“We shouldn’t stay out in the open for too long,” Mark says. “Come on, we can go back to my home! It’s just down the beach over there!”
Mark turns to the right and points down the beach, and you turn your head to see what he’s pointing at. At the far end of the beach, you can see a large rocky cliff that slightly juts out into the ocean. On the side of the cliff that faces the ocean, you can make out the opening of a cave.
“The sea cave?” you ask. “You live there?”
“Yep!” Mark responds cheerfully. “I used to go there all the time when I was younger. It was my special place that no one else knew about. When I started transforming, I went there to hide, and I’ve lived there ever since!”
You silently stare at the cliff on the other end of the beach for a minute or two.
“...And no one else knows about it?” you ask.
“Nope! It’s a secret to everybody!”
You turn your head and look back at the town before turning to look at Mark. You want to just go back home and pretend that none of this is happening. Being your father’s sole heir, you know that he would be crushed if you just disappeared, leaving him without a family member to pass on his fortune to when he dies. But at the same time, you know that you can’t live your old life as a Merman. You let out a sigh before turning back to Mark.
“Alright…” you say quietly.
Mark’s eyes light up at your response. “I knew you’d make the right choice Andy!”
“It’s Andrew…” you say, but Mark doesn’t hear you.
“Now come on!” he says. “You can walk on the beach and follow me to the cave!”
Mark begins to swim towards the cliff, and you walk down the beach to follow him.
- - - - -
You follow Mark down the beach until you arrive at the bottom of the cliff. You look around for a way to walk into the cave, but you are unable to find one other than the one in the water.
“Hey...uh...Mark?” you say. “How am I supposed to get into the cave?”
Mark laughs. “The same way I do, silly!” he says. “You have to swim in!”
You let out a sigh before you begin to wade into the water. Surprisingly, it’s not as cold as you expected it to be. It’s actually quite warm and inviting. You keep wading out until the water is up to your waist, and from there, you begin to swim. You swim to the front of the cliff before turning and swimming into the cave.
Once you’re inside the cave, you swim closer to the exposed shore and get out of the water. As you’re sitting on the sand, Mark pops his head out of the water, taking you by surprise and causing you to jump slightly.
Mark sees you jump and laughs. “Did I scare you Andy?” he asks.
“N-No,” you say, slightly embarrassed. “And my name is Andrew, not Andy.”
“Aww, but Andy is a much better name for you!” he says.
Before you can respond, you feel a tingling sensation in your feet. You look down and notice that your toes look a bit...longer. Then, before your very eyes, you watch as your feet begin to flatten and lengthen, with your toes beginning to fuse, becoming three long and boney appendages. The gaps in between your “toes” become longer, widening the space between each of them. A new sensation now covers your feet as blue scales begin to cover your skin. At the same time, a new layer of translucent light blue skin begins to grow in between what used to be your toes, connecting each of them together.
“Wh-What the hell?!” you shout. “What’s happening?!”
“Your tail is starting to form!” Mark said excitedly. “Pretty soon you’ll be able to join me, Andy!”
For some strange reason, the thought of being able to swim in the water with Mark excites you. You want to be with him, but you aren’t sure why. Then again, he has those piercing green eyes and that fit torso. You want him to just wrap his arms around you and hold you close to him…
You quickly shake those thoughts out of your head, unsure where they came from. You had always been attracted to females, so why is it that you’re attracted to Mark?
Could your transformation into a Merman be making you gay?!