Waves of ChangeMerformers x Reader

First day of work

"_____! I'm so glad you decided to come work at the facility! Lets go pick up your outfit, then you can customize it however you like." Your father said, smiling.

You had just graduated from _____ University, pursuing your dream of becoming a marine veterinarian. After much consideration, you had decided to join your father at his work. He was a marine scientist specializing in mers. Growing up surrounded by books and art of mers had influenced your decision, but you had always had a fascination with the ocean and its inhabitants. Sure creatures from other water sources were cool, but not many compared to the splendor and mystery of those from the ocean.

Due to your father's work, you had always lived by the beach. Your house was practically isolated from the small town you lived in, surrounded by a forest. Because of this, and your obsession with aquatic life, you were a social outcast. Life hadn't been easy, never meeting your mother had never helped, and there had been times when you had been tempted to hurl yourself into the ocean's depths and not resurface, and you had the well hidden scars to prove it.

The main reason you hadn't ended it all was your father and your one and only friend besides the ocean, Kai.

Kai was a Hawaiian boy that had moved to town during kindergarten, and you two had bonded over the fact that you both had brought a stuffed animal to school on the first day. He had brought a small black, blue and white koi fish, while you had brought a plush orca. Kai was taller than you by about 3 inches. He had soft black hair that he later died the tips of white. He had mocha brown skin, with an odd pale birthmark shaped like a heart over his right eye. He had often been teased for it, but you had always said it just meant he was extra special and loveable. He had always been an almost constant presence in your life. When you had been sad, he had performed back flips down the beach while simultaneously blowing a party horn until you laughed. You had given each other new names as well. He was your Koi, and you his Orca.

But a few years ago, little more than halfway through your time at the University, he had suddenly disappeared. You had halted your schooling and took the first plane back home to help search. You had searched for weeks, using both his names, but you never found him. With a sadness and guilt heavy heart, you returned to your studies. You almost fell into depression, but then, one morning, you saw the koi plushie, a gift from Kai, sitting on your bedside table. Looking back, you aren't sure how it got there, but it gave you a boost of determination. You would do this, if for no one else but Kai.

So you had powered through school, striving for perfection, even if it meant not sleeping for days on end. And it payed off. A few years later, you graduated with your veterinary licence and had returned home to work with your father. And that brings us to today, your first day of work.

You slipped into the light blue coat, the soft material sliding easily over your clothes. A white lanyard hung around your neck with the small koi plush securely attached , displaying the power you held. Your father's facility housed and helped many ocean creatures, but only you and your father got to directly interact with the mers. Two pods lived in this area, but you typically only saw one, as the two factions were constantly at war with each other. The Automers, as they called themselves, were the pod that lived in and around the facility. It consisted of quite a few mers, although you weren't familiar with them.

That would change today, and you couldn't wait.

Optimus watched with an amused face as Bumblebee flipped around, the small mer breaching the water and performing tricks for no one but himself, spraying water everywhere. The reason the yellow mer was so hyper was because today they were getting a new human worker, a vet that specialized in marine life, including mers.

The old worker had been rude and incompetent, treating the mers like trash. Optimus had tolerated it for longer than he should have, mostly because he hated harming humans, but his patience snapped when the worker had kicked Bumblebee in the throat. Lets just say that the worker was fired once he was released from the hospital.

They would have said something, but mers were very selective of who they spoke to. They spoke to each other in their native tongue, clicks and whistles and growls coupled with body language and pheromones. But if they trusted a human enough, they may speak to them. So far they had only met three trustworthy humans. Three children who lived in the nearby coastal town. The children visited as often as they could, but often found themselves unable due to school.

Optimus stretched, his massive tail lifting slightly. Being a blue whale had its advantages and disadvantages, but he was still glad he wasn't as large as an actual blue whale. Yet. Instead, he was around the size of an orca. He smiled as a beam of sunshine shone on his face, warming him.

He opened one eye when he heard approaching footsteps. He rolled slightly and slipped into the water, swimming closer to the edge of the pool. He wanted to get a good look at the new human, specifically their eyes. Eyes could give away many things, and he wanted to insure that an incident like last time never occurred again.

Bumblebee's tail flicked excitedly, slapping the water's surface.

"Oh i hope they're nice!" he said, voice still a little hoarse.

Ratchet glared at the door before mumbling a 'they better be.'

The three mers slipped under the water, pretending to hide. Optimus surfaced behind some rocks, his eyes the only thing above water. His fins fell forward as he listened, blue eyes locked on the door.

_____ took a deep breath before pushing open the doors. The mer's area was by far the biggest and nicest. A large open pool greeted her, rocks and coral visible from where she stood. Two huge tube like tanks formed a sort of broken ring around the pool, beginning somewhere not too far away and leading around the facility. It helped as many mers were almost to large to sedate and transport to a new room. Although initially expensive, it payed off as the mers were much happier and it reduced the risk of an accident.

_____ walked towards the pool, noticing the ripples in the water.

' Ah, so they are here.' you thought.

Suddenly, you felt kinda nervous. What if the mers attacked you? Your father had said that most of them weren't usually aggressive towards humans, but there was still a chance.

Pushing down your negative feelings, you walked across the room towards the office near the left side of the pool. You made it halfway before you felt eyes on you. You turned around, scanning the water. There, hiding somewhat behind a rock, was a younger mer. This was the one your father had described as the 'fun' one, the angel fish with an odd colouring, so you put on a bright smile and waved. The mer grinned back, showing his sharp teeth. He flicked his tail up and splashed some water near you.

You laughed as a few stray droplets landed on you. You still had a smile on your face as you entered the office, ready to set it up and get started.

Bumblebee trilled happily when he saw how friendly the new human was. The old worker had cursed when he had done that, but this one had smiled and waved at him, and they laughed when he flicked water on her instead of getting mad.

And their laugh. It wasn't like the small huffs or chuckles he sometimes got from Dr. _____, no, this was a full blown, genuine laugh.

But there was more to it than that. They had this sort of... feeling to them. It wasn't good or bad, but somehow familiar. It was new, and therefore exciting.

Optimus surfaced again, a smile on his features. This human held no ill intentions towards them. But what confused him was the broken look those same eyes held, the lack of light apparent. Their smile didn't meet their eyes either. It made him wonder what had happened.

Whatever it was, it was clear that there was more to this human than meets the eye.