Sea Breeze

Shorts Splash

Marie groaned, "Why do they have to come?"
"Because I'm going to need some muscle for heavy lifting."
Marie looked at her sister as if she'd just gone senile, "They're mermen. They can't walk around like we do."
Sue frowned, "Why not? You walk around just fine."
"That's because I became half mermaid, they were born like that and have been like that for years."
Sue frowned and Marie actually began to wonder. Could they transform like her if they had wanted to? She knew that Aenon probably could seeing as he was human once, but what about Shell? He talks as if he's been a merman his whole life.
Sue pushed her blonde bangs out of her face and huffed, she'd have to find someone else to do the heavy lifting if the guys couldn't transform into humans. Well she could always ask... She went over to the shore and called for them, "Shell, Aenon!"
A blue head popped out of the water along with his lax surfer grin, "You called sea star?"
She giggled at his pet names while her older sister up the beach rolled her eyes. Sue sat with her toes in the waveline so he didn't have to keep looking up, "So I was wondering, since Marie can go back and forth from human to mermaid does that mean that you can too?"
He studied her with his bright curious gaze, "Why do you ask that?"
She looked down at her toes trying to avoid the calling captivation of this merman, "W-well because I'm rebuilding a hotel resort on the coast on an island actually, and was wondering if you'd like to help me lift the things that I can't by myself. I asked Marie to drive the ship, but she said that you probably couldn't transform like she could."
Shell scratched his chin in thought, sure Marie could but could he? If he could walk in land then getting Jamie might be possible... if only he still possessed the heart to tear them apart.
Shell grinned, "We might as well try but only as long as we can still change back... Let me get Aenon to do it first."
Sue giggled at his wink as he turned tail and swam off. Marie eyed her sister suspiciously, there was definitely something else going on with her too. Marie's eyes widened, could it be that her sister actually likes Shell as in like like him? Oh no that can't be good Marie decided.
Shell came back with the green tail and roughly shoved him up onto a dry rock. Aenon yelped, "Hey what was that for?"
"Dry off."
Aenon frowned confused, "What? Why? You know it's bad for a merman to dry completely off, it could hurt his scales."
Shell shook his head and motioned for Aenon to sit still. It was low tide so the dark haired merman had no chance against the sun. When it was passing a few minutes and he was uncomfortably dry Aenon shifted, "There, happy? Now let's go before I shrivel up and die."
Shell frowned disappointed as his friend gave him an annoyed look. It worked for Marie, so why wasn't it working for Aenon? He sighed and just as he was about to agree he watched his friend's seaweed green tail be replaced with a set of long pale legs.
Aenon watched in horror as Marie watched in shock, he really could do it too!
Sue grinned ear to ear and gave them an approving nod, "So you'll help me?"
Shell clasped her hand, "Always my dear starfish."
Marie rolled her eyes once more and was joined by Aenon. She walked over from where she was sitting and brushed the sand off. She offered Aenon a hand up not sure if he could walk right after all these years.
He reluctantly took her hand and pulled himself up now standing a full head taller than her. She looked up at him now fully aware of just how much bigger he actually is compared to her. She became fully aware of how his muscles contracted and tensed as he tried to find his balance once more. She became fully aware of his proximity and swallowed, this'll be interesting.
When she slowly led him towards the beach Shell watched his friend amused and hopped up on a rock just like he'd had Aenon do, "Alright, my turn."
Sue nodded enthusiastically as she waited. Aenon groaned, "Shell what's this all about?"
Shell shrugged, "It's because I was curious and it's fun to watch you have to lean on Marie."
Aenon glared at him, "That's because I haven't walked in years, and this is with years of prior walking experience. You'll likely fall on your face and be butt naked because you have never worn clothes."
Shell frowned, "What do you mean by butt naked? Does it mean to be embarrassed or hurt?"
Marie laughed at the confused expression on his face while Sue's cheeks went red at the image of a clothes-less Shell. She ran inside calling over her shoulder, "I'll get him some shorts!"
Aenon looked at Marie from where he stood leaning on her, "Do you know what all this is about?"
She shrugged, "Sue's got this idea that she's going to reopen a hotel and wants you two to do the heavy lifting. She asked Shell and you supposedly, but I think it's just cuz she has a crush on him."
"No way." Aenon studied his friend in a new light, sure Shell had always been open to the possibility of human girls but would he actually go for it and try it out with Marie's sister of all people? Sounds like Shell, Aeonon concluded.
Marie looked up at him before looking out to sea, would this work? She was distracted from her thoughts as she heard Aenon mumbling and saw his hand make a quick gesture toward Shell. Her eyes widened and she elbowed him in the ribs, "You just used magic again."
Aenon looked down at her sheepishly, "You caught that?"
Marie nodded and gave him a look. The former merman shrugged, "If he wants to change he needs to be released from being locked in that form and now he can open and close the door between them." He shrugged, "It's no big deal."
Marie narrowed her eyes and was about to say something when Sue came bounding out of the house with a pair of basketball shorts in hand. She smiled and handed them to Aenon who frowned, "What am I going to do with them?"
She rolled her eyes, "Go put them on Shell, duh."
He now narrowed his eyes and stood straight taking his weight off Marie. She looked over and watched him take a few steps testing his balance before striding confidently over to his friend.
Aenon knew he could walk just fine but wasn't going to tell them about his run the other day. He stood looking down at Shell who gazed up at him innocently while flicking his tail subtly back and forth. Shell felt a tingling then looked down to see legs. He was confused however by his friend sticking each leg through a hole in the fabric and sliding it up to his waist. Shell frowned, "What's that for?"
Aenon held Shell half propped up before helping him stand, the other merman now completely unstable and wobbling badly. Aenon slung his arm around his friend's waist and walked slowly letting Shell unstably mimic him, "Humans don't like nudity. It's appropriate for men to at least cover their bottom half while women cover both top and bottom."
Shell frowned, "Blah rules."
Aenon laughed and when they got to the beach away from the water he let go and Shell fell face first into the sand.
He groaned and glared up at Aenon, "What was that for?"
"That was for making me sound like a lovestruck wimp."
Sue frowned, "But aren't you love struck? I mean Marie did become half mermaid just for you."
He coughed and Marie nodded and hugged the green eyed man, "Yep he is definitely lovestruck but his manly side won't admit it."
The three of them knew that she was saying this just for Sue's benefit but her younger blonde sister totally ate it up. She giggled and hooked an arm around the blue haired man attempting to help him up. The older sister shook her head, "Let's start with kneeling and crawling then move up to walking. Baby steps my dear sister."
Sue scowled but knew her sister was right while Aenon all out laughed. It was a deep seated, wholesome sound that had everyone smiling and laughing along with him. Shell even clapped his hands, "Alright teach me how."
Marie knelt but Sue shook her head, "I'll teach him, why don't you and uh Mr. Right go out for dinner or something?"
As her sister wiggled her eyebrows at her Marie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead clutched Aenon's arm to her chest, "Oh that'd be so fun!" Her perky smile dimmed a little, "But he doesn't have any clothes other than these trunks."
Sue shrugged and waved a hand already kneeling beside Shell, "That's fine, I'm sure you have a few of dad's shirts floating around here somewhere, just have him wear one of those and slap some sandals and call him good."
Marie pursed her lips in thought and after a long pause nodded. She tugged his arm, "Come on, let's find you a shirt."
Aenon reluctantly nodded and followed her toward the house while Sue and Shell high fived and began learning to crawl. Marie yawned as they got back to the house and once inside her gregarious grin dropped. She wasn't sure what to do but just to make Sue happy she'd take the guy somewhere. Bet he hasn't had burgers in ages, she smirked amused.
Aenon looked around the house silently surprised. He had known she had an obvious love for the sea, but he wasn't expecting the sky blue walls, billowing curtains, or various sandy or other natural decorations. Its just like a crystal cove transformed into a house, he thought.
The open windows let in a fresh breeze and the sound of gulls filled the air with their faint background noise. He watched as she shuffled around the kitchen and poured two glasses of lemonade before handing one to him.
Blue eyes gazed at him from the rim of her cup, "So where do you want to go?"
He blinked surprised, "Go? We're actually going somewhere?"
She took a sip relishing the refreshing sour taste, "Yeah, my sister seems to insist we go, so to keep her happy and believing in this farce we're going somewhere preferably not in any close knit communities."
He frowned confused and took a swig of his own lemonade which was surprisingly good, "Well... we could go-" he realized that he'd been pulled into her pace, "wait, why do we need to keep this up?"
She shrugged not wanting to let on how badly she needed him to play along, "I don't want my father or mother to find me and if Sue keeps her mouth shut they won't, but she needs a strong reason to keep her mouth shut. She's always been a hopeless romantic and what's better than watching your own sister play out your favorite dreams? Besides, the longer she keeps this a secret the longer she can see Shell."
At this last bit they both looked out the window to see both man and woman rolling in the sand laughing. They seemed happier than either had seen them before and Aenon knew another link had been formed that he'd never have the heart to break.
Sighing he looked back to Marie, "So where to?"
She shrugged, "I dunno, that's why I asked you."
He mimicked her shrug, "I don't care, anywhere I guess."
She sighed and was about to say something when she snapped her fingers now knowing exactly where to go. Her whole face lit up as she spoke, "I got it, the fair!"