loaded gun.

He reached out his hand and began to clench it into a fist, willing upon his powers like usual. He could sense the water in the tiny puddle in front of him heat up to a boil, then start to evaporate. Where he would normally stop, he kept going, willing more and more power.

The energy was thrumming through his veins. It was familiar, and yet oh so foreign.

He kept going, and soon he felt a surge of energy that he had never felt before. Hot, dangerous, and yet perfectly under his control.

Distantly he registered the voices stop.

Tommy blinked back to full awareness to the baffled look of Wilbur, and the stoic, yet impressed face of Technoblade.

Then he smelt the smoke.

His eyes fell to the sand as a small, stuttered breath escaped his lips.

Fire.

There was a small fire on the dry sand where the puddle used to be.

It was quickly burning itself out without fuel, but it was fire.

He had made fire.

"I..." he stared at the small flame breathlessly, "I did that. I'm not entirely sure how, but I did that!"

Tommy closed his eyes, focusing on finding that rush of power again. He gently cupped his hands together and willed the energy to congregate, gasping as his eyes fluttered open to a small flame in the palms of his hands.

He looked up to his older brothers, a look of awe in his face as he cradled the small flame. It wasn't hot to him, in fact, other than the gentle thrum of his powers maintaining the flame, he could barely feel it.

Wilbur chuckled in disbelief, "I... I've never seen someone master fire powers so quickly. Let alone without any prior training."

Techno's face remained neutral, but Tommy was starting to pick up on his small tells. The glimmer in his eyes spoke volumes for how he was feeling. He nodded to Tommy, then instructed, "Now ease your powers away, gently dissipate the flame."

Tommy looked down at his hands, feeling the energy keeping the flame alight. He gently willed it to stop, and the flame shrunk to a small ember, and then snuffed itself out.

Tommy looked up in awe and Technoblade nodded.

"Very good Theseus. You're a natural."

Tommy preened at the name.

Wilbur was beaming, "'Course he is! He's our little brother!"

Tommy was thrilled. Ecstatic. He did it! He had made his older brothers proud! Him!

He had so many words, so many things he wanted to say. Like how did he do that? Was that something new or something tied to his other powers?

Instead, when he tried to speak, all that came out was excited chirping and clicking. He stilled quickly in surprise, but Wilbur’s eyes widened and then he just cooed.

"Aww, little guppy!"

Tommy glared at him, focusing really hard before trying again.

This time it sounded like an indignant warble.

Wilbur melted, instantly switching from human speech to a series of little chirps and trills that Tommy somehow instantly recognized as language in his mind, although he only caught bits and pieces, he understood the sentiment.

"I'm so proud of you little guppy."

After a few seconds, he tried to respond, although it was a bit more clipped and less melodic than Wilbur’s.

Wilbur’s eyes widened, and instantly Tommy was scooped up in a hug.

Techno chuckled, "That's right, you haven't spoken much Merlean recently, have you?"

Tommy furrowed his brow in concentration as Wilbur pulled away.

He had to speak.

He had to speak human speech.

"I..." he coughed a few times trying to stave off the clicks and chirps that wanted to escape, "Merlean? What just happened? Why did I do that?"

His eyes flicked between Wilbur, who seemed very sad that Tommy had stopped talking in Merlean, and Techno who was watching the whole scene with amusement.

When Techno saw Tommy's concerned eyes land on Wilbur, he huffed slightly, "Don't mind Wilbur, he fell into his instincts real hard, you bein' younger and all. Just like humans have their own languages, mer do as well. While all mer speak what we call Merlean, different groups have different dialects, much like your own languages, but not as extreme. You just got excited and your mer instincts took over. You've probably spoken to Tubbo and Ranboo in Merlean without realizing."

Wilbur pouted, warbling and clicking as his head tilted in what looked to be a question.

Tommy blinked back, his eyes glancing up to Techno in a silent plea. He hadn't understood.

"Wil, Tommy doesn't understand you. It's been too long, he's rusty. You have to use smaller words, talk slower."

Tommy frowned at that sentiment. He wasn't a child! His brain was trying to piece together what Wilbur had said, he really was! It was at the back of his memory, faint wisps that he was trying desperately to grasp. It had come so easily just moments before...

Tommy's eyes widened as he realized that he had fallen into his mer brain before. He had shoved it aside trying to talk normally, but now he couldn't understand Wilbur. Maybe if he let it come back...

He closed his eyes, trying to let go of his fear and struggle for control. This was a part of him. It wasn't something to be afraid of. Eventually he knew that they would be able to come together, but for now...

Wilbur chirped a question.

"Are you okay?"

Tommy chirped back, stilted and a bit awkward.

"I fine"

Tommy winced slightly at the fact that his Merlean sounded less polished, and more childish than Wilbur’s. He could tell that wasn't exactly correct, but he couldn't come up with anything better.

Instead of being upset, Wilbur lit up, while Techno gently corrected him, sounding the clicks, chirps, and whistles out when Tommy struggled with them.

The two had a very simple conversation, with Wilbur asking Tommy what his favorite color was, and Tommy clumsily responding, getting corrected by Techno, and finally, slowly sounding out the correct sounds.

Wilbur pulled him tight into a hug, softly warbling something in his ear.

Tommy instantly recognized that one without thinking.

He melted into the hug, mimicking the sound back.

"I love you"

Maybe, just maybe, he could get used to this.

Chapter Text

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

~ 5 years ago ~

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Night fell upon the large library, the light fading from the skylights, and dwindling to just the warm glow of the light orbs that were stationed around the shelves.

Visiting hours had long past, and the sole archivist was gliding through the shelves, his purple scales glittering as the warm light caught on them.

Gently, he would adjust the different orbs on the shelves, carefully making sure none were damaged. If one was damaged, he would retrieve a pristine, clear orb from his bag and use his powers to transfer the archive from the damaged orb into the new one.

His job was important. His powers were important. He was the only one that could do this, and so he was alone.

He was the only one that could weave their society's history in a way that others could see it, could remember it. Yet, his powers had another use. While he could weave the history of events passed, he could also peek into the future, although that was much more unreliable.

No matter how many times he insisted that he couldn't control that part of his powers, the court insisted he could. Insisted that he was the only one that could find Theseus. That he should have all the answers.

He could see into the future after all.

Except, the future is malleable. It's a stream that weaves its way through time, never-ending but ever changing. The small pool that he can see into could have its water diverted far before it would ever come to exist. Something that he saw could never happen, and things that he didn't see could.

Such is the fickleness of time.

When he was younger, he would make predictions, would see something so clearly months in advance, only to have it not happen. For a time, he thought his powers were faulty, or that he couldn't control them properly. That something was wrong with him.

Then, one of his friends told a story about something that had happened to them, and he felt his powers react. Weaving his powers, he created a scene that perfectly mimicked his friend's memory.

He had the ability to see the weaves of time, both past and present. One of the rarest gifts.

He was an archivist.

He was a seer.

The more he trained his powers, the clearer his visions became. His visions of the future began to steady, to the point that he could nudge people in one direction or another. While his powers still activated unreliably, he discovered the closer he was in time to the future event, the more reliable the prediction.

Which... often lead to unfortunate situations.

Like the fact that he only got a complete picture of what would happen on that night ten minutes before. He had tried to warn them, but it was already too late. He knew deep down that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but have regrets.

Maybe if his powers were more reliable, Theseus would still be with the pod.

Most days, he tried to forget.

One of the pockets on his bag lit up, and he reached inside, pulling out a glowing shell and gently pressing it to his ear.

"Chronos? This is Soteria. Your presence is requested for a court meeting. Please postpone your duties and arrive as soon as you can."

"Of course, I'll be right there."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The meeting room was grandiose, with glittering golds swirling through white opaque crystal. Pillars stood along the walls, stretching up to the ceilings with ornate carved toppings. A table and crystalline chairs hovered in the center of the room, suspended in the water by the very magic that had created them. Above the table floated a large crystalline chandelier, just high enough to not be an annoyance. All of which was made possible through the powers of Essempi's architect.

As Chronos entered the room, he quietly took his place at the table to the right of Soteria, who smiled warmly at him.

Across the table from him was Ponos, the very architect responsible for all of Essempi. To Ponos' right was Caerus, the oldest of the two brothers that lived on Mako Island. And to his left, at the front end of the table was Ares, third heir to the crown.

On Chronos' right was an empty chair. That chair hadn't been filled in years, and would not be filled today.

At the head of the table was Orpheus, the second heir and current acting prince of Essempi, looking just as uncomfortable and out of place as always.

He wasn't always like that, having been a bright and intelligent young mer before... everything. He would have made the perfect advisor for his younger brother. Instead, the bright flame that was once Orpheus was now just a flicker. But that was neither here nor there.

Ares glanced over to Orpheus, and gave a small nod. Orpheus straightened and began to speak.

"Thank you all for assembling for this council meeting. Caerus, would you like to begin today?"

Caerus nodded, "Of course. All in all, Mako seems to be more secure recently. Most humans follow the rules, and the ones that don't tend to not stray too far inland. From what we can tell, the island and the pool should be sufficiently protected for the time being."

Orpheus nodded.

Soteria spoke up next, "My investigation on land is still ongoing. I haven't been able to track down any records belonging to Theseus. It's entirely possible that the system may have changed his name to make him more appealing to human families. If that's the case, it will be a lot harder for me to track him down."

Orpheus closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, "Thank you. You have my appreciation, and the appreciation of my family for your efforts."

Soteria smiled, dipping her head in a bow, "Of course your highness. We'll find him."

All eyes turned to Chronos and he shrunk back slightly. Ares offered him a small smile, one that Chronos recognized as encouragement.

"How's the library going? It must be a lot of work for one person."

"It's..." he straightened up a bit, "coming along. Ponos' idea of confining my essence in crystalline balls that can refract the image and make it larger has been a huge success. The archives are much more accessible now that I'm not having to weave scenes on demand, and I'm happy to say that we have had several mer that have come in and partaken of the new archives."

Orpheus nodded, a small smile on his face.

Ares's face returned to his usual stoic expression, and Chronos knew what his next question would be before he asked it.

"Have you seen anything recently?"

Just as he was about to respond that, no, he hadn't seen anything recently, he could feel his powers begin to activate.

The world faded out from around him as his consciousness was thrown into a vision.

Except... this vision was different.

Instead of seeing one specific point in time, he seemed to be bouncing between several points. Seeing a brief scene, brief flashes of people before being thrown to the next.

Changelings. New ones.

Orpheus disappearing.

A young human with a shock of blond hair, blue eyes.

Another with darker hair, green eyes and a vicious smile.

The moon turned red.

All he could hear was pleading. Screaming. Begging.

But he couldn't make any of the words out.

He couldn't make anything out.

He couldn't make anyth—

Chronos was violently snapped back to the present, his hand immediately shooting to his head as he took quick, labored breaths.

Soteria was almost immediately by his side, asking if he was alright.

Ares and Orpheus shared a look, but instead of Ares, it was Orpheus that spoke.

"Chronos, what did you see?"

"It... it's too far ou—"

"You've never had a vision that strong before. What did you see?"

He paused for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say.

"A lunar eclipse. In five years' time. That's when the prophecy will happen."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

~ 3 years ago ~

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

This was a dumb idea.

But...

If this was going to work, he was going to have to get his hands on human clothing.

It was a good thing humans often left their things unattended.

It was also a good thing that the young man he had tracked from the beach seemed to be a similar build to him in his human form. The clothes might end up fitting a bit big or small, but he could manage. It was only temporary after all.

He watched as the other hung up some clothes to dry on the side of his boat, before going inside.

As soon as the door closed, Chronos swam up to the boat, snagging a black shirt and black swim trunks with a flame pattern on them before submerging again.

The human wouldn't miss them. Probably.

Popping back out of the water in a secluded cove, he let out a deep sigh through his nose.

He shouldn't be doing this. It was beyond dangerous for a mer to go on land by themselves if they'd never been before. Usually someone would accompany them to keep them safe but... he hadn't told anyone.

He was an archivist. His thirst for knowledge was itching him to take the leap.

It would just be for a few days, just to observe the humans, then he would go right back to Essempi and document his findings.

No one had to be any the wiser.

He crawled up onto the beach and laid out the clothing so that it could dry, then sunk back into the waves to wait.

After a few hours, and when he determined the clothes to be sufficiently dry, Chronos pulled himself fully up beach, stopping only when the waves no longer reached his tail.

He held out his right hand, magic glowing from his ring as he cast the spell.

And then he waited.

Once he transformed, he pulled the clothes on and then mentally prepared himself for what would most likely be his hardest challenge.

Walking.

See, Chronos had never been on land before, as much as he observed. He just really never got the opportunity. That, and the fact that the court would probably throw a fit.

He steeled himself and attempted to stand, immediately cursing humans for the weird appendages they called legs.

After a few tries, he managed to push himself to his feet, wobbling back and forth. He took a step... and immediately found himself sprawled in the sand.

"Hey, are yo— Wait are those my clothes?"

Chronos froze, his eyes wide as he stared at the same young man that he had seen on the boat a few hours earlier.

The same young man whose clothes he was currently wearing.

The same young man who was now staring at him.

"Huh? Your... clothes?"

He winced as the words sounded harsh and slurred on his tongue. He had spoken English before, but it just was so different from Merlean.

Maybe he hadn't thought about this hard enough.

The young man seemed to stare at him, then looked absolutely horrified.

"Oh my Prime, are you drunk?"

Chronos just blinked at him. That... wasn't what he expected to happen.

The young man paused, letting out a soft sigh, "Right... um. Well, I can't really just leave you here. Did you think you were taking clothes from your boat maybe?"

Chronos just tilted his head. Maybe if he continued acting like this, the human would leave him alone.

The young man looked him up and down, then chuckled, "Looks as if you can't really walk well, if the scuff marks in the sand are anything to go by. Alright well, let me take you back to my boat, just until you sober up a bit."

That... was definitely not the plan.

It also wasn't the plan to practically be carried by this stranger down the pier to his boat.

And how he found himself sitting on said stranger's couch, staring at said stranger was... also not part of the plan.

"You feeling sick at all?"

Chronos shook his head.

The young man seemed to relax a little, "Right... well I'm Nick, literally everyone around here calls me Sapnap though. Uh, what's your name?"

Chronos stilled. He didn't have a human name. He wasn't expecting to actually interact with humans. He wracked his brain, trying to think of something.

"Well, if you don't give me one, I'm just going to have to keep calling you boat thief or drunk guy and I don't really want to do that."

"Um..." his eyes landed on a part of a poster that he could see in the small room that he assumed were the sleeping quarters.

"It's uh, it's Karl. But with a K instead of a C. Yes."

Sapnap followed his gaze to the poster, it was of one of his favorite book series. On the part of the poster he could see was the main character, whose name was written just to the side of them. Karl.

Sapnap stared at him with a look of absolute perplexity. "I— Okay. You know what, I'm not even going to ask. But I will ask where you're from."

"I'm uh, visiting."

"From...?" Sapnap tried to pry but Chr—Karl just shrugged again. That information was on a need-to-know basis.

Sapnap sighed, "Right okay. So, you don't have a name, —don't look at me like that, I know you took the name from my poster— you don't know or won't say where you're from, you're currently wearing my clothes, that you stole by the way, and you can't walk straight because you're probably still very intoxicated. Though..." he frowned, "your breath doesn't smell like alcohol, and other than you not being able to walk, you really don't seem blackout drunk. Did you hit your head maybe? Amnesia?"

Why was this human so smart?

Alright time for plan B.

"I'm uh, not... supposed to be here. I was trying to hide from my... parents, and I thought if I changed clothes then they couldn't find me, you know harmless prank or whatever. I hurt my ankle on a rock coming into the cove, that's why I can't walk."

Sapnap gave him a blank stare for a few beats, and then laughed, "You know, you are the craziest person I have ever met."

Karl froze for a few seconds, and Sapnap shook his head fondly, "Just... take it as a compliment. I can tell you're not telling the truth, but honestly? I don't really care. Watching you talk yourself in circles is the most fun I've had all week."

Karl let out a small sigh of relief, finally starting to relax a little.

Sapnap walked away, turning towards the small kitchen area in the boat. "Well, if you're just hiding out, might as well get comfortable. Can I get you some water?"

"Yes please, in a glass with a straw though, if you can."

"Sure thing!"

As he watched Sapnap pull a water pitcher from the small cooler, Karl could feel his powers activating.

He relaxed with a small sigh as he slipped into the vision, his conscious drifting from the physical.

He was... in a building? Some sort of living area. In a house maybe? Except...

He was still on land.

He was curled up on a couch next to someone who he now recognized as Sapnap, but there was another guy with raven black hair that was with them.

The three of them were talking, but Chronos couldn't make out the words.

Then they laughed. All three of them.

They were laughing together.

Like friends.

Karl snapped back to reality when Sapnap touched his shoulder.

Sapnap looked at him with concern in his features, "You okay? It seemed like you zoned out for a second."

Karl smiled, taking the glass of water and carefully taking a sip from the straw, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

He paused, taking a quiet deep breath.

"So, um... are you from around here Sapnap?"

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

When Karl went to visit L'manburg, he wasn't expecting to go back.

But he did.

After that first day, Sapnap asked him if he needed a place to stay for the weekend.

Then, when Karl told Sapnap that he had to go home, Sapnap asked if he would come back.

He wasn't going to, but he found it really hard to say no.

So, he didn't.

And he came back the next weekend.

And the next.

Never for longer than a few days, but still more than he was expecting.

Sapnap even helped him get some clothes of his own.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"Why are you still wearing my clothes?"

Karl shrugged, "Your clothes are interesting, mine are lame."

Sapnap looked him up and down, clearly not buying it. "They don't even fit you that well. Look, they're from the surf shop downtown, why don't we go pick some things up for you? I know things are rough with you and your parents, so I'll get you some stuff, and you can pay me back later."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Once he realized he was going to stay, he reached out to Philza. The only mer who pretty much lived fully on land.

He was given a small plastic card and told that it would let him buy things he needed on land. Phil explained it was like trading, but with something called money instead of another item. When Karl asked how much was on the small card, Phil just smiled and told him to only spend what he needed.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

There was something different about L'manburg. Other than it being... you know, not underwater.

It seemed laid back, relaxed. Something about it felt like home, and yet it felt totally foreign.

There were times that he wasn't able to make it to their weekly visits, and Sapnap would absolutely tear into him when he finally showed up.

It was... nice to have someone who cared.

Chronos knew the court cared about him, but it was... a different care then Sapnap had for Karl.

Sapnap liked Karl for Karl.

The court liked Chronos for his powers.

It was different.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

~ 2 years ago ~

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The two of them were walking along the beach looking for shells. Well, Sapnap was looking for shells, Karl was walking a bit further up shore to keep from getting wet.

"You know, I don't want to scare you off, but..."

Karl looked over, a look of curiosity on his face, "But?"

"Would you be chill with coming to game night? I didn't want to instantly pull you head first into our friend group, but now that you've met a few of them individually, I feel like you really get along with them. Oh! And Quackity's in town now. You can meet him finally!"

Karl shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips, "Sure, I don't see why not. When?"

"Well, we were planning on tonight, and I figured since you're usually around for another day or two..."

Karl stopped walking.

Sapnap stopped a few paces further, and turned back to look at him. "You okay Karl?"

"I can't do tonight. I uh, I already have someth—"

Sapnap frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Look if you don't want to go it's fine, I just thought—"

Karl's hands shot up into a placating gesture, "No! No, I really do want to go hang out with your friends, our friends, just... not tonight. I can't."

"...Why not?"

Karl pursed his lips and looked towards the ocean, "I just can't. I'm sorry."

Sapnap huffed, "So, more of this, huh?"

Karl frowned, turning back, "More of what?"

Sapnap let out a laugh of astonishment, "You've been like this since the day I met you. I still barely know anything about you! You keep so many secrets, and it's almost like you think I'm dumb enough to not notice! I don't even know your real name! I called you 'Karl' and you've just gone with it!"

Karl sighed, curling into himself more, "I'm sorry, I... really don't want to hide things from you."

Sapnap crossed his arms, "Then don't. Tell me your name."

"I... I can't do that."

Sapnap scoffed, "Typical."

He started walking down the beach again, and Karl followed shortly after.

"Wait, Sap come on! I'm not trying to hurt you! In fact, I'm trying to not hurt you!"

"Yeah well, you're doing a pretty shit job at it."

Karl...

Karl couldn't argue with that.

So, he did the only other thing he was good at with Sapnap.

He lied.

"Look, my... my parents want me to come home for the weekend. You know the ones I was trying to avoid when I met you? That's why I have to leave."

Sapnap stopped again, still facing away from Karl. "Say that was the case, why would that be something you needed to keep from me?"

"Because... I don't know when I'll be back. They weren't very... happy about me spending so much time out here by myself."

"If we're following this story, you're old enough to just say 'fuck it', are you not?"

Karl shifted back and forth, "I mean I am but like—"

Sapnap spun around to face him again.

"Then move in with me."

Karl froze, his mouth still open mid word.

"...what?" he whispered.

Sapnap shrugged, "You know like a roommate situation. My old roommate's getting ready to move out, and I'm sure you'd get along with my other new roommate. Plus, another rent buddy is always nice."

"I..."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

Sapnap sighed softly, "Just... think about it okay? The offer's on the table. I don't know what's going on with you, but I do care."

Karl nodded slowly, still unsure of what to say.

His eyes drifted to the sunset. It was only a bit before moonrise, and he couldn't let Sapnap see him.

Not on a full moon.

Not yet.

Sapnap noticed his gaze, "You're taking off now then?"

Karl nodded, "I'm sorry."

Sapnap chuckled, "You're still the weirdest person I've ever met."

"You still hang out with me though," Karl countered.

"That I do. Be safe, okay? See you next weekend?"

Karl nodded, stepping forward to embrace Sapnap.

"See you next weekend."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

~ 1 year ago ~

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

It was weird spending so much time on land, and yet after two years it was beginning to feel normal. Eventually he had to come clean to the court about visiting land, but to his surprise Orpheus and Ares seemed on board with the idea.

They both agreed that it wasn't their intention to keep him locked away, and that if he ever needed anything to let them know.

Phil was also a great resource for human interaction advice, especially since he was a changeling. It was amazing to be able to talk to someone with experience in both worlds. What customs were the same, which were different.

(Sapnap was surprised when Karl gifted him a crown made of woven seaweed, but if he hated it, he didn't mention it)

It was... different. Everything was different.

And then he met Quackity. And oh boy, was he not ready for that.

Quackity turned out to be the roommate that Sapnap had mentioned was planning to move in with him. He was a peculiar person, but Karl found himself comfortable around him.

Quackity taught him how to play cards, and what gambling was. If nothing else, he was a party person. It seemed like every week since Quackity had moved in, their traditional game nights had flourished into something that everyone looked forward to every week.

It was strange, because Karl didn't notice at first. He didn't notice how familiar Quackity seemed.

Once he realized that he was the other person that was in the vision he had on Sapnap's boat, he assumed that was the familiarity came from.

But that wasn't it... or at least he didn't think so.

It wasn't until Quackity started telling stories of a young man he met in high school that the final piece clicked into place.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"I'm telling you, it's the truth. Every word of it."

"And I'm saying you like telling stories Q, everyone knows this," Sapnap chuckled, "After all, what kind of person just vanishes into of thin air?"

Quackity shrugged, "Honestly, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't live through it."

Karl looked over from where he was chatting with one of the others, "What are you two talking about?"

Sapnap nudged Quackity in the shoulder, "Q's reminiscing about his ghost of a boyfriend."

"Oi! He did exist, I literally have pictures of us!" Quackity pouted, "Look, just because you think I'm lying doesn't mean I am."

Sapnap snorted, "Nah, more like you just got dumped and are trying to cover it up with 'he mysteriously vanished without a trace.'"

Karl giggled, "Well, I haven't heard the story."

Quackity lit up, "He hasn't! Okay, strap in. I'll give you the abridged version."

Sapnap faked a yawn, "Trust me, you'll want the short version."

Quackity elbowed him with a laugh, "Knock it off, it's story time. Where do I start?"

Karl hummed, "What was his name?"

"Wilbur. Wilbur Soot."

Karl's face instantly fell. That meant—

Quackity raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? Did you know him too?"

If Quackity met Wilbur, Sapnap had called them boyfriends, that meant that Quackity was most likely the "boy on the pier" that Orpheus always lamented about.

"Karl?"

Karl snapped back to the confused faces of his two friends.

"Oh sorry! I'm fine. That name sounds familiar, that's all."

Sapnap looked completely unconvinced, but Quackity nodded, "No worries, where do I begin?"

"The short version is, Wilbur was this kid I kept running into while I was studying at Puffy's café. Eventually, we ended up in the same classes at school, and we got really close. He invited me out to the pier behind his dad's house, and we played a stupid game of Truth or Dare.

He dared me to jump in the water without knowing I couldn't swim well, and I guess it was my fault for actually doing it. I still don't remember exactly why I did. The rest is a bit fuzzy, most likely because I almost ended up drowning.

After that day, I never saw him again. He transferred out of the school, and apparently changed his number. His dad said he went out to a bigger city to live with his mum, but I still don't know why he didn't say goodbye."

Quackity frowned, "I just wish I could apologize. I'd never felt so alone before that."

Karl frowned. So that's what had happened. He knew Orpheus had used his voice, but it was purely an accident. But, the way Quackity told the story, there wasn't really any strong emotions involved, so why—

"Anyways, who's down for a game of poker?" Quackity laughed as he pulled out a deck of cards.

Cheers sounded from around the circle as the players started making bets.

Karl was pulled from his thoughts as he took in the atmosphere around him.

It was a cacophony of friendship. All sorts of voices that he had come to view as friends. Something that he never had in the court.

True, unconditional friendship.

Sapnap moved to sit on the other side of Quackity, closer to Karl. "You okay?"

Karl nodded, a smile forming on his face.

"I think I finally am."

Chapter Text

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It had been almost three months since he started having the dreams.

At first, he thought nothing of it, then they started feeling real, like memories rather than dreams.

Dream's memory was already awful, he couldn't remember much before the ripe age of... almost sixteen. Which was concerning in and of itself. The first memory he truly remembered was waking up in his house, or well Puffy's house, and feeling confused. Apparently, he was living on the streets and had an accident that led to his memory vanishing. Puffy was an emergency foster placement that eventually ended up resulting in adoption.

Not that he minded, Puffy was truly one of the kindest people that he knew, although she could be a bit eccentric at times. Despite her quirks, he knew that she had his best interests in mind. Although, it had always bothered him that he couldn't remember his life before.

What had happened?

Dream sighed as he laid on his bed, lazily spinning orbs of water above his head.

It was all so strange, first the dreams started, and now these powers. Tommy had called him a "mer." Dream assumed he meant like a mermaid or merman you would see in myths and fairytales, but... he didn't have a tail.

Was... that what he was before? A mer?

He vaguely has flashes of being some sort of royalty. Maybe he got lost? How would a group of mer lose their leader? Did he get kicked out?

Why would he? He didn't want to hurt anyone, he knew that for a fact. Maybe the throne was taken over by a coup? Why was he a human then? Wouldn't he just be chucked into the ocean to fend for himself?

Dream startled slightly as his phone buzzed. He deposited the water orbs back in the glass on his nightstand and grabbed his phone.

Sapnap: > Yo, we're heading out to a nearby town for the day, wanna come with?

He chuckled.

Dream: > Sure, why not? Don't really have anything else to do.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It wasn't a big group, just Sapnap, Quackity, Karl, George, and himself.

Quackity was currently driving, with Karl sitting shotgun. Sapnap and Dream got the window seats, with George having to sit between them.

"So where are we going? You didn't really say," Dream questioned, looking out his window as the landscape wizzed by.

"Oh you'll love it!" Quackity cheerfully responded, "It's a little seaside town about 20 minutes from L'Manburg called Logstedshire."

Dream's attention snapped from the window almost instantly. "Where?"

George eyed him curiously, "Something wrong?"

"No, it's just. That name sounds so familiar."

Sapnap shrugged, "I mean, it's a neighboring town, you've probably heard about it in passing."

Dream shook his head, "No, it's more than that, like... I should remember it, but I don't."

George hummed, "Maybe it's from that gap in your memory?"

Dream sighed, staring back out the window, "Honestly? I really hope so."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The town was small. Much smaller than L'Manburg was, but it was quaint and familiar in a way that Dream couldn't place.

It was almost immediately clear what the group had traveled for; a vibrant market full of different sellers from all over. It was like a street fair, having booths with face painting and activities for the children, along with many stalls with food and knickknacks from far-away cities and towns.

Wandering around the market instilled some sort of childlike longing in Dream's heart. Like a memory that was just barely out of his grasp.

"If you don't hurry, they're gonna run out!"

" ■ ■ ■, slow down! You shouldn't be running like that!"

Dream relax, I'm better than I have been! I'm taking it easy I promise! I just really want a funnel cake!

It was quick, but Dream stopped dead in his tracks. He was younger, that's for sure, but... who was he talking to? His memory fuzzed out the name, and he could barely make out the appearance of the person he was with. They looked to be about the same age as he was in that memory. Maybe a friend?

"Dream, you okay?"

Dream's eyes snapped to George, who was standing a few paces away looking back at him. He suddenly realized that he had just stopped dead in the middle of the path.

"Oh! Uh, yeah I'm fine," he muttered as he picked up his pace to catch up to the others.

George frowned slightly, "You sure? You've been a bit off since we got here."

Dream sighed, "It's just so familiar. I... I just had another flash, another memory I think. It was in this market, and I was with someone else my age. They really wanted a funnel cake, and were running for it, but I was worried about them pushing themselves too hard."

George hummed, "Maybe you've been here before. Well, I mean obviously if that was a memory, you have."

Dream's eyes flitted around, taking in the names and logos of all the stands before he pointed to one. "There, that's it!"

Following his gesture, George glanced over and surely enough, there was a stand selling funnel cakes. It seemed to be pretty popular as well. 'Serving the area for over 20 years' was proudly proclaimed on a banner.

"It's newer, when I remember it."

George rolls his eyes fondly, "Course it was newer, your memory is from the past."

Dream gently shoved George's shoulder, "Oh hush, you know what I meant."

"Do you want to go see it?"

Dream stopped again, "What?"

"It's in a memory right? Maybe being around it will bring back something else. It's worth a shot," George finished with a shrug.

Dream looked over to see the others quickly moving ahead, "What about the others?"

George chuckled, "They'll be fine, we have phones if they need us."

The two moved their way around the crowded streets as they walked towards the stand. The smell of baking funnel cake filled the air, and Dream almost melted then and there. It smelled so good.

Dream and George had worked their way into the line when a voice spoke up from the tables next to them.

"...Dream?"

It was a voice he didn't recognize, but yet it was familiar to him. Turning his head, he was met with two people sitting at a table sharing a funnel cake. The one on the left, the one that called his name, was a blonde-haired girl, wearing a dark gray sweater with maroon capris and black ankle boots. The one on the right was a guy with brown hair, he had a blue shirt and tan pants, but his most noticeable feature was that he was wearing a hat that had fake antlers on it.

"Oh my Prime, it really is you!" The girl exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and quickly rushing over to give him a hug. He tensed almost instantly, not exactly understanding what was going on.

"I... I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Dream sputtered, and the girl recoiled back a few steps.

"Dream... Dream Taken, right?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Well, uh, yeah, I think that's what Puffy said my name was before I was adopted..."

She frowned, "Adopted? What... happened?" she paused, "You... really don't remember me do you? It has been like..." she counted on her fingers, "Wow, thirteen years since I last saw you."

Dream and George shared a look, then he turned back to the girl, "So I did used to live here? I uh, I lost a large chunk of my memory from before I was sixteen in an accident."

The girl's eyes widened, "Oh... I'm sorry about that. Let's see... here, why don't you come sit first," she spoke as she pulled them over to the table that she was sitting at.

She put a hand up to her head, "Oh, silly me. Right, you don't remember us. I'm Alyssa, and this is Callahan. We lived next door to the family friends that you and your sister were staying with."

wait...

Dream and George spoke almost at the same time.

"I have a sister?"

"He has a sister?"

Alyssa's face fell. "Oh I... I guess you wouldn't remember that either. You had a sister, she... she's not with us anymore. She died a few years after you moved in from her illness. Her name was Drista, she was your twin sister."

Immediately grief flooded his system. A sister. Not just any sister, his twin. One that he would never be able to meet again because she was already gone.

He started having other flashes, and he could see her more clearly. She was the girl that wanted the funnel cake. She was frail, but a spitfire of a human being. Memories of interactions began to flash in his mind, and he winced.

"Dream are you?" George started, and Alyssa looked concerned.

"I... I remember her, at least some things. That person that wanted the funnel cake, that was her."

Alyssa smiled sadly, "It was her favorite. She always had to have some when the market was in town. She said it was—"

"One of the only things that made her feel normal," Dream whispered, and Alyssa's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded.

Callahan gently tapped Alyssa's hand, signing something to her. Alyssa nodded.

"Callahan wants to know if you want to see the house you used to live in? It's not owned by the same people anymore, so we can't go in, but you can at least see it. And then afterwards, we can go to my house if you want?"

Dream glanced over at George, who gave his hand a squeeze. "If you want me to wait with the others I will, but if you want me to go with you, I can do that too."

Dream hesitated for a moment, before he sighed, "I... I need to do this alone."

George nodded, "I'm here for you, you know that. Call me if you need anything."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

Seeing the house stirred more memories in his mind. It was a quaint little seaside cottage, not too special, but he remembered it, more than he did when Alyssa had first mentioned it.

The outer terrace with the vines wrapped around it, and even the path down to the beach.

After a bit, Callahan had to go to work, so he gave Dream a quick hug, and wished him luck, (with Alyssa acting as translator).

Alyssa gently led him towards her house, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. He wanted to ask her a question, but George already thought he was crazy, and he didn't want his new-old friend to think badly of him now that he was just meeting her again—

"I can tell you want to ask me something. I won't bite, I promise," she giggled.

"It's... kinda weird."

"I love weird, you kn— or, well, you don't anymore but you did know that," she looked a bit crestfallen for a few beats, then returned to her sunny demeanor.

"Do you um... do you believe in mer?"

Alyssa paused in her walk, and Dream stopped next to her.

"Look I know it's a silly ques—"

"Do you?"

She had a glint in her eyes that he recognized.

"I... yeah, yeah I do."

"Then there's something I have to show you again."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

"They found it in your room when you disappeared after Drista died. I didn't think anything of it, I did give it to you after all, but a few years ago I went to look at my grandmother's old notes again and found yours with them in the back. I started assuming that's where you went."

She gently opened what looked like an old book on the myths of mermaids to the back cover. At first, he couldn't tell what she was referring to. It just looked like a thick hardback cover.

"Didn't notice it either did you? Look."

She gently took a nail file and pried up the barely sticky inner paper of the cover. Underneath was full of different ripped pages of notebook paper, folded neatly as to fit in the hollowed out cover without looking suspicious.

As he unfolded a piece of paper, he froze. It was in his handwriting. Well, a bit messier than normal, but that was expected considering he was... he looked at the date scribbled on the papers, between ten and twelve, depending on the note.

Other pieces of paper were removed from the cover. These looked much older, on different paper, and were written in fancy cursive.

"These were my grandmother's notes, do you remember? You showed them to me when you found them."

Skimming through the pages, he found them familiar. The looping cursive talked about Mako, a weird pool in the center of the volcano, and how three of Alyssa's grandmother's friends turned into mermaids.

He then unfolded his own notes, on how he found the pool, and...

His eyes met Alyssa's.

"Did I ever tell you?"

She shook her head, "None of this, other than showing me my grandmother's notes."

"These say I turned into a mer. I wrote that I turned into a mer."

"It finally made sense to me why you suddenly started avoiding water back then. Apparently, that's what would transform you."

Dream stood up, walking towards the restroom, with Alyssa following him curiously.

He turned the tap on and ran his hands under the water, waiting for a few seconds to see if anything would happen.

Nothing did.

He frowned, "Alright well, clearly that doesn't work anymore."

He held his hand out, and removed a bubble of water from the stream of water as he turned it off.

"This does though."

"Oh my Prime..." Alyssa whispered as he played with it for a few seconds before letting it drop back into the sink.

Dream hummed, "Honestly, that explains so much, but why don't I transform anymore?"

"I have no idea, but just... wow. I knew mer were real but seeing you move water like that..."

Dream chuckled, "It's cool, isn't it?" He paused, "But... why did I become a mer?"

Alyssa's face softened, "She was sick. You wanted to save her."

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"DREAM HURRY UP! WE'RE LEAVING!"

"I'm coming! Geez Drist, you don't have to yell. Plus, that's not good for your lungs."

The girl rolled her eyes with crossed arms, a fond smile on her face.

"Mom says that Logstedshire is going to be better for my lungs, and that I'll be able to get better. Then I can terrorize you all I want." Drista playfully stuck her tongue out.

Dream's face softened, "You better get better. I need you."

"'Course I will, nothing can take down the dream team!" she cheered as she gently fistbumped her brother.

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"Come on Dream! If you don't hurry they're gonna run out!"

"Drista, slow down! You shouldn't be running like that! It'll aggravate your lungs!"

“Dream relax, I'm better than I have been! I'm taking it easy I promise! I just really want a funnel cake!”

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

Dream frowned as he returned to Alyssa's room. "We moved here because Drista was sick, right?"

Alyssa nodded, "The air here was cleaner than where your parents lived. The doctors thought that it would help her recover, but her disease was farther along than they originally thought."

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"What do you mean she's dying?"

His caretaker, a close family friend, knelt down next to him.

"The disease has gotten worse, she..." he paused, "she only has about a year left to live, at most. I'm sorry Dream, the doctors are doing all they can do for her, but it's not working anymore."

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

Dream sighed shakily, "They... they said that they couldn't help her anymore."

Alyssa nodded sadly, "You came and told me, and I gave you the book that my grandmother had given to me, and then I told you about the mer, remember?"

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"They're useless! All of them! What good are the doctors if they can't help her?"

Alyssa frowned, sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Well... do you believe in magic?"

Dream raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

Alyssa hopped off her bed and over to a bookshelf, gently pulling a book off of it. "This was my grandmothers, she always told me that the myths in this book had truths to them. She used to tell me stories about mermaids that could do magic with water. Some of them could even heal people!"

She smiled, gently holding the book out, "The book mentions mermaids that would give aid to humans that they considered friends. She used to say that they live among us, we just don't know it."

Dream took the book and gently traced his hand over the front cover. "Do you believe it?"

Alyssa nodded, "I do. Take it home with you, I think it's important for you to have it right now."

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

Dream gently ran his fingers over the carved out cover of the book. "I found them by complete accident. The first person I told was her."

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

Look, he didn't mean to, but he accidentally dropped the book, and only managed to catch it by the back cover. He wasn't expecting the cover to make a crunch like paper crinkling.

He also didn't know what to expect when he gently pealed back the paper to find a whole bunch of written notes.

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"Drista, look! Alyssa was right! Her grandmother knew mermaids! Mako Island apparently can turn humans into mer! It seems like it's only certain times of the year, something about when the moon is blue. But! According to these notes, and with some help from the internet, it looks like it's about time for it to happen again! I think it's this full moon!"

Drista looked down, tracing her finger over the notes gently as she contemplated, "What does that mean?"

"I'm going to turn myself. Then I can get you the help you need."

Drista frowned, taking Dream's hand in her own, "You don't have to do this. I don't..." she devolved into a coughing fit, and Dream winced.

"They can help you. I just have to explain what's going on. You'll be better in no time. I promise."

The two shared a brief look, before he was being shooed out of Drista's room to let her rest.

⭑ ★ ⭑ ˗ ˏˋ ★ ´ˎ ˗ ⭑ ★ ⭑

"...Dream?"

He blinked back to reality to see Alyssa staring at him with concerned eyes, "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I just... The doctors couldn't help her, and I... think I wanted to plead my case to the mer."

"What... happened to you?"

Dream looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

She sighed softly, "Your memory, do you know what happened to make you lose it?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't. I only ever get bits and pieces. This is honestly the most I've ever gotten at once," he sighed softly, picking up the notes again, "If the dates on these notes are correct, I was twelve when I turned. I was sixteen when Puffy adopted me, which means there's four years of my life still missing."

Alyssa nodded, "You'll find them, I believe in you."

He smiled, gently pulling her into a hug, which she reciprocated, "Thank you, for everything."

She nodded as she pulled away, "Keep the book and the notes. It could help you find your memories."

His phone buzzed in his hoodie pocket, and he reached to look at the notification. It was a message from Sapnap, letting him know they were getting ready to leave, and to meet them back at the fair for dinner before they took off.

"Time to go?" Alyssa asked with a question in her eyes.

"Yeah, they want me to meet them back at the fair."

"No problem, I'll take you back. Just... promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

He nodded, "I promise."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

It was a rather quiet evening, all things considered. George stayed by his side for the remainder of the night, but didn't ask a lot of questions, which he was thankful for.

Honestly, with the heaviness of the day, he was happy to have some time with just his friends, laughing and joking like always.

Soon the day wound to a close, and Dream and George found themselves back at Puffy's house, overlooking the bay as the waves lapped at the shoreline of the waterfront.

George sighed gently as they leaned against the railing separating them from the ocean. "I didn't want to push too hard with the others, but are you doing alright?"

Dream shrugged, "It's a lot to take in, that's for sure. As much as it answered, there are still so many more questions."

George paused for a few beats, seeming to internally debate something, before turning his head to face Dream.

"Can I ask you something? If it's not too much?"

Dream nodded.

"Your sister... do you know why she died?"

Dream turned back to face the sea, an expression somewhere between hurt and anger settling on his features.

"Because they wouldn't save her."

Chapter Text

Hey! This is just gonna be really brief but I wanted to jot some thoughts down. 

THIS FIC IS NOT ABANDONED/DEAD!

I have outlines for the next three chapters, I just haven't had time to work on them as much as I'd like to. (Work is kicking my asssss uggh i hate being an adult)

I will be completely transparent and say that I have been a bit more distant from this fandom, but I'm completely and totally adamant on finishing this fic. 

I do want to write more stories in this universe, because it has a very close place to my heart, and I do have plans for a short (<10 chapters) sequel using QSMP characters, and a spin-off using Project Sekai characters (which will have ties to this fic, but will be able to be read entirely separately so that you don't feel obligated to read characters you're not familiar with for lore)

I thank you guys so much for continuing to stick around, and I hope you guys will enjoy what I'm cooking - because holy fuck it's good I swear.

Also if you're just here for my writing style, I'm planning some other short fics in both the PJSK fandom and KPOP Demon Hunters, so uhhh :)

I love you guys!

- Jessi

AlliumForest